In 1983, an old tailor in Xiushan County, Sichuan (now part of Chongqing Municipality) suddenly asked his son to go to the county party leader. The old tailor, named Li Mufu, was 86 years old at the time.
Logically, an ordinary old tailor, who has honestly lived in the village for a lifetime, how could he suddenly let his son go to the county party committee? The reason was simple, because he had heard a news that excited him: Recently, a founding general came to the county to look for benefactors.
The founding general, Duan Suquan, was awarded the rank of major general in 1955. At the same time, he is also the recipient of the Liberation Medal of the First Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Order of August 1st. In addition, he also participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and was awarded the Order of the National Flag of the Dprk first class. In 1964, Premier Zhou personally sent him on a mission to Laos.
Xiushan is not very famous in the country, and suddenly such an old general has naturally attracted the attention of many media and ordinary people. What made the people even more incomprehensible at first was that after the old general came to Xiushan County, he also did a very "strange" thing:
Accompanied by the county leaders, he traveled throughout the local mountainous area and inspected 5 caves in a row.
General Duan was already 67 years old at the time, and after many years of conquest, his health itself was not very good, what was he looking for in the mountains? Later, everyone learned that 49 years ago, General Duan almost died nearby, and it was a villager who saved him. He was looking for his own savior.
This news soon reached the ears of the old tailor Li Mufu, who realized that the "little soldier" he had saved in the past had now become a founding general. Therefore, he immediately asked his son to go to the county party leader and explain: He is the person That General Duan is looking for.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" > one: The hero is shipwrecked</h1>
In the military circles, as long as General Duan Suquan is mentioned, many people will use 5 words to describe: heroes out of youth.
Duan Suquan, a native of Chaling, Hunan, joined the Youth League at the age of 14 and the Red Army at the age of 16. Because he dared to fight, dared to fight, and knew how to play tactically, he was quickly reused.
In 1934, Duan Suquan was appointed political commissar of the Qiandong Independent Division of the Red Army. At the age of 18, he became the political commissar of the independent division, and based on this alone, we can fully deduce how brave and good Duan Suquan is.
In this year, He Long, Ren Bishi, and others were preparing to lead the Red Second and Red Sixth Armies from Guizhou back to western Hunan Province, while Duan Suquan and Wang Guangguang, the commander of the Independent Division, were ordered to stay in the local area temporarily and fight guerrilla warfare with the enemy.
Such an arrangement is a choice of helplessness.
At that time, Duan Suquan and Wang Guangguang's independent division had only more than 800 people, and there were even fewer guns, only more than 400. They must rely on this only strength to contain the enemy and ensure the smooth eastward advance of the main force.
There is no other way but to fight!
In order to complete the task, the independent division fought in Qiandong for more than 20 days, and fought more than 20 large and small battles, so that the enemy troops who could not understand the situation once thought that the main force of our army was still there. However, after the smooth transfer of the main force, the casualties of the Independent Division were not small.
On November 25, 1934, Duan Suquan and division commander Wang Guangguang and more than 600 other people were forced by the enemy into Xiushan, Sichuan. During the battle between the two armies, a bullet hit Duan Suquan's ankle bone. He fell to the ground at once, unable to move at all. Fortunately, a few small warriors risked their lives to carry him down, and he was able to withdraw safely.
Next, Duan Suquan had to face a difficult choice.
At that time, he was completely unable to walk and needed 4 warriors to take turns carrying him. Xiushan's road was very difficult to walk, and from time to time he had to climb the slope, and the hungry warriors had difficulty moving forward without any supply, let alone with wounded people like him.
In a hurry, Duan Suquan consulted with his good brother Wang Guangguang and asked them to leave them alone and first go to meet the main force. Wang Guangguang partnered with Duan Suquan many times, and although he had everything in his heart, he had to grit his teeth and agree.
After the large troops left, Duan Suquan dragged his injured leg and moved forward with difficulty. At that time, the area around Xiushan County was a national unification area, and there were pursuing soldiers behind, and there were often patrols in the vicinity.
As he walked, Duan Suquan was too badly injured and fell on a field in a nearby village. A unconscious person appeared in the village, and the people rushed out to see it, and the tuanding also heard the news.
The regimental members had long heard that there were Red Army infestations nearby, and through Duan Suquan's clothes and injuries, they immediately understood: This was a Red Army soldier who had fallen behind. So, without even thinking about it, they took out their bayonets and prepared to lay down their dead hands.
Coincidentally, the old tailor Li Mufu saw it, rushed out, and shouted: "His ankles are all broken, what do you do when you kill him?" This sentence obviously puzzled the regimental members, who did not expect that anyone would dare to intercede with the Red Army, so they asked: "What kind of relatives are you and him?" ”
Li Mufu quickly denied it, saying only that this young man was still young and was a dying man, and there was no need to stab the knife at this time. After all, there are so many ordinary people watching, plus Li Mufu is still somewhat famous in the local area, and he also made clothes for the tuanding earlier.
Therefore, after discussing it for a while, the regimental leaders searched Su Quan's body, took a piece of the ocean, and then left him on the field and went to patrol elsewhere.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > two: hero becomes "beggar"</h1>
After Tuan Ding left, the villagers dispersed, leaving only Li Mufu alone. He thought about it, but he still couldn't bear to leave Duan Suquan alone, otherwise he would only have a dead end. But at that time, no one dared to bring the Red Army to their homes. After all, if the reactionaries found out, the whole family would die.
Therefore, Li Mufu first carried Duan Suquan to a nearby temple. At that time, Duan Suquan woke up for a short time, and Li Mufu pulled some rice and grass to make a nest for him, and promised to come and bring him food in the evening.
It is a miracle to say that after two days in the temple, Duan Suquan's situation was actually much better. Later, after Duan Suquan's situation was discovered by some villagers, some people kindly advised Li Mufu: You hid a "communist bandit" like this, and when you were caught, you were going to sit in the classroom.
Li Mufu felt that it was too easy to find people left in the temple, so together with his wife Yang Guihua, he carried Duan Suquan into a cave overnight.
At that time, there were many caves in Xiushan County, and the openings of the caves were overgrown with weeds, which were very hidden. Li Mufu asked his wife to make a simple home for Duan Suquan: mattresses and quilts are straw.
After the bed was made, Li Mufu told Duan Suquan: "You are here to recuperate, don't go out, I will bring you food sooner or later!" After that, Li Mufu was busy during the day, and at night he would take sweet potatoes or brown rice to give Duan Suquan to eat.
Maybe now some young friends will think, just bring a meal to the wounded, but everyone must understand that it was 1934. At that time, in a poor ravine like Xiushan, the people themselves were precarious. Every time he ate sweet potatoes, Duan Suquan was so grateful that he didn't know what to say.
What moved Duan Suquan even more was that Li Mufu and his wife Yang Guihua also tried their best to treat his ankles. Yang Guihua knew a doctor surnamed Su who opened a medicine shop on the street, so he often went to his shop to get some medicine for Duan Suquan. This Dr. Su was also a righteous man, and when he heard that Li Mufu's family had saved a Red Army, he not only did not go to the officials, but also sent more medicine every time.
As the days passed, Duan Suquan's health gradually improved. He knew that this was not the way to go, and that the enemy would one day find himself, so he proposed: I will go to find a large army.
Li Mufu and his wife knew that they could not keep him, so they found someone to make him a crutch, and also intimately installed a bamboo tube on the crutch, which was his rice bowl.
On the day of the separation, the couple came to send Duan Suquan. This 18-year-old child, his body was in tatters, and when Duan Suquan thanked them for their kindness, the couple was guilty of not being able to get a decent dress for him at home.
After separating from Li Mufu and his wife, Duan Suquan had been looking for the division commander Wang Guangguang and his comrades-in-arms, but he could not find anything. What he didn't know was that at that time, the division commander Wang Guangguang had already died.
It turned out that wang Guangguang and his comrades-in-arms had been severely damaged by the enemy army shortly after they left Duan Suquan. In order to give the brethren a chance to survive, Wang Guangguang ordered everyone to disperse and break through.
As a result, not far from Hunan territory, he was discovered and arrested by the enemy because of his incorrect accent. In the big prison, the enemy tried his best to get Wang Guangguang to surrender, but he resolutely refused to comply. In the end, the 31-year-old Master Wang bravely took the initiative.
All this, Duan Suquan did not know, he was on crutches, begging while looking around, hoping to find the clues of the troops. At night, he lived like a beggar in the Land Temple.
During this period, Duan Suquan met many well-meaning people. These include the little beggar who reminds him to run, the boatman who is willing to let him take the boat for free. We don't know the names of these people now, but their good deeds, Duan Suquan, have all been remembered in our hearts.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" > three: The old chief said to him: We have also held a memorial service for you</h1>
Because he really couldn't find the old troops, Duan Suquan decided to go back to his hometown of Hunan first and then find a way. He took a boat and pickpocketed a train again, and finally arrived at Huangtuling Station in Youxian County, Hunan Province in July 1935.
Standing at the station, Duan Suquan was already completely like a beggar: his hair was very long, his torn cotton clothes were in a mess, his crutches had changed shape, and he had no money on his body. In the past few months, he has been too difficult and tired, and it is a miracle that he can get here smoothly.
Just when he was worried about what to do next, a fellow with a Hunan Chaling accent suddenly spoke to him. It turned out that when Duan Suquan asked for directions, he exposed his chaling accent, which was just heard by the fellow in front of him. The man's name was Liu Weichu, and he opened a tofu shop nearby.
Liu Weichu was a warm-hearted person, and he thought that he had just met a compatriot who was in distress, so he wanted to help a few copper plates to help others. Duan Suquan saw that this person was honest, so he revealed his own experience and interrogation. Liu Weichu only knew when he heard it: I can't help it, this fellow was a big man who had commanded thousands of armies and horses before.
Therefore, without saying a word, he quickly helped Duan Suquan to his home. When he arrived at Liu Weichu's house, Duan Suquan had a human appearance. He cut his hair, changed into clean clothes, and changed back into what an 18-year-old should look like.
At that time, Liu Weichu found that Duan Suquan's foot injury had not been completely better, and the situation in his hometown Chaling was not clear, so he let him stay in the tofu shop for more than 40 days. It was not until everything was determined to be safe that Duan Suquan wrote a letter to his father in his hometown.
Poor Duan's father always thought that his son had died outside, and he was overjoyed when he received the letter. He quickly borrowed some money for the coiling and went to Youxian to take his son back home.
After returning home, Duan Suquan was not idle, and he inquired around about the whereabouts of the troops. In September 1937, Duan Suquan finally heard the news. It turned out that there was a fellow in the village surnamed Tan who happened to go home to visit his relatives, and he had served as a soldier in General Zhang Xueliang's Northeast Army. He told Duan Suquan that Ren Bishi's troops were now in the Taiyuan area.
This news surprised Duan Suquan. After a hasty farewell to his family, the 21-year-old boy embarked on the road to find a comrade-in-arms.
This time, he was not disappointed.
When the old leader Ren Bi saw Duan Suquan, he was surprised. Everyone thought that Duan Suquan had already died heroically like the division commander Wang Guangguang. Looking at Duan Suquan, Elder Ren said with emotion: "We once held a memorial service for you, and it turns out that you are still alive." ”
This incident later became a legend of our army. Who would have thought that a divisional political commissar who had been held a memorial service would actually appear again. After Duan Suquan told Ren Bishi about his experience in the past few years, Elder Ren specifically told him that in the future, he must find a way to thank those who helped him.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" >4: Repay favors</h1>
After returning to the army, Duan Suquan made many achievements in the Liberation War. To retake Zhangjiakou, there was him; in the Battle of Rehe, there was him; in the Liaoshen Campaign, there was him; and in the capture of Jinzhou, there was also him.
In 1951, Duan Suquan led his troops to participate in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In 1964, Premier Zhou personally appointed Duan Suquan as the head of the working group for supporting Laos. After returning to China, he served as the deputy commander of the Fuzhou Military Region.
With more and more military merits and higher positions, Duan Suquan never forgot those well-wishers who saved himself. However, some of these people are easy to find, and some of them have been searching for many years without success.
Duan Suquan first looked for Liu Weichu, a fellow who opened a tofu shop. Relatively speaking, Liu Weichu speaks the same language as him and has been opening a shop in hunan county, so it is easier to find.
Not long after the liberation of the whole country, Duan Suquan sent someone to take Liu Weichu's son to Shenyang early and pay his own tuition. Later, the child did not disappoint General Duan and was admitted to Dalian Engineering College.
In the 1950s, the family could produce such a college student, which was a great joy for a small owner of a tofu shop like Liu Weichu.
When he was even more moved, General Duan also sent some money to his family from time to time, and often invited him to beijing to stay. Later, when Liu Wei first saw people, he said: This "big official" of the Communist Party that I have saved is the most important friendship!
After Liu Weichu found it, Duan Suquan also kept inquiring about Li Mufu's whereabouts. But at that time, he was living in a cave and did not know the basic situation of the other party's home. At that time, in order not to cause trouble to Li Mufu's family, he did not tell the other party his real name. Moreover, Li Mufu's family is in a mountain village, and even if he publishes a revelation in the newspaper, people may not be able to see it.
In this way, many years have passed, and Duan Suquan has not found Li Mufu, the benefactor of Sichuan. It was not until 1983, when the inaugural meeting of the Tu and Miao Autonomous Counties in Xiushan County was held, that Duan Suquan had the opportunity to return to Xiushan.
The place where the 18-year-old died, and then returned to be a 67-year-old man, Xiushan County has long become very different from before. Although the mountain road is not easy to walk, Duan Suquan still insists on looking for people. While looking, he asked the cadres in the mountains about the size, and looked for 5 caves in a row, hoping to determine where he was staying.
However, his search was fruitless. In the end, because the work was too busy, Duan Suquan could only return to Beijing with regrets. Before leaving, he specially asked the comrades in the county: Be sure to help me find it again.
However, although it was not found at the time, it was soon spread in the local area that the founding general was looking for people. Soon, Old Man Li Mufu heard about it. Thus, there is a scene at the beginning of this article.
When the leaders of the Xiushan County CPC Committee heard this, the general's great benefactor was found and immediately rushed to Li Mufu's house. Saving the Red Army at that time was originally the most risky and memorable thing Li Mufu did in his life, so he could clearly explain the situation and process at that time. And these, and Duan Suquan's experience can all be matched.
After confirming Li Mufu's identity, the county immediately informed General Duan of the news in Beijing. General Duan had too many official duties at that time to go to Sichuan immediately, so he entrusted someone from the county party committee to bring a message to Li Mufu and asked him: Are there any difficulties in life? Need any help?
At that time, the old man Li Mufu was not rich, but he did not want money or a name, and only said: "I personally do not want anything, I hope to build a bridge for the village on the river in front of the village!" ”
Sichuan has many mountains and rivers, and in the 1980s, many villages had to take a long detour, and Li Lao's wish was mentioned for the villagers. When he learned that he said this, General Duan was deeply impressed, and he built a bridge in the local area at his own expense. Although this bridge is not a major project, it has warmed the hearts of the local people. Later, people affectionately called this bridge: the Red Army Bridge.
Since then, General Duan has also written letters and sent money to Li Mufu many times, and these things have become a good story in the local area. Before Li Mufu died of illness, he also received a plaque from the county. Holding the general's letter and holding the plaque, Li Mufu smiled incomparably happily.
In 1993, Duan Suquan died of illness. At that time, Ren Bishi's wife, Chen Jianying, said the following passage at his memorial ceremony: On the Long March Road, we have already held a memorial service for Comrade Duan Suquan...
Nowadays, when it comes to this legendary experience of General Duan, many people are discussing a question: he joined the army at the age of 16, almost lost his life at the age of 18, and it was difficult to return home safely, why did he return to the army again after experiencing all kinds of hardships at the age of 21?
The author believes that the reason why he is like this, in addition to holding the belief in the victory of the revolution and the longing for his comrades-in-arms, there is another point that cannot be ignored: these ordinary people who are willing to pull him aside in his moment of crisis make him feel a burst of warmth when he is in distress. For the 18-year-old political commissar of the independent division at that time, these people were the people he was willing to desperately protect on the battlefield. With this article, I would like to commemorate the founding major general Duan Suquan and those lovely people.