Wu Maolin, who fought non-stop
Wu Maolin (1913-1944), known as Tingjian, a native of Fangwu Village, Tingsiqiao Town, Xian'an District, came from a poor family, followed his father to Hankou to make a living, and returned to his hometown at the age of 13 to herd cattle for landlords. At the end of 1931, he defected to the Eyu-Anhui Soviet District and joined the Red Army at Qiliping in Huang'an (now Hong'an). In the army, he eagerly learned culture, humbly learned from veteran soldiers, and practiced hard to kill the enemy, so his ability improved rapidly.
In August 1932, Wu Maolin broke through the western expedition into Sichuan with the main force of the Red Fourth Front. In the battle, he charged into battle, regarded death as a homecoming, endured the baptism of war, and became more mature. He served as squad leader and platoon leader and was an experienced scout. He often disguised himself as a businessman, peasant, and worker to go deep into the enemy-occupied areas to spy on the enemy's situation, reconnoiter the enemy's deployment and equipment, provide reliable military intelligence to the troops, and contribute to the victory of the battle.
In October 1934, Wu Maolin participated in the 25,000-mile Long March, was wounded four times on the way, overcame the threat of death with amazing perseverance, withstood severe tests, and gloriously joined the Communist Party of China. In 1936, he arrived in Yan'an with the troops.
Subsequently, the party organization sent Wu Maolin to Zhang Xueliang's troops to do the work of winning over the vast number of soldiers. He vigorously propagated the anti-Japanese national united front policy put forward by our party, made friends, shared weal and woe with those soldiers, and encouraged them to "fight back to their hometowns" and "Chinese not fight Chinese." He did his utmost to resist Japan and save the country and to implement the party's policy of resisting Japan and national united front.
After the "Xi'an Incident" in 1936, the party organization transferred him back to Yan'an to participate in the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University (No. 3). In December 1937, Chen Yun returned to Yan'an from Dihua (present-day Urumqi) in Xinjiang to select cadets of the Xinjiang Aviation Corps (the first air force of the Red Army) at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and motorcycle school. After repeated assessments, 19 young party members, including Yan Zhengang, Wu Maolin, and Peng Renfa, were selected as cadets of the Aviation Corps.
Urumqi Martyrs Cemetery 10 martyrs figure statues. (From left to right: Peng Renfa, Qiao Guozhen, Chen Zhenya, Qi Tianmin, Mao Zemin, Wu Maolin, Chen Tanqiu, Du Chongyuan, Wang Dexiang, Lin Jilu)
At the beginning of 1938, Wu Maolin was assigned to the second mechanical class of the Xinjiang Dihua Air Force to study. With a high degree of political enthusiasm, he overcame the difficulties of low cultural standards, worked day and night to study aviation theoretical knowledge, and participated in intense military training. Because Wu Maolin had been injured many times in the past, his physique was weak, and he eventually became ill with hard work, he still maintained a strong revolutionary spirit and stubbornly insisted on studying, until in the end he could not support it, and only then did he leave the air force for treatment under the repeated advice of the organization.
In the summer of 1938, he went to the General Detachment Headquarters of the West Road Army for treatment, and was later transferred to nanguan hospital, where he was diagnosed by Soviet experts and diagnosed from pleurisy infection to emphysema. In order to be able to recover his health as soon as possible and return to his study post, he endured severe pain and underwent surgery, never screaming a pain. The operation was a success and the situation was turned around with the meticulous care of the medical staff. He went to the sports field every morning for a walk and played volleyball to strengthen his physique.
In early 1940, he was transferred to the Eighth Route Army's office in Xinjiang to continue recuperation. During his sick leave, he conscientiously studied revolutionary theory, improved his political level, and strengthened his belief in communism.
At the beginning of 1942, Sheng Shicai, chairman of the Kuomintang Xinjiang Provincial Government, openly opposed the Soviet Union and anti-communism, and concentrated all the CCP personnel in Xinjiang in Dihua. On September 17, Sheng Shicai suddenly sent troops to surround their residence, the Eight Liang Guest House, and hunted down the Communists, imprisoning Wu Maolin and the women, children, sick and disabled. When the enemy was preparing to arrest Dr. Yang Xiguang, Wu Maolin stepped forward to argue with the enemy on the basis of reason, forcing the enemy to helplessly leave Dr. Yang Xiguang behind.
The statue of martyr Wu Maolin in the 10 martyrs' statues in the Urumqi Martyrs' Cemetery
In April 1943, Wu Maolin and they were transferred to the West River Dam MonHaco School under house arrest. Wu Maolin was deeply tormented by hunger and cold and disease, and his condition worsened, the knife edge was ulcerated and suppurative, and he could not walk independently. But he still persevered with tenacious perseverance, walked against the wall, washed his own dirty clothes, and refused to be helped. He also often told revolutionary stories to the families of his fellow prisoners, and introduced the fighting and living conditions in Yan'an. Afraid that his illness would spread to the children, he stood far away and said to them, "You are the little eight roads, remember that the prosperous world is the big bad, and you must unite with your uncles and aunts to fight him!" He told Wang Shuzhen, a revolutionary family member from Xinjiang: "The Communist Party is the party of the poor and fights the world for the poor people." In any case, we must follow the party, and everyone will unite as one to strive for collective release and return to Yan'an. ”
In 1944, the enemy transferred Wu Maolin and others to the "rebel family factory" in Qidaowan and brutally persecuted them. Wu Maolin's condition worsened, and his lungs suppuration caused chest ulceration and paralysis of his lower body. Despite this, he stubbornly fought the disease and forced himself to eat. The comrades cut the steamed bun into pieces and boiled it in boiling water, fed him one bite at a time, and every drop of sweat flowed down with each mouthful. He endured severe pain and never moaned loudly.
Wu Maolin Martyrs' Tomb
When his life was in danger, he also longed for Yan'an, the holy land of revolution, and longed for a fiery combat life. He said: "After I return to Yan'an, I still have to go to the front line, staying in the rear is not addictive, and I can't fight without a fight." In the early morning of October 5 of the same year, Wu Maolin passed away. The inmates broke through layers of obstruction and forced the prison authorities to agree to hold a memorial service for the martyr Wu Maolin. After the memorial service, the inmates escorted them to the top of the Seven Bends for burial.
After the founding of New China, his body was placed in the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in the southern suburbs of Urumqi. Dong Biwu personally inscribed a tombstone for him "Tomb of Martyr Wu Maolin".