Before Chairman Mao became chairman of the Central Military Commission, there were six chairmen of the Central Military Commission in the history of the Red Army, of which General Guan Xiangying was one of them, and in 1930 General Guan Xiangying served as secretary of the Central Military Commission, a position that was formerly known as the chairman of the Later Central Military Commission.
Photo of General Guan Xiangying
Mention Guan Xiangying, it is certain to mention He Long, both of their famous generals are from the Red Second Front, in the early days of the Red Army, He Long served as the commander-in-chief of the Red Second Front, Guan Xiangying was the general political commissar of the Red Second Front, and at that moment, He Long and Guan Xiangying began a partnership career of more than ten years.
The world knows that Chen Yi and Su Yu were collectively called Chen Su, and Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping were collectively called Liu Deng, but in fact, for a long time in the history of the Red Army, He Long and Guan Xiang should be collectively called He Guan.
In September 1955, the Central Military Commission presided over the conferment conference, He Long was awarded the rank of marshal, and Xu Guangda, who also came out of the Red Second Front, was awarded the rank of grand general, and Xu Guangda said to He Long with sadness: "If Guan Xiangying political commissar is still alive, he must also be a marshal!" ”
He Long couldn't cry after hearing Xu Guangda's words, he said: "I have been partnering with Guan Xiangying for more than ten years, he has been indifferent to fame and fortune all his life, if he is still alive, I He Long would rather not have this marshal!" ”
In 1959, Chairman Mao said in a chat with Premier Zhou: "For many years of our revolution, many comrades-in-arms who fought together have died, Wu Zhonghao, Ye Ting, Zuo Quan, Fang Zhimin, Liu Zhidan, guan Xiangying, they are all models of the times, in 1941 Guan Xiangying became ill in Yan'an, I also went to see him, if he is still alive, he is also qualified to be rated as a marshal!" ”
General Guan Xiangying is one of the few ethnic minority generals in our army, Guan Xiangying was born in a noble family in the Manchus, his Manchu surname is Guarjia, and people familiar with the history of the Qing Dynasty know that Guarjia is the first surname of the Manchu Qing, and it is also a high-ranking noble surname.
General Guan Xiangying rarely mentioned his status as a Manchu nobleman, and Zhu De once said: "Guan Xiangying was born into a Manchu nobleman, but he was one of the most able to endure hardships among the leaders of our army!" ”
Guan Xiangying has always been low-key and introverted, his appearance is the same as his personality, if Guan Xiangying is standing in the crowd like this, you can never imagine at a glance that this is a veteran of the battlefield.
Among the famous generals of our army, Guan Xiang should belong to the high-level intellectuals, and in 1924, Guan Xiangying left his hometown to study abroad, and this year he came into contact with the doctrine of communism, and since then he has been fascinated and found the revolutionary road he wants to pursue.
That year, Guan Xiangying was studying at Shanghai University, but in order to learn communist knowledge, he resolutely left Shanghai University and went to the Eastern Communist University in Moscow, the Soviet Union, at the end of the year, Guan Xiangying met a large number of like-minded friends, many of whom later became important leaders in the early days of the Red Army.
Photo of Guan Xiangying and He Long
He Long once recalled: "When Guan Xiangying first came to the Red Second Front, I thought at a glance which old peasant from the countryside had come to visit us, but later I learned that this was the famous Comrade Guan Xiangying! ”
In 1936, the Red Third Army officially restored the name of the Red Second Front, And He Long served as the commander of the Red Second Front, at first the political commissar of the Red Second Front was Ren Bi, Guan Xiangying was the deputy political commissar, and soon after Ren Bishi went to work in the central government, guan Xiangying took over Ren Bishi's original position.
In those days, it was very difficult to create a large revolutionary base area, and later in 1955, the Central Military Commission issued a standard for awarding titles, and in the selection of senior generals and above, personnel must have the work achievements of creating revolutionary base areas, and Guan Xiangying and He Long founded the Xiang'e West Revolutionary Base Area as early as 1932, and this base area later produced many powerful figures, such as Xu Guangda, Zhang Zongxun and others.
In 1935, Guan Xiangying and He Long led the Red Third Army, the predecessor of the Red Second Front, to the Qiandong region to develop, and created the Qiandong Revolutionary Base Area, which was later praised by Chairman Mao as the "cradle of the general", because at that time, the Red Sixth Army led by Xiao Ke and Wang Zhen met in Qiandong and the Red Third Army, and the Red Third Army and the Red Sixth Army produced a number of famous generals, such as Xiao Ke, Wang Zhen, Xu Guangda, Zhou Shidi, Li Da, Gan Siqi, He Bingyan, and so on.
In 1937, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in full swing, and with the efforts of Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, Ye Jianying and others, the United Front of the War of Resistance was formed, and the main forces of the Red Army were reorganized into three main divisions, the commander of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army at that time was He Long, and Guan Xiangying was the political commissar of the 120th Division.
In the creation of the famous anti-Japanese base area in northwestern Jin, Guan Xiang should contribute a lot, how important is the anti-Japanese base area in northwestern Jin? He Long and Guan Xiangying developed their base areas in two directions in the northwestern Jin dynasty, sweeping away the strength of the Japanese puppet army in many places along the way, and developing the 120th Division into a powerful armed force with 15,000 people.
In addition, the founding general Song Shilun also began to rise in the anti-Japanese base area in northwestern Jin, which later became the main battlefield of the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi, and we are familiar with Liu Deng's army, that is, the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, which later relied on the large rear area of the anti-Japanese base area in northwest Jin to fight many well-known victories at home and abroad, Chen Xilian's 385 Brigade and Chen Geng's 386 Brigade all fought victorious battles here.
The 358 Brigade, of which Zhang Zongxun served as brigade commander, the 359 Brigade, of which Chen Bojun served as brigade commander, and the Independent 1st Brigade, of which Peng Shaohui served as brigade commander, all grew slowly in the anti-Japanese base areas of northwestern Jin.
The 120th Division fought many famous battles during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, of which three were more well known to the world, namely the Yanmen Pass Ambush, the Battle of Chen Zhuang, and the Battle of Qihui, and these three battles Guan Xiangying participated in the command.
Guan Xiang should belong to the commander of both military and political superiority, his military command ability is also very strong, but the low-key Guan Xiang should never be noisy, he has always regarded himself as He Long's good helper, before each big war, He Long will always let Guan Xiangying take a good look after formulating a detailed battle plan, He Long said: "Guan Xiangying said very little, if he reads the battle plan and does not speak, it means that this battle plan is no problem, if he opens his mouth to make suggestions, he can often say the point!" ”
A photograph of Guan Xiangying and He Long commanding the battle together
In September 1939, the 8th Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army set out from the Lingshou area to capture Chenzhuang, where our army was stationed, chenzhuang was an important stronghold of our army in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region, and the purpose of the Japanese army in this battle was obvious, and it wanted to find an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with He Long's 120th Division near Chenzhuang.
Nie Rongzhen, who was then the commander of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, immediately organized troops to resist the japanese invasion step by step, and Nie Rongzhen formulated a detailed battle plan and handed it over to He Long and Guan Xiang to be responsible for implementation.
Adopting the tactic of enticing the enemy to go deeper, the 719th Regiment of Chen Bojun's 359th Brigade took action to block the Japanese army head-on, and soon after the engagement, they pretended to retreat, attracted the Japanese army to pursue, and introduced the Japanese army into the ambush circle that our army had deployed in advance.
The 716th Regiment of Zhang Zongxun's 358th Brigade, together with the 2nd Regiment of Peng Shaohui's Independent First Brigade, took advantage of the favorable terrain to deploy ambush circles around Chen Zhuang, and when the main force of the Japanese army arrived, they immediately launched a war of annihilation.
The Fifth Regiment directly under the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was ordered to deploy in the area south of Lingshou to monitor the movement of the Japanese follow-up troops at any time, and if the follow-up reinforcements of the Japanese army came, they would resolutely throw themselves into the blockade battle, and in any case, the Japanese reinforcements could not be let go.
After carefully studying the battle plan formulated by Nie Rongzhen, Guan Xiangying said: "Commander Nie's battle plan is very exquisite, but once the Japanese army is besieged by our army, it will inevitably retreat immediately. ”
He Long recognized Guan Xiangying's statement, so he reported Guan Xiangying's suggestion to Nie Rongzhen, who after careful consideration believed that Guan Xiangying's suggestion was very correct, so Nie Rongzhen adjusted the battle plan on the same day, ordering the 719th Regiment of the 359th Brigade and the 4th Regiment of the 358th Brigade to deploy in the Quyang and Xingtang areas; the 716th Regiment of the 358th Brigade, the 2nd Regiment of the Independent 1st Brigade, and the Independent 1st Detachment, respectively, from Kouzhen, Qinjiatai, and Niuxiakou to the East, West Temple, and Fenggouli areas east of the Ci River east of Chenzhuang to set up ambushes. Annihilate the invading Japanese army.
The result of the subsequent battle was just as Guan Xiang should have expected, a company of the Japanese mixed eighth brigade immediately retreated after the ambush circle was attacked by our army, and the retreat route was not carried out according to the original road, Nie Rongzhen's revised battle plan played a role, and our army blocked the enemy's retreat in one fell swoop, completely annihilating the enemy's main force of 1200 people.
The 120th Division set a record for the first time that the Eighth Route Army annihilated a reorganized Japanese brigade in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and this battle was the famous Battle of Chenzhuang.
After the war, Nie Rongzhen said: "Guan Xiangying has a keen eye and a keen eye for fire, without his timely advice, our army would not have been able to achieve such great results!" ”
He Long also admired Guan Xiangying's military vision, He Long and Guan Xiangying had been partners for more than ten years, and the feelings between the two were very deep, once He Long temporarily received instructions from Chairman Mao to go to the front line to command the battle, Guan Xiangying inspected the work in the following team, He Long did not have time to greet him, so he left a letter to tell Guan Xiangying where he was going.
After Guan Xiangying returned and read He Long's letter, he shed two lines of tears and said: "I have been working with He Long for many years, and I have never been separated, how can he carry out such a dangerous combat mission today?" I can't bear it! ”
From left to right, a group photo of He Long, Guan Xiangying, and Ren Bishi
This incident can be seen how deep the relationship between Guan Xiangying and He Long is, He Long wrote such a past in his memoirs in his later years, during the Long March, Guan Xiangying found a seriously injured warrior on the marching road walking hard, so he took the initiative to give his horse to this soldier to ride.
The little warrior said with trepidation, "Chief! This is your war horse, how can I ride it? I ride a horse and let the chief walk, what a look! Absolutely not! ”
Guan Xiangying smiled and said, "If the soldiers are exhausted, won't I become the commander of the light rod?" Who else would I be the chief then? You just have to ride boldly! ”
Guan Xiangying's words amused the little warrior, and the little warrior was willing to ride on Guan Xiangying's horse, and He Long commented on Guan Xiangying in his memoirs: "Guan Xiangying is such a good person who is good at uniting comrades-in-arms and does not care about personal gains and losses!" ”
In 1941, Guan Xiangying suddenly vomited blood and became seriously ill at the headquarters of the 120th Division, He Long was frightened when he saw this scene, and hurriedly asked the doctor to treat Guan Xiang, and the doctor said: "Guan Xiang's political commissar is caused by overwork, he can no longer work late every day like now, pay more attention to rest!" ”
However, Guan Xiangying was willing to give up his work and insisted on working in a hospital bed, and later Chairman Mao heard that Guan Xiangying was tired at the front, and Chairman Mao personally ordered Guan Xiangying to go to Yan'an for recuperation.
After Guan Xiangying arrived in Yan'an, he still insisted on working in his hospital bed every day, and no one advised him to listen, Chairman Mao was worried about Guan Xiangying's physical condition, so he did not say hello and came directly to the hospital to see him. How come you're still working! I'm not telling you to rest more! I brought you to Yan'an to recuperate, not to let you work! ”
After listening to Chairman Mao's words, Guan Xiangying temporarily put aside his work, and when Chairman Mao left, he began to work again. Regarding Chairman Mao's visit to Guan Xiangying, there is a small story in the middle.
At that time, when Chairman Mao visited Guan Xiangying, before it was time to visit the hospital, a small nurse came out and said to Chairman Mao: "This old comrade! Our hospital visit time has not yet arrived! You will affect the rest of the commissar! ”
Guan Xiangying just wanted to speak after hearing this, Chairman Mao waved his hand to signal him not to criticize the little nurse, and Chairman Mao then stood up and said to the little nurse: "Comrade nurse! I am sorry! I don't know much about the hospital rules, so I'll go out first and come back when the visiting time is up! ”
After Chairman Mao left the hospital, Guan Xiangying called out to the nurse and said with a smile: "Do you know who the old comrade you just said was?" ”
The little nurse shook her head, and Guan Xiangying continued, "He is Chairman Mao!" ”
The little nurse first opened her mouth in surprise, and then she burst out laughing and said, "I didn't expect Chairman Mao to be so approachable!" ”
In the following years, Guan Xiangying's health became worse and worse, until 1946, guan Xiangying's condition became serious, Chairman Mao ordered that Guan Xiangying's illness should be cured at all costs, but at this time Guan Xiangying's condition was already powerless, and on the afternoon of July 21, 1946, Guan Xiangying died of illness in Yan'an.
When Chairman Mao learned of this unfortunate news, he wept bitterly on the spot, and Chairman Mao said to the people around him while shedding tears: "Guan Xiang has made great contributions to the party and the army, so why did he die?" He's only 44 years old! ”
When Guan Xiangying died, He Long was on a combat mission in the Suiyuan area, and when he learned that his old partner had died, he cried to death in the headquarters of the Suiyuan Military Region, and the able-bodied He Long cried so much that he had to be helped to walk.
When He Long's mood was slightly stable, General He Bingyan came to He Long crying and said, "Commander He! Commissar Guan is dead! I'm dying of unbearable! ”
When Guan Xiangying was ill, He Long, Ren Bishi and Peng Zhen went to see Guan Xiangying's photo together
He Long cried again, and that night He Long wrote an article to mourn Guan Xiangying, the name of the article was "Crying Xiangying", and a paragraph in the text was written like this:
For 15 years, you and I have lived and died together and suffered together. Honghu Lake, Xiang'exi, Eyuchuan-Shaanxi, hot summer days, Xiang'ebian, Xiang'echuanqian, Yunguichuan, Ganshan, Snowy Mountain Meadows, Xi'an Plain, Stepping on Jinsui, out of Hebei, tens of thousands of miles of long-range combat, into death and birth, whether on the battlefield, in operation, whether in thatched huts, high halls, I can't remember when they were not together, when they were separated. Today, you and I are never parted, look up at the heavens, you are sound and beautiful, and I can't sleep. You died, grief the hearts of millions of people, I turned grief into strength, my memory of your grief, that is, forever with my sweat, practice your last words of sincere and deep talk on the end of your life. The day when the innovation is completely successful is when you die without regrets.
Many people in the military could not cry after reading this article written by He Long in mourning Guan Xiangying. A few days later, Guan Xiangying's memorial service was held in Yan'an, and He Long rushed from Suiyuan to attend, and Chairman Mao, Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, Premier Zhou, Ren Bishi, and Liu Shaoqi all attended Guan Xiangying's memorial service.
At the memorial service, Chairman Mao wept bitterly again to express his condolences to General Guan Xiangying, and Chairman Mao personally wrote an elegy for Guan Xiangying: "Be loyal and loyal, serve the party and the country, and Comrade Xiangying will not die!" ”
Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, full of sadness, wrote a letter for Guan Xiangying: "An exemplary Communist Party member who has struggled for the revolution all his life, who has been unyielding in every way, and who has died after his death. To Zhiguan Xiangying Comrade Eons of Time!"
As General Xu Guangda said, if in 1955, General Guan Xiangying was still alive, he would certainly be rated as a marshal!