【Genealogy of Heroes and Martyrs】The hero who sacrificed his life to serve the country and resist Japan - Zheng Zuomin

This is a portrait of Zheng Zuomin (file photo). Xinhua News Agency

In Gaoshan Village, Xinwei Town, Xintian County, Hunan Province, a house with the architectural style of the Republic of China period is particularly eye-catching. A generation of heroic martyrs Zheng Zuomin was born and raised here, and walked towards the road of serving the country loyally. As a carrier of martyrdom, after zheng zuomin's former residence began to be repaired in 2012, people continued to visit and pay their respects.

Zheng Zuomin, alias Zhenhua, Wenbei, and Zhixin, was born in 1902 in Xintian County, Hunan Province. Since childhood, his family was poor, relying on his father to carry a car, pick up coal, work short-term to earn money for private schools, primary school, high school, all the way to the first type of teacher.

In 1924, Zheng Zuomin was admitted to the first phase of the Whampoa Military Academy. He has successively served as platoon commander, company commander, battalion commander, regimental commander, brigade commander and other positions. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he served as the acting deputy commander of the 9th Division of the 2nd Army of the National Revolutionary Army. He was promoted to division commander in 1938.

In 1939, Zheng Zuomin was promoted to deputy commander of the 2nd Army and commander of the 9th Division. He successively participated in the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Xuzhou.

In January 1940, in order to cooperate with Du Yuming's 5th Army in attacking the Japanese army and recapturing Kunlun Pass, Zheng Zuomin was ordered to lead his troops to aid Nanning. After reaching Kunlun Pass in Guangxi, the unit immediately threw itself into battle, and with the assistance of other troops, recaptured Kunlun Pass.

On February 22, 1940, the Japanese army relied on air superiority to capture Binyang and seriously threaten Kunlun Pass. On March 3, Zheng Zuomin's troops were ordered to retreat. He commanded his troops to launch a feint attack on the Japanese army to cover the transfer of troops, and when they reached Shanglin County, Guangxi, they were attacked by Japanese warplanes in turn. Zheng Zuomin was killed by a bomb at the age of 38.

After Zheng Zuomin's sacrifice, the CPC Central Committee held a memorial meeting in Yan'an with the participation of the party, government, army, and people, and Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De respectively inscribed elegy: "Serve the country with all sincerity," "Sacrifice for the country," and "Take righteousness into benevolence."

The hero is gone, but the mighty spirit lives on. Today, as a state-level poverty county, Zheng Zuomin's hometown xintian county is using the strength of the whole county, gathering the wisdom of the whole people, insisting on the development of industry as the fundamental strategy to achieve poverty alleviation, and ensuring that the battle against poverty is won. (Xinhua News Agency, Changsha, December 2, 2018, reporter Liu Wangmin)