Many people may have seen such a photo: 3 young Eighth Route Army soldiers sitting on the ground, each with a heavy machine gun in front of them, they smiled happily at the camera, and 2 of them also made a victorious gesture.
This photograph was taken by american war correspondent Foreman in Nanniwan in July 1944. At that time, he arrived from Xi'an to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region for a three-month inspection and took this photo while observing the combat training of the Eighth Route Army in Nanniwan.
Foreman with an Eighth Route Army sentry
The three people in the photo are from left to right: Zuo Qi, Liu Zhuanlian and Chen Waiou.
Some people may think that they are just ordinary soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, but in fact, when the photo was taken, Zuo Qi was the chief of staff and political commissar of the 717 regiment, Liu Zhuanlian was the commander of the 718 regiment, and Chen Waiou was the leader of the 717 regiment. After liberation, all three were awarded the rank of major general.
Three regiment-level cadres sat in front of heavy machine guns to let reporters take pictures, a bit like someone standing in front of the car to take a photo now, there is a kind of pride and "showing off" in their hearts.
One detail is that Liu Zhuanlian and Chen Waiou both made gestures at the camera, but Zuo Qi did not. This was not that he was rude, because Zuo Qi had already lost his right arm at this time.
Zuo Qi had lost his right arm at this point
Zuo Qi was born in December 1911 in Quantang Village, Huaizhong Town, Yongxin County, Jiangxi Province. He came from a poor background but was gifted and intelligent, and his parents did not hesitate to borrow money to send him to study. Zuo Qi attended private school for 3 years and national primary school for 3 years, which was rare in the Ranks of the Red Army at that time.
In 1928, Zuo Qi joined the peasant movement, the following year joined the Chinese Communist Youth League, in 1932 he joined the Communist Party of China, and in July of the same year, Zuo Qizheng became a soldier in the Red Army.
In August 1934, Zuo Qi accompanied the Red Sixth Army on the Long March, and shot down an enemy plane with a rifle on the way, which became the first of its kind in the whole army. Xiao Ke, commander of the regiment, and Wang Zhen, political commissar, specially called him to congratulate him and commended Zuo Quanjun.
General Zuo Qi and his wife
During a counter-sweep in December 1938, Zuo Qi was hit in the right arm by a row of Japanese bullets, bleeding profusely. But he ignored the gunshot wounds and led his comrades to annihilate more than 200 Japanese troops, burn 35 cars, and capture 3 cannons and more than 60 rifles.
After the battle, Zuo Qi fell into a coma due to excessive blood loss and was sent to his hometown by his comrades to recuperate. A few days later, the comrades took Zuo Qi to the field hospital and asked Dr. Bethune to operate on him and remove the bullets.
When the nurse untied the bandage on Zuo Qi's arm, he found that because the compatriot who took care of him did not understand nursing knowledge, the tourniquet had been stuck on Zuo Qi's right arm for three days and three nights without being released, resulting in necrosis of the nerve in his right arm and only amputation.
Dr. Bethune personally performed an amputation for Zuo Qi. Zuo Qi knew that medicine was scarce in the hospital, and in order to save medicine for comrades who needed it more, he refused to use anesthesia, clenched his teeth and finished the operation.
This famous photo shows Bethune operating on Zuo Qi
After the operation, Zuo Qi did not let Bethune inject morphine to relieve pain, he said, there are still so many comrades outside waiting for morphine to save his life, my arm will not die, leave it to comrades who need it more.
Bethune saw that he was sweating profusely in pain, admiring and distressed, and gave him a small vial of sulfonamide to relieve the pain.
After the operation, Zuo Qi had a high fever for several consecutive days, and the wound hurt when he touched it, so he did not sleep well for half a year, and he was afraid of touching the wound after falling asleep. What should I do if I don't dare to sleep? He imagined how he could fight and live with one arm.
Zuo Qi's right arm was still there at this time
That year, Zuo Qi was just 27 years old.
After returning from injury, Zuo Qi used one arm to learn to eat, dress, write, and hold a gun. Already optimistic, he gradually returned to his former liveliness and cheerfulness, and his smile hung on his face every day, so that When Foreman took pictures of them, he exclaimed that it was rare to have such a good attitude without an arm.
In October 1944, Zuo Qi went south with the 359th Brigade to open up an anti-Japanese base area. Before leaving, Chairman Mao invited the cadres to dinner, and Wang Zhen pulled Zuo Qi to the chairman's side and said to the chairman, "This is Comrade Zuo Qi that you praised before. ”
Seeing this one-armed hero, the chairman graciously shook Zuo Qi's hand and said, "I am very happy to see such a famous comrade as you for the first time today!" ”
In 1955, Zuo Qi was awarded the rank of major general.
General Zuo Qi
Zuo Qi successively served as deputy political commissar and director of the political department of the Xinjiang Military Region, and after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, he was transferred to the deputy political commissar and adviser of the Jinan Military Region, and died in 1998 at the age of 87.
Liu Zhuanlian is a native of Chaling County, Hunan Province, born in 1912 and has studied private school for 4 years. In May 1930, he joined the Communist Youth League, and since then, as a cover for cattle herding dolls, he has passed on information to the Soviet government of Chaling County. He joined the Red Army in the same year and joined the Party in September.
General Liu Zhuanlian
Before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Liu Zhuanlian served as the commander of the 17th Division of the Red 6th Army. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the commander of the 717th Regiment of the 359th Brigade of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the commander of the 718th Regiment, the chief of staff of the 359th Brigade in 1944, and the commander of the 359th Brigade of the Northeast People's Autonomous Army from 1945 onwards, the commander of the 359th Brigade of the Northeast Democratic Coalition Army, and the commander of the Northern Kazakhstan Military Subdistrict.
General Liu Zhuanlian and his wife
During the Liberation War, Liu Zhuanlian, as the deputy commander of the 48th Army of Siye, successively participated in the Siping Defense War, Liaoshen, Pingjin and other battles. In 1955, Liu Wasanlian was awarded the rank of Major General.
In October 1992, Liu Zhuanlian died in Guangzhou at the age of 80.
Chen Waiou was born in 1910, and is a fellow villager with Liu Zhuanlian, both from Chaling County, Hunan. The two have similar resumes, but the difference is that Chen Waiou studied in the Staff Department of the Red Army University and later became a surveying and mapping expert. In 1956, Premier Zhou personally appointed Chen Waiou as director of the State Administration of Surveying and Mapping and secretary of the party leading group.
General Chen Waiou
Chen Wai'ou laid a solid foundation for the cause of surveying and mapping in New China, and the basic topographic map that is now common in China was drawn under his leadership.
In 1984, Chen Wai'ou died of illness at the age of 74.