Geng Biao
His father was a martial arts master, and he was strong in martial arts since he was a child, and Xu Shiyou was not his opponent!
After the founding of New China, these generals who were born and died for the country were all awarded military ranks and honors. However, there were also some generals who, after the founding of the country, were disarmed and returned to the field and missed the ceremony of conferring titles. But that doesn't mean their exploits aren't important. Among them, the most regrettable thing should be Geng Biao.
People who know china's modern history should have heard Geng Biao's name. In Geng Biao's case, the most famous thing was the killing of a tiger and the gift to Chairman Mao. Why is Geng Biao so powerful? It all started with his father. His father, Geng Chunan, was highly skilled in martial arts and served as a palace guard.
When the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, Cixi fled to Xi'an with the Guangxu Emperor. Geng Chunan was given a pair of "tiger head double hooks" because of his meritorious escort, so he was also known as the "double hook hero". Geng Biao's family can be said to be a martial arts family, and Geng Biao, who grew up in such an environment, practiced with his father since he was a child and had a good martial art. Later, due to the famine, Geng Biao was forced to flee with his parents. In order to survive, he came out to work at a very young age. The long-term tribulation did not crush Geng Biao, but made him have the determination to save the country and save the people.
In 1921, under the influence of Marxism, Geng Biao joined the Red Army. After that, Geng Biao's martial arts kung fu finally had a place to play. At the height of the Hunan Revolution, Geng Biao helped the Party organization to establish the Workers' Red Guards and carry out revolutionary armed struggle. Geng Biao and other comrades also snatched a batch of guns from the enemy's arsenal and increased the armed strength of the Red Guards.
After this, Geng Biao was ordered by the party organization to return to his hometown of Liling and lead the peasant masses to participate in the Liling rebellion and the attack on Changsha by a 100,000 peasant army. In 1927, Chiang Kai-shek betrayed the revolution, and the Nationalist government constantly suppressed the development of our party. Geng Biao returned to Liuyang again and led the fighters to actively carry out guerrilla struggle, effectively cooperating with the main forces of the Red Army. The following year, Geng Biao officially became a member of the Communist Party.
Geng Biao Youth (second from left)
After the start of the Long March, Geng Biao was promoted to the commander of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division of the Red 1st Army because of his excellent martial arts and fearless spirit, and he was only 24 years old at this time. The Red 1 Corps took on the most arduous task of opening the way, and Geng Biao and the soldiers fought bloodily, fighting many hard and vicious battles. What made Geng Biao famous was the Battle of the Xiang River in 1934, which was arguably the worst battle on the Long March.
In this battle, Geng Biao led the soldiers of the 4th Regiment to cover the crossing of the river by large troops. The warriors sacrificed their lives and died to repel many enemy attacks. However, the enemy's weapons were well armed and supported by the air force, and the soldiers did not have the slightest chance to breathe. Although our army was extremely brave, the enemy sent a patrol team. Under the threat of the overseers, the enemy did not dare to flee, and could only fight with our army. Due to the difference in weapons and equipment, the soldiers of our army gradually became invincible, and their positions were lost one after another.
Geng Biao's heart gradually became anxious, but he knew that he could not confront the enemy army. The 4th Regiment suffered heavy casualties and could only win by scheming. In the evening, Geng Biao led his troops to launch a surprise attack, which caught the other side by surprise. The bullets quickly ran out, and Geng Biao took up a large knife and fought with the enemy. Under the leadership of Geng Biao, the soldiers were encouraged, morale was high, and they vowed to take back the lost positions!
Battle of the Xiang River
In this battle, Geng Biao led the warriors to annihilate a platoon of enemies with only a steel knife in his hand. When the enemy saw him, it was as if he had seen the "killing god" and was holding his head and scurrying around. After the battle, Geng Biao felt powerless. He sat slumped on the ground, his clothes soaked in blood. After the bloody Battle of the Xiang River, Geng Biao's name spread throughout the Red Army.
Needless to say, during the Long March, Geng Biao led the soldiers to break through strong enemies repeatedly. After the Red Army entered Guizhou, Geng Biao led his troops to cross the Wu River and seize Loushan Pass, opening up a passage for the advance of the main force. When Chairman Mao learned of his achievements, he personally wrote to praise him. After the Zunyi Conference, Geng Biao served as the chief of staff of the 1st Division of the Red 1st Army, leading his troops to make repeated military achievements and winning the initiative for the Central Red Army to transfer.
After the successful arrival of the Central Red Army in northern Shaanxi, it successfully met with the Red Fourth Front. After the two armies met, an interesting thing happened. The Red Fourth Front also had a general with outstanding martial arts, that is, Xu Shiyou. When Xu Shiyou was young, he practiced martial arts in the Shaolin Temple, and his kung fu was not bad, and he was also famous in the Red Fourth Front.
Zunyi Conference Oil Painting
Xu Shiyou has a straight temperament, and when he heard that there was a martial arts master in the Red Army team, he always wanted to compete with him. Now, the two armies met and gave him this opportunity. Geng Biao, who was also a martial arts practitioner, also wanted to have a discussion with Xu Shiyou. Facing Xu Shiyou, Geng Biao confidently said, "Whether it is a sword technique or a boxing technique, you are not my opponent. This sentence suddenly aroused Xu Shiyou's competitive spirit, and he must share a victory or defeat with Geng Biao.
Originally, the two had already agreed on a time for the competition, but after calming down, Geng Biao realized the problem behind the competition between the two. Geng Biao's strength is beyond doubt, if he accidentally has any accidents in the process of competition, the impact on both sides will not be good. The Central Red Army and the Red Fourth Front have just met, and if the two openly compete at this time, no matter what the outcome of the victory or defeat, it will not be conducive to the unity of the two teams. After careful consideration, Geng Biao refused the contest.
Entering the mountains to hunt, the wild beasts that roamed the mountains were beaten by him over and over again, and Chairman Mao was amazed that he caught tigers!
From this small matter, we can see the difference between Geng Biao and Xu Shiyou. Although both of them are practicing family members, Xu Shiyou is always a rectal man and will not consider deeper things. However, Geng Biao's mind is more delicate and the consideration of the problem is more comprehensive. After the Red Army arrived in northern Shaanxi, Geng Biao led his troops to participate in the Eastern Crusade. In 1936, Geng Biao entered the Red Army University. After graduating, he served as chief of staff of the 4th Army of the Red Fourth Front, strengthening the unity within the Red Army.
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Geng Biao originally thought that he could go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, but suddenly received an order to stay behind. Seeing that his comrades-in-arms were all rushing to the front, Geng Biao's heart was also impatient. He repeatedly applied to his superiors to join the battle, but none of them were agreed. This made Geng Biao very puzzled, and under his repeated questioning, he figured out the reason.
Geng Biao's strength was beyond doubt, but Chairman Mao believed that not only was the battle in the front important, but it was more important to preserve the foundation of the rear. Therefore, after careful consideration, the Party Central Committee decided to let Geng Biao stay in the rear to defend the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. Geng Biao also lived up to his trust, leading his troops to defend the Longdong region and consolidating the base area.
Xu Shiyou
Our army has always practiced the principle of "not taking a needle and a thread from the masses," so most of the soldiers are self-sufficient in eating, wearing, and living. When he remained in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, in order to solve the problem of logistical reserves, he vigorously carried out a production campaign. Geng Biao actively responded to the "Nanniwan large-scale production" and led the warriors to reclaim wasteland in the Qingyang area and become self-sufficient.
However, sometimes the harvest was not good, and the subordinates asked Geng Biao what to do. Geng Biao heard this but said, "Which of the beasts on this mountain cannot be eaten?" As early as when the troops first came to Qingyang, Geng Biao found that there were many beasts of prey on the nearby mountains. These beasts will not only waste crops, but more seriously, threaten the personal safety of the local people. Therefore, Geng Biao had always remembered the hunting of wild beasts in his heart.
In fact, there have been generals who have thought of going into the mountains to hunt before, but they are afraid that the gains will not be worth the losses. Because the soldiers had no ability and experience to hunt wild beasts, if they were injured, it would be more troublesome. In addition, the main task of the various units at that time was to engage in production and save surplus grain, even if they hit the beasts, how long could they eat? But Geng Biao was different, he was strong in martial arts, capable, and wise. The traps designed by Geng Biao are delicate but lethal, and can catch many small animals every time.
Geng Biao and Xu Shiyou
Geng Biao's kung fu could not only scare off the enemy, but even the beasts of prey had to obediently tame him when they saw him. The famous tiger fighting hero, everyone can definitely think of Wu Song. Geng Biao also relied on his own strength to kill many beasts, no worse than Wu Song. During the period of the mass production movement, Geng Biao often took his warriors to hunt in the mountains.
In just one month, Geng Biao returned with countless hares and wolves, including 8 leopards and 4 tigers. It not only improves the food for the troops, but also helps the people solve a huge threat. Geng Biao sent one of the largest tigers to Yan'an to show Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao was also surprised to see such a big tiger, and he also made a poem about oil.
The generals who were watching were all amazed, and after Chairman Mao understood Mr. Zhu, he also quipped to him and asked him to see if he could lift him up. The excited Mr. Zhu tried several times and could not move, and the helpless Mr. Zhu had to say humorously: "If you want to lift up, you must first eat nine bulls and two tigers." It caused everyone to laugh, which also reflected Geng Biao's martial arts mastery.
In the Liberation War, Geng Biao finally stepped onto the battlefield. In the Battle of Zhangjiakou in 1945, Geng Biao led his soldiers to annihilate the nearby Japanese puppet army and capture Zhangjiakou. After that, he participated in the Battle of Pingjin, the Battle of Taiyuan, etc., and contributed his strength to the victory of the Liberation War.
It is reasonable to say that with Geng Biao's seniority and military achievements, he should be able to participate in the award ceremony. So why doesn't he have any ranks? The reason is actually very simple, after the end of the Liberation War, Geng Biao broke away from the army system and went to a new "battlefield". After the founding of New China, it was urgent to establish diplomatic relations with other countries. Geng Biao is delicate in his heart, but he is very principled, and in the eyes of Premier Zhou, he is a very talented diplomat.
Therefore, after the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Premier Zhou personally ordered geng biao to be transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Geng Biao also began his new life course. At the time of the award ceremony in 1955, Geng Biao had already left the army, so naturally he did not receive any rank, which had to be said to be a very regrettable thing. However, in his diplomatic career of more than 20 years, Geng Biao's work has also been carried out with great success. Chairman Mao said of him: "He who dares to tell the truth and reflects the real situation is a good ambassador." ”
Premier Zhou
A general who can write and fight, a general who leads soldiers to fight, takes off his military uniform and becomes a diplomatic star!
After the founding of New China, Geng Biao transformed himself into a diplomatic ambassador. Originally, for this work, Geng Biao was a little hesitant. He approached Premier Zhou and said, "I can't even speak a foreign language, so how can I be a diplomat?" However, Premier Zhou encouraged him, "Can't you learn, and when you are in the revolution, don't you also study while fighting wars?" Tasks that were done in the past can certainly be completed now! With the encouragement of Premier Zhou, Geng Biao took up his post and became a diplomat.
In the more than 20 years since Geng Biao became a diplomat, he has traveled to many countries as ambassadors. As China's first diplomatic ambassador to Western countries, Geng Biao's words and deeds have always received attention and represent China's attitude. At this time, Geng Biao did not know anything about foreign languages, and could only carry an interpreter with him. But when attending some important occasions, it is not suitable to bring an interpreter. Geng Biao found a foreign language teacher and practiced speaking hard. His efforts were not in vain, and his fluent spoken language in his speech made everyone look at the diplomat from the new China and improved the country's spiritual outlook.
But Geng Biao was obviously not so satisfied. When New China was first founded, it was surrounded by strong enemies, and many countries wanted to see our jokes. Rather than fearful, Geng Biao not only learned a foreign language but also obtained a driver's license during his time in Sweden. Geng Biao's spirit of continuous progress has made others feel the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation. It can be said that with Geng Biao's efforts, the national prestige of New China is also constantly improving.
When working in China's diplomatic circles, Geng Biao always firmly implemented the party's policy and adhered to the working principle of seeking truth from facts. With his unremitting efforts, China's exchanges with Western countries have increased. There have been different degrees of exchanges in the economic and cultural fields. The Western blockade of China has gradually disintegrated from within.
When working in other countries, in addition to exchanges with government departments, Geng Biao often maintains contact with some non-governmental economic and trade talents. That is why these countries trade with my country economically. When he went to Pakistan, Myanmar and other places, Geng Biao also vigorously exported national self-confidence and improved China-Pakistan and China-Myanmar relations.
In the previous article, we also said that when Geng Biao thinks about the problem, he is always very comprehensive and can see the focus of the problem to the point. Therefore, during his time as a diplomat, standing on a higher and larger international stage, Geng Biao discovered more unexpected new trends. In Geng Biao's view, although at present in the international community, the United States and the Soviet Union are in the stage of competing for hegemony. The two check and balance each other, but there will be no world-scale war. However, this does not mean that the world is in a period of peace. On the contrary, beneath the surface of calm, the world is in danger!
Why does Geng Biao have such a view? Because of the continuous development of science and technology, economy, and military, the war between countries has entered a new stage. In the past, in war, it was necessary for countries to form alliances and help each other to achieve higher combat effectiveness. However, with the process of military modernization and scientificization, high-tech weapons have emerged in an endless stream.
Even a small group of people, as long as they master these high-tech weapons, can have the strength to challenge a country. In fact, these hidden small groups of people are more dangerous than confrontations between countries. They are good at hiding and difficult to deal with. Under their influence, the situation in the world is not stable.
Since the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, there have been more and more of these people. They always attack unexpectedly, and in most cases, they hurt a large number of innocent people. Some developed countries in Europe and the United States have formed special forces in order to cope with these situations. They selected excellent soldiers from the army, carried out special training, and were equipped with special weapons, which greatly alleviated the crisis.
At this time, China is facing a new situation of reform and opening up. Some people with bad intentions always want to "find some trouble" for China. A similar situation has begun to emerge at home, and Geng Biao realized that China also needs to build a special force. In 1981, Geng Biao became Defense Minister.
Based on his previous experience in other countries, Geng Biao proposed to the Party Central Committee to form a "special police force" that could cope with various special situations. In 1982, with the efforts of Geng Biao, an "anti-hijacking police special force" was formally established from the armed police force. This was the first swat police force in New China, and Geng Biao was also known as the "father of swat police".
During his tenure, Geng Biao was diligent and earnest, and completed every task entrusted to him by the party and the state. After retirement, Geng Biao is still contributing to the country. Geng Biao and his wife, saving money and donating the money saved to poor areas or disaster-stricken areas. Not only that, although he retired, Geng Biao's heart still remembered the major events of the country. He also frequently wrote letters to the Party Central Committee, putting forward his own proposals for nation-building.
Although Geng Biao did not have any military rank in his life, his exploits will never be forgotten. In his body, there has been the vigor of a teenager, the courage of a general's command, the down-to-earth and hard work of guarding the rear, and the wisdom and courage of a foreign country. No matter what kind of environment he stretched out and what kind of task he received, Geng Biao spared no effort to do his best.
On June 23, 2000, Geng Biao died of illness in Beijing. After his death, the Party Central Committee gave him a high degree of recognition. At the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, comrades held a solemn and solemn memorial service for Geng Biao. Many senior cadres of the Party Central Committee attended his memorial service, which should be the best recognition of this old man who is dedicated to the country and the people!