On December 26, 1988, the founding general Tao Zhiyue died. When Wang Zhen, who was also a founding general, heard about it, he cried bitterly and said to his family: "I have known General Tao for forty years and am one of my best friends. ”
Wang Zhen and Tao Zhiyue met in 1949, when Wang Zhen was 41 years old and Tao Zhiyue was 57 years old. To be honest, it is a bit "late" to meet new friends at this age, but this does not affect the deep friendship between the two generals.
Tao Zhiyue was originally a senior general of the Nationalist Army, participated in the Northern Expedition, participated in the Central Plains War, and even participated in the War of Resistance and the War of Liberation, and was a well-known general in modern history. However, the first time he met the senior general of our army was in 1949, it was Wang Zhen.
When we first met, Tao Zhiyue was still a little restrained, and Wang Zhen generously shook hands with Tao Zhiyue, saying that we are all Fellow Hunan, you are a Native of Ningxiang, and I am a Native of Liuyang. This sentence narrowed the distance between Tao Zhiyue and Wang Zhen. The more Tao Zhiyue and Wang Zhen talked, the more they lost their temper, saying, "Getting along with General Wang is really a pleasure that has never been done before in my life!" ”
However, in the process of the uprising, Tao Zhiyue did one thing, which was accused by many people. At that time, the diehards of the Nationalist army, Ye Cheng, Ma Chengxiang and others, were reluctant to revolt and attempted to sabotage, but fortunately, Tao Zhiyue had already made preparations and put down their rebellion.
Tao Zhiyue is a person who attaches great importance to feelings, and out of the consideration of overall stability, he agreed that these people should leave Xinjiang and no longer pursue them. Someone reported this to Wang Zhen, saying that why did Tao Zhiyue let the rebels go? It is necessary to check whether Tao Zhiyue and the Kuomintang reactionaries are still in contact.
However, Wang Zhen criticized these people, saying: "If General Tao had sided with the Kuomintang reactionaries, he would not have given up the high-ranking official Houlu Uprising!" General Tao did this right, releasing more than twenty reactionaries in exchange for the stability of Xinjiang, which is a great achievement! If anyone is no longer convinced, I can take him to the chairman, who told me that some reactionaries must be let go, otherwise we will have to take care of their food, and these people will be able to eat. ”
In addition to laughing, everyone also understood Tao Zhiyue's painstaking heart and said nothing more.
In fact, Tao Zhiyue also had concerns in his heart, worried that he would not be able to understand, but when he heard those words spoken by Wang Zhen, the knots in Tao Zhiyue's heart were unraveled, saying: "General Wang knows me!" ”
In Xinjiang, Tao Zhiyue and Wang Zhen worked together for many years, talking about everything, which can be called a neck-to-neck friendship.
In 1954, Wang Zhen was transferred to the commander of the railway troops, and before leaving, Wang Zhen told Tao Zhiyue: "Although there is something to say, you will always be my big brother!" ”
Is there something going on? There really was, but Tao Zhiyue never took this matter seriously. Although Tao Zhiyue was a founding general and a feudal official, he was frugal all his life, never liked extravagance and waste, and the family lived in an old bungalow on the outskirts of the city, which can be said to be a family with four walls.
When Wang Zhen found out, he said, "Where is the founding general who lives in such a broken house?" We do not require high-rise buildings, but decent houses are still OK, which is also allowed by national policy. ”
Tao Zhiyue had always respected Wang Zhen, but in this matter, Tao Zhiyue said that he did not agree with anything. "Our country is still very poor, even if the policy allows it, I can't do it," he said. Although I am not a party member, I have always demanded of myself as a party member, how can I, the people's service soldier, enjoy happiness one step ahead of the people? ”
Wang Zhen praised Tao Zhiyue's high wind and bright festival, and Tao Zhiyue never moved out of this old bungalow until 1970, when he returned to his hometown in Hunan.
In the 40 years of exchanges, Tao Zhiyue and Wang Zhen have nothing to talk about, not brothers are better than brothers. Therefore, when he learned of Tao Zhiyue's death, Wang Zhen cried bitterly and said to his family: "I have known General Tao for forty years and am one of my best friends. ”
At that time, although Wang Zhen was already 80 years old, he still insisted on flying to Changsha, Hunan Province, attended The Memorial Service of Tao Zhiyue, and personally recited the eulogy.