Wen | shusheng
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, countless patriots threw themselves into the great cause of resisting Japan and saving the country, and many elderly people who should have enjoyed their old age in peace also went to the battlefield and formed an army that can be called the saddest part of the War of Resistance, that is, the little-known "Lao Tzu Army."
The "Lao Tzu Army" is a special anti-Japanese armed force composed entirely of elderly people. After the Lugou Bridge Incident in 1937, China's all-out War of Resistance broke out, and countless patriots threw themselves into the struggle to resist Japan and save the country.
At that time, Zhang Yilin was already 70 years old, and Li Gengen was also 58 years old, and the two were one of the former confidential bureau chiefs and education chiefs of the Republic of China, and the other was the general office of the Yunnan Daowutang, both of whom were very influential figures at that time. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan in full swing, the two old men, who were supposed to enjoy the joys of heaven and earth, resolutely threw themselves into the cause of the War of Resistance with hatred for the Japanese invaders.
While calling on the people of the whole country to resist the war to the end, the two elderly people used their influence to collect materials for the frontline fighters, and at the same time, they organized the elderly patriots of the whole country, established the "Lao Tzu Army", and formulated and improved the military system, posts, rewards and punishments.
According to the regulations, the full members of lao tzu's army need to be at least sixty years old, and those over fifty-five years old and under sixty years old are required to be reserves. In addition, in the "Purpose" formulated by Zhang Yilin and others, it is very clear that lao tzu's army was formed for the purpose of daring to die, "Where young people do not have to sacrifice, then Lao Tzu's army is contemporary." ”
Zhang Yilin and others believe that teenagers and prime-age people are the future of the nation, if there are too many sacrifices, it is a pity, and the elderly regard death as a homecoming, and it is their duty to protect future generations, so some young and middle-aged people can replace unnecessary sacrifices, such as pointing detonators, destroying the enemy's military industry, etc. In short, all tasks that do not require brute force but must die, Lao Tzu army can replace young and middle-aged people to complete.
Later, Zhang Yilin and others elected the founder of Fudan University, Elder Ma Xiangbo, as the commander-in-chief of LaoZi's army, and at that time, Elder Ma Boxiang was already 98 years old, but he still accepted the position of commander-in-chief regardless of his elderly body. Around September 1937, Zhang Yilin and others issued a declaration and draft plan for the establishment of Lao Tzu's army in newspapers and periodicals across the country, which caused a great sensation throughout the country.
Although they knew that they were going to die, countless elderly people across the country still asked to sign up, because Lao Tzu's army only recruited men, many women expressed dissatisfaction with this and asked to join. In mid-September, the news of Lao Tzu's army reached the Nanjing government, and Chiang Kai-shek immediately wrote to Zhang Yilin and others praising their patriotic and righteous deeds, but considering that the old people were old and physically inconvenient, they asked them to give up forming Lao Tzu's army.
Respecting the elderly has always been a traditional virtue of our country, and the young and middle-aged people have not yet died in battle, so how can they bear to watch the white-haired old man go to the battlefield? The Chinese nation has been able to pass on for more than 5,000 years and become the only one among the four major civilizations in the world that has not been broken, relying not only on luck, but also on the selfless dedication and sacrifice of generation after generation.
The old man is willing to die for the young and middle-aged, leaving a fire for the nation, and the young and middle-aged are also willing to fight for the protection of the country's mountains and rivers and the protection of the elderly.