In 1934, Ji Hongchang, an anti-Japanese hero, was executed by Chiang Kai-shek. His wife spent 80,000 oceans to redeem his remains. Soon after, however, she and her children had to sleep on the streets, eat garbage, and eventually disappeared without a trace. People thought she was dead, but 15 years later, she actually appeared at the National Day ceremony. "Hate not to resist Japan and die, leave it for today's shame. The country is still like this, why don't I regret this!This poem was written by Ji Hongchang on the way to be executed, picking up a branch and writing it on the ground. Ji Hongchang's life is quite legendary. He was born in 1895 into a poor peasant family in Fugou County, Henan Province, and helped out in a small teahouse run by his father from an early age. In 1913, at the age of 18, Ji Hongchang hid from his family and went to the army led by Feng Yuxiang to become a soldier.
With his extraordinary courage and wisdom, Ji Hongchang was quickly promoted to army commander and served as the chairman of Ningxia Province at the same time. In just 16 years, he jumped from an ordinary soldier to the position of army commander, which shows that he is a man full of courage and courage. However, in 1930, in the Central Plains War, Feng Yuxiang was defeated, and Ji Hongchang had to accept Chiang Kai-shek's adaptation. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek also gave Ji Hongchang a letter of appointment as chairman of the Henan Provincial Party Committee and asked him to lead an army to encircle and suppress the Red Army. However, after Ji Hongchang read the letter of appointment, he did not hesitate to tear it up. Soon, the September 18 Incident broke out, and Ji Hongchang, who was full of patriotic enthusiasm, immediately proposed to Chiang Kai-shek to go north to resist Japan, but was refused. A few days later, Chiang Kai-shek dismissed Ji Hongchang from his post on the grounds that he had gone to the United States for a so-called "industrial investigation" and ordered him to go to the United States, effectively exiled abroad.
In the autumn of the same year, Ji Hongchang joined the Communist Party of China, transforming from a patriotic old soldier to a communist reform soldier and starting a new journey. On August 26, 1933, Ji Hongchang led more than 3,000 people to Shangdu to join Gao Shuxun, the anti-Japanese allied army, to jointly establish the Soviet area. However, unexpectedly, they were surrounded and intercepted by the Kuomintang army. More than a month later, Ji Hongchang fell into the predicament of running out of ammunition and food, and went to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek in order to maintain his strength. However, Chiang Kai-shek captured him and prepared to escort him to Peking for interrogation. On the way, Ji Hongchang managed to free Fang Zhenwu and successfully escaped. His actions moved the escorts, who took the risk to let Ji Hongchang go. After Ji Hongchang returned to Tianjin, he began underground work, transforming his residence into an underground liaison station, which his comrades called the "Red Mansion".
On November 9, 1934, Ji Hongchang was wounded and arrested by agents of the military command in the French Concession in Tianjin, and was later sent to the Beiping Military Branch. Chiang Kai-shek subjected Ji Hongchang to a cruel interrogation for half a month, but nothing was found. Chiang Kai-shek held a grudge against Ji Hongchang and mercilessly ordered him to be shot on the spot. After learning the news that he was about to face the death penalty, Ji Hongchang showed extreme calmness and said indifferently: "I will sacrifice my life for the cause of resistance against Japan and die openly!"He begged the prison guards to bring pen and paper, and left a will for his wife: Hongxia, I have died at this moment to dedicate myself to the times. Life will eventually return to dust, and you don't have to grieve because you still have children to take care of. The family property should not be passed on to the outside world, but should be used to raise children**, these were my last words.......
On November 24, Ji Hongchang fearlessly followed the agent to the execution ground, where he picked up a branch and left the opening line on the ground. Subsequently, he shouted: "I will die for the anti-Japanese resistance, I will die for the revolution, I will never bow my knee to be shot, even if I die, I will not give in, give me a chair, I will sit and face death!"The agent was dissatisfied, but brought him a chair. When the spy was about to be executed, Ji Hongchang looked at the agent, his eyes were so frightened that the agent was stunned, ready to fulfill the order to shoot. However, Ji Hongchang said: "Don't bother with effort, just shoot in front of my eyes, I want to witness the enemy's bullets shooting into my body!"The spy shook his hand and pulled the trigger, and Ji Hongchang was forever frozen at the age of 39. After learning the news of her husband's death, Ji Hongchang's wife Hu Hongxia was overwhelmed with grief and tears.
After reading the will left by her husband, she was determined to use up her family wealth and finally redeemed Ji Hongchang's body for 80,000 yuan. After burying Ji Hongchang, Hu Hongxia knew that the enemy would not give up. It didn't take long for several people to come to visit frequently, and even rummaged through the cabinets. After being turned into a mess by ** spies at home, she began to think about her future plans. If this continues, her life and the child's life will be in danger. Now that her husband is gone, she must protect the child. Early the next morning, Hu Hongxia, with messy hair and dull eyes, strolled aimlessly on the street with her children, asking everyone: "Have you seen my husband Hongchang?"Neighbors saw her wandering the streets alone, while her two children were gone. They all thought that the child had been abducted, and they all shook their heads and sighed, feeling that her fate was too bitter, her husband died, and the child was gone.
Hu Hongxia experienced the endless torment of her children's disappearance, she desperately searched everywhere for the traces of her husband Hongchang and her two children, even rummaged through the trash cans because of hunger, and even fell asleep on the bustling street when she was tired. The agents had been monitoring her for a period of time and decided that she was not pretending, but that she really couldn't withstand the continuous blows, and her mind had collapsed, and the surveillance was no longer meaningful, so they stopped monitoring her. She kept an eye on the spies' surveillance, and it was only for several days that they did not show up before she left for the remote mountain village. In this isolated mountainous area, she was reunited with her two children and started a new life. There she became a teacher at a mountain village school, looking forward to the final victory of the revolution.
However, the neighbors thought that she had died in a certain alley, and felt sorry for what happened to her, and the once capable and shrewd person disappeared in this way. 15 years passed in a hurry, quietly passed in the war, and she was forgotten by many people. In 1949, as the widow of the martyr Ji Hongchang, Hu Hongxia was invited to Beiping to attend the founding ceremony of New China. She stood on the tower of Tiananmen Square in a cheongsam, witnessing the birth of New China. She watched the national flag slowly raised, and sincerely felt that Ji Hongchang's sacrifice was not in vain, and she was relieved that her husband had not been able to see the advent of the era of peace. In 1984, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of General Ji Hongchang's death, a monument was built in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, in the martyrs' cemetery. In 2009, General Ji Hongchang was named one of the heroes who made outstanding contributions to the establishment of the country since the founding of the People's Republic of China in the past 100 years.
In 2014, General Ji Hongchang was included in the first batch of 300 famous anti-Japanese martyrs and heroes. Finally, we pay tribute to Ji Hongchang and countless anti-Japanese heroes. Although we have never met, we are deeply blessed. You have built the Great Wall of peace with your lives, and you have today's peace. History is remembered not out of hatred, but in order to avoid a repetition of the tragedy.