Nie Fengzhi is Xu Shiyou's right-hand man and respects him very much. After Xu Shiyou retired, he did not choose to go to Beijing, but settled in Nanjing. There is an important reason for this, because the commander of the Nanjing Military Region at that time was none other than Nie Fengzhi. Nie Fengzhi is very concerned about Xu Shiyou. However, on one occasion, Nie Fengzhi rebuked Xu Shiyou in public, and pointed out sternly: "I want to talk to you about a matter of principle. Xu Shiyou was silent and speechless. What's going on here?Does Nie Fengzhi dare to treat this old leader so coldly now?This is not the case. In fact, the matter originated from the three founding lieutenant generals of the Nanjing Military Region, namely Wang Bicheng and Lin Weixian, who both served as deputy commanders of the Nanjing Military Region at that time, and Bao Xianzhi, who served as the deputy political commissar of the Nanjing Military Region. All three of them are Xu Shiyou's right-hand men. When the Cultural Revolution broke out, the rebels surrounded the Nanjing Military Region in an attempt to overthrow Xu Shiyou, Xu Shiyou left Nanjing in desperation, first hid in Wuxi, but it was not safe there, so he hid in the Dabie Mountains. After Xu Shiyou left, the three founding lieutenant generals remained in the Nanjing Military Region to continue to preside over their work, and held dialogues with the rebels to properly handle the situation.
After Xu Shiyou returned, he was extremely dissatisfied with the three founding lieutenant generals and ordered them to study, with the result that none of them could work in the Nanjing Military Region. It was not until 1979 that after reporting to the Military Commission, the Nanjing Military Region led by Nie Fengzhi finally rehabilitated Wang, Lin, and Bao and refuted all slanders. This is the end of the matter. However, at the 1984 meeting of the East China Group of the Central Advisory Committee, Xu Shiyou mentioned in his speech that there were three veteran Red Army soldiers in the military region, and the problem has not been resolved so far. As soon as this remark came out, the venue was a sensation. Xu Shiyou continued to criticize the three founding lieutenant generals. Among them, Wang Bicheng is also a member of the Central Advisory Committee, and originally wanted to refute it, but due to time constraints, he had to swallow his anger and write a note and hand it over. Subsequently, Nie Fengzhi came to talk to Xu Shiyou. He came here on the commission of the chairman of the Central Military Commission. At the beginning, Nie Fengzhi gently advised Xu Shiyou, hoping that he would not mention Wang Bicheng and them as rebels in the future, which was inappropriate. Xu Shiyou asked rhetorically, why can't they be criticized, are they rebels, so they can't be criticized?His attitude is resolute and uncompromising. Nie Fengzhi's persuasion was fruitless, so he had to increase his tone, ready to question the old leader bluntly.
He said, "Commander Xu, I would like to talk to you now on a matter of principle. Xu Shiyou was a little confused and asked rhetorically: "What is the principle problem?"Nie Fengzhi also asked rhetorically: "Let me ask you, you keep criticizing Wang Linbao, are you really criticizing Wang Linbao, or are you criticizing the current Nanjing Military Region Party Committee?"The words were quite harsh, and the issue had risen to the level of principle. Xu Shiyou heard the seriousness in Nie Fengzhi's words, and asked a little anxiously: "When have I ever criticized the Party Committee of the Nanjing Military Region?"Nie Fengzhi said: "This is not a rumor I fabricated, the facts are here, Wang Linbao's problem is that the party committee of the Nanjing Military Region made a decision a few years ago and unanimously agreed to rehabilitate himNie Fengzhi knew Xu Shiyou, and only he could ask Xu Shiyou so bluntly, leaving Xu Shiyou speechless. Nie Fengzhi had already forced Xu Shiyou into a corner. If he criticizes Wang Linbao again, it will be tantamount to going against the party committee of the Nanjing Military Region. No matter how strong Xu Shiyou's temper is, he can't go against the entire military region. A few months later, Xu Shiyou finally shook hands with Wang Bicheng and made peace, and the two old comrades-in-arms met with a smile and a grudge.
A year later, Xu Shiyou died of illness. (References: "Xu Shiyou's Later Years" and "Centennial Chronicles").