The 1955 military award was an unprecedented grand event since the founding of our army. The sheer scale, the sheer number of people, and the depth of its influence have been unprecedented since the birth of our army.
As for the military rank awarded, the ** Military Commission has conducted a full discussion before the award ceremony, and there is basically no objection. However, in this moment of joy, there was a small episode.
It turned out that at this award ceremony, there was an old man who was proposed to be given the rank of lieutenant colonel, and he was the oldest officer in this award ceremony, named Jiang Weiping.
Although he did not have any opinion on obtaining the rank of lieutenant colonel, the old man showed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the ceremony staff's request for him to shave his beard.
He said that his beard had grown for most of his life and could not be easily shaved off. As a result, this matter became more and more noisy, and even alarmed *** After learning about it, he laughed and decided to make a special case for him.
Jiang Weiping is just a lieutenant colonel, but why should *** make a special case for him? This needs to be understood from his ups and downs in life. He once wanted to join the army to serve the country, but he couldn't, so he changed his career to medicine.
He was born in 1878 in Fangshan County, Hebei Province, to a family of poor peasants for generations, and his parents were ordinary tenants, who made a living by farming and doing odd jobs.
Under the cruel exploitation of the Qing Dynasty, although Fangshan County can be regarded as "at the feet of the Son of Heaven", the life of ordinary people is not easy. Jiang Weiping has been working in the fields with his parents since he was a child, and he is hungry and full.
Later, his parents worked hard to save some money for him to go to a private school. In the society at that time, reading and testing for fame seemed to be the most reliable way out, and Jiang Weiping studied diligently, showing superhuman wisdom and memory.
However, when he was about to continue his studies, a fire destroyed his private school, shattering his dream of taking the imperial examination. The financial difficulties could only let him go to the county town dyeing workshop as an apprentice.
As a young man, Jiang Weiping worked long hours under the owner of a dyeing workshop, and as he grew older, he realized that such a life was not his goal in life. At this time, the Qing ** was facing internal and external difficulties and needed a large number of soldiers.
Jiang Weiping decided to devote himself to the military, participated in the Sino-Japanese First Sino-Japanese War, and joined Li Hongzhang's Huai army. In the army, Jiang Weiping was selected as a herald orderly, even if he didn't have to go to the battlefield, he could learn military knowledge from military orders.
The First Sino-Japanese War dealt a huge blow to the Qing Dynasty, and Cixi ordered the creation of a new army, the main of which was the Huai army, which was originally subordinate to Li Hongzhang. Jiang Weiping was fortunate to be incorporated into the New Army and became a member of Yuan Shikai's Three Towns in Beiyang.
After the fall of Duan Qirui in the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Shikai stole the fruits of the revolution and became a great **, and he distributed power to several of his old subordinates, including Jiang Weiping, who was among Duan Qirui's subordinates at this time.
* In the early days, the warlords were divided, and the large and small warlords were constantly fighting, Jiang Weiping followed the Beiyang Army to fight in the south and the north, and with his rich military experience and flexible mind, he made many military exploits in the army.
Until 1920, he had become the deputy commander of a cavalry regiment under Duan Qirui. However, he became more and more disgusted with the unscrupulous behavior of those warlords for power, and even in his cavalry regiment, the commander of the regiment was almost a figure like the emperor of the soil, and Jiang Weiping was especially angry at the evil things such as deducting military salaries, spending time on alcohol, and oppressing the people.
Finally, one day, a fierce conflict broke out between him and his commander, and he was deprived of all his posts and sent back to his hometown. Jiang Weiping was frustrated by the warlord-dominated world, and although he had the passion to serve the country, it was difficult to find an army that could really save the people from fire and water, so he was disheartened.
After Jiang Weiping returned to his hometown, he had already entered middle age. Although he had saved some money when he was a soldier, it was quickly spent. So, he set out to find things to do in his hometown.
One day, he wandered the streets of the county, trying to find a business that suited him. However, he traveled throughout the county and did not find a suitable opportunity. Just when he was feeling hopeless, he suddenly discovered that a new church had appeared in the county town.
The pastor in the church is giving away medicine to local residents. Jiang Weiping was curious about this, so he walked over**. He had been wounded in the Beiyang Army and was no stranger to Western medicine and medicine.
Seeing those poor people lining up in front of the church to seek medical advice, he decided to learn medical skills and open a shop that truly serves the people. The next day, Jiang Weiping donated a large sum of money to the church, the only condition being that they teach him medicine.
The church gladly accepted his request. Although Jiang Weiping is in his forties, it will be difficult to learn medical skills instead, but he has a stubbornness that will not give up until he reaches his goal.
During the day, he studied in the church, wrote down his medical knowledge in a notebook, and at night he studied by himself. His efforts eventually paid off, and Jiang Weiping's medical skills were already able to prescribe medicine.
But he was not satisfied with this, he believed that medical skills should be drawn on the strengths of others, especially traditional Chinese medicine. So he began to study Chinese medicine, and eventually became a Langzhong who studied both Chinese and Western.
His pharmacy had also opened, and he studied medicine to save the world, so he never took a penny from the poor local patients. But it also left his pharmacy barely able to maintain its normal expenses.
Just as he was about to spend his life in opening a western pharmacy in his hometown, the outbreak of the full-scale War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression once again pushed him to the turning point of his fate. Even though he was in his sixties, he still chose to join the Eighth Route Army in search of true faith.
In 1937, the July 7 Incident broke out, and the Japanese invaded China in an all-out way, and Lugou Bridge was less than 100 kilometers away from his hometown of Fangshan.
At the moment of national crisis, Jiang Weiping was filled with righteous indignation, and his deep desire to serve the country was stirred again. At that time, the 29th Army was in charge of the defense of the Beiping area, and the army commander Song Zheyuan issued a conscription order after the July 7 Incident, and Jiang Weiping immediately responded to join the army again.
However, there was a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and us at that time, and although Jiang Weiping bravely resisted the Japanese invaders, the 29th Army was still quickly routed, and eventually the entire army was forced to disband.
Jiang Weiping's road to serving the country was blocked again, and he could only return to his hometown to continue running his medical center. But in the dead of night, Jiang Weiping would discuss the matter of resisting Japan and saving the country with his adopted son Jiang Zhigang, and he always sighed: "I don't know when we will have a real anti-Japanese army!" ”
However, a year later, Jiang Weiping's anti-Japanese team finally came to the Fangshan area. They were the 359th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army led by Chen Bojun and **, and their task was to open up an anti-Japanese base area behind enemy lines in the western part of Beiping.
Jiang Weiping, a pharmacy owner over sixty years old, learned of the arrival of the 359th Brigade and closed the store without hesitation, and took his son Jiang Zhigang to break through the blockade of the Japanese puppet army and join the revolution.
However, his age was already advanced in this period when the average age was only forty-one, and the road to joining the army was full of difficulties for him. At Jiang Weiping's insistence, the comrades in charge of conscription finally agreed to let him join the army, but given his age, he could only be put in charge of medical work in the rear.
Although this was not his original dream, he still accepted the arrangement and actually joined the Eighth Route Army. During the Anti-Japanese War, the 359th Brigade often needed to travel from place to place, but Jiang Weiping had no complaints, he always adhered to the true character of a soldier, gave priority to obeying orders, and constantly overcame difficulties.
His deeds prove that anyone, regardless of age, can contribute to the country and its people with strong faith and perseverance.
In the spring of 1941, Jiang Weiping was stationed in Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province with the troops. Jiang Weiping has long understood the lack of medical treatment and medicine in the Eighth Route Army. However, although the previous treatment method was more to transfer the wounded who were difficult to treat under the existing conditions to the rear, the pressure on Jiang Weiping was not too great when he was on the front line.
In Mizhi County, however, the situation is very different. Mizhi County was originally the rear base of the Anti-Japanese War, and seriously wounded people from the front line were sent here every day, so the shortage of medical treatment and medicine was even more severe.
In order to cope with this situation, Jiang Weiping began to mobilize medical personnel in the army, went to the mountains every day to collect Chinese medicinal materials, and at the same time collected more than 300 kinds of folk prescriptions from the local people in Mizhi County, and found alternatives to treat the wounded.
In order to test the effect of these folk prescriptions, Jiang Weiping personally tested the medicines regardless of his own safety. Under his leadership, many medical personnel worked together, and a large number of wounded were able to return to the battlefield and fight to the death against the Japanese invaders.
He Changgong and Li Dingming looked for Jiang Weiping to see a doctor, and ** also came here. After hearing about Jiang Weiping's deeds, he praised him and praised him as a "Saihuatuo" in the army, which was more effective than a few more regiments.
In 1943, Jiang Weiping and the 359th Brigade were stationed in Nanniwan Reclamation, and he was both the director of Jiulongquan Farm and the director of the pharmaceutical factory. While he was responsible for the reclamation of land and the development of production, he also opened up land in Nanniwan to grow medicinal herbs, setting an example for the young commanders and fighters.
Because of his outstanding contribution to the wounded and land reclamation in the army, he was specially authorized not to shave his beard at the award ceremony.
During the Liberation War, there was a doctor known as the "Army of China", he was Jiang Weiping. Jiang Weiping was over seventy years old, however, when his superiors, considering his physical condition, offered him to retire or work in a hospital in the liberated area, he resolutely refused and asked his superiors to let him go to a field hospital on the front line.
In the end, his superiors took into account his experience and talents, and specially approved him to go with the troops. In 1947, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) fought the first major battle to liberate a large city in Shijiazhuang.
Although the Corps was fully deployed, the stubborn resistance of the enemy gradually increased the number of wounded. Looking at the more and more wounded, Jiang Weiping knew that the front line must have encountered difficulties.
He calmly treated each wounded and brought them back to health as soon as possible. At the same time, he also organized four hundred ** soldiers, ready to personally lead the team to the front line and conduct a decisive battle with the enemy.
Jiang Weiping's benevolence as a doctor is admirable, and his firmness and courage embody the mission and responsibility of a soldier. His story allows us to see the heroic and fearless side of the doctor on the battlefield, and also makes us deeply understand that peace needs to be defended with life and blood and sweat.
When he was ready to leave, news of the liberation of Shijiazhuang came from the front. Although he failed to make the trip, his fame in the army was even greater. The warriors called him the "Living Bodhisattva" because he could ** his own wounded, but in the face of the enemy, he became the "Living Yama" again.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Jiang Weiping did not consider retirement. He was more willing to dedicate the rest of his life to the army and medical causes, so the organization arranged for him to serve as the vice president of the 251 Hospital of the Volunteer Army.
Although there were no wounded in peacetime, Jiang Weiping could not stop. He often visits the people, especially the poor areas in Zhangjiakou area, to see medical treatment for the local people.
Therefore, he enjoys a high reputation locally. For the sake of ordinary people, he has always worked tirelessly, while seeing doctors, he also paid for medicines for them out of his own pocket, and used his free time to research new Chinese herbal medicines.
During that period, Jiang Weiping lived a very fulfilling and happy life.
At the award ceremony in 1955, Jiang Weiping became the oldest lieutenant colonel in the history of the People's Republic of China at the age of 80, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel, the Order of Independence and Freedom and Liberation.
When wearing the medal, ** especially said to him: "I heard that you have been studying Chinese herbal medicines and have fallen ill, now it seems that you should recover." Jiang Weiping replied with a smile: "Yes, I have recovered now, thank you for your concern." ”
Then, he continued, "I will live in good health, because I am an inspiration to future generations and more beneficial to young people." However, the good times did not last long, and on July 12, 1964, Jiang Weiping died of illness in Zhangjiakou 251 Hospital at the age of 86.
His story has been praised in Zhangjiakou for a long time, and people's admiration for him has arisen. Once, the old village chief of a village in Qiaodong District, Zhangjiakou City, remembered him fondly: "During the three difficult years, everyone in the village fell ill, but after Jiang Lao found out, he treated us for free and never asked for a penny."
Every time you see him, you will know that the Communist Party is dedicated to ...... for the peopleMany of the people he healed and financed spontaneously went to his grave to pay their respects. Jiang Weiping's whole life has been contributing to the people.
He once funded a village community and gave 1,000 yuan. The people of this village community are still grateful, and they said, "Old Dean, you gave us a thousand yuan in the past, and now we can pay it back......Jiang Weiping's life, just like his great name, has always taken "Weiping" as his own responsibility, practiced the meaning of "Weiping" with practical actions, and became a model for us to learn.
Jiang Weiping's life was not full of magnificent epics, he was close to the age of sixteen when he joined the army, but he dedicated the rest of his life to the country and the people. He walked out of the old army, but he did not have the slightest bad habits of the old army, and always maintained his original intention of serving the party and the people.
Isn't this another great manifestation that we should remember for eternity?