On August 14, 2009, Zhang Gongxiu, former commander of the Kunming Military Region, secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee, and founding major general of the People's Republic of China, died of illness at the age of 95 in Beijing 301 Hospital.
General Zhang believes that the country is on the right track, the people's living standards are gradually improving, and medical conditions are also improving, so longevity is no longer out of reach.
He emphasized that longevity is not only the accumulation of years, but more importantly, the need for a high quality of life. In 2000, time entered the new century, and General Zhang also ushered in his 85th birthday, which is also what he called the guaranteed age.
He was very happy about it and had a great birthday with his family.
General Zhang Gongxiu lived a happy life in his later years, was in good health, and had a young mentality. He shares his secret to longevity – maintaining a good state of mind. Zhang Gongxiu is the child of a poor peasant family, and his elder brother Zhang Chengxiu was the president of the peasant association in his hometown.
Under the influence of his elder brother, Zhang Gongxiu cherished revolutionary aspirations and served as a part-time liaison to deliver letters to comrades. At the age of 13, he joined the village children's group with the encouragement of his older brother and completed the task of transmitting messages with great success.
Under the education of his elder brother, he learned to disguise himself and completed the task brilliantly many times. This is the secret of the longevity of the old general Zhang Gongxiu - to maintain a good attitude.
Zhang Gongxiu is an excellent bugle bearer of the children's regiment, and he carefully selected a tinplate horn in order to let the children report the news better. Although it was not easy to blow the horn, he stood out from a crowd of boys and won everyone's admiration.
He studied enthusiastically, practiced diligently, and he continued to improve from one tone to mastering the length and shortness to blowing simple tunes. Later, he joined the Red Army guerrilla brigade and served as deputy squad leader and squad leader of the Yongan Independent Battalion.
He knew that the sound of the troop's trumpet was very important, so he found the trooper's trumpeter and learned to blow the wake-up trumpet, the assembly trumpet, the charge trumpet, the meal trumpet, the lights out, the departure trumpet, and the dispatch trumpet.
Through unremitting efforts, he mastered the essentials of the notation of each horn sound.
Major General Zhang Gongxiu joined the Communist Party of China in February 1934, and in the following six months, he was promoted many times with his outstanding performance, serving as the platoon commander of the 7th Company of the 19th Regiment of the 17th Division of the Red Sixth Army, the deputy company commander of the 49th Regiment of the 17th Division, and the commander of the 7th Company of the 53rd Regiment of the 18th Division, and participated in the Long March of the Red Sixth Army.
Despite becoming a leader, Zhang Gongxiu has always loved to play the trumpet as a personal hobby. However, he didn't realize that this hobby would play a huge role at a critical time.
In January 1936, the 47th Regiment of the Red Sixth Army encountered a stone pillbox in Huang County on the border of Hunan and Guizhou, blocking their advance. Zhang Gongxiu, who had already served as the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 47th Regiment, received an order from his superiors to lead his troops around the stone pillboxes to surround and destroy a battalion of enemy troops stationed behind.
However, given the equal number of troops, this task is very difficult. But Zhang Gongxiu did not give up. He immediately came up with a clever plan to gather all the trumpeters of the battalion and let them follow whatever trumpets they heard from the battalion headquarters.
After the troops arrived at the designated position, Zhang Gongxiu personally held a military trumpet, stood on a high ground, and sounded the trumpet of the charge. After hearing Zhang Gongxiu's horn, the trumpeters of the whole battalion blew the trumpet together.
With their joint efforts, the task was finally successfully completed. This story teaches us that as long as we are brave and innovative and good at using our strengths, we can play a huge role in the critical moment and achieve our goals.
At the moment of the photo of Zhang Gongxiu and his wife, shouts of killing were heard from all directions, and the enemy did not know it, and was frightened by the shouts of killing, and they raised their guns and surrendered, and the battle ended within half an hour.
In October, Zhang Gongxiu was ordered to serve in the ** Infantry School of the Red Army and served as the squadron leader of the higher-level cadre brigade. Then, Zhang Gongxiu entered the fourth team of the Red Army University and the first military team of the second phase of the Kang University, and participated in the study.
Yang Dezhi is the captain of the first military team. According to Zhang Gongxiu's recollection: "During the study period, Zhang Gongxiu was fortunate to listen to the lecture of *** in person, telling them about the three "magic weapons" of the Chinese revolution to achieve victory.
In 1937, after the outbreak of the all-out Anti-Japanese War, the students of Kang Da were assigned to work in various places. At this time, Ye Ting and Xiang Ying came to Yan'an to select cadres for the upcoming New Fourth Army.
Considering that Zhang Gongxiu was from Yongxin, Jiangxi Province and was familiar with the situation in the south, the organization decided to assign him to work in the south.
After receiving the notice of the reception, Zhang Gongxiu and his comrades-in-arms prepared some change of clothes, graduation certificates and letters of introduction from Kang University, and embarked on a journey to the Xi'an Office of the Eighth Route Army.
There, they were warmly received by ***. **Through vivid explanations, they were introduced to the location of the military headquarters of the new Fourth Army, which was to be established, and they were encouraged to actively participate in the formation work.
After Zhang Gongxiu came to Nanchang, he was arranged in a hotel in the office of the Eighth Route Army. This is a place full of hope, a place where the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army will be established.
Zhang Gongxiu lived here and waited for the work to be arranged, and soon after he received a notice of meeting with **. * I would like to extend a warm welcome to Zhang Gongxiu and his comrades-in-arms, and thank them for returning to the south after the 25,000-mile Long March to participate in the formation of the New Fourth Army.
Zhang Gongxiu also expressed his gratitude to the commander of the Jiangxi Provincial Military Region for persisting in guerrilla warfare and going through arduous struggles under the leadership of the commander of the Jiangxi Provincial Military Region. * waved his hand and said modestly: "We are a little better than the comrades of the Long March, although it is very difficult, but we still have a small base area, but it is already scattered." ”
In one conversation, ** asked Zhang Gongxiu about the situation of the troops during the Long March. Zhang Gongxiu not only answered the question, but also took the initiative to mention the speech in Yan'an and the conversation between the vice chairman and him.
* I was very happy after hearing this, and took the opportunity to ask Zhang Gongxiu's work assignment. Zhang Gongxiu eagerly hopes to start work as soon as possible, which makes ** feel very gratified.
* Then asked Zhang Gongxiu: "Listen to your accent, is it a ** person?" Zhang Gongxiu replied that he was from Yongxin County, Jiangxi, and introduced his two companions, Peng Fumin was from Lotus and Li Zhongmin was from Jishui.
* Hear this, immediately agree and support them.
* Explained to Zhang Gongxiu that since he could not mobilize for the time being, he suggested that Mrs. Zhang should be a staff officer for Comrade Tan Yubao, and give full play to her advantages as the backbone of the Hunan and Jiangxi Soviet regions to help expand the anti-Japanese contingent and meet new combat missions.
Mrs. Zhang agreed with this and thanked ** for her trust and support. ** He then introduced her to Tan Yubao's situation and encouraged her to help him gather and expand the guerrilla force and put the troops in order.
Mrs. Zhang listened to **'s words and expressed her willingness to help Tan Yubao, and thanked ** for her encouragement and support.
I was deeply saddened to learn that my eldest brother Chang Chengxiu and my cousin Zhang Yiyun had been killed by the Kuomintang reactionaries, and I decided to repay their kindness and avenge them with my own actions, as a way to commemorate them. ”
In November, Zhang Gongxiu was appointed commander of the new first regiment of the first detachment of the New Fourth Army. Soon after, the "Southern Anhui Incident" occurred, and he served as the vanguard of the left column.
When he led his troops to the Maolin area, he found signs of Kuomintang troops' activities behind the bushes, and immediately sent a reconnaissance detachment to guard them. As a result of thorough preparations, when the troops reached the southeast of Dakang and were attacked by the Kuomintang reactionaries, the new regiment managed to crush the enemy.
After that, Zhang Gongxiu was ordered to retreat and move closer to the military headquarters. A little later, the detachment lost contact with the military headquarters, and the commander and political commissar of the detachment, Fu Qiutao, decided to break through alone. During the battle, Zhang Gongxiu led his troops to engage in a fierce battle with the enemy, but in the end, most of his comrades died due to being outnumbered.
In this incident, the New Fourth Army suffered heavy losses, with more than 9,000 people captured, more than 2,000 killed, and more than 4,200 captured.
In her later years, Zhang Gongxiu often used the past events that happened in the "Southern Anhui Incident" to educate future generations, and this unforgettable experience became the material for her education. When visiting the Memorial Hall of the Military Headquarters of the New Fourth Army and the Martyrs' Cemetery of the Southern Anhui Incident, she said emotionally: "After the 'Southern Anhui Incident', the CCP severely condemned the criminal conspiracy of the Kuomintang diehards and solemnly announced the rebuilding of the New Fourth Army.
On January 20, 1941, the Order of the Revolutionary Military Committee of the Communist Party of China was issued, appointing ** as the commander of the New Fourth Army, ** as the political commissar, Zhang Yunyi as the deputy commander, Lai Chuanzhu as the chief of staff, and ** as the director of the Political Department.
In March, Zhang Gongxiu was ordered to enter the East China Party School and participated in the study; In December, Zhang Gongxiu was appointed commander of the 56th Regiment of the 7th Division of the New Fourth Army. Since then, Zhang Gongxiu has successively served as the chief of staff of the Hanhe detachment, the chief of staff of the Hanhe detachment and the 4th Army Division, and the chief of staff of the 19th Brigade of the 7th Division of the New Fourth Army.
On December 19, 1942, Zhang Gongxiu married her lover Ding Yahua and became a lifelong revolutionary partner. In August 1945, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was won.
In order to adapt to the new situation, according to the order of the ** Military Commission, the 3rd Division of the New Fourth Army was transferred to the Northeast; The military headquarters led most of the main force to move north to Shandong and merged with the Shandong Military Region; The units of the New Fourth Army that remained in Central China were formed into the Central China Military Region and the Central China Field Army. ”
In January 1946, the ** Military Commission decided to unify the command of the New Fourth Army and the Shandong Military Region with the New Fourth Army and the Eighth Route Army in Central China and Shandong, and renamed it the Shandong Field Army.
In 1947, Zhang Gongxiu was appointed deputy brigade commander and chief of staff of the 19th Brigade of the 7th Division of the Shandong Field Army. In January of the same year, the New Fourth Army merged with the Shandong Military Region and the Central China Military Region, and the Shandong Field Army merged with the Central China Field Army to form the East China Military Region and the East China Field Army.
Zhang Gongxiu was appointed deputy division commander and chief of staff of the 19th Division of the 7th Column of the East China Field Army. Soon after, Zhang Gongxiu was transferred to the deputy commander and chief of staff of the 26th Division of the 9th Column.
In May 1948, he was appointed commander of the 9th Division of the 26th Column. In February 1949, the 9th Corps of the Third Field Army was established in accordance with the order of the ** Military Commission on the unification of the establishment of the whole army and the number of troops, and Zhang Gongxiu was appointed as the commander of the 80th Division of the 27th Army of the 9th Corps.
In 1950, the Korean War broke out. In November, Zhang Haoxiu led the renamed 80th Division of the Chinese People's Volunteers into the Korean War. During the battle, he was promoted to deputy commander of the 27th Army.
Zhang Gongxiu's heroic performance in the Korean War, he was ordered to return to China in 1952 to study in the ** team of the Military Cadre School of the East China Military Region, in May 1953, he was appointed commander of the 26th Army, and in 1955, he was awarded the rank of major general.
Subsequently, in 1958, he was again given the opportunity to study at the Higher Military Academy, and in 1960 he graduated and was appointed commander of the 68 Army.
In 1969, he was appointed deputy commander of the Jinan Military Region, and later concurrently served as deputy secretary of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and deputy director of the Provincial Revolutionary Committee. In August 1975, he was transferred to the post of deputy commander of the Kunming Military Region, and concurrently served as secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and deputy director of the Provincial Revolutionary Committee.
In March 1979, he took part in the command of the Western Front of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, and in 1980, he was appointed commander of the Kunming Military Region and concurrently served as secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee.
During his tenure, he repeatedly organized and commanded self-defense counterattack operations in the southwestern border.
In May 1985, commanders and political commissars of all major military regions of the whole army came to Beijing one after another to attend an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission held at the Jingxi Hotel.
Although everyone knows that this disarmament plan was decided, they do not want the troops that they have trained and strengthened themselves to be dismantled, and they will see the elites under their command either reorganized into other military regions or leave the army for recovery.
Regarding this disarmament plan, Zhang Gongxiu was very calm in his heart. This is because the Kunming Military Region is located in the southwestern border and shoulders the heavy task of defending the motherland's borders, and battles on the border occur from time to time, making it the only place in the country where wars have occurred.
According to the preliminary plan of the Central Military Commission, the Kunming Military Region and the Chengdu Military Region will be merged and designated in Kunming, and the Kunming Military Region will be the main body to form the new Kunming Military Region. To this end, the military affairs minister and cadre minister accompanying the Kunming Military Region also brought with them a complete set of reception plans and prepared to hold specific consultations with the comrades of the Chengdu Military Region.
Unexpectedly, at the meeting on the afternoon of 3 June, the reorganization order announced: "The Kunming Military Region will not be affected by the reorganization plan and will continue to perform its important mission of defending the motherland's borders." ”
This news made the cadres of the Kunming Military Region feel very gratified, because they knew that their efforts were not in vain, and the Kunming Military Region would continue to receive the support and attention of the people.
At the same time, it also reflects the importance of Zhang Gongxiu wearing military medals for combat heroes, and his contributions have been duly recognized and affirmed.
Zhang Gongxiu and his wife Ding Yahua did not hesitate to obey the orders of the ** Military Commission. He has worked in the army for a long time and has developed a style of acting resolutely to carry out orders.
A few days later, he returned to Kunming, where he visited his old subordinates for many years and the Sino-Vietnamese border frontline command that was fighting, and patiently did the work of stabilizing people's hearts. Then, he came to the Malipo Martyrs Cemetery, expressed his deep respect for the martyrs, and laid a huge wreath with his own hands.
The couplet reads: "The martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country are immortal! Your commander and comrade-in-arms Zhang Gongxiu". After handing over the command of the troops to the commander of the Chengdu Military Region, he was elected as a member of the ** Advisory Committee of the Communist Party of China.
After retiring to the second line, he devoted himself to social welfare activities, often helping the orphans of martyrs, and taking the lead in donating to Hope Primary School. He believes that this kind of life in old age is more valuable and quality.
General Zhang Gongxiu still had the same demeanor in his later years and was in good health. He is over 90 years old, still full of energy, with a loud voice and great vitality. Although the family income is not high, he and his wife Ding Yahua take care of the family with heart, making it a big revolutionary family of four generations that is highly envied by people.
Whenever people pass by their door, they can always hear laughter, which fully demonstrates General Zhang's optimistic spirit and family harmony.