In late September 1949, a special invitation from the ** General Office was sent to 14-year-old Ma Sanjie in Majiaba Village, Wuwei, Anhui Province. After she opened the invitation, she found that *** was very interested in her, the youngest heroine in the battle of crossing the river, so she invited her to participate in the founding ceremony.
However, Ma Sanjie's parents refused to let her go to Beijing because they were worried about the authenticity of the letter and the fact that the child was too young and had never traveled far away, and was afraid that it would not be safe. Although Ma Sanjie wanted to go to Beijing to witness the demeanor of the great man, she could only accept her parents' decision.
This refusal made *** more interested in this 14-year-old girl, and said bluntly: I have to meet her in person. So, what kind of contribution did Ma Sanjie make in the battle of crossing the river?
Did you finally get your wish? What other interesting things happened between Ma Sanjie and ***? All this is waiting for us to reveal.
In September 1951, as the National Day Celebration approached, it was customary to invite prominent figures from all walks of life to participate in the celebrations. ** Remembered the 14-year-old "heroine of crossing the river" Ma Sanjie who rejected him two years ago, and said to the staff around her: "This heroine is very interesting, I must meet it in person." ”
On the 20th of the same month, ** personally wrote the second invitation, and a local cadre sent it to Ma Sanjie.
Mao Sanjie, an ordinary rural girl, was born in 1935 in a fisherman's family in Maba Village, Liudu Town, Wuwei, Anhui Province. The mother gave birth to 13 children, but only 8 survived, because she was the third, so she had the name "Ma Sanjie".
The fishermen had a hard life, and they had to pay a sum of money to the landlords and bullies on a regular basis, but they also had to send some catches to them, but the authorities and the bullies were in collusion, and the fishermen dared not speak out.
Sister Ma has learned to row with her father since she was a child, and she has been tempered by wind and rain all year round, and she has become strong and unyielding, not afraid of hardship and not admitting defeat. When she was seven or eight years old, Ma Sanjie learned to swim, and when she was more than ten years old, she could swim back and forth in the Yangtze River alone.
Despite the family's diligence, the family life was still poor due to the dependence on the sky for food and the oppression of the landlords. During the anti-Japanese period, Ma Sanjie's father was arrested by the Kuomintang army to be a strong man, and her mother could only sell the third sister to the bully as a child daughter-in-law, in exchange for three stones of rice, before redeeming Ma's father.
However, all this did not dampen the will of Ma Sanjie, and with her courage and perseverance, she finally won the attention and appreciation of the chairman, and was able to participate in the celebration at the founding ceremony.
Ma Sanjie's childhood was full of hardship. After being bought by bullies, she lives an inhuman life, being beaten for no reason and even deprived of food. After countless tortures, she escaped from the demons in the night.
However, in order to avoid being considered dead by her parents, she had no choice but to leave her hometown and start a life of begging. After three years of wandering, she returned to her hometown, much to the surprise and joy of her parents, who thought she was no longer alive.
Ma Sanjie was captured by the Kuomintang army at the age of 13 and became a laborer in the construction of fortifications and pillboxes. She and her brother were forced to work on the south coast, resting only three or four hours a day, but only two nests were enough to keep them fed.
However, when the People's Liberation Army arrived, the landlords, bullies, and reactionary military police were executed, and the poor finally turned their hands on the land, resumed agricultural production, and no longer worried about starvation.
Before the age of 14, Ma Sanjie was just an ordinary representative of the toiling public, but the battle of crossing the river changed everything and made her a household name as a little hero. She bravely resisted the oppression of the Kuomintang army and became a hero in the hearts of the people.
Her story teaches us that even in the midst of suffering, with courage and determination, we can change our destiny.
2) Selfless dedication, breaking the enemy's Yangtze River defense line In order to win the Liberation War, the million-strong army of the Second and Third Fields was ready for battle on the north bank of the Yangtze River, waiting for the start of the battle.
On the 1,800 kilometers from Yichang to Shanghai along the Yangtze River, Chiang Kai-shek sent 700,000 troops, plus more than 300 aircraft and hundreds of **, forming a triple defense line of sea, land and air.
Although the main force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has as many as one million people, it is very difficult to break the enemy's defense line due to the lack of air and water supremacy, and the fact that many soldiers are not good at water warfare.
Moreover, the Kuomintang army destroyed all the ships on the north bank as they retreated, and even the boatmen were captured on the south bank, which further made the battle of crossing the river more difficult.
However, in the face of difficulties, the PLA was not discouraged and instead reached out to the masses, mobilizing fishermen to take out their boats and teach them skills such as swimming, rowing and orienting.
When the People's Liberation Army came to Wuwei, Ma Sanjie actively participated in underground activities and cooperated with them to pass on information. For example, late one night in early 1949, the third sister and her brother Ma Shenghong (an underground party member) quietly rowed a boat across the reeds toward the south of the Yangtze River, and several PLA scouts on board were dressed in disguise.
Ma Sanjie skillfully avoided the enemy's searchlights and quietly came to the south bank. With the help of the villagers, the scouts infiltrated the enemy's positions, while Ma Sanjie disguised herself as a small trader, shouting "foreign fire cigarettes, osmanthus candy", shuttled between the major positions, smoothly transmitted the information to the investigators, and sent important information to the headquarters on the north bank in time.
In February 1949, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) posted notices in various villages in Wuwei, asking for boats to help them cross the river. Ma Sanjie and her brother saw people discussing this matter for the first time, and they only knew the news.
Since Ma Sanjie was illiterate, she could only ask her brother to explain the content of the notice to her. When she learned that the People's Liberation Army needed to requisition fishing boats, she decided to go home and persuade her mother to donate the only fishing boat in the family.
At first, the mother did not agree, but under the repeated persuasion of Ma Sanjie, the parents finally agreed. As a result, Ma Sanjie's family became the first family in the village to take the initiative to donate a boat.
However, after a few days, the PLA only collected a few small boats, and seeing that the time to cross the river was getting closer and closer, the officers and men of the 50th Division of the 24th Army of Sanye stationed there were very anxious, because these small boats obviously could not meet the needs of crossing the river.
Despite all the work done by the PLA, many fishermen are still worried that their families will have to pass over when their boats are provided, which will be dangerous.
After the third sister learned about it, she took the initiative to mobilize with her brother, and she said to everyone: "When the Jiang bandits ruled, we were oppressed and exploited for a long time, but since the People's Liberation Army came, families have been allocated land, and people's lives have become better.
Since the PLA thinks so much about us, what reason do we have not to support them? In this way, under the persuasion of Ma Sanjie, more than 200 fishermen in the village handed over their boats one after another.
These boats were concentrated in the inland river of Phoenix Neck for training, and Ma Sanjie and others also took the initiative to teach the soldiers swimming, rowing and other techniques; The People's Liberation Army also taught boatmen how to throw grenades, shoot guns, bandage wounds and other military knowledge.
On April 19 of the same year, the People's Liberation Army convened a mobilization meeting of shipwrights, at which everyone was enthusiastic. But when it was really implemented, when the river-crossing assault boat was formed, the venue was instantly deserted, and no one was willing to raise their hands to sign up.
After all, everyone understands that once the battle really starts, the assault ship will be a target for guns, and the danger is very great, and life and death are uncertain. At that time, the mobilization meeting stipulated that the family should send a representative to participate, and the Ma family was represented by her brother Ma Shenghong, but the third sister also secretly mixed in the crowd, she saw that the venue was so silent, and immediately couldn't hold back, and said: "My small boat is willing to participate in the assault boat!" ”
As soon as the words fell, the audience fell silent. The chief looked at her and smiled. Driven by Ma Sanjie, a few more boatmen stood up, and in this way, the four pioneer assault ships were determined.
Ma Sanjie: The "Little Hero" in the Yangtze River Rescue Ma Sanjie, an ordinary name, became a "little hero" in the Yangtze River Rescue in the Liberation War.
During this intense rescue operation, which lasted seven days and seven nights, the PLA and the boatmen worked together to transport the boats from the inland river to the Yangtze River. Ma Sanjie, as a shipwright who participated in the war, also received two grenades and prepared to attack at night.
As night fell, our artillery fire fiercely pressed on the positions on the opposite bank, and the PLA began to board the ships. Ma Sanjie was busy building a springboard for the soldiers, and after a PLA chief saw her, she hurried home.
Ma Sanjie argued: "Don't look at my young age, but I am not much worse than you in rocking the boat and swimming, and I sent the investigators across the river a few days ago." However, the chief insisted that she get off the boat, saying that if she didn't get off the boat, she would change boats.
In desperation, Third Sister Ma had no choice but to leave. However, Ma Sanjie did not give up. She had an idea in her mind, and when the boat was rowing, she jumped on board. Sure enough, soon the ship was full of more than 30 officers and soldiers, and when the bow of the ship was off the shore and the stern was thrown to the shore, Ma Sanjie jumped onto the ship by night and hid in the aft cabin.
It wasn't until the boat was in the middle of the river that she came to the bow. When the People's Liberation Army saw it, they asked, "How did you come here?" The front line is dangerous, aren't you afraid? Ma Sanjie replied: "Don't be afraid, I will be at the helm and will also paddle, my brother has bad eyes, I am responsible for the helm, one hand paddling, this can also help." ”
With her courage and wisdom, Ma Sanjie successfully participated in this important military operation and became a hero in the War of Liberation.
The ships had penetrated deep into the middle of the river, illuminated by enemy flares. The enemy's frantic artillery fire instantly broke the calm of the river, setting off a monstrous wave, the ships swayed in the huge waves, and two nearby assault ships had already been sunk.
Ma Sanjie was not intimidated by this momentum, although the bullet broke the sails, she remained calm and slammed forward. The People's Liberation Army was impressed by her bravery and determination, and gave her a thumbs up.
However, the intensity of the firefight did not bring any good luck to Ma Sanjie, and her left arm was hit by a stray bullet, bleeding profusely. When her brother looked back, he immediately bandaged her wounds and told her to hide in the cabin.
However, Ma Sanjie rejected her brother's kindness and said firmly: "No, the enemy's artillery fire is too fierce, and if you stop, you will become a live target." We must get to the shore as soon as possible and destroy the enemy on the shore, so that the ships behind can cross the shore smoothly. ”
In this way, after more than 40 minutes of fierce fighting, the ship finally arrived at Xiajia Lake in the Sanshan District of Wuhu on the south bank. As soon as the troops came ashore, they faced new challenges. The enemy, hiding in the pillbox, launched a fierce attack on the PLA, attempting to use the superiority in firepower to block the river bank and block the assault of the assault team.
Seeing this situation, Ma Sanjie immediately said to the PLA: "Follow me, I once participated in the construction of the pillbox, and I know the location of the mines very well." ”
Led by her, the two Demomen skillfully avoided enemy fire and minefields and galloped towards the bunker. However, when they were about to reach their destination, the enemy spotted them and opened heavy machine-gun fire.
The angry third sister immediately took out the grenade on her waist and threw it at the bunker. The other Demoman took advantage of the smoke generated by ** to quickly reach the underside of the bunker and successfully blew it up.
Under the guidance of the third sister, the PLA blew up several pillboxes in succession, greatly reducing the pressure on the rear troops. At this time, the newly arrived troops seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, and the enemy's positions on the south bank collapsed in an instant.
Ma Sanjie wanted to move on, but her brother immediately grabbed her and told her: "We have to go back quickly, and the People's Liberation Army still has to be transported." On the way back, the third sister found a wounded enemy machine gunner crawling, and she exclaimed: "The ** in his hand is powerful and will kill many people!" ”
Thinking of this, she took out the only remaining grenade and threw it at the enemy, who died in place with a loud bang. On the way back, Ma Sanjie and her brother also rescued soldiers and migrant workers who had fallen into the water.
On this day, the three sisters and sisters crossed the Yangtze River six times and transported nearly 100 PLA soldiers.
For the next six days and six nights, Ma Sanjie and her brother worked tirelessly to transport the troops and supplies for crossing the river. In the 42-day battle to cross the Yangtze River, the PLA successfully broke through the Kuomintang's Yangtze River defense line with wooden sailing boats, and a total of 3,382 sailors bravely faced artillery fire together with the PLA and reached the south bank of the Yangtze River.
It is worth mentioning that in this battle, two heroes of crossing the river and one hero of crossing the river of the special class emerged in the Wuwei area, as well as a large number of heroes. Among them, Ma Shenghong was awarded the first-class merit of crossing the river for his outstanding performance, and was awarded the title of "Model of Supporting the Front", and was also rewarded with 50 catties of rice, 2 sets of clothes and 2 pairs of shoes.
However, because Ma Sanjie joined the battle by herself, the superior leaders did not know about it, so she was not evaluated. Despite this, Ma Sanjie did not feel lost because of this, but said that she was voluntary.
But just over half a month later, when the third sister and her parents were planting rice in the farmland, the People's Liberation Army and local cadres beat gongs and drums and came to Maba Village to find the third sister. It turned out that after the celebration was held, many soldiers recalled the 14-year-old but brave and strong little girl, but they did not find her in the list, so they thought that she should be awarded the title of hero.
The soldiers reported the news to their superiors, and after the Chaohu Military Region Headquarters learned about it, they awarded Ma Sanjie the titles of "Special Hero of Crossing the River" and "Model of Supporting the Front". Ma Sanjie is one of the only two special heroes in the Wuwei area, so the local cadres decided to hold a celebration meeting for her.
At the meeting, Ma Sanjie was very nervous, so excited that she couldn't even say a full word of thanks. After the meeting, Ma Sanjie wore a big red flower and rode a horse to swim around the county, and the people witnessed her demeanor.
In this way, Ma Sanjie became a little hero known to women and children overnight. Soon after, Ma Sanjie's deeds spread to Beijing under the report of **, and also reached the ears of ***.
When I learned about her deeds, I also wanted to see how the youngest hero in the battle of crossing the river was different. He personally invited Ma Sanjie to participate in the founding ceremony, but was refused.
However, in 1951, with the second invitation of *** and the "escort" of the local **, Ma Sanjie's parents agreed to let her go to Beijing. Ma Sanjie dressed up excitedly and stepped on the train to Beijing with the Anhui "old base delegation".
5) ** changed her name on the afternoon of September 29 of the same year, ** received the members of the delegation from various provinces in Huairen Hall. In order to be able to see *** as soon as possible, Sister Ma and everyone came to the hall early.
Because of her short stature, in order to be able to see the chairman's appearance clearly, she deliberately ran to a pillar in the hall and planned to climb to the pillar to look.
Seeing this, the leader of the Anhui delegation immediately asked her to come down and reminded her: "You are a smart guy, but you can't forget etiquette." You toast *** as a representative for a while. ”
It turned out that each province needed to send a representative to toast the chairman. Third Sister Ma was very excited when she heard it. At the beginning of the banquet, she walked up to the chairman with a glass full of wine, but when she saw the chairman, she was too excited to speak.
The comrade who toasted next pushed her aside, which made her a little displeased. After seeing it, the leader said: "Third sister, don't be disappointed, please go to the play." One afternoon at the beginning of the second month, ** and other **leaders invited representatives from all over the country to **Peking Opera, and Ma Sanjie was arranged to sit in the middle of *** and ***.
** smiled and said: "Chairman, is she the little hero you invited twice?" The chairman smiled and nodded, and talked to Ma Sanjie cordially, asking her what her name was.
Ma Sanjie replied nervously: "I don't have a name, because my surname is Ma, and I am the third child in the family, and everyone calls me Ma Sanjie." ”
When *** learned that Ma Sanjie did not have a name yet, he personally named her "Sister Ma Mao" and said to her: "You are our little hero who crosses the river, and your spirit is an example for us to learn." ”
At the dinner table, ** cared about her learning and asked her if she had received an education. However, because of her family's poverty, Sister Ma Mao never had the opportunity to go to school.
** Asked if she would like to stay in Beijing to study, but Sister Ma Mao refused, she wanted to stay in her hometown and take care of her parents, and the province had arranged for her to study in her hometown school.
The chairman said with a smile: "Okay, we must continue to learn and make progress and contribute to the construction of the country." The chairperson then presented her with school supplies and a treasured notebook, which he signed himself.
Seeing that she was thinly dressed, the chairman asked the security guard to buy her two new clothes with concern. Before leaving, the chairman asked her if she wanted to play, and she did not hesitate to express her desire to go to Shanghai.
The chairman readily agreed, and let her, accompanied by Sister Gu, take a plane to Shanghai for a tour, and she was very happy to see the bustling Shanghai.
Sister Ma Mao hid the clothes, notebooks and other treasures given by the chairman in a wooden box, but unfortunately a flood washed away the box, and no matter how you look for it, you can't find it. In June 1954, she honorably joined the Communist Party of China, studied actively, and was finally admitted to the Workers' and Peasants' Cadre School.
After graduating in 1957, she was assigned to work in Hefei, and successively served as the secretary of the Youth League branch of the hemp mill, the director of the workshop, the deputy director of the knitting factory and the chairman of the trade union, the chairman of the trade union of the Dongfeng Garment Factory, and the deputy general manager of the shoes and hats company.
"Crossing the River Reconnaissance" tells the true deeds of Sister Ma Mao, with Liu Sanjie as the protagonist, successfully shaping her image in the battle of crossing the river. In order to better interpret Liu Sanjie, actor Zhang Jinling specially came to Wuwei County to consult Sister Ma Mao, and ate and lived with her for half a month.
During this time, Sister Ma Mao taught Zhang Jinling skills such as jumping ship and rowing. What is touching is that even if time flies, ** still remembers Sister Ma Mao. During the inspection in Anhui in September 1958, ** personally said to the Anhui comrades: "Call your sister Ma Mao, I want to meet her!" ”
Hearing that the chairman still remembers herself, Sister Ma Mao was very excited, this meeting, they talked about a lot of past events, and the chairman was also very pleased with Sister Ma Mao's growth. Later, with the help of the organization, Sister Ma Mao had her own family and had a son and four daughters.
However, despite her many achievements, she is never complacent or uses her power for her children's personal gain, but strictly requires them to rely on their own efforts to achieve their goals.
Sister Ma Mao's children have been working as ordinary workers in the factory and insisting on working for the country. After her retirement, she still actively participated in public welfare activities, such as supporting the Hope Project and assisting disaster areas, and was hired as an off-campus tutor in many schools, giving more than 300 lectures on revolutionary traditional education.
Sister Ma Mao's outstanding performance made her win the title of "Advanced Individual of Retired Cadres"!
Although she has been retired for many years, Sister Ma Mao was awarded the "July 1st Medal" in 2021, which fully shows that the party and the country have not forgotten her past contributions. Now 87 years old, although the years have left traces on her face, her heroic demeanor and enthusiasm for the revolution are still undiminished.
We look forward to a long and healthy life and enjoy every day of life in the coming days.