He is the only 100-year-old general in Chinese history, who has always adhered to his loyalty to the party and the people, and has dedicated countless military exploits throughout his life. With only one stick and two legs, he successfully completed the long march.
Once affectionately called him"Sun Xingzhi", and made an exception to allow him to keep his beard, as the younger generations affectionately called him"General Beard"。However, he did not care about glory and wealth, and not only asked for a reduction in military rank when he received meritorious service, but also took the initiative to submit a request for resignation to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Sun Yi was born in May 1904 into a peasant family, and like most peasant families at that time, his family was very poor and had difficulties in life, unable to solve even the basic problem of hunger.
Therefore, he only went to school for a few years before he had to go out to work and fight for his life. However, the family's poverty did not stop Sun Yi's thirst for knowledge. In 1920, his father was seriously ill in bed, and the family was in a desperate situation, and Sun Yi had to decide to find a job to support the family.
So, in the summer of 1923, Sun Yi came to the recruitment office in Nanguan, Kaifeng, Henan, signed up for the army, and became a member of the first company of the Kaifeng Supplementary Battalion of the Henan Army.
We must act and cannot sit idly by any longer. Our compatriots are suffering, and it is up to us to stand up and fight for them. "
Zhao Bosheng's words moved Sun Yi and made him more determined to join the Red Army. The two hit it off and led the team together to join the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party. On December 14, 1931, Sun Yi officially joined the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and was incorporated into the Red Fifth Army Corps, serving as the chief of the reconnaissance section of the 14th Army, and then transferred to the 41st Division of the Red 14th Army as the chief of staff.
During this period, he changed his name to Sun Yi, which means "killing the enemy for the result, and achieving the result for the perseverance", and began his new military career.
In August 1934, ** planned to establish a new unit, mainly responsible for the protection of *** and ** Military Commission, and Sun Yi was appointed by the Military Commission Headquarters as the chief of staff of the unit.
However, after the assignment of the expeditionary mission, the troops began to discuss the issue of the means of transport for leading cadres. Li De, the foreign affairs adviser, thought that Sun Yi's identity was not enough as a person who was incorporated after the White Army uprising, so he took it upon himself to cross out the word "horse" in Sun Yi's name.
Although Sun Yi was dissatisfied with this, he knew that the overall situation was important, so he didn't think much about it. He set out with the Red Army soldiers and crossed the 2,000-meter-high old mountain border, the road was rugged and the terrain was steep, which brought great difficulties to the way forward.
During the Long March, many soldiers were exhausted and tired from running around for several days, and they fell off the cliff and died without paying attention. Sun Yi endured his grief and encouraged his teammates to cheer up, be more cautious, and resolutely not stop.
After more than two months of moving forward with heavy loads, less than half of Sun Yi's team remained. At this time, ** held a meeting of the Politburo and decided to integrate and supplement the troops, and Sun Yi was sent to the Military Commission Cadre Corps as the chief of the operations section to continue to lead the troops on an expedition.
Despite the difficulties and setbacks, Sun Yi always fought for the revolutionary cause to the end with a positive attitude and tenacious spirit.
Sun Yi was transferred to the post of chief of staff of the National Political Security Corps, however, due to negligence, his position was not clarified. For three days, he did not receive any assignments and no one spoke to him.
On the evening of the third day, he found his appointment notice on the desk of the regiment headquarters, and found that his post of "chief of staff" had been circled with a brush and the word "chief" had been removed, and he had become a "staff officer" that no one cared about.
Despite this, he was broad-minded and not angry, but felt that no matter how his position changed, as long as he was determined, there was no road that could not be taken.
In January 1935, after the ** Political Defense Regiment was abolished, Sun Yi was reused and served as the reconnaissance staff officer of the Fifth Division of the Red Third Army Corps, the captain of the regimental teaching brigade, and the chief of the reconnaissance section, leading the troops on the Long March.
By the time they crossed the Luding Bridge, the Red Army was exhausted, and in addition to the harsh environment and thin clothing, it was extremely difficult to climb over the snow-capped mountains. In order to solve this problem, ** sent Sun Yi to the local residents to consult the tips of the snow mountain.
At the top of the snow-capped mountain, Sun Yi conveyed several precautions to the soldiers: first, maintain a stable speed when climbing; 2. Keep quiet and talk less; 3. It is strictly forbidden to rest and maintain mobility; Fourth, carry forward friendship and support each other.
At the same time, he asked each fighter to bring plenty of ginger and chili peppers to ward off the bitter cold. Sun Yi personally supervised the mountaineering preparations of each company, led the soldiers to climb the snow-capped mountains together, and grabbed a handful of ice and snow to satisfy their hunger when they were hungry.
Although tired, no one dared to stop and rest, because everyone knows that once you stop, you may never be able to walk again. With a strong will and a spirit of unity, they finally crossed this snow-capped mountain.
Under the leadership of Sun Yi, they overcame all difficulties and obstacles, and on October 19, they successfully reached Wuqi Town, the revolutionary base area in northern Shaanxi, ending the 25,000-mile Long March.
When the military rank system was implemented in 1955, Sun Yi took the initiative to write to ** to request that his military rank be lowered when his merit was graded, and he said that he only had to work hard and lack of achievements, so he should not award himself a general, it is enough to give a major general.
He also said that after several battles, he was lucky enough to be alive, and he had taken a great advantage compared to those sacrificed comrades, so he didn't dare to think about anything else.
It was precisely because of Sun Yi's humility and low profile that he was finally awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Sun's decision sparked widespread discussion within the organization. Although his request was approved after careful consideration, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and awarded him the Order of Bayi, the Order of Independence and Freedom, and the Order of Liberation, taking into account his profound qualifications and prestige.
During the decade of turmoil, Sun Yi was also affected by some repercussions, was removed from his position, and even did not work for many years. However, after the catastrophe, many began to recover their positions and reputations, and Sun Yi was elected as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
However, he chose to give up his fame and fortune, took the initiative to resign from the organization, and pleaded sincerely three times. Impressed by his sincerity and determination, the organization agreed to his request.
Although Sun Yi resigned from his position, he was not idle and always insisted on doing good things for the people. Whether it is the difficulties of his neighbors or the advice of outsiders, he is always generous and knows the roads all over Beijing, and can provide the most convenient routes accurately.
Although he has a special car at home, he never allows his family to use it privately, and only uses it to help people in need. Sun Yi once had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, but after three days and three nights of rescue, he regained consciousness.
Even though he hadn't fully recovered, he immediately threw himself into the service of the people around him.
Although General Sun Yi was the founding lieutenant general of the People's Republic of China, he had a prominent reputation and great military achievements, and was deeply respected by the people. Once, he went out to visit an old friend who had been in the army. This friend is now a senior leader.
Sun Yi, as always, dressed plainly and did not take a special car. When he was at the gate of the troops, a guard stopped him.
When the guards saw a plainly dressed visitor, they asked him about his purpose and identity. The visitor reported his home, saying that he had come to visit an old friend. The two were at an impasse, and it happened that Sun Yi's old comrades-in-arms happened to come out to inspect at this time.
When he saw Sun Yi who was stopped at the door by the guards, he immediately stepped forward, respectfully invited him into the house, and reprimanded the guards. The guards were surprised to find that this plainly dressed visitor turned out to be General Sun Yi!
He couldn't help but wonder why General Sun Yi didn't have a special car, and he was dressed so low-key.
Sun Yi has always adhered to a simple lifestyle, and he understands that his dress and behavior may be misleading, but he still goes his own way. His son served in the armed forces in a county in Hebei Province, and Sun Yi had wanted to visit him.
This time, Sun Yi refused the driver's pick-up and drop-off, and decided to go alone. In order to visit his son, the leaders of the troops immediately sent someone to pick him up when they heard the news. However, they couldn't find Sun Yi in the major hotels in the county.
After some twists and turns, he was finally found in a small dilapidated hotel. The leader of the army kindly invited him to stay in the hotel that had been prepared, but Sun Yi resolutely declined.
The leader repeatedly persuaded him, but Sun Yi remained unmoved. In the end, he decided to stay in this run-down little hotel for a few days.
During his service in the army, Sun Yi attracted attention because of his beard, and was affectionately known as "Sun Beard". Among the generals, he is one of the very few who has been granted permission to stay in the beard.
In 1925, at the age of 21, Sun Yi was bedridden for two months after being wounded in battle. After recovering his health, his face appeared sunken and slender due to malnutrition, and his friends advised him to grow a beard, which could make him look more literary and handsome.
During a road tour after Sun Yi joined the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, he met the commander-in-chief ** and the chief of staff of the Military Commission *** who came on horseback. When Sun Yi stopped to salute the two chiefs, his beard immediately caught their attention.
* Questioned Sun Yi: "Why do you have this beard?" Sun Yi replied wittily, **After hearing it, he felt humorous and very reasonable, and asked Sun Yi to keep this beard, if anyone has an opinion, he will say that ** and *** made an exception for him to keep it.
General Sun Yi was a newspaper actor at the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army School. After a theatrical performance, he did not shave his beard again and kept it until 1955, when he was allowed to grow a beard and receive the military rank.
Even when he was accomplished in his achievements, General Sun Yi was still able to maintain a style of hard work, not arrogant, not rash, and unpretentious, and adhered to the purpose of serving the people. On his 90th birthday, he was still broad-minded, optimistic and open-minded, indifferent to fame and fortune, low-key and modest, and calm and generous, which is worthy of our eternal memory and learning.