On June 23, 2000, Comrade **, an outstanding military strategist in our country, unfortunately passed away. On the 29th, the memorial service of Comrade ** was held in the auditorium of Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, and the scene filled with mourning music made the originally sad atmosphere even heavier.
Those comrades and comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side with **, with a heavy heart, slowly walked to the body, solemnly bowed in silence, and the scene was as solemn as a state funeral.
Comrade ** expressed his deep condolences on his death after the funeral and cordially expressed his condolences to his relatives. The epitaph that his wife, Zhao Lanxiang, decided to write was only four words - * General.
* Comrade has made great contributions to the development of the motherland throughout his life, and he is known for his character of being an iron horse, a man of dedication, and a brave and loyal character, but he is the only Chinese minister of defense without a military rank.
So, how did the general become the Minister of Defense? During the Red Army period, ** won everyone's praise for his bravery, good fighting, wisdom and bravery, and became the famous "Geng Mengzi".
His story is more than just diplomacy, his highlight moment came during the Red Army era. **Born in 1909 in a peasant family in Yanjiachong, Liling County, Hunan, he was frail and sickly when he was a child, and when he was 5 years old, because of the lack of fire in the five elements, his parents added 3 fire characters to his name, hoping that he would be safe.
* When he was 7 years old, his parents took him to escape to Shuikou Mountain in Changning County, southern Shonan, where life was extremely difficult. In order to make a living, ** took up child labor in a lead-zinc mine at the age of 13.
However, he was not accustomed to the cruel oppression of the capitalists, and a spirit of resistance was born in his heart. In his life, the influence of the party organization also came into play, prompting him to make the decision to join the revolution.
In 1930, ** was ordered to lead a guerrilla force of more than 30 people, joined the ranks of the Red Army, and was eventually assigned to the Red First Army and the Ninth Division of the Third Army as the chief of intelligence staff.
In the revolutionary environment at that time, the Kuomintang was carrying out the first "encirclement and suppression" of the Red Army. As an intelligence staff officer, he knows the importance of intelligence, and he must use the fastest and most effective method to gather the enemy's movements.
He also never delayed the intelligence, because he had his own set of methods. He told the correspondent that if he saw the newspaper, he would collect it all. It wasn't a whim, it was something he had observed.
He found that the Kuomintang had done a very poor job of secrecy, and that secrets such as troop movements and military orders were clearly printed in newspapers. New Copywriting:"In the hardships of life and the oppression of the capitalists, the spirit of resistance was bred in his heart, and under the influence of the party organization, he decided to join the revolution.
In 1930, he led a team of 30 people to join the Red Army as chief of staff of intelligence. In the context of the Kuomintang's first 'encirclement and suppression', ** knew the importance of intelligence, and through long-term observation, he found that the secrets of the Kuomintang army were printed in the newspapers, so he told the correspondent that as long as he saw the newspapers, he would collect them all, and he never delayed the intelligence.
* The wisdom and courage of the Red Army provided important intelligence support. "
Welcome"Welcome? Such news headlines appear to promote the status of the Kuomintang army among the people, but in fact they expose the whereabouts of the army. ** A very strategic eye for this, he is just as good on the battlefield.
Against"Encirclement and suppression"After the battle began, the 18th Division led by Zhang Huizan fell into the trap set by ***, and the 26th Regiment of the Red 9th Division was given the task of tightening this trap.
However, in the course of the offensive, the XXVI Regiment ran into trouble. Division commander Xu Yangang waited for a long time and did not receive news from the 26th Regiment, so he decided to send ** to the front line to check the situation.
This was the first time since joining the Red Army that he was sent to the front. He was so excited that he rushed into the battle without hesitation. Arriving at the front, he found that the fighters of the XXVI Regiment were engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy under the command of the regimental commander.
However, the fighters of two and a half companies were pinned down by enemy machine-gun fire in a depression with only a narrow path that was directed right at the enemy's gun.
With each attack, the fighters had just rushed through the path before being knocked out by enemy fire.
* Ran to the side of the regiment commander at the risk of death, at this time the regiment commander was already red-eyed, and as soon as he felt the movement around him, he thought it was an enemy sneak attack, and he picked up a big knife and was about to cut it. Fortunately, ** reacted quickly and dodged sideways.
* shouted loudly: "Commander, it's me!" Only then did the head of the regiment react and saw that it was **. The regiment commander immediately asked ** to hold the position, and he wanted to rush forward to kill the enemy, wanting to attack the enemy from the flank and complete the final blockade of the "pocket array".
But the enemy's fire was too fierce, and the regimental commander's risky actions would be in danger of his life. So, ** suggested that the head of the regiment let him go to investigate first. After getting the permission of the regiment commander, ** cut a few branches from the tree and quietly hid from the pass of the mountain into the pond by the side of the road.
But he was still discovered by the enemy and immediately strafed. Lying low, the bullet passed through his hat and nearly hit him in the head. Although he could not look up, he could hear the position of the enemy aircraft.
So, ** moved slowly, stuck the branch in his hand on the way forward, and marked the next line of spearheads. Soon, the spearhead platoon managed to break out of the enemy's fire zone and encircle the enemy in the "pocket".
The surprise attack of the spearhead platoon caught the enemy off guard, and he was instantly confused. The 26th Regiment and the 27th Regiment, which followed closely behind, charged with all their members, and the battle of annihilating the enemy officially began.
After a fierce battle, the enemy was completely annihilated, and our army won a decisive victory. ** The general successfully completed the task and returned to the side of the division commander. When he was reporting the results of the battle to the division commander, a group of communicators galloped from the main road in Longgang, shouting loudly as they ran: "Zhang Huizan has been caught by us!" ”
* The general performed well in his first battle after joining the army and was highly praised by the organization. Soon after, he was promoted to division chief of staff. In the following battles, the ** general gradually grew into an excellent Red Army general, and the five anti-"encirclement and suppression" battles he participated in showed his tenacious and unyielding revolutionary spirit.
In the fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" battle, the positions held by the Red Fourth Regiment were frantically attacked by the enemy. The enemy's fire was fierce, pressing forward step by step, and directly hit the front of the position of the Red Fourth Regiment.
Seeing this scene, ** immediately led two companies to support, provide cover for other troops, and moved to the second-line defensive zone. **Take the lead and fight the enemy desperately.
At this moment, he suddenly felt his legs go weak and almost fell to his knees, but with his stubborn will, he got back up and continued to fight the enemy. In the end, ** succeeded in repelling the enemy's attack, but he felt that he had no strength in his legs, and only then did he notice that his legs were covered with blood, and even his feet were covered with blood.
When the guards saw this scene, they quickly picked up the ** and sent them to the hospital. The wound gradually healed under the doctor's care, but he did not stay in the hospital to recuperate, but walked out of the hospital on crutches and once again plunged into the battle against "encirclement and suppression".
* On the battlefield, he always rushed to the front of the ranks, fearless, and killed the enemy bravely, so people in the Red Army called him "Geng Mengzi".
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he held a number of important positions in the fields of diplomacy and military affairs, including vice minister, director of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee, director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and secretary general of the Military Commission and minister of national defense.
He is known as the "Ambassador of Generals" for his outstanding achievements and far-reaching influence. During his 70-year revolutionary career, he spent more than half of his working time in diplomatic posts, making great contributions to the development of China's diplomatic undertakings.
Although his military rank was not high, his talent and contributions earned him widespread respect and praise. He is the pride of China and the precious wealth of the world.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in order to strengthen diplomatic relations with various countries, it was decided to select a group of senior cadres from the army to serve as diplomatic ambassadors. Among them, Li Zhimin, the political commissar of the 19th Corps, found ** and told him that ** had decided to let him take up diplomatic work.
* This was surprising because he had been leading troops on the battlefield before, had never been exposed to civilian work, and did not know a foreign language. However, the chairman's remarks relieved the worries of all comrades, including **.
The Chairman told them that although they were all generals and knew very few foreign languages, that did not stop them from becoming ambassadors. In addition, the chairman also told ** that he was going to Western countries to learn about and learn from their experience in economic construction, which would not only contribute to the development of friendship between our country and the Nordic countries, but also contribute to world peace.
Despite the new challenges, the Chair's support and trust gave him the confidence to meet them.
As Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden and Minister to the Kingdom of Denmark and the Republic of Finland, I feel that my shoulders are heavy. Upon arrival in Sweden, Crown Prince Gustav Adolf greeted him in a six-seater chariot with the highest specification, which marked the crown prince's welcome to the Crown Prince.
After presenting his credentials, the king warmly invited him to sit down and talk, marking the beginning of work in Sweden. Next, he traveled to Denmark and Finland to prepare embassies and promote the common development of China and European countries.
However, for those who don't know a foreign language, communication is the most challenging. It is on this issue that I deeply experience the meaning of "diplomacy is no trivial matter".
On October 29, 1950, King Gustav V of Sweden sadly died. Upon learning of this, the ambassador immediately sent a secretary to send a letter of condolence to Sweden
However, the Chief of Protocol, while reviewing the letter of condolence, questioned one of the words. Since the secretary did not know French, they had to bring in legal counsel to conduct an examination.
After reading it carefully, the legal counsel nervously pointed out that there was a word missing from the letter of condolence, which led to a reversal of meaning. It was originally expressed as "sorrow", but unexpectedly became "honor".
*When the ambassador learned of this, he immediately proceeded to rewrite the letter of condolence and personally sent it to *** He sincerely apologized for the mistake and expressed his deep guilt to the Kingdom of Sweden.
The Swedish minister did not blame the ambassador for this, but said that they understood and accepted this small mistake, believing that it would not affect the feelings of the two countries. Although this incident did not have a major impact, it made Ambassador ** realize that all personnel at the embassy should strengthen the study of foreign languages.
During his tenure as a foreign ambassador, the ambassador always took understanding and learning from the economic construction experience of Western countries as his primary task. Through field visits, he recorded in detail the steel industry in Sweden, wind power generation in Denmark, afforestation in the Netherlands and other technologies, and submitted these reports to the relevant domestic departments for research.
* It has not only succeeded in establishing friendly relations between China and Europe, but also brought back the construction experience of European countries to China, so that China's development has reached a new height.
In 1956, under the special instruction of ***, he had a work exchange with Han Nianlong, the ambassador to Pakistan, and went to Pakistan to take up a post. Prior to this, ** had stressed the need to establish a solid friendship with Pakistan in order to break the imperialist economic blockade.
* He is very familiar with the situation in Pakistan and recognizes that Pakistan is located between our country and West Asia, Europe and Africa, and is the gateway to the world from the west of our country, so it is essential to establish friendship with Pakistan.
* Living up to expectations, he actively promoted the friendship between China and Pakistan and the peoples during his tenure, both in terms of economy and culture, and he made great efforts.
Pakistan** even gave a special medal to ** to show gratitude for their friendship. In just a few years, he has successfully transformed from a general to a good diplomat, gaining a deeper understanding of various issues.
Shortly after he became ambassador to Pakistan, the Prime Minister visited five countries, including India and Pakistan, and before his departure, he put forward his own proposals.
**once admonished**: When the Indian side invites you to visit Prime Minister Nehru's hometown, it is best to politely decline. Because Nehru's hometown is in the south of Kashmir, if you go, it could be misunderstood that China supports India's position against Pakistan on Kashmir. ”
**applauded** the suggestion and complimented: "This suggestion of yours reminds me that it is very well made. "In his many years of diplomatic career, he has made great contributions to the friendly development of our country and fraternal countries.
His wife, Zhao Lanxiang, has always been his companion in his revolutionary career, accompanying him for more than half a century.
Zhao Lanxiang is not only **'s lover and relative, but also his spiritual confidant, she is the eternal pillar behind **.
Zhao Lanxiang: Since she was a child, she has been a pearl in her hand, asking to go to school, and she is determined to break through the shackles of feudal thinking. When she was studying at Qingyang Girls' Primary School, she met three female cadres sent from Yan'an, who propagated revolutionary ideas, which deeply affected her and took the initiative to help propagate advanced ideas.
Later, Zhao Lanxiang was hired as a Chinese language and art teacher at this school, becoming the first woman in Qingyang County to participate in the workforce. In 1937, when the 385th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army was stationed in the Longdong Defense Area, Zhao Lanxiang and ** met, and the two fell in love.
And Zhao Wen, the lover of Comrade Gan Weihan, Zhao Lanxiang's friend, is the principal of Qingyang Girls' School. One day, Zhao Lanxiang found that a very spiritual leader of the Eighth Route Army came to the school, tall and tall, with thick eyebrows and a face full of justice.
Although the military uniform has been washed white, it still can't stop the momentum of the soldier on his body.
In a chance encounter, Zhao Lanxiang had a good impression of the soldier. It turned out that this encounter was not accidental, but the principal deliberately matched the two. Under the mediation of the principal, Zhao Lanxiang and ** quickly fell in love.
They did not have an alliance, but only a common revolutionary ideal. They agreed with each other that they would revolutionize to the end. However, ** was unwilling to stay in the rear for a long time, and repeatedly asked the organization to go into battle to kill the enemy.
Although Zhao Lanxiang is well aware of the pain of separating from her husband, she still firmly supports her husband's every decision. When the People's Republic of China was founded, Zhao Lanxiang didn't say a word, resolutely supported her husband's work, and moved her family to Beijing to wait for her husband's work arrangement.
However, although Zhao Lanxiang once lived in a military camp in a ravine and was accustomed to hard beds, the spring bed in the Beijing Hotel became the biggest problem in her life.
She was tormented by the spring bed and couldn't sleep and sit steadily, which made her feel very uncomfortable. However, Zhao Lanxiang did not give up, and with her firm belief and selfless dedication, she became the most solid backing.
In order to better adapt to life abroad, ** hired a teacher to teach these female cadres from the military camp to learn diplomatic etiquette, grooming and other knowledge. Zhao Lanxiang is one of them, she learned how to wear cheongsam, high heels, etc. in a short time.
Zhao Lanxiang, who knows that her speech and demeanor represent her husband and the country's image, hired a Swedish teacher with her husband and worked hard to learn foreign languages. During the day, the teacher teaches and at night the couple communicates in a foreign language and practices pronunciation.
In his diplomatic career, Zhao Lanxiang has always supported and helped each other with him, made progress together, and became China's ambassador to foreign countries. After retiring, they returned home, clinging to each other like two big trees, cheering each other on.
However, in 2000, ** died of illness, and the funeral was held in the auditorium of the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, which was solemn and comparable to a state funeral. Comrade ** expressed deep condolences for the death of **, and expressed condolences to Zhao Lanxiang and her children.
Zhao Lanxiang's admiration and nostalgia for ** are deeply imprinted in her epitaph, and only four words "** general" are used to summarize the glory of his life.