In the summer of 1939, Li Tianyou was in a sanatorium in Moscow, because of years of war and irregular diet, he suffered from a serious stomach problem, forcing him to come here to receive **.
In the same ward, a comrade-in-arms with the same fate - Chen Changhao, general political commissar of the Fourth Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Chen Changhao was slightly older than Li Tianyou, and he participated in the revolution earlier. In this boring recuperation time, the two comrades-in-arms are like brothers and support each other.
In the chat, Chen Changhao asked with concern about Li Tianyou's life's events. He solemnly promised that once he returned to his motherland, he would definitely introduce a girl named Du Qiyuan to Li Tianyou, so that he would have the opportunity to get to know him. Although Li Tianyou smiled and said nothing, he didn't take these words seriously, but he didn't know that his fate with Du Qiyuan was far more than that.
Li Tianyou died nine times and returned to Yan'an.
After a period of recuperation, Li Tianyou received a mission to study at the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow. However, just as his studies were not complete, the Soviet-German war broke out, forcing him to temporarily suspend his studies and return to China in a hurry.
At that time, Li Tianyou, Liu Yalou, Lu Dongsheng and other classmates planned to return to Yan'an from Mongolia, but after arriving in Ulaanbaatar, they found that the Japanese army had strengthened its defense on the Sino-Mongolian border, and the situation was very grim. In this predicament, they were forced to stay in Ulaanbaatar, where they had to do odd jobs to make a living, and even raise rabbits to make a living.
After two years of living in Ulaanbaatar, Li Tianyou could no longer bear it, and he made up his mind that he would return to China even if he risked his death, but he must not rush to the border rashly, and he must be fully prepared.
It was learned that there was a route in southwestern Mongolia that could bypass the enemy's blockade line and enter Ningxia, and then return to Yan'an relatively safely. However, the only flaw of this road is that it has to cross a vast Gobi desert in no man's land.
No-man's land is often untouched, the dangers are unknown, and people only know that the chances of survival are slim to none. However, in order to return to China, Li Tianyou and his comrades-in-arms did not hesitate and decided to take a risk.
Before leaving, Li Tianyou and others hired a Mongolian guide to guide the way, disguised as a Mongolian merchant, equipped with camels, and prepared enough food and water. In the scorching heat, they embarked on a journey full of hardships to return home.
According to Li Tianyou's son, Li Yaming, that trip through the desert was a life-or-death experience.
When they arrived in the depths of the desert to look for water, they were surprised to find that the water in the copper turtle had disappeared at some point. In the face of water scarcity, they had to silently endure thirst and trek for long periods of time until they felt like they were dying, and then stumbled upon an abandoned well that brought timely salvation to their lives.
Night falls, and the night in the desert is the most severe test of man. The cold night wind howls in the darkness, and the emptiness around makes people feel the fragility of life even more. However, it was at such moments that they united and sat in the desert to pass the time by chatting about their families, about the revolution, about their comrades-in-arms.
Crossing the desert with great difficulty, they finally escaped the shackles of the desert, but faced the obstruction of the Kuomintang blockade of the Yellow River. In desperation, they gritted their teeth and chose to take a detour to the Xi'an office. However, when he arrived, he was penniless and looked like a beggar.
In this predicament, Li Tianyou and others still insisted on looking for a party organization, showing their firmness in their beliefs. Even after the trials and tribulations of the desert and the blockade of the Kuomintang, their faith never wavered.
Eventually, with the assistance of the Eighth Route Army Office in Xi'an, Li Tianyou returned to Yan'an in 1943.
After reporting to ***, he not only actively carried out physical **, but also worked hard to make up for the lessons, in-depth study of ** documents and the latest situation of the civil war.
Finally, with the help of the Xi'an Eighth Route Army Office, in 1943, Li Tianyou returned to Yan'an. After he finished reporting to ***, on the one hand, he carried out physical **, and on the other hand, he worked hard to study ** documents and the latest situation of the domestic war situation.
In Yan'an, Li Tianyou was reunited with many old comrades-in-arms, most of whom had already started families, and some had even become fathers. When his comrades-in-arms saw that he was still alone, they gave him advice and help, acting as a matchmaker. During this period, he heard the name "Du Qiyuan" again.
At that time, Du Qiyuan didn't know that there was a person named Li Tianyou in Yan'an.
Du Qiyuan was born in a large feudal family in Qixian County, Henan Province, and his ancestors served as the first in the imperial court, which is a prominent local family of magnates. Although in the big family, Du Qiyuan's family status is low and his life is relatively poor, although her family has not been involved in politics and business, it regards itself as a cultural inheritance.
Since childhood, Du Qiyuan has been fortunate to receive a good education. She studied at Kaifeng Beicang Women's High School and Kaifeng Medical College, becoming a woman with new ideas and ideas, dedicated to the pursuit of liberation.
In 1937, Du Qiyuan joined the Communist Party of China and solemnly swore to take the revolution as his own responsibility, put his work above his own work, and never considered his personal affairs. Therefore, even in Yan'an, Du Qiyuan never put marriage on the agenda, and until Li Tianyou returned to Yan'an, she was still a single woman.
It's you! "
In 1939, Li Tianyou first learned Du Qiyuan's name from Chen Changhao. However, their marriage was not brokered by Chan Chang-ho. According to Du Qiyuan's statement, she and Li Tianyou were introduced to each other through Li Guohua, an old comrade-in-arms of the Henan underground party.
One evening in the early summer of 1944, Du Qiyuan was invited to participate in the dance party organized by the ** organ. At the meeting, she meets a personable strange man who invites her to dance, and she readily agrees.
The man's dance moves are light and powerful, changing with his pace. Du Qiyuan clearly felt the other party's respect and humility for him, which made her unconsciously have a good impression of this strange man.
It turned out that this man was Li Tianyou. While dancing, he did not reveal his identity, just to conduct a "pre-battle observation". Through observation, Li Tianyou believes that Du Qiyuan is an excellent girl, generous and polite in speech and demeanor, and very advanced in thought.
A few days later, Li Guohua knocked on the door of Du Qiyuan's marriage house, followed by Li Tianyou. Li Guohua introduced seriously, and Du Qiyuan learned that the person who danced with her a few days ago turned out to be a general.
This is the first official meeting between the two. Based on the goodwill left over from the last meeting, this time the emotional exchange went very smoothly. Hearing that Li Tianyou insisted on returning to the embrace of the party organization in a difficult environment, Du Qiyuan had a deeper respect for him in his heart.
The common revolutionary ideals brought the hearts of the two young men together. After getting along for a while, Du Qiyuan decided to take Li Tianyou to meet his parents.
Li Tianyou, the long war has made him not very surprised, but on the day he first met his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, he deliberately dressed up.
On this day, Du Qiyuan led Li Tianyou to his house with great interest and introduced to his parents: "Dad, Mom, this is the Li Tianyou ...... I mentioned beforeBefore he finished speaking, Du Qiyuan saw his parents holding Li Tianyou's hand excitedly and said, "It turned out to be you, I didn't expect us to meet again." ”
Du Qiyuan was a little confused, because before this, he hadn't even met Li Tianyou himself, and he didn't understand when his parents knew him.
It turned out that in 1938, Li Tianyou returned to the rear to recuperate after participating in the Battle of Wanping Xingguan and the battle to open up the Luliangshan base area. He temporarily resides in the office of the Eighth Route Army in Xi'an.
At that time, there were not many rooms in the office of the Eighth Route Army, and many comrades came to stay overnight, so most people shared a room. In view of Li Tianyou's identity and health condition, the organization arranged for him to be given a room in better condition.
One night, an elderly couple made the long journey from the Kuomintang to Yan'an, hoping to find a place to spend the night at the office. However, since it was late at night, all the rooms were already full. They felt confused and helpless, because they did not dare to wander outside this strange city, after all, the city was not safe at night.
Just when the old couple was helpless, a chief named Li Tianyou came out of the room and heard about their plight. Without hesitation, he offered to give up his room to the old couple, and he spent the night in a room with the guards.
The old couple were grateful for the generosity of this chief Li Tianyou, and they cherished this kindness forever in their hearts and often talked about it. However, they never expected to meet this good Samaritan again on such an occasion, which made them excited.
Li Tianyou also had deep feelings for the old man, and he talked to them enthusiastically, completely forgetting his original purpose for the day. The three of them sat together, laughing and laughing, only Du Qiyuan stood aside, crying and laughing all over his face.
After the last encounter, the old couple was convinced of Li Tianyou's conduct. They were very supportive of their daughter's relationship with Li Tianyou, so with the help of their parents, Li Tianyou and Du Qiyuan established a relationship.
On New Year's Day in 1945, Yangjialing, Yan'an, China's liberated region, was jubilant. On this special day, a simple and warm wedding kicked off, with the protagonists Li Tianyou and Du Qiyuan. The organizer sent two silk quilts and carefully prepared two tables of wine and delicacies, sending the most sincere blessings to the couple. Everyone who heard the news sighed that their marriage was destined and described them as a match made in heaven.
Du Qiyuan lived a happy life after marriage. She not only wholeheartedly supported her husband's career, but also gave birth to four bright and excellent sons for him.