Years ago, the Red Army borrowedOcean, and later returned?
In 1930, in the Dabie Mountains of Hubei, Henan, and Anhui, the Red First Army launched a fierce battle of Pinghan guerrilla for 50 days. Their heroic actions shocked Wuhan, and the flames of revolution burned on the ground.
However, time has diluted the smoke of gunpowder, and the years have overshadowed the gunfire, and eighty-five years have passed in this history. However, one day in 2015, a simple and slightly vicissitudes of life came to Xiaogan City, Hubei Province**.
There was still dirt left between his fingernails, and the furrows on his face seemed to tell of his past life.
* The staff habitually asked him about his intentions, and the old man nervously took out a worn-out note and asked cautiously, "Comrade, can this IOU ** be repaid for me?" ”
Taking the note, the staff looked at it carefully. The slip of paper clearly records the borrower's information, the amount borrowed, the reason for borrowing, etc. When they saw the borrower's signature, the staff was shocked.
Originally, the signature was "The First Detachment of the Xiaogan County Special Service Battalion of the Seventh Brigade of the First Division of the First Army of the Red Army", and the date was 1930.
Looking at the old man's demeanor and the content of the IOU, the staff didn't feel like it was forged, so they carefully kept this "precious cultural relic" and asked the old man about the IOU.
The old man said that it was left to him by his grandfather and that he wanted him to keep it safe. The staff also asked the old man about the fact that his grandfather had lent money to the Red Army. Only then did the old man speak, and began to tell the story that his grandfather had told him countless times since he was a child.
It was 1930, and a detachment came to the area of Guanyin Lake in Dawu Mountain, Xiaogan County (now Xiaogan City), and they called themselves the ...... of the "Red Army".At the beginning of 1930, when the First Army of the Red Army continued to visit and investigate, and wrote more than 80,000 words of "Investigation of the Search for Wu", the First Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army had just been reorganized into the Hubei-Henan-Anhui border area, and its morale was strong.
Although they were few in number, there were neither regiments nor brigades under one division, only seven brigades of about 400 men, although they had few guns, there were no artillery in a division, there were not enough long and short guns, and even cold weapons could not guarantee that everyone had them.
But the biggest difference between this army and the warlord forces of old China is that it is a force led by the party organization. There are party organizations throughout the army, and there are soldiers' committees, and both officers and soldiers are very equal in economic, political, and living conditions.
In the ranks, equality between superiors and subordinates is emphasized, and officers rarely beat and scold soldiers and punish them corparily. The Headquarters and the Political Department are lean and have dedicated logistics and health departments.
The Red First Army has always been known for its strict military discipline, and the "Three Disciplines, Eight Points of Attention" proposed by ** is a rule that every recruit must master. Everywhere it went, the Red Army would organize the masses to open warehouses and release grain to oppose the heavy taxes imposed by the local authorities.
And the masses would give their full support to the Red Army, give them help in their daily lives, and even provide information about the enemy. Under these circumstances, the Red First Army developed rapidly, and the fighting of Chiang Kai-shek, Yan Xishan and others in the Central Plains also entered a white-hot stage.
As a result, when the main forces of the Kuomintang had no time to take care of the Red Army, the 1st Division of the 1st Red Army began to conduct guerrilla warfare on the southern section of the Pinghan Railway. In the Yangpingkou ambush, the First Division of the Red First Army led by ** successfully defeated Guo Rudong's 20th Army and captured a large amount of ** equipment.
However, Guo Rudong still believed that the Red Army was vulnerable and only a rabble of peasants. Therefore, he sent only one regiment of regular troops to the east of Jinghan Road, trying to wipe out the 1st Division of the 1st Red Army in one fell swoop.
In the Yangpingkou area, the Party Committee of the 1st Red Division decided to set up a "pocket array" to wait for the arrival of the enemy. When the main force of one of the enemy's regiments fell into the ambush circle set up by our troops in advance, the 1st division quickly launched a fierce attack, shouting killings, bullets and grenades rained down on the enemy.
This Guo Rudong was originally a Sichuan warlord, with poor military discipline and weak combat effectiveness, and was not an opponent of the Red Army at all. The battle lasted only a few hours, and enemy soldiers fell to their knees begging for mercy or fleeing the battlefield.
The battlefield was littered with ammunition, guns and supplies discarded by the enemy, and the Red Army won a resounding victory. After the Battle of Yangpingkou, the number of enemies captured by our Red 1st Division exceeded that of our own commanders and fighters, and in order to stabilize the troops, most of the prisoners were sent home after giving two oceans.
Such a policy of leniency towards prisoners was extremely rare among the troops of the old society, and the good name of the Red Army spread among the masses.
The victory in the Battle of Yangpingkou significantly increased the strength of the 1st Red Division, which was not only ready to fight the enemy at any time, but also began the process of expanding its troops.
At that time, the size of the 1st Red Division had expanded from seven brigades to four battalions, with an establishment of nearly 1,500 men. However, as the troops continued to expand, the commanders of the 1st Red Division faced a common challenge - how to solve the basic living problems of the soldiers, including eating, drinking, pooping and peeing, and ensuring sufficient military spending.
In order to solve this problem, the 1st Red Division used several methods to raise military spending. The first is dependence on international assistance. As the world's first powerful socialist country, the Soviet Union has always been committed to helping the masses of other countries to build their own socialist parties.
The Comintern was one of the most important organizations, and every year they provided funds for the activities of the Chinese Communist Party.
In the face of financial constraints, the expenditure of an army is undoubtedly a huge expense, and in particular, how to timely distribute military expenses to the Communist Party ranks in various parts of the country is a thorny problem.
If the funds are completely controlled by others, it may affect our own independence and self-determination, which may also leave hidden dangers in the development of the party organization. So, what were the other solutions at that time other than seeking international assistance?
Obviously, there is a way that is often mentioned is "fight the local tyrants and divide the land". In rural China, the gap between the rich and the poor is huge, and during disaster years, the landlords and old rich families have a lot of white flour, while the peasant tenants may starve to death.
In this case, the Red Army would find the "evil rich men" who exploited the villagers and give their land to the people, and at the same time the Red Army would use some of the captured money as military expenses.
Finally, we also need to establish our own economic system in the base area, conduct some business activities, and at the same time open banks to keep the economy running.
Ideally, there are many ways to raise military spending. However, in the tense fighting of the Red Army units, they had little time to raise military expenses, and even the departments responsible for managing money and money had difficulty reaching the grassroots in time.
The soldiers of the Red Army were human beings, and although they were disciplined, they always had to eat, clothe, and replenish ammunition. Therefore, they can only use the last method that people want to use - borrowing money from ordinary people.
At that time, this phenomenon was called "bandits are like combs, soldiers are like grates, and officials are like shavings", that is, there are more soldiers to rob than bandits, but less than officials.
In that era of mixed forces and turbulent times, "being a soldier" was not a good name. So, are the common people willing to lend money to the Red Army? What happens if you don't borrow it?
The leaders of the Red Army of the Communist Party of China have their own solution to this problem, that is, "three disciplines, eight points of attention".
It turns out that in the history of our country, the people generally believe that being a soldier is not a noble profession, and there is even a saying that "good iron is not nailed, and good men are not soldiers". However, the advent of the Red Army changed this perception.
From the beginning of the Autumn Harvest Uprising led by *** in 1927, the Red Army demanded that the army speak kindly to the people, buy and sell fairly, and not pull people, not beat people, and not curse people.
These requirements gradually evolved into the "three major disciplines and eight points of attention," which strengthened the military discipline of the Red Army, gave the troops a completely new look, and made the masses of the people firmly believe that the Red Army is the people's soldiers.
After the victory at Yangpingkou, a Red Army team came to Hejiajia, Jinpen Village, Xiaogan County, for repairs. At first, the people here were a little afraid of the Red Army, but the performance of the Red Army caught them by surprise.
The operational commander of the first detachment of the Red Army first discussed with the village and township chiefs whether they could arrange a place for the soldiers to live and that the troops could provide money.
At that time, the soldiers of the local warlords plundered the common people, and the villagers were full of expectations for the Red Army. After the Red Army soldiers moved into the people's homes, they never took anything from the masses, even if they drank a sip of water, they would refuse, respecting the people.
In the ranks, there is a clear rule that as long as you drink a sip of water from the people, you must help the people fill the water tank. At that time, there were very few villages with wells, and most villages could only walk long mountain roads to get water.
Red Army soldiers often carried buckets to help the people fetch water until the people's large tanks were filled. In addition, firewood is needed for cooking and heating, which is a necessity for every household.
The Red Army soldiers would not only give money and water, but also help the people to go up the mountain to chop firewood, and take the firewood home and chop it, so that the people could do as little as possible.
The mass work of the Red Army was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and they not only helped the people to work, but also resolutely carried out the policy of "cracking down on local tyrants and dividing up the land," which not only cracked down on the bullies but also laid the foundation for their own development.
At the same time, the Red Army paid attention to education, taught officers and men at the grassroots level to read and write, and publicized the policies of the Red Army to the common people, explaining to them the situation facing China and the ways to save China.
These measures filled the people everywhere with respect and trust for the Red Army, believing that there was a real people's army serving them. Therefore, when the Red Army needed help, the masses of the people always did not hesitate to lend a hand.
In June 1930, the first detachment of the Xiaogan County Special Service Battalion of the 7th Brigade of the 1st Division of the Red Army was stationed in the Huanggujia area, shouldering the heavy task of training and raising materials. As soon as they arrived in the locality, they took active action to help the local people "fight local tyrants and divide the land" and propagate Marxist ideology.
As time went on, the local population came to identify more and more with this well-styled army. At the same time, due to the shabby uniforms of the Red Army and the difficulty of ensuring food and drink, in order to ensure the follow-up battles, the local people enthusiastically donated money.
Tu Xing, the commander of the first detachment, undertook the task of raising military funds, and due to the increase in the number of troops after the Battle of Yangpingkou, the amount of funds needed also increased. So, he applied to his superiors to borrow money from the local people.
After careful consideration, his superiors finally approved his request.
During the revolutionary period, many local people supported the Red Army with practical actions. Yang Changyin was a peasant with good conditions, and he sincerely supported the revolution. He knew that the Red Army needed funds, so he did not hesitate to donate all the more than 300 yuan from his family.
At the same time, he also borrowed 100 yuan from relatives and friends, and handed over a total of 400 yuan to Tu Xing. Tu Xing, as the leader of the first detachment, also wrote an IOU as a witness to history.
The IOU, which is 12 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide, clearly records Yang Changyin's generous donation. This precious IOU has been kept by the Yang family for a long time, and they have not disclosed it to anyone, either in the past or now.
They fought bravely in the north and south of the Great River, and were combined with the Red 15th Army to form the Red Fourth Army, and later reorganized into the Red Fourth Front Army. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, they became part of the 129th Brigade of the 385th Division.
In the midst of the war, this unit has undergone countless reorganizations, and was once known as the People's Liberation Army and the Volunteer Army, and has always inherited the military soul and stood a monument. They were part of the 7th Brigade of the 1st Division of the Red Army, and for the safety of the country and the people, they died heroically on various battlefields.
Their sacrifices have become the nourishment of the people, forever guarding the sons and daughters of China who have come out of a century of turmoil. Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's 2015.
Eighty-five years have passed since Tu Xing, the first detachment of the Xiaogan County Special Service Battalion of the Seventh Brigade of the First Division of the Red Army, wrote this IOU. The world has changed, and the years have passed, as the words of *** say: "The bleak autumn wind is now again, and the world has changed." ”
The poor and backward old China is gone, and the new China has stood up.
The old man Yang Mingrong held the "cultural relics IOU", which was treasured in the hands of Yang Mingrong, the grandson of his grandfather Yang Changyin. Three generations of the Yang family have loved the motherland and have never thought of exchanging the IOU for money, but regard it as a family heirloom and a symbol of family honor.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the relevant departments concentrated on honoring the IOUs written by our party and army since 1927 throughout the country. However, Yang Changyin and his son Yang Wenshun did not take out the IOU.
In Yang Mingrong's generation, due to family changes and urgent need of support from his financial situation, he had to get this IOU to ** and try to exchange it. Because the past is too long, Yang Mingrong was not born when the IOU was written, and he was not sure if the IOU could be exchanged for money.
But he does face financial difficulties, and even the heirlooms left by his grandfather and dad have to be cashed on.
When he handed an old IOU to the staff of Xiaogan City, Hubei Province, the other party immediately attached great importance to this matter. After inquiring in detail about the situation, they quickly organized experts to study the authenticity of this IOU.
In the era when information exchange was not yet developed, there were many criminals who pretended to be relatives of important people to go to the local government to fraudulently obtain money or use forged items to defraud money.
Therefore, in order to guard against bad actors who cash in bad faith, experts have accelerated their research on the authenticity of IOUs. Although the IOU is damaged to a certain extent due to its age, and some of the handwriting is illegible, it can basically be confirmed that the IOU is genuine.
Because at that time, the Red Army had a fixed format of IOUs written with a brush, and the specific borrower and the amount borrowed were filled in at the time of actual borrowing. This IOU was exactly the same as that of the Red Army at that time.
As the research deepened, the experts finally revealed the ** of this IOU. According to the "Xiaogan County Chronicles" (1992 edition), it is recorded: "In June 1930, after the battle of the 1st Red Army in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Base Area fought in Yangpingkou, it was expanded and reorganized, and the troops grew from 1,200 to 1,500 .......
In 1930, the Dawu Mountain area, where Yang Changyin and his son Yang Wenshun's home was located, was the secret contact point of the First Detachment of the Xiaogan County Special Service Battalion of the Seventh Brigade of the First Division of the First Army of the Red Army.
They were very supportive of the revolution and scraped together 400 yuan and gave it to the Red Army troops. Therefore, there is no doubt about the authenticity of the IOU in the hands of the old man Yang Mingrong, so how much can the 400 yuan Dayang be exchanged for now?
Although the exchange rate of 400 oceans is an IOU of the Red Army, there is naturally no reason for the local ** not to pay. The staff of the office of the Finance Bureau of Xiaochang County, Xiaogan City, said that after expert identification, the IOU was genuine.
However, since it is difficult to calculate the price accurately, it can only be roughly calculated using the price of rice or daily necessities. In 1930, the ocean was equivalent to 60 to 80 yuan today, that is, the 400 oceans of that year were worth between 24,000 yuan and 32,000 yuan in 2015.
In the end, the old man Yang Mingrong received 40,000 yuan paid by the city ** according to the ratio of 1:100.
* Encourage the loyalty and patriotism of three generations of Yang Mingrong and distribute 40,000 yuan in aid. In 2015, the per capita disposable income of rural residents was only 12,655 yuan, which is a great boon for the elderly.
Although this IOU, which bears the history of 85 years and witnessed the development of the Red Army, is valuable, the historical value behind it is immeasurable. Some people will wonder why the communist army was able to establish New China in 22 years.
The answer lies in this IOU - the unwavering support of the masses. It is precisely because of the choice and support of the people that the Communist Party can create history together with the masses.
The people forged the Red Army, the Red Army originated from the people, and the Red Army was with the people! Today, this heroic soul is still defending the country, and they have always been the guardians of the people in every major disaster, standing up to fight for the safety of people's lives and property.
Let us pay our deepest respect to those who inherit the fearless spirit!