After the death of General Xu Shiyou, a grand farewell ceremony was held in the auditorium of the Nanjing Military Region, and important leaders such as ** came to pay their respects. Surprisingly, however, the process of transporting and burying the coffin was unusually plain.
A heroic soldier, whose body was sent from Nanjing to Xu Shiyou's hometown, in order to avoid everyone's sight, the truck was tightly covered with tarpaulin, and the entire convoy of escorts set off from the evening.
It is worth mentioning that in order to ensure the safety of the coffin, the higher authorities ordered the escort convoy to be put on the highest level of security. What is this for?
Three Special Funeral Objects On the afternoon of October 31, 1985, the sunny weather contrasted sharply with the heavy hearts of the people. On this day, a farewell ceremony for Comrade Xu Shiyou's body was solemnly held in the auditorium of the Nanjing Military Region.
The auditorium, which was originally full of laughter and laughter, was now solemn, as if everyone could feel the deep grief.
The portrait of Comrade Xu Shiyou hangs high on the stage**, and he wears a red five-star and a red collar badge in black and white**. The four warriors below were armed with steel spears, guarding his body.
The flag of the Communist Party of China covered his body, surrounded by flowers, as if he was lying quietly in a sea of flowers.
Senior leaders of the Communist Party of China and the Military Commission sent wreaths to him, while Xu Shiyou's former comrades-in-arms, as well as other leaders of the party and the state, came to his body to pay silent tribute and expressed condolences to his wife Tian Pu and children.
The farewell ceremony began at 3 p.m. and lasted more than two hours until it became dark.
On this day, the sky was originally clear, but as the farewell ceremony progressed, the sky suddenly became overcast, the thunder was incessant, and the raindrops the size of beans smashed to the ground.
The military uniforms of the cadres who participated in the condolences were soaked by the rain, but no one was willing to leave the team. ”
God was also moved, this is to see off Commander Xu! After Xu Shiyou's body was laid, in order to express his grief, with Tian Pu's consent, the relevant personnel put several items in his coffin.
In addition to the Omega watch and semiconductor radio he wore for many years, there are three unique funerary items in Xu Shiyou's legacy. The first is a bottle of Moutai wine and a small wine glass, which undoubtedly confirms the fact that he is a heavy drinker.
Even when he was terminally ill, he insisted on not quitting drinking, and some people even thought that it was more difficult than climbing to the sky.
During Xu Shiyou's serious illness, although he was unable to eat, he still did not forget about drinking. At the time of his death, there were dozens of bottles of Moutai at No. 8 Zhongshan Mausoleum, some suggested that all of them be buried, and some suggested that half of them be buried, but in the end only one bottle was released, reflecting the quality of his life's frugality.
The second is Xu Shiyou's loyalty, he persevered for more than 60 years in his career as a horseman, and fought side by side with the army wholeheartedly. On the Huangquan Road, he hopes to bring a gun and continue to protect his country and people.
The third is Xu Shiyou's wisdom, when he was dying, there was 120 yuan in his clothes, but he chose to be buried with 100 yuan, which means "perfect", which is his wisdom in life and expectations for the future.
Someone commented: "The three funeral goods are well chosen, wine helps guts, guns drive away evil spirits, money opens a smooth road, Xu Shiyou can pass unhindered wherever he goes!" Xu Shiyou's farewell ceremony was solemn and touching, but the convoy escorting the coffin was unpretentious, with only a few cars, no portraits, no wreaths, and if you didn't pay special attention, it would be difficult to even notice that this was a send-off procession.
After Comrade Xu Shiyou's body was buried, his coffin was parked in a private room in Building 16 of the Huashan Hotel. It is heavily guarded, and only those with special permission are allowed to enter, and no one else can approach it.
In Xu Shiyou's hometown of Xu Jiawa, there are brave soldiers who stick to their posts day and night, standing guard for the safety patrol of Xu Shiyou's tomb. Xu Shiyou's coffin is about to be sent to Dabie Mountain, and even the officers and soldiers escorting it have already entered a state of standby, forbidden to go home, forbidden to move around, and as long as they receive an order, they must act immediately.
According to the recollections of the fighters who participated in the incident, the orders from the superiors were very "special", requiring them to keep a low profile, to keep secret, and to enter the first level of security.
On the evening of November 7, a solemn ceremony of escorting the coffin unfolded in the night. Fan Zhilun, deputy chief of staff of the Nanjing Military Region Command, served as an escort, and he nervously awaited the final order.
Finally, when the night was deep and the bell rang 0:00 on November 8, Fan Zhilun decisively gave the order to set off. He sat in front of him in the Beijing jeep command car, while Tian Pu and his family representatives sat in a Mitsubishi chartered car, followed by two Jiefang trucks.
Two trucks, one for the main one, carrying the body of the beloved, and the other for the auxiliary, are on standby. The roof of the car is erected with a high bracket, and the outside is wrapped in a heavy black cloth, which is airtight.
As night fell, the caravan of souls silently made its way through the city streets, unobtrusive, and even the occasional glimpse of them would make it impossible to guess what they were for.
The vehicle galloped like a fly, passing through Hefei, Lu'an and other places, and finally arrived at Xuwa in Xinxian County in the early morning of November 9.
General Xu Shiyou has always been the pride of the people of Xinxian County, and the party and government leaders of the county have repeatedly proposed to organize grand greetings, mournings and burial ceremonies, but General Xu Shiyou has politely refused, and he hopes that his funeral can be as simple and simple as possible to reflect his people's feelings.
In the wee hours of the morning, the coffin convoy quietly arrived, and everything seemed so peaceful. The staff carefully placed Xu Shiyou's coffin into the tomb, which was covered with a large amount of charcoal and lime, and finally the mound was built with cement to make it solid and stable.
From 4 a.m., the fighters of the sapper company went all out, and at dawn they successfully completed the funeral.
The tombstone of Comrade Xu Shiyou was erected a year later, only to meet the requirements of visitors, there is no decoration and history on it, only "the tomb of Comrade Xu Shiyou" seven big characters, inscribed by the famous painter and calligrapher Fan Zeng.
Xu Shiyou's burial method attracts attention, why is the farewell ceremony grand but the burial is "low-key"? It turned out that as early as the time of Xu Shiyou's death, members of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Nanjing Military Region had already studied and discussed whether the cremation or burial of the body should be carried out.
The Nanjing Military Region was inclined to burial, and for this purpose sent a request telegram to the *** and ** Military Commission. Xu Shiyou's identity is special, and he is faced with a decision. Xu Shiyou wants to be buried, and this is because of his mother.
Xu Shiyou, a person who regards mother's love as his life, has known how to be grateful for his parents' nurturing grace since he was a child. In order to make his mother live a good life, he studied diligently, worked hard, and never gave up easily.
He studied hard in the Shaolin Temple, just so that one day he could have the ability to support his mother. After joining the army, he fought bravely on the battlefield, but in the dead of night, he always missed his mother, and that longing touched him deeply.
Mother, I'm coming back to see you. ”
He walked up to his mother, who stopped the work in her hand, stared at him intently, and asked softly for a long time, "Is that you, Sanyanzi?" Hearing his mother's words, he immediately fell to his knees and burst into tears.