When it comes to Yang Dezhi, people can't help but praise him as one"Old age is stronger".The general, this is because he has done two things in his life:
The first was in 1979 during the self-defense counterattack against VietnamNearly seventy years old, he took command of the expedition and served as the commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army on the Western Front.
The other thing, yesIn 1990, when he was eighty years old, he married his second wife: Shi Li.
These two events have made Yang Dezhi's life full of legends.
So,After the death of Yang Dezhi for many years, how do we evaluate this "old and strong" founding general? What kind of contribution did he make to China in his life?
Today, this episode tells you about:Old and strong - Yang Dezhi.
In 1911, Yang Dezhi was born in a poor peasant family in Liling County, Hunan Province。Yang Dezhi's family has a total of 14 siblings, but the prosperity of the family has not changed the fate of their family's poverty. In order to make ends meet, Yang Dezhi dropped out of school early, successively struck iron with his father, herded cattle for the landlord's family, and followed his brother to Jiangxi Anyuan Coal Mine as a porter to make a living.
In 1928, the flame of the workers' and peasants' revolution burned to the place where Yang Dezhi worked. In order not to endure bullying anymore, but also to save millions of compatriots who are also suffering from oppressionTogether with 25 workers, Yang Dezhi joined the 1st Division of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army——This army is exactly the one that was brought up when the Nanchang Uprising broke out.
Flag of the 1st Division of the 1st Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army).
Subsequently, Yang Dezhi and his fellow workers climbed Jinggangshan with the 1st Division of the Red Army, and became an honorable Communist Party member in October 1928. Two years later, Yang Dezhi was recognized for his active performance in the armyHe was successively appointed as the platoon commander of the communication guard platoon, the commander of the special service company and the commander of the artillery company of the 11th Division of the Red Fourth ArmyParticipated in Wenjia City, Ji'an and several anti-encirclement and suppression operations. By 1932, Yang Dezhi had become the commander of the 7th Regiment of the 20th Division of the Red First Army, and was a rising military star among the Red Army generals.
Faced with the development and expansion of the workers' and peasants' revolutionary base areas, Chiang Kai-shek was terrified, and in 1934 he gathered an army of one million and carried out the "Fifth Encirclement and Suppression" operation on an unprecedented scale. During the Fifth Anti-Encirclement and Suppression Operation, Yang Dezhi commanded the 1st Red Regiment, under the siege of 3 divisions of the Kuomintang, he held his position for three days and three nights, and was commended by the headquarters.
The Fifth Anti-Encirclement Campaign).
Unfortunately, due to the disparity between the forces of the enemy and us, and the mistakes of command, the Red Army was forced to start a strategic shift for the Long March. During the Long March, Yang Dezhi's Red Regiment has always served as the pioneer and the elite soldier behind the palace. In May 1935, when the Red Army forcibly crossed the Dadu River, it was 17 strong men under Yang Dezhi who marched in the rain and forcibly crossed the Dadu River, which opened the way for the follow-up main force of the Red Army to safely cross the natural danger.
After the Red Army moved into northern Shaanxi, Chiang Kai-shek's ** troops followed, and Yang Dezhi participated in the Battle of Zhiluo Town and the Battle of Mountain Castle successively, defeating the ** who came to pursue. In 1937, Yang Dezhi was elected to study at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University.
Anti-Japanese Military and Political University).
On July 7, 1937, the outbreak of the Lugou Bridge Incident forced Yang Dezhi to temporarily suspend his studies and return to the old army to go to the front line and continue to serve the country. At this timeYang Dezhi was appointed as the commander of the 685th Regiment of the 343rd Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and participated in the Battle of Pingxingguan, which was later known as the "first great victory of China's Anti-Japanese War".
After the end of the Battle of Pingxingguan,** Yang Dezhi was appointed as the brigade commander of the 344th Brigade, replacing Xu Haidong, who was seriously ill at the time. During his tenure as brigade commander, Yang Dezhi swept away the enemy and puppet troops east of the Pinghan Line and nearly 100 miles south of the Zhanghe River, and realized the convergence with the 689th Regiment of Han Xianchu's troops, and the strength of the anti-Japanese revolutionary base area further developed and expanded.
In February 1939, Yang Dezhi led the troops and the guerrillas in the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan border area to form the Jin-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Detachment of the Eighth Route Army, attacking the enemy's puppet army Shiyou's three troops, and won a complete victory, so the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region was established, and Yang Dezhi served as the commander of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region。In 1941, the Japanese army began to sweep the anti-Japanese revolutionary base areas in the Yellow Flood AreaUnder the command of Yang Dezhi, many attacks by the Japanese army were successfully crushed by our army.
November 1943After a night of rapid marching, Yang Dezhi led the troops of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region to advance to the area of the Bagong Bridge. Under the cover of night, Yang Dezhi ordered the troops of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Military Region to launch a surprise attack on the Second Front Army of the puppet army at Bagongqiao, and finally succeeded in annihilating this force, and conquered as many as 17 pillboxes and strongholdsTwo mortars, four heavy machine guns, more than 1,900 rifles, and more than 40,000 rounds of ammunition were seized, smashing the conspiracy of the Japanese puppets to gradually encroach on the anti-Japanese revolutionary base areas.
Yang Dezhi has achieved a series of successes on the frontline battlefield, which has attracted the attention of the Central Military Commission. At that time, the encirclement and suppression of the revolutionary base areas in northern Shaanxi by the Kuomintang diehards and the Japanese invaders became more and more urgentTherefore, Yang Dezhi was transferred back to Yan'an in 1944 and made him the commander of the 1st Brigade of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningjin-Sui Joint Defense Army, responsible for defending the security of the ** revolutionary base area. In 1945, Yang Dezhi, as a representative of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region, participated in the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China and witnessed the historic moment of the party.
Soon after the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Huang Kecheng put forward a proposal to our party to "pass through the northeast", and the Military Commission on the one hand ordered the troops of the Eighth Route Army in Shandong and some of the troops of the New Fourth Army to go north to the three eastern provincesOn the other hand, Lingyang Dezhi formed the "First Column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army" and advanced eastward, preparing to enter the territory of the three eastern provinces. However, due to the rapid changes in the war situation, Yang Dezhi's troops were left behind when he arrived in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border region.
Yang Dezhi took a group photo with his comrades).
In 1946, the War of Liberation broke outYang Dezhi, who remained in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border region, led the first column of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army to participate in the battle to defend Chengde. After the end of this battle, under the dispatch of ***,Yang Dezhi remained in the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, and in 1947 served as the commander of the newly formed Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army
In October 1947, Yang Dezhi led the Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army to participate in the Battle of Qingfengdian and the Battle of ShijiazhuangThe capture of Shijiazhuang set a precedent of the People's Liberation Army's annihilation war and the battle to conquer large cities. In January 1948, Yang Dezhi participated in the Battle of Laishui and annihilated the 32nd Division, an elite unit under Fu Zuoyi, and the commander of the 35th Army was killed because he was surrounded by our army.
Battle of Qingfeng Shop).
In May 1948, Yang Dezhi was appointed commander of the Second Corps of the North China Military Region, advancing to the west of Rehe and east of HebeiThe connection between the Northeast region and North China was cut off, and favorable conditions were created for the Liaoshen Campaign. Subsequently, Yang Dezhi led the Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army to attack the northern section of the Pinghan RailwayIt has attracted the attention of the first in North China and created favorable conditions for the two strategic decisive battles of Liaoshen and Pingjin。In December 1948, Yang Dezhi led his troops to participate in the Pingjin Campaign, conquered Xin'an, and annihilated the 35th Army.
After the Battle of Pingjin, Yang Dezhi led his troops to participate in the Taiyuan Campaign and conquered Taiyuan, known as the "century-old fortified city". In 1949, Yang Dezhi moved his division to the northwestIt joined forces with the First Field Army and participated in the campaign to liberate the Great Northwest, liberating Lanzhou, Ningxia and other areas in the Northwest.
Northwest Field Army).
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Yang Dezhi served as the director of the Military Management Committee of Yinchuan City, Ningxia, the fourth Lenin of the 19th Corps and the commander of the Shaanxi Provincial Military Region, guarding the northwest gate of New China. In October 1950, after the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea began, Yang Dezhi was ordered to be transferred to the Korean battlefield in 1951, and later served as the deputy commander of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army。During this period, Yang Dezhi participated in and commanded the Battle of Shangganling, and played the military prestige of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.
In July 1953, after the victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Yang Dezhi became the commander of the Chinese People's Volunteers, responsible for the withdrawal and construction of North Korea after the war. After Yang Dezhi returned to China, he was appointed head of the campaign department of the Military Academy, graduating in 1955。In September 1955, during the first award of titles by the People's Liberation Army, Yang Dezhi was awarded the rank of general. In the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, Yang Dezhi successively participated in work in Shandong, Wuhan, and Kunming, and served as the commander of the Kunming Military Region in 1979.
February 1979When the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam broke out, Yang Dezhi, who served as commander of the Kunming Military Region, was entrusted with the important task of commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on the western front. During the half-month war against Vietnam, Yang Dezhi's Chinese People's Liberation Army on the Western Front was like a bamboo, crushing the main force of the Vietnamese People's Army and winning a victory that attracted the attention of the world. In January 1980, Yang Dezhi was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission and vice minister of national defense for his outstanding meritorious service. In March of the same year, he was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army.
When Yang Dezhi took command of the expedition to Vietnam, he was already 69 years old, so many people honored this veteran general who had been a country all his life and fought on the battlefield with "old and strong".。By 1982, Yang Dezhi was 72 years old and had long passed the retirement age, but because Yang Dezhi had devoted himself to the revolution for many years and had rich experience in governing the country and the army, the people could not do without Yang Dezhi, so he was appointed as a member of the Politburo in this year and a member of the Military Commission in 1983.
In 1987, at the age of 77, Yang Dezhi was no longer fit to continue working, but still appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the Advisory Board, continue to make suggestions and suggestions for the country, Yang Dezhi can be said to have paid his life's work for China.
However, Yang Dezhi in his later years experienced an unfortunate event: in 1989, his wife Shen Gejun, who had accompanied Yang Dezhi for most of his life, died of illness at the age of 71. This made Yang Dezhi not only lose a person who accompanied and took care of him, but also lost a close friend of the revolution for many years.
Considering that Yang Dezhi in his later years really needed someone to take care of and accompany him, he was matched by his comrades-in-arms and relativesYang Dezhi married Shi Li, a soldier of the People's Liberation Army, in 1990. Shi Li was born in June 1935 in Hong'an, Hubei, China's "General Town", and also experienced a military career in her early years. When the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea broke out in 1950She served as a dancer in the Volunteer Art Troupe, and served as the deputy platoon commander of the Volunteer Army, and she was also a "heroine".
When Yang Dezhi got married in 1990, his comrades-in-arms and relatives sent him blessings. Although Yang Dezhi is 24 years younger than his second wife, but after the two formed a marriage and family, the relationship has been very harmonious, and Shi Li also did her best to take care of Yang Dezhi and accompany him through the second half of his hero's life.
In his later years, Yang Dezhi wrote books and lectures at home, which provided a rich historical material for later generations to study China's modern military and historical development"Heng Ge Ma" and "For Peace".The two books condense the hard work of the first half of his life, and they are also the epitome of his struggle for the motherland with his revolutionary comrades-in-arms.
Yang Dezhi and two other revolutionary predecessors:Yang Chengwu and Yang Yong are also known as the "Three Yangs" of New China, and they have made indelible contributions to China's revolution and constructionThe friendship between the three is still talked about by future generations today.
Group photo of Sanyang of the Chinese People's Liberation Army).
On October 25, 1994, on the anniversary of the Victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Yang Dezhi died of illness at the age of 83. The people will not forget all the exploits he made throughout his life and dedicated himself to the country, nor will they forget the life legend of this old and strong founding general.