Sixty years is enough to witness the reincarnation of a Jiazi, witness a person from birth to death, and witness a dynasty fall from the peak. In modern Chinese history, there is a pair of sworn brothers with different surnames, they went their separate ways after a blood alliance, their search was fruitless, and they met indefinitely.
It wasn't until their descendants learned of each other by chance that they were able to meet each other. And this day happens to be exactly sixty years after their worship.
In 1995, due to the proposal of Li Tieying, a member of the Politburo, Liu Taixing, the son of the marshal, specially held a grand banquet in the ** hall of the Great Hall of the People, and the banquet was attended by only an ordinary person named Shen Jianguo.
The reason why Shen Jianguo was able to get Liu Taixing's banquet in the Great Hall of the People was probably because his grandfather Xiao Yedan was the leader of the Yi nationality and the sworn brother of Marshal ***.
However, the ** marshal had died nine years ago, and Liu Taixing, with the help of **, finally found the descendants of the marshal's sworn brother Xiao Yedan sixty years later.
Why would two people who are not related by blood want to be brothers? Why haven't we seen each other after 60 years? Let's travel together to the smoke-filled year of 1935 to explore the story of *** and Xiao Yedan, and feel the righteousness and patriotism of the family and country between them.
Anyone who knows modern history knows that the Long March was a milestone in the Chinese Revolution. In this magnificent Long March, the Chinese Red Army experienced more than 300 battles, crossed 14 provinces, crossed 24 major rivers, and climbed 18 mountains.
In the process, we lost many brothers who fought side by side, and we also made friends from various nationalities. 1935 was an important year in the Long March, in which the Red Army convened the Zunyi Conference and arrived at the base area in northern Shaanxi.
Also in this year, by the Dadu River in Sichuan, ** met Xiao Yedan and became brothers with different surnames. This history is known as the Yi-Hai Alliance.
On the Long March in May, the Red Army was closely pursued by the Kuomintang troops, and the layers of troops tried to set up an encirclement and trap us to death. In order to stop the conspiracy of the Kuomintang, we must quickly cross the Dadu River.
Sichuan is home to a large and scattered ethnic group, and in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts, we have tried to avoid places where other ethnic groups gather on the road, but now, there is no way back.
The Dadu River is some distance from our current Lugu. Now we have two choices, one is to cross the Xiaoxiangling to Dashubao, so that we can cross the Dadu River. The other way is through Mianning to the Dadu River.
The first road is the main road, which is relatively smooth but easy to ambush, and the second road is a small road, which is more low-key and hidden but passes through the Yi settlement. We are caught in a dilemma.
In Chinese history, there were some rulers who held the idea that "if they are not of my race, their hearts must be different", and they were often not benevolent enough in the management and rule of ethnic minorities. In Sichuan's Daliang Mountains, the Yi people are one such exploited minority.
At the time of the outbreak of war, although they were deep in the mountains and were not greatly affected, they were still full of distrust and hostility towards the Han Chinese. If you want to pass through Mianning, you have to go through the Yi people, so the task of reducing the losses of the Red Army falls on *** and others.
The Yi people have long lived in the mountains, they have their own way of governing, and the leaders are selected, and only those who are brave and quick to think can be recognized.
The Yi people have a high degree of obedience to their chief, which is a sign of their unity. If you want to make friends with the Yi people, the best way is to communicate with their leader.
In the era when Mandarin was not yet implemented nationwide, the small detachment led by ** communicated with the Yi fighters on the periphery. Although there were huge barriers in language and culture, *** still insisted on not letting the small detachment shoot, and as a result, he was played very badly by the Yi people.
However, through the contact in the past few days, I have learned some characteristics of the Yi people. They are good at fighting but not fighting, and so far the small detachment has not suffered any losses. At the same time, they had a clear distinction between love and hatred, and could not be subdued by the Kuomintang reactionaries.
This information gives *** more confidence in his heart.
Xiao Yedan, as the leader of the Yi people, is actively learning about this unit - the Red Army. He learned from various sources that the Red Army was an army that served the people and did not take a cent from the masses wherever it passed.
This spirit of selfless dedication made Xiao Yedan have a deep respect. At the same time, the bravery and kindness shown by the Red Army along the way also won them admiration and yearning among the masses.
That is why the Red Army, although it lost many partners, was joined by countless new ones.
Xiao Yedan's fourth uncle, with his fluency in Chinese and Yi, became a key figure in the Yi people's foreign relations. When he conveyed the deeds of the Red Army and the spirit of patriotism and love for the people to Xiao Yedan, Xiao Yedan's heart was shaken and he began to consider the feasibility of releasing the Red Army.
In order to have an in-depth understanding of the Red Army, he sent the fourth uncle to further contact with ***, and after contact, Xiao Yedan was deeply moved by his bravery and faith. Although he realized that it was urgent to release the Red Army, as the leader of the Yi people, his decisions must take into account the overall interests of the Yi people, otherwise it would be difficult to gain the support of the people.
So, the fourth uncle put forward an innovative idea, that is, to let Xiao Yedan and *** become brothers. The Yi people value affection and commitment, and sworn brothers are as close as their own brothers.
If *** swears with Xiao Yedan, then all the Yi people will establish a brotherhood with the Red Army. Whether it is allowed to cross the Dadu River, or to go up the knife mountain and down the sea of fire, they will unreservedly support the Red Army.
The fourth uncle successfully persuaded Xiao Ye Dan, and at the same time told *** that both parties agreed.
On May 22, 1935, ** and Xiao Yedan became brothers with different surnames on the shore of Yihai Lake. They used water instead of wine, and took the blood of the big rooster as an alliance, which became the first alliance between the Han and Yi people.
This feat laid the foundation for the deep friendship between the Yi and Han ethnic groups after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and also contributed to the great integration of ethnic groups. After the vows were made, the two drank the water in their bowls together.
From then on, the Yi became true allies with the Red Army.
The deep friendship between ** and Xiao Ye Dan stems from their age gap and common ideals. ** gave his pistol and a small flag to Xiao Ye Dan, these gifts are not only a token of their alliance, but also provide a key clue to find Xiao Ye Dan's descendants in the future.
Xiao Ye Dan gave back a big mule to help him on his long journey. Their wedding night has become a grand celebration for the Yi people. When they were drunk, they did not forget to warn their juniors about marching and fighting.
They firmly believe in the constant admonition that "those who win the hearts of the people win the world", and they are determined to do the opposite, put the people in their hearts, and build a prosperous era of singing and dancing. The young people of the Yi nationality were so enthusiastic that they set up a Red Army base in the area inhabited by the Yi nationality to work together for this ideal.
Just like there is no banquet in the world, after the banquet between the Yi and Xiao Yedan, the ** marshal returned to the base area with the expectations of the Red Army and the blessings of the Yi people, and began the preparations for crossing the river.
With the help of Xiao Yedan, the Red Army shuttled freely through the mountains and forests, and arrived at the Dadu River at a speed unexpected by the Kuomintang. Even many years later, the ** marshal recalled this experience with great emotion.
He lamented that if the alliance with Xiao Yedan had been three days late, or if the Red Army had stayed in the garrison for three more days, then they might have lost at the hands of the Kuomintang. But that's all for later, so let's put it aside for now.
On the banks of the Dadu River, the separation of ** and Xiao Yedan is full of a heavy sense of responsibility. Although they have not known each other for a long time, they deeply understand the weight of the burden on each other's shoulders.
Before parting, ** promised Xiao Yedan that when the situation stabilized, he would come back to drink with her. Xiao Yedan also deeply remembered this promise. They were separated in this way, one walked forward, willing to sacrifice his life for the great cause of establishing New China, and the other returned the same way, in order to protect the clansmen who were struggling to survive, and took on the responsibility of sheltering from the wind and rain.
Xiao Yedan always keeps in mind the promise of his eldest brother, he is committed to building a Yi settlement area, improving the combat effectiveness of the Yi warriors, and dreaming of one day being able to surprise the eldest brother in the new tribe, and then drink and talk with the eldest brother.
However, life was already so difficult during the war, not to mention that they had assisted the Red Army. Unable to defeat the Red Army once and for all, the Kuomintang reactionaries turned their hatred to the Yi who were allied with them.
Xiao Ye Dan led his people in a seven-year battle against the Guoming Party. His Yi blood made him never consider compromise or admit defeat, and he encountered desperate situations many times, and even his life was in danger.
Xiao Yedan protected the token given to him by his eldest brother, Xiao Hongqi, even though the Kuomintang promised to spare his life as long as he handed over the token. However, he still resolutely protected this red flag until June 18, 1942, when Xiao Yedan died at the age of 48 due to the unfortunate death of the reactionaries.
The fall of the Yi leader is sad, but the living cannot remain in grief. Before dying, Xiao Yedan told his wife and children that the red flag was a token of the Yi people and Commander Liu.
In order to protect this flag, Xiao Yedan's wife sewed the red flag into her skirt. In Yi culture, a woman's skirt symbolizes dignity and is more important than life, and she expresses her determination to protect the red flag to her husband's spirit in the sky.
Autumn goes to winter, summer is reincarnated. While Xiao Yedan's wife and children were living incognito, the strength of the Red Army grew, and they successfully arrived at the Jinggangshan base area, reinvigorated their strength, repelled the enemy, and marched towards the victory of the revolution.
However, when the Mianning area was liberated, the ** commander came to look for his brother who had not seen him for many years, but learned that Xiao Yedan had passed away and his family had not heard from him. Originally, he hoped to find Xiao Yedan and let him join the Southwest Military and Political Commission to repay the kindness of the alliance and give him a stable life, but the reality was so bleak.
**I can only helplessly sigh that the world is impermanent. Since then, he has been committed to finding Xiao Ye Dan's descendants, because he knows that after Xiao Ye Dan's unfortunate death, the enemy will not let his family go, and only by finding Xiao Ye Dan's direct descendants and seeing them live a happy life with his own eyes can he feel at ease and live up to his brother's trust in him.
In those days of information blockage, it was extremely difficult to find people living in remote areas. **'s life, he left regrets for finding Xiao Yedan's descendants. As a descendant of ***, Liu Taixing has always kept in mind his father's wishes and has been working hard to find the traces of Xiao Yedan's descendants.
The general's son's search for his father's allies many years ago has attracted the hearts and minds of many people. People are looking forward to the appearance of Xiao Yedan's descendants.
It wasn't until 1995 that things took a turn for the worse. In the depths of the distant Daliang Mountains, a newspaper reported that Xiao Yedan's grandchildren were still alive, but their lives were very difficult and they needed help urgently.
Among the many news, this news may seem insignificant, but fortunately, Li Tieying, a member of the Politburo, noticed it during his busy reading. Nine years later, the descendants of the ** marshal were finally able to show up, and their encounter came to a successful end in the Great Hall of the People.
Shen Jianhua, the descendant of the ** marshal, felt a lot of emotion when he saw Liu Taihang for the first time, but he was as natural and kind as a relative.
The story of the two ancestors became a permanent memory in the description of the parents, and the scene of worship on the shore of Yihai Lake could only remain in the book after the death of Marshal ***. However, the reunion between Shen Jianhua and Liu Taihang brought these memories to life again.
Knowing that Shen Jianhua's family lived in Daliangshan, where transportation was inconvenient and the education level was backward, Liu Taixing resolutely decided to help their grandchildren go to Beijing to study. Liu Taihang not only solved their education problems, but also gave them care and help in their lives.
The meeting and acquaintance of the two ancestors, as well as the mutual concern and care between their descendants, became a good story.
In the following decades, Shen Jianguo and Liu Taihang kept in touch, and after completing their studies in Beijing, Shen Jianguo and his siblings returned to Liangshan without hesitation, deciding to dedicate their lives to their hometown.
And Liu Taixing often visits them, he always acts in a low-key manner, but he will also be recognized. When others asked him about the purpose of his trip, he would answer with a smile and say that he was a relative who had come to visit Daliang Mountain.
His father's brief relationship with Xiao Ye Dan, and the lack of contact for the next sixty years, he only heard a few words about that year from his father's mouth, but he still regarded Xiao Ye Dan's descendants as relatives, how touching!
Today's Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, although it is still located in the deep mountains, is no longer like the deep mountains. Generations of people have helped each other, generations of system reforms, and generations of science and technology have made earth-shaking changes here.
The Red Army has always remembered the promise of that year, and they have continuously sent educational resources to Daliang Mountain, and have made continuous efforts to win the local poverty alleviation battle.
The Yi people have gone through the mountains and seas, and carved their hometown into a dream picture with wisdom and knowledge. Their gratitude to Xiao Yedan is like a mountain looking up, and their hearts will always remember his decisive alliance and life and death protection.
The story of Xiao Ye Dan and *** spans half a century and is a moving heroic epic. They are the epitome of the best people, and they perfectly interpret what it means to sacrifice life and forget death, and what is the righteousness of the country.
Despite the uncertainty of the future, they still firmly believe in the country and the party. It is the dedication of these ancestors that has led to today's new China. Finally, it ends with two short poems - no regrets in this life to enter China, and in the next life, there will be a flower family.