The chairman set up a family banquet, Zheng Dongguo was late, and the chairman praised his name
Before reading this article, we sincerely invite you to click "Follow", which will not only facilitate your discussion and sharing, but also bring you a new experience of participation, thank you for your support.
In 1954, the chairman of ** held a banquet in Fengze Garden, Zhongnanhai, invited an old man who had never had a friendship, and after the old man was late, he got up to greet him and resolved the embarrassment of the old man.
This old man was Zheng Dongguo, a member of the National Defense Committee at the time. However, this old man, who was treated politely by the chairman of ***, was once a high-ranking general of the Kuomintang, and was captured by the PLA after the war.
Zheng Dongguo, the enemy general who once confronted our army on the battlefield, although he was defeated, he was not held accountable for it. On the contrary, after the founding of New China, he was recommended by *** and *** and others to take up important positions.
Even after his death, memorial services were held in his honor in mainland China and Taiwan. So, what exactly is the relationship between Zheng Dongguo and ***? Why is *** so gracious to him?
And what did he do to be able to be mourned by the Kuomintang after his surrender? The battle of "surrendering to the enemy" could not erase Zheng Dongguo's exploits, and his performance on the battlefield won people's respect and admiration.
He once said: "I am a soldier, I look down on life and death, don't feel sorry for me, live well, I have no regrets about national affairs and family affairs in my life, but unfortunately I did not see the reunification of the motherland, if the country is reunified, the national revolution will be considered a complete success." ”
This is Zheng Dongguo, a general who has a deep love for the country and the people.
On February 26, not only was the day when the Communist Party held a farewell ceremony for Zheng Dongguo's body, but the Kuomintang ** in Taiwan also held a memorial ceremony for him on the same day.
When Cheng Jianbang reminisces about his grandfather, he often mentions his combat experience and the profound influence that Chairman *** has had on him. Zheng Dongguo's ability to completely change his position and eventually join the Communist Party is inseparable from the influence of Chairman ***.
It all started with the Battle of Changchun.
Zheng Dongguo and *** did not have much intersection in the first half of their Kuomintang careers, and the only thing they had in common was that they were both from Hunan. After Japan's surrender in 1945, Chiang Kai-shek launched a full-scale encirclement and suppression of the Communists.
However, after the development of the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang no longer had a clear advantage in equipment and numbers, but the Communist Party had a more solid foundation of popular support. At the beginning of 1948, Zheng Dongguo served as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Northeast Kuomintang Army Command, but at this time the Northeast War situation was out of control.
The situation of the Kuomintang in the Northeast War was deteriorating day by day, and it could only watch the PLA gradually liberate most of the northeast region.
At the beginning of March 1938, the great victory of the main force of the People's Liberation Army in western and southern Liaoning put Zheng Dongguo and the Kuomintang army at that time into a tense atmosphere. Once Xiping Street is lost, the Kuomintang troops in Changchun and Yongji will have no way to retreat and can only be broken by each one.
Therefore, Wei Lihuang urgently asked Zheng Dongguo to mobilize his army and trap Changchun. However, Zheng Dongguo saw that it was useless to retreat to Changchun, and despite his suggestion, Wei Lihuang did not respond immediately.
Time was pressed and there was no room for delay, and just like that, Zheng Dongguo himself was in a predicament. By the spring of 1948, the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army had captured Siping, and it was not far from the liberation of the entire Northeast War.
At that time, apart from Changchun, only one or two cities had not been liberated, so people called Changchun "isolated islands on land".
Zheng Dongguo was ordered to be in danger and became the only "broken kite" in the isolated island of Changchun, embattled and isolated. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) resorted to siege tactics in an attempt to deplete the city of food.
Despite this, Chiang Kai-shek again issued a secret order asking Zheng Dongguo to break out of the siege. At this time, Zheng Dongguo had been holding on to Changchun for seven months, and he knew in his heart that it was impossible to break through.
However, he did not sit still, he personally convened a meeting of senior generals, hoping to unite the army and fight again. However, the atmosphere at the meeting was very solemn, everyone seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds, and Li Hong, commander of the New Seventh Army, did not attend the meeting on the grounds of illness.
Zeng Zesheng left in a hurry, leaving only a depressing atmosphere. Zheng Dongguo's heart sank, and he had a premonition that the situation was serious. That night, he received the news of the uprising of the 60th Army, and immediately tried to persuade Zeng Zesheng, but heard the persuasion of the representatives of the People's Liberation Army to surrender.
The next day, the chief of staff of the New Seventh Army also came to persuade him to give up resistance and informed him that the New Seventh Army was preparing to surrender. In the face of all this, although Zheng Dongguo was unwilling to accept it, he had already foreseen it.
That night, a gunshot suddenly rang out near the bank building, and he was alarmed.
Just as he was about to check the situation, he unexpectedly ran into his adjutant and the People's Liberation Army, and was controlled in one fell swoop. Looking at the eyes of the deputy chief of staff and the guards next to him, he realized that he was the only one in the city who was unwilling to surrender.
And it was precisely this experience of being captured that made him begin to really understand *** and thus changed his life.
On October 21, 1948, Zheng Dongguo was sent to Harbin and received a warm reception by the Communist Party. They planned to reuse Zheng Dongguo, and although he was a little apprehensive, he said that he would obey the arrangements of the Communist Party.
Although he was still not convinced by his capture, he made two demands: one was not to broadcast or publish in the newspapers, and the other was not to attend public banquets. In this regard, Xiao Jinguang, commander of the Northeast Theater of the People's Liberation Army, and Xiao Hua, political commissar, readily agreed.
So, at the request of Zheng Dongguo, he was not assigned to work in the party, but devoted himself to studying in the Communist Party and spent a peaceful period in the guest house of the military region.
Zheng Dongguo loved learning when he was young, but he later joined the army, fought frequently, and never held a scroll for a long time. During this time, he spent a lot of time adjusting to the life of studying here, and he studied ***'s writings and tried to understand ***'s thoughts.
After understanding *** thought, he began to dabble in all kinds of Marxist-Leninist works, and constantly sorted out his past life. In the process, Zheng Dongguo began to reflect on his past self.
As a general, did he really have his own thinking, and was it right to just blindly follow Chiang Kai-shek? Is he really working to save the country and save the people? Has he forgotten his original intention?
After Zheng Dongguo studied and pondered quietly, his admiration and curiosity for *** were deeper, and he understood that the position of the Communist Party was "for the country and the people", and there was no prejudice in his heart.
At the invitation of ***, he provided an important reference for whether the country needs to "resist US aggression and aid Korea". In 1952, he moved to Beijing to participate in the construction of New China, and was appointed as a member of the National Defense Committee at the first session of the first National People's Congress, which was an important contribution he made to national construction.
Shortly after Zheng Dongguo became a member of the National Defense Commission, he received an invitation with the name of *** written in red and gold letters. When he opened the invitation, he found that *** was going to host a banquet at home to entertain him.
Zheng Dongguo was both excited and uneasy in his heart. As the top leader of the party and the state, ** unexpectedly invited him. Recalling that he had been an enemy of the Communist Party in the past, although he had now changed his position and contributed to the country and the party, the first time he met with *** was the other party's invitation to a banquet, and his heart was full of guilt.
Despite the preparations, he was a few minutes late for special reasons. When he came to Zhongnanhai***'s house, he felt very embarrassed to see a house full of guests.
**Greet Zheng Dongguo in person, Hunan greetings make him feel cordial, and the embarrassment of meeting for the first time is resolved at this moment. Subsequently, **asked Zheng Dongguo if he smoked, Zheng Dongguo replied that he did, ** immediately got up from the sofa, lit a match for him and lit a cigarette, showing a very cordial and enthusiastic attitude.
This sudden detail made Zheng Dongguo very emotional. He had never heard of whom Chiang Kai-shek would light a cigarette, and he was deeply admired for his approachability.
** He is also very concerned about Zheng Dongguo's family life, and when he learned that Zheng Dongguo had just divorced his wife, he encouraged him not to be discouraged by temporary difficulties, and the conversation between the two became more and more casual.
Zheng Dongguo asked *** a question. For many years, he has been studying ***'s works, and he admires ***'s ideas and learning, but it is a little difficult for him to learn by himself, so he asks *** How did you learn Marxism-Leninism? ”
After listening to it, I was stunned for a moment, and then smiled heartily, "After I accepted Marxism-Leninism, I thought I was a revolutionary. But when I tried to use it to deal with workers, they didn't buy it.
It was only later that I realized that I didn't really see myself as one of them. ”
** Emphasizing that people's ideas and positions can be developed, and only by putting down the shelves and learning from the people with an open mind can we truly understand and learn from Marxism-Leninism. Deeply inspired, Zheng Dongguo began to change his stance and serve the people wholeheartedly.
In the second half of his life, he devoted himself to reforming his world outlook and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cause of socialist revolution and construction. He later served as the Commissioner of Culture and History of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Member of the 3rd and 4th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Member of the Standing Committee of the Fifth and Sixth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
The vice chairman of the 5th and 6th National Revolutionary Committee, vice president of the Whampoa Military Academy Alumni Association, etc., his efforts and dedication have been affected by the first class.
In his later years, General Zheng Dongguo spared no effort to devote himself to the cause of peaceful reunification between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He actively established ties with friends in Taiwan and overseas and made unremitting efforts to promote friendly exchanges between compatriots on both sides of the strait.
His contribution is evident and therefore highly respected by the Chinese Communist Party. What is surprising is that General Zheng Dongguo was once regarded as a "defector" in history, but the Kuomintang did not have any grudge against him because of this, but held a memorial service for General Zheng Dongguo after his death.
This can't help but make people ponder, why was General Zheng Dongguo able to get such courtesy from the Kuomintang? It turned out that General Zheng Dongguo's early experience also had similarities with ***.
Under the influence of his father, he began to study at home, and later entered a private school in the countryside, where he became familiar with many Confucian classics from an early age. However, he did not embark on the path of revolution like ***, but rose to prominence in the Kuomintang army and eventually became a highly respected military general.
During an important period in Chinese history, the ideological enlightenment of the May Fourth Movement led many enthusiastic young people to fight for the country and the people, including Zheng Dongguo. However, his path to joining the army was not smooth, and he failed to do so when the warlords were fighting.
However, in 1924, he entered the Whampoa Military Academy and became a member of the Kuomintang. Zheng Dongguo was the first graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy and one of the first Kuomintang generals to participate in the War of Resistance Against Japan.
His military career was varied and varied, and he was unique even among Kuomintang generals. At the beginning of 1933, after the Japanese Empire invaded the three northeastern provinces with the help of the "September 18 Incident", it showed its hideous face and attempted to invade and occupy the whole of China within a few months.
At this critical juncture, the people of the whole country strongly demanded that the civil war be stopped and the anti-Japanese war should be launched. Cooperation between the KMT and the CPC is imperative and is also the common aspiration of the broad masses of the people. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek transferred the ** army to form the 17th Army, and asked Zheng Dongguo to lead them to Gubeikou to fight against the Japanese.
Zheng Dongguo, the story of a brigade commander's heroic resistance to Japan. After receiving Chiang Kai-shek's order, he immediately led his team to Gubeikou. In the early morning of March 12, he took over the defense of the Nantianmen position, opening a chapter in his anti-Japanese struggle.
In the Battle of Gubeikou, the 2,000 soldiers he led fought bravely on the battlefield, commanded well, and faced the enemy with advanced equipment and five times the number of his own, they did not flinch, and held their positions all day and night.
Even in the face of strong enemy pressure, Zheng Dongguo still insisted on supervising the battle on the front line. However, the Japanese were fierce in their offensive and had the ambition to take China within a month, and they invested enormous resources in this campaign.
Zheng Dongguo was outside Nantianmen on May 14, although the 17th Army had killed 4,000 or 5,000 enemies, and had lost more than half of its troops, but in the face of the Japanese army's pressing step by step and a steady stream of reinforcements, Zheng Dongguo understood that if the 17th Army did not replenish, it would not be able to make a strong resistance.
Therefore, the divisions of the corps began to move. However, after the defeat in the Battle of Gubeikou, the Japanese invaders attacked like fire, and the entire anti-Japanese war situation took a sharp turn for the worse. On May 31, the people** were forced to sign the Tanggu Agreement, an unequal treaty with Japan.
In fact, this agreement recognized the Japanese imperialists' occupation of the three northeastern provinces of China, as well as Rehe, Chabei, and eastern Hebei as areas of free entry and exit for Japanese troops.
Zheng Dongguo was silent for the country's grief and indignation, and then participated in and commanded many battles such as the Battle of Taierzhuang, the Battle of Kunlun Pass, and the Battle of Northern Burma, and led the new 1st Army of the Chinese Army in India, and jointly commanded the new 38th Division and the new 22nd Division with Sun Liren and Liao Yaoxiangnan, totaling nearly 350,000 people.
In the end, the Battle of Northern Burma ended with the victory of the Allies over the Japanese army, and Zheng Dongguo became famous for this battle, and was praised many times by the American general General Stilwell.
Zheng Dongguo participated in the signing ceremony of Japan's surrender as a representative of the Kuomintang, for which he was awarded the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun, and his status and reputation reached the peak in the Kuomintang, and his exploits have always been remembered by the Kuomintang.
However, after learning the spirit of the Communist Party, he recognized the mistakes of the past. Although he had participated in the war against the Communists during the Kuomintang, this mistake was irreparable, and only the experience of the Battle of Changchun made him feel deeply guilty, and even in his later years, he still expressed his guilt for Changchun many times.
When Changchun was in trouble, Zheng Dongguo followed some of Chiang Kai-shek's instructions and did not hesitate to buy food for half of the city's inhabitants to hold the city. At that time, the supplies in Changchun City had long been exhausted, and only occasionally planes airdropped a little food.
In order to defend their homes, countless residents endured starvation and even lost their lives as a result. Zheng Dongguo felt deeply guilty about this, and he didn't even dare to return to the beautiful city he once loved.
But fortunately, he was accepted by the Communist Party and was deeply influenced by the ideology and personal charisma of ***, and actively participated in the ranks of serving the people. All this fully reflects the tolerance and wisdom of the Communist Party and the Communist Party.
So, what do you think of this history? Feel free to share your views in the comment section!