Among the 57 founding generals of New China, the youngest was General Xiao Hua, who was only 39 years old when he was awarded the rank of general, and was respectfully called "Commander Doll".
His rapid growth and remarkable progress are inseparable from the careful cultivation of the older generation of revolutionaries represented by ***. Among them, as the commander-in-chief of the people's army, ** played a vital role in Xiao Hua's road to success.
In Xiao Hua's career, he has always had deep respect and gratitude for **.
In 1974, in a quiet courtyard in the western suburbs of Beijing, General Xiao Hua had the privilege of meeting with the revolutionary veterans he had admired all his life. He looked at the kind and kind face of **, and couldn't help but recall the past.
Xiao Hua said: "* is more like a simple farmer. At the end of 1928, Xiao Hua, who was only 12 years old, began to embark on the road of revolution with the ambition of saving the country and the people.
In the process of the revolution, he heard many times that the commander of the Red Fourth Army participated in the Nanchang Uprising and the South Hunan Uprising, and he was full of admiration. However, he never had the opportunity to meet him.
Until 1930, the main force of the Red Army was ordered to go north and came to Xingguo, Jiangxi. In order to mobilize the forces of the revolution, the leaders of the Red Army held a pledge meeting on the playground of Pingchuan Middle School in Xingguo County.
The General Political Commissar and the Commander-in-Chief of the 1st Red Army Corps and the Chairman took the rostrum together and delivered a mobilization speech. Xiao Hua has seen *** many times before, but this is the first time he has seen **.
He looked at the tall, mighty, and heroic ** on the stage, and his heart was full of admiration. Under the introduction of ***, Xiao Hua got acquainted with **, who was more than 30 years older than him.
*Xiao Hua was asked in detail about his age, time he participated in the revolution, and Xiao Hua answered them one by one. After learning about Xiao Hua's revolutionary experience, ** highly appreciated his revolutionary spirit, and constantly encouraged him to adhere to the revolutionary will during the conversation.
At the same time, ** also put forward a number of suggestions and guidance for Xiao Hua's work. Xiao Hua recalled the conversation with **: "Under the introduction of ***, I met Mr. Zhu.
I said that I had just been transferred from the local government and was not very familiar with a lot of work. Mr. Zhu said with a smile that you should do things boldly, and you will be familiar with them after doing it for a while. Mr. Zhu's voice is not loud, but it makes people feel cordial.
He was less like a leader, more like a simple farmer, amiable. ”
In the torrent of revolution, Xiao Hua stood out for his outstanding youth work ability, and was elected as the head of the youth department of the Red First Army in 1932. The contact with ** became frequent, Xiao Hua often listened to **'s revolutionary theoretical experience, and ** was also full of appreciation for this young and promising cadre, and was willing to share his revolutionary ideas with him.
Xiao Hua's youth work played a crucial role, and he strengthened the propaganda of revolutionary ideas by holding youth work meetings in the ranks, and invited ** to speak every time.
His speech was unpretentious, but full of revolutionary optimism, which greatly inspired the fighters, educated them deeply, and strengthened their revolutionary fighting spirit.
Xiao Hua, a young talent in the revolutionary period, in the spring of 1933, the General Political Department of the Red Army held a meeting of young cadres in Le'an County, Jiangxi, as one of the hosts, although he was young, but in the face of the bombing of the Kuomintang planes, he behaved extremely calmly, and together with other comrades, he successfully organized and commanded everyone to get out of danger, ensuring the safety of the participating comrades, and was highly praised.
In the same year, he was only 17 years old when he served as the political commissar of the "Young Communist International Division", commanding the Young Communist International Division in the fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" struggle, using flexible strategies and tactics, and successfully won the victory in the battle of Nakou in northern Fujian.
During the Long March, Xiao Hua followed the main forces of the Red Army to carry out strategic transfers. During the Long March, Xiao Hua was always at the forefront of the battle. Due to the failure of the fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression", the Red Army was forced to withdraw, and Xiao Hua also embarked on the journey of the Long March.
In 1935, during a battle across the Chishui River, ** braved the heavy rain to come to the front line to command. Under his command, the fighters repelled enemy attacks again and again.
Xiao Hua heard that ** had also come to the front line, so he repeatedly persuaded ** to leave the position, but ** rejected his kindness. The battle lasted until dusk, and Xiao Hua ran over again to persuade **: Commander-in-chief, you are old, and the road is not easy to walk on rainy days, so go back early.
We're here to help, so you can rest assured. * wiped the rain from his face and said firmly, "No, I will continue to command the battle." ”
Seeing that the commander-in-chief was standing beside them, the soldiers forgot about the cold and hunger on their bodies, and firmly withstood the enemy's attacks in turn.
* Fought side by side with Kang Keqing in the Long March and eventually won. Since then, they have been separated for a long time. **Ask Kang Keqing: "Your work is very important, right?" ”
In July 1937, the full-scale War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out, and the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army and joined the anti-Japanese front. Because of his outstanding performance, Xiao Hua was appointed as the political commissar of the 343 Brigade.
In the summer of 1938, in order to boost morale, ** came to the Luliang area to inspect Xiao Hua's 343 Brigade. He saw the passionate training of the fighters, and his face was filled with joy.
* Speech among the soldiers: "Since the beginning of the north to resist Japan, our Eighth Route Army has continuously won victories on the battlefield, severely damaged the arrogance of the enemy army, and expanded the prestige of the Eighth Route Army.
Numerous facts have proved that the Chinese nation has built a new Great Wall of Resistance Against Japan, and the people of Chinese are bound to win the final victory. ”
After Xiao Hua led the fighters to fight for several months, it was decided to let his 343rd Brigade march eastward, preparing to establish a new anti-Japanese base behind enemy lines. When the team passed through the southeast of Jin, Xiao Hua specially went to the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army to visit ** and reported his work.
The situation on the battlefield is grim, and he stays in the ** department every day and waits for Xiao Hua's arrival. When he heard that Xiao Hua was coming, he immediately invited him to dinner and made further arrangements and instructions for his future work.
* An in-depth analysis of the current situation states that "the key to achieving final victory lies in mobilizing the broad masses of the people." Your work is very important, and you must practice the principle of independence behind enemy lines, and at the same time rely on the support of the masses of the people and solve problems on your own. ”
With the specific guidance of **, Xiao Hua was more clear in his heart, and he confidently led the soldiers behind enemy lines. In Shandong, Xiao Hua was appointed as the commander and political commissar of the Eighth Route Army's eastward anti-Japanese advance column.
Due to the complicated situation, Xiao Hua's shoulders are very heavy. **After learning of Xiao Hua's situation, he immediately sent someone to bring him a letter of instruction from the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army.
* In the letter, he highly praised Xiao Hua's exploits, and at the same time emphasized the painful lesson of the unfounded areas before the Long March, and hoped that Xiao Hua could actively develop guerrilla warfare and establish a mass system in accordance with the instructions of *** and ***.
This letter deeply touched Xiao Hua and strengthened their firm belief in the victory of the war. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Xiao Hua, under the leadership of the People's Republic of China, commanded many anti-"sweeps" behind enemy lines in Shandong, and made outstanding contributions to the construction, consolidation and development of the anti-Japanese base areas of the army and militia.
During the War of Liberation, Xiao Hua participated in famous battles such as Liaoshen and Pingjin, accumulated rich military and political experience, and made great contributions to the liberation of Northeast China and North China and the founding of New China.
*The revolutionary friendship with Xiao Hua lasted for a long time, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the two had more opportunities to come into contact while working in Beijing. In March 1950, Xiao Hua assisted Liu Yalou in presiding over the first aviation school work conference, and the commander-in-chief personally went to visit the leading cadres of the Air Force and said to Xiao Hua: "Your work achievements during this period are very good, and it is really outstanding to be able to do such a good job in the Air Force in a short period of time." ”
In 1955, in recognition of the outstanding contributions made by the Revolutionary War, it was decided to award them with titles. With his outstanding achievements, Xiao Hua became the youngest founding general of the Republic at the age of 39, and was awarded the August 1st Medal, the First-Class Liberation Medal and other honors.
In 1964, Marshal ** died of illness, and Xiao Hua served as the director of the General Political Department of the **Military Commission. Although he was in a high position, he remained modest, believing that he was only a survivor of the revolution.
In 1964, there was an epidemic of hepatitis in the country, and General Xiao Hua also suffered from liver cancer due to long hours of work. **After learning of Xiao Hua's condition, he sent someone to visit him.
After discussing with ***, he thought that Xiao Hua's stay in Beijing to work was not conducive to his physical recovery, so he suggested that he go to Hangzhou for recuperation. During his stay in Hangzhou, Xiao Hua decided to spend his spare time writing a work praising the Long March and commemorating the great spirit of the Long March.
In the process of creation, he recalled the experience of the Long March, the difficult years he experienced with ***, and the old comrades who fell. In 1967, at the New Year's Day party hosted by ** in Beijing, he said impassionedly: "Comrade Xiao Hua has served by his side for decades, can you write his "Long March Songs"?
If you don't have a deep affection for ***, you can't write such a work. ”
In September 1974, on the eve of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the staff sent the list of people who attended the Tiananmen Square ceremony to ***.
** Two names were added to the list — Xiao Hua and Liu Zhijian, who had disappeared for a long time. This move attracted people's attention, and Xiao Hua returned to the public eye after this.
On September 30, Xiao Hua attended the National Day reception, ** held his hand tightly, and was so excited that he couldn't speak. The next day, Xiao Hua appeared on the tower of Tiananmen Square, attracting everyone's attention.
* After receiving Xiao Hua's message, he immediately asked Kang Keqing to get in touch with him. Xiao Hua also misses ** very much, and he directly proposed to visit his old boss in **.
In a quiet courtyard in the western suburbs of Beijing, Xiao Hua met the revolutionary predecessors he admired all his life. He recalled the past, and now 8 years have passed, ** is much older, but his kind and kind demeanor has not changed.
* Hold Xiao Hua's hand tightly and say excitedly: "You're back, it's good to be back." Subsequently, ** took Xiao Hua's hand into his living room, and after the two sat down, ** asked Xiao Hua about his body, life and family situation with concern.
The care of the old leader moved Xiao Hua and couldn't help but burst into tears. Thinking of the past, ** comforted: "Xiao Hua, you have to cheer up, we can't be discouraged, as a Communist Party member, we must continue to overcome all kinds of difficulties."
In the years of the revolutionary war, how many difficulties did we encounter, but didn't we all survive them? ”
* Ninety years old, but he firmly believed that the future of the revolution was bright. He said earnestly: "History is fair, and we must be firm in our convictions. Xiao Hua expressed his understanding and shared his views.
* Encourage Xiao Hua to believe in the party and believe that although the revolutionary road is tortuous, it will always move forward. He suggested that Xiao Hua read more books, especially in philosophy, to prepare for future work.
* Open the bookcase, let Xiao Hua pick the book, and say, "It's okay, pick from me." ”
* Participated in the event with Xiao Hua, Xiao Hua carefully selected some works of Marx, Lenin and ***, and thanked the commander-in-chief. ** Emphasize that we must always keep materialist dialectics in mind, because those things that go against it, although they may have the upper hand for the time being, cannot stand in history in the long run.
Learning materialist dialectics is the key to distinguishing between true and false Marxism-Leninism. After leaving **'s residence, Xiao Hua repeatedly thought about **'s words on the road, and deeply felt that history was fair.
In July 1976, **'s physical condition deteriorated sharply and he fell into a coma. On July 5, the day before his death, Xiao Hua and Navy Commander Xiao Jinguang went to Beijing Hospital to visit his old leader.
* At the end of his life, although he was speechless, his eyes revealed nostalgia for life. He silently looked at Xiao Hua and Xiao Jinguang beside him, full of reluctance.
The two looked at the ** on the hospital bed, and tears had already blurred their vision. The next day, this great leader, who had fought all his life for the cause of the Chinese revolution, unfortunately passed away. When Xiao Hua heard the news on the radio, his heart was extremely heavy.
In the midst of his grief, he couldn't help but recall those unforgettable moments he spent with **.
In 1977, General Xiao Hua was appointed political commissar of the Lanzhou Military Region, and he remembered the teachings of the People's Army, was loyal to his duties, and made outstanding contributions to the modernization of the people's army.
In 1985, General Xiao Hua's health deteriorated dramatically, and the cancer had spread to his liver, but he still stuck to his job. He compiled a report on the selection of young talents and submitted it to **.
Although General Xiao Hua has passed away, their exploits and revolutionary spirit will always be remembered by the world and inspire us to move forward.