Chen Zaidao: A Hundred Battles, a Legendary Life Chen Zaidao, one of the founding generals, is famous for his heroic and legendary life. At a young age, he served as a military commander and made countless military exploits, and his achievements make people sigh at his outstanding talent and perseverance.
Chen Zaidao's life experience is a historical legend that cannot be replicated. His story is not just an honor for one person, but a part of our nation's history.
Chen Zaidao and Han Xianchu were both born in rural families in Huang'an County, Hubei Province, and they have shouldered the burden of the family since childhood. Han Xianchu was actively involved in farming at a young age, while learning a trade to increase his family's income. In 1930, the passionate Han Xianchu joined the local guerrillas and joined the Chinese Communist Party in the same year, thus beginning his legendary story. In 1933, Han Xianchu's independent regiment was reorganized, and at that time he was just an ordinary soldier loyal to the country, and did not attract much attention.
Until he came to northern Shaanxi with the army, he had been serving as deputy company commander, company commander, battalion commander and other positions in the army, but his position was never high. Compared with other famous generals from Hubei, Henan and Anhui, such as Chen Zaidao, Han Xianchu's promotion speed seems to be a little slow.
However, that didn't stop him from his determination and courage to move forward.
** and Han Xianchu are both revolutionary pioneers from Hubei, and their hometowns are in Chengjiachong, a new village in Chengmagang Town, Macheng, Hubei Province. In the early uprisings and revolutions, Chen Zaidao was known for his heroic spirit and excellent leadership skills.
Although he did not take a direct part in the fight during the famous Jute Uprising, he led the rebellious peasants to actively cooperate. Although the uprising was violently suppressed by the enemy, causing many people to give up, Chen Zaidao always insisted on the revolutionary front and became one of the 72 guerrilla heroes of the famous Mulan Mountain.
He has experienced different stages of development from the Jute Rebellion Army, the Eastern Hubei Army, the 7th Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, the Red 11th Army, the Red 1st Army, the Red 4th Army, and the Red Fourth Front Army.
Han Xianchu and Chen Zaidao share many similarities in some aspects, such as their incomparable loyalty to the revolution and firm belief in the party, as well as their tenacious and unyielding character.
So, when did Han Xianchu's light begin to shine? This goes back to after 1934. In November 1934, the Red 25th Army set out from Hejiachong, Henan Province, and began the difficult Long March to the west.
During this challenging journey, Han Xianchu led his company and battalion to charge into battle countless times, capturing the enemy's checkpoints, opening the way for the large army, and destroying a large number of enemies.
At the critical moment, he also successfully intercepted the pursuers, bought valuable time for the transfer, and helped the main army get out of trouble. Among them, the battle of Dushu Town made him famous.
In mid-November 1934, the Red 25th Army successfully broke through the enemy blockade in Zhutangdian, Luoshan County, Henan. However, due to the difficulty of developing the area, Commander Cheng Zihua and Political Commissar Wu Huanxian decided to move north to the Funiu Mountain area in western Henan.
At the end of November, the weather was cold and the temperature plummeted, but the Red officers and soldiers could only wear shabby clothes, and there was a shortage of food, and they were in a difficult situation. On the afternoon of November 26, when the Red 25th Army crossed the Xunan Highway near Dushu Town in Fangcheng, it was stopped by a brigade and a cavalry team of the enemy.
Subsequently, the fifth detachment and a division of the enemy's "pursuit column" also followed, and our army fell into passivity. At that time, the weather was bad, and our army did not discover the enemy situation in time, and the situation was very serious.
The soldiers' clothes were soaked with rain and snow, their fingers were so frozen that they could not bend, and even the bolts of some guns were frozen, which was unimaginably bad weather. Especially for those fighters who did not even have clothes and food, this environment was deadly.
The enemy took the opportunity to attack, and the troops were outflanked in two directions, and the Red 25th Army was forced to fight a fierce battle in Dushu Town. In this battle, Han Xianchu led the army to fight bravely, repelled the enemy's attacks many times, and held important positions.
During the battle, he held the communicator's broadsword, waved his arms, and shouted: "Communists follow me!" "Under his command, the soldiers charged into battle and engaged in fierce frontal battles with enemy troops.
After arduous efforts, the Red 25th Army finally succeeded in repelling the enemy's attack.
As a brave and fearless soldier, General Han Xianchu has been charging into battle in the process of opening up the Hubei-Henan-Shaanxi revolutionary base area, showing the heroic demeanor of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Red Army.
With his outstanding command skills and incomparable courage, he won wide acclaim for the Red 25th Army. In July 1935, in order to cooperate with the ** Red Army to the north, the Red 25th Army left the newly established Hubei-Henan-Shaanxi Soviet Region and began their arduous Long March.
After a long journey, the Red 25th Army arrived in northern Shaanxi in September 1935 and joined forces with the Shaanxi-Gansu Red Army to form the Red 15th Army. In the following battles, General Han Xianchu always stood firmly at the forefront and made great contributions to the victory of the Red Army with his wisdom and courage.
His spirit will always inspire us to pursue the truth and fight for freedom and peace.
The 75th Division of the Red Army led by Han Xianchu was stationed in Shanxi in the spring of 1936 to fight against the Central Army. In one battle, he used two battalions to cooperate with the Shanxi guerrillas to successfully besiege Shilou and take control of the Yellow River crossing.
In this battle, Han Xianchu successfully pinned down five regiments of enemy forces with the strength of one battalion and protected the command of ***, so he was appointed deputy commander of the Central Route Army.
After that, despite the absence of a superior command, he led his troops to fight near the town of Shuangchi and achieved victory, destroying a battalion of the enemy army and a militia of hundreds. This led to his promotion to deputy commander of the 78th Red Division.
In May 1936, the Red Army began its westward expedition to Gansu and Ningxia. When passing through the 78th Division, a cavalry battalion of the enemy Ma Hongkui could not defend the city, relying on the disadvantage of the city and our army to wear it down.
While preparing to attack the city, Zhang Guotao, commander-in-chief of the Western Expeditionary Army, ordered a retreat.
He responded calmly, resolutely ordered the siege of the city, and finally succeeded in the battle. After receiving the message, I was ecstatic and sent a congratulatory message. In the battle to capture the county town of Yanchi, the Red 78th Division successfully annihilated the enemy and captured a large amount of supplies, which was highly praised by the Red Army Headquarters.
After the Long March arrived in northern Shaanxi, Han Xianchu's life began to accelerate and climbed all the way. He actively participated in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, defended the country, and killed countless enemies. Next, he also showed outstanding talent in the war of liberation.
From the battalion commander during the Red Army, Han Xianchu was gradually promoted to the deputy commander of the 688th Regiment and the commander of the 689th Regiment of the Eighth Route Army.
Since 1939, Han Xianchu has served as the deputy brigade commander and acting brigade commander of the 334th Brigade of the 115th Division, and has become famous in the Eighth Route Army.
In April 1940, Han Xianchu was appointed commander of the new 3rd Brigade and commander of the 3rd Army Division of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region.
From 1945 to 1947, after the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the domestic situation was chaotic, the civil war broke out, and the Kuomintang army invaded the northeast on a large scale. In early April 1947, the ambush at Hongshi Town broke out, and Han Xianchu led the army against the Kuomintang 89th Division, and in just a few minutes, the 89th Division was defeated.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Han Xianchu commanded the army to pursue the victory, and quickly organized the infantry to launch a fast, accurate and ruthless assault, and the enemy was forced to a dead end in the blink of an eye. In the end, the Kuomintang army gave up resistance, and a large number of officers and soldiers no longer hiding, but gathered among the prisoners according to the designated route.
In the afternoon, the battle for Redstone Town ended, and the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army won a decisive victory.
In the ambush at Redstone Town, it took only ten hours for the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army to achieve a stunning victory. During the battle, the proportion of losses between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party reached 2595:1, while the number of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army was only 326, setting a record of 1:25 annihilation of the enemy.
His performance in this battle made Han Xianchu's excellent command ability and outstanding performance attract the attention of the head of the Democratic Alliance Army. Soon, he was promoted to the commander of the third column, and began his path to the pinnacle of his military career.
In September 1947, the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army launched the autumn offensive, and Han Xianchu was given the task of annihilating the 116th Division of the 53rd Army of the Kuomintang.
In the campaign to liberate Hainan Island, Han Xianchu once again demonstrated his outstanding military skills and leadership, resolutely and decisively attacked, and successfully prevented Hainan from becoming the second Taiwan.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, served as deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, and returned triumphantly in 1953. At the next award ceremony, he became one of the 57 founding generals, on an equal footing with Chen Zaidao, and even his prestige was higher, and he was no longer the unknown small battalion commander of the year.
His name has left a deep imprint in the history of China.
Chen Zaidao and Han Xianchu were the two longest-serving commanders of the military region since the founding of New China. Chen Zaidao served as the commander of the Wuhan Military Region for 12 years, and then stepped down due to ups and downs and came to work on the farm in Jiangxi.
And Han Xianchu became his superior, who respected this senior very much and took care of his life. Later, Chen Zaidao was taken to Fuzhou by Han Xianchu for medical treatment due to illness.
Han Xianchu directly took Chen Zaidao to Fuzhou, and gave *** a notice, and got ***'s consent. Although this is a prelude, Han Xianchu's "Commander Whirlwind" style is reflected in his actions of caring for his old friends.
Chen Zaidao and Han Xianchu's friendship is deep, like brothers, and the special background of the times makes this friendship more complex and profound. In Fuzhou, Han Xianchu took good care of Chen Zaidao and his family, making their lives better.
In 1971, ** had a dialogue with Han Xianchu in Nanchang. In this conversation, Han Xianchu mentioned to *** the idea that Chen Zaidao hopes to continue to serve the country, and hopes that the party organization can arrange a suitable job for him.
After listening, fell silent. In fact, ** had mentioned this matter to *** before this, and it was not difficult to solve this problem, but since Chen Zaidao had left the post of commander of the Wuhan Military Region for six years, it was obviously unlikely that the official would be reinstated.
At that time, there were no vacancies in the main posts of the 11 major military regions in the country, and only one deputy post could be arranged first.
Han Xianchu was very concerned about handling this matter, and the chairman was very supportive of him. However, because Chen Zaidao is old and the old superior of these commanders, no one is willing to accept him.
Under these circumstances, the chairman decided to resolve this issue by sending Chen Zaidao to the Fuzhou Military Region as Han Xianchu's deputy commander. In 1972, Chen Zaidao was appointed deputy commander of the Fuzhou Military Region, and Han Xianchu was very happy about this, and he rushed to Chen Zaidao's house and told him the good news.
He also humbly asked Chen Zaidao to help him.
Han Xianchu had great respect for his old friend Chen Zaidao, even though his rank and status had surpassed Chen Zaidao. After Han Xianchu was appointed, he affirmed Chen Zaidao and asked Chen Zaidao to help him more in the future.
Chen Zaidao felt very embarrassed after hearing this, he knew that all this was because of Han Xianchu's support. He was full of gratitude to Han Xianchu. Even in his later years, Chen Zaidao still maintained the revolutionary enthusiasm and desperate spirit of the wartime, and in order to recover the lost time, he risked being defeated again, tirelessly running between the troops, the disaster area, and the training site.
Chen Zaidao and Han Xianchu have cooperated for a year and have achieved remarkable results in common development in Fuzhou. In 1973, Han Xianchu was transferred to the Lanzhou Military Region, and Chen Zaidao remained in Fuzhou.
During his tenure in the Fuzhou Military Region, although Han Xianchu retired in 1980 due to health reasons, he always had a heart in mind about army building and put forward important proposals on army building and army building guidelines.
In 1977, after the proposal, the Military Commission decided that Chen Zaidao would be the commander of the PLA Railway Corps. In the 80s, Han Xianchu and Chen Zaidao both left their military leadership positions, Han Xianchu was elected vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress, and Chen Zaidao was elected vice chairman of the Sixth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
After General Han Xianchu passed away in 1986 and was discharged from the military region, he served as vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for a period of time.
However, General Han Xianchu accumulated many illnesses due to the battles in his early years, and as he grew older, he gradually bid farewell to his former martial arts and strength, and even in the last days of his life, he chose to refuse useless surgery and only rely on ventilators to maintain his life, which is deplorable.
General Chen Zaidao died in 1993 and was also seriously ill and hospitalized, but he still cared about army building and reported the situation in the rural areas to the leading comrades, hoping to solve the problem of "white stripes" in rural work as soon as possible.
Although the two generals passed away, their spirit and dedication will always be remembered.