Reading guide:In 1937, after the Red Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army, there were three divisions and six brigades. In the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the most outstanding performance of the 6 brigades was undoubtedly the 343 Brigade of the 115 Division and the 386 Brigade of the 129 Division.
Among them, the 343 Brigade was adapted from the main force of the Red First Army, which can be described as a strong army and a wide range of generals, and was the main force of the great victory of Pingxingguan, and the famous founding generals Yang Dezhi, Yang Yong, and Li Tianyou all came from this brigade.
The other 386 Brigade was recognized as the strongest brigade on the battlefield of resistance against Japan, and the battles of Qiqian Village, Changshengkou, Shentouling, and Xiangtangpu caused the Japanese army to fall into ruins, and even shouted the slogan of "Specializing in the 386 Brigade". Even Carlson, the US military attache in China, praised it"The 386 Brigade is the best brigade in China. ”
Interestingly, the 386 Brigade also has a nickname - "Three Sons Unit", because the three leaders who lead this unit have their own characteristics.
Brigade commander Chen Geng, in 1932, was wounded in the right leg in the anti-encirclement and suppression battle, leaving sequelae, walking with a limp, known as "lame". Political Commissar Wang Xinting, who has read books, is an intellectual with glasses, known as the "blind man". Chief of Staff Zhou Xihan, with a thin figure, self-deprecating for being the thinnest in the world, is known as "thin man". Because of this, the 386 Brigade is also known as the "Three Sub-Units".
Chen Geng, Wang Xinting, and Zhou Xihan, the iron triangle, from the 386 Brigade to the Taiyue Military Region, fought and lived together, and they have always been inseparable good partners. As a big brother and old leader, Chen Geng often cares about the lives of his subordinates in addition to fighting, and the most headache for him is Zhou Xihan's emotional problems.
Don't look at Zhou Xihan as a fierce general on the battlefield, charging into battle and fearless, but emotionally, he is an out-and-out "loser" who has deserted twice.
In 1913, Zhou Xihan was born in Macheng, Hubei Province, and was the only son in the family. The three generations of the Zhou family have been passed down, and his father is in his forties and has a son, so he loves him very much, and only hopes that he can grow up safely, marry a wife and have children, and continue the incense for the Zhou family.
But it backfired, Zhou Xihan was not a child who kept to himself since he was a child, and on weekdays in the village, he loved to help the weak and fight unevenly. In 1927, when the revolutionary movement was vigorously launched in Hubei, Zhou Xihan, who was only 14 years old, participated in the jute riots despite the opposition of his family.
After the uprising, Zhou Xihan wanted to sign up for the Red Army, but was blocked by his father. His father persuaded him earnestly"You are the only son in the family, you joined the army to fight, the bullet does not have long eyes, in case there is a good one, the incense of the Zhou family will be broken. ”
But Zhou Xihan is a stubborn temper, and no one can stop what he recognizes. He told his father: "If there is no country, where will the home come from, you can't just take care of the small family and ignore everyone." I must go to the revolution. ”
In order to keep Zhou Xihan, his parents privately entrusted a matchmaker to help him find a family business. They thought that as long as they got married and had a daughter-in-law, their son's heart would be at peace. Regarding the marriage arranged by his parents, Zhou Xihan resolutely disagreed, and was ready to leave, but his mother forced him to die, so he had no choice but to agree to get married.
But this is only a temporary compromise, the revolutionary enthusiasm in Zhou Xihan's heart has not diminished at all, he still has to join the army, and he has to serve the motherland. Therefore, on the night of the wedding, he escaped from the house while his relatives and friends were drunk. In a letter to his parents, he wrote: "A son is not filial and cannot give up the country for the sake of a small family. ”
At this point, the parents could only pray for their son to return safely, and the bride, who had never met, could only marry someone else.
After joining the Red Army, Zhou Xihan made very rapid progress and soon became a squad leader and platoon leader. On the battlefield, he was brave and tenacious, united comrades, and led troops in a good way, and won the appreciation of leaders at all levels, and was soon promoted to the posts of company commander and battalion commander, and participated in the anti-encirclement and suppression and the Long March.
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he served as the head of the combat unit in the 386 Brigade, and was promoted to the chief of staff of the 386 Brigade because of his cleverness and commanding mind, which won the trust of the brigade commander Chen Geng. Facts have proved that Chen Geng is indeed discerning, and in the next few years, Zhou Xihan grew rapidly and became Chen Geng's right-hand man.
In 1941, the Taiyue Military Region was established, and Zhou Xihan served as the chief of staff and became a young and promising general in the Eighth Route Army. is becoming more and more famous on the battlefield, but Zhou Xihan, who is 28 years old, is still emotionally blank, which makes many leaders, including Chen Geng, anxious and introduce him to him.
Li Chengfang, who was the deputy commander of the 386 Brigade, learned through his wife Li Ping that there was a female secretary named Zhou Xuan in the Taiyue Administration, although she was only 17 years old, she had an excellent job and was beautiful, and she was the object of many people's pursuit, so she was introduced to Zhou Xihan.
Zhou Xihan has only led troops to fight for so many years, he doesn't understand romance at all, and he can't please girls. When the two of them meet, they will only ask how old are you? Is the hometown **? Why join the revolution? These questions make it seem as if the leader cares about his subordinates.
In fact, in Zhou Xuan's heart, he has always regarded Zhou Xihan as an idol to worship. After all, he became the chief of staff of the brigade at a young age, and now he has been promoted to the chief of staff of the military region. Not only that, Zhou Xihan was also a well-known anti-Japanese general, and at that time in the Taihang area, there was a popular ballad"Little Japan, listen, there is Chen Geng on the mountain, Little Japan, don't be mischievous, let you touch Zhou Xihan." ”
But Zhou Xuan is a girl after all, and she is not too proactive, so the relationship between the two has developed tepidly. But this made Chen Geng anxious, in order to solve Zhou Xihan's worries as soon as possible, let him go to the battlefield to fight with peace of mind. Before an expedition, Chen Geng personally came forward, found Zhou Xuan, and persuaded the two to get married as soon as possible.
Zhou Xuan is a young girl who wanted a romantic relationship, but initially refused. Chen Geng continued: "You can get married first and then fall in love, so that the two will not be delayed." Besides, the two of you have each other in your hearts, you and I are willing, and it is okay to get married earlier! So with the help of everyone, Zhou Xihan and Zhou Xuan held a simple wedding on the same day, which can be regarded as marriage.
In order to celebrate that Zhou Xihan finally married his wife, Chen Geng and others drank until late before they dispersed. When everyone was **, Zhou Xihan returned to the door of the cave room and saw that Zhou Xuan was crying on the bed. Seeing this, Zhou Xihan didn't say anything, so he could only exit the cave room and sleep in the dormitory.
As a result, on the second night, Zhou Xuan was still crying, Zhou Xihan was worried about her body, so he comforted her: "Don't be sad, the wedding was arranged by the commander, if you don't want to, I can send you back, although we are married, but until now, I haven't even touched your hand." ”
In fact, Zhou Xuan likes Zhou Xihan in her heart, the reason why she cried was because she was sad about her life events, and her parents were not around; On the other hand, it was blamed that Zhou Xihan did not discuss with her, so he asked the leader to call the shots and held a wedding for the two. Because according to the previous agreement, Zhou Xuan said that he would get married after he came back after he finished this battle.
But after listening to Zhou Xihan's words, Zhou Xuan was no longer angry. But Zhou Xihan went out again after speaking, and Zhou Xuan didn't come forward to stay because he was shy. On the evening of the third day, Zhou Xuan adjusted himself and decided that after he came, he would live a good life with him.
But because the army was about to go on the expedition, Zhou Xihan worked at the headquarters all night and completely forgot about his new wife. Zhou Xuan, who waited in the cave room for a night, returned to his parents' house (Taihang Agency) in a fit of anger. In this way, Zhou Xihan did not enter the cave room for 3 days after his wedding, so he led the troops to the battlefield.
It wasn't until more than a year later that Zhou Xihan, who returned triumphantly, personally went to the Taihang Administration and took Zhou Xuan back to his home and became a real husband and wife. After marriage, the two accompanied each other on a blind date, loved each other, and have always been a model couple in the army.
Zhou Xihan continued to fight bravely on the battlefield and made meritorious contributions, successively serving as the commander of the 13th Army of the Second Field Army and the commander of the southern Yunnan garrison, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in the great award in 1955.