January 6, 1934, was destined to be an extraordinary day in the history of Jiangxi Ruijin, the seat of the Chinese Soviet Provisional Central Government!
Representatives from the central and rear major agencies, as well as countless representatives of the masses, gathered early.
They are about to participate in a public trial meeting, the largest ever in the history of the Central Soviet Area.
After a while, two heavily armed soldiers escorted a middle-aged man into the venue.
The man has a calm demeanor. Although he has been in prison for some time, he still looks neat and tidy.
As soon as the representatives participating in the public trial saw the man, they immediately shouted angrily "Against Xiao Jinguang's opportunistic line!", "Down with Chiang Kai-shek 's running dog Xiao Jinguang"...
That's right, Xiao Jinguang in their mouths is The man who is about to be put in the dock.
Not long ago, he was a high-ranking general of the Red Army, and he was the "loving general" of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Soviet Provisional Central Government.
After Xiao Jinguang stood still in front of the stage, the host of the conference immediately read the accusation to him.
The "facts" revealed in the accusation made the crowd even more angry: Xiao Jinguang was sentenced to death for support! Resolutely demand that Xiao Jinguang be shot! Slogans such as
resounded throughout the venue.
"Public anger is hard to commit," and Li De, who is now a "high-ranking position" in the Soviet Union, also advocated shooting Xiao Jinguang. It seems that it is inevitable for Xiao Jinguang to step onto the guillotine.
However, the angry crowd may not have noticed: in the crowd there is a humble woman who is silently watching all this in front of her.
and she,It is Mao Zedong's wife He Zizhen! Appearing here today is by the order of Chairman Mao...
As a senior general of our army, why did Xiao Jinguang commit a death crime? As Chairman Mao's "love general", will the Chairman watch him be shot?
1. When I became a teenager, he was the teacher of my life
1919, a year of turning significance in modern Chinese history, was also a turning point in Xiao Jinguang's life.
That year, 16-year-old Xiao Jinguang was still studying at Changjun Middle School in the old Changsha. At that time, a newspaper called " Xiangjiang Review " was circulating on the streets of Hunan.
This was praised by Li Dazhao as "one of the most powerful and insightful newspapers in the country" at that time.
And its editor-in-chief is Mao Zedong, who is about to be overwhelmed by the tide of the times!
By chance, Xiao Jinguang came into contact with "Xiangjiang Review".
As a child from a poor family, Xiao Jinguang was immediately attracted by the above articles full of revolutionary enthusiasm.
From then on, he knew Mao Zedong’s name, and he began to understand what “revolution” is!
("Xiangjiang Review")
A brand new door opened towards Xiao Jinguang. A beam of light faintly showed through the door, attracting Xiao Jinguang to chase Bright.
Therefore, when he heard that Mao Zedong and others had organized a Russian seminar in Changsha, he did not hesitate to submit an application for membership.
Soon, Xiao Jinguang's request for membership was approved.At that time, Mao Zedong served as the secretary of the meeting, and often held some lectures to tell other members about the Russian revolution.
When Mao Zedong was giving a lecture, Xiao Jinguang listened very carefully below.
At that time, he had a deep respect for the "teacher" who was ten years older than himself on the podium.
Soon, the Russian Research Association is going to send a group of students to Russia for work-study programs.
Xiao Jinguang has strong learning ability and a basic understanding of revolution, and passed the screening smoothly.
(Mao Zedong)
Under the arrangement of Mao Zedong and the Russian Society, Xiao Jinguang resolutely gave up his studies at Changjun Middle School and went to Russia to embark on a new learning journey.
In Moscow, Xiao Jinguang not only has excellent academic performance, but also has a deeper understanding of the proletarian revolution.
There, he completed a major turning point in his life: becoming a glorious Communist Party member!
In 1924, China's revolutionary situation has undergone important changes.
Xiao Jinguang, who has been studying in Moscow for three years, responded to the call of the CPC Central Committee and returned to China to participate in the torrent of the revolution .
However, the good times are not long. With the rebellion of the Kuomintang right wing, the vigorous revolution failed.
The hit Xiao Jinguang once again set foot on a merchant ship heading to the Soviet Union to find a better future for the revolution.
This time, Xiao Jinguang came to Leningrad, the birthplace of the October Revolution ,And entered the Tolmachev Military and Political Academy, which specializes in cultivating high-level military talents.
(Leningrad)
Xiao Jinguang has always liked military theory. After arriving at the Military and Political College, he seemed to be returning to the sea, and he was so comfortable with everything he came into contact with.
In this way, in the summer of 1930, Xiao Jinguang finished his study in Leningrad with excellent results.
After he walked out of school, he has always been obsessed with the cause of the Chinese revolution, and immediately returned to China.
According to the organization's arrangement, Xiao Jinguang went to Minxi and served as the Chief of Staff and Director of the Political Department of the Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi Military Region.
Xiao Jinguang has not seen Mao Zedong for a long time since he went abroad.
Xiao Jinguang has been obsessed with this man who led him on the road of revolution.
Finally, an excellent opportunity for reunion was placed in front of Xiao Jinguang. In November 1931, the first Congress of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers of the Chinese Soviet Republic was held.
(Chinese Soviet Provisional Central Government)
For this unprecedented event, representatives from the major base areas traveled from all directions all the way from all directions.
And Xiao Jinguang, as a representative of the Western Fujian base area, also participated in this historic moment.
After arriving in Ruijin, Xiao Jinguang quickly met Mao Zedong. The reunion after a long absence made the friendship between each other more enthusiastic.
Especially Mao Zedong, compared to a few years ago, he obviously trusted and valued the young man in front of him.
Long-term struggle experience taught Mao Zedong that military work must never be ignored.
Xiao Jinguang, who studied in the Soviet Union twice, has a certain degree of research on military theory.
This naturally made Mao Zedong pay more attention to him.
During the meeting in Ruijin, Mao Zedong personally approached Xiao Jinguang and told him that the Red Army urgently needed to train a group of outstanding cadres, so the central government decided to open a Red Army school.
And Xiao Jinguang is their favorite Red Army principal!
(Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army School)
Assigning such an important task to a young man in his twenties, Mao Zedong really liked Xiao Jinguang.
And Xiao Jinguang did not live up to Chairman Mao's trust. Although he served as the principal of the Red Army School for a short period of time, he did his job well.
Since then, Xiao Jinguang has held important positions in the Soviet area under the reuse of Chairman Mao.
Many years later, Xiao Jinguang recalled these early revolutionary experiences, and said affectionately: "I have a special feeling for Comrade Mao Zedong. From the first day I joined the revolution, I respected Comrade Mao Zedong as myself. The teacher..."
However, Xiao Jinguang did not know at the time that such a profound revolutionary friendship between him and Chairman Mao would actually be the "assistance" of a life and death storm...
(Xiao Jinguang)
2 "Xiao Jinguang really deserves to be tried by a military court"
1933 is also a special year for the following story.
First of all, due to the changes in the struggle situation in Shanghai, all the temporary central authorities located in Shanghai were moved to the Central Soviet Area at the beginning of this year.
Bogu and Li De (Li De arrived in September 1933) After the arrival of "Mr. Foreign House" who had drunk foreign ink, the revolutionary situation in the Soviet area had undergone "earth-shaking" changes.
In addition,Xiao Jinguang, who was only 30 years old, also served as the commander of the Jian (Ning) Li (Chuan) and Tai (Ning) Garrison Area and the political commissar of the Red Eleventh Army.
It was still this year when Chiang Kai-shek mobilized an army of one million and became the commander-in-chief of the Soviet Union for the fifth time of "encirclement and suppression".
(Fifth Anti-Encirclement and Suppression Color Painting)
These three seemingly unrelated things will soon be led by a small county called Lichuan, and will become the “ignition of Xiao Jinguang's major life changes” Cable".
Lichuan, a small county in the northeast of Ruijin. Although the place is small, it is the combination of the Central Soviet Area and the Fujian-Zhejiang-Jiangxi Soviet Area, so its geographical location is very important.
After Chiang Kai-shek fired the fifth "encirclement and suppression" guns, he immediately targeted the target here and dispatched the forces of the three divisions of the Central Army to march aggressively towards Lichuan.
As the garrison commander of this place, Xiao Jinguang must stand firm in this city and not let this strategic place fall into the enemy's hands.
However, Xiao Jinguang at that time had another "unspeakable concealment": his main force had already been ordered to follow the three armies to fight in Fujian.
Originally, he still had an independent division to rely on, but a week before the battle of Lichuan, he was transferred to another place to fight.
(Lichuan County)
Now, in the hands of Xiao Jinguang, there is only a 70-man teaching team left, and there are some guerrillas in some places. Using these forces to fight with the spears and artillery of the three elite divisions of Chiang Kai-shek is undoubtedly holding an egg against a stone.
In the end, only one city can be lost.
Therefore, Xiao Jinguang proceeded from a strategic point of view, and before returning to defend Lichuan, he put forward a suggestion that he could attack the enemy from the side instead of defending Lichuan.
But,Bogu, Li De and others, who have already mastered the power of the Soviet area, pursued the so-called policy of "guarding against the enemy outside the country" and "not losing an inch of land" , and resolutely opposed Xiao Jinguang's suggestion.
"Military orders must not be ignored", Xiao Jinguang could not, and could only defend Lichuan with the pitiful troops.
On September 25 of the same year, the three enemy divisions launched a fierce attack on Li Chuan.
Three days later, Lichuan's outer positions have all fallen into enemy hands.
Lichuan has almost become a "lone city" at this time, and is about to face the encirclement of the enemy.
(Li De)
Under such circumstances, Xiao Jinguang decided not to make unnecessary sacrifices, and decisively led the army to retreat to the Xikou sixty miles outside Lichuan city.
Li Chuan's fall made Li De very angry.
After receiving the report, he immediately yelled: "Asshole! Abandoned without a fight, escape! The red Lichuan handed over to the enemy, it is the KMT's internal response!"
However, it is strange that despite Li De He was so angry, but he didn't immediately "handle" Xiao Jinguang, but instead gave him an arduous task.
After occupying Lichuan, the Kuomintang began to build a military line of defense, trying to use it to complete their fortress blockade as soon as possible. Under such circumstances, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and others all advocated using "main force assault on the enemy's side."
However, Li De and others still hold on to the wrong defensive policy, ignore the correct advice of Zhou Enlai and others, and insist on taking back Li Chuan.
(Zhou Enlai)
In November 1933, Xiao Jinguang, who had just become the political commissar of the Red Seventh Army, was ordered to cooperate with the Red Three Army under the command of Peng Dehuai to attack the outer stronghold of Lichuan City.
The army led by Xiao Jinguang,Although it is known as the "legion", in fact it was only the 21st Division that he served as the division commander.
Before the Red Army arrived, Xiao Jinguang had already launched a bloody day and night battle with the enemy with this insufficient force.
I thought that with the support of the Red Army, the situation would have room for change.
Who knows, at that time Peng Dehuai was suffering from the severe malaria and was unable to take command.
Therefore, the Red Army can only change their generals. As a result, the offensive of the Three Armies failed to achieve the intended effect.
Our army held the front position for three full days. Under the cover of absolute air power, the enemy's elite troops broke through our army's defense line and opened the way to Huwan.
(Peng Dehuai)
The failure of the Huwan and even Lichuan wars was entirely due to the serious consequences of Bogu and others who could not listen to the correct suggestions and "Left" leaning forward.
However, after the fall of Huwan and the opening of the northeast portal of the Soviet area, Bogu and Li De wanted to shift their guilt again.
What makes them even more embarrassed is that the Red Army's first few anti-"encirclement and suppression" campaigns have won victories, but after they took over command, they suffered successive defeats. They don't want to admit their incompetence and can only blame others.
Thinking about it, the best candidate for "scapegoat" fell on Xiao Jinguang's head.
That day, Li De and Bogu got together.
Li De opened his mouth and said, "The failure of the Huwan battle is the root cause of the poor quality of the Chinese Red Army... Xiao Jinguang disappointed me even more!"
Seeing Li Dena suffocated because of his "anger" With red eyes, Bo Gu also replied: "Xiao Jinguang has always been a runaway! According to reports,When he escaped in this Huwan battle, he actually threw two hundred wounded Red Army soldiers to the enemy! "
(Bogu)
Bogu's words are naked, "If you want to commit a crime, there is nothing wrong with it"!
Their desire to put Xiao Jinguang to death has been revealed.
Sure enough, Li De heard what Bogu said and immediately said: "For a revolutionary Red Army commander, this is incredible and absolutely intolerable! Xiao Jinguang really deserves to be tried by a military court! "
Li De's words are in line with Bogu's heart.
(罗明)
So, under the planning of Bogu and Li De, a criticism of Xiao Jinguang began to be staged...
3. "I am a survivor"
Soon, Xiao Jinguang was removed from all positions and sent to Jianning headquarters for review.
In order to send Xiao Jinguang to the military court, Bogu and others carried out A lot of preparatory work.
After Xiao Jinguang was dismissed, the General Political Department of the Red First Army held a meeting of party members and cadres, and Bogu also gave a long report at the meeting.
(The First Front Army of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army Military flag)
The core purpose of this meeting is to "expose the vacillating nature of opportunism represented by Xiao Jinguang." Bogu criticized Xiao Jinguang's previous strategic choices as "retreatism" and "guerrillaism." ", must be severely criticized.
After the conference, the interim central agency newspaper-" red China", the central bureau’s agency publication "Struggle", and even the front-line publication "Tekken" in the company’s army,They all published articles criticizing Xiao Jinguang.
Suddenly, this former excellent general of the Red Army turned out to be a cowardly traitor who "everyone yelled to fight"! How sad!
The people outside were disturbing, but Xiao Jinguang, who was detained, was rather "leisure and content."
In the slap-sized cell, Xiao Jinguang took the other "prisoners" and practiced the Shaolin bunting he had learned before, but he didn't even see any signs of worrying about his future.
Xiao Jinguang's attitude caused strong dissatisfaction among the guards.
They interrogated Xiao Jinguang and asked him: "Why are you punching in the confinement room?"
Xiao Jinguang's reply was: "In order to keep fit, I will continue to make revolution after going out!" What I don't know is that some people don't want him to continue the revolution. What he didn't even know was that some people were also struggling to keep him engaged in the revolution.
One day in January 1934, Mao Zedong's guard Xiao Wu hurried back from the outside, holding the latest issue of "Tekken" magazine in his hand.
This issue of "Iron Fist" opened up the "Against Xiao Jinguang Opportunism Special".
Mao Zedong took the magazine and read it carefully, and his anger suddenly rose from his heart.
He threw the magazine on the table angrily and hit the table with a big hand.
("Tekken" magazine)
The huge movement alarmed He Zizhen, and she hurried out to check the situation.
Mao Zedong saw that He Zizhen came out, put the magazine in the opponent's hand, and then began to bend for Xiao Jinguang: "Let the teaching team of more than 70 people fight with at least 30,000 enemies in the three divisions. What is this route? He also said that Xiao Jinguang is'compositeism'", "Qiwen, Chiang Kai-shek will give the author a big medal after reading it!"
She said: "Anti-'Roming Route',From Fujian to Jiangxi, from the local to the army, but also..."
Before He Zizhen could finish her words, Mao Zedong interrupted her: "We know the meaning of the Chinese after hearing the songs of Chu, these few arrows are actually It came from my fellow Mao Run."
Mao Zedong and his wife were talking, and Xie Juezai, then Mao Zedong’s secretary, walked in and told Mao Zedong, “Xiao Jinguang has been taken back to Ruijin, the day after tomorrow’s public trial, here is a notice, let everyone Go to participate".
After learning the news, Mao Zedong became even more angry. He was unwilling to participate, but he explained to He Zizhen: "Go and see, you can't watch a good show."
(He Zizhen)
A few days later, the public trial was held as scheduled. So, the scene mentioned at the beginning of this article happened.
After reading out the accusation, Xiao Jinguang seemed to have not heard the wanton shouts of murder from the people around him, and He calmly protested: "I am not convinced, you turn black and white, and confuse right and wrong..."
Then, Xiao Jinguang began to explain and clarify the accusation of his sins written in the complaint one by one.
The angry crowd finally calmed down when they heard that Xiao Jinguang lost to Lichuan with only a teaching team of more than 70 people.
These inside stories were unknown to them before.
If As Xiao Jinguang said, is their criticism of him correct? Can anyone else make a better choice than Xiao Jinguang? Suddenly it became silent.
The presiding judge fell into a great embarrassment, but despite this, he bit his head and pronounced Xiao Jinguang’s verdict: was expelled from the party and military, and sentenced to five years in prison without appeal. Right.
(Public Trial Assembly,Non-Xiao Jinguang's trial scene)
With the presiding judge's "final touch", this trial conference has also come to an end.
After He Zizhen returned home, he told Mao Zedong the situation at the scene carefully.
After hearing the verdict of Xiao Jinguang, Mao Zedong couldn't restrain his anger.
He told He Zizhen: "Tomorrow, you go to visit the prison and tell Xiao Jinguang that he is not wrong and that his trial is unfair. Just say it like this, the word remains the same."
As expected, He Zizhen went to visit Xiao Jinguang according to Chairman Mao's intention.
He Zizhen held a basket in her hand. After seeing Xiao Jinguang, she relayed Chairman Mao's words, and then opened the lotus leaves in the basket.
The lotus leaf is wrapped in a cooked chicken.
You know how difficult it is to get a chicken under that difficult condition!
Eating the chicken sent by He Zizhen and recalling those words of Chairman Mao, Xiao Jinguang's heart unexpectedly raised expectations for the future.
(Xiao Jinguang)
Xiao Jinguang’s expectations,Obviously Li De and the others didn't know. They only knew that the previous sentence against Xiao Jinguang seemed a bit lighter, so Li Deli shot Xiao Jinguang.
On that day, Xie Juezai came to Mao Zedong to sign with a document. The content of the document was to shoot Xiao Jinguang. Although Chairman Mao had been squeezed out by Bogu and others at that time, he was still the chairman of the interim central government.
To shoot high-level cadres like Xiao Jinguang, of course Chairman Mao’s signature is needed.
Chairman Mao looked at the document and said furiously: "I don't sign it, I don't sign it!" Of course, Chairman Mao also knows that if you want to save Xiao Jinguang, you cannot rely solely on your own strength, and you must have the support of others.
So, Mao Zedong took He Zizhen to the Central Red Hospital. At that time, Wang Jiaxiang, vice chairman of the Military Commission and director of the general political department , was receiving treatment in the hospital due to illness.
(Wang Jiaxiang)
After seeing Wang Jiaxiang, Chairman Mao first cared about his condition, and then showed Wang Jiaxiang the documents he brought in his hand: "Look, they are going to shoot Xiao Jinguang and I have to sign."
After Wang Jiaxiang took the documents, Chairman Mao said: "You are the vice chairman of the Military Commission and the director of the General Political Department. Without your signature, no one would dare to shoot such a senior general."
After reading the shot documents, Wang Jiaxiang was also very angry. He said: "I don't sign, I refuse! What's wrong with Xiao Jinguang?"
So,Neither Chairman Mao nor Wang Jiaxiang signed the document in the end.
was unable to win the support of Chairman Mao and others, and Bogu felt that if he persisted, he might not end well.
So he negotiated with Li De to maintain the previous verdict on Xiao Jinguang, which was enough.
In the end, Xiao Jinguang escaped a killing under the protection of Chairman Mao.
(Mao Zedong (third from left), Wang Jiaxiang (second from left), Xiao Jinguang (first from left)
After Xiao Jinguang was formally detained, Chairman Mao still did not give up his efforts to rescue him.
Under the circumstances, Xiao Jinguang was released after being detained for only one month, and was also assigned to be a tactical instructor in the Red Army school.
However, at this time Xiao Jinguang was still a "prisoner" in name.
After the Red Army was forced to start the Long March, Chairman Mao transferred Xiao Jinguang to a central cadre regiment composed mainly of high- and intermediate-level leading cadres as the captain.
Using this identity, Xiao Jinguang and the Red Army participated in the Long March.
The Long March arrived in Zunyi, and the Zunyi Conference, which was a turning point in the history of our party, was held. The wrong line of Bogu and others was corrected, and Mao Zedong's correct leadership was established.
After that, under the care of Chairman Mao
(Long March)
Many years later, when Xiao Jinguang recalled this period of history,I am very grateful to say:
"I was released. I can live to this day. It is the result of the resolute struggle between Mao Zedong and the'Left' dogmatists. Without the protection of these leading comrades of the Central Committee, I would probably be Killed...I am a survivor".
Conclusion:
Under the big wave of the "May 4th Movement", Xiao Jinguang came across the name Mao Zedong through newspapers. Maybe at the time, he never thought that this person would have such a significant impact on his future life.
Under the influence of Mao Zedong, Xiao Jinguang embarked on the road of revolution and embarked on a journey of studying in the Soviet Union. Of course, Mao Zedong at that time might not have thought that he trained for the motherland as an excellent senior general.
See you again in Ruijin, Mao Zedong became Chairman Mao, and the "student baby" that year has grown into a talented person.
(The Founding Ceremony of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Yeping Village, Ruijin in 1931)
The generals met each other, and Chairman Mao gave Xiao Jinguang a stage to give full play to his talents. Unexpectedly, the ups and downs of life on the road, a change, let Xiao Jin's life in the night.
Fortunately, Chairman Mao always believed in him and protected him, so that he finally waited until the end of suffering.
As far as the cause of China's revolution is concerned, it is not only Xiao Jinguang that Chairman Mao protects?
After the founding of New China, Xiao Jinguang was awarded the rank of general. The four devastating general stars on the shoulders are the recognition of the country and the people for this half-life hero of the army!
And his achievements and honors will be remembered forever in history...
References:
Edited by Gu Na. Jin Ge years Mao Zedong and his senior generals. Beijing: Long March Publishing Society, 2002.08.
Editor-in-Chief Yao Youzhi. The top ten generals of the red generals. Beijing: Democracy and Construction Press, 2016.07.
Sun Guo. The special friendship between Mao Zedong and Xiao Jinguang[J]. Lantai Inside and Outside, 2010, (No. Issue 5).
Meng Zhaogeng.Xiao Jinguang: "Survivor" in Ruijin's Trial[J]. Celebrity Biography (first half of the month),2014,(12th issue).
Ma Hongjiao.Xiao Jinguang's struggle with Li De[J] .Party History Boca, 1998, (No. 9).
Edited by Zhang Yang. Painting Biography of General Xiao Jinguang. Chengdu: Sichuan People’s Publishing House, 2009.04
Edited by Yang Qingwang. Mao Zedong, who can never return. Beijing: Central Literature Press, 2003.01
.
