In the autumn of 1960, an old Luo man packed his luggage and traveled all the way from Hubei to Beijing. In 1960, some areas of our country encountered a severe drought. All the crops in the fields died, resulting in a significant drop in crop yields. The livelihood of many peopl

In the autumn of 1960, an old Luo man packed his luggage and rushed from Hubei to Beijing after a long journey.

After arriving in Beijing, he went straight to Zhongnanhai . At that time, many guards stopped him, but he showed no timidity at all, and even shouted, "Where is Lao Zhu, I want to find Lao Zhu!"

The Lao Zhu in Luo's mouth was Commander Zhu Dezhu.

Where did Mr. Luo come from? What is the relationship between him and Commander Zhu, and why did he come to Zhongnanhai in Beijing this time?

Luo Laohan in Beijing

In 1960, some areas of our country encountered a severe drought. All the crops in the fields died of drought, resulting in a significant drop in crop yields. The livelihood of many people became a problem, and some even ran out of food. .

At that time, New China had just been founded. This new-born New China not only had to face domestic socialist transformation and the dilemma of a single economy and industry, but also faced international provocations and the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. This internal and external troubles Every step China has taken in the past ten years has been extremely difficult.

Now we have encountered a serious natural disaster, and the crops have failed to harvest. Xianning County, Hubei Province, where Old Man Luo is located, has begun to suffer from famine, and people have even starved to death.

Old Man Luo was worried, worried that the situation in front of him would get out of hand.

One night, he was sitting in the yard smoking a cigarette and looking at the north. Even when his wife told him to go to bed, he refused to sleep. After a few cigarettes, Old Man Luo suddenly got up and went into the house to start packing his things.

The wife asked: ‘What are you doing to pack your clothes? '

Old Man Luo said: "I want to go to Beijing."

At dawn the next day, Old Man Luo took a baggage containing only a few pieces of clothing and set foot on the road to Beijing.

Hubei Xianning is still far away from Beijing. Old man Luo finally arrived at his destination after a long journey.

But he felt dizzy as soon as he got off the car. Beijing was too big and roads were extending in all directions. He only knew that the person he was looking for was in Zhongnanhai, but he didn't know how to get there.

had no choice but to inquire all the way. After many twists and turns, he finally saw the gate with the words "Serve the People" engraved on it. Old Man Luo was overjoyed, clapped his thigh and shouted: "I found it, I found it."

As we all know, Zhongnanhai is where leaders work daily. There are guards guarding the door, and ordinary people are not allowed to enter.

When Lao Luo was looking at him and approaching the gate, the guards had already noticed him. Although Old Luo didn't seem like a bad person at first glance, they still had to be vigilant when facing such a dusty old man.

So when Old Man Luo wanted to go in, the guard stopped him directly and said: "Comrade, I'm sorry, you can't visit here." After hearing this, Old Man Luo became anxious: "I'm not here for a visit. I'm looking for someone. "

"Who are you looking for?" the guard asked again.

"I'm looking for Lao Zhu, is Lao Zhu here?"

There are not just one or two people with the surname Zhu in Zhongnanhai. Seeing the young man's confused look, Old Man Luo added without waiting for others to ask: "Lao Zhu, that's Zhu De "Commander Zhu. I have something to report to him."

The guard looked at the old man in front of him and didn't know what was going on for a moment, but to be able to call Commander Zhu so intimately as Lao Zhu must have an unusual relationship. What distant relatives?

After thinking about it, he asked someone to take the old man to the duty room, dialed the office phone number, and asked for instructions from his superiors. The reply was: "Take the old man to Secretary-General Luo Ruiqing's office immediately."

Secretary-General Luo Ruiqing is not an ordinary secretary we are talking about now. He is the Secretary-General of the Central Military Commission and concurrently serves as the Chief of General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Ministry of National Defense. The position of Deputy Minister.

Because Commander Zhu De happened to be out on business that day, Luo Ruiqing came to meet Old Man Luo.

As soon as he entered the door, Luo Ruiqing came forward to greet him warmly. It seemed that the old man in front of him not only knew Commander Zhu, but was also very familiar with Secretary-General Luo.So who is he? Why do you know so many leaders?

In fact, the old man's friendship with the Mediterranean leaders has existed since the Red Army's Long March. Not only was he familiar with Luo Ruiqing and Zhu De, but he also had a life-long friendship with Peng Dehuai.

Farmer Lao Luo

The old man's name was Luo Zhongwen. He was born in Luojiazui Village, Xianning County, Hubei Province in 1897.

Luo Wensheng comes from a poor family. There are three brothers in the family, Luo Zhongwen is the eldest. You can imagine how heavy the burden is on such a family.

's family's livelihood depends entirely on the little money they earn from working as a long-term worker for the landlord's family.

The "rich people" in the old society were landlords. Although today's rich people will look down on the poor, the "rich people" in the old society were a hundred times more hateful than today's rich people.

In Luo Zhongwen's young mind, landlords were "devils" who ate people without spitting out their bones. They often beat, scolded and insulted long-term workers like them.

Therefore, Luo Wensheng became sensible very early and often helped the family with work. When he was older, he went out to work as a long-term worker with his father to earn money to support the family.

People like them who have no land can only rely on their strength to work for the landlords to make ends meet.

It was also because of his poor family that Luo Zhongwen had never read any books since he was a child. He could not be considered illiterate at best.

In 1926, the peasant movement spread to Xianning, and Luo Zhongwen came into contact with the ideas of "equality" and "freedom" for the first time.

It turns out that no one is born a farmer or a landlord; it turns out that there is still a path to revolution that can help them get rid of their current fate.

He was full of hatred for this unfair society. The arrival of the People's Liberation Army made Luo Zhongwen suddenly excited like a shot of chicken blood. He actively joined the Farmers Association and became a peasant army to fight against the landlords with everyone. Make a revolution.

officially became a member of the Red Army

As more and more people join the farmers' association, the team of peasant soldiers is also growing.

In 1932, the peasant army was officially incorporated into the Red Army. In Xianyang, the Red Army made decisions for the poor people while at the same time attacking landlords to divide their fields. Luo Zhongwen was deeply shocked after seeing what the Red Army did.

then took the initiative to join the Red Army and was incorporated into the Third Division of the Red Army, following the troops in Hubei.

Because Luo Zhongwen has been working as a long-term worker with his parents since he was a child, he has endured all kinds of hardships. In addition, coupled with the military experience he learned in the peasant army, he quickly adapted to the life of the Red Army.

But the good times did not last long. Because the Red Army grew too fast and several revolutions were quite effective, it aroused the wariness of the National Party Party and pursued them fiercely all the way.

In desperation, Luo Zhongwen had no choice but to start the Long March with the Red Army.

The Long March was a long journey and the conditions were difficult. Luo Zhongwen relied on his excellent physical fitness to take care of the old, weak, sick and disabled along the way, never complaining about tiredness.

Luo Zhongwen's honesty and hard work along the way were not only seen by his comrades who were traveling with him, but also by the leaders of the army.

So in 1937, after the Red Army arrived in northern Shaanxi, he was named as a cook at the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, specifically responsible for the leadership's meals.

Some people would say that a cook is just a cook, what’s the point of being a cook?

But how could the person who could be named responsible for leading the food department not go through all the considerations?

After all, Luo Zhongwen cooks for Zhu De and other important leaders. If the ingredients he comes into contact with are not careful or are used by someone with ulterior motives, the consequences will be disastrous.

More importantly, Luo Zhongwen is usually responsible for cooking, but whenever he encounters an enemy situation, Luo Zhongwen has to wear armor and participate in battles. It can be said that he has to wear multiple hats and has a heavy responsibility.

The Extraordinary Cook

Once, the Japanese army and our army met on a narrow road. Since we couldn't hide, we should attack them head-on. However, the disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves forced Luo Zhongwen, who usually held a kitchen knife and spatula, to charge with the troops.

Although Luo Zhongwen usually knew how to cook, he suddenly picked up a gun and started fighting without hesitation, killing many enemies in a row.

But a war cannot be won by just relying on the bravery of one person.Facing the enemy with full firepower, Luo Zhongwen, who fought fiercely for several days, was not only seriously injured, but also lost contact with the main force.

Luo Zhongwen, who was tired and sleepy at the time, steeled himself and looked around. There were corpses around him, including enemies and comrades. After a moment of thinking, he made a bold decision: pretend to be dead among the dead. !

Because he was too tired and injured, he couldn't walk far. If he forced himself to look for the troops, his identity would be exposed and the troops would be harmed. If not, he might even lose his life.

So he decided to "sleep" and wait until he escaped the enemy's search before looking for the main force.

slept for two days and two nights. Fortunately, his usual behavior and honest and honest character won Zhu De's love. When Zhu De discovered that the little cook who he usually loved to joke was missing, he quickly sent someone to look for him.

Since he is not on the death list, then he is separated.

When his comrades found Luo Zhongwen, he had lost too much blood and fell into a coma. When he woke up, he saw Lao Luo who was already in the army and was extremely excited.

Then he learned that Commander Zhu De and Zhu had sent someone to save him, so he secretly made up his mind to find an opportunity to repay Commander Zhu. And the opportunity came quickly.

In order to repay his kindness, he carried Zhu De across the river

The route of the Hundred Thousand Mile Long March was difficult and dangerous. In order to avoid pursuit and preserve strength, he often had to avoid major roads and take some waterways or mountain roads instead.

During an emergency transfer, we met a large river with fast water. However, we searched along the bank for a long time, but no bridge was found.

Time waits for no one. In order to arrive at the gathering place at the specified time, the soldiers had no choice but to risk their lives and cross the river.

But Zhu De didn’t know how to swim, and because he was old, he was afraid of danger if he forced himself into the water.

Just when everyone was in trouble, Luo Zhongwen suddenly stood up: "I am good at water and can carry Commander Zhu across the river."

In fact, there are many soldiers who can swim, but when crossing such a fast river, it is difficult to carry another person on his back. He is still a leader and has great responsibilities, so many people have concerns.

But Luo Zhongwen was not timid at all, and his courage solved the army's problems.

In this way, Luo Zhongwen relied on his superb swimming skills to successfully cross the river with Lao Zhu on his back.

After crossing the river, looking at the panting Luo Zhongwen, Zhu De felt very sorry.

Luo Zhongwen said with a naive smile: "You saved my life on the battlefield, but it doesn't matter if I carry you across the river." Through this river crossing, Zhu De and Luo Zhongwen also established a deep friendship.

A special file package

The relationship between Luo Zhongwen and Peng Dehuai has to start with the Anti-Japanese War.

In 1938, the civil war was about to break out and the Japanese army launched a massive offensive. At that time, the Eighth Route Army was commanded by Peng Dehuai in Shanxi.

Facing the menacing Japanese army, Peng Dehuai had to order a retreat.

Unexpectedly, the cunning Japanese army got the news of the Eighth Route Army's retreat in advance and carried out containment and attacks along the way.

One night, Luo Zhongwen's unit was ambushed, and Peng Dehuai had no choice but to order an emergency transfer. However, there were many documents at the battlefield that could not be destroyed in time. They recorded important information. Once it fell into the hands of the enemy, the consequences would be unimaginable. In desperation,

stuffed all the information into a file package and handed it to Luo Zhongwen.

Peng Dehuai told Luo Zhongwen that this document package was very important and the decision could not make any mistakes. Luo Zhongwen knew that this was the trust of the organization in him. Without saying a word, he threw away his package and picked up the bag weighing more than thirty kilograms. Document package.

and promised Peng Dehuai: "The man is here!"

Luo Zhongwen has been doing physical work since he was a child. Although a briefcase weighing more than 30 kilograms is nothing to him, the march is changing rapidly, with aircraft and cannons. After the bombing, Luo Zhongwen had to hide in order to cover his briefcase, and finally lost contact with the troops.

There are Japanese soldiers outside. It doesn't matter if you get caught when you go out. If the briefcase falls into the hands of the enemy, even if you die a thousand times or ten thousand times, it won't be enough to make up for it.

After thinking about it, Luo Zhongwen decided to hide in the cave and wait for the enemy to withdraw before looking for the main force.

There was no food or water in the cave. Luo Zhongwen, who was hungry and cold, had to suffer for two days and two nights holding his briefcase.

Finally the enemy evacuated the area, and Luo Zhongwen seized the opportunity and slipped out to chase the large army.

The pursuit lasted for five days. The briefcase was on Luo Zhongwen's body and never left it for a moment. However, looking around, there was no sign of a comrade. At this time, Luo Zhongwen had reached the limit of his physical strength.

Huangtian refused to accept the hard work, and finally on the sixth day, Luo Zhongwen saw traces of the large army.

When he saw the exhausted Luo Zhongwen handing the document to Peng Dehuai intact, Peng Dehuai had mixed feelings. On one hand, he was happy that the document was recovered, and on the other hand, he felt heartbroken when he saw the sallow and thin Lao Luo in front of him.

He kept holding Luo Zhongwen's hand and said: "It's great that you can come back safely. Not a single piece of information was lost. Thank you for your hard work, Lao Luo." He also shouted and arranged for someone to prepare a sumptuous meal for him. Take him down to rest.

Afterwards, Peng Dehuai visited him many times and rewarded Luo Zhongwen with 30 yuan of border coins and a medal flag.

Looking at this award flag, Luo Zhongwen was moved to tears. The suffering and bitterness he had suffered these days had all vanished, and all that was left was a firmer belief in the party and the organization.

Luo Zhongwen experienced the Anti-Japanese War and the Liberation War. By the time New China was founded, he was already over fifty. Seeing that the war was over, Luo Zhongwen felt that he could finally return to his hometown with peace of mind.

So he declined the organization's offer to stay in Beijing to recuperate, and decided to return to his hometown in Hubei and live like an ordinary person.

Choose to be a farmer

After the end of the Liberation War, Luo Zhongwen worked as a cook in the canteen of the central government until 1949, when the central government moved to Beijing.

At that time, the organization wanted to arrange for him to recuperate in Beijing, but the thought of returning to his hometown became more and more ingrained in Luo Zhongwen's mind day by day. After many applications, the leader finally agreed to his request to return to his hometown.

Since Luo Zhongwen had served as a soldier and had made military exploits, after returning to Xianning County , the local leaders wanted to ask him to serve as the township head, but he was rejected by Old Man Luo.

At that time, Lao Luo just wanted to raise some chickens and ducks in his own yard, grow some food in the fields, and live a peaceful life.

But hard-working people are always restless. They say that they are too old and don’t want to worry too much. But seeing that the crops in the village are not doing well, they take the initiative to lead the villagers to open up wasteland and cultivate the land, teaching everyone what they learned in the army. Knowledge, under his leadership, the lives of the villagers have become better and better.

went to Beijing twice

If the starvation incident had not occurred at this time, Old Man Luo would not have come all the way to Beijing to report the situation.

Although Commander Zhu De was not around at the time, Luo Ruiqing felt the seriousness of the situation after listening to Old Man Luo's description, so she immediately reported it to her superiors.

After verification and research, the central government decided to open warehouses to release grain to Hubei, which solved Xianning's urgent need.

In addition to this time, Luo Zhongwen also personally petitioned once, regarding the power supply and production issues in the village.

not only secured power supply facilities for the village, but also obtained a walking tractor .

petitioned twice not for his own benefit, but for the people of Xianning County as a whole.

Old Man Luo dedicated his life's enthusiasm to the party and the people. He did not seek fame or profit. He was a truly admirable old Red Army veteran.