In 1973, when Deng Xiaoping was "recalling his mistakes" in the courtyard, a man who claimed to be his "old subordinate" came to visit him, and brought 5 "Chinese cigarettes" he loved to smoke . After trying to take a sip, Deng Xiaoping couldn't help but sigh:
"I haven't smoked such a fragrant cigarette for a long time!"
. This person who personally sent cigarettes to Deng Xiaoping despite the current difficulties was the commander of the 34th Division of the Second Field Army, the founding major general of the New China: You Taizhong .
Whenever later generations evaluate You Taizhong, the most common evaluation people give him is "A person who can help others in times of trouble" .
(You Taizhong)
So, what kind of revolutionary friendship did You Taizhong and Deng Xiaoping have there? Why are there so many people in the future who evaluate this founding major general as a "timely help"?
Today, this episode will tell you: Founding Major General You Taizhong.
You Taizhong was born in 1918 and is a from Guangshan County, Henan Province. At that time, Henan was suffering from famine, war and plague. You Taizhong's father passed away early, leaving only You Taizhong and his mother to depend on each other.
You Taizhong's family, who lives in Chengang Village, Guangshan County, has no land and can only rely on tenant farmers who are local owners to make a living. In January 1931, 13-year-old You Taizhong could not bear this kind of life that lost his dignity and lived under someone else's roof. So he angrily joined the Fourth Guerrilla Brigade of the Red Army in Guangshan County and became a "red ghost".
Later, the Fourth Guerrilla Brigade of the Red Army where You Taizhong was located was incorporated into the famous Red Fourth Front Army. You Taizhong himself became a soldier of the 29th Regiment of the 10th Division of the 31st Army of the Red Fourth Front Army.
In October 1932, You Taizhong followed the main force of the Red Fourth Front Army and began a mighty "Western Expedition". This revolutionary force traveled to Anhui, Henan, Hubei and Sichuan provinces. finally opened up a "Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base" second only to the Central Soviet Area in Tongjiang, Sichuan, Nanjiang and Bazhong areas. , a red land, grew up and nurtured many famous generals such as Xu Xiangqian and Xu Shiyou, including the later You Taizhong.
During the period when he was rooted in the Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base Area, You Taizhong participated in many battles such as the Yinan Battle, the Anti-Three Route Siege and the Anti-Ninth Route Siege, and was injured in 934. In June of the same year, You Taizhong, who was only 16 years old, served as the platoon leader and became a glorious member of the Communist Party of China.
The good times did not last long. Affected by the failure of the fifth anti-encirclement and suppression, the Central Red Army Central was forced to start the Long March in 1934, and the Long March of the Red Fourth Front Army also kicked off the following year.
Long March is not only a hone for the overall Red Army troops, but also a test of life and death for every Red Army soldier. On the way north of the Red Fourth Front Army climbing snow-capped mountains and crossing grasslands, lack of medical treatment is common. The young You Taizhong quickly couldn't withstand such a harsh environment. He was infected with the plague and could not even walk.
Seeing the sick You Taizhong, some soldiers had the idea of letting You Taizhong follow the team alone and the large army set out first, but this was tantamount to sentence You Taizhong to death to . Seeing that the young man followed Zhan Caifang, the political commissar of the 31st Army of the Red Army, was unbearable and said to the people around him: "Give him a ponytail and let him follow the big army."
With a ponytail in his hand and his tenacious perseverance, You Taizhong miraculously walked through the vast snow-capped mountains and grasslands, and successfully moved to the revolutionary base in northern Shaanxi in October 1936. At this time, You Taizhong experienced the difficulties and dangers along the Long March and had long been reborn from the ashes and became a revolutionary warrior with more firm beliefs.
(You Taizhong during the Red Army)
On July 7, 1937, the Anti-Japanese War broke out in full swing. You Taizhong, who had experienced many battles, was incorporated into the Eighth Route Army and became the instructor of the 12th Company of the 3rd Battalion, 772nd Regiment, 386th Brigade, the 12th Division of the Eighth Route Army.Here, You Taizhong met his revolutionary comrade-in-arms throughout his life and his old superior: Wang Jinshan.
Wang Jinshan, known as the "madman" in the Eighth Route Army, is the prototype of the character of Li Yunlong, the leader of the independent group , in the story of "Bright Sword". In the real history of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Wang Jinshan was also known for his "fast, accurate, and ruthless" and "playing according to common sense". On October 26, 1937, Wang Jinshan led the Third Battalion of You Taizhong's 772nd Regiment and a platoon of the spy company. ambushed the Japanese army's baggage in Qigen Village, and annihilated the regular army of more than 300 Japanese troops at the cost of more than 20 casualties.
Under Wang Jinshan's teaching and tempering, You Taizhong has grown from a small platoon leader who was previously unknown in the Red Army to a general who can stand alone. You Taizhong has always been grateful for this.
938, You Taizhong led his troops to participate in the Shentouling ambush battle, breaking through the Japanese army's siege of the nine-way anti-Japanese revolutionary base in southeastern Shanxi. In June 1940, You Taizhong attacked the Kuomintang's Ma'anshan brigade during the friction between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. In August of the same year, You Taizhong participated in the Hundred Regiments Battle , surrounded and annihilated a Japanese squadron, , and won the title of "Level 2 Combat Hero".
(Hundred Regiments Battle)
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, You Taizhong had become quite famous in the Eighth Route Army. Later, You Taizhong's troops were incorporated into , Jin, Hebei, Shandong and Henan Field Army , serving as the brigade commander of the 16th Brigade of the Sixth Column, and became a general under Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping. It is precisely because of this experience that You Taizhong has formed an indissoluble bond with Deng Xiaoping.
In June 1946, the War of Liberation broke out in full swing. In September of the same year, You Taizhong led his troops to participate in the Dingtao Battle. The 16th Brigade of the Sixth Column besieged and wiped out the second division of the reorganized national army in this battle. The commander of the National Army, Zhao Xitian, was defeated and captured. In the Battle of Northern Henan in 1947, You Taizhong used irregular fire attacks combined with unconventional tactics of engineer blasting to break through Tang Ying County, the PLA attacked his subordinates several times before, and captured the famous thief warlords during the Republic of China - Sun Dianying .
(Sun Dianying)
What really made You Taizhong famous in the entire army was that in August 1947, Liu and Deng's army advanced into the Dabie Mountains and crossed the Ruhe battle. In this battle, there was a natural danger of Ruhe in front of Liu and Deng's army, and there were less than 50 miles of national army pursuing troops. Li Desheng, the commander of the 17th Brigade, had already been ordered to cover the baggage troops and pass through the Yellow River in advance. Only You Taizhong's 16th Brigade and Xiao Yongyin's 18th Brigade were able to be mobilized to protect Liu and Deng's command centers.
At that time, Yu Taizhong's 16th Brigade was responsible for being the vanguard of the command headquarters. After receiving the mission, he took the lead in crossing the Ru River as the main force for the expedition. But just as the 16th Brigade had just crossed the Ru River, because the pursuers from the rear arrived, Liu Bocheng urgently ordered the front team of the 16th Brigade to change to the back of the command center to cover it. You Taizhong's 16th Brigade quickly crossed the river and rushed to Pengdian again to cover Liu Deng's command without resting for a minute. While building a defensive position, Yu Taizhong's hat was blown away by a shell and almost died on the battlefield.
When he learned that You Taizhong's troops were rushing to Pengdian to come to the rescue command center despite their fatigue, Liu Bocheng excitedly held You Taizhong's hand and repeatedly told him that he had worked hard. Deng Xiaoping, who was standing next to Liu Bocheng, especially appreciated this young man with a firm will and a comprehensive view.
From then on, You Taizhong was particularly valued by Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping. In the Xiangfan battle in June 1948, You Taizhong and his 16th Brigade took on the main attack task. In the end, You Taizhong wiped out more than 20,000 defenders in Xiangfan and captured the commander of the National Army's city guard alive. 948 During the Huaihai Battle , he annihilated the famous Huang Wei Corps in Shuangduiji, and made an indelible contribution to the strategic decisive battle during the War of Liberation.
(Huaihai Campaign)
1949, the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan Field Army was changed to the Second Field Army. You Taizhong served as the commander of the 34th Division of the 12th Army of the Third Corps of the Second Field Army. He followed Liu and Deng's army to liberate the southwest, and led the leading troops to conquer Chongqing, the "capital" of the Jiang family dynasty, and served as the commander of Chongqing's security.
By the end of the Liberation War, You Taizhong, Xiao Yongyin and Li Desheng were collectively known as the "Six Vertical Three Musketeers", but You Taizhong was not complacent about it. In February 1951, You Taizhong led his troops north to participate in the fight against U.S. aggression and aid Korea, and served as the commander of the 34th Division of the 12th Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.
During the fifth battle of the Korean War, he led his troops to raid the south bank of the Han River, pursued the US and French coalition forces, and successfully broke through after being deeply trapped in the encirclement. Subsequently, You Taizhong participated in the Jincheng defense battle and the Shangganling battle , attacking the US and South Korean coalition forces. In 1954, You Taizhong returned to China gloriously and entered the Seventh Cultural Crash Middle School of the People's Liberation Army. In September 11955, You Taizhong was awarded the rank of major general and was one of the few founding major generals to participate in the Long March, the Anti-Japanese War, the War of Liberation and the Korean War.
(Photo by You Taizhong and Yang Dezhi)
The reason why You Taizhong was praised by later generations is not only because of his outstanding achievements in the battlefield, but also because of his virtue of "sent in time and never forgetting his old grace" in life. In 1964, Wang Jinshan was imprisoned for a divorce case. In a dilemma, the founding lieutenant general of suddenly remembered that he could ask for help from his old subordinates, and the first person he thought of was his former commander of the Third Battalion: You Taizhong.
After receiving a letter from Wang Jinshan, You Taizhong made many suggestions, asking Xu Shiyou to suggest to Chairman Mao to reuse Wang Jinshan. 969, Wang Jinshan, who was re-employed, rushed from Zhengzhou to Nanjing. You Taizhong worked tirelessly and got off the car to greet him. When he saw Wang Jinshan with haggard face, he quickly helped his old leader Wang Jinshan pull his luggage and said to him: "Why don't you want to buy a sleeping ticket?"
(Wang Jinshan's family)
also made You Taizhong miss another old leader and old political commissar of his during the Liberation War: Deng Xiaoping . In 1973, after You Taizhong learned that Deng Xiaoping had returned to Beijing, he came to visit Deng Xiaoping alone despite the dissuasion of others, which surprised and happy Deng Xiaoping. When You Taizhong learned that Deng Xiaoping was not leaving, he specially prepared cigarettes for Deng Xiaoping, but when he saw that Deng Xiaoping had not taken a few sips, he suddenly felt uncomfortable in his heart.
So on the next day , You Taizhong visited Deng Xiaoping again, this time he brought 5 "China" to the old leader. When Deng Xiaoping asked You Taizhong in surprise why he came again, the smell of the cigarettes on his hand instantly relieved his doubts. He said with emotion:
"I haven't smoked such a fragrant cigarette for a long time!"
December 1978, after China entered a new historical period of reform and opening up, You Taizhong, who was over 60 years old, was appointed as the commander of Chengdu Military Region and Guangzhou Military Region , and used all his efforts in the rest of his life to protect the national defense and security of the motherland's borders. 980-1987, You Taizhong organized many round battles between the two mountains on the Sino-Vietnam border, which was praised by Deng Xiaoping. In September 1988, after the People's Liberation Army's rank system was restored, You Taizhong was awarded the rank of general.
You Taizhong, who was dedicated to serving the country for the rest of his hard work, never regretted the rest of his life. Perhaps what made him feel sad was the constant departure of his old friend: in 1985, his close friend and superior Xu Shiyou passed away. Xu Shiyou's last wish is to be buried with his mother in the form of burial after he died. After learning about it, You Taizhong specially selected two top-notch nanmu nanmu to make coffins for Xu Shiyou.
1htmlOn July 24, 1998, You Taizhong died of illness at the age of 80. His last wish during his lifetime was that, like Deng Xiaoping's funeral ceremony, the body was cremated and the ashes were scattered into the sea.Perhaps, at the last moment of his life, this veteran veteran still wants to follow his old superiors in a special way and guard the land and people he has loved throughout his life.
