In September 1951, a little carpenter named Zhang Youcheng was invited by the chairman to come to Beijing. After arriving in Zhongnanhai , Chairman Mao was very excited and quickly shook hands with the honest farmer and talked.
Chairman Mao sighed: "If you hadn't been bold and calm that time and covered me, I would have almost lost my life!"
Zhang Youcheng lived in Beijing for a month. Before leaving, Chairman Mao not only gave him some souvenirs, but also sent him a special task.
So, who is Zhang Youcheng? Why is Chairman Mao worried about this? Which special task was given to him?
Chairman Mao received the masses
1. "Do you remember Brother Zhang who played together?"
On October 1, 1949, Chairman Mao announced at the founding ceremony of . The founding of New China was truly mastered by the people. This generous speech soon spread throughout the country. Everyone admired Chairman Mao, the great man who overthrew three mountains.
At this time, Mao Yuju, the cousin of Chairman Mao and enlightenment teacher who was far away in Shaoshan Chong, Hunan, heard about it, he excitedly wrote a poem and wrote a letter to Mao Zedong to congratulate him.
At the same time, Mao Zedong's cousin Mao Zelian came to Zhongnanhai, Beijing to have a warm exchange with the Chairman.
During the conversation, the chairman asked him about Mao Yuju's situation many times, wanting to see how this enlightenment teacher's life is and how he is in good health.
Just so happened that Chairman Mao received a letter from Mao Yuju. After reading it, he was very happy. He finished reading the poem and the passionate letter in one breath, and then wrote a reply.
This letter from Mao Zedong to his cousin Mao Yuju also allowed the villagers of Chong, Shaoshan, Hunan to see the opportunity to communicate with the chairman, and they wrote letters to the chairman to say hello.
Chairman Mao and his mentor Mao Yuju
But the villagers all wrote letters, but Zhang Youcheng did not write to the Chairman. He believed that too long had passed and Chairman Mao might have forgotten him.
However, whenever the villagers talk about Mao Zedong's glorious deeds, Zhang Youcheng will listen carefully, and his heart will become excited and happy, and he will sincerely respect the Chairman.
In May 1951, Mao Zedong's cousin Wen Jianquan and Wen Yunchang were invited to Beijing to reminisce about the past with the chairman. After hearing this, Zhang Youcheng couldn't help but decide to write a letter to Chairman Mao and let Wen Jianquan take it there. The content of the
letter is very simple, and it says: "Brother Mao San, do you still remember Brother Zhang Yi and Brother Zhang Si who played with you when you were young?"
However, after writing this letter, Zhang Youcheng did not expect Chairman Mao to reply. He still farmed in the farmland, made furniture at home, and did his own carpenter job.
Time came September 4, 1951. Early in the morning, magpies chirping in front of the door, and Zhang Youcheng was doing farm work in the fragrance of flowers and birds.
Unexpectedly, there was a noise outside. Before Zhang Youcheng could go out and take a look, Mao Yuju walked in and two more cadres followed behind him.
Zhang Youcheng had no time to speak, but the two comrades first "stand at attention" when they saw Zhang Youcheng, and then raised their hands and said:
"Comrade Zhang Youcheng, Chairman Mao sent us to pick you up to Beijing and attend the National Day ceremony."
Zhang Youcheng was stunned after hearing this, thinking that he had auditory hallucinations . After all, after the founding of New China, many of Chairman Mao's relatives wanted to go to Beijing to see it and write letters to Chairman Mao, but most of the Chairman chose to refuse.
Although Chairman is a leader of a country, he is a peasant. He has experienced too many sadnesses over the years of the revolution. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he still saves money and does not cause trouble to the country, nor does he use public funds to receive the people.
Zhang Youcheng knew that the country was in trouble. Chairman Mao had a lot of trouble every day and never wanted to go to Beijing to talk to his childhood friends. He didn't expect the Chairman to personally invite him.
Mao Yuju saw Zhang Youcheng in a daze and shouted: "Youcheng, hurry up and prepare things, go to Beijing with me to reminisce about the past with Chairman Mao."
Through further understanding, Zhang Youcheng knew that the Chairman personally sent comrades Cai and Ye to pick them up to Beijing. In addition to Mao Yuju, Mao Zedong's cousin Wen Meiqing, who was a partner Chairman Mao met when he was living in his grandmother's house when he was a child, and he was also the closest relative of the Chairman's death.
Mao Yuju is the Chairman's cousin and the enlightenment teacher of the Chairman, which allowed Mao Zedong to absorb rich knowledge and nutrition when he was young; Wen Meiqing is the Chairman's cousin, and the Chairman's return When the township was engaged in the farming movement, he was the most active supporter.
Zhang Youcheng couldn't figure it out. He and the chairman were neither close nor old. Why did Chairman Mao invite himself to Beijing? Is it because of that letter?
In fact, after Wen Jianquan brought Zhang Youcheng's letter to the chairman, Chairman Mao asked in detail about the family life of Zhang Youcheng and Zhang Siwei, and then decided to let Zhang Youcheng go to Beijing to reminisce about the past.
Chairman Mao invited three people to Beijing to participate News of the National Day ceremony soon spread throughout Shaoshan Chong . On September 18 of the same year, Zhang Youcheng and the other two set off on the day. The people came to see them off in groups, hoping that they would go smoothly.
5 days later, Zhang Youcheng, Mao Yuju and others came to Beijing. Chairman Mao sent a special person to wait in advance. When they got off the car, they were picked up and sent to Hanhetang, Zhongnanhai by a special car.
Chairman Mao was very happy to hear that the villagers had arrived and hurried to Hanhetang. Everyone.
Zhang Youcheng, Mao Yuju and Wen Meiqing were overjoyed when they saw the chairman coming. They shouted "Runzhi" in a strong Shaoshan accent, revealing their thoughts for decades.
for many years, they had a lot of things to say to the chairman, but after meeting, they didn't know where to start.
Chairman Mao smiled and quickly walked forward, shook hands with everyone one by one, and said, "Thank you all the way! "
His elegant manners and gentle words made these Hunan fellow villagers feel very friendly!
When Mao Zedong shook hands with Zhang Youcheng, he said kindly: "Brother Zhang Yi, I finally hope you, welcome! "
Chairman Mao and the masses
Looking at Zhang Youcheng's hair on his temples was white and his face was covered with wind and frost, Chairman Mao sighed: "After farewell in Shaoshan, I didn't realize that you have been old for more than 20 years, you look old! That time, if you hadn't saved me, I would have almost lost my life! "
So, what is Chairman Mao's referring to? How did Zhang Youcheng save him? Everything starts with the childhood of the two.
2. Respond to Revolution , participate in the Hunan New Army
Zhang Youcheng is a Shaoshan Chong, Xiangtan, Hunan. He was born in 1886, 7 years older than the chairman, and the eldest in the family, so the chairman called him "Brother Zhang".
Zhang Youcheng and a brother Zhang Siwei, the family is ranked The fourth brother, the chairman called him "Brother Zhang"!
When he was a teenager, Mao Zedong had been living in his grandmother's house, very close to Zhang Youcheng's family. In addition, Mao Zedong was much taller than his children of the same age, so he liked to play with older children. Zhang Youcheng's brothers became Mao Zedong's good playmates.
Mao Zedong was born to love water and often came to the pond in front of his home to swim. Once he and a group of friends were playing water fights in Shaoshan Creek. Zhang Youcheng accidentally fell into the deep pool. He was not good at swimming. As a result, his body fell down.
At this moment, Mao Zedong immediately made a fierce man and lifted Zhang Youcheng from underwater, which saved his life. Zhang Youcheng, who survived the disaster, admired Runzhi, who was 7 years younger than him, and regarded him as the "King of Children".
Young Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong studied in a private school for a few years, but in a family change, his father sent him He went to a new school in the county and then separated from Zhang Youcheng.
Zhang Youcheng inherited his father's business and became a carpenter. He was kind-hearted, good at talking, courageous, lively and smart, good at carving and wood craftsmanship, and was especially good at carving and wooden beds. His employers were all over the surrounding villages.
Every time Mao Zedong returned to his hometown, he would ask Zhang Youcheng brothers for help when there were any important things at home, such as making furniture, managing grain, buying and selling pigs and cattle, etc., and became Zhang Youcheng's long-term employer.
Mao Zedong has been ambitious and sympathetic to poverty since childhood. He expressed deep sympathy for the difficulties of Zhang Youcheng brothers, and also appreciated their character very much. He interacted with each other more deeply, and gradually changed from childhood friends to close friends.
1911 Revolution broke out. Mao Zedong, who was studying in Changsha, resolutely joined the Hunan New Army with the ambition to serve the country. He also recalled specifically about inviting the brothers Zhang Youcheng, Zhang Siwei, and his cousin Guo Zicai to join the new army.
They were separated until after Sun Yat-sen established the Republic of China in Nanjing and Mao Zedong's troops were disbanded.
Later, Chairman Mao studied in Changsha, was influenced by progressive ideas, and established New Min Society with Cai Hesen and others, calling on everyone to arm themselves with new ideas.
After the May Fourth Movement, Chairman Mao was exposed to Marxist thought and was deeply fascinated. He founded the Communist organization in November 1920 and became one of the founders of the Communist Party of China.
During the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Chairman Mao served as the Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang, and returned to Shaoshan Chong with his wife Yang Kaihui and his son Mao Anying to promote revolutionary ideas and carry out the work of the peasant movement.
Farmer Transportation Work
Yang Kaihui opened a farmers' night school in the Mao Family Ancestral Hall to teach nearby villagers to read and read for free. Mao Zedong traveled to several nearby counties, went deep into the masses, understood the suffering of farmers, and conducted in-depth investigations. In just a few months, more than 20 farmers' associations were established to carry out a vigorous peasant movement.
Zhang After his prejudiced friend Mao Zedong came back, he was very excited and immediately joined the peasant movement and became a backbone member of the peasant association.
3. Zhang Youcheng fought with the enemy and rescued Mao Zedong wisely in the spring of 1925, Chairman Mao founded the first party branch of the Communist Party of China in Shaoshan, leading the people to fight against local tyrants, fight against evil gentry, and divide the land. This move attracted hatred and panic among local tyrants and evil gentry. They asked the reactionary authorities to send troops to arrest Mao Zedong.
One day, there was news that Xu butcher led a large group of troops to rush towards Shaoshan, clamoring to arrest Mao Zedong, and said that anyone who could catch Mao Zedong, the biggest leader of the Hunan Communist Party, could directly reward 10,000 ocean . After the news of
came out, many people joined the search for Mao Zedong in order to get the bounty, and the entire Shaoshan Chong became in chaos and panic.
Mao Zedong knew that Shaoshan was no longer safe, so he decided to escape in the direction of Xiangxiang . The enemy suddenly discovered his whereabouts and chased him reluctantly.
Mao Zedong knew that there was Zhang Yi Ge’s house in front of him, so he came to his doorstep. As the saying goes, Zhang Youcheng was nervous and worried about him after hearing that everyone had arrested Mao Zedong.
Chairman Mao
He stood in front of the door and saw Mao Zedong running from a distance. Before he could speak, he pulled him into the house and hid him behind the pile of firewood.
Seeing that Mao Zedong had hidden it, Zhang Youcheng pretended to be calm and made furniture for his employer.
At this moment, the two officers and soldiers shouted arrogantly: "Hey, did you see a man wearing a blue gown running?"
Zhang Youcheng was startled when he saw the officer and soldier, his eyes full of fear. He stuttered:
"Sir, don't point your gun at me, I'll say it. Are you talking about a private school teacher with a Western style? I just saw him running to Xiangxiang."
Two officers After hearing this, the Bing directly scolded Zhang Youcheng and said, "What private school teacher? That's the Communist Party. Why don't you arrest him?"
Zhang Youzhen Ma pretended to be frightened and said, "Master of officers and soldiers, how did I know he is a Communist? I thought he was a teacher, so I watched him run away."
The two officers and soldiers saw that he was honest and did not dare to tell lies. After cursing for a few words, they chased towards Xiangxiang.
In this way, Zhang Youcheng staged a good show, lying to save Mao Zedong. If he hadn't been dealing with the enemy and the two officers and soldiers searched the house, Mao Zedong would have been caught on the spot, and the consequences were unimaginable.
After the enemy left, Mao Zedong walked out, but he could hide once, so how could he escape the second time?
Young Mao Zedong
Zhang Youcheng thought about it and decided to let Mao Zedong disguise himself as a doctor, and then he, Zhang Siwei, Mao Fusheng and others carried the sedan chair and were escorted by Mao Fuxuan to leave Shaoshan Chong.
Unexpectedly, when the sedan chair came near Guangong Bridge, it met the delegation member sent by Cheng Xusheng, director of the Xiangtan County League Defense Bureau.
These group of people saw a group of people walking towards the sedan chair, and shouted fiercely, "Hey! Have you guys met Mao Zedong?"
Zhang Youcheng asked the guys to put down the sedan chair and said calmly, "What Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong? I have never heard of this person, how could I see him?"
group of people was half-believing and half-doubted, pointing to the sedan chair and asked, "Who is carrying inside?"
Zhang Youcheng quickly replied, "Which is the doctor inside, rushing to the county town to save people. The group leader didn't believe it and asked to open the sedan chair and take a look.
Mao Fuxuan spoke at this time. He said, "Our lady is sick, she is 90% ill, and she has to be rescued immediately. You are just messing around, be careful that my master will complain!" Mao Zedong in the sedan chair also spoke, and he said with a voice in his throat: "I am a local doctor. This is not shameful. If you want to see it, open the sedan chair and let them see it."
Mao Fuxuan spoke again and shouted to the group members: "Doctor, he is, he is a doctor." However, it is a doctor. Is there any fake? If there is anything good to watch, don’t talk too much, let’s go quickly.”
group of people (online photo)
group of people was shocked by Mao Fuxuan’s momentum. When they saw the doctor in the sedan chair calmly, without any doubt, they cursed: “Get out quickly, get out quickly!”
In this way, a group of people escorted Mao Zedong to a safe area. Before leaving, Zhang Youcheng took out a handkerchief bag from his pocket, opened it, took out five oceans, and handed them to Mao Zedong.
Mao Zedong knew that Zhang Youcheng's family was poor and had many children. He had to support him after several mouths. The situation was chaotic at that time and the people were living in difficulties. Although Zhang Youcheng had good skills, he could not get much work, so he refused to accept the money.
Zhang Youcheng is a rough man. Seeing that Mao Zedong refused to accept it, he became anxious and said, "Mr. Runzhi, how can you do without money when you are out? Don't be polite and don't think it's too little. This is my intention. Take it to help you with it, and you will definitely be able to use it on the road." After
finished speaking, Zhang Youcheng stuffed the money into Runzhi's pocket. Mao Zedong couldn't resist and had to accept the money.
As expected, these five oceans came in handy soon. Shortly after Mao Zedong left Shaoshan, he was captured by the reactionary militia. Along the way, he continued to promote ideological propaganda to these tribes and tell the principles of revolution. Mao Zedong gave them five oceans on his body, and these tribes let him go.
Young Mao Zedong
It can be said that if Zhang Youcheng had not had this series of experiences, Mao Zedong would probably have been caught many times. And he never forgot about Zhang Youcheng's brothers and kept thinking about them.
4. When I met Zhang Youcheng again after New China, Chairman Mao was filled with emotion and said:
"Thanks to your brother Zhang, you risked your whole family's life to save me, and thanks to your silver dollar , which helped you a lot, otherwise I would not be able to escape that disaster."
Zhang Youcheng then realized that the Chairman invited him for a small matter more than 20 years ago. He was flattered and admired the Chairman even more.
Zhang Youcheng waved his hand quickly and said, "Runzhi, I enjoyed your blessing! If you hadn't saved my life when you were a child, I would have been no longer in the world. I saved you to repay your kindness."
Chairman Mao laughed after hearing this, and asked everyone if they had had dinner. He kept everyone at his house for dinner. Before the meal, he specially called his daughters Li Min and Li Na to introduce the situation to the three brothers.
At the dinner, Chairman Mao knew that Zhang Youcheng loved drinking, so he asked cook to bring a bottle of wine and toast the three brothers one by one to inquire about the land reform situation in his hometown and the recent life of relatives and friends.
Chairman has a strong memory and is vivid in his hometown and what happened in the past.
, and Zhang Youcheng and the other two also knew everything, telling the changes in their hometown over the years, the current situation and existing problems.
At that time, Chairman Mao was wearing an old coat and his diet was very simple. Everyone respected the Chairman as the founding leader so simple, and lamented that their "Runzhi" character was noble and great.
During the conversation, people came in from time to time and whispered to the Chairman. The Chairman sighed: "It's better for you. I'm not free at all!"
Seeing that everyone was full, Chairman Mao stood up and shook hands with the three brothers, and said with apologies: "There are so many things, and I can't help myself. After the work is done, let's talk hard."
He turned around and said to his secretary: "These old people have contributed to the revolution and must be treated well. It was not easy for them to come. They accompanied them around and bought whatever they wanted. The expenses were recorded in my account. "
" In this way, the secretary drove a jeep and took Zhang Youcheng and the other two to Beijing City to Beijing City , and visited the Forbidden City, Great Wall , Tiananmen , museum, Summer Palace , Cultural Palace, etc., and transferred Beijing City and ate many famous Beijing dishes.
On October 1, 1952, Mao Zedong sent someone to give the gift certificate to the three brothers, asking them to climb the Tiananmen Gate Tower to watch the gift. Zhang Youcheng and others saw such a grand and majestic scene for the first time. They were very excited and laughed at themselves as "rural bullies" who came out of Shaoshan. They were a big scene.
Zhang Youcheng and others were in Beijing for more than a month. Although Mao Zedong was busy with everything, he would send a car to Zhongnanhai whenever he had time. He took the time to chat with them. He met three villagers 8 times and had 6 meals with him.
They communicate freely and chat and laugh, and talk about the changes in their hometown over the years.
When talking about the failure of the Great Revolution, the Kuomintang confiscated 13 rooms and many fertile land in Mao Zedong's family, and even dug up his ancestral graves. Mao Zedong was not only not angry, but was magnanimous and unconcerned, and said with a smile: "What do they do to me?"
Zhang Youcheng and the other two saw that the Chairman was busy with work, fearing that he would stay in Beijing for a long time and would affect Chairman Mao's work, so he proposed to return to Shaoshan Chong. After hearing this, the Chairman smiled and asked them to live there for a while. He also asked everyone to visit Qinhuangdao , Baoding , Chahar and other places, and said that there were mountains and waters there, which was worth a visit.
Chairman Mao also advised in his hometown accent: "You won't trip if you take a plane, and you won't drown when you take a sea ship. Don't miss this opportunity."
Zhang Youcheng and the other three are real farmers. Naturally, they have never taken a plane, and they have never seen a sea ship. They were very excited and agreed to stay for a while.
That's it. Under the leadership of Chairman Mao's secretary, Zhang Youcheng and the other two saw the different mountains, rivers and rivers of the motherland. They had a broad vision and were very excited inside, and they were even more grateful to the Chairman.
5. The Chairman gave him a special task
After returning to Beijing, Chairman Mao and his three brothers had their last meal. Before the meal, the Chairman took a photo with them in front of Hanhe Hall.
Zhang Youcheng (first on the left)
From the photo, it can be seen that Zhang Youcheng was wearing a blue cloth cotton coat and cotton pants, cloth shoes on his feet, and a bear cap on his head. He stood on the left of Mao Zedong with Mao Yuju, and Wen Meiqing stood on the right of the chairman. Their faces were full of pride and joy.
Before the three villagers left, Chairman Mao gave each of them many gifts, including leather shoes, leather hats, leather coats and leather boxes for Zhang Youcheng to spend the winter. It was truly affectionate.
Chairman Mao also said that Zhang Youcheng's personality has not changed for many years, and he still looks honest and honest back then. He speaks straightforwardly and simplely, and is deeply loved by him.
Because Zhang Youcheng's simple words, the Chairman heard a lot of big truths and knew all kinds of changes in the countryside, including good and bad, while others reported good but not bad.
For this reason, Chairman Mao personally issued a "special task" to Zhang Youcheng, which is to frequently reflect the changes in the countryside and the situation in the village. He has to write several letters every year, and he can write anything, and he cannot report good news or bad news.
Zhang Youcheng took on this task with confidence and said that he would definitely be able to complete this important task.
Zhang Youcheng gained a lot during this trip to Beijing. After returning to his hometown, the local people's government distributed 150 kilograms of rice to him every month, solving his life problems and preventing him from worrying about the firewood, rice, oil and salt.
The carpenter of the last century
Usually, Zhang Youcheng also does carpentry work, and does some farm work, writes letters to the chairman and reports on the situation in the village.
The villagers often take the initiative to find him and reflect what they see and hear to Zhang Youcheng. This is exactly the side the Chairman hopes to see. Only in this way can we truly understand the real situation in the countryside.
After the new China, Chairman Mao visited many places, but local officials reported good news but not bad news, and they could not know the true grassroots situation. The Chairman also sent the guards around him to take turns to live in the countryside for a period of time many times, and then handed in another document. The Chairman then grasped the next policy and policy based on this first-hand material.
Zhang Youcheng wrote 12 letters to Chairman Mao, and each time he would make a long statement. After receiving the letter, the chairman reads it sentence by sentence, so as to understand the most realistic rural situation.
In the summer of 1952, the phenomenon of "grain loss and pigs are cheap" occurred in the Daping area of Shaoshan. In order to save food, the township government issued an announcement banning steamed wine and boiled sugar.
Zhang Youcheng was addicted to alcohol and was full of energy without drinking a few taels of wine every day. When " Prohibition for Drinking " came out, Zhang Youcheng began to mutter, isn't this your own life?
Then, he wrote these phenomena to Chairman Mao to complain. After reading the letter, the chairman laughed, not expecting that this "Brother Zhang" was so obsessed with wine.
However, Mao Zedong also knew that "there is low in food and pigs" was not good news for farmers, and farmers might have to live a hard life for the time being. He quickly replied to Zhang Youcheng and comforted him, "The ban on alcohol in the countryside is due to shortage of food. The ban may be lifted after the autumn harvest. You can drink a little."
Chairman Mao sent another 50 yuan to his old friend Zhang Youcheng to subsidize his family income. After receiving the money, Zhang Youcheng bought the current wine and food for wax pig ears.
However, Chairman Mao was still worried, so he wrote a letter to his cousin Mao Yuju asking about the "food shortage and pig cheapness" in rural areas. It was not until later that grain yield increased and pigs sold at a good price that his brows unfolded.
Chairman Mao, who is busy with national affairs every day, is always concerned about the food issues in his hometown. It can be seen that the Chairman is devoted to the people.
In the winter of 1952, Zhang Youcheng died of illness. It was not until August 1953 that Zhang Youcheng's fourth brother Zhang Siwei wrote to the Chairman to explain the matter.
After learning that his friend died of illness, Chairman Mao was very sad. On September 8 of the same year, he wrote back to Zhang Siwei: Brother Cheng passed away, and I am deeply mourning!
A leader actually sent a telegram to mourn for the death of a carpenter, which shows how much Zhang Youcheng has in the heart of the Chairman, and this is also a manifestation of Chairman Mao’s grace to repay Brother Youcheng for saving his life.
In 1954, Chairman Mao warmly received Zhang Siwei, who was also a childhood playmate. When talking about Zhang Youcheng's death, the Chairman's expression was still very solemn.
. In view of Zhang Siwei's participation in the Revolution of 1911, the peasant movement, the Northern Expedition, etc., and his life difficulties, the Chairman arranged for him to work in the Hunan Provincial Salt Transportation Bureau.
The reason why Chairman Mao was respected by hundreds of millions of Chinese people is not only because of his great contributions during the revolutionary years, but also because he always thinks about the people and cares about them. He will repay all kindness. Such excellent character is amazing.
