In mid-1949, the War of Liberation was coming to an end. Except for a few areas such as the southwest and were temporarily occupied by the Kuomintang reactionaries, most parts of the country have been liberated.
In June and July of this year, Nanjing, the ruling center of the Kuomintang, had returned to the embrace of the people, and the front committee of the Second Field Army held an enlarged meeting in Nanjing City.
The main topic of the conference was the southwest thousands of miles away. The Second Field Army was ordered to march into the southwest to study the combat deployment of liberating the southwest and the issue of taking over major cities such as Chongqing and Chengdu.
Under the unstoppable trend of the people's army at that time, the liberation of the southwest was just around the corner.
Therefore, the second field leader Marshal Liu Bocheng and Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping were not worried about the war at all, but directly found Chen Xilian and asked him to serve as the first mayor of Chongqing and the first secretary of the municipal party committee and the deputy director of the military control committee.
At that time, Chen Xilian was the commander of the Third Corps of the Second Field Army. Although he had been in the military for half his life, he was invincible on the battlefield and made the enemy scared, he had no experience or confidence in how to manage a big city.
So, he raised his concerns to Chief Liu and Deng in a nervous and tactful manner, but Deng Xiaoping worried about him, "What's the matter? Chen Xilian was not born to fight wars, and he learned it step by step. You can learn it even if you can't manage it, let alone you are the commander of the Corps, and there are still people below to help you."
Deng Xiaoping's words made him suddenly enlightened and confident. In the next year or so, Chen Xilian made outstanding achievements and completed the task of taking over and governing Chongqing.
Even some famous democrats at that time praised his work in Chongqing and said, "I didn't expect that a person like you who leads troops to fight is also very good at managing cities!"
As an old subordinate, Chen Xilian had a lot of contact with Deng Xiaoping, and he was very afraid of this old leader and superior. After Deng Xiaoping made a comeback in 1977, he took the initiative to meet Chen Xilian. Chen Xilian told the old leader that he was the one who was most sorry for in his life. How did Deng Xiaoping respond?
1. The first acquaintance with Deng Xiaoping
In February 1997, a great man Deng Xiaoping passed away, and the land of China fell into grief. General Chen Xilian, Deng Xiaoping's old subordinate, also wrote a special article "Remembering the Beloved Old Chief" to recall this century-old old man who had a great influence on his life.
In the article, Chen Xilian respectfully called Deng Xiaoping his beloved old leader, and also mentioned that he was fortunate to be able to participate in revolutionary work under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping for a long time.
The veteran general also recalled the glorious past of leaping into the Dabie Mountains, , Huaihai, , and rushing into the glorious past of defeating the Kuomintang army and moving to liberating the southwest under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, full of grief and remembrance for Deng Xiaoping.
Deng Xiaoping also admires Chen Xilian, a powerful general. After meeting the veterans who were still alive in the Second Field Army in 1989, he recalled the battle close to the Dabie Mountains, and said that Chen Xilian had commanded several battles and was deeply impressed by them.
When he was leaping into the Dabie Mountains, Deng Xiaoping, when he was dividing his work and deploying with Liu Bocheng, emphasized that as long as he kept the "Er Chen" behind, he would not have to worry about his safety issues.
——"The Two Chens" refer to Chen Zaidao and Chen Xilian. Deng Xiaoping's trust and affirmation of his abilities made Chen Xilian very proud and excited.
March 6, a reporter from " People's Daily " came to Chen Xilian's home. At this time, he was still immersed in grief. He told reporters: "I can't eat or sleep for more than ten days, and I feel very uncomfortable. When the old leader left, we seem to have lost something."
"In order to better inherit the old leader's will, I also specially studied the report on Sa Xiaoping's ashes, which was written very well. The old leader has worked very hard since , , and has worked hard for our reform cause and pointed out the direction."
Chen Xilian first met Deng Xiaoping in Liao County, Shanxi Province in 1938, which is now Zuoquan County.Not long after the full war of resistance, the People's Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army. Deng Xiaoping was appointed as the political commissar of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and the division commander was Liu Bocheng.
At the military and political leadership meeting in January, Deng Xiaoping talked and joked easily with everyone: "You are all young and in good health!"
In fact, our army is indeed a very young team, and many leaders at that time were only in their early thirties. Chen Xilian was only twenty-three years old at that time, very young, but had been participating in the revolution for several years.
is a veteran who has experienced many battles in terms of combat experience. After hearing Deng Xiaoping's humorous words, he also boldly interrupted with several young cadres: "Political Commissar Deng is also very young!"
Deng Xiaoping was born in 1904 and was only 34 years old at the time, but he was already the main leader of one of the three divisions of the Eighth Route Army. He can definitely be called young and promising, so Chen Xilian and others said nothing wrong.
Chen Xilian told reporters that this is actually not the first time he met Deng Xiaoping. As early as when Deng Xiaoping was the director of the Red First Army, Chen Xilian met him once when he went to a meeting, but both sides were not very familiar with him at the time and didn't remember it.
The initial meeting of the 1938 meeting impressed Chen Xilian, especially Deng Xiaoping's theory is solid and his speech is very high. He has his own unique insights on how to fully mobilize and rely on the general public to build and consolidate the anti-Japanese base areas, and is also in line with the spirit of the central government.
Chen Xilian felt good about the newly appointed political commissar at that time. In his words, Deng Xiaoping was able to grasp Chairman Mao’s thoughts. Cadres in the revolutionary era have always paid attention to efficiency, and Deng Xiaoping is even more so.
As soon as he took office, he conducted a survey of the cadres of the 129th Division. Only by thoroughly understanding the characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of his subordinates can he be aware of people and make good use of them when deploying troops and dispatching troops, and achieve twice the result with half the effort. This is also a responsibility to the officers and soldiers.
Soon, Chen Xilian's name kept appearing in Deng Xiaoping's ears. The division commander Liu Bocheng and deputy division commander Xu Xiangqian both praised this young officer who had served as regiment commander. In his early years, he was called "little cannon" by the accusers and soldiers because he dared to fight and was always charged in the front. In the later stage of the Long March , Chen Xilian also served as the commander of the 10th Division of the Red Fourth Army, and was deeply appreciated by Xu Xiangqian, commander-in-chief of the Red Fourth Front Army. Li Xiannian even called him "the number one in war".
So many comrades praise and praise for Chen Xilian was not because he was futile, but because he won the battle with his outstanding achievements on the battlefield.
In October 1937, Chen Xilian was already the commander of the 769th Regiment of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army. The Japanese army was particularly arrogant at that time and did not take the Chinese army seriously at all.
In this case, Chen Xilian was ordered to lead his troops to attack the Japanese airport, determined to teach the arrogant Japanese army a profound lesson.
He led the soldiers deep into the enemy's back, attacked Yangmingbao Airport on the south bank of the Futuo River, burned down twenty-four enemy aircraft, and wiped out more than one hundred Japanese troops. This is a great achievement, and created a classic battle example of using infantry to annihilate a large number of enemy aircraft, opening up ideas for brother troops.
This battle was also a good start for the 129th Division, which was a harsh breath. It once caused the Japanese army to lose air superiority in the battlefield in northern Shanxi, eased the pressure on the Xinkou front line, and even received commendation from the leaders of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters.
This battle also made Chen Xilian's name even louder. When Deng Xiaoping spoke to him on behalf of the party organization, he praised him as a general, who knows how to fight and can fight.
2. Chen Xilian's revolutionary path
Chen Xilian has a deep relationship with Deng Xiaoping. During the war, he was directly under the leadership and training of Deng Xiaoping for more than ten years. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the two later had nearly twenty years of leadership friendship in Beijing.
So for Chen Xilian, Deng Xiaoping is not only his leader and superior, but also an elder and elder, and a beacon on his revolutionary road.
1915, Chen Xilian was born in Hong'an, Hubei, and the conditions at home were very difficult.
In mid-1949, the War of Liberation was coming to an end. Except for a few areas such as the southwest and were temporarily occupied by the Kuomintang reactionaries, most parts of the country have been liberated.
In June and July of this year, Nanjing, the ruling center of the Kuomintang, had returned to the embrace of the people, and the front committee of the Second Field Army held an enlarged meeting in Nanjing City.
The main topic of the conference was the southwest thousands of miles away. The Second Field Army was ordered to march into the southwest to study the combat deployment of liberating the southwest and the issue of taking over major cities such as Chongqing and Chengdu.
Under the unstoppable trend of the people's army at that time, the liberation of the southwest was just around the corner.
Therefore, the second field leader Marshal Liu Bocheng and Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping were not worried about the war at all, but directly found Chen Xilian and asked him to serve as the first mayor of Chongqing and the first secretary of the municipal party committee and the deputy director of the military control committee.
At that time, Chen Xilian was the commander of the Third Corps of the Second Field Army. Although he had been in the military for half his life, he was invincible on the battlefield and made the enemy scared, he had no experience or confidence in how to manage a big city.
So, he raised his concerns to Chief Liu and Deng in a nervous and tactful manner, but Deng Xiaoping worried about him, "What's the matter? Chen Xilian was not born to fight wars, and he learned it step by step. You can learn it even if you can't manage it, let alone you are the commander of the Corps, and there are still people below to help you."
Deng Xiaoping's words made him suddenly enlightened and confident. In the next year or so, Chen Xilian made outstanding achievements and completed the task of taking over and governing Chongqing.
Even some famous democrats at that time praised his work in Chongqing and said, "I didn't expect that a person like you who leads troops to fight is also very good at managing cities!"
As an old subordinate, Chen Xilian had a lot of contact with Deng Xiaoping, and he was very afraid of this old leader and superior. After Deng Xiaoping made a comeback in 1977, he took the initiative to meet Chen Xilian. Chen Xilian told the old leader that he was the one who was most sorry for in his life. How did Deng Xiaoping respond?
1. The first acquaintance with Deng Xiaoping
In February 1997, a great man Deng Xiaoping passed away, and the land of China fell into grief. General Chen Xilian, Deng Xiaoping's old subordinate, also wrote a special article "Remembering the Beloved Old Chief" to recall this century-old old man who had a great influence on his life.
In the article, Chen Xilian respectfully called Deng Xiaoping his beloved old leader, and also mentioned that he was fortunate to be able to participate in revolutionary work under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping for a long time.
The veteran general also recalled the glorious past of leaping into the Dabie Mountains, , Huaihai, , and rushing into the glorious past of defeating the Kuomintang army and moving to liberating the southwest under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, full of grief and remembrance for Deng Xiaoping.
Deng Xiaoping also admires Chen Xilian, a powerful general. After meeting the veterans who were still alive in the Second Field Army in 1989, he recalled the battle close to the Dabie Mountains, and said that Chen Xilian had commanded several battles and was deeply impressed by them.
When he was leaping into the Dabie Mountains, Deng Xiaoping, when he was dividing his work and deploying with Liu Bocheng, emphasized that as long as he kept the "Er Chen" behind, he would not have to worry about his safety issues.
——"The Two Chens" refer to Chen Zaidao and Chen Xilian. Deng Xiaoping's trust and affirmation of his abilities made Chen Xilian very proud and excited.
March 6, a reporter from " People's Daily " came to Chen Xilian's home. At this time, he was still immersed in grief. He told reporters: "I can't eat or sleep for more than ten days, and I feel very uncomfortable. When the old leader left, we seem to have lost something."
"In order to better inherit the old leader's will, I also specially studied the report on Sa Xiaoping's ashes, which was written very well. The old leader has worked very hard since , , and has worked hard for our reform cause and pointed out the direction."
Chen Xilian first met Deng Xiaoping in Liao County, Shanxi Province in 1938, which is now Zuoquan County.Not long after the full war of resistance, the People's Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army. Deng Xiaoping was appointed as the political commissar of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and the division commander was Liu Bocheng.
At the military and political leadership meeting in January, Deng Xiaoping talked and joked easily with everyone: "You are all young and in good health!"
In fact, our army is indeed a very young team, and many leaders at that time were only in their early thirties. Chen Xilian was only twenty-three years old at that time, very young, but had been participating in the revolution for several years.
is a veteran who has experienced many battles in terms of combat experience. After hearing Deng Xiaoping's humorous words, he also boldly interrupted with several young cadres: "Political Commissar Deng is also very young!"
Deng Xiaoping was born in 1904 and was only 34 years old at the time, but he was already the main leader of one of the three divisions of the Eighth Route Army. He can definitely be called young and promising, so Chen Xilian and others said nothing wrong.
Chen Xilian told reporters that this is actually not the first time he met Deng Xiaoping. As early as when Deng Xiaoping was the director of the Red First Army, Chen Xilian met him once when he went to a meeting, but both sides were not very familiar with him at the time and didn't remember it.
The initial meeting of the 1938 meeting impressed Chen Xilian, especially Deng Xiaoping's theory is solid and his speech is very high. He has his own unique insights on how to fully mobilize and rely on the general public to build and consolidate the anti-Japanese base areas, and is also in line with the spirit of the central government.
Chen Xilian felt good about the newly appointed political commissar at that time. In his words, Deng Xiaoping was able to grasp Chairman Mao’s thoughts. Cadres in the revolutionary era have always paid attention to efficiency, and Deng Xiaoping is even more so.
As soon as he took office, he conducted a survey of the cadres of the 129th Division. Only by thoroughly understanding the characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of his subordinates can he be aware of people and make good use of them when deploying troops and dispatching troops, and achieve twice the result with half the effort. This is also a responsibility to the officers and soldiers.
Soon, Chen Xilian's name kept appearing in Deng Xiaoping's ears. The division commander Liu Bocheng and deputy division commander Xu Xiangqian both praised this young officer who had served as regiment commander. In his early years, he was called "little cannon" by the accusers and soldiers because he dared to fight and was always charged in the front. In the later stage of the Long March , Chen Xilian also served as the commander of the 10th Division of the Red Fourth Army, and was deeply appreciated by Xu Xiangqian, commander-in-chief of the Red Fourth Front Army. Li Xiannian even called him "the number one in war".
So many comrades praise and praise for Chen Xilian was not because he was futile, but because he won the battle with his outstanding achievements on the battlefield.
In October 1937, Chen Xilian was already the commander of the 769th Regiment of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army. The Japanese army was particularly arrogant at that time and did not take the Chinese army seriously at all.
In this case, Chen Xilian was ordered to lead his troops to attack the Japanese airport, determined to teach the arrogant Japanese army a profound lesson.
He led the soldiers deep into the enemy's back, attacked Yangmingbao Airport on the south bank of the Futuo River, burned down twenty-four enemy aircraft, and wiped out more than one hundred Japanese troops. This is a great achievement, and created a classic battle example of using infantry to annihilate a large number of enemy aircraft, opening up ideas for brother troops.
This battle was also a good start for the 129th Division, which was a harsh breath. It once caused the Japanese army to lose air superiority in the battlefield in northern Shanxi, eased the pressure on the Xinkou front line, and even received commendation from the leaders of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters.
This battle also made Chen Xilian's name even louder. When Deng Xiaoping spoke to him on behalf of the party organization, he praised him as a general, who knows how to fight and can fight.
2. Chen Xilian's revolutionary path
Chen Xilian has a deep relationship with Deng Xiaoping. During the war, he was directly under the leadership and training of Deng Xiaoping for more than ten years. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the two later had nearly twenty years of leadership friendship in Beijing.
So for Chen Xilian, Deng Xiaoping is not only his leader and superior, but also an elder and elder, and a beacon on his revolutionary road.
1915, Chen Xilian was born in Hong'an, Hubei, and the conditions at home were very difficult.His father died when he was three years old, and only his mother raised him with great effort, so Chen Xilian was particularly filial to his mother throughout his life, and there was a good story about "kneeling his mother four times".
In the old society, it was very difficult for the poor to survive. As the saying goes, "half-year-old boy, I will lose my son." When Chen Xilian was eight years old, it was the time to grow up. In order to have enough food, he had to go to the landlord's house in the village to herd cattle.
But no matter how hard he works, he is often bullied and abused, and his life is not better. One time, after he came back from herding cattle, he broke a cat bowl after cleaning the floor at the landlord's house, and was deliberately punished by the landlord's mother not to give her food.
Several years of life in herding cattle made him extremely disgusted with the landlord class and he was very eager to change such an unfair and unequal fate. Finally, he found the organization and embarked on the road of revolution.
One day in April 1928, Chen Xilian found the guerrillas and proposed to participate in the revolution.
guerrilla leader Zhan Caifang asked him why he wanted to be a Red Army. Chen Xilian cried and asked Zhan Caifang to see the scars he had accumulated over the years in the landlord's house and said, "I was eight years old and herding cattle for the landlord. Not only did I not have enough food, but I was always beaten and scolded. I have had enough of such days."
"I heard that the Red Army is a team dedicated to the people. You help the poor. I strongly hope to be one of you, fight the landlords' wealth, and uphold justice for the poor."
Chen Xilian's words made Zhan Caifang silent for a long time. He also very much hoped to recruit Chen Xilian under his command, but Chen Xilian was too young at that time. So, Zhan Caifang and Chen Xilian agreed to pick him up to the army after a year.
A year later, Chen Xilian joined the revolutionary team, embarked on a brilliant and combative life, and gradually grew into a senior leader in the army and became a founding general.
It is worth mentioning that as the guide of Chen Xilian's revolution, Zhan Caifang is only eight years older than Chen Xilian. He also experienced an arduous war era and became a founding lieutenant general when the entire army was awarded the ranks in 1955.
In the army, Chen Xilian grew up very quickly and won the nickname of "little steel cannon".
He later recalled: "In those battles of the Red 1st Division, I always charged forward in the battle and was praised by my superiors. Battalion Commander Gao Hanchu once said after the war that I was a little ambitious and like a small steel cannon."
Chen Xilian's nickname is "Xiaopang", but since the battalion commander said this, no one called him Xiaopang anymore, but called him Xiaopang.
In October 1930, Chen Xilian almost lost his life. At that time, the Red Army conquered Guangshan County, Henan Province. Chen Xilian met the former old squad leader Sun Yuqing in the county town. The old squad leader paid out his own pocket to invite him and his comrades to eat some fried dough sticks to improve his life.
But such a small thing was made up by others, and he was labeled as a "eating and drinking committee" and was almost executed.
Fortunately, Marshal Xu Xiangqian discovered this when inspecting the troops, and even said angrily: "A few children were poor at home and came out to make a revolution. What's wrong with eating something?"
Under Xu Shuai's inquiries, Chen Xilian was not punished. At that time, Zhang Guotao was engaged in "anti-counterfeiting". If he was targeted, he would be executed if he said he would be executed. This incident was also remembered by Chen Xilian for the rest of his life and was grateful for it for the rest of his life.
In 1990, Marshal Xu Xiangqian was approaching the end of his life. Chen Xilian couldn't help but burst into tears when visiting him. He said, "Mr. Xu, you saved my life back then, and I want to save you again now."
Chen Xilian stood out from the Red Army and grew up quickly to be a commander who could be the only one. He played a greater role during the War of Resistance Against Japan and also formed a comrade-in-arms with superiors and subordinates with Deng Xiaoping.
3. Why do you say sorry to Deng Xiaoping?
Shortly after Deng Xiaoping served as the political commissar of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, he planned a battle with Liu Bocheng, won the Shentouling victory, killed more than 1,400 Japanese troops, and captured more than 80 people. This is an exciting result.
But Chen Xilian was a little depressed because his 769th Regiment was ordered to create conditions for annihilation of the enemy for his brothers, and there was no great result.So much so that he and the soldiers complained, saying, "We just chewed hard bones and didn't even eat a bite of meat."
These Eighth Route Army soldiers are just like the troops of Li Yunlong and in "Bright Sword". They are afraid that there will be no war. They are very active in killing the Japanese invaders and have a strong fighting spirit.
After Deng Xiaoping found out, he did not criticize their complaints. Instead, he publicly said: "Our small cannon will not be idle. There will be times when he will open fire, but he can eat meat and can't lose the ability to chew bones."
Soon, Chen Xilian ushered in a big battle. Although the Japanese army was frustrated in Shentouling , these losses were not much for the Japanese army in the early stages of the war. They still arrogantly conquered cities and boundaries in Shanxi. Once the front line of
is extended, logistics supply will rely on highway routes for blood transfusion. Among them, the highway from Handan to Changzhi and from Changzhi to Linfen became an important transportation line for the Japanese army.
Based on the information they have, the leaders such as Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping and Xu Xiangqian decided to arrange an ambush to attack the Japanese transport team and cut off their supplies.
This time, the 769th Regiment was entrusted with important tasks. Its main force and the 771st Regiment were ambushed on both sides of the road, and a small number of teams participated in the blockade of aid with brothers.
Before the battle, Deng Xiaoping went to Chen Xilian's regiment headquarters to mobilize and encourage everyone: "Last time in Shentouling, you said that you only chewed bones but didn't eat meat. This time, you sent the meat to your mouth, but not only meat, but also hard bones behind it. It depends on whether you have the ability to chew off bones and eat meat."
Deng Xiaoping's aggressive method made everyone hold their anger, and Chen Xilian also expressed his determination to complete the task resolutely.
1938 On March 31, 1938, the battle started suddenly. After two hours of fierce fighting, the Eighth Route Army achieved brilliant results. It not only annihilated more than 400 Japanese masters, but also destroyed nearly 200 cars, seized more than 130 guns and four mortars .
Range is that no matter how rich the Japanese army has, it is still hurt. It has lost so many cars at once, which has had a great impact on its logistics supply. Chen Xilian's troops alone destroyed 100 cars. After the war, Deng Xiaoping also praised Chen Xilian strongly at the celebration meeting, saying that he could not only eat meat, but also chew bones.
In the war years, there were many such situations, and Chen Xilian's tough battle also left a deep impression on Deng Xiaoping.
In June 1938, the 769th Regiment and the Independent Regiment of the Division merged into 385th Brigade , and Chen Xilian was appointed as the brigade commander.
In January of the following year, Chen Xilian seized a Japanese mountain cannon. This was the first time since the 129th Division entered North China. Deng Xiaoping was very happy and mentioned at the conference: "Is it the Japanese mountain cannon powerful or our small steel cannon powerful? I think it is the small steel cannon powerful, because he seized the mountain cannon."
Yan Xishan When he was carrying out anti-communist activities in North China, Deng Xiaoping instructed him to let the "little steel cannon" hit him a few times. Chen Xilian immediately led his troops to annihilate more than 6,000 Yan Xishan's men, and taught him a lesson in , Jinsui Army , and defeated Yan Xishan's arrogance.
Yan Xishan later said to people: "This little steel cannon is not easy to mess with, so I'd better hide. It's not easy to touch his Chen Xi."
Although Chen Xilian and Deng Xiaoping during the war were divided into superiors and subordinates, Chen Xilian was full of awe of him and admired Deng Xiaoping's talent and character very much.
Chen Xilian once said that Deng Xiaoping was extremely strict in governing the army, and even for these senior cadres, , , they were never exceptional, especially on matters of principle, never compromise or accommodating.
In a special period, Chen Xilian was trusted by Chairman Mao, served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission and Vice Premier of the State Council, and once presided over the work of the Central Military Commission.
But Deng Xiaoping had ups and downs during this period. As a member of the Politburo, during this period, Chen Xilian, as an old subordinate, did not stand up and expressed his objection, and was unable to say a few words to Deng Xiaoping. This became a hurdle in his heart that he could never overcome.
Wait until the clouds of history dissipate and after Deng Xiaoping returns again, Chen Xilian and Li Xiannian go to Xishan to visit Deng Xiaoping.Deng Xiaoping didn't mind the previous incident. As soon as he met, he held Chen Xilian's hand tightly and looked at his old comrade-in-arms and his subordinate with relief.
Chen Xilian was also very excited. He told Deng Xiaoping that if he didn't smash those people, he would never see him again. Deng Xiaoping did not speak after hearing this, but he did not blame Chen Xilian in his heart and felt very similar.
In the late autumn of 1978, Deng Xiaoping made Chen Xi meet again. During this meeting, Chen Xilian expressed his guilt to Deng Xiaoping, saying that he was the one who was most sorry for in his life.
Deng Xiaoping, who has experienced countless historical tests, saw this very thoroughly. He comforted Chen Xilian and said that in such a situation, no one can do anything, and he has no choice. Of course, after the storm, Deng Xiaoping also protected Chen Xilian.
Chen Xilian supported and loved Deng Xiaoping from the bottom of his heart. In his memoirs, he wrote: "The chief cared for his elders' demeanor, which is deeply imprinted in my heart and will be unforgettable for me for my life."
So much so that he and the soldiers complained, saying, "We just chewed hard bones and didn't even eat a bite of meat."These Eighth Route Army soldiers are just like the troops of Li Yunlong and in "Bright Sword". They are afraid that there will be no war. They are very active in killing the Japanese invaders and have a strong fighting spirit.
After Deng Xiaoping found out, he did not criticize their complaints. Instead, he publicly said: "Our small cannon will not be idle. There will be times when he will open fire, but he can eat meat and can't lose the ability to chew bones."
Soon, Chen Xilian ushered in a big battle. Although the Japanese army was frustrated in Shentouling , these losses were not much for the Japanese army in the early stages of the war. They still arrogantly conquered cities and boundaries in Shanxi. Once the front line of
is extended, logistics supply will rely on highway routes for blood transfusion. Among them, the highway from Handan to Changzhi and from Changzhi to Linfen became an important transportation line for the Japanese army.
Based on the information they have, the leaders such as Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping and Xu Xiangqian decided to arrange an ambush to attack the Japanese transport team and cut off their supplies.
This time, the 769th Regiment was entrusted with important tasks. Its main force and the 771st Regiment were ambushed on both sides of the road, and a small number of teams participated in the blockade of aid with brothers.
Before the battle, Deng Xiaoping went to Chen Xilian's regiment headquarters to mobilize and encourage everyone: "Last time in Shentouling, you said that you only chewed bones but didn't eat meat. This time, you sent the meat to your mouth, but not only meat, but also hard bones behind it. It depends on whether you have the ability to chew off bones and eat meat."
Deng Xiaoping's aggressive method made everyone hold their anger, and Chen Xilian also expressed his determination to complete the task resolutely.
1938 On March 31, 1938, the battle started suddenly. After two hours of fierce fighting, the Eighth Route Army achieved brilliant results. It not only annihilated more than 400 Japanese masters, but also destroyed nearly 200 cars, seized more than 130 guns and four mortars .
Range is that no matter how rich the Japanese army has, it is still hurt. It has lost so many cars at once, which has had a great impact on its logistics supply. Chen Xilian's troops alone destroyed 100 cars. After the war, Deng Xiaoping also praised Chen Xilian strongly at the celebration meeting, saying that he could not only eat meat, but also chew bones.
In the war years, there were many such situations, and Chen Xilian's tough battle also left a deep impression on Deng Xiaoping.
In June 1938, the 769th Regiment and the Independent Regiment of the Division merged into 385th Brigade , and Chen Xilian was appointed as the brigade commander.
In January of the following year, Chen Xilian seized a Japanese mountain cannon. This was the first time since the 129th Division entered North China. Deng Xiaoping was very happy and mentioned at the conference: "Is it the Japanese mountain cannon powerful or our small steel cannon powerful? I think it is the small steel cannon powerful, because he seized the mountain cannon."
Yan Xishan When he was carrying out anti-communist activities in North China, Deng Xiaoping instructed him to let the "little steel cannon" hit him a few times. Chen Xilian immediately led his troops to annihilate more than 6,000 Yan Xishan's men, and taught him a lesson in , Jinsui Army , and defeated Yan Xishan's arrogance.
Yan Xishan later said to people: "This little steel cannon is not easy to mess with, so I'd better hide. It's not easy to touch his Chen Xi."
Although Chen Xilian and Deng Xiaoping during the war were divided into superiors and subordinates, Chen Xilian was full of awe of him and admired Deng Xiaoping's talent and character very much.
Chen Xilian once said that Deng Xiaoping was extremely strict in governing the army, and even for these senior cadres, , , they were never exceptional, especially on matters of principle, never compromise or accommodating.
In a special period, Chen Xilian was trusted by Chairman Mao, served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission and Vice Premier of the State Council, and once presided over the work of the Central Military Commission.
But Deng Xiaoping had ups and downs during this period. As a member of the Politburo, during this period, Chen Xilian, as an old subordinate, did not stand up and expressed his objection, and was unable to say a few words to Deng Xiaoping. This became a hurdle in his heart that he could never overcome.
Wait until the clouds of history dissipate and after Deng Xiaoping returns again, Chen Xilian and Li Xiannian go to Xishan to visit Deng Xiaoping.Deng Xiaoping didn't mind the previous incident. As soon as he met, he held Chen Xilian's hand tightly and looked at his old comrade-in-arms and his subordinate with relief.
Chen Xilian was also very excited. He told Deng Xiaoping that if he didn't smash those people, he would never see him again. Deng Xiaoping did not speak after hearing this, but he did not blame Chen Xilian in his heart and felt very similar.
In the late autumn of 1978, Deng Xiaoping made Chen Xi meet again. During this meeting, Chen Xilian expressed his guilt to Deng Xiaoping, saying that he was the one who was most sorry for in his life.
Deng Xiaoping, who has experienced countless historical tests, saw this very thoroughly. He comforted Chen Xilian and said that in such a situation, no one can do anything, and he has no choice. Of course, after the storm, Deng Xiaoping also protected Chen Xilian.
Chen Xilian supported and loved Deng Xiaoping from the bottom of his heart. In his memoirs, he wrote: "The chief cared for his elders' demeanor, which is deeply imprinted in my heart and will be unforgettable for me for my life."
