One afternoon in 2018, the Red Museum of Yushe County, Yuci District, Jinzhong City welcomed a special guest. An octogenarian, accompanied by several government staff, stood on the museum's photo wall and didn't know what he was looking for. Suddenly he pointed to one of the photos, burst into tears, and said in a trembling voice: "This is me, next to me is my battalion commander Hao Sancheng, I am his guard."
The old man is named Hao Zhiquan, but why did he come to the museum to look for such a photo? What kind of story is behind this photo? Hao Zhiquan was born in Yushe, Shanxi in 1928. In the era when he was born, warlords fought melee, great powers invaded, the people were poor, and the people were in vain. Hao Zhi's family is no exception. There are only a few acres of thin land in the family to barely make a living. Fortunately, his parents were kind, so although his childhood was poor, it was also warm. When he was seven years old, Hao Zhiquan was sent by his father to a private school for two years and recognized a few words.
In 1935, Hao Zhiquan's hometown established a Red Army team. The Red Army soldiers were disciplined and friendly to others. They not only helped them drive away evil thieves, but also helped them work. They also distributed their food to the poor local people. Everything the Red Army did left an indelible impression on the little Hao Zhiquan's heart. But the beautiful life did not last long. The Japanese army launched a war of aggression against China, invaded iron hooves, and the country was lost.
However, fortunately, Hao Zhiquan's hometown is in the countryside, so it was affected relatively little. Moreover, the local Red Army was also reorganized into the Eighth Route Army and launched guerrilla resistance to Japan in the county and rural areas. Under their protection, Hao Zhiqiancai grew up safely, and hopes to become an Eighth Route Army soldier one day, become as strong as them, and protect himself and family. In the blink of an eye, in 1944, 16-year-old Hao Zhiquan was already a strong young man, but his wish to drive the great powers out of the Central Plains still lingered in his heart.
With this idea in mind, he joined the anti-Japanese team and was assigned to the Yushe Independent Battalion. Later, he received the attention of the battalion commander for his outstanding performance on the battlefield, so he transferred him to his side and became a guard under battalion commander Hao Sancheng. However, Japan was already a powerful crossbow at this time. After less than a year and a half, Japan officially announced its unconditional surrender. Although he did not fight with the Japanese in real guns and ammunition head-on, Hao Zhiquan and his comrades were still ecstatic, and they both believed that the days of war were about to pass, and that light and peace would only come next.
In order to celebrate the victory, battalion commander Hao Sancheng specially summoned all the soldiers and asked photographers from the county to take a photo for them. However, no one in the photo expected that this photo would become a tool for Hao Zhiquan to prove his identity several years later. However, although external troubles were eliminated, internal troubles were not settled. A year later, the civil war broke out, and Hao Zhiquan devoted himself to the War of Liberation, participated in several famous battles, and made great contributions to the liberation of the whole country. The most tragic one is Taiyuan Battle .
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the warlord Yan Xishan led his army to occupy Taiyuan and built a large number of military defense systems. The National Army absorbed a large number of Japanese soldiers and was equipped with excellent American equipment. If you want to successfully capture Taiyuan, you will inevitably donate blood and sacrifice. Hao Zhiquan's battalion commander Hao Sancheng unfortunately died heroically in this battle. Hao Zhiquan was also stabbed into the belly by the enemy's bayonet. skull was hit by ammunition. Although it did not hurt his life, it was also seriously injured. He recuperated in the hospital for three months before he improved. It was precisely because of this that he had to retire early and leave his beloved team.
After retiring, Hao Zhiquan returned to his hometown Yushe , got married and had children, hid his identity, and lived a plain and ordinary life. In 1950, Yushe prepared to establish a Red Museum and solicit cultural relics from nearby people. Although he was reluctant to leave, in order to make the battalion commander's achievements remembered, Hao Zhiquan decided to hand over his photo with the battalion commander. In a blink of an eye, Hao Zhiquan was already an old man in his seventies. He had spent his life safely, but he was in some trouble.
Hao Zhiquan's son died early, and the old couple was sick again. Several acres of thin land could not make a living. However, all his information was unfortunately lost when he moved, so he could not receive subsidies from the government to the veterans. It’s just that it’s old and many information is hard to find. After being reminded by the staff, Hao Zhiquan remembered that he still had an old photo, so the scene at the beginning of the article was created. In order not to let the bloody soldiers in the past cry again, local government personnel checked a large amount of information and finally proved Hao Zhiquan's identity. The elderly Hao Zhiquan received the treatment they deserved. Not only did they reduce medical expenses, but they also received living subsidies. Hao Zhiquan and his wife can finally enjoy their old age.
For us, that history is just a few pages that have been flipped in the book, and for these veterans, it is an unforgettable memory. Similarly, we cannot forget all this. Only by remembering history and not forgetting national humiliation can we move towards the future and not repeat the same mistakes.
