" What a white-robed young man! "
The sentence comes from the famous democrat Li Gongpu.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Mr. Li visited the Jin-Cha-Hebei base area and accidentally met a young general of our army. I saw the other party’s eyebrows and eyes were beautiful and heroic. No matter how you look at it, it looked like the young general mentioned in ancient operas. So, Mr. Li, who is very literary, blurted out: "What a young man in white robe."
Time flies. The young and young generals of the past eventually became a famous general. This person is: Senior General of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Yang Chengwu .
After the founding of New China, Yang Chengwu led his troops to station in Tianjin. This year, he just turned 35 years old. Like many PLA generals who grew up during the war, he had a proud body.
Yang Chengwu
In May 1951, Corps Headquarters.
37-year-old Yang Chengwu received an emergency call asking him to quickly arrive at Zhongnanhai and meet Chairman Mao.
After a long time of not seeing Chairman Mao, Yang Chengwu was extremely excited. He sorted out his clothes, called the guards and the driver and walked out. Zhang Nansheng, who was 9 years older than him, kept shouting behind him: "Do you want to bring some documents to report!"
Yang Chengwu smiled and waved his hand. For him, when he meets Chairman Mao, he doesn't have to bring anything.
In this issue, what I want to tell you is the legendary past between founding general Yang Chengwu and Chairman Mao:
Why did Chairman Mao urgently summon Yang Chengwu to Zhongnanhai to meet?
On the day of meeting, why did Chairman Mao respect Yang Chengwu for three cups?
Why did Yang Chengwu sleep all night on the night of meeting?
It should be said that these things that happened between them are still worth our thinking today, more than 70 years later.
1. We have known each other for more than 20 years. Mao Zedong had previously urgently summoned
many times. Whether in the War of Resistance Against Japan or the War of Liberation, Mao Zedong had one characteristic of treating his famous generals: if he used it, he would have great trust. Because of trust, he most of the time he did not have the habit of calling the generals to give orders in person.
There is a very telling example about this:
In April 1948, Su Yu rushed from Puyang to Xibaipo to attend the central meeting. When Chairman Mao saw him, he said, "It's been 17 years, I haven't met in 17 years!"
At that time, the guards present could not believe: Su Yu, a senior general of the People's Liberation Army who held heavy troops, had completed all previous strategic deployments in the past 17 years by simply sending telegrams and other means.
This should be considered a very puzzling thing in the history of world wars. Why can Mao Zedong and his subordinates trust each other so much? This is , Chiang Kai-shek, who is used to "recommending" his subordinates, and he will never understand it.
Because Mao Zedong did not easily summon his subordinates, his several urgent summons to Yang Chengwu seemed very special.
Yang Chengwu is a Fujian Hakka . He was born in a peasant family in 1914. When he was studying in the county, he began to accept revolutionary ideas. At the age of 15, he participated in the peasant riot in western Fujian and has since joined the army.
Yang Chengwu first met Mao Zedong in March 1929. At that time, he was just a young man from the Western Fujian Peasant Association. He followed the adults to hiding in the forests of western Fujian for a long time and lived as a "savage man" until Mao Zedong, Zhu De and Chen Yi led the Red Army to fight over.
Mao Zedong
That year, 36-year-old Mao Zedong looked at the boy wearing samsands in front of him and asked in a Hunan accent: "What's your name?"
"My name is Yang Chengwu!"
"This name is Yang Chengwu!"
"What's the age?"
"15 years old!"
"Have you paid the gun?"
"We have paid the gun twice together!"
Everyone at the scene was happy, and Mao Zedong was also happy.
This is the first time that a young man Yang Chengwu talked to the "big figure" in the Red Army. He knew that the question was Mao Zedong, but he still couldn't understand why among the many people, he just talked to himself.
What Yang Chengwu did not expect was that in the following years, Mao Zedong urgently summoned him twice. Moreover, both times, I have a heavy responsibility to entrust.
's first urgent call was in August 1935.
This year, 21-year-old Yang Chengwu was already a famous general in the army. A few months ago, he just led Red Fourth Army to participate in the feat of flying to capture Luding Bridge . This time, the leader of the army informed him: "You hurry up to Maoergai and go directly to Mao Zedong to receive the mission!"
Yang Chengwu wondered: "Why is my mission the chief personally?" Then, he took the cavalry reconnaissance platoon and ran away, and saw Mao Zedong frowning in a small wooden building.
Before there was time to greet him, Mao Zedong put his hands on his hips and pointed at the map with the other hand, and said to the 21-year-old young man in front of him: "The grassland is a marina with foggy, overgrown water and grass, and an indistinguishable direction. You must walk out of the vast grassland a northward march route!" It turned out that Yang Chengwu was about to try to cross the grassland.
Previously, Mao Zedong had asked the Red Sixth Group to try it, but the result was not ideal. Therefore, in a sense, Mao Zedong had already pinned all his hopes on Yang Chengwu's Red Fourth Group . In his opinion, if he fails to succeed, turning around and going south will be a run away, which will ruin everything.
History proves that Mao Zedong’s choice was right, and I believe Yang Chengwu was right. After rolling and climbing in the rocks and swamps for 6 days, Yang Chengwu led his troops to complete the task.
Mao Zedong urgently summoned Yang Chengwu for the second time, on the battlefield of liberation in 1948.
At that time, Yang Chengwu was already the commander of , the Third Corps of the North China Military Region. One day, he received a notice: quickly arrive at the North China Military Region to meet Nie Rongzhen. As soon as they met, Nie Rongzhen told him: "Chairman Mao is looking for you!" Then, the two rode their horses to Xibaipo.
At 3 pm, in Xibaipo's office, Yang Chengwu met Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi and Ren Bishi. Mao Zedong politely filled a plate of candy for everyone and poured water for everyone himself.
Then, Mao Zedong told his layout about North China and asked Yang Chengwu: "Your Third Corps is preparing to march into Suiyuan !"
Mao Zedong
Suiyuan is Fu Zuoyi's old nest, where he has operated for more than 20 years. The People's Liberation Army has no mass base in the local area, so it will be very difficult to collect grain and eat. Mao Zedong asked Yang Chengwu very formally in front of everyone: "Are there any difficulties? What are the requirements?"
34-year-old Yang Chengwu blurted out: "No!"
Mao Zedong smiled, he knew that it was impossible to have no difficulties. Afterwards, he was so worried that he asked Zhou Enlai to inform Yang Chengwu that he had 100,000 to Yang Chengwu's Third Corps. If it is really time to lose the pot, it is better to use money to buy food. This money later played a big role.
History once again proved that Mao Zedong did not see the wrong person. By the end of October, all Suiyuan, except for Guisui and Wuyuan areas, were liberated! The Central Military Commission sent a congratulatory message.
young generals are "grinding" in this way. After more than a year of military service, the "white robe young general" that Mr. Li Gongpu had met in the past has grown into a famous general who made both the Japanese army and the Chiang army scared (regrettably, Mr. Li died at the hands of the spy in July 1946 and never saw everything behind).
2. In 1951, under what circumstances, Mao Zedong summoned Yang Chengwu's
to meet him for more than 20 years, and was used several times at critical moments. This shows how Mao Zedong's trust in Yang Chengwu is.
From May 1951, another urgent telegram from Mao Zedong, 37-year-old Yang Chengwu set out from Tianjin and headed straight for Zhongnanhai. He understood that the urgent call at this critical moment was only because of one thing: Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea .
Yang Chengwu and Zhang Nansheng are not very familiar with Zhongnanhai's layout. Finally, it was under the guidance of the staff that they met Mao Zedong in Yiniantang in Fengzeyuan .
Meet again, Mao Zedong smiled. After sitting down, Yang Chengwu planned to tell the situation of the 20th Corps, hoping to make the leader feel at ease about his work in the past year after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
never thought that before he could speak, Mao Zedong spoke first: "Chengwu, I heard from Enlai and Rongzhen that your corps are ready to enter the dynasty, which is very good!"
has been with each other for many years, so I understand. Based on this sentence alone, Yang Chengwu could see Mao Zedong's inner worries. Because they are all the same type of people, the type of people who are easily unwilling to release their worries.
So, what kind of situation is the Korean battlefield at this time? Or, what kind of situation was Peng Dehuai in at this time?
Peng Dehuai
When talking about this issue, the author still said the same thing:
If you cannot face the level of the US military, if you cannot face up to the various difficulties encountered by the Volunteer Army in the entire process (including the failure of some battles), it will not be possible for our young people to understand how much Chinese People's Volunteer Army paid in that war that took place more than 70 years ago.
In fact, after the end of the previous few battles, Peng Dehuai encountered many difficulties:
One, the opponent's "upgrade".
At the beginning, Peng Dehuai's direct opponent was the US "five-star general" MacArthur . This world-renowned general with a proud index and fame experienced the darkest moments of his life at Peng Dehuai.
Then, another US military general who was later called "Viol Snake" by Chinese military fans appeared in North Korea. This person is: Li Qiwei. This US military general with grenade on his body knew what he was going to do and had no psychological burden on using various "fraudulent tricks".
On January 4, 1951, when the volunteer army captured Seoul, Peng Dehuai found a line of words in Li Qiwei's unit, which read: "Li Qiwei, commander of the Eighth Army of the United States, paid tribute to the commander of the Communist Party of China!" At this moment, Peng Dehuai had already understood: he had encountered an opponent who was stronger and more calm than MacArthur.
The second difficulty Peng Dehuai faces is the various pressures from home and abroad.
When the war entered the stage of strategic confrontation and the volunteers no longer launched a fierce attack, what Peng Dehuai had to bear was the North Korean side's incomprehension. For example, the North Korean side once questioned: "There is no commander-in-chief in the world who won a victory and won't chase!"
At the same time, the Soviet Union arranged an adviser to North Korea, Lazovaev, because he could not understand Peng Dehuai's operations, he had to go to Stalin to complain. However, in the end, Stalin not only praised Peng Dehuai's correct decision, but also severely criticized Lazovaev. Stalin's original words were:
"Peng Dehuai played very well in North Korea according to Mao Zedong's policy. Peng Dehuai is a rare military strategist. However, we, Lazovayev, pointed at Peng Dehuai, and he really didn't know the world."
Stalin
If you understand this sentence carefully, you should be able to understand the international pressure faced by Peng Dehuai and Mao Zedong at this time.
In China, Peng Dehuai is also facing considerable pressure. The kind Chinese people, for this battlefield, donated money and materials without frowning. What do they want to see?
They want to see how many kilometers the volunteers have advanced and which city they have captured! Every victory makes them cheer for it.
This is of course a motivation. But at the same time, it is also a kind of pressure.It obviously takes time to explain to these kind people that "the strategy has changed, and fierce pursuit will only fall into the enemy's trap."
The third difficulty Peng Dehuai faced at this time was that his opponents were increasingly understanding the Volunteer Army.
We must admit that in the victory of the previous few battles, the "surprise attack" was a magic weapon of our army. When our army's 250,000 troops had already entered North Korea secretly, the Americans with information lagging behind were still shouting in front of reporters that "the Chinese dare not cross the river to compete with us." This situation has won us a certain amount of time.
However, after several months of contact, the US military has entered a comprehensive study of the volunteer army and has even figured out the problems in our army's supply. In this case, victory will naturally become more difficult.
In fact, many soldiers who returned from North Korea mentioned that the real test for the volunteer army began precisely from the strategic confrontation stage.
And it was at this time that Mao Zedong summoned Yang Chengwu.
Three or three glasses of wine, General Yang did not sleep all night
During this conversation, Mao Zedong was obviously relieved. While smoking a cigarette and drinking tea, he talked to Yang Chengwu and Zhang Nansheng about the plan for the 20th Corps to enter the court.
At this time, a staff member walked in and whispered a few words in Mao Zedong's ear. Only then did Mao Zedong realize that it was already noon and it was time to have lunch. So he immediately stood up and said to Yang Chengwu, "Eat, let's have dinner together!"
Yang Chengwu
How should we describe this "dinner"? There are 6 words that may be appropriate: "high specifications" casual meal. Why is
called "high specification"?
Because, there were three people sitting in the table, one was the chairman of New China, one was the founding general, and the other was the founding lieutenant general (Zhang Nansheng). Why is
"simple food"?
Because the dining table is set under a pergola in the yard. Square wooden tables and a few ordinary home-cooked dishes. During the meal, the only thing worth a little money was a bottle of red wine, which was given by a democratic figure earlier, and Mao Zedong was reluctant to drink it.
This is the farewell banquet held by the Chairman of New China for his upcoming generals. It's just such a specification.
During the meal, Mao Zedong toasted the two generals with 3 glasses of wine.
The first glass of wine was originally brought up by Yang Chengwu. He stood up and said to Chairman Mao, "Chairman, we both wish you a drink!" Mao Zedong waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I deserve to wish you!" Then, Mao Zedong said the first farewell words: " Our war is just, anti-aggression, and to defend peace in the Northeast and the world !" Yang Chengwu and Zhang Nansheng drank it all in one go.
The second glass of wine was brought up by Mao Zedong. This time, he said a lot and repeatedly told the two generals Yang and Zhang to prepare for a protracted war and persevere. The two generals Yang and Zhang nodded repeatedly and drank it all in one go.
The last glass of wine, Mao Zedong seemed to suddenly remember something, said, "You are the Beijing-Tianjin garrison troops, the Beijing-Tianjin garrison troops! Come on, I have done this cup! ." Of course, Yang and Zhang understood the weight of this sentence and drank it all in one go.
After three glasses of wine, Yang Chengwu and Zhang Nansheng stood up and said goodbye. Mao Zedong sent them to the entrance of the courtyard and waved his hand...
A farewell banquet between the commander and the general ended like this.
That night, Yang Chengwu did not sleep all night, and his thoughts turned into such a passage:
is like a fire-fire commander to urge the Eastern Expedition, and the leader summoned the Forbidden City. A wonderful speech and a clear strategy, and three glasses of fine wine to send deep affection.
The passionate and passionate waves are rolling, and the heroic spirit is endless. I live up to the Chairman and live up to the Party, and I will swear to pacify the enemy.
The general has been poor since childhood and has not read much. However, after savoring this poem, there is a different kind of passion. We all know what happened later in
.In June 1951, the general went to war, and the 67th and 68th Army of the 20th Corps of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army went to war!
Chinese People's Volunteer Army
After that, these two heroic troops wrote their achievements into the history of China's military:
68 Army set a record of fighting fiercely with the enemy for 10 days and annihilated more than 7,000 enemies;
67 Army set a record of the highest casualties of the enemy on the Korean battlefield in one day in the battle in October.
On October 25, the US military had to return to the negotiating table.
After that, Yang Chengwu stayed in North Korea until July 1952. Because it was a cadre rotation system, more generals needed to be trained, he was ordered to return to China.
History once again proved that Mao Zedong did not read it wrongly. Since then, he, together with General Yang Yong and Yang Dezhi, was called the "Three Yang Kaitai" on the Korean battlefield!
On February 14, 2004, General Yang Chengwu passed away, and the whole country was sad!
ending:
Resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea is the battle to establish a new country. On October 26, 1958, the last group of Chinese People's Volunteer Army delegations returned to China. Chairman Mao's first question was: "Are you all back?" The soldiers burst into tears.
Mao Zedong
It is hard for us to imagine how the soldiers on the day felt when they heard this sentence. Just as it is hard for us to imagine what General Yang Chengwu, who had no sleep all night, thought of: was he the first meeting in 1929, or whether he had passed by the grassland or the predecessor to Suiyuan...
What we can know is that to this day, there are still a large number of military historians around the world (especially the United States) studying the Korean War . They tried to use various deductions and analysis to figure out what strange tricks did the Chinese People's Volunteer Army use to make the war like this? There will be many answers to the question
, from a tactical and strategic perspective. However, when they studied many "impossible battles", they would come to a conclusion: people, only people, are the most important. The most important thing is to have such a commander, such general, and such soldiers.
