The Long March of the Red Army in 1934 was a difficult and dangerous march, as well as a tragic but significant history.
In this long queue, there is a "red kid" who is only 9 years old.
One day, he told his friends that he participated in the Long March of the Red Army. Everyone did not believe it and questioned his identity. At this time, Chairman Mao happened to pass by and asked him: "How can you prove that you participated in the Long March?"
The little guy said loudly: "Of course I participated in the Long March. If you don't believe me, ask my uncle He Long!"
Chairman Mao laughed loudly: "You stubborn son! It turns out that he is from He Huzhu's family, and now I believe it!"
It turns out that this little guy's name is Xiang Xuan. He is the youngest Red Army soldier in the Red Army Long March team, and is also the nephew of Marshal He Long. Xiang Xuan participated in the war against the enemy at the age of 7, and followed the 2nd and 6th Red Army on the Long March at the age of 9. He is an experienced "red kid"!
His tragic childhood began in the revolutionary He family, where he was persecuted by the reactionaries successively;
His growth and fighting spirit were experienced in the revolutionary ranks while fighting tenaciously against the enemy;
His undying revolutionary flame and belief are destined to be realized with the victory of the revolution!
1. Suffering experiences have tempered a strong heart
Today, at the northern end of the Zhangjiajie Scenic Area, which is well-known at home and abroad, there is a river valley basin - Hongjiaguan . It is the birthplace of Xiang Xuan and the hometown of the He family who made revolution with two kitchen knives.
He Mangu is Xiang Xuan's biological mother and He Long's second sister. She is the most stubborn among the sisters in the family. She is always fearless, brave and tenacious, and not afraid of power.
Long before Xiang Xuan was born, the He family was famous in Sangzhi County . The sisters of the He family all followed He Long in making revolution. He Mangu and Xiang Xuan's aunt He Ying used the guns brought back by He Long to mobilize guerrillas in their hometown of Sangzhi, Hunan.
He Mangu, who was pregnant at the time, had been following her sister He Ying in guerrilla fighting. She never stopped fighting until Xiang Xuan was born. She was a famous local female hero.
Xiang Xuan, who grew up in such an environment, was able to hold a gun and shoot at the age of four or five, and his marksmanship was not bad. His family was afraid that he would get into trouble when he was too young, so they always wouldn't let him touch a gun. But every time he was in danger, they would give him a gun so that he could protect himself and destroy his enemies.
So Xiang Xuan often secretly took He Long or He Ying's guns and practiced marksmanship using big trees as targets. After a long time, only the bare branches of a big tree were left.
Shortly after Xiang Xuan was born, one day He Mangu returned to his hometown in Sangzhi County with his child. On the way, he was followed by the local bully landlord Xiao Yongsheng. Xiao Yongsheng ordered the regimental defense captain Xiao Peiran to surround He Mangu's home.
After He Mangu learned about it, he moved to the vicinity of Zhoujiayu. However, due to the leak of the news, Zhang Henru, the leader of the regiment defense in Taozixi, learned of his whereabouts. They surrounded He Mangu and his children. After a fierce battle, He Mangu ran out of ammunition and food, and was eventually captured by the enemy.
When He Ying learned that He Mangu and her children had been sent to the Kuomintang authorities, he was very anxious and tried every means to rescue them. Through her cousin Chen Guiru, she used a lot of money to buy off her enemies and redeem the Xiang Xuan brothers and sisters from prison, but He Mangu was never released.
Later, when Xiang Xuan grew up, I heard from adults that his mother He Mangu was tortured in prison, but she refused to surrender to the enemy and eventually died heroically!
Xiang Xuan had just turned two that year. He lost his mother who loved him forever. This kind of trauma is irreparable.
Xiang Xuan always remembered his mother's murder and vowed to avenge his mother.
Five years after He Mangu's death, regimental defense leader Zhang Henru was captured by the Red Army. He Long asked Xiang Xuan and Liao Hansheng to escort Zhang Henru back to the military headquarters. Xiang Xuan remembered that his mother had been tortured to death, and he hated the enemy deeply. With a gunshot, he finally avenged his mother.
After He Mangu's death, He Long said to He Ying: "It's very pitiful that Xiang Xuan has no mother. If you don't have a child, just raise him as your own."
So, the two-year-old Xiang Xuan has been taken by He Ying from then on. He Ying has never had children and gave all his love to Xiang Xuan.
In 1933, Xiang Xuan was 7 years old, and the revolutionary struggle in western Hunan and Hubei entered the most difficult period. The Red Army had only a few thousand people left out of more than 330,000 people. They were forced to withdraw from western Hunan and Hubei and retreated to eastern Guizhou. He Ying led the guerrillas to continue the struggle.
In early May of this year, it was the busy rice-planting season. At that time, many guerrillas rushed home to help with farm work. He Ying took some of his relatives and lived in a farmer's house not far away.
Because there were traitors in the local farmers' association, the enemy surrounded He Ying and his family's residence. He Ying heard the sound and walked toward the door with his gun. Unfortunately, he was hit by enemy bullets in his right leg and abdomen and died on the spot.
Before he died, He Ying held Xiang Xuan's hand tightly, thrust two pistols into him, and told him: "Go quickly! Go to your uncle for revenge!"
Xiang Xuan held the pistol He Ying gave him and ran towards the woods with all his strength, followed by gunshots from behind.
He cried while running. He lost his biological mother and He Ying's mother. A kind of sadness and anger emerged from his heart, but he could not stop. He wanted to find Uncle He Long and avenge He Ying's mother!
Xiang Xuan successfully escaped the enemy's pursuit. Later, Liao Hansheng and others found Xiang Xuan in the woods. They traveled through mountains and rivers and finally found He Long's troops.
Xiang Xuan saw his uncle He Long and burst into tears. He Long saw a seven-year-old child running out of a hail of bullets, covered in scars, wading through mountains and rivers, and finally standing in front of him. He also thought of his sacrificed sister, and tears blurred his eyes.
The painful experience did not break Xiang Xuan, but tempered his heart. He wants to be a brave Red Army soldier and avenge those revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives!
2. After the death of He Ying, the youngest "Red Kid" in the Long March team
, He Long kept Xiang Xuan by his side and became a guard. 7-year-old Xiang Xuan also joined the ranks of "Red Little Ghosts".
In the blink of an eye, Xiang Xuan was 9 years old and became the deputy squad leader in the army. However, he did not become the deputy squad leader for long before the Red Army's Long March began.
Before the Long March, Xiao Xiangxuan was still a very naughty "red kid". He often played in mud fights with other children of similar age and got himself dirty. After being taught a lesson by adults, he made the same mistake again the next day.
This may be the first time for children of this age to go fishing in the river and secretly help the newly sprouted potatoes to "reinforce the growth". For this reason, He Long often grabbed Xiang Xuan's ears and went to a fellow villager's house to apologize.
He Long told Xiang Xuan, whose eyes were red from crying: "Just because you are my nephew, you can't feel sorry for my fellow villagers. Don't forget, it was the revolutionary mule that brought you up!"
Gradually, Xiang Xuan grew up, he was no longer so willful and naughty, and he became more and more considerate of others.
During the Long March, He Long paired Xiang Xuan and two other "red little devils" with a small flower horse, but Xiang Xuan always gave the horse to other children and used his steps as a cart.
Uncle saw that Xiang Xuan himself had a leg injury and asked him to ride more horses. Xiang Xuan replied humorously: "The doctor said that I need to move my feet more to heal quickly, and marching is the best activity."
During the march, when the team rested, Xiang Xuan would sweep the floor, help choose vegetables, and often complete the tasks of delivering letters, serving as a messenger, and standing guard. Although it was hard along the way, I felt extremely happy and did not feel bitter.
In fact, when Xiao Xiangxuan climbed snow-capped mountains and crossed grass , there were times when he was too tired to move a step.
However, he has been exposed to the war since he was a child. He knows that he cannot give up and must be strong and brave, let alone embarrass his uncle He Long and his dead mother. In this way, although Xiang Xuan is the youngest, he never "holds back" the team.
3. I am an ordinary soldier
When he grew up, Xiang Xuan never talked about his relationship with He Long to others. He told himself: I am an ordinary soldier.
At the same time, he continues to learn cultural knowledge and improve himself. From the primary school attached to the middle school of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region to Yan'an Anti-Japanese University, he has always been strict with himself and never stopped studying.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Xiang Xuan and his companions developed the " thunder cannon " together. Xiang Xuan was very happy when he saw the artillery shells he developed fired at the Japanese army with a range of more than 500 meters and 5 kilograms of explosives at a time. The enemy barracks were blown to pieces in an instant.
The army leaders considered that Xiang Xuan was a descendant of martyrs and was too young, so they were afraid that it would be too dangerous to go to the battlefield. However, Xiang Xuan ignored everyone's dissuasion and insisted on going to the front line to kill the enemy.
On the battlefield, he fought bravely and without fear. Once an enemy's rifle grenade hit Xiang Xuan, and he fell in a pool of blood. Although he finally saved his life, he was almost blind, his right leg was penetrated, and he was injured in 21 places all over his body.
The commander of the column at the time, He Bingyan, told He Long the news. He said to He Long: "I failed to protect Xiang Xuan. I'm sorry for you!"
He Long did not blame He Bingyan, but said to him: "Xiang Xuan is very brave. Even if he died on the battlefield, it is nothing! If other people's children can sacrifice, my child's life is the same life..."
After liberation, Xiang Xuan retired from the position of deputy minister of the Ministry of Human Armed Forces. Liao Hansheng came to Chengdu to see him. When he learned that Xiang Xuan was still at level 16, he jokingly said to him: "Why is he still at level 16?"
Xiang Xuan looked solemnly. Said: "There are many people like me in the army. If I go out of my way and improve my level and treatment, what about others? I am just an ordinary soldier."
Xiang Xuan has always thought like this in his heart, and has been asking himself to do this all these years. He once said: "You must see yourself from the perspective of others, otherwise you will not be able to see yourself clearly."
Comrade Xiang Xuan is now nearly a hundred years old, and the remaining shrapnel from the war has not yet been removed. This old man who has gone through many hardships, experienced bullets and bullets, and suffered the loss of loved ones did not embarrass He Long!
He has gone through too many difficult roads for the revolutionary beliefs in his heart, and he deserves our eternal respect!
Let us always remember these great people who contributed to the construction of New China!
. END .
Text: Jiang Ying
