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1951, an old farmer who went to the township to go to the township office with sweat and wanted to ask for a drink.
At that time, The People's Republic of China had just been established, and Chairman Mao's portrait was hung in many places for people to admire.
Network picture (non-Peng Yousheng)
This old farmer looked at the portrait of Chairman Mao hanging on the wall and suddenly said: "Is his name Mao Runzhi? I recognize him. He was the soldier I led before."
This sentence shocked the staff in the township office and hurriedly said: "Old man, you can't talk nonsense. This is Chairman Mao."
But the old farmer said very confidently: "I will not admit my mistake, it is him."
What is the name of this old farmer? Is what he said true or false? What past has he had with the national leaders?
This old farmer is named Peng Yousheng . He was born in Sanzhang Township, Hengyang City, Hunan Province in 1884. He is the only son in the family and the family makes a living by farming.
peasant
The year when Peng Yousheng was born, Qing Dynasty was already shaky, and in addition, wars started one after another, taxes were heavy, and the people were living in dire straits.
In such an era, Peng Yousheng's family can only survive hard.
He was nearly ten years old and went to a private school to study, but even so, he dropped out of school after half a year because Peng Yousheng's parents really couldn't pay the extra tuition.
After dropping out of school, Peng Yousheng has been helping his parents at home.
Herding cattle and farming have become the whole life of Peng Yousheng.
Until the age of fifteen, Peng Yousheng looked at the house where his family was barely walled and wanted to find a job in the city, earn more wages, and come back to subsidize the family income.
Farmer
Peng Yousheng went to the town alone. He worked as a helper in a hotel, worked as a coolie to move things, and also went from street to street to sell newspapers and deliver milk.
I live a busy and hard life every day, and I go out early and come back late and walk through the streets and alleys.
But it is not easy to make money. Peng Yousheng was young at that time, and some bosses saw that he was easy to bully and deliberately deducted his salary.
This half-old boy can only endure hunger, and sometimes he can't have a full meal for several days.
Until 1907, when the Qing Dynasty was on the verge of destruction, and uprisings broke out in various places.
The people could no longer bear the long-term oppression of imperialism and landlord class, and they chose to rise up and resist. Many rebel troops posted recruitment notices everywhere.
new army during the Revolution of 1911
Peng Yousheng saw it and chose to sign up for the army without hesitation.
If you become a soldier, you may die in battle, but if you don’t join the soldier, you may starve to death. It is better to sacrifice your life for the country than to starve to death on the streets.
Peng Yousheng thought so, so he plunged into the torrent of revolution without hesitation.
After joining the army, Peng Yousheng was incorporated into the 2nd Battalion of the 49th Division of the Hunan New Army and began his own military camp life.
at the beginning also experienced several battles of all sizes. Although the scale was not large, Peng Yousheng dared to fight and kill on the battlefield, and his usual training was extremely hard, so he was highly appreciated by the battalion commander.
Peng Yousheng was promoted to "deputy commander" within a few years. In today's terms, he is the deputy squad leader.
1911, the Wuchang Uprising broke out, which was a far-reaching armed riot in modern Chinese history and the beginning of the 1911 Revolution.
Wuchang Uprising (oil painting)
Wuchang Uprising aims to overthrow the rule of the Qing government. After the uprising broke out, the Qing government brutally suppressed the revolutionary army.
The Hubei uprising army was unable to resist for a while, so they asked for help from the Hunan New Army.
After receiving the news, the new Hunan army immediately divided into two groups, heading towards Changsha and the other to Wuhan for support.
Peng Yousheng, as a member of the new Hunan army, also went to Changsha with the troops.
In the battle with the Qing government, Peng Yousheng not only cooperated with his superiors, obeyed the command, but was able to adapt to the situation and led his soldiers to launch a fatal attack on the enemy, making considerable achievements in this battle.
The Wuchang Uprising finally achieved success. It was a hard-won victory and a far-reaching battle.
started with the Wuchang Uprising, and many patriots responded to the call and devoted themselves to the national rescue operation.
Young Mao Zedong
Among them, it includes Mao Zedong , who was only eighteen years old at the time. After the successful uprising, a "come-in-arms" was set off in various places, and many young people came to the army to enlist.
The Hunan New Army where Peng Yousheng is located has also welcomed a large number of young people to join.
One day in late October, 1911, Mao Zedong came to the location of the Hunan New Army's troops and wanted to sign up for the army, but he did not expect to be rejected by the commander responsible for accepting the new recruits. The reason given by the Chief
is that at least two reliable people need to be guaranteed.
But Mao Zedong was just eighteen years old at that time and came to Changsha from Xiangtan alone. Where can I know any "reliable guarantor"?
The young and energetic Mao Zedong thought this provision was unreasonable and had a dispute with the superior.
Young Mao Zedong
At this time, he happened to meet Zhu Qisheng . After hearing Mao Zedong's passionate eloquence, he brought Mao Zedong to the barracks and found his good friend Peng Yousheng.
Zhu Qisheng and Peng Yousheng said: "President Peng, this brother wants to participate in the revolution, but no one guarantees him. Let's guarantee him, okay?"
Peng Yousheng heard this and asked Mao Zedong in detail about his personal situation and asked him: "You are still a teenage student, why do you want to join the army? This is not a house, and it is very likely to die on the battlefield."
Mao Zedong replied: "As a citizen, you should do your best to the success of the revolution."
It was this answer that touched Peng Yousheng, and he and Zhu Qisheng guaranteed Mao Zedong.
In this way, Mao Zedong successfully joined the army under the name of "Mao Runzhi" and became a big soldier.
Mao Zedong
None of them had ever thought that it was the young man in front of them who had not yet left their childishness, who had really fulfilled his promise many years later and led China onto a new revolutionary path.
truly realizes the sentence "Stand up for the people, carry forward the unique knowledge for the past sages, and bring peace to the ages."
2. Military life
After joining the army, Mao Zedong was incorporated into the left team of the first battalion of the Fifth Division of the 25th Mixed Association, and was also a subordinate of Peng Yousheng.
It was already November at that time, and the weather turned cold, but due to the uncertainty, the military was short of supplies and equipment, and the cotton coats, quilts, etc. for the winter had not been distributed.
Peng Yousheng is already a veteran. The two are in the same dormitory. Peng Yousheng takes care of this new little brother everywhere and gives him his new military uniform to help him keep the cold and spend the winter.
Mao Zedong Stills
Mao Zedong was a hot commodity in the army at that time. At that time, most of the comrades in the army were big and rude. They had never been to school when they were young and did not recognize a few words. Therefore, Mao Zedong, a cultural person, was like a stream of fresh air.
He has studied, known many words, and is very literary. He often helps some comrades write letters, and sometimes reads newspapers to everyone.
After a long time, everyone looked at him differently.
Not only that, Mao Zedong did not relax during military training.
The training of the recruits is very hard, they go out for exercises three times a day, and they also have to name a name and give a speech after the end.
Even so, Mao Zedong still strictly demanded himself. After only more than a month in the army, he had mastered basic military knowledge and combat skills.
Mao Zedong Stills
Because Mao Zedong is tall and has beautiful movements, the squad leader always asks him to demonstrate during training.
Sometimes Mao Zedong and other soldiers will "get a small job" to improve their military skills.
Not only did his comrades like him, but even Peng Yousheng took more care of Mao Zedong.
At first, Peng Yousheng saw this young man passionately trying to contribute to the revolutionary cause, as if he had seen himself when he was young.
After entering the military camp, Peng Yousheng saw this and admired this young man more and more.
Not long after Mao Zedong joined the army, the company received an order that the troops where Peng Yousheng were located would go to another war zone to stand by.
Mao Zedong Stills
The two places are 150 kilometers apart. The situation is urgent and you must march overnight.
On the march road, they encountered many difficulties. The road was long and it started to rain heavily halfway, and the already difficult mountain road became even more muddy.
Although Mao Zedong was young and strong, he still lacked experience. In such bad weather, he gradually became exhausted and fell behind the team.
At this time, Peng Yousheng was responsible for the breaking of the rear at the end of the team. Seeing that Mao Zedong looked ill, he was afraid that he would have any danger, so he walked with him. Fortunately, the troops arrived at the designated location successfully, and Mao Zedong did not fall behind with the help of Peng Yousheng.
This experience left a very deep impression on him and made him grateful to Peng Yousheng, the big brother.
North-South Dispute and Harmony
This military camp life also made Mao Zedong feel quite touched when he recalled it in the future. During a meeting with foreign leaders in 1967, he also mentioned his experience in the ranks and said that his "military posture and marksmanship are pretty good."
1912, Sun Yat-sen and Yuan Shikai reached a peace agreement, unifying the north and the south, and the new army in Hunan was disbanded on the spot.
Mao Zedong thought the revolution had ended here, so he prepared to return to his hometown to continue his studies.
Before leaving, Mao Zedong found Peng Yousheng and told him: "I am going home. I am very grateful to the squad leader for taking care of me over the past six months. I came to say goodbye."
After hearing this, Peng Yousheng also advised Mao Zedong to stay, but Mao Zedong's intention to leave was decided.
He felt that he had not finished his studies, and the first thing he had to do was to go back and finish his studies first. There was no war on the left and right now, so he would no longer stay in the army.
Mao Zedong
Peng Yousheng did not advise him after hearing this. He knew that Jin Lin was not a thing in the pool. Mao Zedong was a person with great ambitions, and he might have greater achievements when he left the military camp.
The day before Mao Zedong left, Peng Yousheng and the soldiers held a small farewell party for him.
also specially prepared braised pork for Mao Zedong, which is his favorite dish.
After three rounds of wine, everyone raised their glasses. Everyone knew that it might be difficult to meet again this farewell.
Although they have only been together for half a year, they are reluctant to part with Mao Zedong, a good comrade-in-arms.
The next day, Mao Zedong was about to take the train home, and Peng Yousheng went to see him off on behalf of his comrades.
Mao Zedong
At the last moment of parting, Peng Yousheng took out two oceans of from his pocket. He saved up little by little from his salary, but at this time he generously gave it to Mao Zedong.
Mao Zedong didn't want to collect these two silver dollars, he knew that it was not easy for Peng Yousheng to save these two silver dollars.
But Peng Yousheng still forced himself into Mao Zedong's pocket and choked and said to him: "Good brother, take good care of yourself, we will have a date later."
Send you thousands of miles, and after a long time, Mao Zedong finally boarded the train home.
Peng Yousheng looked at the train gradually moving away, and understood in his heart that it would be difficult to meet again in the future.
After saying goodbye to Mao Zedong, Peng Yousheng didn't know where he would go next. At this time, the north and the south had already negotiated peace, so he chose to join the Kuomintang team and continue to serve in the army.
In the Kuomintang army, Peng Yousheng's performance is still outstanding.
He had experience in joining the army, had extremely solid military qualities, and was appreciated by his superiors. He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, served as platoon leader, and later promoted to deputy company commander.
1926, the Northern Expedition of broke out, which coincided with the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Peng Yousheng and Mao Zedong met in a hasty meeting in Guangzhou.
At that time, Peng Yousheng was in Guangzhou and saw the news of "Mao Runzhi's Come to Sui Lecture" in the newspaper, so he made a special trip to the Guangzhou Peasant Sports Training Institute to visit Mao Zedong.
The former site of Guangzhou Peasant Movement Training Institute
At this time, Mao Zedong had become the backbone of the Chinese Revolutionary Army, and Peng Yousheng was in full swing. The two talked for a long time all night, talking about many things that had happened over the years, and they didn't say goodbye reluctantly until late at night.
But after the end of the Northern Expedition, Peng Yousheng retired and returned to his hometown.
When I came, I felt that I was over forty years old and I was really incompetent and didn’t want to fight hard on the battlefield.
Secondly, the Kuomintang completely suppressed the Communist Party at that time, which had violated Sun Yat-sen's three major policies to establish the Kuomintang.
Peng Yousheng didn't want to face his former comrades-in-arms, so he simply took off his military uniform and retired and returned to his hometown.
Peng Yousheng, who returned to his hometown in Hunan, started his old career for generations - farming. Although life is hard, he does not have to face the light of swords and swords all the time, which makes him feel that his current life is peaceful.
Chairman Mao
Just occasionally think of those glorious years and the old comrades who once fought side by side, I feel a little sigh and emotion.
Time passed slowly, and it came to 1949. At that time, the founding of New China had just spread throughout the country, and Chairman Mao's great achievements were passed down by word of mouth.
Peng Yousheng also heard about it, but he didn't know at that time that Chairman Mao is the young-faced boy back then.
Until 1951, Peng Yousheng went to the township to go to the market. He was so thirsty on the way, so he went to the township commune to ask for saliva.
Who knew that when he looked up, he saw the portrait of Chairman Mao hanging on the wall. Only then did he realize that this Chairman Mao was Mao Runzhi of that year.
Portrait of Chairman Mao
Isn’t the golden scales an object in the pond? They turn into dragons when they encounter wind and clouds. Although Peng Yousheng saw that Mao Zedong would achieve something in the future, he really did not expect that he would become the leader of the country.
He has heard of Chairman Mao’s legend, whether it is the Long March that led the Red Army across snowy mountains across grasslands , or the amazing four crosses of Chishui to attack the surprise.
Looking at Mao Runzhi who was more than 40 years ago, now he has become the leader of the people of the whole country. In addition to his feelings, Peng Yousheng also has a little bit of pride.
Peng Yousheng, who returned home, hurried to find the village teacher. He was illiterate and wanted to ask the teacher to write a letter on his behalf and send it to Zhongnanhai .
Chairman Mao’s reply
In the letter, Peng Yousheng told Chairman Mao about his recent situation. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he was classified as a poor peasant and was also assigned to land, which was much better than before.
After the letter was sent out, there was no news for more than a month. Peng Yousheng thought he could not wait for the reply, but he received a handwritten reply from Chairman Mao two months later.
Chairman Mao said in the letter that he was very happy to receive Peng Yousheng's letter, and asked whether the big brother was healthy.
and at the end of the letter, it also stated that if you encounter difficulties, you can go to the Hunan Provincial Government to find the vice chairman of Cheng Xingling . He has said hello and will do his best to take care of Peng Yousheng.
Chairman Mao’s reply content
Peng Yousheng was ecstatic when he received the reply. He did not expect that the Chairman could actually reply to himself.
And this old little brother can still remember himself more than 40 years later, which also makes Peng Yousheng feel deeply moved.
Later, Peng Yousheng took this handwritten letter to the Hunan Provincial Government and found Vice Chairman Cheng Xingling, hoping that he would help him.
Peng Yousheng is already 67 years old. He fought in the first half of his life and farmed in the fields in the second half of his life. His health is no longer as good as before.
He was still alive and his income was pitifully meager, so he wanted to use this handwritten letter to ask the Hunan Provincial Government for help to find a job that can make a living for himself.
After Peng Yousheng found the Hunan Provincial Government, Vice Chairman Cheng Xingling personally met him. After hearing his purpose, he immediately said that he could solve the problem for him so that he would not have to worry.
Cheng Xingling
Cheng Xingling also said: "The Chairman has already sent me a letter to inform me that if someone comes with his letter, he must do his best to help. Don't worry, you are a veteran of the Anti-Japanese War, and we will not ignore it no matter what."
Peng Yousheng burst into tears when he heard this. He thanked Cheng Xingling for his best help, and was also grateful to Chairman Mao for his good intentions.
Because he is 67 years old, it is not easy to arrange any work at such an old age, so the government simply pays him a monthly pension according to the standards.
Since June 1951, Peng Yousheng has received 30 yuan of living expenses from the Hunan Provincial Government every month.
Later, Peng Yousheng planted large tea trees near his home. Whenever it was the picking season, he would carefully select the best tea leaves to send to Chairman Mao, which has never stopped for 18 years.
pictures are from the Internet
. This incident was later learned by the writer Ye Weilin when he was collecting a field trip in Hunan. He used this as a prototype to create a song "Carrying Tea in Beijing". What is described in the song
is the story of an old farmer picking out the best tea every year and picking it to Beijing for Chairman Mao.
On November 23, 1969, Peng Yousheng passed away at the age of 85 in his hometown of Hengyang, Hunan.
Peng Yousheng and Chairman Mao met when they were young and experienced dangers together. Although they finally embarked on different paths of life, they all hope that this country can become better and more prosperous.
The two remained in close contact until their later years, which also confirmed the saying "It is enough to have a close friend in life"!
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