Many cadres and their families who had been treated unfairly not only saw the hope of "rebirth", but most of them wanted to contribute their own strength to the party and the country, including an old Red Army man named Tan Qilong.

On October 6, 1976, after the "Gang of Four" was crushed, the haze that once shrouded the land of China quickly faded away. Many cadres and their families who had been treated unfairly not only saw the hope of "rebirth", but most of them wanted to contribute their own strength to the party and the country, including an old Red Army man named Tan Qilong.

At that time, Tan Qilong was already 64 years old, but he still wanted to do some work for the country, so he mustered up the courage to write a sincere letter to the then President Hua Guofeng. Just a few months later, Tan Qilong received a reply from the central government. To his surprise, Chairman Hua actually asked him to be the governor of a province.

Tan Qilong is one of the well-known "Red Imps" during the Red Army period. He was born in Yongxin, Jiangxi Province in 1913. He joined the "Communist Youth League" at the age of only 15 and embarked on an arduous revolutionary journey.

As a "red kid" born as a "cowboy", Tan Qilong devoted his life to the revolution and the country. After he entered the revolutionary ranks, he gradually established a relatively complete revolutionary ideological system under the influence of old party members and old Red Army members. During the Agrarian Revolution, Tan Qilong served as the captain of the Young Pioneers and became a member of the Communist Party in 1933.

In 1930, 17-year-old Tan Qilong led more than 10,000 young pioneers to participate in the ninth "Battle of Ji'an". As a Red Army soldier, he showed a revolutionary spirit of disregarding death. Especially in the anti-"encirclement and suppression" struggle, Tan Qilong quickly grew into a determined fighter, which was also praised by Chairman Mao.

In 1934, the Red Army embarked on a long march. Tan Qilong not only did not fall behind, but also began to serve as the director of the Political Department of the Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi Military Region under the training of the organization. During this period, the local guerrilla war under his leadership not only achieved very important results, but also laid an important foundation for the creation of the New Fourth Army.

During the Anti-Japanese War, Tan Qilong's revolutionary figure has been active in the regions of northeastern Jiangxi and Jiangsu and Anhui. He has served as secretary of the special committee and secretary of the party committee and other important positions. After the "Southern Anhui Incident" in 1941, Tan Qilong followed Chairman Mao's strategic deployment and went to East Zhejiang to establish an anti-Japanese base area.

Under the leadership of Tan Qilong, base areas blossomed all over eastern Zhejiang in just four years. Not only were 19 anti-Japanese base areas created, but the population in the base areas also exceeded 4 million. It can be said that Tan Qilong has made impressive achievements in eastern Zhejiang.

After the war of liberation began, Tan Qilong's performance was even more remarkable. During his tenure as director and political commissar of the political department in the New Fourth Army, Shandong and East China Field Army, he led his troops to participate in many large-scale battles such as Menglianggu, Huaihai, and crossing the Yangtze River. Not only did he successfully complete the tasks assigned to him by the organization, but he also worked with other fraternal units to create a record of annihilating the enemy and reorganizing the 74th Division.

In fact, Tan Qilong served as Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee as early as the "Three Years of Difficulty Period". When he was in charge of Shandong, he created advanced agricultural models such as Lijiazhai and Xiadingjia. Under his leadership, the people of the province became self-reliant and achieved steady development of agriculture and industry, making Shandong Province one of the top grain provinces in the country at that time.

As a military general with great military exploits, Tan Qilong once created the legend of "taking charge of Zhejiang twice" after the founding of the People's Republic of China. When he served as deputy secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, he set his sights on construction and actively assisted Tan Zhenlin, secretary of the provincial party committee, in carrying out land reform work, which enabled Zhejiang Province's economy to achieve great prospects for rapid recovery.

After the "Cultural Revolution" began, it was the most difficult period for Tan Qilong, who once again took charge of Zhejiang. Under the troubles of the "Gang of Four", almost all members of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee were treated unfairly. Tan Qilong in particular was repeatedly "criticized". In desperation, he had no choice but to resign from the central government. Later, thanks to Chairman Mao, Tan Qilong was saved from persecution.

In February 1977, 64-year-old Tan Qilong was once again appointed in critical situation. With the support of Chairman Hua Guofeng, he went to Qinghai to serve as the first secretary.During his tenure in Qinghai, Tan Qilong vigorously developed agricultural and animal husbandry production based on the actual local conditions. By formulating a series of specific policies and measures, he effectively changed Qinghai's backwardness and poverty.

As an old Red Army member, Tan Qilong can be called a "living map" that witnesses the growth of our army. As an old party member who has been baptized by war and revolutionary ideas, he knows that when the country needs him most, it is also the critical moment for him to exert his remaining energy, so he wrote a "self-recommendation letter" to Chairman Hua. Facts have proved that Tan Qilong is still a treasure trove.