"Martyrs Cemetery", a long-cherished wish of the Qi Gen people
How many soldiers did our army sacrifice in the Qi Gen War? Past wartime reports rarely disclosed, and some later memoirs also have different opinions. According to our verification through multiple sources , the data close to the truth should be more than ninety people. Most of them are young Red Army soldiers who have experienced the 25,000-mile Long March. If there is a struggle, there will be sacrifices. What's more, the Anti-Japanese War has just begun. Not only did the Eighth Route Army have extremely poor weapons and equipment and lack of experience, but it also faced the powerful Japanese invaders who were well-prepared and well-equipped. It was indeed unprecedented in the history of the Anti-Japanese War that it could win such a huge victory with a small amount of sacrifices. Miracle.
However, what the Qigen people still cannot let go is that due to the intensity of the war, most of them did not even leave their names, and some of their bodies were only hastily buried, and some were thrown into the wilderness forever. According to eyewitnesses at the time, on October 28, 1937, the Qigen War ended. The Qigen people transported more than 40 martyrs who died in the attack to Sha Nao in the south of the village, and hurriedly buried them in a water hole washed by the flood. . Judging from the corpses, most of them were around 20 years old, and some were student soldiers of 17 or 18 years old. It was late autumn. They were all still wearing thin single clothes and holding on torn pieces of shoes or straw sandals. Some were burned alive. Some were missing arms and legs, and the local people all shed tears after seeing them.
After the founding of New China, although the people of Qigen lived a happy and stable life, they never forgot the young lives that were sacrificed on this land. Whenever they herd sheep and cattle to the steep cliffs, or work on the mountain terraces in spring and summer, and occasionally find exposed bones, they can't help but think of the lively Eighth Route Army soldiers who carried water to the fellow villagers and swept the courtyards. I have my own parents, and they all had youth and ideals like flowers, but for the cause of national liberation, they shed their last drop of blood, leaving no names, no last words, not even the whole body. , as a witness of that battle, I feel uneasy! How they hope to build a revolutionary martyrs cemetery for these dead souls, collect their bones and bury them underground to comfort the spirits of the dead in heaven.
In order to fulfill this long-cherished wish, Qi Gen people have been making unremitting efforts. For all the leaders at all levels who came to the "Qigen Victory Monument" to pay their respects, the villagers would take the trouble to tell the story of the Eighth Route Army's combat performance and sacrifice spirit. These leaders were also deeply moved and always tried their best to do things for the people of Qigen. some real things.
In 2009, Wang Jianmin, deputy mayor of Yangquan City Government, led comrades from the Yangquan City and Heping County Public Security Bureau to visit Qigen. When the villagers proposed building a martyrs cemetery, they were very supportive and immediately expressed their coordination to solve the fundraising problem. . Sure enough, shortly afterwards, the Yangquan City Finance Bureau and the Civil Affairs Bureau issued a document allocating 100,000 yuan, and also requested Pingding County to provide corresponding supporting funds.
In 2010, An Huanxiao, deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial People's Congress, visited Qigen. He paid homage to the monument and visited poor households. When he learned that it was very difficult to get water in the village, the accompanying entrepreneur Hao Jianxiu made a generous donation. Director An is also very supportive of the villagers building "memorial halls" and "revolutionary cemeteries". Later, Shen Zhichun, director of the Yangquan Water Conservancy Bureau, personally sent a drilling team to Qigen and invested more than 100,000 yuan in finding water sources.
In 2012, Wang Xuming, the executive deputy mayor of Yangquan City, accompanied by Yangquan Civil Affairs Director Yu Bingfu, deputy directors Wang Zhenfei and Wang Qianyuan, as well as Pingding County Deputy County Mayor Li Jun and Civil Affairs Director Zhang Weidong, went to Qigen to inspect the mountain landforms and understand the Based on the people's sentiments and customs, we worked with the villagers to demonstrate and discuss the preparation of a "martyrs cemetery". The party branch and the village committee handed over the "Report on the Construction of the "Eighth Route Army Martyrs Cemetery" they had written long ago to the mayor. Immediately, the Yangquan Municipal Government allocated 200,000 yuan in funds.
At this time, Liu Chunsheng, director of the Party History Office of Pingding County, obtained a "List of Heroes and Martyrs Who Died in the Qigen Battle" from the Shanxi Provincial Archives and quickly provided it to Qigen Village. The names of 50 revolutionary martyrs were clearly listed.They are: Wei Jiaping, Bai Xingbing, Xu Zhengguo, Liu Yuming, Li Hanchao, Li Gaode, Chen Guisheng, Dang Xinshun, Zhao Shunlian, Li Shunqi, Zhu Shaoxiang, Wang Chengyi, Li Tianxi, He Kaiyi, Wang Guangquan, Wu Shili, Chen Fangzheng, Chen Huaide, Zhang Guode, Han Guixian, He Linli, Bai Liang, Gao Jinsheng, Yang Tianli, Mi Fenghe, Zhao Jinhe, Wang Shaowu, Yuan Liyou, Wen Wuxiang, Wang Zhongbao, Han Deshen, Tao Dayou, Gao Dacheng, Zhao Hongren, Zhao Guocai, Ding Youwen, Dong Da, Li Guangfu, Liu Shizhen, Chen Zile , Peng Wanliang, Zhu Shunjian, Zhang Wenjin, Zhao Daohuai, Tang Kui, Xiang Ziqi, Feng Yuming, Guo Yinshan, Gao Kailin. 50 people in total. Among these martyrs, 35 were from Sichuan, 4 were from Shaanxi, 3 were from Hubei, 3 were from Gansu, 2 were from Anhui, 1 was from Guizhou, and 1 was without citizenship. Among them, there is 1 company commander, 1 squad leader, 10 deputy squad leaders, and 34 Communist Party members.
If the city government’s funding is like warm sunshine, then this list is like timely spring rain. Although this is not all of the martyrs, Qigen people are very pleased to see these glorious names that they miss. At the same time, the construction of the martyrs cemetery is still at a loss, and they feel a heavy responsibility. Through At the mass meeting, special personnel were immediately tasked to carry out planning and design. In view of the shortage of funds, they frequently lobbied the relevant departments, breaking their legs and scratching their mouths to win their sympathy and sponsorship. However, since the red tourism in Dongxiang is still being brewed and demonstrated, it is difficult to make further progress for the time being. , which made Qi Gen people worried. In any case, the construction of the "Martyrs Cemetery" has begun to dawn, and they will make unremitting efforts. They firmly believe that where sincerity leads, the stone will be opened. If you don't believe that the spring breeze will not call you back, the bright moon will always be full again.
(Qin Mingming)
