"Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, Hu Changbao has been sacrificed for 12 years." Chairman Mao lit a cigarette and started smoking.
"Chairman, I know you feel uncomfortable. I have been missing Squad Leader Hu for so many years!" Guard Chen Changfeng said comfortingly, "Many times, whenever I close my eyes, Squad Leader Hu appears in front of me. In my mind, sometimes I even..."
Looking at the tearful guard Chen Changfeng, Chairman Mao didn't know what to say for a moment. He just patted his shoulder to tell him to cheer up. At that moment, thinking back Seeing the scene of Hu Changbao's sacrifice, Chairman Mao, who had always been optimistic and positive, and had seen great storms, also had tears in his eyes.
So, who is the Hu Changbao mentioned by Chairman Mao? What is the thrilling story between this man, Chairman Mao and Chen Changfeng?
Hu Changbao was born in Ji'an, Jiangxi Province in 1912. Due to his poor family, he had no choice but to leave his hometown when he was 18 years old and resolutely joined the Red Army team. In the army, Hu Changbao was always the smartest and quickest responder in the class. Due to this characteristic, Hu Changbao was soon transferred to the "Central Security Class" as the squad leader.
The Central Guard Class, as its name suggests, is a combat unit that operates with the senior leaders of the Red Army. Simply put, it is actually the personal bodyguard of Chairman Mao and other major leaders. It is responsible for reconnaissance and surveillance during wartime, and is responsible for taking care of their food and daily life in peacetime.
Hu Changbao, who became the squad leader of the central security class at a young age, is undoubtedly very capable. According to people around him, the person Hu Changbao came into contact with most often was Chairman Mao. From the beginning of the Long March until his sacrifice, Hu Changbao was always He appeared when Chairman Mao needed him most. To this end, he risked his life many times to perform tasks.
In May 1935, during the battle of the Red Army to cross the Dadu River, due to factors such as currents and enemy offensives, the troops were separated during the battle. Some troops succeeded in crossing, but most of them failed. They failed to cross the river in time and were stranded in place. By the time they reacted, they had lost the best opportunity to cross the river.
The situation was extremely critical. Among the troops that had not crossed the river were Chairman Mao and the comrades of the Central Guard Class. Every minute on the battlefield was very likely to change the direction of the situation. Chairman Mao naturally knew this.
After a short military meeting, Chairman Mao finally decided to divert the troops to move northward along the east and west banks of the Dadu River to Luding Bridge.
I have to say that this is a very bold decision. The terrain of Luding Bridge is steep and the water is turbulent. Moreover, it is only connected to the two sides by a few large iron chains and simple wooden boards. Even if there is no enemy garrison at ordinary times, , ordinary people need a lot of patience and courage if they want to pass Luding Bridge smoothly, let alone in war-torn times.
However, it seemed at the time that there was no better way than controlling the Luding Bridge as quickly as possible. In order to preserve the fire of the revolution and the main force of the Red Army, we could only take risks and fight to the death!
html On June 2, Chairman Mao and the Central Committee accompanied the large troops to the vicinity of Luding Bridge. Considering that it was already late and the boat and train were tiring, everyone decided to rest here for one night and seize the time to seize the bridge when conditions permit the next day. Bridge across the river.It was slightly brighter the next day, and the Red Army soldiers moved quickly to prepare transportation vehicles and inspect weapons and equipment. After a short preparation, they finally took action. The Red Army began to move to a suitable location to establish a landing site.
However, the Kuomintang Air Force, which had mastered air superiority, immediately discovered the Red Army. Three enemy planes circled the sky for a few times before launching an attack. An aerial bomb first landed not far from the landing site, although it failed. It caused too many casualties, and the raised dust and deafening explosions were enough to make people bold.
"Quick, everyone, take cover!" Chairman Mao shouted in the crowd, and then fell to the ground.
"Chen Changfeng! Chairman!" Hu Changbao shouted loudly in an attempt to attract Chen Changfeng's attention. Chen Changfeng knew that it was the squad leader calling him and immediately went to protect Chairman Mao. Just as he was about to move closer to Chairman Mao, another aviation bomb hit him. The bomb roared down and exploded not far from where Chairman Mao was hiding.
When the smoke cleared and people looked in the direction where Chairman Mao was hiding, they suddenly discovered Hu Changbao, who was covered in blood and his face was charred. Under him was Chairman Mao, who shook his head. Dust, tried to stand up but saw the weak Hu Changbao.
At the last critical moment, it was Hu Changbao who used his body to suppress Chairman Mao in the critical moment and blocked the hot shrapnel with his flesh and blood! When Chairman Mao stood up, Hu Changbao closed his eyes tightly, his body completely lost movement, and his abdomen, back, thighs and face were bleeding.
Chairman Mao shouted Hu Changbao's name loudly, and sometimes touched his forehead and head with his hands. The health worker who came from not far away after hearing the news quickly helped Hu Changbao and bandaged his wound to stop the bleeding, and kept calling him "Hu Changbao". name to prevent the latter from shock and death due to excessive injuries.
About a quarter of an hour later, with the efforts of everyone, Hu Changbao gradually regained consciousness, but due to the pain, he could not stand up to express his gratitude to everyone. He turned his head and murmured a few words, and Chairman Mao hurriedly leaned down to listen to him. .
"Chairman, Chairman, are you okay? Are you not injured?" Hu Changbao asked with a smile.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. As long as you are here, I'm fine!" Chairman Mao said seriously, tears flowing out uncontrollably.
Afterwards, he asked for a kettle from a soldier and poured a sip of water for Hu Changbao. During this period, he kept comforting him and said: "It's okay, you will get better. Take a rest, and you will be treated soon at the front. Hold on." Stay!"
Hu Changbao heard the chairman's comfort and encouragement, and used his last breath to say: "Chairman, I can't survive. I have nothing to worry about. It's just a pity that I can't be with you in the future. After I sacrifice, if I can, I hope to tell my parents that they are in Ji'an, Jiangxi."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hu Changbao dropped his hands and closed his eyes. No matter how many people around him called and cried, he never woke up again. At this moment, Chairman Mao did not speak, but hugged Hu Changbao tighter.
Afterwards, the comrades from the central security class arrived quickly. The scene in front of them was very moving. Hu Changbao was only 23 years old when he died.
After everyone's persuasion, Chairman Mao slowly put down Hu Changbao's body and instructed Chen Changfeng to take out his own bedding, cover him with squad leader Hu Changbao, and bury him properly.
Comrades from the central security squad carried Hu Changbao's body on a stretcher to a safe area and buried it on the spot. Chairman Mao stood aside and said nothing the whole time. At this moment, everyone knew the pain in Chairman Mao's heart.
After the burial work was completed, Chairman Mao took off his hat to pay tribute, stood in front of the tombstone thoughtfully, and then left with the help of others.
However, not long after leaving, Chairman Mao actually returned the same way, personally added a handful of soil to Hu Changbao and sprinkled a bottle of pepper water he carried with him in front of the tombstone, and then walked away without looking back.
Everyone in the world knows that Chairman Mao loves spicy food, and this bottle of chili water was Chairman Mao’s favorite thing during the Long March. Chairman Mao used this method to bid farewell to Hu Changbao. It must be said that this small gesture contains a lot of meaning. Infinite thanks and remembrance.
Throughout the Long March, the Central Red Army sacrificed countless soldiers, and Hu Changbao was unique because he was the only guard who sacrificed his life to cover Chairman Mao. Later, the Red Army's Long March ended successfully, but Hu Changbao's sacrifice seemed like a scar, leaving an eternal trace in Chairman Mao's heart.
After the founding of New China in 1949, whenever Chairman Mao talked about the scenes of the Long March to people around him, he would inevitably mention the name "Hu Changbao". Almost everyone admired Hu Changbao after hearing about his heroic deeds. Sometimes, Chairman Mao would look back from time to time when he walked on the street. Some people said that this was Chairman Mao and thought that squad leader Hu Changbao was following him.
In 1958, Chairman Mao came to the Jinan Military Region to inspect the work. Here he met an old friend-Chen Changfeng. As soon as Chairman Mao saw Chen Changfeng, his face was filled with a warm smile. Before leaving, Chairman Mao called Chen Changfeng to his side, and after a cordial conversation, the two talked about the sacrifice of Hu Changbao.
Chairman Mao didn't say much, but every move he made revealed his gratitude and admiration for Hu Changbao. At this time, Chen Changfeng was no longer the recruit he was back then. He was now a glorious veteran. , however, whenever he thought of his old squad leader Hu Changbao, he couldn't help but shed tears.
Later, Chen Changfeng was transferred back to his hometown in Jiangxi and became the commander of the Jiangxi Military Region. Due to the convenience of work, he came to Ji'an several times to visit Hu Changbao's relatives during his lifetime. However, before his death, Hu Changbao did not specify which village in Ji'an he was from. , which brought certain difficulties to Chen Changfeng’s searching journey.
In order to find Hu Changbao's relatives as soon as possible, Chen Changfeng simply selected all the Long March veterans from Ji'an and visited them one by one. The results were often unsatisfactory. Almost no one knew the specific whereabouts of Hu Changbao's relatives.
After years of fruitless investigations, Chen Changfeng led people back to the place where Hu Changbao died with a disappointed mood. He stood on the hillside and looked into the distance for a long time, with infinite thoughts in his heart but no one told him.
Chen Changfeng later collected some of the personal belongings of martyr Hu Changbao and kept them carefully. During a trip to Beijing, Chen Changfeng wore a clean military uniform and stood on the Tiananmen Tower with complicated emotions and saluted into the distance. It seemed that he was comforting Hu Changbao's spirit in heaven in this way.
"The revolution has been victorious and the country has been liberated. Comrade Hu Changbao, you can close your eyes with peace of mind!"
