On October 22, 1985, the legendary general Xu Shiyou died of illness at the age of 80. National and provincial newspapers, radio stations, and television stations have successively broadcast "obituaries":
"Comrade Xu Shiyou has been engaged in revolutionary armed struggle for a long time. During his nearly 60 years of military career, he was brave and skillful, fought through life and death, and was loyal to the party and the people... His death, It is a great loss for our party and our army.”
According to Xu Shiyou’s friend Nie Fengzhi, he recalled: “He didn’t like taking pictures when he was alive, but before he died, he would take photos with me and other comrades... …”
Xu Shiyou
The death-defying captain Xu Shiyou only admired Chairman Mao in his life
Xu Shiyou was born in 1905 in a poor peasant family in Xin County, Henan. During the Agrarian Revolution, Xu Shiyou served as squad leader, platoon leader, company commander and other positions, and participated in the anti-"encirclement and suppression" operations and the Long March in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area. With his superb martial arts, he participated in the death squads 7 times and served as the captain of the death squads 2 times. He fought many tough and vicious battles and repeatedly performed extraordinary feats.
In 1932, when the Red Fourth Front Army's Western Expedition arrived at Manchuang Pass at the junction of Hubei and Shaanxi, they were pursued and intercepted by 5 enemy divisions and 3 regiments. At the critical moment, Xu Shiyou was ordered to command the 34th Regiment to open a channel from the junction of the two enemy brigades at Beishan Pass to ensure the smooth breakout of the entire army.
Xu Shiyou categorically assured Xu Xiangqian: "The soldiers of the 34th Regiment will definitely fight a bloody path for the entire army!" Xu Shiyou then picked up a big sword and led his troops to rush towards the pass. After a period of fighting, he finally broke through for the entire army. A gash was opened.
In 1934, when the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area counterattacked the Kuomintang's "six-way siege", Xu Shiyou commanded the 25th Division of the 9th Red Army to stand firm in Wanyuan City, Sichuan Province. enemies and made great contributions to defending the Sichuan-Shaanxi revolutionary base areas.
After the Wanyuan Defense War ended, Xu Shiyou led his troops to follow Xu Xiangqian and forcefully crossed the Jialing River, making them invincible and invincible. In late August 1935, Xu Shiyou was ordered to lead the Red 4th Army Division, and the 30th Red Army attacked Baozuo. They fought fiercely with the enemy for two days and two nights, and finally won by annihilating the Kuomintang Hu Zongnan 49th Division.
In July 1936, when the Fourth Red Army crossed the grassland for the third time, Xu Shiyou commanded the newly formed cavalry unit to undertake the tasks of reconnaissance, road opening and raising food and grass, creating favorable conditions for the large army to pass through the grassland and move northward.
After arriving in northern Shaanxi, Xu Shiyou came to Red Army University for further studies. One day in mid-March 1937, news of the failure of the Western Route Army reached the Red Army University. The Central Committee and Chairman Mao criticized Zhang Guotao and others. Xu Shiyou, a cadre of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army, and others expressed their understanding of the decisions of the Central Committee and Chairman Mao, and also joined in this criticism activity.
However, due to deviant behavior and excessive remarks during the process, Xu Shiyou expressed different opinions: "Zhang Guotao was at fault, but his previous contributions cannot be denied." Xu Shiyou's remarks were also considered to be for Zhang Guotao argued that Xu Shiyou was angry and anxious and was admitted to the hospital for a time.
The more Xu Shiyou thought about it, the angrier he became, and finally decided to return to Sichuan to fight guerrillas. However, his carefully planned "escape" plan was exposed due to Wang Jianan's report. Soon after, Xu Shiyou and others were arrested and imprisoned, and he was also sentenced to one year in prison.
After the verdict, Chairman Mao visited each of the sentenced persons. He also visited Xu Shiyou twice and had a long talk with him. Chairman Mao's move surprised Xu Shiyou. He was deeply moved and inspired.
html In July, at Chairman Mao’s suggestion, the Central Committee revoked the punishment against Xu Shiyou and others; in January 1938, the Party Central Committee revoked Xu Shiyou’s intra-party punishment and restored him to the party.
Chairman Mao and Xu Shiyou
The day after regaining their freedom, Xu Shiyou came to Chairman Mao's residence.Chairman Mao said kindly to Xu Shiyou: "I have to arrange a job for you. Let's do this. You go to Kangda University to be the deputy minister of the school affairs department. The work there is not very busy. You can just work and study part-time. Make up for all the homework left behind."
During his work at the Anti-Japanese University, Xu Shiyou listened to Chairman Mao's lectures on philosophy, politics, and military affairs many times and benefited a lot. From then on, Xu Shiyou firmly believed in Mao Zedong Thought, and even more admired and respected Chairman Mao.
html Many years later, Xu Shiyou was still very excited when he recalled this scene. When it was the second anniversary of Chairman Mao's death, Xu Shiyou published an article in memory of Chairman Mao in a magazine called " red flag ":"These few words of Chairman Mao immediately solved my problem. The knot in my mind made me feel very comfortable and warm. How well Chairman Mao understood us workers and peasant cadres! The depression deep in my heart was swept away by Chairman Mao’s warm words. "
During the Liberation War, Nie Fengzhi is Xu Shiyou's favorite general
Chairman Mao prefers Xu Shiyou, and Xu Shiyou prefers Nie Fengzhi.
Xu Shiyou has many friends in the military, such as Wang Shusheng, Nie Fengzhi, Tao Yong, Wang Bicheng and so on. But among the many generals, Xu Shiyou and Nie Fengzhi have the best relationship. Their decades-long friendship as comrades has been praised by the world.
Nie Fengzhi
In June 1946, Chiang Kai-shek openly tore up the armistice agreement and launched a full-scale attack on the liberated areas. The People's Liberation Army fought vigorously on various battlefields and kicked off the War of Liberation, while Shandong was the key area for the Kuomintang army's all-out attack.
In order to control the Jiaoji Railway, the main artery of Shandong, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the 54th Army of the Kuomintang to land in Qingdao, and launched a fierce attack on the Jiaoji Railway with the cooperation of the Air Force and other forces. On July 12, the Kuomintang army occupied Jiao County. On July 28, Nie Fengzhi seized the opportunity to deal a fatal blow to the enemies in Zhilanzhuang, forcing the 54th Army to retreat to Jiao County and not dare to come out for more than two months.
Wang Yaowu After learning the news, he sent three traffic police corps to station in Jiaoxian and other places, and ordered the 54th Army and the 8th Army to attack with all their strength. At the same time, Nie Fengzhi led the 5th Division, which fought bloody battles with the well-equipped Kuomintang army for more than three months and fought dozens of times despite insufficient troops and equipment. In the end, the Kuomintang army barely controlled the eastern section of the Jiaoji Railway with 12,000 casualties.
In order to completely solve the problem of Jiaodong , Chiang Kai-shek ordered the 46th Army to go from Hainan Island to Jiaodong, take over the houses on the eastern section of the Jiaoji Railway, and let the 54th Army and the 8th Army attack the hinterland of Jiaodong with all their strength. In addition, , Wang Yaowu also sent aircraft and warships to cooperate.
The 5th Division led by Nie Fengzhi had not had time to rest and recuperate, so he began a blocking war to defend the Jiaodong Liberated Area, and fought with the Kuomintang troops in Baihe Temple, Pingdu and other places. In the battle of Fenzishan in early November, our army was defeated. Li Mi lamented: "I have led the army for so many years, but I have never suffered such serious losses!" It was also from this battle that Li Mi hunkered down. In the areas of Yecheng and Shahe, we dare not invade even one step eastward.
In early 1947, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized 19 reorganized divisions and 49 brigades with a total of 300,000 troops to form two heavily armed groups in the north and south. On the southern front, Ou Zhen, commander of the reorganized 19th Army, led 7 reorganized divisions and 1 unorganized division as the assault group; on the northern front, 3 corps led by Li Xianzhou, deputy commander of the Second "Appeasement" District, served as the auxiliary force The assault group advanced from the north to the south in an attempt to force the main force of our army to fight them near Linyi, the capital of Shandong Liberated Area.
In order to adapt to the new situation, the main divisions and brigades of the Jiaodong Military Region were jointly organized into the 9th Column of the East China Field Army, which administered the 25th, 26th, and 27th Divisions. Nie Fengzhi served as the chief of staff of the column and the commander of the 25th Division. Nie Fengzhi assisted Xu Shiyou, the commander of the 9th Column, to command the soldiers to annihilate the 77th Division of the Kuomintang in Hezhuang and win a major victory in the Laiwu Battle.
Xu Shiyou is Nie Fengzhi's old commander, and Nie Fengzhi is also Xu Shiyou's favorite general.In August 1947, Nie Fengzhi was promoted to commander of the 9th Column of the East China Field Army.
In March 1948, Nie Fengzhi led the soldiers of the 9th column to advance towards the western section of the Jiaoji Railway. Guarding the western section is the Kuomintang's reorganized 32nd Division. The division headquarters is stationed in Zhoucun. The troops are centered in Zhoucun and deployed in Zhangdian, Boshan and other places, with a total strength of more than 40,000 people.
Nie Fengzhi proposed: "Let the 9th column directly attack Zhoucun and have a 'black tiger take out the heart'!" However, Nie Fengzhi's idea was opposed by many people, because Zhoucun is known as "the best village in the world". Not only are the city walls strong and the work complicated, but the defenders are also fortified at all levels. It would be too risky to break into the center of the defenders.
In the face of people’s doubts, Nie Fengzhi said:
“The Kuomintang’s reorganized 32nd Division was re-established after being annihilated by Liu and Deng’s army six months ago. , the gap is large, making it easy to penetrate. The defenders in Zhoucun only have 5 battalions, and since they are in the heart of the garrison area, their defensive mentality must be lax.
In addition, according to reconnaissance, except for Qingdao, Jinan and other places, The Kuomintang army has no intention of defending the remaining points. As long as the attack is favorable, it can easily be shaken. Therefore, it is not risky to attack Zhoucun by surprise, but it is more certain to win."
After hearing Nie Fengzhi's explanation, Xu Shiyou clicked. He nodded and said: "Okay, it's decided. Nie Fengzhi will lead the 9th column to march directly to Zhoucun, and make a 'breakthrough in the center, blossoming on all sides'!"
On March 12, the battle to liberate Zhoucun began. Each department overcame various difficulties and quickly opened 7 breakthroughs. The facts were just as Nie Fengzhi thought. Until the soldiers of the 9th column invaded Zhoucun, the defenders were still meeting in the room to study how to deploy. When they heard the gunshots, they immediately became chaotic.
After 18 hours of fierce fighting, except for the enemy division commander Zhou Qingxiang who escaped from the water hole in the city wall, all the others were annihilated by our army. Xu Shiyou spoke very highly of the Zhoucun battle. He said: "Once Zhoucun is attacked, the overall battle will come alive!"
The Corps took advantage of the victory to pursue the victory and expand the results. The battle in the western section of the Jiaoji Railway ended in 12 days, and the Kuomintang army was annihilated. More than 38,000 people.
Nie Fengzhi recalled: Before his death, he kept looking for people to take photos with him.
Xu Shiyou's health was very poor in his later years, but he thought he was fine. Until the Spring Festival in 1985, Xu Shiyou felt abdominal distension and pain from time to time, but he always gritted his teeth and endured it, refusing to tell anyone and not taking it seriously.
htmlOne day in March, Xu Shiyou did not have breakfast in the morning because he was going to Shanghai East China Hospital for a physical examination today. During the blood test, doctors found that Xu Shiyou’s alpha-fetoprotein test result was very high, more than 40 times higher than the normal value.During this period, Xu Shiyou also came to Qingdao to attend the Central Advisory Committee meeting. He was still living happily according to his usual lifestyle as usual. It's just that the abdomen will feel distended and painful from time to time. The pain makes Xu Shiyou think that his body may not be as good as before, but once the pain passes, he feels nothing serious.
However, the leaders of the Nanjing Military Region Party Committee were not as relaxed as Xu Shiyou. Everyone knew that Xu Shiyou was in poor health. Xu Shiyou's physical examination report clearly stated: "After research, it is believed that he has liver cirrhosis or cancer based on cirrhosis. For further diagnosis, please go to the People's Liberation Army General Hospital for further investigation."
Within one day , all members of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee signed their names, including Military Region Commander Xiang Shouzhi, Political Commissar Fu Kuiqing, etc. After discussion, everyone decided to call Qingdao immediately and ask Xu Shiyou to be hospitalized immediately.
Xu Shiyou and Nie Fengzhi's couple
However, what is surprising is that the call was not made to Xu Shiyou, but to Nie Fengzhi.After receiving the call, Nie Fengzhi's secretary carefully recorded the other party's words. To be cautious, he repeated the recorded words to the other party. After confirming that they were correct, he sent them to the chief for instructions.
At this time, Nie Fengzhi had already rested, and the secretary had to report the situation to Nie Fengzhi's wife He Ming. After reading the phone records, He Ming sighed and said: "What I am most worried about is this result. I didn't expect it to be like this..."
Knowing that the matter was serious, He Ming did not dare to delay, and quickly asked his secretary to go in and report to Nie Fengzhi. Nie Fengzhi hated being disturbed by others when he was sleeping. He was just about to get angry at his secretary, but the contents of the phone record extinguished his anger in an instant.
Nie Fengzhi read it three or four times. After a long time, he held the pen and wrote the word "Nie" on it tremblingly. For a long time, Nie Fengzhi explained several things to his secretary:
First, tell the Nanjing Military Region and Du Ping, Tang Liang, and Xiao Wangdong who attended the meeting about the preliminary conclusion of the General Hospital;
Second, tell Xu Shiyou the phone records The staff around him, Director Tao and Secretary Zhao;
Third, discussed with the railway department and started to arrange official cars. After the meeting, Xu Shiyou was sent to Beijing 301 Hospital for hospitalization.
After arranging these three things, Nie Fengzhi and his wife He Ming hurried to Xu Shiyou's residence. When Xu Shiyou saw Nie Fengzhi and He Ming coming, he happily stepped forward to shake hands with them. During the conversation, Xu Shiyou's interest was always high.
When Nie Fengzhi asked tentatively about his recent physical condition, Xu Shiyou said very confidently: "Okay, my health is fine!" Nie Fengzhi was silent for a while, and then said euphemistically: "There are calls from Nanjing. , said your test report came out, there is something wrong with your liver, it may be cirrhosis."
Xu Shiyou nodded and said nothing. There was neither nervousness nor surprise on his face. Nie Fengzhi had no choice but to make a suggestion: "After the meeting, let's go to Beijing from Qingdao and go to 301 Hospital for a check-up."
Xu Shiyou shook his head and said: "I won't go to the hospital!" Nie Fengzhi worked under Xu Shiyou for a lot of time. Years ago, he naturally understood the stubborn temper of his old boss, but compared with Xu Shiyou's health, he couldn't control that much.
Nie Fengzhi patiently persuaded: "Liver problems cannot be taken lightly. Beijing's medical technology is more advanced and the treatment conditions are better than Nanjing and Shanghai. Let's go and have a look." But no matter how Nie Fengzhi persuaded, Xu Shiyou still These two words: "Don't go!"
During the break between the meetings, Nie Fengzhi mobilized Du Ping, Tang Liang and Xiao Wangdong, three old leaders of the Nanjing Military Region and Xu Shiyou's old partners, to do his work. But everyone knows that Xu Shiyou has an extremely stubborn temper. No matter how his old friends persuade him, he still says the same thing: "I will not go to Beijing, nor will I go to the 301 Hospital!"
On September 30, 1985, Xu Shiyou's condition became worse and worse. Serious, lethargic all day long. When Xu Shiyou was seriously ill, the leaders of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission were very concerned. They often called to inquire and sent people to Nanjing to visit.
On the afternoon of October 22, "Farewell, world friend!" When Tian Pu's sad and weeping voice sounded, everyone couldn't help but shed tears. my country’s founding general Xu Shiyou died of illness at the age of 80.
The death of Xu Shiyou made everyone very sad, especially Nie Fengzhi. At this time, Nie Fengzhi also recalled Xu Shiyou's unusual behavior before his death: Xu Shiyou, who had never liked taking pictures, took pictures of this person and took pictures of that person before his death...
Deng Xiaoping's special approval: Do this, For example,
after Xu Shiyou passed away, was his body cremated or buried ? The Standing Committee of the Nanjing Military Region Party Committee conducted research almost at the same time as Xu Shiyou's death, and sent a request for instructions to the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission regarding funeral arrangements.
In fact, during the Zhongnanhai Central Work Conference in 1956, those who attended the meeting read a "Proposal" on the implementation of cremation among state agency staff.There is a blank space at the end of this "Proposal", with only a few rows of small words written:
"Any state agency staff member who supports cremation, please sign your name at the back. Anyone who signs his or her name represents After your death, you must be cremated, and the deceased must ensure that the deceased is cremated. "
Chairman Mao, Zhu De, Peng Dehuai and others all signed it. Five months later, they attended the meeting at the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Responsible comrades of the party, government and military also signed the "Proposal". After Xu Shiyou read the "Proposal", he did not sign his name on it.
Afterwards, Xu Shiyou found Chairman Mao and said to him: "I was loyal during my lifetime, and I hope to be filial after my death. I have only one wish in my life, and I ask Chairman for your approval, that is, after my death, I can be buried with my mother in the same grave. Together."
Chairman Mao knew that Xu Shiyou was very filial, so he nodded and said: "Okay, a tomb of loess can cover up the romance!"
Xu Shiyou's insistence on burial has a lot to do with his feelings for his mother. Xu Shiyou lost his father when he was young, and his mother took care of several of his brothers and sisters alone, and endured many hardships. Since Xu Shiyou joined the revolution at the age of 16, he has never fulfilled his filial piety during his more than 60 years of military service, so he has always felt deep guilt for his mother.
However, unexpected events occurred. Chairman Mao passed away 9 years ago, so naturally he could not interfere with Xu Shiyou's death. According to the regulations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, all senior leaders and generals of the Communist Party of China who have died must be cremated.
At that time, the central government could not decide on this matter, so it placed the arrangements for Xu Shiyou's funeral and the instructions for the coffin burial on Deng Xiaoping's desk. Deng Xiaoping was a comrade and colleague who Xu Shiyou had worked with for decades. Xu Shiyou's respect for Deng Xiaoping was no less than that of Chairman Mao, and Deng Xiaoping's understanding of Xu Shiyou's character, experience, and contributions was no less than that of Chairman Mao.
Deng Xiaoping and Xu Shiyou
But as we all know, Deng Xiaoping is famous for adhering to principles within the party. For a long time, the central government has emphasized that after the death of leading cadres, they must be cremated and the funeral should be simple. The whole society has finally accepted cremation. Ordinary people are not allowed to be buried, let alone these leading cadres.
Now, Xu Shiyou, a revolutionary hero and national leader, has requested to be buried, which also makes Deng Xiaoping feel very troublesome. If Xu Shiyou is allowed to be buried, what impact will it have? But Xu Shiyou is Xu Shiyou after all. There is only one in the whole country. He is a person who cannot be explained clearly using ordinary people's opinions.
Deng Xiaoping expressed full understanding and tolerance for Xu Shiyou's last wish. After careful consideration, he gave instructions in 8 big words: "Do it as it is and never do it again."
On the morning of October 26, Wang Zhen was entrusted by Deng Xiaoping and took a special plane. Come to Nanjing. After Wang Zhen got off the plane, he quickly drove to the Huashan Hotel in Nanjing Military Region to bid farewell to Xu Shiyou's body. In the small conference room of the hotel, after Wang Zhen listened to the report of Nanjing Military Region Political Commissar Guo Linxiang and Commander Xiang Shouzhi on Xu Shiyou's funeral work, he relayed Deng Xiaoping's opinions on Xu Shiyou's funeral work and said:
Xu Shiyou was a A special mission with special character, special experience, and special contribution. Comrade Deng Xiaoping issued a special pass, which is special and special.
Wang Zhen mentioned 7 special things in a row. Among today's Chinese leaders, who can have such evaluation and treatment? However, due to various reasons, Xu Shiyou's burial was kept secret.
On the afternoon of October 31, more than 3,000 party and state leaders, as well as representatives from all walks of life in the Nanjing Military Region and Jiangsu Province, held a farewell ceremony to Xu Shiyou's body in the Nanjing Military Region Auditorium. After the farewell ceremony, the enshrinement ceremony was held immediately.
In order to express our thoughts, with the consent of Xu Shiyou's wife Tian Pu, several funerary objects were placed in the coffin: The Omega watch Xu Shiyou wore before his death, a semiconductor radio for listening to news every day, a bottle of Maotai liquor , and a My beloved shotgun...
Xiao Yongyin, deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region, has dealt with many difficult things in his life. This last thing he did for Xu Shiyou also showed his ability to deal with difficult problems. Since the goal should not be too big, Xiao Yongyin called together the parents and officials of Xu Shiyou's hometown and said:
"I will entrust you to make arrangements for Commander Xu Shiyou's funeral. Send engineers to repair the grave in advance and bury him in the middle of the night..."
On the evening of November 7, Fan Zhilun, chief of staff of the Nanjing Military Region Headquarters who was responsible for escorting the coffin, looked at his watch seriously. When the hands pointed to zero o'clock on November 8, he ordered: "Go!"
At 4 o'clock in the morning, Xu Shiyou's coffin was placed in the tomb. Xu Shiyou's tomb did not have any decoration at first, not even a tombstone. After all, Xu Shiyou's burial was confidential. It was not until a year later, due to the endless requests from visitors, that Wang Zhen came forward to erect a gray-white granite tombstone for Xu Shiyou...
