Before the award of the rank in 1955, cadres above the military agreed to Dong Qiwu as a general, but Dong Qiwu himself thought it was too high, so he asked Yang Chengwu to pass it on to Chairman Mao a letter asking for his military rank to be lowered.
When Yang Chengwu handed the letter to Chairman Mao, the chairman firmly refused and said: "You Yang Chengwu are not awarded the title of general, but Dong Qiwu must be awarded the title of general!"
So who is Dong Qiwu? Why did Chairman Mao say this? What did Yang Chengwu react after hearing the Chairman’s words?
Actively resist the war and responded to Chairman Mao’s “Suiyuan Way”
Dong Qiwu is from Helu County, Shanxi Province and was born on November 27, 1899. In 1919, he joined the Taiyuan Student Corps; in 1924, he joined the Second Army of the National Army, and successively served as platoon leader and company commander of the Second Regiment of the Eighth Mixed Brigade; in 1927, Dong Qiwu was transferred to the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and served as the captain of the major reconnaissance team and the captain of the advance corps. He also participated in the Northern Expedition . After the failure of the Great Revolution, Dong Qiwu served as deputy commander of the 89th Regiment of the 38th Division of the Kuomintang Army; after the "9th Incident broke out in 1931", he led his troops to participate in the Great Wall and Suiyuan War of Resistance, and later served as major general brigade commander of the 218th Brigade of the 68th Division of the Kuomintang Army and lieutenant general commander of the 101st Division of the Army; since 1940, he served as lieutenant general commander of the 35th Army.
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. From 1933 to 1945, Dong Qiwu persisted in the War of Resistance for 12 years and made outstanding contributions to the fight against the Japanese army, which was respected by people at home and abroad.
Among many senior Kuomintang generals, Dong Qiwu is truly patriotic and a loving and righteous general. Japan surrendered On the day of the day, he said to Fu Zuoyi: "Now that the War of Resistance Against Japan has finally won, and the people who have suffered from displacement can live a peaceful and prosperous life. China can no longer fight, and only the people who suffer from the pain will suffer..."
However, at this time, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army to remain in place and the Kuomintang army will surrender. When Dong Qiwu learned the news, he hurriedly said to Fu Zuoyi: "In the eight years of the War of Resistance Against Japan, we did not have a single soldier in Suidong. The Eighth Route Army insisted on the War of Resistance in a very difficult situation. They had the right to accept Suidong. But now Chairman Chiang ordered us to accept it, and this will start a fight."
Fu Zuoyi said helplessly: "I understand this truth too, but if I don't recover, Chairman Chiang will take my post." In this way, Dong Qiwu and Fu Zuoyi were involved in the whirlpool of civil war , and the two of them also created many difficulties for our army to liberate Suiyuan because of the implementation of Chiang Kai-shek's civil war policy.
Chairman Mao had deployed the battle to advance into Suiyuan three times. In August 1948, Chairman Mao summoned Yang Chengwu and asked him to lead three regiments of troops to advance into Suiyuan for the third time. However, it is a pity that due to the strategic needs of Pingjin Battle , Yang Chengwu had to retreat temporarily, but this also created opportunities for the "Suiyuan Peace Uprising" created by history.
In the winter of this year, our army launched the Battle of Pingjin, and Dong Qiwu closely monitored the current situation. On January 21, 1949, Fu Zuoyi announced the peaceful liberation of Peacefully in Peking. When Dong Qiwu learned the news, he was extremely happy, but he was also a little uneasy and puzzled: "Suiyuan was where Fu Zuoyi started his business. Why did the agreement he signed did not mention Suiyuan? I have been with General Fu for more than 20 years. Would he give up on us?"
Dong Qiwu called Fu Zuoyi in an uneasy mood: "General Fu, congratulations on the peaceful liberation of Peking. I wonder if I can send a plane to pick me up to Beiping . Let's have an interview?" On January 22, Dong Qiwu arrived in Peiping by plane and then went to Zhongnanhai to meet Fu Zuoyi.
As soon as Fu Zuoyi met Dong Qiwu, he said, "You came just right. I am about to tell you about the peaceful liberation of Peking. The changes in the current situation are the general trend, the development of history, and the demands of the people. We must keep up with the historical trend and follow the path of peace."
Dong Qiwu never understood these truths. He immediately said: "Not to say that he was fighting for three deaths, even if there were four deaths, I would follow you on the road of peace! " Fu Zuoyi nodded and said, "Don't worry about Suiyuan's issue. After I go to Xibaipo to meet Chairman Mao, I will make arrangements. You will wait for me to come back here. "
Dong Qiwu took a plane back to Suiyuan and immediately prepared for the uprising. He thought: Peiping was peacefully liberated, and the Kuomintang would definitely not be relieved of our Suiyuan troops. They would either intervene or send spies to do sabotage. I must not let them destroy Suiyuan Uprising . In addition, Dong Qiwu also needs to think about how to do a good job in ideological work for military cadres.
Dong Qiwu took the method as follows:
First, talk to cadres at the brigade and above, convey what they said when they met with Fu Zuoyi, and ask everyone about their opinions on whereabouts of Suiyuan;
Second, cadres at the provincial government department and bureau level or above Exchange opinions;
3. Let the soldiers start a discussion and draw up an outline to analyze whether Suiyuan should take the road of peace from the results;
4. Use the Spring Festival to inspect the troops and local governments, talk to some cadres, and persuade and educate the soldiers who still have concerns.
When Dong Qiwu tried to approach the road of peace, Chairman Mao was also very concerned about Suiyuan.
On February 22, 1949, Fu Zuoyi came to Xibaipo to have an important conversation with Chairman Mao and others. Fu Zuoyi asked Chairman Mao: "Chairman Mao, don't know how you plan to solve the Suiyuan problem? "Chairman Mao smiled and said: "The Suiyuan problem should be solved by the 'Suiyuan method'! "
Fu Zuoyi was a little confused, and he quickly asked: "What is the 'Suiyuan Method'? "Chairman Mao took a sip of tea and said, "Peaceful liberation of Peking is put before it, so there is no need to use troops in Suiyuan." We first formulate a ceasefire agreement line, let Dong Qiwu do internal ideological work well, and also send a liaison team to connect the rails and start trading. Finally, an uprising was held when Dong Qiwu thought it was appropriate. "
So what exactly is the "Suiyuan Way" that Chairman Mao mentioned?
actually intentionally retains part of the Kuomintang army, so that they are still intact or generally remain unmoved, that is, temporary concessions to these armies. Then strive to make them stand on our side politically, or remain neutral, so that we can concentrate our efforts to take the lead in solving the main parts of the remnants of the Kuomintang. Finally, for a period of time, maybe a few months, maybe half a year, or a year later, then change this part of the army into the People's Liberation Army according to the People's Liberation Army system.
On June 8, the signing ceremony of the "Suiyuan Peace Agreement" was held at North China People's Government . On September 19, the "Suiyuan Peace Uprising Signing Ceremony" was held at Baotou The 37 people including Dong Qiwu signed their names on it and officially declared their separation from the Kuomintang. After , the 100,000 Suiyuan army participated in the National Liberation War under the leadership of the Communist Party of .
led their troops to participate in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea
0 After the Suiyuan Uprising, Dong Qiwu served as the chairman of the provincial people's government. In 1950, he went to Beijing to report to the central government. Chairman Mao personally held a banquet in Zhongnanhai, and many party and state leaders attended the banquet.
On April 27, Chairman Mao met Dong Qiwu in Fengzeyuan again. The two talked for more than three hours. Chairman Mao and Dong Qiwu talked about many differences between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and then asked him: "You have not joined the Communist Party yet, right? "It was this simple question that made Dong Qiwu think of joining the Communist Party and fought for the rest of his life.
In July 1950, Dong Qiwu held a meeting in Beijing and specifically proposed to Yang Chengwu, secretary of the North China Military Region, that he wanted to join the Communist Party. He said: "For the past few months, I have been thinking about how to join the Communist Party. I wonder if an uprising person like me is still qualified to join the Communist Party? "
Yang Chengwu smiled and said: "The door of our Communist Party is open, and there are many examples of uprising people joining our party.Chairman Mao said these words to you, meaning that he hopes you can become a Communist Party in the future. "
Yang Chengwu's words made Dong Qiwu feel at ease, and then secretly made up his mind to achieve this goal. From then on, Dong Qiwu studied Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong's works day and night, and even used the standards of the Communist Party to stipulate himself.
On this day, Dong Qiwu found that he owned real estate and property, not a proletarian, so he found Yang Chengwu and said: "I not only have my own house, but also have many small transactions. I am willing to make an proletarian and hand over all of these to the country! ”
Yang Chengwu shook his head and said with a smile: “These things belong to you. They were yours before and will still be yours in the future. Just explain your situation to the organization, and you don’t have to hand over all of these to the country. What's more, these things are related to the Party's policies towards the uprising personnel. If you submit them, they may have some bad impact. "
Although Dong Qiwu understood these principles, he was still a little worried, so he wrote a list of property and then reported the matter to Chairman Mao: "I also ask the Chairman to approve it and ask me to hand over all my private property to the state in secret. "
Chairman Mao ordered: "We must draw a line on the economic problems of the cadres in the uprising. We do not care about the matters before the uprising, and we will take care of the matters after the uprising. Houses and money are your property before the uprising, and these things still belong to you! "
After the outbreak of the Korean War , in order to accept the test of the party organization and realize his desire to join the party organization, Dong Qiwu resolutely requested to participate in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. Chairman Mao was moved by Dong Qiwu's spirit. immediately approved his request and reorganized his main force into the 23rd Corps of the Volunteer Army, with Dong Qiwu as the commander.
Not long after, Dong Qiwu led the 23rd Corps of the Volunteer Army to join the war. This unit not only built three air force airports, but also built many air defense equipment, and they were also highly praised by Peng Dehuai. After the end of resistance to the United States and aid Korea, Dong Qiwu led his troops back to China, and the 23rd Corps was adapted into the 69th Army of the People's Liberation Army, and Dong Qiwu served as the commander.
Chairman Mao: Yang Chengwu may not be awarded the general, but Dong Qiwu must be awarded the general
In the spring of 1955, after the People's Liberation Army's rank award plan was issued, when discussing the issue of military rank, many cadres above the army agreed to award the rank of General Dong Qiwu. However, when Dong Qiwu learned that he was going to be awarded the general, he thought that the rank was too high, so he wrote a letter and asked Yang Chengwu to pass it to Chairman Mao.
Dong Qiwu wrote in the letter like this:
"I saw that there were three generals of uprising in the list of pre-authorized generals. I am not convenient to evaluate the two of them, but personally, I was just a lieutenant general before the uprising, and I am very satisfied that I can maintain my original military rank after the uprising.
I have not made much contribution to the country, not to mention that I am still a general in the uprising. Compared with more than 50 other generals, I feel inferior to myself. I was once a Kuomintang general and made many mistakes. How can I be awarded the rank of general by the state now? Many of the veteran generals who participated in the revolution in the early days of the founding of the Party and the Army were only awarded lieutenant generals and major generals, which made me really ashamed..."
After reading the letter, Yang Chengwu said:
"You have participated in the War of Resistance for 12 years, but we have only participated for 8 years. Besides, we cannot compare to your contributions in the Suiyuan Uprising. In addition, you have participated in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, and have made great achievements. Since the Central Committee and the Chairman have decided to grant you the rank of general, it must have been considered and studied, and it is also related to the trust of the rebels and is also very beneficial to the unification of Taiwan and the mainland. Don’t refuse! ”
Although Yang Chengwu’s words make sense, Dong Qiwu was still a little uneasy. He said: “I can feel the trust and respect Chairman Mao has in me, but I always feel that if the country grants me a general, I will be in uneasy and guilt for the rest of my life.”
Yang Chengwu said helplessly: “Your idea is very good, but I think you need to adjust your mentality. I will forward your letter to the Chairman, but I don’t know whether the Chairman approves it or not. I personally think that with the Chairman's personality, he will not agree, and you must be prepared. "
Not long after, when Yang Chengwu handed the letter to Chairman Mao, Chairman Mao did not agree with Dong Qiwu's request after reading it, and said: "He is a famous general of uprising. According to his merits, contributions and qualifications, it is very reasonable to be awarded the general. No one has any opinions. This is the policy of our Communist Party. "
Chairman Mao paused and said: "But you, Yang Chengwu, are different. You are a Communist Party member, and you can be awarded the rank of general or not; while Dong Qiwu has to be awarded the rank of general, and I am also going to give him a first-class liberation medal! "
Why did Chairman Mao say this? What did Yang Chengwu react?
I believe everyone must be very curious when he saw this. What reaction did Yang Chengwu react when he heard Chairman Mao say that he was "can be awarded but not to be awarded a general"?
Maybe many generals will be a little unhappy after hearing Chairman Mao's words. After all, the leader said in front of him that he could not be awarded the rank of general. However, surprisingly, Yang Chengwu was not only not unhappy, but felt very warm. So what's going on?
Yang Chengwu is a general of the "Double Red" and that is, the Red Army's general of the Red Army's period. This regiment is the most trusted and valued by Chairman Mao, and Yang Chengwu is the most typical representative.
Yang Chengwu first met Chairman Mao in 1929. At that time, Chairman Mao came to the army to visit his comrades, and everyone excitedly surrounded Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao greeted everyone one by one. When he walked to Yang Chengwu, he also asked him: "Have you ever seized the gun of the militia ? ”
Yang Chengwu immediately replied: “We have suppressed the militia’s two guns together. "Chairman Mao held his hand tightly and praised: "Very very good, it's so big! ”
In the following time, Chairman Mao gave his beloved general Yang Chengwu four times.
first time he gave his appointment: to Red Army crossing grasslands as a pioneer.
One day in August 1935, Yang Chengwu received an order from his superior: "Go to Chairman Mao to accept the combat mission directly. "Yang Chengwu came to Chairman Mao's residence with excitement. As soon as he saw the chairman, he said, "Report, I am here to accept the task! "
Chairman Mao first asked Yang Chengwu to sit down, and then said: "This time your group will be the vanguard. "Yang Chengwu immediately stood up and said, "Yes! We guarantee to complete the task! "Chairman Mao said: "This mission is not simple. The route to the north to fight against Japan is the correct route, and it was decided by the central government after studying the current situation. If you encounter any difficulties, you can raise them. ”
On August 21, 1935, Yang Chengwu led his troops to shoulder the heavy trust of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, and began the difficult journey of conquering the grassland.
The second order was given to secretly escort Chairman Mao to the Northeast.
1948, Yang Chengwu received a telegram from Commander Nie Rongzhen, asking him to go to the headquarters immediately and discuss important matters. As soon as Yang Chengwu walked into the gate of the military region, the military region chief of staff Zhao Erlu said to him: "This time Chairman Mao is looking for you, so go quickly. "
After seeing Yang Chengwu, Chairman Mao first asked him about the situation of the troops, and then said: "The War of Liberation has entered a new stage. The status of the enemy and us has changed. We are in the initiative, and they are in the passive. ”
After saying these words, Chairman Mao proposed a new combat mission to Yang Chengwu: "Go back and choose a trustworthy division with strong combat capabilities, and you will personally lead me to the Northeast. "However, it is a pity that this mission was cancelled due to various reasons.
was granted the third order: to march into Suiyuan to cooperate with the Northeast battlefield.
On July 31, 1948, Yang Chengwu received a telegram from the Military Commission and the North China Military Region, asking him to go to the North China Military Region quickly and accept the task with Nie Rongzhen. After Yang Chengwu met Nie Rongzhen, the other party told him: "Chairman Mao asked you to discuss with you. The mission is to prepare to cooperate with the Northeast war. The specific situation will be discussed when he goes to Chairman Mao."
Yang Chengwu only learned after arriving at Chairman Mao's residence that his mission this time was to march into Suiyuan. Although it is very difficult to enter Suiyuan, it is also crucial. Chairman Mao’s ability to hand over this arduous task to Yang Chengwu is enough to show his trust and value in Yang Chengwu.
The fourth time he was granted: to enter North Korea to fight.
With the outbreak of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the Military Commission decided to form the 20th Corps of the Volunteer Army, with Yang Chengwu as the commander. Before entering the North Korea battle, Chairman Mao talked to Yang Chengwu: "Chengwu, this time we enter the North Korea battle, we must have ideological and material preparations, and we must win a few more battles."
Chairman Mao paused and continued, "We cannot be swaying about this war. Although we have to send troops, we must also win. You will go this time, which is also a good exercise for the troops."
Yang Chengwu immediately said: "Please rest assured, Chairman, we will not let you down, we will complete the task, and will not insult the glorious title of the Beijing-Tianjin garrison troops!" Chairman Mao nodded and looked at his beloved general with a praising look.
At the dinner table, Chairman Mao raised a glass of wine and said to Yang Chengwu, "Come on, I'll toast you." Yang Chengwu shook his head and said, "Chairman, we should be the ones we toast you!" Chairman Mao said, "No, I'm here to toast you. I wish you to go to North Korea and the Korean People's Army to fight side by side and win the battle together!"
After drinking the third glass of wine, Chairman Mao once again instructed: "Be careful of the situation on the battlefield, pay attention to the military and political situation..."
After three glasses of wine, Chairman Mao's several instructions were both important instructions and earnest hopes, and Chairman Mao's summoning and practice also increased Yang Chengwu's confidence in going to the battle.
From the above examples, it is enough to see Chairman Mao’s trust and respect for Yang Chengwu. If that is the case, why did Chairman Mao say the words “You can not be awarded the general, but Dong Qiwu must be awarded the general”?
Because Yang Chengwu knew that what Chairman Mao said should be "responsive to the right words". If Chairman Mao did not regard Yang Chengwu as his confidant general, he would not say this in front of the other party. After all, Chairman Mao’s emotional intelligence is very high, and he will save face for his subordinates.
Yang Chengwu is a Communist Party member who can stand the test and a senior general of the People's Army. He is not only good at fighting, but also has a selfless spirit of dedication. Therefore, military rank is not very important to generals like Yang Chengwu. It was because Chairman Mao was sure of this that he said this to Yang Chengwu. This sentence was not only doing Dong Qiwu's ideological work, but also a kind of praise for Yang Chengwu.
Yang Chengwu was very happy to learn that Chairman Mao had affirmed him. In this way, he came to the garrison of Dong Qi's armed forces with excitement and told him everything Chairman Mao and himself said.
Dong Qiwu is well aware of Yang Chengwu's status and importance in Chairman Mao's heart, and he also knows what Chairman Mao said. If he refuses the rank of general again, it will be a bit unfavorable. So Dong Qiwu smiled and said to Yang Chengwu, "Since the Chairman said so, I have to respect myself rather than obey."
The next day, Dong Qiwu came to Fu Zuoyi's home and told the other party about this. After hearing this, Fu Zuoyi said repeatedly, "It's so great, it's so great!" Dong Qiwu also said excitedly, "Yes, Chairman Mao is our Guanyin !"
Dong Qiwu returned home and said to his wife Yao Qinxiu, "Chairman Mao is so great, the Communist Party is so great!"
In September 1955, during the PLA's rank, Dong Qiwu and Yang Chengwu were both awarded the rank of general.
In the days that followed, Dong Qiwu had been striving to join the Communist Party, and his wish was also approved in 1982. At that time, Qin Jiwei, commander of the Beijing Military Region, said to Dong Qiwu: "Chairman Deng Xiaoping personally approved you to join the Communist Party!" On December 21 of the same year, facing the bright red Communist Party flag, Dong Qiwu, who was over 80 years old, said excitedly: "I volunteer to join the Communist Party of China ..."
On March 3, 1989, Dong Qiwu died of illness at the age of 90.
