On November 19, 1974, Marshal Peng Dehuai passed away.
Before leaving, Peng Dehuai had been thinking about his friend Zhu De and wanted to meet him. He kept asking someone to bring messages and pass messages to him, but no one dared to notify Mr. Zhu of the news.
It was not until Peng Dehuai passed away that Zhu De learned from others that Peng Dehuai had been talking about himself during his lifetime.
Zhu De suddenly burst into tears, and even shouted at the people beside him with some disobedience: "Why don't you let me see Mr. Peng? What else can you do if you want to die? What else is scary!"
It hit the nail on the head at first sight
The friendship between Zhu De and Peng Dehuai was formed since the Jinggangshan period.
Peng Dehuai respected and admired Zhu De very much throughout his life, and always regarded him as his confidant. When they were in Jinggangshan, the two often talked to each other late at night, and felt that they were still unsatisfied. Everyone knew that Zhu De and Peng Dehuai had the best relationship.
In 1928, Zhu De and Peng Dehuai met in Jinggangshan. At that time, both of them were actually a little down.
Due to the failure of Nanchang Uprising, Zhu De led his team to travel around the country, and finally fell into Jinggangshan. Moreover, there were a large number of enemies outside, and the Red Army team may suffer a catastrophe at any time.
Peng Dehuai's life was not easy. Although the Pingjiang Uprising led by him was successful, the enemy's counterattack was too powerful. In desperation, Peng Dehuai learned that Jinggangshan had revolutionary power, so he went through great difficulty to lead the team to join him. Unexpectedly, he and Zhu De hit it off at first sight.
There are teenagers different from each other, and their past experiences are completely different.
Zhu De's first half of his life was full of energy. He participated in the Tongmenghui led by Sun Yat-sen since his youth. He has always been very prestigious in the army. He became the chief of the Yunnan Police at the age of 35 and was one of the initiators of the Nanchang Uprising.
Not to mention the Communist Party, even the officers in the Kuomintang admired General Zhu in a state of admiration.
Peng Dehuai's experience was very bumpy. He was born in poverty and even begged for food with his grandmother when he was a child, so he could barely survive.
Growing up, he joined the revolution and joined the peasant movement, but because of this, he was frequently wanted by the government, had no fixed place to live, and wandered around. It was not until during the Northern Expedition that he finally made his military achievements.
For Peng Dehuai, Zhu De is a senior who deserves respect. Although their past experiences are different, their mood is the same at this moment.
Although the Communist Party is in the most difficult time, they still joined the team without hesitation for the revolutionary ideal in their hearts. Even if the road ahead is stormy, they still have the courage to continue to persevere.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this common ideal and belief that they appreciate each other, and they become friends for the first time they meet.
Both of them have revolutionary ideals and are undoubtedly military geniuses.
At that time, the Red Army was facing a large-scale encirclement and suppression by the enemy, so talents like them were needed. In the early stages of the Red Army's entrepreneurship, most of the wars were completed by Zhu De and Peng Dehuai.
The two of them have never cooperated in the past, but they have become the most tacit pair of partners in the Red Army in a short period of time. No matter how difficult the battle is, as long as they hear it is the command of Zhu De and Peng Dehuai, the soldiers will feel very relieved.
Glorious years
They accompanied the Red Army through the most difficult years, from Jinggangshan to Long March , and finally arrived in northern Shaanxi. They never gave up. They fought more and more battles, their status was getting higher and higher, and their friendship remained unchanged.
1937, with the changes in the national situation, the full anti-Japanese war broke out, and the Red Army and the Kuomintang also put aside their past grudges and reorganized them into the Eighth Route Army.
At this time, Zhu De was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army by the Party Central Committee, and Peng Dehuai became the deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army. The two of them were still working together to fight the Japanese invaders.
In November 1937, the Japanese army captured Niangziguan , and then launched a large-scale advance to Taiyuan, and the situation became precarious.
The Eighth Route Army Command was also busy. Zhu De worked overtime almost 24 hours a day. The documents at hand could never be processed, and his physical condition was not optimistic. Peng Dehuai saw it in his heart and was anxious.
Although in many people's impression, Peng Dehuai has a straightforward temper, in fact, his concern for his friends is meticulous. After realizing that Zhu De was busy with work and physical damage, Peng Dehuai decided to do his best to help Zhu De share the pressure.
He knew that many important things were inseparable from Zhu De, so he tried his best to discuss the combat plan with Zuo Quan before fighting, and then discuss it with Zhu De.
This can reduce part of Zhu De's working time and also allow Zhu De to focus more on overall affairs.
In addition, Peng Dehuai is very worried about Zhu De's safety issues. At that time, the Japanese army was crazy and bombed everywhere, and even the Eighth Route Army's base was not safe. If a war broke out, the safety of the command center would be even more difficult to guarantee.
So, when fighting, Peng Dehuai always rushed to rush forward, hoping that Zhu De could guard the rear.
Zhu De once advised Peng Dehuai not to always rush to go to the front line to command. This is too risky, and as a commander, he can't have any trouble!
However, Peng Dehuai smiled and said to Zhu De: "Boss, I am a teenager younger than you. I went to the front line to command the battle with the regiment, battalion and company cadres, and covered the headquarters to successfully pass Zhengtai Road and complete the strategic task of transferring to the Taihang Mountains. This is what it should be!"
In daily life, Peng Dehuai often worried that the Japanese army would suddenly harass.
As the commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, Zhu De had a great goal, so the Japanese army was very hostile to Zhu De.
When the Eighth Route Army was stationed in Taiyuan, Peng Dehuai often reminded the guard company to pay attention to the safety of Commander-in-Chief Zhu. At the same time, he personally chose Zhu De a tightly defended residence and a squad of guards, so he could barely feel relieved.
Results, at night, Peng Dehuai got up again and went to Zhu De's residence to inspect.
At that time, the Eighth Route Army was approaching Yellow River to fight against the Japanese invaders. The situation was at the most tense time. If Zhu De's safety could not be guaranteed, Peng Dehuai would not be able to let go of his heart.
Zhu De was very moved to see Peng Dehuai's anxious look. But Zhu De was also very worried. Peng Dehuai's efforts to consider himself thoroughly instead affected Peng Dehuai's own rest.
So, Zhu De privately said to Peng Dehuai's guard: "Since the East, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Peng has organized and arranged troops to take boats and trains in day and night, commanding air defense . In addition, the railway was interrupted, and I haven't had a stable sleep for many days. You must find a quieter house, so that he can rest and have a good sleep.
Two more days later, Zhu De also reminded the cooking team to cook the food softly when they cook for Peng Dehuai. Moreover, do not put the coarse salt directly in it.
This made the cook a little confused. Later, when asked Zhu De, he realized that during these days, Peng Dehuai's stomach disease has committed another crime. Peng Dehuai was worried about the war on the front line, so he kept enduring it and did not tell everyone, but Zhu De had long noticed something wrong with Peng Dehuai.
Peng Dehuai's stomach disease was still the root cause of the Long March. At that time, living conditions were difficult, and after a while, the stomach disease was getting worse and worse. Now, it is time for the tension again, so this stomach pain 's old problem began to pester Peng Dehuai again.
The medical conditions are not enough at present, so Zhu De could only spend some time on the food, hoping that Peng Dehuai's disease could be cured soon.
Zhu De is a very careful person. In life, he takes care of Peng Dehuai like his brother.
He knew that Peng Dehuai did not smoke and drink, but liked to drink tea, but the Eighth Route Army's conditions were difficult, so Peng Dehuai had no money to buy tea.So, when he usually wants to drink tea, he will pick a handful of sour jujube leaves on the road.
Zhu De has always been thinking about Peng Dehuai's little hobby. Every time he has some tea, he will quickly send it to Peng Dehuai so that he can satisfy his cravings.
The sugar sent to Zhu De to supplement his body in the team, and he also kept it for Peng Dehuai to use. During that time, Peng Dehuai was worried about a lot, and he always had anger, cold, and throat pain. After using sugar, the symptoms could be relieved a lot.
In the autumn of 1938, the Japanese army actually sent a large number of troops and suddenly surrounded the command center of the Eighth Route Army.
So Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Zuo Quan held an emergency meeting and prepared to evacuate. However, if you evacuate together, the target will be too big. Moreover, once the Japanese army catches up, the consequences will be unimaginable, so one person must be left to hold the enemy back.
Zhu De immediately stated that Peng Dehuai was reluctant to let him take on this task, and the two almost started arguing.
Finally, it was Zhu De who brought out the title of commander-in-chief and finally persuaded Peng Dehuai to lead his troops away.
Then, Zhu De only took one guard company and stayed in place to attract the Japanese firepower. Of course, Zhu De did not intend to let this group of Japanese troops go easily. He and Peng Dehuai had already discussed the strategy of fighting.
He is here to hold on to time, while Peng Dehuai and Zuo Quan lead two troops to break through in the east and west directions. After breaking out, take advantage of the relaxation of the Japanese army's attention, they will kill another shot again. At that time, they will cooperate with Zhu De in the encirclement and fight back.
This is a wonderful plan. The Japanese army would never have expected that Peng Dehuai and Zuo Quan would come back after breaking out. They were beaten up in chaos and threw away their armor. Not only did they fail to defeat the command center of the Eighth Route Army, but they would lose their troops and generals.
No matter when, they will always be tacit partners on the battlefield. The years of war have been many years in the blink of an eye. Along the way, many comrades have fallen on the road ahead of schedule. Fortunately, they finally saw the day when their ideals are realized.
Timely help
However, not long after the founding of New China, the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea began again. This time, Peng Dehuai is going to take charge again.
Zhu De was always worried about his old friend. When Peng Dehuai was about to leave, Zhu De specially called Premier Zhou and set up a banquet at his home to make a grand trip for Peng Dehuai.
In 1952, in order to report the situation on the battlefield to Chairman Mao, Peng Dehuai temporarily returned from the front line.
He had just come out of Zhongnanhai , and Zhu De arrived in a hurry. When the two old friends met, they were very excited. Zhu De came to visit Peng Dehuai specifically. They haven't seen each other for so long, and Zhu De has always been very concerned about Peng Dehuai's situation.
Moreover, he also brought a box of changing clothes very carefully. He knew that Peng Dehuai didn't care much about it in daily life. This time he came, he definitely didn't bring all the food, clothes, or uses.
So, as soon as Peng Dehuai came back, Zhu De quickly packed a box of clothes from the guesthouse where he lived and brought it to him.
1953, Peng Dehuai finally ended his work on the front line and returned to China safely.
After Peng Dehuai handed over the work, Zhu De immediately invited Peng Dehuai to Beijing's Thirteen Tombs to have a good day to relax. They had such a relaxing moment, and both of them took the Maza and the chessboard in a tacit understanding.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the two people often gathered together to play chess for fun. The guards commented that the two bosses played chess styles differently.
Peng Dehuai is fierce and fierce to eat other people's chess pieces. Every time he eats them, he must smash his chess pieces heavily on Zhu De's chess pieces, as if he is still fighting on the battlefield, and he is thriving.
Zhu De's chess style is that the autumn wind sweeps away the fallen leaves. When eating other people's chess pieces, he uses his own chess pieces to gently push Peng Dehuai's chess pieces away, and jokes it as "sweep".
However, such relaxed and comfortable days did not last long.
At the Second Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee held on August 17, 1959, Peng Dehuai was removed from his post.
At that time, Zhu De said frankly that he thought it was inappropriate to deal with Peng Dehuai's problems in this way. As a result, he also attracted a lot of attacks on himself and was eventually removed from his position as vice chairman of the Military Commission .
Then, Peng Dehuai moved out of Zhongnanhai alone, with only the past guards and drivers by his side, and even his wife fought a divorce lawsuit with him.
That period was Peng Dehuai's most depressed and helpless time. Many people took advantage of it and did not come to see him.
But Zhu De's attitude towards Peng Dehuai was as old as before. He still came to Peng Dehuai's new home Wu Family Garden from time to time, and played chess and chatted with his old friends like in the past.
They rarely talk about the troubles of being dismissed. Zhu De knew that what his old friend needed most now was company, so he would come to Wu's garden as soon as he had time, and the friendship between the two was not affected at all.
says it is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to provide timely help. It is worth having such a friend in your life.
Friendship is hard to distinguish
However, in the 1960s, Peng Dehuai's work was transferred again, and this time he was transferred directly to the Southwest.
It will be difficult for him and Zhu De to meet again. Zhu De was very reluctant and repeatedly asked Peng Dehuai to come to Sichuan, if he had the conditions, he would definitely write a letter to himself and say anything if he had any difficulties.
Peng Dehuai said goodbye to his old friend very reluctantly. After arriving in Sichuan, Peng Dehuai spent a relatively peaceful life because he returned to his job.
But a few years later, he was sent back to Beijing for investigation again. This time, even Zhu De was difficult to visit him, and there was no one to accompany him, and Peng Dehuai's spirit was very bad.
By 1973, it became even worse. Peng Dehuai was diagnosed with rectal cancer and was already in the late stage.
Fortunately, Premier Zhou quickly found out about this matter. When Premier Zhou heard that Peng Dehuai had such a serious illness, he was very angry and immediately arranged for someone to transfer Peng Dehuai to 301 Hospital for treatment.
But Peng Dehuai still cannot contact outsiders casually. Even if Premier Zhou and Zhu De want to visit him, it is inconvenient. Peng Dehuai can only fight against the disease alone in the ward.
However, it was too late for him to be sent for treatment. He had experienced several heavy bleeding before, and now he can only rely on medicine to barely maintain his life.
His body became weaker day by day. In the last days, Peng Dehuai still recalled his friendship with President Zhu, and from time to time he said Zhu De's name, and entrusted medical staff to ask them to bring a message to Zhu De, and he wanted to say a few words to this old friend at the last moment.
But because no one passed the message, it became a regret in the end.
When Zhu De learned about this, Peng Dehuai had already passed away.
Half-century friendship ended in such a somewhat regrettable way, and outsiders are still heartbroken, let alone Zhu De himself.
Because of this incident, Zhu De was very stimulated and his condition worsened. He recuperated in the hospital for a long time.
Others want to come and persuade him, but every time when Peng Dehuai is mentioned, Zhu De's eyes turn red. He missed this old friend so much. If he could sit with him and have a drink, how good would it be to go chess next time. Unfortunately, good times are gone forever.
Peng Dehuai left not long after, and Zhu De also left.
Perhaps, in another world, they have met again, and can drink and drink tea, chat and joke together, play a game of chess, and talk about the glorious years of the past.
Although the ending is not satisfactory, none of them betray their best friends throughout their lives, which may be a good ending in another sense.
And their friendship is also remembered by future generations. People always think of their names at the same time. People will remember that this pair of good friends are the people who made history.
