One day in 1981, a small mountain village in Suzhou, Anhui Province, ushered in a big man, breaking the tranquility of the past. This big man was the famous General Zhang Zhen. As a founding lieutenant general, the high-ranking General Zhang Zhen was already 67 years old at the time, so what was he going to do when he came to this remote mountain village in such a long way?
It turned out that General Zhang Zhen had come specifically to explore a village woman who had stayed in Shengweizi, Zhou. This thought had been circling in General Zhang Zhen's mind for several years, but the general was in a high position and busy with his position, and he had not been able to realize this wish. At that time, taking advantage of a little spare time, the general finally came to Suzhou, Anhui Province, accompanied by his son, and made a special visit to this long-cherished village woman.
The boat and car were tired, and the running all the way made the elderly General Zhang Zhen a little tired, but the general saw that the old people were eager, and even refused to rest for a while, and directly let the local receptionist lead him to Shengxuzi, and then under the leadership of the local villagers, he went to the home of the village woman he wanted to see.
General Zhang Zhen
Decades have passed, and the years have added years to everyone, and the village woman in the general's memory has become an old woman. Suddenly, the village woman who came to visit wondered why the person in front of her wanted to find her?
General Zhang Zhen suppressed his excitement and asked in a trembling voice, "Do you remember the night of 1941?" ”
The village woman recalled for a moment before replying, "Remember, it was the night of September 30th." ”
The general went on to say, "That night you took in a new fourth army and let the soldiers spend the night in your house. ”
The village woman mentioned here with some excitement: "The soldiers of the New Fourth Army have come to my house to spend the night, and I have never forgotten this!" ”
The general continued to laugh and said, "The next morning the Japanese devils called, and there was a young man who slept too hard to hear the movement. ”
Following the general's words, the village woman recalled the situation that morning, and then determined: "Yes, the situation was urgent, and there was a soldier in the back room who slept to death, so I went to wake him up." ”
Speaking of this, the village woman seemed to understand a little, looked at the general hesitantly and asked, "Are you... ”
Before the village woman could finish asking, General Zhang Zhen couldn't wait to answer, "Yes, the person who was woken up was me!" Thanks to you for waking me up, I am afraid I would not have lived to this day. ”
From the conversation between the general and the village woman, we seem to be able to see that there is a story happening here. So what's going on? This article will take you to see this past that happened forty years ago.
The troops broke through and stayed in the farmhouse
In 1941, the most difficult period of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the situation was volatile. Zhang Zhen, then chief of staff of the Fourth Division of the New Fourth Army, received the task of leading his troops from the Huaibei region to the Sudong region to inspect local work and convey instructions from his superiors. After completing the tasks assigned by the organization, Zhang Zhen led the fighters to the anti-Japanese base area in the Yuwan-Anhui-Suzhou Border Region to carry out guerrilla warfare.
After several twists and turns, Zhang Zhen led his troops to break through the heavy blockade of the Japanese army, temporarily took a short rest in Xiaoqinzhuang, Suzhou, and held a meeting to analyze the situation of the enemy and us, and discuss the next step of the combat strategy. Due to the importance of the matter, the meeting was repeatedly analyzed and discussed, the pros and cons were discussed, and the best plan was formulated. Unconsciously, the day and night passed, and by the end of the meeting, I found that it was the next night. There was a man named Yao Yunliang, who was the leader of the Sudong guerrilla detachment, because he often fought with the Japanese troops around Sudong, he was familiar with the habits of the Japanese army, and if Zhang Zhen's troops stayed in Xiaoqinzhuang for too long, it was easy to be suspected by the Japanese army. Therefore, at the suggestion of Yao Yunliang, after the meeting was adjourned, Zhang Zhen immediately led the soldiers from Xiao qinzhuang's car to move in the direction of Shengweizi in Suzhou, 10 kilometers away.
The Eighth Route Army marched south into the Yuwan Su Border Region
Because it was a nocturnal departure, the black gouron was not easy to discern the direction at night, and the troops were not familiar with the roads in this area, and they were a little disoriented for a while, and they circled around in the woods for a long time. In desperation, Zhang Zhen found the nearby people, explained the reason to them, and wanted to ask the people to help them go to Shengweizi. Seeing that it was the New Fourth Army seeking help, the people enthusiastically put on their clothes without saying a word, and took Zhang Zhen's troops all the way to Shengxuzi. After such a tossing and turning, when the troops arrived at Shengweizi, it took 4 hours.
After thanking the people who led the way, Zhang Zhen began to think about the problem of the troops' accommodation at night. At this time, it was already late at night, standing at the mouth of Shengxuzi Village, and the cold wind of November blew from time to time, freezing into the bone. The soldiers of the army are thinly dressed, if they rest in the open air, the body will definitely be unbearable, and there is no concealment in the open air, so many people in their group, it is easy to be discovered by the enemy, very unsafe. After thinking about it again, Zhang Zhen decided to spend the night at the people's homes.
In order to be safe, Zhang Zhenxian took several subordinates to the village to quietly investigate and ensure that there was no danger. The warriors tried to knock on the doors of several families, explaining the reason for the overnight stay, but there was no response.
Five kilometers near Shengxuzi there are Japanese troops stationed, they often come to the village to sweep up trouble, the people in the village are afraid and uneasy, easily dare not go out, at night the door is locked, and do not dare to open the door easily when they hear movements. In particular, not long ago, the New Fourth Army had just passed through Shengxuzi, and the Japanese army was now very vigilant, searching the village more frequently and carefully than ever, and even pretending to be the New Fourth Army to knock on the doors of the people and find out whether there were "common communist" people. Therefore, the villagers of Shengxuzi were a little afraid of knocking on the door, especially the knock on the door in the middle of the night, even if they heard the other side say that it was the New Fourth Army, they did not dare to open the door, because they did not know whether it was the real New Fourth Army or the enemy's disguise.
The guerrilla detachment, which was approaching the enemy behind the border of Yuwan and Suzhou, was preparing to cross the river
Seeing that the night was getting deeper and deeper, and the soldiers who had walked for 4 hours were too tired to hold on, the most important thing at this moment was to let the soldiers rest quickly. After knocking on the door several times without responding, Zhang Zhen decided to let the troops stay on the grass stacks on the street for one night. Just as he was about to leave, the door that had just been knocked on behind him suddenly opened a slit. A young woman stood behind the door and asked cautiously, "Are you really the New Fourth Army?" After the confirmation, the woman opened the door and welcomed General Zhang Zhen and other soldiers into the home, becoming their "saviors" and becoming their "saviors" .
The name of the woman who reached out to help was Kong Xiuying, and it was the old woman who, forty years later, General Zhang Zhen had traveled thousands of miles to Anhui to find her. Kong Xiuying is an ordinary citizen of Shengweizi in Suzhou, and his family is a local farmer. However, due to the war, Kong Xiuying's parents and relatives died, leaving only one younger brother to live with her. Her brother signed up for the army and became a soldier in the New Fourth Army, while she had just become intimate with a young man from the same village a few days ago, and Zhang Zhen knocked on her and her husband's new home this night.
When she heard the knock on the door, Kong Xiuying was a little scared at first, not knowing whether it was the New Fourth Army knocking on the door outside, and hesitating whether to open the door. But then she remembered that her brother, who was also the New Fourth Army, had told her before that in guerrilla warfare outside, soldiers of the army would sometimes go to local villagers to spend the night. Thinking of this, Kong Xiuying calmed down slightly, consulted with her husband, and plucked up enough courage to go out and open the door.
Seeing that it was indeed the New Fourth Army standing outside the door, Kong Xiuying finally let go of his hanging heart. After listening to Zhang Zhen carefully explain the reason for the overnight stay, Kong Xiuying and her husband quickly and enthusiastically invited the soldiers into the home.
Kong Xiuying's family has a total of two rooms, the larger one is her and her husband's marriage room, and the other side room of the smaller one is used by the smaller two to place some miscellaneous agricultural tools. Kong Xiuying originally wanted to clean up the wedding room for the soldiers to live in, but Zhang Zhen refused, saying that these soldiers who were outside the army were used to it, and they could live in a room, so it was a good fit. Kong Xiuying had to quickly clean up the next hut, but it was a little uncomfortable to see the soldiers all crowded inside, so he had to make a floor in his marriage room to let the soldiers rest in part, after all, it was not good to squeeze and sleep, which would affect the actions behind.
In the face of the enthusiasm and thoughtfulness of Kong Xiuying and her husband, Zhang Zhen finally refused, and after thanking him quickly, he arranged for the soldiers to rest. Kong Xiuying was a little worried about his brother, and took the opportunity to ask Zhang Zhen about it, and he had never seen his brother in the army. However, it was a pity that there were many troops in the New Fourth Army, and among the soldiers Zhang Zhen came into contact with were not Kong Xiuying's younger brothers.
After a few words of conversation, seeing that Zhang Zhen and the soldiers were indeed very tired, Kong Xiuying was not good enough to bother anymore, and did not ask anything more, so he and her husband rested. As soon as Zhang Zhen and the warriors lay down, they could not resist the sleepiness and quickly fell asleep. Zhang Zhen and several soldiers lay in Kong Xiuying's wedding room, snoring like thunder, which showed that they were really tired.
Encounter the enemy on the road and save the general
The next morning, Kong Xiuying and her husband got up first. Afraid of making noise to the soldiers who were still sleeping, the little two mouths lightly washed and cleaned up quietly. According to local customs, the new daughter-in-law will soon have to tear down and wash the quilts in the house. So Kong Xiuying went out early and went to the river to wash the quilt. Thinking that the warriors would have to eat breakfast when they got up, Kong Xiuying's husband stayed at home to cook. Not long after, Kong Xiuying returned home with the washed quilt, found that there was not enough firewood for cooking, and went out again to collect some dry firewood, and then went home.
Halfway down the road, she suddenly heard the rumbling of car tires ringing not far away, and it was getting closer. Kong Xiuying intuitively felt that the situation was abnormal, their remote village would not have a car at all on weekdays, and the New Fourth Army did not have a car, it could only be the car of a Japanese devil. She looked at the foot of the hill again, and saw a row of cars driving in the direction of the village, and the Japanese military flag was indeed on the window.
Thinking that the soldiers of the New Fourth Army were still sleeping in their own homes, Kong Xiuying understood that the situation was very urgent. She immediately dropped the firewood she was holding in her arms and hurried home, making sure to evacuate the soldiers of the New Fourth Army before the ghosts arrived. As soon as he saw the door of the house, Kong Xiuying shouted loudly: "The devil is coming, hurry up!" Shouting, he ran home. When the soldier on duty heard this, he immediately ran into the house and woke up his comrades who were still sleeping. At once, all the fighters immediately stood up and packed up, picked up their guns and equipment, and quickly entered the combat state.
Outside, the Japanese devils had already entered the village and began to search everywhere, a total of about three hundred people. They searched from house to house, and the villagers opened fire if they resisted. Some soldiers of the New Fourth Army went out to exchange fire with the Japanese army, trying their best to protect the villagers. The streets and alleys were full of gunfire, and the exchange of fire between the two sides was very fierce for a while.
Kong Xiuying, who was running home, glanced at the soldiers in the courtyard, saw that there was no Zhang Zhen, and immediately rushed to her and her husband's new room, found Zhang Zhen who had not yet woken up, and several other fighters, shouted at them, "Wake up, hurry up, the devil is coming!" ”
Reflexively, Zhang Zhen and the rest of the warriors woke up in an instant. Hearing the sound of gunfire outside, he quickly learned about the situation in front of Kong Xiuying, and after a brief analysis, he knew that he could not fight with the enemy in the street, so he immediately ran to the courtyard and organized a commando team to cover the evacuation of the remaining fighters, and at the same time loaded important documents to avoid falling into the hands of the enemy.
However, the Japanese army numbered as many as three hundred people, the firepower was too strong, more than a dozen fighters who were circling with the Japanese army outside had been killed, the gunfire gradually stopped, the Japanese army was encircling in the direction of Kong Xiuying's house, and the soldiers in the courtyard would be found soon after they went out, and the situation was very critical. Zhang Zhen was anxious and was about to lead the warriors to rush out, when Kong Xiuying suddenly stopped him and said, "I know that there is a way to leave, and it will not be discovered, so everyone will follow me." ”
Kong Xiuying opened the door and quickly ran west with Zhang Zhen and the soldiers, saw a small alley facing north, and turned in. This small alley is relatively hidden, the houses are very close, and the ghosts will not find it for a while and a half. Kong Xiuying stopped and said to Zhang Zhen, "You just follow this alley, go all the way north, there is a dry river channel at the mouth of the alley, turn over there is a reed beach, and then go north to the Tuo River, the devil's car can't chase there." ”
The situation was urgent, Zhang Zhen did not have time to ask Kong Xiuying's name, and could only hastily thank him, and then led the soldiers along the road pointed out by Kong Xiuying. Occasionally encountered some Japanese troops on the road, it was quickly solved, and there was no danger along the way, successfully broke through, and moved to a safe place.
The Japanese army could not find Zhang Zhen's team that had escaped, so they searched on a large scale, threatening and intimidating the villagers and torturing them. Although the villagers had no strength to fight back, they also stubbornly did not give in to the enemy, and they would "not know" no matter how they were forced to ask, without the slightest trace of Zhang Zhen and the routes for the fighters to flee.
Fortunately, the Japanese army rushed to track down the whereabouts of the New Fourth Army, and soon let the villagers leave. When it was safe, the villagers of Shengxuzi collected the remains of eighteen Soldiers of the New Fourth Army who died to protect them, and built a martyrs' mausoleum for them.
Founding General, gratitude in return
After the storm passed, the villagers of Shengxuzi cautiously returned to their normal lives, and Kong Xiuying and her husband continued to run their small families, while looking forward to the victory of the war. This night and morning's help to the New Fourth Army was only a thing that Should and Would Be Done for Kong Xiuying. She did not ask Zhang Zhen for their identity information, did not know what their names were, only that they were the New Fourth Army. The days went on slowly, and she put the matter behind her mind without thinking too much about it. Unbeknownst to her, the leader of the New Fourth Army she helped would make outstanding military achievements, and in 1955 she was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and the founding lieutenant general of China.
In the blink of an eye for 40 years, General Zhang Zhen has not forgotten the young woman who took in him and the soldiers in that remote village in Anhui, and has not forgotten that she woke up herself in time when she found the enemy situation in the morning, and it can be said that she was her own savior. He had always regretted that he had not had time to ask her name clearly, and hoped that he would have the opportunity to see the benefactor of that year again, ask her what her name was, and thank her well. However, he was so busy with official business that he could not be empty.
Until 1981, the 67-year-old Zhang Zhen came to the Suzhou area of Anhui Province for inspection work. Stepping onto the familiar land, the past appeared in his mind like a curtain, and he could not wait any longer to find the woman who had helped him. As soon as he finished his work, he couldn't wait to take a special ride to Shengxuzi accompanied by his son and local leaders.
Decades have passed, the memory of the village has undergone earth-shaking changes, wide and smooth roads, neat and beautiful houses, all show a new look and new atmosphere, the villagers' lives are much better than before. Under the leadership of the relevant personnel, General Zhang Zhen finally stood in front of the door of the former benefactor's house and knocked on the door with a slight trembling.
The door opened slowly, revealing an old face. The young bride of yesteryear has become an old man whose hair is beginning to gray. The nostalgia was even more timid, and General Zhang Zhen did not dare to recognize each other for a while, and tentatively asked the old man if he remembered the events of that year. After a few short conversations, the general and the old man recognized each other with some excitement, and the general also knew that the original benefactor was named Kong Xiuying.
General Zhang Zhen solemnly expressed his gratitude to Kong Xiuying, without her help that year, he might not have been able to leave Shengxuzi alive, let alone achieve today's results. Kong Xiuying knew at this time that it turned out that the person he had inadvertently saved was such a big person. The two old men sat together and talked about their respective experiences after their separation, and chatted for a long time.
During the conversation, Kong Xiuying told him that the 18 soldiers who died to cover Zhang Zhen's departure were well buried and the martyrs' mausoleum was built. General Zhang Zhen choked up in an instant, wanting to see these sacrificed comrades- Kong Xiuying took him to the tombs of the 18 martyrs, and the names of the villagers did not know what the names of the sacrificed soldiers were, so there were no names on the tombstones erected. When Zhang Zhen saw the nameless grave in front of him, his eyes instantly turned red. He cried and choked, "Now we are all living a good life, but you are lying here alone, buried in a foreign land." ”
In order to comfort the heroic souls of these martyrs, General Zhang Zhen proposed to build a martyrs' monument. On the spot, he paid four thousand yuan himself to move the graves of the martyrs. Later, with the help of local authorities, a 15,000-square-meter martyrs' cemetery was built. There is a monument in the cemetery, on which is the "Shengwei Battle Martyrs Monument" inscribed by General Zhang Zhen himself.
After the completion of the martyrs' cemetery, the elderly Kong Xiuying offered to guard the tomb and volunteered to guard these unsung heroes, until after her death, her son took over the responsibility of guarding the tomb and continued to guard it instead of her.
After this trip to Shengweizi, the two families of General Zhang Zhen and Kong Xiuying also established a deep friendship, often contacted each other, and the story between the two was also spread in ten miles and eight villages, becoming a beautiful conversation.