In October 1977, at the age of 48, Chi Haotian returned to the General Staff as deputy chief of the general staff and director of the political department of the general staff. After 8 years of work in the General Staff, in 1985, the General Staff appointed 5 deputy chiefs of general staff and 3 assistant chiefs of general staff, and chi Haotian, 56, went to the Jinan Military Region as political commissar.
After serving as political commissar of the Jinan Military Region for 2 years, Chi Haotian returned to the General Staff as chief of the general staff again, and he was replaced by Song Qingwei, who had been the political commissar of the 31st Army. Interestingly, both of them are Fellow Villagers in Shandong, both are of the same age, they were both soldiers in Huaye before the founding of the People's Republic of China, they are old predecessors with outstanding military achievements, what legendary experiences do both of them have?
Chi Haotian was born on July 9, 1929 in Chijia Village, Zhaoyuan County, Shandong Province. The father is honest and kind, the mother is honest and kind, hardworking and simple, and the good character of the parents has a great influence on Chi Haotian in his childhood. In 1935, at the age of 6, Chi Haotian enrolled in the private school of the village elementary school, and his wish was to become a teacher when he grew up.
However, Japanese imperialism soon invaded and occupied Shandong, burning and looting his hometown and committing all kinds of evil deeds. At this time, the anti-Japanese flames had been burned all over Zhaoyuan, the Communist Party led the people to rise up in resistance, chi Haotian served as the head of the children's regiment, leading his friends to spy on the enemy situation for the Eighth Route Army, standing guard and sending letters.
In May 1946, Chi Hao, who was less than 17 years old, joined the army and went to the 13th Regiment of the 5th Division of the Jiaodong Military Region as a clerk and threw himself into the Great Liberation War. In February 1947, Chi Haotian's unit was reorganized into the Seventy-third Regiment of the Ninth Column and twenty-fifth division, with Chi Haotian serving as the secretary of the third battalion headquarters, and the commander of the Ninth Column was the famous Xu Shiyou.
In the Battle of Nan (Ma) Lin (朐), the three battalions suffered heavy casualties, and Chi Haotian took the initiative to gather the remaining officers and men and the battalion headquarters communicators, trumpeters, and cookers to repel 13 consecutive attacks of the Kuomintang army. During the fierce battle, Chi Haotian was seriously injured, lost too much blood, and his life was in danger.
When everyone thought that Chi Haotian was going to die, Yi Meng's sister-in-law, who had treated him, boiled millet porridge and fed him spoonful by spoon, pulling him back from the death line and giving him a second life. In the long years that followed, Chi Haotian was grateful to the people of Yimeng and never forgot.
In the Battle of Huaihai at the end of 1948, one night in a hurry, a soldier reported to him: A group of men and horses marching with me not far away may be a Kuomintang army. After judging the situation, Chi Haotian decided not to alarm the Kuomintang troops first, and when the march reached favorable terrain, the three battalions suddenly intercepted both ends of this group of Kuomintang soldiers and shouted in unison: "Surrender your guns and don't kill!" The Nationalist soldiers were frightened and all raised their hands in surrender. At dawn, the number of captured Nationalist soldiers was greater than that of the third battalion.
During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Chi Haotian served as deputy instructor of the Third Battalion of the 235th Regiment of the 79th Division of the 27th Army. In the second campaign, the Seventy-ninth Division was tasked with encircling and annihilating the first part of the First Marine Division in Liutanli on the Eastern Front, and the 235th Regiment attacked from Songluodong in the direction of Yanshuili. The three battalions were ordered to attack the Western Hills of Shuili.
During the battle, Chi Haotian was responsible for leading the three battalions and seven companies to attack the left side of Xishan, and the deputy battalion commander Gao Yunlong led the ninth company to attack from the right side of Xishan. While rapidly leaping to twenty or thirty meters from the Americans, two companies suddenly opened fire, and many unprepared American troops were wiped out in sleeping bags. With the support of the eight companies of the second echelon, the American counterattack was repelled many times, creating an example of a battalion of volunteers annihilating a reinforced infantry company of the American army.
After returning to China from the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Chi Haotian successively served as political commissar of the regiment, director of the political department of the division, political commissar of the division, and deputy political commissar of the Beijing Military Region. In June 1985, he was appointed political commissar of the Jinan Military Region, and for more than two years, he and Li Jiulong, commander of the Jinan Military Region, did a lot of practical work for the building of the combat strength of the military region.
In November 1987, Chi Haotian was transferred to the General Staff, and the 58-year-old Song Qingwei succeeded him as the political commissar of the Jinan Military Region, and then served for seven years, successively with Li Jiulong, Zhang Wannian and Zhang Taiheng.
Song Qingwei was born in March 1929 to a poor peasant family in Dawu Village, Zhengjiazhai Township, Ling County, Shandong Province. Although the family was very poor, his parents learned from the tribulations that if future generations want to live a good life, they must read and write. Therefore, although the family could not open the pot, they still made up their minds to provide Song Qingwei with school.
After the July 7 Incident in 1937, Japanese imperialism launched an all-out war of aggression against China, and Lingxian County was occupied by the Japanese army. Song Qingwei's second uncle was killed in the Japanese army's "Qingxiang" movement, and the tragic situation of the second uncle has engraved a deep mark on his young soul. In July 1944, at the age of 15, despite the opposition of his family, he found the second sub-district of the Bohai Naval Region of the Eighth Route Army in Zizhen, LingXian County, and embarked on the road of revolution.
Because of Song Qingwei's high level of education and strong revolutionary will, he was soon promoted to an officer and served as the head of the clerical unit of the political department of the military sub-district. In 1948, Song Qingwei served as the instructor of the ninth company of the 3rd battalion of the 13th regiment of the 10th column of the East China Field Army, and Chi Haotian served as the deputy instructor of the company in the 9th column. In the Battle of Changwei, 32 officers and men of the Ninth Company were killed, all but him and a deputy platoon leader.
During the battle, Song Qingwei was also seriously injured, but he still did not get out of the line of fire and lay on a stretcher to direct the battle. He organized the remaining 50 men of the company into two platoons and five squads, struggling to repel multiple enemy attacks. After the war, Song Qingwei was credited with first-class merit.
In the ensuing battles, Song Qingwei rubbed shoulders with the god of death several times because of his bravery in battle and the front charge. In the Battle of Jinan, in the process of pursuing the remnants of the enemy, his hat was pierced by the enemy, only two or three centimeters from his forehead. In the battle of crossing the river, due to his poor water quality, the ship disembarked before it could dock and charged, and was almost swept away by the rolling waters of the river.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Song Qingwei has been working in the Fuzhou Military Region, successively serving as the political commissar of the regiment, the director of the cadre department, and the deputy political commissar of the Twenty-ninth Army. In 1983, at the age of 54, he was appointed political commissar of the 31st Army. During the 1985 million-dollar disarmament, he was transferred to the Jinan Military Region as deputy political commissar to cooperate with Chi Haotian's work. In November 1987, Chi Haotian was transferred to the chief of the general staff, and Song Qingwei served as the political commissar of the Jinan Military Region, and retired from the leadership position in November 1994.
Today, General Chi Haotian and Admiral Song Qingwei are both 92 years old and have very tough bodies, and I wish the two veteran generals good health and a long life, and the people will never forget the old revolutionary predecessors who shed blood and sacrificed for the motherland!