In the revolutionary years, Ji'an, Jiangxi, was a red land, located in the Central Soviet District, where Jinggangshan, the holy land of revolution, was located. Influenced by progressive ideas, the masses in Ji'an actively joined the army and participated in the war, making major contributions to the revolutionary cause. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, there are not a few people who have been awarded the title of general. The Li Zuopeng we are going to talk about today is the founding lieutenant general who came out of Ji'an.
Li Zuopeng, born in 1914, is a native of Ji'an, Jiangxi. He joined the Red Army at the age of 16 and served as a messenger in the Red Army, where he was often praised by his leaders for his outstanding performance. During the agrarian revolutionary war, Li Zuopeng was promoted very quickly, and successively served as the squad leader of the Red Army, the translator and telegrapher of the confidential section of the Central Military Commission, the staff officer of the 2nd Bureau, and the chief of the 2nd section.
After the Long March arrived in northern Shaanxi, Li Zuopeng entered the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University as an instructor, he had a flexible brain, a calm personality, and usually liked to read silently, belonging to the kind of people who talk less and do more. Here, Li Zuopeng was appreciated by the president Lin Zong, and after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he entered the 115th Division and served as the chief of the reconnaissance section, the chief of the operations section, and the chief of staff of the Shandong Column. During this period, Li Zuopeng was hit by a Japanese gas bomb during a battle, and he was permanently blind in his right eye, and he has been wearing glasses ever since.
During the Liberation War, Li Zuopeng came to the northeast and became a cadre general of the Northeast Field Army, and he successively served as deputy commander, commander, and chief of staff of the 15th Corps of the Siye 43rd Army, and led his troops from the White Mountains and Black Water to Hainan at the southern tip of the motherland, with great merit. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Li Zuopeng was awarded the rank of founding lieutenant general, and later served as the first political commissar of the Navy, which can be described as incomparably prominent. But what is regrettable is that General Lee took a detour in his later years, and his life took a huge turn. Beginning in September 1971, he was dismissed from all positions and ordered to reflect on his problems.
In January 1981, after a trial, General Lee was sentenced to 17 years in prison. However, in view of the fact that the old general was a revolutionary hero, and now that he was old and in poor health, he was approved to be released on medical parole and placed in Taiyuan, Shanxi. For General Lee, the organization gave meticulous care, not only arranging independent accommodation, but also paying enough living expenses every month. In his later years, the old generals had no worries about food and clothing, and their lives were calm and fulfilling.
General Lee died in January 2009 at the age of 95. The general's friends and their descendants called to offer condolences and said they would come to the memorial service. Just as the general's eldest son was busy making preparations, the local civil affairs bureau came, and after some deliberation, they decided that the scale of the funeral should be as small as possible, preferably only relatives and family members. The memorial service, which had been scheduled for the morning of January 17, had also been cancelled the afternoon before. Although the ceremony is simple, the specifications are not low, and the general's hearse is carried by six people, which can be said to be a high-specification burial in Babaoshan.