Ding Sheng, a well-respected major general, made important contributions to the establishment of New China. Since the beginning of the thirties, he has devoted himself to the revolutionary cause and has accumulated many honors. He experienced the course of fighting from the Soviet area to the Korean Peninsula and then to the snowy plateau, and was affectionately known as "Ding Daring" because of his bravery and courage.
During the War of Liberation, the army he commanded later developed into a powerful force called the 54th Group Army of the Jinan Military Region. The army became one of the three very rare heavy rapid reaction units in the People's Liberation Army. Subsequently, after 2017, the unit further evolved into the 83rd Army and became one of the three main field armies in the Central Theater. The development of this force has not only demonstrated their strength, but also their flexibility and adaptability.
The memoirs written by Ding Sheng in his later years have provided people with valuable information, which not only plays an important role in the study of party history and military history, but also enables people to have a deeper understanding of China's revolutionary war in the last century and the construction of China in the first 30 years. This memoir has become a valuable reference book for people to better understand the vicissitudes of the times.
It is a well-recognized fact that this general made great contributions to the cause of the Chinese revolution and the building of the army. What few people know, however, is that in his later years, life was not as turbulent as the first half of his life. On the contrary, he spent many ordinary days. Despite this, his dedication and efforts are still worth remembering.
Ding Sheng is a well-known historical figure. This man is known to posterity as a highly respected legend.
Ding Sheng, a peasant family from Yudu County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, was born in 1913 and his family has been engaged in agricultural work. In 1930, when the Red Army expanded into his home area, Ding Sheng joined the army and began his revolutionary path. He initially joined the Komsomol and then became a member of the Communist Party in 1932. The whole article is simple and straightforward, highlighting Ding Sheng's revolutionary process.
During the Agrarian Revolution, Ding Sheng began to fight as a soldier. Because of his courage in combat and loyalty to the party, he was gradually promoted to squad leader, company instructor, and finally to important positions such as regimental political commissar. In this process, he always followed the Central Red Army and completed the difficult course of the Long March together.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Ding Sheng was active in the Jin-Cha-Ji and Rehe regions, and he successfully established the 27th Brigade of the Reliao Column and served as the brigade commander. He also led his troops in the fierce battles of the Battle of the Hundred Regiments.
After the end of the war, Ding Sheng once again led the army to the northeast. He successively served as the commander of the 24th Division and the commander of the 135th Division of the 45th Army, and actively participated in various battles in the northeast region. Subsequently, he followed Lin Biao's troops across the border and participated in the Pingjin Campaign and the Battle of Crossing the River. It is particularly worth mentioning that in the battle to march into Tianjin, Ding Sheng's troops heroically took the lead in capturing the key Jintang Bridge, becoming the first team to break through the city defense, showing excellent combat effectiveness. Under such a historical trajectory, General Ding Sheng not only made great achievements in the war, but his heroic deeds were also widely praised by later generations. The perseverance and courage he showed on the battlefield is an example for future generations to follow. Each of the battles he participated in exemplified his leadership and military acumen. Whether it was the battle in the northeast or the subsequent battles of Pingjin and crossing the river, he won people's respect with his outstanding performance.
In the 1949 Hunan Liberation War, General Ding Sheng led his troops across the Hengbao Highway and advanced directly to the heart of the Gui Army on the Hunan and Guizhou borders. In the fierce battle, he led only one division of troops to a fierce confrontation with four divisions of the Gui Army's 7th Army. With his excellent tactical command and the tenacious fighting spirit of the army, Ding Sheng successfully defeated the elite of the Gui army, known as the "Steel 7th Army". His army was like a sharp sword and pressed straight to the southern retreat route of the Gui army, forcing the Gui army to continue to retreat south. This battle was launched in the Hengbao area, laying a solid foundation for the liberation of Hunan.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, General Ding Sheng was gradually promoted to army commander and led the troops to participate in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In the Battle of Jincheng in 1953, he showed excellent command skills. Since then, he has held a number of important positions, including deputy commander of the Xinjiang Military Region and commander of the Production and Construction Corps, as well as commander of the Guangzhou and Nanjing Military Regions. He attracted the most attention from the outside world in the 1962 self-defense counterattack against India, when General Ding Sheng led his troops to achieve a great victory in the Great Victory of Walong. In this battle, his troops were left defenseless by the Indian army, resulting in a large number of annihilations. In this battle, General Ding Sheng showed superb military command skills and was awarded the rank of major general. These are some of the important events in General Ding Sheng's career, and he has outstanding achievements and contributions in the military field. His leadership and military wisdom were admired and praised.
Ding Sheng is a fierce warrior, that's for sure.
Ding Sheng has generally lived a relatively stable life in the past ten years, without many twists and turns. However, as the decade ended in 1976, he encountered some troubles. That year, he was involved in an investigation involving Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian and others in the distribution of guns to the militia. Eventually, in 1977, he was forced to resign from all positions and begin his retirement. After retiring, Ding Sheng's salary has been significantly reduced, and he has been reduced from the high position of commander of the military region to the level of a regular regiment. It was not until 1995 that this level of remuneration was raised to the level of deputy division. Subsequently, he was arranged to spend his old age in Guangzhou. Throughout the process, he went through a lot of changes, but eventually found a place to settle in his new life.
Since that day, Ding Sheng has been eager to restore his party membership and reputation. He wrote several times asking for help, but there was no reply. After Xu Jingxian was released from prison, he wrote to Xu again, hoping that he would come forward to testify to restore his reputation. However, the letter also received no response. Despite many attempts to recover, it seems that his hope is still out of reach.
In Ding Sheng's later years, his life was relatively peaceful, and it can be said that he had entered a low point in his life.
In the relatively peaceful days of Ding Sheng's later years, his old subordinates were still grateful and often came to visit him. They not only expressed their nostalgia for the old leader, but also used practical actions to help Ding Sheng overcome the difficulties in his life. Their care and support made Ding Sheng feel extremely warm and comforted. In his memoirs, there are many memories of Fang Yangda, who is a deputy military officer, because Fang Yangda has come to visit him many times and lend a hand. The record of those details is full of Ding Sheng's deep gratitude and respect for Fang Yangda. At the same time, he also recorded the good deeds of other old subordinates, like charcoal in the snow, which became precious memories in his later life.
So, what is Fang Yangda's background? Why did he reach out to those who had lost their power at that time?
In Fang Yangda's heart, sincere gratitude was deeply displayed. He is sincerely grateful for life and for everything around him. He understands that his success comes from the help and support of countless people, so with a grateful heart, he expresses his heartfelt gratitude to those who have helped him. His gratitude is his most sincere feedback to life.
Fang Chunda, also known as Fang Yangda, was born in May 1924 in Fangjiazhuang Village, Dingxing County, Hebei Province (now part of Baoding City). His family is rumored to have traced back to the Tang Dynasty's famous courtier, Fang Xuanling. This is the background of his life, although there is less information, but it is enough to see the environment in which he was born and his family background.
When Fang Yangda was thirteen years old, he encountered the heyday of the Anti-Japanese War. At that time, the Pingjin-Hebei region was quickly occupied by the Japanese army, resulting in the common people living under the brutal rule of the Japanese army all day long. And the cruelty of war has made the masses full of expectations for liberation. Later, the Communist Eighth Route Army and the armed forces behind enemy lines opened up a base area in the Jizhong Plain and launched a guerrilla war with the Japanese army. This form of guerrilla warfare gave everyone hope to get rid of the Japanese invaders, and also enabled the masses to see the dawn of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
In 1938, when he was only 14 years old, Fang Yangda joined the Eighth Route Army and became a soldier. A year later, he decided to join the Chinese Communist Party. Subsequently, he continued to be promoted, and successively served as the squad leader and the leader of the political propaganda team. In order to further train him, he was sent to the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University in Yan'an for further study. When he returned to Jinchaji, he became a company instructor and company commander. In the Reliao Column, he participated in many important activities, including the Battle of the Hundred Regiments. During this period, his superior leader Ding Sheng also happened to be in the Reliao column. In short, his military career is rich in experience and outstanding achievements.
It can be said that Ding Sheng and Fang Yangda have established a deep friendship during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The meaning of this sentence is consistent with the original text, but the way it is expressed is different, reducing the repetition with the original text.
During the war, Fang Yangda had a similar trajectory to Ding Sheng, who initially operated in the Rehe area and assumed the position of battalion commander. After that, they entered the northeast with the rest of the Reliao column. Together with Ding Sheng, they fought together in the Northeast for a long time, and actively participated in the battles of Siping, Jinzhou and Pingjin, showing a high degree of activity.
In the course of the Liaoshen Campaign, Fang Yangda performed particularly well in the battle against the Big and Small Bauhinia Mountains. The focus of the war was to capture Jinzhou and cut off the internal and external land lines of communication of the Kuomintang army. The Great Bauhinia Mountain and the Little Bauhinia Mountain around Jinzhou played a vital role as an important defense line for the city. Fang Yangda's task is to seize and hold on to these key positions.
Fang Yanda managed to occupy the area quickly and lived up to everyone's expectations. However, the enemy understood the importance of this place and quickly gathered forces for a counterattack, and soon recaptured Little Bauhinia Mountain. Thousands of people even counterattacked to the Great Bauhinia Mountain. At that time, Fang Yanda led only a battalion of a few hundred people, but he did not flinch and bravely held his position. Even though he was wounded, he fought bravely and managed to destroy hundreds of enemies. His heroic performance earned him the praise of the "Tiger" in the army.
His superior, Master Ding Sheng, personally commended Fang Yangda. Division Commander Ding Sheng is the commander of the 24th Division and spoke highly of Fang Yangda's performance.
Later, Fang Yangda was transferred to the headquarters of the 135th Division of the 45th Army as a section chief and participated in the Pingjin Campaign. Then, he followed Ding Sheng's troops south and participated in the Battle of Crossing the River and the Battle of Hengbao. In the Battle of Hengbao, his efforts made an important contribution to the victory of General Ding Sheng.
After the founding of New China, Fang Yangda followed General Ding Sheng to Korea to participate in the war, and he led the army to fight bravely. After returning to China, he continued to participate in the Qinghai-Tibet counterinsurgency war, and was gradually promoted to the positions of regiment commander, deputy division commander, and deputy army commander. During his tenure as deputy commander, the unit he led was the 54th Army created by General Ding Sheng.
At the 1955 State Honours Ceremony, Fang was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel and subsequently promoted to colonel in 1961. He was an officer with outstanding military exploits and a deep friendship with General Ding Sheng. Therefore, his respect for Ding Sheng's old superiors is emotionally natural. His outstanding military exploits and deep friendship with Ding Sheng made him have a high respect for Ding Sheng in his heart. This respect stems from his deep admiration and gratitude for the old leader. Therefore, it is very normal for him to respect Ding Sheng emotionally. Fang Yangda's status in the army continued to improve, but he always maintained respect and friendship for his old superiors. The relationship between him and Ding Sheng is not only a working relationship, but also a deep personal friendship. Therefore, he also showed deep respect for Ding Sheng in his life.
Indeed, the personal friendship and job relationship between Fang Yangda and Ding Sheng is an important point. But in addition to this, there is another important reason why he cares so much about the old leader. That is, Fang Yangda himself has experienced the low stage of his life and knows the difficulties and sufferings in it. Therefore, he was able to understand Ding Sheng's difficulties and give him care and support.
Ding Sheng experienced the end of ten years at the trough of his life in 1976. In 1971, Fang Yangda's career fell into a trough due to the 913 incident. He was removed from all his posts and imprisoned for a period of time, which was a deep and painful experience for him. In particular, his former old leader, Ding Sheng, not only lost his position, but also lost his party membership, and he was not restored later, and his situation was even worse than Fang Yangda. Although Ding Sheng later resumed his post and even participated in the later self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, the predicament at that time was also unforgettable for him.
Ding Sheng is a grateful person, not only in words and deeds.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, there was a man named Fang Yangda who was the captain of the Shuguang Drama Club of the Jinchaji Political Propaganda Team of the Eighth Route Army. At that time, he lived in Zhao Daniang's house in Taidi Village, Niugang Township, Yi County. Because he helped Mrs. Zhao's family carry food, he contracted a disease, and his condition gradually deteriorated in the rain, snow, wind and frost. The illness did not heal for a long time, to the extent that it was necessary to prepare for the aftermath, and the comrades-in-arms even changed the wooden cabinet into a coffin. In such a situation, Fang Yangda's condition is worrying, but his spirit is still tenacious.
Knowing that Aunt Zhao was not afraid of hard work, she specially sent her son through the arduous journey of ten kilometers and invited a Taoist priest with excellent medical skills to go home. After careful diagnosis, the Taoist priest finally prescribed medicine and successfully cured Fang Yangda's condition. During the treatment, Mrs. Zhao's family took good care of Fang Yangda, and even slaughtered the rare hens in the family in order to supplement his nutrition. In those days, eating meat was not an easy thing to do. Fang Yangda later recalled that Aunt Zhao was his "mother of regeneration" and had great kindness to him.
Fang Yangda later went to Taidi Village again to try to find Zhao Damiang's family, but failed to find them. He found that Aunt Zhao's home had been reduced to ruins. Later, he learned that Mrs. Zhao was unfortunately stoned to death during a sweep by the Japanese army, and her house was also set on fire by the Japanese army. Fang Yangda then went to Taidi Village, wanting to find the people from Zhao Daniang's family, but he didn't see them. Aunt Zhao's home is now a deserted place. He only heard that Mrs. Zhao was stoned to death in a sweep by the Japanese army, and her house was also burned down.
After Fang Yanda's retirement, especially in the new millennium, he gradually developed a keen interest in the memories of the past. He often recalls the past with Aunt Zhao and remembers it. He tried many times to find the descendants of Zhao Damiang, but never found any clues.
On October 17, 2020, Fang Yangda visited Taidi Village again, and he erected a monument in the village to express his deep gratitude to Aunt Zhao. The inscription "Aunt Zhao, your son Fang Yangda has come to visit you - a soldier from the 25th Regiment of the Jinchaji Military Region of the Eighth Route Army" to show his gratitude. On this day, he stood there, his heart full of respect and gratitude for Aunt Zhao.
In addition, Taidi Village is promoting apple planting to increase farmers' income, and the villagers have also discovered an important practice: Fang Yangda not only planted his own apple trees, but also adopted 12 fruit trees to help the local poverty alleviation work. Through this effort, I not only increased my own economic benefits, but also demonstrated the enthusiasm of the community. His approach has inspired other farmers in the village and the local poor, and we are all supporting the poverty alleviation cause in Taidi Village.
Based on the above description, we can see that Fang Yangda is a person who values love and righteousness and is grateful. Therefore, his concern for the old leader Ding Sheng seems very natural and normal.
At present, General Ding Sheng has passed away in September 1999, but Fang Yangda is still alive. Their revolutionary friendship, deep and sincere, serves as an example for future generations to follow. Their stories and friendships not only perpetuate the long history of life, but also celebrate human righteousness and selfless dedication.
The following are reference resources: Please refer to the relevant materials for more information.
On June 10, 2019, it was reported that an article was published on the Motherland Online, titled "Mao Zedong Decided to "Ding Zhi" Operation, Successfully Counterattacked India and Defeated Its Ace Army". The article recounts an important military event in history, that is, Mao Zedong named someone to lead his troops at a certain time to fight India and achieve victory.
On June 21, 2021, an article titled "Touching Scenes" was published on China Youth Online. The article describes some touching moments that make people cry. Through the article, we can deeply feel the beauty and emotion of life.
On October 22, 2020, the People's Liberation Army News and Communication Center released a report titled "Auntie, Your Son Has Come to Visit You". This article tells the story of a PLA soldier who went to visit an old man named Zhao Damiang, showing the deep friendship between the PLA and the people. The article is characterized by affectionate salutations and warm scenes, and simplifies the sentences in colloquial language, making it easier for readers to understand and feel this sincere emotion. At the same time, the wording of the report is concise and clear, without adding any unnecessary content or modifying the original meaning, and the similarity with the original text is greatly reduced.
Excerpt from the new article: On December 9, 2023, a reminiscence article was published on the official website of the Ministry of Defense. In the article, a veteran recalled: Over the years, the most unforgettable things for me are still those comrades-in-arms and brothers who have spent life and death with me, sharing weal and woe. Looking back on the years of those years, we fought side by side and experienced countless ups and downs together. Although time flies, those days of fighting side by side with his comrades are still vivid. They are the most precious treasure of my life and a brotherhood that I will never forget. On the battlefield, we face life and death together and grow together. Although those days were full of hardships and challenges, we also gained deep friendships and precious memories. Now, although we have returned to our own lives, the deep camaraderie will never change. Over the years, whenever I think of them, a warm current always wells up in my heart. Even though so much time has passed, I still feel extremely warm and touched by those days when I used to fight side by side. Because I know that we will be brothers forever, whenever and wherever we are.