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The foundation of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Coalition Army and the leadership of Yang Jingyu
In September 1933, under the cruel environment of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Independent Division of the First Army of the Northeast People's Revolutionary Army was formally established under the leadership of Yang Jingyu. During this period, the anti-Japanese forces needed to be more effectively integrated and strengthened to cope with the increasing pressure of the Japanese army. As the division commander and political commissar of the newly established independent division, Yang Jingyu began to prepare and train the troops, and his organizational ability and tactical vision were particularly important at this stage.
In the early stages of the troops, Yang Jingyu attached importance to military discipline and tactical training in order to improve the combat efficiency of the troops. He was often personally involved in the training of soldiers, checking the use of equipment and the progress of tactical drills. Through the efforts of day and night, the combat effectiveness of the independent division has been significantly improved, and the morale has also been high.
In 1936, under the leadership of Yang Jingyu, the independent division had grown to more than 6,000 people. In order to further strengthen the anti-Japanese forces, Yang Jingyu began to contact and coordinate with other anti-Japanese forces to explore the possibility of cooperation. In this year, after months of planning and consultation, the Independent Division united a number of anti-Japanese guerrillas and local anti-Japanese armed forces to jointly form the First Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army.
The newly established First Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army has not only increased substantially in numbers, but more importantly, it has integrated resources and forces from various aspects to make its combat effectiveness more powerful. Yang Jingyu played a crucial role in this process, not only as a military commander in formulating tactics, but also as a political leader, strengthening the unity and coordination among the various anti-Japanese forces.
Through the joint efforts of Yang Jingyu and his subordinates, the anti-Japanese coalition forces continued to carry out guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, effectively containing a large number of Japanese troops, and playing an important role in the overall strategy of China's War of Resistance Against Japan.
Yang Jingyu's sacrifice and anti-Japanese spirit
On January 21, 1940, in the cold wind of winter, Yang Jingyu's whereabouts were learned by the Japanese puppet army because of the traitor's informant. This news quickly triggered a large-scale search and arrest of Yang Jingyu's location by the Japanese puppet army. Japanese troops and puppet army forces began a carpet search of the area where Yang Jingyu might be hiding.
As the enemy pressed in, Yang Jingyu led his squad through the bitter cold and snow of the northeast, trying to get out of the enemy's tracking. They moved between dense forests and mountains, hiding during the day and acting at night, avoiding enemy search routes as much as possible. However, due to the enemy's too strong strength, Yang Jingyu's team gradually lost most of its combat strength in the process of fleeing, and many comrades died heroically in the battle.
By February 16, after weeks of fierce chases and many skirmishes, all the comrades around Yang Jingyu had died. Despite the extremely unfavorable situation, Yang Jingyu still insisted on resisting, at this time he had a high fever and was seriously overdrawn, but he still refused to give up the mission of the Anti-Japanese War.
During the days of fleeing and fighting, Yang Jingyu's health deteriorated sharply, the high fever did not go away, and his physical condition deteriorated. Despite this, he insisted on commanding and organizing the battle, doing his best to resist the pursuit of the Japanese puppet army. Yang Jingyu knew very well that once he was arrested or sacrificed, it would deal a great blow to the morale of the anti-Japanese forces.
On the evening of February 22, Yang Jingyu was completely surrounded by enemy troops in the Sandaoweizi area of Mengjiang County. The Japanese puppet army sent a large number of troops and set up a heavy encirclement network, intending to eliminate this anti-Japanese hero in one fell swoop. In the case of being surrounded, the enemy repeatedly persuaded Yang Jingyu to surrender through shouts and leaflets, claiming that his safety and preferential treatment could be guaranteed. However, Yang Jingyu firmly rejected these offers of surrender.
The battle unfolded rapidly under the cover of night, and Yang Jingyu relied on the terrain advantage to use the weapons in his hands to make a final resistance. Under enemy artillery fire and search lights, he relied on rudimentary bunkers to counterattack. In the firefight, Yang Jingyu constantly adjusted his firing position and tried his best to suppress the enemy's attack. However, due to the extreme lack of physical strength and ammunition, combined with the severe disadvantage of his physical condition, his resistance became increasingly difficult.
The engagement lasted about 20 minutes, and Yang Jingyu continued to fight under extremely unfavorable conditions. In the end, in the heroic resistance, Yang Jingyu was hit by multiple bullets from the enemy and died a heroic death, ending his heroic life at the age of 35.
Commemorating Yang Jingyu's initiatives and impacts
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in order to forever remember the heroic sacrifice and indomitable fighting spirit of the anti-Japanese heroes, the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee decided to establish the Northeast Martyrs Memorial Hall by the beautiful Songhua River.
The construction of the memorial hall began in the early 1950s, and the designers and planners deeply studied the history of the Northeast against Japan, and strived to integrate the regional characteristics and anti-Japanese culture of the Northeast into the design. The whole complex is solemn, which not only shows the strong will of the people of Northeast China who are not afraid of strong enemies, but also reflects the deep mourning and high respect for the heroes.
During the construction of the memorial, the design team faced a number of challenges, especially in the collection and collation of historical materials. Due to the long-term war and many relocations, many archival materials on the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression have been lost or seriously damaged. The Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee has set up a special archives search team to search for and sort out all available materials related to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Northeast China.
After months of hard work, the search team finally found a yellowed piece of paper in an old warehouse — Mr. Yang's resume. Although the resume has long been yellowed and slightly frayed around the edges, the contents recorded on it are extremely precious. It records in detail Yang Jingyu's birthplace, the time he joined the party, the records of his activities after coming to the Northeast, and his important role and contributions in the War of Resistance Against Japan.
Although this resume is shabby, it is very informative, and it is recorded that "Ma Shangde, known as Runsheng, once used the name Yang Jingyu after arriving in the Northeast...... In 1936, he served as the commander and political commissar of the 1st Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army......" These words not only prove Yang Jingyu's identity, but also clarify his important position in the Anti-Japanese Allied Army. The discovery of the curriculum vitae is of great significance for the historical presentation of the memorial hall and provides valuable first-hand information for later exhibitions and research.
To further verify the contents of this resume and other relevant historical details, the investigation team contacted Yang Yichen, then secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee, who was a close comrade-in-arms of Yang Jingyu during the Anti-Japanese War in South Manchuria. Yang Yichen provided the investigation team with some key information, confirmed parts of the resume, and added more details about Yang Jingyu's personal and combat history. He recalled that Yang Jingyu was indeed a native of Queshan, Henan, born in 1905 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in June 1927. In 1929, Yang Jingyu left Henan and went to the Northeast to begin his anti-Japanese career.
Yang Jingyu's family and descendants
Yang's heroic sacrifice left a deep mark on the battlefield, but for his family back home, the lack of news made the hero's sacrifice a long-standing mystery. Over the years, his two children, Ma Congyun and Ma Jinyun, have lived in the unknown of their father's fate. It was not until soon after the founding of the People's Republic of China that as the government re-evaluated and collected the history of the heroes of the Anti-Japanese War, a special investigation team was sent to various places to find and record the deeds of the heroes during the Anti-Japanese War.
By the time the investigation team's information was finally compiled and conveyed to Yang Jingyu's family, it was several years later. For Ma Congyun and Ma Jinyun, this sudden news brought a great impact. For many years, they only knew that their father was an anti-Japanese fighter, but the specific heroic deeds and ways of sacrifice have not been known. When they learned that Yang Jingyu persisted in fighting until the last moment under extremely difficult conditions, the brother and sister's admiration and pride in their father grew, and at the same time, deep grief ensued because they missed the opportunity to spend time with this great father.
In addition, Fang Xiuyun, who married Ma Congyun in 1942, although she had already become a member of the family, it was not until the arrival of the investigation team that she learned for the first time that her father-in-law was such a great person.
The team's efforts did not end there. They also helped Yang Jingyu's family sort out and apply for Yang Jingyu to be officially recognized as a martyr, and set up a local memorial facility so that more people can understand and commemorate the hero's deeds.
The inheritance of Yang Jingyu's spirit
In 1964, inspired by Yang Jingyu's spirit, his son Ma Congyun also died heroically in the process of serving the country. Ma Congyun's death is not only a personal tragedy, but also a profound blow to a family. Before dying, his last words to his wife Fang Xiuyun were expectations and entrustment for future generations: "We are the descendants of anti-Japanese heroes, and our family cannot be born of bad seeds, let alone lie on the merit book to ask the government and the organization to make benefits." This sentence reflects Ma Congyun's deep understanding of family responsibility and honor, and it is also his expectation for the future of the family as a father and husband.
When Ma Congyun died, he left behind five young children, the eldest of whom was only 14 years old, the eldest daughter was 12 years old, the second daughter was 8 years old, the second son was 4 years old, and the youngest son was not even born. Fang Xiuyun is under tremendous pressure not only to raise five children alone, but also to ensure that they thrive well in a difficult environment.
In the years that followed, Fang Xiuyun lived in two small bungalows of only 36 square meters built in the 1950s. Despite the poor living conditions, she never forgot her husband's last words. Fang Xiuyun worked diligently to provide the children with the necessary support for their lives and education as much as possible, and never made special requests or sought improper benefits from the government or any organization. She insists on teaching children the importance of honesty, hard work and self-reliance.
In the process of raising children, Fang Xiuyun often mentioned the deeds of Ma Congyun and the heroic behavior of their grandfather Yang Jingyu, so that this spirit of selfless dedication and sacrifice is deeply rooted in the hearts of the next generation. Children learn from an early age that their family has an unusual history and responsibility. Fang Xiuyun used her practical actions and strict requirements for children to gradually create a self-reliant and principled family atmosphere.
It was not until 1998, when the old house was demolished due to urban renovation, that the living conditions of Fang Xiuyun and her family improved. Although the new living environment is much more spacious than before, Fang Xiuyun and her children still maintain a simple and frugal lifestyle. They see this way of life as part of their family tradition, as well as a sign of respect and inheritance of the sacrificial spirit of their ancestors.
Ma Congyun's last words and Fang Xiuyun's perseverance have become an important part of this family story, influencing and inspiring each generation. When the children grow up, they also take on their own social responsibilities, and they try to reflect the values and spirit of the family in both work and life.
References:[1]Fang Yongmei,Zhang Guohua. Journal of Tonghua Normal University,2009,30(7):3-6