In 2003, Zhang Aiping died of illness, and his wife told the child: Your father and Peng Xuefeng have an unusual relationship
The indissoluble bond of revolutionary comrades-in-arms
As historians, we have the responsibility to record those touching revolutionary stories and arouse people's respect and nostalgia for our revolutionary ancestors. Zhang Aiping and Peng Xuefeng are such a pair of valuable comrades-in-arms. Coming from poor peasant families, they all threw themselves into the revolutionary cause with the ideal of serving the country and the people, and established a deep friendship during the arduous Long March and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Peng Xuefeng is a few years older than Zhang Aiping and is a veteran revolutionary soldier. In the Central Soviet Region, the Red Army University and the Long March, he took care of Zhang Aiping as an old brother. Whether it is boosting morale at a critical juncture, or taking care of him on the march, Peng Xuefeng is always using his actions to interpret what true comradeship is. Even when strategic differences arise, they can be open and honest with each other, exchange views, and ultimately come together. This revolutionary spirit of selfless dedication has moved all comrades.
It's a pity that the good times didn't last long, and in 1944, Peng Xuefeng died heroically on the front line, and his life was fixed on the battlefield. Zhang Aiping's grief for this best friend can be imagined. However, the cause of the revolution was still not completed, and he gave up his personal feelings in order to realize the common ideal, and continued to lead the troops to fight to the end until the final victory of the War of Resistance against Japan.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhang Aiping and his wife went to Peng Xuefeng's tomb almost every year to pay respects and tell their children about the deeds of this hero, so that they could remember the great achievements of their revolutionary ancestors. When Zhang Aiping finally passed away, his wife also inherited this high hope, inheriting the revolutionary friendship between the two from generation to generation.
This kind of sincere friendship that transcends life and death has undoubtedly left a profound inspiration for us descendants. In the revolutionary era, it was precisely because of such countless comrades-in-arms like Zhang Aiping and Peng Xuefeng who shared weal and woe with each other that made New China a brilliant achievement. We should know more about and disseminate these touching stories, so that the spirit of our revolutionary ancestors can live forever in the world, and inspire future generations to continue to fight for national rejuvenation.
The glory of the revolution will live forever on earth
As a pair of revolutionary comrades-in-arms, the heroic images established by Zhang Aiping and Peng Xuefeng shined in the long history of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and even after the founding of the People's Republic of China. They never cared about personal grievances, always put the interests of the country first, and interpreted with their practical actions what it means to be loyal to the party and the people in a revolutionary quality.
When Zhang Aiping established an anti-Japanese base in northeastern Anhui, she took the initiative to send troops to rescue Peng Xuefeng who was in danger, and she can be described as a close friend who shared life and death, suffering and injury. Even later, when someone wanted to adjust Peng Xuefeng's position, Zhang Aiping resolutely stepped forward and won the rightful position for her old comrades-in-arms. This kind of comradeship-in-arms sharing weal and woe is really moving.
However, what is even more admirable is that the two of them have always adhered to the purpose of serving the people even at the moment of life and death. At the meeting east of Hongze Lake, Peng Xuefeng took the initiative to take responsibility, while Zhang Aiping tried to defend him, both out of a high degree of responsibility and selfless dedication to the revolutionary cause. This attitude of attaching importance to the revolutionary cause not only reflects their loyal character, but also deeply educates us, the descendants.
It can be said that the story of Zhang Aiping and Peng Xuefeng is an indelible glorious chapter in the history of the Chinese revolution. They used their lives to compose a moving revolutionary hymn and became the most shining beacon among countless revolutionary ancestors. We should pay more attention to and learn from such heroic stories, so that their spirit can be passed on forever and inspire revolutionaries in the new era to make unremitting efforts for the prosperity and strength of the country and the happiness of the people.