This sentence hit Zhu Min's heart like a hammer. She suddenly remembered those long, painful years. With war, displacement, and unpredictable life and death, how did she survive the concentration camps? And how did they survive with a glimmer of hope? When she finally found her father Zhu De, why did Mao Anying question her so much? Could it be that she really did something wrong? Or is there something deeper that has led to this estrangement and resentment between family members?
1. Wandering in a foreign land, life and death
In June 1941, Zhu Min's family lived in Berlin, Germany, and Zhu De, as the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, was busy with the great cause of resisting Japan and saving the country. Zhu Min and his mother thought that they would be able to live a quiet time away from the war-torn country, but who expected that the Soviet-German war broke out, the German fascists were ambitious, and the fate of innocent civilians came to an abrupt end.
In the early morning of June 22 of that year, the sky over Berlin was heavily attacked by the Allied forces, and Zhu Min's family fled from their residence in a hurry, only having time to carry some simple clothes and belongings. On the way to escape, they were surrounded and attacked by the Germans. Zhu Min's mother died in a rain of bullets, and Zhu Min witnessed her mother's tragic death in front of her eyes, and her heart was traumatized beyond erase.
In the chaos, Zhu Min was captured alive by the Germans and imprisoned in a concentration camp in East Prussia. In that dark and dirty prison, she was tortured and tortured by the fascists. Every day, people are beaten and humiliated as beings inferior to the animals they raise. Zhu Min witnessed the tragic scenes of too many fellow travelers being treated inhumanely and on the verge of death in harsh conditions, and her heart withered little by little in great fear and sadness.
During her years in the concentration camp, Zhu Min often dreamed of her mother's deathbed, her helpless and painful expression like a sharp dagger, mercilessly cutting a deep wound in her heart. The atrocities of the enemy made her lose hope in all the good things in this world, and she felt like an orphan abandoned in the dark, never to see the light of life again. In the boundless nightmarish days, Zhu Min even began to wonder if he would be able to get out of this hell on earth alive.
Second, the road to find relatives is long
In January 1945, with the massive counteroffensive of the Soviet Red Army, the mad rule of German fascism finally came to an end. In that concentration camp in East Prussia, Zhu Min saw a glimmer of hope. Taking advantage of the chaos of the German army, she sneaked out of the concentration camp and began a long journey to find her relatives.
As soon as he escaped from the concentration camp, Zhu Min encountered a unit of the Soviet Red Army that had come to liberate the land. Out of hatred and wariness of the Germans, Zhu Min did not reveal his identity as a Chinese to the Red Army soldiers at first. She simply followed the troops from a distance, hoping to break free from the clutches of the fascists with their strength.
After several rounds, Zhu Min came to a temporary shelter in Poland. It was home to wanderers from all over the world, from fleeing civilians to Jews rescued from concentration camps. In order to hide her identity, Zhu Min concocted a fictional life story in the shelter, claiming to be the daughter of an old Chinese medicine doctor living in the Soviet Union.
In this way, Zhu Min spent a long and boring day in the shelter. She often misses her relatives at home and misses being able to return to her father Zhu De's side. But her fear and vigilance prevented her from revealing the truth to anyone. She was afraid that once her identity was revealed, she would be persecuted and humiliated again.
On one occasion, Zhu Min inadvertently let a newly appointed Soviet Red Army commissar at the shelter find some clues. The political commissar was keenly aware of some doubts about Zhu Min's life experience, and took the initiative to approach her to try to understand the truth. Zhu Min had a big alarm bell in her heart, she guarded it strictly, and didn't dare to say a word more.
Just when Zhu Min was desperate for the future, an unexpected thing happened. In May 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered under the heavy losses of the Allies, and victory in World War II was basically certain. As soon as the news reached the shelter, countless displaced people cheered, and their faces were filled with hope for a new life. Zhu Min was also deeply touched by this, and she finally saw the dawn of being able to return to the embrace of the motherland.
3. The secret of life is revealed
The news of Germany's surrender nourished Zhu Min's long-dried heart like a spring, and she finally saw the hope of being able to return to her motherland. The jubilant scene in the shelter made Zhu Min more vigilant and cautious. As the daughter of a veteran of the Chinese Communist Party, she is afraid that once her true identity is revealed, she will fall into another uncertain situation.
At this juncture, the political commissar of the Soviet Red Army, who had always suspected Zhu Min's background, took the initiative to approach her again. The political commissar bluntly told Zhu Min that her fabricated life story would not work at all, and he had already found out some of her background. Zhu Min was taken aback, her heart was full of helplessness and panic, and she subconsciously denied the political commissar's statement.
Seeing this, the political commissar did not force Zhu Min, but decided to use patience and friendliness to win her trust. He arranged for Zhu Min to do some light work in the shelter, and often took the initiative to talk to her, hoping to let her off guard.
Gradually, the political commissar found that Zhu Min's longing for her family was her greatest desire. So he enlightened Zhu Min and said that if he wants to reunite with his family as soon as possible, the only way is to get rid of the shackles of his life. Only by abandoning all pretenses and concealments and confessing one's life experience can we get everyone's understanding and assistance.
After some explanation, Zhu Min was finally moved. The trauma of the war made her lose trust in anyone, but the commissar warmed her heart with sincerity. Zhu Min felt that even if he couldn't reunite with his family immediately, he should at least let them know that he was still alive. So, she wrote a letter to her family based on the words of the political commissar, telling what she had experienced in the past few years.
Zhu Min lied that he had been rescued by accident in a concentration camp to cover up the fact that he had been on the run. As for her identity, she directly explained that she was the daughter of Marshal Zhu De. After writing the letter, Zhu Min handed it over to the person in charge and asked them to quickly send it to China through military channels.
Fourth, blood is thicker than water, family affection solves doubts
Zhu Min's letter soon reached Yan'an through military channels. When General Zhu De saw his daughter's handwriting, he cried with joy. During the long war years, he always thought that his daughter had died, and never thought that she was still alive.
Upon learning the news of Zhu Min's survival, Zhu De immediately reported the great news to Chairman Mao. Mao Zedong was well aware of the importance of this matter, and he immediately approved Zhu De's request and sent a special plane to the Soviet Union to take Zhu Min back to China.
In January 1946, Zhu Min, accompanied by several underground party members, arrived in Yan'an by special plane. As soon as she got off the plane, she saw her father Zhu De holding a cane. At the moment of reunion after a long absence, the father and daughter finally released the feelings of longing for many years, hugged each other tightly, and burst into tears.
After returning to Yan'an, Zhu Min encountered a problem that she did not expect. At the family reunion banquet, Mao Anying suddenly said to her coldly: "Why did you lose your father?" This sentence was like a slap in the face, which directly hit Zhu Min's heart.
It turned out that when he was in the detention center, in order to hide the fact that he had been on the run for a long time, Zhu Min wrote a lie in his family letter, claiming that he had been rescued in a concentration camp. But Mao Anying obviously couldn't understand why Zhu De had not been heard from when he was in Berlin, while Zhu Min said that he had been rescued from a concentration camp. This is a clear paradox.
Faced with Mao Anying's questioning, Zhu Min was speechless for a while, not knowing how to answer. Just when she was helpless, Zhu De stood up and relieved her daughter. He told Mao Anying that the reason why Zhu Min did not disclose his true whereabouts was because he was afraid of persecution and retaliation by the enemy. As a father, Zhu De personally testified for his daughter and resolved the sprouts of this family conflict.
Fifth, work together to tide over difficulties
After Zhu Min returned to Yan'an, she did not live a comfortable life as she imagined. Her physical weakness due to the hardships of the war, coupled with the mental trauma she suffered over the years, caused her to be plagued by panic and nightmares.
In order to take better care of his daughter, Zhu De specially invited a military doctor to treat Zhu Min. After a period of recuperation and conditioning, Zhu Min's body gradually improved. But her mental wounds could not be healed in a short time, and she often dreamed of the inhumane scenes in the concentration camps.
During this time, the most supportive of Zhu Min was her father Zhu De. Zhu De saw it in his eyes and felt pain in his heart, and he never left his daughter's side. Whenever he woke up in the middle of the night and saw Zhu Min awakened by a nightmare with tears on her face, Zhu De would hug her tightly with his broad arms. In his father's warm embrace, Zhu Min finally let go of the burden of body and mind and found a long-lost sense of security.
As time passed, Zhu Min slowly began to regain confidence and hope in life. She realized that she should no longer be swallowed up by the dark side, let alone live up to the sincerity of her father and revolutionary predecessors. Therefore, Zhu Min decided to devote himself to the revolutionary cause and use his own strength to contribute to the liberation of the country and the people.
In Yan'an, Zhu Min participated in the study of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and systematically studied Marxist theoretical knowledge. Through her studies, she further understood the significance of the revolution and strengthened her ideals and beliefs in serving the people. After completing his studies, Zhu Min was assigned to work in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.