A portrait of Chairman Mao hangs on the wall of the commune. Almost all the people who came in watched carefully with admiration and lamented with the staff that Chairman Mao had made the poor the masters of the country.
Although Chairman Mao's name has long been a household name, there are not many opportunities to meet this great man in that rural area with underdeveloped information.
However, when one of the farmers saw the portrait of Chairman Mao, he stared at him silently.
The staff didn't take it to heart. I thought: maybe this old man is more reticent. I want to see the portrait of the leader for the first time. After a while, the old man suddenly realized, "He used to be my soldier."
The staff around him were taken aback. The ugly old man doesn't look like a revolutionary pioneer, but he doesn't look like talking nonsense. Under people's questioning, the old man told a little-known experience of Chairman Mao.
It turned out that the old man dressed as a farmer had been a soldier and had eaten rations. His name is Peng Yousheng, a native of Hunan. He is 67 years old and was born in the late Qing Dynasty.
Lizi Port in Sanzhang Township is surrounded by mountains and waters, with beautiful scenery, but it is vulnerable to droughts and floods. The land is barren, and sometimes there is no harvest for two or three years. People can only make a living by cutting wood and fishing. The mountains and rivers in Ligang are places where Peng Yousheng often goes when he is young. Cutting wood and herding cattle, touching shrimp and fishing are almost the whole of his life.
When Peng Yousheng was fifteen, he decided to go out and find a way out of life. Because of his poor family, Peng Yousheng barely spent half a year in a private school, and he didn't have many Chinese characters, so he could only be a coolie. When he went out to make a living, he worked as a short-term worker and miner and suffered a lot.
At that time, the Qing government was dying. Gengzi Rebellion (Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China and Cixi fled the capital). Later, in order to maintain the rule and follow the example of the west, the rulers established a modern military force throughout the country.
Hunan New Army was established under this background. The establishment of the new army needs to recruit a large number of soldiers. Peng Yousheng, who had been wandering for many years and made no achievements, was forced to enter the military camp. This year, he was 23 years old.
A few years later, Peng Yousheng became the vice president, that is, the vice squad leader. His advantages are that he can bear hardships, dare to fight and be kind.
Since the late Qing Dynasty, Hunan's revolutionary activities have been very active, and it is a gathering place for the anti-Qing struggle. After the Wuchang Uprising, the Qing army launched a crazy counterattack, and the Hubei Revolutionary Army turned to the Hunan New Army for help, hoping that they could uprising as soon as possible and support the revolutionary army.
As a result, the Hunan New Army Uprising Forces attacked Changsha in two ways, north and south, and Peng Yousheng was among them.
At the critical moment of historical progress, Peng You created participants and promoters. He was one of the main commanders who attacked the north gate of Changsha City. Peng Yousheng led the troops forward, took the lead, and broke through the North Gate in one fell swoop.
After entering the city, Peng Yousheng led his troops all the way south, cooperated with the revolutionary pistol team at that time, laid the Lotus Pond Ordnance Bureau, and seized a large number of weapons and ammunition, which greatly enriched the weapons and equipment of the new army.
Then, Peng Yousheng led the army to the west, breaking through the government offices and other Qing institutions all the way until the flag of "Han" was hung on it.
However, Peng Yousheng, who has achieved remarkable results, has not been promoted because of this. He is also a subtitle. After the fall of Changsha, many lieutenants were promoted to platoon leaders or generals. It is really puzzling that Peng Yousheng has not been promoted.
At this time, Peng Yousheng has no time to think about it. He has always been honest and just wants to do his job safely. Perhaps honesty is one of the reasons why Peng Yousheng was not promoted.
One day in June19110, Peng Yousheng was chatting with the soldiers in his class, and Staff Sergeant Zhu Qisheng led a young man over.
"This brother wants to be a soldier but no one guarantees. Can we vouch for him? " Peng Yousheng looked up and saw a tall, burly and handsome man with bright eyes and an obvious mole on his chin. That was the first time Peng Yousheng met Mao Zedong. He never imagined that he met a great leader of a future country in this way.
Mao Zedong, aged 18, originally studied in Xiangshan Middle School. After Wuchang Uprising, the flame of revolution burned all over the country. Mao Zedong, who was full of revolutionary enthusiasm, wanted to join the army, followed the revolutionary pioneer Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and planned to go to Wuchang to join the revolutionary army, but it was not realized because of inconvenient transportation.
In June 5438+10, the Hunan new army responded to the revolutionary uprising and captured Changsha. Mao Zedong immediately defected to the revolutionary ranks in Hunan. When he arrived at the military camp in the city, he was told, "You must have a reliable person to promise to join the army." Mao Zedong at this moment where to find the applicant, think this rule is unreasonable, and the doorman argued.
Staff Sergeant Zhu Qisheng who happened to pass by heard their conversation, and he was attracted by this eloquent young man. After understanding the situation, I took him to find Vice Chairman Peng.
Peng Yousheng inquired about Mao Zedong's personal situation carefully and expressed his willingness to be the guarantor of his enlistment. In this way, Mao Zedong finally became a soldier, and Peng Yousheng was his immediate superior.
Peng Yousheng is very fond of this young man who joined the army and has been giving him all kinds of help. Mao Zedong didn't receive cotton-padded clothes, because the war situation was undecided and the materials and equipment were not very complete. Peng Yousheng knew this, so he gave him his new military uniform to keep out the cold, and he took good care of Mao Zedong in his life.
After the start of military training, Mao Zedong studied hard every day and mastered basic military skills in less than a month. Mao Zedong is never careless in every class. His actions are very serious. Peng Yousheng was very pleased to see him so outstanding and deeply felt that he had not misjudged the wrong person.
Because of Mao Zedong's action standard, Peng Yousheng often asked him to demonstrate to everyone, and some slow-learning and lazy private soldiers often gave Mao Zedong training.
Mao Zedong is a man with a strong thirst for knowledge. He has always been concerned about state affairs and likes to read newspapers and analyze the current situation. Even in the military camp, this habit has never changed. At that time, Mao Zedong's monthly salary of 7 yuan, except the necessary living expenses, was almost used to subscribe to newspapers.
Peng Yousheng can always see Mao Zedong reading the newspaper with relish in bed every time he has a rest. That kind of intoxicated and dedicated look matched with other people in the barracks, and Peng Yousheng gradually felt that this young man was different from them.
At that time, there were not many literate people in the army, especially junior soldiers, who were basically poor and never went to school. Mao Zedong can write and has knowledge. He often helps soldiers write letters or explain some information in newspapers. In addition, Mao Zedong did not put on airs, was affable and United with the people, and gradually became a spiritual leader in the hearts of soldiers, with high prestige.
Zhu Qisheng, who helped Mao Zedong join the army, later recalled:
Besides his profound knowledge, what impressed Peng Yousheng was Mao Zedong's behavior. Hunan's new army is mixed, and its military discipline is not very strict. There are often some soldiers in the army who make trouble and oppress the people. Mao Zedong doesn't like this very much, and he will try his best to beat them every time he meets them.
Once, a soldier of fortune took two boxes of cigarettes from an old lady's stall in an alley, but turned around and left, without paying the bill. Mao Zedong just bumped into him and stopped him, forcing him to pay before leaving.
The soldiers of fate hold a grudge and want revenge but have no chance. Mao Zedong enjoys a high reputation and strategic significance, and is highly valued. Soldiers of fate can only play occasionally.
It is inconvenient to use water in the barracks, so soldiers need to carry water outside the city by themselves. As a student from Mao Zedong, I am not used to it. I think it is a waste of time. However, Mao Zedong just likes to take a cold bath, which consumes a lot of water, so he can only buy water from porters frequently.
Once, Mao Zedong bought water, and the soldier of fortune who had suffered losses laughed at him:
This made everyone laugh. Before the soldier of fortune could speak, Mao Zedong reprimanded righteously: "We are a revolutionary army and should have revolutionary discipline. You can no longer flirt with women and bully the people on the street. I use money to buy water more than you use money for whoring, so it's better to take the vendor's cigarettes without money. "
Mao Zedong's words annoyed the man. He rushed forward angrily to prepare for the attack. Zhu Qisheng, who stood by, grabbed his hand and said, "It is impossible to say that people are going to hit people." The man threw away his hand, stepped back and clamored for a match with Zhu Qisheng.
Peng Yousheng rushed over when he heard the news. After asking about the situation, he gave the man a good scolding. As soon as the man saw Peng Yousheng, he knew that the situation was not good. He didn't dare to contradict him and hurried away.
Mao Zedong later recalled his experience as a soldier in Yan 'an: "There was a rogue in my class." Probably refers to the military symbol. "In my class, there is a miner and blacksmith in Hunan. I like them. "
The blacksmith is Zhu Qisheng and the miner is Peng Yousheng. Besides the boss and the guarantor, Mao Zedong's good relationship with Peng Yousheng and Zhu Qisheng is more because they share the same idea-they can't bully the people.
Life in the army is not peaceful. Peng Yousheng's army didn't fight any big battles, but there were many small ones.
At the end of the year when Mao Zedong joined the army, the troops were ordered to March 150 miles over the mountains at night to reach their destination. When crossing the mountain, Mao Zedong, Zhu Qisheng and the troops were separated. The night is so dark that they can't see their fingers. Exhausted, they were caught in a heavy rain in the mountains, and the wind blew hard, making the road more difficult to walk. Two people can only support each other and move forward with difficulty.
They finally crossed the mountain before dawn and reached a small village. As the vice chairman, Peng Yousheng has been helping to lead and manage the army. After climbing the mountain, he suddenly found that Mao Zedong and Zhu Qisheng had disappeared. After counting several times, Peng Yousheng decided to go back to them.
Peng Yousheng just entered the village at the foot of the mountain and happened to meet Mao Zedong and Zhu Qisheng. At this time, it is far from the big army. Considering that all three people stayed up all night, Peng Yousheng took two people to rest on the spot.
After a while, there was a faint sound of hooves in the distance, and Peng Yousheng immediately became wary and suspected that it was a cavalry of the Qing army. He hurriedly hid with Mao Zedong and Zhu Qisheng in an abandoned thatched cottage.
About 10 minutes later, the enemy entered the village, barking dogs, neighing horses and footsteps. "It seems that the enemy doesn't want to leave. What should we do? " Zhu Qisheng asked. Peng Yousheng replied: "Don't act rashly yet."
"I guess the enemy will come back to search at dawn. It's not safe here, we have to change to a hidden place. " Mao Zedong analyzed.
"Yes, walk quietly before dawn, move quickly and don't make any noise." Peng Yousheng softly gave the order to transfer.
Taking advantage of the night, they climbed over the low earth wall, crossed the bamboo fence and slipped into the running ditch. The three men hid in a high and deep sewer, which was more than 3 feet high and 2 feet wide. It goes up to all culverts in the village and connects to the pond below, which is the main drainage ditch in the village.
Peng Yousheng chose a spacious sediment deposition site, which is the intersection of ditches, with no running water and good ventilation. The most important thing is that there are some small holes in the crack above, which can let some light in and hear the sound outside.
I don't know how long it took, but they heard a noise outside. The rapid barking of dogs and the crowing of chickens came and went, mixed with the roar of "making friends with revolutionaries". Unwilling to seek revolution, the Qing soldiers stayed in the village for three days.
The three people in the sewer dare not take a step, and the food they carry with them is eaten up bit by bit, so they can only insist. In order to save their lives, they can only soak the towel in the smelly water in the ditch and wet the chapped lips.
Three days later, the Qing soldiers finally retreated, and the village returned to calm before they came out from below. With the experience of * * * death, the feelings of the three people are getting better and better. Although Peng Yousheng is the boss of Mao Zedong and Zhu Qisheng, in private, they are all brothers.
19 12, Sun Yat-sen and Yuan Shikai reached a final agreement. Sun Yat-sen stepped down as the president of the Republic of China and gave way to Yuan Shikai in exchange for peace. The war that should have been fought with the Qing army is no longer needed.
Seeing such a situation, Mao Zedong felt it unnecessary to stay in the army. Besides, Mao Zedong never liked the boring and rigid life in the army, so he left.
Mao Zedong explained his decision to leave to the subtitles, although Peng Yousheng didn't want to give up or stop him. After the news spread that Mao Zedong was leaving, many good comrades in the army came to see him off. Everyone chipped in to buy Mao Zedong's favorite braised pork and some other side dishes, and set up a party.
On that day, Peng Yousheng clearly remembered that Mao Zedong had a drink with every comrade-in-arms who came to practice. When he left, Peng Yousheng stuffed his two oceans into Mao Zedong's hand and repeatedly said, "Take care." .
Mao Zedong continued to study at will, pursuing his own truth and path. On the other hand, Peng Yousheng is still working in the army step by step. In a blink of an eye, a few years later, Peng Yousheng followed the troops to Guangdong, joined the National Revolutionary Army, and was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant platoon leader.
One day, Peng Yousheng also picked up the newspaper to see if there was any news. Looking around, he found a message-"Mao Junrun came to Guangzhou to give a lecture." "It may be the former' scholar' soldier, Mao Runzhi!" Ten years later, Peng Yousheng immediately thought of his great comrades in the past.
I haven't heard from you for so many years, so it's rare to be together in Guangzhou. Peng Yousheng plans to visit and meet his old friends.
After leaving the army that year, Mao Zedong first went to provincial high school to study in Hunan Library, then went to Hunan First Division for further study, organized Xinmin Society, then went to Peking University as a librarian, and went home to start Xiangjiang Review.
Through continuous study and practice, Mao Zedong gradually found the way to struggle-* * * productism. He attended the first National Congress in communist party, China, and witnessed the birth of the China Party. At this time, Mao Zedong came to Guangzhou and took on the task of hosting the workshop of the sixth peasant movement.
Peng Yousheng, after some cleaning and inquiring, came to Guangzhou Peasant Movement Workshop in high spirits. Mao Zedong is working at his desk. When he heard someone looking for him outside, he went out to have a look. He was very surprised: "Brother Yi San (born Yi San by Peng You), hope that you are well!"
Peng Yousheng also looked at Mao Zedong kindly, and they chatted. Peng Yousheng told Mao Zedong about the wars he had experienced in recent years, and said that he had joined the National Revolutionary Army and believed in the Three People's Principles.
Mao Zedong listened carefully and responded from time to time. At this time, it was the first cooperation between China and Mao Zedong, then acting minister of the Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang Central Committee. After many years of revolution, although he was not in the army, he understood Peng Yousheng's hard work and knew that the difficulties in the future would be even greater.
Mao Zedong told Peng Yousheng many topics about revolution, and invited Peng Yousheng to attend. However, Peng Yousheng declined Mao Zedong's kindness for fear of dragging Mr. Mao into the water. In Peng Yousheng's mind, Mao Zedong has always been a promising university economist and can't keep up with him.
On this day, Mao Zedong and Peng Yousheng chatted for a long time until late at night. This is their last time.
Shortly after meeting Mao Zedong, Peng Yousheng took part in the Northern Expedition. Peng Yousheng once again returned to the battlefield under heavy artillery fire, charged with his belief in the Three People's Principles and was not afraid of life and death. He made many meritorious deeds and was promoted to vice company commander. With the victory of the Northern Expeditionary Army, Peng Yousheng believes that peace is not far away.
However, the good times did not last long, and the cooperation between countries broke down and the war broke out again. The darkness of corruption within the Kuomintang is getting worse and worse, and Peng Yousheng is bent on leaving. After the September 18th Incident, the national army passively resisted Japan, regardless of the decline of the Northeast. Peng Yousheng wanted to defend his country, but there was nothing he could do. He was so disappointed that he left the army in a rage.
Peng Yousheng returned to his hometown, found a job in Hengdong County and lived quietly. 1940, Peng Yousheng resigned and went home to farm. Because of the inconvenience of message transmission and remote location, Peng Yousheng almost lived an isolated life.
1949, New China was founded. Peng Yousheng, of course, has heard of the national leader Chairman Mao, but how did he think that Chairman Mao actually knew Mao Runzhi?
It was not until Peng Yousheng saw the portrait that he knew that he had been the boss of the president!
When I knew this, the land reform work in Sanzhang Township had just ended. According to the poverty situation of Peng Yousheng's family, the working group of land reform turned his family into a poor farmer and distributed land, cattle and some farm tools according to regulations. Peng Yousheng is a double happiness. He has been nagging his family that when the autumn harvest is over, he must pick a good bag of new rice for Chairman Mao.
However, be happy if you are happy. After all, I haven't seen you for many years, and the state is so poor. It's not good to rush to see Chairman Mao. Peng Yousheng decided to write a letter first after calculation.
In order to write this letter well, Peng Yousheng specially bought a good pen and paper and invited the most literate old gentleman in the area to write it.
The letter first talked about the situation after the separation and the joy and gratitude now distributed, and finally expressed his willingness to find a job.
After the letter was written, Peng Yousheng personally threw it into the mailbox of the post office with the letter. Then there is a long wait. 10 day 20 days have passed, and there is still no news. Peng Yousheng can't eat well and can't sleep. His wife looked at both distressed and complained:
Peng Yousheng was a little absent-minded, thinking, wait a minute, wait a minute. About Tomb-Sweeping Day, the postman really wrote, and it was indeed Chairman Mao's reply!
Peng Yousheng opened the envelope carefully and read it carefully for several times, with tears in his eyes.
Chairman Mao talked about work in his letter. It is suggested that Peng Yousheng can bring a letter to Mr. Cheng, vice chairman of Hunan Provincial People's Government, explaining his situation and revolutionary history.
As for the original letter, Peng Yousheng kept it carefully from others.
After arranging everything at home, Peng Yousheng rushed to Changsha to meet Mr. Cheng. It's a pity that Peng Yousheng is 67 years old, long past retirement age, and is not suitable for arranging work. Finally, in order to take care of the old man of the Revolution of 1911, the government decided to grant subsidies to the old man according to the national public officials to ensure his old age.
Peng Yousheng's gratitude to Chairman Mao cannot be expressed. He always wants to do something for him. One day, he saw the tea tree in front of the house and thought of the idea of refining tea for Chairman Mao.
From then on, Peng Yousheng cooked tea in front of the valley every year and sent it to Beijing until his death in 1969.
1983, the central literature research office compiled an anthology of Mao Zedong's letters, which included Chairman Mao's reply to Peng Yousheng. Therefore, the name of a great leader is closely linked with the name of an ordinary person.