General Xu Yingquan tells his story to his hometown fellowmen in Rugao city, Jiangsu province June 13, 2015. (Photo by Liu Mengyang/chinadaily.com.cn)
"When I close my eyes I can still hear the gunfire 74 years ago when I stand on the same ground," said General Xu Yingquan while sharing his experiences with middle school students.
Xu is now 93. He took part in the anti-Japanese war, the liberation war, the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea, the war aiding Vietnam in its anti-American war and hundreds of battles.
He talked about several key battles he had witnessed and told stories about General Su Yu, one of the founding generals of the People's Republic of China.
Battle of Huangqiao: a 21-day promotion to company commander
Under the influence of his father, Xu joined the anti-Japanese guerrilla movement in 1939 and became a captain when only 16.
In 1940, he formally joined the army and in September became a member of the New Fourth Army, the principle unit in China's anti-Japanese armed force.
By the time of the October 1940 Battle of Huangqiao, initiated by the New Fourth Army and the KMT 89 Army, Xu had been a platoon leader for only 21 days when the decisive battle begun.
During mobilization, company commander Huang Hualong vowed to sacrifice his life to secure victory and appointed Xu deputy if he was killed. Xu also vowed to fight until the battle was won.
On the afternoon of the second day, Huang lost his life. Seeing the pressing situation, Xu declared himself company commander and led the army forward.
Victory was achieved. It was Xu's first battle since joining the army and he was only 17 years old.
Meeting with Su Yu: Su Yu praised Xu as "will be accomplished in the future"
Xu could not officially be appointed company commander because he was not a Party member at the time. So, after the Battle of Huangqiao, he was sent to study in Central-Jiangsu at the anti-Japanese training school in March 1941.
Xu recalled a private meeting with General Su, the then headmaster of the training school. He said he was nervous and his legs were trembling when he was notified that Su wanted to talk to him.
Su succeeded in relaxing the fledging Xu, asking him to sit down and talking about hardship and happiness.
Acknowledging Xu was from the working class; Su praised his behavior on the battlefield and said Xu "will be accomplished in the future".
Gaomingzhuang Battle: a regret lasting 74 years
In 1941, the New Fourth Army in central Jiangsu launched an "anti-mopping up" struggle against the Japanese. "Mopping up" was the main form taken by Japanese assaults on the Chinese people and army in anti-Japanese bases.
The Gaomingzhuang Battle was a milestone in this initiative. In the first half of November 1941,aimed at rounding up and annihilating the Chinese brigade headquarters office and principle forces, the Japanese army started a retaliatory "mopping-up" in Ruxi county. The focus of the operation was Gaomingzhuang.
Xu could not conceal his excitement when he looked back on the battle 74 years later. He told the classroom that gunfire still echoes around his ears.
He was a company commander and his unit was supposed to face 600 Japanese. The battle was time-consuming with more than 300 enemies wiped out. But the soldiers were exhausted, some fell asleep.
Around midnight, about 60 Japanese soldiers and more than 200 collaborators made good their escape. Xu still regards it as a shame that they did not eradicate the entire force.
While talking about this, Xu stood still, his eyebrows knitted together as if he was that 19 year-old boy again, wishing his mistake could be forgiven.
