China News Service, Beijing, March 22: Title: Zhou Zhenqiang’s son: His father was escorted to Huangpu by Sun Yat-sen and then fought the Japanese invaders in Songhu and Nanjing.
China News Service reporter Wang Shibo
In 1904, Zhou Zhenqiang was born into an ordinary rural family in Zhuji, Zhejiang. At that time, China was in a chaotic era of warlord rule. 18-year-old Zhou Zhenqiang left his hometown to join the army in search of a way out. Later, he came to Guangdong and became Sun Yat-sen's bodyguard, and was personally recommended by Sun Yat-sen to enter the Whampoa Military Academy. Recently, Zhou Xiaoqi, the son of Zhou Zhenqiang, a first-term cadet of the Huangpu Military Academy, accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service in Beijing and talked about his father Zhou Zhenqiang's Huangpu years.
Zhou Xiaoqi is looking through photos. Photo by Wang Shibo
"My father joined the army at the age of 18 because my father was relatively brave at that time. Later he met Chiang Kai-shek and arranged for him to serve as Sun Yat-sen's bodyguard. At that time, he believed that Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles were correct, and he followed Sun Yat-sen." Zhou Xiaoqi said, 1924 When Sun Yat-sen founded the Whampoa Military Academy in 1999, he recommended Zhou Zhenqiang to enter the Whampoa Military Academy. At that time, he was originally supposed to be an instructor, but Zhou Zhenqiang thought that he only had a fourth-grade elementary school education and was not educated enough, so he asked to be changed to a student.
After graduating from Huangpu, Zhou Zhenqiang stayed in school as the captain of the second team of the second phase infantry section. In 1926, he participated in the Northern Expedition and successively served as company commander and battalion commander of the National Revolutionary Army. He was seriously injured in the battle against Wuchang. "During the Northern Expedition, he was climbing the wall when he was attacking the city. He used a ladder to climb up, and one of his fingers was cut off by a big knife. After falling down, he lay among the dead and did not dare to move. Later he Climb back." Zhou Xiaoqi said.
Zhou Xiaoqi was looking through the information. Photo by Wang Shibo
In the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhou Zhenqiang served as the commander of the First Brigade of the Central Military Academy Teaching Corps. He led his troops to participate in the famous Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Nanjing, and fought bloody battles with the Japanese army for many days. "During the Anti-Japanese War in Songhu, Shanghai, the tug-of-war in and out was very hard. Later, after the battle, I followed the teaching corps back to Nanjing and stayed to guard Purple Mountain. Almost all the soldiers in Purple Mountain were killed. That I heard my father say that he carried a piece of wood across the river," Zhou Xiaoqi said.
After many consecutive battles, Zhou Zhenqiang felt disheartened by the sacrifices of a large number of soldiers and applied to withdraw from the front line. In 1939, Gui Yongqing, the education director of the First Regiment of the War Cadre Training Corps of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, massacred the patriotic youths in the First Regiment of the War Cadre Training Corps in Qijiang, Sichuan, on charges of propagating communism and having Communist activities, creating a brutal massacre. "Qijiang Massacre". At that time, Zhou Zhenqiang, who was serving as the deputy commander of the 46th Division of the Kuomintang Army, was appointed as the acting chief of education of the Sichuan Qijiang Branch of the Fighting Corps to investigate the case, and his thoughts gradually changed. "My father thought at that time that others would not go. Anyway, if you ask me to go, I will investigate, and investigate truthfully." Zhou Xiaoqi said, "Because this case was carried out by the military commander, and many people from the military commander were arrested in one investigation. My father is sure There was a conflict with the military command, and he was put on the bench after this incident came out."
Zhou Xiaoqi is being interviewed by reporters. Photo by Wang Shibo
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhou Zhenqiang applied to Chiang Kai-shek to return to his hometown of Zhejiang to become a local official. "To be honest, his official is not serious and he is not particularly hardworking," Zhou Xiaoqi said. After the liberation of Jinhua, Zhejiang in 1949, Zhou Zhenqiang surrendered to the People's Government and was among the first batch of amnesty released in 1959. Since then, Zhou Zhenqiang has served as a commissioner of the Cultural and Historical Materials Research Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Sixth and Seventh National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, leaving behind a number of precious historical materials. Zhou Xiaoqi recalled that his father later wrote many letters to Taiwan, hoping to contribute to the reunification of the motherland.
Zhou Xiaoqi said: "My father wrote to the people in the teaching corps in Taiwan, first introducing our situation here, and then introducing the current situation. Many people who go to Taiwan are his subordinates, and he has deep feelings. He hopes that he can It's best to come back. The Communist Party is stronger than the Kuomintang, and they understand."
Zhou Xiaoqi said that as a descendant of Huangpu, the most valuable quality he learned from his father was the patriotic and revolutionary Huangpu spirit. 2024 will be the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Whampoa Military Academy. He hopes that more people can understand the deeds of Whampoa ancestors and let the Whampoa spirit be passed down from generation to generation.