High Mountain Soul - Xu Xiangqian Volume

Author: Zhang Lin Ma Changzhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: Xu Xianqian was born in the famous Buddhist sacred mountain Wutai Mountain. "High mountains and steep ridges, with towering peaks," "There are five peaks hidden in the clouds and mist: Dongtai Peak, looking at the moon; Nantai Peak, the brocade peak; Xitai Peak, hanging the moon; Beitai Peak, leaf-drumming peak; Zhongtai Peak, the green rock peak." Without a doubt, each of these beautiful place names holds a moving legend. To explain why Xu Xianqian, the marshal, became one of the founding heroes of the People's Republic of China using phrases like "spiritually endowed and talented people in a blessed land," is clearly a forced association. However, it was under the foothills of Wutai Mountain, on the edge of the invisible "Paradise of Ultimate Bliss," that he bore the burden of excessive physical labor and poverty, studied diligently, yearned for a better life, and began to think about changing his fate. After countless explorations and setbacks, he chose a path that he walked for his entire life: revolution.
In the heart of the young Xu Xianqian, the word "revolution" was initially just a seed. This seed eventually grew into a towering tree of belief. This was after he experienced several confusions, such as, "After entering the Whampoa Military Academy, the path forward was unclear, and the direction of China was vague"; or, for example, as a student officer and member of the Great Marshal's Guard, he followed Sun Yat-sen's Northern Expedition but witnessed the collapse of the Northern Expedition dream; after meeting with the principal Chiang Kai-shek, he "did not leave a good impression on the principal." Only after bypassing these detours did he join the Communist Party of China in March 1927, and the sapling of his belief flourished like a tree bathed in spring breeze.
The work particularly emphasizes the background of Xu Xianqian joining the Communist Party of China: "At a time when the right-wing of the Kuomintang was actively anti-communist, the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party was facing disintegration, and white terror was gripping the land." This narration is very important, and it can even be seen as a foreshadowing of Xu Xianqian's later perseverance through hardships and eventual success. After that, from establishing the Ehuai-Henan Soviet base to transferring to Sichuan-Shaanxi, from twice crossing the snow-covered grasslands to the Western Route Army's bloody battle in the Hexi Corridor, wherever his figure appeared, there were arduous struggles and spreading sparks. He quickly became a commander who opened up and developed armed forces during the early days of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. At the age of just 30, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Front Army. Due to the weakness of early forces and the lack of unity in the party's ideology, this hardworking military leader faced unprecedentedly fierce battles, facing enemies several or even dozens of times stronger than his own in equipment. Yet, Xu Xianqian, relying on his outstanding command skills, led his troops to break through bloodily and continue to develop east and west. Li Xianwen, who once served as the political commissar of the Third Army of the Fourth Front Army, recalled: "Xu Xianqian had astonishing military courage and never knew fear. The bigger, tougher, and fiercer the battle, the more vigorous and energetic he became."
In addition to the trials of war, there were also the tortures of incorrect party lines. The mass purges in the Ehuai-Henan Soviet base led to the horrifying historical injustice of the Baiqiyuan Purge, where not only his wife was killed but he was almost assassinated as well. Yet, he remained unwavering and loyal to the cause he followed. In June 1937, the Western Route Army was defeated in the Qilian Mountains, running out of ammunition and food. The remaining troops, ragged and starving, scattered in the freezing Qilian Mountains. Under such harsh living conditions, Xu Xianqian and other senior leaders of the Western Route Army did not lose faith. Disguising themselves as civilians, they walked over 2,000 miles back to Yan'an.
From this book, we can deeply feel that every step Xu Xianqian, the marshal, took was arduous, yet every step was firm, without hesitation or wavering. To overcome all life-and-death tests and hardships, there is only one magic weapon: unwavering belief. Belief supports will, will generates strength, and true strength is unstoppable.