The Legend of He Minxue, the "Good Person" Praised by Mao Zedong

Author: He Yinming, Zhong Zhaoyun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Although he was a close relative of Mao Zedong, he never used his special status and position to demand any special compensation or treatment from the Party and the people. He even never had a single photograph taken with Mao Zedong alone. Although he was one of the earliest participants in the armed uprising, the founder of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area, and one of the founding heroes who liberated the entire country by crossing the river early, he was never promoted beyond the rank of a full army commander and never held a position higher than deputy provincial level. Despite once saying to his sister He Lizezhen during a dispute, "I have only been dragged into trouble because of you," he never relaxed his own requirements and always remained "not rejoicing in external things, not grieving over oneself." As a result, Mao Zedong held him in very high regard.
He Minxue (1904-1988) was a native of Yongxin County, Jiangxi Province. In his early years, he actively led and organized progressive students and peasants' movements, wholeheartedly participating in the revolution. In March 1927 (the 16th year of the Republic of China), he joined the Communist Party of China and served as the deputy commander, commander, and chairman of the Yongxin Peasants' Self-Guard Army, as well as the chairman of the county revolutionary committee and the secretary of the county party committee. After the failure of the Northern Expedition, he, along with his sister He Zizhen, led his troops to Jinggangshan. In 1928 (the 17th year of the Republic of China), he joined the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army led by Mao Zedong. During the first to fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" campaigns in the Central Soviet Region, he held various positions, including class leader, platoon leader, and company commander in the second regiment of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, party secretary of the 32nd Red Army, commander of the 14th Corps of the Xiangjiang Border Region, commander and party secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Soviet Guard Brigade, chief of staff of the 23rd Army of the Red Army on the Front, and acting commander of the 22nd Division. After the main force of the Central Red Army began the Long March, he persisted in the three-year guerrilla war in the south for three years, holding positions such as section chief in the Central Military Commission and Central Military Region, chief of staff of the 71st Regiment, and commander of the Xiangyuejiang Border Region Guerrilla Force.
During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he held positions such as director of the Jiangnan Office of the New Fourth Army, commander of the Anhui South Education Team and party secretary, chief of staff of the Jiangnan Advanced Corps, president of the East China Military and Political School, deputy education director and training director of the fifth branch of the Military and Political University of the Anti-Japanese War, and section chief of the New Fourth Army headquarters. In August 1941 (the 30th year of the Republic of China), He Minxue was appointed chief of staff of the "United Anti-Japanese Resistance." Together with other leaders, he led his troops to fight in the complex environment of Xingdongtai under the advantage of the enemy. During enemy offensives, he skillfully maneuvered his troops, seeking weaknesses in the enemy to strike. At the same time, he used gaps in battles to carry out united front work among friendly forces according to Party policy, to weaken stubborn and puppet forces, and to mobilize the masses to establish anti-Japanese democratic governments in enemy rear areas.
By the end of 1942 (the 31st year of the Republic of China), He Minxue led the "United Anti-Japanese Resistance" forces, with the support of the third division of Suzhong, to counterattack the stubborn troops stationed in Duntou, eliminating stubborn strongholds such as Duntou and Zhoujiaduo. This victory temporarily brought relative stability to the northern border of the "United Anti-Japanese Resistance." In 1943 (the 32nd year of the Republic of China), Japanese and puppet forces launched a large-scale "sweeping operation" in Xingdongtai. He Minxue immediately commanded his troops to resist, inflicting casualties on some enemy and puppet forces before, for the sake of preserving strength, moving north from his base in Lijiajiao and Weiqiao to the safe grasslands. Aftering the enemy's spring "sweeping operation," He Minxue again led his troops to carry out anti-"puppetization" and anti-"encroachment" struggles. Using flexible tactics to seize opportunities to strike the enemy, he prevented the enemy from achieving their goal of annihilating the "United Anti-Japanese Resistance" forces. Some enemy and puppet forces, under the of the "United Anti-Japanese Resistance," dared not leave their strongholds and were even afraid to stay in the "United Anti-Japanese Resistance" base area.
In early July 1943 (the 32nd year of the Republic of China), a Japanese company and a puppet army division, with over 10 armored steamboats, suddenly attacked Duntou Town. He Minxue and others led their troops to bravely resist, fighting a bloody battle at Caozhuang. After hours of combat, they defeated the enemy's attack, dealing them a heavy blow. After 1943, the "United Anti-Japanese Resistance" actively cooperated with the fourth division of Suzhong in anti-"clearance" and anti-"sweeping operations," continuously attacking and harassing enemy and puppet forces in strongholds and transportation lines. At times, they even advanced near Haian Town to ambush the enemy, causing the enemy and puppet forces to be constantly on edge. Afterward, He Minxue served as the commander of the special forces regiment of the first division, the commander of the seventh division, and the chief of staff of the command headquarters of the Su-Zhe Military Region, as well as the commander of the third division.
During the War of Liberation, he held positions such as chief of staff of the fifth column of the East China Field Army, commander of the 12th Division of the fourth column, deputy army commander of the 27th Army of the third field army, and participated in major battles such as Yuzhou, Jinan, Huaihai, the Yangtze River Crossing, and Shanghai. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he successively served as the commander and party secretary of the East China Air Defense Command, as well as the deputy commander of the Shanghai Air Defense Command. In 1952, he transferred to local work and held positions such as director and party secretary of the East China Construction Engineering Bureau, the Northwest Construction Engineering Bureau, the standing committee member of Xi'an Municipal People's Congress, the deputy governor of Fujian Province, the deputy director of the fifth standing committee of the Fujian Provincial People's Congress, the deputy chair of the fourth political consultative conference of Fujian Province, and the fourth secretary of the Fujian Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission. He was a member of the second, fourth, and fifth national people's congresses, a member of the fourth national political consultative conference, a standing committee member of the fifth and sixth national political consultative conferences, and a member of the seventh national political consultative conference.