In the 1960s, mazhixuan (middle) organized officers and soldiers to study collectively and took a recent photo of mazhixuan. Hu Shuo cartography Unlike many veterans, Ma Zhixuan of the old Red Army did not treasure all kinds of medals and commemorative medals he had won for so many years in the cabinet, but always hung on that old-fashioned military uniform. "Are you showing off all day?" The children asked jokingly. "It's not easy to lose it if you put it together with the military uniform and wear it on your body." Gently touch one of the commemorative medals with a red five-star in the center. Ma Zhi's words are proud: "this is a reward for the old Red Army, and others don't..." In October 2016, when a leader of the Shanxi military region sent the 80th Anniversary Commemorative Medal of the victory of the Chinese workers' and peasants' Red Army in the long march to the Ma Zhi players, the old man's tears "Shua" burst out, covering his face and crying like a child. "I lived to such a big age, and the party has been concerned about me... For 80 years, the country has not forgotten me..." This is the first time Ma Jianhua, Ma Zhixuan's eldest daughter, saw her father cry. "He fought hundreds of battles, his finger was broken by bullets, and his right arm was penetrated by shrapnel. He didn't cry. He didn't expect to cry at this time..." In the face of the care of the party and the state, the father who is "as strong as a mountain" in the eyes of his children and the old head who is "as deep as a mountain" in the eyes of the staff of the cadre's sanatorium are like children, and they can no longer hide their deep feelings. Ma Zhixuan, a 104 year old Red Army veteran, integrated his love for the party and the country into his mountain like faith. The firmness of mountain More than 80 years later, father and son "reunited" In the Red Army footprint Memorial Park of Shanghai Oriental Green Boat national defense education base, there is a right footprint of Ma Zhixuan, which is rubbed on a metal footprint monument. With the "iron foot board" that left footprints, Ma Zhixuan walked through the vast grassland three times and climbed the snow capped mountains twice. In 1932, when the Red Army entered Sichuan Province and arrived in Pingchang County, Ma Zhixuan and his father Ma Tianfu were living in a temple in the mountains. It is said that the Red Army is a team fighting for the poor. Father and son set foot on the military road together. They didn't know at that time that Ma Zhixuan's third brother and Ma Lishui, who carried long-term workers in Yingshan County, Sichuan Province, also joined the Red Army the next year. During the Long March, Ma Zhixuan and his father belonged to different forces. Before leaving, his father found mazhixuan, told him to "be careful in everything" and gave him half of his grain. In a hurry, father and son set out on their own journey. During this military journey, they experienced all kinds of difficulties: "they couldn't find drinking water in a day, and their bodies were swollen after eating poisonous mushrooms... The second time they crossed the grass, a company of more than 100 people, only more than 60 people came out... Follow the remains of their comrades in arms, and don't find any Guides..." Ma Zhixuan bit his teeth and survived one level after another, but his father slept in the long march. He later learned that his father, who worked as a cook, would not throw down his marching pot when he was climbing the snow mountain. The strong wind hit, and even people with the pot fell into the valley. Firm as a snowy mountain, Ma Zhixuan buried his grief in his heart and continued to follow the team. At that time, communication was inconvenient. It was not until 1936, before the army attacked Gansu mountain castle, that he accidentally learned from his fellow villagers that the third brother Ma Lixuan also joined the army. "Your brother has been the platoon leader, and has followed the West Route Army across the Yellow River!" This is the last message Ma Zhixuan got about the third brother. After 81 years, there was no news of Ma Lixuan. In 2017, with the help of the Red Army West Route Army descendants Association, Ma Zhixuan learned that the third brother had already died in the battle of Machangtan in 1937. That war was a tragic one! In the fierce battle with the superior cavalry of the enemy, the 264th regiment of the 89th division of the 30th army of the West Route Army of the Red Army, where Ma Lixuan is located, the officers and soldiers of the regiment died heroically. Ma Zhaoping, Ma Zhixuan's second son, recalled that on the day he learned the news, his father was silent for a long time. Later, he said to him, "Xiao Pingzi, go and get the martyr's certificate of the third uncle." In 2018, the general Beilin Memorial Hall in Sichuan Shaanxi Soviet Area, Bazhong City, Sichuan Province engraved the deeds of Ma Tianfu, Ma Lixuan and Ma Zhixuan on the same monument. The inscription begins: "three members of the family became the Red Army, and the father and son died..." The father and son were finally "reunited". Sticking to the mountain In the mountains, I have been working for nearly 30 years After the founding of new China, Ma Zhixuan was appointed the first chief of a warehouse in Henan and participated in the construction of the first batch of national defense warehouses in New China. After receiving the transfer order, Ma Zhixuan only sent a message to his wife, and led his department into the depths of Taihang Mountain. "At that time, the conditions for building the warehouse were very poor. There were no mechanical equipment and few explosives. Only steel chisels and hammers could be used to chisel." Mazhixuan recalled that the difficulties at the beginning of the construction of the Treasury, as the doggerel spread in the station said, "the ground nest is a bed, and the steel drill grinds the skin. Xiaomi is dissatisfied with his belly, and listens to the wolf cry at night". The cavern was built on a hillside with a slope of nearly 40 degrees, and there was no transportation channel. Ma Zhixuan led the officers and soldiers to dig mountains and cut stones, just making 2250 neat steps. When erecting the steel cable, the hemp rope pulling the steel cable could not bear the weight and broke, taking the lives of many officers and soldiers In 2014, in memory of the older generation of builders, the officers and soldiers of the Department set up a monument next to the Qianshan post, the commanding height of the warehouse. It is said that this is the "book of heaven" written by predecessors on the "ladder of heaven". In the past 30 years, Ma Zhixuan has successively served as warehouse chief and director of several national defense warehouses in Taihang mountain area until he retired. Deep in the mountains, Ma Zhixuan's children witnessed his father's persistence. "My father doesn't rub sand in his eyes. Anyone who affects the warehouse construction and damages the collective interests will be angry." Ma Chaoping said. Ma Chaoping remembered that one spring festival, when he was playing in the mountains with several friends in the reservoir area, he accidentally set fire to the tree. Fortunately, the firefighters in the reservoir area put out the flames in time, which prevented greater losses. But the cotton padded shoes and clothes of several children were burnt out. "After hearing this, my father made us stand in a row. Whether it was the political commissar or the director's children, he criticized one by one..." Ma Chaoping will never forget that experience. Dashan saw off generations of veterans and welcomed another batch of recruits. Some of the "recruits" are also "veterans". Zhang qingshuo, who was admitted to the former PLA Information Engineering University from the depths of the mountain a few years ago, took the initiative to apply to return to the Qianshan post when he was assigned after graduation. A friend wondered: why should a poor mountain valley stay? Zhangqingshuo said with a smile, "this is the tradition of warehouses." This is a tradition that has been left since the generation of soldiers led by mazhixuan, the first chief of the warehouse. At Ma Zhixuan's home, several officers and soldiers who came to visit sat around him and sang the warehouse's "Ku song" mountain love loudly—— "All the officers here have sideburns; all the soldiers here have black faces. No regrets. Up to now, he is quiet and ordinary..." Shan's persistence We should make new contributions instead of old ones The third order of August 1st, the third order of independence and freedom, the third order of liberation, the second order of Red Star merit... On the old-fashioned military uniform Ma Zhixuan often wears, medals and commemorative medals glitter. The sons and daughters shot them one by one, together with the text descriptions of the awarding background and Ma Zhixuan's military experience, and made them into a beautiful album, which the six sons and daughters each collected. "Seeing that we treasured his honor, my father said to us, don't think about eating 'old money', but make new contributions." Ma Chaoping said. That year, Ma Chaoping planned to join the army. An old comrade in arms found Ma Zhixuan after learning that he could let Ma Chaoping become a soldier in his army. After hearing this, Ma Zhixuan waved his hand repeatedly: "how can he be a soldier at the door of his home? If you want to go, go to the place where the motherland needs!" Ma Jianhua, Ma Chaoguo, Ma Chaoping, Ma Chaojun... The names Ma Zhixuan chose for his sons and daughters are all toward the party and the country. He hoped that his children would build their motherland better and better. Ma Jianhua told reporters that his father's happiest moment was when he heard that a younger generation in his family had joined the party. Every time, he would give more instructions: "if you want to work hard and contribute to the party and the country, do your best." Ma Zhixuan's children are either university professors or ordinary workers in chemical plants. No matter what position they are in, they always keep in mind their father's teachings, "be upright and do things in a down-to-earth manner, and don't do things that are bad for the party, the country and the people". Mazhixuan, who is old and thinks it is difficult for him to contribute to the country again, doesn't want to add a little trouble to the organization. In the winter of 2017, due to intestinal disease, the doctor advised him to be hospitalized. But no matter how his children do their work, they can't persuade him. "At my age, don't waste the country's medical resources anymore. I should give up my bed to those who need it." Mazhixuan said. Later, the leaders of the cadre rest center came to the door in person and patiently persuaded: "you are the old Red Army and the wealth of the country and the army. You should listen to the organization in terms of health." Mazhixuan was admitted to the hospital. In September 2019, Shanxi local media invited Ma Zhixuan to take a look at Fenhe Park in Taiyuan in order to shoot the news material of a national day special. "When we were fighting here, there was endless loess on the mountain, not even a tree. Now it's different. It's getting better and better, and there are trees all over the mountains." Mazhixuan kept looking out of the window and muttered, "great, great..." (outlook new era)