Historical figures in Heilongjiang.

Zhang Pingyang Zhang Pingyang

Zhang Pingyang, courtesy name Xijiang, male, Han nationality. Born in Chengguan, Zunhua County, Hebei Province in 1909. In 1933, he participated in the revolution in the Hebei Reliao Border Region. Soon, he joined the Communist Party of China. After that, he used his identity as a member of the "Moral Association" of Zunhua County as a cover to engage in underground work of the party. In the spring of 1940, Zhang Pingyang was dispatched by the Jidong Military Region of the Eighth Route Army and took advantage of Hebei's migration to the Northeast to come to Tailai County from Hebei. Served as a director of the "Morality Association" and managed daily affairs. In the spring of 1941, Zhang Pingyang came to settle down at the "Morality Association" in Wumiaozi (today's Pingyang Town).

In 1942, Zhang Pingyang founded the "Elderly Home" in Wumiaozi by raising funds in the name of "morality" and "charity" in order to provide a place for the homeless elderly people. He has adopted more than 50 orphaned elderly people. He often uses the opportunity of giving lectures at the "Moral Society" to carry out secret propaganda activities among the masses. Tell the masses, "The Japanese will not rule the Northeast for long. One day they will have to change the situation, and everyone will live a good life."

In the early summer of 1945, Zhang Pingyang was listed as an "important person to investigate" by the puppet police station and was imprisoned in Tailai Prison. He was released from prison after the surrender of the Japanese invaders on August 15th. At this time, the Japanese and puppet rule collapsed, banditry was everywhere, the remnants of the Japanese puppet were in chaos, and people's lives and property were seriously threatened. Zhang Pingyang decided to organize the people's armed forces. He took out the pistol that had been hidden for many years, organized the masses to hold iron-toothed swords, smashed the Wumiaozi fake police station, seized the guns, and established a self-defense force composed of more than 20 people. One day in late August of the same year, more than 40 remnants of the Japanese army fled along the railway from Tailai to Qiqihar, burning, killing, looting and looting along the way. After Zhang Pingyang learned the news, he led the Self-Defense Forces to ambush the Japanese troops south of Wumiaozi Railway Station. The battle lasted for several hours, and the Japanese troops abandoned their bodies and fled. Since then, more than 10 large and small battles have continued to capture Japanese and puppet armed forces, allowing the Self-Defense Force to grow to more than 60 people in less than a month since its establishment. In addition to fighting against the remaining Japanese and puppet troops, the Self-Defense Forces also fought against bandits, maintained public order, and protected the safety of people's lives and property.

In mid-September 1945, Zhang Pingyang learned that the Communist Party had taken over the armed forces of the Qiqihar organization. He immediately went to Qiqihar City to contact Comrade Wang Minggui, commander of the Nenjiang Provincial People’s Self-Defense Army, and reported to the party organization Work. Subsequently, the Nenjiang Provincial People's Self-Defense Army Headquarters was established, with Wang Minggui as the commander and Zhang Pingyang as the deputy commander. Zhang Pingyang led the troops to Tailai County to start work. In early November 1945, the Nennan Military Division Headquarters was established with Zhang Pingyang as the commander and Yin Shiyan as the political commissar. It is planned to establish detachments in the six counties of Tailai, Taikang, Zhendong, Dalai, Jingxing and Lindian under the Nennan Military Division. Zhang Pingyang actively organized the army building work and formulated specific plans to prepare to take over various counties. And issued notices to recruit new soldiers and collect civilian weapons. The People's Self-Defense Force of the Nennan Military Division continues to grow and develop.

On the morning of November 28, 1945, the chairman of the Puppet Tailai County Local Maintenance Committee (former pseudo county magistrate) Han Gang Town, and the vice president (former pseudo police section chief) Hu Yuwen, had previously obtained Knowing that the Self-Defense Forces were about to hand over weapons to the Soviet Union, they planned to murder Zhang Pingyang. They first invited Zhang Pingyang to the "Fu Shi Xuan" restaurant for dinner and attempted to attack him during the banquet, but they failed. So after the banquet, Zhang Pingyang was tricked into inviting Zhang Pingyang to the puppet maintenance meeting on the pretext of convening a meeting to "discuss military supplies." Shortly after Zhang entered the house and sat down, he was shot to death by gangster Fu Guoshi, who was 36 years old at the time. After Tailai County was liberated in February 1946, the People's Government and the people of the county renamed the place "Wumiaozi" where Zhang Pingyang lived to "Pingyang" in order to commemorate Zhang Pingyang's achievements. On October 10 of that year, a monument to General Zhang Pingyang was built in the square in front of Tailai Railway Station to commemorate him.