Loyal revolutionary soldier Trinh Quang Lich

Mr. Trinh Quang Tho, Vice Principal of Lam Kinh High School, next to a photo of his grandfather when he was imprisoned by the French colonialists, which has been kept by his family for a long time. Photo: Chi Anh

A countryside rich in tradition

Trinh Quang Lich was born in Yen Truong village (also known as An Truong), Tho Lap commune - a land with a rich history and culture. It was here, more than 1,000 years ago, that King Le Dai Hanh mentioned Tho Lap in a poem: "An Truong is a dangerous place with gods/ Protecting the country, helping to retreat from the Song army"... and later Yen Truong and Van Lai were chosen as the capital of the Le Trung Hung dynasty. In this land, 7 doctoral examinations took place, selecting many talents for the country... All of these things make anyone born and raised in this place very proud.

However, besides cultural traditions, mentioning Tho Lap is also mentioning a revolutionary homeland, with loyal and patriotic people.

In the early years of the 20th century, the life of the people in the whole country in general and the people of Yen Truong village, Tho Lap commune in particular was extremely difficult, hundreds of taxes were imposed on the people, including unreasonable taxes such as poll tax. Many families in Tho Lap left home because they did not have enough money to pay taxes, their wives and children were shackled and beaten by the village chiefs, taking advantage of the farmers' difficulties, the landlords lent money at double the interest rate, causing the situation of land grabbing, selling children, along with bad customs that pushed the people of Tho Lap to the path of poverty. Unable to bear it, with the leadership of the Party, the people rose up to demand freedom and equality.

The path of revolutionary soldier's activities

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the national liberation movement took place throughout the country. In Yen Truong village, Tho Lap commune, many groups were established to fight against the oppression of French colonialism.

From August 1927 to March 1930, comrade Trinh Quang Lich worked at the propaganda agency of the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association in the village. He was then transferred to the district propaganda agency in My Ly Ha village, Bac Luong commune (now Tho Long commune), introduced by comrade Nguyen Mau Sung in Quan Kenh village, Xuan Giang commune and comrade Vu Van Hop, Chairman of the Fatherland Front of Xuan Giang commune (now Tho Xuan commune).

July 22, 1930 was an important milestone for those who participated in the revolution, especially the soldiers of Yen Truong village. At that time, at the house of comrade Le Van Sy, the first Communist Party cell of Tho Xuan Party Committee was established with 7 party members. Here, comrade Trinh Quang Lich was assigned by comrade Le Van Sy to organize a guard force, protect, and prepare food, provisions, and accommodation for the delegates attending the conference. Just a few days later, on July 29, 1930, also at this house, the Conference to establish the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee was held. From then on, comrade Trinh Quang Lich had the additional task of working at the Provincial Party Committee's printing agency - publishing the "Forward" newspaper and many other important documents.

Later on, the control and repression of the French colonialists became more and more brutal. Comrade Trinh Quang Lich and many other soldiers were captured by the imperialists and exiled to Buon Me Thuot prison.

After being released, from 1936 to 1939 in Yen Truong, comrades Trinh Quang Lich, Trinh Quang Pho and Le Van Sy pretended to be tobacco traders and went to Hoang Hoa and Hau Loc to ask for instructions from comrades Le Tat Dac, Nguyen Doan Chap and Luu Xuan Ban on the direction of mass education activities to fight against Japanese fascism in Indochina, against high taxes and duties, and to demand the re-division of public land and public land by the village chief.

At the end of 1941, comrades Trinh Quang Lich, Luu Xuan Ngoan and Le Van Sy contacted comrade Duong - the leader of the Tho Xuan revolutionary movement to ask for permission to operate. After asking for permission, the Yen Truong party base set out the tasks: mobilizing the masses to fight for tax reduction, land tax deferral, poll tax reduction, buying tickets to save the country and fighting against terrorism.

Speaking to us, Mr. Trinh Quang Tho, Vice Principal of Lam Kinh High School, grandson of comrade Trinh Quang Lich, said: "When he was alive, my grandfather often told his children and grandchildren about the revolutionary spirit of 1945. In particular, on the night of August 18, 1945, the sound of drums and gongs from villages in Tho Lap commune resounded loudly, the self-defense force called the village chief and local leaders to hand over the bronze seal and documents to the revolutionary government. In the early morning of August 19, 1945, the self-defense force and the people of Tho Lap gathered at the communal house to attend a rally to celebrate the successful uprising, elect the provisional People's Committee, and declare to the people that the government had returned to the people. Here, my grandfather was elected Chairman of the provisional People's Committee of Yen Truong village".

The success of the August Revolution in Yen Truong village was partly due to the efforts of comrade Trinh Quang Lich. Along with his homeland, he made many contributions to the resistance wars. In 1961, he was awarded the Third Class Resistance Medal. In 1965, his family was also awarded the Certificate of Merit for their enthusiastically fighting against imperialism, actively helping and protecting the revolution. In particular, in 2003, he was awarded the Third Class Independence Medal for his contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

During the historic autumn days, visiting the Yen Truong Revolutionary Historical Relic Site, seeing the artifacts, looking up at the symbol of the relic site combining the image of the Bronze Drum - Lac Bird - Hammer and Sickle Flag, symbolizing the unification of 3 Party cells into the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee, I felt so proud and appreciative. Mr. Le Van Luc, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Tho Lap Commune Party Committee, said: "The loyal revolutionary soldier Trinh Quang Lich is an example of his efforts to overcome difficulties and bravely protect the people. Promoting the tradition of patriotism, in his homeland Tho Lap, along with helping the people have a prosperous and happy life, the Party Committee and the government have identified the construction of advanced rural areas and model rural areas as the central and continuous task of the locality.

Chi Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/chien-si-cach-mang-trung-kien-nbsp-trinh-quang-lich-260679.htm