About Ngo Xa Ha communal house, remembering a heroic time

Amidst the peaceful atmosphere of the countryside, I felt like I was lost in the glorious days of fighting through stories that carried the weight of the heroic historical flow of the land and people of Ngo Xa Ha village, now Dong Chi quarter, Thieu Hoa district.

People in Dong Chi neighborhood hung national flags on the streets to celebrate National Day September 2.

On a peaceful autumn day in early September, the golden sunlight gently spread over the calm Chu River, the gentle wind drifted along the purple clover, I walked on the winding dike, stretching out to embrace the Chu River carrying heavy alluvium to return to visit the national historical site of Ngo Xa Ha communal house in the land located on the right bank of the Chu River called "Dong Chi village".

Every step I take to Ngo Xa Ha, I feel like I'm touching history, feeling the breath of generations of ancestors who lived and fought for the cause of national liberation.

Located in the center of Dong Chi village (now Dong Chi quarter), with the position of "mountains in front, rivers behind", Ngo Xa Ha communal house appeared firmly before my eyes, like an immortal witness of the glorious golden history of Thieu Hoa district in particular and of Thanh Hoa province in general. Ngo Xa Ha communal house roof is covered with moss, wearing a difference with French architecture, carved with sophisticated patterns as if preserving every drop of sweat and tears of many generations who worked hard to build and preserve. The solid and sturdy pillars of the communal house are like milestones of a glorious period, quietly telling the story of the resilience and solidarity of the people here in many historical events, many revolutionary rallies against forced labor, conscription, against reactionaries, punishing evil dignitaries, against the Japanese who robbed food and provisions of revolutionary soldiers, the masses of Ngo Xa Ha village with boiling enthusiasm. On the stone stele in the communal house grounds, it is recorded that about 500 years ago, the village was formed on the land of Dong sandbank. Following the flow of history, the village has moved to its current location.

I was fortunate to meet the village elders, who did not directly experience the arduous and heroic uprising period, but who still kept the stories passed down from their ancestors. They sat together, their eyes shining as they recounted the memories and stories they had heard from previous generations. Their voices were warm, each sentence and word imbued with the grandeur and determination of a bygone era. Each story was a piece of the historical puzzle, a story of courage, sacrifice and solidarity of ordinary but resilient people.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hung - retired army colonel said: "Since before the Communist Party of Vietnam existed, in the homeland of Xa Ha village, there were two predecessor organizations, "Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association" and "Tan Viet Revolutionary Party". When the first party cell was established in Thieu Hoa district, Ngo Xa Ha village had one of the first four members of the cell. Right from the early days of the Party, many outstanding children of the village devoted themselves to the cause of saving the country and saving the people. Therefore, many revolutionary movements from the people of the district and province were initiated in this small village. The peak of the movement was the struggle to demand Cu Khai to return the public land and public land of the people of the villages at the end of 1930. In particular, under the leadership of the Red Farmers' Association, the core of which were Mr. Hoang Trong Binh, Hoang Tien Cuong, Hoang Tien Phac, the people of the villages sent petitions to the Thieu Hoa district governor demanding democracy in electing village chiefs. The struggle for victory was encourage the revolutionary struggle movement of the people in the region".

According to Mr. Hung, in March 1934, the Party cell of Ngo Xa Ha and Ngo Xa Thuong, Cuu Thon was established to mobilize people to participate in grassroots associations. From here, the revolutionary movement of the masses in the villages had the Party's leadership. On the occasion of International Labor Day, May 1, at Mr. Hoang Van Khai's house, the Party cell assigned comrades Ngo Duc and Hoang Tien Trinh to organize a rally of 50 people. The two comrades gave speeches calling on people to unite in the struggle, demanding freedom and democracy, demanding reductions in land tax, market tax, personal tax, ferry tax, etc. Ngo Xa Ha village affirmed that this place was a reliable address for leaders at all levels to come here to operate and build the revolutionary movement.

In 1940, the revolutionary base in Thieu Minh, Ngo Xa Ha village received the document of the 6th Central Resolution, the regulations of the Anti-Imperialist and National Salvation Association, and the Self-Defense National Salvation Association. By mid-1940, Xuan Lai commune organized a rally at Ong Tao Palace (Ha Thanh village) with the slogan "Down with French and Japanese imperialism", "Eliminate Vietnamese traitors and reactionaries". The rally was attended by more than 100 Thieu Minh people. In early 1945, the Ngo Xa Ha village Party Cell was consolidated and together with the Thieu Hoa Party Committee, comrade Ngo Duc, a loyal son of the village, became the Secretary and Chairman of the Viet Minh, marking a new development step of the revolution. Cadres were allowed to participate in studying and strengthening the construction of self-defense teams to mobilize the masses to fight. During this period, the revolutionary struggle movement in Thieu Minh in general and Ngo Xa Ha village in particular took place extremely vigorously.

Talking about the difficult days when the village was occupied by the enemy, his voice choked up when he heard about the losses the village had to endure, but his eyes lit up when he mentioned the joy of victory, when the red flag with yellow star fluttered over the village communal house. Mr. Hung was still young at that time, but until now, the faces of the soldiers, the children of the village who left and never returned, are still deeply engraved in his heart and the hearts of the children of the heroic land of Ngo Xa Ha.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Minh, one of the elders sitting at Ngo Xa Ha communal house, continued: “After the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee received the Directive “Japan and France are fighting each other and our actions”, we convened a conference and set out a direction for action. Under the direction of comrade Ngo Duc, Secretary of the Thieu Hoa Party Committee and comrade Ngo Ngoc Vu, the people organized a march at Du market. The villages of Thieu Minh commune sent more than 100 people to participate. The march from Du market to Go market, while walking, shouted slogans: Down with Japanese fascism! Overthrow the puppet government of Tran Trong Kim! Support the Viet Minh Front!. Leaflets were distributed throughout the markets, the prestige of the revolutionary movement rose, no different from a festival of the people with a seething atmosphere”. In May 1945, the Ngo Xa Ha Party cell organized a rally at the village communal house led by comrades Ngo Duc and Hoang Trong Phieu with more than 100 people participating. Responding to the Provincial Party Committee's call to "Buy weapons to repel the common enemy", the villages responded enthusiastically. The Party cell sent people and rich people to mobilize money to buy weapons. The movement to contribute to buy weapons took place vigorously, the leading cadres and party members sold many household items to raise money to buy weapons, spears, compasses, pan wires, and clocks to prepare for the uprising.

“Receiving the directive from the Thieu Hoa Uprising Committee, the Party members and cadres of Ngo Xa Ha village actively mobilized the people to support food and provisions. The Women's Union prepared rice balls, the Self-Defense Force prepared weapons and were ready to go to war. The atmosphere was extremely jubilant and fiery," Mr. Minh continued.

On the evening of August 18, 1945, the village self-defense forces with weapons ready gathered at Ngo Xa Ha communal house. Then they gathered at the dike of Cuu Thon village to join the village self-defense forces of Xuan Lai commune to take boats to Thieu Hoa district to capture the primary school and the government office. The battle was extremely fierce, the enemy resisted frantically, forcing the revolutionary forces to open fire. By dawn on August 19, 1945, our army had captured the entire government office and the primary school, the revolutionary government was in the hands of the people. On the morning of August 23, over 3,000 fighting self-defense forces of Thieu Hoa, Tho Xuan, Yen Dinh, Vinh Loc districts, in neat formation, marched from Ngo Xa Ha communal house to Thanh Hoa city to attend the launching ceremony of the Provisional People's Revolutionary Committee chaired by comrade Le Tat Dac. The victory of the August 1945 Revolution was a major turning point in the revolutionary career of Thieu Minh's homeland in general and Ngo Xa Ha village in particular. From the status of slaves, the People were now the masters of their own lives.

Coming to Ngo Xa Ha communal house, remembering the old uprising day, people in Dong Chi neighborhood hung the national flag on the streets to celebrate National Day September 2nd.

Standing under the ancient roof of Ngo Xa Ha communal house, listening to the historical stories from the elders in the village, I felt the overflowing emotions in each person's story. Each story, each detail of Ngo Xa Ha village was told by the elders with all sincerity, pride and sadness on their cheeks that had wrinkled over the years.

Stories of fierce battles, silent sacrifices and bravery of those who went before come alive through the emotional voices of the elders.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hung confided: “I am not simply telling a heroic history of the “spiritual land of talented people” Xa Ha, but also hoping to convey my expectations for the future generations of my homeland. I hope that the young generation here will continuously strive to inherit and promote the fine traditions of previous generations, strive to build a Ngo Xa Ha village, now a heroic Dong Chi neighborhood in history and develop continuously in the present”.

Lan Chinh

The article uses materials from the History of Dong Chi Village (Ngo Xa Ha Village) period 1925-2020).

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ve-dinh-ngo-xa-ha-nho-mot-thuo-hao-hung-223728.htm