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Wang Yuling and her son Zhang Daoyu

In May 2007, Zhang Lingfu's widow Wang Yuling came to Menglianggu. She stood outside the cave where her husband died and took a photo with her son Zhang Daoyu. When this photo was taken, Wang Yuling had returned to China for two years. She and her son settled in Shanghai. At this time, Wang Yuling was 79 years old, still dignified and elegant, with extraordinary temperament.

On May 16, 1947, Zhang Lingfu died in battle at Menglianggu at the age of 44. When Zhang Lingfu died, Wang Yuling was only 19 years old and had just given birth to her son Zhang Daoyu for more than a month. Wang Yuling was far away in Nanjing at the time, waiting for her husband to return from the front so that the family of three could be reunited.

One thing is certain, because Chiang Kai-shek requested to block the news of Zhang Lingfu's death in battle, Wang Yuling did not get the news immediately. Because she had not received a letter from her husband for a long time, Wang Yuling also had doubts, but when she talked to other wives of generals, she was told that it might be because the battle on the front was fierce and not to worry too much.

Wang Yuling and her son Zhang Daoyu

A few months later, Wang Yuling was taking care of her son at home as usual. Suddenly, Zhang Lingfu's former staff officer came to her home. When he saw Wang Yuling, he knelt down in front of her and burst into tears. Wang Yuling still remembered this scene vividly in her later years. She recalled:

"Staff Officer Yang cried and told me that the Battle of Menglianggu was extremely tragic. Commander Zhang had fought all his life and knew that he could not hold on any longer because friendly troops would not come. In the end, he had no other choice but to die. He sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek, saying that he would fight to the end to repay the country and asked Chiang Kai-shek to take care of his family."

Wang Yuling and her son Zhang Daoyu

At that moment, Wang Yuling was stunned. She couldn't believe it was true. Wang Yuling was only 19 years old at that time. Her wonderful life had just begun, but her husband died. What should she do next? Looking at her baby son, Wang Yuling could only suppress her grief and soon went to Taiwan with her mother.

Wang Yuling thought that her husband held an important position during his lifetime, and she should be treated preferentially after his death in the war, but she was disappointed. During her life in Taiwan, Wang Yuling truly experienced the loneliness of being forgotten by others, and the monthly pension was not enough to support her basic life.

Seeing that her future in Taiwan was bleak, Wang Yuling decided to go to the United States. Many young Taiwanese went there to make a living, and Wang Yuling's idea was simple: after getting a degree, she would find a job in the United States and stay there, and then bring her son and mother to live with her.

Wang Yuling

Hard work pays off. Wang Yuling obtained a degree in accounting from New York University and then worked in a high-end hotel. Later, Wang Yuling joined American Airlines, where she worked for 21 years until her retirement. At that time, Wang Yuling had a high income, bought a car, lived in a high-end apartment, and her son and mother were also around.

Wang Yulin recalled: "I have to support myself, my son and my mother, and pursue my own life. I think Hunanese people have this pride and can overcome these difficulties." However, as she grows older, Wang Yulin longs to return to the mainland to visit relatives and friends, especially to visit Menglianggu.

Deng Yingchao and Wang Yuling

In fact, Premier Zhou was also concerned about Wang Yuling's life in the United States. In the fall of 1973, Wang Yuling traveled to Hong Kong and Macau, during which she was secretly arranged to come to Beijing. Premier Zhou met with Wang Yuling in the Great Hall of the People and welcomed her to return to the mainland to visit relatives and friends.

It was this meeting that made Wang Yuling determined to return to China and settle down. In 1997, Wang Yuling's mother returned to Changsha from the United States and settled there. She died five years later, and she finally returned to her roots. When her mother passed away, Wang Yuling was already 74 years old. She was even more eager to return to China and settle down. At that time, Zhang Daoyu had already started a business in Shanghai for many years.

Wang Yuling in her later years

In 2005, Wang Yuling returned to Shanghai and settled down with her son Zhang Daoyu. At that time, Wang Yuling held many positions, including Vice Chairman of the Sun Yat-sen International Foundation and Vice Chairman of the Whampoa Alumni Association of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Wang Yuling repeatedly stated that these positions were "sinecaches" and that she had actually made a lot of contributions to the country, such as helping some hospitals to contact and purchase medical equipment from the United States.

In 2007, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Menglianggu, Wang Yuling received an official invitation from Su Yu's nephew Su Gangbing to go to Menglianggu to participate in related activities, which led to the photo at the beginning of this article. On that day, Wang Yuling and her son Zhang Daoyu went to the cave where Zhang Lingfu died to pay tribute.

Wang Yuling

When leaving, Wang Yulin took a photo with her son Zhang Daoyu outside the cave. She also said to the accompanying staff: "Remember to save a place for me." On the evening of October 9, 2021, Wang Yulin died at her home in Shanghai at the age of 93.