When mentioning the Kuomintang 18th Army, the author first thought of the "civil engineering department" and Chen Cheng, when Chen Cheng's 18th Army became the premier ace unit in the hands of Lao Chiang, the other 4 main forces known as the "five main forces of the nationalist army" had not yet been established.
Chiang Kai-shek started with the Whampoa Military Academy, and among the many Huangpu teachers and students, the long-term trust is undoubtedly Chen Cheng.
Chen Chengzi is a Fellow Zhejiang compatriot of old Jiang, born in Qingtian, Lishui, Zhejiang. Chen Cheng applied for the Baoding Military Academy in his early years, read the artillery department, and after graduating from the Baoding Military Academy, Chen Cheng was assigned to the 2nd Division of Zhejiang province and served as a small platoon leader with the rank of second lieutenant.
When the Whampoa Military Academy was established, Chen Cheng followed Deng Yanda to the Whampoa Military Academy as an artillery section instructor and the leader of the artillery unit. At this time, Chen Cheng and Old Jiang did not have much intersection.
Legend has it that Chen Cheng read the "Three People's Principles" at night when he was in Huangpu, and was discovered by Chiang Kai-shek who checked the night, so he fell into Chiang Kai-shek's legal eyes, in fact, Chen Cheng was truly appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek, thanks to his outstanding "three cannons".
After the establishment of the Huangpu "Party Army," Chen Cheng served as the commander of the 1st Company of the Artillery Battalion; in the Battle of Mianhu Lake, in the face of the powerful offensive of Chen Jiongming's rebels, Chen Cheng solidly lit up in front of Lao Jiang's eyes.
It was precisely in this battle that the obscure Chen Cheng began to be favored by Chiang Kai-shek, until it later developed to the point where "Zhongzheng cannot be repaired without words for a day." Therefore, some people in the Kuomintang army jokingly called Chen Cheng a "start with three cannons."
Soon after the war, Chen Cheng was promoted to battalion commander of the artillery battalion of the "Party Army" and captain of the Huangpu Phase IV Artillery Section; during the Northern Expedition, he successively served as a staff officer of the General Headquarters and a colonel of the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Supplementary Division.
During the April 12 Qing Dynasty, Deng Yanda, who had always been very fond of Chen Cheng, completely broke with Chiang Kai-shek, and Chen Cheng bet on Chiang Kai-shek's side and completely betrayed Deng Yanda, the "Engong".
Since then, Chen Cheng and Old Jiang have begun a life of "honor and disgrace and commonality". The first time Chiang Kai-shek went to the wilderness, Chen Cheng was implicated as a close confidant of old Chiang Kai-shek, and when old Chiang made a comeback, Chen Cheng naturally turned over and immediately became the guard commander of old Chiang.
As soon as Chen Cheng took office, he showed his hands and feet and spared no effort to expand his strength, and soon, when the Kuomintang army was reorganized and the guard headquarters was abolished, Chen Cheng's unit was merged with other units to form the 11th Division.
Subsequently, Chen Cheng recruited a large number of Huangpu disciples into the 11th Division, and vigorously carried out "army reorganization" and implemented the "New Deal" in the 11th Division, especially in the Kuomintang army, which broke the ground to carry out "personnel openness, economic openness, and open opinions", so that the 11th Division had a new look and the combat effectiveness of the troops was rapidly improved.
During the Great War in the Central Plains, Chen Cheng led his 11th Division to be invincible and made outstanding achievements, and Old Jiang praised Chen Cheng's "loyalty and courage," while Chen Cheng took advantage of Old Jiang's happiness to recruit a lot of talents and took the opportunity to recruit many miscellaneous troops.
In August 1930, Chen Cheng was promoted to the commander of the 18th Army and the commander of the 11th Division, and he extended the method that the 11th Division had worked to the 18th Army, and the 18th Army soon became the premier ace unit in the Central Department.
Although he started with the "three cannons" in that year, Chen Cheng's real birthplace should be the 11th Division, and then the later 18th Army, so among the major factions of the Kuomintang, a brand-new powerful faction headed by Chen Cheng "turned out to be born", known as the "civil engineering department".
The reason why Chen Cheng's faction is called "Civil Engineering Department" is because "Eleven is Earth, Eighteen is Wood", this name is too appropriate, the 11th Division is the birthplace of Chen Cheng, and the 18th Army gathers the strong military strength of Chen Cheng's faction, after all, in that era, "if there is a gun, it is the king of grass heads".
At its peak, the 18th Army once had 8 divisions under its command, far exceeding the establishment of one army, and by the time of the War of Resistance, the strength of the "Civil Engineering Department" had rapidly expanded to 7 corps.
From the 18th Army, there were 5 first-class generals, 4 second-class generals, 4 chiefs of staff, 2 commanders-in-chief of the Navy, 1 commander-in-chief of the Air Force, and 1 commander-in-chief of the Logistics League, which not only greatly exceeded other factions, but even in the "Central Department", it was also the most powerful branch, so it was called "the king of kings".
Not only that, Chen Cheng's extraordinary marriage also increased the weight of the "civil engineering department", in 1932, Chen Cheng and Tan Xiang married, their witnesses were Lao Jiang and Song Meiling, and Tan Xiang was the daughter of the Kuomintang elder Tan Yanmin, who was also the dry daughter of Lao Jiang.
In this way, the relationship between Chen Cheng and Chiang Kai-shek is even more invincible: he is a fellow Zhejiang compatriot of old Chiang Kai-shek, born in Huangpu, or he is still the son-in-law of old Chiang Kai-shek, and Chen Cheng, who attaches the most importance to the three elements of the old Chiang's "way of employing people," has both, and it is difficult for Chen Cheng to think of it without being red.
At the time of the Xi'an Incident, Chen Cheng was also detained by Zhang Xueliang in Xi'an, and he said to Zhang Xueliang: "If Jiang Gong is killed, please send me on the road earlier", which shows Chen Cheng's loyalty to Chiang Kai-shek.
In contrast, He Yingqin's performance made Lao Jiang "heartbroken", which was a world of difference compared with Chen Cheng's loyalty. Therefore, in the mind of old Jiang, Chen Cheng's weight at this time has surpassed He Yingqin, although He Yingqin after the Xi'an Incident is still in a high position, but "the position is high and the power is not heavy", while Chen Cheng is "like the sun in the sky".
After the victory of the War of Resistance, Chen Cheng followed lao Jiang and became the vanguard of the civil war, but his luck began to decline.
Chen Chengxian fell and fought in East China, was beaten by Su Yu and lost his armor and was exhausted, and then in the northeast he was beaten to the ground by his former students, disgraced, and fell under the title of "General who often loses", and finally angered many Kuomintang members, claiming to "kill them to thank the world."
Chen Cheng and his "civil engineering system" have been traversing the world for decades and enjoying the extraordinary "grace" of the old Chiang Kai-shek, but with the decline of the Chiang family dynasty, even if Chen Cheng has all kinds of means, it is difficult to change the inevitable law of historical development.