Among the more than 1,000 founding generals of the republic, one general was in a very special situation, and someone summed up the "six specials" for him.
In 1955, when he was awarded the title, his name was listed on the list of "generals to be awarded", but when it was officially announced, his name was crossed out for special reasons;
Three years later, the People's Liberation Army held a special ceremony for him to award him a special title, and there was only one such special case that year, and only one person in the whole army;
Usually, a person can only leave (retire) once in his life, but because of the special circumstances, he has gone through two procedures, the first time is the retirement procedure, and the second time is the leave procedure.
He was awarded the rank of founding lieutenant general of the Republic in 1958, but he held a position that would normally be a general, which is a special case;
Throughout the period of the War of Resistance Against Japan, people did not see his figure, and such a situation was very rare among the founding generals, which was very special;
The last special thing is that most of the founding generals made great achievements in wartime, but he never officially led troops.
In his early years, he also commanded the only battle of his life, but it was "catching ducks on the shelf", which ended in failure.
However, the Republic granted him the rank of lieutenant general.
This "six special" general was named He Cheng, and he served as deputy director of the General Logistics Department and Minister of Health of the people's liberation army of the Chinese, vice minister of health of the Central People's Government, president of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, and deputy director of the General Logistics Department.
How did General He Cheng receive the rank of lieutenant general?
The reason is actually very simple: the victory of the Chinese revolution requires the "civilian and military generals" who are peaceful in the world, and also needs strong logistics to support it.
The military's medical support is one of the key points of logistics work.
General He Cheng served as a doctor all his life and was one of the founders of the people's army and the new Chinese health cause.
Born in 1901 in Shehong County, Sichuan Province, He Cheng's father wanted him to pursue a career, but he enrolled in a medical university in Beijing.
In Beijing, He Cheng met Chen Yi, a fellow sichuan countryman, and thus embarked on the revolutionary line.
In 1925, He Cheng became a member of the Communist Party of China, and under the arrangement of the party organization, he went down to the Northern Expeditionary Army and became an intern doctor of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
After the "April 12" counter-revolutionary armed coup, He Cheng joined the Military Medical Department of the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army.
During the Guangzhou uprising, He Cheng led 10 military doctors to the front line of the uprising and gave the greatest support to the rebel army.
After the failure of the uprising, He Cheng went to Shanghai, and under the arrangement of the Central Special Branch, he opened a hospital completely controlled by our Party.
Because of the traitor's whistle-blowing, the hospital was forced to close down soon after, and He Cheng went to the Central Soviet District under the organization's arrangement.
In 1931, He Cheng was appointed chief of the General Military Medical Department.
In the Soviet zone, He Cheng was engaged in medical work as usual, and he established the first relatively complete medical system of our army according to local conditions.
He Cheng was an excellent surgeon, the scalpel was his weapon, and he used his skills to save the lives of countless Officers and Men of the Red Army, but he never touched a gun.
However, by chance, He Cheng was "forced" to command a battle.
Putting down the scalpel and meeting the enemy face to face was the only time in his life.
However, that experience pained him for many years.
At that time, the main force of the Red Army was secretly assembled in Xingguo, and a leader of the Central Bureau of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Union of the Communist Party of China found He Cheng.
He ordered He Cheng to command the guard regiment to attack Lai Village.
He Cheng explained realistically: "I will only use a scalpel, and I can't do such a thing as fighting a war!" ”
The leader said involuntarily: "This is the decision of the organization, carry out the order." ”
He Cheng had no choice but to go to the front line to direct the battle.
As the saying goes, interlacing is like a mountain, and the outcome of the battle can be imagined.
He Cheng reluctantly exercised his command, and although he tried his best, he was still unable to defeat Lai Village, and finally had to withdraw from the battle with his troops.
After the war, the leader ordered He Cheng to make a "profound review."
He Cheng wanted to cry without tears, and the pain was unbearable.
Fortunately, the central leadership not only spared He Cheng's "review" but also seriously criticized the leader.
The central leader said: "He Cheng can play needles, where do he know how to fight?" You let a man with a scalpel direct the battle, isn't that playing the piano? The responsibility for losing the battle is not his, but yours! ”
This was the first and last battle that He Cheng commanded in his life, and since then, He Cheng has never directly participated in the battle.
He devoted all his energies to the medical cause of the Red Army.
With the support of the central leadership, He Cheng presided over the opening of the "Military Medical School" and the "Field Ambulance Training Class", personally compiled teaching materials, and personally demonstrated teaching.
Thanks to He Cheng's efforts, the Red Army troops had a large number of "Turkish military doctors" with certain medical and nursing skills.
Soon after, He Cheng served as the political commissar of the General Hospital of the Red Army, and after the establishment of the Ministry of Health in the Red Army, He Cheng served as the first minister and political commissar, and also served as the director of the Provisional Central Government Health Administration.
As Chiang Kai-shek's encirclement and suppression of the Soviet zone continued to increase, the Red Army's medical supplies became more and more scarce.
He Cheng also single-handedly founded the medical and health materials factory, using the most rudimentary equipment, producing a large number of medical cotton, bandages, alcohol and general surgical instruments.
He also combined precious and scarce Western medicine with Traditional Chinese medicine, creatively practicing the treatment method of "integrated Chinese and Western medicine", and saving the lives of many soldiers.
In 1934, He Cheng participated in the Long March with the troops.
At that time, the Ministry of Health of the Red Army was subordinate to the "Central Column", code-named "Ruijin", and everyone habitually called He Cheng "Commander Ruijin".
His superiors distributed a pistol to "Commander Ruijin" He Cheng, and He Cheng often carried this pistol with him.
However, until the Red Army's Long March reached northern Shaanxi, He Cheng did not use a gun once.
In 1937, the organization sent He Cheng to Moscow in the Soviet Union to study medical technology, and did not return to China until 1945, so he was absent from the "Eight-Year War of Resistance".
During the Liberation War, He Cheng successively served as deputy director of the Logistics Department of the Northeast Democratic United Army, the Northeast Military Region, and concurrently served as the minister of health, and he also served as the minister of health of the Northeast People's Government.
After the founding of The People's Republic of China, He Cheng was appointed Minister of Health of the Central Military Commission, Vice Minister of Health of the Central People's Government and Secretary of the Party Group.
General He Cheng has been engaged in medical careers all his life, and he has the characteristics of "intellectuals love more truth", and he also has obvious "bookish anger" in his body.
He spoke straight and straight, never hid his views, and was known as the "old master".
It is precisely because of this personality trait that He Cheng has been misunderstood many times after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
In 1955, when the title was awarded, He Cheng did not award the title for the time being because he was under investigation.
However, He Cheng eventually withstood the test, and in 1958, the Central Military Commission awarded him the rank of lieutenant general.
In that "unprecedented" movement, He Cheng suffered injustice, and in 1963, He Cheng went through retirement procedures.
A few years later, after his comeback, General He Cheng was appointed first deputy director of the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army.
In April 1985, the 84-year-old General He Cheng went through the formalities for his second leave.
On November 8, 1992, General He Cheng died of illness in Beijing at the age of 91.