The War of Liberation was a decisive war between the Kuomintang and the Communists, and it was the last major civil war. There are many people who did not participate in the Liberation War, or did not go to the front during the Liberation War, but were still awarded the founding general, such as Xu Haidong, who has been recuperating, and Xu Shenji, who is going to talk about today.
Xu Shenji fell ill at the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan and had to be admitted to the hospital because of limited medical conditions and no diagnosis of what the disease was. Xu Shenji was a general, and when he was slightly better, he asked for work, serving as vice president of the military academy and commander of the Ji'nan Military Region, both doing rear support work and not going to the front.
(Xu Shenji and Qin Jiwei)
By 1948, Xu Shenji's condition worsened, and he was later diagnosed with tuberculosis and had to leave his post for treatment until after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Therefore, Xu Shenji did not go to the front during the Liberation War, and he was eventually awarded the rank of founding lieutenant general.
On the one hand, it was because of his revolutionary credentials and contributions. Xu Shenji was a native of Hong'an, Hubei Province, and during the Red Army, he participated in the Jute Uprising, which was the beginning of the Eyu-Anhui Revolution and the starting point of the Red Fourth Front. Therefore, Xu Shenji's revolutionary starting point is very high.
Xu Shenji almost grew up with the Eyu-Anhui Red Army, he fought in the predecessors of the Red Fourth Front, the Red First Army and the Red Fourth Army, and then became a member of the Red Fourth Front, a fierce general, Xiao Yong was good at fighting, and his battle achievements were outstanding, and finally he became a division commander of the Red Fourth Front and became a senior general.
It is worth saying that Xu Shenji also served as a staff officer for Xu Xiangqian. Because the general headquarters of the Red Fourth Front army had fewer personnel and Xu Shenji had rare talents, he was transferred to the general headquarters as a staff officer. Soon after arriving, Xu Xiangqian gave him a difficult task, drawing a map of the battle in Sichuan.
This can be difficult for Xu Shenji, he has no problem fighting, is the map drawing the wrong person? Xu Shenji was not intimidated by the difficulties, he went to find the county chronicle, looked up the dictionary, and also went to the scene to investigate, and finally drew up a map of the northern Sichuan operations containing eight counties in Sichuan, and Xu Xiangqianlian said three good words.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Xu Shenji was the commander of the Eighth Route Army and the leader of the ace regiment. We know that the 386th Brigade is known as the best brigade in China, and this brigade has a total of two regiments under its jurisdiction, one regiment leader named Ye Chenghuan, who unfortunately died, and the other regimental commander is Xu Shenji. You know, Wang Jinshan was the deputy regimental commander at that time.
In the eight years of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Xu Shenji can be said to be a general who did not get off his horse and has been fighting on the battlefield. The 386th Brigade has fought so many vicious battles, of course, there is no credit to Xu Shenji, who is one of the main regimental commanders. The following year, Xu Shenji was promoted to brigade commander of the Independent Brigade of the 129th Division. The 129th Division really had an independent brigade, but the brigade commander was not Li Yunlong, but Xu Shenji.
Therefore, on the issue of revolutionary qualifications and military achievements, Lieutenant General Xu Shenji has no problem. On the other hand, at the time of the award, Xu Shenji had already served as the deputy commander of the Air Force. Liu Yalou, the commander of the Air Force, was a general, and the three deputy commanders of the Air Force at that time were all lieutenant generals, including Xu Shenji of course.
In his later years, Xu Shenji served as deputy commander of the Beijing Military Region and adviser to the Beijing Military Region, and retired with the full-time treatment of the Grand Military Region. He lived a longer life, living to be 91 years old. Xu Shenji left a will, did not hold a memorial service after death, did not say goodbye to the body, did not leave ashes after cremation, and donated body organs for medical use if necessary.