In 1955, in recognition of the generals who had made important contributions to the victory of the Chinese revolution and the founding of New China, China held its first major award. At that time, in addition to looking at seniority and combat merit, there was also a very important criterion for judging titles, that is, comrades who had been transferred to local work or who had left the army were not included in this appraisal. Therefore, some comrades who had made great achievements in battle but transferred to local work after the founding of the People's Republic of China regrettably lost their ranks, and the most representative figures were Zhou Baozhong and Cheng Zihua.
Zhou Baozhong was the main founder of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Coalition Army and one of the main leaders of the anti-Japanese guerrilla war in the northeast region, serving as the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Coalition Army and the commander-in-chief of the Northeast People's Self-Defense Army; after the outbreak of the Liberation War, he successively served as the deputy commander-in-chief of the Northeast Democratic United Army and the deputy commander of the Northeast Military Region. After the founding of new China, Zhou Baozhong transferred to local work and served in the Yunnan Provincial Government, so in 1955 he was not awarded a title, but he was awarded the Order of August 1st Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Liberation Medal of the First Class, and if he participated in the awarding of titles at that time, he was at least a general.
Let's look at Cheng Zihua again; during the Great Revolution, he participated in the Guangzhou Uprising and led the Daye Army, served as the political commissar of the Red 15th Army during the Red Army, and his partner Xu Haidong during this period was the 55th General; during the War of Resistance Against Japan, Cheng Zihua was the political commissar of the Jizhong Military Region, and his partner Lü Zhengcao was the 55th General; During the Liberation War, Cheng Zihua served as the commander of the 13th Corps of the 4 Fields, and participated in the Liaoshen Campaign, the Pingjin Campaign, the Crossing River Campaign, and the Hengbao Campaign. With Cheng Zihua's seniority and military achievements, he was at least a general in 55 years. Unfortunately, after the founding of New China, he transferred to local work, so he did not participate in the awarding of titles.
But there are always exceptions to everything, and one of the many cadres who have transferred to local work has been awarded the rank of general, and he is the founding general Yan Hongyan. When he was awarded the title in 1955, Yan Hongyan was serving as the secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee, and according to the criteria for awarding titles at that time, he was not included in this appraisal. So why was Yan Hongyan awarded the rank of general? This also begins with his special contribution to the Red Army in northern Shaanxi. Yan Hongyan, a native of Anding, Shaanxi Province, was born in 1909, because his family was too poor, he was forced to drop out of school after barely studying for half a year in private school, and has been living on short-term work ever since.
In 1924, at the age of 15, Yan Hongyan joined the shaanxi warlord Jing Yuexiu's army as a trumpet soldier, and Xie Zichang was also serving in this unit at that time. A year later, under the influence and introduction of Li Xiangjiu, Yan Hongyan joined the Communist Party of China and participated in the Qingjian Uprising held shortly after. After the failure of the uprising, Yan Hongyan came to the Lüliang Mountains to form a guerrilla group, and after a period of hard work, he pulled up a team of more than 100 people, Yan Hongyan first served as deputy captain and squadron leader of the first squadron, and soon became the captain of the brigade, leading the troops to win successive battles and become a local legendary hero.
In late November 1931, Yan Hongyan led the team to the Southern Liang area, and together with the teams of Liu Zhidan, Xie Zichang and others, they were merged into the Shaanxi-Gansu guerrilla group of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, with Xie Zichang as the commander-in-chief, Liu Zhidan as the deputy commander, and Yan Hongyan as the first detachment leader. In the ensuing battles, the Red Army became stronger and stronger, and not only did the ranks develop tremendously, but it also created the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Revolutionary Base Area, which provided a foothold for the Central Red Army. In the subsequent War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Yan Hongyan participated in many important battles and made new contributions. When he was awarded the title in 1955, although he had already transferred to local work, because Xie Zichang and Liu Zhidan had already died, Yan Hongyan was still awarded the rank of general as a representative figure of the Red Army in northern Shaanxi.