In 1955, China reclassified the original six military regions, namely the Northeast Military Region, the North China Military Region, the Northwest Military Region, the East China Military Region, the Central and Southern Military Region, and the Southwest Military Region, and named them after the big cities in the region, forming twelve major military regions, including the Shenyang Military Region, the Beijing Military Region, the Jinan Military Region, the Nanjing Military Region, the Guangzhou Military Region, the Wuhan Military Region, the Chengdu Military Region, the Kunming Military Region, the Lanzhou Military Region, the Xinjiang Military Region, the Inner Mongolia Military Region, and the Tibet Military Region. So who were the commanders of these 12 major military regions at that time? What happened to them later?
Deng Hua, commander of the Shenyang Military Region: A native of Chenxian County, Hunan Province, he joined the revolution at the age of 17, joined the Red Army a year later, and served as the political commissar of the Red 1st Division. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the director of the Political Office of the 685th Regiment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the political commissar of the 1st Sub-district of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, and the political commissar of the 4th Column of the Eighth Route Army. During the Liberation War, he successively served as the commander of the 7th Column of the Northeast Field Army, the commander of the 44th Army and the commander of the 15th Corps of the 4th Field Army, during which he led the troops to participate in the Liaoshen Campaign, the Pingjin Campaign, the Xianggan Campaign and the liberation of Guangdong, and other battles, with outstanding military achievements. After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, he led his troops into the Korean War, served as the first deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, and after July 1953, he served as the commander and political commissar of the Volunteer Army. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as the first deputy commander of the Northeast Military Region, the deputy chief of general staff of the People's Liberation Army, and the vice president of the Academy of Military Sciences, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
Yang Chengwu, commander of the Beijing Military Region: A native of Changting, Fujian, he joined the Red Army at the age of 15 and served as the commander of the Red 1st Division, leading his troops as a vanguard during the Long March, first capturing the Luding Bridge, and then breaking through the dangerous Lazikou, opening the way for the Red Army to go north. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the commander of the Independent Regiment of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the commander of the Independent First Division, the division of the First Army of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, and the commander of the Jizhong Military Region. During the Liberation War, he served as the commander of the Third Corps and the commander of the 20th Corps. After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, he led his troops into the DPRK to fight and made new contributions. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as the commander of the Beijing Military Region and the acting chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
Xu Shiyou, commander of the Nanjing Military Region: A native of Xinxian County, Henan, he served as the commander of the Red 4th Army and the commander of the cavalry of the Red Fourth Front during the Red Army. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as deputy brigade commander of the 386th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, commander of the Third Brigade of the Shandong Column, and commander of the Jiaodong Military Region. During the Liberation War, he successively served as commander of the 9th Column of Huaye and commander of the Shandong Corps, during which he commanded the troops to liberate the Kuomintang fortified city of Jinan in only eight days and nights and captured the enemy commander Wang Yaowu alive. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he successively served as deputy chief of general staff of the People's Liberation Army, commander of the Nanjing Military Region and commander of the Guangzhou Military Region, and commanded the eastern front of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
Li Tianyou, commander of the Guangzhou Military Region: Lin Guiren, Guangxi, joined the revolution at the age of 15 and joined the Red Army after the Baise Uprising. He experienced the Long March of the Red Army, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, and successively served as the commander of the Red Army division, the acting brigade commander of the Eighth Route Army, the commander of the column of the Northeast Field Army, and the commander of the Fourth Field Army Corps. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he successively served as commander of the Guangxi Military Region, commander of the Guangzhou Military Region, and deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
Chen Zaidao, commander of the Wuhan Military Region: A native of Macheng, Hubei Province, he joined the revolution at the age of 17, joined the Red Army after the Jute Uprising, and served as the commander of the Red 4th Army. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as deputy brigade commander of the 386th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, commander of the Eastward Column of the Eighth Route Army, and commander of the Ji'nan Military Region. During the Liberation War, he served as the commander of the Nakano 2nd Column and the commander of the Henan Military Region. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he successively served as the commander of the Wuhan Military Region, the deputy commander of the Fuzhou Military Region, and the commander of the railway corps, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
Xie Fuzhi, commander of the Kunming Military Region: A native of Hong'an, Hubei Province, who experienced the Red Army's Long March, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, he successively served as director of the Political Department of the Red Ninth Army, political commissar of the Eighth Route Army Brigade, political commissar of the Column of the Central Plains Field Army, and political commissar of the Second Field Army Corps, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
He Bingyan, commander of the Chengdu Military Region: Hubei Songziren, who worked as a smith and blacksmith when he was a child, joined the Red Army at the age of 16 and served as the commander of the Red 6th Division. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the commander of the 716th Regiment of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the commander of the independent 3rd Detachment, and the deputy brigade commander of the 358th Brigade. During the Liberation War, he served as the deputy commander of the 3rd Column of the Jinsui Field Army, the commander of the 1st Column of the Northwest Field Army, and the commander of the 1st Army of the First Field Army. After the founding of New China, he successively served as deputy commander of the Southern Military Region and commander of the Chengdu Military Region, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
Zhang Dazhi, commander of the Lanzhou Military Region: A native of Jia County, Shaanxi, he joined the revolution at the age of 15 and served as the political commissar of the Red 78th Division. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the director of the political department of the Daqingshan Cavalry Detachment, the political commissar of the Saibei Military Sub-district of the Jinsui Military Region, and the deputy commander of the Suimeng Military Region. During the Liberation War, he served as the commander of the Suide Military Subdistrict, the commander of the Second Brigade of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia-Jinsui Joint Defense Military Region, the commander of the Northern Shaanxi Military Region, and the commander of the 4th Army of Yiye. After the founding of new China, he successively served as the commander of the Northwest Public Security Force, the commander of the Lanzhou Military Region, and the commander of the artillery of the People's Liberation Army, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1955.
Wang Enmao, commander of the Xinjiang Military Region: Jiangxi Yongxinren, joined the revolution at the age of 15 and served as the secretary general of the Political Department of the Sixth Red Army. He experienced the Long March of the Red Army, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, and successively served as deputy political commissar of the Eighth Route Army Brigade and political commissar of the 2nd Army of the First Field Army. After the founding of New China, he successively served as commander of the Xinjiang Military Region, deputy political commissar of the Nanjing Military Region, deputy political commissar of the Shenyang Military Region, and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1955.
Zhang Guohua, commander of the Tibet Military Region: Jiangxi Yongxin, joined the Red Army at the age of 15 and served as the political commissar of the Political Teaching Brigade of the Red 1St Corps. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the political commissar of the 7th Detachment of the Luxi Military Region, the political commissar of the Yellow River Detachment, and the political commissar of the 4th Brigade of the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army. During the Liberation War, he served as the commander of the Yuwan Soviet Military Region and the commander of the 18th Army of the 5th Corps of the Erye Army. After the founding of New China, he successively served as the commander of the Tibet Military Region and the political commissar of the Chengdu Military Region, during which he commanded the counterattack against India's self-defense, killed and captured thousands of enemy troops, and was called the "God of War" by the Indian Army, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1955.
Ulan Fu, commander of the Inner Mongolia Military Region: A native of the Left Banner of Tumut, Inner Mongolia, he joined the revolution at the age of 17 and experienced the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation. After the founding of New China, he successively served as commander of the Inner Mongolia Military Region, vice premier of the State Council, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.