As you may know, in 1955, it was the first year that our Party first introduced the rank system. However, the National Revolutionary Army, led by Chiang Kai-shek, an old rival and old friend, first held a ceremony to confer the title in 1935. In fact, before this, the ranks of the generals of the Nationalist army group led by Chiang Kai-shek were very complicated, including those granted by the Guangzhou government during the Sun Yat-sen period, the warlords themselves in various places, and a small number of military ranks granted by the Beiyang government. It can be said that the rank hierarchy is not uniform.
It was also after Chiang Kai-shek won the Northern Expedition and the victory in the Central Plains that the country was formally unified. That is, in 1935, Chiang Kai-shek reorganized the system of military ranks. At that time, the ranks were divided into five grades, and only Chiang Kai-shek obtained this rank among the entire National Army, the Rank of Special General (equivalent to the rank of Grand Marshal of our Party). First-class general (equivalent to the rank of marshal of our party), second-class general, lieutenant general, major general.
In 1935, Chiang Kai-shek awarded himself the rank of general of the special rank, and at the same time, eight senior generals were awarded the rank of general of the first rank. Among the generals of the National Army who are awarded the title for the first time, the generals who can be awarded the rank of general of the first rank are naturally of a very high rank. Please note that none of these eight first-class generals were Chiang Kai-shek's Huangpu students, nor were chiang kai-shek's beloved generals, but all of them were local warlords.
The first is Chiang Kai-shek's eldest brother Feng Yuxiang, who is the leader of the warlords in the northwest, who had 400,000 troops in his heyday, and can be said to be a prominent figure in the northwest region. He was also Chiang Kai-shek's right-hand man in the Second Northern Expedition, and in order to seduce him, Chiang Kai-shek married Feng Yuxiang as a brother of the opposite sex. In fact, friends who know history know that this is also a means for Chiang Kai-shek to win over. So, in 1935, Feng Yuxiang was awarded the rank of general of the first class, when his age was 53 years.
The second was also Chiang Kai-shek's eldest brother, Yan Xishan, the king of Shanxi, and the leader of the Jin warlords. With guns in his hands and territory in his hands, Chiang Kai-shek must both co-opt and suppress him. Naturally, the rank could not be lowered, so Yan Xishan was also awarded the rank of general of the first rank. At that time, his age was 52 years old, a year younger than Feng Yuxiang and a few years older than Chiang Kai-shek.
The third was Chen Jitang, a Cantonese warlord who was the commander of the Fourth Army with Zhang Fakui during the Northern Expedition. Later, Chen Jitang rose to the top and became the ruler of the Guangdong clan, making Guangdong semi-independent. Therefore, everyone called him the Southern Heavenly King, and although Chiang Kai-shek hated him, he was still awarded the rank of general of the first rank at the age of 45.
The fourth was Tang Shengzhi, a warlord of the Xiang clan. On the eve of the Northern Expedition, he led the Xiang Army to join the National Revolutionary Army, and the headquarters was organized into the Eighth Army, and Tang Shengzhi himself served as the commander-in-chief of the former enemy of the Northern Expedition. Although Tang Shengzhi later rebelled against Chiang Kai-shek three times, Chiang Kai-shek still awarded him the rank of general of the first rank. It was 45 years old.
The fifth is Li Zongren, I believe everyone is more familiar with this one, he was the leader of the Gui warlords during the Republic of China. He was also one of the most bullish local warlords during the Republic of China period. He has also served as vice president and acting president of the Republic of China. And Li Zongren is also a veritable anti-Japanese general. He was forty-four years old when he was awarded the rank of general of the first rank.
The sixth was Zhu Peide, who was originally a general in the Dian Army and later joined the Guangzhou National Revolutionary Army, so he did not belong to the Dian warlord system. For his meritorious service in the Eastern Crusade and the Northern Expedition, Zhu Peide was also awarded the rank of general of the first class in 1935 at the age of 47.
The seventh is He Yingqin, who is not a general in the local warlords, but should be said to be the one that Chiang Kai-shek values more, because among these eight first-level generals, He Yingqin belongs to the generals of Chiang Kai-shek's concubine. He served as the chief instructor of the Whampoa Military Academy and was Chiang Kai-shek's right-hand man. Therefore, he was also awarded the rank of general of the first class, at the age of forty-five.
The eighth is Zhang Xueliang, who is the leader of the Fengzhi warlords and can also be said to be the leader of the Northeast Army. At the same time, among the eight first-class generals, the youngest was only 34 years old at the time, and the oldest was Feng Yuxiang (53 years old). Zhang Xueliang was elected as a first-class general at a young age, not because he had superiority, but because he took over his father's rights, so he was valued by Chiang Kai-shek.