In the history of China's modern revolution, Chen Geng is a very legendary figure.
He spent most of his life in the fire and smoke of gunfire, born into death, Strong enemies, meritorious service, and full of reputation at home and abroad.
As a famous general in the people's army, Chen Geng experienced almost all kinds of military struggles in China in the first half of the 20th century.
In his long military career and in the competition with various opponents at home and abroad, Chen Geng grew into a founding general step by step.
In the course of the revolution, he formed the art of military strategy that has been tested on the battlefield and is of great guiding value.
Today, let's relive the story of General Chen Geng together...
PART
01
Blood Glory: Why the Savior Chen Geng Abandoned Jiang and Left
Chen Geng was a native of Hunan and came from a relatively well-off family relative to most warriors because he was born into a landlord family.
He has been studying in private school since he was a teenager, and at the age of 13, he abandoned his pen and joined rong. He joined the Communist Party in 1922 and was admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy in 1924 as the first student of the school.
He was also known as the "Huangpu Sanjie" along with Jiang Xianyun and He Zhihan, and he was the most famous of the three.
Chen Geng is a graduate of Huangpu Phase I and has been appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek after graduating from Huangpu.
Because Chen Geng had outstanding achievements in the Eastern Crusade, he was invincible when he was a company commander. At that time, Jiang transferred Chen Geng's company to the guard company of the General Headquarters, and Chen Geng served as the company commander.
In October 1925, during the Second Crusade, the Third Division and the guangdong warlord Lin Hu's troops met and were besieged near Huayang, in critical condition.
Jiang ordered company commander Chen Geng to pass on the order: No retreat is allowed.
A few months ago, Jiang and Liao Zhongkai jointly signed a joint sitting decree, stipulating that "if a class retreats together, only the squad leader will be killed." One row retreats together, killing only the platoon leader. Together with them, they only killed the company commander.
One battalion retreated together, killing only the battalion commander. The group retreated together and killed only the regimental commander. One division retreats together, and only the division commander is killed."
However, the Third Division was already in a state of total shaking under the pressure of the enemy, and it could not even find anyone who wanted to kill.
When the army was defeated like a mountain, Jiang was still standing there shouting loudly, and Chen Geng saw the situation and went up to pick up Jiang and run, running until he got on the river and crossed the river on a boat, before he escaped from danger.
Jiang later sighed: "Fortunately, the premier was in the spirit of heaven, and he won a surprise victory and turned the crisis into safety." That being said, he also knew that Chen Geng had really saved his life.
But Chen Geng looked down on Jiang from the bottom of his heart, so why did he look down on Jiang?
A Retired Kuomintang soldier who retired to Taiwan in 1949, a retired veteran general, once sent a letter to Chen Geng's home.
He said: My old squad leader looked down on Chiang Kai-shek and thought that Chiang turned on the radio and listened to the Shanghai stock market between operational commands, believing that Chiang was not a true revolutionary.
"If you are promoted and get rich, please go the other way; greed for life and fear of death, do not enter this door."
At that time, Chen Geng was a revolutionary mind and entered the Whampoa Military Academy. Entering a military academy is revolution, liberation, and salvation.
But when he saw Principal Jiang directing the battle while listening to the stock market in Shanghai, he knew that Jiang was not a real revolutionary, not the person he wanted to follow, so he finally abandoned Chiang Kai-shek.
What reason did Chen Geng make up when he left Jiang?
As is our usual reason, the old mother is very ill and needs to be taken care of. Jiang smiled slightly and approved Chen Geng to leave.
In fact, Jiang also knew that Chen Geng was leaving and leaving, but Jiang did not stop Chen Geng and knew that he could not stop chen Geng and Chen Geng left like this.
According to Chen Geng's later recollection, with Jiang's clever brain, I made up this reason, he did not believe it, he could not deceive him.
In 1931, Chen Geng was seriously wounded in battle in the Eyu-Anhui Soviet District, and the Eyu-Anhui Soviet District had no way to heal his wounds, so he had to secretly transfer him to Shanghai and treat him in a hospital related to our party.
However, it was very unfortunate and very unlucky, just in time for Gu Shunzhang's rebellion, Gu Shunzhang identified Chen Geng and Chen Geng was arrested in Shanghai.
When Jiang Yi heard that Chen Geng had been arrested, he was overjoyed, ordered Chen Geng to be treated well, and persuaded him not to follow them, chen Geng was not at all moved.
One day, the people around Jiang excitedly told Chen Geng that the principal wanted to see you. Chen Geng insisted on not seeing. The speaker said that the chairman of the committee had already walked to the door, and you had to see it if you didn't see it.
After Jiang came in, Chen Geng looked at Jiang angrily and did not speak for a long time.
After a while, Jiang opened his mouth, "Chen Geng you are much thinner." Chen Geng sneered and said, "'Thin and fattening the world', this is what the principal taught us."
I see that the principal has also lost weight. As the leader of one party and one country, why are you thinner and the world is thinner? "
Then the two sides did not speak for a long time. After a good half a day, Jiang advised: "If you write a statement and admit your mistake, I will give a good way out." "
Chen Geng took the large amount of paper, and Jiang thought that he really wanted to admit his mistake. When I took the paper and looked at it, my nose was crooked. The paper is full of words such as "down with Chiang Kai-shek" and "dictatorship is unpopular."
Jiang Zai had patience at this time and couldn't help but scold, "You are too deeply poisoned, and the road to death is a dead end."
Later, whenever someone asked about this period of residence, Chen Geng always said, "I knew he was so reactionary and threw him into the ditch." "
Jiang understood, Chen Geng did not want to see him. Jiang only had to leave and say a word to the people around him to heal his injuries.
Chen Geng was finally able to escape from Shanghai, and today, when we examine that period of history more fairly, we can see that it was Jiang who let Chen Geng go.
If Jiang did not let Chen Geng go, Chen Geng would not be able to escape.
Jiang killed countless people, and even Deng Yanda, who had worked with Chiang Kai-shek for a long time and successively served as the chief of education at the Whampoa Military Academy and the director of the Political Department of the General Headquarters of the National Revolutionary Army, was not a communist, but only a "third party.", and Chen Cheng," who had been on the side of the intercession, was not spared and resolutely killed.
For the arrested Communists, his telegram was a decisive decision, but Chen Geng was released, why?
Of course, one reason is that Chen Geng had saved his life in the past, and Jiang still remembered this old feeling.
The second is that Chen Geng not only had a great influence in the Communist army, but also had a great influence among the cadets of the first phase of Huangpu, including the second and third phases.
In this case, Jiang had to be scrupulous, and if he killed Chen Geng, his prestige in the entire Huangpu clan would be affected.
02
The devils fought by the 386th Brigade were terrified
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army led by Chen Geng fought bravely and well, becoming a thorn in the eyes of the Japanese army.
In the spring of 1938, when the "Nine Road Siege" in southeastern Jin began, the devils who invaded the northern front caught a correspondent of the Eighth Route Army, and the first question was: "Are you from the 386 Brigade?"
They were frightened by Chen Geng and the 386 Brigade, and they hated the 386 Brigade to the bone.
Because, after the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chen Geng led the 386th Brigade to gallop in the Taihang Mountains, repeatedly beating the Japanese army, and the Japanese army was greatly "harmed" by it.
In October 1937, as soon as the 386th Brigade entered the anti-Japanese battlefield, it was famous throughout the country for its three battles and three victories.
It first set up two ambushes in the same place in the village of Qicheng at the changshengkou of Pingding County, Shanxi Province, and annihilated more than 400 enemy casualties at the cost of more than 30 casualties.
A few months later, Chen Gengqiao used the "snake out of the cave" to set up an ambush at Shentou Ridge, two hours of hand-to-hand combat and gun battle, killing and wounding 1,500 devils and capturing more than 500 long and short guns.
Subsequently, an ambush was laid in Xiangtang, and a "pocket array" trapped more than 500 devils, killed and wounded more than 400 of its officers and men, and captured 180 cars.
To this end, Zhu De, commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, and Peng Dehuai, deputy commander-in-chief, invited senior Kuomintang generals to watch the battle on the spot, and Chen Geng 's battle won the Nationalist generals with "sighing" and admiration.
These three battles shocked the devils, and also greatly increased the prestige of the Eighth Route Army.
A month later, Chen Geng set up another ambush in Changle Village, and the 386th Brigade annihilated 2,200 enemy troops.
In February 1939, Chen Geng once again gathered covertly in Xiangchenggu, Weixian County, on the Great Plain of Jiluyu, and sent small units to continuously attack the town's key areas.
The devils were enraged and drove 8 large cars in pursuit, only to fall into the "pocket array" again in Xiangchenggu, and none of the reinforced infantry squadrons survived.
After the devils were attacked in Xiangchenggu, the next day they angrily gathered 70 cars, loaded 2,000 elite generals, dispatched tanks, dragged heavy artillery, and sent 5 aircraft to cooperate in an attempt to retaliate.
A long banner was posted on the vanguard armored vehicle: "Specializing in the 386th Brigade," and along the way, everyone inquired: "Is it the brigade headquarters of the 386th Brigade?"
Inquire no, the car slipped away as soon as it smoked.
Along the way, even if the Japanese army bumped into other local Chinese anti-Japanese troops, they hardly even looked at it, nor did they ask any questions, bent on seeking revenge on Chen Geng.
Who knew that Chen Geng had drilled out of the encirclement, and the 386 brigade moved to Qiu County.
70 cars chased after Qiu County, but Chen Geng and the 386Thir Brigade suddenly moved to the vicinity of the TsimSuka north of Guantao, and when the Japanese army pursued the TsimSuka, the 386Thy Brigade crossed the Wei River and moved to Guan County.
As a result, the devils followed Chen Geng for a full 7 days, but still found nothing, but still chased after them.
Subsequently, the 386th Brigade camped everywhere, and the next day, the devil's planes would come to bomb, followed by shelling and siege.
But when they pounced on it, they pounced on it again each time.
Chen Geng led the 386th Brigade to race against the devil's car on foot, and each time he maneuvered to move places on the night of the camp.
The devils never caught the 386 Brigade once, and finally had to return in disgust.
Once, when Carlson, the military attaché of the US Embassy, came to the 386 Brigade to investigate, he could not help but give a thumbs up and praise: "The 386 Brigade is the best brigade in China." ”
03
7 deceive Mr. Peng
Chen Geng and Peng Dehuai, both from Xiangtan, Hunan, were also founding fathers with outstanding merits.
The difference is their personality: Chen Geng is humorous and funny, and loves to joke; Peng Dehuai had a serious expression and did not smile.
Chen Geng and Peng Dehuai, two people with very different personalities, had a deep revolutionary friendship.
Chen Geng "deceived" Peng Dehuai, and "deceived" the selfless concern and sincere feelings among close comrades-in-arms.
Peng Dehuai was "deceived" and "deceived" by the revolutionaries' lofty qualities and noble feelings.
After the Zunyi Conference, the Red Army fought several victorious battles in succession, and the Headquarters of the Red Army held a celebration meal.
Chen Geng, then head of the cadre regiment of the Central Column, after toasting with Liu Yalou, Chen Guang, Geng Biao, Wang Kaixiang, Yang Chengwu, and others, "playfully" made a big fuss and "glanced" at Peng Dehuai, commander of the Red Third Army Corps, who was at another table.
He himself first poured a large bowl of boiled water, then poured a large bowl of wine for Peng, and went forward to twist Peng Dehuai to toast.
After both sides drank it all, Peng Dehuai, who was suddenly suspicious, put his finger into Chen Geng's wine bowl and tasted it, knowing Chen Geng's "Dang", angrily scolding", "Good you crippled Chen Geng!"
And Chen Geng deliberately pretended to be a cripple and limped away from Peng Dehuai, making everyone laugh.
During the Long March, Zhou Enlai was diagnosed with liver abscess, a high fever of 40 degrees Celsius, and was unconscious for many days, so he had to lie on a stretcher and accompany the Three Corps.
In order to carry Zhou Enlai and several other seriously ill numbers, Peng Dehuai specially drew 40 soldiers to form a stretcher team, but he was worried that he could not find a suitable stretcher captain:
This person must not be afraid of hardship, but also have medical and nursing knowledge, which is really difficult to find among the cadres of the Red Army.
Just when Peng Dehuai was worried, Chen Geng stepped into the door and proposed to be the stretcher captain.
Peng Dehuai said unassuredly, you yourself are still a cripple, it is important to keep yourself first. Chen Geng patted his chest and insisted that when he was doing underground work in Shanghai, he had hung up a sign and opened a hospital.
In addition to tooth extraction and delivery, everything else will be, and he can take good care of Zhou Enlai. Later, Peng Dehuai was also touched by Chen Geng's persistence and agreed to his request.
Finally, Chen Geng lived up to peng dehuai and Yang Shangkun's heavy trust and carried Zhou Enlai safely out of the meadow.
The third time, using the ball game as a medium, tricked Peng Dehuai into a blind date on the field
In 1938, Peng Dehuai, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, who had reached the age of forty, was still alone.
Chen Geng wanted to introduce the object to Peng Dehuai, but how could he attract Peng Dehuai's attention to women?
This made Chen Geng hurt his brain. Later, he learned that Peng Dehuai liked to play, and his brow frowned, and a "scam" was counted.
In the autumn of 1938, after Peng Dehuai returned to Yan'an from the anti-Japanese front, Chen Geng found Peng Dehuai and invited him to watch a ball game.
In fact, at the beginning, Peng Dehuai refused, and he was busy with official business and had no time. However, he couldn't resist Chen Geng's radical method, so he pulled Chen Geng straight to the court.
On the sidelines of the court, Chen Geng did not watch the game, his eyes were always fixed on Peng Dehuai, trying to find out which female player Peng Dehuai was interested in early.
The game was almost over, Chen Geng had nothing to gain, so after the game, Chen Geng specially asked Peng Dehuai to meet the athletes, but he carefully observed from the side, and found that Peng Dehuai specially praised Pu Anxiu for playing well when shaking hands with Pu Anxiu.
From this handshake, Chen Geng finally discovered a little "situation" and proposed to introduce Peng Dehuai as an introducer.
Under the meticulous directing and matchmaking of Chen Geng, Peng Dehuai and Pu Anxiu met. Subsequently, the two slowly interacted more and more, and their feelings became deeper and deeper.
On October 10 of that year, Peng Dehuai and Urayasu held a wedding.
Since then, they have been in the same boat and have walked a long road of life for decades.
4
After the noon meal, the cooker brought a plate of steamed buns and a wooden bucket of rice, followed by a large plate of fragrant steamed osmanthus fish.
While eating, Mr. Peng said that this fish is really good and the taste of making it is good. After a while, the administrator brought a large plate of meatballs.
Peng Dehuai became vigilant and hurriedly asked Chen Geng where he got the meatballs.
Chen Geng pretended not to care, arguing that the balls were made of fish and meat, and there was no extra cost. Peng Dehuai clipped a taste, and there was indeed some fish flavor, so he stopped making a sound and took a big bite of grilled rice.
Originally, this was made by the cook according to Chen Geng's request, mixing the fish filling and the meat filling together.
The third dish was a chicken, and the administrator did not dare to go inside and look directly at Chen Geng. As soon as Chen Geng made a look, the chicken was also served.
Peng Dehuai put down his chopsticks and criticized Chen Genglai: "Is this chicken also made of fish?"
Chen Geng Ah Chen Geng, I almost fell into your trap. "Peng Dehuai is a very principled person, and the chicken brought up is hard to move a chopstick.
5
A few months later, Peng Dehuai came to Chen Geng's troops again. This time, Chen Geng played a new trick. When it was time to eat, Chen Geng asked someone to cook him a bowl of white water stewed radish, but he turned around and walked away.
When Peng Dehuai saw it, he felt very satisfied, and thought that he had been criticized last time, and it seemed that Chen Geng had changed this time.
I was about to praise it, but I didn't see Chen Geng's shadow. When Peng Dehuai was wondering, Chen Geng's guards stammered and nuzzled at a closed-door suite in the canteen.
Peng Dehuai felt a little strange, so he pushed the door in, only to see Chen Geng hiding inside and chewing roast chicken with relish.
Peng Dehuai suddenly scolded: "Well, Chen Geng, you dog day, you give me white boiled radish, but you eat it behind closed doors."
You won't let me eat what I want to eat, so get me a pair of dishes. The two of them even grabbed the big chew of the belt and ate it.
Halfway through a table of good dishes, Peng Dehuai suddenly threw away the dishes and chopsticks and scolded again: "Chen Geng, you bastard, I seem to have fallen into your trap again!" Hearing this, Chen Geng laughed so hard that he squirted out all the rice.
6
On the Korean battlefield, Peng Dehuai was very hard and busy. In order to alleviate the mental pressure brought by the war to Peng Dehuai, Chen Geng, deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, pulled Gan Siqi, deputy political commissar of the Volunteer Army, and others to Peng's house to play chess as soon as he had time.
In order to let Peng Dehuai win more chess, be happy. Chen Geng always had to secretly teach his opponents "opportunity": to lose two and win one.
One day, when Peng Dehuai was playing chess with Gan Siqi, he saw that he was going to win the third set, staring at the horse under the gun, nervous.
But Chen Geng didn't open which pot at this time, and suddenly shouted, "Horse!" Peng Dehuai was anxious, and scolded Chen Geng for being a dog-headed military master, and did not allow Chen Geng to remind him again. Chen Geng deliberately provoked him, saying that Peng Dehuai could not afford to lose.
Peng Dehuai was so annoyed that he pressed Chen Geng to Gan Siqi's seat and started a war with Chen Geng. Chen Geng was not good at chess and soon lost.
He raised his hand to make a surrender gesture, which made Peng Dehuai laugh happily.
7
Once, a war correspondent complained to Chen Geng that he had been following Mr. Peng for three days, but he just hid from letting him take pictures.
It turned out that Peng Dehuai did not like to take pictures, and as soon as he saw someone taking pictures, he immediately smiled, turned his head and left.
Chen Geng was confident and said that he could find a way to ensure that the reporter would take pictures. The reporter also hoped that it would be best to make Mr. Peng smile a little.
After eating, Chen Geng pulled up several volunteer army leaders, surrounded Peng Dehuai, and proposed to take a group photo to commemorate it.
Peng Dehuai looked at his old comrade-in-arms and had to agree, but he refused to laugh. The photographer was a little anxious and looked directly at Chen Geng.
Chen Geng was not in a hurry, and told a story of his own: One year I took a photo in Shanghai, and after taking a picture, it looked vague. I asked the boss, how did it look like this? The boss said, what you look like, just look at it. I just learned that it turned out that I looked blurry!
Peng Dehuai listened and grinned. The reporter wasted no time in pressing the shutter, and finally took an extremely rare photo of Peng Dehuai smiling and smiling in the tense battle.
On March 16, 1961, General Chen Geng died of illness at the Shanghai Garden Apartment at the age of 58. Some people say: The humor of General Chen Geng is also great wisdom and courage.