On May 20, 1955, China's Ministry of National Defense promulgated the military rank list, and the military rank system of our army was formally established, with a total of 1614 generals (of which 566 were supplemented or promoted from 1956 to 1965) who were awarded the rank of major general or above.
Nowadays, most of the generals have passed away, but there are still six founding generals who have survived, so let's take a look at these six generals today.
The eldest founding general, Zhang Lixiong, was born in 1913 in a small mountain village in Shanghang County, Fujian Province, and although his ancestors were farmers, he was exposed to advanced revolutionary ideas when he was 16 years old.
Two years later, he officially joined the Party and joined the ranks of the Red Army. Because he joined the army earlier, Zhang Lixiong can be regarded as an old senior, and since the period of the agrarian revolution, he has followed the revolution with the troops.
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Zhang Lixiong was never afraid, and during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he rushed to the front-line battlefield, participated in many important battles, and was promoted from captain to political commissar.
During the Liberation War, he was transferred to the Party and Government Committee of the Field Brigade, participated in many important battles, and contributed to the liberation of China.
In 1961, Zhang Lixiong, who had made great achievements in battle, was promoted to major general, and is now 108 years old, the longest-lived founding general.
The second general, Tu Tongjin, one of the few highly educated cadres in the army, joined the Red Army in 1932 and began the arduous Long March.
After following the troops to Yan'an, he was admitted to the China Medical University for further study, relying on the spirit of hard work, Tu Tongjin eventually became a doctor of medicine, and after graduation, he entered the Yan'an Peace Hospital and became an attending doctor.
With the accumulation of work experience, Tu Tongjin has also grown into a surgical specialist. In 1943, scabies spread rapidly in the army, in order to eliminate this epidemic as soon as possible, Tu Tongjin devoted himself wholeheartedly, and in just three weeks, he solved the problem of 1500 soldiers in the army infected with scabies.
In 1951, Tu Tongjin went to the Soviet Union to study, and after returning to China, he made outstanding contributions to the cause of medical construction in China. Although Tu Tongjin worked in the rear, his contribution could not be ignored, so he was also awarded the rank of major general.
The third is General Zou Yan, born in 1915, because of the difficult family conditions and the intrusion of war, he did not have the opportunity to study since he was a child. In 1930 he chose to join the Red Army.
Because of the earlier time of joining, Zou Yan experienced five counter-encirclement and suppression campaigns, and also followed the troops to complete the Long March. From the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the War of Liberation, Zou Yan's figure can be seen on the battlefield.
In 1949, on the occasion of the founding of New China, in order to protect Chairman Mao and the central leaders, the party organization entrusted this task to Zou Yan, making him the political commissar of the Central Guard Division. Zou Yan did not live up to the trust of the party, successfully completed the task, and safely escorted the central leaders to Beiping smoothly.
When Chairman Mao attended the Soviet Union, it was also Zou Yan who led the guard to protect the chairman's thoughtfulness. Because of his excellent work in defending the work, Zou Yan was also highly praised by Chairman Mao. In 1955, Zou Yan was promoted to major general.
The fourth general was Yang Yongsong, born in 1919, he was the fourth child in the family, because the family was poor, after his birth, his parents worked day and night to support several children.
Although the children of the family were all supported, his father died of overwork. Yang Yongsong's mother carried the whole family alone, and in order not to suffer the child, she also sent him to study.
He did not live up to his mother's expectations and took his studies very seriously in school. However, at that time, social turmoil, even if it was studying, it was difficult to change the status quo. During the agrarian revolution, in order to no longer be oppressed and exploited by the landlords, he joined a member of the children's patrol and participated in the anti-encirclement and suppression operations of the Red Army on many occasions.
By 1931, at the age of 12, he was officially incorporated into the 101st Regiment of the Red Army. He rose through the ranks with his outstanding performances, and by the time of the Liberation War, he had become the political commissar of the Four Field Vehicle Divisions, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was awarded the rank of major general at the conferred the rank of major general in 1955.
The fifth is the General of The Literary Strike. Born in 1918 in Baxian County, Hebei Province, in 1937, the Japanese army invaded China in an all-round way, and Liu Shutang, who was full of enthusiasm, changed his name to Wen Zhen, signed up for the Eighth Route Army, and began his revolutionary career.
In just one year, he integrated into the civilian attack of the large army and transformed from a new recruit to an excellent soldier. The superior leaders also saw his talents and appointed him as the political commissar of the artillery battalion in the Jin-Cha-Ji region, which was directly under him.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Wen Zhen made many meritorious contributions, and in 1950, the Central Committee decided to resist the United States and aid Korea and send troops to Korea, and Wen Zhen was appointed as the commander of the first division of the artillery unit, leading the troops across the Yalu River and once again embarking on the journey of defending the family and defending the country.
With years of experience, the artillery unit led by Wen Zhen effectively attacked the tank troops of the US army on the battlefield, annihilated a large number of enemies, and thwarted the vigor of the US army.
After returning to China, he was promoted to colonel and later to major general, making outstanding contributions to the construction and development of China's artillery units.
The last general, Wang Fuzhi, who grew up in Shaanxi, became the revolutionary base of our party after the end of the Long March.
After the Red Army came to Shaanxi, the peasants were no longer oppressed by the landlords, which also made the young Wang Fuzhi have the idea of joining the Red Army. As an adult, he immediately enlisted in the army and joined the ranks of the Red Army.
After experiencing the Battle of Zhiluo, Wang Fuzhi grew rapidly, from a good soldier to the head of the communications unit. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he followed the troops to various places and fought against diehards.
During the Period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Wang Fuzhi was appointed as the acting division commander, and he insisted on staying at the front line regardless of his personal safety, and together with the soldiers to block the US army, and even encountered life danger for a time. In 1964, he was promoted from colonel to major general and became a founding general.
As of now, only these six generals are still alive, and although most of the generals have passed away, their contributions to the country and their contributions on the battlefield cannot be erased. It is precisely because of them that we have today's peaceful life.