The Thirty-first Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, referred to as the Red Thirty-first Army, is one of the Red Fourth Fronts of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. In May 1935, the Red Thirty-first Army began the Long March. In June, the Red Fourth Front and the Red Front met in Maogong, Sichuan. After the two armies met, they were reorganized, and the chief officers of the Red Thirty-first Army at all levels were also adjusted: Sun Yuqing, military commander, Zhou Chunquan, political commissar, Li Jukui, chief of staff, and Wang Xinting, director of the Political Department.
Sun Yuqing (March 1909 – May 1937), a native of Gaoqiao District, Huang'an County (now Hong'an County), Hubei Province, was a senior general in the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
In November 1927, Sun Yuqing participated in the Jute Uprising. In 1929, he joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and later joined the Communist Party of China. After that, he participated in various anti-encirclement and suppression wars in the Eyu-Anhui Soviet Region, and the red fourth front army's struggle to create the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet region. He successively served as a squad leader, platoon leader, company commander, battalion commander, regiment commander and division commander of the Red Fourth Front, and was awarded the "One Victory with One Hundred" award banner. In 1934, he was appointed commander of the Thirty-first Army of the Red Fourth Front. In August 1935, he was appointed commander of the Ninth Army of the Red Fourth Front, leading his troops to participate in the Long March.
In October 1936, after the three main forces of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, huininghui division, he led the Red Ninth Army to cross the Yellow River with other units, and after that, the troops west of the Yellow River formed the West Road Army. Since then, he has led his troops to win battles such as the Battle of Suohan Fort and the Battle of Dala. On November 15, 1936, when the Red Ninth Army entered Gulang, it was fiercely attacked by the enemy. Sun Yuqing led his troops to engage in street battles with the enemy and repelled the enemy. After that, the Red Ninth Army withdrew from Gulang and marched west. After the death of Dong Zhentang, commander of the Fifth Red Army, in January 1937, Sun Yuqing took over as commander of the Fifth Red Army.
Political Commissar Zhou Chunquan (6 October 1905 – 28 July 1985), courtesy name Junzhong, was a native of Leijiatian Village (present-day Hong'an County), BaliWan, Huang'an, Hubei Province. Chinese senior general of the People's Liberation Army and general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Zhou Chunquan participated in the jute uprising in his early years, served as the director of the Security Bureau of the Red Fourth Front Army and the commander-in-chief of the Eyu-Anhui guerrilla army, participated in the creation of the Eyu-Anhui Soviet District, and then led the troops to participate in the Long March, participated in the command of successive Red Fourth Fronts operations, and served as the director of the political department of the Front Army and the political commissar of the Red Thirty-first Army. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he served as the president of the First Branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University. Subsequently, he served as the general manager of the Benxi Lake Coal and Iron Corporation, the deputy secretary of the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee, the director of the Logistics Department of the Northeast Field Army, and the director of the Logistics Department of the Fourth Field Army, and was responsible for the combat logistics supply of the Fourth Field Army. During the Korean War, he served as the director of the Logistics Department of the Northeast Military Region and the commander of the forward command of the Chinese Volunteer Army. After that, he served as the first deputy director and deputy political commissar of the General Logistics Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Chief of Staff Li Jukui (December 31, 1904 – June 25, 1995), formerly known as Li Xinxi, was a native of Xiping Village, Lantian (now Lianyuan), Anhua County, Hunan, China, and one of the founding generals of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Li Jukui participated in the Pingjiang Uprising, and during the Red Army period, he successively served as a platoon leader, squadron leader, and brigade commander of the Fifth Red Army, the commander of the Third Column of the Red Third Army, the commander of the Twenty-seventh Regiment of the Ninth Division, the commander of the First Division of the Red First Army, and the chief of staff of the Thirty-first Army of the Red Fourth Front. Participate in the Long March. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he served as chief of staff of the 386th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, commander and political commissar of the Anti-Japanese Advance Column, and deputy commander of the First Column, brigade commander and commander of the First Military Subdistrict of the Taiyue Military Region. During the Liberation War, he served as chief of staff of the Jireliao Military Region, deputy director of the Executive Department of the CPC Delegation of the Executive Department of the Military Mediation Office, chief of staff of the West Manchuria Military Region, chief of staff of the Logistics Department of the Northeast Military Region, commander and political commissar of the Logistics Department of the Western Front, and second director of the Logistics Department of the Fourth Field Army. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as director and political commissar of the Logistics Department of the Northeast Military Region, president of the Logistics Academy of the People's Liberation Army of the Chinese, minister of petroleum industry of the People's Republic of China, political commissar of the General Logistics Department of the people's liberation army of the Chinese, dean of the Higher Military Academy, political commissar of the logistics academy, and adviser to the Central Military Commission of the CPC.
Director of the Political Department Wang Xinting (December 23, 1908 – December 11, 1984), also known as Wang Xingting, was a founding general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Wang Xinting was born into a family of farmers and small craftsmen in Wangjiagang Village, Xiaogan County, Hubei Province. He began his apprenticeship in 1926 and participated in the workers' and peasant movements. In the spring of 1930, Wang Xinting joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, belonging to the Red First Army, one division, three regiments, one battalion, and one company, and was soon appointed as a company instructor, and joined the Communist Party of China in September of the same year. At the beginning of 1931, he was appointed party secretary of the Red Thirty Regiment. Since the winter of the same year, he has served as deputy secretary general of the Political Department of the Tenth Division of the Fourth Red Army and director of the Political Office of the Red Thirty Regiment. Participated in the anti-encirclement and suppression war in the Eyu-Anhui Soviet Region.
In October 1932, Wang Xinting withdrew from the Eyu-Anhui Soviet Region with the main force of the Red Fourth Front and entered northern Sichuan. In May 1933, he was promoted to director of the political department of the Red Twelfth Division, and in July, the Red Twelfth Division was expanded into the Red Ninth Army and became the director of the Political Department of the Red Ninth Army. Wang Xinting participated in the anti-"three-way siege" operation and the anti-"six-way siege" operation. In May 1935, Wang Xinting participated in the Long March, and in June he was appointed director of the Political Department of the Red Army University of the Red Fourth Front. In 1936, Wang Xinting was appointed director of the Organization Department of the General Political Department of the Red Fourth Front, and in September of the same year, he was transferred to the director of the Political and Metallurgical Department of the Red Thirty-first Army, and arrived in northern Shaanxi with the army.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the director of the Organization Department of the Political Department of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army and the political commissar of the 386th Brigade. Successively launched the Shentou ambush battle, the Xiangtangpu ambush battle, the Changle Village pursuit battle, etc., and annihilated more than 4,000 Japanese troops before and after. In 1939, the Eighth Route Army launched the Spring Campaign of 1939 in Southern Hebei, and Wang Xinting and Chen Geng led their troops to set up an ambush in Xiangcheng, southern Hebei, and engaged the Japanese Tenth Division. After that, he participated in the Battle of the Hundred Regiments. During the Liberation War, he successively served as the commander and political commissar of the Eighth Column of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Field Army, the commander and political commissar of the Sixtieth Army of the Eighteenth Corps, and the deputy commander and deputy political commissar of the Eighteenth Corps. After the founding of New China, Wang Xinting successively served as deputy political commissar and director of the Political Department of the Southwest Military Region, acting commander and second political commissar of the Jinan Military Region, deputy political commissar and director of the Political Department of the Academy of Military Sciences, deputy chief of general staff of the General Staff Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, deputy secretary general of the Central Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and political commissar of the Academy of Military Sciences. When Wang Xinting was acting commander and second political commissar of the Jinan Military Region, he was awarded the rank of general and the Order of August 1 of the First Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Liberation Medal of the First Class.