In January 1945, our army formed the New Fourth Army Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region. With Su Yu as commander and Tan Zhenlin as political commissar, this unit was responsible for the unified command of the anti-Japanese armed forces in southern Jiangsu and eastern Zhejiang. According to statistics, there are four columns in the whole army, of which the second column originates from the Zhejiang East Guerrilla Column of the New Fourth Army. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, He Kexi, commander of the Second Column, and Zhang Yixiang, deputy commander, were both awarded the rank of major general or above. However, why was Deputy Commander Zhang Junsheng only awarded the rank of colonel?
Battle Monument to Shiwaura
Zhang Junsheng, a native of Wei County, Hebei Province, was born in 1905. In 1928, he came to Shandong to join his cousin Zhang Luanji, and since then he has become a subordinate of Liu Zhennian, a local warlord in Jiaodong. Because of his bravery in battle and his repeated military achievements, he was quickly promoted to battalion commander and concurrently served as the director of the Yantai Salt Anti-Smuggling Office. His cousin Zhang Luanji was Liu Zhennian's favorite general, who was then the brigade commander of the 3rd Brigade of the 21st Division. In 1932, Zhang Luanji led his troops to the Central Army, and Zhang Junsheng did not hesitate to support him.
In the same year, this unit was reorganized into the Independent 45th Brigade of the National Revolutionary Army. The brigade, with Zhang Luanji as its brigade commander, consisted of three infantry regiments. The department first came to Shangyu garrison in Zhejiang Province, and then stationed in the Fujian and Gansu border areas, and participated in the encirclement and suppression of the Red Army. In 1935, Zhang Junsheng was promoted to the position of commander of the independent 45th Brigade Teaching Brigade. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, this unit participated in the famous Battle of Songhu. The brigade had a special task force regiment headed by Tian Xiushan and Zhang Junsheng as deputy regimental commander.
Zhejiang East Column of the New Fourth Army
In Shanghai, this unit has been resolutely resisting Japan, so it suffered heavy losses. After the war, the remnants of this brigade broke through to Zhejiang. Since then, Zhang Luanji, the ai general Tian Xiushan, his cousin Zhang Junsheng and others have been leading their troops to fight guerrillas in eastern Zhejiang. This unit was mobile and flexible, haunted in the mountains of eastern Zhejiang, and repeatedly attacked the Japanese puppet army, so it was repeatedly surrounded and suppressed by the heavy troops of the Japanese puppet army. In the autumn of 1939, the unit was expanded into the newly formed 30th Division, with Zhang Luanji as the commander of the division.
The newly formed 30th Division had three regiments under its command, with Tian Xiushan as the commander of the 88th Regiment and Zhang Junsheng as the deputy commander of the 88th Regiment. Soon, Zhang Junsheng was promoted to the commander of the 89th Regiment. In 1942, Zhang Luanji was assassinated by agents in Tiantai, Zhejiang Province. Subsequently, the division was cancelled by the Military Commission. Tian Xiushan held the body of division commander Zhang Luanji and cried bitterly, and later he led his troops to become a puppet army. As for Zhang Junsheng, in order to preserve his strength, he pulled his troops to Zhangzhen in Shangyu, Zhejiang.
In this way, this unit, which had been actively resisting Japan, was dismantled in infighting. Some officers and men became puppet soldiers, some officers and men joined the New Fourth Army, and some officers and men continued to wander between the cracks between various forces and survived with difficulty. Zhang Junsheng was neither willing to defect to the enemy nor join the New Fourth Army. However, his troops had some cooperation with the Zhejiang Eastern Guerrilla Column of the New Fourth Army. Therefore, he has always been a key united front target of the Party Committee of the Eastern Zhejiang Region and the Guerrilla Column of the New Fourth Army in Eastern Zhejiang.
The New Fourth Army withdrew north
In 1943, Zhang Junsheng's unit was reorganized into the Fifth Advancing Column of the Third Theater of Operations, with him as its commander. At the same time, his friend Tian Xiushan resolutely did it anyway. The unit was reorganized into the Fourth Advancing Column of the Third Theater of Operations, with Tian Xiushan as its commander. Realistically speaking, these two units eliminated many Japanese puppet armies and had some cooperation with the New Fourth Army. However, both units always refused to join the New Fourth Army, and they also fought with the New Fourth Army many times.
In 1945, Tian Xiushan once again led his troops to surrender to the enemy. Our army could not stand his capriciousness and rebellion, so it resolutely launched the Battle of Seeking Fields. After fierce fighting, our army annihilated more than 1,000 enemy troops and almost completely annihilated the main force of Tian Xiushan. Eventually, he fled the eastern Zhejiang region alone. This incident had a great impact and shook Zhang Junsheng, who had been wavering. He finally realized the great strength of our army and his firm determination to fight to the end against all devils, traitors, and bullies.
Hokshi
After the war, Zhang Junsheng's troops were suddenly attacked by other units of the Nationalist army. According to the Nationalist government, he had two counts: one was that he had a long-term close relationship with the New Fourth Army and had a problematic position; second, he could not save himself in the face of death and watched Tian Xiushan's troops being wiped out by the New Fourth Army. He was finally disheartened, and in July of the same year, he resolutely led his troops to declare an uprising. Under the cover and rescue of our army, his troops finally escaped safely and were subsequently reorganized into a brigade of the Zhejiang East Guerrilla Column of the New Fourth Army.
In the same year, the Zhejiang East Guerrilla Column of the New Fourth Army was reorganized into the Second Column of the New Fourth Army's Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region. This unit has two field brigades and some local units under its jurisdiction, with Zhang Yixiang as the commander of the first brigade and Zhang Junsheng as the commander of the second brigade. At the same time, both of them concurrently served as deputy commanders of the Second Column of the New Fourth Army's Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region. However, the Second Brigade had only more than 1,000 commanders and fighters, and its combat effectiveness was not strong. After being added to the remaining special service battalions of the New Fourth Army, the whole brigade reached more than 2,000 people.
Tan Qilong
In September 1945, the Second Column of the New Fourth Army's Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region was ordered to withdraw north. Zhang Junsheng took the initiative to ask for help, and applied for the second brigade to serve as the first echelon, crossing north first, covering the headquarters and receiving the second echelon led by He Kexi. After discussion, the column party committee agreed to his request. At the same time, in order to strengthen the strength of the Second Brigade, the column appointed Wang Zhongliang and Zhu Renjun to serve as political commissars and directors of the political department of the second brigade respectively. In addition, the remaining special service battalions were integrated into the Second Brigade.
In early October, the 2nd Brigade captured the city of Lipu, north of Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang. Unfortunately, a company commander suddenly led his troops to the enemy and informed the recalcitrant of the details of the Second Brigade. Duan Linmao, commander of the 98th Army of the recalcitrant army, was overjoyed, and he quickly led four divisions from the directions of Hangzhou and Jiaxing to the Yellow Bay, preparing to eat the brigade in one fell swoop. The Second Brigade fought a bloody battle for a day, killing and wounding a large number of stubborn troops, but because it was outnumbered, the brigade was eventually forced to withdraw from The city of Zepu.
Zhang Yixiang
The combat effectiveness of the Second Brigade was not strong, so although it fought hard for a day, it was eventually forced to withdraw from the Battlefield of Pupu. However, the force withdrew from the battle prematurely and failed to inform the second echelon in time. During this period, the Second Brigade had sent a telegram to the Second Echelon, but the Second Echelon had not received the telegram. Therefore, the second echelon did not know that the second brigade had left The city. Immediately afterward, the second echelon, commanded by He Kexi, entered the city of Zepu.
At this time, the recalcitrant army first defeated Zhang Junsheng's Second Brigade, and then surrounded the city of Pupu. After several days of fierce fighting, He Kexi finally led his troops to break out of the encirclement of the recalcitrant army. However, our army has paid an extremely painful price for this. According to statistics, in a one-day battle, hundreds of commanders and fighters of our army died heroically, and at the same time, hundreds of commanders and fighters were unfortunately wounded. Realistically speaking, our army has paid such a tragic price, and Zhang Junsheng's troops cannot escape the blame.
Wang Good Friend
In November 1945, the Second Column of the New Fourth Army's Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region finally came to Lianshui City, located in the northern Jiangsu region, after hardships and twists and turns. In Lianshui, about 8,500 men of this force were incorporated into the 1st Column of the Tsupo Front Field Army of the New Fourth Army, with Ye Fei as commander, that is, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Column. The Third Brigade was headed by Zhang Yixiang and He Kexi as political commissar. In addition, the unit under the command of Zhang Junsheng was reorganized into the Independent First Brigade directly under the New Fourth Army, with him as the brigade commander.
In 1947, Zhang Junsheng was promoted to deputy chief of staff of the First Column of the East China Field Army. Objectively speaking, he had some deficiencies in military command, so he was not qualified for the position of brigade commander or higher. However, considering his special contribution, our army still gave him an opportunity to study military command. Until 1949, he served as deputy chief of staff of the First Column. In early 1949, the First Column was reorganized into the 20th Army of the Third Field Army, and he became the deputy chief of staff of the 20th Army.
Zhang Junsheng
In April 1949, he was ordered to study in Beijing. After returning to East China, he was appointed deputy chief of staff of the armored corps of the East China Military Region. It is worth mentioning that He Kexi, former commander of the Zhejiang East Guerrilla Column of the New Fourth Army, was the commander of the armored corps of the East China Military Region at this time and concurrently served as the political commissar. In 1955, He Kexi was awarded the rank of major general and Zhang Junsheng was awarded the rank of colonel. Although this rank is not high, his qualifications are not deep, and his military achievements are also very limited, so it is not excessive.
I also checked, the New Fourth Army Zhejiang East Guerrilla Column (the New Fourth Army Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region Second Column) produced a total of more than a dozen founding generals, as well as a large number of founding colonels. Among them, the highest ranks are Lieutenant General Zhang Yixiang and Lieutenant General Peng Lin, who served as deputy commander of the second column of the New Fourth Army's Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region and brigade commander of the First Brigade, and commander of the Jinxiao Detachment of the Second Column of the New Fourth Army's Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region. However, they are all veteran Red Army soldiers who have experienced hundreds of battles, and their achievements are outstanding, so they deserve it.
Zhu Renjun
Unfortunately, Zhang Junsheng was punished in 1957. It was not until 1978 that he was rehabilitated. After his comeback, he was reappointed deputy director of the Counsellor's Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Government. In 1987, he officially retired. In 1995, he died of illness in Hangzhou at the age of 90. As an aside, his old friend Tian Xiushan, who took a different path, was eventually arrested in 1949. In 1950, he was shot at the age of 41 by Tan Qilong, deputy secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee.
In addition, it is added that Zhang Junsheng's cousin Zhang Luanji is not a concubine of Gu Zhutong, the commander of the Third Theater, so Gu Zhutong has always distrusted him. Moreover, his love for Colonel Tian Xiushan suddenly surrendered to the enemy, which caused Gu Zhutong's strong dissatisfaction. Gu Zhutong sent him to persuade Tian Xiushan to return, and if he did not succeed, he would find an opportunity to get rid of Tian. He remembered his old feelings, so he ended up in vain. Gu Zhutong was extremely annoyed by this, and it is said that he sent some agents to assassinate the old general.
Fei
This article mainly refers to the following materials: history of the Anti-Japanese Base Area in Eastern Zhejiang, History of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Zhejiang, Series of Historical Materials on the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Eastern Zhejiang and The Anti-Japanese Base Area Behind enemy Lines, Memoirs of Ye Fei, Memoirs of Tan Qilong, Selected Archives of the Zhejiang Revolution (during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression), General He Kexi, Personal History of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Fujian and Zhejiang, Memoirs of the Suyu War, Military History of the Twentieth Army, Collected History of Zhejiang Literature and History, Diary of Yang Siyi, Brief History of the Jinxiao Detachment of the New Fourth Army, Memories of Father Peng Lin... If there is any mistake, welcome to correct it!