The generals who were commended at the 1955 award ceremony were all founding generals of New China, all of whom were outstanding generals who had come all the way from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, and who were the pioneers and leaders who led the people of the whole country on the road of liberation and peace. General Chen Xilian was awarded the rank of general at that time, which shows that his merits were also obvious to all at that time. In fact, not only was he himself very good, but the soldiers he brought out were even more extraordinary, and even some of them surpassed this old leader in a later position, he was Li Desheng.
Chen Xilian, a native of Hong'an, Hubei Province, joined the revolution at the age of 14, and although he was the youngest in the army, his ability and courage were not small at all, which can be seen from the nickname "Little Steel Cannon". It was precisely because of his repeated outstanding performances in combat that at the age of 20, he had already been promoted to the commander of the Red Tenth Division, which was also the top of his peers at that time. It was also at this time that his troops were parachuted in by a commander of the commanding corps, this person was Li Desheng, although his position was not high, but in later contacts it was known that this person was very capable, and the airborne came here by accident.
It turned out that at that time, there was an erroneous idea headed by Zhang Guotao in our army, and Li Desheng was demoted and punished precisely because he opposed such a mistake, and the secretary of the traffic brigade branch of the division headquarters was demoted to the commander of the order corps. Fortunately, he met Chen Xilian, who had the ability to use his talents and his heart, and not only encouraged him to put down his burdens and start over, but also adjusted from the traffic team to the operations department according to his special skills, and thus began his journey of cutting through thorns and thorns on the battlefield and showing his skills.
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Li Desheng was the commander of the special agent company in Chen Xilian's 769 regiment, participated in several famous battles many times, and was constantly promoted for his military achievements, and by 1945 he was already a regimental commander. He once personally led dozens of commandos deep into the Japanese Mafang stronghold under the situation of the disparity between the enemy and our forces, and completely annihilated the enemy.
During the Liberation War, he successively served as the brigade commander of the 17th Brigade of the Central Plains Field Army and the commander of the Erye 35th Division, and each step of growth and progress was a meritorious achievement accumulated in the battle, from the Battle of Xiangfan to the Battle of Huaihai, and then to the Battle of Crossing the River, along the way, his strength was gradually displayed and became more and more powerful.
In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Li Desheng followed the 12th Army into battle, and under the most tense and arduous combat situation, he participated in the Battle of Shangganling as the commander-in-chief of the front line, and he was a great contributor to the final victory in this battle.
At the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1973, Li Desheng was elected to the Politburo Standing Committee, at the level of a state official; at this time, Chen Xilian was a member of the Politburo and a vice-state level. More than thirty years later, although his status has surpassed the old leaders of the past, Li Desheng still respects the other party very much and visits him every year, and this deep friendship established from the battle is difficult for us to appreciate, but this does not affect the respect and admiration of future generations.