The nineteenth route army became famous in the Songhu War of Resistance, making people remember the two commanders at that time, one was Jiang Guangnai and the other was Cai Yankai, but what is less known is that in fact, the founder of the Nineteenth Route Army had another person, this person's name was Chen Mingshu, who was known as a lame general.
Chen Mingshu's life was very bumpy when he was a child, because his birth mother died early, he would often be embarrassed by his stepmother, and he would not let him study, so Chen Mingshu's life when he was a child was very difficult. What's even more tragic is that Chen Mingshu has been weak and sick since he was a child, and he almost lost his sight in one pair of eyes, and finally had to wear thick glasses. However, it is worth mentioning that after Chen Mingshu joined the army, his marksmanship was extremely accurate, and he was jokingly called by his peers that the four eyes were more poisonous.
In order to get rid of the predicament brought by his family, Chen Mingshu came to Guangzhou alone to beg for a living, and saved 20 pieces of ocean by doing apprenticeship as a shopkeeper and was admitted to Huangpu Primary School. At this point, Chen Mingshu's life took a turn, he joined the League, participated in the Wuchang Uprising, and served as the captain of the death squad in the uprising.
On the recommendation of Deng Yanda, Chen Mingshu became the brigade commander of the First Brigade of the First Division of the Cantonese Army in 1924, when two of his regimental commanders, including Jiang Guangnai and Zhang Fakui, were later well-known figures. Moreover, he and Chiang Kai-shek were also very close in the Guangdong army and were a loyal supporter of Chiang Kai-shek.
Later, Chen Mingshu participated in the Eastern Expedition and the Southern Expedition, and was promoted to division commander because of his military achievements. Later, in the Northern Expedition, Chen Mingshu won the Battle of Hesheng Bridge, and his troops expanded rapidly, so Chen Mingshu was soon promoted to commander.
At the behest of other Cantonese generals, Chen Mingshu became the chairman of Guangdong Province, and the unit he single-handedly created was reorganized into the 19th Route Army, which was soon handed over to Jiang Guangnai and Cai Yankai to lead.
As for why Chen Mingshu was lame, it was also an anecdote. Originally, he wore straw shoes in the army, but after becoming a high official, he began to wear leather shoes, and as a result, he covered up his foot. The itchy Chen Mingshu had no choice but to go to the hospital for medical treatment, and as a result, he caught up with the hospital fire, Chen Mingshu jumped from the second floor to escape, and his right foot fell from a lifelong disability. Hence the title of Lame General.
After the outbreak of the September 18 Incident, Chen Mingshu served as the commander-in-chief of Nanjing and Shanghai, and the 19th Route Army was responsible for garrisoning the Songhu area. In the face of the provocation of the Japanese army, Chen Mingshu, who could not bear it, reneged on Chiang Kai-shek's order not to resist, and this battle was the famous Songhu War of Resistance, which created the prestige of the 19th Route Army. However, Chen Mingshu was reprimanded by Chiang Kai-shek for this incident, and in anger, he directly resigned and left for France.
After returning to China in 1933, Chen Mingshu launched the Fujian Incident, but unfortunately the incident ultimately failed, and the 19th Route Army was also destroyed. Without the support of the army, Chen Mingshu has since become a political spectator.