In 1955, the People's Liberation Army awarded the title, and more than 1,000 commanders who made outstanding achievements for the birth of new China were awarded the rank of major general or above. Household names, in addition to the ten marshals and ten generals, there are also a considerable number of generals whose popularity is also quite high. For example, "Whirlwind Commander" Han Xianchu, "Shaolin General" Xu Shiyou, "Lei Gong" Liu Yalou, "Bearded" Wang Zhen, etc., are all heroes in the minds of ordinary people for decades.
There are also three or three generals who are equally famous because of the same surname. For example, the "Two Song Dynasties" -- Song Shilun and Song Renqian , the "Three Chens" - Chen Geng , Chen Zaidao , and Chen Xilian , and the "Three Xiaos" - Xiao Jinguang, Xiao Ke, and Xiao Hua.
However, whether it is the "Two Song Dynasties", "Three Chens", or "Three Xiao", they are not as famous as the "Three Yangs", and the famous "Three Yangs" are yang Dezhi, Yang Chengwu, and Yang Yong.
Most people believe that the "Three Yangs" became famous because after the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Duke of Zhou proposed that these three Generals surnamed Yang go out on a campaign.
Why let them go out? Because they served as the commander of our army's corps, and as early as the time of the Red Army, they were already famous in the army.
Yang Chengwu, a native of Changting, Fujian Province, was the youngest of the "Three Yangs" and was once called a "white-robed young general" by the democrat Li Gongpu. Yang Chengwu joined the Red Army at the age of 15, became the political commissar of the regiment at the age of 17, the commander of the First Red Division at the age of 23, and became the commander of the corps at the age of 35, the youngest of the 19 corps commanders of the People's Liberation Army (the other was Chen Xilian, 34 years old). Yang Chengwu was a pioneer officer on the Long March Road, leading the Red 4 Regiment to fly to seize the Luding Bridge and break through the LaziKou; He was a famous general of the Eighth Route Army's War of Resistance, leading the independent regiment to fight a bloody battle in the Battle of Pingxingguan, and killing Japanese Lieutenant General Norihide Abe (the highest-ranking japanese general killed by the Eighth Route Army) in the Battle of Loess Ridge; During the Liberation War, Yang Chengwu participated in the command of the Battle of Qingfengdian and the Battle of Shijiazhuang, organized the Battle of Suiyuan, and participated in the Battle of Pingjin.
Yang Chengwu was Marshal Nie Rongzhen's most trusted general, and the great man also called him "Zhao Zilong".
Yang Yong, who is one year older than Yang Chengwu, is a native of Liuyang, Hunan, and was a brave general of Peng Laozong's Three Corps during the Red Army period, and as the political commissar of the Red 10 Regiment, he made great contributions in the "anti-encirclement and suppression" operation and won the third-class Red Star Medal. On the Long March, Yang Yong led his troops to participate in the Battle of Xiangjiang, the Battle of Tucheng, and the Battle of Loushan Pass, and was wounded several times. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Yang Yong, as the deputy commander of the 686th Regiment, participated in the Battle of Pingxingguan, was once again heroically wounded, and later led his troops to march into Luxi and created the Ruxi Anti-Japanese Base Area. In the Liberation War, Yang Yong was a powerful general under "Liu Deng", who served as the commander of the 1st Column of Nakano and the commander of the 5th Corps, and made great achievements in battle.
Yang Dezhi is the "big brother" of the "Three Yangs", born in 1911 in Liling, Hunan. As early as 1928, Yang Dezhi joined the Red Army and went to Jinggangshan. On the Long March Road, Yang Dezhi led the Red 1 regiment to fly to the Wujiang River and forcibly cross the Dadu River; After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Yang Dezhi led the 685 regiment to fight a bloody battle against Pingguan and created the Jiluyu base area; In the Liberation War, Yang Dezhi served as the commander of the Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army, the Battle of Qingfengdian reversed the passive situation in North China, then liberated Shijiazhuang, participated in the Battle of Pingjin, and the New Security War destroyed Fu Zuoyi's starting ace 35th Army, and then Yang Dezhi did not stop, leading the 19th Corps to follow Peng Laozong to participate in the liberation of the Great Northwest.
It can be said that Yang Dezhi is among the "three Yangs" and even among the 57 founding generals, he is the most outstanding one in battle.
Therefore, before Yang Dezhi went out to Korea, the Duke of Zhou said to him:
"Your Nineteenth Corps and the Twenty Corps commanded by Yang Yong and Yang Chengwu are corps with glorious traditions, and if you take out your three Yangs today, I hope that you will be able to achieve Sanyang (Yang) Kaitai in Korea and succeed in the horse."
Zhou Gong quoted the phrase "Sanyang Kaitai" from the I Ching and wished them a defeat of the "United Nations Army" in the Korean battlefield.
Later, just as Zhou Gong wished, the "Three Yangs" all achieved good results in the Korean battlefield, and Yang Dezhi and Yang Yong also became the third and fourth commanders of the Chinese Volunteer Army, respectively.
Since then, the fame of "Sanyang" has become more and more famous, and his position in the military has also become higher and higher.
The "three Yangs" all served as commanders of the Great Military Region: Yang Chengwu served as commanders of the Beijing and Fuzhou Military Regions; Yang Yong served as commander of the Beijing and Xinjiang Military Regions; Yang Dezhi served as commander of the Jinan, Wuhan and Kunming Military Regions. The "three Yangs" all served in the General Staff Department, and Yang Yong served as deputy chief of the General Staff, once replacing Deng Gong in presiding over the daily work of the General Staff; Yang Chengwu served as deputy chief of general staff and acting chief of general staff; Yang Dezhi also served two terms as chief of the general staff in the 1980s, which is the longest serving chief of the general staff of our army. In the "Three Yangs", Yang Yong died early in 1983, while Yang Chengwu and Yang Dezhi both reached the rank of vice-state, Yang Chengwu served as vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Yang Dezhi served as a member of the Politburo.
After the death of "Sanyang", he was named "military expert" in obituary or in relevant commemorative activities.
Therefore, many people think that among the founding generals, the total number of people surnamed Yang is three.
In fact, in 1955, there was another general surnamed Yang who was awarded the rank of general, and, in terms of age and seniority, he was above the "three Yangs" - he was General Yang Zhicheng.
Yang Zhicheng was a pioneer in the logistics work of our army and was praised by the great man as the "great steward of the Red Army."
Yang Zhicheng was one of only four founding generals of ethnic minorities, a native of Sansui, Guizhou, born in 1903, a round older than the "Three Yangs".
Although Yang Zhicheng is famous for his logistical work, he is from a scientific class and graduated from the fifth phase of the Whampoa Military Academy. As early as 1927, Yang Zhicheng joined the party and participated in the Nanchang Uprising, when he held a higher position than General Su Yu and General Xu Guangda, and served as a company instructor in He Shuai's 20th Army. At this time, the "Three Yangs" had not yet joined the revolution.
Yang Zhicheng was initially a fierce general on the battlefield. In 1928, after the Jinggangshan Division, Yang Zhicheng served as the company commander of the 28th Regiment of the 4th Army. You know, the 28th Regiment is the main force in the main force of the Red Army. In the famous Battle of Longyuankou, Yang Zhicheng fought with the enemy with bayonets and was wounded in the abdomen. During the recuperation period, Yang Zhicheng's logistical work ability was excavated, so he "changed his career" to take charge of the logistics work of the troops. During the Red Army period, Yang Zhicheng's highest position was that of director of the Logistics Department of the Central Military Commission, which was much higher than that of the "three Yangs" division-level cadres. The first decent regular uniform of the Red Army was designed by him, and the great man said that he was the "parent of food and clothing" of the Red Army.
In 1938, Yang Zhicheng went to the Soviet Union to recuperate and studied at the Party School of the Far East Bureau of the CPSU and the Frunze Military Academy, staying in the Soviet Union for eight years, during which he was ordered to take good care of the two sons of the great man, and was honored by the Mao brothers as "old lady". During the Liberation War, Yang Zhicheng successively served as the political commissar of the General Logistics Department of the Northeast Democratic Coalition Army, the director of the Quartermaster Department of the Northeast Field Army, and the first deputy chief of staff and director of the Logistics Department of the Central and Southern Military Region. "The soldiers and horses have not moved, and the grain and grass have gone first," and the outstanding achievements of the Northeast Field Army are inseparable from the solid logistical foundation laid by Yang Zhicheng.
In summary, Yang Zhicheng did not become one of the "Four Yangs", mainly because he was famous for his logistical work, which was different from the "main business" of the "Three Yangs", who had been charging at the front line; Moreover, Yang Zhicheng's age is more than ten years older than that of "Three Yangs", and his revolutionary experience is completely different from that of "Three Yangs". Although Yang Zhicheng's fame is not as great as that of the "Three Yangs", as a pioneer and important leader of the logistics work of the people's army, the meritorious deeds he has established are as immortal.