In 1955, the first Grand Conferral Ceremony of New China was held in Beijing. It was a grand and solemn ceremony, in which a total of 10 founding marshals, 10 founding generals, 55 generals, 175 lieutenant generals and 798 major generals were awarded military ranks. These generals were the mainstay of the new China, and they made great contributions to the cause of Chinese liberation.
Among these generals, there is one unit whose number and fame are not conspicuous, that is, the Northwest Field Army (referred to as the Western Field). Nishino has only 8 generals and generals, accounting for less than 10% of the total. Moreover, the commander-in-chief of the western field, Peng Dehuai (referred to as General Peng), is also a figure at the level of deputy commander-in-chief, one level higher than the commander-in-chief of other field armies.
Why is it that Mr. Peng is such a high-level leader, but there are not many generals under him? What does this have to do with Nishino, which he leads?
Founding of Nishino
Nishino was established in 1947 as a combination of the garrison forces of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region and the Jin-Sui Military Region. Its predecessor was the 120th Division, which was an elite unit under Marshal He Long and made many miraculous achievements in the Anti-Japanese War.
Nishino was founded because the Nationalist army launched a large-scale attack on the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Liberated Area at that time. The nationalist army, led by Hu Zongnan, had 34 brigades and 250,000 men, advancing towards Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia from three directions. Their goal was to wipe out the Communist strongholds in the northwest.
Faced with such a formidable enemy, the Communists had to urgently form Nishino to deal with it. At that time, Zhu De had already gone to the North China battlefield to command the battle, and He Long was also fighting on the Jinsui front. Only Mr. Peng remained in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region to defend the Party Central Committee. Therefore, in the end, Mr. Peng served as the commander-in-chief of Nishino.
Nishino's dilemma
Although Nishino has such an excellent commander as Mr. Peng, it faces many difficulties and challenges. First of all, Nishino's forces were very inadequate. At the beginning of its establishment, Nishino had only 6 brigades with 28,000 men. The Nationalist army had 250,000 men, almost ten times the size of Nishino. This is an extremely unfavorable situation in which the enemy is outnumbered.
Secondly, Nishino's combat effectiveness is also very low. Most of the troops in Xiye were composed of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Garrison, the newly organized brigade, and the teaching brigade. None of these troops have undergone much combat training, and many are recruits. They are inferior to the national army in terms of equipment, training, quality, etc. Moreover, the generals of Xiye did not have much experience and fame, and except for Mr. Peng and He Long, everyone else was not very good.
Again, Nishino's environment is also harsh. The Northwest was a barren place with low food production and could not feed too many people and armies. Moreover, the terrain of the northwest region is also very complicated, with mountains, deserts, grasslands, etc., which are not conducive to combat. As a result, Nishino was at a physical and geographical disadvantage.
Nishino's struggle
In the face of so many difficulties and challenges, Mr. Peng did not discourage and flinch. He insisted on using his wisdom and courage to command the Nishino battle. He uses the tactics of mobile warfare, flexible and mobile, to strike at the enemy's weak link. He continuously expanded the strength and achievements of Xiye, from 28,000 to 140,000, and expanded from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Liberated Area to Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang and other places.
Mr. Peng not only performed well on the battlefield, but also showed a high degree of loyalty and responsibility in politics. He rejected the Party Central Committee's suggestion to transfer troops, arguing that the pressure on other battlefields was greater and that he could not let other troops suffer because he had difficulties. He also rejected the Party Central Committee's suggestion to transfer him to a general, arguing that the Northwest Battlefield did not need too many generals, and that he could take on more responsibilities on his own so that other troops could play better.
Mr. Peng proved that he was a great general and revolutionary with his actions. He stabilized the situation in the northwest battlefield in a month and a half and defeated the attack of the Nationalist army. He liberated the entire northwest region in more than two years and made important contributions to the cause of national liberation.
Although Nishino does not have as many generals and ranks as other field armies, it has no less merit and honor than any unit.