Author: Shui Xinying Source: "Party History Collection"
The first award of titles by the People's Liberation Army in 1955 is an endless topic. Among them, the 177 founding lieutenant generals are an important group, and there are always people who often comment on the high or low ranks of some founding lieutenant generals who once held high positions in history. This article combines the latest historical materials to disclose the situation of the five founding lieutenant generals at the deputy corps level who passed by with the rank of general.
In 1955, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) first conferred the title of deputy corps-level cadre
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the issue of the PLA implementing the military rank system was put on the agenda. On February 15, 1951, the People's Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People's Government issued the "Instructions on the Work of Grading Cadres," which clearly stated that all cadres in the whole army should be assessed by their individual ranks, laying a preliminary foundation for the implementation of the military rank system in the future. It also stipulates that cadres' current posts should be judged by the criteria of "morality," "talent," and "seniority" to determine their ranks.
On March 14, 1952, the Central Military Commission (CMC) determined in the "Instructions on Assessing the Grades of Cadres at All Levels" that the ranks of military cadres were divided into 9 and 21 grades. Among them, the cadres at the corps level are divided into the regular corps level, the deputy corps level, and the quasi-corps level. Commanders and political commissars of the Corps and its equivalent second-level military regions "shall generally be rated at the level of a regular corps"; deputy commanders and deputy political commissars of the Corps "shall generally be rated at the level of deputy corps"; and it is also stipulated that "individual unsuitable persons shall be lowered as appropriate."
On January 23, 1955, the Central Military Commission issued the "Instructions on the Assessment of Military Ranks", pointing out that the military rank of officers should be determined mainly on the basis of military ranks: "At the regular corps level, most of them can be rated as generals, and most of them can be rated as lieutenant generals at the deputy corps level and quasi-corps level." Among the founding generals awarded by the People's Liberation Army for the first time in 1955, there were 42 cadres at the deputy corps level. The specific awards are as follows;
There are 19 generals at the deputy corps level: Zhou Chunquan, Chen Zaidao, Peng Shaohui, Chen Bojun, Zhang Aiping, Fu Qiutao, Han Xianchu, Tang Liang, Hong Xuezhi, Li Zhimin, Zhou Huan, Li Tianyou, Liu Zhen, Yang Zhicheng, Wang Ping, Zhong Qiguang, Guo Tianmin, Wei Guoqing, and Lu Zhengcao.
There are 22 lieutenant generals at the deputy corps level: Xiao Xiangrong, Zhang Jingwu, Zhang Zhen, Liu Zhijian, Yan Kuyao, Zhong Chibing, Tang Tianji, Tan Xilin, Mo Wenhua, Liu Daosheng, Tao Yong, Wu Faxian, Cheng Jun, Cheng Shicai, Li Tianhuan, Liao Hansheng, Guo Huaruo, Tang Yanjie, Zhang Nansheng, Du Yide, Wang Bicheng, Wang Jinshan.
1 deputy corps-level major general: He Jinnian.
However, the brewing of the military rank conferred by the founding general was a rather long process. On January 14 and 15, 1955, the Central Military Commission held a symposium to study the issue of conferring the rank of marshal, general, and general. After discussion among the participants, a consensus was reached. On January 16, Peng Dehuai, Minister of National Defense, and Luo Ronghuan, Director of the General Cadre Department, jointly reported to Chairman Mao Zedong on the list of marshals, generals, and generals. In this list of pre-awarded generals, there are three deputy corps-level cadres including Zhou Chunquan, Chen Zaidao, and Peng Shaohui. In the list of pre-appointed generals, there are Zhang Aiping, Fu Qiutao, Han Xianchu, Tang Liang, Li Tao, Hong Xuezhi, Li Zhimin, Zhou Huan, Li Tianyou, Liu Zhen, Yang Zhicheng, Wang Ping, Zhong Qiguang, Guo Tianmin, Wei Guoqing, Mo Wenhua, Guo Huaruo, Liao Hansheng, Cheng Shicai, Li Tianhuan and many other deputy corps-level cadres.
The above-mentioned list of marshals, generals, and generals has been discussed by many parties, and there have been certain changes when it comes to the official awarding of titles. The number of marshals has been adjusted from 11 to 10, and the number of generals has been reduced from 22 to 10. Since Zhang Zongxun and other 12 generals were pre-appointed candidates for generals, the number of candidates for generals was further increased. Therefore, the number of candidates for general has also been reduced before the official award. In addition to some part-time political commissars such as Tao Zhu, Li Jingquan, and Zeng Xisheng, who were originally pre-appointed as generals, who were no longer conferred military ranks, five cadres at the deputy corps level, including Mo Wenhua, Guo Huaruo, Liao Hansheng, Cheng Shicai, and Li Tianhuan, were reassigned from pre-appointed generals to lieutenant generals. In September 1955, Mo Wenhua and five others were awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Founding lieutenant generals Mo Wenhua and Guo Huaruo from the Red Army
Among the five founding lieutenant generals at the deputy corps level who withdrew from the list of pre-awarded generals, there were two from the Red Army, namely Mo Wenhua and Guo Huaruo. Mo Wenhua and Guo Huaruo joined the revolution earlier, and both served as political commissars of the People's Liberation Army during the Liberation War. Among the first political commissars of the 16 Corps after the reorganization of the People's Liberation Army from 1948 to 1949, except for 5 political commissars of the Corps (including Zhang Ziyi, the political commissar of the First Corps who did not take up their posts), who later came to work in the local area and were not awarded military ranks, the remaining 11 first political commissars of the Corps were awarded the rank of marshal for the first time in 1955, 1 was awarded the rank of marshal, 3 were awarded the rank of general, 5 were awarded the rank of general, and only Mo Wenhua and Guo Huaruo were awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Karen Mok
Mo Wenhua, born in January 1910, is a native of Nanning, Guangxi. In December 1926, he joined the Chinese Communist Youth League. At the end of 1929, he participated in the Baise Uprising. In January 1930, he became a member of the Communist Party of China. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, he successively served as a staff officer, company commander and political instructor of the Red 7th Army, director of the Political Department of the Red 7th Army, director of the Propaganda Department of the Political Department of the Hunan and Jiangxi Military Region, director of the Propaganda Department of the Political Department of the Red 5th Army Corps, director of the Political Department of the Red 13th Division, director of the Propaganda Department of the Political Department of the Red 8th Army Corps, director of the Political Department of the Red Army Cadre Corps, and director of the Political Department of the Red Army University.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Mo Wenhua successively served as the director of the Political Department of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, the director of the rear political department of the Eighth Route Army, the director of the Political Department of the Eighth Route Army's left-behind corps, and the deputy political commissar of the southward detachment of the Eighth Route Army.
During the Liberation War, Mo Wenhua successively served as deputy political commissar of the Shenyang Garrison Command, deputy political commissar and director of the Political Department of the South Manchurian (Liaodong) Military Region, political commissar of the 4th Column and 41st Army of the Northeast Field Army, and political commissar of the 14th and 13th Corps of the Fourth Field Army.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mo Wenhua served as deputy secretary of the Guangxi Provincial Party Committee, deputy political commissar of the Guangxi Military Region, secretary of the Nanning Municipal Party Committee and mayor of Nanning City, and director of the Political Department of the Northeast Military Region. In 1952, when the army was rated, Mo Wenhua served as the director of the Political Department of the Northeast Military Region and was rated as a deputy corps. As the political commissar of the 14th and 13th Corps of the People's Liberation Army, he was only rated as a deputy corps, which was an important reason why Mo Wenhua was not awarded the rank of general. After all, when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) conferred the title for the first time in 1955, except for Xu Liqing, who repeatedly applied for demotion to lieutenant general, all other cadres at the corps level were awarded the rank of general and above.
According to "Mo Wenhua's Memoirs", Mo Wenhua also has some thoughts about being rated as a deputy corps. He believed that this was the result of Gao Gang, who was also the commander and political commissar of the Northeast Military Region at that time, obstructing him. During the Yan'an period, Mo Wenhua did not agree with Gao Gang to serve as the political commissar of the Eighth Route Army's left-behind corps, and the two also had different views on the problems of military-civilian relations at that time, and Gao Gang still held a grudge many years later. However, according to the regulations on the grading of cadres in the whole army, the director of the political department of a large military region should basically make a decision within the scope of the deputy and quasi-corps levels. He Jinnian, then deputy commander of the Northeast Military Region, and Zhou Huan, deputy political commissar, were also rated at the deputy corps level. As for Mo Wenhua's "thoughts", according to his recollection, he later recalled: "After Luo Ronghuan, director of the General Political Department, found out, he called me to Beijing, and he and Xiao Hua, deputy director, comforted me and said: 'Be magnanimous. Forget about personal matters!' and invited me to play in Wanshou Mountain. Lin Biao also talked to me and comforted me. ”
In September 1955, Mo Wenhua was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and was the vice president of the Political Academy of the People's Liberation Army at that time. Judging from Mo Wenhua's resume, one of the important reasons why he was only awarded the rank of lieutenant general was that he had worked in military academies and academies for a long time and served as a military and political chief for a short time. In addition, Mo Wenhua came from the Red 7th Army of the Baise Uprising, and among the cadres from the Red 7th Army, Li Tianyou and Wei Guoqing have been awarded the rank of general, which should be said to be a factor in his failure to be awarded the rank of general.
Guo Huaruo
Guo Huaruo, born in August 1904, is a native of Fuzhou, Fujian. In the fall of 1925, he was admitted to the fourth phase of the Whampoa Military Academy. In the winter of the same year, he joined the Communist Party of China. In the summer of 1926, he participated in the Northern Expedition and served as the captain of the 2nd Artillery Brigade. In the winter of 1927, he went to study at the Moscow Artillery School of the Soviet Union. After returning to China in the winter of 1928, he joined the Red Army unit led by Zhu (De) Mao (Zedong), and successively served as staff officer, chief of staff, and column leader of the 2nd Column Headquarters of the 4th Red Army, chief of staff of the 4th Army Headquarters, chief of staff of the Red 1st Army Headquarters, chief of staff and acting chief of staff of the General Headquarters of the First Front Army, secretary general of the Red Army General Former Enemy Committee, director of the Second Bureau of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, and chief of staff of the Red Army instructor.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Guo Huaruo successively served as the director of the compilation department of the Central Military Commission, the director of the First Bureau of the Central Military Commission, the president of the Third Branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and the director of the Fourth Bureau of the Central Military Commission, the director of education of the Military Academy, the director of the Military Education Division of the Central Party School, and the president of the Yan'an Artillery School. During his time in Yan'an, he engaged in the study of military theory and military education law, and had an important impact inside and outside the army, and was recognized as an expert in the study of the Art of War.
During the War of Liberation, Guo Huaruo successively served as deputy commander of the Lunan Military Region, deputy commander of the 6th Column and political commissar of the 4th Column of the East China Field Army, and political commissar of the 9th Corps of the Third Field Army.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Guo Huaruo served as commander and political commissar of the Songhu Garrison Command, commander and political commissar of the Shanghai Air Defense Command, commander of the public security forces of the East China Military Region, political commissar of the 8th Corps of the People's Liberation Army, and deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region and commander of the public security forces. In 1952, when the army was rated, Guo Huaruo was rated as a deputy corps. In September 1955, Guo Huaruo was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and served as the deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region.
Similar to Mo Wenhua's experience, although Guo Huaruo participated in the revolution earlier, he worked in military academies for a long time in his early years, and served as a military and political chief for a short time, which was an important reason why he was only rated at the rank of deputy corps and awarded the rank of lieutenant general. In addition, during his stay in the Central Soviet District, Guo Huaruo was once expelled from the party on suspicion of being a "Trotskyist" for seven years, which objectively also affected his early promotion.
Liao Hansheng, the founding lieutenant general from the Red Second Front Army
There were not many founding generals from the Red Second Front Army, and only one person withdrew from the list of generals at that time, namely Liao Hansheng. Liao Hansheng also held a very important position when the People's Liberation Army first conferred the title in 1955: vice minister of national defense. The Ministry of National Defense is an important department established by resolution of the First Session of the First National People's Congress in September 1954 to lead and manage the cause of national defense construction. The first Minister of National Defense was Marshal Peng Dehuai. At that time, there were seven deputy ministers of defense. Among them, Huang Kecheng, Tan Zheng, Xiao Jinguang, and Wang Shusheng were awarded the rank of general, Xiao Ke and Li Da were awarded the rank of general, and Liao Hansheng was only awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Liao Hansheng
Liao Hansheng, born in November 1911, is a native of Sangzhi, Hunan, and a Tujia family. In 1927 he took an active part in the peasant movement. In March 1928, he participated in the workers' and peasants' armed struggle launched by He Long and others. He joined the Communist Party of China in July 1933. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, he successively served as the deputy captain of the 4th Guerrilla Brigade in Hefeng County, Hubei, the secretary of the Military Department of the 3rd Red Army, the secretary of the Political Department of the Army, the secretary of the Party Affairs Committee of the 7th Division, the political commissar of the 9th Division, the political commissar of the 6th Division of the 2nd Red Army, and the head of the Organization Department of the Political Department of the 2nd Red Army.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Liao Hansheng successively served as the deputy commander and political commissar of the 358th Brigade of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the deputy political commissar of the 2nd Independent Brigade, and the deputy political commissar of the 358th Brigade. After 1944, he served as the political commissar of the 5th Division and the 3rd Army Subdivision of the New Fourth Army and the secretary of the Xiangnan Prefectural Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the deputy political commissar and political commissar of the Jianghan Military Region and the secretary of the Jianghan District Committee of the Communist Party of China.
After the beginning of the Liberation War, Liao Hansheng successively served as deputy political commissar of the Northern Shanxi Field Army, political commissar of the 1st Column of the Jinsui Field Army, deputy political commissar of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Field Army, political commissar of the 1st Column of the Northwest Field Army, and political commissar of the 1st Army of the People's Liberation Army.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Liao Hansheng served as political commissar of the First Army of the People's Liberation Army and political commissar of the Qinghai Military Region, deputy secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, and vice chairman of the Provincial People's Government. Since 1952, he has successively served as director and deputy political commissar of the Political Department of the Northwest Military Region, and later presided over the work of the Northwest Military Region. In the 1952 army rating, Liao Hansheng was rated as a deputy corps, which was one of the few military-level cadres during the Liberation War. In October 1954, he was appointed Deputy Minister of National Defence. In September 1955, Liao Hansheng was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and studied at the Military Academy of the People's Liberation Army.
For the first award of titles by the People's Liberation Army, there are detailed recalls in the book "Liao Hansheng's Memoirs - Continued", Liao Hansheng believes that he does not meet the conditions for being awarded generals, he said: "Division-level cadres during the Red Army period, brigade-level cadres during the Anti-Japanese War, and corps-level cadres during the Liberation War can generally be rated as generals. None of the students inquired about their military ranks, and it was not until the award period approached that they learned that they had been awarded the rank of lieutenant general and three first-class medals. ”
Indeed, Liao Hansheng was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, a very important reason, as he said, he has always been a military-level cadre in the Liberation War, and has never held a position at the corps level. When the title was conferred in 1955, only Peng Shaohui and He Bingyan, two military-level cadres during the Liberation War, were awarded the rank of general. Both are military cadres, both from the Northwest Field Army. Peng Shaohui is the commander of the 7th Army of the Northwest Field Army, and He Bingyan is the commander of the 1st Army of the Northwest Field Army. Peng Shaohui was the initial general pre-ordination candidate, and was later adjusted to a general candidate. He Bingyan was a member of the Red Second Front Army and a well-known general, and he was also the only corps-level general when the People's Liberation Army first awarded the title in 1955.
Cheng Shicai and Li Tianhuan, the founding lieutenant generals of the Red Fourth Front Army
Among the five founding lieutenant generals at the deputy corps level who withdrew from the list of pre-awarded generals, there were two from the Red Fourth Front Army, namely Cheng Shicai and Li Tianhuan. Both of them came from the 30th Army of the Red Fourth Front Army, and they also had more prominent positions during the war years.
Cheng Shicai, born in August 1912, is a native of Dawu, Hubei. In the spring of 1930, he joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. In May of the same year, he joined the Chinese Communist Youth League. In the spring of 1931, he became a member of the Communist Party of China. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, he successively served as the political instructor of the 11th Division Company of the 4th Army of the Red Fourth Front Army, the secretary of the Party Affairs Committee of the division, and the political commissar of the regiment, the political commissar of the 90th Division of the 30th Red Army, the commander and political commissar of the 88th Division, and the deputy commander, acting commander and commander of the 30th Red Army. Later, together with Li Xiannian and others, he led the rest of the Western Route Army to Xinjiang.
Cheng Shicai
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Cheng Shicai successively served as Chief of Staff of the Jirecha Advance Army and Commander of the 12th Detachment, Minister of the People's Armed Forces Department of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, and Deputy Director of the Fourth Department of the Central Party School.
During the War of Liberation, Cheng Shicai successively served as the commander of the 16th Army Division of the Jireliao Military Region, the commander of the South Manchurian (Liaodong) Military Region, the commander of the 3rd Column of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army, the commander of the Andong Military Region, and the commander of the Western Liaoning Military Region.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Cheng Shicai served as the deputy commander of the public security forces of the People's Liberation Army. At the time of the 1952 army rating, he was rated as a deputy regiment. In September 1955, Cheng Shicai was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and was the first deputy commander of the People's Liberation Army Public Security Force. Wei Guoqing, then the second deputy commander of the Public Security Forces, was awarded the rank of general, and he also served as the head of the military advisory group in Vietnam. Compared with Cheng Shicai, Wei Guoqing served as the military and political chief of the army for a long time from the middle and late stages of the Anti-Japanese War. During the War of Liberation, he also served as the commander of the Northern Jiangsu Corps and the political commissar of the 10th Corps of the Third Field Army in the East China Battlefield. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wei Guoqing shouldered the important task of aiding Vietnam and made outstanding achievements, and was deeply appreciated by President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam and Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Communist Party of China.
Judging from Cheng Shicai's resume, although during the Agrarian Revolutionary War, he served as a military commander at the age of 23, and Li Xiannian worked as a military and political partner in the Red 30th Army, and was a famous general in the Red Fourth Front Army and the youngest commander in the Red Fourth Front Army. However, due to the defeat of the Western Route Army, Cheng Shicai's position during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was low. During the War of Liberation, he mainly served in local troops and military regions, although he also served as the commander of the second-level military region like the South Manchurian (Liaodong) Military Region, but after all, he was not like his old comrades-in-arms of the Red Fourth Front Army, Xu Shiyou, Chen Xilian and others, who served as corps commanders, and his combat achievements were outstanding, and these were important reasons why he was only rated at the deputy corps level and awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Li Tianhuan
Li Tianhuan, born in October 1912, is a native of Huang'an, Hubei. He joined the Chinese Communist Youth League in the autumn of 1928 and became a member of the Communist Party of China in the summer of 1929. At the end of 1930, he joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Later, he served as the chief of the Organization Section of the Political Department of the 12th Division of the 4th Army of the Red Fourth Front Army, the secretary general of the Political Department of the 11th Division, the director of the Political Office of the 33rd Regiment of the 11th Division, the director of the Political Department of the 90th Division of the Red 30th Army, and the director of the Political Department of the Red 30th Army. Later, he moved to Xinjiang with the rest of the Western Route Army.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Li Tianhuan successively served as director of the Political Department of the 4th Military Subdivision of the Eighth Route Army, political commissar of the 5th Military Subdivision of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, director of the Public Security Bureau of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region Government, and director of the Organization Department of the Political Department of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region.
During the War of Liberation, Li Tianhuan successively served as deputy political commissar and director of the Political Department of the Jicha Military Region, deputy political commissar and director of the Political Department of the Jizhong Military Region, deputy political commissar and director of the Political Department of the 3rd Corps of the North China Military Region, and deputy political commissar and political commissar of the 20th Corps of the People's Liberation Army.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Li Tianhuan served as deputy political commissar and deputy commander of the public security forces of the People's Liberation Army. At the time of the 1952 army rating, he was rated as a deputy regiment. In September 1955, Li Tianhuan was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and was then the deputy political commissar of the People's Liberation Army Public Security Army.
Similar to Cheng Shicai's resume, during the Agrarian Revolutionary War, Li Tianhuan also served as the director of the military political department and other higher military positions. However, after the defeat of the Western Route Army, his tenure during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the early stage of the Liberation War was low, and his time as the chief military and political officer of the army was also short, although he later succeeded Li Jingquan as the political commissar of the 20th Corps of the People's Liberation Army, but the time was relatively late, these are important reasons why he was only rated at the level of deputy corps and awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
[Author: Shui Xinying Source: "Party History Collection"
Editor: Hou Mengwei
Editor-in-charge: Wang Yuanyuan
Editor: Xiang Dongmin]