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Preface
In a precious group photo in 1965, Chen Changhao and his wife, Meng Li, show the deep affection between them. Chen Changhao was dressed in a cotton coat and a hat, with a faint smile on his face, revealing a kind of calmness and calmness. Despite the ups and downs in his political career, Chan has always made it his duty to serve his country.
This photo not only captures their harmonious relationship, but also unexpectedly becomes the last photo of the two together. Chen Changhao's life is full of sacrifice and dedication, but why are his final years so tragic?
Born into a well-off family, Chen Changhao received a quality education, studying at Chung Hua University and Sun Yat-sen University in Wuchang, the latter of which is now renamed Central China Normal University and Wuhan University. As a student, he was deeply influenced by new ideas, joined the Communist Youth League, and was soon selected to study at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow in the Soviet Union.
During his time in Moscow, Chen Changhao became classmates with future Communist Party leaders such as Wang Ming and Bogu, grew up together in the crucible of the revolution, and became one of the members of what came to be known as the "28 and a half Bolsheviks". There they received a systematic education in Marxism and forged firm revolutionary convictions.
After returning to China, Chen Changhao and Zhang Guotao, under the escort of Gu Shunzhang, entered the Hubei-Henan-Anhui revolutionary base area, opening the most glorious chapter of their revolutionary career. During this period, he not only showed excellent leadership, but also showed a brave and innovative side.
By chance in 1930, the Red Army captured a military plane of the Sichuan warlord Liu Xiang, which was forced to land due to running out of fuel. The aircraft was named "Lenin" and became the first in the history of the Red Army. Chen Changhao showed his courage and personally rode the "Lenin" through the enemy-occupied area to attend an important meeting in the western Anhui base area.
On this flight, he armed a pistol and a grenade to ensure flight safety, and warned the pilot to strictly follow orders. When they flew over enemy territory, Chen Changhao even scattered leaflets and threw mortar shells, an act that was not only a bold propaganda tactic, but also a demonstration of his military wisdom and courage.
In 1932, the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area faced the fourth "encirclement and suppression" of the Kuomintang, and after suffering a defeat, Chen Changhao and Zhang Guotao led the troops to retreat to the vicinity of Daba Mountain. In this area they succeeded in establishing the Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base Area, which was of great significance for expanding the Red Army's power and geographical superiority.
Under Chen Changping's steady strategy and outstanding military command, the Red Fourth Front Army won one battle victory after another, not only consolidating the Sichuan-Shaanxi base area, but also making it one of the largest revolutionary base areas in China at that time. His leadership skills have been fully demonstrated and recognized in the process.
In order to consolidate his control over Sichuan, Chongqing and other places, Chiang Kai-shek dispatched Tian Songyao to carry out the "anti-bandit" operation. Under the careful command of Chen Changhao, he skillfully sabotaged the Kuomintang's "three-way siege" plan. After that, Chen Changhao was promoted to vice chairman, and the size of his army quickly expanded to 50,000 people.
Chen Changhao then commanded the Red Army and participated in a number of key battles, including the "Six-Way Siege" against the Sichuan warlords and the Battle of the Jialing River. In these battles he not only demonstrated his tactical wisdom, but also strengthened the strategic position of the Red Army in the region.
Although Chen Changhao's early career was radiant, he was deeply affected by the defeat in a war in the later years. In 1937, the Western Route Army fought fiercely with the enemy in the Qilian Mountains, and in the face of increasing enemy pressure, the total number of the Western Route Army had dropped to less than 3,000 men. Months of hard fighting left the army demoralized and forced to admit strategic defeat.
After being in a desperate situation, the top brass of the Western Route Army decided on March 14 to let Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian withdraw to northern Shaanxi and report the battle situation to the Party Central Committee. Not only did the battle suffer heavy losses, many officers and soldiers were killed, but also a large amount of equipment was destroyed, which made the Red Army, which was already poor in resources, even worse.
After Chen Changhao returned to Yan'an, he felt deeply remorseful for the defeat of the Western Route Army, and he regarded himself as a sinner for defeat, and gradually withdrew from the front-line command post and turned to civilian work. He successively served as a teacher at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and the Northern Shaanxi Public School, and gradually faded out of the front line of military command.
In 1939, due to long-term work pressure and psychological burden, Chen Changhao's physical condition deteriorated sharply, and he was diagnosed with a severe stomach ulcer and had to go to the Soviet Union for treatment. Chen's treatment plans were disrupted by the outbreak of World War II, and the German attack on the Soviet Union forced him to be evacuated to the remote town of Kokanga. There, in order to survive, he had to work as a coolie in a quarry. In 1942, the Soviet government realized his value and arranged for him to go to the front as an interpreter.
A year later he was transferred to the Soviet Publishing Bureau, where he was not able to return until 1952. After returning to China, Liu Shaoqi and other leaders personally greeted him at the station, which was undoubtedly a great comfort to him. After returning to China, Chen Changhao was appointed deputy director of the Central Compilation and Compilation Bureau, and it seemed that he had returned to normal life, but the good times did not last long.
In the 1960s, a telegram sent to him by Zhang Guotao in 1935 became the direct cause of his "expulsion". Zhang Guotao instructed the Right Route Army to go south at that time, but this telegram was sent to Ye Jianying and quickly attracted the attention of Chairman Mao. Ye Jianying and Chairman Mao's decisions eventually led to the Red Army's northward movement.
When Chen Changhao and Xu Xiangqian learned of this decision, they had nothing to do to change the situation. Faced with the choice of whether or not to engage friendly forces, Xu Xiangqian resolutely opposed: "There is no reason for the Red Army to fight with each other! We must not kill each other. Mr. Chan also supported this position, and the two remained firmly in agreement on the issue.
However, the coincidence of history made that telegram a key piece of evidence in Chen's trial decades later, leading him to leave the cause to which he had dedicated himself and to spend the rest of his life at home. This not only ended his career, but also affected his reputation.
When Chen Changhao and Zhang Wentian met by chance in 1962, the other party tried to persuade him to let go of the burden in his heart, but Chen Changhao still couldn't get rid of his inner troubles. He mentioned that he considered the plan for recuperation in Hubei, but hesitated for fear of affecting other old comrades. Zhang Wentian understood this, but also pointed out that Chen Changhao should not bear all the responsibilities alone, encouraging him to release the shadow of the past and face life again.
Chen Changhao's career embodies the highs and lows of a revolutionary soldier, and although the external environment has had a significant impact on him, it is his own heart that ultimately defeats him. This shows us that even heroes have a vulnerable side, and that courage in the face of mistakes and failures is equally worthy of respect.
Chen's life journey came to an end in July 1967 for complex personal and political reasons. Despite his challenging career, Chan's family life has been equally colourful. He had four marriages, the first and third of which gave birth to three children.
The eldest son, Chen Zuze, has made outstanding contributions to the research and development of China's nuclear submarines, and is known as an important technical expert in the nuclear industry. His contributions have made an indelible mark on the country's scientific and technological progress in national defense. Unfortunately, in August 2022, Chen Zuze passed away due to illness at the age of 96.
The second son, Chen Zutao, also performed well, he has a high reputation in the domestic automobile industry, and as one of the important founders of the second automobile, his work has laid a solid foundation for the development of China's automobile industry. Chen Zutao also passed away in Beijing in August 2022.
Chen Changhao married a Soviet woman during his time in the Soviet Union, and after marriage, he had a son, Chen Zumo. He returned to China with his father in 1952. Compared to his two remarkable brothers, Chen Zumo's life trajectory is relatively ordinary, and after Chen Changhao divorced his Soviet wife in 1963, Chen Zumo chose to live with his mother, away from the focus of political and public attention.
Although Chen Changhao distinguished himself in the revolutionary land war, his failure to participate in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation directly affected his failure to win the title in 1955. However, Tran's influence far outweighed his personal glory, and his two sons became important pillars of the country, making significant contributions to the country's modernization.
Someone will certainly say that Chen Changhao was an important leader of the Red Fourth Front Army and the founder of the Sichuan-Shaanxi revolutionary base area. Why did he not receive any military rank in the first military rank conferral in 1955? First, because Chen Changhao had a relatively short party career. Although he joined the Communist Youth League in 1926 and had a background of studying in the Soviet Union, he did not officially become a member of the Communist Party until 1930. This was a little sluggish among the revolutionaries of that generation, and it made him a little less qualified in the party.
Secondly, the defeat of the Western Route Army cast a shadow over his military career. Although there were many reasons for the failure of the Western Route Army to achieve the set strategic objectives, Chen Changhao's solo actions after the defeat, especially his unauthorized return to Hubei, were regarded as serious organizational and disciplinary mistakes. In the party's military operations, such behavior was extremely taboo and seriously affected his political evaluation.
Moreover, Chen Changhao's long-term study abroad caused him to miss two of China's most critical military phases: the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation. When he returned to China, even the Korean War had ended, and he failed to demonstrate leadership in these key battles, so after the founding of New China, he was mainly assigned to administrative and compilation work. The combination of these factors prevented Chen Changhao from being recognized when his military rank was conferred. Although he made significant military and political contributions in his early years, these contributions were not fully politically recognized after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Chen Changhao's life experience is extremely colorful, from the glory of his youth to the loneliness and sorrow of his later years, his fate shows a dramatic reversal. As a young man, he received a quality higher education in the Soviet Union and experienced a rich cultural life, an experience that laid a solid foundation for his later political and military career. However, his life was not all smooth sailing, and his long exile abroad left him with both psychological and physical suffering.
Although Chen Changhao's life ended in tragedy, his spiritual legacy and revolutionary ideals were passed on through his descendants. His children and grandchildren not only inherited his loyalty and dedication to the country, but also played an important role in their respective fields, continuing to promote the modernization of the country. They uphold the legacy of their ancestors, keep the red spirit in their hearts forever, and contribute their own strength to China's prosperity, stability and development.