The Second Field Army has a total of three corps, the commander of the Third Corps is Chen Xilian, and the commander of the Fourth Corps is Chen Geng, both of which seem to be undisputed. However, there was a great deal of controversy over the choice of commander of the Fifth Corps.
There are two alternate generals. One is Yang Yong, the commander of the first column, and the other is Wang Jinshan, the commander of the sixth column. Don't think that Yang Yong is in charge of the first column, just think that he is older than Wang Jinshan, but in fact, it is not.
Yang Yong first served as the commander of the Seventh Column. The original commander of the first column was Yang Dezhi, and after Yang Dezhi led his troops to leave, Chief Liu Deng merged the remaining first column and the seventh column to form a new first column.
Let Yang Yong serve as the commander. Yang Yong and Wang Jinshan's revolutionary qualifications are comparable, they were both division-level generals during the Red Army, they both served as regiment commanders and brigade commanders during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and then they were both commanders of the main column of Liu Deng's army.
In terms of military merits, Wang Jinshan may still be above Yang Yong. Therefore, when Chief Liu Deng finally selected Yang Yong as the commander of the Fifth Corps, Wang Jinshan expressed his dissatisfaction, believing that he was not inferior to Yang Yong. Deng Xiaoping criticized him harshly.
Why is this? In fact, as an old chief, Deng Xiaoping's heart is clear.
Wang Jinshan Rongma has missing an important link in his career. When was the most difficult time for Liu Deng's army to chase the Central Plains? This is Chairman Mao's great strategic deployment, which determines the direction of the national war situation.
Liu Deng's army has made great contributions. However, the struggle in the Dabie Mountains was quite arduous, and the cost of not wanting to leap forward in the rear was very high. Before entering Dabie Mountain, Liu Deng's army had 120,000 people, and when they came out of Dabie Mountain, there were less than 60,000 people left, half of which were lost, and all heavy weapons were lost.
In such a difficult period, Wang Jinshan was not there, and he did not participate in the thousand-mile leap into Dabie Mountain at all. Wang Jinshan's hometown is also in Dabie Mountain, he should have killed back to Dabie Mountain, why didn't he go?
Unfortunately, Wang Jinshan was in a car accident. It was a snowy day, the road was very slippery, Wang Jinshan had just received a combat mission from Chief Liu Deng, and hurried to the column headquarters, and he urged the driver to hurry up.
As a result, the driver was busy and made a mistake, the driver was careless, and the car overturned, Wang Jinshan's leg was pressed under the wheel, and his thigh was comminuted and fractured, and the injury was quite serious. When Chief Liu Deng came to visit Wang Jinshan, Wang Jinshan cried.
He's really sad. The troops were going to fight a big battle, but he Wang Jinshan could no longer lead the troops to fight. Therefore, Wang Jinshan did not participate in the thousand-mile leap into Dabie Mountain. In his later years, Deng Xiaoping spoke highly of the contribution of the Sixth Column in the struggle in the Dabie Mountains, saying that the Sixth Column had made the greatest contribution.
But this has nothing to do with Wang Jinshan. At that time, the Sixth Column was led by political commissar Du Yide, and several division commanders Li Desheng, You Taizhong and Xiao Yongyin were brave enough to shoulder heavy burdens and stand out.
In the most difficult time for Chief Liu Deng, Wang Jinshan was not there, which is a big shortcoming. And Yang Yong and Chen Xilian are both there, so Yang Yong's weight in the heart of Chief Liu Deng is heavier than Wang Jinshan.
Of the three corps commanders of Liu Deng's army, Chen Xilian was born as a general of the Red Fourth Front Army, and Chen Geng had both the identities of the Central Red Army and the Red Fourth Front Army, and the third corps commander could no longer choose Wang Jinshan, so the proportion of the Red Fourth Front Army would be a bit large.
And Yang Yong was born as a general of the Central Red Army. Yang Yong was selected as the commander of the Fifth Corps, so that in the Second Field Army, the proportion of the Red Fourth Front Army and the Central Red Army could be balanced.
Therefore, no matter how much Wang Jinshan can fight, it is impossible for him to serve as the commander of the corps. This is the need for a balance on the mountain, and it is also due to the factor of Dabie Mountain. Deng Xiaoping also said that Yang Yong was better at uniting people than Wang Jinshan, and that being the commander of the Corps could not just talk about great military achievements.
In 1955, Yang Yong was successfully rated as a general, but Wang Jinshan was naturally impossible to be rated as a general because he did not become the commander of the corps, so he took a step back and became the founding lieutenant general.
(Reference books: "The Biography of Wang Jinshan" and "The Biography of Yang Yong")