In the 1955 Grand Conferral Awards, a veteran revolutionary father was not awarded the rank of military officer, although he had sufficient qualifications and outstanding military exploits.
Although this veteran did not receive the official rank of general, his actual status was in no way inferior to that of any general.
Why is his rank not well received?
He is a revolutionary veteran, and he once partnered with Mr. Peng and sat on an equal footing.
He is also the old head of several generals, and there are three marshals under him.
A sentence he once said to his son has always been intriguing
Seniority is old enough: Red Third Army
How old is Teng Daiyuan's qualifications?
He was not only Peng Dehuai's partner, but also played a key role in the Red Third Army, leading the troops to fight bloodily.
In the organizational structure of the Red Army, Teng Daiyuan's position was extremely important.
In 1930, he was appointed deputy general political commissar of the Red Army and political commissar of the Red Third Army, a position that not only increased his influence in the army, but also gave him power over many leaders of his peers.
At that time, even the commander and political commissar of the Red First Army failed to reach the high position held by Teng Daiyuan.
Teng Daiyuan's military wisdom and political strategy were particularly prominent in the early days of the agrarian revolution. He was not only a strategist, but also a leader who was able to deeply understand and advance the political line of the Communist Party.
In many important battles of the Red Army, Teng Daiyuan showed excellent leadership and keen insight into strategic objectives.
Teng Daiyuan held a key position, and his military and political status at the time was second only to heavyweight leaders like Chairman Mao, Zhu De, and Peng Dehuai.
His status and influence within the Communist Party of China at that time should not be underestimated.
On January 18, 1938, Teng Daiyuan was officially appointed chief of staff of the Chinese Revolutionary Military Commission and sent telegrams to Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Ren Bishi, and the heads of the front units of the Eighth Route Army.
The appointment of this position marked Teng Daiyuan's official entry into the core military team of Mao Zedong and the Party Central Committee, helping to command the National War of Resistance Against Japan.
In this role, Teng Daiyuan's daily work is very busy.
At that time, the chairman was accustomed to working at night, so Teng Daiyuan had to report to the chairman from 11 to 12 o'clock every night.
Together with the staff officers of the various bureaus of the General Staff, he was on duty day and night, closely tracking the movements and positions of the anti-Japanese armed forces throughout the country, as well as the detailed movements of the enemy and us, so as to ensure the continuous flow of information.
Teng Daiyuan's office is located in Wangjiaping, which is close to Yanshui, and there are self-dug wells and cave-like dwellings in the courtyard.
Not only is the place picturesque, but there are also stone tables and benches for resting, creating a working and living environment with a wartime atmosphere.
Important leaders such as Zhu De, Kang Keqing and Ye Jianying also lived here.
Teng Daiyuan's cave is located on a small hillside, adjacent to the residence of Wang Jiaxiang, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and his wife.
In addition, in view of the importance attached to the military industry during the Anti-Japanese War, on March 10, 1938, the Central Military Commission decided to establish the Military Industry Bureau, and appointed Teng Daiyuan as the first director to further promote the development of our army's military industry.
This move reflects the high hopes placed by the party and the Central Military Commission on Teng Daiyuan's leadership and ability.
Outstanding achievements, seven battles and seven victories
After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party quickly fell into a complicated struggle of civil war.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly instructed that once Chiang Kai-shek launched an attack on the liberated areas, he must be prepared to fight back in self-defense, with the aim of forcing Chiang Kai-shek to negotiate an armistice by winning several battles.
On June 19, 1946, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China telegraphed that the situation was grim, Chiang Kai-shek could launch a full-scale attack, and our army must win to strive for peace.
As expected, Chiang Kai-shek secretly laid siege to the liberated areas in late June 1946 and announced on 24 June that decisive action was imminent.
On June 26, with the support of the United States, the Kuomintang violated the peace agreement and mobilized 300,000 troops to launch a full-scale attack on the liberated areas of the Central Plains, and the civil war broke out.
Against this background, the military and civilians in the liberated areas fought back in heroic self-defense, thus starting the People's Liberation War.
In this series of conflicts, on August 29, 1946, the spokesman of the Yan'an headquarters announced that the troops of Su Yu and Teng Daiyuan had won seven consecutive battles in the Soviet-central region, and a total of seven entire enemy brigades were destroyed, that is, the so-called "seven battles and seven victories".
On June 30, 1946, Teng Daiyuan, then deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army, participated in the negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party on the reorganization of the army and the armistice.
After the negotiations broke down, Teng Daiyuan was ordered to return to the Central Plains Military Region and rest briefly in Huaiyin for about 10 days.
Subsequently, Teng Daiyuan passed through Gaoyou and Dongtai, and finally arrived in Hai'an and joined Su Yu.
Both of them came from Hunan, where they were in the same boat through thick and thin, and once scolded Fang Xuan together in the Second Division of Changde, participated in the student movement, and protested against the old order.
After many years, when they met again, the two seemed to have returned to the youthful years full of blood and passion, and the topic went from those high-spirited days to their respective battlefield experiences, and the words revealed deep brotherhood and mutual respect.
Su Yu attached great importance to Teng Daiyuan's arrival, and arranged for him to stay in Hai'an's famous Red House, a simple residence full of revolutionary history.
In order to ensure Teng Daiyuan's safety and comfort, Su Yu also specially equipped him with a gentle temperament and extremely fast war horse, and arranged a platoon of well-trained guards to protect him.
In the early morning of July 8, in the quiet environment of the red house of the Zunjing Pavilion, Teng Daiyuan and Su Yu listened to the detailed reports of the main leaders of the Central China Field Army on the battlefield.
Subsequently, the two veterans had an in-depth discussion on how to effectively encircle and annihilate the enemy army.
During the discussion, Teng Daiyuan stressed the importance of exploiting the enemy's weaknesses in mobile warfare, and he reminded commanders that they must remain calm and alert when facing a strong enemy, so as to avoid direct head-on confrontation and opt for tactical flexibility.
Based on the analysis of the current battlefield situation, Su Yu put forward a series of combat plans.
After listening to Su Yu's plan, Teng Daiyuan expressed his approval and added that it was necessary to concentrate superior forces to break through the enemy's center, so as to form an overwhelming numerical superiority and reverse the balance of enemy forces.
Together, they formed a tactic of "combining small for big", which was designed to counter the enemy's numerical superiority through a strategic tactical arrangement.
After the strategy was decided, the two generals studied the specific operational details in depth and instructed Yan Zhenheng, chief of the reconnaissance section, to draft an attack order for the Taixing area.
After careful review, the combat order was quickly approved by the superiors and immediately executed, demonstrating the efficient and accurate military command capabilities of Teng Daiyuan and Su Yu.
On the evening of July 13, 1946, as night fell, the war zones of Xuanjiabao and Taixing were ablaze.
On the evening of the same day, with a careful strategic layout and a strong will to fight, our army suddenly launched a fierce attack on Xuanjiabao and Taixing, where the Kuomintang was stationed.
This well-planned battle demonstrated the tactical precision of our army and a deep understanding of the battlefield.
Li Mo'an, the newly appointed commander of the Kuomintang's No. 1 appeasement zone, was extremely shocked and at a loss in the face of our army's sudden offensive. The plan of the four-way attack on Rugao, which he originally commanded, was seriously hampered by the rapid response of our army.
The Kuomintang 49th Division was forced to withdraw from Baipu to Pingchao in a hurry in order to maintain the strategic security of the Nantong area and thus prevent further invasion by our army.
Fierce fighting continued throughout the night, and by the early morning of July 15, the battle had become clear.
Our army's Tao Yong troops launched a strong attack at Xuanjiabao and completely annihilated the defending enemy, while Wang Bicheng's troops also achieved a decisive victory in the Taixing area.
In this series of actions, our army annihilated more than 3,000 soldiers of the 83rd Division of the Kuomintang, captured the enemy commander Zhong Xiongfei, and captured a large number of weapons and equipment.
This battle was not only the opening battle of the Soviet-Chinese campaign, but also marked a major tactical and strategic victory for our army.
After this success, our army did not stop, but quickly made post-war adjustments and prepared for the next battle.
On the evening of July 18, according to the new battle plan, our army launched the battle of Runan.
This time, our army once again demonstrated its ability to conduct swift and precise military operations, successfully encircling the enemy in a short period of time, and launched continuous fierce battles on the 19th and 20th.
In this series of conflicts, our army not only succeeded in encircling and annihilating the 49th Division of the Kuomintang, but also forced its division commander Wang Tiehan to escape in a hurry.
This battle demonstrated the excellent command of Teng Daiyuan and Su Yu, who cooperated closely and respected each other, effectively commanded the battle, and achieved remarkable results.
Chairman Mao highly appreciated the battle, and sent a special message to congratulate and emphasize that after the war, the main force should be concentrated to rest and prepare for another battle.
This battle not only destroyed the enemy significantly, but also consolidated the strategic position of our army in the Soviet Union and China, and laid a solid foundation for the subsequent campaign.
He was the first Minister of Railways of the People's Republic of China
In the late autumn of 1948, the political atmosphere in Peking was extremely tense.
Chiang Kai-shek flew to Beiping in October, where he held several rounds of secret talks with Fu Zuoyi and decided on a bold military action.
They planned to take advantage of the fact that the Second Corps and the Third Corps of the North China Military Region were busy fighting in the Chahar and Suiyuan areas, and took advantage of the defensive void in the central Hebei region to unexpectedly mobilize the forces of the two armies, including the 94 th Army, to form a fast force carried by several hundred vehicles.
This force moved south from Baoding and made a direct attack on Shijiazhuang, intending to destroy the Central Military Commission's command core near the city.
If successful, this plan would deal a major blow to the Chinese Communist Party's military and political command.
However, the CCP, with its efficient intelligence network, quickly learned of the attempt.
In order to prevent Chiang Kai-shek's conspiracy from succeeding, on 25 October, the North China Military Region quickly set up a "front-line command" to defend Shijiazhuang, and appointed Teng Daiyuan as the commander-in-chief, responsible for planning the defense.
Teng Daiyuan took immediate action, and he ordered the Third Column of the Second Corps of the Military Region operating in Suidong, led by Zheng Weishan, Hu Yaobang, and Wang Zongjiao, to march south day and night from the front line of Beiping and Zhangjiakou to meet the Kuomintang army in the area south of Baoding.
At the same time, he assigned Sun Yi and Lin Tie of the Seventh Column to send a brigade to build a solid defensive position in depth in the southwest direction to resist the enemy's attack.
After Teng Daiyuan's careful planning, the battle on October 31 became a decisive victory. Our army successfully annihilated more than 1,000 people of the Fifth Division of the enemy's 94th Army at Qingfengdian Station and Wangdu County, forcing the remaining enemies to flee back to Baoding in a hurry.
This campaign not only thwarted the enemy's plot to attack Shijiazhuang, but also ensured the security of the Central Military Commission and the Party Central Committee on the eve of the birth of the Republic.
This battle was the last beautiful battle that Teng Daiyuan commanded in his military career.
Subsequently, in late November 1948, Zhou Enlai met with Teng Daiyuan on behalf of the Party Central Committee in Xibaipo, conveyed the decision to establish the Ministry of Railways of the Central Military Commission, and appointed him as the first Minister of Railways.
Zhou Enlai's instructions were clear, requiring the Ministry of Communications of the North China People's Government to quickly establish the Ministry of Railways.
Teng Daiyuan immediately expressed his stance on resolutely implementing the decision of the Party Central Committee, and wrote down the six words "running the people's railway" with full of determination, expressing a veteran's absolute loyalty to the party and his firm commitment to serving the people.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Teng Daiyuan, as the first Minister of Railways, led the railway industry for 16 years.
In the face of the outdated railway facilities and backward management system, he devoted himself to the construction and management reform of modern railways, which greatly promoted the development of the railway network.
Under his leadership, the length of railways opened to traffic and the length of tracks increased significantly, forming a railway network covering the whole country.
He led important projects such as Chengdu-Chongqing, Tianlan, Fengsha, Baolan, Li-Zhan, Yingxia and the Yangtze River Railway Bridge, and by 1958, the national railway was extended to 53,000 kilometers.
Teng Daiyuan also implemented centralized leadership and hierarchical management reform of railway management, unified the national railway system, and ensured transportation efficiency. He promoted direct trains between Beijing and major cities, which greatly improved the public service function of the railway.
Teng Daiyuan was deeply respected for his strict discipline and people-friendly style, and he often visited the front line of the railway to inspect his work, stressing that leading cadres must go down to the grassroots level to understand the actual situation and improve work efficiency and quality.
He also attached great importance to the training and motivation of technical personnel, and promoted the progress of railway technology.
In 1949, he proposed the establishment of China Jiaotong University, hired experts such as Mao Yisheng as academic leaders, and cultivated a large number of talents for the railway industry.
Since then, China's railway industry has developed and modernized rapidly, making significant contributions to the country's economic construction.
No rank general, selfless
Teng Daiyuan, as a veteran general who had gone through many stages of the Chinese Revolution, had a military career unlike many senior generals of the time.
Although his military exploits may not be as prominent as Nie Rongzhen, Xu Xiangqian, Liu Bocheng and others, his qualifications and rank are very high.
Teng Daiyuan was active in the front line of military command for a long time, but as time passed, he gradually turned to the field of government affairs and administration, especially after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he held the important position of Minister of Railways.
In Teng Daiyuan's military career, although he did not have those famous campaign commanders, his work was fundamental and solid.
As Huang Kecheng's old boss, Su Yu's former leader, he had a non-negligible influence on their military career and achievements.
Teng Daiyuan's military and administrative exploits gave him a place in China's revolution and construction.
However, in the evaluation of the military rank system in 1949, Teng Daiyuan's situation was indeed difficult.
In terms of seniority and position, he had what it took to become a marshal, but his military exploits seemed to be inadequate compared to some marshals of the time.
This contradiction made him look embarrassed when evaluating his ranks—it seemed inappropriate to award him high, and low ones were not in line with his qualifications and contributions.
Regarding the awarding of military ranks, Teng Daiyuan himself does not seem to be very concerned.
According to the account of his son Teng Fei, "My Father Teng Daiyuan" mentions that Teng Daiyuan has a detached attitude towards the evaluation of military ranks.
He mentions that the commander of the railway troops in the former Soviet Union was a marshal with the rank of marshal, which hints at his deep knowledge of military ranks and their relativity in different countries.
Teng Daiyuan's life ultimately boils down to the word "service", which not only reflects his loyalty and professionalism to his duties, but also reflects his life philosophy as a soldier and leader.
When he was seriously ill and hospitalized in 1974, he wrote these two words on the paper with trembling hands, which was his summary of his life and a profound inspiration he left for future generations.
At the important moments of the party and the country, he always insisted on unconditionally carrying out the decisions of his superiors, embodying a kind of impartiality and selflessness that transcended personal honor.
Resources:
Living up to the mission -- remembering the first Minister of Railways, Teng Daiyuan, Teng Fei
Teng Daiyuan and the Red Third Army Zhang Taishan
Teng Daiyuan and Su Yu's "Seven Battles and Seven Victories" Teng Jiuxin