At the beginning of 1949, with the progress of the Liberation War, the regularization of the people's army was also put on the agenda. As an important node in the development and perfection of the armed forces, this is not only a process of unifying the number and standard structure of the whole army, but also the position to which many cadres who have passed the test of war should be assigned is also basically set in the course of that restructuring. In some units with a large number of fierce generals, how to arrange new posts is also quite painstaking.
Three candidates for corps commanders
The regularization of the armed forces is an important component of the standardization of the organizational structure, and first the numbers of the troops are uniformly arranged, and the numbers of the corps, corps, and divisions of the field army are compiled from the northwest, and then the numbers of the other major field armies are numbered in order. The brigade was renamed the division, the column was renamed the army, the corps above the corps level, and the field army above the corps.
What seems to be just a standardized change of name is actually a myriad of problems that must be carefully considered and properly resolved for the leaders of the major field armies.
According to the circular issued by the central authorities, the Central Plains Field Army, with Liu and Deng as its main commanders, was henceforth renamed the "Second Field Army," that is, the Second Field Army. The original nine columns were renamed the Nine Corps and belonged to three corps.
In other words, the selection of corps commanders has to be a process of "selecting the best among the best and the strongest among the strong." However, in this long-tested field army, there are not a few generals who are accustomed to fighting and have made outstanding contributions, and just to name those that are familiar to later generations, there are "three Chens", Yang Yong, Guo Tianmin, Wang Jinshan, Yang Dezhi, and so on.
For Liu Bocheng, of course, he was well aware of the merits and merits of these subordinates, but there were only three in the corps, which meant that the three most suitable candidates had to be selected, and the others would take on their newly assigned tasks.
In terms of seniority, the commanders of the first, second, third, and fourth columns established before the Shangdang campaign were given priority. If we talk about popularity and achievements, then the "Three Chens" are said to be the commander of the Sixth Column, Wang Jinshan, who is also a well-known tiger general known as the "Wang Maniac", and no one is much behind the other.
But in fact, after repeated weighing, after Liu Bocheng determined Chen Geng to be the commander of the corps, the second one finalized Yang Yong, who may not be the strongest in battle, but has outstanding ability to unite and cooperate. In the end, among the "two Chens", Liu Shuai chose Chen Xilian as the commander of the corps.
Chen Zaidao did not lag behind others in terms of qualifications, combat ability, and command ability, but out of consideration for the right ability and suitability, he later took up the post of commander of the Henan Provincial Military Region and made important contributions to the stable life of the local people.
Various columns in Nakano
When it was renamed "Erye", how many columns did Nakano have?
It is generally believed to be seven, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 11, of which the first four columns were established by the military sub-divisions under the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region before the Shangdang Campaign, and they have the most profound qualifications and experience. However, the 6th, 9th, and 11th Columns also have their own contributions and specialties, and the commanders also have their own advantages.
As for the lack of 7 and 8 in the column number, it is because the original first column was ordered to be transferred and stayed in Jinchaji, and later the original seven columns and one part of the column formed a new column, and the original seven column numbers disappeared. The Eighth Column was left to Xu Xiangqian, and then transferred to the North China Field Army.
Therefore, for Liu Shuai at that time, the commander of the corps was to choose from the commanders of these columns.
The long-awaited Chen Geng
Among the many generals in the Central Plains Field Army, Chen Geng is an extremely outstanding one in terms of ability, personality, or even his legend, and he is also one of the candidates for corps commander that Liu Shuai first considered.
Among the groups that participated in the revolution in the early days and had profound qualifications, Chen Geng was a rare "professional background" - he had the foundation of a professional military academy in the first phase of Huangpu, and his personal struggle experience was also very legendary, and the name of "Huangpu Sanjie" itself showed his popularity.
In addition, the practice and tempering of many years of combat have also proved that he has excellent comprehensive military ability. Since the time of the 386th Brigade, he has made many combat exploits and has become an excellent commander who is widely respected and trusted, and these resumes and achievements naturally increase his weight on the candidate list.
In addition, Chen Geng was good at guerrilla tactics, and was good at winning surprisingly and achieving brilliant results under the premise of unfavorable hardware conditions such as equipment and personnel, which was particularly important in the process of the Liberation War.
Because of the above reasons, whether from Liu Shuai's point of view or from the perception of others in Erye, Chen Geng's first selection is a very logical result.
Before the Shangdang Campaign in 1945, the second-level military regions under the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region each established columns, which was the source of the four columns with the highest number in the second field. Chen Geng was already the commander of the Fourth Column, but when he formed the "Chen Xie Regiment" due to operational needs, he often undertook some combat tasks that took charge of himself.
In addition to the role of military command, Chen Geng also had multiple identities at that time.
He has very extensive contacts within the party, having served as secretary of the Northwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and as commander of a number of operational military regions. Chairman Mao admired his ability and character and always showed great attention and trust in him.
In fact, all this also proves that Chen Geng is the best candidate to serve as the commander of the Corps, regardless of the details such as qualifications, command ability, appeal, and prestige.
The successor of the first column: Yang Yong
There are a total of three newly established corps, and even if the candidate of Chen Geng is finalized, Marshal Liu Bocheng at this time still needs to make a decision among the other "two Chens" and the generals, and elect the other two corps commanders.
This became a difficult problem, because each general had his own strengths, which, if placed in the right position, would be of great benefit to the revolutionary cause if they could be brought into greater play.
Yang Dezhi, who was the commander of the First Column, was very famous in later generations, he participated in the Battle of Pingxingguan, fought the surprise attack on the Bagong Bridge, fought in Pingjin, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the troops he commanded participated in the battle in Shangganling, and he was one of the commanders of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam.
But at this time, he was no longer in Nakano's position.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, in order to adapt to the latest planning guidelines of the central government, a part of Nakano's troops planned to go to the northeast, and at that time, 25 key regiments were also organized and set up in the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan base areas, intending to go to the northeast to work together.
Due to the rapid changes in the situation at that time, it was necessary to adjust the movement at any time according to the situation, and in the end, although the first column did not reach the northeast, it arrived at the Jin-Cha-Ji base area, and then stayed in the Jin-Cha-Ji area.
At that time, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region was presided over by Marshal Nie Rongzhen, who attached great importance to and cared for the First Column, and even more trusted Yang Dezhi, a commander with rich battlefield experience and ability to fight tough battles.
Many people believe that if Yang Dezhi was still in Nakano at that time, then the commander of the corps would also be very suitable for his position. However, since he has changed to another job, this matter can only stay at the level of hypothetical and negotiating materials.
Yang Yong was originally the commander of the Seventh Column, and his qualifications and experience were slightly shallower than others - he did not come out of the Shanxi, Hebei, Luyu and Henan base areas, but had a process of job transfer.
The 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army under the leadership of Chief Liu Deng mainly came from a part of the earliest Red Fourth Front Army. The "two Chens" in the "Three Chens" Chen Xilian and Chen Zaidao are all from the Red Fourth Front Army. But Yang Yong is different, Yang Yong came from the Red Army, and after going to Shandong with the main force, he originally opened up a base area in Hebei, Shandong, and Henan, and it was not until the beginning of 1940 that it was assigned to the Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan base areas.
When the first column returned from Jinchaji, the original post of column commander was vacant, and the seven columns led by Yang Yong merged to form a new column, and Yang Yong served as the new commander of the first column.
Although he joined relatively late, Yang Yong has a very outstanding advantage, that is, he has a stable temperament, thinks about things well, and is also able to unite comrades. When it comes to the ability to fight a war, none of the commanders of the columns at that time was bad, or they were better at fighting and had different command styles, but they were all fought with real knives and guns on the battlefield, and no one was particularly outstanding in this regard.
However, Yang Yong was steady and good at uniting comrades with different personalities within him, so the chief could confidently and boldly let him lead the new column after the merger, and also trusted him to be a good commander of the corps.
Chen Xilian and Chen Zaidao
The commanders of the first and fourth columns both served as the commanders of the corps, so the last position could only be chosen between Chen Zaidao, commander of the second column, and Chen Xilian, commander of the third column.
Many opinions believe that in the "three Chens" in Nakano, Chen Geng's ability and popularity are more prominent, but the other "two Chens" are more indistinguishable in terms of qualifications and ability, and both of them are very good, and it is difficult to say who is stronger than whom.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Chen Zaidao led the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army to participate in the Battle of the Hundred Regiments. During the War of Liberation, he made great contributions in the battles of Handan, Wandong and the Huaihai Campaign. In particular, during the Huaihai period, his performance was even more brilliant, and Marshal Chen Yi specially highly praised him and called on the whole army to actively learn from the "courage of re-teaching."
So between these two people, Liu Shuai also had to make another trade-off. Finally, considering that Chen Xilian performed better in the Liberation War and played an important role in key battles many times, the position of the last corps commander was reserved for Chen Xilian.
Chen Xilian has a nickname "Little Steel Cannon" among his comrades-in-arms, which not only describes his bravery in combat, but also means that he is particularly good at the use of artillery units, and can often give timely and effective fire support. This capability is especially important in the complex and rapidly changing battlefield.
When Qianli advanced into Dabie Mountain, Chen Xilian's department assumed the heavy responsibility of the vanguard. During the Huaihai Campaign, the troops under his command won the crucial Battle of Suxian, which was later called "the key blow of the entire campaign".
Perhaps it is because of the accumulation of one battle after another that Chen Xilian has accumulated more highlights and trust.
Of course, the consciousness of the people's army makes them not always pay attention to the details of their positions. Even after Chen Zaidao knew that he was not a candidate for corps commander, his first concern was not what would happen if he could not be the commander, but whether he could continue to stay on the front line and actively participate in the battle.
Whether they actively accepted the regularization and restructuring of the system, fulfilled their duties in their new posts, or transferred to other provinces to serve as commanders of military regions, mainly devoted themselves to the construction of stability in one province and one locality, these generals, who had been bathed in blood and fire, all did their best to fulfill the mission entrusted by the party and the people to the best extent.