In 1955, the national attention was awarded, and the central government also repeatedly considered the candidates for the top ten founding marshals. Among them, the selection of Marshal Chen Yi caused some controversy, and Comrade Liu Shaoqi expressed his opposition, and in his heart, there was a more suitable candidate. But the problem is that this person himself is not obsessed with the military rank of the marshal, and bluntly says that he is too high or too low on the issue of military rank.
Premier Zhou, who did not personally arrive at Zhongnanhai to attend the discussion, naturally heard about Comrade Liu Shaoqi's dissent. The Prime Minister put forward a number of different views after considering the impact of military rank on the future work of the person concerned. Several leaders discussed in depth before finally deciding on the list of marshals. Why did Comrade Liu Shaoqi oppose Chen Yi's election as marshal? After the controversy, what kind of explanation and reply did Premier Zhou make?
On September 9, 1955, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting to discuss the issue of the list of marshals to be conferred in the work of conferring the title of marshal.
The five members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee include Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, Vice Chairman Liu Shaoqi, President Zhu and Comrade Chen Yun. At this time, Premier Zhou was recuperating in Beidaihe, so he was unable to attend the meeting in person. However, his views are also highly valued by the central authorities.
There were only 10 founding marshals of New China, and these 10 people must have been the best among the PLA generals. They need to represent different teams in different revolutionary war periods, and they must have a brilliant record worthy of the marshal's honor.
As everyone knows, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is a contingent that has produced a large number of talented people, and there is no shortage of capable people in the army who can command thousands of troops. Choosing better people from the best group is already a difficult job.
So two days later, the Secretariat convened another meeting, which shows how seriously the leaders attach to this matter.
However, at this meeting, Vice Chairman Liu Shaoqi put forward different opinions on the candidates who have already reached a conclusion. He believes that Chen Yi's selection into the list of marshals still needs to be considered.
Don't get me wrong, this is not because of any conflict between Liu Shaoqi and Chen Yi. In fact, he still admires Chen Yi very much, after all, Chen Yi's talent and achievements are there, and the old revolutionaries are obvious to all.
The reason why I mention this is because the focus of Chen Yi's work is no longer in the army, but above political work. He has been appointed vice premier of the State Council, and he also has to deal with some diplomatic work, as well as scientific and health work.
His situation was very similar to that of Premier Zhou and Deng Gong, who, of course, could have obtained the rank of marshal according to merit, but because the focus of their work had shifted, they both refused to be conferred.
In this case, Chen Yi's military rank needs to be reconsidered.
If Chen Yi really failed to be selected in the end, then who is the most suitable person? This person needs to represent the East China Field Army, the New Fourth Army, and the Red Army guerrillas in the South. went around and around, and the candidate went around Su Yu's head again.
Su Yu is an out-and-out military wizard, who has fought too many classic battles and created too many unexpected victories in his life. He is good at winning more with less, good at surprise, and good at turning the tables against the wind in the face of adversity.
His military command skills are unmatched by few in the army. No one can ignore his great exploits.
After 1940, Liu Shaoqi dealt with Chen Yi and Su Yu for a period of time.
In October 1940, the troops led by Chen Yi and Su Yu successfully joined forces with the Fifth Column of the Eighth Route Army. Liu Shaoqi, secretary of the Central Plains Bureau, also met with them smoothly.
After that, the chiefs integrated the two units and established the Central China General Headquarters of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army. Since Ye Ting has not yet arrived, the position of commander-in-chief is temporarily taken by Chen Yi, and the position of political commissar is held by Liu Shaoqi.
A commander-in-chief, a political commissar, and two people naturally have many opportunities for contact, and cooperation is also the norm in their work. During this time, they also got to know each other better.
As a cadre of the Central Committee, Liu Shaoqi at this time still valued Chen Yi's work more. Even after the New Fourth Army and the New Military Department were formed, he also proposed that Chen Yi be the acting commander.
At this time, although Su Yu was already a well-known general, and he was already responsible for independently carrying out the command of Jiangbei, the overlap rate between his work and Liu Shaoqi's vision was not high, so Liu Shaoqi had not realized how great Su Yu's talent was.
It was not until the outbreak of the Southern Anhui Incident in January 1941 that the army ushered in a certain adjustment, and Su Yu's ability was really recognized by Liu Shaoqi.
Liu Shaoqi became the strategic leader in Central China, while Su Yu was the division commander who carried out military work and was a fierce general under Liu Shaoqi. The communication between the two gradually increased, and it didn't take long for Liu Shaoqi to see Su Yu's dark horse posture.
A general who can command a large corps of soldiers is extremely rare in any team. The combat work of the large corps places high demands on the commander's strategic vision, vision, and ability to plan and lay out the plan.
Although Liu Shaoqi had returned to Yan'an in 1942, Su Yu left a very deep impression on him and made him recognize it from the bottom of his heart.
It is an irrefutable fact that Su Yu has made outstanding contributions. It is also an indisputable fact that Su Yu has a high prestige and deep qualifications in the army. Moreover, he was the chief of the General Staff of the Central Military Commission at that time. No matter from which point of view, Liu Shaoqi believes that Su Yu can afford the title of marshal.
His opposition to Chen Yi's selection does not mean that he denies Chen Yi's merits, but only because the focus of Chen Yi's work has shifted. Su Yu, a more suitable candidate in his heart, can also become a marshal who serves the public.
Naturally, objections raised by members of the Registry need to be treated with caution. However, Premier Zhou, who did not come to the scene, also put forward his completely different views from Liu Shaoqi.
Although Premier Zhou was not at the scene, his views have always been taken seriously by the central government. It should be said that the central authorities attach great importance to the views of the comrades.
While still recuperating, he sent a letter to Yang Shangkun, saying that he was in favor of awarding the rank of marshal to Chen Yi. And he believes that the identity of the marshal will not have any impact on Chen Yi's subsequent work.
The identity of a marshal is not a shackle, but a recognition and encouragement. A person who becomes a marshal does not need to wear a military uniform and a military hat at all times.
Depending on the workplace and work needs, the parties may choose to appear in different capacities.
It is true that Chen Yi's work has been dominated by non-military affairs, but his previous experience in commanding the army is still true. As the head of the East China Field Army, he should be awarded the rank of marshal.
Premier Zhou also mentioned that Chen Yi can completely ignore military uniforms in his usual work, and only wear military uniforms when necessary. This is not abrupt, it is not a special treatment, the Soviet side has already given us references.
To enhance his persuasiveness, Premier Zhou cited the example of Bulganin in the Soviet Union.
Bulganin was a marshal of the Soviet Union, but he was also the deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers. When dealing with these tasks, he did not often use the title of marshal.
The most important thing is to do the right thing in the right place with the right identity. Moreover, such an approach is also in line with the spirit of concrete analysis of specific problems as mentioned in Marxism.
As a communist, such a situation can be handled.
Due to Premier Zhou's insistence and well-founded views, Vice Chairman Liu Shaoqi's objection was ultimately not adopted by the meeting of the Secretariat. In other words, one of the top ten founding marshals is still Chen Yi.
Chairman Mao's evaluation of the ten confirmed founding marshals is very interesting.
He highly praised Mr. Zhu's measurement and will, and used the sea and steel as metaphors. Zhu Lao is always Chairman Mao's old partner, and the two have been cooperating with each other since the Jinggangshan Revolution.
In the later revolutionary wars, Mr. Zhu served as the commander-in-chief, showing extraordinary military wisdom and strong personality. Chairman Mao, as his close comrade-in-arms, also had a deep understanding of this.
Mr. Lin used to be a child soldier in the eyes of Chairman Mao, he was not very old when he emerged, Chairman Mao said that he was a doll who could be a big responsibility.
During the Jinggangshan period, he told the soldiers that as long as they had guns, they could also fight the world. Such a red separatist idea coincides with Chairman Mao's revolutionary thoughts, so it also makes the chairman favor him.
The chairman spoke highly of Marshal Liu Bocheng, saying that he was a dragon descending to earth. Whether it was the Red Army's Long March to overcome natural dangers, or later served as the commander of the 129th Division of the ace army, or Liu Deng's army advanced into Dabie Mountain, Marshal Liu Bocheng left a strong trace in the history of the Chinese revolution.
Marshal He Long was a very senior marshal, and Chairman Mao said that he was the banner of the Red Second Front Army. Back then, relying on two kitchen knives, Marshal He Long dared to revolt and make a revolution, and his extraordinary courage and courage were breathtaking. As long as he is there, the banner of the Red Second Front will never fall.
Moreover, Chairman Mao has a lot of respect for this veteran marshal. In fact, the chairman respects everyone who has ambitions to save and build China, and respects everyone who has real talent and learning.
As for Mr. Chen, Chairman Mao's evaluation of him is very simple, but it also has the meaning of simplicity. The chairman thinks that he is a good comrade, and the word "good" contains too many meanings.
It is also quite difficult to be able to meet the standards of a good comrade and meet the requirements of a good comrade at every stage of life. It is precisely because of the appreciation and importance of Mr. Chen that Chairman Mao dragged his sick body to his memorial service, which was also the last memorial service for good comrades in the chairman's life.
Nie Rongzhen is the new Lu Zhishen, Ye Jianying is not confused about Lu Duan's major affairs, Xu Xiangqian is not afraid of running out of firewood, and Luo Ronghuan is the first founding marshal to die who made Chairman Mao the most sad.
According to the characteristics of each marshal and his past experience, Chairman Mao made an apt and interesting assessment of them. The profound revolutionary friendship between the veteran comrades has also been praised by future generations.
As for the chairman himself, he was supposed to take the post of generalissimo, but he was resolutely unwilling to take it. The chairman believes that wearing the uniform of the generalissimo, he will not be able to stand well among the masses of the people and communicate with the common people.
Therefore, Generalissimo also became the only vacant title in the 1955 Grand Conferral Award.
Su Yu, who was recognized and appreciated by Vice Chairman Liu Shaoqi, did not become one of the top ten marshals of the founding of the People's Republic of China in the end, but became one of the top ten founding generals.
And among the ten founding generals, one of the generals most familiar to the common people is General Su Yu.
His influence in the army and in society should not be underestimated, and the numerous achievements he once made will be remembered not only by the party and the state, but also by the masses of the people.
It is worth mentioning that General Su Yu once took the initiative to resign from the rank of marshal.
Comrade Li Yinqiao, Chairman Mao's personal guard, recalled this past many times. At that time, the selection of marshals and generals was directly decided by the Secretariat of the Central Committee, and the five leaders of the Secretariat also talked about Su Yu's military rank during the meeting.
In Chairman Mao's view, whether it is on merit or talent, or on character and qualifications, Su Yu can receive the rank of marshal. It can also be seen from this evaluation that Chairman Mao highly recognized General Su Yu.
One of the most famous battles in the Liberation War, the Battle of Menglianggu, won great praise from Chairman Mao. He said that in this world, there were two people who did not expect Su Yu to annihilate the 74th Division at all, one of whom was Chiang Kai-shek, and the other was himself.
Su Yu, who was valued by the chairman, did not have any requirements for the rank of marshal, and even the rank of general was too high.
Premier Zhou said that Su Yu took the initiative to ask for resignation, which made Chairman Mao even more emotional. It is really rare for the PLA to have such a talented and humble general.
Su Yu himself has always regarded fame and fortune as something outside his body, and has never cared about personal gains and losses in revolutionary work. The rank is just a false name for him, he will only be too high, not too low. The Central Committee decided to give him any military rank, no matter how low it was, he would accept it calmly.
At that time, among the generals of our army, there were many people who took the initiative to give up their ranks, and they all had a very high opinion of their comrades-in-arms, but they all showed a very modest attitude towards their own merits. What they valued was never military rank or position, but the victory of the revolution and China's progress.
Even if there is no glorious military rank, these military generals will always be remembered by the people and by Chinese history.
Just like Chairman Mao, a great man who refused the rank of generalissimo, just like Premier Zhou, Vice Chairman Liu, and Deng Gong who have no military ranks, the masses of the people will not forget them.
Military rank is the standard for measuring the dedication and merit of a soldier, but it is definitely not the only standard. This is the consensus of the Chinese people, and it is also the advanced understanding of the Chinese soldiers themselves.
Comrade Liu Shaoqi's opposition to awarding Chen Yi the rank of Marshal was not because he did not value Mr. Chen, on the contrary, he was only expressing the fact that Mr. Chen's work focus had shifted. Premier Zhou insisted on recommending Mr. Chen, because the rank of marshal would not cause inconvenience to Mr. Chen's work. The two leaders have their own considerations, and both are reasonable.
Reference:
China Military Network:
Wenhui.com:
Political and Legal Committee of the Wuxue Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China:
China Economic Net:
"Records of the Famous General Su Yuzhen" by Zhang Xiongwen