During the ever-changing War of Liberation, every military operation in the Northeast Battlefield touched the hearts of countless people. Xiong Shihui, the second-class general of the Kuomintang, a tough guy who had defeated Lin Biao on the battlefield many times, why was he suddenly transferred out after performing well in the Northeast Battlefield?
Xiong Shihui, a senior Kuomintang general born in Jiangxi, is not only an important figure in the Department of Political Science, but also once became as famous as Zhang Qun and Yang Yongtai, and was known as the "Big Three of Political Science" of the Kuomintang. At the end of the Anti-Japanese War, with the fall of favor from Zhang Qun and the unfortunate assassination of Yang Yongtai, Xiong Shihui gradually became the leader of the Department of Political Science. Although he did not have a solid foundation of his own in the army, his political position should not be underestimated thanks to his good relations with the Chiang Kai-shek family.
In 1945, at the end of World War II, the situation in the Northeast was extremely complicated. The Soviet Red Army occupied large swathes of the Northeast, and the Kuomintang needed a hardliner who could communicate with the Soviet Army to deal with complex geopolitical issues. Xiong Shihui, a general who is quite skilled in diplomatic occasions, naturally became the best choice. He not only had many contacts with the Soviet Union, but also participated in the discussion of the Yalta Agreement with Song Ziwen, and can be described as a veteran of negotiations with the Soviet Union.
On October 12, 1945, Xiong Shihui was appointed as the director of the Northeast Expedition Camp and flew to Changchun with the eldest prince to receive the Northeast after Japan's surrender. At that time, Xiong Shihui, who had just stepped off the plane, was warmly welcomed by the people of Changchun, and the people of Northeast China were full of expectations and hopes for the officers and men of the motherland. Xiong Shihui was full of confidence, believing that he would soon be able to drive the communist army out of the northeast and stabilize the rule of the Kuomintang in the northeast.
Things do not turn out the way you want. The reception was far less smooth than Xiong had expected. Although he tried to negotiate with the Soviets in the hope of borrowing Soviet trains, vehicles and ships to transport the Nationalist army and its supplies, the Soviets refused his request on the grounds that the vehicles and ships had been damaged during the war. Xiong Shihui had to let the Nationalist army solve the transportation and takeover problems on its own, which directly led to many clashes with the communist army.
With this, Xiong Shihui's command ability was also tested. In the spring of 1946, when Du Yuming was briefly absent from Beiping for treatment, he was unable to effectively resist the communist spring offensive as the director of the Northeast Battalion. The communist army captured Siping and Changchun one after another, and Xiong Shihui's command mistakes were exposed.
Just when Xiong Shihui was still trying to stabilize the situation, he suddenly received an order to transfer out of the northeast, a decision that surprised many people. In early 1947, he was transferred back to Nanjing, and his departure marked the beginning of the decline of the Kuomintang's strategy in the northeast. Is this because he made too many mistakes, or is there a deeper political consideration?
After Xiong Shihui's departure, the situation in the Northeast Battlefield took a sharp turn for the worse. The Nationalist army was defeated by his successors, and the northeast finally fell to the communists in 1948. Xiong Shihui's life in Nanjing was not easy, and although he was promoted to second-class general, his military and political influence was much less than before.
In fact, Xiong Shihui's transfer was not simply a military defeat, but more the result of a political struggle. Within the KMT, the political science department he represented had gradually fallen out of favor, and the Whampoa and CC departments were more favored. Chiang Kai-shek, in order to integrate the forces of various factions and avoid internal divisions, had to make a decision such as sacrificing Xiong Shihui. Xiong Shihui's good relations with the Soviet Union also caused dissatisfaction in the United States to a certain extent, which may also be a reason why he was forced to leave.
Looking back at Xiong Shihui's days in Northeast China, he did have some achievements, such as his efforts to improve relations with the Soviet Union and his efforts to stabilize the situation in Northeast China. But he also made many mistakes, such as underestimating the strength of the communist army and ignoring the support of the people. These factors combined to ultimately lead to his defeat and departure.
The story of Xiong Shihui is not only the rise and fall of a general, but also the epitome of the complex political struggle within the Kuomintang in that era. His transfer marked the definite defeat of the Kuomintang in Northeast China and also foreshadowed the fate of the entire Kuomintang. The wheel of history rolls forward, and the fate of countless individuals rises and falls, Xiong Shihui is just a footnote to it, but his experience can give us a deeper understanding of the historical texture of that turbulent era. In the long course of history, every decision and every battle may change the fate of countless people.