introduction
Li Yan, a famous thinker of the Ming Dynasty, once wrote a couplet, and this couplet came from The style of Zhuge Liang's upright way of doing things for people, "Zhuge Zhuge was only cautious in his life, and Lü Duan was not confused about major matters." This sentence was later used by Chairman Mao to praise the quality and spirit of Comrade Ye Jianying.
Li Zhen
Chairman Mao quoted this couplet on the one hand, highly praising Marshal Ye Jianying's high degree of caution, for paying unparalleled merits for the establishment of new China, and for turning the tide in spite of his own safety during the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Civil War, and was the "Zhuge Liang" in our party. On the other hand, it is affirming Ye Jianying's incorruptibility, holding military power but never coveting greater power positions, working hard to stabilize the military's morale, and handing over military power to people who are useful to the party and the establishment of a new China.
Ye Jianying
Chairman Mao appointed Chen Xilian to succeed Ye Shuai
In 1971, lin biao, for the sake of military and political power, took a plane with confidential documents to prepare for "escape", but unfortunately there was a crash, and the forms of the central government and the military were complex and diverse.
It was in this situation that Ye Shuai resolutely and resolutely accepted the heavy responsibility entrusted to him by Chairman Mao, and in order not to let the great power fall into the hands of people with ulterior motives, he was ordered to unite with Premier Zhou Enlai with great wisdom to stabilize the hearts and minds of the army and solve a series of problems within the party.
Lin Biao
This made Chairman Mao look at Ye Jianying with disdain, and in October 1974, Mao Zedong sent someone to tell Zhou En: "The premier is still our premier ... Comrade Xiaoping was the first vice premier and chief of the general staff, which was Ye Jianying's opinion. I am in favour of following his advice. ”
Later, Ye Jianying had to choose to abdicate because of his health, and once proposed that Comrade Deng Xiaoping take his place, and with Comrade Deng Xiaoping's political qualities, he would certainly be better qualified for the work of the Central Military Commission.
Deng Xiaoping
Chairman Mao finally agreed with Ye Jianying's opinion out of consideration for Marshal Ye Jianying's physical reasons and the actual situation at that time, but in the end he did not listen to Ye Jianying's opinion, did not let Deng Xiaoping preside over the central military commission, but appointed Comrade Chen Xilian.
Chen Xilian was appointed in the later years of Chairman Mao, and many people did not understand why Chairman Mao made such a decision, but later facts proved that this was a very correct decision.
Chen Xilian
Why can Chen Xilian be reused?
In 1915, Chen Xilian was born in Huang'an, Hubei Province. In 1929, Chen Xilian joined the Red Army guerrillas, and he also participated in the anti-"encirclement and suppression" in the Eyu-Anhui Soviet Region.
When Chen Xilian joined the Red Army, he was not high in the gun, and the most glorious thing in his life was the night attack on Yangmingbao, which destroyed a total of 24 Japanese aircraft, and since then he has become a prominent figure in the two armies of the Kuomintang and the Communists, and Chen Xilian was only 22 years old at that time.
Eyu-Anhui Su District
In August 1930, the Red First Division launched a counter-offensive against the Pursuit of the Kuomintang, annihilating two regiments and a battalion of the enemy army, which became known as the "Battle of Sigudun". Chen Xilian's heroic performance in this battle was highly appreciated by the central authorities, and everyone in the army called him "Small Steel Cannon".
In this evaluation, he himself recalled: "In these battles, I was commended by the company and battalion commanders for charging forward and fighting bravely.
Gao Hanchu
Once, when the battalion commander Gao Hanchu commented after the war, he said: "Xiao Fat (Chen Xilian's nickname) is a small and ambitious person, and he is very brave in fighting, just like a small steel cannon!" The "small steel cannon" was considered the most powerful weapon by the Red Army at that time. When the battalion commander said this, everyone did not call me 'little fat' but called me 'little steel cannon', and since then, the nickname of 'small steel cannon' has spread among the troops. ”
When the Communist Party of China established a base area in the Taihang Mountains, Comrade Chen Xilian's merits could be said to be unparalleled. So at the age of thirty-one, he had already served as the commander of the youngest column of the People's Liberation Army and shouldered the heavy responsibilities of the party.
Taihang Mountain base area
It was heavily used by Chairman Mao
On February 2, 1976, the Central Committee issued Directive No. 1 document:
1. At the proposal of Chairman Mao and unanimously approved by the Politburo of the Central Committee, Hua Guofeng shall be appointed Acting Premier of the State Council;
Mao Zedong
At Chairman Mao's suggestion, the Politburo unanimously approved that Chen Xilian would be responsible for presiding over the work of the Central Military Commission during Ye Jianying's illness.
In fact, Chen Xilian had held many important positions before, such as the commander of the Shenyang and Beijing Military Regions, the commander of the artillery of the People's Liberation Army, and in January 1975, he became the vice premier of the State Council, and successively served as a member of the Central Military Commission and a member of the Standing Committee.
Beijing Military Region
This heavy resume is also enough to make Chen Xilian the power of the Central Military Commission, but compared with Marshal Ye Jianying, who has deep qualifications, it does seem that some qualifications are "shallow". Chen Xilian's appointment as chairman of the Central Military Commission has indeed made many people uneasy, but why did Chairman Mao make this decision, and did he have his own considerations? Is there any special significance?
Many people at that time did not understand such a decision, so rumors of Chen Xilian "seizing" Ye Shuai's military power kept on ringing. As for the rumors, Chairman Mao once said: "Chen Xilian joined the revolution since he was a child, can fight wars, has led corps, brought artillery, and has a position in the State Council. ”
Zhou Enlai
For that time, Chairman Mao's physical condition was deteriorating day by day, premier Zhou Enlai had just died, and Chairman Mao could not handle many things at all, so he had to find someone who could be trusted. Chen Xilian was born into poverty, always loyal to the party and had made great achievements in battle, and Chen Xilian was already a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission at that time, and there was no one else to choose other than him.
As for Comrade Deng Xiaoping, Chairman Mao did not want him to take up the post, but had more important posts and tasks to entrust to him. At that time, Deng Xiaoping was already a vice premier and chief of the general staff, and if the power of the General Commission was also handed over to him, then the turmoil in the country would be concentrated on him alone.
Deng Xiaoping served as vice premier and chief of the general staff
Chairman Mao hoped that after the turmoil had passed, he would be able to shoulder the burden of both military and government affairs, lead the Communist Party and the Central Military Commission back to the right track, and seek the road of development.
Chen Xilian was bold and careful in commanding battles, cautious and easy-going in handling interpersonal relations, and his comrades-in-arms commented on him: "Don't care about yourself, hang high." There are many people within the Communist Party who have bad tempers, who will make a big fuss if they disagree, and it is very common to scold people with their mouths, and there are countless people who complain. Chen Xilian was the exception, and apart from accepting the tasks assigned by his superiors, he rarely raised objections unless it was a matter of war. Therefore, in front of the superior leaders, Chen Xilian had a good feeling that others could not surpass.
In 1959, Chen Xilian was appointed commander of the Shenyang Military Region and second secretary of the Party Committee of the Military Region. The following year, Song Renqian served for the first time as the first secretary of the Northeast Bureau and the first political commissar and first secretary of the party committee of the Shenyang Military Region after the restoration of the large administrative region.
It was reused by Deng Xiaoping
In 1947, Liu Deng's army advanced into the Dabie Mountains, and Chiang Kai-shek watched the superiority of the war fall to the Eighth Route Army, and hurriedly dispatched 200,000 troops to encircle and suppress the Eighth Route Army. When formulating the battle plan, Deng Xiaoping took into account that Liu Bocheng was still old, and that Dabie Mountain was different from ordinary battlefields and was not conducive to large-scale combat. It was proposed that Liu Bocheng lead the first column and the organs of the Central Plains Bureau to the north of the Huai River to undertake the task of external combat, and Li Xiannian, deputy commander of the field army, and Li Da, chief of staff, form a forward command post, and stay on the inside with Chen Zaidao's second column, Chen Xilian's third column, and Wang Jinshan's sixth column.
Advance into Dabie Mountain
Liu Bocheng resolutely opposed Deng Xiaoping's plan, and Deng Xiaoping directly refused: "I am the secretary and the political commissar, and this matter is so decided." Moreover, 'Three Chens' (the other Chen is Chen Geng) I have left 'Two Chen'! ”
At this particularly important time, Deng Xiaoping left behind the "Second Chen", which was an extreme trust in them, and Chen Xilian was warm in his heart.
Chen Geng
Chen Xilian came to the front-line command post and met Deng Xiaoping and Li Xiannian, the head of the Red Army at the time, and Li Xiannian said: "Comrade Xilian, can you move your back (referring to the action of carrying the enemy behind your back)?" Before Chen Xilian could reply, Deng Xiaoping, who especially knew Chen Xilian, said: "It is necessary to carry more and carry more weight." If we carry more enemies, endure the hardships of a period of time, and drag down dozens of enemy brigades, we will be able to free up the hands of the fraternal troops in Shandong and northern Shaanxi and destroy the enemy in large numbers. Don't be afraid of hot hands, this is a strategic action that has a bearing on the overall situation. ”
Battle of Huaihai
The Battle of Huaihai was a great stroke of Deng Xiaoping's life and the most brilliant battle in Chen Xilian's life, and chen Xilian once said of the performance of leading the three columns in the Battle of Huaihai: "That was the trust and concern of Comrade Xiaoping, secretary of the General Front Committee!" As a soldier, who wouldn't want to be alone? The question is whether your superiors will give you this opportunity. Thank you Xiaoping, he gave me this opportunity! ”
Chen Xilian's brilliant achievements in his life
In the seventy years of Chen Xilian's military career, Comrade Chen Xilian's boundless dedication to the revolution and selfless dedication to the revolution are worth learning from all generations.
Chen Xilian in his later years
Comrade Chen Xilian is an indispensable military general within the Party, who is not afraid of hardships, who always adheres to the principles and concepts of the Communist Party, who persists in seeking truth from facts, who has lofty moral integrity and moral bottom line, who also has outstanding military ability, who has no complaints about the arrangements within the Party, who resolutely carries out the orders of his superiors.