<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" > Centennial General 35: Chen Mingren</h1>
Author: Forget about the jianghu
Among the founding generals of 1955 were three rebel generals of the Liberation War.
Chen Mingren of the Changsha Uprising, Dong Qiwu of the Suiyuan Uprising, and Tao Zhiyue of the Xinjiang Uprising all made outstanding achievements on the anti-Japanese battlefield and also rose up in a glorious uprising at the crucial moment of the Liberation War. Among the three, the most personality is probably Chen Mingren.
Founding General Chen Mingren
Chen Mingren, also known as Chen Ziliang, was born in 1903 in Chenjialing, Hongyuan Village, Liling, Hunan.
Although he was born into a poor peasant family, as the eldest son in the family, Chen Mingren entered a private school at the age of 7 and received a new-style education at the age of 10. When she was 13 years old, her mother was seriously ill, and her grandmother let 13-year-old Chen Mingren marry 14-year-old Xie Fangru in order to rush the joy, but her mother still died of illness.
In 1920, at the age of 17, Chen Mingren was admitted to the Tui Ze Middle School in Changsha. The next year, their eldest son Chen Yangzhao was born, and after graduation, as a rare high education, he returned to his hometown Baitutan Primary School as a teacher. In 1924, Chen Mingren heard that the Huangpu Military Academy in Guangzhou was enrolled, and he wanted to apply for the examination, but his grandmother strongly opposed it. His wife, Xie Fangru, was very supportive and sold her mother's pig and gave him a coil.
If you have a wife like this, why should your husband ask for it? Chen Mingren was admitted to the Guangzhou Military and Political Department's Martial Arts School as he wished, and was transferred to the Huangpu Phase I in November.
In 1925, Chen Mingren graduated and participated in two crusades. During the Battle of Dongguan, Chen Mingren charged with illness, led a platoon to eliminate Chen Jiongming's battalion, and was promoted to company commander by the line of fire. During the Battle of Huizhou, Chen Mingren led the Death Captain to the first to ascend the city tower. At the post-war celebration meeting, Principal Jiang ordered the cannon to be fired three times, and all the officers and men raised their guns to salute him and were promoted to battalion commander.
Principal Jiang devoted himself to cultivating him, asking Song Meiling to be a matchmaker and giving him Liao Zhongkai's daughter Liao Mengxing. Chen Mingren bluntly told him that the family had a "wife of chaff" and two sons who served the old mother, and they could not be Chen Shimei under any circumstances. After a few days, he also took his wife and children to his side.
Principal Jiang had no choice but to give up, but he was deeply impressed by Chen Mingren, who had a hard neck.
After the Battle of Jiang Fengyan Zhongyuan, Chen Mingren served as the commander of the 88th Division, and was ostracized because of his arrogant personality. In 1934, he was called to the Lushan Officer Training Corps. The following year, he entered the 13th term of the Army University.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chen Mingren's performance was remarkable, and he also left a classic battle.
In June 1938, Chen Mingren led the 2nd Reserve Division and fought against the Japanese army for more than 4 months in the Battle of Jiujiang. In November, more than 1,000 Japanese troops were annihilated in the Pocket Formation under Shidengling. In 1941, in coordination with the 200th Division of du Yuming, commander of the 5th Army, to attack Kunlun Pass, Chen Mingren adopted the method of night attack, reconnaissance and night attack, and successively recaptured a number of key points and annihilated more than 2,000 Japanese troops.
In the winter of that year, Chen Mingren was stationed in Kunming, and it happened that when Principal Jiang was visiting Dianchi Lake, he found that the soldiers who were building the fortifications were ragged and unorganized, so he called the division commander Chen Mingren to the villa and reprimanded him for not being strict in leading the troops.
Chen Mingren confronted him face to face: It's not that my military appearance is not neat, it's that the military clothing is too bad!
Hit by the students, the principal was furious, but it was the time to hire people. I had to let Chen Mingren go back to reflect and punish him again. Chen Mingren tore off the Lieutenant General's seal and threw it on the table: If you want to deal with it now, isn't it a division commander, it's a big deal to go home and farm!
Later, Long Yun and others persuaded him, and Chen Mingren was transferred to the deputy commander of the 71st Army.
In June 1944, in order to open up the Burma Road, 4 divisions of Chen Mingren's 71st Army crossed the Nu River to attack Longling. In more than 3 months of bloody battles, there were more than ten battles in Songshan, and in 7 days and 7 nights in the Battle of Longling Lane, Chen Mingren relied on the "death squad" to annihilate more than 2,000 Japanese troops.
Colonel Wu De, head of the US liaison group, had to admit that the Chinese army's spirit of bearing hardships and fighting bravery are rare in the world.
In January 1945, Chen Mingren used the "various breaks" tactic to retake Yongsan and annihilate a large number of Japanese troops.
After Japan surrendered, Chen Mingren, with the aura of "famous anti-Japanese general", met Lin Biao in Siping, northeast China.
The chairman of Yan'an hoped to "turn four flats into Madrid", Lin Biao also went from being cautious to eager to try, only Huang Kecheng advocated avoiding the retreat but was not adopted. And President Jiang of Nanjing is also determined to win, and frequently dispatches troops and generals.
In April 1946, a "needle tip against Mai Mang" offensive and defensive battle was launched in Siping. The new 1st Army of the "First Army under heaven" is the best equipped, and Sun Liren, the commander of the army, is both a returnee and a famous general of the expeditionary army. Chen Mingren's 71st Army is called the principal's "army in the purse", and it is also mainly based on American weapons.
Lin Zong of the Northeast Democratic Coalition Army sat in the town, and Cheng Shicai 3 column and Wan Yi 7 column had 80,000 troops. The garrison commander Ma Renxingbao, who guarded Siping Street, had more than 6,000 troops, including the 1st Brigade and the 56th Regiment of the 7th Column. After a month of fierce fighting, the Northeast Democratic Coalition Army failed and retreated across the Songhua River.
Fast forward to June 1947, this time Chen Mingren became the protagonist from a supporting role.
Chen Mingren became the defensive side, with more than 30,000 troops in the 71st Army and other units. The comeback Lin Biao became the attacking side, with 100,000 people in the 1st, 6th, and 7th Columns (Western Manchurian Columns), and the firepower of 5 artillery battalions made Chen Mingren lament that the eight-year War of Resistance had not been encountered.
Due to poor infantry and artillery coordination, intelligence errors, and the tactic of "adding lamp oil", the fierce battle could not occupy Siping Street for more than ten days and nights, and the support of Zhou Fucheng's 53rd Army, Liang Yaoxiang's new 6th Army, and the 93rd Army of Zheng Dongguo was relatively powerful, and Lin Biao hated the withdrawal and failed.
Ma Renxing, the commander of the garrison who had held Siping for 33 days and nights, was also killed by stray bullets.
Chen Mingren and 3 military commanders were promoted to corps commanders and awarded the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun. However, in September 1947, Chen Cheng became the director of the Northeast Expedition, and together with the American advisers, he found that some fortifications were made of flour and rice aided by the United States, and Liu Handong, chairman of Northern Liaoning, took the opportunity to "file a complaint against the emperor", and Nanjing dismissed Chen Mingren from his post for the crime of "arsonist grain grabbing" and was replaced by a lieutenant general.
In March 1948, Siping was finally conquered by Higashino, and the 71st Army was completely destroyed.
Chen Mingren, who was idle in Nanjing, felt confused about the future and could only use wine to dispel his sorrows. The captured brother Chen Mingxin was released and returned to Nanjing, and the advice of Li Lisan, a fellow villager in Liling, was conveyed to Chen Mingren, and the person who knew the current affairs was Junjie, and should not fight for Chiang's life anymore.
With no one available on the battlefield, Chen Mingren suddenly became a "fragrant feast", Xuzhou Liu Zhi, Du Yuming, Xi'an Hu Zongnan, Wuhan Bai Chongxi have extended olive branches. In November 1948, Chen Mingren was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Wuhan "Suppression General" and commander of the Wuhan Garrison.
Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren
On May 16, 1949, the Siye 12th Corps conquered Wuhan, and the Siye soldiers marched directly into Hunan in three ways.
Chen Mingren is still full of worries, not only afraid of the PLA's accounting after the autumn, but also afraid of carrying the insult of "surrendering to the enemy." The chairman was far-sighted, and while ordering Lin Biao to temporarily postpone his entry into Xiang, he also urgently sent Li Minghao, who had good relations with Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren, to do the work.
The arrival of Li Minghao made Chen Mingren dispel his worries and express his attitude of holding high the banner of peace and striving for meritorious atonement.
However, Chen Mingren overestimated his prestige and strength, and did not consult the commanders and division commanders in advance.
On August 4, the Hunan Daily published a front-page message: Hunan 100,000 troops laid down their weapons and looked up to Fu Zuoyi. Chen Mingren was furious, believing that Changsha and Peiping were not the same. The negotiators brought back 6 draft articles in Siye, and Chen Mingren also proposed 6 points: temporarily do not hand over Yuelu Mountain, temporarily do not cooperate with the battle, postpone the handover of the provincial capital, postpone the reorganization, and so on. After the emergency consultation of The Four Wilds, all but the first article can be accepted.
On the afternoon of August 4, Cheng Qian, Chen Mingren and 38 senior generals jointly telegraphed the uprising, and the chairman sent a telegram to congratulate them.
However, "Little Zhuge Ge" Bai Chongxi was not a vegetarian, and immediately counterattacked:
The planes bombed Changsha, Xianggan, Shaoyang, and others, threw leaflets, and wantonly spread rumors that Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren were detained, and Lin Biao was about to call over and hand over the guns of the rebels. For example, if a company of officers and men is brought to Hengyang to be promoted to a higher level, a reward of 500 silver dollars is given, and Chen Mingren's official is kidnapped or executed to be rewarded with 10,000 silver dollars.
Since the rebel officers and generals did not sign the telegram in advance, Wu Zubola defected from the guard regiment and pushed the dominoes. On August 7, Chen Mingren published a "Letter to All The Officers and Men of the Uprising" to refute the rumors, but more than 40,000 of the 77,000 troops had fled.
Late at night on the 7th, Chen Mingren and Cheng Qian had to jointly call Lin Biao and ask for troops to suppress it.
After lin biao's urgent consultations with Deng Zihui, Xiao Ke, and others, lin biao immediately sent the 49th, 46th, and 40th armies of Siye and the 18th army of Erye to pursue and annihilate the rebels.
On August 13, Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan and others called: There are one or two obsessive people who instigate mutinies from it, which does not harm the merits of the general, let alone affect the victory of the overall situation, and do not be anxious about this matter. Chen Mingren was satisfied and accepted the adaptation, and withdrew to Liuyang and Liling for recuperation.
In September 1949, Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren went to Beijing to attend the conference. When the prime minister saw him, his first words were, "When I hit Huizhou, I also saluted you with a gun." The chairman shook Chen Mingren's hand and boasted in front of Lin Biao, "You are stronger than Lin Biao in battle."
During the meeting, the chairman invited cppcc deputies to visit the Temple of Heaven to pray for the New Year and specially took photos with Chen Mingren.
The chairman also set up a family banquet to entertain, Chen Mingren put forward conditions for himself and did not want to go, the chairman said with a smile: Other people have conditions for uprisings, and if there are conditions, we will be easy to handle, and if you don't talk about conditions, it will make it difficult for us to handle. The chairman's open mind made Chen Mingren feel like a spring breeze.
Cheng Mingren and Xiao Yi
In April 1950, Xie Fangru, who had been with Chen Mingren for 34 years, died of illness, and two years later, under the mediation of fellow villager Li Weihan, Chen Mingren and Xiao Yi, a 33-year-old medical doctor in the United States, married. Grandson Chen Jianbei wanted to become a soldier, and the commander of the artillery of the military region asked him to find his grandfather to write Zhang Tiaozi. Chen Mingren was so angry that he slapped the table, and the back door that destroyed the image of the People's Liberation Army could not be opened, and he had to work his own. Later, Chen Jianbei became a worker.
On May 21, 1974, founding general Chen Mingren died of illness at the age of 70.
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