In the operational sequence of the Red Army, 11 corps were formed successively, namely the Red I to Red X Corps and the Red XV Corps (the Red Fourth Army is also known as the Red Fourth Front). Among them, the commanders (commanders-in-chief) of the Red 1st to 4th Red Armies were all marshals, Xu Haidong, commander of the Red 15th Army, was a general, Xiao Ke, commander of the Red Sixth Army, was a general, Zhou Kun, the commander of the Red Eighth Army, was missing, and Luo Binghui, commander of the Red Ninth Army, died of illness during the Liberation War. The remaining three legion commanders, Dong Zhentang, Xun Huaizhou, and Liu Yuxi, were killed on the battlefield. If the three did not die, what rank would they be awarded in 1955?
In terms of seniority, Dong Zhentang belonged to the rebel generals, joined the party relatively late (1932), and the highest position he held during the Red Army was the commander of the Red Fifth Army (died in 1937). However, the achievements of the Red Fifth Army were not less than those of the Red First and Third Red Armies.
When the Xiang River broke through, the Red Fifth Army was responsible for the rear of the palace, and the Red 34th Division stubbornly blocked the pace of the pursuit of the Central Army and the Xiang Army at the cost of the sacrifice of the whole division; when crossing the Jinsha River, it was Dong Zhentang who led the Red Fifth Army to resolutely block the enemy for 9 days and 9 nights. It can be said that in the Red Army, the Red Fifth Army is a well-deserved main force.
Dong Zhentang
Dong Zhentang's rank rating can be referred to a senior general who came out of the Red Fifth Army, and later Li Da, the chief of staff of Erye, who was Dong Zhentang's old department.
In 1955, Li Da was awarded the rank of general, and when Dong Zhentang was the deputy commander of the Fifth Red Army, Li Da was only a company commander. After comparison, whether it is a position or a battle achievement, Dong Zhentang at least has the qualifications of a general. In addition, the "united front" is also a key factor, and it can be seen from the fact that Chen Mingren and Dong Qiwu were later awarded the rank of general, which shows that the Central Military Commission attaches great importance to this point.
Because Dong Zhentang died too early, we cannot judge whether he can make some achievements in establishing revolutionary base areas. The reason why Luo Ronghuan was awarded the rank of marshal was that, in addition to being a political work cadre, had a lot to do with the establishment of the Shandong revolutionary base area during the War of Resistance Against Japan. If Dong Zhentang could establish a certain base like Luo Ronghuan, he would definitely be rated as a marshal later. On the contrary, he will most likely be awarded the rank of general.
Li Da
Since Dong Zhentang was at least starting with the rank of Great General, what about Liu Yuxi and Xun Huaizhou?
If you start from seniority and position, then Liu Yuxi is obviously higher than Xun Huaizhou. Liu Yuxi was a veteran party member in 1922, graduated from the first phase of Huangpu, and also studied at the Frunze Military Academy. After the formation of the Red Tenth Army, Liu Yuxi served as the commander of the regiment, and Xun Huaizhou was only the commander of the Red 19th Division. In addition, Liu Yuxi had a greater advantage: he assisted Fang Zhimin in establishing the Fujian-Zhejiang-Gansu District. Therefore, as long as he served in the army, Liu Yuxi would definitely seek huaizhou.
The first on the left is Liu Yuxi
Objectively speaking, neither the former Red Tenth Army, the Red Seventh Army, nor the merged Red Tenth Army is the main force of the Red Army. Even if the Red Tenth Army had not been destroyed, it would have been incorporated into the New Fourth Army and become a detachment (equivalent to a divisional unit). Referring to Su Yu's position as deputy commander of the second detachment when he was first incorporated into the New Fourth Army (Su Yu only had one battalion of men), Liu Yuxi was likely to serve as the commander of the detachment and Xun Huaizhou as the deputy commander.
So, after the Anhui Incident, did Liu Yuxi have any hope of serving as the commander of the New Fourth Army? If the answer is yes, then by 1955 Liu Must have been awarded the rank of Marshal (Chen Yi was initially only the commander of the first detachment of the New Fourth Army). However, in Liu Yuxi's military career, there was a very small defeat: the Battle of Tanjiaqiao. This battle not only lost Xun Huaizhou, but also made him lose all confidence, and from then on, he was afraid and hesitant, which directly led to more serious losses in the Fujian-Zhejiang-Gansu Region and the Red Tenth Army.
Considering all factors, when Ye Ting was detained, Liu Yuxi was unlikely to serve as the commander of the New Fourth Army. Therefore, he was later awarded the greatest chance of being awarded the title of Grand General.
Members
As for Xun Huaizhou, although he was the youngest regimental commander of the Red Army (he became the commander of the red army at the age of 21, two years before Lin Biao), although Su Yu believed that he had more command skills than Liu Yuxi, the possibility of him being awarded marshal in the combat sequence of the New Fourth Army was too small. If Xun Huaizhou performed well enough in the War of Resistance Against Japan or the War of Liberation, then he may be awarded the rank of general, otherwise he can only be awarded the rank of general.
Statue of Xun Huaizhou
Dong Zhentang, Liu Yuxi, and Xun Huaizhou were all outstanding commanders of the People's Liberation Army, who sacrificed their precious lives for the cause of the liberation of the motherland. Whatever rank they may be awarded later, there must be a place for them in military history. As future generations, we will always remember these martyrs.