In 1952, China conducted a rank evaluation of the generals serving in the army, and a total of 57 people were designated as quasi-corps ranks. When the ranks were awarded in 1955, one of the 57 brigadier generals was awarded the rank of general, three were awarded the rank of major general, and the remaining 53 were awarded the rank of lieutenant general. The rank of quasi-corps cadre who was awarded the rank of general was He Bingyan, and according to the criteria for awarding titles at that time, the general was generally at the rank of the main corps. The reason why He Bingyan was awarded the title of general was that in addition to his outstanding military achievements, he was also the representative figure of the Red Second Army.
Among the 57 quasi-corps-level cadres, He Bingyan was a general, and 53 were lieutenant generals, and only Yuan Yelie, Xie Fang, and Duan Suquan were awarded major generals. Why?
Let's start with Yuan Yelie. Yuan Yelie was a native of Dongkou County, Hunan Province, and his father was a talented man in the late Qing Dynasty, and because he had long been discouraged, he named his small courtyard "RetreatIng Little House". Yuan Yelie began to receive enlightenment education at a very young age, and after graduating from normal school, he abandoned literature and congwu, was admitted to the Huangpu Second Phase, and joined the party under the introduction of Nie Rongzhen. After graduating from the military academy, Yuan Yelie followed Ye Ting's independent regiment to participate in the Northern Expedition and served as the commander of the 6th Company.
Soon after the Nanchang Uprising broke out, Yuan Yelie served as the battalion commander of the rebel forces, and was wounded in the Battle of Sanheba shortly after. After recovering from his wounds, he first engaged in military transportation in the Nationalist army, and later was sent to Guangxi to serve and participate in the Longzhou Uprising. In February 1931, the Red 7th Army was attacked by enemy troops in Lechang, Guangdong, and Yuan Yelie, then the commander of the 59th Regiment, was seriously wounded in the battle. Three months later, Yuan Yelie, who was recuperating in Shanghai, was arrested by a British patrol and did not get out of prison until 1935.
For a long time after that, Yuan Yelie was engaged in training and education work, and it was not until 1942 that he returned to the army as chief of staff of the Qinghe Military Region, and later served as the acting commander of the Bohai Naval Region. During the Liberation War, Yuan Yelie served as the commander of the Bohai Column and the deputy commander of the Shandong Military Region, and participated in the Jinan Campaign and the Huaihai Campaign. After the founding of New China, he served as deputy commander and political commissar of the Navy of the East China Military Region. In 1955, when the rank was awarded, Yuan Yelie should have been awarded the rank of lieutenant general as a quasi-corps, but due to factors such as the experience of arrest and the lack of obvious achievements in the early stage of the War of Resistance, he was finally awarded the rank of major general.
Let's talk about the solution. Xie Fang served in the Northeast Army in the early days and joined our party in 1936. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he served as the chief of staff of the 358th Brigade of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and served as the chief of staff of the 12th Corps of the Siye during the Liberation War. After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, he served as chief of staff of the Volunteer Army, assisted Peng Dehuai in commanding many important battles and battles, and made important contributions to the victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. In 1955, when the title was awarded, Xie Fang served as the chief of staff of the Volunteer Army; in terms of rank, he was at the rank of quasi-corps and should be awarded lieutenant general. However, due to his lack of seniority during the Red Army period, he was eventually awarded the rank of major general.
Finally, let's look at Duan Suquan. Duan Suquan, a native of Chaling, Hunan, joined the Red Army at the age of 16 and served as the political commissar of the Qiandong Independent Division. However, this division only has more than 800 people, and its existence is very short, and there is a big gap with the main division of the Red Army. At the end of November 1933, the Qiandong Independent Division was surrounded by more than ten regiments of Sichuan troops in order to cover the Red 26th Army, and lost after a bitter battle, and almost all the soldiers were killed. Duan Suquan begged all the way and returned to his hometown, only to return after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
After coming to Yan'an, Duan Suquan first entered the Kang Da to study, and then served as the director of the political department and political commissar of the Pingbei Military Sub-district of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region. After the outbreak of the Liberation War, Duan Suquan successively served as commander of the Jirecha Military Region and commander of the 8th Column of the Northeast Field Army. During the Battle of Jinzhou, the 8th Column was first criticized by Liu Yalou for blocking the enemy's airfield, and later lost the Position of Xiaozijing Mountain without reporting it, and was criticized again. Although he performed well in the subsequent Battle of Western Liaoning, Su Quan was still demoted to the post of chief of the Operations Division of the Northeast Military Region.
After the founding of New China, Duan Suquan successively served as commander of the air force of the Northeast Military Region and commander of the air force of the North China Military Region. In 1955, when the title was awarded, Duan Suquan should have been awarded the rank of lieutenant general as a quasi-corps, but due to the influence of the experience of leaving the army after the defeat of the Qiandong Independent Division, he was eventually awarded the rank of major general. In 1993, General Duan Suquan died of illness at the age of 78.