Hubei Hong'an is located in the eastern Hubei region, belonging to the Yangtze River Basin and belonging to the Dabie Mountains. This place is beautiful and talented, and there have been more than 70 founding generals. The famous Red Fourth Front was born on this land! Mention Dong Biwu, Chen Xilian, Li Xiannian, Qin Jiwei, Wang Jinshan... I think everyone is familiar with it, and what I want to write is Cheng Qiguang. He was also a native of Hong'an, had participated in the famous jute riots in his early years, and was older than Chen Xilian, but he did not receive a military rank.
In July 1902, Cheng Qiguang was born. He came from a poor background and had never eaten a full meal, so in 1926 he resolutely joined the Agricultural Cooperative. The following year, he took part in the famous Jute Riot. However, it was said that due to the enemy's heavy encirclement and suppression of the Red Army in eastern Hubei, our army was outnumbered and forced to withdraw into Mulan Mountain. The leader of the Mulan Mountain guerrilla group was Wu Guanghao, and the party representative was Dai Kemin, and Chen Zaidao and Cheng Qiguang were both fighters at this time. At one point, the unit had 72 men and 53 guns left, and survival was difficult.
At the most difficult time for the Mulan Mountain guerrillas, Wu Guanghao helplessly ordered that the whole army come and go freely, and that we who were willing to go home were willing to pay for the way and a living expense, and we who were willing to stay were welcome. The squad leader, Chen Zaidao, chose to leave and return home with dozens of oceans to do business. Cheng Qiguang chose to stay and persisted until our army killed Mulan Mountain. Hungry for wild fruits and bamboo shoots, thirsty for stream water and rain dew, talk and laugh freely. In this way, Cheng Qiguang killed all the way to Daba Mountain, and then to Taihang Mountain.
Because of his bravery in battle and his loyalty and reliability, he was quickly promoted to regimental commander. The famous generals Chen Xilian and Teng Haiqing were both still company commanders or company instructors at this time. In particular, Teng Haiqing served as a company commander in the Red 32nd Regiment, and was later awarded the rank of lieutenant general and served as deputy commander of the Jinan Military Region. His old regimental commander was None other than General Cheng Qiguang! In addition, Xu Xiangqian, the commander-in-chief of the Red Fourth Front, married a peasant nun of Hong'an, who was The younger sister of Cheng Qiguang.
There is not much information about him, but I found out that he served as the chief of the Section of the 4th Red Army, probably the Operations Section. After that, until the outbreak of the War of Resistance, he was never promoted again, and he was always a regimental cadre. I have analyzed that he has no culture, more than enough courage but lack of courage, so his development has stopped. And his former subordinate Teng Haiqing has been promoted to the position of regimental political commissar. At that time, the small company commander Wang Jinshan had been promoted to division commander, and chen Zaidao, an old comrade-in-arms, had been promoted to military commander.
According to Xu Xiangqian's recollection, Cheng Qiguang had five brothers and sisters in his family. The eldest brother, Cheng Qiguang, lived until after the founding of the People's Republic of China. The third brother was killed by the enemy, the younger brother was killed in a certain movement, and the younger sister Cheng Xunxuan also died in a certain movement. Xu Xiangqian has deep feelings for Cheng Xunxuan, and after decades, he still can't completely forget this lively and innocent peasant nizi. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Cheng Qiguang's mother did not know that her daughter had been killed long ago, and she had repeatedly sought out Marshal Xu Qianqian, and Xu Shuai had been hiding it.
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Cheng Qiguang followed his old comrade-in-arms Chen Zaidao to work in the southern Hebei region. Chen Zaidao, the deputy brigade commander of the Eighth Route Army, was ordered to lead more than 500 people to southern Hebei to open up anti-Japanese base areas. The Eighth Route Army in southern Hebei rapidly grew to tens of thousands of people, and Cheng Qiguang was reappointed as the commander of the 1st Regiment of the Eastward Column of the Eighth Route Army. Soon, the Ji'nan Military Region and the Eastward Column were separated, and he was reappointed as the commander of the Third Military Subdistrict of the Ji'nan Military Region. Leaving the field troops to the local areas affected his development to some extent.
There are 8 counties under the jurisdiction of the three sub-districts, including Yongnian, Feixiang, Daming, Quzhou... Basically in the territory of Handan. The three sub-districts have one regiment, each county has a guerrilla brigade, and each district has a district squad. Cheng Qiguang's status is equivalent to that of a brigade commander, but most of his hands are local armed forces, and his combat effectiveness is not strong. He was full of ambition and ready to show his skills, but he was suddenly transferred to the logistics department until the end of the War of Resistance. I analyzed that either he was transferred out of poor performance or he was connected with Chen Zaidao.
In his memoirs, General Chen Zaidao rarely mentions his old comrade-in-arms Cheng Qiguang. Cheng Qiguang wrote in his memoirs about Chen Zaidao leaving the army to sell pigs. In his pen, Chen Zaidao, the squad leader of the Red Army, took the initiative to leave the army and took the money to do business. Later, after losing money and the pig died, he ran back to Mulan Mountain to find the Red Army. How to read, how to feel that General Chen Zaidao is like a speculator. But Chen Zaidao wrote in his memoirs that it was his superiors who asked him to leave the team and take the lead.
The memories of the two contradict each other, and one of them must be lying. It can be seen from this that Cheng Qiguang and his old comrade-in-arms Chen Zaidao have certain contradictions. Therefore, it is not surprising that Cheng Qiguang left the Ji'nan Military Region to work in the logistics department. Ineffective combat may also be an important factor, after all, there is an urgent shortage of military cadres on the front line of the Eighth Route Army, and Cheng Qiguang is an old Red Army experienced in hundreds of battles. However, I still have a question, whether Cheng Qiguang is involved in the battle of routes, that is, the problem of standing in line or some sports.
After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Cheng Qiguang came to the northeast to work. However, his position was very low and he had always been a regimental commander. He was the regimental commander during the Red Army, the regimental commander during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the regimental commander during the Liberation War. This resume is rare in the whole army. Until the outbreak of the Liaoshen Campaign, he was still a regimental commander and worked in the 7th Column of Deng Hua's Northeast Field Army. In 1950, the Central South Military Region was established, and Cheng Qiguang was reappointed as the political commissar of the Air Force Logistics Department of the Central and South Military Region.
The Air Force of the Central and Southern Military Region was formed by the merger of the Aviation Department of the Military Region and the Military Headquarters of the 51st Army of Siye, with Liu Zhen as commander, Wu Fushan as political commissar, Huang Weihua as chief of staff, and Wang Jianzhong as director of the Political Department. It can be seen from this that Regiment Commander Cheng Qiguang has been promoted to a division-level cadre. If nothing else, he could have earned the rank of colonel in 1955, or major general. Personally, I think that the probability of a major general is the greatest. After all, he was from the old Red Army, and his seniority was older than most founding lieutenant generals.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, chen Zaidao, an old comrade-in-arms, was already the commander of the Henan Military Region, Li Xiannian, an old comrade-in-arms, was already the commander of the Hubei Military Region, teng Haiqing, an old subordinate, was already the commander of the Sanye 21st Army, the old subordinate Wang Jinshan was already the commander of the Erye 12th Army and the deputy commander of the 3rd Corps, and the old subordinate Chen Xilian was already the commander of the Erye 3rd Corps. During the Red Army period, he became a commander, a division commander, and even a corps commander, a deputy commander, and the head of a second- or third-level military region.
One step slow, two steps slow, then slow step. Cheng Qiguang was promoted slowly in this way, and did not become a division-level cadre until after the founding of the People's Republic of China. In 1952, he was criticized during the movement and had no choice but to hide in the home of his old comrade-in-arms Li Xiannian, who was then the secretary of the provincial party committee in Hubei Province. After the persuasion of Wu Fushan, political commissar of the Air Force of the Central South Military Region, he finally returned to the unit. Soon after, he transferred to the National Supply and Marketing Cooperative and became the deputy secretary-general of the General Office. This campaign may be the reason for his change of career.
Because he transferred to the supply and marketing cooperatives system, he was not awarded any rank. Old comrades-in-arms Wang Shusheng and Xu Haidong became founding generals, old comrades-in-arms Li Xiannian served as vice premiers, old comrades-in-arms Chen Zaidao became founding generals, and old subordinates Teng Haiqing and Wang Jinshan... Became the founding lieutenant general, the old subordinates Chen Xilian, Wang Jian'an... Become a founding general. Later, Cheng Qiguang was reappointed as the deputy director and consultant of the Infrastructure Storage and Transportation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce. He died in Beijing in 1993 at the age of 91.
From a rural man and a mason to a soldier of the Red Army, to the commander of the Red Army, to the commander of the Eighth Route Army, to the commander of the People's Liberation Army, to the political commissar of the Logistics Department of the Air Force of the Central and Southern Military Region, to the bureau-level cadres of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the Ministry of Commerce. The life of Cheng Qiguang is a microcosm and portrayal of the 20th century. He had no education, lack of courage, lack of wisdom, and perhaps the problem of taking sides, so his promotion was slow and he did not receive a military rank. However, health and longevity are also worth contentment!
Digression: In 1925, Cheng Qiguang was poor and came to Wuhan alone to make a living. However, he has not been able to find any work. In desperation, he prepared to become a soldier and carry a gun to the troops of the warlord Xia Douyin. When he became a soldier, he always had food to eat, but he couldn't make up his mind. Later, he met a prophecy man, who said: Oh, your brother can't be a soldier now, once he becomes a soldier, he can't come back, and he has to wait for three more years to become a soldier. Unexpectedly, three years later, he became a Red Army.
Perhaps, this is fate. It is recommended that you can read his memoirs, general Cheng Qiguang's memoirs are not bad, and they have a certain value. In his pen, those martyrs had flesh and blood, seven passions and six desires, but in the end they chose to sacrifice heroically for the sake of faith. Little Huang An, everyone is a good man; when the gong and drum sound, there are four hundred and eighty thousand; men will fight, and women will deliver food. The author is also from Dabie Mountain, and there were hundreds of people in our village who joined the Red Army, and in the end less than five people returned.