In 1987, at the Seventh National People's Congress, a resolution was passed announcing the restoration of the mainland's military rank system. This was followed by a ceremony in Beijing in mid-September 1988 to confer the rank of general of the Central Military Commission, and the 68-year-old Wan Haifeng was promoted to general in an unusual way, jumping directly to this senior rank, skipping the ranks of major general and lieutenant general halfway through. At the same time, he also became the last person to be promoted to the rank of general among hundreds of thousands of officers and men of the Red Army.
Wan Haifeng, born in 1920, was originally from Guangshan, Henan, and his family was poor. In his family, the elders had a low level of education, and the traditional concept of "cheap names are easy to feed" in the countryside at that time, so he was named "Maotou", a name that accompanied him from the age of 13 years to join the army.
At that time, the living conditions of ordinary people were quite difficult, and food and clothing became a serious problem. Illness almost means being unable to afford medical care, and minor illnesses often turn into major illnesses and eventually lead to death. When Wan Haifeng was 3 years old, his parents were unable to afford medical treatment due to illness, and his mother unfortunately passed away. Because his father was also unable to do heavy labor due to illness, he could not continue to raise him, so he had no choice but to send him to his aunt's house for foster care.
His aunt's family took good care of him, but at that time, the living conditions of the farmers were generally poor. Their own livelihood has become a problem, and now they have an extra ration to bear, making life even harder. After getting a little older, Wan Haifeng began to follow the adults to work in the landlord's house, although he didn't earn much money, but at least he could reduce some of the financial burden on the family.
Although Wan Haifeng has beautiful ideals, the reality is extremely cruel. During the days of herding cattle for the landlord's family, he did not do well, and the slightest mistake could lead to severe beatings. Despite his young age, his body was often covered with bruises and purples. The aunt was distressed and tried her best to persuade him not to suffer any more. However, he is not willing to eat and drink for nothing at home, and is eager to contribute to the family.
One day, Wan Haifeng's uncle came to visit him. Seeing Wan Haifeng covered in scars at a glance, my uncle was distressed. After understanding the cause and effect of the incident, the uncle made up his mind: to leave this place with Wan Haifeng and find a bright future.
Hearing that there was a Red Army stationed near Tiantai Mountain, my uncle decided to take Wan Haifeng with him, defect to them, and join the army to fight. Uncle took Wan Haifeng around the mountains for more than ten days before finally finding the location of the Red Army Independent Regiment.
As soon as he arrived at the team, his uncle did not hesitate to express his intentions. This independent regiment of the Red Army was running out of manpower at the time and warmly welcomed my uncle's joining. However, when the leaders of the independent regiment saw the thin Wan Haifeng, they shook their heads frequently. He felt that Wan Haifeng was too young and it was too difficult to join the army and fight, which was not suitable for teenagers of this age.
Despite the rejection, Wan Haifeng was not discouraged. Afterwards, he once again found the leader of the independent regiment and firmly stated that although he was thin, he was a hard-working person, and the last thing he was afraid of was hardship. As long as the team is willing to take him in, he is willing to do whatever he does.
The leaders of the Independent Regiment finally compromised under Wan Haifeng's soft grinding and hard bubbles, and agreed that he and his uncle would stay together. Considering his young age, the troops did not really involve him in military training, but arranged for him to work on some sentry and messenger missions. Although not a real Red Army, at least he became a member of the revolutionary ranks. That year, he was only 13 years old.
Wan Haifeng had just joined the team and was faced with a new problem: all recruits had to fill in their names on the roster, and without a name, they could not be considered officially joining the army. When he was at home, he was always called "Maotou" and didn't mind it. But now, he has joined the army, hoping to give himself a resounding name. However, since he did not have much formal education, his level of education was limited. Eventually, he plucked up the courage to find the commissar and ask him to give him a name. And this name was taken by Gao Jingting, the political commissar at the time.
Due to his young age, at first, Wan Haifeng could only assist with some logistics at the rear of the team. As he grew older, he became involved in the training and combat of the team. In 1937, at the age of 17, Wan Haifeng officially joined the Communist Party. During the agrarian reform period, he fought with the team everywhere and was quickly promoted to the head of the guard squad for his outstanding performance.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Wan Haifeng was sent to the teaching corps in southern Anhui for further study. After completing his studies, he served as a staff officer in the headquarters of the New Fourth Army in Jiangnan and Northern Jiangsu. Wan Haifeng has made a name for himself in the team for his brave battles, and he dares to fight on the battlefield without fear. During the War of Liberation, he led the team to participate in the Battle of Lianshui and the Battle of Menglianggu, and achieved remarkable results.
Soon after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Korean War broke out, and Wan Haifeng went to the Korean Peninsula with the Volunteers. In the summer counterattack, he commanded the troops to a beautiful victory, laying a strong foundation for later victories. In 1955, Wan Haifeng was awarded the rank of colonel. After the reinstatement of the rank system in 1988, he was awarded the rank of general. This kind of promotion from "colonel" to "general" may be a bit strange to many people. But in fact, 1955 was the first award ceremony held after the founding of the mainland. However, for various reasons, the rank system was abolished ten years later and was not reinstated until 1988. In the past 23 years, although there is no restriction on military rank in the army, Wan Haifeng's position in the army is enough to be worthy of the rank of general.
In 1969, Wan Haifeng served as the commander of the 24th Army, and in 1972, he was promoted to deputy commander of the Beijing Military Region. According to the standard of military rank in 1955 at that time, the deputy rank of military district was usually lieutenant general or major general. In 1982, Wan Haifeng was appointed political commissar of the Chengdu Military Region, and according to his rank at this time, he should at least be a lieutenant general. Therefore, according to his position and seniority, it was only natural that he was awarded the rank of general in 1988.
As the last officer of the Red Army to be promoted to general, the 68-year-old Wan Haifeng persevered in the military post he loved for 10 years, and finally retired in an honorable way.