In the early days of the founding of New China, in order to consolidate the fruits of victory, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had to improve the military rank system, reasonably rate veterans with outstanding achievements, and award them corresponding military ranks. However, in the process, there have been occasional cases of deviance and rebuke, which have caused some controversy and criticism. Among them, the most intriguing is that two veteran generals who had served as political commissars at the corps level were "demoted" to the rank of lieutenant general when they were awarded the title in 1955. These two lamentable old soldiers are Guo Huaruo and Mo Wenhua.
Speaking of Guo Huaruo, a veteran, he can be said to be the ace student of the Whampoa Military Academy, and no one in the school was unmatched back then. After leaving Whampoa, he did not join the National Revolutionary Army like other classmates, but crossed the ocean to study at the Soviet Artillery School. After returning from his studies, Guo Huaruo joined the Red Fourth Army led by Zhu De, and since then he has formed an indissoluble bond with the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.
With his outstanding military talent, Guo Huaruo was soon valued by Chairman Mao and became an important member of the Red Fourth Army. During the Gannan period, Chairman Mao appreciated this Whampoa talent very much and regarded him as an "assistant" and "think tank". It can be said that Guo Huaruo is Mao Zedong's right-hand man in military theory. Not only that, Guo Huaruo has also repeatedly performed miraculous feats in actual combat, and his command ability has been highly recognized.
Although there was some gloom afterwards, Guo Huaruo was always Chairman Mao's confidant. During the Yan'an period, Chairman Mao once strongly recommended Guo Huaruo to teach strategic subjects, praising him for "teaching no less than me". Guo Huaruo also contributed to the development of China's revolutionary military ideology with his own education. His article "A Preliminary Study of the Art of War" not only won high praise from Chairman Mao, but even the Kuomintang was impressed by him.
Guo Huaruo, who had made outstanding contributions, was originally included in the list of generals in the 1955 award. However, for unknown reasons, he was only awarded the rank of lieutenant general in the end. Although some people criticized this, Guo Huaruo was not angry because of this, and still silently dedicated.
Another "demoted" Mo Wenhua is also a veteran revolutionary fighter. As a political commissar who came out of Siye, he worked his way from the Xinhai Revolution to the backbone of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Base Area.
During the Liberation War, Mok Wenhua's military career was magnificent...
During the Liberation War, Mok Wenhua's military career was magnificent. As the political commissar of the Fourth Column of the Northeast Field Army, he and Commander Wu Kehua personally commanded the famous Tashan Blockade Battle. This battle became a key battle for the People's Liberation Army to defeat the Kuomintang's "Suiyuan Suihu", and Mo Wenhua made outstanding contributions.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Mo Wenhua has been rooted in the northeast, and has successively served as the secretary of the Nanning Municipal Party Committee, the deputy political commissar of the Guangxi Military Region, and the director of the Political Department of the Northeast Military Region. It can be seen from this that his military exploits in the War of Liberation were indeed remarkable. However, it is puzzling that although he served as a political commissar at the level of a regular corps, in 1955, he was only awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Regarding this "reduction" result, Mo Wenhua is naturally a little unhappy in his heart. After all, most of the commissars of the same rank as him have been awarded the rank of general. It is somewhat unreasonable to let the political commissar of the corps of the first field army be one level lower than the cadres at the deputy corps level.
However, at that time, the top of the Military Commission also had their own considerations. Whether it is Luo Ronghuan or Xiao Hua, they have talked to Mok Wenhua about this matter in private, hoping that he will "be relieved and forgiving, regardless of personal gains and losses". Even Lin Biao personally approached him to settle his grievances. In the face of the intention of the above, Mo Wenhua could only bury the hatred in his heart in the end.
It stands to reason that the PLA had 16 corps from 1946 to 1949, and of these 16 political commissars, 11 participated in the 1955 awarding of titles. Among them, 1 was awarded marshal, 3 generals, and 5 generals, while Guo Huaruo and Mo Wenhua were the only two "lieutenant generals and political commissars". Although both of them had served as political commissars at the corps level, they ended up at the same level as cadres at the deputy corps level.
What is the meaning of such a weighty approach? Is it a denial of merit, or is there something else hidden? To this day, the mystery still hangs over a haze. Some speculate that perhaps because their political performance was flawed, they were "downgraded". But the specific root cause is no longer clear.
However, from another point of view, perhaps the leaders of the Central Military Commission at that time hoped to curb the arrogance of some veteran warlords and maintain the stability of the military spirit through appropriate "suppression." Speak one's mind...
Although the experiences of Guo Huaruo and Mo Wenhua, the two "lieutenant generals and political commissars", are quite reverie, we should not be too obsessed with temporary gains and losses. In contrast, peeking into the details of history as it is is a higher-order thinking.
Although the final military ranks of these two veterans may be somewhat different from their status and qualifications, their contributions to the cause of national liberation and the rise of New China are immortal. Compared with the floating clouds, this is the most precious gift. Let us take history as a mirror, and while filling our own pockets, we must also have the heart of serving the country and work together for the future of the motherland. #头条首发大赛#