The Great Hall of the People, Beijing, September 1959. The second National People's Congress is about to be convened, and the delegates are entering the meeting one after another. A burly old general with blazing eyes strode over, with a gun at his waist that stood out. He is Chen Mingren, a former Kuomintang general and now a general of the People's Liberation Army. However, he seems to have forgotten an important detail - the prohibition of carrying weapons at the venue. This small negligence triggered a "special mission" that made people sweat.
[Chen Mingren: From Whampoa student to Kuomintang general]
Chen Mingren's life trajectory can be called a microcosm of the military circles of the Republic of China.
In 1924, Chen Mingren, a young man from Hunan, found Cheng Qian's martial arts school and wanted to show his ambitions. Unexpectedly, the school had stopped recruiting students, but his persistence touched the receptionist Li Minghao. In this way, Chen Mingren became Cheng Qian's closed disciple, and later transferred to the Whampoa Military Academy.
In Whampoa, Chen Mingren not only received military training from Chiang Kai-shek, but was also influenced by Zhou Enlai's thoughts. This experience laid the groundwork for his future life choices.
Chen Mingren soon made a name for himself on the battlefield. In the battle against Chen Jiongming, he served as the captain of the death squad, braved the rain of bullets and bullets to be the first to climb the Huizhou City Tower and planted the banner of victory. This scene was seen by Chiang Kai-shek, and he was directly labeled as "a banner of Whampoa".
After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Chen Mingren once again showed his military talent. In 1945, he led his troops to conquer Huilong Mountain, which was known as an "impossible task", which shocked Chinese and foreign military circles. Allied generals praised it as "a masterpiece of the art of military command."
[From Defending Siping to Uprising and Surrendering]
However, the harsh reality of the war made Chen Mingren gradually see the essence of the Kuomintang.
In 1948, the Battle of Siping began. Chiang Kai-shek ordered Chen Mingren to defend Siping and block the offensive of the People's Liberation Army. Chen Mingren fought hard with the loyalty of a soldier. But he didn't expect that this battle would become his last battle for the Kuomintang.
With the successive victories of the People's Liberation Army, Chen Mingren was transferred back to Changsha, Hunan. At this time, he had lost confidence in Chiang Kai-shek. As early as 1941, Chiang Kai-shek scolded Chen Mingren for the shabby clothing of his troops, and even imprisoned him. This indiscriminate approach made Chen Mingren feel cold.
In 1949, the liberation of Hunan was imminent. Chen Mingren's old principal, Cheng Qian, decided to revolt, and Chen Mingren also made up his mind to follow. On August 4, they jointly issued a telegram of uprising, announcing Hunan's independence from Kuomintang rule. This move paved the way for the peaceful liberation of Hunan.
[Special fate with Chairman Mao]
Chen Mingren's uprising was highly valued by Mao Zedong. In September 1949, Chairman Mao personally invited Chen Mingren to attend the new CPPCC meeting.
On September 19, Chairman Mao took Cheng Qian, Chen Mingren and others to visit the Temple of Heaven. What Chen Mingren didn't expect was that Chairman Mao took the initiative to propose to take a photo with him alone. This move is not only an affirmation of Chen Mingren, but also a signal to the outside world: the party and the state welcome an uprising general like Chen Mingren.
Chairman Mao also suggested that Chen Mingren make 50 copies of this group photo and send it to Huangpu classmates and other old friends. This small move not only resolved the outside world's doubts about Chen Mingren's "surrender", but also showed the open-mindedness of New China.
[Turning hostility into jade: from a Kuomintang general to a general of the People's Liberation Army]
Chen Mingren's uprising opened a new chapter in his life.
In 1950, Chen Mingren led his troops to settle in Guangxi and cooperated with the local government to suppress bandits. It took them more than five months to wipe out more than 50,000 bandits and bring peace to the local people.
In 1955, the People's Republic of China conferred the title for the first time, and Chen Mingren was awarded the rank of general. At this moment, he was full of emotion: "This is the first time I have obtained the rank of general, and I thank the party and the People's Liberation Army for their trust in me."
However, Chen Mingren did not forget his original intention because of the generosity of high-ranking officials. In 1957, he made a number of proposals for army building. In order to allow rebel generals like Chen Mingren to better participate in army building, Chairman Mao decided to set up a military committee. However, Chen Mingren politely refused this "special treatment": "I put forward my opinion for the sake of the army, because I am upright in my own temperament, and I don't want to be an official." These words fully demonstrated his heart for the country and the people.
[Climax: "Special Mission" triggered by a pistol]
Go back to that scene at the beginning. In September 1959, the second National People's Congress was about to be convened. Because of his habit of guarding the frontier for a long time, Chen Mingren inadvertently came to the venue with a gun.
This small oversight sparked an emergency action. The news was reported layer by layer, and finally reached the ears of Marshal He Long. He Long is well aware of Chen Mingren's special identity and straightforward personality, and if it is not handled properly, it is likely to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
So, He Long found Chi Haotian and gave him a "special task": "Don't let Chen Mingren bring a gun into the venue!" But in a tactful way, avoid causing him to panic. "
After Chi Haotian received the order, he immediately used his brains. He understands that it is not an easy task to complete the task while taking care of Chen Mingren's face.
In the end, Chi Haotian came up with a clever plan. He pretended to be a conference worker, walked up to Chen Mingren's side, and said politely: "Hello Chen Jun, I am Chi Haotian, the staff member of this meeting. Yesterday the Secretary-General had a request for the generals to hand over the weapons they were carrying to us for safekeeping, and then to collect them after the meeting. Do you see you're armed with you?"
These words not only expounded the regulations, but also gave Chen Mingren a step down. After hearing this, Chen Mingren replied briskly: "I have a weapon, you can take it and keep it."
In this way, a situation that could cause embarrassment was skillfully resolved. This small size also reflects from the side the meticulous and thoughtful treatment of the rebel generals by the leadership of New China.
Chen Mingren is not only a personal legend, but also a microcosm of a period of ups and downs in history. From a Whampoa student to a Kuomintang general and then to a general of the People's Liberation Army, his experience has witnessed the vicissitudes of China's modern history.
Looking back on this period of history today, we see not only the choice of one person, but also the choice of an era. Chen Mingren finally chose the people and chose New China, and behind this is the thinking of the vast number of intellectuals and former soldiers about the future of the country.
Chen Mingren tells us that the choice of history is often in the subtleties. A visit to the Temple of Heaven, a precious group photo, or even a portable gun can become a footnote to history. Today, we should cherish the hard-won peace and contribute our strength to the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.