Welcome to the 3020th issue of Shiyuan History Column. Tan Zheng, the founding general of the People's Republic of China, is the only political cadre representative among the 10 generals. As the best general in the political field of our army, Tan Zheng drafted and released a large number of important documents during the war years. Chairman Mao rarely changed what he wrote. In the early days of the Red Army, Tan Zheng served as secretary of the Front Committee of the Fourth Red Army in Jinggangshan, and the leader he served was none other than Chairman Mao.
Chairman Mao was the party representative and front committee secretary of the Red Army at the time. If Tan Zheng's level was not high, he would not be able to do this job. Later, Tan Zheng was quickly promoted in many political positions, which showed that he had strong professional qualities and a very kind-hearted character, which was deeply appreciated by the chairman. It's not easy to be rated as a general despite not having fought many battles. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao had a very fair evaluation of Tan Zheng: Although he was not responsible for frontline command, his role in military construction was immeasurable. Tan Zheng means "talking about politics". Such comments also contain the chairman's commendation and love for him.
During the War of Liberation, Zhengguan Tan served as director of the Political Department of the Northeast Field Army and deputy political commissar of the Fourth Field Army. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, his promotion path was also very smooth. In 1956, he was promoted to director of the General Political Department of the entire army. This position is very important and is related to the cadre management and political work of the entire army. However, his position as director of the General Political Department was replaced after only four years and he was demoted to deputy director. The main reason lies in the conflict of opinions between Tan Zheng and the former chief of the Fourth Field Army (he served as Minister of National Defense after 1959).
In the early 1960s, Tan Zheng disagreed with the so-called "prominent politics" and some flattering remarks about leaders. This is not because he does not understand politics. If we want to talk about political work, almost no one is more sensitive and experienced than Tan Zheng. However, Tan Zheng almost did not quote some of the statements made by the then Minister of Defense. He believed that this was not the correct way of thinking in political work. After a face-to-face quarrel, Tan Zheng began to face unwarranted criticism and was removed from the post of director of the General Political Department in 1960.
In the mid-to-late 1960s, he was even subject to isolation, scrutiny and imprisonment. It was not until the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission in 1975 that the chairman believed that outstanding political workers were urgently needed to solve the actual problems in the army. Chairman Mao said to people around him: I haven't seen Tan Zheng for a long time. Where has he gone? After the Chairman's personal interrogation, General Tan Zheng's problem was finally solved, and he resumed his role as a consultant to the Central Military Commission and engaged in his best field of work. During this period, he was hidden in the ice for 15 years, which can not but be said to be a great loss to the army.
In the 1950s, Tan Zheng not only served as director of the General Political Department, but also as secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee, a deputy national-level leading cadre. And this was before he was demoted and criticized. It can be said that his promotion speed was very fast. If it were not affected by the 1960 incident, his position within the party and the military would probably be higher. Even after being criticized, when General Xiao Hua was in charge of the work of the General Political Department, he would still communicate with Tan Zheng for advice on major matters. After all, Xiao Hua was Tan Zheng's subordinate during his time in the Four Wilds.
Tan Zheng has been engaged in political work for many years and is well aware of the importance of normalizing political life within the party and maintaining caring cadres. At the Lushan Conference in 1959, he chose a silent attitude and did not treat President Peng, Huang Kecheng, and others like others. Deng Hua and others directly criticized him. This incident laid hidden dangers for him to get into trouble later, and he was suspected by some people. In fact, General Tan Zheng's grasp and opinions of the context of political life are accurate. Due to some objective factors, his career has suffered setbacks, which is indeed a pity. He could have made more contributions to the construction of the army.
On Tan Zheng's 80th birthday, the founding marshal Xu Xiangqian specially wrote a congratulatory message: "Your contribution to the political work of the people's army and your contribution to the revolution will never be forgotten." Xu Shuai's position is higher than Tan Zheng's. , is 5 years older than Tan Zheng, but his words are so humble and enthusiastic, which shows that General Tan Zheng is very respected in his heart.
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