Among the 1,614 founding generals of the Republic, it must be said that General Chen Geng is a very rare and legendary general. He has outstanding strategies, especially in military affairs. He is as famous as Peng, Lin, Liu, and Su, and is known as "One of the Five Tiger Generals". In fact, General Chen Geng is not only famous for his love of fighting and using his brain, but also his informal character is a highlight. General
is lively and humorous. As long as it doesn't involve marching or fighting, he can make jokes about anyone.
In an interview, General Chen Zhijian, the second son of General Chen Geng, recalled General Chen Geng and mentioned: His father loved to joke and joked all his life. This was also true in front of the first generation leaders of the party and the country. There was only one person whom my father respected the most in his life, and he did not dare to make any "missteps".
General Chen Zhijian
So, who is the person General Chen Zhijian talks about, and what anecdotes does General Chen Geng have?
Everything has to start from the beginning.
1. Early experience
On February 27, 1903, General Chen Geng was born in a white-walled and blue-brick house on the east side of the creek in Quanhu Village, Longdong Township, Xiangxiang City, Hunan Province.
Because Chen Geng's grandfather was a general of the Hunan Army, he was once the deputy general of Hualing, and he had good martial arts. Therefore, when he was young, Chen Geng was able to attend a private school in his village and learn martial arts from his grandfather.
It can be said that Chen Geng was already accomplished in both civil and military affairs when he was very young.
The Chen family in Quanhu Village was originally a poor family. After Chen Geng’s grandfather joined the Hunan Army and gradually became a general of the Hunan Army, the family situation gradually improved. By the time of Chen Geng’s father’s generation, although the family was not wealthy, they could still afford it. Well fed and warmly clothed.
In 1916, Chen Geng, who suffered from the customs of the old society and was still studying at Dongshan Higher Primary School in Xiangxiang County, was secretly engaged by his family. However, Chen Geng, who had great ambitions to serve the country, ran away from home in anger, abandoned his studies and joined the army.
In this way, Chen Geng, who was only 13 years old, first joined the Hunan Army of Lu Diping and became a soldier of the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Regiment.
From 1916 to 1920, in that war-torn era, in just a few years, Chen Geng participated in the crusade against Wu Peifu, the expulsion of Zhang Jingyao, Zhao Hengti, the "Dharma Protector" and the Battle of Hunan and Hubei. As a result, Chen Geng grew from an ordinary soldier to a sergeant.
In 1921, Chen Geng felt that the warlords had been fighting for years and working on their own affairs, which was obviously not in line with his original intention of serving the country, so he decisively left the army in Yueyang and came to Changsha.
In the early days, Chen Geng
was there. He used his spare time as a clerk in the Hunan Bureau of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway to attend cram schools and part-time middle schools to supplement cultural classes. At the same time, he actively participated in the "Youth Salvation Association" and engaged in anti-imperialist and patriotic activities. .
In 1922, by chance, Chen Geng entered the self-study university initiated by Mao Zedong. Through constant close contact, Chen Geng realized that only such a revolutionary group could save China. In December of the same year, he joined the Communist Party of China.
On February 7, 1923, Beiyang government Zhili warlord Wu Peifu caused inhumane bloodshed in order to suppress the strike of Beijing-Hankow Railway workers. Chen Geng and others were filled with indignation and took to the streets to demonstrate. On June 1, 1923, Chen Geng was entrusted by the organization to serve as an executive member of the "Hunan Diplomatic Support Association". He was injured in the anti-Japanese struggle.
In December 1923, Chen Geng was secretly admitted to the Guangzhou Army Jiangwu School. Forced by the situation at that time, he was able to enter the Jiangwu School in February of the following year.
In May 1924, after entering the Guangzhou Army Lecture School, Chen Geng showed his military talent for the first time. He was admitted to the Huangpu Military Academy with excellent results and became the first batch of cadets. After passing the assessment of the battle to pacify the merchant group, he was only It took 6 months to graduate successfully.
Later, during more than two years at Huangpu Military Academy, Chen Geng served as the company commander of the second-term students, and also led the Huangpu third-term students to participate in the battle to put down the rebellion of Yang (Xi Min) and Liu (Zhen Huan). .Later, Chen Geng led his troops to fight against the British invasion and marched eastwards to conquer Chen Jiongming . He went to Huangpu Phase 4 and served as the commander of the 7th Bike Company.
In May 1926, Chiang Kai-shek proposed the "Party Affairs Reorganization Plan" at the 2nd Plenary Session of the 2nd Central Committee of the Kuomintang, requiring all personnel in the Kuomintang to withdraw from the Communist Party. Chen Geng was firmly opposed. As Chiang Kai-shek approached step by step, Chen Geng, not to be outdone, disclosed his identity as a Communist and announced his withdrawal from the Kuomintang.
In July 1926, the Guangdong National Revolutionary Army began the Northern Expedition. Chen Geng took part in the Northern Expedition. In September of the same year, he was sent to the Soviet Union by our party to learn experience in fighting the enemy.
In February 1927, Chen Geng returned from the Soviet Union and served as the commander of the special agent battalion of the 2nd Front Army of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
Chiang Kai-shek always valued Chen Geng, his disciple, at first, and his status was no lower than Hu Zongnan. Especially after the Battle of Huayang, Chen Geng could freely enter and leave Chiang Kai-shek's office. Therefore, even though Chen Geng "committed" to quit the Kuomintang, Chiang Kai-shek still did not do anything to him. Even when Chen Geng was arrested by the Kuomintang later, he still tried his best to retain him.
So, why did Chiang Kai-shek, who had never been merciful to our party members, prefer Chen Geng?
From the previous content, it is not difficult to see that Chen Geng was the best military talent in Huangpu Phase I. He was deeply loved by Chiang Kai-shek, which is reasonable, but these were not enough to make Chiang Kai-shek take back his butcher knife. If it hadn't been for Chen Geng, who carried Chiang Kai-shek out of the dead in the Battle of Huayang, history would have been rewritten.
2. Making a joke about Chiang Kai-shek
In October 1925, with the end of the Battle of Huizhou, in order to wipe out Chen Jiongming who was entrenched in the upper reaches of the Dongjiang , Chiang Kai-shek decided to personally follow the Third Division in the second Eastern Expedition. On October 27, more than 3,000 people of the Third Division were besieged by Chen Jiongming's troops in Huayang Town. Less than two hours after the battle started, this direct line under Chiang Kai-shek suffered more than 1,000 casualties.
was defeated like a mountain. Facing the fierce general Lin Hu under Chen Jiongming, he led his troops to attack left and right. The third division completely collapsed and the soldiers quickly dispersed.
Seeing this tragic situation, Chiang Kai-shek shouted: "I must kill myself here, I have no face to see the Jiangdong elders!" After that, he committed suicide. Chen Geng on the side hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said to Chiang Kai-shek: "You are the commander-in-chief, and your actions will have an impact on the entire war. After all, this is a division, and it is not a unit trained by Huangpu. Get out of here quickly!" We can also reorganize the troops and fight back!
At this moment, seeing that Lin Hu's troops were about to rush forward, Chen Geng picked up Chiang Kai-shek and ran for several miles to the river and found it. A boat quickly reached the other side of the river, which enabled Chiang Kai-shek to turn the corner.
After the defeat of the Third Division, Chiang Kai-shek regrouped and organized the 1st, 3rd, and 11th Divisions to continue the counterattack, defeating more than 20,000 rebels. In the end, Dongjiang was pacified on November 7.
After the Battle of Huayang, Chiang Kai-shek was grateful. He not only cared about Chen Geng, but also often sent him gifts, and transferred Chen Geng to his side as a personal adviser.
Although later, Chen Geng became a staff officer. A revolutionary line that suits him best, but Chiang Kai-shek still does not forget his life-saving grace.
On March 24, 1933, Chen Geng was arrested by the Kuomintang while treating his leg injury in Shanghai. He was tortured and then sentenced to death.
When Chiang Kai-shek heard that the captured CCP hero was Chen Gengshi, he not only did not let his subordinates embarrass him, but instead treated him to delicious food and ordered Chen Geng to be sent to Nanchang. . Chiang Kai-shek decided to come forward in person and wanted to persuade Chen Geng to surrender.
The former guest had become a prisoner.
When the two met, Chiang Kai-shek glared at Chen Geng with an expression of hatred. A few minutes later, Chiang Kai-shek said in his Fenghua, Zhejiang, accent that often confused his subordinates: "Chen Geng, you have lost a lot of weight. "
Chen Geng sneered a few times and replied: "Slim my body and make the world fat. This is what you taught us, principal.I see that the principal has also lost a lot of weight, but as the leader of a party and a country, you have lost weight, but the world has lost weight even more. Why is this? "
Faced with the students' rhetorical questions, Chiang Kai-shek's face turned livid for a moment, and he was speechless for a moment. The atmosphere fell into a long embarrassment.
After a long while, Chiang Kai-shek slowly found the next step and said seriously: "Write a statement. If you admit your mistake, I will give you a good way out and forget about the past. "
Regarding this, Chen Geng said that he firmly disagreed.
Chiang Kai-shek became angry and no longer took into account the feelings of teachers and students, and began to abuse Chen Geng. At the critical moment, Soong Ching Ling came forward, and she mobilized the news media to expose Chiang Kai-shek's unbearable While organizing the rescue operation, Chiang Kai-shek finally released Chen Geng under Soong Ching Ling's heavy pressure. In October 1934, Chen Geng embarked on the 25,000-mile Long March with the Central Red Army. Premier Zhou's joke
During the Long March, Premier Zhou unfortunately contracted liver abscess and had a high fever. However, under the circumstances at that time, it was difficult to find a decent doctor, let alone surgical treatment. When the Prime Minister's life was at stake, Chen Geng had a sudden idea and decided to try a cooling method. At that moment, Chen Geng rode a fast horse and ran more than 60 kilometers to find some ice from the snowy mountains to treat Premier Zhou's illness. Premier Zhou was ill and could only lie on a stretcher, so Chen Geng volunteered to be the stretcher captain. Later, Premier Zhou's health improved and he repeatedly said that he could leave. Chen Geng couldn't help but force Premier Zhou onto the stretcher. Finally, he did not forget to joke with Premier Zhou: I am now the captain of the stretcher team, and everyone in the team must obey my command!
Premier Zhou smiled and said: "Chen Geng, you are not just a tiger general. You are still a blessed general. Anyone who works with you will have good luck. He saved Chiang Kai-shek on the Eastern Expedition, and now he has saved my life. "
Chen Geng scratched his head and said humorously: "If I had known that he became so bad later, I would not have saved him at that time. "
On March 16, 1961, General Chen Geng died of illness. At that time, Premier Zhou was far away in Guangzhou. After hearing the news, the Premier locked himself in the room for a long time. No one knew what he did. According to the memories of the accompanying staff, the room There were intermittent sobs.
As teachers and students, Premier Zhou and Chen Geng experienced the test of life and death during the war years, but instead established a profound revolutionary friendship, and the two became the closest friends.
IV. "Trapped" Boss Peng
After entering the Anti-Japanese War, Chen Geng served as the commander of the 386th Brigade of the 129th Division of the 18th Army. At that time, our army was basically self-sufficient, and Peng Dehuai, as the deputy general of the 18th Army. Commanding, it is inevitable to visit the troops below frequently.
Therefore, some military officers would make a fool of themselves and entertain the deputy commander-in-chief with big fish and meat. Peng Dehuai was very disgusted by the temper of his old superior. Knowing this well, how can he make Peng Dehuai eat better without getting angry?
Chen Geng already had an idea in his mind. He took the initiative and told Peng Dehuai that fish would be added to the work meal, but the fish would be from the river. It was caught without spending money, so Boss Peng reluctantly agreed.
When the fish was served, Boss Peng didn't say anything. When meatballs appeared, Peng Dehuai shouted: "Didn't you say there was only fish? Why are there meatballs?
Chen Geng smiled and explained: "These are fish meatballs. If you don't believe me, try it!" "
Mr. Peng took a bite and found that it was indeed fish and stopped talking.
Seeing that the old leader's anger had completely subsided, Chen Geng quickly winked at the person next to him, and a chicken appeared on the dinner table.
This is troublesome. When Peng Dehuai saw the chicken, he threw his chopsticks directly on the table and asked Chen Geng sharply: "Chen Geng! Is this chicken also made of fish?
Chen Geng quickly put away his smiling face, handed the chopsticks to the boss, and whispered: "The chickens are raised by themselves. They grew up eating fish in the river. In the final analysis, they are still fish."
Peng Dehuai laughed and scolded Chen Geng: "You have the most clever ideas!" "
5. Several humorous moments with Chairman
In 1943, as a key training target of our party, Chen Geng went to Yan'an Party School to study. One day, Chairman Mao was making a report to the cadres. Before the meeting was over, Chen Geng, who was naturally active, sat down Unable to hold on anymore, he first unbuttoned his coat, then scratched his head and looked around. After a while, Chen Geng couldn't hold it in any longer, and he walked quickly to Chairman Mao.
It turned out that General Chen Geng was too thirsty. He picked up the Chairman's water glass and drank heavily. After a few "gudong" and "gudong" sounds, Chairman Mao's water glass reached the bottom. Then, Chen Geng stood up straight, saluted Chairman Mao and said: " Report to the Chairman: It’s too hot and my throat is too dry. Please use the Chairman’s water to moisten my throat. "
As soon as Chen Geng's words came out of his mouth, everyone present finally couldn't help it and laughed all of a sudden. The originally serious atmosphere in the venue suddenly became lively. Chairman Mao was also made to laugh by Chen Geng.
In fact, this was the first time that Chen Geng was so eclectic in front of the chairman.
April 23, 1945, was the most important day in Yan'an . The Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China opened with thunderous applause. At the Seventh National Congress, the Party Central Committee decided to add some fresh blood as a reserve force, and Chen Geng was fortunate enough to be elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee.
After the Seventh National Congress, everyone decided to record this important historical moment with a camera, just before Chairman Mao. When he was about to take a group photo with the participating delegates, Chen Geng suddenly burst out from the crowd, patted Chairman Mao on the shoulder and asked with a smile: "Chairman, what is an alternate? Who will be my wife, Chen Geng? "
Everyone knows that Chen Geng is humorous, so someone even joked with him: "Putting Codonopsis pilosula in your butt - a candidate." "
As soon as these words came out, everyone was amused and laughed. Chen Geng couldn't resist it now. He kept blushing and dove into the crowd.
The general loved to "make trouble", but the chairman was not annoyed, which shows that the two of them How close is the relationship between people.
In March 1947, Chairman Mao decided to "overkill" and let Chen Geng lead the team to take charge of the security work of the Party Central Committee. However, Chen Geng could not be transferred so easily. Therefore, Chairman Mao set up a I was entertaining him at the banquet and wanted to take the opportunity to ask Chen Geng what he thought.
Wine is not a good thing sometimes. After three glasses of wine, anyone will become bolder. When Chen Geng learned that Chairman Mao wanted him to travel west Yellow River , when defending the Central Committee, Chen Geng, under the influence of alcohol, said directly with a blushing face:
"Chairman, you are overqualifying me for sending me to cross the Yellow River to the west. You should let me lead the four columns to cross the Yellow River south, on the enemy's chest." Insert a knife, but you transferred me here to defend Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia. It is really not wise enough. "
After hearing what Chen Geng said, Chairman Mao's expression suddenly changed. He stood up and slapped the table: "Well, Chen Geng, I know you once saved Chiang Kai-shek's life. You want to give me to the Party Central Committee and me. Chiang Kai-shek? You all want to fight on the outside, so who will protect the security of the Party Central Committee? Who will defend Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia? "
Chairman Mao rarely loses his temper. Who has seen this fight? Chen Geng was so frightened that his legs trembled.
Premier Zhou on the side saw this and hurriedly smoothed things over and signaled to Chen Geng: "You can tell me what you think. Well. "
So, Chen Geng stated one by one his idea of leading the team to insert troops behind the enemy's rear.
Afterwards, Chairman Mao and other leaders thought that Chen Geng's plan was feasible after research, so they decided to adopt it immediately.
Still in the cave dwellings of Yan'an Here, Chairman Mao invited Chen Geng to the table. After the two drank the wine in one gulp, they laughed in unison.
6. People who dare not joke
General Chen Geng has a close relationship with most leaders. Therefore, he He always looked cheerful and even joked, but he would restrain himself in front of one person.
This person was Deng Xiaoping, Chen Geng's former superior, who was serious in speech and quite dignified in the military.
At a cadre appointment and dismissal meeting, the headquarters of the 18th Army issued an order. Deng Xiaoping, then the political commissar of the 129th Division, talked to Chen Geng, hoping that he would serve as deputy division commander at the 129th General Headquarters.
Logically speaking, subordinates should obey orders from superiors. Where is there any room for negotiation?
However, Chen Geng did just that, directly offered to quit, and retorted: "Mr. Xu did a very good job, I also did a very good job with my 386 brigade, as deputy division commander, I say to you To be honest, I can’t lead the troops. It’s frustrating!”
Deng Xiaoping tried to persuade him again and again, but Chen Geng just didn’t listen.
"Chen Geng, are you disobeying the order? I will deal with you today!" Chen Geng, who always likes to joke, mistakenly thought that the political commissar was teasing him. It wasn't until the guard stood in front of him that Chen Geng realized that Deng Xiaoping was serious.
After experiencing the confinement, Chen Geng became "scared" in front of Deng Xiaoping and no longer smiled playfully. But the relationship between the two did not deteriorate because of this, and Chen Geng instead developed respect for this old superior. When Chen Geng got married, Deng Xiaoping gave him his own house as a wedding room.
Heaven is jealous of talents. Unfortunately, on March 16, 1961, general Chen Geng, who had accumulated many military exploits, passed away in Shanghai at the age of 58.
"History has its own life, it is like a person, easy-going and self-respecting."
However, if history really has life, then it will definitely be reluctant to let General Chen Geng leave prematurely.
