In 1954, Chen Xilian visited the old commander Liu Shuai. Liu Shuai said to him: You are still young and you should go to the Military Academy to study. It will be beneficial! In 1950, Chen Xilian was transferred to the Artillery Headquarters. For him, although he was in the war

In 1954, Chen Xilian visited the old leader Liu Shuai. Liu Shuai said to him: You are still young and should go to the Military Academy to study. It will be beneficial! For Chen Xilian, he is very eager to have an opportunity to learn systematically.

In 1950, Chen Xilian was transferred to the Artillery Headquarters. Although he had experienced the hardships of artillery during the war years, he also experienced the benefits of having artillery. Artillery played a decisive role in urban assaults during the war years. Although I have been exposed to artillery units in combat, they are mainly based on coordinated infantry and artillery operations. To truly lead an artillery unit, one has no experience and lacks confidence. Leaders Liu and Deng: The revolution needs it, but you can’t learn it if you don’t know it.

Artillery development has developed rapidly after the founding of New China. As of 1953, the army's reserve artillery and corps and division artillery, plus agencies and schools, totaled more than 300,000 people, more than three times the number in 1950.

Artillery is a combat arm and a technical arm. The growth wisdom of most cadres depends on being born and raised in the army and tempered by practice. It is rare to have the opportunity to receive systematic training. The Artillery Command has established a number of artillery schools to train and develop talents.

Amid the craze to improve the level of the artillery force, Chen Xilian also deeply felt that to lead a technical force, he needed to improve his own cultural knowledge first. Chen Xilian went to visit Liu Shuai who came to Beijing. The old leader asked him to go to the Military Academy to study and successfully entered the War Department of the Military Academy.

For Chen Xilian, when he was seven or eight years old, he went to school and worked as a long-term laborer for the landlord's family as a herder. At the age of 14, he actively participated in the revolution during the wave of the Great Revolution. There is a lot of lack of cultural courses. Even during the war, I studied a little bit and it was not systematic.

Before going to the Department of War for this reason, he took cultural courses at the Political College for one year to catch up on his work, otherwise he would not be able to understand a lot of theoretical knowledge. In May 1955, he went to Nanjing to study in the Department of War.

In fact, the War Department opened in the autumn of 1954. After students entered, they also needed to take remedial cultural courses. After more than half a year of preparatory courses, they transferred to undergraduate studies. I met many old comrades here, all cadres above the military level.

Everyone is studying very hard. They study as if they were focused on fighting. They concentrate on combining their own experience and carefully sum up their combat experience. After more than two years of study, the students have greatly improved in all aspects.

In 1956, Chen Xilian was commended by the college for his excellent academic performance and was awarded the second prize. The old chief also personally awarded him a pen engraved with his signature.

In 1957, he returned to work in his original unit after graduation.