The 19-year-old once criticized the military commander in public for his wrong command. After speaking, he was not punished and was promoted three levels in a row. Since then, he has risen rapidly, and at the age of 40, he became the youngest founding general of our country.
Who is he? Why did the criticized military commander promote him three levels in a row? How did he become our country's youngest general? In this issue, Chi Qi tells everyone the legendary life of this founding general.
In October 1931, the 25th Red Army was established in Jinzhai, Anhui. This newly born army quickly attracted the attention of the outside world: it is composed of the families of the Red Army soldiers and the children of martyrs. In addition to the commanders and fighters, the average soldiers are basically between 13 and 18 years old. It is a veritable "army" Boy Scouts”.
At first Chiang Kai-shek did not take this "boy scouts" seriously. In his opinion, this was a group of child soldiers with weak combat effectiveness and was not worth mentioning at all.
Who would have thought that although the officers and soldiers of the 25th Red Army are generally younger, they have inherited the "ruthless, hard, fast and fierce" fighting style of the Red Fourth Front Army. They are all brave and fearless, and have a mentality of risking life and death. It is worse than many adult soldiers.
In addition, the commander-in-chief at that time was General Xu Haidong, who enjoyed the reputation of "Tiger Xu". During the Long March, he frightened the enemy with his excellent ability in arranging troops. Even his old rivals Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng and others highly recognized his commanding ability.
Xu Haidong knows very well that the age of the officers and men of the 25th Red Army is a double-edged sword - although they lack strength, they are better than being young and learning quickly.
So he made full use of his strengths and avoided weaknesses, and ordered to strengthen the political work and military training of the entire army. Huangtian paid off. As time went by, this too-young army finally achieved a powerful combination of political work and training and became a strong team.
Not only that, Xu Haidong also displayed his excellent leadership skills during the long "counter-encirclement and suppression" process. He turned the tide several times and led the 25th Red Army to break out of the encirclement and suppression by the Kuomintang army, turn danger into safety, and in succession A large amount of military equipment of the national army was seized in the victory of the battle, which quickly improved the combat capabilities of the 25th Red Army.
Among the Red Army at that time, only the 25th Red Army had a firepower density comparable to that of the Kuomintang’s Central Army. It was also the only unit whose number increased after the Long March, from more than 2,900 to more than 3,400.
After the founding of New China, a total of 97 founding generals who were awarded the rank of generals came from the 25th Red Army. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call it a heroic army with many generals.
Seeing the 25th Red Army rising in fame and growing stronger, Chiang Kai-shek could no longer sit still. So in 1934, Chiang Kai-shek appointed Zhang Xueliang as the commander-in-chief of the "communist suppression" campaign in the three provinces of Hubei, Henan, and Anhui. His first task was to wipe out the boy scouts.
At that time, Zhang Xueliang, who had just equipped his troops with German-style weapons, was very proud. In his inauguration declaration, he wildly stated that he would annihilate the 25th Red Army within three months.
Subsequently, Zhang Xueliang led more than 70 regiments of the Northeast Army, using the combat policy of "fighting steadily and pressing forward step by step" to approach the Dabie Mountains where Xu Hai was stationed in the east.
At that time, the main force of the Fourth Red Army had already begun the Long March, and only the 25th Red Army was left isolated and helpless in the entire Dabie Mountains. Therefore, facing the pressure of the national army, they were in a worrying situation.
But even in desperate situation, Xu Haidong, commander of the 25th Red Army, did not lose heart. On the contrary, he chose to take the initiative. On May 6, 1934, Xu Haidong led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Luotian County in western Anhui Province, catching the laxly defended Northeast Army by surprise and fleeing.
Seeing this, the 25th Red Army's confidence doubled. With an irresistible thunderous momentum, they captured the Luotian county in one fell swoop, annihilating a large number of enemy troops and at the same time seizing a considerable amount of guns and ammunition.
This was the most beautiful battle fought by the 25th Red Army in two years, so the whole army was jubilant. Army Commander Xu Haidong was also extremely happy, so a celebration meeting was held that day to boost morale.
At the celebration party, everyone praised General Xu Haidong for his proper command and efficient governance, and for his indispensable contribution to this completely victorious battle.
However, just as Xu Haidong was giving an impassioned post-war summary, an inconspicuous soldier suddenly stood up and interrupted him: "Commander, I don't think this battle is a complete victory. There are many mistakes in your command. !"
As soon as these words came out, the hall fell into silence. Everyone was shocked by this soldier - how dare he contradict and provoke General Xu Haidong, who had great military achievements?
Everyone glared at this soldier who dared to challenge the army commander. At the same time, they were also curious, how would the army commander deal with him?
On May 6, 1934, Xu Haidong, commander of the 25th Red Army, was holding a celebration meeting to celebrate the victory in the battle of Luotian City. Just as he was giving an impassioned post-war summary, a soldier suddenly stood up and interrupted him, claiming that there was something wrong with his command.
The soldier calls himself Liu Zhen and is a soldier of the Pistol Regiment. He was born in a rural village in Xiaogan County, Hubei Province in 1915. His parents were farmers and his family was very poor. Therefore, Liu Zhen has been obedient and sensible since he was a child, and he is what the villagers call "other people's children."
When he grew up, Liu Zhen, like countless patriotic young people, determined to serve the motherland, so at the age of only 16, he gave up his pen and joined the army and joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. The following year, he joined the Communist Party of China and became a member of the 25th Red Army that stayed in the Hubei, Henan, and Anhui base areas.
In the next two years of counter-encirclement and suppression operations, Liu Zhen charged into battle and fought bravely, without showing any timidity because of his young age.
In addition to his bravery in combat, Liu Zhen also relied on his lively and cheerful personality and helpful virtues to get along with his comrades, and he had an excellent reputation in the military. Therefore, everyone could not believe his behavior of "challenging" the military commander at this time, and at the same time, they were secretly worried about him.
Army commander Xu Haidong was stunned for a moment and felt strange about this 19-year-old soldier, so he asked with great interest: "What do you think is wrong with my command?"
Liu Zhen saw Xu Haidong He had a kind face, and he heard that the latter always liked to listen to opinions from all sides, so he plucked up the courage to say: "I think there are three problems with your command this time. The first is that when our army attacked, the fire cover was not well coordinated. As a result, the cover effect of our army was greatly reduced;
Secondly, during the retreat, our army was not deployed rigorously, which caused the formation to be scattered and caused additional casualties; finally, our pistol regiment entered the city and seized more than 7,000 silver dollars , It seems that the results are fruitful, but if we can enter the city half an hour earlier, we will certainly be able to seize more, so I think the timing of our transportation of silver coins is wrong."
As soon as Liu Zhen finished speaking, Xu Haidong took the lead in applauding. Others also recovered from the shock and clapped in agreement.
Xu Haidong smiled and stared at this young but resolute face, and was filled with admiration in his heart - he did not expect that Liu Zhen, at such a young age, could have such insight into the overall situation, and all the three points he proposed hit the point. , is simply a natural talent.
Xu Haidong, who cherished his talent, decided to train him well, so soon after, he appointed Liu Zhen as the instructor of the 1st Battalion and 1st Company of the 224th Regiment.
Seeing this, the whole army was in an uproar. This was a three-level upgrade in a row! But they were surprised, and no one was dissatisfied - they were impressed by Liu Zhen's insights and courage to question his superiors that day, and at the same time they admired Commander Xu Haidong's knowledge and good use of people.
Liu Zhen, who was promoted exceptionally, did not disappoint Xu Haidong's expectations. He began to exert his military capabilities and tactical vision.
On November 16, 1934, the 25th Red Army of nearly 3,000 people began the Long March in accordance with the orders of the Central Committee.When they arrived at Dushu Town, Nancheng County, Henan Province, they were ambushed by the Kuomintang's "Pursuit and Suppression Team".
At that time, it was windy and snowy, and the visibility was extremely low. In the haste, the fingers of our soldiers were frozen and they could not pull the gun bolt at all, so they were forced to retreat. The enemy took advantage of this to attack fiercely and adopted the tactic of encirclement on two wings in an attempt to encircle and annihilate our army. For a time, our army was in a precarious situation.
At the critical moment of life and death, Army Commander Xu Haidong made a prompt decision and ordered Liu Zhenhe, the commander of the first company, to lead all the soldiers of the first company to hold back the enemy's firepower and cover the large forces to break out.
Liu Zhen, who was ordered to do so in critical situation, took the lead and killed the enemy heroically. He used his own flesh and blood to build an unbreakable barrier between the enemy army and our large army.
Later, the company commander died in battle, leaving the entire company without a leader. Under such panic, Liu Zhen took over the banner of leadership and continued to lead his troops to fight against the enemy.
The soldiers were infected by his enthusiasm for leading the way, and they all got out of their decadent and depressed state. They charged into battle with him and repelled five enemy attacks in succession.
In the end, the first company completed its mission of covering the large force at the cost of sacrificing half of the company, and successfully broke through in the end and achieved rendezvous with the large force.
After that, the 25th Red Army fought and marched. With the full cooperation of Liu Zhen and others who were just showing their talents, Army Commander Xu Haidong was even more powerful and won many battles. Finally, ten months later, they arrived at Yongping Town, Yan'an County, northern Shaanxi, and won. The Long March was completed.
organized rewards after the event and awarded many revolutionary fighters, including Liu Zhen. In view of his outstanding performance in several battles, the organization appointed him as the political commissar of the 225th Regiment, and in June of the following year, he was promoted to the political commissar of the 75th Division.
At this time, Liu Zhen was only 21 years old, but he was in a high position, and he was like a young and promising heroic boy. But his achievements went far beyond that.
Liu Zhen never thought that he would become a division political commissar at the age of 21, but this was far from his peak...
In September 1946, with his outstanding military command skills and his courage to fight tough battles Liu Zhen, who has a strict style of work, was appointed by our party as the commander of the second column of the Northeast Democratic Alliance Army. He has jurisdiction over the fourth, fifth, and sixth divisions and the artillery regiment, with more than 13,000 people in the entire column.
The newly established Second Column soon ushered in the Third Battle of Jiangnan the following year. In a series of battles such as Kaoshantun and Xinliyao, Liu Zhen led the second column to win consecutive battles. He gained a reputation in the Northeast battlefield and became an unparalleled "victorious division" in our army. Liu Zhen's reputation also made Liu Zhen famous. The enemy was frightened by the news.
In addition, Liu Zhen's tactical thoughts have gradually developed and matured, and because of their excellent results, they have become a model for our army to learn from - such as concentrating superior forces and surrounding the enemy on all sides; interspersing and dividing, encircling in roundabouts, Annihilate each one; concentrate on using artillery fire, give full play to the synergy between infantry and artillery, etc.
Among them, Liu Zhen is especially good at using cannons. With the accumulation of experience, he gradually realized the joint operations of infantry, artillery and tanks , and exerted this huge advantage on the battlefield.
However, the formation of this advantage is not easy. As early as the Red Army era, Liu Zhen realized the importance of using artillery. But at that time, our army was short of guns and ammunition, and had almost no cannons, so it lacked the knowledge to use cannons. Therefore, when faced with the cannons captured from the national army, our army could only bury them on the spot.
Liu Zhen saw this and felt pain in his heart, so he decided to teach himself how to use artillery to help our army's combat capabilities to a higher level.
Although Liu Zhen did not read much, his understanding and hands-on ability were extremely strong. With only an artillery textbook discarded by the national army, he slowly learned how to use cannons and became an extremely rare artillery expert in our army. .
Not only that, the unit he led also became the first ace unit in the people's army to use separate artillery to fire all the time and extend the artillery fire to cover the infantry.
Later, he taught himself how to use tanks, and in the Liaoshen Battle, he perfectly realized the alternate cover and cooperation of tanks and artillery , causing heavy casualties to the national army and laying the foundation for the future Liaoshen Battle victory. foundation. And all of this is inseparable from Liu Zhen's foresight.
In June 1950, the Korean War broke out. At the request of the North Korean government, our party made the decision to "resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea" and appointed Liu Zhen as the commander of the Korean Volunteer Air Force, who immediately entered North Korea to command operations.
At that time, the Chinese Air Force had just been established, with less than 200 fighter aircraft, and the pilots had no combat experience at all; while most of the U.S. Air Force had participated in World War II and had rich air combat experience. Comparing the two, The gap between the enemy and ourselves is as vast as clouds of mud.
Liu Zhen was not discouraged. He listened to lectures, discussed, and commanded exercises with the Soviet Air Force advisors day and night. While supplementing a large amount of air combat knowledge, he also incorporated his previous combat experience and perfectly realized the integration of theory and practice. .
Under his careful training, the Chinese Air Force has made rapid progress, which was praised by Soviet Air Force advisors as "a miracle of reaching the sky in one step."
On September 25, 1951, Liu Zhen commanded the Fourth Air Division and fought fiercely with the US military for three days. In these three days, our army shot down 26 US aircraft and damaged 8. At the same time, we completed the "first kill" of the most advanced US fighter aircraft at the time, the F-86.
Three months later, our army, which was making rapid progress, once again exchanged fire with the US military. Our army, blessed by the experience of the last air combat, shot down 9 F-86 fighters in one fell swoop, and even shot down an American ace pilot who had participated in World War II and had flown as many as 266 times without losing a shot. This greatly encouraged me. Military morale.
Not only that, throughout the Korean War, Liu Zhen led the Chinese Air Force to achieve great results. In the end, he shot down 123 enemy aircraft and damaged 41 enemy aircraft at the cost of losing 84 aircraft and damaging 28 aircraft. His remarkable achievements shocked the world.
After learning this data, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force repeatedly exclaimed: "China has become one of the world's air force powers overnight!"
After the Korean War, Liu Zhen led his troops to return in triumph. In 1955, our party awarded him the rank of general in recognition of his immortal contributions. At only 40 years old, he became the youngest among the 57 generals at that time.
Although General Liu Zhen has left us now, his revolutionary spirit will remain immortal. He spent his life in the army and his life was glorious.
