He was the longest-lived lieutenant general after the founding of New China. He lived to be 101 years old and raised three major general sons in his life, one general's son. Even his only daughter, under the influence of the general's father, married a general and became the general's wife, thus giving birth to a grand occasion of 6 generals, which was a spectacle. He was General Zhang Zhen.
Zhang Zhen became the leader of the Boys' Regiment at the age of 12. He officially joined the Communist Party of China at the age of 16 and became a member of the revolutionary ranks. From then on, he followed the troops to fight south and north. Because Zhang Zhen was brave in combat, was not afraid of encountering battles, and was always at the forefront of the battlefield. Therefore, in just one year, he was promoted to the position of communications director, instructor, etc.
1934, Zhang Zhen followed the army to Long March and served as the chief of staff. During the battle, Zhang Zhen predicted that the enemy was in a state of mind and charged forward, successfully covering the transfer of our army's high-level organs and large troops. He made outstanding achievements and made outstanding contributions. Therefore, after our army successfully arrived at Yan'an , he was recommended to study at the Military and Political University by senior leaders.
During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Zhang Zhen was ordered to be transferred to Shanxi and cooperated with the warlords Yan Xishan to organize the anti-Japanese war. In 1938, Zhang Zhen led his troops to Henan to establish guerrillas. In just two years, he achieved remarkable results, thus making great reputation. In 1940, Zhang Zhen led his troops to fight the enemy in Banqiao, killing more than 100 enemy troops in one battle and shooting down an aircraft. This is also the first time that our army has knocked down an enemy aircraft since the War of Resistance Against Japan and smashed the enemy's major sweeps many times.
In 1945, Zhang Zhen was ordered to send troops to Anhui and annihilate more than 1,900 enemy troops in Suxian. This battle not only successfully liberated more than 200,000 people, but also connected the eight counties in Huaibei region into one, laying a solid foundation for the victory of our army's war, and thus received a telephone commendation from superior leaders throughout the army.
During the War of Liberation, Zhang Zhen was promoted to deputy commander and chief of staff of the Corps for his merits. He made many contributions in the battle to liberate Anhui, Shandong, Henan and other places. He not only cut off the enemy's ties with Wei Guoqing in Menglianggu, but also assisted Su Yu's army in the eastern Henan battlefield and the Jinan battlefield to wipe out more than 190,000 enemy troops. This battle not only changed the situation in central China, but also brought the most serious blow to the enemy, laying a solid foundation for our army to cross the Yangtze River in 1949 and launching a final decisive battle with the enemy.
When the rank of the great honor in 1955, Zhang Zhen was awarded the rank of lieutenant general for his merits, becoming a founding hero of the Republic, serving in the General Staff Department and serving as the Minister of the Operations Department. In early 2015, General Zhang Zhen died of illness in Beijing at the age of 101, becoming the longest-lived founding lieutenant general since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
General Zhang Zhen had four sons and one daughter in his lifetime. Under the words and deeds of the old general, his children all entered the army to train and grow up. His eldest, second son and youngest son were all awarded the rank of major general by the state, while his third son Zhang Haiyang surpassed his father and was awarded the rank of general. His only daughter Zhang Yanyang also married Shou Xiaosong, a major general in our army, thus becoming a family of six generals, which is a legend.
