During the Anti-Japanese War, the domestic situation was grim. In order to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and let the people truly stand up, outstanding generals such as Liu Zhen and Han Xianchu joined the war and became the mainstay of the Northeast Field Army.
These generals are undoubtedly capable, and they have been tempered by several life-and-death battles. Despite such gorgeous experiences, they still cannot be worthy of being the first general of the Northeast Field Army. The first general is someone else.
This person was Li Tianyou. He had never participated in the Anti-Japanese War, nor had he become the commander of a large corps, but he could be called the first general of the Northeast Field Army.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Li Tianyou was unable to go to the front line due to injuries. After recovering from the Soviet Union, he was appointed as the commander of the first column. It can be seen that Li Tianyou did have great abilities and was able to gain such trust from the central government and place such a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Li Tianyou's ability far exceeded the position he held. The Siping Battle that broke out in 1947 demonstrated Li Tianyou's ability to reach the command corps level.
The battle at that time could be described as vigorous. At that time, Li Tianyou was only the commander of the first column, and the Northeast Field Army participating in the battle always dispatched four columns and several main divisions to fight against the enemy. Li Tianyou's army was one of the columns.
Li Tianyou was still the commander-in-chief of the four columns. If it were an ordinary army, Li Tianyou's ability would not be reflected. The commander of the seventh column participating in the war at that time was Deng Hua. Deng Hua was also the commander-in-chief of the 15th and 13th Corps later. It can be seen that Li Tianyou's combat command ability was recognized above Deng Hua.
In the battle of Siping, there was another ace main force that was the third column participating in the battle, and its commander was Han Xianchu, who was famous on the battlefield.
Han Xianchu later served as the deputy commander of the Volunteer Army . Four columns and 17 divisions participated in the battle, reaching the scale of a large corps combat, and also achieved a major victory.
It can be seen that Li Tianyou has already had the ability to command large corps in combat, but he just lacks the title of commander of a large corps.
The famous generals Liu Zhen and Li Tianyou have also been compared, but the answer is obvious. The Battle of Tianjin broke out, and Li Tianyou was responsible for attacking from west to east. In order not to give the enemy a chance to breathe, Li Tianyou served as the commander-in-chief of the first column and the second column. Under the command of Li Tianyou, the Tianjin Battle was victorious, and the commander of the second column was Liu Zhen. From this point of view, it is clear who has the stronger command and combat ability.
The first column and the second column commanded by Li Tianyou in the Tianjin Campaign were later adapted and became the two ace armies of the revolutionary army, namely the 38th Army and the 39th Army. It can be seen that in terms of leadership and combat capabilities, Li Tianyou was worthy of being the first general in the Northeast. Unfortunately, because of jealousy of talent, Li Tianyou died young and could not leave more popular revolutionary stories in history.
In fact, Liu Zhen, Han Xianchu, Deng Hua and Li Tianyou are not stronger or weaker. We do not deny Li Tianyou's excellent combat command ability, nor do we deny the achievements of Liu Zhen, Han Xianchu and other famous generals.
In our hearts, who is the first is a meaningless comparison. They are all warriors for the great rejuvenation of the nation, and they all deserve people's respect. They have left a bright mark in the history of the nation.
