"No army without Hunan" is a saying passed down in modern China. This statement originated from Hunan Army established by Zeng Guofan . However, looking at the development history of the People's Army led by the Communist Party of China, it is not difficult to find that there are many senior generals of our army, including Hunan. For example, when the military rank system was first implemented in the New China, there were 3 of the ten marshals from Hunan, 6 of the ten generals from Hunan, and 9 of the top 20 senior generals in the Republic's general list, accounting for half of them. It can be said that "the People's Liberation Army cannot be formed without Hunan." This is a unique regional cultural phenomenon in the history of our army.
So, how to understand the reason for this phenomenon?
Ten marshals and top ten generals have nine Hunanese
Historical origins: There was a saying in the history of the late Qing Dynasty that "Zhongxing generals and ministers Shi Jiuhuxiang"
In modern Chinese history, Zeng Guofan, the minister of Zhongxing in the Qing Dynasty, was ordered to help organize Hunan's regiments in the second year of Xianfeng (1852), to eliminate the old bad habits of the Eight Banners and Green Camps in the Qing Dynasty, imitate the camp system of Qi Jiguang in the Ming Dynasty, recruit villagers, and compile them into a new type of local armed forces. By early 1854, 6,500 troops from the 13th Battalion of the Army and 5,000 troops from the 10th Battalion of the Navy were trained, plus soldiers, military craftsmen, etc., a total of 17,000 people were trained, known as " Xiangyong " or "Xiang Army". This unique system of scholar Jia Shannong, soldiers follow the generals, and soldiers become generals. It has changed the military principle of "the soldiers are in constant command, and the soldiers are in constant command" since the Northern Song Dynasty, forming local armed forces. The Hunan Army was hard-working and brave, and good at fighting. From then on, the Hunan Army replaced the Green Camp and became the main force of the Qing army. After continuous expansion, by 1859, the Hunan Army Group had a force of about 140,000, and at its peak, it reached more than 500,000. Later, the backbone of the war generals in the army were the children of the three Hunan people, so the folk proverb that "no Hunan can form an army."
Hunan Army compiled by Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan lived in an era when the Qing Dynasty turned from the prosperous Qianlong and Jiaqing era to decline and decline, and internal and external troubles followed one after another. Due to the efforts of Zeng Guofan and others, the situation of " Tongzhi Zhongxing " appeared. Four Hunanese Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Hu Linyi and Peng Yulin, also known as the "Four Famous Ministers of the Restoration", had a remarkable impact in various aspects such as politics, military, culture, and economy. "Zhongxing Generals and Prime Ministers, Shijiu Huxiang" means that there are nine Hunanese in the ten generals and prime ministers. This is of course an exaggeration, but it is an indisputable fact that the Hunan Army generals and their aides became the protagonists of the Chinese political and military stage at that time. There were 15 people in the entire Hunan Army system who served as governor and 14 people who served as governor.
The outstanding role of Hunan people in Chinese history began with the Hunan Army; the prosperity of Hunan talents also began with the Hunan Army; the later Westernization Movement was also mainly initiated by figures from Hunan Army. This can be said to be the historical origin of the later formation of the phenomenon of "no Hunan can become the People's Liberation Army".
Cultural personality: Hunanese people are "resolute in nature" and "dare to be responsible" (Cai Yuanpei's words)
"Sanxiang has been talented since ancient times". Since Zeng Guofan founded the Hunan Army, there has been a situation of talent surge in Hunan. Since then, from the Tongzhi Zhongxing and Westernization Movement to the Reform Movement; from the founding of the Xingzhonghui and Tongmenghui Revolutionary Party, to the Xinhai Revolution and the National Protection Movement, a group of Hunan patriots took turns to the historical stage and charged forward.
The Reform Movement in the late Qing Dynasty, Hunan was the most popular province. Hunan patriots who are the most determined and sacrificed to save the country. "I smiled at the sky with my sword, and I will stay with my liver and gallbladder" - Tan Sitong , Tang Caichang , Shen Xi , Lin Gui and others all sacrificed heroically to save the country and strive for strength.
The Revolution of 1911 was also the Hunanese who charged ahead. Tongmenghui founding 79 veterans, 20 from Hunan, accounting for 1/4 of them. Among them, Huang Xing, Song Jiaoren and Chen Tianhua are the main generals.
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The main general of the Revolution of 1911 Huang Xing
The national protection movement was initiated by Hunanese again. Cai E, , Cheng Qian and others held high the anti-imperialist flag and sent a telegram to fight against Yuan, and responded nationwide.
Main commander of the National Protection Movement Cai E
Among the 13 representatives of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China, there are 4 people from Hunan (Mao Zedong, He Shuheng, Li Da, Zhou Fohai ).Among the 53 early party members in the country they represent, there are more than 20 from Hunan.
During the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, a large number of young people with aspirations in Hunan rushed to participate in the Whampoa Military Academy. There were 7,399 students in the 1st to 5th phases of the Whampoa Military Academy, of which 2,189 were young people in Hunan, accounting for 30%, ranking first in the country. Many children from Sanxiang later became famous generals of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, such as Huang Gongluo, Zeng Zhongsheng , Duan Dechang , Liu Chouxi , Zuo Quan, Chen Geng, Xu Guangda, Xiao Ke, Song Shilun , Tao Zhu, etc.; in the Kuomintang, there were Song Xilian , Zheng Dongguo, Li Mo'an , Chen Mingren , Huang Jie, Liu Kan , Xia Chuzhong , Li Wen , He Zhonghan , Liao Yaoxiang, Hu Changqing, etc. The first five Hunan students from Huangpu have produced more than 200 generals and nearly 60 of them are lieutenant generals or above.
Whampoa Military Academy
For more than a hundred years in modern China, it can be said to be "Hunan talent half-national middle school". Hunan is a province with many celebrities since the mid-19th century in China, especially with many talents in politics and military, ranking first in the country. Based on " Cihai ", among modern Chinese politicians: 44 from Hunan, ranking first in the country; Guangdong, 38 people; Zhejiang, 22 people. Among modern Chinese politicians: Hunan has 63 people, still ranked first; Guangdong has 44 people; and Sichuan has 40 people. It is no wonder that there was a saying during the Republic of China: "China will be German , and Hunan should be Prussian " ( Yangdu ).
When commenting on Hunan patriots, Sun Yat-sen said: "The revolutionary army uses one person to fight a hundred people. A war like this is a very war and cannot be often theoretical. Things like this cannot be often theoretical were done by Hunan people." Cai Yuanpei once wrote in the article "On the Talents of Hunan", "Hunan people are resolute in nature, and they are very fierce in conservativeness, and they are also urgent in the new. Hunan people dare to be responsible."
How many revolutionary martyrs in Hunan are
"It doesn't matter if you behead your head, as long as you are true. Kill Xia Minghan, there are still people who will come later!" This poem of justice for Hunan martyr Xia Minghan, which is a magnificent poem about the mountains and rivers represents the revolutionary spirit of Hunan people who are willing to die, rather than bend, "I would rather sacrifice myself and dare to take down the emperor." During the New Democratic Revolution period, many Hunan martyrs sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Party and the people - Cai Hesen, He Shuheng, Luo Yinong, Xiang Jingyu, Guo Liang , Chen Jue... familiar names; Mao Zedong's wife Yang Kaihui, Liu Shaoqi's wife He Baozhen, and Zhu De's wife Wu Ruolan were also Hunan martyrs.
More than 100,000 revolutionary martyrs registered in Hunan Province. According to rough statistics, senior commanders from Hunan who died only during the Agrarian Revolutionary War who served as military or above are: Huang Gongluo ( Red Sixth Army Commander ), Duan Dechang (Red Sixth Army Commander), Li Tianzhu (Acting Commander of the Red Eighth Army), Deng Yigang (Red Ninth Army Commander), Wu Zhonghao (Red Twelve Army Commander), He Kun (Red Fourteenth Army Commander), Cai Shenxi (Red 15th Army Commander), Hu Shaohai (Red Twenty-one Army Commander), Liu Shiqi (Red Twenty-seventh Army Commander), Xun Huaizhou (Red Seventh Army Commander), Liu Choixi (Red Tenth Army Commander), Li Cifan (Jiangxi Military Region Commander), Mao Zetan (Fujian Military Region Commander), Fujian Military Region Commander, Fujian Military Region Commander), Xun Huaizhou (Red Seventh Army Commander), Liu Choixi (Red Tenth Army Commander), Li Cifan (Jiangxi Military Region Commander), and Mao Zetan (Fujian Military Region Commander), Order), Deng Zhongxia (Political Commissar of the Red Second Army), Xia Xi (Political Commissar of the Red Third Army), Cai Huiwen (Political Commissar of the Red Third Army), Zeng Zhongsheng (Political Commissar of the Red Fourth Army), Liu Zhixun (Political Commissar of the Red Sixth Army), Deng Qianyuan (Political Commissar of the Red Eighth Army), Chen Qi (Political Commissar of the Red 15th Army), Yu Zhaolong (Political Commissar of the Red Sixth Army), Xu Hong (Political Commissar of the Red 18th Army), Chen Dongri (Political Commissar of the Red 20th Army), Zeng Risan (Political Commissar of the Red Ninth Army), and the famous female general Hu Yun, female guerrilla captain, He Ying, and others.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, there were more than 30 senior Hunan generals (both sides of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party) who sacrificed their lives for the country, such as the famous Zuo Quan (Deputy Chief of Staff of the Eighth Route Army), Yuan Guoping (Director of the Political Department of the New Fourth Army), etc.
Eighth Route Army Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo Quan
Proportion of Hunan generals in the People's Liberation Army
In the history of the development of the People's Army led by our party, a large number of Hunan revolutionaries, politicians, and military strategists have emerged. They have taken Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Ren Bishi, Peng Dehuai, He Long, Luo Ronghuan, Lin Boqu, Li Lisan, Li Fuchun, Tao Zhu, etc. as their main representatives, and have played a pivotal role in the history of the Party and military history and made indelible contributions. Especially in the People's Army, Hunan generals account for a large proportion.
Peng Dehuai (center), Chen Geng (left), and Deng Hua took a photo on the Korean battlefield.
In addition, during the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation, there were 5 people in total and 3 people from Hunan (Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Peng Dehuai); In the early days of the founding of New China, there were 6 people in total and 4 people from Hunan (Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Peng Dehuai, Cheng Qian).
1952, some members of the People's Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People's Government took a photo at Yiniantang, Zhongnanhai.
Four famous uprisings in Hunan and Hunan generals
Speaking of the founding generals from Hunan, we must mention the four armed uprisings in Hunan during the Agrarian Revolution. The reason why Hunan military figures have many dramatic stories in the People's Army led by the Communist Party of China can be simply attributed to three points: First, the influence of the revolutionary spirit that Hunanese dares to be the first in the world and the cultural character of bleeding and not crying in modern times. The second is the influence of progressive ideas. During the Great Revolution, the workers' and peasants' movement in Hunan was very active and was one of the most vibrant provinces in the country at that time. The spread of Marxism-Leninism laid the ideological foundation for many Hunan generals. The third is the influence of the four famous uprisings in Hunan (also known as "riots".
Autumn Harvest Uprising: Autumn Harvest Uprising on the border of Hunan and Jiangxi . On September 9, 1927, a famous armed uprising was held by Mao Zedong in eastern Hunan and western Jiangxi. The rebel troops adapted through Sanwan, arrived at the Jinggangshan area, and established the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base. The founding generals from Hunan who participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising include 1 marshal, 1 general, 2 generals, 7 lieutenant generals, and 5 major generals. There are also senior generals such as He Changgong and Yang Lisan who have not been awarded the title.
Some comrades who participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising took a photo in Yan'an in 1937
South Hunan Uprising: In January 1928, Zhu De and Chen Yi led more than 2,000 remaining troops of the Nanchang Uprising Army to launch a large-scale armed uprising in the southern Hunan region. The rebel army was renamed "The First Division of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army", with Zhu De as the division commander, Chen Yi as the party representative, and Wang Erzhuo as the chief of staff. Among the founding generals from Hunan who participated in the Hunan uprising, there were 2 generals, 4 generals, 8 lieutenant generals, and 5 major generals.
Sangzhi Uprising: On April 2, 1928, the Sangzhi Uprising led by He Long, Zhou Yiqun, He Jinzhai and others was officially launched. The Workers and Peasants Revolutionary Army annihilated the defense armed forces of the city guarding regiments in one fell swoop, seized the county town, and then established the Sangzhi County Revolutionary Committee. In June, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army grew to more than 1,500 people and began the struggle to create a revolutionary base in Hunan and Hubei border. There were more than 10 founding generals from Hunan who participated in the Sangzhi Uprising, including 1 marshal, 1 general, 6 lieutenant general and 6 major generals.
Pingjiang Uprising: Including "March City" and "July Uprising". On March 16, 1928, the Pingjiang County Committee of the Communist Party of China organized the famous "March City", and nearly 200,000 farmers surrounded and attacked Pingjiang County. In late July, leaders such as Peng Dehuai, Teng Daiyuan, Huang Gongluo, and Deng Ping launched the famous Pingjiang Uprising, occupied Pingjiang County, and established the Red Fifth Army. Peng Dehuai was the commander of the army, Teng Daiyuan was the representative of the party, and Deng Ping was the chief of staff. There were more than 50 founding generals from Hunan who participated in the Pingjiang Uprising, including 1 marshal, 1 general, 6 generals, 10 lieutenant generals, and more than 30 major generals.
Pingjiang Uprising Memorial Hall
It can be said that these four uprisings are an important practical basis for nurturing Hunan revolutionary generals in the People's Army. Many farmers, workers, soldiers and students in Hunan have embarked on the road of revolution, through life and death, through many battles, and have grown into senior generals. More than half of the senior Hunan generals came out of these four uprisings. Among the 36 Chinese People's Liberation Army military strategists, 12 people participated in the four uprisings in Hunan. "Politics come out of the gun", the four famous uprisings in Hunan laid the foundation for our party to take the path of "surrounding the cities in the countryside and seizing power with armed forces", and also provided a stage for many Hunan-born revolutionary generals to show their military talents!
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