During the Kuomintang-Communist Civil War, the Kuomintang army suffered repeated crushing defeats, resulting in the capture of many Kuomintang generals. Among them, some generals had contradictions with Chiang Kai-shek**, coupled with the change in the war situation, their dissatisfaction with Chiang Kai-shek deepened, so they chose to betray. These renegade generals were highly valued and were placed in important positions after the founding of New China. For example, senior generals Chen Mingren and Dong Qiwu have been arranged accordingly. But there is one person whose situation is particularly special, that is, the former king of North China, Fu Zuoyi.
Although he experienced a life of war, he was appointed Minister of Water Resources after the founding of the People's Republic of China. On January 15, 1949, the People's Liberation Army captured Tianjin in just one day, and the Kuomintang troops stationed there, including General Chen Changjie, were routed on all fronts. Fu Zuoyi, who was in Peking at the time, fell into an extreme panic when he learned the news. The defenders of Tianjin were the last gamble for him, and he originally thought that with the strength of Tianjin, Chen Changjie could hold on for at least a while.
However, in the face of a powerful PLA, no matter how tight the defense is, it seems to be useless. Fu Zuoyi had to seriously think about his future. The previous negotiations with the CCP did not go well, and Fu Zuoyi was not willing to completely lose everything after the liberation. Since the negotiations have not made progress and the war can only continue, Fu Zuoyi once hoped to use his territory and army as bargaining chips for negotiations. However, the defeat in Tianjin made him realize that if the conditions were not accepted, the PLA could easily destroy everything.
In the end, with the help of various democrats, Fu Zuoyi agreed to the uprising. On January 22, the troops under Fu Zuoyi's control gradually withdrew from the city, and a few days later, a grand ceremony was held in Beiping, and the People's Liberation Army officially took over the city. After the liberation of Beiping, Fu Zuoyi was faced with a new choice in life. **Although respecting Fu Zuoyi's personal opinion, he is inclined to let him stay in the army. However, Fu Zuoyi himself put forward a different idea, and he expressed to the chairman and others that he hoped to engage in water conservancy projects.
Out of consideration for his personal opinion, ** finally decided to appoint Fu Zuoyi as the Minister of Water Resources after the founding of the People's Republic of China. This decision came as a surprise to many, even Fu Zuoyi himself. Initially, Fu Zuoyi planned to go to Hetao and other places to engage in water conservancy projects, but the organizational arrangements he received were very limited. ** After learning of this, he was very dissatisfied and emphasized the contribution made by Fu Zuoyi to the peaceful liberation of Beiping by leading his troops to revolt. ** It is believed that it is obviously inappropriate to arrange a meritorious person like Fu Zuoyi to engage in some low-level positions.
In the end, under the recommendation of ***, Fu Zuoyi became the Minister of Water Resources. Fu Zuoyi, as one of the longest-serving ministers of water resources after the founding of the People's Republic of China, was clearly arranged by the first to become a stable minister. Many military generals who rebelled at that time continued to lead troops after the uprising, and some even participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and many local cadres were also appointed. Fu Zuoyi did not do it on a whim, but he had a strong interest in water conservancy projects for a long time, so he wanted to switch from the army to water conservancy projects.
During the Anti-Japanese War, he not only resisted Japan, but also led the military and civilians to build water conservancy in Suiyuan and other places, showing outstanding political ability. Because of his years of operation, he has a deep affection for the Suiyuan area, and it is very reasonable to want to revive the old business and help the local water conservancy development. In addition, Fu Zuoyi knew that as a military and political leader in charge of North China at that time, he already had considerable influence and status, which was different from ordinary Kuomintang generals. If you choose to stay in the army, it will inevitably cause some trouble.
After the liberation, Fu Zuoyi still had hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, and he had to handle the resettlement of this part of the army. Some units have even listened to rumors** and therefore take the matter very seriously. Fu Zuoyi's choice to revolt was mainly because the battle could no longer be fought, so he could only accept the conditions. Although after the liberation, he had a fluke mentality, but after all, Chiang Kai-shek had not completely failed at that time, so his speculation about Fu Zuoyi was actually not groundless.
Fu Zuoyi proposed to go to Hetao and other places to carry out water conservancy work, with conditions, hoping to lead some old ministries there. On the surface, it seems that Fu Zuoyi only intends to work in water conservancy, but in fact he has other considerations. Since he had considerable influence in the Suiyuan area, if he could lead the old ministry over, once the situation changed, he might be able to make a comeback. Obviously, Fu Zuoyi was not willing to fail, and he was eager to fight for more political benefits.
In Suiyuan, he has a large number of troops and militia groups, and he has a considerable number of **. As early as during the Pingjin Campaign, when Fu Zuoyi negotiated with **, he repeatedly asked to keep his army and territory. ** Knowing this, he took Fu Zuoyi's advice and promoted him, and instead of returning him to the Hetao, he was appointed Minister of Water Resources in Beijing. With the victory of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Fu Zuoyi recognized the situation clearly and completely gave up his plans.
** This saved Fu Zuoyi to some extent and allowed him to stay in Beijing safely. Fu Zuoyi also did not fail to live up to the chairman's trust, and was very conscientious during his work in the Ministry of Water Resources, and later went to the grassroots level many times to inspect the local water conservancy construction. Fu Zuoyi also promoted many important water conservancy projects in China, making great contributions to the country and the people. Although Fu Zuoyi had some selfish thoughts before and after the uprising, his merits to the country were still more prominent, which is worthy of recognition.