In 1955, a grand award ceremony was held in the Zhongnanhai Hall, and Xiao Ke was honored to be the first general personally selected by the great man. During the Anti-Japanese War, he served as the deputy commander of the 120th Division, was the right-hand man of the first class, and should be promoted to general with outstanding qualifications and merits. Therefore, the "Admiral of Shaw Town" is well deserved. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was highly employed, on the one hand, as the head of the military training department, responsible for the military academy and personnel training, and on the other hand, he also served as the vice minister of national defense, supervising the training of the whole army. However, after the award, Xiao Ke gradually faded into the limelight and eventually left the military leadership position. So, why did he choose such a retreat?
Xiao Ke was born in Jiahe County, Hunan Province in 1907, and was determined to devote himself to the revolutionary cause at a young age. Influenced by a good family education, he was erudite and well-read, and read poetry and books. In 1923, 16-year-old Xiao Ke was admitted to Jiahe Normal School, determined to become a famous teacher to save the country through education. However, after the outbreak of the Zhifeng War, the corrupt rule of Beiyang** caused great suffering to the people everywhere. In Hunan, warlords were rampant and wars were raging. Xiao Ke dropped out of school before completing his studies and went to Guangzhou to pursue a revolutionary career. In 1926, he was admitted to the Whampoa Military Academy, and then participated in the Northern Expedition, commanded operations, and made great achievements.
In 1927, he participated in the Nanchang Uprising, and then participated in the Southern Hunan Uprising under the leadership of **. In 1927, Chiang Kai-shek launched the April 12 counter-revolutionary coup, which aroused the anger of thousands of revolutionaries, and Xiao Ke broke with the Kuomintang and organized an armed resistance. In the short history, Xiao Ke's heroic performance is remarkable. Xiao Ke joined the Red Fourth Army at the beginning of the following year, and when he participated in the Battle of Ningdu, he personally led his troops to attack the city wall, fought bravely and helped to achieve victory, so he was highly praised by the chiefs, and then quickly promoted. In 1931, he served as the commander of the 3rd Column of the Red Fourth Army and became more careful and cautious in leadership positions.
He was good at ambushing enemy troops in anti-encirclement warfare, using the terrain to fight back fiercely, and accumulated rich combat experience and combat exploits. However, in 1934, the Red Army failed in its fifth "anti-encirclement and suppression" operation under the erroneous leadership of Bogu, Wang Ming and others, and then embarked on the road of the Long March. At that time, the young Xiao Ke served as the commander of the Red 6 Corps and was responsible for the side cover mission. In the face of the pursuit of the enemy's 40 regiments, he desperately volleyed and successfully won time to break through. During the Long March, he defeated two enemy brigades, killed the Kuomintang brigade commander Li Yanling in the ambush of Chenjiahe, and captured more than 2,000 prisoners alive, winning a brilliant victory.
Xiao Ke's command skills in the battle with the enemy have been improved day by day, so he has become the most trusted young commander and fighter of his superiors. In 1936, with his outstanding achievements, he was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of the Red 2nd Front. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he served as the deputy commander of the 120th Division, becoming the youngest senior general among the three main divisions of the Eighth Route Army. He has reached the point of perfection in both military theory and actual command. In 1938, he and Guan Xiangying led their troops to cross the Yellow River eastward, entered Shanxi, and established the anti-Japanese base in the northwest of Shanxi. In the Battle of Xinkou, he boldly dispatched troops and quickly recovered 7 county towns including Hequ, Baode, and Biguan.
In January 1940, he organized a breakthrough counterattack, fought fiercely for 14 days, killed more than 1,000 Japanese soldiers, and shot down a fighter, so he was admired by the people and superiors. In 1944, he was transferred back to Yan'an to participate in the rectification movement, and learned from the Xi at the meeting, and carried out strong supervision and transformation of the border area team. In the War of Liberation, he actively participated in planning and controlled the overall situation. In May 1949, Xiao Ke served as the chief of staff of the Siye Central China Military Region, led the troops to march south to Liangguang, successfully annihilated the elite of the Gui family, and successfully rebelled against the Kuomintang generals Chen Mingren, Cheng Qian and others, and made significant contributions to the cause of liberation.
Subsequently, he led his troops to launch a thousand-mile pursuit and annihilation, and after 6 large-scale battles, he finally destroyed 430,000 enemy troops and liberated the five provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou and Qiong. Despite his great achievements, he was not complacent, but humbly accepted the opinions of the older generation of leaders. In 1955, despite the start of the evaluation and awarding work, Xiao Ke still took the initiative to back down and did not fight or grab. Eventually, he was awarded the rank of general. In 1954, Xiao Ke was transferred to the Ministry of National Defense to supervise the orderly progress of recruit training and talent training programs. Subsequently, in 1957, he served as the director of the training director, personally compiled teaching materials, wrote drill logs, and cultivated a group of outstanding talents.
Xiao Ke once boldly made suggestions on the bad atmosphere in China, but unfortunately it was not taken seriously for some reasons. Later, he was transferred to the Ministry of Reclamation and, despite leaving the army, did not complain. In his new role, he continues to play a role. In 1959, Xiao Ke began to inspect the country's agricultural and water conservancy work, and presided over the revision of the "Regulations on the Work of State Farms", which clearly defined the division of labor and appropriately rewarded and punished. Every year, he personally presents awards to model workers. Xiao Ke has worked in the state farm for 17 years, and he is patient, firm in his beliefs, and diligent in his Xi studies. In May 1972, he was appointed as the president of the Chinese People's Military and Political University. After returning to the army, he worked diligently and achieved remarkable results.
In 1980, he was promoted to deputy defense minister and joined the ranks of the Military Commission. In the eighties, he was busy running around, paying attention to the world situation, promoting the reform of our army, and rapidly increasing its combat effectiveness. In 2008, Xiao Ke died of illness in Beijing, dedicating his life to the country. At the funeral, important leaders attended one after another, and he received the highest and fairest evaluation.