Readers and friends who are familiar with the history of my affairs should know something about the famous "Sanyang" generals of the People's Liberation Army. Yang Dezhi, Yang Chengwu and Yang Yong, the three founding generals, fought bravely in the course of the revolution and made outstanding contributions to the establishment of the people's political power. Among these three generals, General Yang Dezhi's achievements are the most remarkable. He was the oldest, had the most extensive revolutionary experience, and performed well in different periods, such as the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and the War of Self-Defense and Counterattack against Vietnam. Today, let's take a look at his story, a highly decorated warrior. In 1911, Yang Dezhi was born in Liling, Hunan. His father was an ironsmith, and he was trained to learn Xi skills in ironsmithing from an early age. At that time, it was very difficult for the poor to survive, and Yang Dezhi left his hometown as a teenager to work as a child laborer in the Anyuan Coal Mine in Jiangxi.
In the mines, he was exposed to communist ideas and was influenced by the workers' movement. In 1928, he joined the 7th Division of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army and climbed Jinggangshan with the troops. In the same year, Yang Dezhi joined the Communist Party of China. During the agrarian revolution, he followed *** to participate in the battle of Wenjia City and the struggle against "encirclement and suppression". During the Long March, Yang Dezhi commanded the 1st Regiment of the 1st Red Army Corps as the leading force, and participated in the battles of the Wujiang River and the forced crossing of the Dadu River. Under his distinguished command, the 1st Regiment became a banner of our army. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Yang Dezhi served as the commander of the 685th Regiment in the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and soon after due to the health of the brigade commander Xu Haidong, Yang Dezhi began to serve as the commander of the 344th Brigade, when he was only 27 years old. In the process of moving to Pinghan, Weihe, Weihe and other places, he actively participated in the creation of base areas.
In 1940, the Second Column of the Eighth Route Army was established, and Yang Dezhi once again replaced Zuo Quan as the commander. In the process of the frantic sweep of the Japanese puppet army, Yang Dezhi commanded the army and the people to attack flexibly, taking into account production and combat, and protecting and strengthening the Hebei, Shandong, and Henan base areas. Entering the period of the Liberation War, Yang Dezhi's military talent was displayed like never before. Under the unfavorable situation in North China, he served as the commander of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army, and successively won the battles of Baobei and Qingfengdian. In 1947, Yang Dezhi commanded a large army and quickly came to the city of Shijiazhuang, which the Kuomintang claimed to be impregnable. From launching the attack to liberating the whole city, Yang Dezhi took less than a week to completely break Chiang Kai-shek's dream of "sticking to Shijiazhuang for three years". It is worth mentioning that Yang Dezhi gained love at the age of 79.
In the early 50s of the 20th century, Yang Dezhi led the 19th Corps of the Volunteer Army to fight in the Korean battlefield, he bravely participated in the command of the Shangganling Campaign, and served as the deputy commander and commander of the Volunteer Army after 1952. In 1955, he was awarded the rank of Founding General for his outstanding contributions. In peacetime, Yang Dezhi successively served as commander of the Jinan, Wuhan, and Kunming Military Regions, and he devoted himself to the building of a modern army and made positive contributions to this end. As commander of the Kunming Military Region, he also commanded the mission of the war against Vietnam in the border areas of Yunnan. In 1980, Yang Dezhi was appointed as the chief of the General Staff, and at the age of 69, he became the backbone of the founding generals, and holding such an important position shows his trust and recognition.
During his seven years as chief of the General Staff, Yang Dezhi guided the whole army to complete the process of transformation from the old era to the new era. In addition to his extraordinary career achievements, Yang Dezhi's personal life is also full of legends. In 1989, his partner Shen Gejun died, which dealt a heavy blow to the old general. Despite his physical strength, he struggled to escape his loneliness. Under the care of his children, he married Shi Li, a senior actress of the army's art troupe, the following year. Shi Li once had work contact with Yang Dezhi during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and expressed her reverence for his revolutionary enthusiasm and noble sentiments. After living together, Shi Li took care of his daily life. Despite the age gap in their twenties, this did not affect the relationship between them in the slightest. In the company of Shi Li and her children, Yang Dezhi's life in his later years was comfortable and happy.
After his retirement, General Yang Dezhi still paid attention to the development of China's national defense and continued to serve as a member of the ** Advisory Committee. In 1994, Mr. Yang passed away in Beijing, and his wife Shi Li still misses him to this day.