Han Xianchu and Deng Hua, two senior generals of the Volunteer Army, have great achievements, but they have completely different fates. Han Xianchu, known as the "Whirlwind Commander", was famous on the battlefield, but he was defeated by General Deng Hua in the selection of the commander of the Volunteer Army after General Peng's return to China. Why did Han Xianchu, who had outstanding military achievements, fail to become the second commander of the Volunteer Army?Let's take a look at the qualifications and growth trajectories of the two generals. Young Deng Hua, who joined our army at the age of 17, was a patriotic intellectual two years ago, and followed Mr. Zhu to witness the Jinggangshan rendezvous in the Hunan uprising troops, established a base area, and served as an organization officer and other positions in the Red Army.
In the Red Army, he served as the political commissar of the regiment and the political commissar of the division, and led his troops to defeat the encirclement of the first in the anti-encirclement and suppression operation. Han Xianchu officially joined our army in 1930, 3 years later than Deng Hua, and was promoted from soldier, squad leader, company platoon leader, and battalion commander all the way. By the time the main force of the Red Army in northern Shaanxi met the division, Han Xianchu was only the battalion commander, but after being combined into the 15th Army Corps, Han Xianchu's promotion began to speed up, and he was promoted from battalion commander to commander of the 78th Division in less than a year. Comparing the growth trajectories of the two, it can be clearly seen that Deng Hua's qualifications and positions are better than Han Xianchu.
Deng Hua showed excellent leadership and military talent during his time in the Red Army, while Han Xianchu gradually emerged after joining our army. This may also be one of the important reasons why Deng Hua was able to win in the selection of senior generals of the Volunteer Army. In addition to his performance in the Red Army, Deng Hua also had outstanding achievements in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation. He led his troops to participate in many large-scale battles such as the Battle of Pingxingguan and the Battle of Huaihai, and made many achievements in the battles. In contrast, although Han Xianchu also had great achievements in the Liberation War, he seemed to be slightly inferior in terms of overall performance.
In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Deng Hua and Han Xianchu both held important positions in the Volunteer Army, but after President Peng returned to China, Deng Hua was successfully elected as the second commander of the Volunteer Army, while Han Xianchu failed to do so. This may also be because Deng Hua's performance in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was more prominent, and his military talent and leadership ability were fully recognized. In the military, the selection of leaders is often strict and fair, not only based on personal merit and experience, but also requires comprehensive consideration. Although Deng Hua and Han Xianchu are both outstanding generals, in terms of qualifications and achievements, Deng Hua is obviously superior.
This also gives us a little enlightenment, no matter what field we are in, we need to develop in an all-round way and constantly improve our comprehensive ability and quality in order to stand out at critical moments. During the Anti-Japanese War, there were two talented regiment-level cadres in the Eighth Route Army, they were Deng Hua and Han Xianchu. Deng Hua led his troops to participate in the famous Battle of Pingxingguan and created Pingxi and other base areas. Han Xianchu followed Brigade Commander Xu Haidong to participate in the Zhangnan Campaign and launched a sabotage campaign in the anti-Japanese base area in southern Hebei. Both performed very well in the war, but in the later stages of the war, their fortunes began to take a different turn.
Deng Hua chose to stick to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region and continued to carry out the struggle in the base area. After 1942, his experience was more comprehensive, and he served as the second-level military subdivision under the jurisdiction of the Jinchaji Military Region.
Commander of the Third and Fourth Military Regions. In 1944, Deng Hua was promoted to brigade commander and entered the Xi of the Anti-Japanese University. In contrast, Han Xianchu went to Kang Da to continue his studies, and he engaged in other jobs in the rear and did not actively participate in the battle like Deng Hua. Therefore, although they were all at the level of brigade commanders during the Anti-Japanese War, Deng Hua was superior to Han Xianchu in the struggle against the enemy. During the Liberation War, Deng Hua and Han Xianchu both participated in the Northeast Campaign.
On the battlefield, Deng Hua's light was even more dazzling, and he won our army's first big victory in the Northeast Battlefield in the Battle of Xiushuihezi. In the Xinkailing Battle in 1946, as the deputy commander of the fourth column, Han Xianchu severely damaged the 25th Division of the 52nd Army, the sixth main force of the ace. It is precisely because of the different choices and performances of the two cadres during the war that their experiences and achievements in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation are different. This also reminds us that in the long course of history, everyone's choices and efforts will determine their own destiny, and this difference in destiny will also have a profound impact on the progress of the country and the nation.
There are many outstanding generals in the history of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, among whom Deng Hua and Han Xianchu are highly regarded famous generals. So, who is more suitable to be the commander of the Volunteer Army?Before this question, let's take a look at how they played in the war. In 1947, Han Xianchu set up an ambush in Hongshi Town and successfully surrounded and annihilated the 89th Division of the **71st Army, and achieved very amazing results. In the Battle of Anhai and the Battle of Sibao Jiangnan, he also showed outstanding command skills. At the same time, Deng Hua annihilated 3 enemy divisions in 15 days and created 7 columns, which also had outstanding performance in the war.
Han Xianchu and Deng Hua, who commanded the three columns in the northeast, also had dazzling achievements in the Liaoshen Campaign. After entering the Guannei, Deng Hua became one of the commanders of the Pingjin Campaign, and put forward the operational deployment of "encircling Pingjin and fighting Tianjin", showing his strategic vision. However, although Han Xianchu's limelight was more prosperous than Deng Hua in the Liberation War, Deng Hua was stronger than him in terms of qualifications and positions. This is one of the reasons why in the 1955 award, Deng Hua ranked 7th, and Han Xianchu ranked 11th. In the process of liberating Hainan, the performance of the 15th Corps also proved that Deng Hua's qualifications were stronger than Han Xianchu's.
In addition to the hard indicator of seniority, there is another important reason why Deng Huaneng was promoted to the commander of the Volunteer Army, that is, his positioning in the Volunteer Army and the division of labor. In this regard, Deng Hua also showed more suitable qualities. To sum up, although Han Xianchu's performance in the Liberation War was eye-catching, from the perspective of qualifications and military positioning, Deng Hua is more suitable to become the commander of the Volunteer Army. His strategic vision, command skills, and outstanding performance in the 15th Corps all showed that he had the qualities required for this important position.
Deng Hua: A key figure in the period of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea At the beginning of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the headquarters of the 15th Corps led by Deng Hua laid the foundation for the Volunteer Army, and became an important part of its headquarters when he led the Volunteer Army. As the first deputy commander of the Volunteer Army, Deng Hua put forward the tactics of "bold infiltration, interspersing behind the enemy's flank, dividing and encircling, and breaking through" while assisting General Peng in handling daily affairs, showing excellent military quality. During the period of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, Deng Hua has always been by Mr. Peng's side, and even commanded the volunteer army to fight on behalf of Mr. Peng when necessary. In the Battle of Kaesong in the east, Deng Hua single-handedly commanded our army and achieved a major victory.
Later, he showed outstanding command skills in the battles of Shangganling and Jincheng, and was successfully promoted to the commander of the Volunteer Army. Mr. Peng praised Deng Hua, calling him "a person who does big things", and fully affirmed his overall view and overall planning ability. This also made it possible for the Military Commission and Mr. Peng to rest assured that the Volunteer Army would be handed over to Deng Hua. On the contrary, Han Xianchu, who also served as the deputy commander, was more involved in the battle, and was affectionately called "the firefighting captain of the Volunteer Army" by President Peng. In other words, Deng Hua's outstanding military talents and leadership skills made him an indispensable key figure during the period of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea.
During the period of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, Han Xianchu showed extraordinary strategic command ability, he personally went into battle to supervise the 40th Army, successfully broke through the US defense line, and underreported the number of enemies destroyed by more than 1,500 people. However, in contrast, Deng Hua considered the strategic intent more comprehensively and had a better ability to coordinate and command. Deng Hua has rich experience and outstanding performance in both the Korean Peninsula War and the Civil War, so he is more suitable to serve as the commander of the Volunteer Army. Of course, whether it was Deng Hua or later Yang Yong and Yang Dezhi, they all made great efforts to defend the security of the national border, showing unity and firmness during the period of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea.