In the early 80s, a remarkable change took place in our country, and Deng Gong was invited by Ye Shuai to serve as the chairman of the Military Commission. In the first military order after taking office, Deng Gong appointed four vice chairmen, three of whom were founding marshals, and the last one was quite special, he was neither a soldier nor any military rank, this special person was Comrade Yang Shangkun.
Comrade Yang Shangkun was a communist fighter who was born as an intellectual, who studied Marxism-Leninism in the Soviet Union and achieved remarkable results in theoretical research. As early as 1931, he was recalled to China to work as a propagandist in Shanghai, leading the workers to fight for their rights. However, in 1933, when the White Terror enveloped Shanghai, ** was forced to leave and go to ** the Soviet zone, and Comrade Yang, as head of the Central Propaganda Department, also went with him. In the Soviet area, he set up a red communications unit and used newspapers and periodicals to conduct a war, thus winning the initiative in the situation of the Kuomintang-Communist war.
Comrade Yang Shangkun not only performed brilliantly in the field of propaganda, but also played an important role in theoretical education. He founded the Military and Political School to teach Marxism to the officers and men of the Red Army, to help them gain a deep understanding of communist ideology and strengthen their great revolutionary aspirations.
In 1934, the Red Army turned westward and was ambushed by the enemy at the Xiangjiang River, suffering heavy losses. After this defeat, morale was low and resentment towards Bogu and Li De deepened. Comrade Yang Shangkun realized that it was necessary to correct the negative emotions in a timely manner, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable. He launched ideological education activities throughout the army and encouraged them to continue fighting. At the same time, he secretly discussed with Mr. Peng, and was ready to invite *** to come out to preside over ***'s military and political affairs, and actively strive for support for this.
At the extraordinary meeting of the Zunyi Political Bureau, Comrade Yang Shangkun, on behalf of the corps, clearly put forward the opinion of restoring the leading position, which was unanimously agreed by the other participants. Bogu messed up after the meeting and shirked his responsibility, while Li De bowed his head and remained silent. This meeting turned the tide of the war for the Red Army, and Comrade Yang Shangkun was so excited about it that he barely closed his eyes all night, and kept communicating with Mr. Peng. After the Red Army settled in Yan'an, Comrade Yang returned to his administrative post, expanded the party organization, and ignited the flame of communism throughout the Loess Plateau.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Comrade Yang Shangkun worked in the Central Military Commission and the General Office of the People's Republic of China for a long time, and his personal ability was further strengthened, and he was able to handle all kinds of official affairs with ease. In turbulent times, he was treated with hostility and even imprisoned by ill-intentioned men. During his detention, he fell ill due to anemia, but fortunately, the guards who guarded him were kind and often secretly helped him to get through the difficult situation.
In 1978, Comrade Yang Shangkun was rehabilitated, returned to work, and was appointed in Guangdong Province. In the early 80s, he was appointed vice chairman of the Military Commission by Deng Gong. At the 1982 Central Military Commission forum, he proposed for the first time the streamlining of the armed forces, and this policy was implemented throughout the army. By 1985, under the instructions of Deng Gong, the PLA directly reduced one-third of its troops, which caused a lot of controversy. However, Comrade Yang Shangkun always supported Deng Gong and never opposed Deng Gong's decision-making.
As the older generation of leaders gradually withdraws, a new generation of leaders emerges. In the early 90s, Comrade Yang Shangkun decided that it was time to hand over the baton of revolution to the next generation, so he announced his resignation. However, he did not detach himself from the major events of the country's development, and often participated in some activities to propagate communist ideas, and at the same time paid attention to the affairs of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, so as to promote the reunification of the motherland.
In 1998, Comrade Yang Shangkun died of illness at the age of 92. In his obituary, he systematically expounded his brilliant life, affirming his noble qualities and outstanding achievements. Later, ** produced a documentary showing the various stages of Comrade Yang Shangkun's life, highlighting the qualities and pursuits of a communist to express his reverence for him. It is worth mentioning that other members of Comrade Yang Shangkun's family have also made extraordinary achievements, including generals and state leaders, and their families are prosperous.