After the September 13 incident in 1971, the founding marshal took over the heavy burden of rectifying the PLA troops, and in the face of the collapse of the "Lin Group", his first task was to eliminate the residual poison and influence of the group on the troops.
** Worried about the plight of all branches of the armed forces, especially in important meetings, it has been stressed on many occasions that the Second Artillery Corps is the most serious problem at present.
The Strategic Missile Forces of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) were founded in the 60s of the last century and assume the core responsibility of national strategic deterrence. However, the "Lin clique" has cultivated many middle-level cadres of the power groups at the grassroots level of the troops, and the troops are facing rectification.
In order to restore the combat effectiveness of the "important weapon of the country", I thought of a person who had the ability to undertake the historical mission of revitalizing the Second Artillery, and he had to take charge of the Second Artillery.
This person is the founding major general Xiang Shouzhi, who is highly respected by the marshal. Xiang Shouzhi was born in Xuanhan, Sichuan Province in 1917, his family ran a small pharmacy, and his parents cut down on food and clothing for him to study, but after his father died, the family changed, leaving him and his mother to rely on each other.
In 1933, Xiang Shouzhi resolutely joined the Communist Party-led guerrilla force in order to change his living conditions, and the following year, this guerrilla unit was merged into the Red 25th Division of General Xu Shiyou, and since then, Xiang Shouzhi has begun his military career full of danger but significance.
In 1935, Xiang Shouzhi participated in the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, he braved the wind and rain, stepped through the mud, was full of dangers, and even fell into a swamp when crossing the grassland, but with his tenacious perseverance and the help of his comrades, he successfully joined the Red Army and finally ushered in the victory of the Long March.
In 1936, Xiang Shouzhi officially became a member of the Communist Party of China. After the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he was incorporated into the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army and made great contributions to China's independence and liberation.
On the battlefield of resistance against Japan, Xiang Shouzhi relied on his actual combat experience and military command ability to successfully lead two important ambush battles at Shentouling and Xiangtangpu, destroying more than 2,000 enemies.
Subsequently, he participated in the campaign of the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan regions of the Second Field Army during the Liberation War, and after the battle of crossing the river, he commanded the troops to advance to the southwest and south China.
In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Xiang Shouzhi served as the commander of the 44th Division of the 15th Army of the Volunteer Army.
In the award ceremony of the Military Commission, Xiang Shouzhi was awarded the rank of major general. In the late fifties, he became the director of the Artillery Academy, devoted himself to training outstanding artillery professionals for our country, and set the ambition of "strengthening our country's rocket industry."
Under the leadership of Xiang Shouzhi, China successfully tested the "Dongfeng-1" surface-to-surface missile with completely independent intellectual property rights. Then, ** personally circled Xiang Shouzhi as the first commander of the Second Artillery.
However, ** and others obstructed him, and Xiang Shouzhi was dismissed after only 43 days in office, and was later framed on trumped-up charges and once expelled from the party.
After the 913 incident, ** and *** jointly recommended Xiang Shouzhi, and ** appointed him as the commander of the Second Artillery Corps twice.
Xiang Shouzhi resumed his work in the Second Artillery Corps, actively rectified the internal work style, and eliminated unhealthy tendencies. After smashing the "Gang of Four," Xiang Shouzhi was transferred to the Nanjing Military Region to preside over the work, and successfully completed the merger of the Nanjing and Fuzhou Military Regions.
In 1988, Xiang Shouzhi was over seventy years old, but he still received the rank of general. After entering the 90s, due to his advanced age, Xiang Shouzhi gradually left the leadership post of the army.
Although he left his leadership post, he still worked in the Central Advisory Committee, providing reference and guidance for the modernization and regularization of our army. In 2017, Xiang Shouzhi completed his life in Beijing at the age of 100.