In the Kuomintang troops, if the deputy at the higher level does not concurrently hold the principal post of a certain department at the next level, and if the deputy commander does not concurrently serve as the commander of a certain army or division, it is tantamount to sitting on a cold bench and has no real power to speak of, let alone mobilize troops. And Zhang Kexia and He Jifeng, as the deputy commanders-in-chief of the Third Appeasement Zone, pulled away most of the troops and instigated a battlefield uprising, why?
First, Zhang Kexia has a deep relationship with the 59th Army. The predecessor of the 59th Army of the National Revolutionary Army was expanded from the 29th Army in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War. When the army was first established, Zhang Kexia, the former deputy chief of staff of the 29th Army, became the chief of staff. Zhang had a deep relationship with the 59th Army, and the first three army commanders Song Zheyuan (concurrently), Zhang Zizhong, and Huang Weiyi had a good relationship with Zhang, especially Zhang Zizhong, who trusted him. The ordinary officers of the department had a good impression of him, and even Li Jiusi, the most corrupt officer in the army, admired him very much. The army hated him the most, and that was only a few people such as Liu Zhensan, the fourth commander.
Second, He Jifeng has an unusual relationship with the 77th Army, and it can be said that he is the "soul" of the army. He Jifeng and the army commander Feng Zhi'an are classmates of Lu University, and they are brothers, and Feng has been inseparable from him for a long time. At the time of the 77 Incident, Feng Zhi'an served as the acting commander of the 29th Army and the commander of the 37th Division, and He served as the commander of the 110th Brigade of the division. It was the 37th Division and the 110th Brigade that fired the first shot of the all-out war of resistance. Later, Feng was promoted to commander of the 77th Army, and He was promoted to commander of the 179th Division. In August 1937, during the battle, Ho was seriously wounded. Later, he went to Yan'an for inspection, and after returning to the 77th Army, he served as the commander of the 199th Division. Later, because of his "pro-communist" activities, he was suspected and was transferred to the Chongqing Central Training Corps for training, and after Chiang Kai-shek's examination and "probation", he was considered not a problem, so he was reinstated as a division commander. Later, Feng Zhi'an guaranteed him to be promoted to commander of the 77th Army.
He Jifeng, the army commander, has repeatedly "falsely reported the results", and in the later stage of the Anti-Japanese War, he falsely reported the "best results". In the early days of the civil war, he instructed his subordinates to "empty their guns" to the PLA, reporting only the results of the battle and not firing. Especially in January 1946, when Hao Pengju rebelled, he led his troops to invade northern Xuzhou and lost. In the summer of 1947, the main force of the 38th Division was besieged in Fei County, and the division commander Zhai Zifeng was captured. The 37th Division of reinforcements was sent to the aid of the People's Liberation Army and ambushed again, the division commander Ji Xingwen fled barefoot, the deputy division commander Yang Gansan fled back in disguise, and the deputy division commander Zhang Xiqing and the regiment commander Liu Jianxun were killed in battle. Chiang Kai-shek was once again suspicious and wary of him, dismissed him from the post of army commander, promoted and demoted secretly, and transferred to deputy commander. But he has been in charge of the army for many years, and he has advocated innovation and appointed young people, and most of his subordinates are underground party members or progressive youths arranged by him, and he actually controls this army. Feng Zhi'an wanted to use personal friendship to win him over, but it was ineffective.
Third, after the destruction of the 38th Division, General Feng moved his headquarters from Jiawang Xinkuang to Dutianmiao in Xuzhou, set up a front-line command post in Jiawang, and ordered Deputy Commander He Jifeng to be in charge of the work of the Jiawang command post and have full command of the 59th Army and the 77th Army.
Feng Zhi'an's initiative to cede power this time also allowed He Jifeng to regain actual military power. Therefore, it is not an accident that He Jifeng and Zhang Kexia instigated an uprising as deputies. History