Yang Jingyu, an anti-Japanese national hero, was one of the main founders of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army, and his heroic deeds and sacrifice inspired future generations. In his time, it was very rare for a commander-in-chief like him to be in charge.
Some people often wonder if Yang Jingyu had not sacrificed, what kind of military rank would he have received when he was awarded the title in 1955?
During the 1955 investiture process, a number of exceptional circumstances arose. Some of them, although they had held important positions in the army, did not participate in the conferment of titles when they were later transferred to local work.
There are also some people who have participated in the award, but their rank is not as high as expected. If Yang Jingyu had not sacrificed, according to the later development of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation, he might have encountered a similar situation, such as his old comrade-in-arms Zhou Baozhong, who did not participate in the award because he was transferred to a local job.
So, leaving aside these special circumstances, what kind of military rank will Yang Jingyu be awarded? We can speculate by contrasting. First, compare Yang Jingyu with the leaders of the revolutionary war years.
Surprisingly, Yang Jingyu was not only one of the main founders of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation, but also one of the founders of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Region and its Red Army. Therefore, during the period of the Agrarian Revolutionary War, although he did not serve in the Red Army, his status was already very high.
In addition, Yang Jingyu also has many titles, he is the first executive member of the Chinese Soviet Republic, and a member of the Preparatory Committee of the Seventh National Congress, which is the only representative of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation to receive this honor.
Compared with other comrades of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation, after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, most of the members of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation were assigned to the Northeast Field Army, and some were transferred to other units to continue to fight for the establishment of New China.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, seven of the generals who had fought in the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation were awarded the rank of major general in 1955, namely Wang Minggui, Wang Xiaoming, Zhu Guang, and Sun.
3. Jing Pu, Li Zhongqi, and Gao Tiqian.
These people are all subordinates of Yang Jingyu, and they have been awarded the rank of major general, and Yang Jingyu will definitely be higher.
Yang Jingyu and Zhou Baozhong are both important figures in the Anti-Japanese Federation, and their positions are comparable, so they are highly comparable. Although Zhou Baozhong was transferred to local work after the founding of the People's Republic of China, when he was awarded the title in 1955, he was awarded the first-class August 1 Medal, the first-class Independent Freedom Medal, and the first-class Liberation Medal.
Therefore, if Yang Jingyu and Zhou Baozhong participate in the award, they should at least be in the rank of general. If the "mountain" significance of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Federation is taken into account, it is also possible to award the general.
During his tenure as commander-in-chief and political commissar of the First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Alliance, Yang Jingyu led the troops under his command of the three front armies and a guard brigade, as well as the relevant directly subordinate detachments, which had been fighting against the Japanese army in the South Manchurian area, and at the same time cooperated with the anti-Japanese troops in Guannai, and often took the initiative to attack, containing a large number of Japanese troops.
However, despite the small scale of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Alliance, the total number of the "First Route Army" was only about 6,000 people, compared with a division of the Eighth Route Army, its strength was only one-eighth.
In the later stages of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the strength of an independent regiment of the Eighth Route Army surpassed that of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Alliance, and most of the commanders of these independent regiments later received the rank of lieutenant general or general.
If you look at it from this point of view, Yang Jingyu should receive the rank of general or lieutenant general in the award, and even higher military ranks are possible. However, this is only from the point of view of objective factors, and in fact, many other factors will be taken into account in the awarding of titles, such as balancing the status of each "mountain" and taking proper care of the important anti-Japanese armed forces under the leadership of our party.
Therefore, if Yang Jingyu participates in the awarding of titles, he should at least receive the rank of general, and if his contribution and influence are taken into account, it is also possible to award the rank of general, but as a marshal, it is a bit high.