Wang Hongkun, as one of the founding generals, is different from Chen Geng, ** and other generals who have been commanding operations on the front line for a long time, since the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, he has been engaged in military command work in the rear for a long time, and his position has always been in a deputy position.
Wang Hongkun performed well in the Red Fourth Front Army during the agrarian revolution, and there were famous generals such as Chen Zaidao and Wang Jinshan under his command. However, after the start of the Anti-Japanese War, he did not frequently command operations on the front line, but focused more on the construction and management of the rear.
Despite being appointed commander of the 385 Brigade, he did not immediately go to the front, but was stationed in Longdong. After that, he transferred to Kang Da and the Party School to study, mainly focusing on strengthening the work of the rear, such as preventing friction, strengthening the united front work, training troops, and strengthening the defense of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo region.
In 1938, he was transferred to the front line, but he politely declined when his superiors wanted him to open up a new area in the Hubei-Henan region.
He was transferred to work in the Hubei-Henan region, because he was a native of Dabie Mountain, and he was familiar with the people and places here, which was more conducive to his work. However, he felt that he was not capable enough and was worried that he would not be able to handle the heavy responsibility.
The work of creating base areas requires a wide range of talents, and it is far from enough to fight a war. He later chose to go to North China, where there were his old troops and old comrades-in-arms, and although the combat missions there were the heaviest, he firmly believed that he could do it.
Zeng Hongkun worked in the Southern Hebei Military Region for seven years, during which the commander changed several times, from Song Renqiang to Chen Zaidao, and then to Song Renqiang. In 1942, his superiors considered making him the commander of the Luxi Military Region, but he thought that he was more suitable to work in the Southern Hebei Military Region, and he was familiar with the environment and work here, and it was easier for him to play his role, so he politely declined this opportunity to take charge of himself.
During the War of Liberation, Zeng Hongkun served as the deputy commander of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region, and stayed in the rear to engage in construction work. Although in 1947 he led the 10th column to fight southward, after arriving at the Tongbai Military Region, he was left behind to open up a base area to assist the main force in the operation.
Wang Hongkun was the first commander of the Hubei Military Region, but he politely refused the post three times and insisted on serving only as deputy commander. Although he has the ability to take charge of himself, he chose to do specific work in the Southern Hebei Military Region during the Anti-Japanese War and the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region and Hubei Military Region during the Liberation War.
Whether this is due to a lack of courage to take charge of oneself or humility is unknown.