In 1955, at the first award ceremony of the People's Liberation Army, outstanding generals such as the top ten marshals and ten generals were born. Prior to this, many generals who had made great achievements during the revolutionary period were willing to give up their military ranks, showing outstanding revolutionary spirit.
For example, General Xu Liqing, who we are talking about today, took the initiative to give up the rank of general when he was awarded the title in 1955. So, what is the story behind General Xu Liqing?
Xu Liqing, born in Jinzhai County, Anhui Province in 1910, is the same township as General Hong Xuezhi. Born in a poor peasant family, he joined the peasant self-defense army in his early years, and became a member of the Red Army in 1929.
In the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Region, he participated in the battles of the Red Fourth Army, and after the establishment of the Red Fourth Front Army in 1931, he joined and participated in the anti-"encirclement and suppression" battle. After the defeat of the Red Fourth Front Army, he devoted himself to the establishment of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Base Area, experienced the anti-"three-way siege" and the anti-"six-way siege", and participated in the Long March in 1935.
In 1936, Xu Liqing, as a member of the Red Fourth Front Army, successfully arrived in northern Shaanxi and joined the Western Route Army. After the defeat of the Western Route Army, he carried out tenacious guerrilla warfare in the Qilian Mountains, and finally succeeded in getting in touch with the Western Aid Army, followed the Western Army back to Yan'an, and threw himself into the upsurge of the War of Resistance against Japan.
During the following War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Xu Liqing made significant contributions to the country and the nation, served as the political commissar of the First Corps of the First Field Army and other important positions, and witnessed the establishment of New China.
Xu Liqing, deputy director of the General Cadre Management Department of the People's Liberation Army, was responsible for the implementation of the Central Military Commission's "Instructions on Cadre Rating Work". According to the rating criteria, he served as the political commissar of the First Corps of the First Field Army and belonged to the rank of general of the regular corps, but he led by example and rated himself as a deputy corps.
This kind of humble quality has won him the respect and love of the vast number of cadres.
During the conversation, Xu Liqing expressed to his superiors that as the deputy director of the Cadre Management Department, he wanted to set stricter requirements for himself, and that it would be more convenient for him to carry out his work by rating himself as a deputy corps level.
However, his superiors did not agree to his request, insisted on rating according to the system, and finally rated Xu Liqing as a regular corps. Although Xu Liqing did not get his wish, his spirit is worth learning from.
In the 1955 awarding of the title, Xu Liqing, as a corps-level general, should have been awarded the rank of general. However, he insisted on the high wind and brightness, and took the initiative to give up the rank of general, saying that it was enough to confer the rank of lieutenant general.
After learning about the awarding of titles, he found Xu Liqing to talk, but Xu Liqing still insisted on his proposal. Although *** did not agree to Xu Liqing's proposal, he still included Xu Liqing in the list of generals and reported to his superiors.
At Xu Liqing's insistence, ** finally agreed to his request, so Xu Liqing took the initiative to give up the rank of general, changed to the rank of lieutenant general, and became the founding lieutenant general.
Despite this, under the care of his superiors, he still enjoyed the treatment of a general.
Xu Liqing's outstanding son Xu Ganquan studied at the Political Academy of the People's Liberation Army, and after graduation, he entered the cadre department of the Political Department of the Naval Aviation and served as deputy minister, making important contributions to the research and development of the Navy's leading equipment.
In 1996, he was awarded the rank of Rear Admiral, becoming an admirable rear admiral of the People's Liberation Army.