In 1949, at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xiao Jinguang, commander and political commissar of the 12th Corps, was summoned to Beijing. The battle on the front line was in full swing, and Xiao Jinguang was reluctant to leave, but the military order was like a mountain, so he immediately put down the work at hand and hurriedly went north.
So anxious to summon Xiao Jinguang, what is the matter? The newly-born republic wanted to form a navy, and ** personally appointed Xiao Jinguang as the commander of the navy. There are so many generals who can fight well, why did you choose Xiao Jinguang alone? He gave three reasons at the time.
First, Xiao Jinguang is an old comrade who can bring the revolutionary tradition to the navy.
Why is Xiao Jinguang an old comrade? The first is the time he joined the party. Xiao Jinguang joined the party in December 1922, and the only founding generals who joined the party earlier than him were General Fu Zhong and Mr. Zhu. Chen Geng and Xiao Jinguang tied for third.
In the first year, there was a party, and in the second year, Xiao Jinguang was honored to join the party, which is very remarkable. Xiao Jinguang is a veteran party member.
The second is to participate in the revolution early. In 1920, Xiao Jinguang joined the Russian Research Association, and then went to study abroad and embarked on the revolutionary road. At that time, he was only a teenager. Xiao Jinguang has fought all his life for the cause of communism.
and Xiao Jinguang's seniority. After returning from studying abroad, Xiao Jinguang participated in the Northern Expedition, served as the representative of the division party in the National Revolutionary Army, led the troops to attack the city of Nanjing, and also obtained the rank of lieutenant general. This is the rank of the Kuomintang.
Holding senior positions in both the Kuomintang and Communist armies, Xiao Jinguang's resume is very proud. After coming to the **Soviet District, Xiao Jinguang served as the political commissar of the Red Fifth Army Corps, a senior general at the regular corps level, and an old man in the **Soviet District.
Second, the construction of the navy needs to learn from the Soviet Union, Xiao Jinguang once studied in the Soviet Union and knows Russian.
Among the more than 1,000 founding generals, there are very few who can study in the Soviet Union, and Xiao Jinguang is one of them. He also went to the Soviet Union twice to study. When I went for the first time, Xiao Jinguang was only 18 years old, and it was not called the Soviet Union at that time, but it was still the ** period.
After the defeat of the Great Revolution, Xiao Jinguang went to study in the Soviet Union for the second time, studied military knowledge very systematically, and became a military student. He stayed in the Soviet Union for six or seven years, how many six or seven years can a person have in his life? The Soviet Union can be said to be Xiao Jinguang's second hometown.
Of the more than 1,000 founding generals, even fewer knew Russian. Xiao Jinguang has lived in the Soviet Union for so long, is familiar with the best culture, and can communicate well with the Soviets. This is very convenient for the Navy to learn from the Soviet Union. The Soviets were also relatively receptive.
Third, the task of building the navy is very heavy, and everything must be done from scratch, and one or two people with rich experience in actual combat must take the lead in building the navy.
The train runs fast because of the headband. The commander of the Navy must be held by a person with very real combat experience. Xiao Jinguang is the best candidate. During the Red Army, he was the political commissar of the Red Fifth Army Corps and participated in many vicious battles in the **Soviet area.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he was the commander of the left-behind corps of the Eighth Route Army, responsible for guarding the security of the rear of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo. During the Liberation War, Xiao Jinguang was the deputy commander of the Northeast Army and the deputy of the first army. After the formation of the Fourth Field Army, he was the commander of the 12th Corps.
In the process of the Siye army entering the pass and fighting southward, Xiao Jinguang led hundreds of thousands of troops at the most, fighting against the enemy. Like the whirlwind commander Han Xianchu and the famous general Ding Sheng, they are all Xiao Jinguang's subordinates. In the just-concluded Battle of Hengbao, Xiao Jinguang sat in the middle of the road, attacked Bai Chongxi's main force head-on, and smashed the Gui ace Steel Seventh Army.
For half his life, Xiao Jinguang is a professional soldier with very rich combat experience. After the establishment of the navy, it also had to face many naval battles, and the naval athletes, under the command of Commander Xiao, defeated the enemy again and again.
He has never selected and employed people casually, and he must comprehensively consider various factors and weigh them repeatedly, so that he can put the most suitable person in the most suitable position. Xiao Jinguang, the commander of the navy, can be regarded as choosing the right person.
His tenure, from 1950 to 1980, lasted for 30 years, which is rare not only in China but also in the world.
Reference: Li Zhongjie, "The Historical Status and Contribution of Comrade Xiao Jinguang").