In 1954, three generals were executed, why did they decide to be executed?

Mondo History Updated on 2024-02-18

In 1954, three Kuomintang lieutenant generals in Gongdelin Prison faced execution. Since the Liberation War, many high-ranking Kuomintang generals have been captured by our army, while those with higher ranks have been imprisoned in Gongdelin.

Normally, these generals are not quickly executed, on the contrary, our party often gives them the opportunity to reform. Some people eventually came to their senses, understood the original intention of the Communist Party, and made contributions to New China after being released from prison.

It is worth noting, however, that in 1954, three high-ranking Kuomintang generals were swiftly executed, and their identities and reasons for their executions are questionable.

Renowned for hosting high-ranking Kuomintang generals, Gongdelin Prison once housed about 14,000 Kuomintang war criminals. However, this is not just a prison, it also provides a chance for these people to mend their ways. Here, war criminals receive ideological education, political study, and production transformation.

There were some well-known Kuomintang generals in the prison, such as Du Yuming, Song Xilian, Wang Yaowu, etc., but most of the generals were relatively low-key. However, everyone is burdened with countless blood debts, and there are many ideological stubborn people among them, who refuse to accept ideological transformation and insist on disagreeing with the ideas of the Communist Party.

In 1950, when the People's Republic of China was founded, the counter-revolutionary forces were still active, and a political campaign to suppress the counter-revolutionaries was launched to eliminate the remnants of the Kuomintang. ** Propose a strategy of "combining repression and leniency", with the death penalty being carried out for those who have previously committed serious crimes, and the rehabilitation of those who are not serious in prison. Those who repent will be judged at the discretion of the organization after investigation.

With the development of the political movement, since 1950, a number of criminals held in Gongdelin have been executed almost every year.

In 1954, Liu Peixu was one of three high-ranking Kuomintang generals executed.

Liu Peixu has wandered in different camps all his life, frequently changing positions, but due to his narrow vision, the leaders he follows are more unreliable than the other, causing his behavior to gradually go to extremes.

Liu Peixu was an officer in the Baoding Army, and after graduation, he was sent to the 26th Regiment of the 9th Division of the Beijing Army as a lieutenant trainee. In those days, warlords were at war, and opportunities were everywhere for those who were born into the military.

During his tenure, Liu Peixu performed well and was loved by his superiors. Soon after, he was transferred to the 8th Mixed Brigade of the Henan Army and became a lieutenant platoon commander of the cadet company.

Liu Peixu's military camp was led by the warlord Wu Peifu, however, due to the warlords at that time, Wu Peifu was ambitious, and Liu Peixu felt that the direct warlords were not suitable for his development, so he got in touch with Tang Shengzhi of the Northern Expeditionary Army.

The two were incompatible, and Liu Peixu even planned a vicious incident and seized Wu Peifu's arms train. However, this did not have much impact on Wu Peifu, but Liu Peixu betrayed Wu Peifu and was destined to not be able to return to the direct army.

In April 1927, Liu Peixu changed his identity and became the commander of the 14th Division of the Feng Department and the Lieutenant General Counselor of the Zhilu Allied Army. There was some luck in this turn, as although he teamed up with Tang Shengzhi to seize Wu Peifu's arms train, he himself was captured in a battle against the Feng warlords. Fortunately, Liu Peixu's classmate was among the warlords of the Feng department, and through the sponsorship of his classmates, he successfully joined the Feng department.

By 1930, Liu Peixu had joined the army of Yan Xishan and Tang Shengzhi. He was an old acquaintance with Tang Shengzhi, and at that time Tang Shengzhi was against Chiang, and he also actively participated in the anti-Chiang army. But in February 1930, Tang Shengzhi was defeated, and Liu Peixu was captured again.

The wise Liu Peixu immediately chose to accept Chiang Kai-shek's change and became the commander of the new 2nd Brigade of the National Revolutionary Army. Before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Liu Peixu was already the commander of the 40th Division of the National Revolutionary Army and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.

However, after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Liu Peixu's defense in Shanghai was poor, and he was defeated in the face of Japanese pressure, causing Chiang Kai-shek's dissatisfaction. Subsequently, Chiang Kai-shek no longer gave him important tasks, and Liu Peixu, who realized that he was bored, went to Hong Kong on the pretext of recuperating from illness, and actually planned anti-Chiang activities there.

In 1939, Liu Peixu defected to Wang Jingwei and served as his deputy chief of staff, lieutenant general, alternate member of the puppet national, and member of the supervisory committee. Although Liu Peixu often changed camps in the past, after joining Wang Puppet**, he lost his mind and became a traitor lackey. Under the instructions of Wang Jingwei, he founded the puppet ** military academy and vigorously cultivated traitors, which caused great harm to China.

In 1941, Liu Peixu felt that the future of Wang Jingwei was at great risk, so he changed his position again, secretly contacted the agents of the military command, and planned an assassination operation against Wang Jingwei. However, this assassination attempt ended in failure, resulting in Liu Peixu being ostracized by Wang Puppet. Due to his previous behavior, Liu Peixu became the target of double exclusion of Wang Puppet ** and the Kuomintang. After breaking away from Wang Pseudo**, he chose not to stand in line, but changed careers to become a businessman in Beijing.

However, Liu Peixu has always been restless in his heart. With the founding of the People's Republic of China, he secretly planned riots and commanded many robberies. In 1951, Liu Peixu was arrested on multiple charges and imprisoned in Gongdelin. Eventually, he was executed in 1954.

Han Buzhou is a native of Fanzhi, Shanxi, and after graduating from the Taiyuan Northern Military Academy, he joined Yan Xishan's army. Under Yan Xishan's rule, Han Buzhou was reused through his outstanding military talents, and although he was not a close confidant of Yan Xishan, he held important positions in the Sino-Japanese War.

On the eve of the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Han Buzhou had become the commander of the Third Independent Brigade of the Second Theater of Operations. After the war, he was appointed commander of the Fifth Army of the Shanxi Provincial Defense Army, stationed in Shanxi. In 1948, he participated in the Taiyuan Campaign, which lasted more than six months, and finally won the liberation of Taiyuan. However, in the entire war of liberation, the Battle of Taiyuan was one of the most difficult urban battles. During the campaign, Han Buzhou and other high-ranking generals were captured by our army and executed in 1954.

In 1926, the Northern Expedition broke out, and due to the defeat of the Nationalist Army, Mr. Li Dazhao launched the Northern Expedition, and Feng Yuxiang reorganized the old department to participate in it. Zhang Zhankui joined the Northwest Army led by Feng Yuxiang and became a member.

In the southern and northern wars, Zhang Zhankui performed well, made great achievements, and accumulated rich experience. In 1930, he served as the commander of the Second Cavalry Division of the Second Front Army of the Anti-Chiang Allied Army and participated in the Central Plains War. In that era of warlord warfare, people were eager to break the pattern and achieve unity.

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