Before the award ceremony began in 1955, the leaders of the ** Military Commission asked Chen Qihan, then president of the PLA Military Court, to fill in the military rank by himself, but he only filled in a "lieutenant general", so what was finally awarded?
Chen Qihan is a native of Xingguo, Jiangxi, a small county town with a population of only 230,000 during the Soviet period, which has produced 56 founding generals, and Chen Qihan is their leader.
Chen Qihan joined the Communist Party of China as early as February 1925, you must know that the development of our party was still in its infancy, and there were only 994 party members in the country, and Chen Qihan was still serving as an instructor in Whampoa at that time.
In fact, Chen Qihan, who was teaching in Huangpu, was not less attracted by Lao Jiang, and when the Great Revolution failed, Lao Jiang also "sent charcoal in the snow" and took the initiative to write a letter to Chen Qihan inviting him to serve as the director of the chamberlain.
But he decisively refused, and resolutely came to southern Gannan alone, creating a revolutionary base area, and even *** said that "Comrade Chen Qihan is a banner of the peasant movement in southern Gannan".
During the later ** Soviet area, Chen Qihan served as the chief of staff of the Red First Army and the chief of staff of the Red Third Army, and belonged to senior generals above the division level.
During the War of Liberation, Chen Qihan served as the commander of the Jiangxi Military Region, which at that time belonged to the second-level military region, that is, the position equivalent to the corps-level commander.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chen Qihan also served as a member of the National Defense Committee from the first to the third term, and was also the president of the People's Liberation Army Civil Court of the Chinese.
That is, Chen Qihan's qualifications fully meet the five main selection criteria for the rank of general.
Not only that, when Mr. Zhu was the head of the officer education regiment, Chen Qihan was the chief of staff of the regiment, and when he led the main force of the Red Army to withdraw from Jinggangshan, the revolutionary base created by Chen Qihan in southern Jiangxi provided a good foothold for the Red Army.
Many generals from Jiangxi have made it clear that they were all brought out by Chen Qihan, and Chen Qihan himself can also fight well, and he is easy-going, and is deeply respected by the whole army.
Therefore, the leaders of the ** Military Commission will let Chen Qihan take the initiative to fill in the military rank, that is to say, even if Chen Qihan fills in the general, it is well deserved.
However, General Chen Qihan was indifferent to fame and fortune, he only filled in a "lieutenant general", and he often said: "My general evaluation of myself for decades is that I am incompetent and can do nothing." ”
General Chen Qihan never took his fame to heart, as early as when he left home to join the revolution, he wrote a couplet to encourage himself:
"The Central Plains will be in turmoil, and all the nations will be dressed towards our people; In addition to **, the career of Qianqiu is Danqing. ”
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chen Qihan also wrote a poem Mingzhi: "Wealth is not my wish, and I don't want fame." ”
On the list of military ranks, Chen Qihan also added a special sentence:"For me, the status of the individual and the gains and losses are very small issues. ”
How will the leaders of the ** Military Commission decide after reading it?
** Knowing Chen Qihan's high style and bright demeanor, and also knowing that he has paid great sacrifices for the revolution (many relatives of General Chen Qihan died in the revolution), if even he is only a lieutenant general, how should the ranks of other generals be awarded? But Chen Qihan's wish not to seek fame is not good in the organization, and it is difficult to refuse directly.
In the end, after careful deliberation, the leaders of the ** Military Commission awarded General Chen Qihan the rank of general, and after the results came out, most of the generals did not have any objections, even if they had opinions, they only felt that Chen Qihan's military rank was still low.
Chen Qihan gladly accepted the order of the ** Military Commission, and after the award ceremony, he devoted himself to the construction of the military court.
General Chen Qihan's high style and brightness are also reflected in all aspects of life, especially being extremely strict with his relatives.
Since General Chen Qihan left his hometown in Jiangxi Province on the Long March in 1934, he has been fighting in the north and south for decades, and it was not until 1954 that he was appointed president of the PLA Military Tribunal.
At that time, the local cadres and masses in Xingguo were very excited when they heard that General Chen had returned, and said that they would kill pigs and sheep to pick him up and wash the dust.
However, what everyone didn't expect was that Chen Qihan directly returned to his hometown silently, he said"Returning to his hometown, picking up the wind and washing the dust, and welcoming him on the road, that is the style of the bureaucratic master. No matter how big the communist party is, it is all for the people. ”The villagers were very moved.
Knowing that Chen Qihan went home, some cadres suggested to him that he arrange a good job for his nephew Chen Yuhua, Chen Yuhua had been a chef in Nanchang before, and had been working hard for many years, and his cooking skills were exquisite, and the cadres felt that Chen Yuhua deserved a better job.
But Chen Qihan decisively refused, he never allowed his family to be special, "I can't because I am a general, my relatives and friends should be taken care of", on the contrary, Chen Qihan also told his family many times to work hard and be a low-key person.
Under his influence, the Chen family was very diligent and lived an ordinary life in obscurity, and General Chen Qihan himself led by example.
In 1957, 60-year-old General Chen Qihan took the initiative to apply for retirement and lived a simple and low-key life, and when his hometown encountered difficulties, he always helped him, and the big guy did not disrespect him.
On June 19, 1981, General Chen Qihan died in Beijing at the age of 84.