Chapter 32 5. Chen Cheng came to the Northeast

My Northeast Field Army is actively preparing for battle, what is Du Yuming doing?Du Yuming fell ill. He was overwhelmed by the war in Northeast China, depressed and sick, and his body was too much to bear. He left Shenyang on July 8, 1947, and went to Shanghai to recuperate.He originally wanted to go to the United States for medical treatment, but Chiang Kai-shek refused, so he had to stay in Shanghai.However, he still has to return to the Northeast battlefield. Chiang Kai-shek was very dissatisfied with the Northeast War situation, but he couldn't really point out how many faults Du Yuming had.Taking advantage of Du Yuming's illness, he decided to make a major change in the military command in the Northeast.He dismissed Xiong Shihui, director of Northeast Xingyuan, and the Northeast Security Command, appointed Chen Cheng as the new director of Northeast Xingyuan, and let Chen Cheng monopolize the military and political power in Northeast China, hoping that Chen Cheng could change the situation in Northeast China.

Chen Cheng was then the Minister of Military and Political Affairs of the Kuomintang and the Chief of Staff of the Army. Why did he degrade his status to be the chief general of either party?One is that Chiang Kai-shek is dissatisfied with the war situation in the Northeast, and he thinks that Xiong Shihui is incompetent; the other is that the Kuomintang army is becoming more and more passive on the national battlefield. Generals under Chiang Kai-shek, such as Gu Zhutong, Liu Zhi, Tang Enbo, Du Yuming, etc., all accused Chen Cheng of being the chief of staff Since then, he has been domineering and has no command, so he should be responsible for the military defeat.Chiang Kai-shek also criticized him, and in many places, he bypassed him as the chief of staff and directly commanded.Chen Cheng wanted to come to the Northeast to fight a few victories, save the situation, save face, and restore Chiang Kai-shek's trust in him, and then return to Nanjing to be his chief of staff.

Because of this, he flew to Shenyang to inspect Du Yuming on the fourth day after he left Shenyang. He understood the situation and had a little confidence in his mind, so he accepted Chiang Kai-shek's appointment to him. With this purpose in mind, the second day after Chen Cheng arrived in Shenyang, he published the "Report to the Northeast Army and People", announcing his determination to "eliminate the Communist Army and build a new Northeast with the Three People's Principles".He threatened to "recover all the lost ground in the Northeast" within half a year.In order to achieve this goal, he transferred an army from northern Jiangsu, and expanded the Northeast local army to 5 armies. With the addition of the original 8 armies, the Kuomintang army in the northeast reached 14 armies (this winter, stationed in Hot He's 13th Army was put under the command of the "Suppression General" in North China, so there were only 13 armies left), and a large amount of supplies were brought from the pass.In order to eliminate dissidents, he installed his cronies, and also replaced a provincial chairman, two army commanders, and the commander of the entire security detachment.In order to show that he is stronger than Du Yuming, he announced that Du Yuming's "comprehensive defense" was changed to "mobile defense".

Chen Cheng was still a little confident at this time, and dared to come to the northeast to fight a big battle; after arriving in the northeast, he was eager to make a difference, and wanted to fight a battle in the northeast as soon as possible.There is an important reason behind these two moods, that is, shortly before he came to the Northeast, Du Yuming won a battle in the Northeast, the Siping Battle.The Battle of Siping gave him a little confidence that the Northeast is promising; the Battle of Siping put a little pressure on him, that is, he must fight better than the Battle of Siping, otherwise it will be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the Northeast.