Guan Linzheng
Guan Linzheng 关麟征 | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Guan the Brave, The Iron Fist |
| Allegiance |  Republic of China |
| Years of service | 1924–1950 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | The 3rd military police battalion |
| Commands | 25th Division,52nd Corps, 15th Army, 9th Army Group |
| Battles / wars | Northern Expedition, Anti-Communist Encirclement Campaigns, Central Plains War Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War |
| Awards | Order of Blue Sky and White Sun, Presidential Medal of Freedom |
| Other work | Poet, Writer |
Guan Linzheng (关麟征)（1905-1980）was a highly successful Chinese general in the Kuomintang who fought against both the Chinese communists and the Imperial Japanese Army, and was a recipient of Order of Blue Sky and White Sun, the highest honor for a Chinese nationalist commander.
Early Life and Career
Guan Linzheng was born in a rural peasant family in Hu County, Shaanxi on March 19, 1905. The famous Chinese educator Yu Youren recommended him to joined the Chinese Nationalist Party headed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Caton. So he travelled to there with other fellow students from Shaanxi and attended the Whampoa Military Academy, some of his notable classmates included Du Yuming, Fan Hanjie, Hu Lian, Liu Yujian, Zhang Lingfu and Lin Biao. In 1925, as member of the first graduating class the Academy, he was serious injured in his knees during the Eastern Expedition against the Cantonese warlord Chen Jiongming. Only through the personal intervention of Liao Zhongkai, the Kuomintang party representative, that he did made a full recovery of his wounds and avoided being amputated. In 1926, he was appointed as the battalion commander of the Central garrsion regiment and participated in the Northern Expedition. In 1927 Guan received his promotion as regiment commander of the General Headquarters of National Revolutionary Army, and was then transferred to the 11th division, one of Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek's most elite units. The deputy division commander General Chen Cheng tried to enlist Guan's support to remove the division commander who was not a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy, But Guan opposed his move. The relationship between two men grew very tense as a result. In September 1928, Guan was promoted as brigade commander of the 11th division and later as deputy commander of the new 5th division. In 1930 he fought under President Chiang Kai Shek during the Central Plains War and was transferred again to the South to attack the Chinese communist forces under red army commander Chen Geng in Hubei, forcing them to join the Long March two years later. He was then promoted to command the 25th division because of this achievement.
Second Sino-Japanese War
In 1933 Guan received orders from the nationalist government to help General Song Zheyuan to defend North China against the Imperial Japanese Army led by Field Marshal Nobuyoshi Mutō in the Defense of the Great Wall. He personally led an infantry charge against a Japanese position and was severely wounded in the action, his deputy commander Du Yuming took over command of the division. The nationalist government awarded him the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun after the conclusion of the battle. General Guan's unit stayed in Beijing after this clash as part of the garrison and was post in Luoyang in 1935. In 1936, he led his unit into Shanxi province to help the local warlord Yan Xishan to drive away the communist troops commanded by his former classmate Lin Biao and was successful in his mission. On October 15, 1936 Guan was promoted to lieutenant general and tasked to block a large Chinese communist force commanded by his former classmate Xu Xiangqian who was ordered by Chinese Communist Party to establish a base in Xinjiang, as part of the communist plan to receive aid from the Soviet Union. General Guan again successfully accomplished his mission and Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek promoted him as commander of 52nd corps when the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out the next year. Guan led his unit in successive battles against the Japanese Army, which included the Battle of Taierzhuang, Battle of Wuhan, and Battle of Changsha (1939). Because of his personal bravery, he was nicknamed Guan the Brave and the Iron Fist. In 1938, General Guan was promoted to command the 33rd army, and was promoted to the position of commander-in-chief of 15th army group, and became the first graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy to command an army group. In 1940, Guan led his unit into Yunnan province, and was put in charge of defend the border between China and Vietnam. However, Guan's relation with General Chen Cheng suffered another setback when he decided to remove Chen Cheng's favorite commander General Huang Wei as commander of the 54th corps because of Huang's alleged corruption. In 1944, General Guan received another promotion as deputy commander of the 1st area army and was one of the most successful Chinese commanders in the entire war.
Chinese Civil War
Because of General Guan's impressive track record, he was President Chiang Kai Shek's original choice to lead the American-trained nationalist troops to Manchuria against the Chinese communist troops under Lin Biao in 1945. However, General Chen Cheng opposed Guan's appointment as security commander of Manchuria because the intense rivalry between the two of them, and Guan was instead appointed as garrison commander of Yunnan. On November 25, college students went on strike in Kunming to protest the resumption of the Chinese Civil War. Four days later, General Guan held a press conference and stated the government troops has the right to use force to quell the strike, and ordered the students to resume their classes. But on December 1, 1945 nationalist troops and student protestors clashed with each other and there were many casualties on both sides, Guan was made a scapegoat of the incident and resigned his command the next year. In 1947, Guan succeeded President Chiang Kai Shek as commandant of the Whampoa Military Academy, and was appointed as deputy commander-in-chief of the ROC army. In August 1949, the acting president Li Zongren appointed him as commander-in-chief as the ROC army, because Chiang Kai Shek put Guan's old rival General Chen Cheng in charge of Taiwan and greatly favored him, General Guan decided to retire in Hong Kong in that November. He was formally relieved of his position as commander-in-chief of the army in 1950.
Retirement in Hong Kong
During his stay in Hong Kong, Guan refused to join any political organization and spent most of his time in calligraphy and Chinese opera. Although Guan's relationship with General Chen Cheng was very intense throughout their career, Guan maintained a close friendship with General Hu Lian, one of Chen Cheng's ablest subordinates. Guan also formed a closer relationship with his own former ajutant, General Liu Yujian when their children married each other. In 1975 Guan travelled to Taiwan to participate Chiang Kai Shek's funeral and turned down Chiang Ching-kuo's requst to remain there. In 1980, General Guan Linzheng passed away in Hong Kong at age 75 of stroke. General Guan Linzheng is survived by his 2 sons and 4 daughters as well as 12 grandchildren.
References
Sources
- Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China.