Guan Linzheng was a Republic of China general who served during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War.
22 Facts About Guan Linzheng
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Guan Linzheng was born in a rural peasant family in Hu County, Shaanxi.
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Guan Linzheng attended the Whampoa Military Academy and was a member of the first graduating class in 1925.
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Guan Linzheng suffered a serious knee injury during the Eastern Expedition against the Cantonese warlord Chen Jiongming, who had rebelled against Sun.
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In 1926, Guan Linzheng was appointed to be the battalion commander of the central garrison regiment and participated in the Northern Expedition.
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In 1927 Guan Linzheng received a promotion as regiment commander of the General Headquarters of National Revolutionary Army, and was then transferred to the 11th division, one of Chiang Kai-shek's most elite units.
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In September 1928, Guan Linzheng was promoted to brigade commander of the 11th division and later as deputy commander of the newly established 5th division.
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Guan Linzheng was then promoted to command the 25th division following his victory over the communists.
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In 1933, Guan Linzheng received orders from the nationalist government to help General Song Zheyuan defend North China against the Imperial Japanese Army led by Field Marshal Nobuyoshi Muto in the Defense of the Great Wall.
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Guan Linzheng 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.
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General Guan Linzheng's unit stayed in Beiping after this clash as part of the garrison and was post in Luoyang in 1935.
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On October 15,1936, Guan Linzheng was promoted to lieutenant general and tasked to block a large Chinese communist force commanded by his former classmate Xu Xiangqian, who had been ordered by the Chinese Communist Party to establish a base in Xinjiang, as part of the communist plan to receive aid from the Soviet Union.
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Guan Linzheng defeated the communists in this campaign and Chiang Kai-shek promoted him to commander of the 52nd corps when the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out the next year.
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Guan Linzheng led his unit in successive battles against the Japanese Army, which included the Battle of Taierzhuang, Battle of Wuhan, and Battle of Changsha.
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In 1938, General Guan Linzheng was promoted to command the 33rd army, and was promoted to the position of commander-in-chief of 15th army group, becoming the first graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy to command an army group.
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In 1940, Guan Linzheng led his unit into Yunnan, and was put in charge of defending the border between China and French Indochina.
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In 1944, General Guan Linzheng received another promotion as deputy commander-in-chief of the 1st Area Army.
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Four days later, General Guan Linzheng 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.
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In 1947, Guan Linzheng succeeded President Chiang Kai-shek as commandant of the Whampoa Military Academy, and was appointed as deputy commander-in-chief of the Republic of China army.
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Guan Linzheng formally resigned his position as commander-in-chief of the army in 1950.
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Guan Linzheng formed a closer relationship with his own former adjutant, General Liu Yuzhang when their children married each other.
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Guan Linzheng died of a heart attack at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on August 1,1980.