Heaven's Course is Vigorous -- General Li Zhencao, the Centenarian Founding Leader

Author: Fang Xiaoning
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: It's not how long one lives, but how much one accomplishes. — Lu Zhengcao
Vow: "I will not dance again until the Japanese invaders are driven out."
Witnessed the Xi'an Incident alongside Zhang Xueliang;
Served in the Anti-Japanese War for 14 years, fired over 300,000 rounds of ammunition alone;
Built railways through countless hardships, expanding the borders;
Led the massive military restructuring, marking the end of the Railway Corps;
Accepted a heavy responsibility, crossed the ocean, and reunited with Zhang Xueliang;
From Snow's astonishment to the national team winning Olympic gold;
Longevity Secret: 3+1.
The only marshal of the People's Republic of China to be recorded in the world's authoritative military compendium.
Lu Zhengcao (1905-), born in Haicheng County, Liaoning Province, joined the Northeast Army in 1922 and entered the Northeast Military Academy the following year. After graduation, he served as a company commander, battalion commander, and deputy major of the Northeast Army, as well as the director of the Shenyang Tongze Club, the chief of staff of the 116th Division of the 53rd Army, and the commander of the 647th and 699th Regiments. In 1936, he became the commander of the Northeast Armed Anti-Japanese Salvation. He joined the Communist Party of China in May 1937. During the Anti-Japanese War, he served as the commander of the Hezhong People's Self-Defense Army, the commander of the Third Column of the Eighth Route Army, concurrently the commander of the Hezhong Military Region and the director of the Hezhong Administrative Office, the deputy commander of the Hezhong Regional Command, and the commander of the Jin-Sui Military Region, as well as a member of the Jin-Sui Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. During the War of Liberation, he served as the deputy commander of the Northeast Democratic and concurrently the commander of the Western Manchurian Military Region, the deputy commander of the Northeast Military Region and the director of the Northeast Railway General Bureau, the minister of railways in the Northeast People's Government, a member of the Northeast Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the deputy minister of railways in the Military Commission of the Central Committee and the deputy commander of the Railway Corps.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as the deputy minister and acting minister of railways in the Central People's Government, the commander of the Military Transport Command of the Central Military Commission, the minister of Military Transportation in the General Staff Department, and the political commissar of the Railway Corps of the People's Liberation Army. In 1955, he was awarded the rank of marshal. He was a member of the Defense Committee of the , the second and third sessions of the National People's Congress, the second and third sessions of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the vice chairman of the sixth session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a candidate member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in the seventh session, and a member of the Central Committee in the eighth and eleventh sessions. At the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he was elected as a member of the Central Advisory Commission. Like many founding marshals, Lu Zhengcao commanded battles and led construction, striving tirelessly to ensure that the Chinese nation stood tall in the world. He possessed the three great emotions spoken of by French philosopher Bertrand Russell: the longing for love, the pursuit of knowledge, and the compassion for human suffering. Even more admirable was his courage to "seek truth from all sides, though ready to die nine times," coupled with his clarity and magnanimity in "not rejoicing in others' success or mourning for one's own misfortune." His long and authentic life of vicissitudes was closely tied to the progress of China and his personal character.