Comments on the Second-Phase Reorganization Work Report [l]
(August 24, 1952)
The 121st Division under Chen Mingren should be retained as a division; it should not be disbanded, nor should it be reorganized into an artillery regiment.
Mao Zedong
August 24th
[ l]
On August 23, 1952, Nie Rongzhen, Acting Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, submitted a report to Mao Zedong and others stating that the second-phase reorganization plan for the Central-South Military Region proposed to convert one remaining division of the former Chen Mingren uprising forces within the 21st Corps into three artillery regiments under that corps. In his report, Nie Rongzhen noted: “However, given the present inadequate artillery equipment, it is impossible to fully equip these three artillery regiments. As a result, they would inevitably have to be disbanded again, which raises political considerations. Therefore, we believe that since the 21st Corps still has one division originating from the uprising, it would be more appropriate to retain it as a division during this round of reorganization.”
[2]
Chen Mingren was a general in the Nationalist government’s army. In August 1949, together with Cheng Qian, he led his troops in an uprising in Changsha. At that time, he served as commander of the 21st Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.