Li Yannian (general)
Encyclopedia
Li Yannian was a Kuomintang
lieutenant-general from Shandong.
military academy, his classmate was General Du Yuming
. During the Northern Expedition, he was promoted from platoon leader to regimental colonel in the first corps of the National Revolutionary Army
. When the NRA reorganized itself in 1928, he was named as deputy commander of the second Division, and in 1931 he was placed in charge of the garrison brigade of the NRA general headquarters and participated in the anti-communist Encirclement Campaigns
.
and battle of Wuhan
. He was then promoted to commander of the 11th army and commander-in-chief of 34th army group.
units in Shangdong Province. In the Huaihai Campaign
, he was named the commander of the 6th army, and he and General Liu Ruming
's 8th army tried but failed relieved the 12th army led by General Huang Wei in the Shuangduiji Campaign
. In the late phase of the Civil War, General Li was in charge of the defense of Foochow, Fujian Province when he believed a rumor spread by a local nationalist commander and abandoned his post without a fight. He was promptly arrested and because the false testimony provided by his chief of staff, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He received a parole a year later and died in 1974.
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
lieutenant-general from Shandong.
Early life and career
General Li was a member of the first graduate class of the WhampoaWhampoa
Whampoa is the old English transliteration of Huangpu District, Guangzhou, in China.From there, it derives its other meanings, and can also refer to:* Relating to the Whampoa district:...
military academy, his classmate was General Du Yuming
Du Yuming
Du Yuming was a Kuomintang field commander active in the Sino-Japanese War theatre of World War II and in the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949....
. During the Northern Expedition, he was promoted from platoon leader to regimental colonel in the first corps of the National Revolutionary Army
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
. When the NRA reorganized itself in 1928, he was named as deputy commander of the second Division, and in 1931 he was placed in charge of the garrison brigade of the NRA general headquarters and participated in the anti-communist Encirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns
Encirclement Campaigns is a term used to describe several different campaigns launched by forces of the Chinese Nationalist Government against forces of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. The campaigns were launched between the late 1920s to the mid-1930s with the goal of...
.
Second Sino-Japanese War
When the second Sino-Japanese broke out, General Li was promoted to commander of the second corps, he was one of the youngest corps commander of the entire NRA. He led his troops in the battle of ShanghaiBattle of Shanghai
The Battle of Shanghai, known in Chinese as Battle of Songhu, was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Army of the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
and battle of Wuhan
Battle of Wuhan
The Battle of Wuhan, popularly known to the Chinese as the Defence of Wuhan, and to the Japanese as the Capture of Wuhan, was a large-scale battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War...
. He was then promoted to commander of the 11th army and commander-in-chief of 34th army group.
Chinese Civil War
In June 1945, He was named deputy commander-in-chief of the 11th war zone and was in charge of the surrender of Imperial Japanese ArmyImperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
units in Shangdong Province. In the Huaihai Campaign
Huaihai Campaign
Huaihai Campaign or Battle of Hsupeng was a military action during 1948 and 1949 that was the determining battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the few conventional battles of the war. 550,000 troops of the Republic of China were surrounded in Xuzhou and destroyed by the communist...
, he was named the commander of the 6th army, and he and General Liu Ruming
Liu Ruming
Liu Ruming, Liu Ju-ming, 刘汝明, Chinese general during the Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War.- Overview :...
's 8th army tried but failed relieved the 12th army led by General Huang Wei in the Shuangduiji Campaign
Shuangduiji Campaign
The Shuangduiji Campaign was a major campaign fought between the nationalists and the communists during the Chinese Civil War in the post-World War II era, resulting in a communist victory...
. In the late phase of the Civil War, General Li was in charge of the defense of Foochow, Fujian Province when he believed a rumor spread by a local nationalist commander and abandoned his post without a fight. He was promptly arrested and because the false testimony provided by his chief of staff, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He received a parole a year later and died in 1974.