Fu Zuoyi

Infobox Military Person
name= Fu Zuoyi
傅作义
lived= June 2, 1895 - April 19, 1974
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Fu Zuoyi (Chinese: 傅作义; Wades-Giles: Fu Tso-yi) (June 2, 1895-April 19, 1974) was a Chinese military leader.

Biography

Fu began his career as an officer in Yen Hsi-shan's Shanxi army. He served with distinction during the Northern Expedition, after Yen had declared his allegiance to the Kuomintang, but later participated in the failed coup against Chiang Kai-shek (1929-1930).

In the early 1930s, he began a close relationship with Zhang Xueliang and became governor of Suiyuan Province and resisted Japanese incursions from Manchukuo into Chahar and more successfully in the Suiyuan Campaign (1936). During Second Sino-Japanese War, he held numerous commands in North China. As Commander of 7th Army Group he fought in the Operation Chahar, Battle of Taiyuan and the 1939-40 Winter Offensive winning the Battle of Wuyuan. He ended the war as Commander of the 12th War Area (Jehol, Chahar, and Suiyuan).

During the Chinese Civil War, Fu's forces (500,000 men) controlled the critically important Suiyuan-Peiping Corridor that separated Manchuria from China proper. After the Communists captured the Manchurian provinces in late 1948, communists infiltrated Fu's inner circle, and pressured Fu to negotiate a peaceful solution for the inevitable communist take over. Compounding the problem, Fu became disillusioned with Chiang, when the last straw came in October, 1948: during the critical strategic defense planning of local region, Chiang suddenly left and left everyone dazzled. It was discovered later that Chiang Ching-kuo had arrested and refused to release his cousin Kong Lingkan (孔令侃) in an effort to punish the economic and financial criminals. Realizing her nephew could be executed for his crime, and Chiang Ching-kuo were highly likely to do to set an example, Soong May-ling begged Chiang Kai-shek to immediately fly to Shanghai for the rescue. As Chiang Kai-shek left in the middle of the most important time, Fu and many other nationalist commanders felt that Chiang placed welfare of his family above the country, and it was hopeless. The situation did not improve when communist agents included Fu's own daughter, as well as his most trusted personal secretary, Major General Yan Youwen (阎又文), who was from the same Ronghe Town (荣河) of Wangrong (万荣) county of Yuncheng,infiltrated his inner circle and pressured him to surrender, while passing vital intelligence to the communists. Fu began secret negotiations with Lin Biao, in which he arranged the surrender of the Beiping garrison totaling a quarter million on January 31, 1949, with Major General Yan Youwen (阎又文) as his representative, and Fu did not know the true identity of Yan until after the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Fu’s contributions to the Communist Party of China's success were rewarded with high posts such as the Minister of Hydraulics and those in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and in the People's Republic of China government. However, Fu was unable to protect his own family members during the Cultural Revolution, including his own daughter, Fu Dongju (傅冬菊), an ardent communist who was an undercover communist agent that played a critical part in infiltrating Fu's inner circle which lead to his eventual surrender in 1949. Fu Dongju was struggled by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution. Now she is leading a simple retired life.

Military career
*1928 - 1929 General Officer Commanding Tientsin Garrison Command
*1929 - 1930 General Officer Commanding 10th Army
*1930 - 1932 General Officer Commanding 35th Army
*1931 - 1946 Chairman of the Government Suiyuan Province
*1933 - 1941 Commander in Chief 7th Army Group
*1937 - 1941 General Officer Commanding 35th Corps
*1938 Commander in Chief Northern Route Force, 2nd War Area
*1939 - 1945 Deputy Commander in Chief 8th War Area
*1945 Commander in Chief 12th War Area
*1945 - 1947 Director of Kalgan Pacification Headquarters
*1946 - 1947 Chairman of the Government of Chahar Province
*1947 - 1948 Commander in Chief General Headquarters for Bandit Suppression in North China

References

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20061025213630/http://www.nwc.navy.mil/chinesecs/ Handbook for the Chinese Civil War]
* Chinese generals, Fu Zuoyi [http://www.generals.dk/general/Fu_Zuoyi/_/China.html]