Early years Chen was born into family of farmers in Hunan on 7 April 1903. He went through his education in private institutions and underwent military training in 1924. On 19 November 1924, he was transferred to the
Whampoa Military Academy. Upon his graduation and stellar military performance during the
Northern Expedition, he rose through the ranks quickly. By 1928, he was a colonel in the
National Revolutionary Army. With the start of the
Summer Offensive of 1947 in Northeast China by Communist general
Lin Biao, Chen's 71st Army was forced to retreat to and rendezvous at
Siping, Jilin. Mustering local forces and his own army, he had around 30 thousand man waiting from reinforcements. Between 22 May and 30 June 1947, Chen was able to repel the Chinese Red Army in Northeast China that was led by
Li Tianyou. In June, he was able to resist the overwhelming forces under the command of Lin Biao at
Siping Street for more than 40 days. For his gallant efforts, he was awarded with the
Order of Blue Sky and White Sun and was promoted to the 7th Corps Commander. Although successful in the initial stages of the
Siping Campaign, the Communist forces who surrounded the stronghold managed to break the Nationalist defenses following a nine-month long assault. At the eve of the
Huaihai Campaign,
Bai Chongxi recommended Chen Mingren to Chiang Kai-shek as the garrison commander of
Wuhan. After being encouraged by
Mao Zedong and
Zhou Enlai to continue his military service, he joined the
People's Liberation Army. He was made a three-star general in 1955 and died in 1974. ==References==