Tang Liang

Tang was in Yonghe, Liuyang, Hunan Province. In 1926, he joined the local workers’ union and later as a member of the Red Guards. He was appointed as the local member of the government propaganda and culture committee in 1929. Following his involvement in armed struggles in Liuyang, he joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in and attained membership in the Chinese Communist Party in 1930. Following in August, he was appointed Party Secretary of the 2nd Division in the Red Eighth Army. He was known to be appointed as political commissar for several regiments of the division after having participated and wounded[2] several times in local insurgencies during the Encirclement Campaigns. In October 1934 he was named the Red Third Army’s Secretary and embarked on the Long March. After arrival in Shaanbei, he served as the Dean of the Department of Political Science in the 2nd Division of the First Red Army Corps, and later the Political Commissar of the division.[3]

Following the outbreak of war, Wang was appointed as the Dean of the Political Department in the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, participating in the Battle of Pingxingguan.[2] In August 1942, Tang Liang was transferred to the 4th Brigade in the Red West Army and was appointed party secretary of the CPC Hunan West Region. In beginning of 1943, due to overwork and exhaustion, he was sent to the Shandong Military Region Hospital for treatment.[4]

In the spring of 1944, he was appointed as the political commissar of the Eighth Route Army following the death of Fu Zhuting. In local battles, he scored success in swaying the Nationalist commander to join the Red Army and assisted in the capitulation of Nationalist forces in Binhai.