Background
Mr. Cheng was born in Liling, Hunan, China in 1881.
Mr. Cheng was born in Liling, Hunan, China in 1881.
Cheng Chien attended the Hunan Military Academy and the Japanese Military Cadets' Academy, specializing in cavalry tactics.
Upon returning to China, Mr. Chen joined the bureau of military affairs in Hunan and was appointed commander of the Hu Kuo Chun (the so-called National Defense Army) against Yuan Shih-kai, when Yuan was attempting to make himself Emperor in 1916. He was an assistant commander of Guangdong (Kwangrtung) troops in 1920. Cheng Chien was appointed commander of the 6th Army of the Nationalist Northern Expeditionary Forces in 1926 and was in command of the Nationalist troops which captured Nanking in 1927 (involved In the so-called Nanking Incident).
He was elected member of the Central Executive Committee of Kuomintang and of the Military Council in 1927. The same year Cheng Chien held the post of a commander-in-chief of the 4th Route Nationalist Army and was responsible for defeat of Tang Sheng-chi (then rebelling against the Nanking Government). He was a member and chairman of the Hunan Provincial Government and concurrently member of the Wuhan Division of the Central Political Council since 1928. Mr. Chen was suspected of counterrevolutionary activities against Nanking and imprisoned by Li Tsung-jen in 1928, but in 1928 he was released by the Nanking Government. From December 1935 Mr. Chen resumed his office as a chief of General Staff.