The Baoding Military Academy Group
The key generals leading the defense of Wuhan, such as Chen Cheng, Bai Chongxi, Luo Zhuoying, Tang Shengzhi, Ye Ting, and Xue Yue, were graduates of the Baoding Military Academy. Through this shared experience they created a sort of brotherhood which helped to guide operations. Their experiences remind us that war relies on people and their shared experiences. As a group they were a leading group of generals throughout the 1938 campaign and while planning for the following year. Mackinnon, in Wuhan 1938 argues that the unity of this group of leaders enabled a unity within the population to pull together and remain optimisitic despite the staggering challenges (Mackinnon 2008: 114-115).
Chen Cheng
Bai Chongxi
Luo Zhuoying
Tang Shengzhi
Ye Ting
Xue Yue