Before the Northern Expedition, the examinations of Luda University were generally conducted by the troops (basically, each unit above division level can take two), and they went through the preliminary examination procedure (going through the motions) and submitted to the General Staff Department for examination. After passing the exam, they can take part in the second interview. It was not until the forties that the method was changed, and the initial test was handled by various war zones. The applicants for each period took Chongqing as the capital (sometimes more than a thousand people), which was not only difficult for the examination Committee to cope with, but also difficult for transportation and accommodation. Therefore, only 200 to 300 people in each theater participated in the second interview after the initial test, which reduced a lot of unnecessary burdens. This method is a step forward than before. Regular classes are always like this. Examination subjects, except military art, other general subjects and natural sciences are the same as Coventry University. I made a rule in the seventh issue of 1943 that the composition must be written in classical Chinese, with a 20% discount on written Chinese, and the composition is one of the main subjects. If you fail, you will not be admitted, even if you get full marks in other subjects. In addition, there are applied tactics, and those who fail are not admitted. For ordinary students (young officers from major to lieutenant), foreign languages must also be passed.
The first stage of the examination for special classes is day study, which is a temporary measure for the Northern Expeditionary Army to reduce its staff and some senior officers. According to the total number of places, all units choose and go by themselves. In the second special period, the examination method was changed, and qualification examination, oral examination and written examination were required. But there is no natural science, no foreign language and no actual military command. Four northwestern provinces (Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai) can enroll two students without examination to take care of northwest cultural lag. Interestingly, Liu Zongkuan, a native of Pucheng who was exempted from the examination, was actually the champion of the graduation examination.
1936 special examination for the third phase (the number of places exempted from examination in the four northwestern provinces was cancelled). Just after the exam, the "Xi incident" happened. After Chiang Kai-shek returned to Nanjing, he asked for lenient admission, and he approved more than 250 people (all of them may be above the fractional line or relax the scale). It is impossible for all the facilities of Luda University to accommodate many students to attend classes at the same time (according to: special two, thirteen, fourteenth and fifteenth periods), so the approved students are divided into special three and special four periods, and they enter the school one after another.
In the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, according to the western custom, once a war was declared with foreign countries, the Supreme Military Academy suspended classes temporarily, and the students in the school were uniformly deployed and used by the General Staff Department (the base camp in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War), and were generally sent to units above the division level of combat troops as liaison staff. China resumed classes in Changsha in the spring of 1938 because of the long-term anti-Japanese war. When confronted with the Japanese army on a large scale, the Kuomintang army began to feel that the literacy of officials and staff officers at all levels, especially senior military personnel, was far less than that of the Japanese army, which made it important to pay attention to the education of Luda University. But it is not easy to train a senior officer with military literacy. At that time, Luda University adopted the method of shortening the service life (that is, changing three years to two years and canceling the summer vacation). Ordinary classes are based on enrolling students once a year. Captain, at least an officer, graduated from a regular military academy (mainly Huangpu Military Academy) and received more than one and a half years of formative education, so he can apply for the exam. Therefore, there are many opportunities for young officers at this level to apply for the exam, but it is bitter for middle and senior officers who want to take the Courtyard class.
1939, asked for the fifth exam, and Chiang Kai-shek approved more than 200 students in two phases. Therefore, the military command department in charge of Luda disagreed with Chiang Kai-shek's method of approving the number of candidates at will (excluding about 10 lieutenant general officers he allowed), but there was nothing he could do. There are fewer opportunities for middle and senior officers to apply for the exam. From 1936 to 1943, only two special student classes were recruited in about eight years. Many officers who wish to apply for special classes also have strong reactions. In particular, the students in the first few issues of Huangpu are particularly serious.
Around the 1940s, the personnel system of the Kuomintang army was gradually standardized. The promotion of officers can only be promoted to the next level after the expiration of one year's suspension from school at the next level (that is, length of military service). As far as the special class is concerned, the lowest rank is Lieutenant Colonel. According to the suspension period at that time, it takes nine and a half years to be promoted from second lieutenant to Lieutenant Colonel. According to past references, the rest year of the US military is two to three years longer than that of the China army. For example, the Kuomintang army will be suspended from second lieutenant to major general 17.5 years, while the US military will be suspended for more than 20 years. Due to the confusion of personnel system, the Central Army acted in accordance with the law, and Huangpu students suffered greatly. Most of the local troops who can go to Huangpu school to study are children of people who have relations with the heads of the troops or their own children. After graduation, I will return to the army and will soon be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, a black officer. In the Central Army, not only the tenth Huangpu graduates lagged far behind, but even the eighth Huangpu graduates did not mention Lieutenant Colonel. Naturally, I am not qualified to apply for a special class.
In another case, some individuals are not soldiers because they are related to the officers of local troops. If they are major generals, they can make up a little military science. Because special students don't follow the actual military command and natural science, several major courses and tactical assignments are all on paper, and educated people are easier to learn. Find two friends from regular military schools, write a false certificate and get by.
During the Anti-Japanese War, in order to improve the quality of Luda students, the competent department of the Military Department naturally knew that these people had taken advantage of the loopholes and opportunistically reported to the special student class. Therefore, 1942 made extremely strict regulations on the examination method when preparing for the recruitment of the seventh period of the college. China has had an examination system since ancient times, although it is strict, such as "entering the imperial examination" in the imperial examination era. But there is always a back door. Hell to pay, a cheater in exams in the Qing Dynasty, still has a bad habit. Different from ordinary students (below the battalion commander), students in special classes have less social contact. They are all middle and senior officers, and most of them are colonels or above. Therefore, examiners at all levels, not immediate family members and friends, can also find indirect relationships, go through the back door and ask for help, mainly to get questions or buy off questions that the examiners have agreed to answer correctly in advance.
The officer in charge of drafting the examination method, Lu Dajun, is naturally a classmate who graduated in the early stage. It can be said that all the disadvantages brought by the exam are well thought out (it can be said that "all channels are blocked"). From the above qualification examination and examination methods, we can see its strictness. The strictness of the oral and written tests during the second interview is even more amazing.
The oral test is a rather sad pass to enter the final written test. During the second interview, it will be composed of 9 lieutenants. The examination place is half moon, with the chairman in the middle and four oral examiners on both sides. Students in special classes always have direct or indirect relatives and friends among the nine examiners. There is no paper in the oral exam, so you can get the news in advance, check the caliber on the spot, and be a little more lenient with your opponent. Scores can ensure that you pass the exam, but this is not the case. After entering the scene, there was a serious atmosphere. Even a battle-hardened officer will inevitably feel nervous if he seldom contacts senior officers. The examiner doesn't ask specific questions, just like the first test, watching. Draw lots from the pen container on his desk. The sign says that candidates should take the exam in front of the oral examiner (unlike other oral examiners who ask questions directly at the initial exam, this is a loophole). There are two boxes on each interviewer's desk, one is the title and the other is the name of the next interviewer. Even if the interviewer is your close friend, there is nothing you can do. Because you can't ask questions at will, you must draw lots and sign with a piece of paper with a topic on it. This brief moment, to tell the truth, is more concentrated and nervous than the spirit when charging on the battlefield. Later, the students jokingly called it the nine-class joint exam.
The written test is more strictly controlled. Civil and military instructors have long been "buried" and isolated from the outside world. Every time you enter the examination room, you always have to wait for a minute or two before you can wait for the question (the examination time is calculated by the time you give the question). Later, I learned that it was the competent official who temporarily turned a tutorial book to one page, then turned to another page, and then gave the question. Then the mimeograph is sent to the examination room. Because the topic was not conceived by the examiner, but the academic topic was drafted by comprehensive articles, in order to test the level of candidates, such a simple method was adopted to prevent the topic from leaking. However, the academic literacy of the candidates could not be tested, and the examiner finally had no brains, so he wrote a question and answer to deal with it. So the effect is not good.
After the written test is completed, the list will be issued in about one week to ten days. After the initial examination system, only 200 people went to Chongqing to take part in the second examination. Some people failed in the first few lists, about 170 to 180 people took the written test, and finally about 1 10 people were admitted. That is, after a period of classroom preparatory education and internships in various arms and services schools (about half a year), students are finally eliminated through screening examinations. This system was implemented in the seventh student screening examination. Candidates are not prepared because they are not included in the admissions brochure.
The Military Command has long planned to rectify the school spirit of Luda University. The original plan was implemented in the first two phases, but it was resisted by the school. Starting from the seventh and twentieth periods of the regular classes enrolled six months later (Hao Baicun, the general of Taiwan Army, was the student of this period), the military department ordered the school to resolutely implement it, which has been reported to the Military Commission for examination and approval. The document stipulates that the latter three will be eliminated. The students said that 100 also has the last three points. So I went to party. There were ten lieutenant generals, dozens of major generals in the seventh period, and a classmate Xiang Chuanyuan in the first period of Huangpu, who was Chiang Kai-shek's aide. He went to the attendants' room that day and learned that the documents were still in the office of Chief of Staff He, and some students knew He's private spin doctor (both of them were early classmates). After repeated research, I have drawn up two opinions: First, I think that the method of elimination at the end of each semester by the Military Command is not perfect. Second, in order to improve the quality of students, all those who fail will be eliminated. This opinion is very impressive, and the superior is impeccable. It is approved and handed over to the school for implementation. This important document concerning the fate of many students has therefore become a dead letter. The school authorities, especially the instructors, are on the students' side and will not let a student fail. In the seventh period, no one was punished except one student (the first) and three students.