From 1950 to 1959, Chen served as Central Commander of the entire PLA Artillery, and President of the Artillery Academy. He worked very closely with Soviet advisers and, like the Soviet Red Army, the PLA would acquire a preference for heavy artillery bombardments. Chen especially distinguished himself during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis, with the PLA capturing the Yijiangshan and Dachen islands. As commander of the artillery, he employed the former Qing Dynasty Manchu imperial prince Zaitao, as a special adviser.