Hu Zongnan Hu Zongnan ( ; 16 May 1896 – 14 February 1962 ) , courtesy name Shoushan ( 壽山 ) , native of Zhenhai , Ningbo . A general in the National Revolutionary Army and then the Republic of China Army . Together with Chen Cheng and Tang Enbo , he formed the triumvirate of Chiang Kai - shek ' s most trusted generals during the Second Sino - Japanese War . After the retreat of the Nationalists to Taiwan in 1949 , Hu served as the President ' s military strategy advisor until his death in 1962 . Campaigns against warlords . Hu was in the first graduating class of Whampoa Military Academy ( 1924 ) . One of Chiang Kai - shek ' s favourite students , he took part in the Northern Expedition as CO of 2nd Regiment , 1st Division , First Army . In May 1927 he was promoted to deputy CO of 1st Division while retaining command of 2nd Regiment . In November of the same year he was assigned as CO of the 22nd Division and led the division during the second Northern Expedition in April 1928 . In August his division was downsized to the 2nd Brigade of 1st Division , and he served as CO of this brigade which Chiang thought highly of . In 1929 and 1930 he led his brigade in the Central Plains War to defend the central government against the regional warlords such as the Gui clique , Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan . He was promoted and given command of a reorganised 1st Division upon his return . He participated in Chiang ' s communist extermination campaigns , was given command of First Army in 1936 , and took part in the Battle of Shanghai and Wuhan , variously leading the Seventeenth Army , 34th Army Group , 8th Military Region and 1st Military Region . Hu proved himself in these battles and along with Tang Enbai , Xue Yue , and others , Hu became one of the Kuomintang generals his enemy deeply feared and respected . However , Hu ' s glory on the battlefields was short - lived , and much to the delight of his Japanese enemy , Hu nearly vanished after these battles and rarely participated in the rest of war because he was put in charge of more than 140 , 000 Kuomintang troops by Chiang Kai - shek to blockade the communist base in Shaanxi from Soviet influence . Hu Zongnan was a fearless general . Hu had shown his eagerness to fight the Japanese from time to time , but as a professional soldier , he dutifully carried out his order given by Chiang Kai - shek by staying at this job for the rest of World War II . Hu vowed he would remain as single until the war was over . However , he married Ye Xiazhai ( 叶霞翟 ) in 1948 when he was 52 . Resumption of the Chinese Civil War . After World War II , Hu Zongnan battled the Communist Party of China and in the early stage of the struggle , was once successful in taking Yan ' an , the capital of the communist base in Shaanxi . However , Hu was unable to achieve any further significant victories for one year partly there were Communists mole informed all military plans . Although Hu Zongnan was a capable commander , he was nonetheless not a match for his communist opponent Peng Dehuai , and with the absolute numerical and technical superiorities , Hu ' s quarter million troops not only failed to defeat the communist Peng Dehuai ' s 20 , 000 + strong force , but after their initial success , also continuously suffered numerous defeats where his troops were annexed by the communists all together . However , it must be said that Hu ' s defeat had much more to do to his political personality than his military capability . More importantly , Chiang Kai - shek ' s confidence who tried to hold on to land than coast . The rugged terrain of the northwestern China favored the communists defenders and their guerrilla warfare and not suitable for the mechanized troops . Mao Tsetung was playing hide and seek near Yenan since Mao has insider information on where nationalist troops schedule and plans through spies who were staff and un - noticed by Hu . In 1949 the entire Kuomintang defenses were falling apart . General Hu was taking orders from Chiang only to establish a stronghold in Sikang . He failed the mission due to logistics . He got on a military plane dragged in by his staff and left for Taiwan . Upon return to Taiwan he was in charge of civilian formed forces on several offshore islands in East China Sea and in Penghu Islets . He retired shortly and died . He is survived by his family and son 胡為真 who became a politician in Taiwan . Legacy . Hu Zongnan , as a capable military commander was not unaware of these problems the nationalists had faced , but as a loyal subject of this superior . Therefore Hu dutifully followed his directives and ended up in the inevitable defeats . Hu Zongnan ' s failure was large not due to his military capability , but he was blamed by his rivals afterward . Another reason for Hu ' s failure was because that his most trusted assistant , Major General Xiong Xianghui ( 熊向晖 , originally named Xiong Huiquan 熊汇荃 ) was a communist spy . Xiong secretly joined communist party in December 1936 at Tsinghua University and under the direct order of Zhou Enlai , Xiong went to work for Hu Zongnan in December 1937 . Xiong excelled in his work and since March 1939 , he had become Hu ' s most trusted subordinate and named Xiong his secretary , a position Xiong held until May , 1947 , when he was sent to USA by Hu Zongnan to study . It was not after Xiong left Hu did Hu discovered Xiong ' s true identity , and obviously , it was not Hu Zongnan ' s fault and Hu himself was fooled and thus a victim as well , but Hu ' s political enemy , such as those in Chen Cheng ' s camp , accused him of harboring communists , a charge later resurfaced after the nationalist had withdrawn to Taiwan , and Hu was cleared for both times . After the KMT fled to Taiwan , he served as governor of Zhejiang ( Chekiang ) from 1952 , commanded the ROC defense in the First Taiwan Strait Crisis and retired from the army in 1955 . He went on to serve as the President ' s military strategy advisor until his death on 14 February 1962 .