Cheng's prototype is Tashan warrior Zheng Yuanhe. 1905 was born in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, ranking the third in the family. 1922 entered Taiyuan provincial normal school, and the school established a party branch at 1926. It was here that he, Wang Shiying, Xu and others were educated in Marxism-Leninism and started the revolutionary cause.

The defeat of Huludao and Jinxi reinforcements played a key role in the victory of Jinzhou War. /kloc-in the summer of 0/949, he led the 13th Corps of the 4th Field Army south, and liberated some cities such as Henan and Hubei.