His early interest was in diplomacy, but after witnessing the September 18th Incident of 1931, in which Japanese forces encroached on Chinese territory and brought turmoil to the nation, he decided to enroll in the military academy to serve his country.
在鹽城縣城就讀小學、中學，原曾有意於外交工作，因適逢「九一八事變」，目睹強鄰壓境，國家動蕩不安，遂決定投考軍校報國。