They were the first civilian leaders with control over both the country’s political and military hierarchies in nearly 100 years. The advice Deng gave Jiang when he came to office is not surprising. ‘Out of five working days,’ Deng told Jiang, ‘spend four with the top brass.’ From all appearances, Deng’s successors took his words to heart. Jiang in the two years alone after he took over the military made personal visits to more than 100 military installations.
