陳誠為國軍重要將領，亦深受蔣中正之信任。陳誠自1923年保定軍校畢業後，軍旅生涯相當順遂，1930年便已升任上將軍長。其基幹部隊第十八軍亦隨之擴大，並在中原大戰中為蔣中正立下不少戰功，成為蔣手下一支能征善戰的部隊。蔣中正於1930年底開始進行對中共的軍事圍剿，初期進展並不順利，致使蔣把嫡系部隊像是陳誠的十八軍，大舉投入第三次圍剿，但效果有限。甚至在1933年的第四次圍剿中，十八軍更遭逢成軍以來前所未有之大敗，蔣中正更直言此次失敗是「有生以來惟一之隱痛」。從南征北討之常勝軍，轉而成為戰敗指標，陳誠由盛轉衰之過程，為本文所要探討的重點之一。陳誠剿共失利，是其軍事生涯的首次重挫，各方將領也多有指責。陳誠如何面對自身壓力以及蔣中正所寄予之厚望；蔣中正又是如何處理此次軍事挫敗，其考量又是什麼。陳誠從敗軍之將而又重拾層峰信賴，其中之轉變則是本文探究的另一焦點。此次軍事失敗，除陳誠賴以起家的十八軍軍力大受打擊外，其自身亦遭記過並降級任用。但深入觀之卻不難發現，剿共受挫成為陳誠從軍以來一重要之轉捩點，此後青雲直上，除軍事實力更為壯大外，更逐漸成為黨、政等領域首屈一指的指標人物，陳誠戰前剿共之經歷，實為一重要重要關鍵。

Chen Cheng, an important General of Chinese military, is a man who won Chiang Kai-shek's belief. Chen Cheng went smoothly on his life of military. He graduated from Paoting Academy in 1923, and within seven years, he had promoted to general of army commander. In order to become Chiang Kai-shek's main force, Chen Cheng and his soldiers, the eighteenth Army, not only enlarge the strength but also defeated the warlords' troops on the Civil War in 1930. Chiang Kai-shek tried to attack the Communists in China from the end of 1930, but the results were not so successfully. According to this reason, Chiang Kai-shek planned to use a strategy to win the battle, that is, to put Chen Cheng's eighteenth Army on the attacking activity. Unfortunately, the outcome of extermination campaigns was frustrated. In 1933, eighteenth Army was even conquered and faced what they have never faced before. What's worse, Chiang Kai-shek pointed out this failure as 'the only thing he sorrows in his life'. Since then, Chen Cheng become the loser who had to bear the severely criticisms from his fellowsThe failure of extermination campaigns could be seen as the first frustration on Chen Cheng's military servicing life. First, how did Chen Cheng cope with the pressures from the failure of extermination campaigns, criticisms and the expectation of Chiang Kai-shek? Second, how did Chiang Kai-shek resolvethis military frustration and how did Chiang Kai-shek handle the situation that Chen Cheng caused ? And how did Chen Cheng re-acquire the confidences from his fellows and juniors?Therefore, the failure of extermination campaigns not only cause eighteenth Army lose their confidence but also lead to the demotion of Chen Cheng. However, it is easily to find that this failure could be regarded as a turning point of Chen Cheng's military life. After this failure of extermination campaigns, Chen Cheng had a rapidly raise on his career. Apart from expanding the military strength, Chen Cheng also played an important role in the field of KMT and polity. Thus, the experience from the failure of extermination campaigns is really a key point on Chen Cheng's life.