China’s top general, second only to Xi Jinping, the nation’s leader, in the military command, has been put under investigation and accused of “grave violations of discipline and the law,” the Ministry of National Defense said today, the most stunning escalation yet in Xi’s purge of the People’s Liberation Army elite.

General Zhang Youxia had appeared to be President Xi Jinping’s trusted second-in-command. He has now joined the long list of generals and admirals under investigation.

The ouster of Gen. Zhang Youxia, who was second only to Xi Jinping in the military hierarchy, marks “the total annihilation of the high command,” one analyst said.