▍Part One:
The Xi’an Incident Shaking Modern Chinese History: Saving the Nation or Suppressing the Communist Party?Chiang Kai-shek who was “admonished” by Zhang Xueliang
On December 23, Song Ziwen met with Zhou Enlai in the morning and afternoon, and Meiling also met with Zhou Enlai in the afternoon. The next morning, they had lengthy negotiations with Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, and finally found a solution acceptable to all parties. The groundwork was laid for the formation of a new united front, reorganization of the government, and resistance to the Japanese. The meeting decided to end the civil war, legalize the Communist Party, and, after a while, reorganize the Red Army as a unit of the National Revolutionary Army.
On the evening of December 24, Zhou Enlai called on Chiang Kai-shek. It was the first time they had met since 1926. As mentioned above, Zhou was Chiang Kai-shek’s subordinate at the Whampoa Military Academy at the time, but now he talks to Chiang Kai-shek politely and with dignity.
The moment to rewrite history: stop suppressing the Communist Party, unite with the Red Army to fight against Japan
“Mr. Jiang! We haven’t seen each other for ten years. You look older than before.”
Jiang nodded, took a breath, and then suddenly decided to remind Zhou that he was his chief, even in the past. The thing is, in the Chinese view of the clan, there is a ceremonial and unchanging quality between the relationship between the elder and the younger, and between the inside and outside of the family. “The emperor, the ministers, the father, the son, the son,” Confucius said. Then Chiang Kai-shek said: “Enlai, you are my subordinate, you should listen to my words.” But Zhou evaded and said: “As long as Mr. Jiang can change the “restraining the outside world, we must first settle the inside”, stop the civil war, and unite in the resistance against Japan. I personally can listen to Mr. Jiang, and even our Red Army can listen to Mr. Jiang’s command.”
Chiang Kai-shek understood everything, and quickly ended the conversation, saying “Stop suppressing the Communist Party, unite with the Red Army to fight against Japan”, the unification of China will be realized, and the unified country will be under his leadership. …. All seemed to be moving smoothly toward a satisfactory conclusion, but when rumors of negotiations and the imminent release of Chiang Kai-shek reached the officers of the Northeast and Northwest Armies on December 24, many of them Everyone was very indignant and asked Jiang to give a written guarantee that he would fulfill the request made to him on December 12.
On the evening of December 24, regarding the release of Jiang, a fierce conflict broke out between Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng. Yang also did not want to release Chiang without a written guarantee. “He’s going to knock your head off me,” he shouted…
December 25th, …. Zhang Xueliang arranged for Jiang Song Meiling, Duan Na and Song Ziwen to sit in three cars and take them to the airport. The car quickly drove onto the apron of the airport and stopped in front of Zhang’s plane. This is a Boeing aircraft, sitting in the driver’s seat is an American pilot Leonard (Royal Leonard). …. Jiang said to Zhang: “Before today, if there is a civil war, you are responsible; after today, if there is a civil war, I will be responsible. From now on, I will never suppress the Communist Party. I am wrong, I admit it; you are wrong, you must admit it.”… .
The plane took off at four o’clock in the afternoon.
self sacrifice
Arrived in Luoyang in one hour and twenty minutes. “Thank God for protecting me,” Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary. …. Zhang Xueliang and Song Ziwen arrived on the Boeing plane two hours later, and when Zhang Xueliang got out of the plane, the crowd boiled with anger. Soldiers and Secret Service agents had to form a human wall to let Zhang through. Otherwise, he will be torn to pieces. Tears streamed down Zhang’s face, but he walked through the crowd with his head held high. At the airport exit, he was handcuffed and taken to Song Ziwen’s home under guard.
On December 31, 1936, Chiang Kai-shek broke his promise and handed over the marshal who had mutinied to a court-martial. The Young Marshal knew where he was going, and really, like the ancient hero Vend, he was going to sacrifice himself. On December 19, he wrote in a private letter to London Times reporter David Frazer that he was going to follow Chiang Kai-shek to Nanking, “If a calm and fair trial is possible, … …, I will accept the punishment, even if it is the death penalty,” the young marshal assured him.
On December 31, Zhang was sentenced to ten years in prison and deprivation of public rights for five years. Until his deathbed, he believed that Chiang himself had forgiven him and kept him from being shot. But the reason why he was not executed was mainly due to Meiling’s strong protection, and she also showed her concern later: she gave him money, clothes and medicine; once, when her beloved dog gave birth to puppies, even Gave him one.
Five days later, on January 5, 1937, he was transferred and placed under house arrest, after which he would languish alone for many years, …. He was not released until 1990, when he was already an old man in his nineties.
After his release, many prominent figures attended a banquet hosted in his honor by Zhang Qun, China’s former foreign minister. Among them was Hao Bocun, the president of the Executive Yuan. Zhou Enlai, who died in January 1976, his widow sent a congratulatory message to Zhang Xueliang from Beijing, and Song Meiling, who lived in New York at the time, sent a bouquet of flowers. The former young marshal was deeply moved, and responded to these congratulations: “I am ninety years old, and my eyes and ears are not working well, but I am not confused. If the country and the nation need me, I will definitely return to my hometown.” Give as much as you did when you were young.” But the Taiwanese government and people may not need him. In 1994, Zhang and one of his wives (the other had died by then) moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. He died on October 14, 2001. He died of pneumonia every day and enjoyed Song’s 100th birthday.
※ This article is excerpted from “Chiang Kai-shek: the defeated victor“Chapter 13, titles and subtitles were added by Narutodo editors,United PublishingAuthorized to publish.
《Chiang Kai-shek: the defeated victor》author: Alexander. Alexander V. Pantsovtranslator: Liang Siwen (Steven I. Levine), Yang Shujuan
the publisher：United Publishingpublication date：2023/02/02
