Chapter 21 Chapter 20 The Xi'an Incident—An Unexpected Turn

In late November 1936, after the West Route Army occupied Yongchang and Shandan, it temporarily stopped marching westward and rested on the spot.Ma's army also seemed to be exhausted after their frenzied attack on the West Route Army.As long as the West Route Army does not leave the city, they will stop attacking.The gunfire and gunpowder smoke in the Hexi Corridor drifted with the wind, and there was a period of silence for more than half a month. The situation of the Red Army in northern Shaanxi is becoming more and more critical.Under the pressure of the siege of the Kuomintang army, they really felt breathless.The Central Army of the Kuomintang, the Northeast Army, the Northwest Army, the various armies of the local warlords, Hu Zongnan, Guan Linzheng, Mao Bingwen, Wang Jun, He Zhuguo, Wang Yizhe, Dong Yingbin, Sun Zhen, Wan Yaohuang, Yang Hucheng, Ma Hongkui, Ma Hongbin, Ma Bufang, Gao Guizi, Gao Shuangcheng The 260 regiments commanded by Li Xianzhou, Li Xianzhou and others surrounded the northern Shaanxi base area heavily.Chiang Kai-shek saw that the Red Army was exhausted and weak after the Long March, and had not fully recovered.He wanted to seize the opportunity to wipe out the Red Army in one fell swoop.

In Mao Zedong's revolutionary career, he once again faced great danger.The impoverished and backward northern Shaanxi lacked food and clothing. After Zhang Guotao arrived in Baoan, he found that it was more difficult than he had imagined. "Baanbao is the most desolate county I have seen. Its scale is smaller than a market town in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. After years of natural disasters and man-made disasters, most of the houses have collapsed. Immediately after we came, there was a phenomenon of insufficient housing allocation; I He and Zhu De both shared a cave on the side of the mountain, and lived next to Mao Zedong, Zhang Wentian, Qin Bangxian, Wang Jiaxiang, Lin Boqu, etc. In front of these caves, there used to be a street composed of shops and houses, but there were no houses at that time. All kinds of vegetables have been planted on the ruins.... There are few people here, and there are usually more Red Army soldiers than ordinary people on the streets. It is said that the food here, as long as there is a good harvest in one year, can last for three years. But this It’s a good year, but it’s a rare one.”

The rendezvous of the first, second, and fourth front armies is a good thing, but the ensuing difficulties in life really worry the central government.The severe shortage of food and clothing made it impossible for the various units of the Red Army to maintain the minimum living needs. On November 14, 1936, Peng Dehuai, the commander-in-chief at the front, telegraphed Mao Zedong and Zhang Wentian: "The mountain castle is victorious, and winter is about to enter, and the enemy may temporarily turn to the defensive. I should take the opportunity to reorganize the troops with all my strength. Please do your best to prepare two months of funds. , a total of 300,000 yuan is required. Please give a definite answer if it can be done.”

300,000 yuan is an astronomical figure for the central government, and it is simply impossible.Due to the large funding gap, the 4th Army and the 31st Army of the Fourth Front Army have been in northern Shaanxi for a month. Seeing that the weather is getting colder and colder, most of the soldiers are still wearing tattered clothes from the Long March. On November 28, Xiao Ke, the commander of the 31st Red Army, and Zhou Chunquan, the political commissar, reported to Peng Dehuai: "Except for the troops directly under the rear, our army supplies two days of raw food and three days of dry food. The food is collected on the spot. Except for the cotton clothes made the day before, they received 1,110 sets, 2,084 sets are missing (except for the troops directly under the rear army). Each person has an average of one pair of straw sandals, one-fifth of hats, one-quarter of shoes, and one-seventh of coats.” On November 30, Chen Zaidao, chief of the 4th Red Army, Wang Hongkun reported to Peng Dehuai: "Some of us fled and fell behind in the front army. Our army has no economy, and we have difficulties in firewood and vegetables. Can we give a economy (fee)?"

The Fourth Front Army reached out to Peng Dehuai for something, but Peng Dehuai couldn't make cotton clothes and shoes.The Four Fronts Army couldn't support so many people, so they had to find a way to streamline and reorganize.At that time, the female soldiers of the 31st Red Army Hospital stationed in Qingyang were forcibly dismissed.Liu Xuezhi, a female soldier who joined the Red Army in the Tongnanba area, followed the troops through the snowy mountains and grasslands, and has been working in the laundry class of the 31st Military Hospital.When the troops reached Shizhai in Yunyang County, all the female soldiers in the hospital were called to talk by a new political commissar.The political commissar told them: The troops will go north to fight against Japan and reorganize.According to the needs of the army, lesbians are not allowed to stay in the army, and have to go home or go to the rear to engage in production.When the female soldiers heard this, some were furious, and some were crying and making noise.Even if you hire permanent workers, you can’t do this. If you say no, then don’t!Others said that women are required to climb snow-capped mountains and cross grasslands, but now they don't?The next day the army asked them to gather, and more than 100 female soldiers from various units made a fuss there, and no one could persuade them. The chief of staff of the 31st Army was furious and shouted: "These lesbians are so naughty and don't obey orders, tie them up!" But no one could do it.Seeing that the situation was difficult to deal with, the director of the Military Political Department began to send everyone a letter of introduction from the organization and two yuan of severance pay.The female soldiers were crying, making noise, and cursing, the scene was really chaotic.After dealing with them, the troops set off.But these female warriors followed closely behind.They live wherever the troops live.When they arrived in Sanyuan County, the troops stopped leaving.Seeing that these female soldiers were really pitiful, the headquarters asked Yang Zhicheng, the Minister of Service in the rear, to take them in.Let them return to the ranks of the Red Army.

Soon after the meeting, the central government sent Lin Yuying and others to the Fourth Front Army. On the one hand, it was to meet and contact, and the other mission was to cooperate with Peng Dehuai to inspect the 4th Army and the 31st Army.After Lin Yuying arrived at the Fourth Front Army, he first had a detailed conversation with Zhang Guotao, introducing the international and domestic situation.Then, together with Peng Dehuai and Ren Bishi, he went deep into the troops to investigate and understand the situation, and kept reporting to the central government. On November 11, Peng, Ren, and Lin called Zhang, Mao, Bo, and Zhou:

On November 13, after inspecting the 31st Army, Lin Yuying called the Central Committee again: Although the differences between Mao Zedong and Zhang Guotao were not really resolved, the external threat outweighed the differences within the CCP.The siege of the Kuomintang army and the difficulties within the Red Army made Mao Zedong extremely worried.Only by stopping the attack of the Kuomintang army, seeking respite for the Red Army, and improving the poor living conditions, can the passive situation be reversed.Mao Zedong did not give up any possible chance for reconciliation.In October and November, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai and other leaders discussed the issue of negotiating with the Kuomintang, and personally drafted a "Draft Agreement between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party to Resist Japan and Save the Nation", which Zhou Enlai prepared to bring to Nanjing for negotiations.Its main content is as follows: "The Chinese Kuomintang admits that the military committee of the Nationalist Government has ordered to stop attacking the Red Army and invading the Soviet area, cancel the economic blockade, and admit that after separate consultations, on the one hand, it mobilized the troops attacking the Red Army to leave the current area and go to the anti-Japanese front. Determine the necessary and suitable base areas for the Red Army, provide the necessary ordnance, military uniforms, military expenses, food and all military supplies, and provide supplementary personnel so that the Red Army can fight against Japan with peace of mind.” On this basis, “The Chinese Kuomintang recognizes that the Red Army’s military It is necessary for the committee and the general headquarters to select and send representatives to participate in the national military committees and general headquarters, and to ensure that the representatives can carry out their work smoothly; the Chinese Communist Party recognizes that the Chinese Kuomintang personnel occupy the main leadership position in such organs." It shows the attitude of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China: as long as Chiang Kai-shek allows the existence of the Red Army, the Communist Party of China is willing to accept the leadership of the Nationalist Government and join forces with the Kuomintang army in the war of resistance.

On November 7, Mao Zedong issued instructions to Pan Hannian (codenamed "Xiao Kai") who was working underground in Shanghai to go to Nanjing to lobby the upper echelons of the Kuomintang for the united front.The telegram was conveyed from Liu Ding, the party's secret liaison station in Xi'an: Following the instructions of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, Pan Hannian immediately went to Nanjing to secretly contact the brothers Chen Lifu and Chen Guofu of the CC Department of the Kuomintang, expressing the willingness of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to cooperate with the Kuomintang on the basis of the anti-Japanese national united front, as long as Chiang Kai-shek stopped attacking the Red Army, The Red Army is willing to accept adaptation and go to the anti-Japanese front line together with the Kuomintang army.Chen Lifu conveyed the CCP's proposal to Chiang Kai-shek.But Chiang Kai-shek does not tolerate the existence of the Communist Party at all, and must put the Red Army to death.He put forward harsh conditions and asked Chen Lifu to convey them. On November 14, Liu Ding telegraphed the Central Committee:

Such harsh conditions are unacceptable to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.Pan Hannian sent several telegrams in succession, asking for instructions from the central government, and also said that the Chen brothers hoped to have a high-level meeting with Zhou Enlai. On November 22, Mao Zedong and Zhang Wentian gave Pan Hannian a clear answer: When Chiang Kai-shek dispatched troops to encircle northern Shaanxi and prepare to completely wipe out the Red Army, the officers and soldiers of the Northeast Army and Northwest Army led by Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng were unwilling to fight a civil war for Chiang Kai-shek. In April 1936, Zhang Xueliang personally went to Luochuan to meet secretly with Zhou Enlai, and agreed with the Communist Party's idea of ​​uniting the united front against Japan.Since then, underground workers of the Communist Party entered Xi'an one after another, opening underground communication lines between the Communist Party and the Northeast Army and Northwest Army.Zhang Xueliang heard that the Red Army was short of food and clothing, so he generously donated money to help.At that time, the Red Army had no cotton-padded clothes for the winter, so Zhang Xueliang ordered him to rush to make cotton-padded clothes for the Red Army at the quilt factories in Xi'an and Xianyang.He also sent large sums of silver dollars to the Red Army several times through Commander Wang Yizhe in front, which relieved the impoverished Red Army from their urgent needs.

Although Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng repeatedly delayed, they avoided fighting the Red Army.Chiang Kai-shek did not relax, and repeatedly urged Zhang and Yang to cooperate with Hu Zongnan to march to encircle and suppress the Red Army.During this period, Commander Wang Yizhe kept in close contact with Peng Dehuai and tipped off the news.Under Chiang Kai-shek's strict order, the Northeast Army also had to pretend to march, but they all informed the Red Army in advance. On November 11, 1936, Wang Yizhe informed Peng Dehuai: 1. The headquarters originally ordered our department to advance to the area near Lingwu on the date of deletion, and if there is delay, it will be punished by military law.But the younger brother knew that the elder brother was in difficulty, so he repeatedly excused the delay.But in order not to make others suspect the plan, he had to go a little further.Regarding the food relationship, the younger brother is scheduled to enter Liwang Fort on Sairi Stone Road.

2. Knowing each other in heart, I should try my best to delay as much as possible, and will inform you of the situation at any time. So Peng Dehuai informed Xu Hai to move in a planned way to the east to avoid conflict with the Northeast Army.Wang Yizhe's help enabled the Red Army to grasp the dynamics of the Kuomintang army in a timely manner and avoided many possible losses.In protecting the Red Army, Zhang Xueliang and Wang Yizhe are indispensable. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has no hope of seeking peace from the Kuomintang authorities, and it is facing tremendous pressure from all sides. Sitting and waiting for death is not an option.Mao Zedong decided to implement the "New Combat Plan", abandoning the Soviet area in northern Shaanxi and moving to Shanxi or southern Shaanxi.This is a major event related to the overall situation and the fate of the Red Army, which is tantamount to the second Long March.Therefore, Mao Zedong was very cautious and consulted Peng Dehuai and other army leaders for their opinions. On November 30, Peng Dehuai called Mao Zhou, Zhu Zhang, and proposed the next course of action: First, going west is politically unfavorable.After passing through alpine grasslands and Muslim areas, supplies are not easy to solve, and clothes, footwear and socks cannot overcome the cold. 2. Xiangnan is politically good and aims to fight against Japan in Hebei.But it made Zhang and Yang difficult.And it can attract Jiang to increase troops to Shaanxi, Gansu, and the Hu enemy will not listen to our mobilization, but will take advantage of the gap to attack Yanchi and Dingbian, form a blockade in Ningxia and northern Shaanxi, occupy Baoan, and shake the basic Soviet area. 3. Go east to aid Suizui to fight against Japan, prepare to go east in Shenfu, the politics will be better, and the Soviet area will be preserved. Mao Zedong's opinion is different from that of Peng Dehuai. He still hopes to transfer to southern Shaanxi.In order to avoid conflicts between the Red Army and the Northeast Army and Northwest Army, Mao Zedong notified Zhang Xueliang of the Red Army's secret plan.Unexpectedly, Zhang Xueliang resisted all opinions and asked the Red Army to persist on the spot and not to carry out strategic shifts.Mao Zedong hurriedly notified Peng Dehuai and Ren Bishi of this new situation by secret telegram: What exactly Zhang Xueliang meant by "bigger changes" was beyond Mao Zedong's guess.At that time, no one in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China would have thought that Zhang Xueliang would launch the "Xi'an Incident" that shocked China and the world 12 days later. On December 4, Chiang Kai-shek flew to Xi'an to supervise the battle.Prior to this, Zhang Xueliang had gone to Luoyang to persuade Chiang Kai-shek to stop suppressing the Communist Party in person, and transferred the Northeast Army to the front line to fight against Japan, but Chiang Kai-shek flatly refused.Chiang Kai-shek was extremely dissatisfied with the Northeast Army and Northwest Army's refusal to cooperate with Hu Zongnan's attack on the Red Army. He also heard that Zhang and Yang's subordinates had secretly communicated with the Red Army, so he came to Xi'an to take command.As soon as he arrived in Xi'an, he summoned the generals of the Northeast Army and the Northwest Army and said: "The enemy in front of us is the Communist Party, and the Japanese are far away from us. When we fight, we must first be close and then far; If it is close, it will be reversed, and it will definitely fail, and it will not be a revolution. In any case, we must attack the Communist Party at this time. If we oppose this order, the central government will have to deal with it. The Northeast Army and the Seventeenth Route Army now have only two roads to go : One is to go to northern Shaanxi to suppress bandits, and the central army will be your reinforcement; the other is to transfer to Fujian and Anhui, and listen to the central dispatch. Don’t make mistakes.” On December 8, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng took turns admonishing Chiang Kai-shek with the last ray of hope.When Zhang Xueliang talked about his sadness, he wept bitterly, but Chiang Kai-shek was unmoved, and shouted at Zhang Xueliang: "Even if you beat me to death with pistols, I can't change the policy of suppressing the Communist Party!" It tends to be anti-Japanese. The matter of the Red Army can be discussed and resolved through political methods. It is not appropriate to use troops against the Red Army.The relationship between Chiang Kai-shek and Yang Hucheng is relatively distant, unlike Zhang Xueliang who can speak directly.Although he was kind to Yang Hucheng, his tone was very tough.Jiang said: "I am sure of destroying the Communist Party, and I am determined to use troops. The Red Army has now become a mob that roams everywhere. They must obey the government's orders, hand over their weapons, and dismiss the Red Army. If the Communist Party continues to resist, we will use dozens of times more Deal with these remnants of troops. We are absolutely sure of destroying them. Now we are encircled on three sides, east, west and south, and I have ordered Ma Shaoyun (Hong Kui) to send cavalry to intercept the north. In one fell swoop, the Red Army can be driven to the desert area north of the Great Wall, where the Red Army cannot survive. There is only one way to disintegrate and surrender. The use of troops this time will not take long before all can be resolved." He also said to Yang: "You know, we are incompatible with the Communist Party. If the Communist Party is eliminated, I will resist Japan." Chiang Kai-shek has fought against the Communist Party for ten years, and he knows how powerful the Communist Party and the Red Army are.He believes that now the Red Army is weak and weak, which is the best time to encircle and suppress.If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to predict in the future.As long as the Communist Party exists for one day, its status will not be secure.Therefore, his policy of "to fight against the outside world, we must first settle the inside" is by no means something that Zhang and Yang can change.Zhang Yang was forced into a dead end by Chiang Kai-shek: If there is a civil war, if the people are not attached, they will be sinners through the ages; if there is no civil war, Chiang Kai-shek will never forgive them.After repeated weighing, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng made up their minds to carry out "military remonstrance".For the sake of confidentiality, Zhang and Yang did not notify the Communist Party's liaison personnel in Xi'an in advance. In the early morning of December 12, 1936, gunshots rang out at Huaqing Pool in Lintong, where Chiang Kai-shek was stationed, and Zhang Xueliang's guards launched an attack.Since the intelligence agency had no prior information, Chiang Kai-shek's guards resisted hastily and were quickly resolved by the Northeast Army.On Mount Li, the Northeast Army captured Chiang Kai-shek alive and sent him to Zhang Xueliang's mansion. The "Xi'an Incident" happened. After capturing Chiang Kai-shek, Zhang Xueliang sent a report to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China that morning.Mao Zedong and other leaders in Baoan received Zhang Xueliang's telegram, and their surprise is simply indescribable.At this time, Liu Ding, an underground worker stationed in Xi'an, also sent an urgent telegram.What needs to be explained is that Zhang Xueliang notified Liu Ding when the operation started in the early morning of the 12th.Liu Ding was about to send a report, but suddenly the power went out.Liu Ding was so anxious that he ran to the street to buy batteries.Not a single store was open in the middle of the night.When Liu Ding bought back the battery, Chiang Kai-shek had already been caught.Liu Ding hurriedly sent the report, and the Central Committee received it at 14:30 pm on the 12th. The Xi'an Incident happened in a hurry, shocking both at home and abroad.The leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China did not have any mental preparation in advance, and the members of the Politburo were scattered everywhere.Wang Ming and Chen Yun were in Moscow, Liu Shaoqi was in the Pingjin White Area, and Peng Dehuai, Wang Jiaxiang, and Ren Bishi were at the front.Only Mao Zedong, Zhang Wentian, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and Zhang Guotao were in Baoan.According to Zhang Guotao's recollection, when they were urgently summoned to Mao Zedong's cave at noon on the 12th to read the call from Xi'an, they were all extremely excited.Everyone immediately took action to discuss countermeasures. Zhang Wentian and others drafted a request for instructions to the Communist International. Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai quickly sent a reply to Zhang Xueliang, informing him that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was planning to send Zhou Enlai to Xi'an. On the 13th, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting at the residence of Zhang Wentian, a security guard, to study the strategies of the Communist Party of China and the actions of the Red Army after the Xi'an Incident.Mao Zedong, Zhang Wentian, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, Bogu and Kaifeng attended the meeting.According to those who have read the archives of the meeting minutes, because the Central Committee was “located in Bao’an County, a poor and remote area in northern Shaanxi, the news was not good. …Because little is known about the situation in Xi’an, and various aspects at home and abroad are quite unexpected. Telegram reports condemning Zhang and Yang came like snowflakes, and it was difficult for the central government to express its position publicly at the time.”Therefore, "it is simply impossible to ask anyone to make a set of comprehensive and correct decisions immediately after the sudden occurrence of an incident."Some contents of the meeting were disclosed in the article. It can be seen that in the speech, the leaders of the central government "proposed to lead the country with Xi'an as the center and control Nanjing; From the record file, it took up the majority of the meeting's time." According to Zhang Guotao's recollection, all the leaders of the central government were in high spirits at that time, and most of them advocated a public trial of Chiang Kai-shek.To a certain extent, this reflects the true feelings of the Communists.It would be really strange if someone advocated letting Chiang Kai-shek go back from the very beginning. Mao Zedong first spoke and said: This incident is revolutionary, it is anti-Japanese and anti-traitor.Its actions and its program have positive meanings, and we should clearly express our support for this incident.At the same time, it must also be estimated that Chiang Kai-shek's subordinates, such as Liu Zhi, may attack Tongguan and threaten Xi'an, and Hu Zongnan may also move south.At these strategic points in Lanzhou and Hanzhong, we should deploy them immediately.We should use Xi'an as the center and the northwest as the anti-Japanese front to influence and lead the whole country and form the center of the anti-Japanese front.He advocated: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will not issue a declaration for the time being, but it should be actively implemented in actual actions. In his speech, Zhang Guotao proposed to establish a political power in Xi'an, taking Xi'an as the anti-Japanese center and replacing the Nanjing government.He also believes that civil strife is inevitable and is only a matter of size.Zhou Enlai and Zhang Wentian were more cautious.Zhou Enlai proposed that military preparations should be made to deal with Nanjing's pincer attack on Xi'an, but politically, instead of confronting the Nanjing government, efforts should be made to win over the anti-Japanese faction within the Kuomintang.Zhang Wentian basically agreed with Zhou Enlai, advocating uniting with the orthodox faction of the Kuomintang to form a nationwide anti-Japanese united front.After the speeches of the participants, Mao Zedong concluded that we are now in a new stage of historical events, and there are many roads and difficulties ahead.In order to win over the masses, we did not speak easily about the Xi'an Incident.We are not opposing Chiang Kai-shek head-on, but specifically pointing out Chiang Kai-shek's personal mistakes and not juxtaposing opposing Chiang Kai-shek and resisting Japan. On the 14th, Mao Zedong and others notified the news of the Xi'an Incident to Peng Dehuai and Ren Bishi who were in front, and Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao who were far away in Yongchang, and drafted instructions to Liu Shaoqi in the name of the Central Secretariat.The spirit of these instructions was consistent with the telegram sent by the Red Army generals to the Kuomintang and the Nationalist Government published in the "Red China News" on the 16th, both of which were to establish an anti-Japanese government centered in Xi'an and convene a meeting of people's representatives to publicly try Chiang Kai-shek. The occurrence of the Xi'an Incident caused chaos within the Kuomintang Central Army. On the 13th, Hu Zongnan's troops retreated by night.Zhang Xueliang concentrated his main force in Xi'an and gave up Luochuan and Qingyang.The situation of soldiers pressing down on the border disappeared overnight.All the departments of the Red Army took active actions, striding forward, and occupied the Qingyang and Xifeng areas without bloodshed.In the Hexi Corridor, the Ma family army who besieged Yongchang also retreated. On the contrary, the Nanjing government headed by He Yingqin reacted strongly and wanted to meet Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng in arms.Feng Weizai, commander of the 42nd Division of the Northwest Army stationed in Tongguan, and Huang Yongan, commander of the 8th Artillery Brigade of the Northeast Army stationed in Luoyang, rebelled, which opened Tongguan's door wide.Fan Songfu of the Kuomintang Army quickly seized Tongguan, and his subordinate Dong Zhao Division defeated the Northeast Army in Hua County and marched into Chishui.The Central Army of the Kuomintang moved westward on a large scale, and there was no danger in the Guanzhong Xi'an area, and it was passive militarily. Warlords from all over the country also reacted differently.Shanxi Yan Xishan only stated that he would not invade Zhang Yang, and broke his promise to send troops to support him.Han Fuju in Shandong and Song Zheyuan in North China stood still and watched the situation.Only Li Zongren from Guangxi and Liu Xiang from Sichuan expressed their response, but they were unable to quench their thirst.Zhang Xueliang pinned his hopes entirely on the support of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Soviet Union. On the 14th, Zhang Xueliang called Mao and Zhou and said: "Because there are no soldiers, Tongguan has been occupied by Fan (Songfu)'s army first. Its first went to Huayin, but there has been no fighting. ... Now Yan'an and Ganquan are defending, please the Red Army The Ministry took over the defense... When En came to Yan'an, he sent a plane to come." The response from the CPC Central Committee was positive.After receiving the telegram, Zhou Enlai immediately took 18 staff members and rode to Yan'an under the control of the Northeast Army. After several setbacks, he boarded the plane sent by Zhang Xueliang and arrived in Xi'an on the 17th.However, without the instructions of the Communist International, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China cannot decide on major policies without authorization.After the meeting on the 13th, the leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent tens of thousands of urgent telegrams to "distant places", reporting the situation of the Xi'an Incident and the measures the CCP was going to take, and asked for international approval. However, the Communist International did not reply for a long time.In fact, after learning the news of the Xi'an Incident, the attitude of the Soviet government was very clear. On the 14th, the Soviet "Pravda" published an editorial entitled "China Incident", accusing Zhang Xueliang of "using the anti-Japanese movement to speculate, but in fact helping Japan to split China, making China more turbulent, and becoming a victim of foreign aggression."Official opinion in the Soviet Union believed that the Xi'an Incident was a conspiracy jointly planned by Zhang Xueliang and the Japanese, with the purpose of destroying the anti-Japanese united front. On the 15th, Jiang Tingfu, the ambassador of the Kuomintang government to the Soviet Union, met with Litvinov, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, and pointed out: Articles in Soviet newspapers and periodicals confuse Zhang Xueliang with Japan and the Wang Jingwei Group, which is obviously not in line with the facts.Litvinov swore to Ambassador Chiang that the Soviet Union had always supported the unification of China, and had never expressed sympathy for the internal strife among Chinese generals. On the 16th, the Soviet People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs called its representative in Nanjing, Spielvanek, asking him to explain to the Nanjing government that the Soviet Union had nothing to do with the Xi'an Incident, and that the Soviet government could not bear any responsibility for the actions of the Chinese Red Army. Xi'an and northern Shaanxi, which are in a closed state, failed to receive these news in time. On the 15th, Mao Zedong sent a telegram in the name of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the generals of the Red Army, demanding that the Nanjing government accept Zhang and Yang's proposals, stop the civil war, remove Chiang Kai-shek, and hand over to the people of the country for trial.Adhere to the original anti-Chiang anti-Japanese stance. On the 16th, the Comintern sent a telegram signed by General Secretary Dimitrov to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.However, due to an error in the password, it cannot be translated at all.The leaders of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China were extremely anxious, and on the 18th, they telegraphed the International, requesting a reissue. On the evening of the 17th, Zhou Enlai and his party arrived in Xi'an.In the past few days, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng were caught in a dilemma by domestic and foreign public opinion and military pressure from Nanjing.Zhou Enlai's arrival made them very happy.Zhou Enlai learned about the situation in detail, and discussed with Zhang Xueliang how to deal with Chiang Kai-shek's problem.Zhang Xueliang said: According to his personal opinion, winning Jiang's resistance against Japan is currently the most possible.As long as Chiang agrees to stop the civil war and unite in the resistance against Japan, Chiang should be released and supported as the leader of the national resistance against Japan.Zhou Enlai agreed with Zhang's opinion and hoped that the Xi'an Incident would lead to a better future.Killing Chiang Kai-shek will not only fail to stop the civil war, but will also create convenient conditions for Japanese imperialism to further destroy China.After Zhou Enlai and Zhang Xueliang reached a consensus, on December 17 Zhou sent a report to Mao Zedong, reporting the situation in Xi'an and the talks with Zhang Yang, and clearly put forward a suggestion not to kill Chiang: "In order to ease the invasion of Jiang's troops, let me concentrate and divide Within Nanjing, it is possible to promote the national (anti-Japanese) movement, and it is possible to promise Jiang's safety in terms of strategy. But it is stated that if Nanjing advances to provoke a civil war, Jiang's safety will be hopeless." The Communist International's instructions were delayed, and Mao Zedong was also aware of it.Zhang Xueliang repeatedly pressed questions, but the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was unable to express its position.Zhang Xueliang learned about the attitude of the Soviet Union from Sheng Shicai in Xinjiang.In the telegram sent by Zhang Xueliang, Sheng Shicai made it clear that he could not support the Xi'an Incident, and also issued a statement supporting Chiang Kai-shek.Zhou Enlai heard about the content of the editorial of the Soviet "Pravda" in Xi'an and reported to Mao Zedong on the 19th.Zhou Enlai also told Mao Zedong that Song Ziwen, Song Meiling, Kong Xiangxi and others in Nanjing were the main peace. "Jiang's attitude began to be tough, but now he is also conciliating, trying to regain his freedom." After receiving Zhou Enlai's telegram, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held the second Politburo meeting after the Xi'an Incident on the 19th.Mao Zedong pointed out in his speech: After the Xi'an Incident, Nanjing focused all its attention on the issue of capturing Chiang, ignored all Zhang and Yang's anti-Japanese propositions, and mobilized all troops to attack Zhang and Yang.This is the dark side that arises after the incident.This incident promoted the division between anti-Japanese and pro-Japanese, and expanded the anti-Japanese front. This is the bright side caused by the incident.Now the light side is overshadowed by the dark side.We should firmly stand on the stand of resisting Japan, promote the bright side and attack the dark side.The Xi'an Incident has two prospects, victory or failure.We should win over and help the Xi'an side, put the front in order, attack the crusaders, oppose the civil war, demand peace, and win victory. Xishan is also different. We sympathize with Zhang and Yang.Telegrams should be issued based on such a position. Mao Zedong's report turned the tone of the meeting to the discussion of whether to strive for a peaceful settlement of the Xi'an Incident or to prepare for a civil war, but no one can be sure which is more likely.At the end Zhang Wentian made a speech, clearly leaning towards a peaceful solution.He said: "Our policy should be determined to strive to become a nationwide anti-Japanese movement, adhere to the policy of stopping the civil war and unitedly resisting Japan.... We should not stand on the standpoint of anti-Chiang, not on the standpoint of resuming anti-Chiang, because this standpoint can It is not good to pit Chiang's subordinates against each other. We should focus on anti-Japanese war, and it is inappropriate to demand that Chiang be handed over to the people for public trial." He advocated: "We should try our best to buy time for peaceful mediation." Mao Zedong agreed In Zhang Wentian's opinion, he pointed out in his conclusion: the current camp is divided into two camps, one is the Japanese imperialists and the pro-Japanese faction, the other is the Communist Party and the anti-Japanese faction, and there is a vacillating and neutral faction in the middle.We should win over these centrists, we must win over Nanjing, and even more so, we must win over Xi'an. Only when the civil war is over can we resist Japan.There were six forces that could bring the civil war to an end: the first was the Red Army, the second was the Northeast Army, the third was the friendly forces in Xi'an, the fourth was the people, the fifth was the internal division of Nanking, and the sixth was international aid.The six anti-civil war forces should be united to end the civil war and turn the civil war into a war of resistance against Japan. After the meeting, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "Instructions of the Central Committee on the Xi'an Incident and Our Tasks" to the various units of the Red Army and the underground parties in the White Areas.When analyzing the nature of the Xi'an Incident, he said: "Because this launch detained Chiang Kai-shek, the highest military chief in Nanjing, and his main generals, so that Nanjing was placed in a hostile position in Xi'an, it created a new large-scale attack that was extremely dangerous to the Chinese nation. The possibility of a civil war. Therefore, this launch hindered the unity of the anti-Japanese forces across the country.” The central government’s instructions predicted two outcomes of the Xi’an Incident: “First, it created the victory conditions for Japanese aggression. Second, it ended the civil war and united against Japan.” In order to strive to achieve the second result, the central government set three guidelines: "First, adhere to the position of the initiator and leader of stopping all civil wars and unanimously resisting Japan, oppose new civil wars, and advocate the foundation of united resistance against Japan between Nanjing and Xi'an First, a peaceful solution. Second, unite with the leftists in Nanjing, win over the centrists, and oppose the pro-Japanese factions. Third, sympathize with Xi’an’s political platform and give Zhang Yang positive and practical assistance.” The Politburo meeting and its instructions on December 19 indicated a fundamental change in the CPC Central Committee's position on the Xi'an Incident.From the beginning of firm support for Zhang Yang, the trial of Chiang Kai-shek, and the establishment of the central government in Xi'an, he turned to striving for a peaceful solution in order to achieve a united resistance against Japan in Nanjing.This is of course a wise choice, not only to maintain the relationship with Zhang Yang, but also to have a dialogue with Chiang Kai-shek. After the meeting on the 19th, Mao Zedong called Zhou Enlai and Pan Hannian respectively.The telegram to Zhou said: "Welcome Song Ziwen to Xi'an." "Zhang Yang will have a future if he persists, so he doesn't need to be discouraged." Limit the conditions to avoid the catastrophe of national subjugation." On the 20th, Mao Zedong instructed Zhou Enlai: "If Song Ziwen's attitude is sympathetic to the Shaanxi uprising, brother can try to see him. On the one hand, he proposed that our party should coordinate the Shaanxi uprising, suspend the civil war, and jointly resist Japan. The standpoints of the three speak for themselves. The current situation is critical, and civil war is a dead end. Ask him to convene a peace conference to resolve the country’s affairs.” On December 20, the long overdue international instruction finally arrived.The telegram stated: "First, Zhang Xueliang's actions, no matter what his motives are, objectively can only damage the unity of the Chinese anti-Japanese national united front and encourage Japanese aggression. Second, since the incident has occurred, the CCP should take the above into consideration , and resolutely resolve the incident peacefully on the following basis: 1. By reorganizing the government, including some representatives of the anti-Japanese movement and people who support China's integrity and independence; 2. Guaranteeing the democratic rights of the people; Cooperate with the Red Army in the struggle against Japanese aggression; 4. Cooperate with those countries that sympathize with the Chinese people in resisting Japanese imperialism's attack on China." The reasons that prompted Stalin to make this choice were not explained to the central leaders until Wang Ming returned to China in December 1937.Zhang Guotao recalled: "He (Wang Ming) said that after the Xi'an Incident, the ambassadors of the United States and Britain in Moscow asked the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the Soviet government's attitude towards this matter. The Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied that this was a Japanese conspiracy. Disapproved. Then Stalin personally drafted the telegram to the CCP, and explained to Wang Ming that the general idea was that Zhang Xueliang was not important enough, how could he be the leader of the national anti-Japanese war? , but he is the only promising anti-Japanese leader in China, and he may be our partner in the anti-Japanese war.” Stalin's consideration of issues was first of all based on the national interests of the Soviet Union.He was to rely on Chiang Kai-shek to maintain China's stability and fend off Japan.If there is civil strife in China, Japan will directly endanger the Soviet Union.Therefore, Stalin would not support the CCP according to the principle of "proletarian internationalism".But Mao Zedong has always been preparing for peace talks with both hands. On the 15th, his instructions to Peng Dehuai and Ren Bishi were: "The enemy has already pursued a large-scale civil war. We should launch the war later, not first. However, when the enemy's main force is advancing towards Xi'an, our army should pursue a grand strategy, detour and defeat the enemy. The Nanjing government with the enemy's mind. This policy should be unambiguous. Actions must be concealed, and no one can give orders." On the 19th, he sent a telegram to Zhou Enlai and said: "Resolutely destroying the attacking enemy is an important means of implementing this general policy." "" The Red Army is determined to concentrate on Xi'an, and cooperate with Zhang Yang to destroy the enemy from the east first." Now the international instructions are for a peaceful settlement, and they tend to support Chiang Kai-shek.This is obviously inconsistent with Mao Zedong's two-handed preparation. However, Mao Zedong still reported the international call to Zhou Enlai in Xi'an, specifically pointing out that the slogan of uniting the Soviet Union should not be mentioned.After Zhou Enlai conveyed it to Zhang Xueliang, Zhang Xueliang was not surprised.Because he hated the Japanese who invaded his hometown in Northeast China.He took decisive measures to detain Chiang Kai-shek in order to force Chiang to resist Japan, not to provoke a civil war.However, He Yingqin and others in Nanjing made a big crusade against Zhang Yang, hoping to blow up Chiang Kai-shek in the melee so that he could replace him.Zhang Xueliang is indeed a little bit hard to get off. Now that the Communist Party has agreed to a peaceful solution, Zhang, Yang, and Wednesday have the same opinion. In the past few days, Chiang Kai-shek's thinking has also changed.He gradually calmed down from his original rigid attitude, and realized that if the stalemate in Xi'an continued, problems would arise in Nanjing, and his position might be usurped.So Jiang was eager to find a way to go down, and had to make some concessions.At this time, Song Meiling and Song Ziwen came to Xi'an to mediate and resolve the Xi'an Incident, which turned the situation for a peaceful settlement. On the 24th, Soong Meiling and Soong Ziwen held talks with Zhang, Yang and Zhou.Song Meiling said straight to the point: "We are all descendants of the Yellow Emperor, and we should never kill each other. All internal affairs should be resolved politically, and we should not use force." The request made by the Communist Party made a clear promise and answer.According to Zhou Enlai's telegram to the central government, these conditions include: reorganizing the Nanjing government, eliminating the pro-Japanese faction; withdrawing troops and transferring Hu Zongnan and other central troops away from the northwest; releasing patriotic leaders;改番号，统一指挥，联合行动；共产党可以公开等等。下午，蒋介石会见张学良，认可宋美龄承诺的条件，周恩来再次电告中央书记处： 当天晚上，周恩来在宋氏兄妹陪同下去见蒋介石。周的拜访使蒋介石十分尴尬。剿共十年，不但没把共产党和红军剿掉，共产党反而上门来了。蒋介石当政十年来，败在他手下的军阀无数，今天轮到他自己丢脸了。当周恩来走进蒋的卧室，蒋介石故意装病躺在床上，强撑起身子请周坐下。周对蒋说：“蒋先生，我们有十年没见面了，你显得比从前苍老些。”蒋叹口气说：“恩来，你是我的部下，你应该听我的话。”周说：“只要蒋先生能够改变攘外必先安内的政策，停止内战，一致抗日，不但我个人可以听蒋先生的话，就连我们红军也可以听蒋先生指挥。”宋美龄在旁边对周来西安斡旋表示感谢，并表示以后不剿共了。接着，蒋介石向周恩来当面重申了他的许诺：一、停止剿共，联红抗日，统一中国，受他指挥。二、由宋氏兄妹和张学良全权代表他解决与红军的关系问题。三、蒋回南京后，周恩来可以直接去谈判。得到蒋介石的这些保证，周恩来就告辞了。 就这样，西安事变在各方面的共同努力下，得到了和平解决。12月25日，张学良陪同蒋介石夫妇乘飞机离开西安去南京。登机前蒋介石对张、杨说：“今日以前发生内战，你们负责；今日以后发生内战，我负责。今后我不再剿共，我有错我承认，你们有错亦应承认。” 在这惊心动魄的半个月中，受益最大的是中国共产党和红军。蒋介石精心布置大军围剿，满怀信心地要把红军和共产党一举消灭。当时毛泽东也做好了最坏的打算，陕北站不住就再来一次长征，或到鄂豫皖，或到宁夏，甚至作了到苏联的打算。但是张学良、杨虎城以一个中国人的良心，不愿意打内战，突然发动了西安事变，彻底打乱了蒋介石的如意算盘，使国内形势发生了根本性的转折。蒋介石被迫停止了围剿红军，并且承认了共产党和红军的合法地位。这对毛泽东和红军来说，真是“山重水复疑无路，柳暗花明又一村”。在西安事变过程中，红军在配合张、杨抵抗国民党中央军的进攻时，迅速南下，占领了泾水以北的大片地区。张学良援助红军的5万银元也按期送到，红军的贫困局面得到改善。12月27日，毛泽东在中央政治局会议上作关于西安事变问题的报告时指出：“我们过去估计西安事变带有革命性是对的，如果它没有革命性便不会有这样好的结果。西安事变给国民党以大的刺激，成为它转变的关键，逼着它结束十年的错误政策，结束十年内战，而内战的结束也就是抗战的开始。西安事变促进了国共合作，是划时代的转变，是新阶段的开始。”1937年1月10日，毛泽东带领中央机关高兴地离开保安，13日迁入延安城，开始过上了定居的生活。 但是，张学良、杨虎城的命运却急转直下。蒋介石回到南京，背信弃义地将张学良扣留。演了一出先由军事法庭审讯判刑，再由蒋介石特赦的闹剧，然后将张学良“严加看管”。此时，张学良抱着“我不下地狱，谁下地狱”的态度，坦然承担对他的一切指控。他既不推卸责任给杨虎城及其部下，还说明发动西安事变与共产党毫无关系，完全是为了抗日，为了民族和国家的前途。蒋介石恨死张学良，不完全是因为他在西安的丢丑，而是张学良使他的“剿共”计划功亏一篑，这样的机会再也不会来了。多年之后，蒋介石想起西安事变，还是难消心头之恨。所以，他让张学良做了半个世纪的囚徒，直到蒋介石离开人世，也没有恢复张学良的自由。 张学良被扣的消息传到西安，引起巨大的震动。东北军的青年军官主张与蒋介石拼个你死我活，救出少帅。东北军的王以哲、何柱国等高级将领则主张和平解决。双方争执不下，杨虎城也犹豫不决。周恩来仍坚持和平解决。坚持东北军、西北军和红军“三位一体”抵抗南京方面的压力。但头脑发热的少壮派不听劝告，反而转过头来怨恨王以哲等主和派。1937年2月2日，孙铭九等刺杀王以哲。张学良被拘禁和王以哲被杀，使东北军群龙无首。杨虎城也控制不了西安的局面，底下的将领各奔前程，“三位一体”终于瓦解了。周恩来纵有天大的本事，也难以挽回。1937年2月8日，顾祝同率中央军和平进入西安。不久，杨虎城被迫出国，东北军、西北军被拆散调防。只有共产党和红军在陕北站住了脚。虽然毛泽东担心蒋介石翻脸不认人，做了最坏的准备。但蒋介石终究没有再组织围剿陕北苏区，而是与周恩来开始了红军改编的谈判。 西安事变的结局如此，真是当初任何人都没有预料到的。这其间国、共与张、杨之间的关系错综复杂，至今还有一些秘密无法解开。时隔六十多年后，当记者采访唯一健在的当事人张学良时，他还是不肯开口。究竟是往事不堪回首，还是以基督徒的胸怀宽恕一切？张学良明确表示的只有一点：如果不是日本帝国主义侵略中国，就不会有西安事变，他也不会如此坎坷一生。但是对于中国共产党和红军来说，如果没有西安事变，没有张学良，中国革命的历史可能就会是另一个样子。