Chapter 18 5. Li Zongren refused to sign

Early morning on April 16. Beiping Xiyuan Airport. Zhou Enlai drove to see Huang Shaohong and Qu Wu off.He seemed to be in a good mood that day. He turned around and asked Ye Jianying: "Success or failure depends on one action. Do you think it's good to send the two of them back?" Ye Jianying said: "This is a person recommended by their delegation. As long as it is easy to sign, it is a good thing." Zhou Enlai explained: "Why did you send Huang and Qu back to persuade Li and Bai to sign? This still makes sense! You may not know that Huang Shao is a close friend of the Gui family. He used to be in Guangxi with Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi. He was once known as the Big Three in Guangxi, and he is also very influential in terms of influence, not to mention that he has a deep personal relationship with Li and Bai."

Ye Jianying said with a smile: "According to what you said, there is still some hope for winning over Li and Bai?" Zhou Enlai: "I can't have much hope, but there is still a little bit." Ye Jianying asked: "Why didn't Zhang Zhizhong go back to Nanjing in person? What's the purpose of letting Qu Wu go?" Zhou Enlai said: "How can he go back? I'm afraid he won't come back after he goes. Don't underestimate this Qu Wu. He is the son-in-law of Yu Youren, a veteran of the Kuomintang. He can also talk in Nanjing. Send him to do something. Persuasion works right."

In a blink of an eye, we have arrived at the airport, and the Nanjing delegation has arrived.When Huang Shaohong shook hands with Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying and others, he suddenly saw a person. This person was Bai Chongxi's nephew Hai Jingqiang. He was originally the commander of the 188th Division of the 46th Army of the Guangxi elite army. He was captured alive by the People's Liberation Army in the Battle of Laiwu, Shandong. . Zhou Enlai said: "Both of you go back, and bring back General Bai Chongxi's nephew by the way. This is also our move for peace. General Hai is free, and everything is up to him to choose! We are friendly to the Guangxi Clan. I hope He can still do the work of General Bai when he goes back."

Qu Wu said: "The Communist Party implements a policy of leniency, and Hai is forced to go back. I think General Bai will be very happy." Zhou Enlai said, "You two are going back this time, the task is arduous! We are waiting for good news." Huang Shaohong was not optimistic. He was not willing to take up this post, but everyone strongly recommended him, so it was hard to refuse.He said to Zhou Enlai: "According to my analysis, there is not much certainty about whether the Nanjing government can sign it. I hope it is only 50%. But please rest assured that we will work hard and I hope to see you again."

Zhou Enlai said: "Welcome, we will wait for your return. Let me tell you, our army crossing the river has made all preparations. We should have crossed the river long ago. For the sake of peace talks, we had to push back the date of crossing the river again and again." Whether the Nanjing government signs it or not, we will all cross the river. This determination cannot be changed. I also want to tell you that we will soon establish the Central People’s Government.” Qu Wu asked: "Where to choose the capital, is it Beiping?" Zhou Enlai: "Yes, to be specific, our new Central People's Government is going to be located in Zhongnanhai. We had a meeting in the Hall of Qinzheng a few days ago, and we will discuss with people from various parties here. The country is, when you go back, you must convey our intentions to Mr. Li, and hope that he can come to Peiping to sign."

Qu Wu said, "We must do his job." Zhou Enlai said, "I wish you a safe journey!" The plane left the runway and flew towards the blue sky and white clouds. They returned to Nanjing in a few hours. That afternoon Li Zongren held an emergency meeting in his mansion to study the signing. This was a very small meeting, but the participants were all important officials of the government. Besides Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, there were also He Yingqin and Huang Xuchu.Li Zongren said to them: "Huang Shaohong and Qu Wu came back from Peiping on a special trip and brought the draft peace talks with the CCP. I hope I will sign it. I have no choice but to invite you to come and study this matter together. I should first ask Huang Shaohong to report on the peace talks. Let’s take a look at the draft together and make a decision.”

Huang Shaohong opened the black briefcase on his lap, took out two documents and handed them to Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, and then said: "I will not be wordy about our peace talks in Beiping, and I have nothing to report. Take a look at this draft. Before I came, Zhou Enlai, the chief representative of the CCP, told me repeatedly that this is their final plan and cannot be changed. The time limit for signing is the 20th of this month. If the government agrees, sign it, otherwise they will immediately cross the river. Zhou Enlai also said that he hoped that Acting President Li would go to Peiping to sign in person. This plan was finalized after many efforts. Mr. Wen Bai sent me and Mr. Qu back, and I hope the government will make up its mind soon.”

The room seemed very quiet, and no one else was willing to speak.Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi looked at Huang Shao very seriously?Bring back this file. After reading the agreement, everyone was silent. Bai Chongxi threw the document on the table and looked at Huang Shao?He Qu Wu said: "You have even brought back documents like this. These terms are too harsh and force us to surrender!" The atmosphere in the room was very dull, Li Zongren bowed his head and smoked, and Bai Chongxi left with a sullen expression. He Yingqin glanced at Li Zongren, and then said eccentrically: "This proposal is not acceptable to us. Such an important matter cannot be decided casually. I suggest that the Executive Yuan hold a meeting to study and discuss it first."

Li Zongren nodded and said, "Then you should study it first." Qu Wu interjected: "Peking is still waiting for news from us, how should we answer?" Li Zongren said: "Don't worry, after the meeting of the Executive Yuan, we will reply, we can send Wenbai and others a power call, and let them wait." Of course, He Yingqin's Executive Yuan could not be the master. Bai Chongxi's attitude changed drastically and he firmly opposed to signing the agreement. Li Zongren also hesitated, so he sent Zhang Qun to Xikou on April 17 to ask Chiang Kai-shek for instructions.

In fact, Chiang Kai-shek already knew all about the agreement. It was his confidant Gu Zhutong who told him in a secret telegram. Although Zhang Qun knew the inside story, he still handed over the agreement to Chiang Kai-shek according to Li Zongren's arrangement. Chiang Kai-shek pretended to flip through a few pages at random, and then flew into a rage, slapping the table and cursing: "Mother! Wenbai and the others are so incompetent, they have become nothing. What kind of agreement is this? It is a treaty that forfeit power and humiliates the country!" Zhang Qun was also a little frightened. He took out his handkerchief and wiped the bean-sized beads of sweat on his forehead. Seeing that Chiang Kai-shek's mood gradually calmed down, he asked for instructions, "What does the president mean?"

Chiang Kai-shek waved his arm firmly, and said: "It is reasonable to say that I am a retired person, and there is no need to take care of these things, but I can't just watch the gang of Nanjing government do things to destroy the party and the country. The president of the Kuomintang is obliged to come forward, so go back and tell Acting President Li Zongren that you cannot sign this agreement no matter what.” Zhang Qun said: "It's okay not to sign, but it can't be without feedback. The date set by the CCP is before the 20th. Acting President Li didn't want to sign it at first, but he didn't want to shirk this responsibility." Chiang Kai-shek said coldly: "Mr. De is very cunning. He doesn't want to sign, and he doesn't want to say anything. How can there be such a good thing? Well, I won't embarrass him. I will telegraph the regular meeting of the Kuomintang in Guangzhou and let them In the name of our Party Central Committee, a statement rejecting the "Domestic Peace Agreement" was issued." Zhang Qun said, "That's the only way." Chiang Kai-shek's eyes bulged, and he said through gritted teeth: "The Communist army is nothing to be afraid of. We still have so many troops. Can't we stop them from crossing the river?" Zhang Qun said: "I heard that the communist army used one million troops to cross the river, and there were also militiamen." "I know that." Chiang Kai-shek asked casually, "What is Bai Jiansheng's attitude?" "He is opposed to the communist army crossing the river. After reading the agreement yesterday, he was very angry and left without saying anything to De Gong. It seems that he is going to start a decisive battle with the communist army." "This is like a party-state soldier, with integrity." It was inconvenient for Zhang Qun to stay in Xikou for a long time, so he had a meal with Chiang Kai-shek and then flew to Nanjing. In the afternoon of the same day, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Guangzhou to arrange for the Kuomintang Central Committee to issue a statement.At the same time, he summoned the senior front-line commanders who could be called to Xikou to deploy an anti-communist plan. Chiang Kai-shek made it clear that he could not sign it, and Li Zongren, the acting president, seemed a little powerless.Of course, don't say that he can't control the government's military, even if he is worthy of the name as acting president, he may not agree with the "Domestic Peace Agreement" proposed by the CCP at that time.Decades later, an influential old man who had worked beside Li Zongren for many years testified that Li Zongren was a statesman without vision and also very selfish. It may start from the interests of the country and the people, so it is impossible to sign the peace agreement.Li Zongren also revealed this point of view when he wrote his memoirs in his later years. Of course, this is something to say later, and we don't need to judge here.Let us go back to the day of April 17, 1949, and watch Li Zongren's actions at that time! It is said that on the evening of the 17th, Li Zongren convened a meeting of important members of the Guangxi faction at his official residence.Attendees included Bai Chongxi, Li Pinxian, Huang Xuchu, Xia Wei, Wei Yongcheng and Cheng Siyuan.The central topic of this meeting is to fully listen to Huang Shao?Report and discuss countermeasures to deal with the situation. Bai Chongxi was originally reluctant to participate, but Li Zongren persuaded him many times and still came, because all the visitors were cronies of the Guangxi family, so there was no need to avoid anything, and they could speak freely.Li Zongren looked at everyone and said with a gloomy face: "I invite you here today to discuss countermeasures together. The CCP has restricted us to sign before the 20th of this month, that is, there are still three days left. It is hard to say how the situation will change after three days. Huang Shaohong just came back from Beiping. Please let him give everyone a detailed report on the peace talks, and then talk about what you have to say." Huang Shaohong said: "To be honest, I was reluctant to be the representative of the peace talks at the beginning, but Degong and Jiansheng said many times that I accepted this job. After staying in Beiping for a few days, I felt a lot of emotion and felt that I had the responsibility to promote the peace talks. Peace, to make our country really peaceful and let our people have a good life. This is my wish. You are all old friends. For decades, life and death are suffering, so I can only speak from my heart. Please forgive me if there is any inappropriateness." Bai Chongxi didn't like to listen, so he turned around and said, "Don't go around the bush, let's get straight to the point!" Huang Shao?He took a sip of tea calmly and said: "Okay, when I came back to Nanjing, people talked a lot, and the "Domestic Peace Agreement" became the focus. One cannot understand this issue too one-sidedly.” Bai Chongxi said angrily: "Isn't that the case? You have been negotiating for a long time on behalf of our government, and they are all negotiated conditions at the mercy of the Communist Party, almost all of which are beneficial to the Communist Party." Huang Shaohong said: "Please calm down, Jiansheng, and listen to me. The situation we are facing now is not what it used to be. It is not the situation at the beginning of the War of Resistance. You all know in your heart that we are a defeated army seeking peace. This is not easy! As far as the military From a political point of view, there is already a gap between our National Army and the Communist Army. As far as politics is concerned, besides the Communist Party, there are many people in the Kuomintang and the Nanjing government who are against us. It is impossible for many people in the world to speak for us. Otherwise, Why did our president step down! This is the truth. President Jiang is a man, everyone understands that since our Degong provoked this mess, he has not stopped making troubles behind the scenes. Although the government still has millions of troops, but How many people can really listen to Degong and Jiansheng's instructions? "The most reliable thing is our Guangxi faction. There are not many, two to three hundred thousand. There is not much to fight for. Mr. Jiang is still strong, and he can take his cronies back to Taiwan to protect himself. What about us? What is the benefit of going to Taiwan with him? Therefore, I still advise Degong and Jiansheng to make up their minds early. Only by taking the road of peace can we protect ourselves and our children in Guangdong and Guangxi will have a way out." Li Pinxian found out that Huang Shaohong was so old, he was really moved, and his eyes were moist as he talked.So he went on to say: "At this point, Mr. Jiang is absolutely unreliable, and it is impossible to rely on it. We should have our own vision." Cheng Siyuan looked at Huang Shaohong and asked: "With regard to the political issues between De Gong and General Bai, does the CCP have any intentions?" Huang Shaohong said: "Of course there is. When I came, Mr. Mao Zedong told me personally that as long as the public agrees to sign and promote local peace, the Central People's Government will be established in the future and can serve as the vice chairman. As long as General Bai completely breaks with Chiang Kai-shek, he will not take the initiative to submit to the Communist Party. Army attack, you can temporarily retreat to Guangxi, operate for two or three years, and when the conditions are ripe, you can come back and lead the National Defense Army. The Communist Party’s army will not enter Guangdong and Guangxi within two years, and will not carry out land reform.” Li Pinxian hurriedly asked: "Is this really what Mr. Mao said?" "He said it himself." "This condition is still beneficial to us. Mr. De, don't you think so?" Li Zongren was leaning on that sofa, and his mental state was very bad from the beginning to the end. His facial expression was always so indifferent, unlike Bai Chongxi who had changed obviously.Then he raised his head, looked at everyone and said: "I, Li Zongren, don't care about my personal future. I came to power to advocate peace. If this fails, I will resign and return to the field, and I will withdraw from the stage of history. If you have any opinions, you may wish to put them forward, as long as it is beneficial to the overall situation!" People looked at each other in blank dismay, silent, and the smoke in the room was increasing.Sitting in the smoke, Bai Chongxi took the lead in expressing his opinion, his tone was blunt, and the smell of gunpowder was strong: "It's okay for them not to attack me, but what if they attack me? It's okay to retreat to Guangxi, why let me lead the National Defense Force in the future? Land reform... What's the use of all these things? Sooner or later, we will be the food on other people's plates when we return to Guangxi. Didn't your representatives bring a secret case when they left? Why didn't you stick to our position? The agreement that Ji Broadband came back to us is very Unfavorable, I object to signing." Li Zongren did not express his position, and the meeting broke up unhappy. Of course, there will be no results. Then Li Zongren instructed He Yingqin to convene a meeting of the Executive Yuan to finally decide whether to sign. Zhang Zhizhong and others in Beiping were in a difficult mood, and they all hoped that exciting news would come from Nanjing.During this period of waiting, the negotiation was completely stopped, but the contact between the two sides continued, and the representatives of the CCP took turns to entertain the Nanjing delegation on a daily basis. Zhang Zhizhong once received a call from Huang Shaohong, saying: "Various issues are being studied, and we will call as soon as the agreement is settled." Seeing that the date had come, Zhang Zhizhong couldn't sit still, so he sent a telegram on the morning of the 19th to inquire about the signing. In the middle of the night on the 20th, he finally received a reply call from Li Zongren and He Yingqin, the full text of which is as follows: The chief representative of the government's peace negotiation delegation, Zhang Zhizhong, and the representatives of Shao, Zhang, Li, and Liu all learned from each other: On behalf of Shao Hong and Qu Adviser Wu, Huang returned to Beijing to prepare for the progress of the peace talks, and brought back the full text of the "Domestic Peace Agreement" proposed by the CCP delegation.Today, the country is so devastated, the people are suffering so deeply, and after the glorious victory of the eight-year war of resistance, the international status has plummeted. This is all due to the chaos caused by the war.But in order to completely eliminate the scourge of war, realize true peace, give the people a chance to recuperate, and the country enters the process of construction, we should spare no effort to make sacrifices in order to promote its success, and we will almost never betray the original intention of the revolution. The ancestors, the next can explain to the descendants of future generations.On the part of the government, from President Chiang’s New Year’s Day proclamation advocating peace to Zongren and Yingqin’s administration, all measures have followed the will of the people of the whole country to yearn for peace, and based on the premise of the highest interests of the people of the country. painstakingly seek peace.President Jiang resolutely attracted him, and Zong Ren sent a Maoyang telegram to Mr. Mao Zedong, that is, he wanted to sacrifice himself in order to achieve the overall situation. This heart should be learned by all compatriots across the country.Looking at the full text of the agreement proposed by the CCP, its basic spirit lies in the treatment of the conquered by the conqueror.The method of resolving the dispute between brothers is better than the surrender of the enemy country; and the reply within a time limit is like an ultimatum, and the beginning of peace talks is regarded as the eve of war; This kind of narrow and coercive effect stimulates the morale and the hearts of the people, and they share deep sorrow and indignation; not only the implementation of various provisions, but the ability of the government cannot guarantee the implementation, and the adverse effects and consequences caused by it cannot be saved by the ability of the government.Liang said that once such an agreement is concluded, what will be given to the people will not be real peace, but a more brutal and large-scale long-term war; the people who are eager for peace will never want the government to accept this name as "peace" It is actually a "war" agreement, which has caused catastrophe for the people of the whole country. Does it only show the original intention of making peace?The preface of the original text is all slander and condemnation of the government and the Chinese Kuomintang, which is equivalent to the sentence of criminals. How can it be called a peace agreement?That is to say, as far as the reorganization of the army is concerned in the article, the armies of both sides should be reorganized at the same time to realize the principle of nationalization of the army. The gendarmerie, traffic police, local troops, all military agencies, schools, factories, and rear service agencies should be organized into the People's Liberation Army, and all government military equipment and all military supplies should also be handed over to the People's Liberation Army. The so-called "democratic principle" , It became a system monopolized by the Communist Army.Regarding the reorganization procedure, it is stipulated that there are two stages: centralized reorganization and divisional reorganization. The so-called centralized reorganization means that the reorganization committee controlled by the communist party will order the national army to hand over the defense area and warehouse materials to the People's Liberation Army for reception, and then send them to the communist army as they deem appropriate. Centralized locations for reorganization into divisions and became the "People's Liberation Army."The day when such an adaptation work is completed, that is, when the national army is completely wiped out.In terms of politics, before the establishment of the coalition government, although the government was allowed to temporarily exercise its powers, it actually acted on the orders of the Communist Army Headquarters.Its main task is to assist the Communist Army in "handling the acceptance and transfer matters of various places". ".Regarding the issue of the Political Consultative Conference that decides the destiny of the people of the country, according to Article 23 of the agreement: "After the Nanjing National Government delegation signed the "Domestic Peace Agreement" and put it into practice by the Nanjing National Government, the Chinese Communist Party delegation is willing to be responsible for proposing to the preparatory committee for the new Political Consultative Conference that the Nanjing National Government should send some patriots to serve as Representatives, to attend the new Political Consultative Conference, after obtaining the approval of the Preparatory Committee of the new Political Consultative Conference, appoint representatives of the Nationalist Government to attend the new Political Consultative Conference." In other words, the government must wait for the CCP to inspect the government The achievement of the implementation of the peace agreement is considered to be satisfactory before the proposal can be made, pending approval.According to the agreement, the government is "approved" to participate in the CPPCC, and whether it can participate in the coalition government still needs to be proposed by the Communist Party; and the number and candidates of the government to participate in the CPPCC and the coalition government are determined in advance.The above is just a few examples, but the full text of the agreement is full of the meaning of using the CCP to control the country by force: one says: "People's Liberation Army" marches in, and the other says: "People's Liberation Army" takes over.The so-called peace agreement actually wants the government to admit that the CCP has conquered the whole of China by force.The government army is tantamount to disarming and surrendering; that is, cities and villages across the country will also be driven by the CCP army, and the original social organization and people's way of life will be completely changed in accordance with the CCP's will.In this way, it is bound to arouse the anger of the army and the people.If the CCP troops march into various places and the CCP personnel infiltrate all over the place, they will inevitably encounter resistance from the army and the people, which is an unavoidable fact. As a result, wars and massacres will spread to every city and village in the country, the suffering of the people will deepen, and the loss of the country Gaining weight more and more is inevitable and needs no further discussion.As a result of the unfortunate turn of events, seeking peace is a good way to create chaos, and ending the war will only spread the disaster. Is it appropriate for those who are loyal to the country and love the people to do this and endure it?In short, if we can truly understand that the people of the whole country desire peace and share the sincerity to seek peace, we must eliminate all hostility and revenge psychology, adapt to the environment based on the facts, and jointly plan reasonable and effective methods, so as to achieve the complete elimination of wars and achieve real and permanent peace purpose.Therefore, in addition to expressing the above-mentioned principled opinions on the "Domestic Peace Agreement" proposed by the CCP, the government still hopes that the CCP will confirm the principle that the interests of the people are above all else, and re-evaluate the basic spirit and content of this agreement. be considered.Since New Year's Day this year, the government troops have tried their best to back down whenever the Communists attacked.The facts are there for all to see. However, the CCP not only failed to stop the offensive, but also since the government's peace talks representatives arrived in Beiping on April 1, the offensive in the connecting areas has become more violent than before, which is very regrettable.In order to cultivate a peaceful atmosphere, I very much hope that a provisional armistice agreement can be established immediately, so as to express the determination and sincerity of the two sides to seek real peace, so that the peace talks can proceed smoothly.Send a special telegram to Buda, hoping to convey the above opinions to the CCP and look forward to it. In addition to refusing to accept the peace agreement, the Nanjing side first demanded the establishment of a temporary armistice agreement.The delegation immediately copied the reply to the CCP, asking them to reconsider.