Chapter 4 Section 3

Chiang Kai-shek's second resignation took place in December 1931.On the one hand, this resignation was due to Chiang's misguided policies, and on the other hand, it was also the result of factional struggles within the Kuomintang. As early as July 23, 1931, in a speech by Chiang Kai-shek, he put forward for the first time the reactionary policy of "to fight against the outside world, we must first settle down at home".Because Chiang Kai-shek put this policy into practice, it led to the intensification of domestic class and party conflicts, the decline of overall national strength, and the connivance of Japanese imperialism's aggression against China.It was against this background that Japanese imperialism created the invasion of Northeast China on September 18, 1931.Faced with the Japanese invasion of China step by step, Chiang Kai-shek still did not give up the misguided policy of "to fight against the outside world, we must first settle down at home", and declared that "in March, we must die" in the war against Japan.Chiang Kai-shek's perverse behavior aroused opposition from the people of the whole country; at the same time, this situation was also exploited by Chiang Kai-shek's opposition.

Originally, after the end of the Central Plains War, Chiang Kai-shek achieved an absolute military victory, but he got carried away with complacency. In order to realize his ambition of "unification by force", on the one hand, he implemented a "comprehensive clean-up" of the Soviet area of ​​the Communist Party of China, and on the other hand, he proposed to hold a national meeting. Attempt to pass this meeting to formulate a contract to set up a "big president" and push him to the throne of "big president". At that time, political leaders Wu Zhihui, Chen Lifu, Liu Jianqun and others all expressed their support for Jiang's proposition.However, Hu Hanmin, Chairman of the Central Standing Committee of the Kuomintang and President of the Legislative Yuan, firmly opposed it.Hu's reason is: the task of the National Assembly is to unify the aspirations of the people of the whole country in order to seek the unification and construction of China.It is not a national assembly, so it does not have the four powers of election, recall, creation, and referendum.Hu also believed that Sun Yat-sen's outline for the founding of the country and the internal policy program in the Declaration of the First National Congress were more complete than any other statutes, and there was no need to make imperial statutes.

Because Hu Hanmin's proposition became a stumbling block to Chiang Kai-shek's election as president, Chiang was forced to do everything possible to remove him.When legal means failed to achieve his goal, Chiang Kai-shek detained Hu Hanmin illegally on the night of February 28, 1931. Hu Hanmin was detained, which caused a social sensation and a fierce backlash from the anti-Chiang faction.The members of the Central Committee of the Hu Hanmin faction went to various places to join forces with Chiang Kai-shek; Sun Ke's reconstruction faction left Ning for Guangdong;Jiang was also ready to fight, and for a while the clouds of war were clouded.

Just as the war was about to start, the Japanese imperialists launched the "September 18th Incident" to invade Northeast China.The people of the country demanded that Ningsui and Ningsui make peace with each other.Chiang Kai-shek was forced to release Hu Hanmin. On October 27, representatives of Ning and Sui held a peace conference in Shanghai. The anti-Chiang faction still made the conditions for a peaceful settlement of Chiang Kai-shek's resignation and the reorganization of the Nanjing government. Under the strong pressure of the anti-Japanese public opinion of the whole country and the Guangdong side, Chiang Kai-shek resigned on December 15, 1931, as the chairman of the National Government, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the chief executive, and then retreated to advance.

After Chiang Kai-shek stepped down, the national government was changed to a collegiate system. Lin Sen became the chairman of the national government, Sun Ke served as the executive president, and Zhang succeeded as the legislative president.Although Jiang stepped down, he made arrangements in advance and adopted a policy of dismantling Sun Ke's cabinet.Sun Ke's coming to power was not what everyone expected, but the product of contradictions and struggles among various factions. In addition, after Jiang left the field, he set up many obstacles, which made Sun unable to control the Nanjing government. He died less than a month after he came to power.Seeing that the time was ripe, Chiang Kai-shek decided to take power again.He adopted the strategy of pulling Wang to exclude Hu Hanmin and forced Hu Hanmin to leave. He confessed to Wang that "I have shared difficulties with all comrades for a long time. Although I am in the wild now, I am still willing to swear to live and die with all soldiers and fulfill my duty."At the same time, he declared to support Wang in power and he in charge of the army.

On March 6, 1932, the Military Commission was restored, and Chiang was elected as its chairman.Chiang Kai-shek's strategy of retreating into advance was once again realized. Looking at Chiang Kai-shek's resignation and reappearance twice, it can be seen that each time he resigned from power was caused by external persecution, but he played his best tricks, always appearing in a voluntary retreat, changing from passive to active, achieving the goal of killing two birds with one stone.Jiang's resignation was always an expedient measure. When he resigned, he paved the way for his coming to power and demolished others.

So is it the same for his third downfield?Can today's retreat be exchanged for the glory of the year? On the night when he returned to Xikou, Chiang Kai-shek had a hasty dinner and returned to his room with a tiger's face without saying a word.Jiang Jingguo, who was accompanying him, hurriedly dodged to follow in. "Jing Guo," Chiang Kai-shek called out affectionately, "don't worry about me, you eat slowly, I'm old, I don't have enough food to worry about." "Father," Jiang Jingguo said respectfully, bowing and standing aside, "my son sees that his father has a poor appetite. At this time when the party and the country are in crisis, he can't share his worries. He really has a conscience."

"Sit down," Chiang Kai-shek smirked at the bamboo chair next to him, gratified but not without resentment, "This time I am going to the opposition, although it cannot be said that there is no influence from the international environment, but the important factor is our internal contradictions. due to the relationship." "The child understands." "It's good that you understand." Chiang Kai-shek smashed his dentures and sighed, "On New Year's Day, when I asked comrades in the party for their opinions on my resignation, I said that my resignation this time was not because of the 'communist party'. It's because of a certain faction in the party."

"My child thinks that apart from my father, no one in the party can clean up the mess." Jiang Jingguo looked at his father devoutly. "What do you think?" Chiang Kai-shek glanced at his son and asked with interest. "My son has some superficial analysis and judgment of what may happen after his father's retirement." Jiang Jingguo stretched his cold hands in front of the stove, exhaled hot air and said, "First, the bandit army went south across the river to attack Beijing and Shanghai. Secondly, if Li Zongren blindly seeks peace, he will be in the hands of the CCP bandits. At present, the Communist Army Chen Bing Jiangbei, forcing Li Zongren and others to organize a coalition government, is manipulated by the bandits, and sent troops to Nanjing. Once the CCP uses political methods to disintegrate Nanjing, it will inevitably be slaughtered without war. And according to the whole country."

"It makes sense." Chiang Kai-shek's face turned pale, he nodded and said, "Li Delin (Zong Ren) blindly seeks peace, but in fact he loses power and humiliates the country." "Father is in charge of the overall situation and has a far-sighted vision!" Encouraged, Chiang Ching-kuo withdrew his hot hands and continued: "If Li Zongren is in power, he will inevitably replace a large number of military and political officials, or they will be bought by the Communist bandits to make them surrender."