Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen To Xi'an

At 5 o'clock in the morning on December 12, 1936, with a gunshot in Lintong, the Xi'an Incident (also known as the Double Twelve Incident) broke out, and Chiang Kai-shek was captured alive in Huaqing Pool. Zhang Xueliang's move not only meant the complete breakdown of the alliance between Jiang and Zhang, but also an incomprehensible and even outrageous move in the eyes of many people at the time, especially the soldiers. Admonitions come and go, you even kidnapped the chief! Zhang Xueliang once said that his weakness is that he has no real boss in his life. Zhang Zuolin used to be his boss, but that was his father, and Chiang Kai-shek was his boss, but he was an ally.

So he can do whatever he wants, sometimes with complete disregard for the consequences. He admonished Chiang Kai-shek, who lost his temper with him, and then he arrested Chiang Kai-shek—this is Zhang Xueliang's explanation for launching the Xi'an Incident in his later years, although the underlying reason is far from simple. The action plan for the Xi'an Incident was only announced a few hours before the incident broke out. After Zhang Xueliang announced in public, there was a complete silence in the arena, and most people were shocked by this shocking action. Only General Xuezhong of the Northeast Army said: Young commander, it is easy to catch him, but have you considered, how will you let him go in the future?

Zhang Xueliang waved his hand: We can't think about so many things now, first arrest the person surnamed Jiang! With a wave of hands, history has changed since then. Yu Xuezhong's concerns are not without reason.Although Zhang and Yang succeeded in capturing Chiang Kai-shek by launching the Xi'an Incident, their original idea of ​​"holding the emperor to order the princes" was not realized, and it can even be said to be very wrong. Cao Cao "coerced" Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty because the latter was originally a puppet and had no strength.Chiang Kai-shek was different. Although he was personally captured, there was still a Central Army far stronger than the two armies behind him.

Before the Xi'an Incident, Zhang Xueliang had tested the attitudes of other princes through various channels.At that time, the expressions of these princes, big and small, can be summed up in one way: they hate Chiang Kai-shek deeply. From the looks of it, if conditions permit, they will never be less aggressive than Zhang and Yang in launching a remonstrance. Therefore, on the day of the Xi'an Incident, Zhang and Yang announced the power-on across the country, hoping to get a response from the outside world. After the telegram was sent, no one responded on the first day. The next day, Song Zheyuan took the lead in replying.

But in this telegram, there is not a single word of support or sympathy, it is all "advice": advise Zhang Xueliang to ensure Chiang Kai-shek's safety. This is of course the result of discussions within the 29th Army. After Xiao Zhenying left, Qin Dechun became the first military adviser.After observing the expressions of everyone, especially Song Zheyuan, he first said carefully: If you want to talk about Lao Jiang, some of the practices in the past two years are really not good. But—if there is something wrong with him, the situation will be even worse, because the country has no one to rule, and it will only fall apart.

Qin Dechun's subtext is immediately clear: if there is no skin, there will be no hair. When Jiang is here, we can’t sleep well all the time, fearing that he will cut down the feudal clan, but if he’s not there, once the Japanese come over and rely solely on the 29th Army to go to the top, then there may not even be a bed to sleep on, and there is no such thing as a “fan”” Fan". Qin Dechun's words really touched Song Zheyuan's heart.Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. After reading Song Zheyuan's telegram, Zhang Xueliang felt cold in his heart. After finally looking forward to the telegram, the sender's ass has completely moved to the Nanjing government.

However, until now, Zhang Xueliang still believes that there is someone who will definitely support him.This person is Yan Xishan. Do you still remember the moving scene of "offensive face direct remonstrance" and tears saying "let's do it ourselves"? The young marshal even thought that he and Yan Xishan had formed a kind of tacit understanding in the matter of remonstrance. Sure enough, on the third day, I finally got a reply call, and it was indeed Yan Xishan who sent it from Shanxi. What a dude. After opening the letter, Zhang Xueliang's hands trembled. Not excited, but angry.

Song Zheyuan was just "advising", but Yan Xishan was almost teaching others. A total of four questions were asked in the telegram, and five "hustles" were asked. Together, it means that Zhang and Yang's actions against Jiang were completely "an act of endangering the country with the enthusiasm for saving the country." You have caused such a big disaster, let's see how you end it. There is no support, no understanding, no sympathy throughout the article, and it is all a face of asking questions.What should have been the biggest ally suddenly turned into the most powerful opposition.

As soon as Song and Yan's telegrams came out, they immediately affected a large area. Except for Liu Xiangshang in Sichuan who had an ambiguous attitude, Li Bai in Guangxi, Longyun in Yunnan, and Han Fuju in Shandong who stopped to watch at first all hurriedly followed up and sent power to express their support for the Nanjing government. However, Han Fuju played a cunning trick in it, hugged Jiang overtly, and sent a secret telegram to hug Zhang secretly. How could Zhang Xueliang not know what Han Fuju was thinking behind his back.This double-faced approach will only make him feel more sad and angry.

In the past, when I wanted to follow Chiang Kai-shek, you all advised me not to be "foolishly loyal", and all of you vowed to oppose Chiang to the end. Well, now I take the lead in opposing Chiang, but you are all dumb, and even drink My boo! He finally saw through the intentions of these people. In fact, they add up to two words, one is hypocrisy, and the other is selfishness. There are no friends in this world. There are only two kinds of people who seem to be friends with friends. One is called a friend who betrays a friend, and the other is called a person who is betrayed by a friend.

Zhang Xueliang was in pain.He has already discovered that in this multi-party game, he is actually not a protagonist who can control the overall situation, but just a chess piece, a chess piece that cannot decide whether to advance or retreat. On December 16, 1936, the Nanjing government issued an order to crusade against Zhang Xueliang, and 10 divisions of the Central Army were assembled on the east and west routes, forming a situation of overwhelming forces. The fighter planes that did not show up during the Suiyuan Anti-Japanese War also took off from Luoyang Airport at this time and were ordered to bomb Xi'an. Under such strong external pressure, the 17th Route Army, which was responsible for the garrison of Xi'an, began to feel uneasy. Some people accused Zhang Xueliang, thinking that he had led everyone into a dead end that could not be exited.Others claimed that as long as an airplane bomb fell into the city of Xi'an, the Central Army would definitely kill Jiang first. It seemed that Chiang Kai-shek's life was about to come to an end. Even if he didn't "win the lottery" when the plane bombed Xi'an, he might be executed by the officers and soldiers who were overwhelmed by anger and panic. At the critical moment, God saved him. Snowing. The plane could not cross Huashan. Xi'an couldn't be bombed, but there was no reason to take the bombs back. The pilots threw them all the way on the way back. As a result, countless bombs were dropped in the area from Luoyang to Weinan. At this time, Zhang and Yang were in a very difficult and embarrassing situation.The outside is surrounded by heavy soldiers, and the soldiers are about to approach the city, and the inside is also full of chaos, which is always frightening. Zhang Xueliang decided to come forward to persuade and influence Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang Kai-shek was originally guarded by the 17th Route Army Guard Battalion. Because he was worried about his safety, Zhang Xueliang took him to the control area of ​​the Northeast Army. Tears fell when I said it, but Lao Jiang's attitude was always like a stone in a latrine, smelly and hard. How could he give the other party a good face again? A month ago, the 50th birthday had just been completed, and the whole country held a celebration meeting. Those who offered airplanes presented airplanes, and those who sang hymns sang hymns. When he was excited, Chiang Kai-shek wrote a wonderful article in his own hand, which he called "the 50th birthday celebration". Reflections", the subtitle is "Serving the country and missing relatives". At that time, he had mixed feelings. Only he himself knows how difficult this journey is.You see, go south, force the Red Army away, travel southwest, subdue the Fujian Incident (Fujian Incident), settle Guangdong and Guangxi (Guangdong Incident), go north, deter Lao Yan, shock Shang Zhen, frighten Han Fuju, and hold Song Zheyuan. This is only internally, and externally, when it is impossible to fight, and peace cannot be achieved, it will fight openly and covertly with Japan, fighting political strategies, fighting tactics, fighting scheming, and even using everything to the extreme. Enemies are all over the world, and they can't stop for a day. If your nerves are a little weaker, you have to flee like Wang Jingwei and go abroad to recuperate. But he has survived all this, and he can't help admiring himself: To clean up the world, who else is better than me? While killing and resolute, the seemingly indestructible Chiang Kai-shek has an emotional side that is unknown to the outside world.Like Daiyu burying flowers, he often feels sorry for his misfortune of losing his father when he was a child. This is the "missing relatives" of an "orphan son". However, no matter how difficult it is, he still believes that he will be able to complete the "unification of force": he is only a few steps away from the goal, and he can jump over it with a little more effort. So after "thinking" about "family", he will continue to "serve the country". In fact, at this time the Red Army has indeed fallen into the most difficult period in history in northern Shaanxi.They don't even need others to attack. With the arrival of winter, their supplies are extremely scarce, and they have to prepare for another long march. However, the Xi'an Incident gave Chiang Kai-shek a severe blow from behind when he was completely unexpected.It felt like falling down in mid-air, with bruises and scars all over the body. On the night of the incident, howling bullets were everywhere.In the blink of an eye, his secretary was dead, the guard was dead, and he himself was "invited" out of the cave in his pajamas and with a broken waist because he was lucky enough not to be shot by a stray bullet. It was a night of chilling, chilling terror. When he was taken into Xi'an City, a general of the Northeast Army named Tang Junyao saw him, and suddenly he saluted and shed tears, saying that I saw you two years ago when I was training in Lushan Mountain, but now I am much older, and the country You can't live without a "chairman" for a day, so take care of yourself. Chiang Kai-shek didn't speak at the time, but after the Xi'an Incident, he allowed Tang Junyao to go to Xikou to meet Zhang Xueliang, and said to Tang Junyao himself: I will never forget the friendship you have for me. When he was just caught, Chiang Kai-shek didn't know that the 17th Route Army had also participated in the "rebellion", so he was still worried about Yang Hucheng. However, on the way to be escorted, I was surprised to see that the soldiers in Xi'an were all wearing the armbands of "17th Road". The first feeling is that it is still not the 17th Route Army involved in the incident, but Yang Hucheng is in danger. Because Yang Hucheng did not show up when he hosted the banquet for the generals of the Northeast Army and the 17th Route Army last night. Now that I think about it, yes, Zhang Xueliang must have tricked Yang Hucheng over with a treat first, and then detained him. So why do these soldiers wear the "17th Road" armband? The explanation Chiang Kai-shek found for himself was that after the Northeast Army handed over the guns of the officers and soldiers of the 17th Route Army, they changed their clothes and came out to deceive others. So at the beginning, he almost poured all his anger on the young marshal who came to persuade him. For this, Zhang Xueliang cried several times. Two days later, Chiang Kai-shek found out that Yang Hucheng had also "rebelled". So far, both his self-esteem and self-confidence have reached an unbearable level. Chiang Kai-shek refused to give in, so Zhang Xueliang was hung in the middle, unable to go up or down, and only then did he have a deep understanding of Xuezhong's words. Without the addition of two new forces, the young marshal really doesn't know what to do. One came from the Zhuhe faction within the Nanjing government. The leaders of this faction were the Soong brothers and sisters, namely Soong Meiling and Soong Ziwen. Song Meiling, the youngest of the three Song sisters, is from Wenchang, Hainan, but she was born in Shanghai and studied abroad for a long time. The result of this is that her Cantonese, Shanghainese, and English are far better than Mandarin many. When Song Meiling heard the Xi'an Incident, especially the news that her husband's life and death were unknown, Song Meiling was naturally anxious. Among the Song sisters, although Song Meiling is the youngest, she is not timid.To some extent, it can also be said that she is the most courageous of the three. She helped Chiang Kai-shek take charge of the air force very early, so she is called the mother of the air force. Following Chiang Kai-shek for so many years, it is not uncommon to encounter strong winds and waves. Not long after the "Guangdong Incident" occurred, the Jiang couple encountered a dangerous situation while camping in Linchuan, Jiangxi.In the middle of the night that day, outside Linchuan City, there was a sudden burst of gunfire. At that time, he thought it might be a "mutiny", and Chiang Kai-shek himself was a little flustered.Song Meiling immediately said, "Give me the pistol. If you can't get out, I will kill myself and I will never be humiliated!" It was later found out that the troops outside the city had a misunderstanding and fired shots at each other, which was a false alarm. But the Xi'an Incident was neither a misunderstanding nor a false alarm. Except for the nationwide power supply, all ties between Xi'an and the outside world had been cut off. Within a few hours, no definite news about Chiang Kai-shek's survival could be obtained. The official channels were blocked, and rumors began to circulate in the streets. Some said that Lao Jiang's head had been hung on the top of the city for public display, and others said that the city of Xi'an had been beaten up. , Those who don’t pass it have it.” Soong Meiling's request at this time is very simple. As a wife, she hopes that the person who has been with her all her life can return safely. At this time, the Nanjing government was holding an emergency meeting on the Xi'an Incident. Song Meiling knew very well that this meeting not only determined her husband's life and death, but also related to his future fate and future, so she had to attend. But she is practically unable to publicly participate in politics, especially to get involved in such an important meeting. Back then, Sun Yat-sen led a group of people to overthrow Manchuria and start a revolution, and by the way, the women's rights movement was also launched. That's why Qiu Jin, Shen Yiyun, Tang Qunying, Shen Peizhen and many other heroines risked their lives to participate in the revolution.However, when the Qing emperor abdicated and the Republic of China was established, nothing happened to them. In the Kuomintang party constitution, there is no clause about "equality between men and women", but there is such a clause: KMT members, no women! We fought together, but in the end we were not even allowed to sit on a small bench. It was really annoying to watch.Among the female generals, Tang Qunying and Shen Peizhen, who are known for being hot, rushed forward at that time and beat Song Jiaoren to the ground. The style of play also has the characteristics of a boudoir: stretch out your hand, scratch your face, and pull your beard. Those with beards and mouth slaps are even more terrifying. The so-called "scratch Song's cheeks with slender hands, and the crisp sound shakes the roof tiles." Song Jiaoren left in embarrassment, but the right of women to participate in politics was not won after all. It is easy to shout slogans, but the many chronic illnesses and prejudices deep in the mind cannot be eliminated in a short while. That person wants to say, isn’t Soong Meiling still in charge of the Air Force? Now that she’s in charge of the military, how can she be called not participating in politics, at least she’s doing politics? In fact, to be more precise, Mrs. Jiang should be the one who participated in politics, not Song Meiling. Lao Jiang said, I want my wife to catch the Air Force.Who dares to say no? However, this world is very realistic. In the blink of an eye, because Chiang Kai-shek's life and death are uncertain, the cold side of the world is immediately exposed. After the crowd discovered that there was an extra woman in the meeting room, they immediately questioned: Who put her in, and what qualifications does a woman have to participate in military affairs? It's not that everyone doesn't know Soong Meiling, they all know it, but there is another voice echoing in their hearts, that is: Do you think Lao Jiang is hosting here? ! Song Meiling remained motionless. I am qualified, because the little girl is also an ordinary citizen and needs to understand the political situation of the country, so she can come to the meeting. Seeing that Soong Meiling might be in a predicament, Kong Xiangxi hurried up to smooth things over, and the good old man He Yingqin who presided over the meeting also helped to speak, and finally the "commissioned lady" who had been seriously devalued in the eyes of everyone was not thrown out on the spot. But once she stood her ground, Song Meiling quickly let everyone in the meeting see that she, this little girl, is not an ordinary little girl. Although the meeting was discussing how to rescue Chiang Kai-shek, there was a kind of argument that always made Song Meiling feel extremely harsh. Some people said that the "Chairman" shouldn't go to Xi'an easily, but he didn't listen to the persuasion and went instead. What happened, he must have been tricked. Some of those who said this were genuinely anxious, but most of them were sarcasm and insulting. Song Meiling realized that if this kind of public opinion was allowed to grow and spread, even if her husband could return to the court alive, his prestige and power might plummet. She has to fight back. What is it called? Since the "Chairman" is the "Chairman", no matter when and where, he must "prepare for risky sacrifices."As long as it is planning a great plan for the country, how can there be any time to care about personal safety. Who is responsible for the security work, does it have to be done by the "chairman" himself, so what do you want your subordinates and left and right to do? The "Chairman" was in danger in Xi'an this time, not his fault, but the fault of his subordinates, and the fault of everyone here! A few words, but there is a needle hidden in the cotton, and every sentence is bloody, so that the participants look at each other in blank dismay, and there is no answer. Song Meiling's cleverness is that she knows that these politicians look down on her secretly, thinking that she is just a woman who is in a hurry because her husband is trapped, running around, not enough to say big things. If she wants to persuade others, she must first suppress her personal feelings and not be impulsive, so she always tries to stay calm in the meeting, trying not to let anyone see her flustered side, and at the same time, she speaks on a rational level , one set of principles after another, completely free from any personal affair. Even if she is a woman, can you not look at her with admiration if she can speak such level words? The debate at the meeting gradually reached a climax: whether it is war or peace. Dai Jitao, a veteran of the Kuomintang, advocated sending troops. Dai Jitao and Chen Bulei are collectively known as the two major "literary courage" in the Kuomintang. The so-called Dai Jitao doctrine is the masterpiece of this old man. He was also the first director of the Political Department of the Whampoa Military Academy. After receiving the news of the Xi'an Incident, Dai Jitao was so angry that he screamed and proposed to launch an attack immediately. He emphasized that only in this way can the government's prestige be maintained and the "rebels" such as Zhang and Yang will not be looked down upon. In terms of personal relationship, the friendship between Jiang and Dai is incomparable to others——Jiang Weiguo was originally Dai Jitao's illegitimate son in Japan, and was adopted by Jiang as his adopted son since childhood.He even clamored to fight, and the emotions of the participants were immediately mobilized, and the main combat faction gained the upper hand. Wait a minute, someone disagrees! Song Meiling stood up again. Of course she couldn't agree.Now that Chiang Kai-shek is still in the hands of Zhang Xueliang, he is actually a hostage. To rescue the hostages, the fear is that the "robbers" will be cornered. But Song Meiling couldn't say: I don't want to part with my husband, if you do this, I might become a widow. She wants to mention another height. Song Meiling asked Dai Jitao a question: Now that the country is in crisis, if the "chairman" is in danger, who is capable of leading the government and the country? Dai Jitao was speechless. Yes, even though Chiang Kai-shek is not here, you all show your teeth and claws, eloquently and eloquently. It seems that one is capable of competing with the other, but it is really hard to find someone to stand up and take charge of this big mess and clean up the messy situation as outsiders say. Come out with such courage. After a few minutes of silence, the venue became lively again. This time the discussion was about whether Chiang Kai-shek was dead or alive.The logical relationship is: if you are dead, you must fight, if you are still alive, it is another matter. Some people judged that Chiang Kai-shek must be dead if he didn't show his face for such a long time and didn't communicate with him. But no one is sure. Some people don't want to guess riddles like this anymore, and simply ask: Is the survival of the country or Chiang Kai-shek's life important? Of course, the country is bigger than the individual, so why hesitate, let's fight. There was a lot of discussion at the venue, and there was no consensus. He Yingqin belonged to the main combat faction and was also the chairperson of the meeting. After Dai Jitao said, he originally thought that the war against Xi'an was a done deal and there would be no further changes, but he was suddenly interrupted by someone, and he was very surprised for a while. He allowed Soong Meiling to attend the meeting. He intended to find an opportunity to comfort the family members. How could such a situation be expected to happen. This is how to say it. Although Minister He also belongs to the absolutely led class at home, and has long held the appointment certificate of "President of the National Henpeck Association", but he has to show a little machismo in public. Seeing the scene gradually becoming uncontrollable, he quickly cleared his throat and reminded everyone. The meaning inside and outside the words is: she is just a woman, she knows how to save her husband, don't just listen to her. Soong Meiling realized that if she could not provide stronger arguments, a large-scale war would still be inevitable. She turned her face to everyone present - yes, I am a woman, but I am standing here today, not just to rescue my husband. If the death of the "Chairman" can benefit the country, then please believe that I will be the first to persuade him to die and sacrifice, because it is worth it. But the actual situation is not like this. If we go to bomb Xi'an now, the life of the "leader" will naturally be worrying. What's more serious is that if the civil war resumes, not only Shaanxi will suffer heavy disasters, but the national strength will also be destroyed by cannibalism. What day are you still fighting against? These words hit everyone's heart - don't think that if Chiang Kai-shek is not here, you can take advantage of the situation and take his place. Let me tell you that the future will be difficult, not only to clean up the situation internally, but also to defend against the outside world. , against the Japanese. The latter problem forced the self-proclaimed multi-talented Wang Jingwei down. Who would dare to pat his chest and say that he must be better than Lao Wang? Not only He Yingqin was speechless, but the others were also silent, unable to speak any more. So in your opinion, how to deal with it? Seeing that she had suppressed the crowd, Song Meiling's confidence increased greatly, so she spoke out her strategy with confidence: find a way to resolve it peacefully. We have to attack with both hands. On the one hand, we must be prepared to encircle Xi'an, but remember, we must not shoot or bomb lightly; Means to rescue the "Chairman", anyway, idle is idle. When the latter method has been exhausted and "peace has become hopeless", the preparations for combat are also completed, and it will not be too late to fight again. For Soong Meiling, the word "despair" is beyond her imagination, but she has to mention it, so she has to add the word "ten thousand". If it's like Song Meiling said, it's good, but the problem is also here. Due to the lack of accurate information, it was widely rumored that the city of Xi'an was full of blood and fire, and it had become a world of terror. Even Chiang Kai-shek did not know whether he was dead or alive. May I ask what peaceful method can be used and how to rescue him? Or to put it more directly, who dares to go to Xi'an. Song Meiling said: I will go! Hearing this, everyone was shocked.The crowd suddenly changed color, and there was a voice of opposition. Some said, what are you going to do? Maybe the "Chairman" is dead, or he survived, and the "rebels" can't spare him. Not only will there be no effect if you go, but one more person may die, which is unnecessary. sacrifice. Others said that if you go, you will still be locked up, so that people can threaten your husband even more, and the other party has another hostage in their hands, which will only increase the difficulty of solving the matter. Although Soong Meiling's request to go out in person was not approved, her unexpected performance won the support of most people in the venue and she became the opinion leader of the day. It is said that Chiang Kai-shek himself was not particularly good at rhetoric. Some of the more exciting words were drafted in advance and then followed the script. If it was an on-the-spot defense, his mouth would be very dull. I don't know if it was matched by Yuelao, but his wife's ability and potential in this area are really amazing.Those verbal and verbal fragments often remind people of a famous scene in the Three Kingdoms period-verbal battle against Confucianism. In terms of ability and insight to deal with sudden changes, the politicians who usually eat all day long are not much better than the "group Confucians", so the aura is quickly occupied by the "female Zhuge" who suddenly appeared. The peace faction became the winner.