Chapter 26 Chapter 25 Chiang Kai-shek sent a secret envoy, Song Yishan, to the mainland to find out, and he was very annoyed after reading Song's report

Chiang Kai-shek sent a secret envoy, Song Yishan, to the mainland to find out. After reading Song's report, he was very annoyed: he was turned red in just half a month. (Taipei-Beijing, February-May 1957) 1957 was the year of Chiang Kai-shek's 70th birthday.In 1956, after several months of hard work, he published the book "Soviet Russia in China—An Overview of Chiang Kai-shek's Seventy Years". Even the English version was published in the United States at the end of 1956.According to Shen Jianhong, who served as the translator of the English version of the book, this book was published a little later. If it came out after the Kuomintang lost the mainland in 1949, the United States was struggling with the question of "Who lost China?" Arguably, the book may have a little more readership.But during the period 1956-1957, the interest of Western readers in this question has waned.Shen Jianhong also said that it wasn't until Nixon secretly opened the "gate of China" that Westerners became interested in China again.

The publication of this book solved one of Chiang Kai-shek's worries.Then, he made some inspections on the island of Taiwan intermittently.After several years of hard work, the situation in Taiwan has finally stabilized. Taking advantage of the period of respite brought about by the Korean War, the Kuomintang and the administrative organization were reorganized, and the US economic aid was restored. The government focused on developing economic resources, and more importantly, The implementation of land reform has reduced the burden on farmers, and the national industry has also been developed.The "Sino-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty" signed in December 1954 has been in effect for nearly two years. Although there are still disputes with the U.S. over this, he feels that it has given everyone a sense of security that was lacking in the previous few years. .It is no longer a situation of "sit and wait and wait for death".

On the mainland last spring, old man Zhang Shizhao brought letters to him in Hong Kong, not asking him to surrender, nor calling him the "number one war criminal" like before, but launching an offensive for peaceful reunification.Zhou Enlai also continued to speak in public, calling for the third cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.From these things, he felt that the reality of Taiwan had to make Mao Zedong face up to it calmly. Therefore, it was of great importance that he did not immediately reject or reply to the letter sent to him from the mainland, and he had to think twice.

This letter is written to resolve the Taiwan issue.The CCP proposed a specific method for the unification of Taiwan and the mainland: (1) Except for the unification of diplomacy in the central government, other personnel arrangements, military and political power in Taiwan should be managed by Chiang Kai-shek; (2) If the funds for Taiwan’s economic construction are insufficient, the central government can allocate funds to subsidize (3) Taiwan's social reform will be delayed, and when the conditions are ripe, Chiang Kai-shek's opinions will also be respected and representatives of people from all walks of life in Taiwan will be consulted;At the end of the letter, it also said: "The tomb in Fenghua is still there, and the flowers and plants in Xikou are unharmed." The purpose of using such words in the letter is to tell him that the cemetery and residence of Jiang's family are intact, not like some newspapers in Hong Kong and Macau said "" Chiang's tomb has been wiped out in the campaign to suppress counter-revolutionaries and land reform."

It is said that Chiang Kai-shek read this letter many times, and every time he read it again, he would meditate alone without being disturbed by others. He finally decided to send people to the mainland for tentative contact.In order to leave a way out and move forward and retreat freely in the future, he considered sending people from overseas.For this reason, he asked Xu Xiaoyan, who was in charge of the KMT's propaganda work in Hong Kong, to talk.Hui Xiaoyan hosts The Hong Kong Times in Hong Kong. One day in early 1957, Xu Xiaoyan came to the Presidential Residence in Yangmingshan on the outskirts of Taipei as scheduled.

Chiang Kai-shek first handed Xu Xiaoyan a new Hong Kong publication of the January 1957 issue, on which an article entitled "The Way to Solve China's Problems" signed by "Yijue" had been printed in red pencil Thick strokes and big question marks are drawn. Xu Xiaoyan took it and quickly glanced at it.The article directly proposes to ask Chiang Kai-shek to retire, thinking that this is "a way to solve China's problems."In fact, the "China" in the article refers to the "Republic of China", that is, the Taiwan issue. The article wrote: As long as Mr. Hu Shi made a call for Chiang Kai-shek to retire, "Overseas Chinese will definitely respond in groups. The Taiwan Allied Forces and the armed forces personnel will express themselves under the encouragement of outsiders. American friends unanimously demand Chiang Kai-shek's retirement from the Chinese people." The movement must be taken seriously.”

The article also proposes a reform plan, that is, to hand over Taiwan’s military to the United Nations to form an international police force, dissolve the National Congress, and completely reorganize the government, with Hu Shi as president, Jiang Tingfu as executive dean, Wu Guozhen as foreign minister, and Sun Liren as chief of staff. Yu Dawei is the Minister of National Defense.The new government will adopt a three-three system for all levels of organizers, that is, 1/3 of the original officials will be retained, 1/3 will be elected by the people of Taiwan, and 1/3 will be elected by overseas Chinese and social elites.

Xu Xiaoyan looked at it and said: "It's outrageous! It's so presumptuous. Hong Kong is too free. When I left Hong Kong, I didn't see this thing." Chiang Kai-shek didn't seem very angry: "You go back and check, is it because the people from the "Free World" magazine here went to Hong Kong to create public opinion under a pseudonym." Xu Xiaoyan said: "I will definitely do it and find out as soon as possible." It was quickly found out afterwards: the writer signed "Yi Jue" was not from Taiwan, but Chu Dingmin, a liberal in Hong Kong.Of course, this person is in collusion with Lei Chen and the group of liberals in Taiwan.

"It's not why I came to you today." Chiang Kai-shek told Xu Xiaoyan the whole story of the letter from the mainland, "Based on the principle of 'knowing yourself and the enemy, you can win a hundred battles', in response to the CCP's peaceful unification offensive, I decided to send people to Beiping Let’s take a trip to find out the CCP’s true intentions. As for the candidates, we don’t plan to send them from Taiwan, but choose overseas. Think about it, and propose two or three candidates, either from Hong Kong or Nanyang.” Xu Xiaoyan proposed three candidates after deliberation at that time, and asked Chiang Kai-shek to delineate one person.The three are former Legislative President Tong Guanxian, former Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Chen Kewen and legislator Song Yishan.Xu Xiaoyan said: "These three are all members of the Legislative Yuan, they are representatives of the central public opinion organization, and their identities are relatively flexible."

After hearing this, Chiang Kai-shek said: "These three people are all good, and they are all reliable. Song Yishan is Song Xilian's brother. It is said that Xilian came to the Communist Party's Gongdelin War Criminals Management Office in Beijing. It can be said that he went there to visit relatives, or Mao Zedong's Hunan. My hometown. Of course, Tong Guanxian and Chen Kewen are also fine. Are they all in Hong Kong?" Xu Xiaoyan said: "They are all in Hong Kong, so it is convenient to contact them." Chiang Kai-shek said: "First of all, you have to volunteer yourself. You go back to Hong Kong and contact all three of them, and I will finally decide who to send."

The weather in April is the worst in Beijing, with the cold wind and sand blowing in the face.After going out for a while and coming back, there was sand all over the face and ears.However, in April 1957, the wind and sand blew early, and it would come early, which already made people feel warm and comfortable. Song Yishan came to Beijing by train from Hong Kong via Guangzhou. He specially brought a coat and scarf and prepared to dress tightly.He got off the train and went to the platform. It was sunny, windless, and warm. Tang Shengming, who greeted him on the platform, took the overcoat from his hand and said, "Brother Yishan is fully armed. I'm afraid he will be frozen!" "North..." Although Song Yishan had prepared in advance, he almost referred to Beijing as Beiping according to the old Kuomintang habit. "The climate in Beijing has also changed unexpectedly." Song Yishan and Tang Shengming are relatively familiar.Everyone is from Hunan, and they have known each other since the Kuomintang Nanjing regime.A few years ago, in Hong Kong, I often met in the activities of the Hunan Association, but the relationship was not deep.When Song Yishan accepted the task, he was informed that Tang Shengming, Tang Shengzhi's younger brother, would contact him to assist in the dialogue. When Xu Xiaoyan came to him, he said it was a task given by Chiang Kai-shek, and he agreed.Tong Guanxian refused to accept this mission; Chen Kewen expressed his willingness to accept it.In the end, Xu Xiaoyan reported Song and Chen to Chiang Kai-shek for delineation.Chiang Kai-shek chose him.He felt that this was Chiang Kai-shek's trust in him.He is a student of Chiang Kai-shek. After graduating from the Nanjing Central Party School, he was selected by Chiang Kai-shek to study in England.After returning to China, he has been working in the Central Party Headquarters. He once served as the key position of the personnel director of the Central Organization Department of the Kuomintang, and served as an alternate member of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang.After the mainland withdrew, he stayed in Hong Kong and still held the title of Taiwan legislator.He felt that he was someone who had been trained by Chiang Kai-shek, and now it was time to repay him.He himself is also curious about going back to the mainland to take a look, and this is also a rare opportunity.During the years he lived in Hong Kong, he heard a lot of news about the mainland.The leftist newspapers of the Chinese Communist Party say that the mainland has been doing well in recent years.Other newspapers and news also said that the people were in dire straits, that they were starved of food, that landlords and capitalists were under communism, that members of the Kuomintang were being arrested, imprisoned, and suppressed, and that the elderly, women, and relatives were all implicated.However, since he entered Shenzhen, the farmers he saw had flushed faces, smiling faces, well-clothed clothes, and no hunger on their faces.From Shenzhen to Guangzhou, I saw the rice planting in the fields; the streets of Guangzhou were full of goods, bustling and bustling, which was very different from the scene of the streets of Guangzhou in the years before the mainland retreated. Tang Shengming accompanied him to the Xinqiao Hotel, settled down, and told him, "Premier Zhou Enlai will treat you to a meal in the past two days. As for specific issues, Mr. Li Weihan, the head of the United Front Work Department, will come forward to discuss with you. Minister Li is also a fellow from Hunan." Song Yishan looked at Tang Shengming, hesitated to speak, and finally spoke, "Brother Shengming, I want to ask a fellow villager. It's rare for me to come here. I will visit my brother Xi Lian, won't it be difficult?" Tang Shengming said, "I don't see it as a problem." Song Yishan was dubious: "Really?" Tang Shengming said: "Didn't you say you came to visit relatives? The Communist Party asked you to come to visit relatives, so why didn't you meet them? During the meal, you can ask Premier Zhou." Song Yishan rested in the hotel for two days, not daring to go out easily, waiting to meet Zhou Enlai. On the third day, Tang Shengming accompanied him to the famous Dongxinglou restaurant in Beijing for dinner.Zhou Enlai met him and said: "Mr. Song, you are welcome to Beijing. I specially asked Brother Shengming to receive you. He and you are fellow villagers. We met again in Hong Kong a few years ago. He has no history of being friends with us. short." Song Yishan said: "During the Anti-Japanese War, Brother Shengming endured misunderstandings and grievances, carried out 'special missions' to the traitor Wang Jingwei's government, and did a lot of work for the country and the nation. respect." Zhou Enlai said with a smile: "We Communists will never forget him. When the Great Revolution was frustrated in 1927 and our party was in the most difficult time, we received the sympathy and support of Brother Shengming. We held the Nanchang Uprising and the Autumn Harvest Uprising, and we got him Supported with guns, ammunition and supplies, some wounded were also rescued and protected by him.” Song Yishan was a little surprised when he heard about Tang Shengming's old stories for the first time, but he was not surprised when he assisted Cheng Qian in Hunan to vote for Mao Zedong in 1949.In 1950, Tang Shengming went to Hong Kong to do business, and returned to Beijing from Hong Kong in 1956 to work as a counselor in the Counselor Office of the State Council.Song Yishan said: "Brother Shengming's experience is really rich and varied." Zhou Enlai said to Song Yishan: "Mr. Song, if I remember correctly, this year should be your brother Xi Lian's fiftieth birthday." Song Yishan patted his forehead with his hand: "Yo, Mr. Zhou has a really good memory. If you don't mention it, he can't even remember me as an elder brother." Zhou Enlai: "Brother Xi Lian is from the first phase of Whampoa! After passing the exam in Changsha with your Hunan fellow Chen Geng, he took a big detour and came to Guangzhou via Wuhan and Shanghai. During the Anti-Japanese War, he lived in the Dabie Mountains and Yunnan. Xitong Huiqiao severely damaged the Japanese army and made outstanding military exploits, which the people will never forget." Song Yishan was very moved when he heard this: "Mr. Zhou, I think..." Zhou Enlai said, "Fifty is a big day in life, and it's time for you to come and see him." Song Yishan was touched: "Thank you Mr. Zhou for your concern." Zhou Enlai said meaningfully: "Generally speaking, in the big family of the Chinese nation, we are all one family. When the victory of the Anti-Japanese War was negotiated in Chongqing, Mr. Jiang said that in the era of the Great Revolution, the comrades of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party once We have a meeting in the same room and eat in a big pot. I hope we will continue to work together. For specific issues, Mr. Li Weihan will discuss with you." Since Song Yishan was only ordered to understand the Communist Party's intentions on the Taiwan issue and the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, he did not bring any specific opinions from the Taiwan authorities.On the CCP side, Li Weihan and others put forward the following points to Song Yishan: 1. The two parties achieve peaceful reunification through equal negotiations; 2. Taiwan is an autonomous region under the administration of the Chinese government and exercises a high degree of autonomy; 3. The government affairs in Taiwan are still under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, the CCP will not send people to intervene, but the Kuomintang can send people to Beijing to participate in the leadership of the country's government affairs; 4. The withdrawal of U.S. military forces from the Taiwan Strait does not allow foreign interference in China's internal affairs. Song Yishan had a great time in Beijing.He not only had discussions with representatives of the CCP, but also visited his younger brother Song Xilian at the Gongdelin War Criminals Management Office.Song Xilian told him that there is hope that they will be pardoned soon. The host also asked Tang Shengming and others to accompany him to visit the Shijingshan Iron and Steel Plant, Sijiqing Advanced Agricultural Production Cooperative, and also visited the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and other places of interest.At that time, the anti-rightist struggle had not yet started, and the mainland was widely advocating "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contending". In addition, it called for the peaceful reunification of the motherland, and the economic construction was in full swing. Impressions of China's prosperity. Song Yishan stayed in Beijing for two weeks and returned to Hong Kong in May.Based on the impressions of this trip to the mainland, he truthfully wrote a written report of about 15,000 words.Based on his understanding of Chiang Kai-shek, it is estimated that Chiang will not be happy after reading the report, but he thinks it is better to report it bluntly, otherwise he will be sorry for his conscience.He handed over the report to Xu Xiaoyan and forwarded it to Chiang Kai-shek.This report records the details of the meetings and discussions with Zhou Enlai and Li Weihan, records the proposals of the CCP, and also narrates various experiences I have seen along the way and in Beijing, and writes about the new China under the rule of the Communist Party.He also said in the report, I think the CCP’s intentions are sincere and should be responded to.In mainland China, from factories to rural areas, wherever you go, you can see that the government is well-organized and the people are harmonious, all industries are prosperous, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and they are dependent on the CCP.The previous premise of "anti-communism and restoration of the country" seems hopeless. When the report was sent to Taipei, Chiang Kai-shek became furious when he saw that he was called a local autonomous region, and the more he read it, the more angry he became.It is said that before finishing the reading, he threw the report on the table and said, "He spoke so well about the Communist Party that he was turned red in half a month!" He told Xu Xiaoyan: Tell Song Yishan that there is no need to return to Taiwan, just stay in Taiwan. Forget it in Hong Kong so as not to affect others.Send him the salary of the legislator every month. In 1972, Song Yishan and three other legislators attended the memorial service for the death of Zhang Shixing in Hong Kong. The Kuomintang Taiwan authorities announced the removal of his post as a legislator on the charge of "attaching to the Communist Party".