After 85 years, the Xi'an Incident still leaves many confusing topics in Modern Chinese history. People enjoy it and discuss it endlessly. Some scholars say that without the Xi'an Incident, an important turning point, China today might have looked different.
If Chiang Kai-shek had heeded the advice of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, how would the anti-Japanese situation have changed? If "catching Jiang" fails, what consequences will Zhang Yang face? If Chiang Kai-shek were killed, what would happen within the Kuomintang?
All this hypothesis is based on the morning of December 1936, when Chiang Kai-shek, who had just woken up, overheard gunshots...
Final exhortation
After the fall of northeast China, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng repeatedly advised Chiang Kai-shek, hoping that he would focus on resisting Japan. But Chiang Kai-shek was bent on suppressing the Communists, and had even arranged personnel to replace them.
Chang
On December 3, 1936, Zhang Xueliang flew from Xi'an to Luoyang again to interview Chiang Kai-shek about the arrest of the Seven Gentlemen.
Li Yunfeng, author of "Historical Facts of the Xi'an Incident": Zhang Xueliang said that they were all patriots, and you arrested them, that is, Shen Junru said that it was called "patriotic attempts".
In the face of Zhang Xueliang's questioning, Chiang Kai-shek was furious!
Li Yunfeng, author of "Historical Facts of the Xi'an Incident": Chiang Kai-shek said that Zhang Xueliang regarded you as a person, and no one in the whole country dared to say so. You who said revolutionary can come over, and if you are not revolutionary, you can roll, so Zhang Xueliang was very angry at that time, kicked the door and kicked it, and left.
Yang Hucheng
At the same time that Zhang Xueliang returned to Xi'an, Yang Hucheng went to Nanjing again as the director of the Appeasement Office and the commander-in-chief of the 17th Route Army to admonish Chiang Kai-shek.
Ji Naijun, author of "The Record of the Xi'an Incident": At that time, Chiang Kai-shek probably said that you are an old comrade of your party... You should still understand our party's policy, that is, the outside must first be at home, and you should still educate the troops and do a good job in suppressing the Communist Party with all your heart.
At this time, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng finally agreed that even if they sacrificed the Northeast Army and the 17th Route Army, they would force Jiang to resist Japan!
"My home is on the Songhua River in the northeast"
On December 9, 1936, more than 10,000 students in Xi'an Held a demonstration to commemorate the first anniversary of the 12.9 Movement, and held a demonstration under the banner of "stopping the civil war and unanimously resisting Japan". Northeastern University has the largest number of students.
The students' march was obstructed by the police during the assembly process, and a primary school student at The Northeast Jingcun Elementary School was shot and injured by the police. The students in the parade were excited and temporarily decided to go to The residence of Chiang Kai-shek in Lintong to demonstrate.
When Chiang Kai-shek learned that the students were coming to Huaqingchi, he ordered the Second Regiment of Gendarmerie to set up machine guns to block them in Shili, and at the same time asked Qian Dajun, director of the attendant office, to call Zhang Xueliang and ask him to send troops to suppress it, and repeatedly said that he would "shoot and kill."
Zhang Xueliang heard that and immediately drove to the Ten Mile Shop.
Li Lianbi, a student talker for the Xi'an Student Movement: He (Zhang Xueliang) said, I conveyed your opinions to Chairman Jiang, and everyone just shouted, or they still want him to fight back to the northeast and recover the lost land. At this time he said that I would answer your request with practical actions within a week. I hope you believe me. If I don't fulfill my promise, you can put me to death at any time.
"Xi'an Incident" author Yang Zhongzhou: Zhang Xueliang walked down from the slope, and when he came down, a girl sang "My home is on the Songhua River in the northeast", and many people cried and sang along. Zhang Xueliang was also full of tears of excitement and hurriedly got into the car.
Xi'an Incident Memorial Hall
Today, in the Xi'an Incident Memorial Hall, Zhang Xueliang's speech " The Only Way out for China is to resist Japan " is on display. After Zhang Xueliang made a promise to the students, he drove to the Five Rooms Hall of Huaqingchi to meet Chiang Kai-shek and convey the petitioning students' demands.
Li Yunfeng, author of "Historical Facts of the Xi'an Incident": It was another big quarrel, Chiang Kai-shek said that you Zhang Xueliang is a two-faced faction, how can you represent both the government and the students, then for these undisciplined students, the only way to fight them is to use machine guns. Zhang Xueliang said, how can you shoot young students with guns, and if your guns don't hit Japan, how can you massacre students?
Li Yunfeng, author of "Historical Facts of the Xi'an Incident": This parade and petition can be said to have stimulated Zhang Xueliang the most and became a fuse of the Xi'an Incident.
Catch Chiang
On the evening of December 11, Jiang was invited by Zhang Yang to watch a Performance of Qin Cavity at the Yi Folk Society in Xi'an. The Kuomintang members were entertained by Yang Hucheng in the city. After the banquet, Zhang Yang issued the order to "catch Jiang" separately.
Huaqing Pond five rooms
In 1936, in the five rooms of Huaqingchi in Xi'an, Chiang Kai-shek had just woken up and was moving his muscles. At this moment, he suddenly heard the sound of gunshots, and as soon as he heard it, he knew that it was not a gun that had gone off, and hurriedly sat up.
The guard officer on duty rushed into the room and said: "It's not good, there are rebels rushing into HuaqingChi." Chiang Kai-shek hurriedly asked: What kind of army? Guard Officer Hui: Those who wear leather hats are all the Northeast Army.
At three o'clock in the morning, about 5,000 men of the Northeast Army completed the comprehensive encirclement of Huaqingchi. Zhang Xueliang repeatedly warned Sun Mingjiu and others not to hurt the chairman of the committee, and when they had no choice, they could only injure his leg and not tell him to run away.
After fierce fighting, the soldiers rushed into Chiang Kai-shek's bedroom in five halls, but the house was empty. Chiang Kai-shek's clothes and hats hung on the shelves, briefcases and dentures were placed on the desk, and there was still residual warmth in the futon.
After the gunshots rang out, Chiang Kai-shek was in a hurry to find an escape route.
Chiang Kai-shek escaped with blood
Yang Zhongzhou, author of "The Xi'an Incident": (Chiang Kai-shek) was wearing pajamas, and there was a small door from the east side, which was not as big as it is now, it was a single door. But when I touched it, the small door inside was locked, and I couldn't find the key in a hurry, so I climbed over the wall and came out. This wall was very low, but there was a deep ditch dug outside for the convenience of the guards, and as a result, Chiang Kai-shek fell into the ditch and broke his back.
In a later interview with Harrett Aban, a reporter for The New York Times, Chiang Kai-shek recalled the runaway and said: "At dawn, I opened my eyes and saw two white hares, and I knew they would lead me to safety. I followed them and staggered down the hillside. As soon as they stopped, I lay flat on the ground and rested. Finally, they hid behind a large rock, and I followed them to the stone and found that there was enough space under the rock for me to hide.
Chiang Kai-shek's hiding place
In the cold winds of Xi'an in December, Chiang Kai-shek hid behind this stone with one foot.
According to Chiang Kai-shek's recollection, these soldiers who searched the mountain walked past him several times in a row, but did not find him. Half an hour later, Sun Mingjiu, the battalion commander of the Guard regiment in charge of searching the mountain, and others found the injured Chiang Kai-shek behind the gap between the two boulders.
Sun Mingjiu, who was interviewed in his later years
Sun Mingjiu, commander of Zhang Xueliang's guards: After arriving on the mountain, he stood between two stones, what everyone said about the amber stone, the scene he was at that time, he was also very scared, his face was full of dust, because when he came out, he didn't wear any clothes, so he wore a white cloth single pants, I asked him, I said please ask the chairman of the committee to go down the mountain quickly. I was worried, I was afraid that someone would give him a shot, so the situation, I felt that the task was very heavy.
When Sun Mingjiu saw Chiang Kai-shek, he fell to his knees and said: Let's ask the chairman of the CPPCC National Committee to go down the mountain to Xi'an.
Zhang Xueliang and Chiang Kai-shek
When he was caught, Chiang Kai-shek was very embarrassed, and he was injured on the back and feet. The news came back, and the senior general Yu Xuezhong asked Zhang Xueliang what to do next. Zhang Xueliang said at that time: What to do next and how to clean up the situation depends on the attitude of the chairman of the CPPCC National Committee. Take the first step first, and then walk the second step and the third step and watch.