In 1931, the "September 18" incident broke out, and the young marshal Zhang Xueliang led 300,000 northeast troops to retreat into Guannei, did not fire a single shot, and ceded the entire northeast land to the Japanese, causing the Japanese invaders to launch a later all-out war of aggression against China.
In 1936, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched the Xi'an Incident to carry out military advice against Chiang Kai-shek, prompting Chiang Kai-shek to agree to the cooperation of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and form a unified anti-Japanese united front.
In order to express his desire to just promote a unanimous resistance to Japan, after the Xi'an Incident, Zhang Xueliang personally escorted Chiang Kai-shek from Xi'an back to Nanjing by plane. However, when Zhang Xueliang got off the plane in Nanjing, he was detained by the perfidious Chiang Kai-shek. Since then, Zhang Xueliang has begun a half-century-long seclusion career.
After Zhang Xueliang was detained by Chiang Kai-shek, the leaders of our party tried to rescue Zhang Xueliang from the clutches of Chiang Kai-shek after many efforts. Unfortunately, although our party has made unremitting efforts, it has never been able to rescue Zhang Xueliang, which has also become a very regrettable thing in the history of our party.
In 1955, six years after the founding of New China, the Chinese people's liberation army conducted a rank evaluation. Among the generals who were formerly subordinate to the Northeast Army, 25 generals were awarded the rank of general, of which Lü Zhengcao was awarded the rank of general, Wan Yi was awarded the title of lieutenant general, and 23 were awarded the rank of major general.
If after the Xi'an Incident, our Party was able to free Zhang Xueliang from Chiang Kai-shek's house arrest, what kind of rank should Zhang Xueliang have been awarded with his qualifications in 1955?
Let's take a look at the reference standards for the PLA in 1955. In 1955, when our Party and our army evaluated the ranks of senior generals in the army, they mainly carried out the following four criteria for reference assessment:
First, in the 1927 Uprising led by our Party, such as the Autumn Harvest, Nanchang, and Guangzhou, what positions he held in the rebel army.
Second, what outstanding contributions were made in the early construction of revolutionary base areas.
Third, during the agrarian revolution, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, and during the War of Liberation, what positions were held in the army under the leadership of our Party.
Fourth, during the agrarian revolution, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, and during the War of Liberation, what kind of merits and achievements were made in the final victory of our Party and our army.
First of all, the first two points, Zhang Xueliang made almost no contribution to the early revolutionary construction led by our party. Our Party was founded in 1921, the army was formed in 1927, and Zhang Xueliang did not participate until the domestic agrarian revolution before 1937.
At that time, Zhang Xueliang was still the grand duke of Zhang Zuolin, the king of the northeast, and was known as the young marshal. After Zhang Zuolin was killed by the Japanese in 1928, Zhang Xueliang took over all military and political power in the northeast.
In 1931, Zhang Xueliang led 300,000 Northeast Troops to withdraw from The Northeast, and until the Xi'an Incident in 1936, Zhang Xueliang, as the commander of the Northeast Army, had almost no interaction with the early revolutionary construction of our party and our army, nor could he make any contributions. If referenced according to the evaluation criteria of the first two articles, Zhang Xueliang is not eligible to participate in the evaluation of military ranks.
However, as mentioned above, 25 of the former northeast army and later classified as generals in the People's Liberation Army were rated as generals. Like Zhang Xueliang, they did not participate in the early revolutionary construction of the Red Army, but they were still awarded the rank of general.
That is to say, when evaluating military ranks in 1955, it was not completely mandatory to refer to these four criteria. Even if they do not meet the evaluation criteria of Articles 1 and 2, senior generals who have made certain outstanding contributions in the criteria of Articles 3 and 4 are eligible to participate in the evaluation of military ranks.
Looking at Zhang Xueliang again, according to the evaluation criteria of Articles 3 and 4, Zhang Xueliang was always under house arrest by Chiang Kai-shek during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation. In addition to promoting the Kuomintang-Communist cooperation in the united resistance against Japan, Zhang Xueliang did not make any contributions during the war. Even in the loss of the entire northeast, Zhang Xueliang is still the most responsible person.
Suppose now that our Party and our army had rescued Zhang Xueliang from Chiang Kai-shek's imprisonment after the Xi'an Incident, and zhang Xueliang had participated in both the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation. So, when the People's Liberation Army assessed military ranks in 1955, what rank should Zhang Xueliang be awarded?
In terms of Zhang Xueliang's influence, whether within the Northeast Army or in the minds of the people of Northeast China, Zhang Xueliang's three words are irreplaceable existence. If Zhang Xueliang can re-command the Northeast Army, it is bound to play a more positive role in the anti-Japanese united front.
Especially in the minds of the people of Northeast China, after 1932, Japan established the puppet state of Manchukuo by supporting the last emperor Puyi, and misled the concept of home country of the people of Northeast China in legal theory. If Zhang Xueliang can be rescued and use his influence to stand up and shout at the people of the northeast, then the 30 million compatriots in the northeast will not make so many people choose to go against the grain because of the establishment of a Manchukuo.
At that time, the number of people from all walks of life in the northeast who are involved in stubbornly resisting the Japanese aggressors will certainly increase greatly. If we can put more pressure on the Japanese in the northeast region, it will have an extremely important positive effect on the anti-Japanese situation in all of China and southeast Asia.
There is a question: After Zhang Xueliang's comeback, he can still regain control of the army. This question is the most crucial part of whether Zhang Xueliang can be awarded a military rank.
Let's say that Zhang Xueliang was rescued from Chiang Kai-shek's house arrest by our party and our army, regained command of the 300,000-strong army in the northeast, and in the following War of Resistance Against Japan, commanded the Northeast Army to fight tenaciously and made an indelible contribution to the final victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
Moreover, in the following liberation war, Zhang Xueliang was able to see clearly the current domestic situation and realize that the corruption of the Kuomintang that penetrated deep into the marrow of the bones was bound to run out of oil. The army led by the Communist Party has won the hearts of the people, and fighting for the rice bowl of the people of the world is bound to win the final victory.
To this end, Zhang Xueliang commanded the former Northeast Army and was willing to heed the call and dispatch of our party and our army and contribute a powerful force in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation. Then, when the People's Liberation Army conferred the title in 1955, there were two possible references for Zhang Xueliang:
One is that, like Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, and Deng Xiaoping, he does not participate in the conferring of titles; the other is that if Zhang Xueliang chooses to accept the title, Zhang Xueliang will certainly be awarded the rank of marshal based on his position and seniority as the former commander of the Northeast Army, as well as his contributions in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation.
You must know that after the end of the Long March in 1935, the number of the Red Army under the leadership of our Party had plummeted to only 30,000 people. Even after the Kuomintang and the Communists reached an agreement to resist Japan in 1937, the Eighth Route Army under the leadership of our Party only reached 92,000 people.
At that time, the number of the Northeast Army was more than 300,000, and if Zhang Xueliang was willing to make the 300,000 Northeast Army obey the command of our party and our army, then it was natural that Zhang Xueliang, such a "major shareholder"," would have been awarded the rank of marshal in 1955.
Of course, if Zhang Xueliang is really rescued from the clutches of Chiang Kai-shek by our party, whether he can regain control of the Northeast Army is a very big problem. Even if Zhang Xueliang can regain control of the Northeast Army, whether he will obey the command of our party and our army is another question.
It is good to become a friendly army, but if you become an enemy, it is bound to have a serious impact on the course of the ensuing War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation. At that time, between our party and Zhang Xueliang and Chiang Kai-shek, it is possible that a three-legged stand will be formed.
All in all, if Zhang Xueliang can be successfully rescued by our party, then when the People's Liberation Army was awarded the title in 1955, it will refer to whether Zhang Xueliang can regain control of the army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, and his performance in the war.
If he can regain control of the 300,000 Northeast Army and be willing to obey the leadership of our party, he will be active in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation. Then, when the title was awarded in 1955, Zhang Xueliang would definitely be awarded the marshal, and there would be no second possibility.
If Zhang Xueliang had been rescued from Chiang Kai-shek by our Party, during the ensuing War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Zhang Xueliang would not have been able to regain control of the army. Then, when the People's Liberation Army awarded the title in 1955, Zhang Xueliang was hardly taken into account.
However, even if Zhang Xueliang was not awarded a military rank in 1955, according to Zhang Xueliang's qualifications and his contribution to promoting the kuomintang-Communist cooperation in the Xi'an Incident to resist Japan, Zhang Xueliang's position after the founding of New China would certainly not be low.
You can refer to Song Qingling and Li Jishen. Soong Ching-ling was an influential democrat and the widow of Dr. Sun Yat-sen; Lee Was one of the founders of the Kuomintang and chairman of the Kuomintang Revolutionary Committee. After the founding of New China, considering the influence of Song and Li and their contributions to the founding of New China, they were elected as vice presidents of New China.
For reference, after Zhang Xueliang was rescued, even if he no longer held military power, zhang Xueliang's help to our party and our army, as well as his contributions to the founding of New China, was elected as the vice president of the state, which was the most reasonable result.
The old handsome cunning young marshal crazy,
Dare to wall with old Jiang;
Imprisoned for an indefinite period of time,
The sideburns have faded into a green intestine.