On July 1, 1949, a military jeep was quietly turned into Shanghai Tilanqiao Prison. An elderly female prisoner got out of the car, dressed neatly, and her tired face did not lose some restraint. Looking at the castle-like cell in the tall wall, she sighed: "I can't imagine it, I can't imagine it." ”
Who is she? Wang pseudo "First Lady" Chen Bijun!
01 Identity is special and different
The eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression brought down the curtain of victory, the leaders of the traitors were arrested one after another, and Chen Bijun was escorted to Nanjing after being arrested in Yangcheng.
On March 28, 1946, the Jiangsu High Court indicted her for adultery, and on April 16, the trial was held, and on the 22nd, she was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring with an enemy country. Subsequently, Chen Bijun was sent to Suzhou Jiangsu No. 3 Prison to serve his sentence.
Chen Bijun claimed that Chiang Kai-shek had declared a personal vendetta, so although he was in prison, he was still as fierce as before. Again and again, she was furious, her health deteriorated, and she was often bedridden.
At the end of the three major battles in the spring of 1949, Chiang Kai-shek, who was in internal and external difficulties, was forced to "retire" and Li Zongren assumed the presidency. On February 4, the Executive Yuan decided to move the capital to Guangzhou and made the following provisions on the detention of traitors:
Whoever is sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment shall be released, and whoever shall be sentenced to life imprisonment shall be transferred to Taiwan.
But at that time, the minds of the dignitaries and nobles were only on the safety of their own lives, where could they care about transferring traitors? In the early morning of April 21, 1949, a million male divisions of the People's Liberation Army crossed the Yangtze River, and one of them directly attacked Suzhou. On the day of the liberation of Suzhou, the prison was taken over, and Chen Bijun, 58, became a prisoner of the Communist Party.
Chen Bijun and Wang Jingwei
02 Tough attitude Refuse to admit guilt
One day shortly after the founding of New China, the correctional cadre handed Chen Bijun a letter. The letter came from Beijing and was jointly written to her by Vice President Soong Ching Ling and He Xiangning, a member of the Central People's Government.
Song Qingling and He Xiangning worked with Chen Bijun for many years in their early years, and had both comradely friendship and personal friendship. When they learned that Chen Bijun was in Tilanqiao Prison in Shanghai, they went to see Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou together and suggested that they be granted amnesty in due course, depending on their attitude.
The chairman and the premier made a statement: As long as Chen Bijun issued a brief confession statement, the Central People's Government could order her release.
Song Qingling and He Xiangning then jointly wrote a letter to Chen Bijun, which read as follows:
Mr. Chen Bijun's Great Review:
We used to work with Dr. Sun Yat-sen for many years and knew each other very well. We have great respect for you and have always been sympathetic to your painful situation after the victory of the War of Resistance. In the past, because we were at odds with the regime led by Mr. Jiang, it was impossible to speak for you. Now, times are different, and this morning we met with two leaders of the Communist Party, who made it clear that as soon as Mr. Chen makes a brief statement of repentance, you can immediately restore your freedom. “
Chen Bijun did not think that he was guilty, so he refused the kindness of Song Qingling and He Xiangning. She wrote back, saying:
I firmly adhere to the position that was publicly declared at the time of trial, and I hope to be sent away in my last years in a cell for the sake of national salvation and war, and I am on the same path, without guilt or remorse. ”
Chen Bijun, who refused to confess guilt, after a period of observation, found that the Communist Party guards were approachable and gradually became bold.
In 1950, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China called for a rectification campaign, and she provoked among the prisoners: "The outside is tidy up and the inside is ready, and everyone must be prepared." ”
In order to encourage prisoners to undergo reform, the prison authorities held a reward and punishment meeting to reduce the sentences of several convicts who had been reformed. Chen Bijun said disapprovingly: "At most two or three years, the life sentence is reduced to 20 years, and you will die before you get out of prison. ”
Chen Bijun's remarks were reported, and the correctional cadres talked to her and criticized: "You are instigating prisoners to resist the government's reform policy. She said, "Didn't you ask me to expose my thoughts?" I am exposing my mind, not inciting it. ”
In prison, Chen Bijun was asked to write a written account, and she always pushed back dizziness or chest tightness and did not write.
In mid-June 1951, the correctional cadres met with Chen Bijun again and solemnly said: "Please write a review systematically, you must truthfully explain all the crimes and must not conceal them." ”
Chen Bijun rolled his eyes: "What crime did I commit?" But the winner is the king, and the loser is the coward. I have only one history of revolution! ”
Under the repeated persuasion and urging of the correctional cadres, Chen Bijun finally started writing. By August, Chen Bijun had written Yangyang's "Confessions" of more than 20,000 words, but he only showed merit and no crime. After reading it, the correctional cadre pointed out: "We do not deny that you have made contributions to the revolution in the early stage, but we must focus on reviewing the crimes." ”
Chen Bijun was furious: "I have already told you that I only have one revolutionary history, and I have no crimes to write!" ”
"What is your attitude?" The correctional cadres could not help but scold: "You betray the country and the nation, and you still do not admit guilt and accept guilt?" ”
After Chen Bijun was arrested in Yangcheng, even the director of the Kuomintang's detention center honored her as "Lady Wang", and she did not expect to be reprimanded by the Communist guards today, and her self-esteem was greatly frustrated.
So she submitted a complaint to the prison authorities, calling the correctional cadre a "scolding guard." She also "introduced" to the new inmates: this is scolding the guards, fierce, you should be careful.
03 Heart orally accept the modification
Later, the prison's reform policy of combining ideological education with humane treatment slowly made Chen Bijun admire from the bottom of his heart. She also began to understand the crime of traitors that she had always refused to admit in the past, but of course it was not thorough.
Chen Bijun herself ordered a copy of the Liberation Daily, studied Chairman Mao's writings, and worked very hard, as she herself wrote in her confession in July 1955:
I borrowed the article "On the People's Democratic Dictatorship", I read it 8 times, not enough, to return it to others, I copied it down, read it day by day, I understood why the Communist Party won, why the Kuomintang perished...
There is another thing that the discipline cadres did not expect, which can also explain Chen Bijun's desire to "work hard to transform himself."
When Chen Bijun saw the correctional cadres passing by, he shouted, "I have written a report and applied to go to the farm to participate in labor. ”
It turned out that after 1954, in order to enable prisoners to reform through labor, the prison organized them to participate in physical labor within their capabilities, and some were also sent to labor reform farms in northern Jiangsu. In the autumn of the following year, Chen Bijun submitted a written report and asked to go to northern Jiangsu.
Because Chen Bijun suffered from various diseases and was old, the prison authorities did not approve her request. The correctional cadre said: "You are old, your health is not very good, according to the doctor's advice, you cannot participate in manual labor." ”
"If you don't let me go, I'll go on hunger strike and starve to death!" She did put her job down.
"We are responsible for your health and hope you will cooperate with us." Correctional cadres are carefully enlightened.
After talking for a while, the food was already cold, and the correctional cadre took it to her after it was warmed up and then brought it back to her hand: "Eat quickly, raise your body healthy, and you will consider your requirements." ”
Chen Bijun turned from anger to laughter: "I am afraid that you and Yan gentlely reason, it seems that you are indeed to love and protect my body." ”
On May 2, 1959, Chen Bijun was re-admitted to the hospital, and the doctor diagnosed that heart disease, bronchitis, and hypertension were complicated, and although he was fully treated, he did not see any improvement. Hundreds of medicines worked recklessly, the group of doctors tied their hands, and the hospital issued a notice of critical illness.
Chen Bijun knew that he was powerless to return to heaven, and said to the correctional cadres: "Tell the doctor, don't waste injections for me anymore, you have fulfilled your responsibilities, thank you." ”
On June 17, 1959, Chen Bijun died of ineffective medical treatment at the age of 68. Since she had no true relatives in Shanghai, the body was collected and cremated by a distant relative, and the ashes were sent to Hong Kong, where her children sent someone to hong Kong Island.
Write at the end:
Chen Bijun was born in Nanyang, came from a rich family, and was quite talented, but his appearance was mediocre, and when he confessed to Wang Jingwei in his early years, he was categorically rejected. In 1909, Wang Jingwei plotted to assassinate the regent of the Qing government, and was arrested by the Qing court because of the failure of the matter. Chen Bijun ran around to rescue his sweetheart and helped Wang Jingwei when he was in the most danger, and Wang was deeply moved. After the success of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, Wang Jingwei was released and married Chen Bijun in Shanghai in 1912.
After marriage, Chen Bijun, who had a hot personality, became Wang Jingwei's "virtuous internal helper", and many decisions made by Wang Jingwei in thought and action were inseparable from Chen Bijun's vigorous decision. In particular, after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Wang defected to the Japanese invaders and became a traitor, and of course Chen Bijun's "credit" was indispensable to this.
It is said that behind a successful man there is always a woman who silently supports him. Wang Jingwei and Chen Bijun and his wife are just the opposite, and Chen Gongbo, who is also a traitor, once said: "Mr. Wang can't do a big thing without Chen Bijun, but without Chen Bijun, he can't do a big thing." Therefore, Chen Bijun's merits and demerits can be seen.