One day after the reform, Fu Ya, the widow of General Chen Geng, went to the United States for various reasons.
During this period, General Chen Geng's old friends, who were settling in the United States, came forward to feast on Fu Ya and confided in her his grief over Chen Geng's death and his thoughts about this old friend.
What is even more rare is that when Fu Ya finished his trip and was about to return to China, this group of old friends also came to the airport together to send Fu Ya off. Fu Ya expressed his gratitude to them and, prompted by the radio, began to board the plane.
Just at this moment, Song Xilian, who was standing in the crowd, suddenly took some money from his arms and stuffed it into Fu Ya's hand.
Fu Ya was stunned at first, and after reacting, he quickly tried to stuff the money back into him.
But Song Xilian did not give her a chance to return, he clasped his hands on his chest, pressed the pockets on his body, and said to Fu Ya at the same time:
"This is my intention, I am not in China, I have not found the right opportunity to pay tribute to Chen Geng's heroic spirit, I hope you will help me buy some sacrifices and worship him."
So, why would Song Xilian want to pay tribute to Chen Geng? What kind of story happened between him and Chen Geng?
Photo | chen geng and Song Xilian
Chen Geng and Song Xilian: From comrades to enemies
Song Xilian was born in 1907 and is a native of Xiangxiang, Hunan.
Under the influence of Huxiang culture and family atmosphere, his ancestors gave birth to a number of able people who served the country by example, such as his great-grandfather Song Tougui. When he was young, this old man held the positions of governor and prefect of Gansu, and under the leadership of Zuo Zongtang, he guarded the northwest border pass for many years.
In this case, the Song family attached great importance to the education of the younger generations, so Song Xilian was sent to the academy at a young age.
Song Xilian did not fall into the style of the elders, and under the education of his mentors and relatives, he had long established the ambition to serve the motherland. At the same time, in order to make his dream a reality, Song Xilian read the book very seriously, and it is precisely because of his seriousness that at the age of 14, he was admitted to Changsha Changjun Middle School.
After entering the middle school, Song Xilian discovered a new world. At that time, the flame of the May Fourth Patriotic Movement had already burned to Changsha, and Song Xilian, who was studying in school, more or less also felt the hot feelings of the people, which was undoubtedly extremely influential for Song Xilian, who had the ambition to serve the country since childhood.
In this way, it did not take long for Song Xilian to throw himself into various revolutionary movements. During this period, he and his classmates not only founded the anti-imperialist and anti-warlord poster "Thunder" on campus, but also formed an indissoluble relationship with Chen Geng.
In the eyes of Song Xilian at that time, Chen Geng was not only a friend with the same ideal as himself, but also a kind and respectable brother. Under the leadership of Chen Geng, Song Xilian's understanding of revolutionary and progressive ideas became more profound.
In December 1923, the flames of the revolution burned even more fiercely, and in order to expand his influence, Cheng Qian, minister of military affairs of the National Government in Guangzhou, sent people to Changsha to recruit aspiring young people to train in the Guangzhou Army Lecture Hall. Song Xilian, who was not yet 17 years old at the time, realized that this was a good opportunity to change his situation and embark on the military road. Under the persuasion of his mentor, he resolutely chose to abandon Wen Congrong, and after getting a sum of money from his family, invited Chen Geng to go to the relevant departments to register together.
The two then invited several young people with the same ambition, and finally gathered more than 20 people, led by Chen Geng, and embarked on the road to Guangzhou to study.
In January 1924, the crowd finally arrived in Changsha, but unfortunately, the Wu tang had been discontinued by this time. The dream was shattered, there was no way, everyone had to separate, each looking for a way out, Chen Geng and Song Xilian knew each other, so they walked together.
It was also their good fortune that when they were wandering around one day, they came across the enrollment brochure of the Army Officer School (Whampoa Military Academy).
Pictured| Whampoa Military Academy
This is also a military university, and more importantly, the educational resources here are not inferior to the martial arts hall! After learning this news, Chen Geng was ecstatic, and he excitedly said to Song Xilian: "This is the school founded by Mr. Sun, let's hurry up and register!" ”
Song Xilian was also very happy about this, but he still had some hesitation: "Then how to deal with the army's martial arts hall?" ”
Chen Geng already had a great expectation of entering the Army Officer School at this time, and when he heard this, he immediately replied, "Leave it alone!" ”
"But the admissions brochure says that the condition for applying for the exam is to be 18 years old."
"Isn't it 18 years old according to the imaginary age?" Don't think about it, let's go! ”
Song Xilian and Chen Geng are both genius-like figures, and the examination of the Whampoa Military Academy naturally cannot defeat them, so the two successfully obtained the admission letter of the Whampoa Military Academy, and after some thought, they chose to enter this school and became the first batch students of Whampoa.
During the period of studying at the military academy, the already close relationship between Song Xilian and Chen Geng became closer, and at the same time, Chen Geng also slowly learned about Song Xilian's determination to defend the country, and he felt that this determination was very consistent with the core ideas of our party, so he secretly introduced him to join the Communist Party of China.
In this way, the two become colleagues who work hard for the same goal in the true sense. At that time, they thought they would be good friends with each other for a lifetime and save China together. Unexpectedly, although their big goals are the same, the specific small goals are somewhat different. It is precisely because of this disagreement that they have followed two very different paths and become enemies.
At that time, during the period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, there were many people in the Whampoa Military Academy who crossed the party (both communists and Kuomintang members).
At first, such a situation really did not matter much, but when Chiang Kai-shek's covetousness for domestic power grew, and he no longer wanted to tolerate the continuous growth of the Communist Party, such a person became a thorn in Chiang Kai-shek's heart.
In order to expand his influence, he began to talk to some excellent instructors and students on campus often, taking the opportunity to secretly draw them into his camp. As one of the heroes of the Whampoa Military Academy, Song Xilian naturally received relevant invitations.
At first, under the influence of Chen Geng, Song Xilian's heart was more inclined to the Communist Party, but with the passage of time, this situation changed somewhat.
In 1926, after the "Zhongshan Ship Incident", the reactionaries really revealed their evil features. At this time, Song Xilian's heart was very confused, he had tried to write a letter to Chen Geng, in this letter, Song Xilian said that he "the direction of the wind is not discerning, I don't know how to be good? ”
Picture | Song Xilian
Unfortunately, before he could receive Chen Geng's reply, he was transferred to the first battalion of the third regiment of the newly organized Twenty-first Division as a battalion commander. Originally, the commanders of each unit needed to register across the party, but because most of the people who were assigned to serve in the newly formed Twenty-first Division were Kuomintang members, the step of cross-party registration was omitted in this unit, so Song Xilian unconsciously became an unorganized "defector."
It was at this time that Chen Geng, who had not been in contact with him for a long time, finally found an opportunity and asked him to meet him at Yuexiu Mountain. After the meeting, Chen Geng asked him solemnly why he did not contact the organization for several months in a row, and whether there was any cross-party registration in the army.
For these questions, Song Xilian, who already had the heart to join the Kuomintang, has not given an accurate answer.
Looking at him like this, how could Chen Geng not understand what he was thinking? In the end, the two men, who had taken somewhat different positions, broke up unhappily.
A few days later, perhaps with some guilt for his actions, Song Xilian wrote a letter to Chen Geng again, the main content of which was to justify his mistake. Unfortunately, due to the busy military affairs, the two left Guangzhou one after another, and Chen Geng lost the opportunity to criticize him in person.
In the same year, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the Twenty-first Division to conquer Tonglu, Zhejiang, and in this battle, Song Xilian's leg was unfortunately severely damaged, and he had no choice but to temporarily leave the army and go to the Suzhou Church Hospital for treatment.
By the following year, the evil "April 12 Counter-Revolutionary Coup" had broken out, and the White Terror had swept across the country, and countless patriots had been attacked.
The outbreak of this coup also announced the official end of the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. At this moment, Chiang Kai-shek remembered the group of outstanding young people he had tried to win over in the past. At his behest, a Kuomintang officer suddenly appeared in Song Xilian's hospital room. Seeing the young man whom Chairman Chiang Kai-shek had his eye on, the officer first greeted him for a while, and then handed him 300 pieces of Guangyang and a letter written by Chiang Kai-shek himself.
Song Xilian touched the light of the white flowers and slowly opened the letter, which read: "Come to Nanjing quickly after recovering from your injuries." ”
The existence of this letter made Song Xilian deeply feel that Chiang Kai-shek favored him, plus he had some ideas about joining the Kuomintang before. Therefore, a few days later, Song Xilian, who had recovered from his wounds, really arrived in Nanjing, met Chiang Kai-shek, and began the time of loyalty under Chiang Kai-shek, and embarked on the road of hostility with Chen Geng.
Conscience is not lost, rescue Chen Geng
In 1932, Chen Geng, then chief of staff of the Fourth Front of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, was sent to Shanghai for medical treatment due to a leg injury.
Pictured| Chen Geng
In 1933, after several months of recuperation, Chen Geng, who had already recovered initially, organized his heart to return to the Central Soviet Region, however, his luck this time was really not good, and it was not long before he was discovered by the reactionaries and arrested and imprisoned.
After hearing this news, Song Xilian, who still had respect for Chen Geng, the eldest brother, could be said to be impatient, eager to go to the prison immediately to see his specific situation.
However, thinking about Chiang Kai-shek's personality, he suppressed this kind of thinking of his own. Song Xilian, who had been working with Chiang Kai-shek for many years, was well aware of Chiang Kai-shek's suspicious character, and if he really did that, it would only make Chiang Kai-shek want to kill Chen Geng even more.
His ultimate goal was to rescue Chen Geng, so he forced himself to stop and instead began to think about ways to save Chen Geng.
Song Xilian was a well-known and intelligent man, and it didn't take long for him to come up with a brilliant plan -- he decided to contact the 32 classmates who were also first-term students of the Whampoa Military Academy and jointly write a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek. The central content of the telegram is to tell the story of the teacher-student friendship between the people when they were studying at the Whampoa Military Academy, and to emphasize Chen Geng's life-saving grace to Chiang Kai-shek, so that he can see these things and let Chen Geng go.
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek had already experienced the failure to win chen geng and had a murderous intention towards him, and if this letter had not come in time, Chen Geng might have really lost his life.
But when the letter was put on Chiang Kai-shek's desk, his plan to kill Chen Geng was already about to be declared bankrupt.
At that time, most people had good faces, and Chiang Kai-shek was naturally no exception, no matter what ugly things he did, he always hoped to put a fig leaf on it, so, after receiving this letter and being reminded by people in a bright and upright manner, he still owed Chen Geng a life-saving grace and did not pay it back, how could he still do something to Chen Geng? Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek could only forcibly suppress his intention to kill Chen Geng and only put him under house arrest.
Because of the secret care of Song Xilian and others, even if he has not yet gained freedom, Chen Geng's life is not bad, not only can he eat "chieftain's meals", but also ask the staff guarding him to accompany him to play chess when he is bored.
At this time, Song Xilian was finally relieved, of course, he was not completely at ease, after all, no one knew whether Chiang Kai-shek would completely tear his face and put Chen Geng to death one day.
Based on this concern, Song Xilian specially sent a letter to Chen Geng: "You must not run, you have to run, our crime is not small." ”
As soon as Chen Geng heard this, he immediately realized that Song Xilian was vaguely reminding him and quickly fled. He also followed the kindness of his old friends and escaped from prison with the help of various forces. Under the pressure of public opinion, Chiang Kai-shek did not pursue this matter too much.
After that, because Song Xilian's ability was indeed outstanding, Chiang Kai-shek was not willing to deal with him because of some trivial matters. Therefore, Song Xilian's military career was not frustrated, and he was still deeply used by Chiang Kai-shek, and this heavy use also made him inevitably have contradictions with the Communist Party, and even turned swords against him on the battlefield.
Thrown into the civil war, Song Xilian was captured
In 1948, with the support of the people, the power of the People's Liberation Army gradually grew, and there was a tendency to overwhelm the Kuomintang army. Under these circumstances, Song Xilian, who was deeply trusted by Chiang Kai-shek, ascended to the throne and was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the "Suppression General" in central China and commander of the 14th Corps. Chiang Kai-shek also personally met with him at this time, ordering him to stop the offensive of the People's Liberation Army and defend the northwest of Hubei.
At the beginning of 1949, he was promoted to the post of lieutenant general of the Xiang'e Border Region, with more than 200,000 soldiers, several of whom were specially equipped with American weapons, and their combat effectiveness was very strong.
To be able to command such a powerful army, Song Xilian was very grateful to Chiang Kai-shek, and at the same time, he also made up his mind that he must guard the lower half of the country for Chairman Chiang Kai-shek.
However, Jiangshan was not something he could defend if he wanted to, and what he did not expect was that not long after he took office, the People's Liberation Army had already approached the city, and two days later, it had captured jingmen, the gateway for heavy troops. The Kuomintang 79th Army, which Song Xilian considered powerful, was almost completely wiped out, including the remaining remnants of the military commander Fang Jing, all captured by the communist army.
The defeat in the Battle of Jingmen made Song Xilian deeply aware of the horror of the strength of the People's Liberation Army, and he hurriedly summoned the commanders of various units and the commanders of the corps, hoping to come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with the People's Liberation Army. Finally, they came up with a combat strategy of "consolidating the defense of the river and ensuring Yisha", in an attempt to send the main force to garrison the south bank of the Yangtze River, try to block the road of the People's Liberation Army to cross the river, and send more strong troops to guard the two major cities of Yichang and Shashi.
But any battle plan, in the face of absolute strength, is only a paper tiger, and on November 1, 1949, our army launched a fierce attack on the kuomintang southwest defense line, breaking through their defense line in one fell swoop. Song Xilian understood that this place could no longer be defended. That night, he called a meeting of a group of senior generals, and concluded that he would march west and bring his troops to Yunnan.
They want to run, and we won't give that a chance. On November 23, Liu Bocheng called the front line and demanded that the troops immediately pursue the enemy and be sure to capture Song Xilian alive! Receiving an urgent telegram from their superiors, the warriors immediately assembled and pursued from Yibin in the direction of Muchuan.
On December 14, Song Xilian led the remnants of his troops to southern Sichuan, and in the afternoon, they entered a relatively rich county town, intending to buy some supplies here. However, just as he was about to negotiate with the businessmen to cooperate, a sudden noise came from the distance, and upon careful questioning, he realized that the People's Liberation Army had come not far away.
On the 15th, the main force of our army surrounded the guard regiment of Song Xilian's department responsible for rear guard work, and after several hours of fighting, eliminated its 2nd Battalion.
On the 18th, Song Xilian arrived in Shaping Town, Ebian County, and at this moment, he suddenly heard a guard talking to himself about something, and Song Xilian leaned in to listen, only to hear him say: "Seventy-two wars, there is no disadvantage in battle; overhearIng Chu Ge, one defeat is complete!" Song Xilian couldn't help but shiver, and a bad premonition emerged in his heart.
His hunch was correct, after hearing that Song Xilian had fled to Ebian County, the first unit of the 16th Army of the Erye 5th Corps immediately ordered the 139th Regiment of the 47th Division to participate in the task of pursuing Song Xilian. On the same day, under the leadership of the regimental commander, the soldiers charged bravely, and soon caught up with Song Xilian's troops, who had not yet gone far, and surrounded them.
Considering that he had been loyal to Chiang Kai-shek for many years, and now that he was arrested, he was likely to die, and instead of dying at the hands of others, he would commit suicide himself. Thinking of this, he immediately pulled out his pistol and prepared to end himself. However, he had only just raised his gun above his head when he was stopped by the guards around him. He let out a long sigh and didn't do anything again.
Of course, he did not give up the opportunity to escape, and on the way when the army was preparing to escort them to Emei County, Song Xilian had summoned several close associates, planning to take advantage of the chaos to escape. But at this critical moment, a PLA cadre recognized him. In this way, the identity of this senior Kuomintang general was exposed, and his escape plan was no longer possible.
Reunited again, Song Xilian's thoughts gradually changed
Because Song Xilian had been in the Kuomintang for more than half a year, and once he was arrested, his thinking was still very stubborn, and during his imprisonment in the White Mansion, he only played chess with his old friend Zhong Bin all day long, ignoring the teachings of the Communist Party.
Later, after staying in the White Mansion for a long time, the enthusiasm of the staff slowly touched him, but he also had some concerns, that is, he had killed Mr. Qu Qiubai, the early leader of our party, and such a deep hatred was in front of him, and he was worried that our party would find him to settle accounts later.
Regarding his doubts, Chen Geng gave him the answer. At that time, Chen Geng came to the White Mansion to tell him about the ups and downs of the past twenty years. The conversation lasted for nearly 6 hours, during which Chen Geng also pointed out the direction to him: "Don't think more, read more books, and actively reform." ”
Song Xilian trusted Chen Geng as a person, so after that, he really began to embrace the upward heart and devote himself to the transformation.
In 1954, Song Xilian was imprisoned in the Gongdelin War Criminals Management Center.
In 1955, hundreds of war criminals came to Gongdelin one after another, and the management office divided them into eleven groups, each group would have a team leader, and Song Xilian became the head of the group because of his good performance.
In October 1958, Song Xilian and more than 40 other war criminals with relatively good physical strength, led by manager Gong Delin, came to work on a farm on the outskirts of Beijing.
In this place, Song Xilian was surprised to find that there were also CCP cadres working here, and their shelter and food were better than those cadres who came to work! Song Xilian could feel the selflessness of the CCP leaders even more, and under the care of everyone, these war criminals threw themselves into labor without complaint, and finally Song Xilian and others successfully learned simple agricultural tasks such as planting fruit trees and feeding poultry here.
Their efforts were also affirmed by the central leaders, and in 1959, the Party Central Committee issued an order to pardon war criminals, and in the amnesty list, Song Xilian's name was prominently listed.
At the end of this year, Song Xilian walked out of Gongdelin with an excited mood, and on the same day, Chen Geng also took time to meet him.
In April of the following year, Chen Geng specially set up a banquet in the hotel to invite Song Xilian, Du Yuming and other Huangpu students, and at this banquet, Chen Geng's first words were: "We have come together again!" ”
Yes, for more than 20 years, they have gone around and finally stood on the same front again, after that, they no longer need to fight, just unite and help each other move forward.
Picture | Chen Geng (front row third from left) and Song Xilian (back row right) and others
Unfortunately, Chen Geng was unable to work with them for long, and in 1961, Chen Geng, who was gradually exhausted, finally died of illness in Shanghai.
When Song Xilian learned of this news, his heart was like a knife, and at Chen Geng's memorial service, this iron-boned man cried bitterly in front of everyone.
After that, Song Xilian remembered the entrustment of his old friend and began to run around for the great cause of the reunification of the motherland.
In 1980, Song Xilian retired to the second line, and his children sent messages hoping to take him to the United States to recuperate, and for various reasons, Song Xilian agreed to this invitation.
After arriving in the United States, everyone thought that he would forget about domestic trivial matters and live some peaceful days on this issue, but they did not expect that Song Xilian would write a letter to Taiwan proposing that the two sides of the strait must realize the "three links."
In 1982, he founded the China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification in New York.
In 1983, Song Xilian was again elected to the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
In 1984, Song Xilian hosted a banquet in Washington for Hou Jingru, Cai Wenzhi and others, and after this gathering, the people formed the Huangpu Classmates and Family Friendship Association and put forward the slogan of demanding national reunification.
Their remarks struck the Taiwan authorities in the sore foot, and Taiwan's "JoongAng Ilbo" scolded him as a "Chinese Communist Eagle Dog."
However, such words did not annoy Song Xilian, and he even claimed to be a general of eagle dogs to satirize the evil reactionaries.
In 1985, when Chen Geng's wife Fu Ya came to the United States, Song Xilian, who heard the news, immediately set up a banquet to entertain her. When Fu Ya was preparing to board the plane to return to China, remembering that he had not paid tribute to Chen Geng for a long time, Song Xilian, who was too old, could not help but grab Fu Ya's hand, stuffed her with some money, and instructed her to buy more paper money for Chen Geng. After saying that, without waiting for Fu Ya to refuse, the old man staggered away.
Picture | Fu Ya and Chen Geng took a group photo
In 1993, Song Xilian was already sick, he understood that his time was running out, and when he was dying, he could not help but tell the children around him again, when the two sides of the strait were reunified, don't forget to tell him at the grave.