There are many rumors in the folklore that Chiang Kai-shek was forced to flee to Taiwan in a hurry before the founding of New China, but this is not the case. According to historical records, on October 1, 1949, after Chairman Mao announced the founding of New China on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Chiang Kai-shek also flew to the southwest region by plane, hoping to save the overall situation, and stayed in the southwest region for two months until he felt that there was no hope of rejuvenation, and only flew from Chengdu to Taiwan on December 10.
Although Chiang Kai-shek was in Taiwan, he left his confidant Hu Zongnan in Xichang and ordered him to fight a final battle. However, the Chengdu War organized by Hu Zongnan was not over due to low morale. Before Chiang Kai-shek withdrew to Taiwan, he made three sets of preparatory plans. The first set was based in Sichuan and the mountains in the southwest as a barrier, carrying out the line that had been practiced during the anti-Japanese period in that year, and engaging in a long-term confrontation with the Communist Party. The second set is to take the island of Hainan as a retreat route, stick to the Qiongzhou Strait, and use the strait as a natural barrier. The third set of basic ideas is consistent with the second set, in order to retreat to Taiwan, use the Taiwan Strait as a natural barrier, and stick to Taiwan. If all three of these options fail, retire to the Philippines and form a government-in-exile.
But Chiang Kai-shek did not expect that the pace of liberating all of China would be so rapid. After the conclusion of the founding ceremony of New China, Deng Xiaoping, He Long, and other generals immediately personally led a large army to attack Sichuan, and liberated all the way to Tibet, planting the red flag of New China at the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Chiang Kai-shek's first plan was shattered. In addition, after more than ten days of fighting in the coastal Hainan region of the motherland, it was successfully liberated by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Chiang Kai-shek originally thought that Hainan had his own concubine troop Xue Yue stationed there, which should be quite stable, but he did not expect that his concubine troops would also collapse after holding out for more than ten days, and at this point, Chiang Kai-shek's first two sets of retreat plans had all failed. After observing the situation, the United States believes that it is only a matter of time before the Platon Liberation Army liberates Taiwan, and the United States Government ordered the evacuation of the Americans in Taiwan.
These three retreat plans were actually planned for Chiang Kai-shek by a geographer, and this person was the geographer and historian Zhang Qiyun. Zhang Qiyun can be called a master of Chinese geography in China. At the beginning of 1949, after the three major battles of Liaoshen, Pingjin, and Huaihai, the Kuomintang's army strength was severely reduced, coupled with the instability of the military, the people's panic, and the ability to compete with the Communist army, Chiang Kai-shek could not sleep at this night, seeing that the Kuomintang's rule in China was about to be overthrown, where the Kuomintang should go, these problems forced Chiang Kai-shek to think about the way back, but where should he retreat, where can he give him a chance to breathe, in the face of the Current situation of the Kuomintang at that time, facing the current situation of the Kuomintang at that time. Many senior administrative officers met with Chiang Kai-shek and consulted with him. Among them, Zhang Qiyun's views were favored by Chiang Kai-shek.
In a secret conversation with Chiang Kai-shek, Zhang Qiyun said: "It is unrealistic to divide China into two from the Yangtze River and rule by river; this is just the current illusion of the Kuomintang; not to mention whether the Kuomintang can hold on to it, the Communist Party absolutely cannot agree to this proposal." Retreating to the southwest and Hainan is only a preparatory plan, and it is very likely that it will not work, and the feng shui treasure land that is really suitable for the Kuomintang to retreat is Taiwan. Taiwan is separated from the mainland by the Taiwan Strait and is a natural protective barrier given the natural risks of the Taiwan Strait. In terms of naval power, the Communists were temporarily unable to suppress the Kuomintang. The Kuomintang could use the fleet and air force to protect itself, making it difficult for the Communists to liberate for a while and a half, and the Kuomintang had plenty of time to fight against it. At least when the International is directing the Kuomintang, it is possible to gather forces and fight the Communists. In addition to military considerations, Taiwan is the most suitable, and its own material resources and people's livelihood are also more suitable. Taiwan is in a tropical and subtropical climate, its island is rich in species, good climatic conditions, the Kuomintang can be completely self-sufficient after retreating to Taiwan, and there is no need to worry about food. In addition, taiwan, as a region that has long been colonized by foreign nationalities, will have a sense of return to the Kuomintang regime and be better governed. The Communist Party did not penetrate much here, and it was better to eliminate it. Among the three regions of southwest, Hainan, and Taiwan, the southwest region centered on Chongqing has the natural conditions of being easy to defend and difficult to attack in terms of terrain and terrain; in the north, there are the high and dangerous Qinling Mountains, the East has the Yangtze River Gorge, and the south has the tall and majestic Hengduan Mountain Range. But the biggest drawback is that it is closely linked to the mainland, and the local forces are mostly, which is difficult to clear and unconvincing. Although Hainan Island is not closely connected to the mainland, the Qiongzhou Strait, which is separated from the mainland, is narrow, and if it is fought, it is easy for personnel to land on the island, so it is the most suitable choice to exclude the southwest and Hainan, and Taiwan is the most suitable choice. ”
In fact, there is no shortage of opposition voices around Chiang Kai-shek on the issue of retreating to Taiwan, and among those who oppose it, most of them are worried that the United States is likely to forcibly seize Taiwan by force from the sea. In fact, the United States did think that the Kuomintang was no longer able to compete with the Communist Party, so it was secretly looking for characters in a vain attempt to support a puppet government that opposed the Communist Party. The U.S. government had secretly contacted Chen Cheng, but because Chen Cheng was loyal to the Kuomintang and refused to agree to another portal, the United States later contacted others, but all were ineffective, and the matter failed. Chiang Kai-shek was not without consideration in this regard, and in addition to Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek also sent people to contact the Philippine government and urge the Philippines to agree to its organization of a government-in-exile at home.
Although Chiang Kai-shek has taken Taiwan as the last place of refuge, Chiang Kai-shek is not willing to give it to others in vain. He wanted to do his best to preserve the southwest region, after all, the land is vast and more conducive to development. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek deployed heavy troops and intended to preserve the southwest. Chiang Kai-shek originally thought that the Communists would attack northern Sichuan from the direction of southern Shaanxi, but the Communists surprised the troops, did not follow the established thinking, but first attacked the south-central part of Guizhou, the Kuomintang army was defeated and retreated, and Chongqing was lost. Chiang Kai-shek also fantasized that Hu Zongnan would arrive in Chengdu, but Hu Zongnan fled halfway, leaving the army unattended, and the Kuomintang army was defeated again and again. The Kuomintang had no more place to defend, and Chiang Kai-shek returned to Taiwan in disgrace.
According to records, at the beginning of the new year in 1948, Chiang Kai-shek summoned the chairman of Taiwan Province at that time to discuss with him the people's livelihood economy and government finances in Taiwan. At this time, Chiang Kai-shek was also secretly and rapidly transferring property and equipment. In the same year, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the construction of sea defense fortresses such as Kinmen and Matsu, which showed that Chiang Kai-shek was making military preparations for the long-term defense of Taiwan in the future. In addition to dispatching troops and generals in the military field and building fortifications, they were also changing the party and government workers in Taiwan at that time, replacing their own cronies, and ensuring the stability of the government.
In January 1949, the Kuomintang Chiang Kai-shek clique finally collapsed to Taiwan, and the Kuomintang defended itself on the island of Taiwan, which became a direct factor hindering the reunification of the two sides of the strait. However, on the issue of the "one-China" principle, Chiang Kai-shek's stand was firm and did not change with his retreat to Taiwan. After the founding of New China, New China developed rapidly, and Chiang Kai-shek saw this change from the strategy of counterattacking the mainland with "military as the mainstay" to the mainland policy of "focusing on politics and supplementing the military." At that time, due to the consideration of weapons and equipment and the international environment, the People's Liberation Army did not immediately recover Taiwan. However, chiang kai-shek's change in mainland policy became an important consideration for Chairman Mao Zedong's tactical adjustment on the Taiwan issue at that time, and Chiang Kai-shek's policies were actually a recognition of one China at the national level. Chiang Kai-shek's adherence to the "one-China" principle and the change in mainland policy became a fundamental prerequisite for Mao Zedong's future strategy toward Taiwan to adopt flexible measures. In the 21 st century, Chiang Kai-shek's retreat to Taiwan caused Taiwan to not return to taiwan, but the national policy of peaceful reunification and "one country, two systems" proposed by our country will certainly be further implemented, and the "Chinese Dream" of the reunification of the motherland and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will certainly be realized!