After one defeat after another in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chiang Kai-shek lamented that "if Zhu Peide were still alive," the situation would not be so bad
After the defeat of Chibi, Cao Mengde once sighed: "Guo Fengxiao is here. On January 16, 1938, Chiang Kai-shek, who had been defeated at the Battle of Songhu and the fall of Nanjing, had a very similar mood and wrote in his diary:
"Yu realized the lack of intelligence and knowledge, the lack of endurance, and the rare strategist Zheng friend, who made up for me, so that I suffered from this dilemma." If the benefit is still there, can it be saved from the scourge of this war? ”
Zhu Peide, the word Yizhi. From 1929, he became the chief of staff of the General Staff Headquarters and then the director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission, until his sudden death in February 1937, and assisted Chiang Kai-shek in the center for 8 years. In fact, as early as 1932, Jiang had divided his staff around him into several levels according to the criteria of "sage" and "talent", and Zhu ranked first -- in the Jiang Feng War, Jiang had asked Zhu to "stay in Beijing to shock" and act as commander-in-chief; during the Central Plains War, Zhu Zeng sat in Nanjing on behalf of Chiang Kai-shek and drew up army allocation and logistical supplies. All this shows the depth of faith and dependence.
Specific to anti-Japanese matters. In 1930, Zhu zeng looked forward in his New Year's Day speech at the General Staff Headquarters, hoping that "in the future, everyone should always pay attention to the prevention of external troubles." However, since then, the central government's measures to reorganize the army and centralize power have been repeatedly resisted by local warlords and even resisted by force, until June 1936, there were still two Guangdong warlords and Japanese warlords colluding with the Japanese to "go north to resist Japan" in an attempt to militarily subvert the Nanjing government. Zhu Sui had to travel frequently between various factions, trying to find opportunities for peaceful resolution of the conflict, such as promoting cooperation between Ningbo and Guangdong in 1932; after the Xi'an Incident, "almost every day in the middle of the night, he went to Jiang's house to rescue Madam Jiang, Song Ziwen and other secret merchants." ”
After "9/18," Jiang asked Zhu about the specific anti-Japanese strategy. The dialogue between the two is as follows: Zhu: Against Japan, they are not only prepared for defeat and first peace, but Also Xu Tu takes revenge. JIANG: Gu ye. However, the defeat of the war is based on the history of the remaining one person who died in the line of duty in the whole country, and the history of the remaining one person is sacrificed for the whole country. Although Yu was discredited, he had his own judgment of merit and sin in the hereafter. As long as there is hope in the whole country, Yu also voluntarily sacrifices also. Zhu: The office is very public. JJ: Although. Yu is afraid that the spirit of the people will be scattered, and if he still cannot lie down and taste his courage after the first and later, then the nation will become more degenerate, there will be no hope of revenge, and Yu's sacrifice will become in vain. Therefore, the ear cannot be broken.
Left: Zhu Peide and his wife in 1920; Right: Zhu Peide (1889-1937), a first-class general of the Nationalist Army
Zhu had long been secretly in charge of preparations for the War of Resistance, so much so that Chiang suspected that his sudden death was related to Japan
From the words "preparing for defeat and peace and Xu Tu taking revenge on the two ways", it is not difficult to glimpse Zhu's estimation of the prospects of confrontation with Japan. Therefore, since he joined the General Staff Headquarters, he has gathered his intellect and secretly devoted himself to the study of the Sino-Japanese situation, the anti-Japanese strategy, and the army building plan; and he has also coordinated material resources and secretly planned and constructed the national defense fortifications and transportation routes on the anti-Japanese fronts in North China and East China; in addition, Zhu was also specifically responsible for the reorganization of the army, the formation of German mechanic divisions, and the hiring of German military advisers.
Limited to the information, Chiang's diary said - "If the benefit is still there, or can it be saved from this scourge of war?" "—Quite difficult to understand. It is difficult to judge whether the so-called "immunity from this scourge of war" refers to the exemption of specific wars from disadvantage or to the temporary exemption of China and Japan from a war. The former is a military issue and the latter is a diplomatic issue, and the difference is very large. However, Chiang's diary of the same period also has many self-reflections, which may serve as a footnote to "If the benefit is still there". For example, on January 10, Jiang wrote: "Indecisiveness is a serious illness for Yu's domestic policy." Abstinence. Another example is that on February 2, Jiang wrote:
"Last year's biggest mistake was that when the Us President delivered a Chicago speech to convene the Nine-Nation Conference, he either withdrew from the Sujia position, but when he was exhausted, he insisted on increasing the number of troops, which made him utterly defeated and unmanageable. If we retreat automatically at this time, the enemy will reach the original area of Jiakun, where there is no garrison, and our strength will be preserved, and the enemy will be able to counterattack at any time. ”
This period of introspection is aimed at the Battle of Songhu. During the campaign, Chiang Kai-shek had excessive expectations for political strategy (international intervention), and during the League of Nations Conference, he chose to sacrifice a reasonable strategy, resulting in heavy casualties in the elite of the Nationalist army, and there was no feedback from international intervention. This lesson is probably caused by Jiang's "lack of intelligence and knowledge."
As for the "lack of endurance", it can also be seen in Jiang's diary. For example, on February 18, Jiang wrote: "In the past few days, my mood is depressed, my internal worries are worse than my external troubles, and I have negative thoughts from time to time." The next day, he encouraged himself: "Yu's resistance to the enemy to save the country today is also what Zhuge Wuhou said, success or failure is not calculated, and it is not enough to bow down and die." ”
In February 1937, on the eve of the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhu Peide died suddenly. According to media reports on the same day, "Jiang Cried and lost his voice in pain with the coffin", and there was a saying that "there will be great difficulties in the coming day, and everything will be taken care of, and who will shoulder the burden together". It is especially noteworthy that after Zhu's death, Jiang had serious suspicions that it was poisoned and assassinated by Japanese agents, so he ordered Dai Kasami to investigate the true cause of his death. Although the investigation was inconclusive, Jiang's suspicions reflected how important Zhu Peide occupied in the preparatory work for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Although he died on the eve of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he made indelible contributions to the victory of the War of Resistance.
Chiang Kai-shek wept bitterly at Zhu Peide's funeral