During the Republic of China, Sichuan produced a famous warlord named Liu Xiang. Liu Xiang was born in 1888 in Chengdu, Sichuan. Liu Xiang was in charge of Sichuan for two consecutive periods, operating in Sichuan for several years, with the rank of army general, a strong foundation, and the chairman of Sichuan Province. Therefore, in that era, Liu Xiang was called "King of Sichuan".
The first thing Liu Xiang did after unifying Sichuan and becoming the "King of Sichuan" was to reorganize the Sichuan Army, and he brought all the Sichuan armies that were previously scattered under unified management, which made the Sichuan Army a team full of combat effectiveness and made great contributions to the War of Resistance Against Japan.
On July 7, 1937, after the outbreak of the July 7 Incident, Liu Xiang, as the "King of Sichuan", telegraphed the whole country and expressed his initiative to ask for war. Liu Xiang proposed at the meeting of the National Government that in order to resist the Japanese invaders, Sichuan could send 300,000 troops out of Sichuan, 5 million zhuangding at the same time, and could also provide tens of millions of stones of grain and grass.
From Liu Xiang's impassioned statement, we can see Liu Xiang's heart to serve the country. Later, the Nationalist government approved Liu Xiang as the commander of the Seventh Theater of Operations, leading the Sichuan army out of Sichuan to resist the Japanese invaders. However, in fact, Liu Xiang was already seriously ill at that time, and his staff had persuaded Liu Xiang to stay in the rear to command, but liu Xiangyizheng refused.
At that time, Liu Xiang said: "After fighting a civil war in Sichuan for so many years, it has left a bad reputation. Now that the muzzle of the gun is on the outside, how can I miss such an opportunity? Moreover, I also swore an oath at the National Assembly to fight against the Japanese invaders, but I wanted to sit in the rear, wouldn't I be laughed at?"
After that, Liu Xiang rushed to the front line in Wuhan, but because of his aggravated condition, he was admitted to Hankou Hospital. At that time, there was a rumor that China wanted to make peace with Japan, and a reporter interviewed Liu Xiang, who was hospitalized, on this issue, and Liu Xiang immediately said: "Whoever talks about me does not care, but I Liu Xiang will lead the Sichuan army to fight the Japanese to the end."
However, Liu Xiang's determination to resist Japan did not fight the disease, and in January 1938, Liu Xiang's condition deteriorated, and then he vomited blood on the anti-Japanese front and died at the age of 50. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the rank of General of the Army by the Nationalist government.
Although Liu Xiang, as a generation of tyrants, has died, he has left a magnificent will. He died at a time when the War of Resistance Against Japan had just broken out, so Liu Xiang did not see Chinese win. After his death, he left a last word: "As long as the Japanese invaders are not driven out of China for one day, the Sichuan army will not return to Sichuan for a day." Such a last word still reads like this today.
As the "King of Sichuan", Liu Xiang had only one wife in his life, which was rare and valuable at that time. Moreover, his wife was the daughter of a rural tailor who had married before Liu Xiang's departure, and Liu Xiang did not dislike her because of her origins, and always respected her as a guest. Liu Xiang and his wife had a total of three sons and a daughter, but his first two sons died in the war, and only one son and one daughter grew up normally. After the death of Liu Xiang, the "King of Sichuan", how did his two children live?
After Liu Xiang's death, his wife moved to Hong Kong with her two children and then to Brunei, where they have been living. Liu Xiang's son, liu Kanghuai, graduated from Sichuan University, went abroad to do business, worked for a multinational company in Los Angeles, and now has settled abroad. Liu Xiang's daughter, whose name is Liu Weiwen, graduated from West China University in Chengdu, and she has been living with her mother in Brunei, away from Zuyin.
Resources:
"Biography of Liu Xiang" Yang Jiarun, "King of Sichuan" Liu Xiang" youzhuang