In recent history, there have been many far-reaching events, such as the Opium War, the May Fourth Movement, and the July 7 Incident. One of the events is directly related to the direction of China's destiny, and that is the Xi'an Incident.
The Xi'an Incident directly changed the situation of anti-Japanese resistance in China and opened the way for the unity of the whole nation to resist Japan.
Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng
One: the background of the Xi'an Incident
On the international front, the situation of the anti-fascist war was becoming more and more serious, and the Seventh Congress of the Communist International was held in Moscow. Emphasis was placed on the establishment of an anti-fascist united front. After the meeting, the relevant spirit was passed on to the Communist Party of China, hoping to unite with Chiang Kai-shek to resist Japan. Domestically, since the "918" incident, Japan has been pressing forward step by step, not only occupying the entire northeast region, but also constantly devouring north China. The war situation facing the country is unprecedentedly severe.
In the face of this form, the Communist Party of China proposed to establish an anti-Japanese national united front to jointly deal with the domestic crisis and save the nation from peril. However, at this time, Chiang Kai-shek always adhered to the proposition that "if you want to be outside, you must first be at home." Zhang Xueliang was sent to northern Shaanxi to suppress bandits.
After several battles, the Northeast Army suffered heavy losses and then confronted the Red Army in an armistice. Seeing this ending, Chiang Kai-shek went to Xi'an to personally supervise the battle.
Zhang Xueliang and Chiang Kai-shek
Two: Sun Mingjiu, the first meritorious minister in the Xi'an Incident
Born in Xinmin County, Liaoning Province, Sun Mingjiu joined the Northeast Army in 1927, studied in Japan, and slowly became one of Zhang Xueliang's confidants after returning to China. In order to transform the Northeast Army, Zhang Xueliang set up a secret organization, the "Anti-Japanese Comrades Association," in which Sun Mingjiu and other young Zhuang faction officers played an important role.
These young officers were long dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek's policy of keeping the country at home and abroad.
When Chiang Kai-shek came to Xi'an, Zhang Xueliang had a fierce confrontation with Chiang Kai-shek in terms of domestic and foreign policies. No matter what means Zhang Xueliang used, he never persuaded Chiang Kai-shek to change his mind. In desperation, he joined forces with Yang Hucheng to launch the Xi'an Incident, which shocked both home and abroad.
Sun Mingjiu
On December 12, 1936, in the evening, Zhang Xueliang ordered the Northeast Army to launch a military advisory.
The Northeast Army invaded Chiang Kai-shek's residence in Huaqingchi and wounded and killed Chiang Kai-shek's bodyguards, while Yang Hucheng sent troops to detain a number of senior Kuomintang officials.
When the Northeast Army broke into the residence, Chiang Kai-shek jumped out of the window and escaped. After knowing this news, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng were like ants on a hot pot. He knew that if Chiang Kai-shek escaped smoothly, not only would the military advisory meeting fail, but even his own life would be difficult to protect. He quickly sent his henchmen to look for them, including Sun Mingjiu. After some careful searching, the injured Chiang Kai-shek was finally found behind a rock, and Sun Mingjiu carried Chiang Kai-shek down the mountain.
After capturing Chiang Kai-shek, under the condition of coercion and inducement, Chiang Kai-shek agreed to the proposal put forward by Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng.
Subsequently, after the struggle of all parties, the Xi'an incident became a peaceful settlement
。 Sun Mingjiu became an important hero in this incident. After the peaceful settlement of the Xi'an Incident, Zhang Xueliang let Chiang Kai-shek return to Nanjing, and he himself went to Nanjing with Chiang Kai-shek, while Yang Hucheng was imprisoned. Sun Mingjiu's ending was relatively satisfactory compared with the two main generals.
Chiang Kai-shek in the Xi'an Incident
After Zhang Xueliang was detained in Nanjing, Sun Mingjiu and other shaozhuang officers advocated armed rescue, while senior generals of the Northeast Army, Such as Yu Xuezhong, Wang Yizhe, and He Zhuguo, advocated a peaceful settlement, and fierce clashes broke out between the two factions.
In the end, he actually shot and killed Wang Yizhe, resulting in the shocking "February Incident".
After the incident, the senior generals of the Northeast Army were extremely angry and demanded that the murderer be severely punished. With the help of Zhou Enlai, Sun Mingjiu and others came to the Soviet area for refuge. This incident led to the internal division of the Northeast Army, and many generals of the Eastern Army fell to Nanjing.
Three: The trajectory of Sun Mingjiu's life after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, because the kuomintang and the communist parties began to cooperate, Sun Mingjiu and others could only leave the Soviet zone. He wandered with the Tianjin and Shanghai concessions, constantly evaded Chiang Kai-shek's assassination, and lived a life of darkness.
Soon after, Sun Mingjiu defected to Wang Jingwei and became a veritable traitor. Sometimes life is so dramatic, Sun Mingjiu, who once hated the Japanese the most, actually became a traitor.
Zhang Xueliang in the Xi'an Incident
After 1949, Sun Mingjiu was hired as a counselor of the Shanghai Municipal Government to participate in the construction of the new country. In his later years, Sun Mingjiu also served as a member of the Sixth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and many other social positions. By 2000, sun Mingjiu, who was 92 years old, died peacefully in Shanghai due to ineffective medical treatment.