preface
"The Chen Family Party of the Jiang Family, the Kong Family Cai of the Song Sisters." This is people's evaluation of the "four major families" in the Republic of China period. Unlike the other three families who rely on in-laws to maintain and improve their status, the two brothers of the Chen family are one of the "clear streams".
Picture | Chen Guofu, Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Lifu
The Chen Family Party of the Jiang Family
When it comes to the relationship between Chiang Kai-shek and the Chen family, there is one person who has to be mentioned, this person is Chen Qimei, Chen Guofu's uncle, Chiang Kai-shek's political ally and guide, it can be said that without Chen Qimei, there would be no Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Kai-shek is the family that relied on Chen Qimei.
The Chen family is a local noble family in Huzhou, Zhejiang, according to the local "Huzhou Fuzhi And Teachings Biography", the Chen family "was admired in the township with filial piety", and the 24th Chen family Chen Xuan also received a plaque from the Huzhou government to "the flow of the Holy Gate Rampant" because of his enthusiasm for local public welfare.
In 1906, the 28-year-old Chen Qimei, with the financial support of his brother Chen Qicai, crossed the east to Japan, entered the Tokyo Police Superintendent School, and began to study police law, that is, Chen Qimei met a large number of anti-Qing zhishi such as Sun Yat-sen, Zhang Jingjiang, Tan Renfeng, etc., joined the League, and became a revolutionary fighter.
Pictured| Chen Qimei
The following year, Chen Qimei went to the Dongbin Army School to study military affairs, and this year, Chiang Kai-shek also came to Tokyo, and under the introduction of his fellow villagers in Fenghua, Chiang Kai-shek met Chen Qimei.
Soon after, Chen Qimei introduced Huang Qimei and Chiang Kai-shek to join the China Alliance Association, and the three of them became brothers with different surnames, Chen Qimei as the eldest, Huang Qimei as the second eldest, and Chiang Kai-shek as the third elder, after which Chen Qimei became Chiang Kai-shek's political guide.
In 1916, Chen Qimei was assassinated by an assassin bribed by Yuan Shikai in the home of Junsaburo Yamada, a Japanese expatriate on Saposai Road in the French Concession of Shanghai, at the age of 38, Sun Yat-sen was extremely sad and cried out: "Lose my Great Wall", the evaluation is high, and the feeling of regret is unprecedented.
After hearing about this incident, Chiang Kai-shek did not hesitate to risk being assassinated by Yuan Shikai, immediately set off for the place where Chen Qimei had an accident, hired a car to pull Chen Qimei's body to his hiding place, and then buried him thickly, and personally wrote a memorial for Chen Qimei.
Picture | Chen Qimei's tomb
When Chen Qimei died, his two sons were still very young, the eldest was four years old, and the youngest was only two years old, and there was no way to inherit Chen Qimei's career. In order to consolidate his position in the Kuomintang, Chiang Kai-shek tried every means to draw Chen Qimei's two nephews, Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu, to his side.
Chen Guofu and Chiang Kai-shek met in the struggle to woo Yuan, and Chen Guofu recalled in his later years when the two met:
"One day, I met Mr. Jiang at the second uncle's sickbed, and the second uncle introduced him to me, saying that Mr. Jiang was presiding over the revolutionary work of the death squads in Hangzhou. I listened respectfully as the second uncle and Mr. Jiang discussed the time and place of instigating the revolution, training the army, and the uprising. Mr. Jiang's majestic and steady demeanor made a very deep impression on what I saw for the first time. ”
After Chen Qimei's death, Chen Guofu left Shanghai and became a partner in his father-in-law's money house, while Chiang Kai-shek followed Sun Yat-sen to continue his revolutionary cause. In 1918, in order to be able to raise funds for the revolution, Sun Yat-sen ordered some Kuomintang members to set up a securities exchange in Shanghai, and Chiang Kai-shek was one of them.
At this time, Chiang Kai-shek thought of his eldest brother's nephew Chen Guofu, who had been calling Chiang Kai-shek "Third Uncle Chiang" because of his relationship with each other. On this day, Chiang Kai-shek personally came to Jin'an Qianzhuang to find Chen Guofu, hoping that he could participate in the management of the exchange, and Chen Guofu readily agreed.
Figure | the opening of the Shanghai Securities and Articles Exchange in 1920
On February 1, 1920, the exchange was officially established, the exchange has a total of 17 shareholders, Chiang Kai-shek and Chen Guofu are two of them, not only that, Chiang Kai-shek's money into the exchange is still represented by Chen Guofu. At that time, Chiang Kai-shek was penniless and could only survive on his salary.
When the exchange was first established, Chen Guofu made a fortune by virtue of the income from the exchange, and the money Chen Guofu shared not only met all his expenses in Shanghai, but also provided Chen Lifu with study abroad, and also met the financial support for Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary activities.
At that time, in Chiang Kai-shek's family letter to Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek once said: "Every month, you can embezzle 3 yuan of zero silver from Brother Guofu, if you want to buy various books, and agree with Brother Guofu to ask for it." It can be seen from this that Chiang Kai-shek and Chen Guofu already had a certain relationship at this time, laying the foundation for the close cooperation between the two people in the future.
But the good times did not last long, the exchange declared bankruptcy just two years later, Chiang Kai-shek fled like everyone else, leaving only one Chen Guofu in Shanghai to clean up the mess.
Picture | Chen Guofu
In 1924, after the establishment of the Whampoa Military Academy, Chen Guofu recruited new students and procured materials for the military academy in Shanghai, and the first batch of materials purchased by Chen Guofu was 500 sets of uniforms, hats, leather shoes and various leather goods.
In 1926, Chen Guofu was elected as the second Central Supervisory Commission of the Kuomintang, served as the acting director of the Organization Department of the Kuomintang Central Committee, and began his career in charge of the Kuomintang's party affairs, vigorously excluding Communists and Leftists of the Kuomintang.
In August 1927, Chiang Kai-shek took the retreat as an advance and announced that he was going to the wilderness, while Chen Guofu, together with his younger brothers Chen Lifu and Dai Jitao, established the famous "Central Club" in Shanghai Beach, referred to as the CC Department, and did his best to gather the forces supporting Chiang Kai-shek and be ready to welcome Chiang Kai-shek to power at any time.
In January 1928, Chiang Kai-shek came to power for the second time and regained the military and political power of the Kuomintang, and the post of head of the Central Organization Department also fell into the hands of Chen Guofu. As soon as he took office, Chen Guofu began vigorously "cleansing the party" activities, and began a great purge of non-Chiang Kai-shek forces from the central to the local level, infiltrating his own forces into the party departments of various provinces and cities and the most grass-roots organizations of the Kuomintang.
Pictured| Chiang Kai-shek when he was young
In June 1931, Chen Guofu resigned as the head of the Central Organization Department due to lung disease, and handed over party power to his younger brother Chen Lifu, who and the CC Department always regarded Chen Guofu as a spiritual leader and acted according to his face.
Like the Department of Political Science in the administrative department, the Kong Song Department in the finance and foreign affairs department, and the Huangpu Department in the military department, the CC Department led by Chen Guofu firmly controlled the Party affairs department of the Kuomintang and became one of the four pillars under Chiang Kai-shek's rule.
Miserable old age
However, what Chen Guofu never expected was that Chiang Kai-shek would settle all the accounts of his defeat to the Communist Party on the battlefield on his own and his brother Chen Lifu's head, and that the generals and commanders who had even suffered defeats, and even Chiang Kai-shek himself, were all free of their involvement, while the "Second Chen" in charge of party affairs became the "chief culprit" for Chiang Kai-shek's loss of the mainland.
Picture | Chiang Kai-shek first came to Taiwan
In 1949, after Chiang Kai-shek was defeated and retreated to Taiwan, he "thought bitterly" and summed up the four reasons why the Kuomintang "defeated itself" by itself; Chiang Kai-shek believed that if he wanted to gain a firm foothold in Taiwan, he must rectify the Kuomintang, and finally, he decided to carry out a thorough transformation of the Kuomintang, and the first step was to completely eliminate the "CC system" that controlled the Kuomintang from the central to the grass-roots level.
Soon after Chiang Kai-shek's reinstatement in Taiwan, Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu simultaneously received a telephone notice from Chiang Kai-shek's office, inviting them to come to Chiang Kai-shek's office for an interview the next day. After discussing with the two brothers, they believed that Chiang Kai-shek would certainly not be doing anything good to find the brothers now, so Chen Guofu avoided the past on the grounds of his body, and Chen Lifu went alone to spy on the reality.
The next day, Chen Lifu came to Chiang Kai-shek's office alone, and during the conversation, Chiang Kai-shek asked Chen Lifu what he had in his opinion of the Kuomintang's reform movement, and asked: "What do you say is the reason for the mainland's failure, and who should bear this responsibility?" ”
Picture | Chiang Kai-shek and Chen Lifu
Chen Lifu immediately understood Chiang Kai-shek's meaning, and Chen Lifu said: "For the defeat of the mainland, someone from the party, the government, and the military should come forward to take responsibility. ”
After speaking, Chen Lifu also expressed to Chiang Kai-shek: "I think it is not appropriate for Guofu and neither I to participate in this party reform, and it is better to retire." Although the words were said, Chen Lifu still had a glimmer of hope, hoping that Chiang Kai-shek would not be so desperate, at least he could save it, and he would go down the slope and pass by.
Who knows, after Chiang Kai-shek listened to the "um" once, there was no more following, and Chen Lifu returned disappointed. When Chen Lifu relayed the contents of this conversation to the eldest brother, Chen Guofu on the sickbed sighed and did not speak for half a day.
In July 1950, Chiang Kai-shek began his own action, ordering chen Guofu to be removed from his post as director of the "Central Finance Committee", and at the same time removing Chen Guofu from all positions in the "Agricultural Bank of China" and "Central Cooperative Treasury", completely cutting off the three economic pillars on which the "CC System" relied.
Picture | Chen Lifu
Immediately afterward, the "Agricultural Education Film Company" led by Chen Guofu was reorganized, and the result of the reorganization was that Chiang Ching-kuo directly took over, Chen Guofu's chairmanship was automatically abolished, and the public opinion position of the "CC Department" was completely lost.
In just a dozen days of hard work, Chen Guofu was stripped of his post by Chiang Kai-shek, leaving only a fictitious post of "Central Committee Member" left; the "CC Department" founded by Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu was swept away by Chiang Kai-shek; Taiwan Province, with the Chiang Kai-shek family as the core, the Chen Cheng faction and the Huangpu department as the main body, and the ruling regime of the local landlords and bourgeoisie in Taiwan was formally formed.
In August of that year, Chen Lifu took his wife and a pair of children to visit Chen Guofu, who was seriously ill. Chen Lifu's family is preparing to go to the United States to live, and this time, they not only visit their eldest brother, but also resign from him.
Chen Guofu's decision to leave Taiwan, Chen Guofu already knew before, but also very much supported him, Chen Guofu believes that now Taiwan is tilted against each other, cruel and ruthless, at any time there may be disasters, his body can not support the long journey, but the younger brother is so gone, do not know when to come back, maybe this side is a farewell.
Picture | Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu
After Chen Lifu left, Chen Guofu's condition further deteriorated. As early as the late stage of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chen Guofu's lungs had already festered, and he had to perforate his back and drain pus from the perforation every day. When he fled to Taiwan, Chen Guofu's condition worsened further, and there was inflammation in the perforation on the back, and the pus did not stop, and later under the consultation of famous doctors in Taiwan Province and Hong Kong, the condition was controlled.
However, Chen Guofu's tuberculosis and pleurisy, as well as later complications such as laryngeal tuberculosis, require high medical expenses, and some specific drugs can only be purchased abroad. In the past, when he was in a high position of power, all this was not a problem, but now that he has become a "light rod commander" who has fallen out of favor, Chen Guofu can only rely on his younger brother Chen Lifu and some previous friends to help him live.
Among the many bureaucratic systems of the Kuomintang, Chen Guofu was a relatively incorruptible one, and chen Guofu had no additional income except for salary. Once, the president of the Agricultural Bank of China asked Chen Guofu for an inscription, and Chen Guofu wrote: "Nothing is clear, thoughtfulness means caution, hard work is diligent, and attention to timeliness means sensitivity." Among the upper echelons of the Kuomintang, there are many people who talk about prudence, diligence, and sensitivity, but there are really few people like Chen Guofu who are "clean."
When Chen Guofu first arrived in Taiwan, the Agricultural Bank of China looked at the face of the old chairman and lent Chen Guofu a small car as a means of transportation for curing his illness. Later, the Agricultural Bank of China was abolished and merged into the Bank of Communications, although the car can continue to be used, but the fuel money needs to be solved by itself.
At the beginning, Chen Guofu still regarded himself as high and refused to do those things that looked up to people's sniffles, and then the days became more and more difficult, Chen Guofu had to put down his shelf and write a letter to Zhao Dihua, general manager of the Bank of Communications, asking for the return of the carriage and horse fares that he had not received, Chen Guofu wrote:
"President Zhao Junjian:
After coming to Taiwan, my health has been not good, and I have used many years of savings to see a doctor, and I have not been able to make ends meet recently, and I am overstretched, which is really embarrassing. I have been the chairman of the Agricultural Bank of China for many years, I have not received the car and horse fees given to me, it was convenient to use the car before, I did not intend to take it, and now life is unsustainable, I want to ask the Agricultural Bank to send me the car and horse fee that I did not receive before to solve the dilemma that I have no oil in the car.
Chen Guofu. ”
After Zhao Dihua received the letter, he hurriedly reported the letter to Chiang Kai-shek, and when Chiang Kai-shek knew about it, he was somewhat unwilling not to go. After all, for many years, Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu brothers have been loyal to themselves, and now Chiang Kai-shek is only forcing them to hand over power politically, but he does not want to kill them, but also in order to appease the old subordinates who have been kicked away by himself.
Pictured| Chiang Kai-shek
Therefore, this former "Third Uncle Jiang" approved 5,000 yuan for Chen Guofu as medical expenses, and in addition, a special fee was approved as a subsidy for Chen Guofu's daily life. With this money, Chen Guofu relieved the family's economic crisis.
On October 29, 1950, this day was Chen Guofu's 59th birthday, and the hemoptysis that lasted for more than a month was finally controlled, and Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo's father and son came to the hospital to visit Chen Guofu. The arrival of the father and son of the Jiang family surprised Chen Guofu, who was seriously ill.
Chiang Kai-shek asked with concern: "Guofu, I have been very busy and have not come to see you, how is your body recovering now?" Is it treated with Western medicine or Chinese medicine? ”
Chen Guofu replied: "The doctor said that now use Western medicine for treatment, and then use Chinese medicine to supplement the body after the disease is controlled." The attending doctor standing on the sidelines quickly reported Chen Guofu's condition to Chiang Kai-shek.
Pictured| Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo
After the doctor finished speaking, Chiang Kai-shek gave a "hmm" and instructed: "Guofu, you should rest assured that you should recuperate, don't think about other things, if there are any economic problems, you can tell me directly." After sitting for ten minutes, Chiang Kai-shek's father and son left the hospital.
In January 1951, in order to facilitate treatment, Chen Guofu moved from Taichung to Taipei. Although the medical conditions in Taipei are much better than in Taichung, and it is much more convenient to get medicine, Chen Guofu is not used to living and is not happy.
When he was in Taichung, Chen Guofu was in a bad mood and could still find a friend to complain and vent his dissatisfaction, but in Taipei, Chen Guofu did not dare, in Taipei, Chiang Kai-shek's eyes and ears are too many, a little careless, may be immediately known by Chiang Kai-shek.
Therefore, living in Taipei, Chen Guofu felt very depressed and in a bad mood. Once, an old friend came to visit Chen Guofu in the hospital, and when he said that he was distressed in his heart, the friend said: "Taichung Is high in the sky-- " Chen Guofu immediately continued: "The emperor is far away." After saying that, the two people looked at each other and laughed.
Picture | The Father and Son of the Chen Family
After the summer, because Taipei is a basin facing north from south, the sea breeze cannot blow in, it is hotter than Taichung, and the humidity is greater, which is very unfavorable to Chen Guofu's recovery. After entering the summer, Chen Guofu's condition worsened, he could only get up for an hour a day, a little longer will not be able to hold on, cough all day long, low fever continuously, the heart is gradually weakened.
In August of this year, Chen Guofu was hospitalized again, and the doctor took A-ray photos and found that at this time, the tuberculosis bacteria in Chen Guofu's left lung had entered the right lung, and entered the blood vessels from the right lung, and then invaded the back of the brain, which meant that Chen Guofu had been sentenced to death, and the doctor's treatment only delayed his life.
On August 25, Chen Guofu's body temperature suddenly rose, and he kept talking and entered a coma. At 4 p.m., after Chen Guofu let out a long breath, his heart also stopped beating at the age of 60.
After the news of Chen Guofu's death reached Taichung, Chen Qiye, who was already 81 years old, disregarded his elderly body and disregarded the persuasion of the Kuomintang, rushed from Taichung to Taipei to run for funerals, looking at his son's remains, the old man cried loudly, and the pain of the white-haired people sending the black-haired people can be imagined. Chen Lifu, who was far away in the United States, was not able to return to Taiwan, which was a lifelong regret for him.
Pictured | Chen Guofu Cemetery
On November 4, 1951, Chen Guofu's coffin was sent to a mountainous area on the right side of Guanyin Mountain on the outskirts of Taipei, and in a mournful drumming sound, Chen Guofu's coffin slowly fell into the ground, and Chen Guofu, who had been powerful in the past, was buried in this land far from his hometown.