What is the "Zhongzheng Sword"? Seeing the word "Zhongzheng", many people will think that this sword represents the loyal and upright character of the Sabre man. In fact, this sword is named after Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, whom we know well, and obtaining this sword shows that this person has a close relationship with Chiang Kai-shek.
Chiang Kai-shek, given the name Zhongzheng, is a character jieshi. Born in 1887, he went to Japan to study in 1908.
During his study in Japan, Chiang Kai-shek was deeply influenced by the spirit of traditional Japanese Bushido and developed a strong interest in Japanese kendo, which also sowed the seeds for the birth of the "Zhongzheng Sword".
In fact, before and after World War II, cold weapons such as swords have long been not mainstream weapons, at most they are spare weapons in special circumstances, but with the reduction of the number of swords, many officers have begun to use swords as a symbol of their military status, which is very obvious in Japanese and German soldiers during World War II.
To provoke the officers, the sword first appeared
Chiang Kai-shek studied in Japan in his early years, and deeply influenced by Japanese culture, he naturally agreed with the military sword practice.
In 1918, Chiang Kai-shek responded to the call of the revolution and returned to Guangzhou to serve as the director of the Operations Department of the Guangdong Army. When the warlords rebelled, Chiang Kai-shek personally protected Sun Yat-sen for more than forty days.
Since then, Chiang Kai-shek has been deeply trusted by Sun Yat-sen and has become the president of the Whampoa Military Academy.
Since then, Chiang Kai-shek has become what we call the "principal." The Whampoa Military Academy has attracted countless young people who are willing to give their lives for the Chinese revolution to enroll.
At the graduation ceremony of the first batch of students, Chiang Kai-shek, as the principal, presented them with a short sword engraved with his name. This is the origin of the first batch of "Zhongzheng Swords".
For Chiang Kai-shek, the sword awarded to graduates at this time with their own names engraved on them is not to win people's hearts, but more to encourage morale and unite people's hearts before the revolution in the north. However, whether the first batch of "Zhongzheng Swords" appeared at this time,
There is still controversy in the field of historiography, after all, there is no figure of Zhongzheng Sword in the graduation photos at that time.
If the claim that the "Zhongzheng Sword" first appeared at the Whampoa Military Academy is controversial, then the following appearance can be said to be a foregone conclusion.
From July to September 1933, the Nationalist Army held three consecutive officer training sessions in the Lushan area.
Toward the end of the training, Chiang Kai-shek set up a gate at the garrison and hand-wrote the words "Soul of a Soldier" to boost morale. After that, the regimental commander Chen Cheng presented each student who completed the training and graduated with a short sword representing the "soul of the soldier".
On the hilt of the short sword was engraved the four characters of "Chiang Kai-shek's gift", and Chen Cheng, the regimental commander, explained to everyone that the short sword was awarded in the hope that the graduates would be loyal to the party and the state and keep in mind the mission. This is also considered to be one of the origins of the later "Zhongzheng Sword". meantime
Because this batch of short swords is closely related to the souls of soldiers, the "Zhongzheng Sword" also has it
finish
Another name for "soldier soul".
"Limited" to "rotten street" - a variety of Zhongzheng swords
After lushan training, Chiang Kai-shek seemed to fall in love with the awarding of the "Zhongzheng Sword". First, the issuance of the "Zhongzheng Sword" can express recognition of the soldiers and enhance morale; second, Chiang Kai-shek can use this ceremony to win the hearts and minds of the people and strengthen his dictatorship. So
It became Chiang Kai-shek's tradition to issue the "Zhongzheng Sword" to the teachers and students of the military academy, the police academy, and the members of the training corps.
At this point, the "Zhongzheng Sword" has changed from the initial dozens and hundreds to thousands or even tens of thousands.
Even so, the "Zhongzheng Sword" was still a status symbol and a collection worth showing off at that time.
But this "Zhongzheng Sword" is also the same as today's limited edition sneakers, and there are various "fake and shoddy products".
If you want to explain the imitation of the "Zhongzheng Sword", you have to start with the current situation in China. In 1928, Zhang Xueliang changed his mind in the northeast, and although Chiang Kai-shek reached the so-called "reunification", the warlords everywhere were still eager to move.
After seeing Chiang Kai-shek issue the "Zhongzheng Sword," they followed suit, and also issued short swords or other wearables inscribed with their own names to their subordinates.
For example
He Jian, a separatist force in Hunan, created a large number of rings engraved with the word "iron blood" and gave them to his subordinates along with short swords engraved with his own name; Yan Xishan, the head snake of Shanxi, gave his subordinates a short sword named "Justice", so Shanxi has a proverb that "if you learn the five dialects, hang up the foreign sword".
As mentioned earlier, the "Zhongzheng Sword" is also the same as today's sneakers, and perhaps the imitations made by other warlords are not enough to pose a threat to it, but the "Putian Zhongzheng Sword" that appeared from the inside did greatly reduce its value.
Before explaining this, it is also necessary to understand the size of the number of "Zhongzheng Swords" at that time. Take the first clearly documented Lushan Officer Training Corps as an example,
After this training, Chiang Kai-shek temporarily decided to issue the "Zhongzheng Sword", and if it is according to the standard of one hand, then at least 7904 will be awarded.
The above is only the number of "Zhongzheng Swords" issued for the first time, if you count the officer training corps and the teachers and students of military academies and police academies after that, each "Zhongzheng Sword" is issued no less than 20,000.
Coupled with the "Zhongzheng Sword" issued during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it is conservatively estimated that the final number of "Zhongzheng Swords" will not be less than half a million.
Of course, the proliferation of counterfeit "Zhongzheng Swords" is not only because of the huge number of "Zhongzheng Swords" themselves.
In 1936, the Nationalist government promulgated the official "Army Uniform Regulations", which stipulated that Officers of the Nationalist Army must wear short swords. With the implementation of the regulations, the short sword was almost an ornament for every officer in the National Army.
Many people say that the short sword in their hands is a "Zhongzheng sword" in order to fight for face. This kind of fish-eyed behavior undoubtedly made the "Zhongzheng Sword" a big bargain.
Although the National Army has issued more and more short swords, there is a way to distinguish between true and false "Zhongzheng Swords". Because the "Army Uniform Regulations" have clear provisions, the handle of the ordinary short sword issued by the Army will be engraved with three plum blossoms.
This kind of sword was collectively known as the "plum blossom sword", and later the "plum blossom sword" also became one of the other names of the "Zhongzheng sword".
Regarding the "Zhongzheng Sword", the author would like to add several aspects for you. First of all, subject to the background of the war and chaos of the times and the extremely backward industrial system,
The "Zhongzheng Sword" does not have a standard style. More often, each time the "Zhongzheng Sword" was issued was different from the last one.
In addition, the "Zhongzheng Sword" worn by officers of different levels is also of different styles. For example, in some localities, the powerful factions and Chiang Kai-shek's concubines, the "Zhongzheng Sword" worn by a figure of this level is superior in both workmanship and design, and the number is naturally very small.
In addition to awarding the "Zhongzheng Sword" to his troops, Chiang Kai-shek would also give the "Zhongzheng Sword" to local warlords and powerful factions in order to win the hearts and minds of the people, such as Yan Xishan, Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and others who had received the "Zhongzheng Sword" from Chiang Kai-shek.
Of course, the "Zhongzheng Sword", which is a graduation gift, will also be awarded different styles according to the level of graduates. Nowadays, the "Zhongzheng Sword", which is more valuable in the antique market, is often from the hands of former graduates of "higher education classes".
After talking about the style of "Zhongzheng Sword", the author also wants to clarify a rumor about "Zhongzheng Sword" for everyone. As mentioned earlier, "Zhongzheng Sword" has many nicknames, such as "Plum Blossom Sword", "Soldier Soul" and so on.
In fact, the "Zhongzheng Sword" is also known as the "Suicide Sword" and "Cheng Ren Sword", why is this?
Just by seeing the names "Suicide Sword" and "Cheng Ren Sword", it is easy to think of the scenes of Japanese soldiers committing suicide by cutting their stomachs and committing suicide.
Although Chiang Kai-shek was deeply influenced by Japanese culture in his early years, his personal will alone could not establish for the Nationalist army the idea of "becoming benevolent if it does not succeed" and "dedicating himself to the party-state".
The original intention of issuing the "Zhongzheng Sword" was only to boost the morale of the army and speed up the encirclement and suppression of the Red Army. Where did the words "suicide sword" and "Cheng Ren sword" come from?
In August 1935, Zhang Zhenhan, commander of the 41st Division of the Nationalist Army, was captured by He Long's army when he surrounded and suppressed the Red Army in Xiang'e. The news soon after reached Chiang Kai-shek, chairman Chiang Kai-shek, who heard the news, rebuked him angrily at the first time:
"Being captured and surrendered is the greatest shame of a soldier, but what about the Zhongzheng sword I gave him?" Don't know the truth of success?! ”
Chiang Kai-shek originally just said angry words, but everyone around him believed it to be true, and rumors spread, and finally everyone thought that the reason why the president issued the "Zhongzheng Sword" was to ask everyone to "become a ren if they did not succeed", which was the earliest source of the "Cheng Ren Sword" statement.
Later, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, students of the Xi'an Huangpu Military Academy branch were engraved with the words "Success, Chengren" on the "Zhongzheng Sword" they received after graduation
And the length has also increased to one and a half meters, and because of this, the "Zhongzheng Sword" has officially had the nicknames of "Suicide Sword" and "Cheng ren Sword".
But whatever the origin of the nickname, the idea that the "Zhongzheng Sword" was going to be used to commit suicide has long been defined by historiography as a rumor. According to the records of the time and the authentic "Zhongzheng Sword" that has been preserved later,
The vast majority of "Zhongzheng Swords" do not open their blades. Coupled with its length, the "Zhongzheng Sword" is almost difficult to use to wipe the neck.
However, in the records of the main history, the "Zhongzheng Sword" did have a relationship with the generals who killed Chengren on the battlefield. During the Liberation War, Wang Yaowu was once trapped in the Jinan area, and the support troops could not arrive for a long time, only seven companies led by liu Bingkun, an old subordinate, came to support, or a group of "poor soldiers" who were not even equipped with weapons.
In order to repay Wang Yaowu's kindness, Liu Bingkun took the initiative to ask Miao to go to support the areas where the war was tight.
Wang Yaowu admired Liu Bingkun's approach and gave him his "Zhongzheng Sword" to Liu Bingkun to show his attention.
On the front line, Liu Bingkun said by phone:
"If the position is lost, please tell my wife and children about my death."
Wang Yaowu replied:
"It's good that you can have that spirit! With such a spirit, the position must be held! I will immediately report your fearless spirit to Chairman Chiang Kai-shek and promote you to brigade commander of major generals! ”
Liu Bingkun's defensive area is mainly a few buildings in the urban area. He himself was stationed in the post and telecommunications building at that time, a building made of cement and steel that could withstand cannon shells, and Liu Bingkun thought it was very safe.
But it wasn't long before The Huaye siege force broke through the defensive line and entered the building, where they began to attack on the stairs and in various rooms. The Kuomintang defenders used everything and prepared to make a final stubborn resistance. However, under the fierce offensive of the People's Liberation Army, the remnants of Liu Bingkun were instantly defeated.
Inside the headquarters, which was almost reduced to rubble, there were nameless corpses everywhere.
There was only one person left in the room who had not fallen, and this person was Liu Bingkun: he had injured both his abdomen and head, and a short sword was inserted in his chest, on which were engraved the four characters of "Jiang Zhongzheng Gift".
At the last moment, Liu Bingkun committed suicide with the "Zhongzheng" sword.
In addition to Liu Bingkun, there were also some Kuomintang generals such as Zhang Lingfu and Huang Baitao who killed Cheng Ren at the last moment, but none of these generals chose the "Zhongzheng Sword" as a weapon to end their lives.
It can be seen from this that the "suicide sword" is empty, and the "Cheng Ren sword" is only an empty gimmick.
Chiang Kai-shek and Zhongzheng Sword – Similar trajectories of destiny
Returning to the Zhongzheng sword itself, from the clearly recorded 1933 to 1975, when Chiang Kai-shek died, these forty-two years are exactly the time when the "Zhongzheng Sword" was active in history, and it was also the time when Chiang Kai-shek was active in history.
The rise and fall of the "Zhongzheng Sword" also seems to correspond to the ups and downs of Chiang Kai-shek's personal destiny.
During the National Revolution, Chiang Kai-shek became the president of the Whampoa Military Academy. With the help of the Whampoa Military Academy as a platform, Chiang Kai-shek gradually became a real power figure in the Kuomintang, with the so-called "Concubine Troops".
It was also during this period that the "Zhongzheng Sword" appeared, which corresponded to the rise of Chiang Kai-shek.
Later, Chiang Kai-shek distributed the "Zhongzheng Sword" on a large scale in Lushan, in order to win the hearts and minds of the people and speed up the encirclement and suppression of the revolutionary base areas.
At this time, the distribution of the "Zhongzheng Sword" also coincided with Chiang Kai-shek's defection to the revolution and the transformation of the reactionaries.
After the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the number of "Zhongzheng Swords" was still increasing, but not many people wore this "Chengren Sword" and not many people became Renren, but on the contrary, they constantly revolted on the spot, and even Zhang Kexia, the "sword general" approved by Chiang Kai-shek, also chose to defect. This is also in line with Chiang Kai-shek's fate of constantly losing and retreating in the War of Liberation and eventually being forced to retreat to Taiwan.
In December 1949, Chiang Kai-shek lost Taiwan. After practicing a dictatorship on the mainland for more than a decade, he was not willing to fail. On the one hand, he was once again elected "president" in Taiwan and ruled by white terror; on the other hand,
Chiang Kai-shek made good relations with Japan and the United States, signed the "Japan-Taiwan Treaty" and the "Sino-US Mutual Defense Treaty," and was always ready to counterattack the mainland. The "Zhongzheng Sword" reappeared at this time.
After the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek further strengthened his personal dictatorship, and in the selection of close bodyguards, he was extremely strict, and equipped them with the "Zhongzheng Sword" at the end of training.
Chiang Kai-shek hoped that he could once again build up an army loyal to him and then counterattack the mainland. This time, the "Zhongzheng Sword" is the best proof of his "martyr's twilight heart". Of course, this is also the last time that the "Zhongzheng Sword" appeared on the stage of history.
Nowadays, we can only see a few so-called "Zhongzheng swords" in museums, and the vast majority of "Zhongzheng swords" have been drowned in the long river of history like Chiang Kai-shek's reactionary rule.