On September 18, 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army launched the "918" Incident in Shenyang and invaded and occupied northeast China. At this time, a Chinese general in the United States was impatient, and he knew deeply that if he did not rebel against his country, he would be doomed.
In the United States, he deeply felt that weak countries have no diplomacy. Not only did the local first-class hotels in the United States refuse to receive Chinese, but even the post office heard that he was Chinese and turned him away. Coupled with the oppression of Chiang Kai-shek's reactionary government, it was impossible to obtain a visa to return to China. Through interviews with reporters, this man bravely exposed the facts of Japan's invasion of northeast China and the ugly crimes of Chiang Kai-shek's "non-resistance" policy.
He was Ji Hongchang, and because of his determination to resist Japan, he was sent abroad by Chiang Kai-shek to "house arrest" in the name of "inspecting industry."
In 1932, after the "128" incident, he could no longer hold back the heart of the anti-Japanese national salvation, and broke through the difficulties and obstacles to secretly return to China. What did he, who had served as the commander of chiang kai-shek's 30th division, order Chiang Kai-shek to exile him or even put him to death?
First, the young man's great ambition is a lifetime of horse fighting
Today, in Fugou County, Zhoukou, Henan, there is a memorial to this patriotic general Ji Hongchang. In 1895, Ji Hongchang was born in Fugou, Henan Province, to a poor family, and his parents ran a small tea house to make a living. The children of the poor have long been in charge, and Ji Hongchang has worked for his father since he was a child. The young Ji Hongchang loves to fight and hug, and when he sees his companions being bullied, he always helps.
Also because he often fights, is scolded by his parents, and he never defends himself with a hard temper, but the villagers praise him as "a teenager with ambitions". In the era of warlord chaos, Feng Yuxiang came to Henan to recruit soldiers, and in 1913, when he was less than 18 years old, he secretly registered his name from his family.
At that time, the recruitment requirements were not high, but there was also a threshold, physical fitness, and calluses on the hands, indicating that these people were working class and could bear hardships and stand hard work. Ji Hongchang, because of his large stature, had also worked as an apprentice in a silversmith and a grocery store, and was quickly selected. Before leaving, Ji Hongchang's father told him that "if you become an official, you are not allowed to get rich." Ji Hongchang printed this maxim on a bowl to encourage himself.
After joining the army, Ji Hongchang was praised by Feng Yuxiang as "auspicious and bold" because of his fearless spirit of sacrificing himself to save others. In the army, Ji Hongchang quickly displayed outstanding military talent, was smart and courageous, courageous and strategic, and was soon promoted to battalion commander. When Ji Hongchang became an official, he did not forget to help his poor hometown, help his hometown to establish a primary school when he returned to his hometown to visit his relatives, encourage poor children to go to school for free, and let the children learn knowledge to serve the country.
When following Feng Yuxiang in the southern conquest of the northern war, Ji Hongchang on the one hand grasped military training, on the other hand, improved the military quality of soldiers, but also strictly required soldiers to respect the local people, popularize the idea of military and civilian family affinity, and encourage soldiers to help the people do farm work.
After the Start of the Northern Expedition, Ji Hongchang served as the commander of the 19th Division, capturing Luoyang and Gong County all the way, and then occupying Xinxiang, an important stronghold in northern Henan. The 19th Division led by Ji Hongchang was invincible and achieved remarkable results.
In April 1930, the three major warlords were in a scuffle, Feng Yuxiang's troops were defeated by Chiang Kai-shek, and the Northwest Army led by Ji Hongchang had to accept the reorganization and take charge of commanding the 22nd Route Army and the 30th Division in order to avoid greater casualties. Soon after, however, Chiang Kai-shek's intentions for civil war were exposed, and he sent Ji Hongchang to the Eyu-Anhui region to wait for an opportunity to attack the Communists.
Ji Hongchang was extremely resistant in his heart, and he had to pretend to be indifferent, and by taking advantage of his illness to see the party organization in Shanghai, he disguised himself as a civilian to check in the Eyu-Anhui area, saw that the Red Army was different from the ideological consciousness of the Nationalist army, and gradually moved closer to the Red Army in his heart. However, after all this was known to the Kuomintang reactionaries, they touched Chiang Kai-shek's anti-scales, and Chiang Kai-shek relieved him of his military power by going abroad to investigate industry.
Second, worried about the country and the people, vowed to die to resist Japan
Ji Hongchang, who was forced to go abroad, did not have the slightest happiness, but was deeply worried about the motherland trapped in the depths of the water, and also deeply felt that the country is strong and the people are strong, and the country is weak. Chinese have no right to live in a high-end hotel, even if you have money, but you are respectful to the Japanese. Even going to the post office to mail items, because it was Chinese was rejected, the staff ridiculed "China no longer exists", even the embassy staff advised him to pretend that the Japanese were convenient to do things, Ji Hongchang resolutely opposed.
Even if Ji Hongchang was abroad, he did not allow his country to be slandered, but instead hung an "I'm Chinese" around his neck to express his patriotic determination.
Later, under the instructions of the Party Central Committee, Ji Hongchang joined forces with Feng Yuxiang and Fang Zhenwu to form an anti-Japanese allied army in Zhangjiakou with the intention of recovering the lost land. Ji Hongchang sold his family property for 60,000 yuan, bought guns and ammunition, and initially formed an armed team of 60,000 people. On July 7, 1933, in the Battle of Toronto, Ji Hongchang led the soldiers in a bloody battle with the Japanese army, and finally defeated the Japanese army after more than 3 hours.
Just when this anti-Japanese allied army struggled to resist the aggression of the Japanese army, it violated Chiang Kai-shek's principle of non-resistance, and then Chiang Kai-shek not only surrounded and blocked Ji Hongchang's anti-Japanese armed forces, but also joined forces with the Japanese army to try to eliminate them in one fell swoop. Feng Yuxiang was forced to step down due to internal and external troubles, and Fang Zhenwu and Ji Hongchang had to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek.
Who would have thought that Chiang Kai-shek had no intention of negotiating, but only wanted to get rid of Fang Zhenwu and Ji Hongchang quickly, and then Zhenwu fled under the cover of Ji Hongchang. In the face of the Kuomintang troops, who were also Chinese, Ji Hongchang talked about his reasons for resisting Japan and the theory of saving the country, and the Kuomintang soldiers were very admired and quietly let Ji Hongchang go.
3. Died young, and the children inherited the legacy
Ji Hongchang formed an anti-fascist league in Tianjin, and he changed a corner of his home into a secret printing factory to print the National Battle Flag Newspaper to propagate anti-Japanese ideas. His own home has also become a secret contact point for the ccp's underground party, and everyone is affectionately known as the "Red Chamber".
This chiang kai-shek, who was already unhappy. On the evening of November 9, 1934, the agents who had been following Ji Hongchang for a long time finally seized the opportunity and rushed to the French Concession International Hotel where Ji Hongchang was talking about affairs to shoot and shoot, and Ji Hongchang was wounded in the right shoulder and was taken away for interrogation by the patrol police of the French Concession.
When the news of Ji Hongchang's arrest came out, public opinion was full of condemnation, and the Kuomintang knew that someone would come to the rescue, and in order to avoid the long night, it did not hesitate to send Song Meiling to negotiate with the French Concession and secretly extradite him to the jurisdiction of the Kuomintang in Tianjin. On November 24, 1934, Chiang Kai-shek ordered "immediate execution", Ji Hongchang hero on the front of the righteousness, declared that he died for the anti-Japanese resistance, bright and upright, can not kneel, can not shoot in the back, the last generation of heroes Ji Hongchang sat in a chair, Dayi awe-inspiring death as a homecoming. He was only 39 years old at the time of his death.
In order to avoid the harassment of Kuomintang agents, his wife Hu Hongxia entrusted her children to her former friends, and she did not hesitate to pretend to be crazy and stupid to escape the disaster. Subsequently, Hu Hongxia raised her children alone, her son grew up to become a college teacher, and her daughter Ji Ruizhi grew up to become a female writer, assisting her mother to complete the "Biography of Ji Hongchang" for posterity to remember and study.
The grandchildren of Ji Hongchang also inherited Ji Hongchang's legacy and produced many talents, who followed the patriotic spirit of the older generation and contributed their strength to the construction of the country.
Text/Born to the Sun
References: 1. "Ji Hongchang's Participation in Anti-Japanese Activities in Tianjin", Jia Xiaoming
2. "National Hero Ji Hongchang", Xiaohe
3. "The Truth About General Ji Hongchang's Assassination", Zhou Licheng