In the north of Zhejiang, there is a land of fish and rice with beautiful mountains and rivers, which is today's Huzhou City. In the long river of years, Huzhou rose and fell several times, and the Chu state Chun Shenjun built the city here; after Qin Shi Huang unified China, he migrated to the Yue people to live here and established Wucheng County; during the Three Kingdoms, the State of Wu set up Wuxing County here. During the Republic of China, it was named Wuxing County.
Huzhou is also a place where talents are born, and in modern history, a large number of important officials of the Kuomintang have come from here. These people were all famous during Chiang Kai-shek's rule over the mainland, and they were inextricably linked to Chiang Kai-shek, and could be described as the core figures of the Chiang family dynasty.
For example, Zhang Jingjiang, executive member of the Kuomintang Central Committee and chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Government; Zhu Jiahua, minister of education, director of the Organization Department, and vice president of the Executive Yuan of the Kuomintang; Dai Jitao, member of the Standing Committee of the Kuomintang Central Committee and director of the Propaganda Department; Qian Xinzhi, vice minister of finance of the Kuomintang and chairman of the Board of Communications; and Xu Enzeng, director of the Kuomintang Central Unification Bureau; and so on; and the most important thing is the Chen family represented by the Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu brothers.
In the years of war and chaos, the reason why the brothers Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu were able to tilt their power to the dynasty had a lot to do with the fact that many outstanding figures who had come out of this land also had a lot to do with the fact that they used their hometown relations to form gangs and factions to create their own power, so that they could form a situation of "The Chen Family Party under the Jiang Family" and become half of the "Four Great Families."
1. The family origin of the Erchen brothers
In 1851, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement broke out and quickly affected the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. Under the impact of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolution, the Chen family, who was a local rich man, fell into the middle of the road. After the failure of the Taiping Rebellion, the 25th Chen Yanyou felt the decline of his family and worked hard to do business to improve himself. Chen Yanyou was diligent and thrifty, and his business was booming, and it didn't take long for the revival of the family road as before, and he became a Wuxingwang clan.
Chen Qiye, born in 1870, is the eldest son of Chen Yanyou and the father of Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu. In the genealogy of the Chen family, there are true words: "Teach people to learn, teach people to be sincere, and teach people to be shi." ”
Chen Qimei, born in 1878, is the second son of Chen Yanyou. Of the three brothers, he is the most famous. When she was a child, Chen Qimei was clever and clever, but she was very naughty, and her academic performance has not been good. In Chen Yanyou's eyes, Chen Qimei was the most indisputable of the three sons.
Chen Qicai, born in 1880, is the younger son of Chen Yanyou, the first of the three brothers to emerge. When he was young, he also received a traditional imperial education, and he won the Xiucai at the age of 16. At this time, Chen Qimei, the second brother who went abroad to do business, often wrote home to advise him to "study the West diligently for practical purposes" and urged him to go to Japan to study. In 1898, the Qing government sent the first batch of international students to Japan to study military affairs, and Chen Qicai was selected.
In that era, reading, examination, and even becoming an official were the doorways for the children of ordinary rich families to seek a way out and honor their ancestors. Of course, Chen Qiye also took the road of winning the rank of scholar. He entered a private school and was familiar with Confucian classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics, and went all the way to the government.
In the 1880s and 1890s, China was gradually falling into the abyss of semi-colonialism and semi-feudalism. Chen Qiye originally thought, "There is a golden house in the book, and there is a thousand bells in the book." However, after attending the government school, he heard and witnessed the corruption of the Qing court, lost interest in fame and fortune, and was no longer willing to study and become an official. In 1894, the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War broke out, and the magnificent Chinese Empire actually lost to the small country of Dongying, which further exposed the decadent and weak nature of the Qing government, and Chen Qiye was even more disappointed and hated.
In 1905, Japan won the Russo-Japanese War, which impressed people with this small country. Some advanced intellectuals in China realized from the Russo-Japanese War that if we want to enrich the country and strengthen the army and resist the Western powers, we should learn from Japan, change the law and strive to become stronger, and develop industry. Under the influence of this trend of thought, a group of outstanding intellectuals traveled east to Japan to learn the art of enriching the country and strengthening the army. Chen Qiye is also one of them.
During his study in Japan, Chen Qiye inspected Japan's industry and hoped to benefit the country. However, after returning to China, he could not exert his talents and realize his ambitions for various reasons. He is the eldest son of the Chen family, and since he was a child, he has received an old-fashioned education, and in the case of a passion for serving the country, he returned to his hometown discouraged, inherited the family business, and operated silk.
In his hometown, although Chen Qiye became increasingly indifferent to politics, he was quite enthusiastic about local public welfare and did a lot of good things. In order to resist the dumping of foreign goods in China, he improved the silk, improved the quality, and competed with foreign goods, making Huzhou silk a higher level. In order to smooth the flow of private funds, he also lowered the interest rate of the pawn bank so that the peasants would not be exploited by usury. In order to reduce the local flood disaster and turn the harm into profit, he also advocated the dredging of the river.
But without Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu, two well-known sons, Chen Qiye could only be regarded as an enlightened gentleman in Wuxing County at best.
2. The uncle of the Erchen brothers - Chen Qimei
When Chen Qimei was 15 years old, his father decided to let him abandon his studies and engage in business in order to make his career successor, and the young Chen Qimei had to obey his father's orders and become an apprentice in a pawn shop.
The young Chen Qimei was very concerned about national affairs and often read newspapers in his spare time. He was extremely indignant about the corruption of the Qing government, so he urged his younger brother Chen Qicai to travel east to Japan to study. In 1902, his younger brother Chen Qicai returned to China after graduating from the Japanese Non-Commissioned Officer School, and told him about the situation of Japan's prosperity and strength, as well as the principles of changing the law and restoring the new and revitalizing industry. Chen Qimei deeply felt that China must undergo a thorough transformation to get rid of the danger of subjugation and extinction, and felt that his knowledge was shallow and it was difficult to exert his ambitions, so he resolutely resigned from his pawn shop profession and came to Shanghai.
Shanghai was the center of the new learning movement at that time, and it was also the center of the national salvation movement. The surging revolutionary tide opened Chen Qimei's eyes and he never gave up the ideal of commercial salvation. Eager to learn new knowledge, he befriended Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin, Tan Renfeng, Zhang Jingjiang and other revolutionaries, and began revolutionary activities under their influence. In 1906, with the financial support of his younger brother, Chen Qimei traveled east to Japan to study military affairs.
After arriving in Tokyo, Chen Qimei soon joined the League founded by the revolutionaries, and he solemnly swore an oath: "Expel the Tartars, restore China, establish the Republic of China, and equalize land rights..." From then on, he embarked on the road of bourgeois democratic revolution.
3. Chiang Kai-shek's life mentor and righteous brother
In Japan, Chen Qimei became acquainted with Chiang Kai-shek, who later became prominent. The acquaintance of the two was entirely by chance. One morning, chen Qimei was walking by a small forest when he suddenly saw a young Chinese man in his 20s dancing a sword. When I stepped forward to ask, I learned that he was a native of Fenghua, Zhejiang, an official-funded student sent to Japan by the Qing government, and was studying military affairs at the Zhenwu School, the preparatory school of the Non-Commissioned Officer School, and that this person was Chiang Kai-shek.
When he saw that Chiang Kai-shek was clever and heroic, and that he was a fellow countryman in Zhejiang, and that he had studied military affairs that few people in the League had learned, he had the idea of becoming a confidant. As a result, Chen Qimei's contacts with Chiang Kai-shek became more and more frequent, and Chiang Kai-shek often went to Chen Qimei's residence to chat and talk about major state affairs; Chen Qimei also felt more and more that Chiang Kai-shek was brilliant and regarded him as a brother. Soon, Chen Qimei introduced Chiang Kai-shek to join the League.
Later, Chen Qimei and Chiang Kai-shek met another non-commissioned officer student, Huang Gao, who was studying in Japan. The three of them were like-minded and married as brothers. This move had a very big impact on Chiang Kai-shek's political rise.
Later, Chiang Kai-shek promoted Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu to a large extent out of his brotherhood with Chen Qimei.
In 1908, before Chen Qimei had completed the school curriculum, he shouldered the heavy responsibility of opposing the Qing Dynasty and embarked on the journey back to China. After returning to Shanghai, he actively engaged in revolutionary activities. In order to publicize the revolution, he successively founded the "Mainland Daily", "China Bulletin", "Minsheng CongBao" and "Minli Bao" in Wuhan and Shanghai, and in order to win the support of international public opinion for the Chinese revolution, he also founded the first English-language daily newspaper in China at that time, "Mainland Daily".
In order to train and cultivate revolutionary military talents, Chen Qimei became acquainted with Huo Yuanjia, a great hero of Jinmen, and founded the Jingwu School with him. Chen Qimei personally selected 50 revolutionary volunteers with strong will and strong physique to learn boxing and military skills. After graduation, these 50 people went to various places to organize schools of the same nature, and each taught 50 people. He believes that in less than 10 years, hundreds of thousands or even more than a million young people with strong physique and rich military knowledge will be trained and become the backbone of the revolutionary army.
On October 10, 1911, the Hubei revolutionaries fired gunfire to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Chen Qimei immediately planned armed uprisings in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, and in November led an armed uprising in Shanghai, capturing the Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau and restoring Shanghai. The restoration of Shanghai has effectively promoted the process of the Xinhai Revolution.
Mr. Sun Yat-sen spoke highly of Chen Qimei: "For those who are healthy in our party, they hold the key to the southeast in Shanghai, and their contribution is the greatest." ”
After the success of the Shanghai Uprising, the various revolutionary groups leading the uprising were not subordinate to each other, and the leaders soon fell into a struggle for power and profit. The central figures who led the uprising were Li Xiehe and Chen Qimei, who fought for the position of governor of the Shanghai Army.
4. Chen Qimei made a great contribution to the Xinhai Revolution
The election of the Governor of Shanghai was held in the Shanghai Coastal Defense Department. That afternoon, guards carrying rifles on their shoulders were guarded inside and outside the Coastal Defense Hall, and a red note reading "Election Meeting of the Governors of the Shanghai Army" was posted on the door. At 2 p.m., Chen Qimei arrived at the venue dressed as a student, followed by dozens of death squad members led by Chen Qimei's brother-in-law, the apprentice of Fan Gaotou, the old man of the Hong Gang, and Liu Fubiao, who is known as one of the "Four Pillars of the Four Courts." At this time, Li Xiehe also rode into the venue on a high-headed horse, with a saber hanging from his waist, followed by dozens of members of the business group.
The meeting soon fell into a stand-off. On the grounds that Li Xiehe was "knowledgeable in military science and commanded Shanghai guangfu with great merit," the representatives of the merchant group proposed that Li Xiehe be appointed as the governor of the capital, and the Party side of the League and the Association of The League promoted Chen Qimei as the governor. During the dispute, Chen Qimei's brother-in-law Huang Hao pulled out a pistol, claiming that Chen Qimei had entered the Shanghai Manufacturing Bureau first. The officers of the merchant group present also drew their pistols, saying that Chen Qimei was arrested after entering the manufacturing bureau, and later it was Li Xiehe who commanded the whole party At this time, Liu Fubiao held up his grenade and suddenly shouted loudly: "Attacking the manufacturing bureau, Mr. Chen suffered so much, and it was necessary to elect Mr. Chen, otherwise I would throw the grenade and everyone would die." The whole audience was shocked, so Chen Qimei was elected as the governor of the Shanghai Army.
Subsequently, Chen Qimei led the rebel army to capture Nanjing, and electrified the independent provinces to prepare for the establishment of a provisional government. On January 1, 1912, Dr. Sun Yat-sen was sworn in as Provisional President of the Republic of China in Nanjing. The Republic of China was founded, and Chen Qimei can be said to be one of the founders of the Republic of China.
While people were cheering for the birth of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai stole the fruits of victory in the Xinhai Revolution. So cheers turned into demonstrations, and peace turned into war. Under the instructions of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Chen Qimei participated in the Second Revolution, raised an army to fight Yuan, and appointed himself as the commander-in-chief of the Yuan Army in Shanghai, but ultimately failed because he was outnumbered. In the streets and alleys of Shanghai, notices were posted everywhere offering a reward of 50,000 yuan to arrest Chen Qimei.
5. Strongly recommend Chiang Kai-shek to Sun Yat-sen
The failure to woo Yuan did not cause Chen Qimei to lose confidence. In October 1913, Chen Qimei once again traveled east to Japan to assist Sun Yat-sen in the preparation of the Chinese Revolutionary Party, with Sun Yat-sen as prime minister and Chen Qimei as minister of general affairs, second only to Sun Yat-sen. Among the revolutionaries, compared with Huang Xing, Song Jiaoren, Wang Jingwei, Hu Hanmin, and others, Chen Qimei's qualifications are relatively shallow, and the reason why he was able to achieve such a high status was, on the one hand, because he resolutely supported Sun Yat-sen after the Xinhai Revolution, but more importantly, his resourcefulness, courage, and a rare talent.
Chen Qimei was in a high position, and of course did not forget to promote his brother Chiang Kai-shek. In early 1914, Chen Qimei introduced Chiang Kai-shek to Sun Yat-sen and was received by Sun Yat-sen alone. This prepared very favorable conditions for Chiang Kai-shek's future political development. Thanks to Chen Qimei's strong support, in the summer of 1914, Sun Yat-sen ordered Chiang Kai-shek to return to Shanghai to instigate an armed uprising. Although the uprising failed, Chiang Kai-shek's status in the eyes of the Chinese Revolutionary Party and Sun Yat-sen was greatly enhanced.
In 1915, Chen Qimei was ordered to launch a naval revolution. After many struggles, the two warships "Zhaohe" and "Yingrui" anchored on the Huangpu River were willing to assist the revolutionary army in revolting against Yuan. On December 5, the "Zhaohe" fired the first cannon of the uprising, and the Beiyang Navy quickly sent the "Tongji" ship to meet the battle. When the land-based revolutionaries heard the sound of artillery, they immediately attacked the telegraph office, the telephone bureau, the patrol bureau, the engineering bureau, and other organs as planned. In the end, due to the disparity in strength, the casualties were heavy, and they had to retreat. In the afternoon, all kinds of uprisings were declared a failure, and due to the lack of grain, grass and fuel, the combat effectiveness of the "Zhaohe" warship was weakened, and several cannons were fired consecutively, and countless officers and men were killed and wounded. The Zhaohe uprising failed, and Chen Qimei, Chiang Kai-shek, and others were forced to flee to Japan.
6. Framed by Yuan Shikai
After the "Battle of Zhaohe", Yuan Shikai actively promoted the imperial system while killing revolutionaries and finally became the "Emperor of the Chinese Empire". His perverse actions aroused the anger of the people of the whole country, and revolutionaries from all walks of life rose up to fight Yuan, and Chen Qimei was also ready to return to China to respond.
In order to prevent Chen Qimei from returning to China, Yuan Shikai sent people to find Chen Qimei, claiming that as long as he no longer cared about domestic politics, he could fund 500,000 yuan to study in Europe. Chen Qimei said to the lobbyist sternly: "I personally don't need so much money, I want this money, nothing more than for the country." A lump sum can be used to finance the revolution. ”
When the lobbyist listened, he said angrily: "You are wrong, this money is not intended for you to take the revolution, but to make you not want the revolution, if you refuse, then Yuan Shikai will use this money to kill you." Chen Qimei flatly refused.
After Chen Qimei returned to Shanghai, his revolutionary activities were repeatedly frustrated, but his revolutionary will did not waver in the slightest. He raised funds in many ways, waiting for the right moment. At this time, Yuan Shikai promised him a heavy amount of money to leave Shanghai, but Chen Qimei refused. The bribe failed, and Yuan Shikai decided to hire someone to assassinate Chen Qimei with heavy money.
When Yuan Shikai discovered that Chen Qimei was struggling with the difficulty of raising funds for the revolution, he sent his minions Xu Guolin and Cheng Zi'an to set up a Hongfeng Coal Mining Company, and then bribed Li Haiqiu, a member of the League, to tell Chen Qimei that Hongfeng Company had a piece of mining land and was ready to borrow money from Japan, and if Chen Qimei could help introduce and sign the contract, the company could take out 400,000 yuan to support the revolution. Chen Qimei was worried about fundraising, and immediately agreed that Li Haiqiu and the clerk of Hongfeng Company would bring the contract manuscript to sign.
Huang Gao and other revolutionaries expressed doubts about this matter, and Chen Qimei was eager to raise funds and decided to go to sign the contract, so he came to the apartment at No. 14 Saposai Road in the French Concession. Shortly after sitting down, Li Haiqiu claimed that the contract manuscript was forgotten and needed to be returned to get it. Li Haiqiu had just left the door when two big men with guns rushed in. Chen Qimei was unable to defend himself, and he was hit several times in the head and immediately fell to the ground and died.
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