Foreword: After Chiang Kai-shek's defeat in Taiwan, in addition to his own son Chiang Ching-kuo, there was another person he trusted particularly. He did not graduate from the Whampoa Military Academy, but eventually became a concubine of chiang kai-shek, and in his later years he was suspected by Chiang Kai-shek of replacing him because of his too much power, so he was ruthlessly abandoned and died of illness in Taipei. Who is this man and what is he capable of? How much of a relationship did he have with Chiang Kai-shek's father and son?
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Chiang Kai-shek
Early acquaintances won the favor of old Jiang
Chen Cheng could not fight a war, so why did he still become Chiang Kai-shek's confidant?
Chiang Kai-shek is a man with a clear banner, and almost all those who can be promoted by him have the same characteristics. In addition to the Huangpu family, it is also a plus point to be a fellow countryman, and another is that he is very loyal to Lao Jiang himself, and he will reuse it.
Chen Cheng is such a person who has all three, in addition, he is also Chiang Kai-shek's son-in-law, well, this is considered to be a close relative. The reason why Chen Cheng was able to be promoted all the way was because he was able to do what others could not do, that is, he had experienced it on behalf of Chiang Kai-shek, which was unique among Chiang Kai-shek's confidants, so Chiang Kai-shek valued him even more.
In 1919, the 21-year-old Chen Cheng applied for the Baoding Army Officer School, but a very interesting thing happened, he was originally an imposter to take the exam for others. Later, because of his poor grades and short stature, he was not admitted, and later he went through the back door to enter the eighth artillery section. At this point, like Chiang Kai-shek, he was in the artillery section, which was also the beginning of the feud between the two.
Temporary
The first time the two met was in May 1923, when Chen Cheng followed Deng Yanda to participate in the revolution in Guangdong and was later injured. While recuperating in the hospital, Chiang Kai-shek, who was still chief of staff at the time, came to visit the wounded, which was the first time Chen Cheng saw Chiang Kai-shek.
Although Chen Cheng did not graduate from the Whampoa Military Academy, if you say it, he also originated in Whampoa. When the Whampoa Military Academy was first established, Chiang Kai-shek was the principal and Deng Yanda was the chief of education, so he recommended Chen Cheng to serve as the education aide-de-camp of Whampoa, which gave him the opportunity to have close contact with Chiang Kai-shek, and it was also the beginning of his later embarkation on the peak of his life.
Chen Cheng first won Chiang Kai-shek's favor because of a copy of the Three People's Principles, when Chen Cheng was too busy to sleep until dawn, so he simply took a book and began to read. It just so happened that this scene was seen by Chiang Kai-shek, and seeing him work so hard, he could not help but be moved, and later gave him a special reward. Later, Chen Cheng's first real battle was to say that he was on the Crusade against Chen Jiongming, and he was appointed as the captain and company commander of the 1st Company of the First Battalion of Artillery.
The Three People's Principles
In the Battle of Mianhu, the troops led by Chen Cheng were fiercely attacked by enemy troops 10 times that of himself, and at the critical moment, he fired three cannons. It was also these three shells that disrupted the enemy's position, and since then he has also become famous in one battle, which made Chiang Kai-shek look at him with admiration. After that, Chiang Kai-shek began to reuse Chen Cheng, and in two years he was promoted from colonel to lieutenant general, and in 1927 he was already a confidant of Chiang Kai-shek.
When Chiang Kai-shek made his comeback in 1928, he appointed Chen Cheng as the guard commander of the General Headquarters of the National Revolutionary Army, which was not a fictitious post, but a real right. The strength of the troops formed by Chen Cheng during this period was enough to add up to more than one miscellaneous army.
The following year, Chen Cheng was promoted to the commander of the Eleventh Division, and his performance in the Central Plains War was even more outstanding, and he was promoted to the commander of the Eighteenth Army, which was well-equipped and was top-notch in all aspects of the Kuomintang army, that is to say, it was an ace army, and Chen Cheng's military position in the Kuomintang was also established.
As for what we just said that Chen Cheng was Chiang Kai-shek's son-in-law, it was because in 1932, he was married to Tan Xiangxi, the daughter of Kuomintang elder Tan Yanmin, who was also the dry daughter of Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling, so there was this relationship.
Chen Cheng Tan Xiang
The reason why Chen Cheng was able to serve as a general at a young age was not because of how outstanding his battle achievements were, his combat command ability was really not surprising to tell the truth, and He Yingqin also scolded him for being a rice bucket. However, he was loyal to Chiang Kai-shek, and he had a cult of personality, and in 1933, when he presided over the Lushan Training Regiment, he always preached his faith in the leader and absolute obedience, and established an authority for Chiang Kai-shek.
Moreover, Chen Cheng demanded that his students should stand up and show their respect when they hear "Chairman Jiang.", which is a completely touted face.
Rumors are rife False statements are even more harmful
Chen Cheng's rule in Taiwan, all kinds of good deeds show that he is more popular than Chiang Kai-shek?
In July 1938, Chen Cheng even published an article called "The True Meaning of Obedience to Leaders", which was extremely flattering, and the level of sneaking and patting horses was getting higher and higher.
Chen Cheng and Chiang Kai-shek
Although Chen Cheng's ability to lead troops to fight is not strong, he still has real talent and practical learning, otherwise Chiang Kai-shek would not have forgiven him every time he reprimanded him and continued to entrust him with heavy responsibilities. Within the Kuomintang, Chen Cheng was a rare and honest man who was not corrupt and corrupt, and even Dai Kasa, the head of the military command, commented that he was a general who refused to ask for money but was willing to bury his head in hard work. Moreover, Chen Cheng did not have any bad habits, which could be said to be very difficult at that time.
Chiang Kai-shek had a mantra called "Zhongzheng cannot be a day without words", which shows that his importance to Chen Cheng really reached a certain level, so that he could not do without him later. Chen Cheng was originally the last one in Chiang Kai-shek's "Eight Great Kongs", but in the later stages of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he was completely an important figure, and he became Chiang Kai-shek's right hand and right arm on a par with He Yingqin.
As mentioned earlier, Chen Cheng's fighting can be regarded as a rice bucket, and in the confrontation with the People's Liberation Army, he did not gain the slightest benefit. In October 1946, Chen Cheng threatened at a press conference to China and foreign countries that within a few months the communist issue of liberated areas would be solved, but this sentence became the biggest joke. When he was supervising Shandong, his opponent was our general Su Yu, how could he compare, not only lost Shandong, but also lost a 74th Division and Zhang Lingfu.
Reorganized 74th Division
In August 1947, he was appointed by Chiang Kai-shek as the director of the northeast, and as a result, he was also beaten by our party, and he was even more angry that Du Yuming directly broke his mouth and scolded. During the Kuomintang-Communist civil war, Chen Cheng made many troubles, and many command mistakes caused the Kuomintang million troops to suffer heavy losses for no reason, and many officials within the Kuomintang expressed their desire to kill Chen Cheng to thank the people.
However, Chiang Kai-shek has always been very tolerant of him, and Chen Cheng can often correct him immediately after being reprimanded and educated, and he will never repeat it next time, which is also a point that Chiang Kai-shek attaches great importance to.
In October 1948, the defeat of the Kuomintang was decided, and Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to seek a way out, so he vigorously defied public opinion and announced in 1949 that he had retreated behind the scenes, but sent Chen Cheng to Taiwan as a chairman. In fact, this is not only for Chen Cheng, but also for himself, because Chiang Kai-shek has never given up the idea of counterattacking back to the mainland, and he still wants to get ready to go out in Taiwan after withdrawing from the mainland and realize his arrogant dream again.
The final group photo of Chiang Kai-shek's evacuation from the mainland
Just when Chen Cheng arrived in Taiwan to take up his post, it was precisely at a time when the situation in Taiwan was not very clear, the forces of various departments in Taiwan Province were intertwined, and the attitude of the US authorities was not clearly stated. Therefore, the situation facing Chen Cheng at that time was still quite grim, but Chiang Kai-shek did not look away this time, and Chen Cheng, the last hope of the Kuomintang, did play a major role.
Chen Cheng is indeed very talented in managing this aspect; he has been running Taiwan for 16 years, and his political achievements have been remarkable, and his political vision and ruling ability are all first-class. After he entered Taiwan, he immediately imposed military control, carried out land reform in a drastic way, and implemented the policy of "375 rent reduction"; on this basis, he gradually realized the state of cultivators having their own land, and concentrated all his experience to prepare Chiang Kai-shek for coming to Taiwan.
In particular, taiwan's financial turmoil, high prices, the people are miserable, Chen Cheng advocated the reform of the currency system, stabilized the economic order. These two policies alone have raised Taiwan's economic development to a higher level, and after the war, Taiwan has gradually moved from poverty to a well-off life.
Chen Cheng in Taiwan
Chen Cheng's various measures in Taiwan made Chiang Kai-shek very satisfied, but behind this, the growing support of the Taiwanese people for Chen Cheng also made him very jealous. Especially after the three major battles, the American side saw that chiang kai-shek's clique was not a lord to be trusted, so it withdrew its assistance to Chiang Kai-shek, and in this case, chiang kai-shek of course did not dare to believe it.
The uprising, including Cheng Qian, Chen Mingren, Deng Zhaoyin, and other high-ranking Kuomintang officials, also dealt a great blow to Chiang Kai-shek, and the situation was turbulent for a while. At the same time, Chen Cheng's outstanding achievements in Taiwan have made him more and more vocal in taking charge, and Chiang Kai-shek has received a secret report that the United States is plotting to control Taiwan under the management of the United Nations.
The US side MacArthur also constantly criticized Chiang Kai-shek, repeatedly accusing him of being faint and incompetent, and various anecdotal rumors were also intensifying, claiming that the United States wanted to support a new person to take charge of all the affairs of Taiwan.
MacArthur
Not to be trusted Is depressed
Is it that since ancient times, the masters of high merit have not had a good end?
Rumors have plagued Chiang Kai-shek, who was already suspicious by nature, even more, and his trust in Chen Cheng is gradually disappearing. In the early years, He Yingqin, Hu Zongnan, and others all expressed serious dissatisfaction with Chen Cheng's monopoly of power, and Chiang Kai-shek himself was aware of Chen Cheng's ability to exclude dissidents, but because of years of trust and cooperation, he did not say much.
However, Chen Cheng's position above the ten thousand people in Taiwan really made Chiang Kai-shek too jealous, and the mainland history has always been popular in the behavior of the final execution of the lord of Gong Gao Zhen, and now Chen Cheng is dead in such a situation. Moreover, everyone thinks that Chen Cheng can be a great responsibility and is chiang kai-shek's successor, but Chiang Kai-shek himself is not without sons, how can he let the power fall by the way, so Chen Cheng has become a stumbling block for the father and son of the Chiang family.
After Chiang Kai-shek became president in 1948, he was re-elected in 1954, and when his term expired in 1960, according to the constitution at that time, he should abdicate and relinquish. But at this time, Chiang Ching-kuo was not so capable, and his wings were not full enough, and Chiang Kai-shek wanted to keep this president alive.
Chiang Ching-kuo
In 1958, when Chen Cheng celebrated his 60th birthday, he did not make a big fuss, not even a banquet, but went on a sightseeing trip with a few friends. It is reasonable to say that this is not a big deal, but it is these few friends who completely make Chiang Kai-shek unable to sit still, and among the several people who traveled with Chen Cheng, including Hu Shi, jiang Menglin, who once served as president of Peking University, Mei Yiqi, who served as president of Tsinghua University, and Wang Shijie, a member of the Executive Yuan of the Taiwan authorities.
Hu Shizi did not need to say much, he always hoped in his heart that Chen Cheng could replace Chiang Kai-shek to take over the presidency, and when the old Chiang Kai-shek had a birthday, he had invited Hu Shi to come. However, Hu Shi used all kinds of reasons to prevaricate in the past, and now that Chen Cheng has come as soon as he calls, has he not punched him in the face of Chiang Kai-shek?
Coupled with the fact that the media at that time also added fuel to the description of the matter, in Chiang Kai-shek's view, this is Chen Cheng and a few strategists want to seize his power and then replace it. Therefore, before the presidential change in 1960, Chiang Kai-shek and his staff moved out a "Provisional Clause for the Period of Mobilization and Counter-Insurgency", which not only replaced the original constitution, but also abolished the restrictions on the re-election of the president, that is to say, Chiang Kai-shek could continue to be re-elected.
Temporary provisions for the period of mobilization and counter-insurgency
So in 1960, Chiang Kai-shek was re-elected president as he wished, and Chen Cheng was vice president. In fact, the facts show that Chen Cheng did not have the idea of replacing him at all, and this "Provisional Clause for the Period of Mobilization and Suppression of Chaos" allowed Chiang Kai-shek to ascend to the throne for the third time smoothly, which is also the credit of Chen Cheng.
For a long time, Chen Cheng could also clearly feel Chiang Kai-shek's jealousy of himself, and the relationship between him and Chiang Ching-kuo was also very bad. Therefore, he also lamented at that time that in the Chinese officialdom is jealousy, which is the point of this, since ancient times, monarchs have been jealous of the talents of their courtiers, and those who have achieved high merit are exiled at the light, and those who are heavy are directly given to death, and there is no trace.
Therefore, in his later years, Chen Cheng also complained about Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Kai-shek's distrust of him once overwhelmed him, so in 1963, he took the initiative to resign and did not want to participate in these disputes.
Chen Cheng in his later years
In fact, there is another important reason, that is, Chen Cheng's body has also reached a limit, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis, repeated diseases, and later diagnosed with liver cancer. However, after his death, Chiang Kai-shek did not forget to make another show and do Chen Cheng's funeral in a big way, and he was extremely sad and honored.
On March 6, 1965, Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling both came to send Chen Cheng on his last journey, and Chiang Ching-kuo was even more so, guarding Chen Cheng's spirit day and night, not eating or drinking, not only for Chen Cheng's family, but also for the major high-ranking officials of the Taiwan authorities, saving a lot of good reputation for himself.
Therefore, Chen Cheng followed Chiang Kai-shek all his life, and he did not have any idea of trespassing, but the birds hid with their bows and bows, and the cunning rabbits died and the dogs cooked. For Chiang Kai-shek, the person who once trusted him was just a pawn of his own, and as long as he was blocking his way, he could only say goodbye.
Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling
In addition to chen cheng's loyalty to the old Chiang Kai-shek, he also vigorously opposed the US policy of creating two Chinas, so the patriotism of fist and fist is also worthy of affirmation, and Premier Zhou also greatly appreciated this. In the end, he ended up depressed, which was really a sigh.
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