In early 1950, on a small island in the South China Sea, Zhang Zhizhong was lying on his bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep for a long time, and had just received an order from his superiors to hold secret talks with Chiang Ching-kuo to discuss cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
Just as he was anxious, suddenly, there was a sharp knock at the door. After opening the door, the guard said to Zhang Zhizhong: "Marshal Ye Jianying sent a message to tell you to leave quickly!" ”
Zhang Zhizhong also did not care about thinking, quickly woke up his wife and children, and quickly fled to the wilderness a hundred meters away.
Sure enough, after a few hours, a huge roar came from the sky not far away, and as the explosion sounded continuously, the house on the island suddenly turned into a sea of fire, seeing such a terrible scene, Zhang Zhizhong also broke out in a lot of cold sweat behind his back...
So, who exactly wanted to assassinate Zhang Zhizhong at a critical moment in the negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communists? What is the relationship between the two?
Because of Ye Jianying's secret electricity, it was difficult not to die
Zhang Zhizhong is a famous "general of peace" on the mainland. In 1949, after Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan, he still did not abandon the ideal of national reunification, and repeatedly called out to Chiang Kai-shek, hoping that he would abandon evil and follow the good. However, Chiang Kai-shek would listen to him, but instead angrily denounced him as a "revolutionary traitor" and "incompetent in writing, losing power and humiliating the country."
However, in 1950, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly sent a telegram to the mainland saying that Chiang Ching-kuo wanted to invite representatives of the Communist side to "conduct in-depth exchanges on peace negotiations" on the islands in the South China Sea and do their utmost to promote peace.
Zhang Zhizhong was very happy to know and decided to go in person. The mainland side felt deceitful and reminded Zhang Zhizhong: If you rush forward, there will be danger.
But Zhang Zhizhong said: "If Taiwan is not recovered one day, China's hidden dangers will be one more point, and even if there is deception, I will go to meet them." ”
Therefore, the central authorities immediately issued an order to send a ship to send Zhang Zhizhong and his wife and children out to sea in the name of "visiting relatives" and land on the designated island in the South China Sea. Zhang Zhizhong arrived a day early, stayed in a house on the island, and waited for Chiang Ching-kuo's arrival the next day.
Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek
At night, Zhang Zhizhong and his family were doing things in the house, and the guards downstairs were standing guard and patrolling intently, and everything seemed so calm.
At two o'clock in the morning of the next day, Zhang Zhizhong was still thinking about the peace talks and could not sleep in the house for a long time. At this moment, a sharp knock on the door suddenly sounded.
Zhang Zhizhong immediately opened the door and saw a guard standing breathlessly in front of him, he just wanted to ask the guard what was going on, but he heard the other side whisper: "Run, Commander Zhang, Marshal Ye Jianying sent a message that Chiang Kai-shek will carry out an air raid on the island in a few hours!" ”
Zhang Zhizhong was shocked when he heard this, and he hurried to wake up his family and quickly rushed to the wilderness hundreds of meters away to hide.
Ten minutes later, Zhang Zhizhong's family stood side by side in the wilderness, their eyes fixed on the house where they had just lived.
The son was so cold that he asked incomprehensibly, "Daddy, why are we coming out?" ”
Zhang Zhizhong patted his son's shoulder and said calmly, "I'll know in a moment." ”
Sure enough, two hours later, a plane flew from the sky and dropped a few bombs, only to hear a few loud rumbling noises, and the building was blown up!
Zhang Zhizhong looked at the ruins lying in the sea of fire, and a cold sweat could not help but emerge from his back, he silently thanked Ye Jianying in his heart, fortunately, he sent the news one step ahead of time, otherwise his family would have died here.
Then, why did Chiang Kai-shek not hesitate to tell such a lie and kill Zhang Zhizhong, and what inexplicable grudge did he have with Zhang Zhizhong?
Zhang Zhizhong visited Yan'an to defend Chairman Mao
In fact, it is not surprising that Zhang Zhizhong will be killed, because after Chiang Kai-shek retired to Taiwan, he openly said that the two people he hated the most in his life were Marshall and Zhang Zhizhong.
After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chiang Kai-shek was determined to start a civil war as soon as possible, and at this time, in order to protect the interests of the United States in China, Marshall vigorously advocated the promotion of peace between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
Of course, Chiang Kai-shek was unwilling to make peace, and he was eager to quickly wipe out the Communist Party so as to monopolize China, but he took Us money and relied on the armed forces of the United States.
So Chiang Kai-shek pretended to launch negotiations, but behind his back, he calculated that when the time came, he would kill Chairman Mao as soon as the time came.
But he obviously did not expect that in this operation, his subordinate Zhang Zhizhong became the biggest obstacle to his completion of the plan.
In August 1945, japan surrendered, and there were extremely high calls for peace in the country, and Zhang Zhizhong, as a recognized pacifist, began to travel from place to place in order to seize this rare opportunity, and vigorously advocated negotiations.
He first advised Chiang Kai-shek in the ranks, and after Chiang Kai-shek agreed, he personally went to Yan'an to lobby Chairman Mao.
Chairman Mao was very calm after knowing the negotiations and asked others what they thought.
Many people in the Communist Party understood that Chiang Kai-shek's current negotiations were false and that the war was true, and that Chairman Mao was afraid that a wolf would fall into the mouth of a tiger when he went, so they all advised Chairman Mao not to go.
But Chairman Mao said: "Even if it is a false peace, it has the value of trying, and I will go with Brother Wen Bai on the next day, so don't worry." ”
Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou and Zhang Zhizhong talked
Zhang Zhizhong was very happy to hear the news that Chairman Mao had accepted the negotiations, and he was full of admiration for Chairman Mao's approach, shook his hand, and said: "Brother Mao is a true hero who cares about the world. ”
When Premier Zhou learned of this, he was very worried about Chairman Mao's safety, and he decided to join the negotiating group and go with Chairman Mao.
Before leaving, he called Zhang Zhizhong aside and tentatively said to him: "General Zhang, on this trip to Chongqing, Chairman Jiang's plan is probably very secretive!" ”
Zhang Zhizhong knew what Premier Zhou meant, and his concerns were not unreasonable. After all, he had worked with Chiang Kai-shek for many years, and he knew very well that the old Chiang Kai-shek was a man with small hearts and a small heart, and he was often uncertain, and in order to achieve his goals, he often made some strange moves and fierce moves.
But Zhang Zhizhong has been looking forward to peace for a long time, and in view of the security problems in this negotiation, he has long been fully prepared, and when he patted his chest and promised: "Brother Zhou, rest assured, I dare to ask you to go, I will definitely ensure your safety, and after that, no one will be able to touch you." ”
Premier Zhou
On August 28, Zhang Zhizhong personally escorted Chairman Mao and his party to Chongqing, and immediately arranged for people to live in his family's mansion "Forest Garden".
But soon he discovered that a large number of Kuomintang agents had gathered near the "Forest Garden", and they were like wolves, staring at the negotiating group in the house. This makes people worry that if the guards in the house are negligent, Chairman Mao is very likely to be killed.
In order to protect Chairman Mao's safety, Zhang Zhizhong put all his police forces near the "forest garden", but even so, he was still uneasy and often sent people to the surrounding area to check. Later, although the agents were expelled to the outskirts of the house, the number did not decrease but increased, and there was a tendency to act at any time.
Zhang Zhizhong was very surprised, and he did not expect that Chiang Kai-shek's killing heart was so heavy. He was suspicious of Chiang Kai-shek's sincerity in "peace talks." But soon Zhang Zhizhong came up with a plan, he gave the safest "Guiyuan Garden" to Chairman Mao to live in, and he and his family moved to a small grass hut.
Former residence of Zhang Zhizhong
In order to prevent accidents, he also dispatched gendarmes to defend Chairman Mao, and the entire three floors of the house were full of bodyguards, some of whom were responsible for guarding, some patrolling outside the courtyard, and some pretending to be cleaners, entertainers, etc., to guard Chairman Mao's side.
Zhang Zhizhong also gathered the guards together and said to them: "Think about your determination to defend me in peacetime, and then expand it tenfold to defend Comrade Mao Zedong." ”
Everyone was in good spirits and guarded day and night, and at this point, those who plotted against Chairman Mao could not enter at all.
Beginning on August 29, 1945, the Kuomintang and the Communists negotiated for more than a month, during which the Communist delegation sat at the negotiating table and worked hard for domestic peace. However, I did not think that the negotiation process was more difficult than imagined.
During this period, Chiang Kai-shek harbored a ghost fetus, and he repeatedly repented, always looking for the stubble of the Communist Party, trying to sabotage the negotiation process. Seeing that the atmosphere between the two sides was gradually scorching, and Chiang Kai-shek's killing intentions were becoming more and more obvious, Zhang Zhizhong, who saw all this in his eyes, frowned tightly and was very worried.
Zhang Zhizhong, Marshall, Zhou Enlai
He quietly approached Premier Zhou and said, "The situation is dangerous, and I have to find an opportunity to send Brother Mao back to Yan'an first, but how is the negotiation good?" ”
Premier Zhou immediately replied: "The negotiations are led by me, and the matter of sending people is up to you as soon as possible." ”
Zhang Zhizhong personally went to Chiang Kai-shek's office to give advice and said: "The negotiations are almost over, and I suggest that Mao Zedong be sent back to Yan'an first." ”
Chiang Kai-shek angrily scolded: "Niang Xipi, before you sent someone to protect his account, I will not count with you, now that the agreement has not been signed, you want to send him back, which person are you?" ”
Zhang Zhizhong did not back down and said bluntly: "Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, there are already many newspapers in China publishing news that 'Chiang Kai-shek's purpose is not pure and he wants to take advantage of the opportunity to kill people', and if he continues like this, I am afraid that it will be detrimental to the rule of the party-state after that!" ”
Chiang Kai-shek's anger suddenly dissipated a lot, he calmed down and weighed it again and again, and felt that Zhang Zhizhong's words were indeed reasonable, he said: "There is no need to leave early, the negotiations will soon end, another day I will set up a banquet to bid farewell to Mao Zedong, and as soon as the meeting is over, I will let him go immediately." ”
On October 10, the Double Tenth Agreement was signed, and Chairman Mao's return time was set for the 11th.
The next day, Zhang Zhizhong escorted Chairman Mao to the airport, and just as he was about to board the plane, Zhang Zhizhong suddenly said, "You can't leave!" ”
Chairman Mao looked back at him, and Zhang Zhizhong smiled and took Chairman Mao's hand and said, "Brother Mao, I discussed poetry with you the day before yesterday, and I haven't had enough fun, Zhang Mou went to Yan'an with you, and I will talk about it for a few more days." ”
After saying this, he took the guards and boarded the plane with Chairman Mao.
This move surprised everyone, and everyone did not know, what was his purpose?
In fact, Zhang Zhizhong's move has another deep meaning, he is not to discuss poetry, but to protect Chairman Mao. The day before yesterday, he received a secret report saying that Chiang Kai-shek planned to assassinate Chairman Mao on the plane when he returned, and Zhang Zhizhong was taken aback, not expecting that Chiang Kai-shek had actually poisoned him to this point in order to achieve his goal!
In order to fulfill the promise he had promised Premier Zhou, Zhang Zhizhong selected an elite guard and personally led the team to protect Chairman Mao's safety on the plane.
Sure enough, when passing through Xi'an, assassins sent by Yan Xishan appeared on the plane, preparing to assassinate Chairman Mao. But because of Zhang Zhizhong's protection, Chairman Mao was able to overcome the danger in this crisis.
After returning from this trip, Chiang Kai-shek was wary of Zhang Zhizhong and no longer trusted him as much as before. However, due to Zhang Zhizhong's superior ability and high popularity, Chiang Kai-shek could not directly dismiss or kill him, so he had no choice but to continue to appoint him in anger.
Soon after, the two parties signed the "Double Tenth Agreement," which made Zhang Zhizhong very pleased. You know, he has been running for decades for the sake of domestic peace, which can be described as painstaking.
But what he did not expect was that the peace did not last long, and in June of the following year, Chiang Kai-shek openly tore up the Double Tenth Agreement and sent troops to recruit the Communists, and soon the vast Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communists began.
Abandon the dark and join the Communist Party
Chiang Kai-shek had thought that the Kuomintang army would crush the Communists like a worm, but the outcome of the war was not what he had expected.
In 1949, seeing that the Kuomintang troops had failed in successive battles, the Kuomintang top brass demanded that Chiang Kai-shek step down and sign a peace treaty with the Communists. Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to send Zhang Zhizhong to Yan'an to negotiate with the Communists.
Chairman Mao greeted Zhang Zhizhong in Yan'an
Chairman Mao and others met Zhang Zhizhong, shook hands with him cordially and hugged him, and called him an "old friend" and "good comrade." Although several people did not give in to each other at the negotiating table and had many conflicts, when they arrived at the stage, they were no different from their friends for decades.
It is only a pity that although Chiang Kai-shek went to the wilderness, he refused to hand over his power, and in the face of the proposed treaty, he still insisted on his foolish views. In the end, the peace talks failed again.
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek was close to madness, and he believed that the reason why the peace talks failed was because Zhang Zhizhong betrayed the enemy and deliberately obstructed them. Therefore, he conspired with Chiang Ching-kuo and planned to execute Zhang Zhizhong as soon as he returned.
Seeing that Zhang Zhizhong was going to take the mission back, Premier Zhou was very worried about his safety, and he urged Zhang Zhizhong to stay and join the Communist Party and build a new China together.
In fact, Zhang Zhizhong knew that Chiang Kai-shek was inherently disloyal and unjust, and at this time, the defeat was decided, and he also wanted to follow the Communist Party, but in his heart he just couldn't get over that hurdle.
He believed that once he remained in the Communist Party, he would be "defecting to the enemy," which conflicted with his concept of "one subject and two masters"; not only that, if Chiang Kai-shek knew that he had reneged, he would inevitably take out his own family, which might affect their lives.
A scene of negotiations in Chongqing
Premier Zhou knew Zhang Zhizhong's concerns, so he smiled and said: "The Communist Party is a teacher of benevolence and righteousness, and joining will only lead to a bright future. And, General Zhang, who do you think this is? ”
At this time, the small door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and several people walked in one after another, and Zhang Zhizhong was overjoyed to see that Premier Zhou had already brought his family and relatives to Yan'an.
Premier Zhou said cordially: "General Zhang, the revolution is free, come and go, I am only worried that your wife and children are in danger over there, so I sent someone to take them." If you want to go, just take them back with you, and we will not stand in the way. However, there is a lesson from Zhang Xueliang's past, and when he goes, I am afraid that he is more fierce and less auspicious. ”
Zhang Zhizhong nodded and said yes, in this past, his family may indeed be persecuted by Chiang Kai-shek, who has lost his mind. He followed Premier Zhou's advice and decided to stay in Yan'an to help the Communists.
As soon as the news of Zhang Zhizhong's joining the Communist Party came out, it immediately caused a sensation; it should be known that Zhang Zhizhong was one of the "Eight Great Kongs" around Chiang Kai-shek, and even his "loyal subject" abandoned the secret and turned to the light, and others naturally followed suit.
Chairman Mao
In this way, Zhang Zhizhong undertook the work of persuading the prisoners in the army, and with his efforts, the efficiency of the prisoners' persuasion in the liberation war was greatly improved. Many Kuomintang diehards, upon hearing that even General Zhang Zhizhong had submitted, immediately lost their psychological baggage and decided to surrender immediately.
When Chiang Kai-shek saw that Zhang Zhizhong did not return directly, he was furious, but he had no way to punish Zhang Zhizhong, so he had to remember and hate him in his heart.
In 1950, Chiang Ching-kuo appealed to Chiang Kai-shek: "Since Zhang Wenbai wants peace, we might as well give him a chance for peace." In this way, you send a secret letter to the mainland, asking the representative to come and negotiate. I expected Zhang Zhizhong to come, and as soon as he arrived, we would immediately send someone to get rid of him. ”
Thus, there was a scene in which Chiang Kai-shek pretended to negotiate, but in fact sent murderers.
Biography of Zhang Zhizhong
But he did not expect that the mainland had already intercepted their intelligence, sent out a message one step ahead of time, and rescued Zhang Zhizhong.
Zhang Zhizhong was reminded by Ye Jianying that it was difficult not to die, and after he returned to the mainland, he still had the idea of reunification, but for various historical reasons, he failed to achieve his wish.
Finally, on April 6, 1969, Zhang Zhizhong died of illness in Beijing.
Looking back at Zhang Zhizhong's life, he really interprets the word "peace" to the extreme. He led the army to fight for decades and never fought the Communists once. Even Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou praised him as "a good friend of the three to Yan'an," a "pacifist," and a "true patriot."