Since October 1, 1949, the beginning of the founding of New China, to this day, the great cause of the reunification of the motherland is still in progress, and there is still an important piece of the puzzle left outside, and it has not yet returned home. When it comes to reunification, even the top echelons of the Kuomintang, who used to represent evil and counter-revolution, are very attentive and eager for the emergence of a complete China in their lifetime.
This group has a profound impact on the great cause of China's reunification, as long as they dare to re-embark on the land of Chinese mainland, it means that they are willing to pay for the reunification of the country, the closer to 1949, the more so.
In 1965, Li Zongren returned to China, full of thrilling experiences, comparable to nine deaths, but whenever there is a loophole, tragedy is bound to happen. In mid-1948, Feng Yuxiang returned to China to prepare to join the CPPCC and prepare for the establishment of a coalition government, but unfortunately died in a ship fire, which is the most direct case.
When Li Zongren arrived on the mainland and set foot on Chinese soil, he saw Premier Zhou Enlai's personal greeting, Marshal Ye Jianying's warm welcome, and saw the development of New China, and felt that all adventures were worth it.
As the leader of the Gui clan, vice president and acting president of the Kuomintang government, Li Zongren's return to China could not be separated from the persuasion of one person. This person is Cheng Siyuan, a native of Guangxi, a non-partisan patriot who has been circling between Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren for many years during the Republic of China.
From April 1956 to June 1965, Cheng Siyuan went to Beijing to help Li Zongren solve the problems before and after his return to China. Cheng Siyuan's status in the Kuomintang is not low, he was a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee and deputy secretary-general of the Extraordinary Committee of the Central Committee, and soon after the founding of New China, he resigned and moved to Hong Kong, picking up a pen and working as a writer to make a living.
Cheng Siyuan
In 1956, the mainland's first five-year plan was successfully completed, all walks of life were thriving, and a vigorous scene appeared in the land of Shenzhou. On April 28, 1956, Cheng Siyuan returned to Beijing and was invited by Zhang Zhizhong to eat at home. After the meal, Zhang Zhizhong told Cheng Siyuan that Premier Zhou Enlai would receive you at the CPPCC cocktail party the next day.
After the two sides met the next day, zhou Enlai actually remembered meeting With Cheng Siyuan in 1938, Zhou Enlai asked Cheng Siyuan to go around and see, and when he went overseas, he could help publicize it. After some time, talking about Li Zongren, Zhou Enlai gave Cheng Siyuan a task: ask Mr. Li to return to the motherland at the right time.
This is no small matter and requires careful planning. After returning to Hong Kong, Cheng Siyuan, who was excited, wrote to Li Zongren of the detailed process of the mainland and the contents of his speech with Zhou Enlai and others. Li Zongren replied to the letter, some sincere fear, criticizing Cheng Siyuan for not consulting with himself and doing such a major thing, which is to worry about the safety of his friends, but also to fear what adverse effects his friends will have on this rough appearance.
After Cheng Siyuan received the reply, he smiled and shook his head, thinking: "Time is too late to discuss, in case you don't agree with what to do." In any case, just say it again. ”
In the autumn of 1957, Cheng Siyuan's eldest daughter, Lin Dai, was a Hong Kong actor who entered Columbia University for further study and visited Li Zongren's home many times. Li Zongren wrote to Cheng Siyuan to complain about his heart: "Yi Yueru (Lin Dai's original name Cheng Yueru), like seeing relatives, a feeling of homesickness, suddenly surged into the heart, and could not be calmed down for a long time. ”
Cheng Siyuan knew that Li Zongren actually wanted to return to China, but he was not sure about the attitude of the government, so he hid it. In November 1962, in order to maintain the integrity of the country, China counterattacked against India in self-defense, and Western imperialism used this public opinion to strike at the national prestige of the mainland, Li Zongren was very angry after learning of it, and specially issued an article "Further Exploration of the Sino-Indian Boundary Issue" to fight back.
In interviews conducted by some Western reporters, Li Zongren did not shy away from talking about the China issue, but mentioned the issue of China's reunification and China's security from a shallow and in-depth manner. The time was about ripe, and on November 14, 1963, Cheng Siyuan came to Beijing to ask Zhou Enlai. Zhou Enlai met with Cheng Siyuan at the Ziguang Pavilion in Zhongnanhai and repeatedly stated the government's four possibilities: Li Zongren could return to the motherland to settle down; he could come back, or he could return to the United States; he could temporarily live in Europe and make travel decisions; he could go out again after he returned, and if he wanted to go out, he could come back freely and not be constrained.
Zhou Enlai attached great importance to Li Zongren's return to China, and Tongcheng Siyuan kept talking about dawn and sending him to the car outside the Purple Light Pavilion. A week before Christmas, Li Zongren and Cheng Siyuan met in Zurich to determine their return to China.
On June 13, 1965, Li Zongren left the United States by plane and came to Switzerland on the pretext of accompanying his wife Guo Dejie to see a doctor. The original plan was that Li Zongren and his party would take off from Zurich, Switzerland, pass through Sweden, Beirut, Karachi and other places, arrive in Hong Kong, and then transfer back to China. Lawyer Li Zongrento began to sell his house, and the family packed up their belongings and began to leave the United States for Europe in batches.
Li Zongren and his wife originally wanted to return to China together with the patriot Wu Shangying and their son Li Zhisheng. But after waiting for two weeks, without waiting for news from the two men, Li Zongren and his wife were preparing to go to Lausanne to see what was going on, when suddenly an emergency notice was sent from home, asking them to leave Zurich immediately.
Afterwards, it was learned that less than 1 hour after Li Zongren's plane took off, two uninvited guests held a telegram from Bai Chongxi, pointing out that the name should be handed over to Li Zongren. The contents of the telegram are unknown.
Karachi, Pakistan, is a very important node in Li Zongren's journey back to China, and it is an excellent place for Kuomintang reactionary agents to carry out misdeeds. In early July 1965, Ding Guoyu, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, received an important instruction from Premier Zhou Enlai at home, asking him to protect the safety of the three people who were about to arrive, Li Zongren, Guo Dejie, and Cheng Siyuan, and properly escort them directly back to China.
After Ding Guoyu received this news, he felt a heavy responsibility, although he had never met Li Zongren, but he had heard about Li Zongren's deeds and influence. For the work of pick-up and escort, Ding Guoyu is very confident. In order to avoid sabotage by US and Taiwan agents and affect the safety of Li Zongren and his entourage, Ding Guoyu decided to dredge up Pakistan's relations, take the internal passage of Karachi Airport, and drive the car to the plane.
As soon as Li Zongren's flight arrived, Ding Guoyu greeted him, found Li Zongren and the three of them, and hurriedly invited them to sit in the car with the Chinese flag planted. Li Zongren and his party lived in Karachi for several days, Ding Guoyu took good care of and protected well, the residence was arranged at his own door, security personnel patrolled day and night, the food specially invited southern chefs, entertainment activities and chat, Peking Opera, movies and so on.
Li Zongren was very satisfied and very happy, and was moved to tears. In order to ensure that nothing was lost, Ding Guoyu went to the top level of the Pakistani government, explained the situation, received full support, and transferred a new Boeing airliner, and the crew was equipped by Ding Guoyu. Until this foot at the door, Ding Guoyu was not at ease, and deliberately put the special plane in the hangar for three days and arranged for personnel to guard it day and night. Prevent the enemy from receiving take-off information, planting bombs, or blocking enemy aircraft.
Ding Guoyu was well aware that there might be spies outside the embassy, and as soon as he went out, he might encounter an accident; when the plane flew to Burma, it was likely to be attacked by Kuomintang planes. Therefore, Ding Guoyu did not tell anyone the take-off time of the plane, chang Naizhi, the wife of the pillow man, did not know, and Li Zongren, who was anxious to return to China, did not know.
At midnight one day, Ding Guoyu took action, first arranging for two cars to drive out of the embassy to confuse and divert the enemy outside the embassy. This move was indeed successful, and then Ding Guoyu and Li Zongren and their party took another car to quickly drive to the airport and arrived at the side of the plane gangway.
When the plane flew over Burma, Ding Guoyu and Li Zongren and their party sweated nervously and prepared to be attacked by enemy planes. Finally, the special plane arrived at the territorial airspace of the motherland, and everyone's uneasy mood was swept away, and Li Zongren jumped up excitedly. At 8 o'clock on July 18, the plane was about to land at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, and Li Zongren burst into tears and said: "When I left Guangzhou 16 years ago, I thought it would be impossible to come back in this life. The world is fickle, I didn't expect the call of the motherland, and I came back again. ”
In Guangzhou, Li Zongren was warmly received and welcomed by Tao Zhu, secretary of the Central and Southern Bureau, And Chen Yu, governor of the province. After eating the special breakfast in Guangzhou, Li Zongren and his party took off again and flew to Shanghai. At Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Li Zongren saw Premier Zhou Enlai in the distance, standing in front of the waiting room door, looking at his group kindly.
Li Zongren hurriedly walked forward, hugged Zhou Enlai with both hands, and excitedly could not say a word. Zhou Enlai also hugged Li Zongren, patted him on the back, and said softly: "You are back, we welcome you!" Li Zongren said in a loud voice: "Hello Premier, Hello Prime Minister." Li Zongren's mood was indescribable, and he had a lot of things he wanted to say in his chest, but he didn't know where to start.
Subsequently, Li Zongren shook hands with Chen Yi, Ye Jianying, Chen Pixian, Cao Di and others who also came to pick up the machine. Considering that Li Zongren and his party had come over mountains and mountains and crossed the ocean, and their emotions had always been tense, they did not talk too much and sent them to the Jin Jiang Hotel in Shanghai to rest.
Zhou Enlai was actually very tired, and it was not until he received the news of Li Zongren's special plane entering China in the early morning that he went to bed. You know, Zhou Enlai is nearly 70 years old.
At 2 p.m., Zhou Enlai came to see Li Zongren, Guo Dejie, and Cheng Siyuan and said, "Mr. Delin, you can move freely in the afternoon, and we will not make arrangements." In the evening, we will set up a banquet for you to pick up the wind and wash the dust, wash away your toil, and prepare to see the new China. ”
Li Zongren said excitedly: "There is Premier Lao, and there is Lao." When the German neighbor returned to the country with his sins, how dare he nag more. Premier Zhou Enlai smiled and said, "Sir, why be polite, everyone is very happy when you return, including Chairman Mao." Li Zongren was deeply honored and offered an idea in his heart: "I would like to visit Mr. Ye Jianying, but I don't know if it is possible." ”
Ye Jianying was an old friend of Li Zongren and a comrade-in-arms who had fought together in the revolution and fighting together, but unfortunately, Li Zongren later went astray and embarked on the road of counter-revolution with Chiang Kai-shek. Hearing Li Zongren's request, Zhou Enlai immediately agreed: "Good! This is good. You fought side by side in the Battlefield of the Northern Expedition! I will arrange your meeting at my own discretion tomorrow afternoon. Li Zongren thanked Zhou Enlai happily.
After Zhou Enlai left, Li Zongren said to Cheng Siyuan: "Tomorrow afternoon, we can visit Mr. Ye Jianying, who is the first leading comrade I have taken the initiative to visit when I return to the motherland." Cheng Siyuan opened his mouth and corrected, "We should call Marshal Ye Jianying, or Ye Shuai." ”
In the evening, at the banquet for Li Zongren, Chen Yi took the initiative to open the conversation box: "The first kuomintang-communist cooperation, the revolutionary army sent out for the Northern Expedition. There are 8 commanders of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and now with the return of Mr. Delin, there are already 4 commanders in the mainland of the motherland. This is something to celebrate. In addition to Li Zongren, there are also Li Jishen, Cheng Qian, and Tang Shengzhi.
After the opening of the banquet, several leaders of the three armed services of the People's Liberation Army came to toast Li Zongren one after another. Zhou Enlai quipped, "You've all fought before." Now that you're back, you're welcome. Li Zongren added wine and returned one by one.
The next morning, Zhou Enlai summoned Li Zongren and talked about political issues and the Taiwan issue. In the afternoon, Marshal Ye Jianying, who was energetic and tall, received a visit from Li Zongren at home. The two shook hands, and Ye Jianying sighed: "Welcome home, we are old friends during the Northern Expedition!" Don't have to greet so much politely, now it's an old friend reminiscing. ”
Li Zongren held Ye Jianying's hand and said excitedly, "Yes, yes, more than 40 years have passed, and the past is vividly remembered." ”
As for why Li Zongren was able to receive a warm welcome from many leaders, it is inseparable from Li Zongren's identity, the acting president of the Kuomintang government. Acting president, according to legal theory, Li Zongren has always been counted, because Chiang Kai-shek did not go through the formal government and constitutional procedures, he deprived Li Zongren of his position as acting president.
It is also because of this acting presidency that It is difficult for Li Zongren to sleep in the first few nights when he returns to the motherland. The warm welcome atmosphere and sincere hospitality made him feel very unhappy in his heart, and his heart constantly flooded with sorry and guilt.
In early 1949, Li Zongren became the acting president of the Kuomintang government, and although he was constrained by Chiang Kai-shek, he was still the legal supreme leader of the Republic of China government. If he can be more decisive and sign the "Internal Peace Agreement" that has been negotiated almost the same, he will avoid some wars and reduce the casualties of some officers and men, Taiwan is likely to have returned to complete reunification, and China can enter a stage of rapid development without restraint.
Now that he is back in the motherland, Li Zongren wants to make up for some of his mistakes.
On July 20, Zhou Enlai and Li Zongren arrived at Shanghai Airport together. Before Zhou Enlai's special plane was put on, the premier said humorously and humorously: "I will fly for 20 minutes first and welcome you in Beijing." ”
After Li Zongren got off the plane, he was greeted with a warmer, more solemn, and larger scale than in Shanghai, and Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi, He Long, Luo Ruiqing, Chen Shutong, Guo Moruo, and others, as well as responsible persons of various democratic parties, personages without party affiliations, and Generals of the Kuomintang uprising, all came forward to meet and greet Li Zongren.
Zhou Enlai introduced Puyi to meet with Li Zongren, and Puyi shook Li Zongren's hand and said with a smile: "Welcome to you, welcome back to the embrace of our great motherland!" "This is a historic moment when the last emperor shook hands with the last president.
On the morning of July 26, Li Zongren was visiting a textile factory on the outskirts of Beijing when he was suddenly informed that Chairman Mao Zedong was in Zhongnanhai, waiting to receive Li Zongren. Li Zongren entered Zhongnanhai by car with nervousness and excitement. In the swimming pool lounge, Chairman Mao was waiting inside. Why choose this place? It is also very meaningful. He said that the meeting between the two sides was not of a political nature, but more of a reunion chat between old friends.
Li Zongren walked along the swimming pool, and Chairman Mao held out his right hand forward and greeted him. Chairman Mao, while cordially shaking hands with Li Zongren and his wife, said: "You are back, very good, very good, welcome home." Chairman Mao did not pull down Cheng Siyuan, who accompanied Li Zongren and his wife, and shook hands with him and said: "Like thunder! It's been a long time coming. Hearing this, Cheng Siyuan was a little overwhelmed, but also felt honored and happy.
When we talk, we will inevitably talk about the Taiwan issue. Li Zongren frowned and said: "If the Taiwan issue is not resolved early, I am afraid that it will become a big worry." Chairman Mao waved his hand: "Mr. Li Deling, don't worry, Taiwan will one day return to the motherland, and China will be reunified sooner or later. ”
After talking about major state affairs, Chairman Mao did not snub any of them, and talked to Cheng Siyuan about the issue of his name, and when he knew that he had no other words, he took the initiative to find a close alias for him from Han Yu's name. It means to be close to our Party from now on. Cheng Siyuan thought it was good and immediately thanked him: "This is the greatest honor that the chairman has given me. ”
Li Zongren lived in Beijing until his death from pneumonia on January 30, 1969. Li Zongren's memorial service was held in the auditorium of Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing, and Zhou Enlai personally attended.
Before his death, Li Zongren wrote a handwritten letter to Chairman Mao and Zhou Enlai, which roughly read: "The road I resolutely took when I returned to the motherland from overseas in 1965 was the right one. The potential of our motherland is unmatched in the world. The future of our motherland is infinitely bright. At the last moment of my death. I am also deeply concerned about the future of the Kuomintang and all patriotic intellectuals who remain in Taiwan and overseas. At present, they have only one way, that is, to return to the embrace of the motherland like me. ”