In china's modern history, Tao Xisheng is a well-known figure: earlier, he immersed himself in the study of Chinese social history, and his unique insights on the nature of Chinese society aroused the curiosity of chinese academic circles, and then triggered a "great controversy in Chinese social history". During this period, a "Picking Up Pieces of Chinese Social Phenomena" and a four-volume "History of Chinese Political Thought" ushered in the "Tao Xisheng Era"; later, he assisted Chiang Kai-shek in his political career with a pen, and with the shoulders of weak scholars, he took up the heavy burden of the Kuomintang government's cultural propaganda work, made achievements that attracted the attention of the world, and gradually became an authoritative theoretician of the Kuomintang. During this period, he won the name of "Chiang Kai-shek's Imperial Pen" for Chiang Kai-shek's "The Fate of China", "Soviet Russia in China" and a "1949 New Year's Day Proclamation".
Such a "good gentleman" did a shocking thing that was controversial in the world from 1938 to 1940, that is, "rebelling against Chiang Kai-shek.". Is Tao Xisheng involuntarily, or is there something else hidden?
Break away from Chongqing and publicly propose "peace with Japan"
On July 10, 1937, at Beiping Station, a train heading south was quietly stopping at the platform, and a middle-aged man with red eyes and a tight brow boarded the train with a passenger line carrying large bags and small bags. At the moment when he was about to step into the carriage, he looked up at the sky, sighed, and said heavily: "Beiping, I hope you are safe and sound..."
This person is Tao Xisheng, a professor at Peking University who triggered the "Great Controversy on Chinese Social History" in academic circles. Three days ago, on the night of three days ago, the Yimu Brigade of the First Wing of the Japanese Garrison In Tun was conducting an offensive at the Lugou Bridge on the outskirts of Beiping, and then, under the pretext of searching for missing soldiers, suddenly attacked the county seat of Wanping County, and engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with the Jixing Wentuan regiment of the Feng Public Security Department of the Thirty-seventh Division of the Kuomintang Song Zheyuan's Twenty-ninth Army, which shocked China and foreign countries. The Beiping area was immediately rattled, which shattered Tao Xisheng's desire to "not ask about politics, but specialize in learning." Just at this time, Chiang Kai-shek, the supreme commander of the Kuomintang, invited intellectuals from all over the world to discuss the grand plan of saving the country, and Tao Xisheng was among those invited.
Pass through Tianjin, walk through Nanjing, take a river ferry, take a bamboo car. Along the way, the breath of war gradually diluted, but Tao Xisheng's heart tightened more and more.
On July 17, 1937, Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi. At the tea party, in front of the elite and celebrities from all over the world, Chiang Kai-shek, speaking with a strong Jiangsu-Zhejiang accent, delivered a speech that expressed China's position of "hoping for peace rather than seeking peace, and preparing to fight rather than seeking war." After the meeting, Jiang summoned Tao Xisheng alone and said, "Mr. Tao has done a good job in Beiping, and he is really an indispensable pillar of the country, so I don't know if I would be willing to go out of yanyuan to teach me jiang someone to govern the country and the world?" It was this summons that completely changed the fate of a "weak scholar." Tao Xisheng agreed to Chiang Kai-shek's request, resigned as a professor at Peking University, joined the fifth group of the attendant office of the chairman of the Military Commission of the National Government, specialized in international propaganda, and left the lecture hall and entered the official field.
Worthy of being a man of great talent who had read poetry and observed the heavens and the earth, Tao Xisheng soon did a smooth job of public opinion work of "analyzing international issues for the sake of literature and showing the national revolution and the building of the War of Resistance and Nation-Building with commentary," and thus won Chiang Kai-shek's deep reliance.
However, compared with Chiang Kai-shek's love for himself, Tao Xisheng slowly became disappointed with Chiang Kai-shek: "To say that 'once the war is over, only to fight to the end' is a purely deceptive lie, and he knows that blindly making concessions, concessions, and concessions has in vain and lost a large area of territory in northeast China and eastern China in vain, so why should he talk about saving the country and saving the people..." So he often borrowed wine to pour sorrow, and from time to time stood on the side of Wang Jingwei, vice president of the Kuomintang, chairman of the Supreme National Defense Conference, and chairman of the National Committee of Political Participation, and "accused" him. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek applauded the "peace line" pursued by Wang Jingwei.
In 1952, Tao Xisheng (first from the left in the second row) and Hu Shi (first from the left in the front row) and others were in Taiwan
How did Tao Xisheng know Wang Jingwei? It turned out that when the Northern Expedition War broke out in 1927, Tao Xisheng was hired as a political instructor and chief of the Military Justice Department of the Wuhan Branch of the Whampoa Military Academy, and met the "legendary" Wang Jingwei, and was excited to have an "inexplicable good feeling". Therefore, in the following days, he intentionally or unintentionally approached Wang Jingwei, and Wang Jingwei also admired Tao Xisheng's talent and ability, and the relationship between the two became increasingly close. Later, Tao Xisheng was accused of being a "reactionary warlord" for stopping the secretary of the peasant association from shooting the peasants at will, and in anger, he immediately took off his military uniform to sell literature and teach. Now, the two work together again, naturally feel very close, and soon because of the "common language", they have nothing to talk about.
In October 1938, the Battle of Wuhan ended with the defeat of the Nationalist army. Immediately, Tao Xisheng's mood fell into a low ebb, and he became less optimistic about the war situation, and he was in a trance all day long.
More than a month has passed. On this day, Tao Xisheng attended a meeting organized by Wang Jingwei. In the meantime, Wang pulled Tao into a secret room and asked openly, "What is my opinion of the 'peace line' that I advocate?" Tao Xisheng replied casually: "Well, it's ok, but it's lacking." Wang asked again: "What if the 'negotiation' is successful?" Wang Jingwei was talking about the secret talks between Mei Siping and Gao Zongwu in Shanghai with the Japanese side Takeo Imai, Yoshio Ito, and Akira Onasa on the signing of documents such as the "Records of the Japan-China Agreement" and the "Memorandum of Understanding of the Records of the Japan-China Agreement" (the "Shigekodo Agreement"). At this moment, after a long silence, Tao Xishengcai said: "The lord and peace are one thing, but the formation of the house under the Japanese bayonet in the occupied area is another thing." When he was in Wuhan, he once said that there would be no peace talks without the War of Resistance, so this time to cooperate with the chairman of the committee, we must cooperate to the end, and never break up halfway. I hope that Sir will carry out the original intention. Wang Jingwei waved his hand: "Sir, the 'negotiation' has already begun, if it is leaked, our lives will not be saved." The words stopped at this point, but Tao Xisheng already understood Wang Jingwei's meaning.
On December 18, 1938, just as the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was entering a tragic situation, Wang Jingwei, vice president of the Kuomintang, chairman of the Supreme National Defense Conference, and president of the National Association of Political Participation, secretly fled kunming under the pretext of going out to give a speech. At this moment, Tao Xisheng was visiting his wife and children in Chengdu, and his face immediately changed greatly after receiving the encrypted telegram, and then he paced anxiously: "It's coming so fast, what should I do?" ”
Hesitate, wander. Finally, Tao Xisheng made up his mind.
On December 19, 1938, Tao Xisheng quietly flew to Kunming, and then flew to Hanoi, Vietnam, along with Wang Jingwei, Chen Bijun, Zhou Fohai, Gao Zongwu, Zeng Zhongming, and Mei Siping.
Upon hearing the news, Chiang Kai-shek was greatly shocked, and first threw a cup and angrily scolded Wang Jingwei: "What Wang has done harms himself and the enemy, the country, and the party is not a shallow crime." This thief is incorrigible, and many acts of injustice will kill himself. Then he stomped his feet and reprimanded Tao Xisheng: "Niang Xipi, Tao Xisheng bears me, Tao Xisheng bears me..." Then, he fell down on the sofa and was silent for a long time.
On December 29, Wang Jingwei sent a telegram to the Kuomintang Central Committee and Chiang Kai-shek, saying that Japan's "territorial demands on China" and "respect for China's sovereignty" would enable China to "complete its independence, and openly raised the banner of begging." Just one day later, on December 31, Tao Xisheng also wrote in a letter to Hu Shi, the ambassador of the Nationalist government to the United States: "Since the fall of Wuhan and Guangzhou, China has not had a complete division, saying that the fight cannot be fought. The finance is twenty-seventy thousand a year, and the income is less than twenty thousand. Zhuang Ding supplement da cheng problem. The scorched-earth policy caused resentment among the people, reaching the extreme of the Changsha incident. Such an unoptimal content, in such a diplomatic situation, of course, should consider the method of survival and extinction. ”
Tao Xisheng's so-called "method of survival and extinction" is actually what Wang Jingwei said about negotiating peace with Japan.
Since then, Tao Xisheng and Chiang Kai-shek have parted ways.
Stepping into Shanghai, trying our best to assist the "Wang Group"
After a thorough break with Chiang Kai-shek, Wang Jingwei actively carried out his own "peace movement"—first advocating "Sino-Japanese goodwill" with great fanfare, echoing the "establishment of a greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere" thrown by the Japanese side; and then appointing his powerful confidant Gao Zongwu to secretly visit Tokyo to seek political and economic support.
It is conceivable that the two sides are in agreement.
In May 1939, seeing that the time was getting ripe, Wang Jingwei summoned a group of followers to a meeting and announced: "Gentlemen, the Japanese side greatly appreciates the revolutionary cause we are engaged in, so I am ready to shift the focus of my work to Shanghai and re-establish a new National Government." "I didn't admit it, the words didn't fall, and the venue immediately exploded." Someone said, "Back home?" Wasn't that just looking for yourself to bump into old Jiang's muzzle! Some people said: "To rebuild the National Government means to openly argue with Chiang Kai-shek, and with our present strength, we will not be able to gain much." Some people said: "In this way, didn't you become a puppet controlled by the Japanese military like Puyi?" No, no. Seeing the situation, Wang Jingwei quickly defended himself: "Guys, it is a bit outrageous, we are saving the country, but we are just taking a 'curved' path." ”
After some quarrels, a considerable number of the participants patted the case away, and Wang Jingwei also snorted coldly and whisked his sleeve away.
In the middle of this, Tao Xisheng was opposed, knowing that this move was a traitorous move. However, Wang Jingwei had already made up his mind, and he was helpless.
Tao Xisheng once again came to a crossroads: to go, is to be a traitor, and everyone spits; to stay is not righteous enough, and the relationship is broken.
Still struggling in contradictions, Chen Bijun came to lobby: "Sir, from the seventeenth year of the Republic of China in Wuhan to the nineteenth year in Shanghai, then to the twenty-sixth year in Wuhan, and to the twenty-seventh year in Chongqing, you have been following Zhaoming, which shows that you have a deep sense of righteousness, why can't you continue?" Then, Wang Jingwei personally came to persuade him: "Sir, I need your help, just let me go!" In this case, unable to stand up to the "hospitality" of Wang Jingwei and his wife, Tao Xisheng had to bid farewell to some of his comrades who insisted on leaving, and returned to Shanghai Beach under Japanese occupation on August 28, 1939, and served as the "Propaganda Minister" at the so-called "Sixth National Congress of the Chinese Kuomintang" organized by Wang Jingwei. Re-engaging with the "old line of work," Tao Xisheng did his best to assist Wang Jingwei, or wrote articles to shake the flag and shout, or traveled abroad to win foreign aid, or allied to expand the camp, just as he had assisted Chiang Kai-shek in the first place, and even more than that.
On April 5, 1967, Tao Xisheng and Gao Zongwu were reunited at Dumbarton Oaks
Helplessly, although they run around every day and fight at dusk, the heavens do not seem to care for tao Xisheng's wholehearted assistance to the Wang clique of "saving the country and saving the people": on the one hand, the determination and courage of the Chinese military and people to persist in resisting Japan have finally won the trust of Western countries, and they have gradually felt that China is enough to become a partner in balancing Japanese forces in the Far East -- so they changed their previous cold-eyed attitude and began to provide assistance to China; on the one hand, because of the difficulty of communication between views and understandings on many issues, The conservatives represented by Tao Xisheng and "Foreign Minister" Gao Zongwu and the radical factions represented by "Secretary General of the Central Committee" Zhou Fohai and "Organization Minister" Mei Siping are increasingly "intolerable to fire and water" -- among them, the most crucial point is that for the new National Government to be formed by Wang Jingwei, Tao Xisheng believes that it is absolutely undesirable to make plans outside the areas occupied by the Japanese army, such as Shanghai and Beiping; Zhou Fohai believes that it is most appropriate to rely on Japan's support to establish political power in Nanjing, the capital of the former National Government. Wang Jingwei, who was anxiously waiting to "save the people from water and fire", was furious and yelled at Tao Xisheng: "Have you ever thought about it, without the support of the Japanese, how can we gain a foothold?" Or Fo Hai thought carefully. Since then, the "Zhou Fohai Route" has gradually become the mainstream, Tao Xisheng and Gao Zongwu have gradually been marginalized, and their influence has gradually weakened.
After being snubbed, Tao Xisheng did not complain and, as always, advised Wang Jingwei.
On November 1, 1939, at the behest of Wang Jingwei, Tao Xisheng, together with Zhou Fohai, Mei Siping, and Gao Zongwu, formed a negotiating committee to negotiate the establishment of a "new central government" with the "Mei Organ" (the office established by Ying Sa Zhen Zhao in Shanghai, located in a residence named "Mei Hua Tang" on North Sichuan Road, so called "Mei Organ").
At the negotiating table, only after flipping through a few pages of the "Outline for the Adjustment of New Relations between Japan and China" submitted by Shadow Sasaki, Tao Xisheng immediately jumped up in surprise: "Heaven, the harshness of the conditions is far beyond the 'Chongguangtang Agreement' a year ago, and it can even be compared with the 'Twenty-one Articles' of that year." Originally, this outline was tantamount to a small blueprint within a big blueprint: the small blueprint was that Japan divided China's northeast, north China, central China, south China, and Hainan Island into five kinds of "zones," which can also be said to be five layers. The deepest layer is the puppet Manchukuo, the second layer is the puppet Mongolian Autonomous Government, the third layer is North China, the fourth layer is Central China, and the fifth layer is South China. Hainan Island is a Japanese military base like Waitai.
"Not good!" Quietly touching the handkerchief, Tao Xisheng wiped the cold sweat on his forehead vigorously, "The problem is serious!" From the terms of this secret treaty, he finally saw the real situation: on the one hand, the intention of Japanese imperialism to fully control China had been fully exposed; on the other hand, Wang Jingwei had even made no bottomless concessions in order to gain support. Tao Xi's sacred heart rose up with great disappointment and strong dissatisfaction.
When he got out of the door, Tao Xisheng dragged Gao Zongwu aside and threw down a sentence: "I will never talk about such a treaty or sign it!" Gao Zongwu was also quite dissatisfied: "I don't talk about it or sign it!" ”
On November 3, 1939, Tao Xisheng and Gao Zongwu wrote to Wang Jingwei one after another, saying that there were other important matters that needed to be handled and that they could not continue to attend the negotiations, and that they would leave Fohai and Mei Siping alone to negotiate next week.
Soon, Wang Jingwei sensed that something was wrong, so he called Tao Xisheng: "Sir, I still need your help." With his heart moving, Tao Xisheng looked up and saw Wang Jingwei's helpless look, and his anger immediately disappeared without a trace, and he immediately responded: "If there is anything, despite the command, we must do our best!" ”
Fleeing to Hong Kong, Dayi reveals "Wang-Ri Secret Treaty"
Not long after, Wang Jingwei and Ying Sasaki reached an agreement on the "Outline for the Adjustment of New Relations between Japan and China."
Hearing the news, Tao Xisheng was stunned for a while.
December 30, 1939, was the day of the official signature. After receiving the notice, Tao Xisheng hesitated, so he politely refused to attend the signing ceremony: "I am very sorry, my body has been unharmed in the past two days, and the doctor has instructed me to recuperate behind closed doors, so I will not go." ”
At this point, Wang Jingwei's heart muttered: "Before, I said that I would not participate in the negotiations, but now I don't even come to attend the signing ceremony. ”
Wang Jingwei really guessed correctly, and Tao Xisheng, who was unwilling to be a traitor, really had the idea of leaving at this time.
Coincidentally, just when Tao Xisheng was secretly making up his mind, Gao Zongwu suddenly came to the door and said, "Brother Tao, you and I are not present at the signing ceremony, Wang Jingwei will definitely be suspicious, and most of them will ask you and me about things in the future." ”
After some analysis, Tao Xisheng and Gao Zongwu couldn't help but feel afraid of the dangerous situation, so they decided: "Mo stayed, hurry up and leave!" ”
In order to confuse Wang Jingwei, on New Year's Day 1940, Tao Xisheng specially carried gifts, greeted him with greetings, and talked freely about the formation of a "new central government" in passing.
On the same day, Gao Zongwu rushed to Zhou Fohai's house to say hello to the New Year.
On January 4, 1940, according to the plan discussed in advance: Gao Zongwu walked first, dressed in the clothes of ordinary citizens, took a rickshaw to huangputan wharf; Tao Xisheng walked in the evening, entered the building from the front door of the Guotai Hotel on Nanjing Road, and then came out through the back door, took a bus, and went to Huangputan Wharf. Then, the two escaped together on the American ship "President Hoover".
Without incident along the way, Tao Xisheng and Gao Zongwu arrived in Hong Kong smoothly and agreed to disclose the "Outline for the Adjustment of New Relations between Japan and China" signed by Wang Jingwei and Ying Zuo Zhenzhao as soon as possible, so as to give an explanation to the Chinese people.
On January 21, 1940, the Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao published the details of the "Wang-Ri Secret Covenant" on the front page, and a set of four-line bold characters were particularly eye-catching:
Gaozong Wu Tao Xisheng published with Hong Kong
The full text of Wang Zhaoming's conditions for treason
The culmination of many years of dreaming of the sun valve
Concentrate on the crimes of foreign history traitors
Immediately, newspapers in Chongqing, Shanghai, Beiping, Kunming, and Nanjing reprinted one after another, and for a while the whole country was in an uproar and the crowd was excited. This is the "Gao Tao Incident", known in history as the "Little Xi'an Incident". This incident was nothing more than a thunderbolt on a sunny day, causing Wang Jingwei, Chen Bijun, Zhou Fohai, and Mei Siping to panic, and at the same time "also gave a profound warning to those pessimistic and shaken elements who remained in the Chongqing camp - the road to peace is not feasible."
In the end, there were many years of friendship, and the day after the disclosure of Wang Ri's secret agreement, Tao Xisheng joined Gao Zongwu in calling Wang Jingwei and others: "... Hee Seong-takeshi and others presided over and participated in the diplomatic negotiations between Mr. Hiji and Japan, and should have a moral duty to keep it secret, but Shōshū takeshi et al. believe that the attempt of the Japanese side to separate and destroy China is not available to Mr. Du and his old friends of cadres and secretly, thinking that in order to achieve temporary success, it must eventually be abandoned by a politician of insight in Japan. If the gentleman and his former friends expect such success, it is also the defeat of the Republic of China. If Mr. Chee-wan and his old friends stop from the precipice and abandon this movement that is not beneficial to the country, the country is fortunate, the nation is very fortunate, and the Xisheng Zongwu is also very fortunate. "Persuade him to hurry up and restrain himself from the cliff, and Mo will go farther and farther on the dangerous road."
Unfortunately, the Wang clique was determined to be the enemy of the state and the nation, and with the planning and support of Japan, they soon formally established a puppet regime in Nanjing on March 20, 1940, the "National Government of the Republic of China". Wang Jingwei served as president of the Executive Yuan and chairman of the State Council and chairman of the Supreme National Defense Conference of the Central Political Commission, Zhou Fohai as minister of finance and vice president of the Executive Yuan, and Mei Siping as a member and standing committee member of the Central Executive Committee.
Tao Xisheng, who was far away in Hong Kong, looked up at the north and shook his head and sighed.
More than a year has passed.
On December 8, 1941, the Pacific War broke out and Hong Kong fell, and in February of the following year, Tao Xisheng fled Hong Kong with the Huiyang Homecoming Team and came to Chongqing.
Chiang Kai-shek gave him a generous and tolerant reception--with a big stroke of a pen, he immediately entrusted him with a heavy responsibility: "Hereby appoint Mr. Tao Xisheng as the leader of the fifth group of major generals in the chairman's attendant room." Seeing the situation, Tao Xisheng was grateful and secretly swore: "From now on, only Chairman Jiang's orders will be obeyed!" So he devoted himself to sharing his worries and worries for Chiang Kai-shek, and soon became a Chen Bray-like crony figure around Chiang Kai-shek, so he had the "Destiny of China" and "Soviet Russia in China", which were widely circulated later, and from then on, he became more peaceful and prosperous, successively serving as the chief writer of the "Central Daily" of the National Government, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang Central Committee, and gradually becoming an authoritative theoretician of the Kuomintang.
Source: Magazine of All Walks of Life, Issue 4, 2022
Author: Jiang Meng