Taipei, 1993.
Summer is hot and the heat is full of heat. The sound of cicadas is one after another, setting off layers of sound waves, which makes people sound a little bored. However, for an elderly man living in a six-story apartment on the outskirts of Taipei, today is a happy day. He got up early, packed up his room, and waited for the guests to arrive.
He is the famous young marshal Zhang Xueliang.
After a while, the door opened, and the crowd was accompanied by a familiar burst of laughter. It turned out that the Rap Art Troupe of the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television of China arrived in Taipei to perform and came to see Zhang Xueliang.
Among them, the sketch actor Huang Hong happens to be Zhang Xueliang's hometown.
When he saw Zhang Xueliang, he was very excited, not only greeting him one after another, but also inviting Zhang Xueliang to write a few words of gift to the people of his hometown before leaving. After thinking about it again, Zhang Xueliang finally lifted his pen and wrote down three words.
When Huang Hong looked at it, his eyes were moist.
What three words did Zhang Xueliang write? What kind of interesting story is there between Huang Hong and Zhang Xueliang?
All the answers are hidden in that blazing summer.
I. Special Meeting: Huang Hong visited Zhang Xueliang
For actor Huang Hong, July 28, 1993 was a day he will never forget.
Two days ago, he and many colleagues came to Taipei from the mainland for a ten-day performance visit. Among this line of people, there are many names that we are familiar with: Jiang Kun, Feng Gong, Ni Ping and so on. Everything about Taipei made them feel new and they were warmly welcomed.
But what Huang Hong did not expect was that a bigger surprise was still to come.
On this day, the leader of the rap art troupe brought a shocking news: Zhang Xueliang, a young marshal, hoped to meet them.
At that time, Zhang Xueliang lived in a new residence in the countryside, but as soon as he heard that a group of actors had come from the mainland to perform, he wanted to see them no matter what. To this end, he also came to Taipei on purpose and borrowed to live in the home of his younger brother Zhang Xuesen for convenience.
After knowing the ins and outs, Huang Hong was very moved, and they immediately went to the apartment to meet Zhang Xueliang.
Surrounded by greenery, the scenery is superb, and everywhere it reveals an air of calm and tranquility. Zhang Xueliang waited for everyone in the living room early, and when they met, he smiled heartily and even said welcome.
This was the first time that Huang Hong had come into contact with Zhang Xueliang so closely, and he couldn't help but be shocked, and Zhang Xueliang's familiar northeast rural voice made him unconsciously feel kind.
Thinking like this, he hurriedly stepped forward, shook Zhang Xueliang's hand, and said: "General Zhang, hello, we wish you old health and high life!" ”
Unexpectedly, when Zhang Xueliang heard this simple blessing, he actually laughed.
He blinked his eyes playfully and said to Huang Hong, "Don't live any longer, you will become an old goblin if you live another high life!" ”
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then reacted, and also followed Zhang Xueliangle to blossom, and after only a few minutes of meeting, Huang Hong's original nervousness disappeared.
Zhang Xueliang asked someone to bring tea and let them sit on the sofa to rest. At this time, The sharp-eyed Huang Hong suddenly found that only Zhang Xueliang himself was sitting on a hard bench. He and his colleagues looked at each other, and quickly got up to give in, Zhang Xueliang took a look, waved his hand busily, and refused their kindness.
Zhang Xuesen, who was on the side, immediately explained that Zhang Xueliang was born in the military, which was a habit left by him in his military career for many years. Even now that he is older, he still retains this habit to exercise the waist plate.
Hearing this, Huang Hong admired it even more.
After talking for a while, Huang Hong took the initiative to tell Zhang Xueliang that he was from the northeast.
As soon as the word "Northeast" was uttered, Zhang Xueliang's eyes lit up. He hurriedly greeted Huang Hong in his hometown dialect, and after knowing that Huang Hong was from Shenyang, he asked him which district of Shenyang he belonged to.
Huang Hong said: "Shenyang Heping District. ”
Zhang Xueliang had a slight trepidation, he leaned forward and asked, "What is the name of the old district?" ”
Huang Hong said frankly that he did not know the old name of Heping District, but there was a railway station in the district anyway. When he said this, Zhang Xueliang understood, immediately smiled and bent his eyes, and took the initiative to tell everyone that this place was originally a railway annex land, which had been forcibly leased by the Russians and the Japanese. Next to the annex, there is also a commercial port with foreign trade.
As soon as he talked about his hometown, Zhang Xueliang had endless words, and everyone could listen to God, and no one interrupted him. The years are stretched out like a picture scroll, showing a thick historical outline.
After speaking, Huang Hong said a heartfelt word to Zhang Xueliang.
He told Zhang Xueliang that his father and fellow villagers in Shenyang missed him very much.
Huang Hong said earnestly, Zhang Xueliang's eyes were a little moist, he smiled heartily, and said: "We miss the old and young masters in our northeast very much!" Are you right? ”
Everyone knows that Zhang Xueliang has unavoidable difficulties and pains, but he is still infected by his enthusiasm and responds to peace. And when it comes to the work of Huang Hong and others, he does not skimp on words of praise.
Zhang Xueliang said that it is a very honorable job to bring laughter to everyone. In the past, people said that this humor was the patent of foreigners, but Zhang Xueliang felt that the Chinese nation has always had a humorous cell.
After this long talk, Huang Hong admired Zhang Xueliang more and more, not only invited him to see his performance tomorrow, but also hoped that Zhang Xueliang could write a few words for the people of Northeast China who missed him.
He originally thought that Zhang Xueliang would politely refuse, because as he grew older, Zhang Xueliang had gradually stopped attending such activities, but Huang Hong did not expect that the next day when the curtain of the performance opened, he saw Zhang Xueliang sitting in the first row.
After the performance, Huang Hong took out a pen and paper and invited Zhang Xueliang to write an inscription.
Zhang Xueliang originally wanted to write an inscription, but unfortunately his eyesight was not good, and the lights in the theater were very dim. He thought twice and decided to write his name. Before writing, he asked Huang Hong whether he wrote Chinese or English.
Huang Honglian said, "Use Chinese, use Chinese!" ”
In this way, the old man held his breath and solemnly wrote down the three words that weighed as much as a thousand pounds: Zhang Xueliang.
Looking at Zhang Xueliang like this, Huang Hong couldn't help but be moved, his heart was complex and difficult to express. Before leaving, Zhang Xueliang also specially instructed him to ask Huang Hong to greet his fathers and fellow villagers in the northeast on his behalf, and to tell them that Zhang Xueliang was always thinking of everyone.
The old man picked up the thin paper in the dim light, gently blew a breath, and dried the ink marks. He carefully examined it for a long time before handing over this gift of great significance to Huang Hong.
So, as a young marshal in the northeast, why did Zhang Xueliang come to Taiwan? How did he spend his later years?
All this has to start from the Xi'an incident.
Second, the bumpy journey: Zhang Xueliang went to Taiwan from the beginning to the end
In 1936, the land of Shenzhou was constantly in flames, japan invaded, and the nation was in danger.
This scene greatly touched the heart of Zhang Xueliang, commander of the Northeast Army. On December 12 of that year, in order to force Chiang Kai-shek to resist Japan, Zhang Xueliang and General Yang Hucheng launched the "Xi'an Incident", which shocked China and foreign countries. Their efforts were not in vain, the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party began, and the prelude to China's all-out War of Resistance slowly began.
However, this famous Xi'an incident in history has become a turning point in Zhang Xueliang's life. From then on, he fell into deep suffering.
Although Chiang Kai-shek promised to resist Japan, he also hated Zhang Xueliang because of this. Subsequently, Zhang Xueliang was imprisoned and went to Guizhou, Chongqing and other places for more than ten years, preparing for hardships. It wasn't until one day in November 1946 that he had an even more unknown fate.
Chiang Kai-shek decided to secretly transfer the couple to Taiwan without Zhang Xueliang and Zhao Yidi's knowledge.
Many years later, the captain of this mission, Wang Cijiu, recalled this day, and the past was vividly remembered, which made people feel a thousand emotions.
The night before, Wang Zhijiu received secret information that he had a new flight mission tomorrow, which required him to leave at 8:30 in the morning and go directly to Taoyuan Airport. Until he arrived at the airport the next day, Wang Zhijiu did not know who his passengers were.
Suddenly, a jeep drove into the tarmac, and Wang Cijiu fixed his eyes on it, only to find that it was Zhang Xueliang and Zhao Yidi!
Zhang Xueliang is dressed in a dark blue Zhongshan suit, although he has been imprisoned for decades, he is still radiant and has the heroism of that year. Zhao Yidi took his arm and accompanied him slowly forward, like a loving look. I saw that Miss Zhao Si was wearing a light blue cheongsam and holding a rattan box in her left hand, with a solemn look.
Perhaps the two of them already knew their fate at this time.
Before getting on the plane, there was a sudden light rain outside the window, as if it were weeping, and it was like mourning and farewell. Zhang Xueliang stared at this land for a long time, without saying a word.
In the end, the plane landed slowly, and Zhang Xueliang and his wife came to Taiwan and started the rest of their lives.
Hindered by his superior's orders, Wang Cijiu never spoke to them in a word, only looking at the distant backs of the two of them, and his heart was full of infinite sorrow.
When Zhang Xueliang arrived in Taiwan, he was immediately picked up and imprisoned in the sparsely populated Hsinchu Mountains. After that, Kaohsiung and Hsinchu became the locations where Zhang Xueliang kept living, and finally he moved to Beitou, a suburb of Taipei. In Hsinchu Qingquan, Zhang Xueliang spent more than ten long years.
There, he and Zhao Hadti had to be self-sufficient, growing vegetables, making clothes, reading books and newspapers, and studying history together. On the surface, it seems to be a pair of gods and immortals living here, but the central pain is known only to the two of them.
In the past, Zhang Xueliang was a general in the Weizhen battlefield, he fought all his life, but now he has lost his freedom, far away from the world, and lives in the mountains. And Zhao Yidi was also a rich lady with a well-off family, but she was forced to learn to raise chickens and sew, no better than at the beginning.
For Zhang Xueliang, no matter how beautiful The scenery of Taiwan is, it is not as good as the sentiment of the homeland. When he was imprisoned in the mountains, the only pleasure was to take pictures with Zhao Yidi.
The two of them, taking pictures of each other in one scene after another, the days in the mountains are long, and there is nowhere to spend time. In addition to his wife, Zhang Xueliang was too limited to see, only a maid, Wu Ma, and those mysterious eyeliners.
Chiang Kai-shek only allowed him to move freely in the courtyard, and even when he walked out of the courtyard, he had to ask for a report, and when taking pictures, there were gendarmes who followed him all the way, always on guard against him.
On the eve of the founding of New China, Chiang Kai-shek announced his resignation, and Li Zongren negotiated with the Chinese Communists as "acting president." During the negotiations, Li Zongren proposed to release political prisoners and give Zhang Xueliang freedom.
This exciting news reached Taiwan, and Zhang Xueliang's heart ignited a glimmer of expectation. But what was unexpected was that as soon as the Taiwan side received the news, it moved Zhang Xueliang from Hsinchu to Kaohsiung as quickly as possible.
In this way, Zhang Xueliang completely understood that he wanted to restore his freedom, which could be described as a long way off.
With the establishment of New China, the news about Zhang Xueliang was completely blocked by Chiang Kai-shek. He was once again secretly transferred to Hsinchu, not only to bear the pain of disappointment, but also to write some "propositional compositions" in the deep mountains to "reflect" on what he had done in those years, which made people cry.
Seven years later, Zhang Xueliang was moved to Kaohsiung. It was another three years before he was sixty years old and finally made his home near Taipei. Life has been going around for decades, like years of emptiness.
Nowadays, the place where Zhang Xueliang lived in his later years has been renamed "Young Marshal Zen Garden", and there is also a "Young Marshal Pavilion" inside. In the pavilion, the inscription reads the speech written by Zhang Xueliang for the Northeastern University Alumni Association in 1990.
He said: "Not afraid of death, not loving money, the husband will never be pitied, stand tall against the heavens, and live in the light of the past." ”
Even though his body was imprisoned, Zhang Xueliang's optimistic and frank spirit has never changed.
In 1991, Zhang Xueliang finally regained his freedom.
Then, why did Zhang Xueliang, who had regained his freedom, not return to the mainland and re-embark on the black land that haunted his soul? How did he spend the last moment of his life?
All kinds of twists and turns, we have to start from a phone call on the eve of the Spring Festival in 1991.
Third, the hometown nostalgia: Zhang Xueliang in his later years
On this day, Wang Ji, a professor of history at Georgetown University in Washington, received a greeting call from Zhang Xueliang as usual.
Wang Ji is not only a professor in the history department, but since his retirement, he has been committed to cultural exchanges between China and the United States.
Wang Ji's father, Wang Shuchang, served under the father and son of the Zhang family, and the two families had a profound friendship and often greeted each other.
But this time, Zhang Xueliang wanted to discuss a major matter with Wang Ji.
On the phone, his tone was a little anxious, and he asked Wang Ji if he had time recently, whether he could come to Taiwan immediately, and if he had important matters to discuss. Wang Ji and Zhang Xueliang have been friends for many years, and naturally know his disposition. Zhang Xueliang said so, then it must be an important thing. The next morning, he bought a plane ticket back to Taipei.
Soon, the two met, and Zhang Xueliang finally spoke his heart.
He told Wang Ji that in his lifetime, he hoped to return to the mainland to have a look, but he did not know whether the mainland still welcomed him.
What he did not expect was that Wang Ji gave the answer almost instantaneously. Wang Ji told Zhang Xueliang that of course the mainland would welcome him back. He also said that over the past many years, the people of the mainland have never forgotten Zhang Xueliang's historical merits.
In 1956, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference also held a commemorative meeting to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Xi'an Incident, and even Premier Zhou Enlai personally attended. At the meeting, Premier Zhou also praised Zhang Xueliang's righteous deeds in that year, saying that he was an out-and-out "hero of the ages."
The reason why Wang Ji knew so clearly was because his father happened to be present at that grand event.
Zhang Xueliang was very moved, and Wang Ji continued to tell him about the changes in the mainland over the years.
He told Zhang Xueliang that the mainland is now undergoing reform and opening up, the whole country is developing and changing rapidly, the people's lives have become better, and everything has been renewed.
After listening to Wang Ji's description, Zhang Xueliang was even more eager to return to his hometown, to return to the land that had been separated for a long time, to take a walk and take a look.
Therefore, Zhang Xueliang invited Wang Ji to become his special envoy and asked him to help spread the word and express his wish to the mainland side.
During the Spring Festival of that year, Wang Ji took the opportunity to go home and actively contacted various units. What surprised Zhang Xueliang even more was that the mainland side had a very positive attitude and extended a sincere and warm welcome to him.
Zhang Xueliang, who received the news, was very excited, pulled Wang Ji and began to plan his trip to the mainland.
Zhang Xueliang hopes to stay on the mainland for at least four days. Two days to Beijing, two days back to Shenyang. Unable to contain his excitement, he repeatedly told Wang Ji that he must return to his hometown of Shenyang.
After not seeing him for many years, Zhang Xueliang wanted to see his father and fellow countrymen and his old ministry. According to the plan, the local TV station will also invite Zhang Xueliang to give a short speech, which is a greeting to the people in his hometown.
With such a joyful mood, Zhang Xueliang rested in the United States for a period of time, until he returned to Taipei two months later, but the change occurred.
It turned out that the Kuomintang rulers at that time, out of various concerns, were unwilling to let Zhang Xueliang return to the mainland, even if it was just to visit his relatives. In desperation, this matter can only be stopped, and this matter has also become a regret for Zhang Xueliang's life.
Afterwards, Zhang Xueliang was still thinking about the mainland side. He felt very guilty in his heart, believing that he had failed to live up to the mainland's good intentions, and since the mainland could not go, Zhang Xueliang did not want to stay in Taiwan anymore. In 1994, Zhang Xueliang applied to settle in the United States, where he spent his last days with his wife.
In the fall of 2001, he died in Hawaii, USA, with his eyes closed. At the end of his life, he may still regret that he has never had the opportunity to return to his hometown since that year. However, Zhang Xueliang's righteous deeds will be forever engraved on history and will flow through the ages.
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