On January 4, 1938, Chen Cheng wrote to his wife Tan Xiang, mentioning: "The Political Department still wants me to serve, except for (Chen) Lifu in the Party Department, and all the cadres of Lifu are opposed to my participation in the Political Training Department. I was reluctant to do it, but the chairman of the committee repeatedly asked me to do it, and it was inconvenient for me to resign. My reluctance to do so is not because I am afraid of opposition, but because I cannot take care of many things. Originally, Chiang Kai-shek decided to restore the political organs of the National Revolutionary Army at all levels during the Northern Expedition and set up political departments within the Military Commission to use the experience of political work during the Northern Expedition to improve the combat effectiveness of the troops and to publicize and organize the people.
Chen Cheng in the Battle of Wuhan
During the defense of Wuhan, the relations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were harmonious, and Chiang Kai-shek advocated that the Political Department should widely accommodate non-party personages, and strongly invited Zhou Enlai, deputy secretary of the CPC Central Committee delegation (Yangtze River Bureau), to serve as vice minister. The Yangtze River Bureau did not comment and twice sent a telegram to Yan'an to explain the situation: "The Political Department belongs to the military system, and in order to promote political work, transform the troops, persist in the War of Resistance, and expand the influence of the Communist Party, it can hold this post." If they repeatedly push and fail to do so, they will make Chiang Kai-shek and Chen believe that the Communist Party has no intention of helping each other, and the opinions of those who oppose their partners will be strengthened. ”
On February 6, the Political Department was officially announced, with Chen Cheng as minister, Huang Qixiang and Zhou Enlai as vice ministers, and Guo Moruo, a celebrity from the cultural circles, as the director of the Third Department (in charge of propaganda work). After serving as commander-in-chief of the Wuhan garrison and director of the Political Department, Chiang Kai-shek made him the chief of education of the Officer Training Corps (later renamed the Central Training Regiment), the deputy head of the First Regiment of the Theater Cadre Training Corps, the chairman of the Hubei Provincial Government, the commander of the Ninth Theater, and the secretary of the Three People's Principles Youth League.
Vice Minister of Political Affairs Zhou Enlai
"From the front to the rear, from the center to the localities, from the military to politics, training, and regimental affairs." Not only are people talking, but they are especially afraid of missing the overall situation. Chen Cheng resigned from his part-time job several times, and Chiang Kai-shek "blamed him repeatedly, but in the end he could not get rid of it." According to Huang's lover Guo Xiuyi, "At that time, Qi Xiang went to work in the Political Department every day, and he had great respect for Comrade Enlai and had very good personal feelings."; "Instruct Comrade Huang Xinwei, a cashier in the General Affairs Department, to send the salaries of Communist Party leaders such as Vice Minister Zhou and Member Deng Yingchao to the door every month."
Vice Minister of Political Affairs Huang Qixiang
Similarly, Chen Cheng and Zhou Enlai can also work together to achieve mutual tolerance and mutual respect. For example, in late May, a delegation from the World Federation of Students visited China, and one of the rallies was held on the Hankou Zhongshan Road, and all the important members of the Political Department participated, but when Zhou Enlai took the stage to talk about the eighth route army's heroic resistance and victory in Pingxingguan, some troublemakers began to whistle or make sighs under the stage. Chen Cheng had a sense of the overall situation and signaled Huang Qixiang to stop it. "Who's causing trouble in the audience?" Now is the time for the people of the whole country to unite and resist the war, how dare you make trouble here? If you don't want to listen, give me out right away! "The deterrent effect was immediate, enabling Zhou Enlai's speech to proceed smoothly."
Another example is the rights defense incident in which the Anti-Enemy Work Group of the Hanyang Arsenal demanded to improve the lives of workers, and the authorities believed that the famous democrat Li Gongshi instigated the labor tide, rudely put him under house arrest, and even threatened the "Salvation Congress" to hand over the list of progressive workers. Zhou Enlai negotiated with Chen Cheng: "You cannot detain Li Gonggong in the name of the Political Department, because I joined the Political Department and I am a vice minister. After the efforts of all parties to coordinate, Li Gonggong was finally released.
Minister of Political Affairs Chen Cheng
After the fall of Wuhan, the friction between the Kuomintang and the Communists was increasing, and in the face of the complicated situation in Chongqing, the capital, Zhou Enlai attached special importance to the united front work, sometimes tit-for-tat, sometimes resting. Chen Cheng was entangled in military affairs, and when he returned to Chongqing, he would preside over the "Premier Commemoration Week" of the Political Department, and according to the fixed ceremony, first all the people sang the party song in unison, then read the "Premier's Will" together, and before the end, they had to repeat the "Twelve Rules for Party Members."
Zhou Enlai was a member of the Communist Party, of course, it was inconvenient to participate in the political ceremonies of the Kuomintang, generally arriving a few minutes late, deliberately avoiding singing party songs and reading wills, and what about the last part of the "Twelve Rules for Party Members"? The attentive people present found that whenever Chen Cheng's speech was about to end but not over, Zhou Enlai raised his wrist to look at his watch, and if Chen Cheng saw this action, he would immediately end the speech and explain to the director of the General Affairs Department to continue to preside over the reading of the "Twelve Rules for Party Members" and leave the venue with Zhou Enlai first. If Chen Cheng was talking vigorously and did not notice the action of raising his wrist to look at his watch, Zhou Enlai would most likely say: "Rhetoric, the time is almost up." ”
Wuhan city during the Republic of China period
Obviously, between Zhou and Chen, it can be called "a sharp mind with a spirit". Regrettably, there are thousands of old photos in Chen Cheng's archives, but only a group photo of him and Zhou Enlai cannot be found, perhaps for political reasons. Fortunately, Chen Cheng's diary still has "clues" to follow.
In the spring of 1939, Zhou Enlai inspected Zhejiang in the name of vice minister of the Political Department, and then went to Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, to attend the Political Work Conference of the Third Theater. Chen Cheng was not idle, and rushed to Nanyue Hengshan to inspect the training class for guerrilla cadres in the southwest. On April 16, "after getting up at seven o'clock, I went out for a walk, a hundred flowers bloomed, the azaleas competed for red, looking down at the paddy fields like mirrors, the mountains were like a passing place, and the mind was open." At eight-and-a-half o'clock, he gradually returned to his home, read important official documents, and at eleven o'clock, he knew that Vice Minister Zhou would come, went out to greet him, and did not meet. At lunchtime, Brother Enlai came, separated for several months, and talked for a long time. Qu traveled through all over the southeast this time, looking at and discussing a lot, and at about two o'clock, Fang bid farewell to rest. ”
It can be seen that in the workplace, it is normal to have different opinions, but we must pay attention to the method and way, as long as we know how to respect each other and tolerate each other, I think there is nothing that cannot be solved. Headline netizens, do you have any stories of cooperation and cooperation in the workplace? Welcome to leave a message and follow the post. Thousands of rivers and mountains are always love, is it okay to add a concern?
bibliography:
1. Wang Dalu et al., eds., The Golden Years: A Biography of Guo Xiuyi, China Literature and History Publishing House, 1999
2. Sun Wei: The Biography of General Huang Qixiang, China Literature and History Publishing House, 2020 edition
3. "Collected Letters of Mr. Chen Cheng: Family Letters (Part 2)", Taipei "National History Museum", 2015 edition