At that time, Qu Qiubai assumed the pseudonym Lin Qixiang and insisted that he was a doctor. Because the Kuomintang authorities could not get any information from "Lin Qixiang", he had the opportunity to be released from prison on bail.
But at the crucial moment, some people pointed out that "Lin Qixiang" is Qu Qiubai, the senior leader of the Communist Party! Thus, Qu Qiubai's disguised identity was exposed. Immediately afterward, Chiang Kai-shek issued a secret order to execute Qu Qiubai.
Qu Qiubai was only 36 years old when he died.
After the founding of New China, the central authorities re-investigated the truth of Qu Qiubai's sacrifice. At the beginning, Qu Qiubai disguised himself as a doctor in the process of being imprisoned, without showing any flaws, who betrayed the party organization and pointed out Qu Qiubai's true identity?
The findings point to Zhou Yuelin, who was arrested along with Qu Qiubai. Zhou Yuelin was thus identified as a "traitor" and held in prison for decades.
However, during this period, Zhou Yuelin has always claimed to be innocent and has constantly filed complaints upwards, but has been repeatedly dismissed without any results.
Until 1979, a newspaper from the past gave the case a new clue, and also gave Zhou Yuelin's appeal a chance to be satisfied.
What happened when Qu Qiubai was arrested by the Kuomintang? Who betrayed him? Why was Zhou Yuelin suspected of being a betrayer? What clues do this past newspaper have that make the truth finally come to light?
All this must start from the time qu Qiubai was arrested.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > Qu Qiubai was arrested and successfully disguised</h1>
In October 1934, due to the failure of the Fifth Anti-Encirclement and Suppression War, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was forced to leave the Central Soviet Region and begin a strategic shift. The main forces of the Red Army embarked on the Long March, while Qu Qiubai remained in Jiangxi as the propaganda director of the Central Bureau and continued to carry out guerrilla warfare.
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized a large number of troops and constantly increased the encirclement and suppression of the Central Soviet Region, and the situation of the Communist Party in the Soviet Region became increasingly tense. Soon after, the Nationalist army had occupied most of the area.
Qu Qiubai suffered from severe tuberculosis and his physical condition had been poor, and in February 1935, because Qu Qiubai's condition was getting more and more serious, the Central Bureau decided to transfer him to other areas for treatment and recuperation.
In addition, in order to preserve the strength of cadres, the Central Sub-Bureau decided to send cadres of some organs to various localities to participate in the breakthrough and underground work in various regions. Therefore, this time with Qu Qiubai, there are also He Shuheng, Deng Zihui, Zhou Yuelin, Zhang Liang and others, who will be sent to Shanghai or Hong Kong. Among them, Zhou Yuelin is Liang Baitai's wife, and Zhang Liang is Xiang Ying's wife.
On February 11, under the cover of armed forces, the group left Ruijin and moved to Fujian. Since the areas they passed were basically the spheres of influence of the Kuomintang, they were very difficult and cautious along the way, often going out day and night and advancing in the dark.
However, when they arrived at the village of Xiaoyi in Shuikou Township, they were accidentally discovered by the local landlords armed with the "Volunteer Brigade". The "Volunteer Brigade" reported this situation to the Kuomintang's armed forces in Fujian, the 14th Regiment of Security, and the 14th Regiment immediately sent a battalion of troops to attack Qu Qiubai and others.
After a fierce battle, the personnel in charge of escorting were scattered by the enemy, and Qu Qiubai and others were surrounded by The Kuomintang army. He Shuheng was nearly sixty years old, unwilling to drag his comrades-in-arms, and resolutely jumped off the cliff and was eventually shot.
Qu Qiubai's physical condition was very poor, often lying on a stretcher, it was difficult to continue to follow the breakthrough, so he let Deng Zihui take people to go first, and he could walk one by one. Qu Qiubai, along with Zhang Liang and Zhou Yuelin, hid in the bushes below the mountain.
After the battle, the enemy searched the mountains and forests, and they were unfortunately captured and taken to the battalion headquarters of the Kuomintang army. At the time of interrogation, they gave their disguised identities and confessions according to the pre-negotiated plan.
Qu Qiubai said that his name was Lin Qixiang, his family was in Jiangsu, he had studied medicine and literature, and later he was captured by the Red Army and sent to Ruijin, Jiangxi, where he worked as a doctor and teacher in the General Health Department of the Red Army. Now he was captured by the Communists at Shuikou because of his escape, and he was planning to wait until dawn to escape again, but he was captured by the Kuomintang troops.
Zhang Liang, who was pregnant, said that her name was Zhou Lianyu, the wife of a businessman, and was with the Red Army because she was "kidnapped"; Zhou Yuelin said that her name was Chen Xiuying, and she was a nurse who was captured by the Red Army.
Those interrogated did not believe the confessions, because Qu Qiubai and others carried Hong Kong currency and gold with them, and the guns used by the accompanying armed men were mainly shell guns. The Kuomintang side suspected that they were important figures in the Communist Party, and especially "Lin Qixiang" was closely watched.
Soon after, Qu Qiubai, Zhang Liang, Zhou Yuelin, and others were sent to Shanghang County and continued to be imprisoned. They were repeatedly interrogated by the enemy to extract confessions, but they always insisted that their previous confessions would not be relaxed. The enemy could not learn new information from them, nor could they confirm their relationship with the Communist Party, but could only believe their claims.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" > Second, Qu Qiubai was betrayed, zhou Yuelin is a betrayer? </h1>
The Kuomintang failed to reveal the true identities of Qu Qiubai's men, who could be released if there were shops or powerful groups that guaranteed them according to the regulations at the time.
Because of his gentle personality and young appearance, Zhou Yuelin was favored by Li Yu, the commander of the second battalion of the 14th Security Regiment. Li Yu took Zhou Yuelin to his home as a nanny on the grounds that his wife was about to give birth and needed nurses to take care of her.
Zhang Liang, who is pregnant, was also bailed by the owner of a candy store in Shanghang. The boss wants to adopt the child in Zhang Liang's womb because his wife is unable to have children.
Qu Qiubai, using the name "Lin Qixiang", wrote letters to his wife Yang Zhihua and friends Lu Xun and Zhou Jianren in Shanghai, explaining the situation of bail. In April, yang zhihua, Zhou Jianren, and others received letters in Shanghai and began to prepare the money and shops needed for bail.
All the preparations were smooth, and not surprisingly, Qu Qiubai would soon be able to be saved. But not long after, the newspaper suddenly published the news of Qu Qiubai's arrest.
Some people pointed out to the Kuomintang that "Lin Qixiang" was Qu Qiubai, which led to his identity being exposed, and he was sent to a certain Division headquarters of the Kuomintang for key detention, and all previous rescue operations were completely unsuccessful.
The Kuomintang coerced qu Qiubai and tried to spread more information about the Communist Party, but Qu Qiubai resolutely refused to comply.
On June 2, 1935, Chiang Kai-shek issued a secret order: "Qu Qiubai was shot on the spot in Fujian and photographed." On June 18, Qu Qiubai was shot at the age of 36.
Zhou Yuelin and Zhang Liang, who have been released from prison, were also taken into custody again after Qu Qiubai's identity was exposed, and sentenced to 10 years in prison, and then transferred to Longyan Prison to continue detention.
In 1937, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in full swing, and the Kuomintang and the Communists carried out the second cooperation. At that time, Chen Shimin, an old friend of Zhou Yuelin's husband, held an important position in the relevant department of the Kuomintang Longyan, and after some efforts, Zhou Yuelin and Zhang Liang were released on bail on the pretext of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
Qu Qiubai's sacrifice has come to an end, but qu Qiubai's bail was carried out smoothly, why did he suddenly reveal his identity? Who betrayed Qu Qiubai? These problems have not been solved.
On June 18, 1955, the twentieth anniversary of Qu Qiubai's death, his body was moved to the Babaoshan Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery for a burial ceremony. At the same time, Yang Zihua, Qu Qiubai's wife, proposed to the organization that he hoped to thoroughly investigate the arrest of Qu Qiubai that year and find the traitor who betrayed Qu Qiubai.
Finding out the truth of that year is a respect and explanation for the victims, and it is also a comfort to his family members.
It was after this request that Zhou Yuelin was wronged for more than twenty years.
Zhou Yuelin's work ability is extremely outstanding. She was born in Shanghai in 1906 to a fisherman's family.
From a poor family, he entered a spinning mill as a child labourer at the age of 5. Later, when the May Thirtieth Movement broke out, Zhou Yuelin worked in the Dakang Spinning Factory opened by the Japanese, and she and her colleagues in the factory actively participated in the strike in response to the revolutionary movement.
In this campaign, due to his excellent performance, Zhou Yuelin joined the Communist Party of China under the introduction of the night school teacher. After that, in the revolutionary struggle, Zhou Yuelin was resourceful, flexible, calm, completed various tasks, held important positions, and was an outstanding female leader of our party.
In February 1934, at the Second National Congress of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers, Zhou Yuelin was elected as a member of the Central Executive Committee. The presidium of the Central Executive Committee has 17 members, including Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, Zhou Enlai, and Liu Shaoqi, and Zhou Yuelin is the only female member of these 17 members. In addition, Zhou Yuelin is also the women's minister of the Central Soviet Region, and is fully responsible for the women's work in the Central Soviet Region.
With Zhou Yuelin's ability, in the long run, she may be able to become a heroine in the revolution, but after being arrested with Qu Qiubai, her life trajectory has changed.
In 1938, after Zhou Yuelin was released from prison on bail by a friend, he wanted to find the party organization and return to the revolutionary ranks. However, at this time, the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the domestic situation changed drastically. After zhou Yuelin lived at her sister's house in Shanghai for a while, she and Zhang Liang went to Nanchang to find Xiang Ying. The two accidentally dispersed, and Zhou Yuelin went to Wuhan alone to try to get in touch with the Eighth Route Army office in Wuhan, but ultimately failed.
Zhou Yuelin's parents have long since passed away, her husband Liang Baitai has died in a revolutionary action, and she has not been able to find contact with the party organization, at this time like an isolated island, lonely and lonely. Forced by life, Zhou Yuelin married a boatman and became a housewife. Later, Zhou Yuelin changed his name to Zhou Yueying and lived a peaceful and stable life.
After the founding of New China, old comrades-in-arms and old classmates in the past held important positions in various places, and Zhou Yuelin also thought of explaining his situation to them and returning to the organization.
But she has been out of the revolutionary ranks for more than a decade, and she has experienced many things in the middle, which are difficult to explain at once, and it is difficult for anyone to prove to her some past experiences and the reasons for leaving.
In the end, Zhou Yuelin still chose to let go and continue to live his ordinary and peaceful life. However, she still took advantage of the opportunities in her daily life to serve as the deputy director of the neighborhood committee and do something within her power for the country and the people.
But in June 1955, the retrial of Qu Qiubai's case shattered her peaceful life.
The relevant departments of the Party Central Committee conducted one-by-one inspections of the personnel involved. At that time, in addition to Qu Qiubai, the people involved in the breakthrough were He Shuheng, Deng Zihui, Zhang Liang and Zhou Yuelin. He Shuheng was killed in the breakout operation, and after Deng Zihui led his men to break through the siege, he continued to participate in the guerrilla struggle.
The remaining Zhang Liang, Zhou Yuelin and Qu Qiubai were arrested together, and after their identities were exposed, Qu Qiubai was executed by the Kuomintang, so why were Zhang Liang and Zhou Yuelin only imprisoned and then released on bail? Zhang Liang and Zhou Yuelin are regarded as the most suspected betrayals, while Zhang Liang has died, and now only Zhou Yuelin is suspected.
In August, Zhou Yuelin was arrested in Shanghai and later sent to Beijing for detention. In fact, there is no exact evidence as to whether Zhou Yuelin is really a betrayer, but as a key person, he cannot be easily let go, so Zhou Yuelin has been imprisoned.
Ten years later, the Beijing Intermediate People's Court formally handed down a verdict and Zhou Yuelin was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In 1969, Zhou Yuelin was sent to a daily chemical factory in Shanxi to work as a product quality inspector. Here, Zhou Yuelin's actual identity is still a prisoner. So far, she has been imprisoned for 14 years because of Qu Qiubai's case, but she has always said that she has not betrayed Qu Qiubai.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="11" > third, a newspaper unveiled the truth, Zhou Yuelin enjoyed his old age</h1>
During his detention, Zhou Yuelin has been appealing upwards, trying to prove his innocence, but has never received a response. Zhou Yuelin is getting older, plagued by diseases, and her body is weak, but she still does not give up the hope in her heart, looking forward to one day being able to reveal the truth.
The turning point took place in 1979.
This year, after zhou Yuelin unsuccessfully appealed for many years, he filed another appeal. This time, Zhou Yuelin received a reply. The relevant departments reviewed Qu Qiubai's case, and in the course of the investigation, an old newspaper was discovered.
This is a newspaper published by the Kuomintang in 1955, which contains the following message: "The wife of the secretary of the Chi Gong Min Province surrendered and confessed the identity of the bandit Qu Qiubai." That is to say, the betrayer who exposed Qu Qiubai's true identity was not Zhang Liang and Zhou Yuelin, who were captured together, but Xu Shi, the wife of the secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee.
The truth of the matter is this. In 1935, Qu Qiubai, Zhang Liang, Zhou Yuelin and others left Jiangxi and arrived in Changting, Fujian Province, where they were escorted by Wan Yongcheng, who was then the secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee. After Qu Qiubai was arrested, Wan Yongcheng received the news, and his wife also knew something about the matter.
Later, Wan Yongcheng was killed in an operation and his wife Xu Shi was captured. Under the severe torture of the Kuomintang, Xu Shi's will was not firm enough, and he confessed to the Kuomintang that "Lin Qixiang" was Qu Qiubai, the senior leader of the Communist Party. After being confirmed by other mutinous personnel, Qu Qiubai's identity was completely exposed. In June of the same year, Qu Qiubai was executed.
After the truth finally came out, on November 15, 1979, the Beijing Municipal High People's Court revoked the original judgment on the case and declared Zhou Yuelin innocent. After 24 years, Zhou Yuelin completely got rid of the crime of "betrayal".
The following year, in accordance with relevant policies and the standards of joining the revolution in 1925, the relevant departments handled the formalities for Zhou Yuelin's leave of absence and prepared for her follow-up resettlement work. Later, Zhou Yuelin returned to Liang Baitai's hometown of Xinchang and settled down, serving as a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Xinchang County, and spent his old age in peace.
In 1997, Zhou Yuelin left peacefully after celebrating his 91st birthday.
Revolutionaries such as Zhou Yuelin and Qu Qiubai were indomitable and loyal to the party in the face of the enemy's severe torture. Their revolutionary deeds deserve to be remembered, and their revolutionary spirit is worth learning from.
Resources:
"Details of Qu Qiubai's Arrest and Heroic Righteousness"
"The Revolutionary With Great BookishNess" - Qu Qiubai
The Legendary Life of Zhou Yuelin, a Female Cadre of the Red Army