Chiang Kai-shek's 74th Army was hailed as the most powerful division in the Kuomintang organization. They were famous and one of Chiang Kai-shek's most proud forces. However, even such a strong team cannot escape the problem of internal contradictions - infighting.
Chiang Kai-shek never imagined that one of his beloved troops and beloved subordinates would suffer a crushing defeat at the Battle of Menglianggu. All this involves an important person, his name is Zhang Lingfu. The defeat in the Battle of Menglianggu led to his tragic death, and I won the final victory.
However, an episode occurred afterwards. When Zhang Lingfu's army defeated Meng Lianggu, he left seven big characters in a cave before he died. When Chiang Kai-shek saw these words, he became enraged and immediately executed the generals. But sadly, even such actions could not change the outcome of the campaign. The confident division of the 74th Army was finally defeated by the troops of Chen Yi and Su Yu.
Now, let's delve into the inside story of this incident and reveal what Zhang Lingfu wrote in the cave, and why did it anger Chiang Kai-shek?
Zhang Lingfu was defeated
In the winter of 1947, when war was raging, the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party had completely broken down, and the Communist Party resolutely decided to fight a more fierce battle with the Kuomintang for its own survival. However, our side faces great challenges, and compared with the Kuomintang's American army, it is almost possible to describe our helplessness and inequality with millet plus rifles.
The war reached a fever pitch, and Chiang Kai-shek sent his most trusted 74th Division to participate in the attack. He had high hopes, and even personally sent Zhang Lingfu, who was known as "invincible in the world". Chiang Kai-shek was convinced that with the strength of the 74th Division, the Communists simply could not withstand their onslaught.
However, what Chiang Kai-shek did not expect was that the struggle within the Kuomintang had buried hidden dangers in this battle. Previously, Zhang Lingfu was not the leader of the 74th Division, and although Chiang Kai-shek appreciated his abilities, he also wanted to give him a chance to make up for past mistakes. Therefore, the relationship between Zhang Lingfu and the other generals was not close.
Because of this, there is an element of discord in the next episode. Zhang Lingfu was anxious and proud, which made others dissatisfied with him. He hastily led a large number of soldiers to Menglianggu, intending to destroy the Communists in one fell swoop. However, he left the other troops behind, which made the generals resentful of him: Zhang Lingfu is so invincible, let him complete the task by himself!
By the time he realized he had fallen into a trap set by the Communist Party, it was too late. Zhang Lingfu was terrified, and he desperately used the walkie-talkie to contact the troops outside the field, but in the end, only Huang Baidao appeared beside him.
Fighting alone, without the support of reinforcements, even if Zhang Lingfu has excellent US military equipment, it will not help. Perhaps he had already understood that he had reached a desperate situation and chose suicide. At that time, the 74th Division had been without water and food for three consecutive days, and many soldiers had died of starvation, which made Zhang Lingfu feel desperate.
He was deeply distressed and responsible for their tragic fate, because it was all the result of his overly impulsive actions. He began to regret his recklessness and pride, and he was also angry and dissatisfied with the Kuomintang generals who could not be saved. But in any case, Zhang Lingfu is a person full of faith.
In the face of the siege and obstruction of the Communist Party, he resolutely chose not to surrender. He knew that there was only one end to not surrendering, and that was death. Chiang Kai-shek finally saw the seven big characters left by Zhang Lingfu in the cave, and his heart was full of sorrow and remorse, because he realized that Zhang Lingfu still remembered the past.
Zhang Lingfu's unforgivable mistake
In Zhang Lingfu's story, everything stems from the background of his ordinary family. In a family that has farmed for generations, he is the hope of rising. He was skilful and fond of learning, and his parents spared no effort to support his education, which eventually helped him get admitted to Peking University.
However, the trajectory of fate is reversed by the constraints of money. He was forced to drop out of school, and although he was strong on the surface, the deep pain in his heart could not be hidden. In this predicament, he chose another path and stepped into the military academy.
After stepping into the military academy, Zhang Lingfu began his legendary military career. However, behind the brilliance, he also did something that made him notorious. It turned out that when he was admitted to Peking University, the marriage arranged by his parents was also the time of marriage. However, he had no feelings for this rural woman, and their marriage was always cold and discordant.
Fortunately, an officer sensed Zhang Lingfu's inner desire and actively helped him find a suitable partner. He discovers the young and beautiful schoolgirl Wu Hailan and facilitates the meeting of the two. Unexpectedly, they fell in love and soon became husband and wife. Despite their long separation, their relationship is firm and stable.
However, after returning home once, Zhang Lingfu and Wu Hailan had a fierce quarrel. This is a private matter between husband and wife, and the outside world did not interfere, but no one expected that Zhang Lingfu would shoot his wife!
This incident had a profound impact on Zhang Lingfu, who was sentenced to ten years in prison by the Kuomintang. Had it not been for the fact that Chiang Kai-shek wanted to take this opportunity to make him guilty of his crimes, he might have spent much longer in prison.
The seven words left by Zhang Lingfu
When Chiang Kai-shek stumbled upon the seven big characters written by Zhang Lingfu in the cave during his investigation: "Loyalty to the party and state by suicide!" The grief and indignation in his heart was indescribable. This sudden discovery made his heart burn with monstrous anger.
He thought that there were so many available people around him, why didn't anyone come forward to provide assistance to Zhang Lingfu? Anger made him lose his mind, and he was determined to kill the generals he saw as responsible in order to calm the anger in his heart.
However, if analyzed objectively and comprehensively, Zhang Lingfu is both a person with strong patriotic feelings and an outstanding military general. He once experienced the tragic defeat of Meng Lianggu, and when he died, he left the seven magnificent handwriting in the cave: "Loyalty to the party and state by suicide."
This feat struck Chiang Kai-shek so deeply that he had to acknowledge Zhang Lingfu's loyalty and dedication. However, Chiang Kai-shek's inner turmoil led him to kill many generals under the impulse of anger, and this tragic event came to an end.
The character of Zhang Lingfu is difficult to evaluate in simple words anyway. He was a talented and patriotic military strategist, and his loyalty and outstanding combat ability were admirable. However, his end was so tragic that it became a controversial page in history.
This story reveals the complexity of human nature and the impermanence of fate. Zhang Lingfu was both a militarier with strong patriotic feelings and a controversial figure.
His loyalty and combat ability are admirable, but his actions have also caused much controversy. This story reminds us that a person's judgment should not be based on a single event, but should take a holistic view of his life and the circumstances he or she faces.
Zhang Lingfu and Chiang Kai-shek in the story are both part of history, and their experiences and choices constitute fragments of Chinese history. The story inspires reflections on humanity, family, loyalty and destiny, giving rise to complex attitudes and evaluations of historical figures.
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