Preface
When talking about the powerful ministers and young lords in ancient times, we often think of historical periods such as Zhao Gao and Hu Hai, Huo Guang and Liu Xun. However, during the warlord melee, a pair of high-profile ministers and young masters also emerged - Zhang Xueliang and Yang Yuting.
Yang Yuting played an extremely important role in the Northeast Army of the Feng Department, and was even rumored to succeed Zhang Zuolin at one point. This shows Zhang Zuolin's high trust in him, although Yang Yuting and Zhang Zuolin are not related by blood, they are rumored to be the future successor.
However, there is often mutual suspicion between the young lord and the minister, the young master's distrust of the minister, and the high importance of the minister's own identity, which can easily lead to mutual contradictions. In the case that Zhang Xueliang wants to restrain and Yang Yuting does not obey, the most likely outcome is that the young master kills the minister.
Interestingly, before Zhang Xueliang was about to kill Yang Yuting, a metaphysical incident occurred. Zhang Xueliang even bluntly said in his later years: "I was never superstitious before killing Yang Yuting, but I had to believe it after killing him." ”
Who was Yang Yuting, and why did he die under Zhang Xueliang's superstition?
1. A resolute young man meets a good teacher who aims to serve the country and strengthen the army
In the winter of 1920, it was snowy outside Shenyang......
Zhang Xueliang experienced a difficult childhood since he was a child, and his personality was very resolute, he was determined to become a soldier and go to participate in the revolution, unify China, and repel foreign enemies.
Zhang Zuolin originally strongly opposed his son's enlistment in the army, but Zhang Xueliang secretly ran to join the army, and later gradually got his father's approval. Such a resolute and unyielding character also indicates Zhang Xueliang's future actions in the Northeast.
After enlisting in the army, Zhang Xueliang met his lifelong mentor and friend, Guo Songling. Guo Songling originally followed Sun Yat-sen in Guangzhou to participate in the revolution, and later returned to the northeast to serve as an instructor in the Fengtian Lecture and Martial Arts Hall. The two were like-minded, hit it off at first sight, and often discussed the current situation and the great cause of the revolution.
Guo Songling is cheerful, humorous, full of enthusiasm, and wants to reform the Northeast Army and make it an elite division of the country. Zhang Xueliang pondered steadily and thoughtfully, wanting to establish military discipline and strict military discipline. The two have very different temperaments but have similar interests, and they have become inseparable friends.
On that winter day in 1920, Zhang Xueliang invited Guo Songling to talk alone, precisely to ask his mentor how to unify the whole country and establish a new army. The two discussed until late at night, and Guo Songling opened the skylight to speak brightly and talk freely about his revolutionary ideals.
After hearing this, Zhang Xueliang suddenly realized and was full of confidence. He decided to expand the army under his command, following the example of his mentor when he was in Guangzhou, and gradually cultivating a new army that would serve the country loyally.
For the sake of this ideal, Zhang Xueliang gladly accepted Guo Songling's request to serve as his chief of staff. The two began to train recruits intensively, determined to complete the great cause of China's reunification through force.
Second, the king of the Northeast was framed by traitors, the good teacher died, and the students wept blood
In the midsummer of 1925, the Northeast region was full of wars and chaos. Guo Songling, who was originally loyal to the government in the northeast, led 70,000 soldiers to defect to the Kuomintang. Because he saw that Japan was driving straight into the Northeast, Zhang Zuolin was unwilling to resist Japan and unify the whole country, and only wanted the Northeast to stand on its own and become king, and he was deeply disappointed.
The news of Guo Songling's rebellion made Chief of Staff Yang Yuting very angry. Because Guo Songling has always been at odds with him, the military views of the two are at odds with each other.
Yang Yuting pursued the line of encircling Japan and Northeast China to stand on its own, and won the trust of Zhang Zuolin. Guo Songling advocated that the Northeast should obey the Nationalist Government and unite the whole country to resist Japan, which was incompatible with Yang Yuting's ideas.
Yang Yuting then took the opportunity to frame Guo Songling in front of Zhang Zuolin for colluding with the reactionaries in an attempt to rebel. Zhang Zuolin has always valued Yang Yuting, and immediately ordered Guo Songling to be arrested. With the help of the Japanese army, the Northeast Army soon attacked Guo Songling's defense area and captured him alive.
Zhang Xueliang was overwhelmed with grief when he learned the bad news that his teacher was captured. He rushed to Shenyang overnight to visit the prison and wanted to intercede and release him. However, the prison officer mysteriously informed him that Yang Yuting had sent someone to secretly execute Guo Songling on the way. Zhang Xueliang cried bitterly, he originally hoped that Guo Songling would successfully abscond and raise troops again in the future.
I didn't expect Yang Yuting to be so insidious and vicious, cruelly taking the life of his mentor. This undoubtedly became an important fuse for Zhang Xueliang to shoot Yang Yuting in the future.
3. The father lost his son and the vendetta of murder The traitor was finally bloodied by the students
At the beginning of June 1928, after a heavy rain, the summer in Shenyang became fresh and pleasant. However, this blue sunny day bloomed with the grief of the Zhang family......
The truth of the Huanggutun train bombing case soon spread to Shenyang, and Zhang Xueliang, who was on the front line, learned the bad news of his father's assassination, and the whole person sat on the ground. He endured his grief and returned to Shenyang, immediately took over military and political power, and calmed down the chaotic situation in the Northeast Army.
Zhang Xueliang quickly judged that the Japanese were inextricably linked to the explosion. Because the train in Huanggutun was specially built for Zhang Zuolin, the armor was extremely strong, and a large amount of explosives was required to blow it up. And Zhang Zuolin is the only one who has been at odds with Japan recently. So Zhang Xueliang was determined to avenge his father.
As soon as his father was buried, the ambitious Yang Yuting went around in the Northeast Army to win people's hearts, intending to seek military power. Zhang Xueliang knows that it is insidious and must be resolved quickly. So he chose a very deterrent method - in front of the Northeast officials, he personally shot Yang Yuting.
The moment the bullet penetrated his chest, Yang Yuting's eyes widened, his mouth opened, and finally he fell on his back, and his soul returned to Huangquan. Blood spattered Zhang Xueliang's military uniform, but there was no trace of regret on his face. The student finally avenged his teacher and got rid of the traitor for his father.
Fourth, the retribution for framing a good teacher and a traitor The student killed him and mourned in his heart
After killing Yang Yuting, Zhang Xueliang did not hold other officials accountable, still gave them pensions, and wrote an elegy for Yang Yuting to express his condolences
In the couplet, Zhang Xueliang compared Yang Yuting to Ma Tan and Uncle Guan, saying that they both died because they were suspicious of the lord. It can be seen from this that although Yang Yuting is insidious and treacherous, Zhang Xueliang also thinks that he is just out of misunderstanding, and his original intention is actually loyalty.
Zhang Xueliang later wrote in his memoirs that he had never been superstitious before killing Yang Yuting, but after killing him, he began to have superstitious thoughts. This is most likely related to Yang Yuting's curse before he died. It is said that before Yang Yuting died, he pointed at Zhang Xueliang with all his strength and cursed, saying that he would suffer evil retribution in the future.
Zhang Xueliang didn't think so, but the successive misfortunes in the future made him have to associate this scene bizarrely. He began to develop superstitions about life and death, cause and effect, which was one of the important reasons why he embraced religion in his later years.
In fact, Zhang Xueliang did not really take revenge after killing Yang Yuting, but was quite sympathetic to this traitor. Yang Yuting died, and Zhang Xueliang had no joy in his heart, only great sadness. Because he realized that, to a certain extent, Yang Yuting was just a victim of this troubled world.
epilogue
Zhang Xueliang used a bullet to kill Yang Yuting, but his heart was more entangled and painful than anyone else. He has never been able to forgive Yang Yuting for killing his mentor, but he also understands Yang Yuting's thoughts about his father, and feels sorry for his misjudgment of the fate of the situation.
It was precisely this complicated mental journey that drove him to take the lead in obeying the Nationalist Government in the Northeast Army and promoting the reunification of China. He did not choose to avenge his father, but for the sake of the future and destiny of the entire nation.
Zhang Xueliang is resolute and Zhang Xueliang is tender. It is this kind of tough and elegant character that created his unique style of standing tall in that era and achieving great achievements in the past and the present. But in his magnificent fate, there is also a heart-wrenching helplessness and sadness.