The three major battles of the Liberation War played a decisive role in the liberation of the whole country, and the People's Liberation Army was overwhelmed in the battle, supported by heroic and tenacious soldiers and correctly commanded leadership, and at the same time inseparable from the silent efforts of red agents, and one of them was the "undercover general" Zhang Kexia lurking inside the enemy.
Zhang Kexia was born in Xian County, Hebei Province in 1900, and at the age of 16, he was admitted to the Qinghe Army Officer Preparatory School in Beijing and began his military career.
While attending the military academy, Zhang Kexia's mother was seriously ill, and in order to take care of her, Zhang Kexia married Li Depu, a peasant girl in Tongzhou. Li Depu's sister Li Dequan married Feng Yuxiang in 1924, making Zhang Kexia and Feng Yuxiang "relatives", creating favorable conditions for his future work.
In 1923, Zhang Kexia joined Feng Yuxiang's army, but half a year later, he contracted tuberculosis and had to return home to recuperate. Thanks to the careful care of his wife Li Depu, Zhang Kexia gradually recovered. At the beginning of his recovery, he was faced with two choices: to continue to return to Feng Yuxiang's army to take up important positions, or to go to Guangzhou to join Sun Yat-sen. After careful consideration, Zhang Kexia decided to go south to Guangzhou, and was introduced to become a major section member of the Ministry of Military Affairs and an instructor of the Army Martial Arts School.
In 1925, Zhang Kexia actively participated in the Northern Expedition and served as the commander of the first battalion. With the death of Sun Yat-sen, Zhang Kexia returned to Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army and became the deputy of the Cadet Corps.
At this time, Li Dequan, who was in the Soviet Union, sent a letter to Zhang Kexia, suggesting that he go to Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow for further study. Inspired by his sister, in the spring of 1927, Zhang Kexia embarked on a journey to the Soviet Union. During this time, he got acquainted with Communist Party members Zuo Quan, Zhang Cunshi and others, and gained an in-depth understanding of the mission and purpose of the Communist Party. Zhang Kexia therefore applied to join the Chinese Communist Party.
However, at this time, news of Chiang Kai-shek's open betrayal of the revolution came, and Stalin refused all contact with the Kuomintang. Due to the peculiarities of his status, Zhang Kexia could not continue his studies in the Soviet Union. Before leaving to return to China, the party organization found Zhang Kexia and said: "The current domestic situation is very grim, and your proposal to join the party at a critical moment shows your sincerity." Although it was not possible to solve the formalities of joining the party in the Soviet Union, it was possible to continue to submit an application after returning home. ”
Also returning to China with Zhang Kexia was Zhang Cunshi. Zhang Cunshi said to him: "I will report your problems to the party organization." Zhang Cunshi, a former lieutenant under Feng Yuxiang, had known Zhang Kexia from a kneon, who secretly joined the Communist Party at the Eastern Labor University in 1926 and engaged in underground struggles under the leadership of Zhou Enlai.
In May 1929, Zhang Kexia received a letter from Zhang Cunshi, asking him to meet in Shanghai. Through turnover, Zhang Kexia got in touch with the party organization, and Zhang Cunshi and Li Xiangwu, then secretary general of the Central Military Commission, became his introducers to join the party, which was personally led by Zhou Enlai. However, at this time, Zhang Kexia received a special task:
The Central Committee has approved you as a member of the Communist Party, and you are a special Party member. You should not contact the local party organization, and you should not reveal your identity. The Northwest Army had many good cooperation with our party, but there were deep contradictions with Chiang Kai-shek's lineage. After the five original oaths, Liu Bojian, Liu Zhidan, and An Ziwen served as political leaders there, and this is a force that can be united......
Zhang Kexia was sent to lurk within the Kuomintang for a long time, returned to the Northwest Army, and served as the chief of staff of Zhang Zizhong's Sixth Division.
After the September 18 incident, the three northeastern provinces fell, and the voice of resistance against Japan resounded throughout the country. However, for the sake of his personal interests, Chiang Kai-shek implemented the policy of "first securing the interior before attacking the outside world," which aroused the dissatisfaction of many patriots. At a time when the Chinese nation was in danger, Feng Yuxiang stepped forward, firmly expressed his determination to resist Japan, and cooperated with the Communist Party. Zhang Kexia was unwavering after learning about it and actively supported Feng Yuxiang's patriotic anti-Japanese actions.
Before the July 7 Incident, Zhang Kexia served as the deputy chief of staff of the 29th Army led by Song Zheyuan and participated in the Lugou Bridge Anti-Japanese War. After that, he served as a senior staff officer of Feng Yuxiang's department. In 1938, Zhang Kexia came to Wuhan with Feng Yuxiang, met the Wuhan Eighth Route Army Office led by Zhou Enlai, and was instructed. Although the study time is short, in Zhang Kexia's heart, there is a feeling of "going home". In 1939, he served as chief of staff of the 59th Army of the Kuomintang, and later served as chief of staff and deputy commander of the 33rd Group Army, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.
Zhang Kexia is talented and has profound military literacy. He assisted Zhang Zhizhong in defeating the Itagaki Division in the Battle of Taierzhuang. In the Northwest Army, he was known as a "think tank" and "master" and enjoyed a high reputation.
In October 1938, Wuhan was lost, and the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to shift the focus of work to the countryside. Tao Zhu went to Dahong Mountain in central Hubei to carry out guerrillas, while Tao Zhu's wife Zeng Zhi stayed in Jing (Men) as the secretary of the county party committee. Under the bombing of the Japanese invading army, many civilians were displaced. Zeng Zhi witnessed the tragic scene in front of him and decided to open a restaurant with Zheng Suyan. This will not only be able to offer condolences to the military and civilians, but will also take the opportunity to carry out united front work.
Zeng Zhi shouted to passers-by: "The bosses have worked hard, please drink a bowl of tea, eat a bowl of porridge, if you have no money, we will not charge a penny, and if you have money, throw two copper plates casually." ”
When the 33rd Group Army arrived in Jingmen, Zhang Kexia learned that two female comrades were mobilizing the masses, opening restaurants, and maintaining social order. He guessed that it might be the actions of the Communist Party, so he decided to establish contact with them. Although Zeng Zhi had never met Zhang Kexia and did not know that he was a member of the Communist Party within the Kuomintang, she knew that Zhang Kexia was a fair and honest patriotic general.
One day, Wang Kunlun, an inspector of the Third Department of the Kuomintang and a secret member of the Chinese Communist Party, found Zeng Zhi and highly praised their righteous deeds, saying: "Recently, the 33rd Group Army has been stationed in Jingmen, if you have any difficulties, you can go to them." As he spoke, Wang Kunlun handed Zeng Zhi a business card and asked her to find Tao Xinshe, deputy director of the Political Department of the 33rd Group Army. Tao Xinshe warmly received Zeng Zhi.
Zeng Zhi said to Tao Xinshe: "Director Tao, if you need help, just ask." Tao Xinshe was troubled by something at the time. It just so happened that 5,000 bags of rice needed to be delivered to Jingmen, but due to the war years, people had already left, and there was a shortage of labor. Zeng Zhi did not hesitate to express his willingness to take charge of this task. After returning home, Zeng Zhi found a group of farmers through the party organization, and soon succeeded in transporting rice. This not only allowed the peasants to make money, but also ensured the food supply of the army, achieving the effect of killing two birds with one stone.
Li Wentian, deputy commander of the 33rd Group Army, hosted a banquet. Li Wentian saw that Zeng Zhi was naturally beautiful, touching, and warm and thoughtful at the dinner table. On the contrary, Zhang Kexia is polite, steady and composed, and does not say a word. When Zeng Zhi talked about the situation of the Anti-Japanese War, he expressed himself freely, which convinced Zhang Kexia that she was his comrade-in-arms and comrade. So, the next day, Zhang Kexia took the initiative to visit.
Zeng Zhi's restaurant encountered financial difficulties, and she turned to Zhang Kexia for help. Zhang Kexia took advantage of his connections at the top of the Kuomintang to call on everyone to help in the name of resisting Japan. He also donated 150 yuan in his personal name to solve Zeng Zhi's urgent need.
After a period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Chiang Kai-shek continued to implement the policy of "reassuring the outside world before reassuring the interior", launched the Pingjiang Massacre, and ordered restrictions on Communist activities. After Zhang Kexia learned about it, he deliberately delayed for two days to deliver the news. During this period, he informed Zeng Zhi to be more careful. Zeng Zhi realized that something was wrong and immediately organized the party cadres to be transferred.
Due to Zeng Zhi's series of activities, Tao Xinshe became suspicious of her identity. Kuomintang spies recruited a group of hooligans to make trouble at Zeng Zhi's hotel. Zeng Zhi invited Zhang Kexia outside the village to inquire about the prospects for cooperation between the KMT and the CCP. Zhang Kexia said that the prospects for cooperation between the KMT and the CPC are worrisome, but the 33 rd Group Army is resolutely resisting Japan. He revealed: "Tao Xinshe wanted to bring down the cooperative cause, so he found a group of boy scouts to make trouble and forced you to close the store. ”
One day, Zeng Zhi went to Xiangfan on official business and waited for a military vehicle on the road. After getting into the car, she found that Tao Xinshe and her family were also in the car. Zeng Zhi took the initiative to say hello, but Tao Xinshe was unusually cold, and even drove her off the car and was not allowed to ride.
Zeng Zhi vaguely felt that his situation would deteriorate rapidly, so he approached Zhang Kexia for advice. Zeng Zhi described in detail the situation of meeting Tao Xinshe and asked: "I came to you to inquire about how Tao Xinshe is going to deal with us. Zhang Kexia replied: "He is going to close your hotel." Yesterday there were two inspection teams, both of which were anti-communist experts from the Kuomintang secret service organization, and the main purpose of their inspection was to arrest the Communist Party. Those restaurants had better close their doors to avoid being seized by them and causing greater losses. ”
After learning the news, Zeng Zhi quickly looked for the party organization. The party committee of the northwest Hubei district decided that the central county party committee of Jingdangyuan would stop its public activities and move to the countryside. In view of Zeng Zhi's larger goal, in order to ensure safety, it was decided to send her to Yan'an to study. In order to confuse everyone, Zeng Zhi told Li Wentian: "I'll go back to my hometown in Hunan. Subsequently, she went north smoothly, met Peng Dehuai on the way, and finally arrived in Yan'an safely.
In fact, Zhang Kexia's warnings and suggestions are very timely. Zeng Zhi was also doubting at that time whether Zhang Kexia was a comrade of our party lurking inside the enemy. It was not until after the founding of New China that Zeng Zhi's speculation was confirmed.
Within the Kuomintang, a corrupt atmosphere prevailed, but Zhang Kexia maintained the noble character of a Communist Party member in such an environment and was not affected by it. At that time, many high-ranking generals of the national army were obsessed with making money and obtaining wealth by various illegal means, but Zhang Kexia scoffed at this. He does not smoke, drink, or make bad friends, and has always been indifferent to fame and fortune, maintaining a clean and honest style. Colleagues in the 59th Army and the 33rd Group Army, who had worked with him, were full of praise for him.
When the troops were stationed in Jiawang, the local mineral resources were abundant, and many officers took the opportunity to resell coal for personal gain. However, someone took the initiative to give coal to Zhang Kexia, but he resolutely refused this behavior. At the time of the transfer of troops, the others had large and small boxes full of gold, silver and jewelry, while Zhang Kexia only had two or three boxes, which were full of books.
Zhang Kexia is not only strict with himself, but also with his children. Once, when his children set off with the army, the children of other families rode horses or sat in sedan chairs, but Zhang Kexia's children carried their bags on foot on their own. Although the children felt aggrieved and complained to him, Zhang Kexia taught them: "If you want to sit in a sedan chair, why don't you want to think about the person who carries the sedan chair? It is very shameful to have no contribution to society and let others serve you." In the future, if there are achievements, if there is jealousy, vanity, and want to ride a horse in a sedan chair, you will also be thrown off fiercely. ”
However, on the eve of the Huaihai Campaign, Zhang Kexia, who was strict with himself and honest in his official duties, unexpectedly reused corrupt officials to build fortifications.
In 1948, the People's Liberation Army approached Xuzhou, and the local area prepared to strengthen the outer fortifications, and this huge project was handed over to Zhang Kexia, the commander of the Xuzhou garrison at the time. It is well known that the construction of fortifications is a lucrative task, and if it is entrusted to those who pursue personal gain, it will inevitably lead to the breeding of corruption. However, Zhang Kexia announced that Li Shifang of the Staff Office of the Third Appeasement Zone would complete this task.
Who is Li Shifang? He is a fellow villager of Feng Zhi'an, commander of the 33rd Group, and has been helping Feng Zhi'an commit corruption for many years. Zhang Kexia's decision makes many people can't understand, according to the usual situation, people like Li Shifang will not be favored by Zhang Kexia at all, why is it so abnormal this time?
Sure enough, after the completion of the project, the relevant units came to inspect it, and it turned out that all parts did not meet the passing standards. The Nationalist Army originally planned to build an impregnable artillery position, but under the control of Li Shifang, it became a "tofu scum project". The artillery commander was extremely dissatisfied with this and went to question Zhang Kexia. However, at this time, Jinan had been liberated, and the Kuomintang realized that the situation was critical, and they were all hurriedly looting wealth and preparing to flee, who still had the heart to hold them accountable?
Under the artillery fire of the People's Liberation Army, the fortifications of Xuzhou were like a pile of ruins that could not be resisted, and they had no power to resist. It was not until the liberation of Xuzhou that people realized that the reason why Zhang Kexia reused Li Shifang was actually to hope that he would replace the superior with inferior engineering materials. This strategy not only helped the PLA save ammunition, but also reduced the casualties of fighters.
Zhang Kexia has been working in the KMT for more than ten years, and has always been eager to return to the embrace of the party. In 1946, Feng Yuxiang was exiled overseas by Chiang Kai-shek, and Zhang Kexia took the opportunity to see him off in Nanjing and met with Zhou Enlai. Zhou Enlai said with emotion: "Comrade Kexia, since the separation in Wuhan, we haven't seen each other for eight years. Zhang Kexia responded: "Thanks to the party's concern, everything is fine with me." ”
Zhang Kexia briefed Zhou Enlai on the situation in Xuzhou and elaborated on the plans for the future uprising. Zhou Enlai said:
At present, we must explain our party's policy to the officers and men of Chiang and to those high-ranking generals and commanders, and to point them out the way out. Chiang Kai-shek was determined to fight a civil war, and if he wanted to fight, we would accompany him to fight. We must not only strike back at them fiercely on the battlefield, but also strike at them from within the enemy, and win over and instigate more high-ranking generals and large troops to revolt from within the Kuomintang army.
This meeting with Zhou Enlai gave Zhang Kexia a sense of "going home" and, more importantly, clarified the direction of the struggle in the future.
Zhang Kexia stepped up the pace of organizing the uprising and made careful plans for the uprising. At 4 o'clock in the morning on November 8, 1948, Zhang Kexia led his entourage to take a jeep and set off for Jia Wang. At this time, Xuzhou had entered a state of alert, but the soldiers defending the city saw that Zhang Kexia was wearing the uniform of a senior general, so they did not dare to stop him and let him go. However, Feng Zhi'an had already sent Chen Jiyan to monitor his movements, and he hurriedly reported the slightest abnormality.
Finding that Zhang Kexia was out of the city, Chen Jiyan hurriedly came to report: Deputy Commander Zhang Kai slipped away. Senior staff officer Yin Xintian, who lived below Feng Zhi'an, was not only classmates with Zhang Kexia, but also joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1931. Feng Zhi'an was about to report the matter to Liu Zhi, the "general manager" of Xuzhou, but was stopped by Yin Xintian, who said: "Report it before the matter is clear, if something goes wrong, Liu Zhi will definitely criticize you for being too flustered." Feng Zhi'an figured it out, so he first called to inquire about Zhang Kexia's whereabouts.
In order to appease Feng Zhi'an, Zhang Kexia called him after arriving in Jiawang and said: "The front-line war is urgent, and in the face of this big war, we must live and die with the troops." I hope you will come and support as well. Feng Zhi'an naturally didn't dare to go, so he had to let Zhang Kexia sit on the front line to command, which bought time for the next uprising.
On November 8, 1948, Zhang Kexia and He Jifeng led more than 20,000 people to successfully launch an uprising, which was larger and more complete than any previous one. The People's Liberation Army quickly moved south, and Huang Baitao's corps fell into a serious siege. Chairman Mao was very concerned about this uprising, he eagerly awaited the telegram of the uprising, when the news came, Chairman Mao walked into Zhou Enlai's office, and said excitedly: "Zhang Kexia, He Jifeng's uprising is successful, and the Huaihai Campaign has another victory certainty!" Under this good news, Chairman Mao happily raised his glass to celebrate.
After the victory of the Huaihai Campaign, the 59th Army and the Bohai Column of the East China Field Army merged into the 33rd Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and Zhang Kexia was appointed commander. Subsequently, he took an active part in the battle of crossing the river, successfully annihilating tens of thousands of enemy troops in the pursuit of Guangde, and later participated in the battle to liberate Shanghai.
With the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhang Kexia successively served as the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of East China and the Vice Minister of State Forestry, and was awarded the "First Class Liberation Medal" in 1955. On July 7, 1984, Zhang Kexia died of illness at the age of 84.