Zhang Xueliang, the overlord of the Northeast, known as the "King of the Northeast", formed a complex alliance with Chiang Kai-shek due to historical coincidences and personal choices. The loss of the Northeast has always left him with a scar in his heart that is difficult to heal. In this context, the Xi'an Incident was not only a military challenge to Chiang Kai-shek, but also a major test of Zhang Xueliang's personal beliefs and ideas.
His change of mood has an indissoluble bond with his young mentor Yang Yuting. Yang Yuting, a slightly mysterious figure in history, was a think tank in Zhang Zuolin's era and an important influencer in the formation of Zhang Xueliang's political beliefs.
On a cold winter day, in Xi'an in 1936, Zhang Xueliang pondered in the general headquarters. He recalled a conversation with Yang Yuting many years ago. It was an ordinary afternoon, and Yang Yuting said in his calm voice: "Xueliang, you must understand that history is written by those who dare to defy fate. ”
He needed to make a decision, a decision about loyalty, faith, and the future. Facing Chiang Kai-shek, he remembered another sentence of Yang Yuting: "In the game of power, the most difficult thing is not to win power, but to keep one's heart when you have power." ”
Finally, on Christmas Eve 1936, Zhang Xueliang made the decision to release Chiang Kai-shek.
In 1988, when Chiang Ching-kuo died, Zhang Xueliang was finally released. His decision to go to Hawaii is not only a relief for his political career, but also a precipitation of past choices. Although his later life was peaceful, he was always reluctant to talk about the Xi'an Incident of that year, as if that period of history had become an untouchable pain in his heart.
In 1996, in an interview with an American reporter, Zhang Xueliang made a rare mention of Yang Yuting, and said the words that made him have to believe: "Before killing Yang Yuting, I was never superstitious, but after killing him, I had to believe." This sentence not only reveals the nostalgia for an old friend, but also reflects Zhang Xueliang's deep emotion and helplessness about fate.
From a young marshal to a prisoner to a free man, his fate is intertwined with personal choices and the torrent of history.
His relationship with Yang Yuting is even more symbolic. Yang Yuting is not only his mentor, but also a part of his inner world. His death made Zhang Xueliang begin to doubt life, perhaps this is the irony of history - the death of one person changed the life of another.
Zhang Xueliang's life journey reminds us that history is not only the narration of major events, but also the convergence of individual experiences and choices.
Through Zhang Xueliang's story, we can understand that although history is written by the victors, real history should include those who silently support and influence the course of history behind the scenes. In this sense, although Yang Yuting is nameless behind him, he has left indelible traces in Zhang Xueliang's life. It is often said that history is written by the victors, but in the story of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Yuting, we see a more real, complex and multidimensional history.