At the end of 1949, Yan Xishan, the "King of Shanxi" who had been powerful and prosperous in Shanxi, finally had to leave the mainland and go to Taiwan to join Chiang Kai-shek. At that time, Yan Xishan carried a large amount of gold with him, but the exact amount of this gold has been disputed. Some say it's just two boxes, others say as many as ten. However, regardless of the quantity, the weight of the gold once affected the take-off of the plane they were flying. Why did Yan Xishan bring so much gold, and what was his life like in his later years? Let us find out.
1. Yan Xishan fled with a large amount of gold
When it comes to Yan Xishan, I believe many people are no strangers to this "King of Shanxi" who once covered the sky in Shanxi. As a Kuomintang warlord, Yan Xishan was a powerful man in Shanxi, hoarding a lot of wealth and gold.
In 1949, with the victory of the Liberation War, the Kuomintang's rule on the mainland was on the verge of death. At the end of that year, Yan Xishan finally had to leave his hometown in Shanxi, which he had controlled for a long time, and went to Taiwan to seek refuge with Chiang Kai-shek.
At that time, Yan Xishan carried a large amount of gold with him, but the exact amount has been disputed. Some people say that Yan Xishan took only two boxes of gold, but others say that he took away as many as ten boxes of gold.
How much gold did Yan Xishan take away? As a warlord, the gold hoarded in Yan Xishan's hands was naturally looted from the common people. Before leaving Shanxi, Yan Xishan had already begun to secretly transfer a large amount of gold and silver wealth to Taiwan and Japan, leaving a way back for himself.
Therefore, the gold that Yan Xishan carried at that time was probably only a small part of the wealth he transferred. After all, gold is incredibly valuable, and carrying too much of it will not only attract attention, but also affect the action.
However, even in a small fraction, the amount and weight of this gold is staggering. At that time, the weight of the gold Yan Xishan carried was so great that it even affected the take-off of the plane they were on for a time.
Second, the overloading of gold on the plane caused a storm
On December 9, 1949, Yan Xishan carried a large amount of gold and left Chengdu on a plane with Chen Lifu, Zhu Jiahua, Jia Jingde and other Kuomintang military and political dignitaries and went to Taiwan. However, on this very day, a storm about gold overload suddenly broke out.
Early that morning, after Yan Xishan and others boarded the plane, the plane could not take off smoothly. After inspection, the reason was that the gold that Yan Xishan brought on the plane was too heavy, causing the plane to be overloaded and unable to take off.
Faced with this situation, Chen Lifu and Zhu Jiahua immediately proposed to Yan Xishan that part of the gold must be unloaded to reduce the load of the aircraft. However, Yan Xishan unexpectedly refused. He insisted on taking all the gold with him, on the grounds that it came from the people of Shanxi, and that he was only keeping it for the time being, and that he would return the gold to the people of Shanxi in the future.
Chen Lifu and Zhu Jiahua naturally did not believe Yan Xishan's statement. As a warlord, the gold in Yan Xishan's hands was naturally extorted from the common people. They even learned early on that Yan Xishan had previously transferred a large amount of gold and silver to Taiwan and Japan, leaving a way back for themselves.
Therefore, Chen Lifu and Zhu Jiahua insisted that Yan Xishan unload some of the gold to ensure the safe take-off of the plane. However, Yan Xishan refused to live or die, and his attitude was very tough.
In the end, under the repeated persuasion of Chen Lifu and others, Yan Xishan finally made concessions. He drove most of his entourage off the plane, leaving only a few cronies with him, which solved the problem of overloading the plane.
However, this turmoil has also exposed some cattiness. The amount of gold Yan Xishan carried at that time was far from what he called "the only reliance". The reason why he was so obsessed with taking all the gold was probably because it was only a small part of his transferred wealth, and he didn't want to give it up so easily.
3. Yan Xishan's alternative lifestyle in his later years
After arriving in Taiwan, Yan Xishan's life changed dramatically. At first, Chiang Kai-shek gave him a fairly important position, but soon took power away and let his henchmen take over Yan Xishan's position.
After being stripped of power, Yan Xishan decided to use the gold in his hand and the 50,000 yuan per month living allowance issued by Chiang Kai-shek to live a peaceful old age. He writes books, raises chickens and ducks, and lives a fairly comfortable life.
However, after a long time, Yan Xishan began to get tired of the hustle and bustle of the city, so he moved into a secluded residence deep in the mountains and old forests. Dozens of cronies, retinues, doctors, cooks, and others who had followed him for many years also followed him into the mountain.
Although the living expenses of 50,000 yuan are a lot, to provide food and shelter for so many people, plus daily expenses, Yan Xishan not only can't have any money left every month, but also has to use his own gold to maintain expenses.
In order to alleviate the financial pressure, Yan Xishan invested in two factories for the people who followed him to run them, hoping to make a living on profits. However, these people are naturally playing with guns, but they know little about business management, and soon Yan Xishan's investments failed one after another, and the economic situation became even tighter.
Yan Xishan's dwelling also began to become more and more dilapidated, becoming more and more shabby each time. As time went on, the people around me began to leave one after another. At first, some marginal figures, and later even cronies had the idea of leaving. Even Yan Xishan's most valued confidential secretary, Yuan Futing, once wanted to leave, but it was only under Yan Xishan's plea that he finally chose to stay.
Fourth, the people around Yan Xishan left one after another
As Yan Xishan's economic situation deteriorated, the people around him began to leave one after another. At first, it was just a few marginal people leaving, but soon, even cronies had the idea of leaving.
Most of these people around Yan Xishan followed him in order to make a living. When they can't get their salaries, they naturally look for another way out. According to Zhang Riming, Yan Xishan's personal guard, more and more people left at that time.
First, some of the lower retinues and servants left, and then even some of the older cronies began to waver. Some people leave with their families directly, while others secretly search for new places to go.
Even Yan Xishan's most important confidential secretary, Yuan Futing, once had the idea of leaving. Yuan Futing has followed Yan Xishan for many years, and his status is not trivial. But seeing that Yan Xishan's situation was becoming more and more worrisome, he also began to waver.
At that time, Yuan Futing directly proposed the idea of leaving to Yan Xishan. Faced with this decision of his confidants, Yan Xishan was naturally extremely sad and helpless. He immediately showed the last sincerity, almost begging to let Yuan Futing stay.
Looking at the old and desolate Yan Xishan, Yuan Futing finally moved his heart of compassion and decided to continue his allegiance for the time being. However, he is also desperate for Yan Xishan's future, believing that Yan Xishan's old path has come to an end.
In addition to Yuan Futing, other cronies around Yan Xishan also had plans to leave to a greater or lesser extent. They saw that there was no prospect of following Yan Xishan, so they began to look for a new place to go.
Some choose to leave directly, while others wait and see when the time is right. In any case, the people around Yan Xishan left in batches, making his situation more and more isolated.
Fifth, Yan Xishan's miserable scene in his later years
With the departure of the people around him, Yan Xishan's later life became more and more miserable. His physical condition deteriorated, and he looked old and haggard in his old age.
The "King of Shanxi", who was far ahead in Shanxi back then, is now only covered with shabby clothes. His dwelling is also becoming more and more shabby every time, and even shows signs of dilapidation.
What is even more distressing is that except for those who are reluctant to stay behind for a living, almost no one comes to visit Yan Xishan anymore. This once powerful warlord has now fallen to such a point.
Even within the Kuomintang, only Chen Cheng symbolically visited once. Others seemed to have completely forgotten about Yan Xishan.
Despite this, Yan Xishan's expectations for Chiang Kai-shek never disappeared. In 1964, at the age of 78, Yan Xishan received an invitation from Chiang Kai-shek to hold an anniversary conference, and he was very excited about it.
Yan Xishan immediately asked people to take out his last decent clothes and take care of them himself. He hoped to attend this grand event in the best possible image and show his hand in front of Chiang Kai-shek again.
However, what is sad is that Yan Xishan still failed to get his wish in the end. Due to his advanced age and deteriorating health, he could not make the long journey to the venue. In this way, Yan Xishan could only give up regretfully.
Since then, Yan Xishan's life has become even more impoverished. Not only does he have nothing to lose, but there are not many people left around him. This once commanding "King of Shanxi" passed away silently.