There is an old Chinese saying that no matter how good a general is, he must have a group of wise men around him, and this tradition has been passed down for thousands of years. During the Republican period, many things were largely nothing more than old wine in new bottles, and Chiang Kai-shek, the head of the Nationalist government in Nanjing, also had a huge think tank by his side, which was the famous chamber of the chamber.
Military Aircraft Department of the Republic of China
The chamber was first established in 1933, when Chiang Kai-shek commanded the Jiangxi Communists in Nanchang. Initially, the agency was only responsible for the work of the staff officers, secretaries, and translators who accompanied Chiang, and handled all kinds of correspondence and official documents. However, as Chiang Kai-shek's power grew, so did the personnel and organization of the chambers.
By the 1940s, the chamberlain had been expanded into three divisions, the chief of guard's office, and the counselor's office. Among them, the first service department is responsible for military and intelligence business, the second service department is mainly responsible for party affairs and political affairs, and the third service department is responsible for personnel investigation and assessment business. At the same time, the Chief of Guard's Office served as Chiang's guard unit, while the Counsellor's Office was responsible for studying specialized domestic and foreign affairs for Chiang's reference, similar to the organization of a think tank.
As Chiang Kai-shek served as president of the Chinese Kuomintang, chairman of the Nationalist Government, chairman of the Military Commission, and concurrently served as the chief officer of the three systems of the party, government, and army, the chamber of attendants around him attached great importance to the examination and approval of China's military, political, diplomatic, party affairs, and personnel matters during the war. It can even be said that the chamberlain decides, to a certain extent, what information needs to be presented to Jiang Zhongzheng, as well as his promotion and dismissal of personnel. Therefore, the appearance of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government and the Chamberlain of the Chairman of the National Committee is often seen as one of the manifestations of the concretization of Chiang Kai-shek's power, and also reflects the result of the political militarization of China at that time.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, with the abolition of the Military Council and the establishment of the Ministry of National Defense, the chamberlain room was also adjusted accordingly. The original Chamberlain 1 was reorganized into the Guardhouse of the Military Service and continued to perform its duties, while the Chamberlain 2 and 3 were integrated into the Civilian Office of the Nationalist Government to adapt to the new organizational structure. At the same time, the original guard force was also reorganized and transformed into the Nationalist Government Guard Corps, which was unified under the command and control of Yu Jishi, director of the Military Affairs Bureau, and continued to carry out the tasks of guards and guards to ensure the safety and stability of government agencies.
Air General Zhou Zhirou
In the chamber of the chamber, there is a unique figure, he is Zhou Zhirou, who not only plays an important role in this organization, but is also the founder of the Chinese Air Force.
In July 1937, the Kuomintang established a new General Headquarters of the former enemy under the Aviation Committee, which was responsible for the operational affairs of the Air Force. At this critical moment, Zhou Zhirou was appointed commander-in-chief, and Mao Bangchu served as deputy commander-in-chief. In order to undermine the morale of the Japanese imperialists, disrupt their campaign arrangements and plans, and further weaken their combat strength, the Chinese Air Force, under the wise command of Zhou Zhirou, dispatched bombers on several occasions to carry out long-range raids on strategic targets such as the Japanese mainland and the airfields in Japanese-occupied Taiwan.
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhou Zhirou concurrently served as the commander-in-chief of the former enemy command of the Air Force, and he not only commanded the Chinese Air Force, but also cooperated with the Soviet Air Force Volunteer Corps and the American Volunteer Air Force to fight against Japan. In these battles, from the annihilation of six enemy planes in the "14 August" air battle to the "218," "429," and "531" air battles, Zhou Zhirou and his team dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese invaders and greatly boosted the morale of the whole country in the war of resistance against Japan.
General Zhou Zhirou attached great importance to aviation education throughout his life, and his writings were mostly related to the Air Force, leaving a valuable legacy of military theory. His books, such as "Air Force Command and Utilization" and "National Defense and Aviation", not only show his profound military knowledge, but also reflect his far-reaching thinking on the development of China's air force.
Chen Bui, a scholar of the Republic of China
The most well-known in the chamber is the famous Republic of China writer Chen Bui. Chen Bui was a cultural celebrity with extensive influence during the Republican period, and he enjoyed a reputation for his outstanding talent. During the Anti-Japanese War, he actively participated in the national salvation movement, and wrote a number of passionate articles with a pen like a rafter, which aroused the patriotic enthusiasm of the masses. Therefore, he was regarded as the "leader of the Kuomintang" and the "president's think tank", and was highly valued by Chiang Kai-shek.
However, behind these reputations is Chen Bui's deep helplessness. Although the Kuomintang and the Communist Party can unite to resist humiliation in the general interests of the nation, there are still irreconcilable class contradictions between them. As Chiang Kai-shek's "royal" pen, Chen Bui held an important position in the Kuomintang regime and was responsible for cultural and public opinion propaganda. His role and stance also reflected the complexity and variability of Chinese society at the time.
Chiang Kai-shek's chamber can be said to be a gathering of talents. But it's like a ship sailing on the sea, no matter how strong the horsepower of the ship is, if it runs in the wrong direction, it will not help. It's a pity that the waiter's room is full of elites but eventually becomes a political tool, which is sad and lamentable.