On October 14, 2001, the famous patriotic general Zhang Xueliang died of illness in Honolulu, USA, at the age of 101.
Regarding Zhang Xueliang, historical evaluation has always been mixed, and he has always been a very controversial figure in modern history.
At the time of the September 18 Incident that year, a policy of non-resistance was issued, which made him much criticized.
In the 918 Incident, Zhang Xueliang became China's biggest sinner for a time because of the limitations of the warlord's vision, narrow-mindedness, and cowardice, which led to the fall of the Northeast!
In addition, another thing he did that shocked the world was that "before he died, he donated his hundreds of millions of dollars to the United States."
Zhang Xueliang in his later years
Speaking of which, many friends will definitely be very puzzled, why Zhang Xueliang is so rich, he was obviously placed under house arrest by Chiang Kai-shek after the "Xi'an Incident", and he was released after Chiang Ching-kuo's death.
In more than 50 years of house arrest, Zhang Xueliang did not have any private property and income at all, his previous property in the Northeast was swallowed by the Japanese, and he had no job or allowance during house arrest, why is he so rich?
In addition, even if Zhang Xueliang has so much money, why doesn't he donate those inheritances to China, but to other countries?
These are very confusing! So what is the reason for all this? Let's move on with these questions in mind!
Zhang Xueliang is a patriotic young man full of idealism
In 1901, Zhang Xueliang was born in Anshan City, Liaoning Province, his father was the famous "Northeast King" Zhang Zuolin at that time, which was a double-edged sword for Zhang Xueliang, he was born in a wealthy family, he was a rich second generation since he was a child, and he could naturally live a very good life in material life.
But on the other hand, he is destined to be inseparable from the army in this life, and as the eldest son in the family, he must be under pressure from many fathers' high hopes.
When Zhang Xueliang was 16 years old, he began to serve in his father's army.
Zhang Xueliang in his youth
In 1919, Zhang Xueliang entered the army lecture hall of the three eastern provinces, in the school, Zhang Xueliang showed the style of "tiger father without dog", the results were very good, a year later he graduated with the first place in the artillery department, he began to be appointed as the regiment commander, which laid the foundation for Zhang Xueliang's military career.
After Yuan Shikai's death, the situation of warlord division arose, and the warlords of various factions wanted to dominate the world.
Zhang Zuolin, as the boss of the Feng department, will naturally not give up.
In order to complete his greater revenge, Zhang Zuolin then took Zhang Xueliang to launch two Zhifeng wars.
The First Naobong War
Zhang Xueliang's military talent was undoubtedly displayed in the two Zhifeng wars, and this time Zhang Xueliang completely dispelled people's suspicions that he was an "incompetent prince".
And after the two Zhifeng wars, Zhang Zuolin became the leader of the Beiyang warlords, and the Feng system at this time really came to the point of being in full swing.
On June 4, 1928, Zhang Zuolin was killed by the Japanese in the Huanggutun Incident, and Zhang Xueliang became the commander-in-chief of the security of the three eastern provinces and began to rule the Northeast in the real sense.
The scene of the explosion of the Huanggutun incident
At the beginning, Zhang Xueliang was a patriotic young man full of idealism, and he demanded the revocation of Soviet privileges in the Northeast. In July 1929, he began an attempt to reclaim the Eastern Railway.
The Soviet army then quickly launched an attack on the Northeast Army, and the Northeast Army led by Zhang Xueliang was defeated by the Soviet army and failed to seize the Eastern Railway.
Eastern Railway
The stain of Zhang Xueliang's life: the 918 incident
Two years later, on the night of September 18, 1931, Lieutenant Suemori Kawamoto of the Japanese Kwantung Army led several subordinates to quietly install explosives under the wicker ditch section of the South Manchurian Railway. Soon the rails and sleepers were blown up.
This was an excuse for the Japanese invaders, and they then placed three corpses dressed in Chinese soldiers' costumes on the scene, claiming that they were the scene of Chinese troops attacking and destroying the railway, and then killed by the Japanese army.
This action shows that the Japanese army's subsequent attack on Beidaying was completely an act of "self-defense".
The September 18 Incident was very humiliating for the people of the mainland, and in the face of tens of thousands of Japanese troops, our more than 100,000 Northeast Army could only pursue a "policy of non-resistance."
Soon after, on February 5, 1932, the entire Northeast had completely collapsed.
Both minerals and crops were easily stolen by the Japanese army, and 30 million compatriots in Northeast China were in dire straits.
The people of Northeast China are in dire straits
The September 18 Incident, as we all know, was the starting point of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
Many people will wonder if Zhang Xueliang had not made the decision of "not resisting", then history would have been rewritten because of this.
Will the appalling persecutions, the exiles of innocent people, the sacrifices of countless warriors be avoided because of this?
You must know that before this, Zhang Xueliang was still a patriotic general with ideals, but why was he cowardly when the Japanese army hit his doorstep?
This made the people of the whole country grieved!
On September 19, 1931, when Zhang Xueliang was interviewed by the media, he claimed that he had already ordered his soldiers not to resist, because he believed that if he really exchanged fire with the Japanese army, the Northeast Army would definitely be defeated!
And he will also cede the land and pay compensation, in this case, his Northeast will really be poor!
Chang
Does this claim really hold water? At that time, the Northeast Army was so vulnerable?
Although it is true that in terms of the overall military pattern, the enemy is strong and we are weak, but in fact, the Feng system is gradually becoming stronger, and the resources in the northeast are abundant, Zhang Xueliang's Northeast Army actually has the strength to wrestle with the Japanese Kwantung Army.
Therefore, Zhang Xueliang's "non-resistance" policy in the 918 incident is really a bit incomprehensible, which is also a stain on his life. It makes people sigh!
Zhang Xueliang made up for his mistakes: teamed up with Yang Hucheng to launch the Xi'an Incident
In the years that followed, Zhang Xueliang often felt regret, but it was too late.
Now he can only follow Chiang Kai-shek and find an opportunity to make up for it.
After the September 18 Incident, the Japanese invasion became more and more rampant, and even had the intention of annexing our entire country.
Zhang Xueliang repeatedly suggested that Chiang Kai-shek go to the anti-Japanese war, but Chiang Kai-shek was always obsessed, and he still insisted on fighting a civil war.
In December 1936, Chiang Kai-shek went to Xi'an to supervise the war, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng jointly requested to meet Chiang Kai-shek to resist the Japanese, but Chiang Kai-shek ruthlessly rejected it!
On December 9, to commemorate the first anniversary of the "129" Anti-Japanese Salvation Movement.
Countless people took to the streets to demonstrate. Zhang Xueliang was ordered by Chiang Kai-shek to suppress it, and was instructed to shoot if necessary.
But what Chiang Kai-shek didn't know was that Zhang Xueliang was once a hot-blooded young man like them, and when he saw those young people running for the country, how could Zhang Xueliang be ruthless and pull the trigger, and in the face of so many marchers, he promised that he would respond to the requests of the marching students within a week.
Originally, because of the 918 incident, he has always been very remorseful.
Now seeing such a scene, Zhang Xueliang has strengthened his belief: we must unite to resist Japan!
Subsequently, on December 12, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng hijacked Chiang Kai-shek and launched the Xi'an Incident, forcing Chiang Kai-shek to "stop the civil war and unite to resist Japan".
The Xi'an Incident marked the end of the 10-year civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and the final formation of the anti-Japanese national united front.
This played an important role in uniting the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. This was the turning point of the domestic revolutionary war to the anti-Japanese national front.
Zhang Xueliang was under house arrest in Taiwan for half a century
After the Xi'an Incident, although Zhang Xueliang let go of Chiang Kai-shek, how could Chiang Kai-shek, who was false and wrong, let Zhang Xueliang go?
After Chiang Kai-shek returned to Nanjing, Zhang Xueliang was immediately arrested.
In 1946, Chiang Kai-shek saw that the general trend was gone, so he put Zhang Xueliang under house arrest in Taiwan. Although it is not said that he can't see the morning sun or the sunset, in fact, Zhang Xueliang has no personal freedom at all.
Zhang Xueliang and Zhao Yidi, who are under house arrest in Taiwan
It was not until Chiang Ching-kuo's death that he regained his freedom.
In 1995, Zhang Xueliang left Taiwan for Hawaii in the United States, where he lived for several years until his death.
When Zhang Xueliang was interviewed by the media in his later years, he said that he understood the consequences of his initiation of the "Xi'an Incident".
He had known Chiang Kai-shek for many years, and he knew Chiang Kai-shek's character very well, and Chiang Kai-shek was a man who had to compete with each other.
Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Xueliang
So when he launched the Xi'an Incident, he was ready to lose his life.
He said that he is absolutely humble in front of the nation, and the choice he makes should be based on the general interests of the nation, rather than engaging in a civil war for his own selfish interests!
As far as the Xi'an incident is concerned, Zhang Xueliang must be worthy of recognition!
Why did Zhang Xueliang's estate go to the United States
Zhang Xueliang's legacy is not only real estate and money, but also some cultural relics.
These cultural relics are from Zhang Xueliang's reign in Northeast China, the Xi'an Incident, and his house arrest in Taiwan.
Among them are the rare books and unique books that Zhang Xueliang has treasured in the past few decades, including his notes when he studied the history of the Ming Dynasty and the Bible, his experience in Christian research, and his diaries, photographs, calligraphy and paintings, letters, etc., as well as records of his activities after his release.
Generally speaking, these cultural relics are really as valuable as diamonds in our eyes, and donating these cultural relics to the motherland is a routine operation as we understand it.
Moreover, these cultural relics are all from China, and they are all the cultural heritage of the motherland, so they should be donated to their motherland now.
At that time, Zhang Xueliang planned to donate these cultural relics to the Northeast Museum, but Zhao Yidi did not agree with Zhang Xueliang's decision so much, Zhao Yidi thought that Zhang Xueliang had not returned to China for so many years, and knew little about the situation in China. Zhang Xueliang thought about it again and again and agreed to Zhao Yidi's suggestion.
Regarding this matter, Zhang Xueliang said in an interview in his later years: "One of the important reasons why he donated those letters, manuscripts, calligraphy and paintings to Columbia University is for the safety of the collection. At that time, Columbia University was the best place in the world to manage collections. No matter what the collection is, there will be dedicated personnel to manage and maintain it every day, so by placing those artifacts at Columbia University, you can maximize the value of those artifacts! ”
At the same time, Zhang Xueliang did not hand over those cultural relics to his children.
We know that Zhang Xueliang originally had four sons and one daughter, only the youngest son Zhang Luqi and the eldest daughter Zhang Luying survived, and with their hard work, they have achieved good achievements and high social status in the United States.
Zhang Xueliang believes that there is no need to pass on these cultural relics to them, and that they cannot play the role of these cultural relics, which will only increase their personal danger.
In addition, another reason why Zhang Xueliang did not donate to the mainland is that he still has the mood of "escape" in his heart, and the "September 18 Incident" is a hurdle that he will never be able to get over in his heart.
Zhang Xueliang in his later years
This sense of shame and guilt has always existed in his heart, and he has always felt that he is sorry for the people and people of the Northeast.
So much so that he has always had "escape emotions" in his heart.
In the 90s, Comrade Deng Xiaoping invited him to return to China to have a look, but he refused. It's enough to see how deep his guilt is.
epilogue
After Zhang Xueliang was placed under house arrest by Chiang Kai-shek in 1946, he did not "see the light of day" until 1995, which is half a century. Zhang Xueliang's life is full of legends, you can say that he is a hero or a coward.
For him to lose the three eastern provinces without firing a single shot, this is completely unwashable, and this is a stain on Zhang Xueliang's life. However, he later launched the Xi'an Incident for the sake of national righteousness and became a well-deserved national hero of our country.
He must have made outstanding contributions to the unity of the whole nation and to the security of the country.
So objectively speaking, Zhang Xueliang must be an existence where his merits outweigh his faults. Premier Zhou once appraised Zhang Xueliang as a "hero of the ages", and Zhang Xueliang can afford this evaluation.
As for his cultural heritage, which he has considered donating to Columbia University again and again, there must be his reasons, and we should respect it!