In 1951, Chiang Kai-shek was deeply shocked when he learned the news of "Golden Rong Sweeping the Street" in Taiwan. Huang Jinrong used to be the giant of the Shanghai Tang Youth Gang, and was named the "Three Tycoons of Shanghai" along with Du Yuesheng and Zhang Xiaolin, and Huang Jinrong was the first of the three tycoons.
During the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly invited Huang Jinrong to go to Taiwan with him, but he was refused. Chiang Kai-shek once thought that Huang Jinrong must have a major plan to stick to Shanghai, but now he is just sweeping the streets, which makes him sigh: "I would rather sweep the streets here than come to Taiwan, why?" ”
Chiang Kai-shek was never clear why. What made him even more dissatisfied was that he could not persuade Huang Jinrong to move to Taiwan, but Chen Yi could make Huang Jinrong willing to clean up the garbage on the street. Chiang Kai-shek had to admit that he had underestimated Chen Yi, and Chen Yi was too powerful.
So, as a veteran of the rivers and lakes, why did Huang Jinrong follow Chen Yi's arrangement to sweep the streets? After Chiang Kai-shek learned about this, why did he praise Chen Yi's greatness so much?
In 1868, Huang Jinrong was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and grew up in Shanghai. Initially apprenticed in a framing shop, he aspired to do more than just become a framer.
In order to pursue a higher status, he used his personal connections to successfully enter the patrol house of the French Concession and became a patrolman. However, a Chinese working under the leadership of a foreigner must seize the opportunity to make a name for himself. In this regard, Huang Jinrong is obviously lucky!
On May 6, 1923, Sun Meiyao, the leader of the "Shandong Jianguo Autonomous Army", and others kidnapped the international train of World Intermodal Transport to transport Chinese and foreign journalists and important personnel to Shandong to attend the ceremony of the Gongjiaba of the Yellow River.
After the incident broke out, it attracted widespread attention at home and abroad, and Britain, the United States, Italy, France and other countries lodged protests with the Beiyang government. In the face of diplomatic pressure, then President Li Yuanhong was forced to send representatives to negotiate with Sun Meiyao and others.
After learning that the Beiyang government was under foreign pressure, Sun Meiyao took the opportunity to take the foreigners as hostages and put forward a series of conditions, threatening to kill the foreigners, making the Beiyang government in a dilemma.
The Beiyang government was neither willing to agree to the conditions nor dare to offend foreign forces, so it adopted a "policy of suppression", ostensibly negotiating with Sun Meiyao, but in fact secretly sending troops to clean it up. However, Sun Meiyao and others had been prepared for a long time, and the two sides were deadlocked for more than a month, but no progress was made.
Frustrated by the incompetence of the Beiyang government, the French consulate sought the help of the French Concession Patrol in Shanghai, hoping to rescue the French. They issued a reward order, offering a reward of 3,000 yuan for clues, and a reward of 10,000 yuan for successful rescuers.
After learning the news, Huang Jinrong was excited, but considering that the matter was complicated and happened in Shandong, he had no connections, so he had to give up. However, unexpected help followed. Han Rongpu, a man from Shandong, reported that he had been robbed of money in Shanghai. Huang Jinrong learned that Han Rongpu was from Lincheng, Shandong, and thought of the Lincheng train robbery, so he asked more.
Through communication with Han Rongpu, Huang Jinrong learned that he had a military background and decided to use his help. In order to thank Han Rongpu, Huang Jinrong provided 150 yuan and said that if you have any questions, you can find him at any time.
Gratitude made Han Rongpu and Huang Jinrong closer. In the pleasant conversation, Huang Jinrong mentioned that the French asked for help to save Reddy, and Han Rongpu expressed his willingness to help. The two of them did not expect that this cooperation would completely change the fate of Huang Jinrong.
Han Rongpu returned to Lincheng and quickly obtained Lei Di's information with the help of his military connections. After Huang Jinrong learned about it, he organized detectives to go to Yi County, Shandong, and cooperated with the local military and police to successfully rescue Lei Di and send him to Shanghai safely. The French consulate paid a generous bounty, Huang Jinrong was promoted to inspector general, and was closely protected by eight bodyguards, and rose from an unknown small patrol to a celebrity in Shanghai overnight.
After his success in France, Huang Jinrong began to establish contacts with imperialism, bureaucratic capitalists, Kuomintang reactionaries, and politicians, expanded his disciples, engaged in opium trafficking, opened casinos, and gradually rose to become a rogue tycoon. In modern times, after being invaded by foreign powers, Shanghai has become a stage for all kinds of characters to compete for the stage, and it has also become a "blessed land" for the development of hooligan tycoons.
Huang Jinrong and other rogue tycoons from humble backgrounds and poor families developed into a hegemon by using gang power and recruiting disciples, and became "hooligan tycoons" in the eyes of the common people. Like Du Yuesheng, Zhang Xiaolin and others, they rose in this environment.
In the spring of 1949, with the victory of the Liberation War, the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang in Shanghai was in jeopardy. Rogue tycoons fled Shanghai, fearing that they would be liquidated when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) seized power. However, Huang Jinrong, who is over eighty years old, chose to stay in Shanghai out of consideration for the protection of the "big world", his advanced age and difficulty in adapting to changes, and the Communist Party's tolerant policy.
First of all, Huang Jinrong wants to keep his main source of income - the "Big World" playground. The government allowed him to continue to run the business, and although his income was lower than during the Kuomintang period, it was still considerable.
Secondly, the elderly Huang Jinrong is unwilling to bear the toil of fleeing. At the age of 82, his body was already weakened, and he was worried that he would be too tired from tossing. Although Du Yuesheng invited him to Hong Kong, Huang Jinrong found it difficult to adapt to his new life, preferring to spend his old age in the familiar Shanghai.
Third, the Communist Party's policy of tolerance had an impact on him. The party's policy is to use the gangs in Shanghai, and as long as it does not affect public order, the gangs that are willing to accept reform are safe. With regard to gang bosses like Huang Jinrong, the party adopted the attitude of observing and deciding for a period of time, demanding that "Shanghai will not be chaotic."
Therefore, Huang Jinrong chose to stay in Shanghai and enjoy the pleasures of bathing, smoking and playing mahjong every day, firmly believing that his life would continue to be maintained under the tolerance of the Communist Party.
By the time the People's Liberation Army occupied Nanjing, the rogue tycoons of Shanghai and the military and political figures of the Kuomintang had already left. These people are strong and have a certain amount of power, and if they can stay in Shanghai and contribute to the liberation, it will be of great benefit to Shanghai's stable development. Therefore, the CCP has made it a priority to stabilize the gang leaders and keep them in Shanghai.
In this context, Huang Jinrong has become the object of attention of the CCP. At first, he saw Du Yuesheng, Wang Xiaolai and others leaving, and he hesitated. When he hesitated, his friend Yang Hu appeared.
Yang Hu was a participant in the Xinhai Revolution and a veteran of the Kuomintang. In 1948, he established contact with the CCP. Considering his friendship with Huang Jinrong, the organization arranged for him to persuade Huang Jinrong to stay in Shanghai.
Huang Jinrong confided in Yang Hu, but Yang Hu told him the attitude of the party leaders towards him and conveyed the specific policy: "As long as you follow the Communist Party, you can not blame the past." Despite Yang Hu's words, Huang Jinrong has a lot of nonsense in politics and does not fully trust it.
Because Yang Hu's persuasion was not enough, the party organization sent Wu Wannan to persuade Huang Jinrong.
Wu Wannan has a relationship with Huang Jinrong, which originates from her ex-husband Zhang Shizhao. Wu was dissatisfied with Zhang Shizhao's marriage and took his son to Europe in 1929. Huang Jinrong felt sorry for Wu Weaknan.
When Wu Wannan visited Huang Jinrong, he did not mention the past, but explained to him the government's policy: "Support the Communist Party and not be the enemy of the people." Huang Jinrong asked what the Communist Party needed him to do, and Wu suggested that he stay in Shanghai, not listen to rumors, and not act rashly.
Wu Wannan's words dispelled Huang Jinrong's doubts. Subsequently, the People's Liberation Army's entry into Shanghai also changed Huang Jinrong's view of the Communist Party.
On May 27, 1949, Shanghai was liberated. However, the invasion of the imperialist powers that lasted for more than 100 years caused Shanghai to experience serious damage in all aspects. During the rule of the Kuomintang, Shanghai fell into chaos.
The Communists, led by Chen Yi, are well aware of the sensitivity of the issue. They understand that if not properly addressed, the consequences could be even worse. Therefore, after the People's Liberation Army was stationed in Shanghai, Chen Yi led all military and political cadres to conscientiously study the "Rules for Entering the City".
On the night of May 26, 100,000 PLA troops stayed overnight on Shanghai's Nanjing Road. This scene was recorded by Lu Rensheng, the head of the photography group of the East China Field Army, with a camera.
At that time, it was the rainy season in Shanghai, the road was wet, and the PLA soldiers who had been on the front line of the battle for a long time were exhausted. The night was a little cold, but everyone endured it silently, curled up together, and lay directly on the ground. They did not disturb the surrounding citizens, nor did they affect the operation of the surrounding shops.
Some early citizens were moved by the scene of the PLA sleeping on the streets, and they said that "the defeat of the Kuomintang is doomed" and praised the PLA as a real people's army.
Chen Yi led the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to show the citizens of Shanghai that the Communist Party was different from the imperialist powers and the Kuomintang. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is an army that truly serves the people. After establishing a good image, they set out to solve real problems.
Shortly before the liberation of Shanghai, Chiang Kai-shek issued a gold yuan bill, which led to a sharp increase in inflation, and the wholesale price index rose by 300% in just one month, and the market was completely out of control. In order to maintain its dominant position, the Kuomintang frequently bombed Shanghai, and the economy came to a standstill, and the capitalists took advantage of the opportunity to speculate and seek huge profits. Seeing the chaos in Shanghai, Western countries imposed an economic blockade on it, resulting in the disruption of maritime trade and the collapse of Shanghai's financial market.
In Shanghai, Chen Yi implemented the central government's policy of "three unifications and three equalizations", and stabilized the market and created a foundation for currency circulation by severely cracking down on speculators. Prior to this, he took tough measures to crack down on speculation, so that prices in Shanghai finally returned to normal levels.
After solving these economic problems, Chen Yi faced a third big problem - gang power. Many gang bosses chose to flee Shanghai to avoid liquidation before the PLA moved in, but due to the long-standing gang problem, many hidden social dangers still exist. Especially those who worked under the bigwigs, most of them still remain in Shanghai, with a strong atmosphere of rivers and lakes, and act lawlessly.
Chen Yi understood that simply arresting them was not the solution to the problem, so he proposed to change the way he worked and manage these people through "charlatanism". He knew that Huang Jinrong, who stayed in Shanghai, was the core of these people. The government adopted a lenient policy towards Huang Rong to avoid unnecessary disputes. Under Huang Jinrong's leadership, many gang members began to change their thinking and behave more properly.
In October 1950, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) issued the "Guidance on the Suppression of Counterrevolutionary Activities," which required organs at all levels to adopt the method of "combining repression with leniency" to fully implement the instructions of the document. Two months later, a nationwide campaign to suppress counter-revolutionaries was launched, focusing on cracking down on bandits, spies, and the backbone of reactionary party groups.
Huang Jinrong, who had dominated Shanghai for many years, was once again in the spotlight. In this movement, he himself behaved well, but some of his disciples refused to reform and even caused chaos, and were eventually arrested by the police.
At the same time, some people reported that Huang Jinrong was secretly hiding large cigarettes, guns and ammunition. After receiving the report, the police searched Huang Jinrong's residence and found the prohibited items in the basement. Due to his good attitude in admitting his mistakes, the police only asked him to write a review.
On May 20, 1951, Wen Wei Po and Xin Bao published Huang Jinrong's review. In the letter, he first thanked the people's government for its leniency, and then examined what he had done to hurt the people. He then admitted that his actions violated the government's "counterrevolutionary suppression campaign" and finally said that he would "do patriotic things well" in the future.
Although Huang Jinrong wrote the review, this does not mean that his mistakes are completely forgiven. According to the policy of the time, he still had to undergo reform. At that time, Shanghai emphasized that "labor is glorious, not shameful work", and some people reported that Huang Jinrong was not active in his work and became a person who dragged his feet.
As a social celebrity, Huang Jinrong has attracted much attention, and the government is also cautious in dealing with him. Because of his advanced age, the government decided to involve him in the workforce. When Chen Yi learned about it, he told the staff, "Give him a broom and let him sweep the streets." So, Huang Jinrong began a new life of sweeping the streets at the door of his former most profitable "big world".
Chen Yi's decision to arrange for the gold to sweep the streets is a signal to the citizens that the new China is different from the old era, that society is changing, and that those who make mistakes need to be punished. It also provides protection for Huang Jinrong to a certain extent, and openly sweeps the street to avoid many unnecessary questions and complaints.
When a reporter took a photo of Huang Jinrong sweeping the street, it caused a huge sensation in society. Considering Huang Rong's advanced age, his "street sweeping" transformation is only symbolic, so as to achieve the purpose of showing the world the new government's governance strategy.
When the news reached Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek was very shocked to learn that "Golden Rong swept the streets", and bluntly said that Chen Yi's methods were "powerful"! Chiang Kai-shek was not only the chairman of the Nationalist Government and the principal of the Whampoa Military Academy, but also a member of the Youth Gang and a disciple of Huang Jinrong.
In 1921, Chiang Kai-shek encountered a financial crisis in Shanghai and fell into bankruptcy with huge debts. Huang Jinrong invited Chiang Kai-shek's creditors to come and publicly said, "I will pay my apprentice's debts for me." This move took the creditors by surprise, and as a result, they chose not to pursue Chiang Kai-shek's arrears, but to take the opportunity to curry favor with Huang Jinrong and Chiang Kai-shek.
The two thus formed a master-apprentice relationship. Although Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly suggested that Huang Jinrong leave Shanghai and settle in Taiwan, he was refused. Chiang Kai-shek knew that Huang Jinrong was difficult to control, but did not persuade him to leave Shanghai.
This highlights the different styles of Chen Yi and Chiang Kai-shek. Chen Yi took the rule of law as the criterion, while Chiang Kai-shek preferred the emotional card. Shanghai suffered from social unrest during the Kuomintang period, and even with the implementation of the "Tiger Fighting Plan", it was resisted by capitalists from all sides. As a result, the Communist Party led by Chen Yi successfully managed Shanghai.