In 1945, the military commander received a secret telegram from the United States, which was personally delivered to his office by Dai Li.
Song Meiling saw Dai Li coming, and before she could say hello, she saw the other party hurrying over.
Walking into the house, Dai Li closed the door and walked directly to Chiang Kai-shek, who was approving the documents:
"Headmaster, this is a telegram from the United States, and I need you to see it for yourself."
Chiang Kai-shek took the telegram in confusion, and after reading the news on it, he scolded in the Fenghua dialect.
Song Meiling had never seen Dai Li's serious expression, and she heard her husband so angry, she hesitated outside the door for a long time and didn't go in.
At night, Song Meiling tossed and turned, feeling that something was always going to happen.
After Chiang Kai-shek fell asleep, he secretly got up and went to the study. She knew that her husband had always had a habit of keeping a diary.
While Chiang Kai-shek was asleep, he got up and found the diary. But after reading it, his original face suddenly turned pale, and he called his brother-in-law Kong Xiangxi overnight and asked him to flee quickly, otherwise his life would be in danger.
What exactly did Chiang Kai-shek write in his diary that made Soong Meiling so alarmed? Why did she let Kong Xiangxi run away?
The shocking corruption case caused an uproar across the country
In June 1945, when the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression had reached its final stage, a shocking scandal broke out at this time, which made the people completely disappointed with the Chongqing government.
It turned out that Kong Xiangxi was reported by two young people, saying that he used his power for personal gain, and the total amount of embezzlement was as high as 2.6 billion.
As soon as the news came out, the whole country was in an uproar. The people took to the streets to demonstrate and force Chiang Kai-shek to remove Kong Xiangxi from his post, and telegrams from the United States were sent to Chiang Kai-shek.
At that time, the United States had already entered the war, and in strategic operations, it was necessary for the Chinese army to contain the main Japanese force, so as to coordinate the next operation of the US military.
To this end, the United States agreed to Kong Xiangxi's proposal at the IMF World Bank meeting to lend China $500 million.
500 million US dollars was converted into 9.4 billion legal tender at that time.
This is more than the previous loans combined, and the interest-free indefinite period is about the same as giving it away for nothing.
As soon as the Nationalist Government received the money, it allocated 100 million US dollars as "public bonds" to issue to the people, but the people had already lost confidence in the Chongqing government, let alone buy "public bonds" to support the war of resistance, so few people bought public bonds.
And Kong Xiangxi fell in love with this piece of fat. He took the initiative to propose to Chiang Kai-shek to stop issuing "public bonds" and said in a high-sounding manner:
"The current people have become disillusioned with the government for various reasons before, and even if they issue public bonds, no one will buy them, so it is better to use them as military supplies to feed and clothe the troops on the front line."
Chiang Kai-shek trusted Kong Xiangxi, and there was indeed no one to buy the "public debt", so he was fully responsible for taking care of the matter.
However, the news reported by Kong Xiangxi to Jiang was mixed, and it was true that no one bought the public bonds, but he did.
After he and his subordinates got into their hands, the value of the public debt gradually increased, and between buying and selling, he made a net profit of 2.6 billion.
At this time, although the fiat currency depreciated due to inflation, it was also very shocking under the huge amount of 2.6 billion.
You must know that in 1942, Henan was famine due to natural disasters, and there was no money to buy grain, so that a few pieces of wowotou and a few catties of rice could buy a young girl.
In front of 2.6 billion, everything seems so light.
When the United States learned of this, it sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek, asking him to replace the Minister of Finance, Kong Xiangxi.
Dai Li also solemnly reported:
"Now, the U.S. government knows that Minister Kong embezzled the money. In the current situation, what does the principal think should be good? ”
Chiang Kai-shek put the telegram in his hand on the table, he knew about Kong Xiangxi's greed, but this time, it was too big.
"Now, he can only be dismissed."
Dai Li was not surprised by this result at all, because in the past, Kong Xiangxi continued to act in private.
Jiang is turning a blind eye and protecting it if he can, but if he wants to blame it this time, he can only blame his own desire for profit.
Dai Li once said something like this to his lover:
"Chiang Kai-shek has something to do and Song Meiling, Song Meiling has something to do and Song Ailing, Song Ailing has something to do and Kong Xiangxi, but if Kong Xiangxi has something, then no one will help him."
Unexpectedly, this sentence has been fulfilled not long after.
That evening, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary:
"Yongzhi cannot think about the future of the party-state and the revolution, but only wants to ruin his reputation and position."
It can be seen between the lines that Chiang Kai-shek's tolerance for Kong Xiangxi has reached a critical point, because his greedy nature has exceeded the survival of the country, so this dismissal is also a warning to Kong Xiangxi in disguise.
This is not the first time Kong Xiangxi has been greedy for money, every time he is exposed, he is quietly suppressed, which makes him more and more rampant.
After the sages
Kong Xiangxi is the seventy-fifth generation grandson of Confucius, and he received an old-fashioned education since he was a child. When he was six years old, his mother died, leaving him and his father alone.
Later, my father became addicted to opium smoking, and the family's accumulated money slowly drained up.
It may be that the experience of lack of money in his childhood made him subconsciously feel that he needed to keep making money, and only by making money could he have a sense of security.
At that time, Kong Xiangxi still adhered to the concept of saving the country through industry, so in 1912, he aimed at the most sought-after commodity at that time - kerosene, and it was successful in just one year.
Kong Xiangxi used his status as a businessman to actively raise funds for the revolution.
It was also at this time that he met Song Ailing, the eldest lady of the Song family. At that time, she worked as an English secretary for Mr. Sun Yat-sen, and the two secretly fell in love when they came and went.
At the beginning, Song Ailing once commented on him: "There is a way to make money, and there is a way to make money." ”
Since marrying Song Ailing as his wife, Kong Xiangxi has become powerful.
In 1924, he saw the opportunity of the Northern Expedition and immediately returned from the United States. Relying on Soong Ailing's nepotism, he successfully served as the director of the Finance Department of the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government, and smoothly transformed from a businessman to a politician.
Kong Xiangxi used his keen sense of money to manage large and small financial expenditures for three years. This also laid the foundation for him to serve as the "money bag" of the national government later.
After becoming a politician, Kong Xiangxi's way to collect money became bigger and bigger, and after slowly tasting the sweetness brought by this identity, he became more and more determined to climb up.
After replacing Song Ziwen as Minister of Finance, after feeling the privileges brought by power, his ambitions gradually grew.
During the Anti-Japanese War, he and his wife Song Ailing made a fortune.
The post of Minister of Finance opened the door for him to blatantly resell arms. And with the power in his hands, at the time of the depreciation of the currency, a large number of factories were acquired.
The acquired factories are used to purchase raw materials from ordinary people at low prices, reprocess them, and sell them at high prices.
After all the money of the people at the bottom was scavenged, they "borrowed grain" from the people because of the tight war, and the landlords tried their best to add this part of the grain to the tenants.
Under the double squeeze, the peasants at the bottom did not even have the seeds left for the coming year.
At that time, Henan was suffering from a great famine, and Kong Xiangxi still asked the people to pay for food and money for various reasons, and millions of people died of starvation in this year alone.
Naturally, the husband and wife's behavior was opposed by many high-level officials of the Nationalist Government, but every time they stabbed Chiang Kai-shek, there was always thunder and rain.
Didn't Chiang Kai-shek know what Kong Xiangxi and his wife had done?
Henchman "Money Bag"
As early as after Chiang Kai-shek's April 12 coup, there were many high-ranking officials in Wuhan who were reluctant to recognize the Nanjing government, including Soong Ziwen.
At that time, Kong Xiangxi went all the way to the dark, and when he was transferred from Guangzhou to Nanjing, he relied on his brother-in-law to help Chiang Kai-shek lobby Song Ziwen and other senior officials.
Compared with Song Ziwen, the brother-in-law who often can't turn around for three days and ends due to financial problems, Kong Xiangxi, the action-oriented brother-in-law who only delivers results, is obviously more worthy of his heart.
So in 1933, Kong Xiangxi officially took over the finances and became the government's "money bag". Chiang Kai-shek naturally knew that Kong Xiangxi was greedy for money, but he was able to carry out his words exactly to the end, and completely looked at his own horse.
Therefore, we will turn a blind eye to these dispensable "small problems".
Compared with greed for money, Chiang Kai-shek cared more about whether this person was completely loyal to himself and controlled by himself.
Kong Xiangxi naturally understood this, so when Song Meiling said that she was "fated" with her second daughter Kong Lingwei, he decisively asked her daughter to recognize her aunt as her godmother.
The daughter spent most of her time with Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Meiling, and almost grew up by their side.
It was precisely because of his cleverness that he worked as a treasurer by Chiang Kai-shek's side, and his 11 years of work were smooth.
With their wives and children collecting wealth together, with their backs against the trees, no one can touch them.
But this time it didn't work, Kong Xiangxi moved the cake that shouldn't be moved, and there were Americans watching behind him,
And Chiang Kai-shek didn't want to protect him anymore.
For the sake of this "public debt", Kong Xiangxi lied that no one bought it, but he bought it privately, which has touched his bottom line.
Once it is mixed with lies, then this loyalty is spoiled.
Therefore, after Song Meiling read his diary, her face changed greatly, and she called Kong Xiangxi to leave.
It is easy for the Kong family to escape, but the industries of Song Ailing and his wife are all over the Guotong area, and it is so easy to go wherever they want. Fortunately, Chiang Kai-shek still remembered the old feelings and only dismissed him from his post as a warning.
Later, Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan and reappointed him as an adviser. It can be seen that Kong Xiangxi has realized his mistake and has been forgiven.
Later, in Taiwan, Kong's company frequently broke out into scandals, and finally it was over.
epilogue
If it weren't for Chiang Kai-shek's connivance, Kong Xiangxi would not have been so bold and ate 2.6 billion.
His appetite was nurtured little by little, from the appointment and dismissal of official positions at the beginning, to the resale of arms, and then to the "public debt" later. Every step is to stand on the people's body and suck the blood.
At a time when the nation is in crisis, Kong Xiangxi's behavior is really disgusting.
Chiang Kai-shek's appointment of wolves for public service, and the final defeat and retreat to Taiwan was also a historical choice.
-END-
[Text: Mr. White Rose]
[Editor|Chang Gung]
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