Author | Meditation on the Tao
Preface
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, there was a strange phenomenon, that is, the number of puppet soldiers and traitors far exceeded the number of Japanese troops invading China.
After Japan's surrender, according to mainland statistics, the number of Japanese puppet troops reached an astonishing 2 million, plus the number of puppet troops captured during the war, the number reached an astonishing 3.8 million, which was twice the number of Japanese troops.
Under the leadership of these traitors and puppet soldiers, our road to the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression will be so difficult, and there will be so many martyrs sacrificed, and among the traitors, Zhang Benzheng is undoubtedly the number one person with heinous crimes.
The family is poor, and he is new to the world
In Luanjin Village, Dalian, there is a very good-looking two-story small western-style building, even if you look at it from the current perspective, you will feel very luxurious, without the slightest backwardness.
If this two-story small western-style building was built in 1920, and it was also the home of a big traitor at that time, would you believe it?
The owner of this small western-style building is Zhang Benzheng.
Zhang Benzheng was born in Lushun, Sichuan, in 1865, at a time when the Qing government was incompetent, not only for internal corruption, but also for foreign land reparations.
The signing of the "Treaty of Nanjing" and the "Sino-US Wangxia Treaty" made the lives of the people in China miserable
Zhang Benzheng was born in such an era, when his family was the same, so poor that he couldn't open the pot, and at the same time he had five brothers and sisters at home, so many people were waiting for dinner, the pressure can be imagined.
But Zhang Benzheng's parents liked this little son very much, and they still sent Zhang Benzheng to a private school to study, when the old and new cultures collided, which also gave Zhang Benzheng a different world, and also laid the foundation for his future experience.
Later, Zhang Benzheng's father died, and in order to live, he had to do some small business with his mother, but the Qing government was incompetent, and this small business was soon lost due to excessive taxes.
In desperation, Zhang Benzheng had no choice but to run out as an apprentice, in order to make a living, he worked as a carpenter, worked as a running hall, but was dismissed because he was not suitable.
At this time, Zhang Benzheng began to be disappointed, as a young man who had read books, he actually looked down on these jobs from the bottom of his bones, but he had no choice but to hinder his life, and he could only look for a new job again.
At this time, a friend of Zhang Benzheng came to him to discuss the matter of partnering in business, and Zhang Benzheng directly agreed.
The two pooled money to open a grocery store, but because they had little experience, the grocery store business was very poor, so two years later, the two also chose to close.
This time Zhang Benzheng really felt the despair, after returning to his hometown, he no longer wanted to do business, but honestly worked as a farmer at home, which was five years.
In 1892, 27-year-old Zhang Benzheng came to Lushun and decided to open a grocery store with his two friends again, but due to the times, this time it closed down without even a year.
Disheartened, Zhang Benzheng returned to his hometown and worked as a handyman in a high-end restaurant owned by a Japanese businessman, but he didn't expect that it was this job that changed his life.
Defected to Japan and became a spy
When he was working at this Japanese hotel, he met the owner of the hotel, Takahashi Fujibei, and it was this Japanese who gave Zhang Benzheng a "chance to change himself".
Takahashi Fuji Guard was not an ordinary Japanese businessman, but a spy sent by Japan to collect intelligence, but he was unfamiliar with the place, and it was difficult to collect useful information, so he wanted to find a local person to act as an intermediary.
And Zhang Benzheng also met the big boss of the hotel by chance, when the Takahashi Fuji guard dropped his wallet, and he happened to be picked up by Zhang Benzheng, so he handed it back to the other party.
Takahashi Teng Guards saw that Zhang Benzheng was still clever and had read books for a few years, so he decided to train Zhang Benzheng to be this middleman.
Takahashi Fuji guards did not reveal their identities directly, but first gave Zhang Benzheng some simple tasks to see how well he had completed, and at the same time would pay him.
Zhang Benzheng is also very good, he has performed several tasks, all of which have been successfully completed, so he has won the trust of the Takahashi Fuji guards, who explained their identity to Zhang Benzheng, and also said that they could give him a higher reward.
At this time, Zhang Benzheng had long lost any feelings for his family and country, and when he heard the higher salary, he was instantly moved and agreed to collect intelligence for Takahashi's guards.
Later, the Sino-Japanese naval battle broke out in the First Sino-Japanese War, and in just four hours, the Beiyang Naval Division was completely annihilated, which also had a certain relationship with the intelligence collected by Zhang Benzheng.
Soon, the news that Zhang Benzheng became a Japanese spy spread, after all, how could a hotel waiter suddenly be so rich, so someone reported Zhang Benzheng with red eyes.
The Qing government was very angry when it learned about this incident, and directly issued a wanted warrant, and Zhang Benzheng was wanted by the whole country, and Zhang Benzheng was also very smart, and he had already fled to Shandong with the money in his hand.
Fortune is prosperous, and crime is monstrous
After coming to Shandong, Zhang Benzheng opened his eyes, and with the help of the Japanese, Zhang Benzheng rented two ships and began to engage in overseas trade.
With the Japanese as the backstage, in just a few years, Zhang Benzheng can be said to have earned the first pot of gold in his life, and Zhang Benzheng was so excited at this time that he couldn't find the north.
With the help of the Japanese, Zhang Benzheng's business soon monopolized the entire shipping industry, and of course, there were some disgraceful means, such as using the power of the Japanese to rob other people's ships and so on.
Zhang Benzheng, who had made money, was not satisfied with the status quo, so he extended his hand to other industries, and soon, he became one of the eight major Chinese businessmen in Dalian.
The villa at the beginning of the article was also built at this time.
By 1926, when the Japanese occupied the Kwantung region, they held a special celebration, and Zhang Benzheng was also present, and he was the only Chinese present.
But he did not feel inferior in the slightest, but toasted everywhere in the venue, and then stammered with the Japanese present to show his loyalty, and the Japanese applauded him when they saw him like this.
A real big traitor
Later, after the 918 Incident, Japan established the puppet Manchukuo in the three eastern provinces, and Zhang Benzheng held a total of 49 titles in various positions in it.
Zhang Benzheng has completely become a big traitor, and he is also the number one traitor in the Northeast, even after the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, he chose to help Japan.
Not only did he use his own ships to help Japan transport goods, but he also encouraged other business friends to donate money to the Japanese.
In 1944, when Japan was on the verge of defeat, Zhang Benzheng directly donated 740,000 yuan, and then donated 40 aircraft.
For now, this money and planes are not much, but at that time, Japan only made 600 planes a year, and China could not build a single one.
At this time, Zhang Benzheng was almost 80 years old, and his actions really moved Japan, so he was invited to Japan, and the Japanese government awarded him two medals, which were awarded by the emperor at that time.
Begin reckoning, and finally get retribution
Although Zhang Benzheng gave the Japanese so much money and goods, he still could not prevent Japan's defeat.
In 1945, when Japan had not yet surrendered, it began to transport Chinese goods to its own home, and later after Japan's formal surrender, Japanese soldiers returned to Japan.
Perhaps because of the anger of defeat, Japan did not take Zhang Benzheng away, and Zhang Benzheng was also very smart and knew that he would not have a good result if he fell into the hands of the Communist Party, so he opened up the internal affairs of the Kuomintang through various relationships.
Later, Zhang Benzheng was not executed by the Kuomintang, but his family property was counted, and then sentenced to 12 years in prison, and his family property was cleared out of 1.71 million yuan, and 1050 acres of land, which shows how much he cared about the Japanese at that time.
Of course, this is just money on the surface, no one knows how much money Zhang Benzheng hid behind the scenes, and Zhang Benzheng was released from prison soon after 12 years through various relationships.
After being released from prison, Zhang Benzheng still lived a prosperous life with his hidden wealth, and at the same time whitewashed himself in various ways, calling himself a conscientious entrepreneur.
After a few days of leisure, Zhang Benzheng found that the Kuomintang was about to die, and he was afraid of being liquidated by the Communist Party, so he came to Tianjin incognito.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, when the people were registered, the people found this big traitor hiding everywhere, and finally in 1951, Zhang Benzheng was arrested.
In the face of such a traitor, we really couldn't give him a chance to make amends, and in the end, Zhang Benzheng was sentenced to death.
According to the staff at the time, six bullets were used when Zhang Benzheng was shot.
Even if 72 years have passed, everyone has not forgotten this big traitor, and in the entire history of China, he will always be nailed to the pillar of shame!