On December 25, 1949, Xinhua Publishing Published a list of 43 war criminals, wei Lihuang, who had been the commander-in-chief of the "suppression of bandits" in northeast China, was "on the list."
At that time, the people's army led by the Communist Party was about to achieve a final victory across the country, which meant that the Kuomintang war criminals on the list would all bear corresponding historical responsibility for their actions. Therefore, being on this list of war criminals is really not a happy thing.
But Wei Lihuang was very happy when he saw this list, and said to the people around him: "The Communist Party has not forgotten me." ”
Why is Wei Lihuang, who is listed as a war criminal, very happy to see the list? Today we're going to tell you that story.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="6" > joined the army at the age of 19 and was a pioneer of anti-communism</h1>
Wei Lihuang, also spelled Junru, was born in 1897 to a poor family in Xingxiang, a suburb of Hefei, Anhui Province. The family was cold, and after years of disasters and famines, they gradually could not survive. In order to make a living, Wei Lihuang had to run away from home at a young age. In 1916, the 19-year-old Wei Lihuang went south to Guangzhou, joined the Cantonese army, and ate the food of the soldiers.
After Wei Lihuang joined the army, he fought bravely and gradually rose to battalion commander because of his military achievements. In 1922, the warlord Chen Jiongming launched a rebellion, and Wei Lihuang was promoted to regimental commander for his meritorious protection of Sun Yat-sen. Subsequently, he participated in the Northern Expedition, and because of his good command and bravery in battle, he was promoted to division commander.
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek, commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, felt that Wei Lihuang was a rare talent, both obedient and able to fight, so he tried his best to win him over. Wei Lihuang believed that Chiang Kai-shek held great military and political power at the same time, and had a very strong background, and the future was bound to be unlimited, and he would be able to follow him, so he also tried to get closer. Later, Wei Lihuang became one of the famous "Five Tiger Generals" under Chiang Kai-shek.
One pulls together, one draws closer, and the relationship between the two is getting closer and closer. After Chiang Kai-shek rebelled against the revolution, Wei Lihuang was driven by him, making enemies of the people and becoming the vanguard of anti-communism.
In June 1932, Wei Lihuang personally led the strength of a division of the Kuomintang to attack the base area of the Red Army in Eyu-Anhui and occupied Jinjiazhai, a strategic location in Dabie Mountain, and the Red Army was forced to withdraw westward.
Chiang Kai-shek was overjoyed to hear the news, and in order to set an example of anti-communism in order to boost the morale of other "suppression of the communist" troops, the Nationalist Government issued an order to establish a new county named after Wei Lihuang in Jinjiazhai, "Lihuang County," and promoted Wei Lihuang to the commander-in-chief of the three provinces of Eyu and Anhui.
Wei Lihuang's anti-communist reputation has since become so famous that it has been in the limelight for a while.
In 1936, Wei Lihuang, who had been promoted to general, was appointed commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Suining Border Region, responsible for carrying out large-scale "encirclement and suppression" of the Red Army that had just completed the Long March. In the same year, the Xi'an Incident occurred, and Wei Lihuang was detained in Xi'an and forced to sign a telegram sent to Nanjing by Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng.
Wei Lihuang was from the bottom of society and disagreed with Chiang Kai-shek's policy of "taking care of the outside world before being inside." Therefore, after the peaceful settlement of the Xi'an incident, Wei Lihuang himself was very excited, saying:
"At present, the civil war cannot be fought any longer."
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="71" > and the Eighth Route Army jointly resisted Japan in North China, praising the Eighth Route Army for "being able to fight."</h1>
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Wei Lihuang served as the commander-in-chief of the 14th Army group and led his troops to fight in North China.
In October 1937, Wei Lihuang commanded the Battle of Xinkou and led his army to fight with the Japanese army for more than 20 days, although he annihilated 20,000 enemies, but he also suffered great losses.
During this period, the Eighth Route Army ambushed the Japanese army at Pingxingguan, annihilating more than 1,000 enemy troops, breaking the myth that "the Japanese army is invincible." After Hearing the news, Wei Lihuang and the officers and men under his command were greatly boosted and their confidence in continuing to fight was strengthened.
During the Battle of Xinkou, the Japanese army took advantage of its air force superiority and indiscriminately bombarded the positions defended by Wei Lihuang's troops, and Wei Lihuang, who had no air force support, suffered heavy losses and suffered heavy casualties among officers and men.
Peng Dehuai analyzed after observation that the Japanese airfield should be near Xinkou. He sent a reconnaissance force and quickly locked up Yangmingbao airfield. On the night of October 19, 1937, the Eighth Route Army broke into the Japanese airfield Yangmingbao with a small number of troops, destroying 24 enemy aircraft, greatly reducing the pressure on Wei Lihuang's troops. Wei Lihuang immediately sent a telegram to the Eighth Route Army, expressing gratitude and admiration.
Soon after, due to the treachery, Wei Lihuang was ambushed by heavy Japanese troops. At that time, Wei Lihuang only had the strength of one brigade around him, and the guard had been dispersed by the Japanese army, and the situation was extremely critical. The 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army heard the news and sent troops to block the Japanese army and cover Wei Lihuang's retreat.
Afterwards, Wei Lihuang learned that the Eighth Route Army had blocked the pursuit of the Japanese army with only one company of troops, and he was very emotional, saying:
"The Eighth Route Army can really fight!"
Fighting side by side on the battlefield made Wei Lihuang's understanding of the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army more and more profound. On New Year's Day 1938, Wei Lihuang went to the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army to celebrate the New Year for Zhu De and Peng De. Wei Lihuang spoke publicly at the welcoming ceremony, saying:
"I know now that the Eighth Route Army is the most elite unit of the rejuvenating nation."
Wei Lihuang also reflected on his previous behavior of fighting civil wars. He said: In the past, when I fought in the war at home, the material consumption, and the casualties of the soldiers were meaningless, but now it is worth it to defend the country and shed blood and sacrifice.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="79" > have met with CCP leaders many times and their positions have changed day by day</h1>
Before and after the Battle of Xinkou, Wei Lihuang met with Zhou Enlai twice. Zhou Enlai was the leader of Wei Lihuang during the National Revolutionary Army's Crusade, and Wei Lihuang always had great respect for his ability and character. The two have not seen each other for more than ten years, and this goodbye is standing on the same front of the anti-Japanese resistance, which is extremely cordial. Zhou En:
"Dr. Sun Yat-sen's will is to 'awaken the people', as long as we rely on the people and change our strategies and tactics, we can reverse the current unfavorable situation."
Wei Lihuang shook Zhou Enlai's hand and said that the Eighth Route Army was fighting behind enemy lines, which was of great help to his frontal battlefield at Xinkou.
Soon after, Wei Lihuang met Zhu De several more times. Wei Lihuang's arduous and simple style of work left a deep impression on Wei Lihuang, because in the Kuomintang army, anyone who fulfilled Zhu De's position as "commander-in-chief" was either a tall mansion or a group of wives and concubines, and no one could be as strict as Zhu De in exercising self-discipline and self-discipline.
Wei Lihuang was intrigued by Zhu De's past experiences and wondered how he had transformed from an officer in the old army into a staunch revolutionary.
Zhu De, who usually did not want to talk more about his old experience, made an exception for Wei Lihuang, and he frankly introduced his experience of how he pursued the truth without fear of hardships and dangers, and gave up his personal fame and wealth to save the toiling masses.
Wei Lihuang was very touched after listening to it. He said to others:
"Zhu Yujie (Zhu Dezi Yujie) is a loyal elder and is very kind to me. He led the Eighth Route Army and was sincerely willing to help us achieve results in the war against Japan. ”
In April 1938, Wei Lihuang visited Yan'an and was warmly welcomed by Mao Zedong and the Yan'an military and civilians. When Wei Lihuang's motorcade was still thirty miles away from Yan'an, it found that new signs were posted on the side of the road: "Welcome deputy commander of Wei" and "Unite to resist Japan"... When the convoy arrived outside Yan'an City, the Yan'an military and civilians lined up on both sides of the road to welcome the troops, beating gongs and drums and shouting slogans, and the scene was very warm. After entering the city, Mao Zedong personally waited outside the reception door.
Mao Zedong's daily life was always hard, and Yan'an was relatively scarce in materials, but in order to welcome Wei Lihuang, Mao Zedong set up a rich banquet. During the banquet, the guests and hosts spoke earnestly, without falsification and officialdom.
Mao Zedong talked about the importance of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists, stressed the importance of persisting in resisting Japan in Shanxi, and also proposed to guard against the rising capitulationist tendencies within the Kuomintang. Wei Lihuang agreed with Mao Zedong's remarks and admired his foresight.
Mao Zedong also talked about the difficulties of the Eighth Route Army in penetrating deep behind enemy lines, the lack of ammunition, and the lack of sanitary equipment, hoping that Wei Lihuang would help to urge the competent departments to replenish. Wei Lihuang generously promised that after returning to Xi'an, he would immediately allocate 1 million rounds of ammunition, 200,000 rounds of grenades, and 180 boxes of canned goods to the Eighth Route Army.
At the beginning of 1939, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent someone to contact Wei Lihuang to request that the Communications Office of the Eighth Route Army in Luoyang be upgraded to an office, and Wei Lihuang did not hesitate to agree.
This greatly facilitated the Eighth Route Army. With this office, the materials needed by the Eighth Route Army can be organized in Luoyang, important information can be reported to Yan'an through the radio in Luoyang, underground party activities have cover, and transportation from Yan'an to various base areas has also been transferred.
After many contacts with the LEADERS of the Communist Party of China, Wei Lihuang's thinking changed completely. He was only willing to resist Japan and did not want to oppose communism, and often sought out Mao Zedong's works, such as "On Protracted War", and studied them in depth.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="85" > chiang kai-shek stripped of his military power, saying that he "brought down this untrustworthy man."</h1>
Chiang Kai-shek also gradually discovered Wei Lihuang's changes, so he used the usual method of "excluding dissidents", removed Wei Lihuang from his post as commander of the First Theater of Operations, replaced him with the director of the northwest camp office, which had no real power, and stripped Wei Lihuang of his military power.
Wei Lihuang saw clearly Chiang Kai-shek's tricks and said to the people around him:
"Jiang is too vicious to be a fool with him forever, and I will have the strength to bring down this untrustworthy man in the future."
In 1943, when the Chinese Expeditionary Force lost the battle in Burma, Chiang Kai-shek remembered Wei Lihuang, who was good at fighting hard battles, and appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.
Wei Lihuang led an expeditionary force against Japan in Burma and won a great victory, but after returning to China, he was once again stripped of his military power by Chiang Kai-shek, and He Yingqin hung an empty title of deputy commander-in-chief of the army under his name, because Chiang Kai-shek no longer trusted him.
Wei Lihuang was unwilling to hang up a false post, and in a fit of anger, he went abroad to investigate.
After going abroad, Wei Lihuang was still concerned about the domestic situation. Hearing that Chiang Kai-shek had provoked a civil war, Wei Lihuang in Paris found a channel through the progressive scientist Wang Dezhao and expressed his views against the civil war to the Liberated Areas. According to some records, the relevant departments of the Liberated Areas sent a telegram to Wei Lihuang: "You can use the current situation and act with the camera." ”
In 1948, when the Kuomintang army was in trouble in the northeast, Chiang Kai-shek once again thought of the former fierce general Wei Lihuang and transferred him to Shenyang to succeed Chen Cheng as the commander-in-chief of the northeast "suppressing bandits".
Wei Lihuang did not want to take office, but Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly sent people to persuade him, and Wei Lihuang had no choice but to come to Shenyang to take up his post. However, he had no intention of taking the initiative to fight the PLA, nor did he refuse to go west to aid Jinzhou, which was attacked by the PLA, but hid in Shenyang to repair fortifications and grind Chiang Kai-shek's orders.
After the liberation of the whole northeast, Wei Lihuang was dismissed by Chiang Kai-shek and investigated. During this period, Wei Lihuang left Beiping with his family and went to Guangzhou, where he was stopped by Kuomintang agents, placed under house arrest in Nanjing, and lost his personal freedom.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="87" > the Communist Party declared Wei Lihuang a war criminal, and Wei Lihuang was overjoyed: The Communist Party has not forgotten me</h1>
On December 25, 1948, Xinhua Publishing News Agency published a list of 43 war criminals, and Wei Lihuang was impressively listed.
It is said that after Wei Lihuang learned that he was also a war criminal, he was very happy and said to the people around him:
"The Communist Party has not forgotten me."
Why did Wei Lihuang say, "The Communist Party has not forgotten me?"?
Because his situation at that time was very dangerous, Chiang Kai-shek had the possibility of killing Wei Lihuang, who was "suspected of being pro-Communist." After the CCP announced the list of war criminals, Wei Lihuang's "pro-communist" color was diluted, giving him more room to turn around.
Without direct communication between the CCP and Wei Lihuang, they can understand and trust each other, which can also be said to be "with a sharp mind".
Sure enough, Wei Lihuang made good use of the opportunities created for him by the "list of war criminals" for him. On January 28, 1949, Wei Lihuang fled after putting on makeup, driving from Nanjing to Shanghai, boarding a British steamship in Shanghai, and fleeing to Hong Kong.
After Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan, he sent someone to persuade Wei Lihuang to go to Taiwan as well. But Wei Lihuang was well aware of Chiang Kai-shek's viciousness and untrustworthiness, and rejected the proposal to go to Taiwan. Since then, he has been reading books and newspapers at home every day to understand the situation.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" Data-track="88" > returned to the motherland and was welcomed</h1>
On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded. When Wei Lihuang heard the news, he was very happy and sent a telegram to Chairman Mao congratulating him, saying in the telegram that "from now on, the whole Chinese people will receive a great leader, and new China will be prosperous and strong."
In 1955, Under the inspiration of "patriotism in no particular order", Wei Lihuang responded to the call of Premier Zhou Enlai and returned to China with his wife Han Quanhua. When he arrived in Guangzhou, Wei Lihuang received a telegram from Chairman Mao: "Mr. Returning to China is very welcome."
After Wei Lihuang returned to Beijing, the party and the government gave him great trust and honor. He has successively served as a deputy to the National People's Congress, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, and a vice chairman of
In 1956, Chairman Mao, in his article "On the Relations of the Ten Congresses," specifically used Wei Lihuang as an example, calling him a "patriotic Kuomintang military and political personnel" and saying that we must unite these people.
On January 17, 1960, Wei Lihuang died at the age of 63 and was buried in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.
People from all walks of life in the capital held public sacrifices, Zhou Enlai personally presided over the sacrifice, and Zhang Zhizhong delivered a eulogy. In his eulogy, Zhang Zhizhong said: "The party and the people have remembered the good deeds that Comrade Wei Lihuang has done for the people."
When Wei Lihuang returned to China, Chairman Mao received him and said, "The right way in the world is vicissitudes." Although Wei Lihuang, a patriotic general from a poor family, once went astray, he finally came to the "right path on earth."