Picture | On March 16, 1966, Li Zongren and Cheng Siyuan revisited the Li River
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="2" > preface</h1>
On July 27, 1965, accompanied by Premier Zhou, Chairman Mao warmly received Li Zongren and Guo Dejie, who had returned from overseas, in the reception room of the Zhongnanhai Swimming Pool.
Of course, there is also an important figure - Mr. Cheng Siyuan.
As one of the few pivotal figures in the Gui clan, Cheng Siyuan played an important role in Li Zongren's return to China.
After several people talked for a while, Chairman Mao proposed to go to the pool to be "cool and cool", Cheng Siyuan himself is also a master swimmer, his favorite is breaststroke, and even Chairman Mao praised him for swimming well.
Just as Cheng Siyuan was getting dressed and preparing to leave, Chairman Mao's guards found him and told him:
"Chairman Mao invites you to go!"
After the two of them had chatted for a while, Chairman Mao suddenly turned back to him and asked:
"Do you know what we eat on?"
Cheng Siyuan was a little stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="122" > a figure who had an important influence on the Gui family - Cheng Siyuan</h1>
In China's modern history, there are many warlord factions, and the Gui clan is based on Guangxi, and there are successively the old Gui clan and the new Gui clan.
Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi are the representatives of the new Gui family.
In the mid-1920s, the New Gui system was integrated into Guangxi, merged with Sun Yat-sen's Nationalist government, and the main force of the Gui clan was reorganized into the Seventh Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and the Gui clan became one of the more influential factions within the Kuomintang.
In the course of a long period of modern history, the Gui clan has always firmly controlled the operation of Guangxi, once supporting more than 200,000 troops, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi have always been the leaders of the Gui clan, and their status has never wavered.
The ever-expanding colleagues of the Gui family also widely absorb talents from all walks of life and enrich their strength.
Pictured| Li Zongren
In 1926, Cheng Siyuan took the exam for the Seventh Army of the National Revolutionary Army and won the first place.
Cheng Siyuan was born in 1908 in a peasant family in Cheng Village, Binyang Bridge, Guangxi, and his family was poor when he was young, but even so, the family still provided Cheng Siyuan with the Binyang Huang'an School.
In middle school, Cheng Siyuan's academic performance was outstanding. With the passage of time, Cheng Siyuan also gradually leaned toward revolution.
After the New Gui system of Guangxi, it merged with sun Yat-sen's Nationalist government in Guangzhou, which promoted the development of the Great Revolution. At the same time, the Seventh Army of the Gui Clan also developed rapidly.
Cheng Siyuan heard that after the Seventh Army recruited documents, he carried a bag of rice to take the exam, and was admitted to the Seventh Army with the first place, and later accompanied the army on the Northern Expedition.
What is more crucial is that what changed Cheng Siyuan's fate was a paper transfer order.
In 1930, Cheng Siyuan was transferred to li zongren, commander-in-chief of the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army.
During this period, the Gui clan also reached its peak, and the Fourth Army of the National Revolutionary Army under Li Zongren was composed of the Gui forces and the Two Lakes forces after the defeat of Tang Shengzhi, with a total strength of more than 200,000 troops, controlling a large area including the Two Lakes and two Guangzhous.
The expansion of the Gui clan attracted chiang kai-shek's suspicions, and under the blow of his division, the Gui clan almost collapsed, and Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi fled to foreign countries.
After Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi returned to Guangxi, they regained control of the power of the new Gui clan and began to plan "anti-Chiang Kai-shek", and Cheng Siyuan played a key role in li Zongren's secretary.
After realizing Cheng Siyuan's ingenuity, Li Zongren began to focus on cultivating Cheng Siyuan, and in 1934 Li Zongren sent Cheng Siyuan to study in the Department of Political Science of the University of Rome in Italy, and did not return to China until 1937. Experience the Great War of Taierzhuang and encourage the intellectual youth to "throw their pens and follow the rong".
After returning to China, Cheng Siyuan served as the secretary of the office of Bai Chongxi, deputy chief of the general staff of the Military Commission of the National Government.
Pictured| Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi
Cheng Siyuan has gradually gained fame in the Gui clan and has become a gui think tank.
In the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Kuomintang army lost one after another, and the people wrote couplets to mock the Gui clan and repeatedly lost battles.
At this moment, a reporter sent an article entitled "Repeated Defeats in Battles", which made Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi very angry, and quickly called out to Cheng Siyuan to discuss countermeasures.
At a glance, Cheng Siyuan knew that it was Chiang Kai-shek who was behind the ghost, and the purpose was to emphasize that the Central Army of the Nationalist Government was the main force in the War of Resistance and marginalize the local warlords. This weakened the impact of the Taierzhuang War.
"Wouldn't this editorial be a crooked singing?" Specially requested the master to send down. ”
Cheng Siyuan made a little plan, that is, he came up with a countermeasure:
"The editorial can be published, but the title should be changed to "Repeated Defeats and Repeated Battles," and the whole text should change the original pessimistic tone and emphasize the heroic spirit of our army in defending the country and mountains, regarding death as a homecoming, and daring the enemy to fight to the end!"
When Li and Bai saw each other, they immediately smiled happily.
All in all, although Cheng Siyuan was inferior in status to most of the gui generals who had earlier careers, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi's trust in him made his influence in the gui clan very large.
After Cheng Siyuan served as Bai Chongxi's secretary, he formed a "literary and martial match" with Bai Chongxi, and his influence on the Gui clan was self-evident.
Of course, Cheng Siyuan is not foolishly loyal to the Gui clan, on the contrary, Cheng Siyuan has always had a sober mind, and he threw himself into the Gui clan and opposed Chiang Kai-shek, not because of political factional disputes, but out of consideration for the future of the country and the nation.
As Cheng Siyuan's status continued to rise, he also realized more and more soberly that the communists' propositions were the correct choice in line with the actual national conditions.
Pictured| Chairman Mao
With the gradual advancement of the War of Liberation and the rule of the Kuomintang, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi were obsessed with power and refused to let go, and fighting for the sake of war eventually led to defeat.
After July 1949, Cheng Siyuan resigned as secretary general of the Extraordinary Committee of the National Government and moved to Hong Kong as a columnist for The High Noon.
Among the leaders of the Gui clan at that time, Li Zongren flew to Hong Kong in the name of medical treatment, and soon settled in the United States, while Bai Chongxi followed Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan, and Huang Shaoqiu, the head of the Gui clan, stayed in Beijing because of his participation in the peace talks.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="123" > traveled to and from Beijing five times in ten years, urging Li Zongren to return to China</h1>
After Li Zongren settled in the United States, even if he was far away in a foreign country, Li Zongren was still concerned about state affairs.
In Hong Kong, Cheng Siyuan actively contacts Li Zongren on the one hand, and on the other hand, he is also concerned about the construction of the motherland, which also makes Cheng Siyuan more firm in his heart.
In August 1955, Cheng Siyuan drafted an article for Li Zongren entitled "Suggestions on the Taiwan Issue" published in the United States, in which he highly praised the achievements made in the construction of New China and expounded some views of Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi on the current situation.
"Firmly adhere to the one-China principle and oppose US interference in China's internal affairs"
The article also attracted domestic attention.
Premier Zhou quickly sent someone to contact Cheng Siyuan, hoping to promote Li Zongren's return to China.
Pictured| Zhou Enlai took a group photo with Li Zongren and his wife at the airport on July 18, 1965
In late April 1956, Jin Yaoru, the editor of the Hong Kong branch of xinhua news agency, met With Cheng Siyuan and said straight to the point:
"We received a long-distance call from Beijing: Mr. Li Jishen wants you to go to Beijing for a talk, come and go freely, and keep it a secret."
Cheng Siyuan did not agree at first, after careful consideration, Cheng Siyuan decided to leave for the main road, before leaving, Cheng Siyuan said this to his wife:
First, I think Taiwan's proposal to "restore the mainland" is nonsense and not worthy of attention; second, I have no prejudice against the Communist Party; third, the Communist Party has always spoken for a number of things, and this trip may lead to a new road. ”
In April 1956, Cheng Siyuan was invited back to China to participate in the "May Day International Labor Day Celebration" and visited the northeast, deeply rejoicing in the achievements of the northeast.
After Cheng Siyuan arrived in Beijing, Premier Zhou immediately informed Huang Shaoqiu, a member of the Gui clan, and the two met with Cheng Siyuan together.
Several people talked for about three hours, and while Premier Zhou emphasized the development of the PLA's strategic principles, he also offered to welcome some overseas patriots such as Li Zongren and Cheng Siyuan back to China.
After Cheng Siyuan returned to Hong Kong, he immediately wrote a letter to Li Zongren, who still had concerns at this time, after all, in the past revolutionary wars, Li Zongren was on the opposite side of the Communists, whether it was the April 12 coup d'état in 1927 or the Liberation War.
As early as December 25, 1948, Xinhua news agency announced 43 Kuomintang war criminals, of which Li Zongren ranked second, second only to Chiang Kai-shek.
Although Li Zongren was homesick, he still wanted to wait and see.
Picture | Zhou Enlai waited at the airport to greet Li Zongren and his wife for a group photo
In 1958, Cheng Siyuan's daughter Lin Dai, who was studying in the United States, revealed to her father that Li Zongren often revealed the idea of returning to China, and after Cheng Siyuan learned of this news, he went north for the second time to meet with Premier Zhou, a colleague who talked about this matter. Zhou Enlai, however, disagreed:
"Delin (Li Zongren' character Delin) also wrote a letter to Mr. Li Jishen (Note: This letter was transferred by Fei Yimin), saying that he would return to China to settle down, and I thought that the time for him to return to China was not yet ripe, and in the future I would ask you to go to Europe to talk to him later."
At the same time, the US election is imminent, the 40-year-old Kennedy is in the White House, Li Zongren believes that after Kennedy is elected US president, he should adjust his China policy, and he may be able to act as an intermediary in the turn of Sino-US relations.
Therefore, Li Zongren wrote a letter to Kennedy in which he put forward the idea of restoring Sino-US relations.
Kennedy did not catch a cold, but only rushed to cope, which made Li Zongren very disappointed.
However, Li Zongren still wanted to wait a little longer, so Tuo Cheng Siyuan relayed this idea to Zhou Enlai, but Zhou Enlai thought that Li Zongren's idea was probably somewhat unlikely, and reminded:
"Don't have too many illusions about the United States."
In fact, kennedy was not interested in Li Zongren's ideas.
As Li Zongren grew older and his feelings of returning home became more and more, he could no longer wait.
Li Zongren proposed to meet with Cheng Siyuan in Europe, and Cheng Siyuan went north for the third time to negotiate with Premier Zhou on Li Zongren's return to China. Although Premier Zhou welcomed Li Zongren back to China, he also put forward the requirements of "four cannot, four cannot, and five passes."
Premier Zhou said to Cheng Siyuan: "We welcome Li Zongren's return to China to settle down; he can go back to the United States after returning to China; he can come back when it is convenient for him; he can think about it for a while in Europe." In short, all actions are not imposed on others, but are considered by himself. ”
"You cannot interfere in Sino-US relations, you cannot interfere in US-Taiwan relations, you cannot intervene in the relations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and you cannot intervene in the third force (the third force funded by the United States, the Chinese groups that do not recognize the Communist Party and the Kuomintang).
"Passing the five hurdles is: politics, ideology, society, family, and relatives and friends."
After Cheng Si went to Europe, he conveyed these requirements, and Li Zongren also agreed to these conditions, and the two also finalized the specific details of returning to China.
On February 12, 1964, Li Zongren published an open letter in the Herald Tribune in the United States, saying that the United States should follow the example of the French government, quickly adjust its china policy, and not follow the wrong path again.
In fact, when he learned of the mainland's move, Chiang Kai-shek, who was far away in Taiwan, also acted quickly, sending people to persuade Li Zongren to go to Taiwan and sending a letter written by Bai Chongxi.
But Li Zongren had already made up his mind to return to the mainland of the motherland at this time.
Picture | Zhou Enlai and Li Zongren shook hands cordially and talked
On April 22, 1965, Li Zongren applied to the US Immigration Bureau for a vacation to Switzerland, but unexpectedly, after Li Zongren arrived in Switzerland, he declared that he would return to his motherland, and because the United States did not have time to make any preparations, he could only condemn his behavior in the newspaper.
When Chiang Kai-shek heard about Li Zongren's affair, he was also extremely angry and wanted to take action against Li Zongren. For safety reasons, Mr. and Mrs. Li Zongren and Cheng Siyuan first flew from Zurich, Switzerland, via Geneva, Athens, Greece, Beirut, Lebanon, Karachi, Pakistan, and finally to Hong Kong.
Premier Zhou quickly comradeed the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, and the embassy personnel organized military police through the Pakistani government to escort the three people to the embassy for temporary refuge.
Cheng Siyuan escorted all the way and promoted Li Zongren's return to the motherland.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="124" > Chairman Mao humorously asked, "Do you know what we eat by?" ”</h1>
On July 20, 1965, Li Zongren and Guo Dejie arrived in Beijing by plane, and Zhou Enlai personally went to the airport to greet them, and Li Zongren issued a written statement at the airport.
The return of Li Zongren to China has also caused an international shock.
After Zhou Enlai reported to Chairman Mao on the pick-up, Chairman Mao said with some regret: "Just come back, if Chiang Kai-shek can come back now, I will definitely go to the airport to meet him." ”
"Sixteen years, he shouldn't have left..."
There is no doubt that Li Zongren's smooth return to China is not unrelated to Cheng Siyuan's efforts.
Pictured| Chairman Mao received Li Zongren and his wife and Cheng Siyuan at the Zhongnanhai Reception Room on July 27, 1965
On July 27, Li Zongren and his wife, together with Cheng Siyuan, were invited by Chairman Mao, accompanied by Zhou Enlai, to go to the reception room of the Zhongnanhai Swimming Pool.
When Chairman Mao saw Cheng Siyuan, his first words were:
"Long heard of the big name, like thunder."
As soon as the two sides met, the atmosphere was very harmonious, and Chairman Mao did not mention the past events of that year, but chatted with the three people, and after chatting for a while, Chairman Mao proposed that everyone go to the swimming pool to "cool down."
Cheng Siyuan himself loves swimming, likes breaststroke the most, it is said that he can exercise cardiopulmonary function, several people swam for a while, Chairman Mao took the lead on the shore, and after a while, Cheng Siyuan also went ashore, and when he was preparing to change clothes, the guards around Chairman Mao came to him and said to him: "Chairman Mao please go!" ”
In the reception room, Chairman Mao chatted freely with Cheng Siyuan for a while, asked about Cheng Siyuan's academic qualifications and work, and talked about some situations in the United States.
Cheng Siyuan said of US President John F. Kennedy:
"Kennedy always had a copy of the Selected Works of Mao Zedong on his desk before he died, and it seemed that he wanted his men to study China, and a friend of the Kuomintang who came in told him that Kennedy also used Mao Zedong Thought to do things, and also summarized Mao Zedong Thought in two sentences."
"The investigation is not enough to make decisions, the conditions are not prepared to act."
Photo| Mr. Cheng Siyuan, then vice chairman of the Sixth CPPCC National Committee, had a cordial meeting with General Xiao Hua (left), vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee
Chairman Mao listened to Cheng Siyuan's words, smiled, lit a cigarette, and then asked Cheng Siyuan a word: "Do you know what we rely on to eat?" ”
Cheng Siyuan was a little stunned for a moment, not knowing what Chairman Mao meant by what he was talking about, so he replied, "I don't know." ”
Chairman Mao then explained:
"We eat by experience."
"In the past, when our People's Liberation Army fought wars, after each battle, we always summed up once, carried forward our strong points, overcame our shortcomings, and then went into battle lightly, advanced with victory, and marched from victory to victory, and finally established the People's Republic of China."
After the swim, Chairman Mao also invited the three of them to dinner together, and the issue of attitude toward Taiwan was discussed again during the meal.
During small talk, Chairman Mao asked Cheng Siyuan, "Why did you name Cheng Siyuan?" ”
Cheng Siyuan thought carefully for a moment and then replied:
"To think far is to think far and see the future, and it is precisely because of thinking far away that we will follow Chairman Mao and the Communist Party."
Chairman Mao smiled slightly, and then asked, "Do you have a typo?" ”
"Nothing."
Picture | Cheng Siyuan and Liao Yunzhou in 1985
Cheng Siyuan was born in a peasant family, naturally there is no other word.
Chairman Mao sighed a little and said, "Then I will give you another word." ”
"Did you know that there was a great writer in ancient China named Han Yu?" Chairman Mao explained: "His word is called Retreat, your surname is Cheng Mingsiyuan, the word is called Near, Far and Near, and the same is true of those who are close." ”
"Oh, the Communist Party, too, close to the Communist Party, what do you think?"
Cheng Siyuan immediately understood Chairman Mao's meaning, and this word pinned on Chairman Mao and the Communists, including the infinite expectations of overseas patriots.
Li Zongren and his wife and Cheng Siyuan were very touched by Chairman Mao's reception, and afterwards Li Zongren said to Cheng Siyuan:
"Mao Zedong's greatness lies in his broad mind and ability to accommodate all things, unlike Chiang Kai-shek, who knew how to expand his strength and exclude dissidents, and as a result, he lost the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains on the mainland, and could only run to Taiwan to a corner of peace..."
"People's hearts are turned back, and no one or two people can influence them."
Li Zongren had some feelings, and his mouth kept repeating this sentence:
"Fallen leaves return to the roots, or fallen leaves return to the roots."
Cheng Siyuan was entrusted by Chairman Mao and always devoted himself to persuasion, and his old friends overseas returned to China to settle down.
Photo| In September 1998, Cheng Siyuan, then vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, inspected The Southern Normal University
At the beginning of 1966, Chairman Mao asked Wang Dongxing to take a one-time 100,000 yuan manuscript fee and hand it over to Cheng Siyuan.
Was Chairman Mao worried that Cheng Siyuan would not have any money? It is not this simple reason, but considering that Cheng Siyuan always uses his own money to spend to receive guests from afar, the cost is huge, and Chairman Mao subsidizes the subsidies given to Cheng Siyuan and some people in difficulty in the Gui family.
Cheng Siyuan's life has gone through three special periods, from being born in the pre-Qing Dynasty, to modern times, and finally after the founding of New China, Cheng Siyuan has always fulfilled his duties and responsibilities for the construction and prosperity of the country with his own efforts, and this spirit is always worthy of our respect and love.