The end of 1935 was the period when Chiang Kai-shek felt the most threatened.
During this time, Chairman Mao arrived in northern Shaanxi with the main long march of the Central Red Army, and then launched the Battle of Zhiluo Town, which successfully crushed the Kuomintang's attack on the revolutionary base areas in northern Shaanxi.
At the same time, Japanese imperialism was also approaching North China, and the local forces in Liangguang were also brewing anti-Chiang Kai-shek plans, and the three sides threatened the rule of the Kuomintang Nanjing government.
So in January 1936, Chiang Kai-shek finally decided to negotiate with the Chinese Communists, and passed the news to Soong Ching Ling through Song Ziwen.
So what happened next?
Why would Zhang Xueliang stop Song Qingling's handwritten letter?
Song Qingling
Today's Brief History Archives will tell you about the story that happened after Soong Ching Ling sent a letter to Chairman Mao.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="108" > Zhang Xueliang almost shot Song Qingling's "messenger"</h1>
In January 1936, under the pressure of various forces, the Kuomintang authorities in Nanjing decided to negotiate with the CCP.
Subsequently, Chiang Kai-shek told Song Ziwen the news of the request for negotiations with the Chinese Communists, and Song Ziwen conveyed it to Soong Qingling.
When Soong Ching-ling received this news, he was very surprised; everyone knew that Soong Ching-ling was the widow of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and had always been sympathetic to the Communist Party and opposed Chiang Kai-shek's traitorous dictatorship.
However, at this moment, Chiang Kai-shek actually took the initiative to ask for negotiations, and Soong Ching-ling naturally welcomed all kindness and immediately summoned Dong Jianwu in Shanghai.
Although Dong Jianwu is openly a pastor, in fact, Dong Jianwu has joined the Communist Party as early as July 1927 and is a person that Song Qingling believes.
Dong Kengo
Subsequently, Song Qingling wrote a letter in his own handwriting, sent this important letter to Dong Jianwu, and solemnly instructed:
"Be sure to present Mao Zedong or Zhou Enlai to your face."
This letter must be unusual for Song Qingling to pay so much attention, so Dong Jianwu deliberately sewed the secret letter into his personal vest and went on the road.
After dozens of days of travel, Dong Jianwu finally arrived in Xi'an at the end of January, and in order to successfully reach the Northern Shaanxi Soviet Region, Dong Jianwu decided to take out the identity of the economic commissioner of the Central Ministry of Finance given to him by Song Ziwen when he left, so as to facilitate smooth passage.
Subsequently, Dong Jianwu asked zhang Xueliang, deputy commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang 'Northwest Suppression Command," and went straight to the point:
"There is one thing to ask for, I want to pass through General Zhang's defense and enter the Red Army area."
Chang
After Zhang Xueliang listened, he did not understand what Dong Jianwu was going to do for a while, so he asked:
"What do you say?"
Dong Jianwu directly put forward his own request, hoping that Zhang Xueliang would send him to Wayao Fort to meet Mao Zedong.
Not to say that it was okay, Zhang Xueliang directly rebuked Dong Jianwu after hearing it:
"As a party-state commissioner, you dare to come to me to make such a demand, what is your intention?" With that, I can pull you out and shoot you!" ”
Unexpectedly, Dong Jianwu was not afraid, but very calm, and bluntly said that he died for the great cause of anti-Japanese resistance, which was glorious.
Zhang Xueliang and Lu Zhengcao
Zhang Xueliang's face suddenly changed after hearing about the great cause of the Anti-Japanese Resistance, and he began to calm down, and once again asked Dong Jianwu what he had come to do? Assigned by whom?
Dong Jianwu replied truthfully:
"Deputy Commander, I was entrusted by Madame Sun to send a letter to the Chinese Communists to convey the message that the Kuomintang and the Communists should rebuild their old friendships and unite to resist Japan."
Zhang Xueliang was very happy to hear that it was appointed by Song Qingling, and repeatedly asked Dong Jianwu until he was sure, Zhang Xueliang finally smiled.
It turned out that Zhang Xueliang had long had the idea of jointly resisting Japan, but he had not been able to contact the Red Army, so he had delayed until now.
Then Zhang Xueliang personally drove Dong Jianwu to the airport, and before leaving, Zhang Xueliang also gave Dong Jianwu a letter saying:
"Please sir pass it on to Mr. Mao Zedong."
It seems that everything is predestined, if it is replaced by someone else, where is this letter?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="101" > Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou put forward 6 opinions</h1>
After Zhang Xueliang sent Dong Jianwu on a plane, he sent a local cavalry company to escort Dong Jianwu to the northeast military defense area smoothly and directly to the Red Army district.
On February 27, Dong Jianwu finally arrived at Wayao Fort smoothly, and Lin Boqu and Zhang Yunyi personally went out of the city to greet him and expressed their welcome.
However, it was a bit of a coincidence that before Dong Jianwu arrived, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou had already led an army on the Eastern Expedition and were stationed in Shanxi.
Chairman Mao
Therefore, under discussion, these two handwritten letters were transmitted by Bogu for telegrams, and Dong Jianwu was also relieved to hand them over to Bogu.
After receiving this, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou attached great importance to it, and after discussion, they sent a joint telegram to Dong Jianwu on March 4, proposing to negotiate with the Nanjing authorities, as follows:
First, stop all civil wars, and the armed forces of the whole country will not be divided into reds and whites, and will unanimously resist Japan;
2. Organize the National Defense Government and the Anti-Japanese Coalition Army;
Third, allow the main Red Army of the whole country to quickly concentrate in Hebei and first resist the advance of the Japanese Kou;
Fourth, release political prisoners and allow the people political freedom;
Fifth, carry out initial and necessary reforms in internal affairs and economy;
Sixth, I agreed to return to Nanjing immediately so that I could discuss the grand plan.
After receiving telegrams from Chairman Mao and others, Dong Jianwu left Wa Yao Fort the next day and returned to Xi'an, and it was also at this moment that the relations between the Communist Party and the Kuomintang, which had been severed for 10 years, were once again connected.
It can be said that Dong Jianwu is the first messenger between the kuomintang and the communist party.
As the saying goes, come and go without being rude.
Since both sides have the desire for peace talks and direct dialogue, it is much easier to handle.
On June 20, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "Letter to the Second Plenary Session of the Kuomintang Central Committee", proposing:
"As long as you immediately stop attacking the Red Army and the Soviet Zone, immediately mobilize the whole country to resist Japan, and realize democracy, freedom, and sanction traitors, we and the Red Army will not harm you to resist Japan, and will use all our strength to assist you, and we are willing to cooperate closely with you."
What is rare is that Chiang Kai-shek was actually moved.
It is not surprising that I believe that Chiang Kai-shek's feelings are sincere, and at that time Japan was encroaching on China step by step, threatening not only Chiang Kai-shek and the Nanjing government, but also the survival of the entire Chinese nation.
Chiang Kai-shek
Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek and many other Kuomintang top brass also had a fairly strong anti-Japanese patriotic spirit, and after receiving this letter, Chiang Kai-shek was even more greatly touched.
Then, on July 10, Chiang Kai-shek convened the Second Plenary Session of the Fifth Central Committee of the Kuomintang, at which Chiang Kai-shek published the letter from the Communist Party, saying bluntly:
"The minimum that the central government holds on to diplomacy is to maintain the integrity of territorial sovereignty."
It is worth mentioning that Later, Zhang Qun, foreign minister of the Nanjing government, adopted a tough attitude for the first time when negotiating with the Japanese ambassador to China.
Premier Zhou, Zhang Qun
This can also be regarded as a small progress of the Kuomintang, or it is worth encouraging!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="59" > Chiang Kai-shek delusionally suppressed Chairman Mao</h1>
Since the Kuomintang had the idea of peace talks and resistance to Japan, Chairman Mao decided to give the Kuomintang another boost.
Chairman Mao then adopted a roundabout strategy and wrote a letter to Chiang Kai-shek's brother-in-law, Soong Tzu-wen, conveying the demand of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for the Kuomintang to change its tactics.
Mr. Ziwen:
Ten years apart, the state affairs are all wrong, the salvation is trying to survive, only to return to the united front, the last time Dong Jianwu brother came, entrusted to the contempt, I don't know if it has reached the left and right? Brothers and others have repeatedly appealed for the Nanjing authorities to change their external and internal policy, and although there are some clues at present, the big end remains unchanged, and it is very difficult to truly unite against Japan.
Song Ziwen
It is not difficult to see from the letter that Chairman Mao very much hoped to negotiate peace with the Kuomintang to resist Japan, but it was obviously not so easy for Chiang Kai-shek to change his policy.
Although Chiang Kai-shek's side has the heart of peace talks, Chiang Kai-shek does not intend to sit on an equal footing with Chairman Mao, but still wants to suppress Chairman Mao.
To put it bluntly, Chiang Kai-shek simply hoped that Chairman Mao would surrender to him Chiang Kai-shek, that the Communist Party would surrender to the Kuomintang, that the Red Army would surrender to the Nationalist army, and that the Red Army would also be reorganized.
If Chairman Mao did not agree to this move, chiang kai-shek would still have to use force to solve all this, and Chiang Kai-shek has always stressed that force is the best policy.
It's speechless!
Chiang Kai-shek thought so and did the same.
Subsequently, on the one hand, Chiang Kai-shek invited Premier Zhou to Guangzhou or Hong Kong for negotiations, and on the other hand, he began to deploy the "encirclement and suppression" operation against the Red Army, in an attempt to seize the initiative at the negotiating table by attacking the Red Army.
Chairman Mao naturally disagreed!
In order to make Chiang Kai-shek realize the mistake of this move, Chairman Mao also began to make arrangements, on the one hand, began to make preparations for military resistance to "encirclement and suppression", and on the other hand, sent Pan Hannian to the Kuomintang for negotiations.
Subsequently, Chairman Mao summoned Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, and others to send a joint letter to Chiang Kai-shek, once again expressing his desire to jointly resist Japan.
Jude
The letter intercepts a paragraph as follows:
The present plan only requires Mr. Ze to make a decision, to stop the civil war today, tomorrow the Red Army and Mr. Sir's northwest "suppression of the communist" army, can immediately go from the battlefield of the cannibalism and civil war to the anti-Japanese front, Suiyuan's national defense strength, a sudden increase of tens of times, is Mr. Ze's thoughts, the heart of the heart, and the national vendetta can be repaid, the land can be protected, the lost land can be restored, and mr. He can also be a glorious anti-Japanese hero.
I believe that everyone can feel from Chairman Mao's two letters that Chairman Mao's determination to negotiate peace, it can be said, and good and bad talks have all been applied to Chiang Kai-shek.
However, Chiang Kai-shek just toasted and did not eat and eat the penalty wine, this is not, the retribution is coming!
Soon after Chairman Mao's letter was sent, Chiang Kai-shek was still delusional, which also led to Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, two patriotic generals, who could no longer bear it.
So on December 12, 1936, two generals, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, detained Chiang Kai-shek in Xi'an, also known as the "Xi'an Incident".
Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng
And all this is because Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng were forced by Chiang Kai-shek to be too cruel.
On October 22, 1936, Chiang Kai-shek flew from Nanjing to Xi'an, expecting Zhang Xueliang, who had been united with the Communists to resist Japan for a long time, thinking that Chiang Kai-shek had come to order cooperation with the Communist Party.
Unexpectedly, Chiang Kai-shek actually forced Zhang Xueliang to enter the Red Army, which made Zhang Xueliang angry and had been suggesting to Chiang Kai-shek to resist the war, but Chiang Kai-shek did not listen.
Because of this, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng could not bear it any longer, and on December 12, they directly captured Chiang Kai-shek alive at Huaqingchi.
Upon hearing this news, Chairman Mao immediately convened a meeting to discuss countermeasures, and then determined the policy of "promoting Chiang Kai-shek's resistance to Japan through the Xi'an Incident."
Premier Zhou
At the request of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, Premier Zhou personally rushed to Xi'an to resolve the matter, making the Xi'an Incident, an originally sensitive soldier, the hub of the national anti-Japanese united front.
It is also from this moment onwards that Chinese history has officially entered a new period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the War of Resistance.
Disclaimer: This article is the original article of the headline number Brief History Archive, and any unauthorized reprinting, plagiarism, and washing of manuscripts must be investigated!