In addition to the reminiscences of those who have experienced it in the "Selected Collection of Literary and Historical Materials", after the Cultural Revolution, there are two books, "Compilation of Materials on the March 18 Massacre" (edited by Jiang Changren, Beijing Publishing House, 1985) and "The Beginning and End of the March 18 Massacre" (edited by the Beijing Local Party History Research Association, Wenjin Publishing House, 2000). There is no record that Duan Ordered the shooting of the students. Moreover, the author has gone through the historical books at hand, and there is no record of Duan's long kneeling.
Duan Qirui's performance after the massacre was only found in the official publications before the Cultural Revolution, which was only found in the reminiscence article "The Personal Experience of the March 18 Massacre" by Chu Xichun, then chief of staff of the Executive Government Guard Brigade: I immediately rushed back to Duan Qirui in Jizhao Hutong with Li Mingzhong (general of the army, the main general of the Nationalist Army, and then acting commander-in-chief of the Beijing Division's garrison and police inspector general - citation note). At that time, Duan Qirui was playing Go with Wu Qingyuan, and when he saw the two of us enter the house, he immediately became very loud and said to Li Mingzhong loudly: Li Mingzhong, can you maintain law and order in Beijing? If you can't, I can withdraw you, I can change you, I can shoot you! Li Mingzhong stood at the door and bowed backwards, saying in a loud voice: Govern, don't be angry, don't be angry, I can maintain law and order, I can maintain law and order! Duan Qirui then said: "Chief of Staff Chu, you go and tell the officers and men of the Guard Brigade that not only will I not punish them, but I will also reward them!" This group of bandit students...
Chu Xichun was originally a chief staff officer of the Zhi Army, and his military qualifications were not deep, but because Jia Deyao, the mentor of the Baoding Military Academy, was pulled by Feng Yuxiang to become the premier of the state, the Thirty-Year-Old Chu Clan turned around gorgeously and became the colonel's chief of staff of the Duan Guards Brigade. Before the Nationalist government withdrew from the mainland in the spring of 1949, he was chairman of Hebei Province and chairman of the Hebei Provincial Party Department of the Kuomintang. Because he followed his old boss Fu Zuoyi to participate in the peaceful liberation of Peiping, he was hired as a counselor of the Government Council in the early days of the republic, and later a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
This recollection of his, written as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was published in the third series of the "Selected Literary and Historical Materials" issued internally in 1963. After the Cultural Revolution began in 1966, Chu committed suicide. This is the only text that records Duan's performance after the tragedy, and its authenticity will never be clear.
Nearly 40 years later, this isolated testimony of chu shi was corroborated, that is, The article of Duan Honggang published in the volume of "Selected Manuscripts of Literary and Historical Materials: Late Qing Beiyang" published in 2002. However, Duan Wen corrected several of Chu Wen's statements. Duan Honggang is the son of Duan Qirui's younger brother and grew up with his uncle since childhood. On that day, he and Lao Duan and other family members stayed in Duan Mansion in Jizhao Hutong, not far from the executive government:
At about 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the 18th, it was reported that the vast and mighty parade brigade had arrived one after another in the empty field in front of the government of Tieshi Hutong, and the number of people was more than yesterday, shouting and scolding, and the situation was extremely chaotic. Around 11:30 a.m., I overheard more than ten consecutive gunshots in Jizhao Hutong, coming from the northwest (Jizhao Hutong is southeast of Tieshi Hutong). I was shocked that this must have been an accident in front of the executive government. At this time, the first uncle summoned me and asked where the gunshots were. While he was talking, Chu Xichun called and said that the marching crowd had insulted the soldiers in every way, and had robbed the guns to break through the iron gate, and the soldiers had opened fire, killing and wounding dozens of people. The tone was extremely tense. The first uncle ordered me to look at it immediately. Some records say: At that time, the executive government was holding a state council, and the first uncle attended, and after the head of the guard armed forces came to report on the tense situation outside, the first uncle ordered the shooting. There is no such thing.
When I arrived at the door of the executive government, most of the parade brigade had dispersed, and I saw more than ten corpses under the eastern wall. According to the platoon commander of the Guard Brigade, dozens of people were injured and had been taken to a nearby hospital.
I rushed back to Jizhao Hutong to report to the uncle, who was very sad. He ordered me to quickly call the head of the military police on the ground to come to the business. At about 12:30 p.m., Acting Garrison Commander Li Mingzhong and Guard Brigade Chief of Staff Chu Xichun came to Jizhao Hutong (perhaps Chu arrived first) to report the incident to Xianbo. Hongye (Duan Qirui's eldest son, named in the War Department - Citation Note) was also nearby. After they reported separately, Xian Bo said to Li Mingzhong: Because you have not handled your defenses properly, such an unfortunate tragedy has occurred, and I hope that Commander Li and the chief of staff of Chu will pay special attention to public order and that no accidents will occur again. Li and Chu withdrew.
Chu Xichun's "Personal Experience of the March 18 Massacre" said:
Duan is playing Go with Wu Qingyuan, and Wu Qingyuan went to Japan earlier than the summer of the previous year; Also known as: Duan said to Li Mingzhong: I can replace you, I can shoot you; He said to Chu himself, not only do I not punish the soldiers, but also reward them with clouds, which is completely inconsistent with the facts. Xian Bo did not play Go with Wu, nor did he say such unreasonable things to Li Mingzhong.
Compared with Chu Wen, Duan Wen seems to be more reliable. It should be noted that Chu Wen was written in the ultra-left era when history served politics.
The author also asked in person in Beijing for Duan Qirui's great-granddaughter, Duan Hongye's granddaughter, Ms. Duan Junyi, an elderly man who grew up in Jizhao Hutong, who said: Duan Honggang's statement on the day of the March 18 incident, she has heard the elders talk about it many times, that is, what Duan Honggang told. However, she had never heard of Duan Qirui kneeling down in public to repent.
The "Times" on the beach that year, which published the 19th Beijing News, disclosed Duan's actions after the tragedy:
After the tragic killing on the eighteenth day, the situation was extremely serious, and Jia Deyao (State Premier - Citation Note) so at three o'clock in the afternoon, he urgently summoned all cabinet members (ministers or deputy ministers - citation note) to hold a temporary emergency cabinet meeting at the Jizhao Hutong Section, and invited Li Mingzhong to attend. Duan also personally attended the meeting, saying that it would be difficult to maintain the prestige of the government if it were not severely punished.
After that, there was the "Interim Ruling Order" issued the next day (March 19):
In recent years, Xu Qian, Li Dazhao, Li Yuying, Yi Peiji, Gu Zhaoxiong, and others have gathered the masses under the pretext of communist doctrine and repeatedly caused trouble. On this day, Xu Qian, in the name of the Executive Committee of the Communist Party, distributed leaflets and led hundreds of thugs to attack the State Council, pouring fire oil, throwing bombs, pistols and sticks, and storming the military and police. The military and police officers have killed and injured each other because of legitimate defense. It seems that this gathering of people to disturb and endanger the country is really lawless and is particularly hateful. Investigate the mob and other lurking in the provinces and regions, there are conspiracies to discover, the national order, is in danger. In addition to the vigorous defense of the military and police of the Beijing Division, all provinces and autonomous regions should be subject to serious investigation and investigation by the military and civilian commanders, who are subordinate to them, so as to prevent the source of the chaos and settle the localities. Xu Qian waited and took the beijing and the outside world as a whole, punished them as much as they could, and used them as an example.
On the third day (March 20), Duan issued the second "Provisional Ruling Order": patriotic movement, which is constant in all countries, and the gathering of people to riot, the law does not tolerate it. This time, Xu Qian and others led the mob to carry out disturbances, and their own crimes were beyond reproach. But when the masses are complex and attack each other, or fear the innocent, they are very compassionate. The Ministry of the Interior went to the local government office to find out the pension separately. At that time, because the military and police were performing their duties and legitimately defending themselves, whether they exceeded the necessary level, the two ministries of the army and the judiciary ascertained and handled them according to law.
This is Duan's real attitude and performance after the tragedy. Just think, with Duan Shi's fierce disposition and yuanrong status, how could he run to the scene and kneel in public to the thugs he identified?
As for Duan's vegetarian diet, it has nothing to do with the March 18 massacre. As early as many years ago, Lao Duan set up a Buddhist hall in his Tianjin apartment to eat vegetarian food. Ms. Duan Junyi told the author: In the Duan Mansion of Jizhao Hutong, there has always been a large Buddhist hall.