(Vientiane History Special Author: Ning Xin'er)
[September 22, 1933] 86 years ago today, Chen Jiongming, who advocated "joint provincial autonomy" without force, passed away
Chen Jiongming was born on January 13, 1878 in Haifeng, Guangdong, and his original name was Chen Jie. On the day of Chen Jiongming's birth, it coincided with the arrival of the success report of his father Chen Xiting's township test list, so he was named Chen Jie.
(Chen Jiongming when he was a child)
In 1898 (at the age of 20), Chen Jiongming passed the examination for Xiucai. In 1906 (at the age of 28), he enrolled in the Guangdong Law and Politics School. Two years later, he graduated with "top student" grades. After graduation, Chen Jiongming returned to his hometown and advocated the establishment of the Haifeng Local Self-Government Association and the Smoking Cessation Bureau.
In July 1909 (at the age of 31), Chen Jiongming was elected to the Guangdong Consultative Bureau and put forward proposals such as the "Case of Preparing for the Local Autonomy of Towns and Townships" and "The Case of Banning All Gambling". In the same year, he joined the Chinese League in Shanghai.
(Certificate of Membership of the Chinese League)
In 1910 (at the age of 32), he participated in the Uprising of the New Army in Guangzhou. After the failure of the uprising, he returned to Haifeng via Hong Kong, during which he participated in the "assassination group" organized by Liu Shifu.
In March 1911 (at the age of 33), Chen Jiongming participated in the Huanghuagang Uprising and served as the captain of the fourth team of the death squad. After the failure of the uprising, Chen Jiongming returned to Hailufeng to prepare armed forces and occupied Huizhou. During this period, he became acquainted with Liu Shifu, who believed in anarchism, and was deeply influenced.
(The first from the left is Chen Jiongming)
In 1912 (at the age of 34), the Republic of China was established, and Chen Jiongming was appointed deputy governor of Guangdong and acting governor. In July 1913 (at the age of 35), Chen Jiongming participated in the Second Revolution, declared the independence of Guangdong, and crusaded against Yuan Shikai.
After the defeat of the Second Revolution, Chen Jiongming fled to Singapore. During this period, Sun Yat-sen reorganized the Chinese Revolutionary Party and demanded that he swear an oath of allegiance to Sun Yat-sen personally, but Chen Jiongming refused to take the oath.
In 1916 (at the age of 38), Chen Jiongming returned to the Dongjiang region of Guangdong to organize the Guangdong Republican Army and oppose Yuan Shikai, who claimed the title of emperor. After Yuan Shikai's death and Li Yuanhong became president, Chen Jiongming compromised with the central government and was given the title of "General dingwei".
In 1917, after Zhang Xun's restoration, Sun Yat-sen went south to organize a military government to protect the Law. Chen Jiongming, as the commander-in-chief of the Minyue Army, reorganized the 20 battalions of guard troops into the "Guangdong Army to Aid Fujian and Protect the Law" and defeated the Fujian army.
In August 1918 (at the age of 40), Chen Jiongming occupied Zhangzhou and other places in southwest Fujian and launched the Zhangzhou New Deal. Thanks to Chen Jiongming's efforts, Zhangzhou became the country's best district. The 26 counties of southern Fujian became "model little China" and were praised by the people of the time as "the Soviet Russia of southern Fujian".
During this period, Soviet Russia sent someone to send a handwritten letter from Lenin to contact Chen Jiongming and consult whether there was a possibility of cooperation, but Chen Jiongming ignored it.
(Zhangzhou General Chen Jiongming Mansion)
In November 1920 (at the age of 42), Chen Jiongming conquered Guangdong and became the governor of Guangdong, and invited Sun Yat-sen to return to Guangdong and establish a military government, with Chen Jiongming as the commander-in-chief of the Guangdong Army.
In 1921 (at the age of 43), Chen Jiongming promoted autonomy in 92 counties in Guangdong Province, and elected county chiefs and parliamentarians were promoted in each county. The provincial parliament passed the "Draft Constitution of Guangdong Province" and invited Chen Duxiu to Guangdong to preside over the overall situation of education, establish public education, and implement free education.
(Democratically elected vote and autonomous silver vote initiated by Chen Jiongming)
In the same year, Sun Yat-sen became the president of the Great Empire and advocated the Northern Expedition by force to unify China. Chen Jiongming, on the other hand, advocated the autonomy of the united provinces (i.e., democratically elected parliamentarians and local governors, etc.) and sought reunification through peaceful means between the north and the south.
(Guangzhou military government, the first row of the fourth from the left is Chen Jiongming)
In April 1922 (at the age of 44), the contradictions between Chen Jiongming and Sun Yat-sen intensified. Because Sun Yat-sen insisted on the Northern Expedition, he immediately removed him from his post as commander-in-chief of Guizhou and governor of Guangdong Province, and had to withdraw Chen Jiongming to Huizhou to live in seclusion.
On June 2, after the defeat of the Feng army in the Zhifeng War, Xu Shichang announced his resignation and Li Yuanhong was reinstated. On the grounds that the goal of the Dharma Protection Movement has been achieved, all circles in the north hope that Sun Yat-sen will go to the field in order to break the deadlock between the two presidents.
(First Zhifeng War)
Ye Ju (Chen Jiongming's old department) and others in the Cantonese army also jointly sent a telegram to sun yat-sen to go to the field. At this time, the Cantonese general Deng Hao was assassinated, and Sun Yat-sen and the Cantonese army blamed each other. On June 16, Ye Ju sent troops to besiege the presidential palace, firing cannons to warn Sun Yat-sen to leave Guangdong.
(Sun Yat-sen on the Zhongshan ship)
As a result, the news of "Chen Jiongming's ministry defecting" spread throughout Guangzhou. Sun Yat-sen moved to the Yongfeng ship (later renamed Zhongshan ship), returned fire and bombed Guangzhou, and left Guangdong. On September 16, Chen Jiongming was proclaimed commander-in-chief.
On January 4, 1923 (at the age of 45), Sun Yat-sen sent a telegram to attack Chen Jiongming, and the Dian, Gui and Guangdong armies formed the "Thief Army" of the East and West roads to jointly attack Chen Jiongming. On January 15, Chen Jiongming announced that he would leave the field and withdraw from Guangzhou the next day to retreat to The East River in Huizhou. On February 21, Sun Yat-sen returned to Guangzhou. After that, the troops supporting Sun Yat-sen besieged Huizhou, chen Jiongming's Cantonese army held on, and the two sides remained deadlocked.
(Middle-aged Chen Jiongming)
In 1924 (at the age of 46), the Guangzhou Merchant Group Incident occurred in Guangzhou, and all walks of life in Guangdong turned to support the Guangdong Army. Chen Jiongming had also planned a counter-offensive plan, but at this time, Sun Yat-sen's troops had the support of the Soviet Union and were given a large number of superior weapons.
In 1925 (at the age of 47), Sun Yat-sen sent Chiang Kai-shek to lead the Whampoa Military Academy student army on two eastern expeditions, completely destroying Chen Jiongming's troops, especially in the Second Crusade, when the Soviet Union sent generals to directly command the troops. Chen Jiongming was forced to disband the army and retreat to Hong Kong.
(Huangpu Army Crusade)
On March 12, 1925, sun Yat-sen died, and Chen Jiongming wrote a handwritten elegy: "Only a hero can kill a person alive, and the merits and crimes are right and wrong, and there is a thousand autumns and young history; and the old friends have fought again and again, public hatred and private friendship, all by an inch of red heart."
On October 10 of the same year, the "American Zhigongtang", formerly known as the Hongmen Secret Society, was officially reorganized into the China Zhigong Party, and Chen Jiongming was elected as prime minister.
(Inaugural Meeting of China Zhi Gong Party)
In 1931 (at the age of 53), after the September 18 Incident, the Japanese sent him a check for 80,000 yuan, and Chen Jiongming returned it with a cross on the check. In October, the China Zhi Gong Party held its second congress in Hong Kong, and Chen Jiongming continued to be elected prime minister.
On September 22, 1933 (at the age of 55), Chen Jiongming died of illness in Hong Kong, and the coffin was stored in Tung Wah Yizhuang, Hong Kong, with no money for burial. In 1934, his old ministry launched a fundraising campaign, and all walks of life donated money, including Wang Jingwei, Chen Jitang, Chiang Kai-shek and others, and on April 3, they were finally buried in Ziwei Mountain next to the West Lake in Huizhou.
At the time of Chen Jiongming's death, a newspaper commented: "Chen Shi is a man of firmness, courage and taciturnness, and his private morality can be a model for the power of the North and the South." ”
During the Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards slammed a 3-meter-high granite monument on Chen Jiongming's tomb with a 12-pound sledgehammer, intending to flatten the grave with explosives the next day, but fortunately it was protected by the villagers for fear of endangering the surrounding houses.
(Tomb of Chen Jiongming)
(The 479th work of the Vientiane History and Biography Writing Camp, and the 42nd work of the camper "Ning Xin'er")