Chen Geng and Song Xilian were both xiangxiang natives, both cadets of the first phase of the Whampoa Military Academy, and both were prominent generals in China's modern military history.
The difference is that Chen Geng is a communist, who has served as commander of the People's Liberation Army Corps and other positions, and is one of the ten generals of the People's Liberation Army; while Song Xilian is a Kuomintang, who has won the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun, and is one of the few generals in the Kuomintang.
Chen Geng and Song Xilian have fought side by side on the battlefield, and they have also fought on behalf of their respective classes, and they have formed a legendary friendship that is little known in the history of their differences and unity.
When Chen Geng died in 1961, Song Xilian attended his memorial service and cried bitterly on it...
Chen Geng and Song Xilian
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="6" > from close friends to parting ways</h1>
Chen Geng and Song Xilian met in 1923, when they were preparing to go to Changsha Yucai Middle School for the exam. Song Xilian returned to Changsha after spending the summer vacation in his hometown, the mountain road was steep and difficult to walk, the most important thing was that it was a three-volt day, the sun was poisonous and spicy, Song Xilian carried more than 30 pounds of burden on the road, it was particularly difficult.
Song Xilian gritted his teeth and walked forward with difficulty, and just when he was about to hold on, he suddenly saw a teenager walking in the distance. The other party was carrying a cloth bag, although the weight was not heavy, but due to the hot weather and fast steps, the jacket was already wet.
Song Xilian and the other party walked into the front pavilion to prepare for rest, just at this time Song Xilian looked at each other, only to see that although the other party was black and thin, his physique was somewhat strong. In addition, the other party also grinned and smiled kindly at himself, and Song Xilian also quickly nodded politely.
The young man who looked black and thin was Chen Geng, and Chen Geng then asked him, "Where to go?" Song Xilian replied, "Changsha, what about you?" "I'm also going to Changsha."
Chen Geng
The two were particularly speculative in the process of conversation, and when they saw each other, when they were ready to leave for the road, Chen Geng took Song Xilian's burden and picked it up on his shoulder. Song Xilian was very embarrassed, and he resolutely refused to let Chen Geng help him carry the burden.
Chen Geng said, "You are younger than me, and you don't look like you have picked up a burden on a long road, so don't be polite with me." I was a soldier for a year, and that was nothing to me. ”
After Chen Geng said that he directly picked up the burden and walked forward, what was surprising was that Chen Geng was also faster than Song Xilian, who did not pick up the burden, and Song Xilian could not catch up and had to trot behind Chen Geng.
The most coincidental thing is that both of them took advantage of the fact that Dr. Sun Yat-sen sent someone to Changsha to recruit a group of young people with lofty ideals to go to Guangzhou for military training, and they specially came to join them. After 6 days of the list, Chen Geng and Song Xilian were both admitted, and the relationship between the two was further advanced.
The authorities announced that those admitted from Changsha could go to Guangzhou in batches, or they could combine themselves and form a team to go to Guangzhou. Chen Geng and Song Xilian and more than 20 other people formed a group, because Chen Geng was sociable, plus he was very concerned about other people, so Chen Geng was selected as the leader, responsible for buying tickets, accommodation and other things.
Song Xilian acted as Chen Geng's little assistant, and when he encountered things, he had to discuss with Chen Geng, and the two talked more and more along the way, which also made their friendship deeper and deeper.
In February 1924, Chen Geng and Song Xilian and others came to Guangzhou, and most of the more than 100 students recruited from Hunan entered the Tangwu Hall of Cheng Qian.0 Due to the hardships of life in the lecture hall and the lack of classes and teachers, many students were particularly dissatisfied with this.
Chen Geng and Song Xilian were two of the smarter of the many classmates, and when they saw this situation, they went to inquire about the news and accidentally learned that Sun Yat-sen was going to build the Whampoa Military Academy. Chen Geng and Song Xilian met at the Military Academy Preparatory Office to inquire about the enrollment conditions and enrollment dates.
Chen Geng and Song Xilian signed up in mid-March and took the exam shortly after, and out of more than 2,000 candidates, the two of them were admitted again. On May 5, Chen Geng and Song Xilian came to the Whampoa Military Academy by boat, Chen Geng was assigned to the third team, and Song Xilian was in the tenth team, and since then they have become members of the Whampoa Military Academy and have begun a new life of studying together.
There were communists and kuomintang in the Whampoa Military Academy, and the teachers and students were divided into two camps. Chen Geng had joined the Communist Party as early as 1922, and Song Xilian, under the influence of Chen Geng, also favored the Communist Party.
Soon after, Under the introduction of Chen Geng, Song Xilian officially joined the Communist Party, and also met Zhou Enlai, who was the director of the political department of the Whampoa Military Academy at that time, and had an in-depth conversation with Zhou Enlai.
Zhou Enlai
That time, Chen Geng took Song Xilian to see Zhou Enlai, and Zhou Enlai cordially shook hands with Song Xilian and then said, "You are welcome to join the Communist Party, this is very good!" Young people are to take up the heavy responsibility of the state and the nation! ”
Song Xilian reported to Zhou Enlai on his ideological understanding and study, and Zhou Enlai nodded after listening to it, and then said in a serious tone: "The situation in Guangzhou is still relatively complicated, and there are different camps in the Whampoa Military Academy, we need to always keep a sober mind, and we must never lose our way in the wind and waves!" ”
Song Xilian felt that Zhou En's words were very reasonable, and said excitedly: "Director Zhou is too right, we must not lose our way!" ”
In 1926, the "Zhongshan Ship" incident occurred in Guangzhou, which also caused Song Xilian to lose contact with the party organization. After that, Song Xilian was seriously injured on the battlefield and was sent to Suzhou Church Hospital for treatment. During this period, Chiang Kai-shek launched the "April 12 Coup", which was bloody and rainy, and almost the whole country was shrouded in a terrible "white terror".
Chiang Kai-shek
When Song Xilian was in the hospital for treatment, he could not get in touch with the party organization, he could not know the situation in the outside world, and he had no choice but to write a letter to Chiang Kai-shek. Before Song Xilian could receive Chiang Kai-shek's reply, he first received a telegram from Chen Geng from Wuhan, and the other party asked Song Xilian to go to Hankou to recuperate.
Just when Song Xilian was hesitating, a young officer came to Song Xilian's room and brought Chiang Kai-shek's handwritten letter: "Come to Nanjing to see me quickly after recovering from illness." "In addition, 300 oceans were sent as a toll.
Song Xilian was deeply moved by the situation and rushed to Nanjing three days later, and from then on, Song Xilian began a career of 22 years of serving Chiang Kai-shek.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="100" > Song Xilian helped Chen Geng "escape"</h1>
In October 1932, Chen Geng, who was already the chief of staff of the Fourth Front of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, was secretly sent to Shanghai for treatment because of a leg injury.
After recovering from illness in late March 1933, Chen Geng was preparing to go to the Central Soviet District, but was targeted by Chen Liansheng, a traitor who had worked in the Central Special Branch, and Chen Geng was arrested and imprisoned.
Everyone knows that Chen Geng was kind to Chiang Kai-shek, and can even be said to be Chiang Kai-shek's savior, so after Chen Geng was arrested, Chiang Kai-shek did not punish him, but used high-ranking officials, beauty, and so on to tempt Chen Geng. However, Chen Geng did not enter the oil and salt, and chiang kai-shek, who was angry and demoralized, put him in the cell of the Nanjing Gendarmerie Headquarters.
Song Xilian (first from the left)
Song Xilian was so anxious to learn that Chen Geng had been arrested, and one day he finally found the opportunity to visit Chen Geng in his cell. Although Chen Geng was a little surprised to see Song Xilian, he was still very happy.
Song Xilian turned his head to Gu Zhenglun and said, "Commander Gu, Chen Geng is our big brother in Huangpu, and even more so the principal's savior, how can you treat him like this?" ”
After hearing this, Gu Zhenglun raised his face and said, "Brother, you don't know anything, I have no way, this is the principal's arrangement." ”
Song Xilian thought about it after listening to it, and said to Chen Geng: "Big brother, you will be wronged for a while, and I will go to the principal to plead." ”
After Song Xilian left his cell, he hurried to Chiang Kai-shek's mansion, and he found Chiang Kai-shek's bodyguard, Xuan Tiewu, and before he could greet him, he said: "Brother Tiewu, we have an old classmate who has come to Nanjing, it is the CCP, guess who it is?" ”
Xuan Tiewu would say xu xiangqian and Lin Biao at the same time, but both received a negative answer from Song Xilian. When Song Xilian saw that Xuan Tiewu couldn't guess it, he took the initiative to say the mystery: "Chen Geng, one of the three masters of Huangpu!" ”
Xuan Tiewu quickly asked him, "How did he come to Nanjing?" Song Xilian then told him about the meeting with Chen Geng. Xuan Tiewu was also a smart man, and he knew what Song Xilian wanted to do in such a big circle, but after all, this was a decision made by the headmaster himself, so he was also a little powerless.
Xuan Tie Wu
Xuan Tiewu said, "You also know that this matter is a little difficult to handle, this is the order personally issued by the principal, the principal is not happy, how can we intervene?" ”
Song Xilian hurriedly said: "I want to find Xiao Zanyu, Xiang Chuanyuan and other students in the first phase, if we jointly protect Chen Geng in the first phase, the principal should consider it." ”
Xuan Tiewu thought for a moment and said, "Yes, just do this." Just waiting for the students of the first phase of the indoor Huangpu can still find seven or eight, we jointly protect Chen Geng, even if we can't let the principal release Chen Geng, we can also change Chen Geng's situation. ”
Because Chen Geng had saved Chiang Kai-shek's life, and with the guarantee of Song Xilian and others, Chiang Kai-shek decided not to kill Chen Geng and no longer imprison him, but moved to the Central Hotel on the corner of Guofu Road in Nanjing, and was arranged to live in a palatial room, where he was served by a special person.
There was a bed, a table, two chairs in the room, but the windows were sealed and the doorway was guarded, but the conditions here were much better than in prisons. When Chen Geng was bored, he could also play chess with the guards.
Song Xilian was very happy to see this situation, he was clever and calculated, although he did not meet Chen Geng directly, but through his subordinates to Chen Geng passed a message: "You don't run, oh, we are guaranteed with our lives, you run, we can't eat the crime!" ”
Chen Geng and Song Xilian have been in contact for many years, although the two have not been in contact since then, but the tacit understanding of many years is not fake. Chen Geng immediately understood, knowing that the old classmate had let himself take the opportunity to escape, and then asked his subordinates to reply to Song Xilian: "You can rest assured, our old classmates, how can it hurt you!" ”
That being said, Chen Geng still took advantage of the slack of the guards and fled, and Song Xilian also turned a blind eye after knowing it, and let him escape.
Chen Geng's escape was quite critical of the Kuomintang military and political elite, but fortunately, Song Xilian was a young general favored by Chiang Kai-shek, which gave him face, and coupled with Chiang Kai-shek's pressure from the outside world, he did not pursue it.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="101" > Song Xilian became a war criminal, Chen Geng patiently persuaded</h1>
When the Xi'an Incident broke out in 1936, Song Xilian served as the commander of the Twenty-sixth Division, and was ordered to lead his troops to Tongguan, and after the incident was resolved, he was stationed in Xi'an and served as the commander of the Xi'an garrison.
In April 1937, Chen Geng came to Xi'an from Yan'an, and Chen Geng and Song Xilian met again, and both of them were very happy. As the host, Song Xilian set up a banquet to entertain Chen Geng and frequently toasted to him to express his inner excitement, and the two of them talked about many previous things during the banquet.
In the blink of an eye, another 12 years have passed, during which the Kuomintang and the Communist Party have fought several battles on the battlefield, and the Chiang dynasty has collapsed.
In the early morning of December 19, 1949, a Kuomintang team of more than 5,000 people crossed the river under the leadership of a very strong general in his 40s who looked like a tiger and a bear. At 10 a.m., the generals and soldiers crossed to the foot of the north shore.
Suddenly, there was a burst of gunfire on the south bank, the People's Liberation Army rushed over like a gust of wind, and the Kuomintang troops waiting to cross the river on the south bank fled for their lives. The soldiers on the north bank saw this place and immediately fled for their lives, but before they could escape, a large number of PLA troops came.
Seeing that the general's expression was gradually fading, he whizzed out his pistol from his waist and pointed it at his temple, preparing to commit suicide. Just as the general pulled the trigger, a guard officer next to him suddenly pounced and grabbed his gun.
The general who was about to commit suicide was Chiang Kai-shek and He Yingqin's favorite general, Song Xilian, who was known as the "Eagle Dog General". Song Xilian and the other Kuomintang troops were all captured by our army, and several PLA officers saw that he was older, so they came to him and asked him what his name was and what his position was.
Song Xilian lied and said, "My name is Zhou Bairui, and I am a military quartermaster of the headquarters." ”
A PLA regimental commissar ordered them to assemble on the beach to give them a propaganda on the PLA's preferential treatment of prisoners, and then the regimental commissar asked, "Do any of you have anyone who can point out Song Xilian?" But no one answered.
The next day, Song Xilian and the others were escorted to the Liberated Areas, and along the way Song Xilian was very worried, and he quietly called out to several henchmen to discuss how to escape.
At this moment, Song Xilian and a CADRE OF THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY looked at each other, and Song Xilian was shocked and instantly felt finished. Because it was no one else who looked at Song Xilian, it was Sun Shangshu, an underground party member who had originally penetrated into his own.
When Sun Shangshu's identity was discovered, Song Xilian had his subordinates shoot him, and then felt that Sun Shangshu was young and promising, so he released him, but he did not expect to meet him now.
Song Xilian was then imprisoned at the White Mansion in Shicikou, Chongqing, a former place where the Communists were held, but now a place where the People's Liberation Army held prisoners of war.
At this time, Song Xilian had countless regrets and sadness, and he also thought about the days he and Chen Geng spent together, he had wanted to write to Chen Geng several times, but he gave up this idea when he thought that the other party was the commander of the famous People's Liberation Army Corps, and he was the enemy of Chen Geng's opposite.
But to Song Xilian's surprise, Chen Geng would actually take time out of his busy schedule and rush from Yunnan to Chongqing to visit him. When Song Xilian saw Chen Geng, he could no longer bear the excitement in his heart and held Chen Geng's hands tightly.
Song Xilian excitedly did not know what to say, Chen Geng also found the tension of his friend, so he took the initiative to speak: "Hello old friend, I see that your health is still very good, so I am at ease!" Song Xilian still looked at Chen Geng and didn't know what to say.
Chen Geng spoke again, "Do you remember when we last met?" "After the Xi'an Incident, you went to the Xi'an Garrison Headquarters to find me..." Song Xilian replied to Chen Geng while wiping his tears.
"By the way, I was visiting you at the behest of Zhou Enlai, and I didn't expect you to remember it." At that time, I was the commander of the Red Army division, and you were the commander of the Nationalist Army, but I didn't expect that now we would meet again! Chen Geng talked and laughed, unrestrained, and also made Song Xilian's tension collapse in an instant.
Chen Geng and Song Xilian talked about the ups and downs of 4 p.m. from 10 a.m. to more than 4 p.m., and most of what they talked about was the ups and downs of the two parties over the past 20 years. After that, Chen Geng asked his subordinates to prepare lunch to entertain Song Xilin, and when he was leaving, Chen Geng instructed Song Xilian: "You don't have any burden here, you can seize this opportunity to read more, and don't be discouraged." You have to dispel your misgivings about the Communist Party and think carefully about what you will do when you come out. ”
Song Xilian was still a little shocked to hear Chen Geng's words, because he thought that he would never come out in his life, but Chen Geng's words gave Song Xilian hope. In the days that followed, Song Xilian actively participated in the reform education of the Communist Party and responded to the party's call.
Song Xilian successively studied Chairman Mao's "The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party" and "On New Democracy", which also made Song Xilian truly understand what communism is. Song Xilian's thinking changed, he took the initiative to confess his crimes, and also shared his mental journey at the meeting.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="117" > Chen Geng died, and Song Xilian lost his voice and cried bitterly</h1>
On December 4, 1959, Song Xilian, Du Yuming, and other war criminals were pardoned, most of whom were Chen Geng's classmates at the Whampoa Military Academy.
In April 1960, Chen Geng returned from recuperation in Guangzhou and was very happy after hearing about it. Coincidentally, the relevant staff asked him to come forward to invite Du Yuming and Song Xilian, who were from Huangpu, to a gathering, and Chen Geng gladly accepted.
At that time, Chen Geng's health was not too good, but he still took the illness to the east and invited Song Xilian and others to eat at the NationalIties Hotel to reminisce about the past.
Seeing several former classmates, Chen Geng was full of emotions, saying:
"Whether it was in school or during the Revolutionary period that followed, our goals were the same, and then we parted ways. We have fought for decades, and today we come together again, this is a very rare thing, what happened before should not be mentioned again, from today onwards we must unite as one, never separate, and work together for the construction of new China! ”
Chen Geng raised the wine glass in his hand and drank it all. Song Xilian and the others couldn't help but think about it after listening to it, and at this moment, listening to Chen Geng's words, the most excited person was Du Yuming.
Du Yuming and Chen Geng were both classmates of the first phase of Huangpu, they were divided into a team, and the two once got along day and night, but it is a pity that after the "April 12 Coup", Du Yuming went to another road.
Now Du Yuming was holding Chen Geng's hands tightly, and the feelings in his heart were particularly complicated, and he said excitedly: "Today we are reunited again!" After saying the tears in their eyes, the others did not speak, just raised their glasses, which may be "everything is in silence"!
After everyone drank, there was another silence, and then I don't know who broke the silence.
Chiang Kai-shek and Du Yuming
"The tide of anger is surging and the party flag is flying, this is the Huangpu of the revolution..." The familiar song sounded in the ears of the crowd. Everyone's tearful eyes stared at each other, and the agitated school song echoed in the dining room for a long time.
After the meal, Chen Geng talked with Song Xilian and others about the form of state building, and also answered the questions that Du Yuming and others were still wondering. That night, Chen Geng stayed in the hotel with Song Xilian, Du Yuming and others.
On the morning of October 19, 1960, the State Council sent a car to take Song Xilian to a villa in the Summer Palace, where Zhang Zhizhong was recuperating and specially invited Song Xilian to be a guest. This time, on the surface, Zhang Zhizhong did the east, but in fact it was the arrangement of Premier Zhou Enlai.
After a while, Zhou Enlai, Deng Yingchao, Chen Geng and more than 30 other people came to the scene one after another, and Zhou Enlai said humorously: "This year's natural disasters are particularly serious, the harvest is not too good, Chairman Mao himself proposed not to eat meat, we Mr. Wenbai (Zhang Zhizhong' character) have the ability, get such a rich meal, everyone is not welcome!" ”
Chen Geng and Song Xilian sat together, the two talked a lot, Song Xilian remembered what he had done before, plus what Chen Geng said to himself, for a while he felt very kind and ashamed.
Sensing his friend's discomfort, Chen Geng raised his glass and said, "Gentlemen, we were all students of the Whampoa Military Academy back then, and we couldn't think of fighting around, but now we're together again." Here today, I propose to start by walking together for us to have a drink! ”
Zhou Enlai then said, "Most of the people here are cadets of the Whampoa Military Academy, and Wen Bai and I were once Whampoa instructors and your teachers. Students have gone down the wrong path, and we as teachers also have a certain responsibility! ”
The words of Chen Geng and Zhou Enlai made the people present relax instantly, and they were no longer nervous, as if they were not facing the enemy before, as if parting ways had never happened.
After Zhou Enlai, Chen Geng and Song Xilian and others had a glass of wine, they said: "History has become the past, no matter how many detours you have taken before, today you are finally back on the right path, new history has begun, let us raise our glasses to celebrate together!" ”
Big photo after dinner in 1960
After the meal, Zhou Enlai and Chen Geng and others took a group photo in the courtyard, and Chen Geng and Song Xilian took a separate photo.
After that, Chen Geng and Song Xilian walked and chatted by the lake again as they had done in Huangpu. Finally, Chen Geng looked at Song Xilian and said, "In the future, to liberate Taiwan, we still need you to go to Taiwan to do work. ”
On March 16, 1961, Chen Geng died in Shanghai, and Song Xilian was deeply sad when he learned of this news, and even cried bitterly at Chen Geng's memorial service.
Later, Song Xilian wrote a reminiscence article: "Chen Geng's death is a huge loss to the country, and for me personally, it is also the loss of a rare best friend in my life..."
After Chen Geng's death, Song Xilian did not forget the entrustment of his friend and ran in many ways for the cause of the peaceful reunification of the motherland.
Song Xilian lived in the United States in 1980, and although he was in the United States, he was still concerned about the great cause of the reunification of the motherland. In August 1982, the "China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification" was established in New York, USA, and Song Xilian was elected as the chief adviser.
Chen Geng and his wife
On June 16, 1984, the Whampoa Military Academy Alumni Association was established, and Song Xilian was elected as the vice president, and did a lot of useful work for the great cause of the peaceful reunification of the motherland.
At the beginning of 1985, Chen Geng's wife Fu Ya went to the United States to work and visit relatives, and she was also warmly received by Song Xilian, Cai Wenzhi and other Huangpu classmates who settled in the United States.
When Fu Ya left the United States, Song Xilian and others personally went to the airport to send them off, and even took out some money and asked Fu Ya to buy some flowers to pay tribute to Chen Geng Yingling at the Babaoshan Cemetery.