Song Xilian once said: "The year 1949 was the most unfortunate year for me. "Why did this Chiang Kai-shek cronie feel so emotional?It turned out that during this year, he experienced the double blow of his father's death and his wife's illness. Recalling that in August 1948, Song Xilian was transferred back from Xinjiang by Chiang Kai-shek and served as the deputy commander-in-chief of the "Suppression Commander" in Central China and the commander of the 14th Corps. He directly obeyed Lao Chiang's orders, but he had a tense relationship with Bai Chongxi, the commander-in-chief of the "Suppression Chief" in Central China. With the collapse of Huang Wei's corps in the Huaihai Campaign, Bai Chongxi vigorously recruited and incorporated the anti-Chiang and pro-Gui forces in Central China, and the balance of forces changed greatly. In February 1949, in order to balance Bai Chongxi, Lao Jiang appointed Song Xilian as the commander of the Hunan-Hubei Border Region Pacification Command, and Jiang secretly instructed Song Xilian that once the People's Liberation Army crossed the river, he would ignore Bai Chongxi's order and directly lead his troops to retreat west to ensure the defense line in eastern Sichuan. After the battle of crossing the river, the main force of Chiang's army was almost lost, but Song Xilian was not happy at all, because his father died, and his wife Leng Lanqin, who had been with him for a long time, also fell ill. Leng Lanqin was a student of the pianist Mei Baiqi and taught in Shanghai before meeting Song Xilian. In 1930, Song Xilian and Leng Lanqin met and quickly established a relationship, marrying in 1933.
The heavy pressure of this year made Song Xilian suffer a lot, and it also left a heavy mark on his life. "Leng Lanqin: A legendary woman who adheres to love and responsibility"Song Xilian, an outstanding general in the first phase of the Huangpu phase of the Jiang army, his life is full of legends. However, behind this great general, there is also a silently guarded, firm and persistent woman - Leng Lanqin. She is not only Song Xilian's wife and mother, but also a strong woman who silently supports him behind her. After Leng Lanqin married Song Xilian, she gave birth to five children. She often went with the army because she was always worried about whether there were other women outside her husband. Even though Song Xilian was promoted at an astonishing speed, Leng Lanqin was still worried, she would rather be called a "fierce woman" than protect her husband's heart. When her husband was stationed in western Yunnan, she even had an argument with her husband because of suspicion, showing her firmness and persistence. However, Leng Lanqin's life was not happy, and she died of a cerebral hemorrhage caused by severe high blood pressure. This sudden parting was a huge blow to Song Xilian, who was still very sad about the early death of his wife in his later years. Leng Lanqin's perseverance and sacrifice made her one of the most respectable women of that era.
She gave up her happiness, silently supported her husband's career, and finally wrote an ordinary and great song of life with her life. Leng Lanqin's story was widely known at the time, and even became a joke. Her tenacity and perseverance are touching and leave an indelible mark. She is not only a mother, but also a great female model. On the road of life, we often need a strong heart and an unyielding will. Leng Lanqin has used her life to interpret this tenacity and perseverance, and her story tells us that between happiness and responsibility, sometimes we need to make difficult choices. Her story inspires us and makes us understand that we can keep going, no matter what the difficulties and challenges we face. The story of Leng Lanqin is like a touching movement, singing a hymn to love and responsibility. Her life is full of legends and the best interpretation of the great women of that era. May we always miss this great woman, whose story will inspire us to face all the challenges of life with courage.
*: Leng Lanqin: A legendary woman who adheres to love and responsibility, according to the documents of the Confidential Secretariat of the Nanjing National ** Military Commission, on October 5, 1949, Song Xilian, chairman of the Kuomintang Military Commission, reported his plan to retreat to the "Yunnan-Burma Advance Team" to the people*** On October 6 of the same year, ** approved Song Xilian's plan. This plan was put forward by Song Xilian after careful consideration, and the content of the plan was to transfer the armed forces and ** institutions to western Yunnan, and then to Myanmar. Song Xilian, then chairman of the Kuomintang Military Committee, felt that the situation was critical, and only by moving to Burma could the PLA attack be effectively avoided. This plan was called the "Yunnan-Burma Plan" and was also a microcosm of the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party at that time. According to incomplete statistics, during the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, there were more than 40 million civilians and 23 in the Northeast Plain, North China, East China, Central Plains, Southwest China and other regionsThe disappearance of 70,000 Kuomintang troops** is also the darkest page in Chinese history. After the implementation of this plan, the Kuomintang troops withdrew from the southwest, but it also brought more confusion and contradictions. This civil war has brought great suffering to the Chinese people and has also profoundly affected China's future.
Hu Zongnan and Song Xilian's Yunnan-Burma Plan": Hu Zongnan and Song Xilian once discussed a plan, wanting to transfer troops to western Yunnan to assemble, and withdraw into Burma once the war was unfavorable. However, when they reported the matter to Chiang Kai-shek, they were severely reprimanded and refused. Lao Jiang's attitude makes people puzzled, how feasible is this plan?Why did Lao Chiang make such a decision?What are the reasons for this?Hu Zongnan and Song Xilian's plan for Yunnan-Burma was to assemble troops in western Yunnan and withdraw into Burma once the war was unfavorable, so as to ensure that there were 200,000 to 300,000 troops. This plan seemed to preserve significant military strength for the Kuomintang, but it was firmly rejected by Chiang. Lao Jiang thought that Hu Zongnan and Song Xilian's ideas were irresponsible, and he angrily reprimanded Hu Zongnan for having hundreds of thousands of troops but thinking of retreating without a fight, and also scolded Song Xilian for not daring to stick to eastern Sichuan. Lao Chiang's attitude is resolute, what kind of military and political considerations are behind this?At that time, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were engaged in a fierce civil war, and both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were vying for strategic advantageous areas, and western Yunnan was one of them. Chiang's rejection of the Yunnan-Burma plan may have been motivated by strategic considerations for the western Yunnan region.
He may have thought that the withdrawal of large numbers of troops into Burma would weaken control over western Yunnan and contain the Communists. From this point of view, Lao Chiang's refusal may not be unreasonable. However, the rejection of the plan also raised questions about Chiang's decision-making. Although there may be many risks and uncertainties in the Yunnan-Burma plan, under the situation of the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party at that time, should more ** and trade-offs be given?Perhaps, we will never know where history would have gone if Chiang had agreed to this plan. For Hu Zongnan and Song Xilian, this experience also made them reflect deeply. In his later years, Song Xilian recalled: "I often thought that if Chiang Kai-shek had agreed to this plan at that time and asked Hu Zongnan and me to evacuate 300,000 people to Burma, then the consequences would have been really serious, and I would have been unforgivable." This passage makes one wonder whether the development of history can really be assumed and speculatedPerhaps, we will never know where history would have gone if Chiang had agreed to this plan. Under the baptism of war, both Hu Zongnan and Song Xilian experienced a lot, and their fate and choices may have had a profound impact on the entire era.
And about their Yunnan-Burma plan, it also triggered people's thinking about the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party at that time and the decision-making of Lao Chiang. Perhaps, history will eventually give us the answer, but we can give more understanding and reflection on the struggles and choices of that era. The relationship between Chen Kefei, commander of the Twentieth Corps, and Song Xilian was rather delicate. After receiving a telegram from Chen Mingren inviting the uprising, Song Xilian did not agree, but did not report it. However, Song Xilian thought that no one knew about this matter, but he didn't know that the spies of the Song Ministry had secretly reported the matter to Mao Renfeng, the director of the Secret Bureau, and was then told to Lao Jiang. As a result, Lao Jiang lost trust in Song Xilian, and secretly ordered Chen Kefei to monitor Song Xilian's every move and report at any time. The smart Song Xilian quickly noticed Chen Kefei's suspicious actions, and then obtained relevant information. This also explains why the defeated Song Xilian was reluctant to flee to Chengdu, because he knew that once he left, he was afraid that he would be held accountable by Lao Jiang with few troops in his hands. When the People's Liberation Army advanced into the southwest, Song Xilian's group fled all the way, and only a fierce battle took place in Baima Mountain. In the area of Baima Mountain in Wulong, Chongqing, he tried to rely on the terrain to hold on for a period of time, but under the strong attack of the People's Liberation Army, the defense line of Baima Mountain lasted only three days before being breached.
In the Battle of White Horse Mountain, Song Xilian lost more than 10,000 people from the main force. After that, he fled separately with Chen Kefei and Zhong Bin, and no longer had the heart to fight, nor did he have the strength to fight. On the morning of December 19, 1949, Song Xilian came to Shaping of the Dadu River with more than 1,000 remnants to collect boats to cross the river, but encountered a sudden attack by the People's Liberation Army, and the remnants were annihilated in an instant. Song Xilian pulled out his gun and attempted suicide, but was taken down by Yuan Dinghou, the guard platoon commander on the side. In the subsequent screening of prisoners, Song Xilian's identity was found out, and he was immediately sent to the prisoner of war management camp in the rear. In his memoirs, Song Xilian recounted his state of mind and misfortune at that time, saying that 1949 was his most unfortunate year. In the course of a year, he lost his father and wife, suffered a series of defeats, and his family was ruined, leaving him almost devastated. However, although his world seemed to collapse that year, Song Xilian ushered in a new life after that. Seeing this, perhaps we will have some questions. In the long river of history, is Song Xilian's fate destined to be so?Does he have a chance to change his fate?Perhaps this is not just a tragedy of one person, but also a cruel portrayal of that era.
The wheels of history roll forward, leaving behind not only the glory of the victors, but also the fates abandoned by the times. May we remember history, cherish peace, and cherish the happy life of today.