Chiang Kai-shek, as the principal of the Whampoa Military Academy, attached great importance to this position and held it for 23 years. However, few people know that when he first took up the post of principal of the Whampoa Military Academy, he was not the first leader of the school, not even the second-in-command, but the third-in-command. So, who are the first and second in command in front of him?The first leader should undoubtedly be Sun Yat-sen, who was the premier of the military academy at the time, and the second in command was Liao Zhongkai, who acted as the party representative of the military academy, and their power surpassed that of the school's principal, Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang Kai-shek really became the supreme leader of the Whampoa Military Academy after the death of Sun Yat-sen and the assassination of Liao Zhongkai. In fact, even if the principal of the Whampoa Military Academy at that time, the initial candidate was not Chiang Kai-shek, but someone else, and the reason why Chiang Kai-shek was able to become the principal was completely achieved through some means. When preparing for this military school, Sun Yat-sen had many candidates for the position of principal.
Therefore, in the process of preparation, Chiang Kai-shek was only appointed chairman of the preparatory committee of the military academy, and it was not clearly stated that he would become the principal in the future. This made Chiang Kai-shek very upset. Previously, at the First National Congress of the Kuomintang, which had just been held, Chiang Kai-shek did not get the position and status he expected. This time to prepare for the military academy, Sun Yat-sen did not explicitly let him be the principal, which is likely to disappoint him again. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek chose the strategy of retreating and returned to his hometown in Fenghua, Zhejiang. His intentions were very obvious, if Sun Yat-sen had not explicitly appointed him as the head of the military academy, he would not have gone out of the mountain. However, at this time, the preparatory work of the military academy had entered a critical stage, but Chiang Kai-shek was slow to take up his post, and as the chairman of the preparatory committee of the military academy, many tasks could not be carried out, resulting in a stagnation of many progresses.
Sun Yat-sen felt very anxious when he saw that Chiang Kai-shek was delaying his appointment, so he asked Wang Jingwei and others to send him telegrams in succession, urging him to come to Huangpu as soon as possible. In order to ensure that the work was not hindered, Sun Yat-sen also asked Liao Zhongkai to temporarily preside over the work of the preparatory committee. However, despite several telegrams, Chiang Kai-shek still did not appear. In fact, Sun Yat-sen had already seen Chiang Kai-shek's intentions at this time, and he wanted to get a clear appointment of the rector. However, Sun Yat-sen had his own considerations, and Chiang Kai-shek was only one of the options, not the only one. Chiang Kai-shek's delay in taking up his post and his adoption of soft confrontation were his faults. Sun Yat-sen was somewhat annoyed by Chiang Kai-shek's absence, so he decided to send Xu Chongzhi to Fenghua, Zhejiang, to urge Chiang Kai-shek to return as soon as possible. In fact, it was also given him one last chance.
Chiang Kai-shek was a resourceful man, and he knew that if he did not return, the consequences would be unimaginable. However, although he felt that his inner goal had not yet been achieved, he still wanted to find out Sun Yat-sen's true intentions. Therefore, when Xu Chongzhi came to look for him, he showed an attitude of reluctance to go back. Xu Chongzhi confessed to him: "Mr. Sun specially sent me here, and before leaving, I specially explained that I must let you come back." Obviously, this is Mr. Sun's ultimatum to you, and you should not misunderstand his intentions. In addition, Mr. Sun does have other people considering the choice of principal, and I am one of them, but I am not willing to compete for the position of brother, I am not willing to compete. Chiang Kai-shek asked who else was the candidate that Mr. Sun was considering, and Xu Chongzhi replied: "Chen Hanyu, a colonel and staff officer of your headquarters, is a candidate, and Mr. Sun still wants to break through the routine and promote him."
In addition, Mr. Sun's guard captain Yao Guanshun now often reports his thoughts to Mr. Sun, hoping to get a higher level of training. When Chiang Kai-shek heard that these two people were his former subordinates, and they both intended to become principals, he couldn't help but be furious, and said directly to Xu Chongzhi: "What qualifications do they have to become principals?"Since Mr. Sun is interested, let them go!Xu Chongzhi sensed that the time was ripe, and said to Chiang Kai-shek again: "Actually, Mr. Sun is partial to you, don't get me wrong, otherwise how could I be sent to you?"Let me tell you, you are already the first choice of Mr. Sun's principal, and he and I talked about this before I came. When Chiang Kai-shek heard this, his heart was suddenly filled with joy. However, what he was worried about was not the two mentioned by Xu Chongzhi, but the others. So he asked, "What about Li Jishen?"Didn't Mr. Sun like him very much?
And Dai Jitao, I heard that Mr. Sun is also thinking about it. Xu Chongzhi replied in a low voice: "Mr. Sun has already mentioned that in the future, Li Jishen will be the director of the training department, and Dai Jitao will be the director of the political department." When Chiang Kai-shek heard this, the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground, and he immediately said to Xu Chongzhi: "I will return to Guangzhou in the near future and start preparations for the military academy!"Chiang Kai-shek soon returned to Canton and immediately began preparations for the establishment of the school. After the official establishment of the Whampoa Military Academy, Chiang Kai-shek became the principal as he wished, and he has been there for 23 years. However, it is worth noting that Chiang Kai-shek was not the most exalted person at the Whampoa Military Academy at that time. Above him, there were Sun Yat-sen, the premier of the Military Academy, and Liao Zhongkai, a party representative, both of whom far surpassed Chiang Kai-shek in both the revolutionary process and the party's status. Therefore, at the Whampoa Military Academy, many matters required the consent of the two men before Chiang Kai-shek could proceed.
In other words, he is actually just the number three person in the Whampoa Military Academy. Until March 12, 1925, Sun Yat-sen unfortunately died;On August 20 of the same year, Liao Zhongkai was assassinated again. Since then, Chiang Kai-shek has begun to monopolize power and truly control the Whampoa Military Academy, making it an important cornerstone for his future soaring. (References: "Whampoa Military Academy", "Whampoa Lecture Hall", "Whampoa Famous General Chiang Kai-shek").