In 1936, the "Xi'an Incident" broke out, which opened the prelude to the anti-Japanese national united front, and Zhang Xueliang became a national hero with the feat of "admonishing" Chiang Kai-shek and realizing the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
However, he paid a huge price for this, and was imprisoned for 54 years, until 1990, when he was 89 years old, and he was freed.
Although Zhang Xueliang did not go to the battlefield of resistance against Japan to fight bloodily, his outstanding achievements will forever be recorded in history. In 1991, after Zhang Xueliang moved from Taiwan to the United States, the mainland of the motherland immediately sent his old subordinate, General Lu Zhengcao, to visit.
This reunion spanning half a century, the two old men burst into tears, and Zhang Xueliang sincerely expressed his deep nostalgia for his homeland. However, when General Lu Zhengcao invited him to return to his homeland, Zhang Xueliang put forward three conditions, what is this?
After the Xinhai Revolution, although China ended its feudal history of more than 2,000 years, the road to peace and prosperity of the Chinese nation was still full of difficulties and challenges.
On June 6, 1916, Yuan Shikai died after his dreams of becoming emperor were shattered, and China was once again in the chaos of warlord warfare.
In the context of that time, Zhang Zuolin, the leader of the Feng warlords, occupied a place in the northeast and became a leader in the troubled times, and even once invaded the city of Beijing and held the highest power in the country.
His eldest son, Zhang Xueliang, also had a deep understanding of the national situation in the process of following his father to fight. As Zhang Zuolin's eldest son, Zhang Xueliang has attracted attention since he was a child.
At the age of 16, he joined his father's army, and despite the glory of his family, he was never proud, and he was motivated to move forward in every training session, sharing the ups and downs with the soldiers.
In 1919, Zhang Xueliang was sent to study in the Army Lecture Hall of the Three Eastern Provinces, where he met many patriotic generals, and the exchanges with the instructors made his military talent gradually revealed, and a year later he graduated with the first place in the artillery department, and thus went to the battlefield.
In 1922, the first Zhifeng War broke out, Wu Peifu's direct troops and Zhang Zuolin's Feng troops fought fiercely over the control of Beijing City, and finally Zhang Zuolin's side was defeated on all fronts, and only the Third Mixed Brigade led by Zhang Xueliang won a partial victory, which also made Zhang Xueliang's prestige gradually increase.
Zhang Xueliang won a great victory in the Zhifeng War, and Zhang Zuolin also took the opportunity to seize the first power, and Zhang Xueliang became a high-profile "heir". However, in June 1928, Zhang Zuolin was assassinated by the Japanese Kwantung Army for refusing to yield to Japan, and Zhang Xueliang took over his father's warlord power.
However, Zhang Xueliang has a new understanding of the future of the country. He realized that China's future depended on the unity of all forces. In this era of internal and external difficulties, domestic warlords fighting for interests, and foreign powers eyeing each other, Zhang Xueliang decided to twist into a rope to promote the development and growth of the country.
Less than a week after Zhang Zuolin's death, Zhang Xueliang made a great decision - Northeast Change of Banner. He resolutely gave up control of the Northeast and was willing to obey the people of Nanjing**, showing that he was committed to the reunification of the motherland and united with the outside world.
Although Zhang Xueliang has the strength to be independent, he did not choose independence, but for the dignity and sovereignty of the country, he made earth-shattering feats and wept ghosts and gods, and can be called a national hero.
However, his sincerity was not understood by the Nanjing people led by Chiang Kai-shek. After that, Chiang Kai-shek launched the Central Plains War with Wang Jingwei, Yan Xishan and other local forces on the one hand, and on the other hand, he increased his ** against the Communist Party, which made the civil war continue.
Time passed, and in 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army launched the "918" incident that shocked China and foreign countries, and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out. In the face of the surging Japanese army, they quickly encroached on a large area of the country, but Chiang Kai-shek still adhered to the policy of "fighting outside the country must first secure the interior", not only did not concentrate troops to resist the foreign enemy, but intensified the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
In 1936, there was a call for cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party at home, and the voice of unanimity became stronger and stronger. Zhang Xueliang watched his homeland being invaded by Japanese thieves, and his heart was full of grief and indignation. He repeatedly appealed to Chiang Kai-shek in the hope of reaching an anti-Japanese united front, but Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly refused, threatening to transfer them elsewhere if they did not obey orders.
Zhang Xueliang's heart is full of contradictions, on the one hand, the military standard of obedience to orders as his duty, and on the other hand, the national righteousness of the country. Until the evening of December 11, Chiang Kai-shek announced in public that he would replace the troops of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, and the ** army would take over the task of suppressing the Communist Party.
Zhang Xueliang finally made the decision to "admonish the soldiers". At five o'clock in the morning of the next day, the Northeast Army under Zhang Xueliang and the 17th Route Army under Yang Hucheng acted separately, the former captured Chiang Kai-shek alive in Huaqingchi, and the latter detained seven important members of the national army, and the Xi'an Incident began.
Zhang Xueliang gritted his teeth for the future of the country, and persevered, and pushed forward the negotiations between the KMT and the CCP under tremendous pressure. After repeated consultations between representatives of all parties, an agreement was finally reached on December 24, and Chiang Kai-shek finally made a unanimous decision to resist Japan.
Although he was criticized by all countries in the world and condemned by all walks of life in China, and even Nanjing ** formed a rebel army to bomb Xi'an, Zhang Xueliang always had the common people in his heart and endured humiliation.
This incident was an important turning point in Chinese history, and his heroic actions enabled the Chinese anti-Japanese national united front to be achieved. However, Zhang Xueliang, as a sinner of the national **, could not get out of the whole body.
On the 25th, after handing over the edict to Yang Hucheng, he personally sent Chiang Kai-shek and his wife back to Nanjing, but they never had the opportunity to return.
After the Xi'an Incident, Zhang Xueliang began his career in captivity. For more than a decade, he was transferred to Guizhou and Chongqing, and was closely monitored by the Kuomintang army.
Despite the fierce War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression outside, Zhang Xueliang was worried about the country and could not return to the battlefield. Until 1946, the Kuomintang army suffered successive defeats in the War of Liberation, and the rout was a foregone conclusion.
Although many organizations wrote letters to the national ** demanding the release of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, two national heroes, they were all refused. In October of the same year, Zhang Xueliang was sent to Taiwan for care, and the rescue became more difficult.
In the later stages of the Liberation War, the Kuomintang regime fled to Taiwan and confronted the mainland across the sea. For a long time afterward, ** was very nervous, and Zhang Xueliang lost contact with the mainland of the motherland.
On New Year's Day in 1979, the mainland issued a "Letter to Taiwan Compatriots," and since then, cross-strait relations have begun to thaw and exchanges have gradually increased. Zhang Xueliang's longing for his homeland was transmitted to the ears of the leaders of New China through his relatives.
Cross-strait trade became more and more frequent, and Zhang Xueliang's niece, Zhang Luyu, occasionally traveled back and forth between the two sides of the strait for business negotiations. She has great respect for her uncle, and is happy to serve as a messenger between him and his old friend, conveying his thoughts for half a century.
In 1984, Zhang Luxuan took the opportunity of a business trip to Beijing and took the initiative to visit a founding general, who was Lu Zhengcao. Lü Zhengcao was three years younger than Zhang Xueliang, and the two were fellow villagers, and in 1922, Lü Zhengcao joined Zhang Xueliang's troops.
After graduating from the Northeast Lecture Martial Arts Hall, Lu Zhengcao served as Zhang Xueliang's adjutant, secretary and other positions, and was born and died with Zhang Xueliang, and was his right-hand man. At the time of the Xi'an Incident, he was also an important participant, witnessing Zhang Xueliang's struggle and perseverance throughout the whole process, and the relationship between the two was very deep.
After Zhang Xueliang was placed under house arrest, there was a ** within the Northeast Army, and Lu Zhengcao was bent on fulfilling Zhang Xueliang's wish - to expel the Japanese thieves and restore China's sovereignty, so he joined the Communist Party of China instead.
On the battlefield of resistance against Japan, he sacrificed his life for the country, was brave and fearless, and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in a harsh environment. After the war, he was awarded the rank of general, which became the pride of the country. 80-year-old Lu Zhengcao was pleasantly surprised to find that after 50 years, he could still see his old boss Zhang Xueliang's niece Zhang Lulu again.
As soon as they met, Lu Zhengcao held Zhang Luliang's hand tightly and eagerly asked Zhang Xueliang about his current situation. Zhang Lulu happily described to Lu Zhengcao the life of her uncle Zhang Xueliang, and conveyed his deep longing for his old friends in his hometown.
Lu Zhengcao listened and couldn't help shedding tears. He said with emotion: "I often miss Han Gong. When they were about to separate, Lu Zhengcao also specially prepared a gift for Zhang Lulu to bring to Zhang Xueliang.
Going back and forth between the two sides of the strait many times, Zhang Lulu acted as a messenger, conveying Lu Zhengcao's affectionate encouragement to Zhang Xueliang and the expectation of the two meeting. In 1988, Zhang Xueliang was released, but his freedom was not complete, and he was still under close surveillance by the Taiwan authorities.
Therefore, the Taiwan side did not want him to have too many contacts with the Communist Party, so that Zhang Xueliang could not return to the mainland. Until 1991, Zhang Xueliang immigrated to the United States on the pretext of visiting relatives, and Zhang Lulu told the news to Lu Zhengcao, who was recuperating in the hospital.
The 87-year-old man was so excited that he resolutely applied to the organization to visit the United States. Half a century later, the two old men are reunited in a foreign country!
Looking forward to returning to his homeland, Zhang Xueliang's conscience is close to the mainland Zhang Xueliang, a national hero who makes the CCP regret, no matter whether he lives or dies, he has always been concerned about the mainland. When it was learned that he had left Taiwan, all sectors of society were looking forward to his return to the mainland.
In an interview, he said: "The mainland is my country, and I will go back whenever I want. The country's leaders responded positively to his feelings and immediately arranged for personnel to prepare for his return to the mainland.
Not only renovated the Marshal Zhang Xueliang's Mansion and his father Zhang Zuolin's Marshal Mausoleum, where he once lived, but also held a grand birthday banquet in Beijing to celebrate his 90th birthday, in order to express the mainland's respect for him.
Zhang Xueliang was eager to meet with Lu Zhengcao, so he told Zhang Luxuan. When Lu Zhengcao reported the matter to his superiors, although he was worried about his physical condition, out of various considerations, he finally decided to send him to the United States to invite Zhang Xueliang to return to China.
On May 22, Deng Yingchao, the wife of the premier, sent a handwritten letter to Lu Zhengcao, in which he conveyed the invitation of Comrade ***, hoping that he could return to China.
On May 29, Lu Zhengcao flew to the United States on a mission, and he and Zhang Xueliang met at a family dinner.
They held each other's hands tightly and were speechless for a long time, because the ups and downs of half a century were all silent. The next day, they met separately again and chatted for a long time.
After seeing Deng Yingchao's handwritten letter, Zhang Xueliang was also very emotional, and asked him to convey his greetings to Ms. Deng Yingchao.
First, don't hold a welcome ceremony; second, not to accept interviews from reporters; Third, don't be hypocritical and polite. Lu Zhengcao agreed, but Zhang Xueliang sighed again, saying that whether he can return to China depends on the attitude of the people.
At the same time, he also said that there is only one China, and that the mainland and Taiwan will eventually be reunified, and that he will definitely return to his hometown as long as he has the opportunity. Zhang Xueliang is well aware of his particularity in the world, he belongs to the Kuomintang army, and returning to the mainland may have an impact on the reunification of the motherland.
Compared with homesickness, the stability and unity of the country are always the most important. After the reunion of old friends, Zhang Xueliang did not return to China, because he and his wife were old and often unwell.
Later, Zhang Xueliang moved to Hawaii with his family, and until his death on October 15, 2001, he never returned to Taiwan or the mainland.
Hometown is the eternal emotional sustenance in the hearts of every Chinese son. Zhang Xueliang reneged on his oath as a soldier for the sake of the motherland and the people, but he was never able to return to his hometown where he had missed for more than 50 years.
However, the party and the people will never forget his contributions to the country and the people, and he will always be remembered in the hearts of millions of people, and his name will forever be engraved on the monument of Chinese history and will be remembered for centuries.