On June 3, 1990, in the courtyard of Zhang's family house in Fuxinggang, Taipei, celebrities from all walks of life and a large number of ** reporters gathered, all of whom brought all kinds of exquisite gifts, because this is Zhang Xueliang's home.
This day is Zhang Xueliang's 90th birthday. Since being imprisoned by Chiang Kai-shek in 1936, Zhang Xueliang has not appeared in public for 54 years, and he has mixed feelings in the face of the camera.
Then, he said ...... self-deprecatingly
In his later years, Zhang Xueliang's introspection aroused deep emotion among those present. However, when he was suddenly asked this question in an interview with reporters, Zhang Xueliang paused slightly, and then retorted with a smile: "So, you may want to know who the three people I admire the most are, and what are they worthy of my admiration, right?" ”
Zhang Xueliang, the son of Zhang Zuolin, has deep feelings for his father. Although the outside world has mixed evaluations of Zhang Zuolin, Zhang Xueliang has always admired his father.
Zhang Zuolin came from a poor background, he sold baked cakes, worked as a carpenter, and even studied veterinarian, so he made many friends. After the Sino-Japanese War, Zhang Zuolin threw himself into the green forest, and with the help of his friends, he quickly rose and became a powerful force.
Subsequently, he suppressed bandits for the Qing court, eliminated troubles, and became famous, known as the "King of the Northeast". After the victory of the Second Zhifeng War, he successfully entered Beijing as the leader of the "Feng warlords" and became the generalissimo of the army and navy.
Zhang ZuolinFor Zhang Xueliang, his father's legendary journey inspired his admiration. His rise to fame is legendary, but he has always maintained a hard and simple lifestyle, always trying to help the people affected by the disaster.
Whether it was the relief of the Shandong flood in 1920 or the relief of the families of the victims in the "May Day" movement, Zhang Zuolin's figure can always appear where it is most needed. Zhang Xueliang deeply admired Zhang Zuolin's attitude towards life, especially as he grew older, his views on Zhang Zuolin also changed.
In his opinion, he benefited greatly from both of his superiors: his father, Zhang Zuolin, was eloquent but lacked grand strategic vision; Mr. Chiang, on the other hand, has a well-thought-out strategy, but lacks the courage to act decisively.
Zhang Zuolin was born in a reckless manner, pioneered a career in the troubled times, and boldly put forward the idea of expanding the army and establishing the navy and air force, making the Feng department the most powerful force among the Beiyang warlords, and his talent was highly appreciated by Zhang Xueliang.
In addition, Zhang Zuolin's interaction with the Japanese is also difficult for Zhang Xueliang to achieve. Although Mr. Zhang's private dealings with the Japanese have caused controversy at home, his diplomatic skills and prowess have made him highly respected on the international stage.
After Zhang Xueliang inherited Zhang Zuolin's power, he found that Zhang Zuolin signed a contract with the Japanese to seek independence, but opposed the change of banner in Northeast China, which was like "dancing on the tip of a knife" and was very dangerous.
Therefore, Zhang Xueliang deeply felt his father's wisdom and courage.
Although Zhang Xueliang had a limited number of meetings with ***, less than ten days in total, he was deeply impressed by ***'s wisdom. On April 9, 1936, ** and Zhang Xueliang had their first secret meeting in the Catholic Church in Fushi.
Zhang Xueliang met *** for the first time in this meeting, although *** grew a long beard because of his busy work, which seemed a little vicissitudes, but Zhang Xueliang felt an unprecedented aura from ***.
Zhang Xueliang was deeply moved by ***'s words, and the two had an in-depth conversation for more than three hours. In this conversation, Zhang Xueliang shared his experience and insights from his years of travel in Europe.
He believes that China's political system should be a kind of government, not a democracy. He stressed that there was an essential difference between this kind of ** and the ** rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. It is committed to cultivating the people's self-governing ability, just like a teacher who takes care of the children's growth, and when they are mature and self-governing, they will give the power to the people, and will not rely on force to maintain power like the others.
Zhang Xueliang is a leader full of patriotic feelings, and he has always actively sought a way to save the country. However, his ideas are also fanatical, radical, and biased.
For this kind of thinking, although he understands his determination to avenge his family's revenge in the snow country, he also emphasizes that when the country is facing danger, he will not actively participate in resisting Japan and saving the country, and he is a sinner of history and the nation.
The two had an in-depth conversation and worked together to find a way to resist Japan and save the country. Zhang Xueliang deeply admires ***'s wisdom and foresight, and regards him as his elder.
And *** also highly appreciates Zhang Xueliang's patriotism and mind.
The outbreak of the Xi'an Incident forced Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng to have no choice but to force Chiang Kai-shek to abandon the policy of "settling the inside before settling the interior". However, the treatment of Chiang Kai-shek put Zhang Xueliang in a dilemma.
He was unwilling to use force against Chiang Kai-shek, and he could not let him go easily. At the same time, Song Meiling's intervention also complicated the situation. In this case, Zhang Xueliang was confused and anxious.
Just when he was at a loss, ** flew to Xi'an and had a secret conversation with him again in Zhang Xueliang's mansion in Jinjiaxiang, providing him with valuable advice and help.
During the negotiations on the Xi'an Incident, ** proposed a peaceful settlement to Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng to avoid the unfavorable social situation caused by the banning of Chiang Kai-shek and the possibility of internal friction in China.
He advocated that Chiang Kai-shek agree to unanimously resist Japan as soon as possible, and then release him. This suggestion immediately touched Zhang Xueliang's heart, and through the joint efforts of both sides, Chiang Kai-shek finally accepted the six-point proposal of "stopping the civil war and uniting to resist Japan", and successfully resolved the Xi'an Incident peacefully.
After the incident, Zhang Xueliang kept his promise and sent Chiang Kai-shek back to Nanjing. To express his apologies, he decided to escort him personally. In this regard, ** expressed a different opinion, believing that Chiang Kai-shek was not an open-minded person, and under this pressure, he would not give up, and Zhang Xueliang might be in danger because of this.
However, Zhang Xueliang insisted on his decision and escorted Chiang Kai-shek back to Nanjing. However, as soon as Zhang Xueliang landed, he was arrested by the spies sent by Dai Li, and began a 54-year solitary confinement career.
After Chiang Kai-shek and Dai Li learned the news of Zhang Xueliang's imprisonment, they were deeply saddened and asked people to convey their concern and greetings to Zhang Xueliang many times. Zhang Xueliang was deeply grateful for this, and even under the strict supervision of the guards, he still wrote a secret letter to *** to express his love for the country and his indifference to personal interests.
He said that although he was idle and studying, everything was fine, and he hoped that he would not have to worry about him. If there is an important secret matter that needs to be communicated, he is willing to help as much as he can.
In addition, he asked *** to send greetings and respect to his colleagues.
In a secret letter written by Zhang Xueliang to He Zhuguo of the old ministry during his solitary confinement, he emphasized the importance of supporting our party's anti-Japanese cause, and especially mentioned the need to listen to the opinions of ***.
Although Zhang Xueliang did not meet *** many times, he was very impressed by ***, and thought that ***'s personality charm was very strong, and even his subordinates and Yang Hucheng's subordinates obeyed his guidance.
Zhang Xueliang believes that *** is not only eloquent, but also has a very strong ability to deal with problems, and is a figure he admires very much.
Although Zhang Xueliang and *** have never met, Zhang Xueliang is familiar with the deeds of ***. After listening to the deeds of ***, Zhang Xueliang felt that ***'s talent was unprecedented, especially after comparing Chiang Kai-shek with ***, Zhang Xueliang felt that *** was too much better than Chiang Kai-shek.
Zhang Xueliang was disappointed with Chiang Kai-shek's way of employing people, because Chiang Kai-shek attached too much importance to those close to him and neglected the talented generals. Chiang Kai-shek's lack of concern for the miscellaneous army and the common people at the bottom made Zhang Xueliang suspicious of Chiang Kai-shek's position.
Li Zongren also agreed with Zhang Xueliang's view, he once commented on Chiang Kai-shek, saying: "* The generals of the system know this shortcoming of Mr. Chiang. They knew that following Mr. Chiang's orders often led to failure, but if they disobeyed his orders, it would cause even more trouble.
So they chose to let Mr. Chiang take direct command, and the responsibility for failure rested with him, while they could avoid responsibility. "If the generals are all mediocre, then the victory or defeat of the army is difficult to predict, but Mr. Chiang seems to be particularly fond of such generals.
Zhang Xueliang has deep admiration for the ability of ***, who has shown amazing leadership in developing a team that lacks equipment and logistical support under difficult circumstances.
This kind of courage is rare in history, and even Zhang Xueliang himself, a person who led troops, thought that he could not do this, especially the Long March, which he said could not be done anyway.
Zhang Xueliang was not only amazed by his military talent, but also deeply admired his ability to command and his personal charm. Although they have never met, through the words on paper and the praise passed on by the people, Zhang Xueliang fully felt the outstanding talent of the people.
Who can not be impressed by such a person?