Anti Japanese War Series (1) Peaceful Resolution of the Xi'an Incident

Introduction: "With the perseverance of charity and the dedication of welfare to the people", a series of stories about Premier Zhou Enlai's life: A red sun has risen in the east - the story of Zhou Enlai during the Anti Japanese War

Episode 1: Peaceful Resolution of the Xi'an Incident

On December 12, 1936, the shocking Xi'an Incident broke out both domestically and internationally. That morning, in the Shiyaodong of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China in Bao'an County, northern Shaanxi, a secret telegram was suddenly received from Xi'an: Chiang Kai shek was detained by the troops of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng... The confidential personnel were very excited and immediately sent the telegram to Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.

It turned out that the anti Japanese national united front policy implemented by the CPC and its efforts to achieve this policy were warmly supported by the people of the whole country, which pushed the national anti Japanese and national salvation movement to another climax. Nationalist patriotic generals Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng demanded that Chiang Kai shek abandon the reactionary policy of "pacifying the domestic front before resisting foreign aggression" and accept the Communist Party's call to stop the civil war and unite against Japan. But Chiang Kai shek not only rudely refused, but also further forced Zhang and Yang to lead their troops to attack the Red Army. Chiang Kai shek's retrogressive actions angered the vast number of officers and soldiers of the Northeast Army and the 17th Route Army. Out of patriotic fervor, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng commanded their troops to arrest Chiang Kai shek and dozens of military and political officials under his command.

Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng detained Chiang Kai shek, knowing the importance of the matter. They had no clear policy or long-term plan on how to achieve the goal of "forcing Chiang Kai shek to resist Japan", so they urgently sent a telegram requesting the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to send a delegation to Xi'an to discuss the plan of resisting the Japanese invasion and saving the country, and to handle the aftermath of capturing Chiang Kai shek.

After receiving the confidential telegram from Zhang and Yang, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China immediately held an emergency meeting. Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Zhang Wentian and others who attended the meeting analyzed the situation at that time, in order to start from the overall situation of resisting Japan and saving the country; To promote the early formation of the national united front against Japan, the meeting decided to adopt the policy of peaceful resolution of the Xi'an Incident and made specific arrangements. It was decided to send Zhou Enlai, Qin Bangxian, and Ye Jianying as representatives to Xi'an via Yan'an to resolve the incident.

On the morning of December 15th, the sky was filled with heavy snowfall. Zhou Enlai and his delegation left the security guard, while Mao Zedong and others braved the heavy snow to bid farewell. Zhou Enlai changed into his usual Red Army uniform and put on a set of Northeastern Army official uniforms, with a leather armed belt tied around his waist and black leather shoes on his feet. He was energetic and radiant, as if he had been several years younger. He shook hands and bid farewell to the people who came to see him off, and expressed to Mao Zedong: We will definitely handle the incident according to your and the Party Central Committee's instructions and ensure the completion of the task. Mao Zedong took solid steps forward, tightly holding Zhou Enlai's hand, his eyes filled with unparalleled trust and expectations. Two powerful hands held each other for a long, long time. These were two great hands, the hands that united and fought, the hands that turned the world around, and the hands that changed the world. Zhou Enlai and others left, while Mao Zedong and others remained standing still. They waved at each other, beckoning Zhou Enlai and his group of more than twenty people, all riding Mongolian horses selected from the cavalry regiment, braving the wind and snow, and marching at a rapid pace towards Yan'an. On the third day, upon arriving at Qilipu, the faint sound of airplanes could be heard. Soon, a plane hovered over Yan'an City. Around two o'clock in the afternoon, when Zhou Enlai and his delegation arrived at the airport, Liu Ding (an underground member of the Communist Party of China), who was randomly sent by Zhang Xueliang to welcome the Communist Party delegation, was already waiting there. As soon as the plane took off, Zhou Enlai immediately inquired with Liu Ding in detail about the Xi'an Incident, the current situation of Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng, and Chiang Kai shek, as well as the military arrangements in Xi'an.

About an hour later, the plane landed at the Xi'an West Suburb Airport in the ancient city. At this time, it was already dusk. After Zhou Enlai got off the plane, he took a car into the city and went to the underground Communist Party member Tu Zuochao's house, which managed the radio station, to rest for a while. Zhou Enlai cut off his long beard while he was resting - China has a tradition of growing beards to express his aspirations since ancient times; Zhou Enlai began growing a beard after entering the Central Soviet Area at the end of 1931, and people often referred to him as "Big Beard" or "Duke Hu".

After dark, Zhou Enlai and others took a car to Zhang Xueliang's mansion in Jinjia Lane. Zhang Xueliang and others had been waiting at the door for a long time. As soon as he saw that Zhou Enlai's long beard was gone, he asked, "Where is your beard, handsome bearded man

Zhou Enlai gestured with his hand and said, "I just cut it off

Zhang Xueliang couldn't help but feel regretful and said, "It's such a pity, it's been so long

Zhou Enlai smiled and said, "We need to be polite when doing united front work

The people who participated in the welcome were surprised. Some said, "So Mr. Zhou knows the deputy commander!" Zhou Enlai smiled and said, "We are old friends now

They are said to be old friends, but in fact, the two only met 8 months ago. That was in the Catholic Church in Yan'an City on April 9, 1936. At that time, Zhang Xueliang was appointed as the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Northwest "Anti Banditry" Headquarters, acting on behalf of Chiang Kai shek as the Commander in Chief, with the task of fighting against the Red Army. But he and the Northeast Army he led had a deep hatred towards the Japanese aggressors who invaded his hometown, ravaged and slaughtered his own loved ones. They both advocated resistance against Japan and were unwilling to fight another civil war. In early 1936, Zhang Xueliang had two secret contacts with the Chinese Communist Party and reached an agreement on a partial ceasefire between the Northeast Army and the Red Army. In order to achieve comprehensive cooperation between the two sides, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent Zhou Enlai to Yan'an for talks with Zhang.

On the evening of the 9th at 11 o'clock, Zhou Enlai and Li Kenong took the risk to meet Zhang Xueliang on the small building of the Catholic Church in Yan'an city. After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Enlai and Zhang Xueliang, Li Kenong and Wang Yizhe respectively talked inside and outside. A few days ago, he was still the commander of both sides in battle, but now he is having a long conversation.

Both sides met sincerely. Zhou Enlai first asked, "Mr. Zhang, what do you think of the future of the country

Zhang Xueliang candidly stated that he believed the Kuomintang had no hope left. Currently, China has only two paths to take: one is to follow the path of the Communist Party; The other option is to take the fascist path. He also said that he had been to Italy and Germany in the past two years, both of which were powerful under fascist rule. "Therefore, I advocate supporting Chiang Kai shek as the leader, implementing fascism, and leading the national resistance war. However, I now have doubts about whether this path can work. If the Chinese civil war continues, when will Japan be driven out of China? Mr. Zhou, what do you think

Next, Zhou Enlai cautiously asked Zhang Xueliang about his understanding of Chiang Kai shek. Zhang always referred to Chiang Kai shek as his superior, saying, "Based on my observations in the two years after returning to China, he may have resisted Japan." He also analyzed the attitudes of various factions in Nanjing towards Japan one by one.

Zhou Enlai asked, "If the Nanjing government is determined to resist Japan, why do they still have to eliminate the most active anti Japanese Communist Party and Red Army

This is Chiang Kai shek's mistake. He insisted on first eliminating the Communist Party before resisting Japan. The main problem at present is to find a way to reverse his erroneous policy and truly achieve unity in stopping the civil war and resisting Japan. I always feel that resisting Japan should not be against Chiang Kai shek, but should force him to take the path of resisting Japan, "Zhang answered frankly.

Regarding the issue of forcing Chiang Kai shek to resist Japan, Zhou Enlai said, "We used to advocate against Chiang Kai shek and Japan, but now we are willing to reconsider this issue. I will report back to the central government." Both sides also exchanged views on many issues such as the Red Army's eastward expedition to Shanxi and the international situation. Zhang Xueliang felt that Zhou Enlai's discussion on the issue was sharp and to the point; Although I criticized myself on some issues, I spoke with sincerity and admiration. Afterwards, he said to Liu Ding, who attended the meeting, "I was very satisfied with the meeting, much better than I imagined. I have never seen such a person before. Mr. Zhou was so friendly, spoke with emotion and reason, and solved many of my problems. He left a deep impression on me." This nearly five hour harmonious meeting firmly led Zhang Xueliang onto the path of the Communist Party's resistance against Japan and influenced his life. Of course, Zhou Enlai also admired Zhang Xueliang's frankness and patriotism. He once said, "Sitting and talking all night, it brings joy to one's life" and "Sir, you have the heart and soul to treat others with sincerity, and it is a great honor to resist Japan".

It was during this unforgettable meeting that Zhang Xueliang and Zhou Enlai, as soon as they met to resolve the Xi'an Incident, referred to themselves as "handsome bearded men" and "old friends".

On the evening of Zhou Enlai's arrival in Xi'an, he immediately held talks with Zhang Xueliang and sent Luo Ruiqing to Wang Bingnan to inquire about the situation of Yang Hucheng and the 17th Route Army, in preparation for the talks with Yang.

During the meeting with Zhang Xueliang, Zhou Enlai specifically analyzed the domestic and international situation, as well as the nature, future, and handling policies of the Xi'an Incident; Give full recognition to Zhang and Yang's patriotic enthusiasm. Zhou Enlai pointed out that this incident was a shocking event that shocked both China and the world. However, it was different from revolutionary wars and mass uprisings. Instead, it took advantage of Chiang Kai shek's unpreparedness, caught him off guard, and adopted the form of armed demands. His strength was firmly preserved there, and from all aspects, the handling of Chiang Kai shek needed to be extremely cautious. Then he pointed out that there may be two completely different prospects for the incident: one is to persuade Chiang Kai shek to stop the civil war, unite against Japan, and prevent China from being destroyed by Japan, striving for a good future; The other is to declare Chiang's crimes, hand him over to the people for trial, and finally kill him. This will lead to a larger scale civil war and create favorable conditions for the destruction of Japan: China's future will be even worse. We should strive for the former and avoid the latter. Zhou Enlai, starting from the overall situation, weighed the pros and cons, conducted a thorough and insightful analysis, and firmly grasped Zhang Xueliang's heart, making him see clearly the future of the incident and strengthening his belief in forcing Chiang Kai shek to resist Japan. Subsequently, they studied the conditions for negotiating with Chiang Kai shek, the military deployment against the pro Japanese faction, and how to unify the thoughts of their subordinates, among many other major issues. The conversation was friendly and harmonious, lasting until late at night. Zhang Xueliang was deeply moved by the Communist Party's sincerity in resisting Japan and saving the country. He admired Zhou Enlai's outstanding political qualities and talents even more, which made him feel supported.

After talking to Zhang Xueliang, Zhou Enlai held talks with Yang Hucheng. Yang Hucheng's anti Chiang and anti Japanese attitude was relatively firm, and he believed that the Chinese Communist Party had a deep hatred for Chiang Kai shek for ten years. Once Chiang Kai shek was captured, although he would not immediately kill him, he would never easily advocate for his release. When Zhou Enlai told him the content of his conversation with Zhang Xueliang, he couldn't fully accept it in his thinking for a while. Zhou Enlai expressed understanding and patiently explained that the current international and domestic situation and public opinion have forced Chiang Kai shek to turn to resistance against Japan. Only by resisting Japan can Chiang have a way out, and there is a possibility for him to change his policies and achieve resistance against Japan. As long as the three parties in the northwest unite and unite, and then unite the people of the whole country to form a powerful force, Chiang Kai shek's desire for revenge cannot be realized. Under the persuasion of Zhou Enlai, Yang greatly admired the Communist Party for disregarding its deep historical grudges, prioritizing national interests, and repaying Chiang Kai shek with virtue. He recognized the significant importance of peacefully resolving the incident and expressed his willingness to listen to and respect the opinions of the Communist Party.

In recent days, Zhou Enlai has been busy, often staying up all night and sometimes not even having time to eat. His voice has become hoarse and his eyes are bloodshot. How many things require him to personally solve, and many truths require him to personally explain.

At that time, Zhang and Yang's troops were in a state of ideological confusion, and there was a high demand among officers and soldiers to kill Chiang Kai shek, and they opposed the Communist Party's intervention in resolving the incident. Zhou Enlai learned that some officers in Yang Hucheng's army strongly demanded the killing of Chiang and even prepared to cause trouble, saying, "The Communist Party cannot handle this matter, we cannot just let it go." Zhou Enlai disregarded the danger and resolutely went to work among those fully armed officers. Someone shouted loudly in front of him, 'If we don't kill Chiang Kai shek, there will be endless troubles.' Zhou Enlai said loudly, 'Killing is not easy, just one sentence is enough, but things are not that simple.'. Everyone immediately quieted down. So Zhou Enlai patiently pointed out that the capture of Chiang Kai shek in the Xi'an Incident was different from the arrest of Kerensky in the Russian Revolution and the capture of Napoleon at Waterloo. The former was the result of revolutionary victory; The latter is a tragedy of military defeat; Although Chiang Kai shek was caught, his strength was not compromised. Under strong pressure from the people of the whole country to resist Japan, Britain and the United States also advocated for a peaceful resolution to the Xi'an Incident. Starting from the interests of the country and the nation, it is both possible and necessary to force Chiang Kai shek to resist Japan and establish a united front against Japan for the entire nation. Zhou Enlai tirelessly explained and analyzed the meticulous words for a long time, making these officers nod repeatedly as if they had cleared through thick fog and seen a sunny day. The irritable officer also said with conviction, "When it comes to hatred, it is the Communist Party that hates Chiang Kai shek the most. Without saying much, in just ten years of civil war, how many Communist Party members have been killed! It is truly a deep blood feud! But the Communist Party considers the overall situation, puts the interests of the country and the nation first, is selfless, and repays grievances with virtue. It is truly admirable." He stood up and "slapped" Zhou Enlai with a military salute.

During this period, Zhou Enlai also extensively promoted the Communist Party's propositions to various sectors of society, carried out persuasion work, and discussed specific issues and methods related to negotiations with Chiang Kai shek and the Nanjing side with Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, and carried out work to win over the Nanjing side.

After Chiang Kai shek was arrested, Zhang and Yang talked to him and he played with rogue tactics, either not speaking up or saying that he would be released back to Nanjing and dealt with later. When he learned that Zhang and Yang had no intention of harming him, but that the pro Japanese faction in Nanjing was attempting to kill him, his attitude changed. On December 20th, Song Ziwen came to Xi'an to visit Chiang Kai shek and further investigate the situation.

After meeting with Zhang and Yang and meeting with Chiang Kai shek, Song Ziwen flew back to Nanjing on December 21 and returned to Xi'an with Song Meiling, Duan Na, Jiang Dingwen, Dai Li, and others on December 22. At the instruction of Chiang Kai shek, the Song siblings represented him in formal negotiations with the Xi'an side. Jiang proposed that he would guarantee the agreed conditions as a "leader" and not sign in writing. After returning to Nanjing, he would gradually implement them in sections. Xi'an has agreed to prioritize national interests. The negotiations began on December 23rd, and Zhou Enlai participated as the full representative of the Communist Party of China. Before the tripartite negotiations, the Communist Party of China had reached a tacit understanding with Zhang and Yang from Xi'an and reached a consensus. The Nanjing side was eager to save Chiang Kai shek, and there was also pressure for a peaceful resolution between Britain and the United States behind it. They dared not stir up trouble. The Song siblings, representing Chiang Kai shek, basically agreed to the negotiation terms, but they could not help but bargain. However, through Zhou Enlai's efforts and multiple conversations with the Song siblings, an agreement was finally reached.

On the evening of December 24th, Zhou Enlai, accompanied by the Song siblings, met with Chiang Kai shek. Chiang Kai shek saw Zhou Enlai come in and reluctantly sat up from the bed, asking Zhou Enlai to sit down. Zhou Enlai saw that Chiang Kai shek's face was old and haggard, far from the way they used to show off their strength when they worked together at Huangpu Military Academy. He said

Mr. Jiang, we haven't seen each other for ten years, and you look older than before

Chiang Kai shek nodded, sighed, and then looked straight at Zhou Enlai with a pair of eyes. He put on the stinky airs of an old superior and said:

En lai, you are my subordinate, you should listen to me

Zhou Enlai solemnly replied, "As long as Mr. Jiang can change the policy of 'pacifying the domestic front before resisting foreign aggression', stop the civil war, and unite against Japan, not only can I personally listen to Mr. Jiang's words, but even our Red Army can obey his command. Chiang Kai shek listened and remained silent. Therefore, Zhou Enlai explained to him the Communist Party's proposition of resisting Japan and saving the country, as well as the intentions of the Xi'an side. He pointed out that the current severe situation is that without unity and resistance, there is no way to survive. Only by abandoning the reactionary policy of 'pacifying the domestic front before resisting foreign aggression', stopping the civil war, and uniting against Japan, can he find his only way out.

Chiang Kai shek nodded repeatedly upon hearing these words. He remained silent for a moment, agreeing to the six conditions agreed upon in the negotiations, and invited Zhou Enlai to directly negotiate in Nanjing after he returned, marking the initial victory of the peace talks.

The next step is for the three parties to study how to release Chiang Kai shek, especially to convey and explain the negotiation situation to the generals and staff of the Northeast Army and the 17th Route Army, as well as to the general public. Because at this time, there were still many people who strongly advocated that only Chiang Kai shek could be released after completing the signature procedures. If he did not agree or listen to us, he would simply be killed! Zhang Xueliang is afraid of causing big trouble. On December 24th, he convened a meeting with some senior generals and aides to explain his intention to release Chiang Kai shek and persuade everyone not to demand any preconditions for his release, but he was unable to convince everyone. On the 25th, some senior generals of the Northeast Army and the 17th Route Army jointly wrote a letter to Song Ziwen, expressing their strong stance; The agreed conditions must be signed by someone, and the Central Army must first retreat to the east of Tongguan before releasing Chiang. Otherwise, even though Generals Zhang and Yang agreed, we will resolutely oppose them.

After reading the letter, Song Ziwen was greatly surprised and quickly begged Zhang Xueliang to release Jiang as soon as possible. Zhang Xueliang was afraid of causing big trouble, so he advocated for the immediate release of Jiang. At around 3pm on December 25th, Zhang Xueliang did not consult with anyone and secretly took Yang Hucheng to accompany Chiang Kai shek and his wife, as well as Song Ziwen, and headed straight to the Xijiao Airport. He then wrote a warrant in red pencil next to the plane, which read: During Yu's visit to Nanjing, the Northeast Army obeyed the command of Vice Chairman Yang Hucheng due to his loyalty to the commander-in-chief. Immediately follow Chiang Kai shek to board the plane and take off. Yang Hucheng was greatly surprised, but he had no choice but to return dejected.

Zhou Enlai, who was studying work in the office, heard a report from Sun Mingjiu, the commander of Zhang Xueliang's guard regiment, that Zhang Xueliang had already left to escort Chiang Kai shek back to Nanjing. He hurriedly drove to the airport, but the plane had already taken off. Zhou Enlai sighed and said, "Zhang Hanqing (also known as Zhang Xueliang) was poisoned by watching old plays like 'Lianhuantao'. Not only did he form a team to send off the Heavenly Emperor, but he also had to apologize for his mistakes

Without consulting with everyone, Zhang Xueliang hastily released Chiang Kai shek and personally accompanied him back to Nanjing, which brought great difficulties to the aftermath of the Xi'an Incident.

As soon as Chiang Kai shek returned to Nanjing, he detained Zhang Xueliang and decided to deploy the Northeast Army and the 17th Route Army separately, attempting to divide, disintegrate, and attack these two forces, while sending a large army to invade Xi'an.

With Zhang Xueliang's departure, the Northeast Army was left without a leader, and Yang Hucheng appeared to be the commander-in-chief of both armies, but in reality, he was powerless. There is chaos within the two armies, and the conflict between the pro war and pro peace factions is very sharp. On February 2, 1937, a group of young men led by Sun Mingjiu suddenly attacked and killed the senior commander of the Northeast Army, Lord and Pai Wang Yizhe, and pursued another commander and general, He Zhuguo. Fortunately, they were stopped by Yang Hucheng. Then some young military officers stormed into the CCP delegation's headquarters to carry out so-called 'military remonstrances'. The Kuomintang spies carried out extensive reactionary activities in Xi'an, and for a time, the White Terror enveloped Xi'an, and the situation was quite serious.

Zhou Enlai led the comrades of the Communist Party delegation to deal with and salvage this tense and complex situation, staying up all night analyzing the situation and studying countermeasures. Zhou Enlai negotiated with senior generals of the Northeast Army and the 17th Route Army, led by Yang Hucheng, and sent a strongly worded telegram to Nanjing protesting the detention of Zhang Xueliang in an attempt to reignite the civil war; Zhou Enlai also reached an agreement with the generals of the two armies to form a tripartite alliance, which was approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Some of the main forces of the Red Army were electronically mobilized to gather in Guanzhong, and the tripartite alliance deployed a battle formation to prepare for both combat and peace. Zhou Enlai also helped stabilize the situation in Yang Hucheng, provided advice and strategies, eliminated interference, and got rid of difficulties, which moved Yang Shen deeply. Enlai traveled around and penetrated deep into the officers and soldiers of the Northeast Army and the 17th Route Army. Through holding meetings and individual heart to heart talks, he helped to promote unity within the two armies, exposed the conspiracy of the pro Japanese faction of the Kuomintang, and properly handled the "February 2nd Incident" that killed Wang Yizhe; Severely reprimanded the young military officers who brutally broke into the CCP delegation's base for "military advice", patiently educated and educated them, causing them to cry bitterly and kneel down to apologize to Zhou Enlai

In those chaotic days, Zhou Enlai remained calm and composed, working day and night to handle the aftermath of the Xi'an Incident. He didn't have time to eat or sleep, his eyes turned red from exhaustion, and he became thin from exhaustion

Zhou Enlai turned the tide in the turbulent waves, and after more than 60 days of difficult and tortuous struggle, finally successfully completed the task entrusted by Mao Zedong of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to peacefully resolve the Xi'an Incident.