On New Year's Day in 1966, after hearing the news that his nephew Kong Lingkan had come to Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek's right eyelid immediately throbbed a few times, and an ominous feeling came to his heart.
Kong Lingkan is the eldest son of Song Ailing and Kong Xiangxi , and one of the sisters of Song Meiling (the other is his long-time female sister Kong Lingwei). Before the liberation of Shanghai in 1949, Kong Lingkan flew to the United States with his parents to settle down, and rarely came to Taiwan. As the saying goes, not going to the Temple of the Three Treasures, Chiang Kai-shek knows very well that this unpleasant nephew must have come for what purpose.
Sure enough, just a few days after Kong Lingkan came, Soong Meiling walked into Chiang Kai-shek’s study and mentioned Kong Lingkan’s contribution in recent years, asking Chiang Kai-shek to take advantage of the fourth "presidential" election and the reorganization of the "cabinet" in March next year. Opportunity, let Kong Lingkan be a minister.
Chiang Kai-shek took an attitude of arrogance to his wife's request, humming haha on the surface: "You make sense." Actually, he didn't move at all.
Song Meiling knows Chiang Kai-shek's "Tai Chi" skills, and immediately sharpens his tone: "Ling Kan has been running for you in the United States for more than 20 years, and he hasn't taken the benefit of a penny. The minister is too much?"
Chiang Kai-shek coldly snorted: "He was blamed for me. The Kong family greeted the US aid at the front door under my name, and the back door was full of private pockets. Don't think I don't know these things."
Kong Lingkan is Chiang Kai-shek The most annoying relative, not one of them. Because this child is the son of Confucius, his father holds great power, and his younger uncle Chiang Kai-shek is the top leader, so he has been spoiled since he was a child, and his character is lawless.
Once Chiang Kai-shek had a meeting with important generals at home. Kong Lingkan and his younger sister Kong Lingwei had a fight outside. Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to temporarily suspend the meeting and come out to mediate the conflict between brothers and sisters.
He didn't look down on Kong Lingkan at first,Later, when Jiang Jingguo was "fighting tigers" in Shanghai, Kong Lingkan's actions made Lao Jiang and Xiao Jiang and his sons hate him incomparably.
In August 1948, there was hyperinflation in Shanghai. In 1937, you could buy two cows. By July 1947, you could only buy one-third of a box of matches. The price of goods increased by 60,000 times. Under such circumstances, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Chiang Ching-kuo to Shanghai to rectify the economy.
Jiang Jingguo took office and immediately launched a vigorous "Tiger Fighting Campaign". He used personal relationships to select more than 10,000 young people to form a "Tiger Fighting Team" and severely cracked down on speculative businessmen.
Under Jiang Jingguo’s thunderous wrists, there were indeed several “little tigers” arrested. For example, the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Tao Qiming, the Chief of the Shanghai Garrison Command Zhang Yani, and the businessman Wang Chunzhe were all executed, even leading figures on the beach. Du Yuesheng's son Du Weiping was also sentenced to 8 months in prison for engaging in black market stock trading.
Du Yuesheng and Chiang Kai-shek have a golden friendship. Seeing that Jiang Jingguo has done too much, he made a special trip to beat him: "Why don't Mr. Jiang go to Yangzi to see?" His meaning is quite obvious. Since Prince Jiang is going to "beat the tiger" , Please first "kill your relatives righteously", hold your own "tigers" firmly, and don't beat other people's tigers.
Jiang Jingguo was in a dilemma. He could only bite the bullet and search the "Yangzi Company", and suddenly found more than 20,000 tons of materials. Originally, he didn’t like this uncle, so he immediately waved his hand: "Catch me."
Kong Lingkan was well informed, and immediately rushed to Nanjing to find aunt Song Meiling for help. Song Meiling immediately called Chiang Kai-shek, who was in the foreign supervisor. In the complaint, Chiang Kai-shek did not care about the tense front-line war, so he could only fly back to Nanjing to deal with family affairs.
Song Meiling's anger was not only because of her close relationship with her eldest sister Song Ailing's family, but also because of inseparable interests. Kong Xiangxi was responsible for swallowing state-owned property and undertaking infamy, but Song Meiling made huge profits in vain. Therefore, although Jiang Jingguo slapped Kong Lingkan's slap, he felt pain in Song Meiling's heart.
As a result, Chiang Ching-kuo was first criticized by Chiang Kai-shek, and then teased by his stepmother Song Meiling at Shanghai Longhua Airport. With grief and anger, he wrote in his diary: "Businessmen are hateful, but politicians in the party are even more hateful."
Kong Lingkan on the left
Because of this incident, the knot between Jiang's father and son and Kong Lingkan has not been opened for many years. Kong Lingkan is also a self-knowing person, unless Song Meiling summoned him, he would never come to Taiwan easily.
Calling Kong Lingkan to come this time is the result of Soong Meiling's careful consideration. Soong Meiling has no heirs, and her stepson Jiang Jingguo and Jiang Weiguo are not related to her. From the perspective of closeness, she still relies more on her niece. Seeing Chiang Ching-kuo's status steadily rising with Chiang Kai-shek's help, Song Meiling couldn't sit still, and she had to seek power for herself.
Kong Lingkan himself is a capable person, good at both Chinese and English, and he is very good at making friends with American dignitaries. When Song Meiling visited the United States that year, most of the exciting speeches were written by Kong Lingkan. After the United States published a white paper on its China policy, its attitude towards the Taiwan authorities was rather indifferent. During that period, Kong Lingkan actively contacted US politicians and reported the latest developments of the US government and opposition to Soong Meiling at any time.
In the beginning, Kong Lingkan had no official position. In the late 1950s, under the recommendation of Song Meiling, Chiang Kai-shek gave him a position of counselor in the US Embassy. The nominal rank is below the ambassador. In fact, he Holding the "Shangfang Sword" in hand, diplomats are not afraid of three points.
This time, the aunts and nephews have planned well, and Song Meiling will come forward to seek another high-ranking position for Kong Lingkan. However, they obviously underestimated Chiang Kai-shek's determination. Since withdrawing to Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek has set a bottom line: never let the Kongsong family members enter the high-level government.
Obviously, Chiang Kai-shek attributed his failure in 1949 to the corruption of the Kongsong family. But he had forgotten that the reason why the Kongsong family dared to make a fortune was inseparable from his appeasement. People are like this. They are more lenient in self-discipline than others. Although Chiang Kai-shek often reflects in his diary, he obviously thinks that he has nothing to criticize.Thousands of mistakes are the fault of the nasty eldest brother-in-law Kong Xiangxi and the eldest brother-in-law Song Ziwen .
Left one Kong Xiangxi
Although Chiang Kai-shek was determined not to let Kong Lingkan interfere in government affairs, he could not stand the cold war and hot offensive of his beloved wife. In the end, he chose to compromise and specially appointed Kong Lingkan as "Presidential Office National Policy Advisor". The official title is higher than the minister in nominal terms, but it is actually a false title, which will not cause actual friction with the successor Chiang Ching-kuo in the future.
Song Meiling and Kong Lingkan were not satisfied with this official position, but they are people of wit. After all, Chiang Kai-shek also made a major concession. Therefore, the two sides calmly accepted the result.
In 1972, Kong Lingkan once again returned to Taiwan from the United States. This time he quietly came to the Shilin official residence while Chiang Kai-shek was at work, and had a close conversation with Song Meiling for 2 hours.
It turns out that Jiang Jieshi’s body is already in decline this time in the year of the "general election". It is unknown whether he will survive this election. Soong Meiling is a person with a strong desire for power, and she intends to take advantage of it. The husband is in control, paving the way for his future.
In Soong Meiling’s American concept, since Chiang Kai-shek can "not avoid relatives" and recommends Chiang Ching-kuo as the candidate for "President of the Executive Yuan," she can also recommend Kong Lingkan according to this model. Song Meiling knows very well that if Kong Lingkan, the most capable of the Kong family, is not raised this time, then the Kong Song family will be completely marginalized on the political stage in the future.
Song Meiling took it for granted that she loved her nephew so much, and Chiang Kai-shek should be very close to Kong Lingkan. She did not see the dark waves surging under the polite set of Chiang Kai-shek and Kong Lingkan, or in other words, she believed that the family had no irreconcilable contradictions at all.
So Song Meiling made a package ticket and told Kong Lingkan plainly that there is no need for you to come forward this time, there is a sister.
Some afternoon after New Year’s Day in 1972, Chiang Kai-shek was reading a newspaper in his study,Song Meiling came over and said a lot of good things about Lingkan through the hole, as if without the pillar of Kong Lingkan, the Jiang family would collapse.
Jiang Jieshi looked at his wife quietly, as if seeing the young and proud wealthy daughter in Shanghai, Song Meiling said dryly: "Since Jingguo can be the president of the executive, then Ling Kan can also do it."
Chiang Kai-shek clearly told Song Meiling that Kong Lingkan could not be the president of the Executive Yuan. The shrewd Song Meiling was waiting for his words, and immediately came: "The deputy dean can always do it for him."
Chiang Kai-shek's anger rose up: "Even if I can pass my level, do you think Will the comrades in the party be convinced?”
Chiang Kai-shek knows very well that the relationship between Chiang Ching-kuo and Kong Lingkan is like the Antarctic and the North Pole. Don’t go together. Think about it, even if Chiang Ching-kuo is the president of the executive, he has the power to hold him by his side. There is a vice-president who opposes him everywhere. It must be a headache.
Song Meiling is not reconciled, this is not okay, that is not okay, the Minister of Finance can always? The eldest brother-in-law has served as Minister of Finance for you, and the Kong family is a family of finances. Kong Lingkan will certainly be qualified for this position.
She turned her head and saw that Chiang Kai-shek entered the Ding like an old monk, half-closed her eyes and said nothing. Soong Meiling immediately understood that Chiang Kai-shek did not want to give Kong Lingkan any official position.
Having lived together for decades, Song Meiling is very aware of the weakness of Chiang Kai-shek. In order to force Chiang Kai-shek to submit, she started a common but unpredictable trick-the cold war.
At this time, Chiang Kai-shek has been in a state of being seriously ill for a long time. The aging of his body has made this soldier with a strong personality become very eager for family affection. Originally at his dinner table, there were always Song Meiling, niece Kong Lingwei, and Kong Lingwei's same-sex girlfriend Wang Rulin. Several people talked and laughed and had a lively meal.
Soong Meiling is so troubled, only Chiang Kai-shek is left on the huge dining table. Looking at the single shadow, there is also a trace of pity.
Chiang Kai-shek is interested in relieving the relationship between the two, and often takes the initiative to find Song Meiling at four or five in the afternoon: "Darling (dear),Do you want to go to "cars"? "
The so-called "car" is a bit like coaxing children, meaning to go for a ride in a car.
What he got is a cold back, helpless, he can only express his feelings in his diary.
1972 On February 9, 2016, Chiang Kai-shek's diary: "Lang Kanshi is very angry at night. "March 17 diary: "The words of women and villains are not to be heard. "On May 27, Chiang Kai-shek's diary said: "Recently, mentally suffering, it is difficult to support women and villains, so I plan to live alone and study by myself. "June 7 Diary: "In the evening, Ling Kan wanted to come to see me. His heart was very painful, but he had to listen to him and see me. "
The cold war between Soong Meiling and Chiang Kai-shek was the longest since the two got married. It lasted about four months. Soong Meiling decided that only isolation can force Chiang Kai-shek to bow. As everyone knows, it was forced to compromise this time.
Although Chiang Kai-shek, who is in his old age, is extremely eager for family affection, but faced with threats this time, he resolutely refused to give in, and was finally forced to be unable to do so, so he directly spoke to Song Meiling. Cruel words. This is the sentence that made Song Meiling give up the obsession to continue to seek officials for Kong Lingkan.
Chiang Kai-shek told Song Meiling: "If you forcefully introduce Kong Lingkan as the president of the executive, then I will not seek re-election. You will be in the future. Find the successor Yan Jiagan and others to continue to recommend it. "
Soong Meiling is gone now. If Chiang Kai-shek is really forced to resign, let alone the president, the aura of her own "first lady" will disappear immediately. Forget it, this time I can only recognize it. Counseling.
In this way, Kong Lingkan came and returned home.
Not long after Kong Lingkan returned to the United States, Chiang Kai-shek fell ill. Soong Meiling abandoned all social and communication, and concentrated on accompany her husband in the hospital for treatment, and the relationship between husband and wife was peaceful. It’s as good as before.
As Chiang Kai-shek gradually delegated power to Chiang Ching-kuo, Soong Meiling's relationship with this stepson, who is only a dozen years younger than herself, is getting better and better. On the one hand, Soong Meiling intends to do his best to maintain the "big picture" considerations. On the other hand, the political "stability and unity", whether true or false,Jiang Jingguo's face-saving work is quite brilliant.
As early as 1950, when Song Meiling asked for US aid to fly back to Taiwan, Chiang Ching-kuo went to Manila in the Philippines to greet him. He was the first to board the plane to welcome Song Meiling and shouted: "Mom! You are back! We present you flowers! You have worked hard!" When he flew back to Taipei, he personally helped Song Meiling to get off the plane. Coupled with the fact that several grandchildren are often surrounded by her grandmother's knees, the relationship between Jiang Jingguo and Soong Meiling has changed from tense at the beginning to harmony.
Of course, Soong Meiling still has her own little nine or nine. In 1975, when Chiang Kai-shek passed away, Kong Lingkan flew back from the United States. It is said that she wanted to support Song Meiling as the president of the Kuomintang. As a result, Chiang Ching-kuo held a temporary plenary meeting. Changing the name of the leader from president to chairman, Jiang Jingguo is still in power. Soong Meiling was helpless and flew to the United States in the name of medical treatment and was admitted to the Confucian family's deep house compound.
Soong Meiling had to lower her arrogant head because of Chiang Kai-shek's stern words, and the extremely arrogant Kong Lingkan, after all, was not an opponent of Chiang Ching-kuo, who seemed honest and friendly.
.
