Jiang Jingguo and Jiang Fangliang had three sons and one daughter, namely the eldest son Jiang Xiaowen, the second son Jiang Xiaowu, the third son Jiang Xiaoyong, and the eldest daughter Jiang Xiaozhang. Chiang Kai-shek had a last wish to pass the throne to the descendants of the Chiang family. Therefore, Chiang Ching-kuo had a special expectation and care for his eldest son. However, Chiang Xiaowen was a typical example of "born in sorrow and dying in peace and happiness".
Although Jiang Jingguo devoted a lot of effort to him and had extremely strict requirements, the sense of superiority of being born in the "first family in the world" prevented him from growing up like a normal person. He was not good at school and made trouble everywhere. After getting married, he also... Got into the habit of drinking.
For this reason, Chiang Ching-kuo was heartbroken, and instead pinned his hopes on his second son, Jiang Xiaowu. Among the third generation of the Jiang family, Jiang Xiaowu is considered to have the most political future. Chiang Ching-kuo's training method for him was exactly the same as his father's training for him. In Taiwan, the most powerful one is the Kuomintang’s intelligence and governance system (the general term for Taiwan’s secret service agencies by the Taiwanese people). Controlling the intelligence and governance system can provide confidential information to the “supreme leader” and also participate in major political decisions.
In 1976, Jiang Xiaowu entered the intelligence and governance department under the arrangement of his father, and later held important positions in party affairs, military intelligence, propaganda and other departments. In order to avoid the brothers' stubbornness, Chiang Ching-kuo also took great pains to arrange for his third son, Jiang Xiaoyong, to enter the business world and run industries. However, the occurrence of the " Jiangnan Case" completely disrupted Chiang Ching-kuo's political deployment. In October 1984, Jiang Nan, a naturalized American correspondent for the "Taiwan Daily", was shot dead in San Francisco because he revealed many "secrets" about the Chiang family while writing "The Biography of Chiang Ching-kuo".
The FBI quickly identified the three murderers who assassinated Jiangnan. At the same time, it was disclosed to the press that Taiwanese intelligence officers were involved in the Jiangnan murder case, and Jiang Xiaowu could not escape his involvement. Jiang Jingguo and Jiang Xiaowu immediately became the targets of thousands of people.
Although Chiang Ching-kuo immediately ordered the arrest of relevant personnel involved in the case, demanding a "thorough investigation of the case," and the "Central News Agency" released a message acknowledging the involvement of "Intelligence Bureau" officials in the "Jiangnan Homicide Case," public opinion still clung to Jiang Xiaowu. Chiang Ching-kuo was forced to make this announcement in the media: "The next president will inevitably be elected in accordance with the Constitution." "Will anyone in Jing-kuo's family run for the next president? My answer is: They cannot and will not .
Is it possible for us to rule the country by implementing a military government? My answer is: It cannot and will not be done. The ruling party is taking the road of democracy, freedom, and equality, and it will never change the constitution. There can be no rule that violates the constitution." At the same time, Jiang Xiaowu was "exiled" to Singapore as a business representative to quell public anger.
The "Jiangnan Murder Case" brought disrepute to the children of the Chiang family, and the idea of Chiang Ching-kuo being passed on to his son came to nothing. But at the same time, he also began to reflect. From passing the throne to his son to returning power to the people, Chiang Ching-kuo obviously went through a difficult process of thinking and change. Although the process was tortuous, the final outcome made people admire him with admiration.
