In December 1949, Chengdu's Phoenix Mountain Airport had already been in chaos, and an airplane took off in a hurry.
This plane contains Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo . After the plane took off, it flew towards Taiwan, the isolated island to the east. Chiang Kai-shek looked at the land below, and now it has been captured by the People's Liberation Army soldiers.
Chiang Kai-shek casually asked Chiang Ching-kuo beside him: How is the retreat?
Jiang Ching-kuo responded respectfully: The soldiers have been retreating one after another since February, and most important figures have basically arrived in Taiwan.
Chiang Kai-shek sighed and could only comfort himself in his heart. At least many core members of the Kuomintang have completed the retreat, and there may be a chance to make a comeback in the future.
As Chiang Ching-kuo said, the Kuomintang has actually begun to plan to withdraw to Taiwan since the beginning of the same year. Whether it is ordinary soldiers, senior generals, or even many high-ranking wives, they are part of the retreat list.
It is understandable that Chiang Kai-shek asked the soldiers and generals to retreat, so why did he take some of the high-ranking wives away? Who are these wives and where will they go in the end?
(Cheng Kai-shek)
Next, let’s take a look at the stories of the wives of senior officials who retreated to Taiwan.
sticks to half of his life, and the virtuous wife Yuling
If you want to say among the many wives, who can be called the virtuous wife, then Wang Yuling will definitely be ranked first.
In 1973, Premier Zhou specially issued a special order to a woman in the United States: she can enter and exit mainland China with a visa free of charge. And this person is Wang Yuling.
Wang Yuling was born in 1928. She has a rich family property, her mother has a high-ranking official background, and her father is a rich man, so Wang Yuling is also a standard wealthy daughter.
(Wang Yuling)
When the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out, Wang Yuling was only ten years old. She hated the Japanese invaders. When she was fifteen years old, she asked her mother to join the army and defend her country.
At the youngest age, Wang Yuling met Zhang Lingfu .
The two first met in a barber shop. Zhang Lingfu was attracted by the girl exuding youthful atmosphere at first sight when he saw Wang Yuling, and immediately expressed his love.
But Wang Yuling was not very interested in Zhang Lingfu at first, but instead felt that Zhang Lingfu was really rude to keep staring at him. Even if he was a senior official of the Kuomintang, Wang Yuling had no idea of relying on him.
It was Wang Yuling's performance that made Zhang Lingfu even more fascinated by him. He went to Wang Yuling's house many times afterwards just to meet this cute girl.
(Zhang Lingfu)
Later, as Zhang Lingfu came more, Wang Yuling gradually developed feelings for Zhang Lingfu, and every time Zhang Lingfu came, he would tell some stories about him on the battlefield, which also made Wang Yuling respect and love the general in front of him more.
Finally, Zhang Lingfu proposed to Wang Yuling. At that time, Zhang Lingfu was forty-two years old and Wang Yuling was seventeen years old. Despite the opposition of his family, Wang Yuling agreed to Zhang Lingfu's proposal, and the two entered the marriage hall together.
After the two got married, they lived a leisurely life. According to Zhang Lingfu, that was his happiest time: he finally got a close friend and had no regrets in life!
When traveling with Mochou Lake , Zhang Lingfu was moved and recited two poems: Want to let go of his idleness and climb the tower, and the mountains and green waters flow out of the threshold.
Then, Wang Yuling next to him added the last two sentences: . Don’t know where to go, just leave this building to remember the future of thousands of years .
How can such a scene not make people sigh at the beauty of love and the perfect match between a talented man and a beautiful woman?
(Mochou Lake)
How come the husband and wife are affectionate and the war is ruthless. Soon after civil war broke out, and Zhang Lingfu went to the battlefield in East China. Faced with the People's Liberation Army's offensive, Zhang Lingfu was defeated again and again.
In 1947, Zhang Lingfu led his team to face the troops of the then commander of the People's Liberation Army, Chen Yi, and launched a decisive battle in Menglianggu.
How could Zhang Lingfu be able to defeat General Chen and was eventually defeated and died, and the 74th Division he led was also completely wiped out.
In the autumn of the same year, a staff officer from Zhang Lingfu came to Wang Yuling's house, knelt down and cried: Madam, General Zhang Lingfu has been killed in battle!
Wang Yuling heard this news, as if five thunders were thundering. You should know that Wang Yuling was only nineteen years old at this time and gave birth to a son not long ago. The death of her husband will undoubtedly cause a huge blow to the girl.
In 1949, Wang Yuling was sent by Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan. After arriving in Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly criticized the CCP, which made Wang Yuling dissatisfied.
(Wang Yuling and Zhang Lingfu)
Three years later, Wang Yuling made up his mind to leave Taiwan and go to the United States, and found a job in the United States, and also became a U.S. citizen.
Although life has improved, Wang Yuling has been missing her deceased husband in her heart. Even though she is only in her twenties, she has made up her mind not to get married for the rest of her life.
973, after learning about Wang Yuling's situation, Premier Zhou invited her back to China and gave her the privilege of being able to enter and exit the mainland freely. You should know that the only Chinese with this privilege is Yang Zhenning .
After decades like this, Wang Yuling's son Zhang Daoyu also gradually grew up. Under the influence of his mother, Zhang Daoyu chose to return to his motherland and finally settled in Shanghai.
Married Zhang Lingfu at the age of 17, and was hit hard by her husband's death at the age of 19. However, Wang Yuling insisted on not marrying for the second half of her life and took good care of her husband's family. She is indeed a commendable virtuous wife.
has been waiting for many years, and his sad wife Ruoshu
Among the many wives, everyone has their own story, but the most miserable one is the wife of the general of the National Army Huang Wei , and Cai Ruoshu .
(Cai Ruoshu)
The two met at a dance. At that time, Huang Wei, who was twenty-nine years old, was already the commander of the National Army and one of Chiang Kai-shek's confidants. He was a great young talent.
Cai Ruoshu was only seventeen years old at that time and was the daughter of a well-known figure Cai Zhongchu. He was born in a wealthy family since he was a child. He has a beautiful face and is a lady praised by everyone. He is considered a beauty.
The two who met by chance fell in love at first sight, and they were considered to be a handsome man. But what Cai Ruoshu didn't know was that Huang Wei actually had a family in his hometown, and his wife gave birth to three children for him.
Huang Wei was also decisive and immediately divorced his original wife. Cai Ruoshu had no reason to refuse, so he got married with Huang Wei. Huang Wei also brought his three children over, and the few lived happily together.
With the outbreak of the war, Cai Ruoshu and Huang Wei met less and less. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Huang Wei performed something and was considered a famous anti-Japanese general. However, during the War of Liberation, Huang Wei was defeated in a mess.
(Huang Wei)
Huaihai Battle , the elite 12th Corps of the National Army led by Huang Wei was completely wiped out by the People's Liberation Army, and Huang Wei was also captured because of this. This news will undoubtedly bring a heavy blow to the morale of the Kuomintang.
In order to stabilize the morale of the army, Chiang Kai-shek told everyone that Huang Wei had died in battle. In fact, Huang Wei was captured by the People's Liberation Army.
I believe it is true Cai Ruoshu was immediately disheartened and could only take his few children to Taiwan with Chiang Kai-shek.
Shortly after arriving in Taiwan, Cai Ruoshu learned from his people that his husband was not killed in battle, but was captured by the People's Liberation Army. The People's Liberation Army has always treated prisoners of war well, and perhaps Huang Wei will be released one day.
Cai Ruoshu, who was holding this idea, quickly brought the family back to the mainland. Of course, her actions were not blocked by Chiang Kai-shek. After all, Cai Ruoshu's family was worthless to Chiang Kai-shek.
Cai Ruoshu first went to Hong Kong, then moved to Shanghai, where she began her long wait.
The family of people needed to rely on Cai Ruoshu to support him alone, and Huang Wei in prison also needed Cai Ruoshu to send money in, so Cai Ruoshu found a job in a library in Shanghai, and could barely make a living.
You should know that Cai Ruoshu, a weak woman, as the wife of a former Kuomintang general, will often be rolled by others, but she chose to persist just to be able to reunite with her husband in the future.
Cai Ruoshu is working hard for the reunion of the couple, but Huang Wei in prison does his own way and does not reflect on his mistakes at all. He often shouts: I am not wrong, I am just a defeated general.
In 1959, at the suggestion of Chairman Mao and several other central leaders, a group of war criminals who performed well were pardoned and released from prison. Cai Ruoshu thought Huang Wei was also listed here, but he searched the list several times, but he still couldn't find the word Huang Wei.
Huang Wei in prison is already a bit extreme. Not only does he have no intention of correcting it, he also chose to study the impossible " perpetual motion machine ". We cannot know the thoughts of this former general of the National Army, but his wife has lived a hard life.
(Huang Wei)
975, after waiting for twenty-seven years, Cai Ruoshu finally waited until her husband was released from prison. At this time, Cai Ruoshu had already suffered from a serious illness, and his beautiful face in the past also aged due to overwork.
Huang Wei was already covered in white hair. When she saw her wife, Huang Wei acted a little too dull, as if she had no intimate attitude as she had in love in the past.
Cai Ruoshu also began to suffer from mental illness due to years of heavy pressure, and auditory hallucinations became more and more serious. Every time Huang Wei went home for a few minutes late, Cai Ruoshu would doubt whether her husband was caught. It is unbearable that the beauty of the past became like this.
Cai Ruoshu happily shared the good news about his son's reinstatement with Huang Wei, but Huang Wei said impatiently: Get out of here.
Perhaps Huang Wei's mentality has changed after years of prison, but these two words have defeated his wife's heart.
(Cai Ruoshu and Huang Wei in his later years)
On May 8 of the same year, Cai Ruoshu slowly walked towards the Yongding River in Beijing. Looking at his old and haggard face in the river, Cai Ruoshu did not hesitate and devoted himself to the river and ended his life.
has achieved a good ending, and the talented wife Xia Zhai
If you want to say that among these wives, the one with the most outstanding ability and talented one must be Ye Xia Zhai.
Ye Xiazhai was born in 1913. Her family also has superior family conditions. She has been immersed in the atmosphere of a scholarly family since she was a child. She has received a good education and is full of talent, which also laid the foundation for her future life.
When he was eighteen years old, Ye Xiazhai did not take the normal school like other female students. Ye Xiazhai chose Zhejiang Police School . It has to be said that Ye Xiazhai was really stubborn. A weak woman actually chose to apply for Police Academy , which was extremely rare at that time.
Ye Xiazhai performed very well in the exam, not inferior to other men at all, and her performance also attracted the attention of Dai Li , who served as examiner.
(Dai Li)
As we all know, Dai Li is the largest spy leader of the Kuomintang, mainly responsible for the intelligence organization of the Kuomintang. Ye Xiazhai's outstanding performance gave Dai Li the idea of cultivating her, so he was quickly transferred to the Kuomintang secret service office.
Ye Xiazhai did not disappoint Dai Li's expectations. She learned many things very quickly, and various etiquettes of the upper class, and many spy methods were mastered by Ye Xiazhai, and she gradually became Dai Li's confidant.
Not long after, she met the most important person in her life, Hu Zongnan .
Hu Zongnan was the commander of the Kuomintang at that time and was also one of Chiang Kai-shek's confidants. Logically speaking, such a celebrity under Chiang Kai-shek should not be short of a partner, but Hu Zongnan had a strict vision and had never found a suitable wife.
At that time, someone introduced the Kong family’s daughter Kong Lingwei to him, but Hu Zongnan did not like Kong Lingwei’s arrogant and domineering temperament, and chose to refuse without hesitation, and did not covet the power of the Kong family at all.
(Hu Zongnan)
Once, Hu Zongnan went to visit Dai Li and happened to meet Ye Xiazhai. Hu Zongnan was immediately attracted by this beautiful and elegant woman.
Later, through Dai Li, Hu Zongnan learned that Ye Xiazhai was outstanding and different from ordinary women who only knew how to dress up and spend money. This made Hu Zongnan determined to marry Ye Xiazhai.
Ye Xiazhai also developed a good impression of Hu Zongnan, so the two fell in love soon after.
But with it the outbreak of the war, Hu Zongnan decided to put the wedding aside first and wait until the war ended before marrying her.
Just when Hu Zongnan was fighting against the Japanese invaders, Ye Xiazhai chose to study abroad, leaving his own footprints in several excellent universities in the United States, and with his own efforts, he obtained a scholarship for University of Wisconsin and became a doctor of political science. After graduating from
, Ye Xiazhai returned to China and served as teacher at Guanghua University, and married Hu Zongnan.
A year later, the War of Resistance Against Japan ended. The two who thought they would live a stable life were once again separated because of the outbreak of the civil war.
(Ye Xiazhai)
Faced with the just offensive of the People's Liberation Army, many generals, including Hu Zongnan, suffered consecutive defeats. By 1948, the Kuomintang was even more in desperate situation, and Hu Zongnan immediately asked someone to take his wife to Taiwan.
After arriving in Taiwan, Ye Xiazhai and Mrs. Chen Cheng had a close relationship. Seeing that Ye Xiazhai's living environment was not good, Mrs. Chen Cheng even asked her husband to provide a new residence for Ye Xiazhai's family.
Not long after, Hu Zongnan also withdrew to Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek accused him of his ineffective combat and began to slowly withdraw his military power. The former general became an ordinary person without a position for a while.
In order to make a living, Hu Zongnan and Ye Xiazhai had to go out to work and earn money. It was not until 1957 that Chiang Kai-shek arranged another idle job for Hu Zongnan, which made the situation of Hu Zongnan's family improve.
(Hu Zongnan and Ye Xiazhai)
At this point, although Hu Zongnan lost his original military position and Ye Xiazhai also lost the conditions of his former rich wife, fortunately the two were able to spend the second half of their lives peacefully, which was already the ending that countless people dreamed of at that time.
In fact, there are more than three of the senior officials who were forced to go to Taiwan, such as Chen Cheng's wife Tan Xiang , who actively participated in women's movements and charity after going to Taiwan.
(Chen Cheng)
In addition, there is also He Yingqin 's wife Wang Wenxiang, who also went to Taiwan with her husband in 1948. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving in Taiwan, Wang Wenxiang was diagnosed with cancer, and the couple also embarked on many years of anti-cancer paths.
The reason why Chiang Kai-shek brought these officials to Taiwan was, first, to stabilize the emotions of the generals and make them have no worries; second, it was also a bit threatening, which forced his subordinates to do their work loyally for themselves and not to surrender at all.
just made these innocent and fulfilling families in the war, and the good wives at home who were waiting for their husbands to return in the war...
Chiang Kai-shek
Conclusion:
War is ruthless, and it is the war that breaks the warmth and happiness of these beautiful families.
However, these Kuomintang generals have to pay the price because they have stood in the wrong camp and have failed to abandon the darkness and turn to the light.
Our country is tragic because it has been through decades of war, and now we are lucky because after the war we ushered in a peaceful era.
Looking back at the past, we will sigh for these poor families who have been destroyed by war, displaced and moved to many places, but what we should do more is to remember the past, remember the old friends, and strive for a better tomorrow.
References:
Xu Hua. Visiting the legendary figure Wang Yuling [J]. Century, 2020, (Issue 1).
Gao Yungui. Zhang Lingfu's widow Wang Yuling [J]. Spring and Autumn of Literature and History, 2006, (Issue 3).
Zhang Lin, Ding Wenjing. The down-and-down "Northwest King": Hu Zongnan who transferred from regular army to guerrilla warfare [J]. Biography of celebrities ( First Half Month), 2015, (Issue 4).
Hui Nan, Zhou Haibin.Cai Ruoshu, waiting for Huang Wei's 27th year[J].All Worlds, 2016, (Issue 3).
Tan Hui.Love one person in one's life: He Yingqin and Wang Wenxiang[J].Guiyang Literature and History, 2017, (Issue 6).
Editor:Fu Daoen
Editor: Lin Hua
