In the spring of 2006, the famous scholar Yang Han made a special trip to a small village in Henan Province to visit an old man and walked along the winding path to a farmyard.
"Dang Dang Dang" As the knock on the door sounded, a white-haired old man slowly opened the door.
"Are you Yang Qindian?" Yang Han asked politely. The old man was silent for a while, and then replied, "Yes, I am Yang Qindian."
Then, during the conversation between the two, the old man became more and more silent, and he even covered his face and cried bitterly.
It turns out that Yang Han is the grandson of General Yang Hucheng who was killed that year, and Yang Qindian is one of the murderers of Yang Hucheng's family. The purpose of Yang Han's trip is to investigate the specific details of his grandfather's murder.
After half a century of grudges, the descendants of the victim met the murderer again, but put aside all grudges and sat down and chatted calmly.
Before leaving, Yang Han said to him very frankly: "It's okay, I'm just here to see you. Those grievances are historical reasons and are not personal matters. I wish you to live to 110 years old."
Why did General Yang Hucheng be killed? How did Yang Han rehabilitate his grandfather? Why did he forgive the murderer Yang Qindian?
Why did General Yang Hucheng be killed?
1936, Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Xi'an. His main purpose this time was to mobilize troops to attack the base established by the Communist Party in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia.
Just as he was in the dream of encircling and seizing power to encircle and suppressing the Red Army, he did not expect that on the morning of December 12, his two most valued subordinates, Yang Hucheng and Zhang Xueliang, joined forces to launch a mutiny, imprisoned him, and put forward the eight major proposals for anti-Japanese and national salvation.
This is the " Xi'an Incident " that shocked the whole country. It is precisely because of this incident that Chiang Kai-shek temporarily stopped attacking the Communist Party, united the front, and jointly resisted Japan.
Later, the Japanese army was repelled, and the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party ended successfully. I thought it would be a happy ending.
Little did he know that Chiang Kai-shek was a narrow-minded person and had already held grudges, so he was waiting for the settlement in the future.
Yang Hucheng knew Chiang Kai-shek's character well and was worried that his life would be in danger of staying in China after the incident, so he pretended to go abroad for inspection to avoid the limelight.
Chiang Kai-shek supported him on the surface, but secretly sent spies to follow him behind his back and monitor his every move at any time.
When Yang Hucheng was subjected to the Lugou Bridge Incident in Europe, he was anxious and wanted to set off and return home as soon as possible. So he sent two close friends around him to Moscow to discuss with the delegation of the Communist Party of China in Moscow, intending to return from the Soviet Union through the help of the Communist Party.
In order to avoid exposure, the two of them disguised themselves as if they were disguised. Unexpectedly, they were found out by the Soviet government. Stalin secretly passed the news to Chiang Kai-shek.
When Chiang Kai-shek learned about it, he was immediately furious and believed that Yang Hucheng was "colluding with the Communist Party and suspected of returning to Shaanxi". He immediately gave up the idea of not allowing him to return to China and set up a trap.
Chiang Kai-shek first asked Song Ziwen to send a telegram to Yang Hucheng and said, "According to the war of resistance across the country, comrades from all sides gathered to go to the national crisis together. Although my brother was not summoned by the telegram, my brother would be ready to return to China automatically. How? I hope to return."
Yang Hucheng really thought Chiang Kai-shek had no past grudges and agreed to him to return to China, so he began to pack his luggage and planned to return from the Soviet Union.
But in early October, he received another telegram saying that Sino-Soviet relations are now complicated, and it is inappropriate to go to the Soviet Union at this time, so he asked him to postpone his trip.
Yang Hucheng had already noticed something was wrong at this time, but he decided to set off and return home immediately.
He said: "I launched the Xi'an Incident to fight against Japan. Now the full-scale war of resistance in China has broken out and the country is in danger. If I were still free now, how could I be worthy of my compatriots?
As for Chiang Kai-shek, no matter how he wants to deal with me, I will not regret it. As long as you have a clear conscience, why not be afraid of death! "
In this way, Yang Hucheng set off on the steamship returning to China.
was taken to Nanchang under the careful design of the Kuomintang step by step. Yang Hucheng was secretly arrested. The Kuomintang locked him up in a Meiling villa about 30 kilometers in the city and began a 12-year imprisonment career.
On January 14, 1938, Yang Hucheng's third wife Xie Baozhen , after learning that her husband was detained, Without hesitation, he took the child to Nanchang to find him.
Just like that, the family was reunited in detention. In the winter of 1938, the Kuomintang began to evacuate, and Yang Hucheng was transferred to Xuantian Cave in Guizhou, opening up the prison-like life of prisoners.
Xuantian Cave is formed by natural stalactites. There is only one entrance to the cave, which is easy to guard.
There is no sunshine in the cave, and you can only see a small sky in front of the cave.
You can walk a few steps at the entrance of the cave during the day, but you are not allowed to come out at night, so you can only stay in the house to rest. This is eight years.
1945, Japan completely surrendered, and the War of Resistance Against Japan ushered in a comprehensive victory. When Yang Hucheng learned about it, his heart ignited hope again. He felt that Chiang Kai-shek should be relieved after so many years of imprisonment.
Little did he know that at the National Political Consultative Conference, when the Communist Party proposed the release of Zhang Xueliang, Yang Hucheng, Luo Shiwen and others.
Chiang Kai-shek had no objection at the time, but when he returned, he sent someone to assassinate Luo Shiwen privately, sent Zhang Xueliang to Taiwan secretly, and transferred Yang Hucheng to the secret place of Chongqing Yangjiashan to guard the secret place of Chongqing. Then he hypocritically told the central government that these people had been executed long ago.
1947, Xie Baozhen, who could not bear the long-term detention, died of illness, and Yang Hucheng also became thinner and depressed under the environment of long-term oppression and surveillance.
Li Zongren generation After the presidential election, he ordered Yang Hucheng to be released, but was firmly opposed by Chiang Kai-shek. After returning, he ordered Yang Hucheng to be executed secretly.
September 6, spy Zhou Yanghao was ordered to go to Chongqing. As soon as the car drove, Zhou Yanghao sent a telegram to Mao Renfeng who was left in Chongqing, asking him to prepare for assassination.
That night, Yang Hucheng and his family arrived at Daigong Temple. A spy came out to lead them into the house. Yang Hucheng took the lead in. He was in his prime and had a gray temple, and he walked with a hunched back in his hand.
When all the people came in, several spies rushed up and tied up the people in big circles, stuffed their mouths, and then took out a knife to stab the person to death.
In just a few minutes, the house was covered with corpses, and blood flowed into a river. Even Yang Hucheng's nine-year-old daughter and Song Zhenzhong, who was as big as a carrot, were not spared.
Yang Jinxing After stabbing her little daughter to death, she turned around and saw Yang Qindian pinching Song Zhenzhong's neck with one hand, but he didn't take the knife for a long time. He scolded her The denouncement of Yang Qindian is useless, and even a child cannot be dealt with.
Then he pushed Yang Qindian away impatiently, and he pointed to the fatal hole, stabbed him with a knife, and the blood immediately ejaculated, splashing his face, and the child died on the spot.
and Yang Qindian stood there blankly, at a loss.
After killing the person, he used nitrite water to deal with the body. Yang Hucheng's family was killed in an unknown way. However, Chiang Kai-shek promoted to the outside world that Yang Hucheng encountered The bandits were killed.
How did Yang Han rehabilitate his grandfather?
Yang Han remembered that since he was a child, every early winter, his family would always put a black and white photo on the table in the lobby. The man on it was wearing glasses and a suit, with a serious expression, and a kind of aura of being arrogant without anger. Then everyone took turns to kneel down.
When he grew up, he learned from history books that his grandfather was an anti-Japanese hero, but was secretly killed by the Kuomintang spies because of the anti-Japanese war.
I learned about my grandfather’s life from my father, and the image of this person I had never met in his heart gradually became fuller.
From then on, studying the achievements of his grandfather and finding out the cause of his death became Yang Han's unswerving obsession in this life.
1991, Zhang Xueliang got the opportunity to visit relatives in the United States. He wrote a letter to express his condolences to Yang Han's father, saying that he wanted to meet him.
But because of Pepsi, Yang Han's father died of illness in 1998, and he could not meet again.
In order to fulfill his father's wish and to find out his confusion, Yang Han rushed to Hawaii to visit Zhang Xueliang in 1999.
The first time we met, Yang Han was quite surprised. When Zhang Xueliang learned that the visitor was Yang Hucheng's grandson, he just said lightly, "Hello, thank you" - and remained silent.
Yang Han was not at all displeased, but just took care of the old man with all his heart and accompanied him to the beach to relax.
But Zhang Xueliang's attitude became a mystery in his heart, until Song Ziwen's private diary was announced to the public that the specific process of the Xi'an Incident was recorded in detail.
It was also through this diary that Yang Han learned that his grandfather and Zhang Xueliang had a great disagreement on whether to release Chiang Kai-shek, and later they even had a breakup.
Then he became a little more aware of Zhang Xueliang's inexplicably cold attitude and also had a new understanding of his grandfather.
In May 2005, Yang Han wrote a letter to the then-Korean Kuomintang Chairman Lien Zhan , saying: " An old party member who is loyal to the party and patriotic, a second-level general of the country, has no charges or trials, and was executed secretly, affecting his children's subordinates. Isn't it natural? How can it be tolerated by the party discipline and national laws? Please rehabilitate Comrade Yang Hucheng. "
But this letter has been sent for a long time and has no news.
But in July of the same year, at the exhibition held by the Kuomintang in Taiwan to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, a display counter of Yang Hucheng, Zhang Xueliang and others unexpectedly appeared.
This is the first time since the founding of New China, the Kuomintang has publicly promoted the deeds of Yang Hucheng and others in the War of Resistance and their contributions to the war, which also made Yang Han feel a little comforted.
Later, Ma Ying-jeou came to power as chairman of the Kuomintang. Yang Han learned from Shao Minghuang, director of the Taiwan Party History Museum that Lien Chan did not inform Ma Ying-jeou of this when he left office.
, but coincidentally, Ma Ying-jeou learned about Yang Han's letter from others, so he asked Shao Minghuang: " Yang Hucheng visited Europe, why did he suddenly return to China? Is there any clear record in the archives of the collection? In 1949, did Chiang Kai-shek order the killing of Yang Hucheng? "
also asked Shao Minghuang to investigate the relevant information, but unfortunately, there was no material about the Xi'an Incident in the Party History Museum at that time. On January 19, 2006, Yang Han wrote to Ma Ying-jeou again, saying: "I hope the Kuomintang will do a good job in rehabilitating General Yang Hucheng and do a thorough job, and make an explanation and apologize to General Yang Hucheng and his family who were illegally imprisoned and killed."
Although this letter was as sank as the previous letter, there was no response.
But Yang Han still saw hope in Ma Ying-jeou's question and kept investigating the clues of the problem. Later, he went to visit Yang Qindian to investigate the specific details of his grandfather's murder.
Faced with this murderer who once killed his grandfather, he had no hatred or anger, but Yun Tanfeng asked him about what happened back then.
Yang Qindian seemed very ashamed and even covered his face and cried bitterly. He knew that his hands were covered with blood from the Yang family, so he had no face to face it.
But Yang Han always comforted him with a tolerant attitude. Those are historical reasons and are not personal matters, so that he can live well.
shows that he has a broad mind and a big picture.
Yang Han spent most of his life studying the Xi'an Incident, and also wrote many books such as "The Great Biography of Yang Hucheng" and " Compilation of Historical Materials of Xi'an Incident ".
He said: "My main purpose is to restore history and let the descendants of China understand their national history."
History is the best testimony to the past. After the "Xi'an Incident", Chiang Kai-shek secretly imprisoned Yang Hucheng and Zhang Xueliang.
Later, the Liberation War broke out, and Chiang Kai-shek asked people to persuade Yang Hucheng several times. As long as he stood up and said that the "Xi'an Incident" was planned by the Communist Party, he would let him go, but Yang Hucheng refused without hesitation.
He said: "History will prove whether Mr. Jiang was wrong or I was wrong."
Unexpectedly, decades later, his grandson Yang Han collected relevant historical information everywhere in order to rehabilitate him, and it turned out to be true.
History not only made him clear, but also recorded evidence of Chiang Kai-shek's violent behavior.
Why did he forgive the murderer Yang Qindian?
After Yang Qindian participated in the murder, he actually felt guilty.
Later, in the Chongqing Massacre in 1949, thanks to his help, 19 Communist soldiers including Luo Guangbin were able to escape.
After the liberation, he took the initiative to surrender at the police station and helped identify the remains of the bones of revolutionary martyrs such as Yang Hucheng, Chen Ran - it was also considered a demerit. The central government decided to deal with him leniently and let him go home to farm.
Later, not long after Yang Han came to visit him, he suddenly fell ill and went to the hospital.
passed away quietly one night, and his hands were still tightly covering his face when he died.
Yang Qindian is certainly hateful, but from another perspective, he is also a victim of history. After all, he was just a soldier back then, so how dare he disobey Chiang Kai-shek's orders?
Fortunately, I regretted my conscience later, helped the Communist Party and made great contributions. Later, I was imprisoned for 20 years due to historical issues, which can be regarded as a way to make up for the missed that year.
It can be said that if it weren't for Chiang Kai-shek's autocratic and cruelty, and his one-hand manipulation, an anti-Japanese hero like Yang Hucheng would not have died in a bad life, and Yang Qindian would not have felt guilty for carrying human lives for the rest of his life.
Because of this, people like Chiang Kai-shek will not win the battle. A person who can only point his gun at his compatriots, and a tyrant who can only persecute him who stands opposite him will definitely not be able to win the will of the people.
References:
The truth about General Yang Hucheng's murder_Sun Shu
The Kuomintang is responsible for Yang Hucheng's murder
