[Curator Shu Jiazhen] Throwing himself into a river in Lanzhou in 1968: Pursuing Zhao Xizhong’s ever-changing life

文\袁志学

Zhao Xizhong (1903-1968), born in Xiazhai Village, Dizhai Township, Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province in 1903, Zizizhang, also known as Yani . In 1922, he was admitted to the Shaanxi Provincial No. 1 Middle School. During the school, he took to the streets with his classmates many times to oppose foreign aggression, spread new culture and new ideas, and was pursued and suppressed by reactionary military police. In 1925, after graduating from Shaanxi Provincial No. 1 Middle School, with the idea of ​​saving the country from Rong, he went to Henan to join Wei Xigu, his cousin who was the head of the independent regiment of the Second Army of the National Revolutionary Army. In 1926, he was admitted to the fourth phase of Guangdong Huangpu Military Academy by Wei Xigu, during which he joined the Chinese Kuomintang; after graduation in October of the same year, he was assigned to the Quartermaster Department of the Northern Expeditionary Command of the National Revolutionary Army as a trainee. In January 1927, he left Guangdong with Mao Zedong to the Wuchang Peasant Movement Training Institute as the captain of the second district team. In April of the same year, he responded to Mao Zedong’s call and went to Macheng and Guangshan, Hubei Province with more than 200 armed students from the workshop to aid the progressive forces in the "Macheng Massacre" and fight against the local tyrants and evil gentry. In May of the same year, he joined the Communist Party of China; June , Transferred back to Shaanxi, went to the Zhao Shoushan Department of the Shaanxi Army in Lintong County, and served as the captain of the teaching camp student team. Zhao Shoushan's department has a secret branch of the Communist Party of China, and Zhao Xizhong is one of the main members, engaged in underground military transportation. After the failure of the Great Revolution in 1927, he responded to the instructions of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China in April 1928 to participate in the first Ying Linyou Uprising of the Wang Taiji Teaching Group. He was one of the eight Communist Party members who organized the uprising. In the second half of 1928, he and Zhao Boping were sent by the party organization to the West District Committee of Lantian County to do underground work. In early 1929, he returned to his hometown to hide his identity and protect revolutionary comrades in the name of teaching, and set up a rural elementary school run by the old temple. , To become the contact point for the CCP to organize activities.

赵希仲

First arrested

In April 1929, due to betrayal by a traitor, Zhao Xizhong was arrested together with his fellow township and progressive teacher Xu Guolian, although he was exhausted after being imprisoned. Torture and torture have always been loyal and unyielding. In November 1930, a fellow friend obtained the key to the prison door from a gang, opened the prison door and rushed out of the prison, sneaking back to Dizhai's home to recover. In the first half of 1931, after Zhao Xizhong's injury improved, Wang Taiji, then commander of the Cavalry Regiment of the Yang Hucheng Department, introduced him to the First Guard Brigade of the Yang Hucheng Department as the company commander of the machine gun. In 1932, Zhao Xizhong and Xu Guolian contacted some 30 teachers, celebrities Yu Yixuan, Chen Yangxu, Hu Runmin, Qu Yizhi, etc. in Chang'an, Lantian counties and Bailuyuan together with Xu Guolian, and advocated a "public donation fundraiser" to raise funds. The village founded the "Private Luyuan Primary School", offering new courses in Chinese, arithmetic, common sense, history, and geography, advocating new teaching methods, explaining the significance of the Revolution of 1911 and the path of the Chinese revolution, and imparting progressive ideas. In 1933, after Xu Guolian, the director and traffic officer of the Red Twenty-Sixth Army's office in Xi'an, arrived in Xi'an, he chose Zhou Dechang and Zhou Dewen's cousin of Zhou Qi from his fellow villagers to stay in Detaichang at No. 89 Ximenpai, Luomashijie Road, Xi'an. The yurt is a secret contact point for underground work, gathering and contacting Zhao Xizhong, Cai Ziwei, Zhao Boping, Wu Jinghan and others. During this period, Zhao Xizhong, who served as the company commander of the machine gun company in the Yang Hucheng Ministry, purchased and delivered weapons to the Red Army through secret contact points.

二次入党

In July 1935, the first brigade of the Yang Hucheng Department Guard was ordered to march to the Shanyang area of ​​southern Shaanxi to attack the 25th Red Army. When the troops entered Yuanjiagou and the battle started, Zhao Xizhong ordered The soldiers first killed Ju Yingcai, the commander of the first company, who was usually reactionary in thought. Then he turned his guns and took a counterattack. He led a machine gun company with more than 30 rifles and held a pre-array uprising. The police brigade was defeated and the entire army was wiped out. Zhao Xizhong returned to the Red Army as a military instructor of the Red 25th Army's teaching team. In 1936, after Zhao Xizhong arrived in northern Shaanxi with the 25th Army of the Red Army, he served as the military chief instructor of the Wayaobao Military and Political Cadre Academy. On July 9 of the same year, he was introduced by military instructor Hu Daochuan and joined the Communist Party for the second time. Soon, he served as a military faculty member of the Red Army University, and was promoted to chief military faculty member in spring 1937. In the autumn of 1938, he left for the New Fourth Army’s work in the Southern Anhui New Fourth Army and served as the training director and deputy commander of the New Fourth Army’s Teaching Corps. When the New Fourth Army moved north, he was the chief of staff of the first column.

Apostasy after being captured for the second time

House of Zhao Xizhong, former site of the New Fourth Army Military Headquarters

On August 22, 1938, with the approval of the Central Military Commission, the New Fourth Army’s teaching battalion was expanded into a teaching corps. Deputy Chief of Staff Zhou Zikun (previously serving as the Chief of Training of the New Fourth Army) also served as the commander of the army, Feng Dafei ( Former commander of the second column of the Red Seventh Army and acting commander of the Red Eighth Army), Yu Lijin (former political commissar of the 53rd Regiment of the 18th Division of the Red Sixth Army, and commander of the Anti-Dalian General School) Directors of the Division, Zhao Xizhong and Xue Muqiao are the chief and deputy chiefs of the training division. On January 7, 1941, the "Southern Anhui Incident" took place. There were 9,000 soldiers of the New Fourth Army, more than 2,000 of them stood out, more than 2,000 died heroically, more than 1,000 were separated or missing, and more than 4,000 were captured. The captured soldiers were detained in Jiangxi Shangrao Concentration Camp and Jiangxi Qianshan Mountain. Among the captured New Fourth Army personnel, there were three cadres above regiment level surrendered and rebelled. Zhao Xizhong was one of them. Zhao Xizhong, who was the chief of staff of the first column of the New Fourth Army, was captured by the 108th Division of the Kuomintang Army during the breakout. The Kuomintang army discovered that he was an important cadre of the New Fourth Army. In addition to rushing to report the merits of the Chongqing National Government Military Committee, it also sent heavy troops to escort him to the Shangguan Yunxiang Headquarters. Zhao Xizhong thought that there was no future, and immediately surrendered and confessed the number, weapons and equipment, military operations of the New Fourth Army in southern Anhui, as well as the names, hometowns, ages, educational backgrounds and characteristics of many leaders. Therefore, he was given preferential treatment and became the third theater of the KMT. guest of honor. In the spring of 1941, Zhao Xizhong, together with Zhao Lingbo, the deputy commander of the first column who had defected at the same time, was "escorted" by a Kuomintang military vehicle to the Jiangxi Shangrao Concentration Camp Qifengyan Prison. In June of the same year, Zhao Xizhong and Zhao Lingbo declared their separation from the CCP. The statement stated that "deep self-repentance, now fully awakened", "formally withdrew from the party, separated from all relations with the party, determined to believe in the Three People's Principles in the future, and would like to work hard to fight the Japanese War and build the country under the leadership of the Chinese Kuomintang and its president, and swear to the death." At the same time, Zhao Xizhong and Zhao Lingbo fulfilled the so-called "reform" procedures in writing. After that, the Third Theater Command sent a telegram to the National Government Military Committee to "approve the rehabilitation." After Zhao Xizhong's rebellion, he was appointed as the military instructor of the concentration camp lieutenant colonel by Zhang Chao, the special agent chief of the Shangrao concentration camp, and he was mainly engaged in the probation of captured persons.

At the end of November 1941, the Kuomintang secret agents took the captured New Fourth Army’s political office missionary officer Li Weixian and Wu Yue from Maojialing Prison to Zhoutian Prison’s political training room to "talk". The 8 of them were divided into 4 pairs, each of them was handcuffed and handcuffed, and they were locked in a low barn and waited. Li Weixian and Wu Yue were the first to be summoned. This "conversation" is dominated by two traitors, Zhao Lingbo to Wu Yue and Zhao Xizhong to Li Weixian. Accompanying Zhao Xizhong is Chen Guozhen, a special agent instructor. He said to Li Weixian, "This is your old leader. I'm here to enlighten you today. You have to listen carefully." Zhao Xizhong cheered up and said to Li Weixian, "You are a promising young man against Japan. Your ambitions are good. Ying took the wrong path, treason and violated military discipline. Don't go astray, cherish your youth, regret and renew..." Hearing Zhao Xizhong's words, Li Weixian angrily reprimanded: "Zhao Xizhong, don't talk nonsense! I want you Think about it, when you were in the teaching team, you also taught our young people to resolutely resist the Japanese and save the motherland from the peril, to be a strong revolutionary fighter, and to say that the head can be broken, the blood can flow, the ambition is unmovable, and you will never be a traitor or traitor. Now, you...Bah!"

was arrested for the third time

In April 1942, the "Officer Brigade" and "Special Training Class" of Shangrao Concentration Camp were ordered to withdraw and merge, and the public name was changed to "War Shi Youth Training Southeast Division". In May, the Japanese attacked the Zhejiang-Jiangxi line and forced Shangrao. The southeast branch departed from its resident Zhoutian Village on June 5 and transferred to northern Fujian. All the detainees were escorted by the Kuomintang gendarmerie with live ammunition, braving the scorching heat, and marching hard. When the camp was in Shitang Town late at night on June 7, Zhao Xizhong, while other political and military instructors in the instructor group were sleeping, secretly opened the back door of the camp and escaped. After escaping from the "Southeast Sub-Group", Zhao Xizhong began to wander around. When he wandered to Jinhua, Zhejiang, he was arrested because of different speech, suspicious appearance, and unscrupulous citizenship, which attracted the attention of the Japanese soldiers. He was sent to the Japanese communications team for hard work and then transferred. The Yiwu work class of the Japanese army did chores and helped keep food accounts and help with paperwork. He was released half a year later.

was arrested for the fourth time

In February 1943, Zhao Xizhong started small business in Yiwu. In June of the same year, he was introduced to Hangzhou Hefang Street Sanyou Biscuit Shop as a noodle shaker worker.Detained and detained in the Garrison Command. He was sentenced to death for "seriously endangering public security." The execution was not approved due to insufficient evidence. The execution was not approved. He was detained until early 1946 after Japan's unconditional surrender. He was released as a political prisoner and returned to Shaanxi. Hometown in Chang'an County. After returning to his hometown, the Kuomintang "Central United" spies regarded him as a Communist "bandit" and planned to arrest him. After Wenfeng Zhao fled to Minxian County, Gansu, where he managed small-scale business in a bleak way, until he returned to his hometown in Chang'an County, Shaanxi after the liberation of Minxian County in 1949.

隐身兰州

After the liberation, Zhao Xizhong’s past comrade-in-arms, Zhao Boping, became the secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee. Zhao Boping didn’t know why he had gone all these years. Of course, Zhao Xizhong would not take the initiative to talk about his rebellion. In 1950, Zhao Boping, secretary of the Xi'an Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, introduced Zhao Xizhong to participate in revolutionary work again, and was sent to Northwest People's Revolution University in Gaoling County, Shaanxi by the United Front Work Department of the Northwest Bureau. In 1951, Zhao Xizhong went to Gansu Lanzhou Northwest Xinhua Company as deputy manager. After Xinhua Company was changed to an agricultural tool factory, Zhao Xizhong was changed to the secretary of the secretarial department. After the internal anti-revolutionary movement in 1956, Zhao Xizhong's surrender and rebellion were initially exposed. He was removed from his secretary position in the organization, supervised labor on the spot, and did some tool inventory and dispatch work.

投河自尽

July 1968, Lanzhou, Gansu. In the era of military turmoil, Zhao Xizhong entered Huangpu and became the Red Army. From Yan'an to southern Anhui, he joined the party twice and was arrested four times. From Jiangnan water town to the northwest plateau, he was turbulent for half his life, but he did not show his personality. After liberation, he went to Lanzhou. , Made a home here. Although the wages of the farm tool factory were not high, Zhao Xizhong also saved some savings in his early years, and the family was also very happy. Zhao Xizhong's daily work is very simple, the main tools are inventory, sending and receiving work. One day, Zhao Xizhong went to work at the farm tool factory as usual, and was suddenly notified to go to the factory director's office. Zhao Xizhong came to the office. The director of the factory had been waiting for a long time. He looked at Zhao Xizhong and suddenly said, "Your historical problem has been around for a long time. It is an extraordinary time now. I hope you are prepared." Zhao Xizhong brushed his face when he heard the words. White, he has been paying attention to hiding his identity over the years, but he didn't expect it to be suddenly exposed. Zhao Xizhong was very panicked and said quickly: "Director, I have been working in the factory for more than ten years. I have worked hard these years. Asking myself that there have been no problems, you must help me!" The director shook his head and said: "This is the above decision. I can't help you. Go back and wait for the notice first!" Zhao Xizhong left the office with a downcast head, and he was worried that day. After get off work, he returned home like a walking dead. He didn't want to worry his family, and he didn't show any abnormality on the surface. After dinner, Zhao Xizhong went to bed early, but couldn't fall asleep. He didn't know what was waiting for him. In the middle of the night, both his wife and son were asleep. Zhao Xizhong went out quietly. The weather in July was still very sultry even in the middle of the night. Zhao Xizhong felt tight in his chest. He wandered alone in the night and soon came to the Yellow River. Aside. The water of the Yellow River roared in the river, and the water vapor in the air brought a trace of coolness, which made Zhao Xizhong sober a lot in a moment. Zhao Xizhong looked at the rolling Yellow River, his head was still full of threads. After a long time, he suddenly sighed up to the sky, then jumped into the Yellow River, and his body quickly disappeared into the wave. After Zhao Xizhong's death, his body was quickly discovered by the local farmers, and his identity was subsequently revealed by the government, causing a huge sensation in Lanzhou and even the whole province.

During the "Cultural Revolution", Lin Biao and the Jiang Qing counter-revolutionary group sent special personnel to Lanzhou to censor Zhao Xizhong (who used to work with Yu Lijin) in order to harm Comrade Yu Lijin. They fought for days and nights and forced him to forge false certificates. . Zhao Xizhong refused to give false testimony, and was immediately humiliated and tortured both personally and physically. On July 17, 1968, he was thrown into the river and died. In 1979, the party organization rehabilitated Zhao Xizhong and affirmed his contributions to the party's revolution in decades.

It may be that he had a reflection on his previous wrong choices. In the last stage of his life, he finally chose the right one. He refused to write false testimony to frame Yu Lijin, who had worked with him, and was severely devastated. Unbearable, he ended his aggrieved life by throwing himself into the river.

The Eighth Route Army Lanzhou Office Memorial Hall