The person who wrote the letter recalled in detail the process of interacting with Premier Zhou in Nankai with real emotions, and the deeply touching feelings of nostalgia for the country were revealed between the lines.

In February 1983, Du Jianshi, the former mayor of Tianjin City of the Kuomintang and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the time, received a letter from the United States. The person who wrote the letter recalled in detail the process of interacting with Premier Zhou in Nankai with real emotions, and the deeply touching feelings of nostalgia for the country were revealed between the lines. The letter also comes with a rarely seen photo, which is a photo of the letter writer himself and Premier Zhou at Nankai Middle School.

Premier Zhou (left) and Wu Guozhen (middle) together in Nankai Middle School

The signature at the end of the letter is Wu Guozhen. Du Jianshi was all too familiar with this name. Since the thaw in Sino-US relations, he had been trying to contact this senior from Nankai Middle School. However, many times he wrote letters, either nothing happened, or he received only a few perfunctory greetings. After receiving such a passionate letter after many years, Du Jianshi did not dare to neglect and immediately forwarded the letter and photos to Sister Deng Yingchao, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Wu Guozhen and Premier Zhou: They were once sworn brothers, but became diametrically opposed.

In 1914, Zhang Boling founded Tianjin Nankai Middle School. There were six classes, A, B, C, D, W, and Ji. Each class was half a year apart and required four years to graduate. Premier Zhou is the best student in Class D, and Wu Guozhen is the best student in Class One. There is a whole year difference between them.

Wu Guozhen was truly talented and intelligent since childhood. He was only 11 years old when he was admitted to Nankai Middle School, 5 years younger than Premier Zhou. The two of them were living on campus at the time, and at first they just met and nodded, knowing each other's names, and they couldn't be said to be close friends. One day, Premier Zhou published an ulterior puzzle on the school poster, which caused controversy among classmates and left a deep impression on Wu Guozhen.

A few days later, the two met on campus. Premier Zhou said to Wu Guozhen: "You are the youngest classmate in the school and the best student in the class. I like to make friends with you very much." From then on, the two people Talk about studying together often. Premier Zhou organized the "Jingye Group Meeting" and recruited Wu Guozhen to participate. Later, at the suggestion of Principal Zhang Boling, the "Jingye Group Meeting" followed the example of British and American schools and recruited students under the age of 15 to form the Boy Scouts. Premier Zhou was overage, so Zhang Boling suggested that Wu Guozhen served as the first captain of the "Nankai Boy Scouts".

Wu Guozhen learned a lot about how to behave in the world during his interactions with Premier Zhou. After serving as the leader of the Boy Scouts, he also served as the director of the Intellectual Education Department of the Jingye Lequn Association, becoming Premier Zhou's right-hand man.

At that time, there was a classmate named Li Fujing who was close to them. Wu Guozhen later recalled: "For at least about two years, the three of us not only spent most of our spare time together, but also exchanged our innermost thoughts and youthful ambitions with each other." The three of us could reach a consensus on everything in the universe. , so that others often call them the "Three Musketeers", and they almost imitate the "Taoyuan sworn brotherhood" of Liu Guanzhang in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

In his later recollections, Wu Guozhen said: "The young Zhou Enlai had good features, a sharp voice, and was very good at speech contests, which left a deep impression on people."

Premier Zhou also spoke very highly of Wu Guozhen, saying that Wu "I As soon as you meet them, you will be recognized as a genius."

At that time, Premier Zhou and Wu Guozhen could be said to be heroes. After graduating from Nankai Middle School, Premier Zhou traveled to Japan and later studied in France on a work-study program. Wu Guozhen was admitted to Tsinghua University and went to study in the United States after graduation. The two went their separate ways.

Wu Guozhen was 14 years old when he was admitted to Tsinghua University. He was not yet 18 years old when he was recommended to study in the United States with government support. He was only 23 years old when he obtained a doctorate in political science from Princeton University . While in the United States, he had a close friendship with Guo Taizhen, the younger brother of Guo Taiqi, the Nationalist Government's ambassador to the United Kingdom. He also established close relationships with Song Ziwen and Song Meiling, which paved the way for him to return to China and join politics in the future.

In 1927, Wu Guozhen returned to China from the United States and served as Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the National Government. Chief of the Communication Section of the Jiangsu Negotiation Office. He missed his brother Zhou very much after 10 years of separation. He asked around and learned that Premier Zhou had become a well-known figure in the Communist Party.One day, Wu Guozhen took a tram to the French Concession. On the way, he met a person who looked like Zhou. His walk and figure were very similar, but this person didn't seem to recognize him and deliberately avoided him. Wu Guozhen stepped forward and called "Brother Xiangyu". The man glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally, then hurriedly got off the tram and disappeared into the crowd.

At that time, Chiang Kai-shek had exposed his counter-revolutionary nature. Premier Zhou was leading the Special Branch work in Shanghai, and the Kuomintang spies cast a wide net to arrest him. Wu Guozhen soon understood why Brother Zhou didn't recognize him, and he couldn't help but worry about Brother Zhou's safety.

Regrettably, friends who used to be like-minded have embarked on two completely opposite paths.

Wu Guozhen's career in the Kuomintang was extremely successful. After working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a period of time, he took the initiative to propose a reform plan for Hubei, which was appreciated by Li Zongren. He was appointed director of the Hubei Provincial Taxation Bureau, and was later promoted to director of the Hubei Provincial Department of Finance. His administrative ability attracted attention attracted Chiang Kai-shek's attention. In 1932, Wu Guozhen, who was only 28 years old, was transferred to the post of Secretary of Chiang Kai-shek's Attendant Office. Since then, he has been trusted by Chiang Kai-shek and his career has become more prosperous. Not long after, 29-year-old Wu Guozhen returned to Hubei and became the sole mayor of Hankou.

After the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated to resist Japan, Premier Zhou served as deputy minister of the Political Department of the Military Commission of the National Government and also worked in the Wuhan Eighth Route Army Office.

After the fall of Nanjing, the three towns of Wuhan became important anti-Japanese towns. As the mayor of Hankou, Wu Guozhen was very busy with government affairs. One day when he came home from get off work, his wife Huang Zhuoqun suddenly told him that Zhou Enlai had been here and left a business card. Wu Guozhen immediately rushed to the Eighth Route Army's Hankou office, and they were reunited for the first time after a long separation. The two shook hands tightly and were very polite to each other.

In order to relive old friendship and fulfill the friendship of the landlord, Wu Guozhen decided to hold a dinner to entertain Premier Zhou. As for how to entertain this old friend, Wu Guozhen and his wife thought about it for a long time. They thought that Premier Zhou was a Communist and might not want to attend a formal banquet, so they held a third-class dinner for 16 yuan, and only invited a few Nankai friends in Hankou to accompany them.

Premier Zhou was very happy that day. All his old friends were there. He drank glass after glass of wine, which made everyone feel happy. After the meal, Mr. Zhou came to Wu Guozhen and said, "I have to repay the gift, but my residence is not as comfortable as here. Can I borrow your home? Please come back today to reminisce about old times, and I will order the dishes."

Reunion twenty years later, Although everything was happy on the surface, both sides avoided talking about national affairs for fear of hurting their personal friendship. When Hankou was about to fall, Premier Zhou invited Wu Guozhen to accompany him to Yichang , but Wu Guozhen argued that he was busy and it was better to go separately. According to Wu Guozhen's subsequent admission, he believed that Premier Zhou was probably trying to implement a united front against him.

Wu Guozhen did not give Premier Zhou the opportunity to implement the united front. His official career in the Kuomintang was far from reaching its peak. In 1939, he served as the mayor of Chongqing, the capital of the country. In 1943, he served as Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1945, he served as the Propaganda Minister of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang. After the Kuomintang returned the capital to Nanjing, Wu Guozhen became the mayor of Shanghai.

While Wu Guozhen was rising through the ranks, his relationship with Premier Zhou gradually became alienated.

During the peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Premier Zhou served as the head of the CCP delegation and traveled between Yan'an, Chongqing, Nanjing and Shanghai. Wu Guozhen was the director of the Central Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang. Although Wu Guozhen did not directly participate in the peace talks, as the main spokesperson of the government, Premier Zhou launched frequent debates on issues such as the Battle of the Central Plains, the Northeast Armistice, the nationalization of the military, political democratization, and the National Assembly. Douyu Premier Zhou . The two former close friends often used names and quarreled with each other for the benefit of their own party. When they meet each other, they are often full of arguments.

Wu Guozhen during the Chongqing negotiations (back row, first from right)

According to Wu Guozhen’s recollection, “Not long after I arrived in Nanjing, he visited me.The Kuomintang troops had just occupied Changchun in the northeast, and he strongly protested against the use of force to occupy Changchun. Of course, I am on the side of our government, and the talks are not amicable at all. "

One day in October 1946, Premier Zhou went to the office of Wu Guozhen, who was already the mayor of Shanghai, and complained that he was always followed by secret agents when he went out for activities in Shanghai. Wu Guozhen argued that this was to protect Premier Zhou. Soon after, Chiang Kai-shek completely tore off his disguise and launched a full-scale civil war. Premier Zhou also left Shanghai, and the two never met again.

At the end of 1948, Before launching the cross-river campaign and conquering Nanjing and Shanghai, Premier Zhou also arranged a rebellion against Wu Guozhen. A classmate of Wu Guozhen studying in the United States was sent to convey the message, but Wu Guozhen chose to stand firmly on the side of the Kuomintang and refused to rebel. Proposal.

With the collapse of the Chiang family dynasty, Wu Guozhen also drifted to the island of Taiwan. Wu Guozhen, who had rich administrative experience, did his part in the peaceful small dynasty of the Chiang family and became the "Chairman of Taiwan Province".

In Taiwan: and Chiang Ching-kuo Opposing each other and opposing Chiang's "family of the world" caused "the greatest taboo in the world"

When Wu Guozhen was the mayor of Shanghai, he and Chiang Ching-kuo forged a relationship. In 1948, the eldest son Chiang ambitiously went to Shanghai. "Fight the Tiger", trying to use iron fist to crack down on speculators. From an economic point of view, Wu Guozhen believed that high-pressure political methods could not solve economic problems and contradicted Chiang Ching-kuo's "economic reform."

Wu Guozhen believed that at that time, domestic inflation , the economy On the verge of collapse, the root cause of the problem lies in the huge military expenditure and fiscal deficit, so it continues to print money and enters a vicious cycle. If the reform must be effective, it is estimated that there must be at least 500 million silver dollars as backing. Jiang Jingguo did not care about this. He had just "failed" from the Northeast "Return", Shanghai's "tiger hunt" was the battlefield for his comeback.

Chiang Ching-kuo's "tiger hunt" in Shanghai ultimately failed. His heroic words of "only hunting tigers, not swatting flies" were shattered after encountering the two major families of Confucius and Song Dynasty. Kong Lingkan The "Yangtze Case" led to Soong Meiling. "Only swatting tigers, not swatting flies" became "only swatting flies, not swatting tigers." But Jiang Jingguo put this account on Wu Guozhen's head , blaming the "lady faction" Mayor Wu for refusing to cooperate.

After arriving in Taiwan, Wu Guozhen, who ascended the throne of "Provincial Chairman", soon clashed with Chiang Ching-kuo, who had political power, and the conflict intensified.

After Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan, everything All efforts began to prepare for Chiang Ching-kuo's succession. A large number of former military and political officials were driven out of office. Chiang Ching-kuo controlled the secret service system, controlled the army, and established various small organizations to cultivate his own "Prince Family" power. .

Chiang Ching-kuo organized a "National Salvation Corps" and organized political activities one after another with great fanfare. However, activities require funds. What if there are not enough funds? Chiang Ching-kuo went to the "Taiwan Provincial Chairman" Wu Guozhen, the only complete province under the jurisdiction of the Kuomintang puppet regime, to reimburse him. Wu Guozhen said that the funds for the party group's activities should not be settled by the "national treasury", thus blocking Chiang Ching-kuo's funds.

This is really outrageous. In the eyes of the Jiang family and his son, the family, party and state have always been the trinity. What difference can there be between the "treasury" and the Jiang family? In fact, Wu Guozhen also knew that he could not stop "Prince Jiang", it was just to give him some problems and vent his bad anger.

Wu Guozhen also accused Chiang Ching-kuo of being the spy chief. In the plan of the Jiang family and his sons, Chiang Ching-kuo started by controlling the spy system.How can he be compared with the eldest son of Chiang Kai-shek, Dai Li, Mao Renfeng and others in the past? Therefore, although Chiang Ching-kuo was in charge of the affairs of the spies, how could he be called the "chief of the spies" since he was the "prince"? Even Kong Yiji knew that there are four ways to write the word "fennel" in Fennel Bean. Didn't Wu Guozhen know that?

Chiang Kai-shek personally summoned Wu Guozhen, hoping that he could cooperate with Chiang Ching-kuo. Wu Guozhen said directly to Chiang Kai-shek: "Brother Jing Guo, of course I am helping. Mr. Chiang asked him to be a spy. No matter how good things are, everyone in the world will resent him. If he does not become a spy, I am determined to try my best to help." Chiang Kai-shek listened. He had to touch his head with both hands, with a look of displeasure on his face, saying, "I have a headache today, let's talk about it another day."

Since Wu Guozhen knew that Chiang Ching-kuo was the "chief of the secret services," he should know what the past central unification and military unification spies were like. do things”. On Easter 1952, Wu Guozhen and his wife were returning to Taipei from Sun Moon Lake. Because his wife had a stomach attack, they had a meal at the Wuxi Hotel in Taichung on the way. During this "unexpected" stop, the driver discovered that the screws on the front wheel of the car had been loosened. Wu Guozhen suspected that a spy was secretly killing them.

There are various signs that Wu Guozhen can no longer serve as "provincial chairman". In 1953, Wu Guozhen resigned and was about to go to the United States, but was blocked by Chiang Kai-shek. Later, it was through the influence of Soong Meiling and the Americans that Wu Guozhen was able to successfully leave Taiwan and go to the United States.

In the United States, Wu Guozhen launched a legal battle with Chiang Kai-shek, his father and son, and the Kuomintang regime, scolding the Chiang family for their "family world" and exposing the Chiang Kai-shek Group's background.

On March 14, 1954, Wu Guozhen held a press conference in Evanston, Illinois, condemning the Kuomintang government in Taiwan as "undemocratic" and "implementing one-party dictatorship", etc., and announced that he would sever ties with the Kuomintang government. This move attracted much attention from the world.

When Chiang Kai-shek learned of this, he rebuked Wu Guohe for "slandering the government just a few months after he had been abroad for more than 20 years with important responsibilities." Then on March 17, an order was issued to remove him from the position of political affairs committee member of the Executive Yuan. From then on, Wu Guozhen ended his political career.

In order to enable his son to leave Taiwan and come to the United States and support his family, Wu Guozhen signed a three-year contract with (Chicago Tribune) to serve as the newspaper's Far East consultant. In July, his son left Taiwan for the United States and his family reunited. They have lived in Evanston for 13 years.

Love for the motherland in his later years: Reading "Deng Xuan" and praising New China

In the long years that followed, Wu Guozhen taught at the university and wrote books. His English historical work "Chinese Tradition" and English novel "Alley of Everlasting Quietness" are popular in the United States.

Wu Guozhen, who experienced great trauma, paid close attention to the changes in the international situation while reflecting deeply on the past. New China restored all legitimate rights and interests in the United Nations , established diplomatic relations with the United States, and normalized relations with Japan. History and reality have gradually pushed Wu Guozhen's thoughts and mentality closer to the people's power of New China.

In the winter of 1982, Wu Guozhen’s eldest son-in-law Yu Yiyuan brought back from the mainland photos of Wu Guozhen and Zhou Enlai when they were sworn brothers at Nankai Middle School. Wu Guozhen had mixed feelings when he saw this photo, which evoked his friendship with his deceased friend. In February 1983, Wu Guozhen sent photos, poems in memory of Zhou Enlai and a sincere homesick letter to Du Jianshi, an old Nankai classmate, former mayor of Tianjin and member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. After reading the poems and letters sent by Du Jianshi, Deng Yingchao and Liao Chengzhi warmly invited Wu Guozhen and his wife to return to China for sightseeing. After receiving this information, Wu Guozhen was deeply moved and sent his eldest son Wu Xiuguang and his wife to visit the mainland to prepare for his return to China.

Du Jianshi sent a set of "Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping". After reading it, Wu Guozhen wrote in a letter to Du Jianshi: "What Mr. Xiaoping wants to do is to change the world... After reading the selected works, I can see the truth first. Get it. And then based on the personal spirit of doing things, perseverance, and never looking back, nothing is difficult to achieve! I can't help but hope for early success for the country and the nation."

In early 1984, Wu Xiuguang and his wife went to the mainland to give lectures and were warmly received by the government. Soon, Deng Yingchao, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Yang Jingren, Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, jointly invited Wu Guozhen and his wife to return to China with their children for sightseeing. On February 23, 1984, Wu Guozhen replied to Du Jianshi: "It's just a matter of time. I received another letter informing Chairman Deng Yingchao and Minister Yang Jingren of their cordial invitation to return to China for sightseeing. "Elegant and affectionate, the heart is profound." "But my wife is physically weak and is timid about flying thousands of miles." She was recently suffering from osteomyelitis and stomach problems, so she delayed medical treatment and saw some results, so she did not dare to stay away from the doctor for a while. "Based on this, Du Jianshi suggested that the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China should arrive in Beijing a few days ago.

Wu Guozhen and Du Jianshi emphasized in an interview with Jiangnan during their exchange of letters about returning to the country: "Taiwan cannot be independent, and there is no future for independence. "He said to Jiangnan with great interest: "Now the CCP has an unprecedented and rare opportunity to create a new socio-economic system for the country and the people. I have high hopes for this. "Facing Jiangnan, Wu Guozhen made no secret of his deep admiration for Deng Xiaoping. He said: "I have read three articles of Mr. Deng Xiaoping's "Selected Works" and marked them with red pen. I admire Mr. Deng very much! If China continues in the current direction, in another 15 years, the coming century will be dominated by China, the United States, and Japan. "

Wu Guozhen was moved by the invitation from the national leader, but he could not make the trip due to the health of his wife, Ms. Huang Zhuoqun. So Du Jianshi wrote to Wu Guozhen again, suggesting that he bring his children to China and return to China on National Day.

html At the end of April, Du Jianshi got It was reported that he and his wife were scheduled to return to China at the end of September to return to China and fulfill their long-cherished wish. Unexpectedly, Wu Guozhen died of illness in the United States on June 6. He died before his long-cherished wish could be fulfilled, and this regret lasts forever!

References

"The Final Ending of the Forty-Three War Criminals of the Kuomintang", He Ming, Chinese Communist Party History Press

"The Wu Guozhen I Know", Wu Yongping, Jianshi Literature and History Materials

"Zhou Enlai in Wu Guozhen's Vision", Ma Jun, 21 Century Bi-Monthly

"Wu Guozhen and His Person Infused with Western Style", Ni Liangduan, Zongheng

"Zhou Enlai and Wu Guozhen", Shengdian, Lan Sheng, Literature and History Monthly