At that time, many people didn't understand Chiang Kai-shek's intention, but the reason soon became clear: Chiang Kai-shek had foreseen the collapse of the Kuomintang regime and was looking for a way out for himself.
Sure enough, four months later, Nanjing and Shanghai were liberated one after another, and the Kuomintang was directly in danger of being overthrown. In July, Chiang Kai-shek began to order the Kuomintang troops to gradually withdraw from the mainland through Dinghai Airport and retreat to Taiwan Province Province.
In February 65438+, Chiang Kai-shek and Jiang Jingguo also boarded the "China-US" special plane with a bitter face and flew to the island of Taiwan Province Province. Since then, Chiang Kai-shek has never returned to the mainland.
At that time, there were different opinions within the Kuomintang about where to retreat. So, what made Chiang Kai-shek finally choose the treasure island of Taiwan Province Province? Who is this behind Chiang Kai-shek's back?
1948 65438+February 3 1 day, about 40 members of the executive Committee of the Kuomintang Central Committee were invited to dinner at Chiang Kai-shek's official residence. After these Kuomintang officials finished speaking, Chiang Kai-shek roared: "I don't want to retire! Your Kuomintang officials want me to retire. " Finally, Chiang Kai-shek retired.
At the beginning of the following year, after the three major battles of Liaoshen, Ping Jin and Huaihai, the main force of the National Government was basically exhausted.
When Chiang Kai-shek abdicated, the effective force of the Kuomintang army was almost wiped out, leaving only a few stragglers. Whoever went to see it would disintegrate the Kuomintang regime.
Faced with this situation, Chiang Kai-shek, who has abdicated but still holds the real power of the Kuomintang, has to consider the urgent question of where the Kuomintang army will go from here.
At that time, the north of the Yangtze River had all ushered in liberation, and the Kuomintang no longer owned an inch of land; In the three major battles, the Kuomintang army was wiped out10.5 million people, and the five main forces were wiped out. Naturally, the Yangtze River cannot be defended. Governing the river is impossible; Peace talks, chips are lost.
When all the way out fails, there is only one last choice: escape.
Chiang Kai-shek began to prepare to escape. He asked his son, Jiang Jingguo, to urge the construction of Dinghai Airport, while discussing with Kuomintang party member where to retreat. However, various officials in the Kuomintang have different opinions and are inconclusive.
Chiang Kai-shek first chose the southwest, centering on Chongqing and Chengdu, with Qinling Mountains in the north, Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in the east and Hengduan Mountains in the south. The terrain is very dangerous and can be used as a barrier anywhere. In addition to geographical advantages, it is also a "blessed land" for the eight-year war of resistance. Many people agree with this view and suggest that if it doesn't work here, there is still enough room for retreat and development in Myanmar.
But the warlord power here is very chaotic, and it can even be said that it has festered to the point where there is no hope. If the warlords of all factions do not obey the command, they will inevitably be caught between Scylla and Charybdis when they meet the PLA with strong fighting capacity. Do you really want to live a primitive life in the dense forests of Myanmar? The worries in Chiang Kai-shek's heart are lingering.
Some people say that Hainan Island can be considered. Although Hainan Island also has obvious advantages: it can resist for a while only by relying on Qiongzhou Strait, and it can retreat to the Philippines in case the PLA attacks. But not as good as the southwest. The arable land on the island is very limited, which can neither support the army nor develop industry. The long-term development is very limited.
Southwest, Hainan, everywhere has its own advantages, but also has disadvantages that cannot be ignored. Chiang Kai-shek hesitated for a moment and found it difficult to decide.
At this time, someone gave Chiang Kai-shek a suggestion: "The best policy is to retreat to Taiwan Province Province!"
Hearing this suggestion, Chiang Kai-shek's eyes lit up and he could go to Taiwan Province to save it!
Chiang Kai-shek first set foot on the land of Taiwan Province Province in June 1946+00. At that time, to commemorate the first anniversary of Taiwan's recovery, Chiang Kai-shek and his wife Song Meiling flew to Taipei.
During that trip to Taiwan Province Province, Chiang Kai-shek was warmly welcomed by the people of Taiwan Province Province. In his speech at the commemorative meeting, Chiang Kai-shek said: "This is really the happiest and most glorious day in my life." Even the scenery of the "Hanbi Building" where he and Song Meiling stayed at that time was called "excellent" by him.
When Chiang Kai-shek met local celebrities from all walks of life in Taipei, he bluntly said, "I was deeply impressed by the warm welcome of the people of Taiwan Province Province. Taiwan Province Province is a pure land, so we should cherish the construction and make it a national model province! "
It can be seen that Chiang Kai-shek first recognized and accepted the treasure island of Taiwan Province Province psychologically. Although he may not have thought that he would retreat to Taiwan Province Province one day, Taiwan Province Province is undoubtedly the best place for Chiang Kai-shek to fundamentally rebuild.
Who advised Chiang Kai-shek to "retreat to Taiwan Province Province"? He is Zhang Qiyun, the "originator of human geography in China".
Zhang Qiyun, a student of great geographer Zhu Kezhen, studied geography under Zhu Kezhen, and studied humanistic philosophy and history under philosopher Liu Boming and historian Liu Yizhi. After finishing my studies, I was invited to work by many newspapers because of my solid academic foundation. Finally, Zhang Qiyun chose Shanghai Commercial Press.
But why is such a scholar who is committed to academic research connected and entangled with the domestic military struggle? This has something to do with his working environment. It can be said that he chose to work in Shanghai Commercial Press, which made him have an indissoluble bond with the Kuomintang.
During Zhang Qiyun's work in Shanghai Commercial Press, Chen Bulei, one of the important officials around Chiang Kai-shek, just took over the post of editor-in-chief of Business Daily. Because of his work, he needs to consult a lot of information, so Chen Bulei always goes to the familiar commercial press where he once worked. It was Zhang Qiyun who was in charge of receiving Chen Bulei at that time.
But apart from some handover at work, the two usually don't have much contact and communication. Until an accident happened, it brought them an opportunity to form a friendship.
At that time, Business Daily wanted to publish a book related to this area, so Chen Bulei went to the Commercial Press to look for relevant information and books as usual, but that day, Chen Bulei couldn't find relevant information anyway, and he was very anxious.
Looking at Chen Bulei tossing and turning in the data pile, Zhang Qiyun tentatively opened his mouth and asked him what the problem was. Chen Bulei told Zhang Qiyun about these problems, and Zhang Qiyun, who is proficient in geography, clearly answered Chen Bulei's doubts.
Chen Bulei was surprised that the ordinary staff of a seemingly unremarkable commercial press had such profound geographical knowledge.
"You know a lot about geography." Chen Bulei couldn't hide his surprise.
Zhang Qiyun truthfully replied: "Yes, I have studied with Teacher Zhu Kezhen before."
"It turned out to be a disciple of the master geoscientist Zhu Kezhen." Chen Bulei smiled and held out his hand.
Holding hands, there is quite a feeling of meeting and hating each other.
After that, they often discussed some academic issues together and gradually formed a very deep friendship.
1927, Chen Bulei, who spared no effort to run for the revolution, joined the Kuomintang and was reused by Chiang Kai-shek. Zhang Qiyun was invited to teach in the Department of Geography of National Central University. During the period, the two had little contact.
After the victory of the Northern Expedition, there was a serious division within the Kuomintang and the Central Plains War broke out. After the major warlords were defeated, they retreated to the once independent provinces, and Chiang Kai-shek, who was unfamiliar with those places, did not dare to attack rashly. Therefore, Chen Bulei, trusted by Chiang Kai-shek, introduced Zhang Qiyun, who was proficient in geography, to Chiang Kai-shek.
Later, Zhang Qiyun introduced and analyzed the topography and landforms of the major warlords in detail for Chiang Kai-shek. Although after listening to Zhang Qiyun's analysis, Chiang Kai-shek weighed the pros and cons, he finally gave up the idea of pursuing. However, Zhang Qiyun was deeply appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek for his rich geographical knowledge.
Chiang Kai-shek calculated in his mind that if Zhang Qiyun can always be used by him, there will be unexpected effects when he attacks the revolutionary base areas of the * * * production party in the future, where the topography is secretive and changeable.
So, after that, Zhang Qiyun, like Chen Bulei, was reused by Chiang Kai-shek and became a strategist around Chiang Kai-shek. During this period, Zhang Qiyun, who achieved remarkable academic achievements, was invited by the State Council to teach at Harvard University. Chiang Kai-shek often told Chen Bulei that he and Zhang Qiyun are rare talents.
1948165438+10. In October, the Kuomintang had already lost momentum, and Chen Bulei, who had no hope for the future, committed suicide. Therefore, when the Kuomintang regime collapsed and looked for shelter everywhere, Zhang Qiyun, as the only strategist around Chiang Kai-shek, stood up to solve problems for Chiang Kai-shek and told Chiang Kai-shek: "Taiwan Province Province is the best policy."
Why Taiwan Province Province? Zhang Qiyun gave enough reasons.
First of all, Taiwan Province Province enjoys a superior geographical position.
Taiwan Province Island is located in the southeast waters of China, separated from the mainland by the Taiwan Province Strait, which is 200 kilometers wide and 60 meters deep on average. The waves here are high and the wind is strong, which is a rare barrier for the Kuomintang to stop the People's Liberation Army. In addition, there are many islands around Taiwan Province Province, which are also the front positions of the Kuomintang against the People's Liberation Army.
At that time, our air force was weak and the navy was in a blank state. Therefore, if the Kuomintang retreats here, without the cover and guarantee of the navy and air force, it will be difficult to achieve the purpose of landing on the island, which means that the PLA can be completely placed outside the strait.
In addition, Zhang Qiyun knew that Chiang Kai-shek was unwilling to give up the mainland, and told him that Taiwan Province Province and Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces of the mainland were across the sea, so it was not difficult to realize the material transshipment in this area. Therefore, after the power contrast between the two parties in the country is reversed, the Kuomintang army can directly occupy Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, so that the follow-up war will have sufficient material support.
What Chiang Kai-shek was most worried about was whether he could go back to the mainland. Zhang Qiyun's analysis can be said to have eliminated Chiang Kai-shek's biggest concern.
Zhang Qiyun continued to analyze that Taiwan Province Province is located in the Tropic of Cancer, and the whole island belongs to tropical and subtropical monsoon climate. The overall environment is warm and comfortable, with sufficient precipitation and heat, which is very beneficial to the cultivation and planting of crops, and can successfully solve the problem of food supply and avoid the import of food. On the one hand, to achieve food self-sufficiency and reduce financial expenditure, it is more important to ensure food security in Taiwan Province Province to the greatest extent.
So in this respect, the Kuomintang army has the conditions for long-term development here.
And it's close to the American far east defense line. There are American military bases on many islands in Southeast Asia, and Taiwan Province Province is the gateway to Southeast Asia. Therefore, if the Kuomintang troops retreat to Taiwan Province Province, when the People's Liberation Army launches an attack on the Kuomintang troops, the United States will inevitably step forward and intervene.
Secondly, residents in Taiwan Province Province supported the Kuomintang. As mentioned earlier, when Chiang Kai-shek and his wife Song Meiling first landed on the island, they were warmly welcomed by local residents.
This should start with the historical origin of Taiwan Province Province and the mainland.
The earliest contact between the mainland and Taiwan Province Province dates back to the Three Kingdoms period, when the Central Plains regime sent people to Taiwan Province Island and brought back nearly 1,000 soldiers from Taiwan Province Province. Later, the Song Dynasty directly brought Taiwan Province Province into the jurisdiction of the Central Plains Dynasty and sent troops to stay here. Both Yuan and Ming Dynasties set up inspection departments in Taiwan Province Province. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, as we all know, Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan Province Province from the Dutch to resist the Qing government in Chinese mainland.
Later, the Qing government sent troops, and Taiwan Province Province was once again incorporated into Chinese territory. /kloc-At the end of the 9th century, the Qing government set up the "Taiwan-Xiamen Patrol Road" and the Taiwan Province government in Taiwan Province Province, and Taiwan Province Province officially became an independent province.
1894, the Qing government defeated in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 and the Japanese Meiji government signed the unequal treaty treaty of shimonoseki. Therefore, Taiwan Province Province was assigned to Japan, and Taiwan Province Province was ruled and operated by the Japanese from then on. After World War II, Japanese troops withdrew from Taiwan Province Province, and the Republic of China took over Taiwan Province Province.
Therefore, the local residents of Taiwan Province Province, who have been under the rule of Japanese invaders for a long time, lack a sense of national belonging, and naturally have a kind of support for the Kuomintang government that took over Taiwan Province Province. In addition, for Chiang Kai-shek, what is more important is that due to the long-term rule of the Japanese aggressors, he didn't know much about the struggle between the two parties on the island of Taiwan Province Province, and the island was not radiated by the ideology of * * *, which delighted Chiang Kai-shek and thought that Taiwan Province Province was a rare "pure land", which was very suitable for him to come back.
In addition, Japan spared no effort in the construction during its rule of Taiwan Province Province, because at that time, Japan regarded Taiwan Province Province as a springboard to contain China and even seize Southeast Asia, so many modern enterprises were established, and the transportation on the island of Taiwan Province Province was also very convenient. The industrial base is good and the infrastructure construction is relatively sound. Generally speaking, the island has the conditions for rapid economic development.
After listening to Zhang Qiyun's analysis, Chiang Kai-shek began to think about the feasibility of retreating to Taiwan Province Province. After some serious thinking, Chiang Kai-shek finally agreed to Zhang Qiyun's proposal and finally decided to retreat to Taiwan Province Province.
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek had retired from the background. In order to retreat to Taiwan Province Province smoothly, he returned to his hometown of Xikou, Fenghua, Zhejiang Province, and set up seven radio stations to remotely control the Kuomintang incident in the dark.
The first step to retreat to Taiwan Province Province is to transfer property. At that time, Chiang Kai-shek gave this task to his eldest son, Jiang Jingguo. Jiang Jingguo came to Shanghai according to Chiang Kai-shek's instructions and found Yu Hung chun, governor of the Kuomintang Central Bank.
Jiang Jingguo said to Yu Hung chun: "I am here on the orders of the generalissimo to protect the country's first chance of survival, and I hope that the central bank will transfer cash to Taiwan Province Province for safety."
Finally, together with Yu Hongjun, Jiang Jingguo successfully transferred 922,000 gold and 80 million US dollars from the Central Bank to Taiwan Province Province. It can be said that it has hollowed out the national treasury.
In addition to transferring a lot of money to Taiwan Province Province, Chiang Kai-shek also planned to transfer a lot of arms, hoping to make a comeback afterwards. He ordered the then Shanghai and Hangzhou to be dismantled by the commander-in-chief Tom Bourne, and the dismantled cannons were later secretly transported to Taiwan Province Province.
The policy of governing Taiwan has gradually begun to be drawn up. Later, at the political meeting, he said with great emotion: "At this time, Jiangnan is already half a wind and grass, and we must be prepared to stay in Taiwan Province Province for a long time."
1949 65438+February 10, Chiang Kai-shek listened to the gunfire of the People's Liberation Army not far away, looked at the sky with a sad face, and finally turned around and boarded the plane to Taiwan Province Province with Jiang Jingguo. After this trip, Chiang Kai-shek never returned to the mainland.
Later, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary that the reasons for the defeat of the Kuomintang were military strength and popular support.
History tells us again and again that those who oppose the people, go against the trend of the times and block the progress of history will eventually be abandoned by the people and crushed by the great ship of historical progress.
1950, the remnants of the Kuomintang in the mainland were eliminated, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent General Su Yu to lead a million-strong army to show it across the Taiwan Province Strait. However, as Zhang Qiyun said, the Taiwan Province Strait is long and deep, and the waves are very big, so PLA soldiers cannot complete the crossing and landing operations. After the Korean War broke out, PLA soldiers went to the Korean battlefield in the name of volunteer soldiers to resist US aggression and aid Korea and defend their country. The liberation of Taiwan Province Province was put on hold.
Of course, after retreating to Taiwan Province Province, Chiang Kai-shek was naturally unwilling. He has been thinking about counterattacking the mainland, but he has been defeated repeatedly. The reality made him understand that it may be difficult to return to the mainland in this life. However, Chiang Kai-shek still adhered to the "One China" viewpoint and even turned against the United States.
1958, the United States asked Chiang Kai-shek to give up Kinmen Mazu and become independent of Taiwan Province Province, and Chiang Kai-shek even broke with the Americans directly. At that time, Chairman Mao and other party leaders realized this, so they finally decided to keep Kinmen and Matsu in Chiang Kai-shek's hands, so that Chiang Kai-shek could better crack down on the evil plot of "two China" in the United States. Kinmen Mazu became the link between Taiwan Province Province and Chinese mainland.
After the "92 * * * Knowledge", the relationship between the mainland and Taiwan Province Province became closer, and many people in Taiwan Province Province chose to go back to the mainland to find their roots.
Now the people on both sides of the strait are getting closer and closer. The Kuomintang's rule in Taiwan Province Province has ended, but the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are still separated. However, the reunification of the motherland is the wish of all Chinese people in Qian Qian, the inevitable requirement of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the historical trend. I believe that in the near future, the two sides of the Taiwan Province Strait will eventually move towards reunification.