Age of Rebirth

390 Chapter Three: The Truth

When Zhang Mutao arrived in Xi'an, he quickly got in touch with Ying Detian and Liu Duoquan. The two of them didn't know Zhang Mutao's real identity, and this guy concealed his relationship with them from both of them.

With the person who introduced him, Zhang Mutao quickly won the favor of the officers of the young faction and the officers of the veteran faction with his smooth wrist, generous personality, and occasional insights, and he was in the two circles without touching the ground. , It turned out to be a mixed wind and water, with both ways.

At this time, the executive power was busy negotiating with Soong Meiling and Soong Ziwen, devoting all his energy to this matter, taking care of others, and was unaware of the obvious divisions within the Northeast Army and the undercurrent of confrontation.

After the peaceful settlement of the Xi'an Incident, the situation in Shaanxi returned to calm with the withdrawal of 30 central troops. Zhang Mutao felt that he could do something and planned to leave Xi'an. Lurking in Xi'an, trying to break into the Northeast Army, and sent him five capable assistants. [

Zhang Xueliang insisted on personally sending Chairman Jiang back to Nanjing, but was detained. This incident caused an uproar in the Northeast Army, and everyone seemed to have the idea of ​​the sky falling.

In terms of how to rescue Marshal Zhang, the young officers headed by Ying Detian, Miao Jianqiu, Sun Mingjiu, and Gao Fuyuan, as well as Wang Yizhe, commander of the 67th Army, Xu Fang, chief of staff of the Northeast Army Headquarters, Song Xueli, deputy director, and traffic The secret confrontation between the elder faction headed by Director Jiang Bin and others has escalated into an open dispute.

Zhang Mutao seized the opportunity, fanned the flames, fueled the flames, tried his best to sow dissension, and told the young military officers, Zhang Mutao said that those old men had no intention of rescuing the young marshal, they were afraid of offending someone Jiang and losing their future. Or support their own self-respect, and have other plans.

To the veteran officers, Zhang Mutao said, a group of yellow-mouthed children who know anything about politics know how to fight and kill. If they don't understand the difficulties of the veterans, they may have the intention of robbing the military power. Everyone should take precautions early, otherwise they will act first. !Wang Yizhe and the others were also worried about this.

On the evening of February [-], Ying Detian and the others saw Wang Yizhe and the others for the last time, and there was also a showdown. Zhang Mutao sent someone to send a letter, saying that there was an ambush in the headquarters, and that they might have to be dealt with by force. Please take precautions. If necessary, it is better to simply seize the military power and run to Nanjing than to be cowardly under the hands of these old men.

One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the officers of the young and strong faction were already dissatisfied with the veterans' control of military power and their refusal to rescue the young marshal. This time, they became even more angry and murderous. .

If the old people still don't agree to send troops to rescue the young marshal, they simply use extreme means to solve it. When they go outside the general command department, because of Zhang Mutao's secret letter, they have a prejudice in their hearts, and they regard the guards on guard as arranged ambushes.

The two sides didn't talk a few words, and a fierce quarrel broke out. Wang Yizhe called the guards and drove out these young and inactive officers. As a result, the young officers thought that they were going to fight, and they drew their guns to shoot one after another, which led to a tragedy.

Later, Zhang Mutao instigated Liu Duoquan to lure and kill Gao Fuyuan and other young officers in the name of Wang Yizhe and others in the name of revenge, deliberately aggravating the situation, which eventually led to mutual killings within the Northeast Army and involved the Seventeenth Route Army. Shaanxi Mutiny.

Tang Qiuli was furious after reading the confession. Without this scum who fanned the flames and sowed dissension, the Shaanxi mutiny would not have reached the level it is now. The commander of the army publicly announced that he would leave the Northeast Army system, took the troops away, and set up another branch.

If he hadn't ordered the Dingbian Mobile Corps to quickly enter Xi'an to control the situation, the mutiny would have intensified. Before fighting the Japanese, the Northeast Army would have been internally collapsed and dispersed, and the soldiers scattered everywhere. It is possible to vote for the Japanese. .

Finding Zhang Mutao, the mastermind behind the scenes, cut off the possibility of the Japanese participating in the Shaanxi Mutiny. Here, Duke Zhou’s work was also fruitful. The Northeast Army, the [-]th Route Army, and the Red Army had a good relationship in the early stage. Sincere attitude played a key role.

After Zhou Gong's hard work and various efforts, the Northeast Army reached a reconciliation. The two sides promised not to use force again. At the same time, the Seventeenth Route Army also expressed its attitude and was willing to listen to the mediation of the CCP.

As a result, the barbed wire fences and sandbag fortifications all over the streets in Xi'an City have been dismantled, and the opposing troops returned to their garrisons. Normal order was restored in Xi'an City, and the tense situation of swords and swords disappeared. Duke Zhou took credit for this Zhiwei has contributed a lot. Without his hard work, it is still unknown where the mutiny will go.

Tang Qiuli, in the name of the Chairman of the Northern Army Branch of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government and the commander-in-chief of the Yellow River Basin Theater Command, issued instructions to the Northeast Army and the Seventeenth Route Army to rectify military discipline, and to fabricate the rosters of officers and soldiers, as well as weapons The equipment registration form, etc., shall be submitted to the Northern Army Branch for record.

Six days after the Shaanxi Mutiny, on the morning of February [-], a meeting of major-level officers of the Northeast Army and the Seventeenth Route Army was held in the auditorium of the former General Headquarters of the Northeast Army. Officers are not allowed to be absent, otherwise, they will be punished as disobedience to military orders.

There were as many as 800 military officers at all levels attending the meeting, and the spacious auditorium was packed to the brim. The styles and colors of the military uniforms of the Northeast Army and the Seventeenth Route Army were different, and they looked mottled when sitting together. Miscellaneous and uncoordinated, it was convenient for Tang Qiuli to distinguish whether those officers belonged to the Northeast Army or the Seventeenth Route Army.

In order to ensure the safe holding of the meeting, the security work of the meeting place was carried out by the troops of the Dingbian Mobile Corps of the Independent Division. The officers of the two troops had no objection to this arrangement.

The officers of the two armies were no strangers to Tang Qiuli, and they also knew that he was a friend of Young Marshal Zhang and Director Yang. It was his first time in Shaanxi and he had been in Xi'an for many days. Tang Qiuli also looked familiar. The current Tang Qiuli is not only the number two man in the government, but also firmly holds the military power in his hands. [

Looking at my old bosses again, those who were forced to go abroad, those who became prisoners, have already been deeply imprisoned, but the three of them at the beginning, Tang Qiuli, have been promoted again and again, and the generals on their collars are shining. These officers have mixed feelings , an indescribable taste.

Tang Qiuli first read the autographed letters from Zhang Xueliang to the generals of the Northeast Army at all levels. In the letter, Zhang Xueliang was saddened by the Shaanxi mutiny and the killing of each other within the Northeast Army. The letter did not mean to blame them .

Only Zhang Xueliang expressed his deep self-blame, earnest admonition, and hope. When Zhang Xueliang wrote this letter, he poured all his feelings into it, with a firm heart between the lines, even if he is a hard-hearted person. , will also shed tears.

Before they finished reading the letter, there was already a crowd of sobbing. They seemed to see the young marshal's reproachful eyes and his heartbroken expression.

Afterwards, Tang Qiuli showed Zhang Mutao's confession, as well as Zhang Mutao himself, to the officers of the two armies. These officers, who had been blinded by anger and vendetta, seemed to wake up from a dream. It's better to take a gun to your head than to torture yourself mentally.

The officers roared in unison, shouting for killing, Zhang Mutao's face was ashes, knowing that there was no possibility of surviving, the eyes of the officers were enough to burn himself to ashes, the crimes he committed were unacceptable, just because of himself , How many excellent officers and soldiers did not fall on the battlefield, but fell under the guns of their brothers.

Afterwards, like a dead dog, Zhang Mutao was dragged out to be executed by shooting. He had to bear what he deserved for the crimes he committed.

At the meeting, Tang Qiuli announced the formation of a special military tribunal in Xi'an to try the case of the Shaanxi mutiny. All military officers at all levels involved in the incident must go through the court trial and bear corresponding responsibilities according to the crimes they committed. as a result of.

There is no crime that goes unpunished in this world, and the innocent souls who died in this mutiny are also looking at another world in the dark.

After being tried by the Xi'an Special Military Court, Ying Detian, Miao Jianqiu, and Sun Mingjiu, who directly caused the tragedy, were directly responsible. They were deprived of their military posts, expelled from the army, and sentenced to death.

Liu Duoquan, the former commander of the [-]th Division, did not consider stabilizing the troops after the tragedy to prevent the situation from expanding. Instead, he took revenge and killed his colleagues, which further exacerbated the tragedy. After ten years, he was sent to Dingbian Labor Reformatory to serve his sentence.

The officers and soldiers who were injured in this tragedy were generously compensated by the Northern Army branch. Ying Detian and others expressed their respect for the judgment of the special military court, and they should pay the due price for the tragedy to warn future generations.

Following the Xi'an Incident, the most dangerous mutiny in Shaanxi was finally resolved with the joint efforts of Tang Qiuli and Zhou Gong of the CCP delegation. The insight to grasp the direction of events also left an indelible impression on Duke Zhou.

This young man is extremely experienced in the way and means of dealing with problems, and his familiarity with military issues is astonishing. This man will definitely become a famous general in the anti-Japanese battlefield. This is Zhou Gong's evaluation of Tang Qiuli.

In view of the fact that the CCP delegation had completed its mission and decided to withdraw to Yan’an, before leaving, Tang Qiuli had been sent to Sanyuan in the northern suburbs of Xi’an before saying goodbye. During the time spent with Duke Zhou, he learned a lot from the great man Things, and the charm of a great man convinced him enough to be used for a lifetime.

There were more than a dozen trucks accompanying them, named to escort the CCP delegation, but in fact it was a big gift from Tang Qiuli to the CCP Red Army. In a few months, the CCP Red Army would go to the anti-Japanese battlefield. Simple weapons, and lost precious lives.

The car is equipped with excellent weapons and equipment that can equip three divisions, including a full set of equipment and sufficient medicines for three artillery regiments.

Zhou Gong smiled, did not refuse, and looked at Tang Qiuli with a look of limited expectation and tacit understanding.

As the convoy headed northward, Tang Qiuli looked at the setting sun in the west, and his thoughts had already flown to the distant sky.

(To be continued)