Chen Gongshu, the first killer of the military command, was ordered to assassinate whom? Why did this action make Chiang Kai-shek so happy that he rewarded him with eight gold bars? In this era of change, Chiang Kai-shek faced the double dilemma of foreign invasion and internal division.
1. Confusing internal and external troubles
As the supreme leader of the Nationalist Government, Chiang Kai-shek was faced with unprecedented internal and external troubles. Outside, Japan's iron hooves are about to come to an end, and there are differences and disputes between the parties and the different parties, and the situation can be described as a dilemma. He learned from the painful experience and made up his mind to first resolve internal contradictions and implement the principle of "first reassuring the interior before attacking the outside world," with the intention of concentrating all efforts on attacking the Communist forces at home in order to eliminate internal troubles and then deal with the foreign aggression of the Japanese invaders.
However, Chiang Kai-shek's decision caused widespread controversy. The pro-war faction believes that Japan's aggressive behavior has already been manifested, and if countermeasures are not taken as soon as possible, the disaster will not go away and will become swollen. Far from curbing Japan's encroaching ambitions, it will put the motherland in an even more dangerous position. On the other hand, the Lords and the Peacemakers advocated peace negotiations and sought a temporary truce in order to seek respite. The two factions are fighting with each other, each insisting on its own words, and it is difficult to split the result.
In this confusing, internal and external troubles, a seemingly insignificant incident put aside the contradictions between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party for the time being, and concentrated all firepower against a common enemy - traitors.
It all started in 1932. In order to create a buffer zone in northern China, Japan began to cultivate pro-Japanese forces in northern China and Inner Mongolia. Japan, which originally wanted to support Wu Peifu, turned its attention to another lost warlord - Zhang Jingyao after the negotiations broke down.
Zhang Jingyao was born in a family of bannermen, and served as a subordinate under many big warlords, but later became an out-and-out traitor with Seishiro Itagaki, a senior general of the Japanese Kwantung Army. He said to Japan: "I understand the meaning of the imperial army, and in the future, the imperial army wants me to go east, and I will never go west!" Since then, he has completely betrayed the country to seek glory and has become a lackey of Japan in northern China.
Zhang Jingyao, who was entrenched in the Beiping area, not only pledged his allegiance to the Japanese invaders, but also often provoked and recklessly challenged the troops of the Nationalist Government. His existence was undoubtedly a scourge, hindering Chiang Kai-shek's decision to implement the "first peace of mind". Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek decided to get rid of this thorn in the side first, and then concentrate all his efforts on exterminating the Communist Party.
Ii. Imminent lore action
After Chen Gongshu, who was the first killer of the military commander at the time, received the order, he did not hesitate and rushed to Beiping in accordance with the military order. Although the time frame for this operation was very short, Chen Gongshu, as a good agent, never suffered from gains and losses before the operation. He immediately gathered his subordinates and began to study the battle plan.
"According to our investigation, this Zhang Jingyao is cunning and suspicious, and will never appear in public, and his hiding place can only be two places: the Japanese Embassy or the Rokukoku Hotel." An agent said.
"In my opinion, his identity is not enough to live in the Japanese embassy, and it is more likely to be the Rokkoku Hotel." The other took over and said.
"Then let's go to the Six Nations Hotel first to reconnoiter and find out his exact whereabouts." Chen Gongshu decided to send two reliable agents, disguised as businessmen, to the Six Nations Hotel to investigate.
Early the next morning, Wang Tianmu and Bai Shiwei stepped into the Six Nations Hotel as planned. The Liuguo Hotel was the most luxurious hotel in Beiping at that time, and because foreign envoys often stayed, the security was extremely tight. The two of them can only start from the bottom and patiently spy on the identity clues of each guest.
After several twists and turns, finally on the fourth day, the two found a breakthrough. A suit tailor who has been serving at the Six Nations Hotel all year round has inadvertently revealed that he is sewing clothes for a distinguished guest who lives on the third floor. What's more, this distinguished guest also has an adjutant and staff entourage by his side. According to the previously obtained photos of the traitor, Zhang Jingyao has a pinch of beard on his chin, so this distinguished guest is likely to be the target they are looking for.
Soon, this important discovery reached Chen Gongshu's ears. In order to confirm the identity of the target person, Chen Gongshu personally led the team to the suit shop. Under the carefully concocted lie, the tailor inadvertently reveals more about the mysterious guest.
After cross-comparison and analysis, the military commander confirmed: This distinguished guest is Zhang Jingyao himself. He not only chartered three luxurious rooms, but also took a group of cronies to live in the Six Nations Hotel, which was always on guard. And in just a few days, they will leave Beiping for Tianjin. It seems that the time is running out. In order not to be caught by surprise, the military commanders must seize this last opportunity and complete the operation in one go.
A turning point in the crisis
After learning of Zhang Jingyao's exact whereabouts, the military commander immediately began to formulate a plan for the killing. They decided to ambush Zhang Jingyao outside the Six Nations Hotel on the last day before he left Beiping. In order to ensure that the operation was foolproof, Chen Gongshu had to go down in person.
In the early morning of May 10, 1933, Chen Gongshu led several agents of the military command to the street outside the Six Nations Hotel and set up an ambush position. The group hid in different corners, waiting for the appearance of the target person.
When the sky was slightly bright, Zhang Jingyao finally appeared. He was surrounded by several cronies, his vigilant eyes scanning the street around him. Just as they passed by Chen Gongshu's hiding place, Chen Gongshu suddenly jumped out, holding a silenced pistol in one hand and aiming at Zhang Jingyao is a wild sweep.
The gunshots exploded on the streets in the early morning, Zhang Jingyao fell to the ground, and his cronies around him were also panicked and barely had time to react. Chen Gongshu and his accomplices took advantage of the chaos and ran away, and soon disappeared around the corner of the street.
The whole operation went unexpectedly smoothly, leading Chen Gongshu to doubt whether he had really hit the target. But soon, the military commander received a line of news: Zhang Jingyao died on the spot, and others also suffered some minor injuries. As soon as the news reached Nanjing, it immediately attracted the attention of Chiang Kai-shek.
The success of this assassination attempt gave Chiang Kai-shek great encouragement. Although the Japanese army was still moving forward, at least the internal scourge had been removed, and the situation was temporarily eased. More importantly, this sudden and hard blow shocked the strategy of the Japanese Kwantung Army. They never expected that the Nationalist Government would be so ruthless and resolute, and that it would be able to turn around when it was in internal and external troubles.
Under such circumstances, Chiang Kai-shek immediately seized the opportunity to propose to the Japanese side to conclude a peace agreement. Although Japan remained stubborn, after a period of maneuvering, the two sides finally reached the Tanggu Agreement. After the agreement was signed, the fighting finally ceased temporarily.
This made the minimum preparations for the subsequent war of resistance. Of course, this is only a brief respite. Zhang Jingyao's death could not completely eradicate the power of the traitors in North China, let alone stop the iron hooves of the Japanese army. The remnants of Zhang Jingyao's party were unwilling to lose power, secretly reorganized the pro-Japanese armed forces, and had many skirmishes with the Nationalist government.
At the same time, the Japanese Kwantung Army was plotting revenge. Although they were surprised by the actions of the Nationalist Government, they quickly adjusted their momentum and began to hatch plans for a new offensive. A larger-scale and more brutal war is about to ignite, and the catastrophe is approaching the Chinese nation.
Fourth, a respite from the temporary easing of contradictions
The signing of the Tanggu Agreement marked a temporary ceasefire in the dispute between the two sides. Although it is only peace on paper, for the war-torn Chinese, even a short respite is a hope for rebirth.
Chiang Kai-shek saw this opportunity and immediately set about rebuilding the country. He first straightened out the morale of the army, unified the opinions of the generals, and called on the whole country to work together in the same boat and go to the national crisis. Then he began military reorganization, strengthened the training of Japanese front-line troops, stockpiled munitions and materials, and built position fortifications.
At the same time, the Nationalist Government is also actively seeking a diplomatic breakthrough. The mediation and appeal of the international community finally led to the convening of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of China and Japan in December 1933. The meeting paved the way for future peace negotiations.
During this period, although the two sides did not completely cease fighting, no large-scale clashes broke out again. The Japanese army changed the pace of the original offensive, contemptuous of and fearful of the extreme actions of the Nationalist government. They slowed down for a moment, as if waiting for a better moment.
At the same time, Zhang Jingyao's cronies Yu Dang did not disappear. They secretly regrouped their armed forces and engaged in a number of skirmishes with the Nationalist Government. However, these harassments were extinguished in time. Despite the ongoing internal worries, the overall situation has been alleviated.
Chiang Kai-shek had the audacity to speculate that the Japanese might have lost the resolve to further aggression in the short term. Therefore, in 1934, he said: "China and Japan value peace", implying that they had already stepped out of the stage of "settling at home before securing the interior", and believed that this was a good time to reconcile with Japan.
Chiang Kai-shek, however, overestimated his own judgment. In November of the same year, with the start of a new wave of Japanese offensives, this naïve idea was quickly slapped in the face. The Japanese Kwantung Army amassed a large number of troops, launched an offensive known as the "January 28 Incident", and captured important towns such as Beiping and Tianjin the following year, leading to the outbreak of a full-scale war of resistance.
Although the assassination of the traitor Zhang Jingyao by the military commander shocked the Japanese army for a while and won a short respite at home, it failed to reverse the pace of Japan's invasion of China. On the contrary, after a short rest, the Japanese army made a comeback and became aggressive, becoming one of the fuses, thus setting off a new wave of war.
Rewarding and punishing repercussions of assassinations
The news of Zhang Jingyao's death has aroused strong repercussions at home and abroad. Although the Nationalist government did not publicly express its stance on Chen Gongshu's assassination, Chiang Kai-shek secretly received him and personally commended him for his bravery.
According to the recollections of the military commanders who were present at the time, when Chiang Kai-shek looked at Chen Gongshu, his face was filled with rare joy. He patted Chen Gongshu on the shoulder and said, "You have made a great contribution this time and exterminated the sinners of the motherland!" On behalf of the country, thank you!"
Subsequently, Chiang Kai-shek personally took out eight gold bars from the side and handed them to Chen Gongshu with both hands as a reward for his earth-shattering feat. Although it is not known how much the gold bars were worth, it is conceivable how much attention Chiang Kai-shek attached to this operation at that time.
In contrast, the reaction of the Japanese side was not so happy. Although Zhang Jingyao was only a traitor at the time of the incident, the Japanese Kwantung Army was still extremely angry at the Nationalist government's blatant assassination of his important minions. They see this as a serious provocation to their own authority, which must not be let go lightly. As a result, the Japanese government quickly lodged a tough protest with the Nationalist Government, demanding that the murderers be severely punished.
In the face of the unreasonable demands of the Japanese side, Chiang Kai-shek naturally shook his head. He categorically rejected the punishment of the military commanders, but instead sternly repaid the Japanese side, accusing them of "deserving death" for their acts of cultivating traitors and colluding with traitors. At this point, the two sides are locked in a new diplomatic conflict.
In addition to Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese, another person who had a strong reaction was the Communist Party. Although the contradictions between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party have always existed, the measure of eliminating traitors has still won the affirmation and praise of the Communists. They believed that this action was tantamount to a heavy blow, which dealt a severe blow to the arrogance of the traitors and also demonstrated the determination of the Kuomintang to deal with the traitors.
In the months that followed, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China repeatedly praised this "heroic action" to "punish traitors." Despite this, the contradictions between the two sides have not been completely resolved, and each has a secret rivalry and guards against each other's every move.
In general, although the assassination of the military commander only killed a small traitor, it caused violent repercussions at home and abroad, and caused different reactions from all sides. It not only made Chiang Kai-shek full of confidence in military unification, but also became a fuse for the outbreak of the all-out war of resistance against Japanese aggression, indicating that an even greater catastrophe was approaching.