In 1938, Liu Xiang, a famous warlord who once ruled Sichuan, died in the hospital, and people from all walks of life in China expressed deep condolences for Liu Xiang's death. As for Liu Xiang, who had been in close contact with the Shandong warlord Han Fuyu before his death, and wanted to join forces to cut off Chiang Kai-shek's retreat, but this news was learned by Chiang Kai-shek in advance, which also cast a mysterious shadow on Liu Xiang's death.
The arrogant king of Sichuan
At that time in the last century, Sichuan was still different from the current Sichuan, and at that time Sichuan had not yet divided Chongqing, so the area of Sichuan at that time was very considerable.
Moreover, Sichuan has always had the reputation of the land of abundance, the land of Bashu is fertile, and it has been in the hinterland of the southwest for a long time. For example, the famous Shu Han regime in history relied on the rich southwest basin to develop and support the Northern Expedition of Prime Minister Zhuge .
Therefore, it is still very necessary for the Sichuan region to compete for the top spot, so the warlords in the Sichuan region are so lively that you sing and I will appear on the stage.
In June 1926, the forces led by Liu Xiang sent representatives to Changsha to meet with Tang Shengzhi, who was famous at the time, in order to discuss and express the strong desire of his troops to join the ranks of the Northern Expedition. Seeing that Liu Xiang was about to turn to the Northern Expeditionary Army, the Beijing government issued an edict appointing Liu Xiang as the chief of staff in order to stabilize this side of the force, but Liu Xiang realized that the Beiyang Military Government was at the end of its power, and chose to refuse their resignation.
As a local force that could not be underestimated in China at that time, the Sichuan Army, headed by Liu Xiang, Liu Wenhui, Lai Xinhui, Liu Chengxun and other local powerful factions, quickly took joint action and issued a telegram, clearly expressing their opposition to Wu Peifu's move, and publicly declaring their willingness to respond to the call of the Northern Expedition and wave their determination to go north.
With the further development of the situation, at the end of November, the Guangzhou Nationalist Government made important personnel adjustments, formally appointing Liu Xiang as the commander of the 21st Army of the National Revolutionary Army and concurrently serving as a member of the Chuankang Pacification Committee. This appointment not only reflects the Nationalist government's recognition of its capabilities, but also indicates that the Sichuan region will play a more important role in the Northern Expedition.
Immediately after that, Liu Xiang, who was already a representative figure of the Sichuan Army, solemnly announced that he had accepted this appointment and officially shouldered the heavy responsibility of leading the 21st Army. On 17 December, he again elaborated on the challenges and choices he had experienced in Sichuan in the past, as well as the boundless loyalty and unwavering support of himself and his troops for the cause of the national revolution. This telegram is not only a summary of the past, but also an oath for future actions, demonstrating the unswerving determination and belief of Liu Xiang and his troops on the journey of the Northern Expedition.
Liu Xiang's death
In 1937, many major events occurred, the Red Army won the Long March victory at Yan'an, the Japanese launched the Lugou Bridge Incident, and Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched a military admonition in Xi'an to coerce Chiang Kai-shek to stop the civil war and unite against Japan. In this era of change, Liu Xiang of the Sichuan Army also issued a telegram to the whole country, expressing support for the actions of Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, hoping that Chiang Kai-shek could achieve unity against Japan.
Under the coercion of the situation, Chiang Kai-shek had to agree to stop the civil war and unify against Japan, but in 1937, the Kuomintang forces in the Songhu battlefield were finally defeated, Nanjing also fell, and a tragedy occurred through the ages. In desperation, Chiang Kai-shek's Nanjing Nationalist Government wanted to move the capital to Chongqing, which was called the capital of Chongqing.
At that time, Chongqing was not an independent region, but belonged to the scope of Sichuan, which meant that Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government had to come to Liu Xiang's sphere of influence to give orders. In the face of this situation, Liu Xiang said that he welcomed the arrival of the national government, but we can imagine the drastic changes in Liu Xiang's heart.
What was even more fatal was that the Chiang Kai-shek government sent Liu Xiang north to the east to direct the battle against Japan on the front line. In Liu Xiang's view, Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was intended to Pei Gong, and if he didn't do a good job, he would leave a handle for the Chiang Kai-shek government, and if he fought well, he would let himself keep fighting the Japanese, and his Sichuan army would be killed and wounded, and if he lost his military strength, he would not pose any threat to the Chiang Kai-shek government.
Moreover, Liu Xiang did not deal with Chiang Kai-shek before, and he actively opposed Chiang Kai-shek during the Central Plains War. Yang Sen, a rival to Liu Xiang in Sichuan, was now also used in the Chiang Kai-shek government. If something happens to him, Yang Sen can help Chiang Kai-shek take over Sichuan.
So Liu Xiang secretly contacted Han Fuyu in Shandong and Zheyuan of Huabei in order to unite to force Chiang Kai-shek to step down, and directly blocked his back road in Sichuan.
However, people are not as good as heaven, Liu Xiang's stomach disease suddenly recurred, vomited blood, and was escorted to Wuhu Hospital in a coma. However, during this period, Liu Xiang's contact with Han Fuyu in Shandong was reported to Chiang Kai-shek by Fan Shaozeng, a former subordinate of the Sichuan army.
What's even more bizarre is that Liu Xiang, who suffered from stomach problems only two months later, died in the hospital, and many people have speculation about Liu Xiang's death. What is even more interesting is that soon after, Han Fuyu, a Shandong warlord with whom Liu Xiang had been in contact, was also executed by Chiang Kai-shek.
Liu Xiang is a warlord who has experienced the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, he struggles for power and profit, and has the inevitable shortcomings of the warlords of the old era. However, at a critical time when the country and the nation were in danger, he was able to stand up and defend the national backbone, which is admirable and lamentable.