1927: The situation took a sudden turn

Author: Guo Taifeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Chen Gongbo and Wang Jingwei had a very close personal relationship. After Wang Jingwei left Guangzhou, Chen Gongbo, who had no support among the top ranks of the Kuomintang, had to adopt a detached stance in factional struggles and maintained connections with all parties. In Wuhan, he visited figures such as Song Ziwen, Sun Ke, and Gu Mengyu. His conclusion was that relocating the capital to Wuhan was the consensus of the people and that this decision had nothing to do with the Communist Party. There was widespread concern about the growing power of Jiang Jieshi. Chen Gongbo rushed back to Nanchang, reported the situation truthfully, and advised Jiang Jieshi to temper his ambitions, weather the crisis, and wait for the right moment to advance. As a result, Jiang Jieshi agreed to relocate the capital to Wuhan, simultaneously rallying right-wing figures and intensifying military actions in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to create a new situation. After completing Jiang Jieshi's mission, Chen Gongbo returned to Wuhan and served as the Secretary-General of the Second Plenary Session of the Kuomintang. Soon after, Wang Jingwei returned to China and became the head of the Wuhan Nationalist Government. From March 10 to 27, 1927, the Kuomintang held its Second Plenary Session in Hankou, with 33 delegates in attendance. Except for three, all other delegates were considered left-wing Kuomintang members or Communists. The Plenary Session decided to abolish the position of the Chairman of the Central Executive Committee and implement collective leadership among the Standing Committee members. It also abolished the position of the Chairman of the Political Committee. This political reform was highly targeted and effectively removed the positions of Jiang Jieshi as Chairman of the Central Executive Committee, Zhang Jingjiang as Acting Chairman of the Central Executive Committee, and Tan Yankai as Chairman of the Political Committee. The Plenary Session elected nine new members of the Central Executive Committee: Wang Jingwei was ranked first, followed by Tan Yankai, Jiang Jieshi, Sun Ke, Gu Mengyu, Tan Pingshan, Chen Gongbo, Xu Qian, and Wu Yuzhang. The Central Political Committee had 15 members, including the nine elected above, plus six additional members: Song Ziwen, Song Qingling, Chen Youren, Deng Yandao, Wang Faqin, and Lin Zuhán. The left-wing Kuomintang members and Communists held the majority in both bodies, while right-wing figures such as Hu Hanmin, Zhang Jingjiang, Wu Yahui, Wu Chaoшу, and Ding Weifeng were excluded from the Central Political Committee. The restructuring of government institutions focused on preventing individual authoritarianism. The position of the Chairman of the National Government was abolished, and 28 members of the National Government were elected. Wang Jingwei, Tan Yankai, Sun Ke, Xu Qian, and Song Ziwen were appointed as Standing Committee members, implementing collective leadership. Jiang Jieshi retained his position as Commander-in-Chief of the National Revolutionary Army but was stripped of other important posts. Furthermore, commanders of various armies and field commanders were appointed or dismissed by the Military Commission upon recommendation from the Central Executive Committee, and the Commander-in-Chief could not act unilaterally. If the Commander-in-Chief wished to issue a mobilization order, he had to consult the Military Commission in advance. In foreign relations, there was also a regulation to restrain Jiang Jieshi: except for officials responsible for foreign affairs, no other officials, especially military leaders, were allowed to make public statements on foreign relations. It was specifically emphasized that "any direct or indirect contact with imperialism would result in expulsion from the party." The Plenary Session also passed a resolution declaring the elections of the Party Committees in Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Guangzhou invalid. These Party Committees had previously been reorganized by Zhang Jingjiang and Chen Guofu, and this resolution weakened Jiang's local faction. The debate over relocating the capital was finally settled: Jiang Jieshi had deliberately stirred up this prolonged controversy, revealing his blatant personal ambitions, which was undeniable. However, he was indeed a shrewd strategist, and his willingness to provoke this conflict stemmed from...