The Final Destination of the Central Committee Member of the Kuomintang. Volume 1. Upper and Lower

Author: Feng Chunlong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Jiang Jieshi: Died on Taiwan Island
Jiang Jieshi participated in the Xinhai Revolution in his early years and served as the () of the Whampoa Military Academy and the Chief Commander of the National Revolutionary Army. Later, he betrayed the revolution and established the Nanjing National Government. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he attended the Cairo Conference and became one of the "Four Big Leaders," elevating China's international status. After the war, he launched a full-scale civil war, lost the support of the people, and retreated to Taiwan Island. Jiang Jieshi (1887–1975), originally named Ruiyuan, styled Zhiqing, also known as Zhongzheng, and styled Cèzhì, was from Fenghua, Zhejiang. In his early years, he studied at the Baoding Military Academy and the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. In 1908, he joined the Chinese Alliance Society. After the Wuchang Uprising, he returned to Shanghai and served as the commander of the Shanghai Restoration Corps. In 1914, he joined the Chinese Revolutionary Party and, the following year, returned to China to engage in anti-Yuan Shikai activities. In 1919, he, along with Dai Jitao and Chen Guofu, opened the Shanghai Stock Exchange. In 1922, he went to the Yongfeng Ship to accompany Sun Yat-sen and served as the chief of staff of the Guangdong Army. In 1923, he was sent to the Soviet Union for military observation and, upon returning, became the () of the Whampoa Military Academy. The Whampoa Military Academy was a product of the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China. When considering the () of the academy, Sun Yat-sen had initially thought of Chen Qian and Xu Chongzhi. It was only later that Sun Yat-sen officially appointed Jiang Jieshi as the () of the Whampoa Military Academy and concurrently the chief of staff of the Guangdong Army. Sun Yat-sen served as the school's (), and (Liao Zhongkai) as the party representative, making them the highest leaders of the school's headquarters. The academy enrolled over 500 students but developed rapidly, reaching over 20,000 by March 1927. Jiang Jieshi, throughout his life, revered Wang Yangming, the Ming Dynasty governor of Jiangnan, and Zeng Guofan, the late Qing Dynasty governor of Jiangnan. "Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism" and the "Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues" were his fundamental ideology and ethical concepts. At the Whampoa Military Academy, Jiang Jieshi acted entirely according to these principles. On October 30, 1924, he distributed a copy of the "Supplementary Sayings of Zeng and Hu on Military Strategy" to every student and teacher. Jiang Jieshi ruled the army strictly, emphasizing hierarchy and discipline, and strove to build personal authority to establish an army loyal to his family. At the Whampoa Military Academy, he did his utmost to cultivate personal power. He established the Whampoa Alumni Association, with himself as the president, and all alumni were members. He stipulated that all association affairs were to be subordinate to the president, with subordinates absolutely obeying superiors. In name, Jiang Jieshi was impartial, but in reality, he formed cliques and consolidated his power. The Jiangxi system, the source of his power, originated from the Whampoa Military Academy. The most famous figures in this system were known as the "Eight Great (Jingang) of Whampoa," including He Yingqin, Gu Zhutong, Qian Dajun, Jiang Dingwen, Chen Cheng, Chen Yinji, Liu Zhi, and Zhang Zhizhong. On March 12, 1925, Sun Yat-sen passed away. Before Jiang Jieshi, there were his superiors in the military, such as the Minister of War Xu Chongzhi, and in the party, figures like Wang Jingwei, Hu Hanmin, and Liao Zhongkai were far more experienced and could not match him. Unexpectedly, Jiang Jieshi's fortunes changed. In August 1925, Liao Zhongkai was assassinated. Jiang Jieshi and Wang Jingwei formed an alliance, drove Hu Hanmin out and ousted Xu Chongzhi, dividing power between them. Later, Jiang Jieshi forced Wang Jingwei to leave the country. On January 22, 1926, at the first session of the second National Congress of the Kuomintang, he was elected as a standing member of the Central Executive Committee. He was later consistently elected as a standing member of the Central Executive Committee in every subsequent National Congress. On March 1926, Jiang Jieshi orchestrated the Zhongshan (Zhongshan Ship) Incident, marking the beginning of his anti-communist stance. Through the "Rectification of Party Affairs," he stole the highest power of the Kuomintang. In April, the Central Committee of the Kuomintang and the National Government jointly appointed him as the chairman of the Military Council. In July,