Fading Gunsmoke (A Firsthand Account by Fang Jing, a Senior General of the former Kuomintang)

Author: Fang Zhijin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Twenty years of military service, summoned six times by Chiang Kai-shek, finally becoming the true elite of the Whampoa elite; seventeen years of imprisonment, released in the sixth batch of amnesties, embarking on a new life and enjoying a happy later years. The personal experiences, observations, and anecdotes of Mr. Fang Jing are highly legendary, revealing many little-known historical facts anding the true scenes of history. A trusted associate of Chen Cheng's closest generals, his firsthand accounts of being summoned six times by Chiang Kai-shek are incredibly legendary! This book is compiled based on Fang Jing's oral testimony. Fang Jing's experiences provide a glimpse into the true state of the Nationalist Party's army. The book details Fang Jing's thirty years of military service, not merely as a prelude to the theme, but as having significant historical value. Moreover, some of Fang Jing's firsthand experiences and anecdotes are important events little known to many, deeply thought-provoking, and far from being a dull biography. The plot described in the book is extremely intricate and legendary, yet it is all based on specific facts, making it highly realistic and engaging.
In September, when surrounding Xu Chongzhi, Chiang Kai-shek used the assassination of as a pretext to send the Whampoa student army to surround Xu Chongzhi's residence in Dongshan, Guangzhou, the headquarters of the Guangdong Army. That afternoon, while the machine gun company commander was returning to the barracks from the regiment headquarters, he handed Fang Jing a bundle of red armbands and instructed him to lead the second company to act at night, with the mission of blocking the main gate of Xu Chongzhi's residence. Fang Jing had no connection with Xu Chongzhi, but he was a man who cherished tradition. He had spent four or five years in the Guangdong Army and had always respected Xu Chongzhi as his high commander. Now, he didn't know what crime he had committed, yet he was ordered to take up arms against the commander. He felt reluctant. However, "a soldier's duty is to obey orders," so he had no choice but to carry out the command. He sent someone to Xu's residence to quietly summon the commander's guard battalion commander and warned him, "Now the Whampoa student army has surrounded the residence, and I have been ordered to block the exit with machine guns. It seems the situation is hopeless! Tonight, you must not make any rash moves, or we may be forced to open fire, and stray bullets might injure the commander." The guard commander, seeing the unfavorable situation, had no choice but to agree to remain inactive.
That night, after the encirclement was formed, Xu Chongzhi realized what had happened and called Chiang Kai-shek to question him. Chiang refused to answer the phone and only had his staff. Xu Chongzhi realized he could not escape being forced out of office and stopped pleading with Chiang. He then ordered the gates to be opened and sat in the living room, smoking a large pipe with a resigned expression, as if leaving everything to fate. Fang Jing kept watching from outside and believed that Xu Chongzhi remained calm in the face of danger, maintaining the demeanor of a great general; refusing unnecessary resistance, he was also considered shrewd. Since he was like this, a violent clash and bloodshed would not occur, and he breathed a sigh of relief in secret.
Later, Chiang Kai-shek sent the to arrest eight of Xu Chongzhi's trusted associates: Liang Hongkai, Zhang Guozheng, Yang Mailong, and Liang Shifeng. On September 20, Chiang Kai-shek sent a letter in person to Xu Chongzhi,saying that Xu was indecisive and unfit to lead an army, obstructing the reorganization of the troops, and demanding that Xu go to Shanghai for "rest" for a period of time. Xu Chongzhi had been under house arrest for many days and was well prepared, so he left Guangzhou by ship with Chen Mingshu, who was sent by Chiang Kai-shek to guard him.
As for the eight trusted associates of Xu Chongzhi who were arrested, Chiang Kai-shek treated them differently: five were ordered to "raise funds to atone for their crimes," while Zhang Guozheng, who had once competed with Chiang Kai-shek for the position of military commander in the Guangdong Army and harbored a grudge, was executed along with Liang Shifeng and Yang Mailong. After the incident, people discussed, believing that Xu Chongzhi had followed Sun Yat-sen, the Great Marshal, for many years and had made great contributions in his campaigns south and north. Chiang Kai-shek forcing him out of office with the threat of violence was perhaps too harsh; and asking those arrested to "raise funds to atone for their crimes" was almost the same as kidnapping by bandits. P9-10