『大東亜戦争への道』（展転社）
中村 粲
その４９ 第十二章 国共内戦と西安事件 第３節 西安事件
x 人民戦線戦術の最大の成果は昭和１１（１９３６）年１２月に起きた西安事件でしょう。これは、醸成されつつあった国共合作の気運を一挙に具体化し、日支対決によって自己の再生を図ろうとする中共のかねてからの策謀を現実化し、かくして盧溝橋事件への直線道路を準備したものとして、重大な歴史的意義を有するものです。
昭和１１年ころ、西遷を終えた陝西省の中共軍は極めて微弱な兵力でしかありませんでした。その中共が起死回生の策として採用したのが、下士官の赤化でした。当時陝西省で掃共戦に従事していた張学良麾下の東北軍は、満州事変以来、故地に戻ることができず、やむなく関内に駐留を続けてきた軍隊であるため、望郷の念と抗日気運は激烈でした。この心理を巧みに突いた共産党の「中国人は中国人を撃たず」「一致抗日」などのスローガンは、東北軍兵士の内部に深く浸透していきました。
部下と周囲が左傾するにつれて、張学良も動揺して行ったのは宣伝力の大きさを示すものです。張は昭和１１年夏ごろ、延安で周恩来と秘密に会談し、「共同抗日」の条件として、共産軍を国民政府軍に改編する、共産党は一切の闘争を停止するなど１０項目の合意に達し、その実現への努力を固く約束したと言います。
昭和１１年１０月下旬、蒋介石は張の掃共戦を督励するために西安に飛びましたが、その頃はすでに東北軍の掃共戦は事実上停止されていたのでした。
事件は、１２月１２日早朝に起きました。東北軍将校率いる一隊が、西安東方の温泉地・華清池に滞在中の蒋介石を逮捕し監禁したのです。西安城内では、楊虎城の軍隊が、憲兵隊と警察を襲撃して武装解除しました。その夜、張学良と楊虎城は全国に通電し、南京政府を改組して各派の参加を許し、ともに救国の責任を負うこと、一切に内戦の停止など８項目の主張を発表しました。中国国内では、激しい張学良非難の世論が起こりました。張学良は苦境に追い込まれ、共産党に救援を求めました。周恩来、楊剣英らが西安に到着、８項目の要求堅持と早期の平和解決が合意されたと言われます。２２日には、宋美齢がドナルドらと西安にやってきて共産党との面談をしました。２５日、張学良は蒋介石の釈放を決定し、楊もこれに同意し、蒋介石は飛行機で西安を離れ、翌日南京帰還しました。
軍事委員会軍法会議は学良に徒刑１０年、公民権剥奪５年の刑を課しましたが、四日後に蒋介石の要請で特赦されました。
蒋介石が釈放されたのはなんらかの交換条件を約束したためであろうと推測されていますが、蒋介石はそれを否定し、真相は謎のままとなっています。
西安事件は内戦停止、一致抗日へ方向転換させ、第二次国共合作を促進する契機とはなりましたが、必ずしもそれはスムーズに進んだわけではありませんでした。第二次国共合作が実現したのは、盧溝橋事件２か月半後の昭和１２（１９３７）年９月２３日のことでした。
・その４９，第１２章３節 日本語原文： https://hassin.org/01/wp-content/uploads/Road49.pdf
・ 〃 第１２章２節 英訳文： https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Road49E.pdf
令和７年１２月２３日
「史実を世界に発信する会」 会長 茂木弘道
協力者代表：神奈川大学教授 小山和伸
THE ROAD TO THE GREATER EAST ASIAN WAR
Nakamura Akira, Dokkyo University Professor Emeritus
(English Translation: Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact)
Part 49, Chapter 12: Chinese Civil War and the Xi’an Incident – 3
It is very likely that the most successful application of the Popular Front strategy was the Xi’an Incident of December 1936. It has considerable historical importance because it (1) crystallized the growing momentum toward cooperation between the GMD and the CCP, and (2) brought to fruition the CCP’s scheme to revive itself through a confrontation between China and Japan, thus paving the way for the Lugou Bridge Incident.
By the time CCP completed their westward migration in 1936, their forces were an extremely feeble army indeed. The CCP’s last-ditch plan was to adopt a communization operation that involved indoctrinating lower-ranking Nationalist soldiers. The Northeast Army troops under Zhang Xueliang (deputy commander in chief of the Northwest Bandit Suppression Headquarters) had been participating in communist sweeps in Shaanxi province. Since the outbreak of the Manchurian Incident, they had been unable to return to Manchuria, their homeland. Instead, they were compelled to remain in the North China heartland. Therefore, homesickness and anti-Japanese sentiment were extremely intense among them. The CCP toyed with their emotions with slogans like “Chinese do not shoot Chinese.” “United against Japan,” and “Let us fight our way back to Manchuria.” These rallying cries gradually ensconced themselves in the minds of the Northeast Army troops.
Zhang Xueliang began to waver as his subordinates and others in his milieu leaned politically to the left. Unsettled by communist psychological warfare, Zhang made overtures to the CCP. He met secretly with Zhou Enlai in Yan’an in the summer of 1936. The two men arrived at an agreement on 10 conditions for joint resistance to Japan, which they promised to make every effort to satisfy.
In late October of 1936 Chiang Kai-shek flew to Xi’an to supervise and invigorate Zhang Xueliang’s communist suppression campaign. However, by that time the Northeast Army’s anti-communist activities had effectively ceased.
The incident occurred in the early morning of December 12. A group headed by a Northeast Army officer arrested and imprisoned Chiang Kai-shek, who was staying at Huaqing Hot Springs, a resort east of Xi’an. In Xi’an proper, Yang Fucheng’s troops attacked and disarmed military and civilian police officers. That evening Zhang Xueliang and Yang Huchen sent a telegram containing eight proposals to destinations all over China. Among the demands were: reorganize the Nanjing government so that members of other parties might participate and stop all civil wars.
The Xi’an Incident sparked strong public criticism against Zhang Xueliang within China, which in turn prompted the Nationalist government to punish him. Chiang Kai-shek had refused to acquiesce to any of Xueliang’s demands. Eventually, Xueliang requested support from the CCP and dissolved the Northwest Bandit Suppression Headquarters. To comply with CCP demands, he formed the Provisional Northwest Military Council of the Anti-Japanese United Forces. Subsequently, Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying and other CCP officials arrived in Xi’an, where they reportedly agreed to adhere strictly to the eight proposals, and to arrive at an expeditious peaceful resolution. Finally, on December 22, Soong Mei-ling (Chiang’s wife) and Australian William Donald (personal advisor to the Chiang family) arrived in Xi’an. On December 25, Zhang made the decision to release Chiang Kai-shek, to which Yang agreed.
The CCP argues that Chiang promised to end civil warfare and join in resisting Japan. But the Nationalist government insisted that Chiang’s release was unconditional. The truth is not likely to ever see the light of day.
The Xian Incident — a major driving force that transformed the Chinese civil war into a war against Japan – was an event of crucial significance in the modern history of East Asia.
URL: https://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/2406
PDF: https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Road49E.pdf
Moteki Hiromichi, Chairman
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact