Northwest Years 西北岁月 Episode 31

There are rumors that Xi'an is the capital of 13 dynasties, which is auspicious for anyone, but it is an ominous city for Hu Zongnan, because 20 miles south of Xi'an is Zhongnan Mountain, which means Zhongnan shortcut, but Hu Zongnan doesn't believe it at all.

Li Maotang, director of the Investigation and Statistics Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee of the Kuomintang, came to Hu Zongnan and believed that whether it was rumors or the Communist Party's means, the Kuomintang was indeed doomed and the government was also collapsing. So he suggested that Hu Zongnan consider Hanzhong as a range of considerations. This place can be attacked or defended. Once the situation is reversed, it can go north to Qinling Mountains and regain control of the northwest. If the situation is gone, it can also go south to Bashu, which is easy to defend.

As the New Year is approaching, Liu Zhidan's wife Tong Guirong and Qi Xin are making dumplings, and revealed to them that Zhang Guang, a reporter from the Masses Daily, is pursuing her daughter and wants her to help her come up with an idea. It happened that Zhang Guang accompanied Liu Lizhen back to celebrate the New Year. Xi Zhongxun knew this young man very well and admired him greatly. Liu Lizhen was also preparing to go to the Northeast to study medicine. Everyone happily celebrated the New Year and looked forward to the future.

From March 5 to 13, 1949, the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Xibaipo. The meeting resolved a series of major policy issues for the Chinese Communist Party to win the final victory of the democratic revolution and the transition from the new democratic revolution to the socialist revolution. This was a meeting of far-reaching historical significance for the Chinese Communist Party to lay the foundation for the establishment of New China.

After the meeting, Zhou Enlai mentioned the two big troubles of Suiyuan and Taiyuan. Seeing that the Taiyuan battle was imminent and Xu Xiangqian was seriously ill, Mao Zedong arranged for Peng Dehuai to go to Taiyuan to command the front-line operations. Peng Dehuai took this opportunity to make a request, hoping that two corps could cooperate in combat, cross the Yellow River to the west, and have a final decisive battle with Hu Zongnan and the two Ma.

In addition, Mao Zedong asked He Long to participate in the second negotiation on the Suiyuan issue, and He Long readily agreed. Xi Zhongxun also attended the Xibaipo Conference and reported to Mao Zedong on the governance issues after the liberation of the Northwest, pointing out the multi-ethnic characteristics of the Northwest. Mao Zedong supported the implementation of policies tailored to local conditions in the Northwest.

Xi Zhongxun then wrote a letter to Qi Xin in person. He was delighted to find that Qi Xin had given birth to a daughter. He Long knew that Xi Zhongxun was going to visit his father-in-law, so he added some money for him to buy more gifts. He Long told Xi Zhongxun that he had dealt with Qi Houzhi before. Although he was a member of the Kuomintang, he had cultivated three Communists, and as a counselor of General Fu Zuoyi, he contributed to the peaceful liberation of Peking.

The next morning, Xi Zhongxun visited his father-in-law Qi Houzhi early. When the father-in-law and son-in-law first met, the atmosphere was a little awkward. Fortunately, the eldest daughter Qi Yun was there to ease the atmosphere from time to time. Soon, the two discussed the current situation. Xi Zhongxun talked about it and had a clearer direction and view on China's future, which was to liberate all of China and establish a new China where the people are truly the masters of their own country. He also asked Qi Houzhi for advice on the governance experience of the new China.

After meeting his father-in-law, Xi Zhongxun returned to Yan'an to visit his newly born daughter and his wife Qi Xin. The couple loved each other very much. They were both husband and wife and comrades-in-arms. They worked hard for the common revolutionary ideals and understood that revolution was for everyone, marriage was for the small family, and the small family was part of everyone. Only when everyone was well, the small family would be more solid.

On the other hand, the Kuomintang frequently lost cities, which made Hu Zongnan very angry. He immediately convened many senior officials for a meeting. Because Chiang Kai-shek called and asked Hu Zongnan's troops to unite with the two Ma in the northwest to defend Xi'an and the Qinling defense line, Hu Zongnan could only obey orders. Now Yulin City is short of supplies and people's hearts are floating. Deng Baoshan defected to the Communist Party and Zuo Xiezhong wavered in his position. Therefore, Xu Zhijia wanted to lobby the other party, but Zuo Xiezhong insisted on staying in Yulin City.