Scenes 1 to 20

Before the actual beginning of the movie, the comment tells us what happened to generals Yang Hucheng (杨虎城) and Zhang Xueliang (张学良) after the Xi’an incident:

Even though a long time has passed, the comment says, Yang Hucheng’s name is still in the hearts of the people. After the incident, he had to leave the country, but returned to China after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war to join the resistance movement. However, he was arrested by Jiang Jieshi (蒋介石) immediately, together with his family. His wife Xie Baozhen (谢葆贞) died in prison in 1947. In 1949, shortly before the founding of the PRC (People’s Republic of China), Yang Hucheng was murdered together with his younger son and a daughter by the GMD (Guomindang). (The stabbing is shown while the commentator talks).

Then we see Zhang Xueliang, first as a young man, then grown old, sitting next to his wife at a lake angling, while the comment tells us that after the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an incident Zhang accompanied Jiang Jieshi back to Nanjing. Nevertheless, the latter arrested him immediately, and he would remain under house arrest for over 50 years.

We see pictures of famous places in Xi’an, accompanied by dramatic music.

A horse car drives along a lively street and stops in front of Yang Hucheng’s residence. [Yang Hucheng is commander of the 17th route army and “pacification commissioner” of Shanxi in Northwest China. He is usually stationed in Xi’an but presently is in Nanjing where the GMD’s Fifth National Congress is to be held].

Tian Wenhao (田文浩), a confidant of Yang Hucheng’s, gets off the car and enters the building together with two men wearing uniform. There he is received by Yang Hucheng’s wife, who tells him that her husband has guests at the moment and asks him to wait next door.

Yang and his two guests are talking about the prices for buying votes for the upcoming GMD elections, his guests telling him that they have risen recently. Yang is rather taken aback by the high prices.

Yang’s wife makes tea for Tian Wenhao. She tells him that recently her husband’s mood has not been the best and that he is really looking forward to seeing Tian.

Yang sees off his guests, who again assure that they will do what they can for him [to buy votes]. When he comes back into the house, his employee tells him that Tian Wenhao is waiting.

Yang comes in and greets Tian Wenhao very kindly. He asks his wife to tell the employees that if any one should asks for him they should say that he was not at home. When Tian asks who the two guests were, Yang tells him that, formally speaking, they are local officials from Shaanxi, but in reality their job is to buy and sell votes for the upcoming GMD’s Fifth National Congress (五全大会). He says that he, too, thought about buying himself a position in the party in order to retire from actual work and lead a comfortable life. Then he asks whether Tian has met [Nan] Hanchen (南汉宸). Tian affirms this and gives Yang a piece of paper he has brought for him from Hanchen. It is a manifesto by the Red Army demanding to put an end to the civil war and to instead resist Japan. After reading it, Yang says that he fully supports the CCP (Chinese Communist Party)’s demands, but points out that if they are to be put into practice, much would depend on the Northeastern Army (东北军) and their general Zhang Xueliang’s attitude. Tian states that the Communist Party is willing to work together with Zhang, but Yang has doubts whether Zhang will ever cooperate with the CCP, because he is under Jiang Jieshi’s influence. Nevertheless Tian thinks it might not be impossible that he will change his mind, given the fact that he suffered serious defeats recently after his transfer to the Northwest.

Zhang Xueliang is angry because he has just heard that he will not get any reinforcements for his troops after their defeat. [Zhang Xueliang is second only to Jiang Jieshi in the GMD military hierarchy and commander of the Northeastern Army originally stationed in Manchuria, but now transferred to the Northwest of China]. His wife [actually his favourite concubine] Zhao Shi (赵媞) comes in to tell him that it is time for him to change his clothes [to get ready for the Fifth National Congress of the GMD]. He tells the soldier he just talked to to leave and says that he will take care of the matter of reinforcement personally after the Congress of the GMD. While Zhang is changing, his wife tries to calm him, arguing that Jiang will not let him down.

Jiang Jieshi is holding a speech in which he defends his policy of appeasement towards Japan. He says that China is not prepared to fight against Japan yet and that even though the territories north of the Yellow River are lost now, they can be won back later. He says that the Communists have to be eliminated first and that this goal will soon be accomplished. Many in the audience yawn, but at the end of the speech all duly applaud; only Zhang Xueliang seems to feel uncomfortable.

Zhang Xueliang receives a phone call. He hears that the 109th division of his army in Northern Shaanxi has been encircled by the Red Army. He gives orders to break the encirclement with full force and to inform him about the situation any time.

The Northeastern Army is fighting against the Red Army. The situation is hopeless for the Northeastern Army, the soldiers are trying to escape, and many are killed. Regiment Commander Gao [Fuyuan] (高福源) wants to shoot himself but fails because his arm with which he holds the gun is hit by a bullet.

Zhang receives another phone call telling him that the 109th division is destroyed and the division commander was killed. His wife tries to calm Zhang.

Mao Zedong arrives at the Communists’ camp on horseback. Alongside the way we see some wounded soldiers of the Red Army carried on stretchers and many troops of the Northeastern Army who have been taken captive.

Mao Zedong hears from Red Army commander Xu Haidong (徐海东) that also this division of Zhang Xueliang’s has been destroyed. Leading CCP cadres Peng Dehuai (彭德怀) and Zhou Enlai (周恩来) who have arrived with Mao agree with him that this battle is very important because it might help to change Zhang Xueliang’s mind and thus contribute to the resistance against Japan. The Northwest now has the chance to become the centre of anti-Japanese resistance.

He Yingqin (何应钦), minister of war of the Nanjing government, and Yang Hucheng with Tian Wenhao are coming out from a meeting. They talk about the 109th division and the situation in Northern Shaanxi. He Yingqin assures Yang that he will speak to Jiang Jieshi personally on Yang’s behalf [who thinks about retiring from actual work by an only nominal position in the party]. After Yang and Tian have taken their leave, they get on a car. Tian Wenhao remarks that now that another of Zhang Xueliang’s divisions is destroyed, he probably would not be in the right mood to have dinner with Yang on the next evening [to which Yang has invited him to sort out his thinking].

Song Meiling holds a party. Many of the guests are foreigners whom she greets in English.

Four cars are leaving the government building. Zhang Xueliang and Jiang Jieshi are in one of the cars. Jiang explains to Zhang that he has to be strict with him this time and cannot give his troops any reinforcements after his having lost in battle again, but if Yang Hucheng should retire and leave the Northwest, his 17th Route Army could be transferred to Zhang.

When Jiang Jieshi and Zhang Xueliang, whose car has arrived, come in, Song Meiling greets Zhang kindly. Jiang tells her that she should entertain Zhang because his mood is not the best. Thus, she introduces him to a group of American starlets and Zhang chats with them in English.

A female voice is singing in the background. While Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng are having dinner, their wives watch the beautiful scenery of the lake at dusk. Yang tells Zhang not to be too worried; victory as well as defeat has always been part of the life of a general. But Zhang is depressed because his army suffered great losses and Jiang not only would not give him reinforcements but even reduced his responsibilities. Yang is surprised since he assumed Zhang was sooner or later to take back the Northeast (Manchuria) again. Zhang, though, says that he does not have a home to go back to (having been forced by Jiang to give up Manchuria), but he neither wants to “hang around” in the Northwest.

Soldiers of the Northeastern Army who have been taken captive are lining up in front of a cadre of the Red Army who is sitting at a table. They are called to the table one by one and receive some money to return to their homes. They all thank the cadre several times; some of them are deeply moved. One even says that if he did not have to take care of his old mother he would stay on with them.

Regiment commander Gao has watched the scene from the window of his cell. Communist Li Kenong (李克农) comes in with another person wearing uniform. They ask him whether he is Commander Gao of the 619th regiment and some more questions about his military record and his relationship to Zhang Xueliang, but he does not give any answer and turns away from them.

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