Scenes 41 to 60
Zhang Xueliang personally flies an airplane from Xi’an to Luochuan.
Zhang Xueliang stands with his back to the door when Regiment Commander Gao enters. Zhang immediately shouts at him angrily because he did not die on the battlefield as he had promised him before the battle, but let himself be taken prisoner and now even dares to come back. Gao answers that he only came back for the good of Zhang and his army and to report to him what he has seen and heard in Northern Shaanxi.
Two soldiers [who obviously were sent to guarantee Commander Gao’s safety] want to rush into the room, but they are stopped by a third soldier standing next to the door.
Ding Li and Wang Yizhe are waiting in the room next door. They can hear Zhang accusing Gao to be taking sides for the CCP and threatening him. Ding, though, says Zhang and Gao will arrange everything between themselves and they should not interfere.
Zhang shouts that he will have Gao executed, who asks him to allow him finish speaking first. Then Gao holds a passionate speech, recalling Jiang Jieshi’s unwillingness to fight against Japan and Zhang’s responsibility for the loss of Manchuria, in order to convince Zhang to cooperate with the CCP. After he has finished, he kneels down and asks to be executed saying that even in death he will stay loyal to the Northeastern Army and the only thing he regrets is that he cannot offer his life in a more meaningful way on the soil of his home Manchuria. Zhang is deeply moved and finally forgives him.
Soldiers of the Red Army are returning from a battle, among them Zhou Enlai and Peng Dehuai.
Mao Zedong and Li Kenong are discussing military strategies when Zhou Enlai and Peng Dehuai come in. Li tells them the good news that Zhang came to Luochuan personally to make contact with the CCP and wishes to have talks with either the chairman or the vice-chairman. They decide that Zhou Enlai will meet with Zhang personally in Yan’an, but Zhou’s safety must be guaranteed. Then they mourn their comrade Liu Zhidan (刘志丹) who has died in combat.
Liu Zhidan’s death is shown.
The Treasure Pagoda Hill in Yan’an is shown.
Zhou Enlai and Li Kenong ride to Yan’an on horseback. At a crossing they are greeted by Zhang Xueliang’s adjutant Zhao who takes them to the city where Zhang Xueliang is waiting for them.
Zhang Xueliang and Zhou Enlai are chatting while they walk into the church together with Li Kenong and Wang Yizhe. Zhou refers to Zhang’s earlier habit of opium smoking. Zhang states that since he gave it up he feels much better. Zhou suggests that since he thus has proved to be able to change already once, he would be able to change also this time. Inside the church Ding Li is waiting for them already. When Zhou recites a line of a poem written by Zhang which expresses his grief over the loss of his home country, Zhang assures him that he has not forgotten the death of his father and the humiliation of not fighting the Japanese in Manchuria. Zhou says that the past cannot be changed, but that it is more important to look ahead and he believes that in the current situation Zhang will be able to achieve something. Then they all sit down to start talking.
The guards fail to stop a car which drives through the gate quickly. It stops in the court and Director Li gets off. He enters the building where he meets Zhang’s wife who tells him Zhang is lying in bed with a fever. Li says he thus will come back early in the next morning and leaves.
Zhang Xueliang, Zhou Enlai and Li Kenong are discussing how to defeat the Japanese. Zhou stresses that without democracy, the people will not be mobilised. What is needed is an appeal to patriotism. Communism, on which their opinions differ, is secondary to this. Zhang does not agree on the CCP's policy to oppose Jiang Jieshi, though. As Jiang’s military power is immense, it would be best to get him on board. Zhou Enlai says that his party has already cooperated with Jiang during the Northern Expedition and would do that again, but it would not be easy to get Jiang to change his policy. Still Zhang believes that he will be able to persuade Jiang. Then they plan how to come to a territorial arrangement.
The phone is ringing. When Li picks up, he is reported that Zhang Xueliang went to the North by plane, but it is still not clear who else was on the plane with him. Li gives orders to find this out immediately.
After finishing their talks, the Communists and Zhang Xueliang with his men assure each other of their friendship and drink together. When Zhou Enlai goes to the window and opens it, the red sun is rising already.
Jiang Jieshi is discussing with the staff of the ministry how to handle the uprising of several warlords that is underway in Guangdong and Guangxi. He also asks whether there are any news from Yang Hucheng and Zhang Xueliang in Xi’an. Thus, Zheng Guangqing is brought in. He reports that Yang and Zhang are in secret contact with the CCP. To prove this he shows Jiang the anti-Japanese pamphlet “Huo Lu” which he says was written by one of Zhang’s subordinates and printed by the 17th Route Army (which, though, is Yang Hucheng’s army). Jiang doubts this proof since Zheng cannot tell whether in the end it was put out by Zhang’s or Yang’s men and orders him to first investigate the matter further.
Director Li is in a room with a prostitute. Zheng Guangqing comes in and makes her leave the room because he has to talk to Li. He tells him that it is clear now that Zhang Xueliang’s adjutant Zhao is an underground member of the CCP. Right now he is in the Northwest Hotel, attending a secret meeting. Li gives the order to capture Zhao, even though he is one of Zhang Xueliang’s men. By doing this he hopes to find out more about Zhang’s trip to Yan’an. Still, he prefers that the provincial party should officially be responsible for capturing Zhao.
Several men wearing civilian clothes rush out of the gate.
Adjutant Zhao is holding a meeting with a group of students. They talk about the resistance against Japan and Zhao tells them that Zhang Xueliang sympathizes with their cause.
The men that were leaving the party committee’s building before, now enter the hotel.
| previous next | back to top |