Part 9 - How Chiang went to Moscow
So, how did Chiang come to lead this delegation to Moscow?
It must be kept in mind that one of Dr. Sun’s key problems was that he was ‘ever in need of qualified military personnel’.
When Dr. Sun had first attempted a northern campaign in 1922, Chiang was opposed, arguing instead that first they must consolidate control in Guangdong before making plans for any northern expedition. Chiang said that he faced ‘unceasing provocation and jealousy from certain quarters’ and so he decided to leave for Shanghai.
Less than two months later, Chen Jiongming launched the coup and attempted assassination against Dr. Sun in Guangdong, while Chiang was safely in Shanghai!?!
So, when Chiang finally arrived to see Dr. Sun after his escape to the warship, ‘for one and half months Chiang was in close attendance on Sun’ – attempting to earn his trust, and to dispel some of his doubts about Chiang.
“As none of the party leaders remained on board the Yung-feng, it appears likely that the two men had a unique opportunity to establish a close relationship and their association seems to have been unmarred by bickering or interpersonal tensions.” [The Early Chiang Kai-shek, by Pichon Loh,pg. 72]
After accompanying Dr. Sun back to Shanghai, Chiang immediately left for Ningpo, and Chiang only returned to Shanghai for a few days, where he wasn’t able to see Dr. Sun, but where he did visit his friend, Chang Ching-chiang. Chiang again returned to Shanghai in October, when Dr. Sun would appoint him chief-of-staff under Hsu in Fukien province. Within a month of arriving, Chiang was ready to quit and leave, even after Dr. Sun wrote him that:
“What rubbish you talk! Since I could not go to Fukien myself, I have entrusted you with the responsibility of punishing the traitors. How could you so quickly think of giving it up like that? Things do not happen as we wish eight or nine times out of ten. Success always depends upon your fortitude and persistence, your disregard of jealousy and hard work. If you give up when there has been no progress within ten days, then you will never succeed in doing anything.”
Chiang left Fukien to return to Shanghai, but after 3 weeks he reluctantly returned, and after another 3 weeks he left again, refusing to serve under Hsu.
Back in Shanghai, Chiang wrote to Liao Chung-kai that:
“he mildly reproached Sun for his ‘overly rigid views’, which, Chiang said, had rendered it difficult to ‘manipulate’ otherwise malleable elements in Chinese politics.
Rather than insisting on its own narrowly-defined positions and expecting others to fall in line, the Kuomintang should, he suggested, make it possible to effect working relationships with all factions, or nearly all, provided they did not contradict or detract from the immediate objective of the party.
As long as this central objective—presumably Kuomintang primacy in the power matrix—was kept inviolate, all other issues could be relegated to positions of secondary importance and compromise should be possible … Which should come first for the party—principle or power? … Chiang recommended as the ‘easiest’ and ‘quickest’ means of reaching their objective, was for the Kuomintang to emphasize political power over party principle.” [The Early Chiang Kai-shek, by Pichon Loh, pg. 79 - 80]
For Chiang it was always about power, first and foremost.
However, the reply expressed disagreement, and the view that Kuomintang leadership felt that Chiang’s place was in the military. Chiang was named as one of the thirteen members of the Military Council, and Dr. Sun appointed him chief-of-staff to Dr. Sun’s own headquarters. Again, Dr. Sun was ‘ever in need of qualified military personnel’.
But Chiang refused to go, and after fruitless meetings and urgings, Chiang was permitted to resign both his positions of chief-of-staff – to Hsu and to Dr. Sun, but he kept his seat on the Military Council, and went to Guangdong.
In June, Dr. Sun again made him his chief-of-staff, but a month later Chiang resigned, again – on account of ‘misunderstanding and jealousy’, meaning that he was unable to work with others.
Chiang wrote that:
“he ‘did not have the natural gifts to be a staff officer’ and might better serve in a military post that allowed him ‘to act summarily without interference from anyone’. For the moment, he would prefer to be assigned to a mission of investigation to Russia, for ‘in my opinion there is nothing to which I can contribute’ in China. If such an assignment could not be brought about, then ‘I will be left with no alternative but to take the negative step of attending to my personal affairs and well-being’.” [ibid, pg. 87]
Chiang would leave the party unless his demands were met, and he returned to Shanghai. A month later, Chiang was asked to a meeting to discuss the composition of the Kuomintang mission to the Soviet Union. Soon, Chiang (the spoiled brat) would be leaving for Moscow with Sheng Ting-i, Chang Tai-lei and Wang Teng-yun.