Tang Xiaoxian: Wu Zhihui pleads for Miao Bin

Tang Xiaoxian: Wu Zhihui pleads for Miao Bin Phoenix City Tang Xiaoxian No. 1, Xinsheng Road, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is a deep house compound with towering iron gates, surrounded by high walls, and green...

Phoenix City Tang Xiaoxian

No. 1 Xinsheng Road, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is a deep house compound with towering iron gates, surrounded by high walls, and shaded by green trees. The locals call it Miao Mansion. The original owner was Miao Bin, the first traitor to be publicly tried and executed by the Nationalist Government after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. In the 1950s, Miao Mansion was used as the guest house of the Wuxi Municipal Government's Communication Office. Mei Lanfang also stayed here when he performed in Wuxi. Later, Miao Mansion was renamed as China International Travel Service. Wang Boxen, a college classmate of the author, served as the deputy manager of the branch. He once invited our alumni to have a tea party in a living room inside. The huge Miao Mansion has a combination of Chinese and Western architectural styles; the pavilions, terraces, pavilions, and rockery flower gardens in the courtyard are so beautiful. Miao Bin (1899-1946), courtesy name Bi Cheng, nickname Picheng, was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. His father, Miao Jianzhang, is the head Taoist priest of Xiyi Taoist Temple in Nanmen, Wuxi. Miao Daochang had two daughters and one son. His son was Liao Bin, so he was called the Little Taoist. Miao Jianzhang hoped that his son would succeed, so after Miao Bin graduated from middle school, he was asked to study in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Shanghai Nanyang Public School (the predecessor of Jiaotong University). However, Miao Bin's grades were poor and he barely graduated after being accommodated by the school. After leaving school, he went to Guangdong, was admitted to the Huangpu Military Academy, joined the Kuomintang, and gained the favor of Chiang Kai-shek. At the beginning of the Northern Expedition, Miao Bin served as the party representative of the instructor, and the instructor was Wang Boling. During the attack on Nanchang, the instructors were ambushed by the troops of warlord Sun Chuanfang. The troops collapsed, but Miao Bin escaped safely. Later, the Northern Expeditionary Army successively captured Wuhan, Hubei, and Nanchang, Jiangxi. Miao Bin went to Nanchang to see Chiang Kai-shek with uneasiness, but he was not deeply blamed. He was also appointed as the deputy party representative of the First Army. The army commander was Yingqin, and the party representative was Wang Jingwei. After the establishment of the Nanjing National Government, Miao Bin successively served as director of the Management Department of the Military Commission and director of the Management Department of the General Headquarters of the National Revolutionary Army. In 1929, Miao Bin used whatever means necessary to become a member of the Jiangsu Provincial Government and Director of the Civil Affairs Department. During his tenure, he sold his official positions wantonly and his reputation was ruined. He remitted the huge sum of illegally obtained money from Zhenjiang, the capital of Jiangsu Province, to Wuxi and built this mansion. Soon, Miao Bin's misconduct was exposed and verified by the Central Supervisory Office. He was dismissed from his post without investigation. Miao Bin, who was dismissed from his post, has been living at home for a long time. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he sold himself to the Japanese and became the vice president of the "North China New People's Association". Later, in Wang Jingwei's pseudo-National Government, he became the Vice President of the Legislative Yuan. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Miao Bin was sentenced to death by the Jiangsu High Court in Suzhou on April 6, 1946. Miao Bin was dissatisfied and appealed. During the appeal, Miao's wife Xiang Xiujin came to the house of Qian Sunqing, a very prestigious senior gentry in Wuxi, and asked Qian Sunqing to request Wu Zhihui to intercede with Chiang Kai-shek on his behalf. Qian Sunqing handed it over to his son Qian Zhonghan. Because Miao Bin had such a bad reputation, Qian Zhonghan hesitated, but Xiang Xiujin begged with tears, and he reluctantly agreed to accompany her, but she had to ask Wu Zhihui herself. Qian Zhonghan and Xiang Xiujin arrived at Wu Zhihui's apartment, and Xiang explained his intention. After hearing this, Wu Zhihui frowned and thought for a while, and said: "My relationship with Picheng means that I should write this letter for him. However, I considered that writing this letter may do him a favor and save his life, but it may also do him a disservice and cause him to die. Therefore, I can't make up my mind whether I should write this letter or not." After listening to Wu Zhihui's words, Xiang Xiujin still begged and said: "If you, old man, can write a letter, it will always be good for Picheng. There will never be any harm. Writing is better than not writing. Please write it!" Wu Zhihui finally wrote a letter of petition to Chiang Kai-shek for Miao Bin. The main idea of ​​the letter is: Miao Bin is indeed guilty and deserves to die. However, one of his sons died for the country during the Anti-Japanese War (his second son, Miao Hong, died fighting with the U.S. Air Force against Japan), and his mother was also old. I missed her mother and her son, so I spared his death. Shortly after this letter was sent to Chiang Kai-shek, Chiang ordered the Suzhou High Court to execute Miao Bin immediately. At 5:50 pm on May 21, 1946, Miao Bin committed suicide in Suzhou Prison.