Chapter 234: Diary Publication 1

Early spring 2014, Yanjing.

In an unremarkable traditional courtyard house, sunlight filtered through a newly green persimmon tree and fell on the bluestone floor. This is the archive room of the National Political Consultative Conference Cultural and Historical Data Research Committee, preserving many precious historical manuscripts.

Eighty‑year‑old senior researcher Zhao Mingyuan slipped on white gloves and carefully lifted a stack of yellowed notebooks from the safety deposit box. The notebook covers are dark‑blue cloth, the edges worn to reveal the cardboard beneath. He opened to the first page, where neat fountain‑pen script met his eyes:

"1914, Berlin. Today I bid farewell to Anna; she entrusts Nian'an to my hands. I now travel ten thousand li, not knowing when I shall return to Europe. Yet the nation's crisis looms, I must return…"

Zhao Mingyuan's hand trembled slightly. As a historian, he has studied Li Yuxuan's life for thirty years, yet seeing these original diaries with his own eyes still stirred him deeply.

"Professor Zhao, the publishers have arrived," assistant Xiao Liu whispered.

In the conference room, editors from several major publishing houses and a few historians were already seated. On the table lay the freshly compiled The Diary of Li Yuxuan (1914-1959).

"After three years of collation, textual criticism, and annotation, General Li Yuxuan's forty‑five diaries can finally be published," Zhao Mingyuan began. "These diaries begin with his studies in Germany in 1908 and continue through his 1959 amnesty. They span the early Republic, the Northern Expedition, the Anti‑Japanese War, the Civil War, and the early Huaxia period, constituting priceless primary sources for twentieth‑century Chinese history."

A middle‑aged editor raised his hand and asked, "Zhao Lao, in publishing the diaries of such a complex historical figure, are there any sensitive passages that need to be handled?"

"We adhere to the principle of 'presenting as is, with objective annotation'," Zhao Mingyuan adjusted his glasses. "General Li Yuxuan's life is indeed complex—he was that person's confidant and also a Famous Anti‑Japanese General. He opposed the civil war yet stood with the Kuomintang. After the transformation of Gongde Forest, he devoted his later years to Cross‑Strait peaceful unification. This complexity is precisely the authentic face of history. Our notes will supply historical context, allowing readers to judge for themselves."

"Any new discoveries in the diaries?" another scholar asked.

"Too many," Zhao Mingyuan opened the sample volume. "For example, during the 1937 Soochow–Shanghai Campaign, he recorded in detail the National Army's unit deployments and combat situations, many of which are absent from official battle reports. He also described, in 1947 while governing the Southeast, how he covertly protected underground Party members and orchestrated uprisings within certain Kuomintang units. Most importantly, the diaries reveal the inner struggle of a person caught in the torrent of history—the conflict between love for the nation and loyalty to an individual."

The conference room fell silent, save for the sound of pages turning.

Three months later, The Diary of Li Yuxuan was officially published. Its deep‑blue cover with gold‑stamped title piled into small hills in the history sections of major bookstores.

A week after the diary's release, the internet erupted with heated discussion.

On Weibo, the hashtag #Li Yuxuan Diary# surged into the top three of the trending list. Prominent history blogger "Brief History Whisper" posted a long Weibo:

"Just finished The Diary of Li Yuxuan, and my feelings are mixed. This man is so contradictory—he taught that person, yet remained loyal to his Young Master. He held Wusongkou for seventy days during the Anti‑Japanese War, but secretly aided the Republic during the Civil War. In his later years he called for Cross‑Strait unification, yet until death he still called that person 'Young Master'. How should we evaluate him?"

I recalled a passage from his diary: 'I have spent my life struggling between loyalty and righteousness. Loyalty to a single person is easy; loyalty to a nation is hard. Maintaining minor proprieties is easy; discerning the great trend is hard. Now I am old, finally understanding that the torrent of history cannot be stopped; I only wish for national rejuvenation and Cross‑Strait reunion.'

Below that Weibo, comments quickly surpassed ten thousand:

@Huangpu Descendant: My grandfather was in the fifth class of Huangpu; he said Director Li was the most respected officer by all students. During the Anti‑Japanese War he went to the front lines himself; when artillery shells landed ten meters from the command post he never retreated. Such a person should not be simplistically labeled.

@Materialist Historical View: History must be viewed dialectically. Li Yuxuan's contributions in the Anti‑Japanese War are concrete; in the Jinling Defense Battle he saved at least fifty thousand civilians. Yet he indeed served the Kuomintang for most of his life. Merit is merit, fault is fault.

@Taiwanese Bro: In Taiwan's textbooks, Li Yuxuan is labeled a "traitor general" because he eventually defected to the Communists. But my grandfather says General Li spent his later years trying to promote Cross‑Strait talks; he truly hoped for Huaxia unification.

@Red Heritage: Don't forget, he protected many underground agents! My great‑grandmother was rescued by him from a Kuomintang prison. Historical figures are not simply black or white.

@History Department Student: I'm writing a graduation thesis on Li Yuxuan. His diaries offer a new perspective on internal Kuomintang contradictions—turns out even at the top, many people...

Meanwhile, Zhihu also featured a hot question: "How should Li Yuxuan's life be evaluated?"

A highly praised answer came from an anonymous user, said to be a history professor:

"Li Yuxuan is a typical 'transitional figure'. He was born in 1890, grew up during the late Qing and early Republic transition, studied abroad in Japan and Germany, received modern education, yet was deeply influenced by traditional notions of loyalty and righteousness. This duality runs through his entire life."

During the Anti‑Japanese War, when the national contradiction rose to the primary contradiction, his modern state consciousness and national awareness emerged, enabling him to become a Famous Anti‑Japanese General. In the KMT‑CCP Civil War, his traditional loyalty made it hard to abandon the Young Master, yet his modern state view led him to oppose the civil war and protect his compatriots. This conflict tormented him for most of his life.

Only in his later years, after the transformation of Gongde Forest, did he truly complete his ideological shift—from loyalty to an individual to loyalty to a nation, from party rigidity to a patriotic heart. His late‑life call for Cross‑Strait unification was not political opportunism, but a centenarian's summation of a lifetime of experience.

That answer received over thirty‑thousand upvotes.

On Bilibili, several Uploaders began producing videos about Li Yuxuan's life. The most popular video was titled: "Contradictory General Li Yuxuan: He taught that person, yet remained loyal to his Young Master. He is an Anti‑Japanese hero, yet a War Criminal." The video interspersed historical footage, diary excerpts, and expert interviews, and its view count quickly surpassed one million.

The barrage of comments was dense with:

"Salute to the Anti‑Japanese hero!"

"History is so complex!"

"He must have suffered greatly in his later years, two loyalties fighting each other."

"Those who call him a traitor, look at how many National Army soldiers died in the Soochow–Shanghai Campaign."

"Regardless, he protected many ordinary people."