Zhu Shaoliang

Chu Shao-liang (Chinese: 朱紹良; pinyin: zhū shào líang) was a general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China.

In 1935, he was hand picked by Chiang Kai-shek as the commander-in-chief of the Third Route Army for exterminating the (communist) bandits. It was during this time that Zhu Shaoliang was the first to receive the prices offered to anyone helping the capture of the communist leaders during Long March: On September 7, 1935, Chiang Kai-shek sent a Zhu Shaoliang a most wanted list for their communist enemy via telegraph, including the rewards for assisting their capture:

• Mao Zedong: 100,000 dollars in silver for anyone capturing him alive, 80,000 dollars in silver dead
• Zhu De: 100,000 dollars in silver for anyone capturing him alive, 80,000 dollars in silver dead
• Peng Dehuai: 60,000 dollars in silver for anyone capturing him alive, 40,000 dollars in silver dead
• Lin Biao: 60,000 dollars in silver for anyone capturing him alive, 40,000 dollars in silver dead
• Zhou Enlai: 50,000 dollars in silver for anyone capturing him alive, 30,000 dollars in silver dead
• Bo Gu: 50,000 dollars in silver for anyone capturing him alive, 30,000 dollars in silver dead
• Any communist commanders and cadres with divisional rank or higher: 30,000 dollars in silver for anyone capturing him alive, 20,000 dollars in silver dead

Zhu Shaoliang faithfully passed this information to every soldier and civilian under his reign but failed to capture any communists on Chiang's list, despite the attractive reward: the monthly living expense for an adult in 1935 in western China was only a single dollar in silver and reward for capturing Mao Zedong and Zhu De was equal to the monthly expense that would last 8,333 years and 4 months. Mao and other communists were rather happy when they learned the reward because it proved that they were still a formidable enemy to Chiang and as an insult to Chiang and Kuomintang, Zhang Wentian suggested that the communists would put out a reward for the capture of Chiang: ten cents.

References

1. Cahoon, Ben. "China Provinces and Administrative Divisions". www.worldstatesmen.org. World Statesmen. Retrieved 13 October 2015.