Why did Mao Zedong recommend "Huang Qiong's Biography" and "Li Gu's Biography" to his old comrades-in-arms?

When I was sorting out the books that Mao Zedong had read and illustrated in the annotation circles during his lifetime, in the mid-1960s, when Mao Zedong was reading the line-bound book of the Later Han Dynasty, he wrote a commentary on the cover of the 21st sub-volumes of the book from volume 91 to volume 94: "Huang Qiong's biography of Li Guchuan", "Send it to Liu, Zhou, Deng, and Peng Yi to read it", and "Send it to Comrade Chen Yi to read".

The two sets of annotations that Mao Zedong put on the cover of this volume were written in the same time period, before August 30, 1965. The meaning of these two sets of annotations is that the staff should send the "Biography of Huang Qiong" and "Biography of Li Gu" in this volume to Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, and Peng Zhen, the four central leading comrades, for a reading. The biographies of Huang and Li in this volume read by these four leading comrades were sent for reading in accordance with the procedures for circulating documents by the central authorities. Zhou Enlai was read on August 30, 1965, and the other three leading comrades and Chen Yi did not indicate the time of reading on the cover of this book, but all left different signs of reading. Liu Shaoqi drew a "circle" on the word "Liu" to indicate that he had read it; Deng Xiaoping drew a "diagonal line" on the word "Deng" to indicate that he had read it; Peng Zhen wrote the word "read" below the word "Peng," and Chen Yi drew a "horizontal line" after the word "send Comrade Chen Yi to read" and then wrote the three words "Chen has read."

Why did Mao Zedong want the four leading comrades Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, peng Zhen, and Chen Yi to read the "Biography of Huang Qiong" and "The Biography of Li Gu" in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty?

First, it is because the "Book of Li Gu to Huang Qiong" mentioned in the "Biography of Huang Qiong" and "The Biography of Li Gu" is "a good article" as mentioned. At the same time, there are many remarks and texts full of materialist and dialectical ideas in the second biography of Huang Qiong and Li Gu, which are worth reading.

Huang Qiong (86–164), a native of Xia'anlu (present-day Hubei) in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was extremely dissatisfied with the dark society of the late Eastern Han Dynasty and refused to become an official. In the second year of Emperor Yongjian's reign, he was again requisitioned by the imperial court. He walked to the road, but hesitated, saying that he was sick and refused to go. At this time, Li Gu, who had always admired Huang Qiong, gave Huang Qiong a letter of repair, which Mao Zedong later called "Li Gu to Huang Qiong". This letter enlightened Huang Qiong from two aspects, on the one hand, criticizing the arrogance of the celebrities at that time; on the other hand, it targeted many celebrities at that time who were not worthy of their names, so that they were easy to be attacked. The letter exhorted and admonished Huang Qiongcheng: "... If you are an assistant to the government and the people, now is also the time. Since the birth of the people, good governance has been less and more vulgar. He will wait for the king of Yao Shun, and this is the eternal time for the zhishi. It is often said: 'Those who are in a position to be sick are easy to lack, and those who are in a slump are easy to be defiled'. The song of "Yang Chun", and the one who will be widowed, under the fame, in fact, it is difficult to match... It is the old saying that the virgin is pure theft. May Mr. Li spread this far and wide, so that everyone will be impressed, and this will be heard in the snow. This letter and the second biography of Huang Qiong and Li Gu are also full of materialistic and dialectical thoughts. For example: "If you are poor and high, you are in danger, if you are full, if you overflow, if you have a surplus, if you are short, if you move in the middle of the day," "those who make the table will be evil, and those who are clear from the source will be exposed to the flow," "To make the world easy with people, to make it difficult for the world," and so on. It is recorded that Mao Zedong read these words at a Politburo meeting. He believes that "Li Gu's Book to Huang Qiong" is "a good article as far as ideological articles are concerned." Good books, good articles, full of materialism and dialectical thought, he not only loved to read, read and read, but also used to give them to other central and state leading comrades to read. "Huang Qiong's Biography" and "Li Gu's Biography" are all very interesting to him, and he also loves to read them. Therefore, he personally wrote on the cover of the book what was sent to the above leaders to read.

Second, it is intended to advocate that Huang Qiong and Li Guneng attach great importance to major state affairs and social security, regardless of personal fame and fortune and official positions, be upright and outspoken, and advise the monarch on the way of dedicating himself to the people, so as to establish a healthy atmosphere among leading cadres who are good at listening to various different opinions.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, foreign relatives and eunuchs fell in love with each other and competed for dictatorship and power. The two sisters of the great general Liang Ji were Emperor Shun and Emperor Huan's empress, and Liang Ji monopolized the government and was arrogant and arrogant. During the reign of Emperor Shun, Huang Qiong was twice recommended to the imperial court as an official, and after Huang Qiong came out as an official, he often wrote to advise Emperor Shun, and the criticisms and suggestions he made were mostly adopted. After The death of Emperor Shun, Liang Ji and Empress Liang successively established Emperor Chong and Emperor Qian, and the reign of both emperors was short. Later, Emperor Huan li proposed to praise Liang Ji, saying that Liang Ji's merits could be compared with that of the Duke of Zhou. Huang Qiong was not afraid of Liang Ji's power, and in the crowd echoed, only he resolutely opposed it. He cited Xiao He, Huo Guang, and others as examples, believing that "rewards must be meritorious deeds, and the lord does not cross the morality", and Emperor Huan accepted this opinion. In the seventh year of Yongxing, Huang Qiong was seriously ill. Before his death, he still wrote a direct message: The saints are above the people, headed by virtue and righteousness; when it comes to endangering state power, the sages are regarded as the main force; the heavens are not in the name of benevolence and righteousness, and the sages are not the main force in doing things, which finally leads to subversion and the extinction of the Han dynasty' national unity. His Majesty listened to the rumors, causing the lieutenants Li Gu and Du Qiao to be loyal and outspoken, and they died as a virtue auxiliary government. Huang Qiong also slandered and advised in this way for the sake of the Han Dynasty, which shows his loyalty to the country and the king.

Li Gu was also a man of the Han Shun Emperor's time, "less studious, often walking to find a teacher, not far away." So he studied the tomb and befriended the wise men. People with lofty ideals from all over the world come to learn from their winds. Li Gu repeatedly wrote to Emperor Shun of Han, advising him to carefully select officials and assist him in rectifying the imperial program and setting an example for the world. He said, "He who watches the song will be evil, the source will be pure, the tree will be knocked, and the hundred branches will move." During the reign of Emperor Qian, Li Gu was appointed chancellor. After he took office, "all of his yellow eunuchs were reprimanded, and the world was salty and looked forward to Suiping, while Liang Ji guessed that every one was jealous of diseases." After Emperor Qian's death, Li Gu believed that Liu Garlic, the king of Qinghe, was old and virtuous, and wanted to support him as emperor. In a letter to Liang Ji, he wrote: "It is said: 'It is easy for the world to be easy with people, and it is difficult for the world to gain'." Liang Ji did not listen to Li Gu's advice, but instead established his brother-in-law Li Wuhou as Emperor Huan. Li Guhou was framed and killed by Liang Ji and died at the age of 54. Li Gu's two sons were later killed, and the younger son changed his name to become a hotel guy, and was later appointed by the imperial court as a parliamentarian, and died after two years in office.

In addition to the main reasons for the above two aspects, is there any relationship with psychological factors such as making friends with books, meeting friends with books, and connecting friends with books, and passing on and exchanging ideas, opinions, cognitions, opinions, thinking, and thinking that old friends want to say in their hearts but have not said them for a while, and have not had time to say them yet? The author believes that it should be related. Using reading books to carry out psychological communication, inspire thinking, inspire each other, and carry forward the right style and healthy trends, this is a unique method of communication between old comrades-in-arms adopted by Mao Zedong under specific historical conditions.

(The author is a librarian in Mao Zedong's later years and former director of the Bureau of Veteran Cadres of the General Office of the CENTRAL Committee)