In August 1961, Chairman Mao said in a conversation with his defender Zhang Xianpeng in Lushan: "I have three major aspirations: First, I want to decentralize one year to engage in industry, one year to engage in agriculture, and half a year to engage in commerce, so that I can investigate and study more and understand the situation.
Second, it is necessary to ride horses to the banks of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River for field investigation. I lacked knowledge of geology, and I had to ask a geologist, a historian and a writer to go with me.
The third is to write a book at the end, write my life, write my shortcomings and mistakes, and let the people of the whole world evaluate whether I am a good person or a bad person. ”
Chairman Mao said so, and indeed did so.
Chairman Mao
After 1961, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Peng Zhen and almost all other Politburo members went down to the grassroots level.
However, when it was Chairman Mao's turn to go down to the grass-roots level, it was difficult, and the first thing that bore the brunt of Chairman Mao's security was Chairman Mao's security.
Wherever Chairman Mao goes, the enthusiasm of the masses of the people cannot be extinguished, and if Chairman Mao really goes down to the grass-roots level to work or conduct research, I am afraid that he will only be greeted by a batch of people.
For example, on February 14, 1953, when Chairman Mao was inspecting Wuchang, Chairman Mao temporarily changed his itinerary to see the old site of the Yellow Crane Tower.
The sudden arrangement caught the staff off guard, and when Chairman Mao came to the site of the Yellow Crane Tower, he came to a vendor's stall to inquire about his business.
Chairman Mao was quickly recognized by a little girl next to her, and she cheered excitedly: "Chairman Mao! Chairman Mao! ”
This immediately attracted the nearby crowd, and as soon as it was passed on to ten, ten to a hundred, the enthusiastic crowd immediately surrounded the Yellow Crane Tower.
Chairman Mao shook hands with them one by one in response to the enthusiasm of the masses, but there were too many people who followed them, and as the encirclement became smaller and smaller, Chairman Mao's space was compressed to the point where there were security risks.
At that time, Chairman Mao was accompanied by Chen Yi, Luo Ruiqing, Yang Shangkun, and Wu Jingtian, who, like the four great Kongs, protected Chairman Mao to the death and kept the enthusiastic crowd out of the safe range, so that they could barely escort Chairman Mao out of the crowd.
After leaving, Chen Yi jokingly said, "Obediently, I almost can't get off the Yellow Crane Tower today!" ”
In 1953, Mao Zedong talked to a small trader.
However, chairman Mao could not get down not only the Yellow Crane Tower, as long as he was recognized by the masses, he could not get down anywhere.
On August 13, 1958, Chairman Mao inspected nankai and Tianjin universities, and Chairman Mao temporarily changed his itinerary and wanted to go to the Zhengyang Spring Restaurant for a meal.
When the meal was halfway through, Chairman Mao was recognized by a woman, who could not hide her excitement and shouted, "Long live Chairman Mao!" ”
The whole street was immediately drawn to them, and the road in front of the restaurant was suddenly black and crowded with excited people.
"Long live Chairman Mao!" Slogans rose and fell, and Chairman Mao opened the window to wave to the masses downstairs.
This was a temporary trip, and no manpower was arranged in advance, there were so many people downstairs, it was certainly not safe to rush down, Chairman Mao was blocked upstairs for more than three hours, until the support sent by the garrison arrived, and then safely escorted Chairman Mao away.
With these things as a lesson for the future, it is bound to be impossible for Chairman Mao to work at the grassroots level.
If we want to ensure Chairman Mao's safety, we must make arrangements in advance for everything, but once this happens, what is the point of going down to the grassroots level?
Not only did it lose its original meaning, but it also increased the cost of defense out of thin air, so Chairman Mao's wish had to be abandoned.
Chairman Mao's second wish was to ride a horse to the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and in April 1962, Chairman Mao first set out to prepare for the Yellow River.
At that time, Chairman Mao's confidential secretary Gao Zhi was about to be transferred to work in the West Bank, so Chairman Mao took this opportunity to let Gao Zhi prepare him for the Yellow River.
However, this year, Chairman Mao did not go to the Yellow River, and the main reason was that his work was too busy to be able to get out of his body.
By 1963, Chairman Mao had revived the matter with Gao Zhi, but it had not been done. Whether it was the "Four Qings" movement in the countryside or the "Five Antis" movement in the cities, Chairman Mao had no time to take care of other matters.
In 1964, Chairman Mao was very determined to go to the Yellow River for a walk, and the Central Guard Bureau had already formed a cavalry team under Chairman Mao's instructions. In August, Chairman Mao rode his green horse once in Beidaihe.
Everything was ready, and when Chairman Mao gave the order, he would be able to fulfill his wish to inspect on horseback by the Yellow River.
However, until the end of the year, Chairman Mao still did not start the plan to inspect the Yellow River, and then reluctantly disbanded the cavalry, and soon after Chairman Mao's mount also died of illness.
In August 1964, Chairman Mao rode his mount for the last time in Beidaihe
In 1965, Gao Zhi, who had been waiting for Chairman Mao to inspect the Yellow River, asked Chairman Mao about this matter, and Chairman Mao sighed and said, "I am also a little too ambitious, I want to ride a horse along the Yellow River, but I can't get out of my body, and I have not been able to do as I wish..."
Like Chairman Mao's second wish, his wish to write an autobiography was never fulfilled because he was too busy with his work.
Chairman Mao has always fought for the motherland all his life, he has given almost all his time to the motherland and the people, and compared with the aspirations of the whole nation, Chairman Mao feels that his wishes are insignificant, so he deeply covers up his personal wishes.
Even in the last moments of his life, Chairman Mao did not put his work down.
According to Chairman Mao's last day's nursing records, Chairman Mao still read the documents as many as eleven times in extreme pain, for a total of two hours and fifty minutes.
In this way, Chairman Mao left us on September 9, 1976 with three unfinished wishes, which became the biggest regret of the second half of his life.