In 1965, during his visit to Africa, General Chen Yi inadvertently uttered a sentence that caused a great reaction, and even Premier Zhou was angry when he heard the news, and asked Chen Yi: "Who gave you the power?" The staff were silent on the sidelines, and they had rarely seen Premier Zhou so angry. So what's the hidden part of that? What did Chen Yi say? We'll talk about that today.
In the early 1960s, due to the domestic waste and economic difficulties, the relations between China and the Soviet Union became increasingly tense, and the Capitalist countries such as the United States and Japan also suppressed and blockaded New China, so our situation was very grim. In order to improve the international situation and promote the stable development of the domestic economy, the mainland has decided to take diplomatic action in Asia and Africa. In 1958, due to Premier Zhou's heavy workload, Chen Yi began to formally take charge of foreign affairs. In April 1963, with the close cooperation of Chen Yi and Premier Zhou, more than ten countries, including Congo, Tanzania, Central Africa, Zambia and Benin, have successively formed friendly relations with China, and New China's idea of peaceful diplomacy has been recognized by all countries, and the status of New China in the world has also been continuously improved. However, there must be a mistake in The Hundred Secrets, and Chen Yi inadvertently "made some mistakes" in his investigation of Asia and Africa.
Because of a sudden military campaign in Algeria at that time, according to the predetermined plan, Premier Zhou was supposed to go here to attend the Asian-African Conference. Premier Zhou is a careful person, and after seeing this situation, he also thought about it, "What is the purpose of this military activity, whether there is any intervention by international forces, and what is the internal situation?" "Thinking of this, Premier Zhou sent a telegram to China in Cairo, asking for a temporary change in the schedule of visits, because our diplomatic principle is not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, it is obviously inappropriate to go to Algiers now. The domestic side understood at a glance and agreed to Premier Zhou's request, who stayed in Cairo and waited, while also transferring Chen Yi to Algiers to observe the development of the situation.
After Premier Zhou put forward the diplomatic idea of "seeking common ground while reserving differences" at the Bandung Conference, China's influence in the Asian and African regions has also become greater and greater. Chen Yi is a proud and cheerful man, a well-known "cannon barrel", looking at the anxious appearance of foreign friends, he said without hesitation: "This Asian conference must be done well!" Chen Yi's words surprised everyone, the media around the world have expressed their views, and some Asian and African countries also have great hopes for the Asian-African summit, but in fact, the situation in Algiers is tense, and the meeting did not go according to plan. In other words, Chen Yi lost his word, which had a certain negative impact on the image of New China in the world, and Premier Zhou was even more angry when he found out.
In fact, as soon as Chen Yi opened his mouth, he knew that he had said the wrong thing, because his decision was, first, without domestic consent, and second, it violated Premier Zhou's instructions. When Chen Yi saw premier Zhou returning to Beijing from Cairo, he was very remorseful and rushed back to Beijing to admit his mistake. As soon as Chen Yi arrived at the West Flower Hall in Zhongnanhai that day, he heard Premier Zhou throwing a tantrum inside. This frightened Chen Yi, who had known Premier Zhou for many years and had never seen Premier Zhou so angry. As Chen Yi walked toward the office, he muttered, "I'm here to admit my mistake, I'm here to admit my mistake." When the staff at the door saw Chen Yi, they all whispered hello, after all, Premier Zhou rarely made such a big fire. Chen Yi was also uneasy in his heart, but he quickly calmed down, he was a bright and upright person, naturally had the courage to take on this responsibility, Chen Yi straightened his chest and shouted without hesitation: "Premier, I am coming." ”
As soon as Premier Zhou heard Chen Yi's voice, he took a few steps forward, glared at him, and said, "Whoever gave you the power, you have no organization and no discipline!" Chen Yi knew that Premier Zhou was really angry, he immediately admitted his mistake, and then straightened his waist and said in a deep voice: "I'm sorry, it was my mistake, please punish me!" Premier Zhou has always been well aware of the great righteousness, but this matter cannot be resolved by admitting mistakes, and he shouted: "As a Foreign Affairs Officer in China, you express your own opinions without permission. It's about our international image! ”
"It's my fault, I'll reflect on it!" Chen Yi's voice raised a few points again. When Premier Zhou heard this, he was even more angry, turned to Chen Yi and yelled, "You should admit your mistakes to the state!" The staff outside did not dare to say a word, they were still the first time to see Premier Zhou so angry, Chen Yi was also dazed, and his heart was full of guilt. Premier Zhou also felt that his tone was a bit heavy, so he relaxed, bowed his head and said to Chen Yi seriously: "Diplomatic affairs are different from other things, every word and deed must have international influence, and our words and deeds must be cautious." As soon as I came from the Cairo airport, I reported this matter to the country, and you dared to express your views without reporting or asking for instructions in Algiers. ”
Chen Yi understood Premier Zhou's kindness, lowered his head, and said: "I want to profoundly review with the state" That night, Chen Yi's review book was on the desk of the mainland leader. After Chen Yi left, Premier Zhou took a serious look at the staff around him and said in a deep voice, "You don't have to worry, if I don't talk about him, who will dare to talk about him in the future?" Some people may ask, is Chen Yi's diplomatic skills debatable? Or is he just an aide to Premier Zhou? In fact, chen Yi, as a foreign minister recognized by many senior officials, has achieved remarkable diplomatic achievements. When Chen Yi was not yet foreign minister, he accompanied Premier Zhou to the Bandung Conference.
At that time, because of the interference of the West and the differences in the systems of the participating countries, many resolutions could not be unanimously agreed upon by all parties, and at this critical juncture, Premier Zhou made a sonorous and forceful statement saying that all countries demanded to reserve differences and seek common development, which also made the representatives of all countries present deeply feel it. If this is just a small episode in Foreign Affairs, then after he became Minister of Foreign Affairs, his handling of Sino-Japanese relations is enough to prove his outstanding diplomatic ability. When Japan's foreign minister came to China in October 1959, relations between China and the United States were very tense and Sino-Japanese relations were cold, but China's leaders realized that in order to develop, it was necessary to gradually establish ties with capitalist countries, and Japan was also a very important factor.
At this meeting, Mr. Chen Yi said that we hope that China and Japan can maintain peaceful and friendly relations, and welcome Japanese non-governmental organizations to visit China and strengthen exchanges between the two sides, but at that time there was basically no contact between the two peoples. Therefore, Chen Yi took a unique approach and proposed "Go diplomacy," taking Go, which china and Japan are very good at, as the starting point, and gradually expanding people-to-people exchanges between the two sides by borrowing the way of Go. In the following years, Chinese and Japanese chess players will communicate frequently, and over time, the friendship between China and Japan will be deepened. Chen Yi's unique "Go diplomacy" has undoubtedly laid a good foundation for the thawing of Sino-Japanese relations, and has also provided a useful reference for ping-pong diplomacy.
In the spring of 1969, some changes took place in Sino-Soviet relations, and when Chen Yi received the news, he immediately summoned three marshals, Ye Jianying, Xu Xiangqian, and Nie Rongzhen, to a meeting to discuss the international situation. Chen Yi made it very clear at the meeting: "The world situation is complicated, but the struggle between the three forces of China, the United States and the Soviet Union is the core. The contradiction between China and the Soviet Union is greater than the contradiction between China and the United States, and the contradiction between the United States and the Soviet Union is much greater than the contradiction between China and the Soviet Union. The conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union can be used strategically, and the relationship between China and the United States must be opened. Chen Yi accurately grasped the situation and seized this historic opportunity, and three months later the Chinese and American delegations held talks again, establishing a good foundation for Nixon's visit to China.
It can be said that Chen Yi did make outstanding contributions to diplomatic work, and some of the diplomatic methods he adopted at that time seem to be a very valuable experience today. So when Premier Zhou talks to Chen Yi like this, will their revolutionary friendship be damaged? The answer is of course not, chen yi and premier Zhou's deep friendship has always run through each other's lives. Since Chen Yi and Premier Zhou first met in Linchuan on August 2, 1927, the two have formed a deep friendship, and in the years of common struggle, Premier Zhou also agrees with Chen Yi's working style and work attitude.
In 1955, when the mainland began to implement the rank system, some comrades believed that Chen Yi was already in an important position and was not suitable for awarding him the rank of marshal. It was Premier Zhou who stepped forward at a critical juncture, and under the lobbying of Premier Zhou, chen Yi's military rank was finally recognized by all personnel, and in the following diplomatic activities, Chen Yi also cooperated with premier Zhou to achieve very good results, greatly enhancing our international image. Chen Yi died in Beijing on January 6, 1972, and Premier Zhou was sad after hearing about it, when Premier Zhou was also seriously ill, but he ignored his physical discomfort and rushed to Beijing 301 Hospital overnight to send off this old partner who had accompanied him for more than 50 years. From these things, it is not difficult for us to see the deep feelings for the revolutionary martyrs of the older generation.