Chairman Mao and Deng Xiaoping
A day shortly after the 1973 Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Chairman Mao and Deng Xiaoping chatted idly. After not long of talking, Chairman Mao suddenly asked Deng Xiaoping: "What will happen to China after I die?" ”
Deng Xiaoping thought about it for a long time, and after a long silence, he said: "We may repeat the mistake of 'warlord chaos and chaos in the world'!" Chairman Mao seemed to be very satisfied with Deng Xiaoping's answer and continued to ask Deng Xiaoping: "If such a situation really happens, how can it be resolved in advance?" ”
This time, Deng Xiaoping did not answer, only to see him swap the teacup on the tea table in front of him with Chairman Mao's teacup. Chairman Mao immediately saw the intention of Deng Xiaoping's move, only to see him smile and say, "What the hero sees is slightly the same!" ”
So, what is the significance of Deng Xiaoping's move to reverse the teacup? Why did Chairman Mao say that "what the heroes see is slightly the same"? This must begin with a major event with far-reaching influence, in which Chairman Mao presided over the reassignment of the commanders of the eight major military regions.
In December 1973, something very unusual happened in China. Four months after the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Central Military Commission issued an order: the commanders of the eight military regions in Beijing and Shenyang, Nanjing and Guangzhou, Jinan and Wuhan, and Fuzhou and Lanzhou were to be exchanged.
Commander of the Eight Military Regions
After the news came out, public opinion was in an uproar, which not only had a huge impact at home, but also triggered a lot of speculation in the international community. However, Chairman Mao's decision to make such a decision was not a whim, but a far-sighted plan, and the impact has not disappeared so far.
In August 1971, Chairman Mao personally inspected the PLA troops in central and southern China, and he found that there were many problems in the army that needed to be solved by him personally. For example, the commanders of many military regions have worked in their respective military regions for many years, and sometimes some personnel are difficult to transfer, which makes it difficult to implement the spirit of some central documents.
When Chairman Mao met with Liu Feng, political commissar of the Wuhan Army, he said an intriguing passage: "I do not believe that our army will rebel, and there are divisions and regiments below the army, as well as departments, government, and rear organs, and they cannot mobilize the army to do bad things." Of course, I also made a mistake, after the victory, I don't have much control over the affairs of the army, I have to manage the army, can't I command it just if I can build it? ”
As everyone knows, Chairman Mao has always attached great importance to the army issue, and his thinking on army building was also produced, formed, and developed in the practice of revolutionary war. The core content of Chairman Mao's thinking on the building of the people's army was the party's absolute leadership over the army, and in September 1927, Chairman Mao led the remnants of the autumn harvest uprising to carry out the "Three Bays Reorganization".
Three Bays Village
Today, in the Sanwan Village Sanwan Adaptation Memorial Hall in Yongxin County, Jiangxi Province, there is a historical record of the main contents of this adaptation:
1. The troops were reduced from one division to one regiment, called the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division of the 1st Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army; 2. Establish Party organizations in the armed forces at all levels, stipulate that Party groups be established in squads and platoons, Party branches in companies, and Party committees in battalions and regiments, and that all major issues of the armed forces must be decided through collective discussion by Party organizations; Third, a democratic system should be implemented within the armed forces, and soldiers' committees should be established at or above the company level, stipulating that officers and men should be equal and officers were not allowed to beat and scold soldiers.
About half a month after the reorganization of Sanwan, Chairman Mao came to the first company, personally recruited 6 party members, and also guided the company to establish the first company party branch in the history of the people's army, officially creating a precedent of "the branch being built on the company." Chairman Mao later mentioned the significance of the Sanwan adaptation again in his article "The Struggle at Jinggangshan":
"The Party's organization is now divided into four levels: the company branch, the camp committee, the youth league committee, and the Central Military Commission. The company has a branch, and the class has a group. The reason why the Red Army fought hard and did not collapse was that 'branches were built on companies' was an important reason. ”
Chairman Mao also attached great importance to the issue that in order to build a revolutionary contingent, it is first necessary to clarify the purpose of army building, and he put forward on many important occasions that "the people's army must practice the only purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly." On September 8, 1944, Chairman Mao attended the memorial service of Comrade Zhang Side, and he delivered a speech entitled "Serving the People."
Chairman Mao
At the beginning of his speech, Chairman Mao mentioned the great significance of the existence of the people's army:
"Our Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army under the leadership of the Communist Party are the ranks of the revolution. Our contingent is entirely for the liberation of the people and is thoroughly working for the interests of the people. Comrade Zhang Side is a comrade in our ranks. ”
Like Chairman Mao, Deng Xiaoping attached great importance to the army's problems. So, when Chairman Mao realized that there was a problem in the people's army and that it needed to be reformed, he thought of Deng Xiaoping, and there was the scene at the beginning of this article. From 1969 to 1973, Deng Xiaoping worked at a tractor repair plant in Xinjian County, Jiangxi Province.
On August 14, 1972, Chairman Mao gave important instructions to a letter from Deng Xiaoping on the 3rd of the same month. In accordance with the spirit of Chairman Mao's instructions, on March 10, 1973, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the Decision on Restoring Comrade Deng Xiaoping's Party Organization Life and the Post of Vice Premier of the State Council.
According to this decision, Deng Xiaoping resumed the life of the party organization and also restored the post of vice premier of the State Council. At this time, Premier Zhou's illness was quite serious, and Chairman Mao deliberately let Deng Xiaoping take on more work. On April 12 of that year, Deng Xiaoping made an official public appearance at Premier Zhou's reception welcoming Cambodian head of state, Prince Sihanouk, from Cambodia's liberated areas back to Beijing.
Chairman Mao and Deng Xiaoping
On December 12, 1973, Chairman Mao presided over a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee. At the beginning of the meeting, Chairman Mao said: "The Politburo wants to discuss politics. The Central Military Commission wants to discuss the army, not only the army, but also the government. The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became tense, and Chairman Mao looked around and said, "I have been thinking about it for a long time, but the commander of the Grand Military Region is still adjusted." ”
After speaking, Chairman Mao proposed that the members of the Politburo present sing "Three Major Disciplines and Eight Notes." After the song was sung, Chairman Mao took a sip of water and continued: "I advocate finding people from the major military regions and finding commanders to discuss anything?" Negotiate the army. I propose that a military question be discussed, in which the commanders of the various major military regions of the country move each other ... One person has been in one place for a long time, no. It's been a long time, and the oil has gone. There are several large military regions, the political commissar does not work, the commander makes a decision... The important problem is that the commanders of the military regions are transferred to each other, and the political commissars do not leave. ”
Chairman Mao also mentioned the commanders of the major military regions, and he believed that a person has been sitting in the local area for too long, staying for 20 years, and this will lead to negative factors. In the face of the inner doubts of the people at the scene, Chairman Mao added: "With regard to the issue of the opposite adjustment, I have been considering this issue for many years. ”
Chairman Mao, after speaking on the question of preparing for the mutual adjustment of the commanders of the major military regions of the country, announced an important decision:
"Now I have invited a military division, named Deng Xiaoping, to issue a notice and serve as a member of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission." The Politburo is in charge of all the party, government, military, and civilian studies in the east, west, south, and north. I want the Politburo to add a secretary-general, you don't want this name, then become a chief of staff. ”
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping, who had just returned, also attended the Politburo meeting. In order to let Deng Xiaoping go through bold work, Chairman Mao encouraged him: "People always make mistakes in doing work, and if you don't do work, you will not make mistakes, but if you don't work, it is also a mistake in itself." ”
After the adjournment of the meeting, all participants moved to the Great Hall of the People to continue the meeting, and Premier Zhou presided over the meeting. At the meeting, everyone unanimously agreed that Deng Xiaoping would attend the Politburo meetings and participate in the work of the Politburo as an observer, and as a member of the Politburo, he would be posthumously recognized at the Second Plenary Session of the Tenth Central Committee and replaced as a member of the Central Military Commission, and would participate in the work of the Central Military Commission and the Central Military Commission's working meetings.
More importantly, at the meeting, everyone unanimously agreed to the transfer of the commander of the Grand Military Region. The commanders of the major military regions were very important for the transfer, and all preparations were carried out in an orderly manner under the personal supervision of Chairman Mao.
On December 15, 1973, the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission jointly issued a top-secret level circular, requiring responsible comrades of major military regions to immediately enter Beijing and attend a meeting of the Central Military Commission held on the 18th. At the end of the top secret notice, a special sentence was also noted: "Please do not pass down the meeting, and Then Beijing will send a plane to pick it up." ”
On December 18, Premier Zhou and Ye Jianying first conveyed to the participants the spirit of Chairman Mao's instructions on the transfer of commanders of major military regions at a meeting of the Central Military Commission, so that everyone should be mentally prepared. Chairman Mao was also very concerned about the commanders of the major military regions, and these founding generals had made great achievements in battle.
Deng Xiaoping and Zhu De and He Long
Therefore, Chairman Mao decided to meet with his old comrades-in-arms who had been fighting on the battlefield for decades before the formal order was issued. Thinking back to how spirited these comrades-in-arms were back then, many of them are now white- On December 21, 1973, Zhongnanhai Fengzeyuan Juxiang Book House was particularly lively.
On this day, more than forty members of the Politburo, commanders of major military regions, and political commissars gathered together. Many people had not seen each other for many years, hugging each other and greeting each other, and Chairman Mao shook hands with them one by one. According to the recollection data, the personnel at the scene were very excited, especially when shaking hands with Chairman Mao, everyone rushed to inquire about Chairman Mao's physical condition, and the care and friendship between comrades-in-arms were vividly displayed at this moment.
Chairman Mao's first words warmed everyone's hearts, "I haven't slept all night, I want to see my comrades." After some greetings, Chairman Mao explained the significance of the military region commander's reversal, saying:
"The commanders of the eight major military regions are well adjusted, and people have stayed in one place for a long time, oiled, and it is not easy to accept new things. It's good to adjust it, there are dry revolutions everywhere. It is necessary to meet with military commanders, military political commissars, division commanders, and division political commissars, including the department, government, and rear organs, and one or two hundred people should meet and meet, and it is not good not to know each other, such as Chen Xilian in the northeast, who can take Li Desheng to the Shenyang Military Region to get familiar with them and introduce them to each other on the spot. ”
Chairman Mao was well aware of the scruples in the hearts of the commanders of the major military regions in front of him; after all, he wanted to change the work of another military region, and he used his hands as a metaphor: "These are the things in the world, and the heart should be broad and bold." Revolution, one is not right, nothing more than a batch. If you think about it, there are always some shortcomings, the relationship between one finger and nine fingers. ”
Chairman Mao
Chairman Mao also encouraged everyone to go to a new place, and when there is any difficulty in carrying out the work, do not be in a hurry, and everything will be fine. Chairman Mao also spoke humorously of this meeting with the commanders of the major military regions: "The emperor did not see the song of the song and the slaughter of thorns, and the eighty west came to fish for Weibin." I am exactly eighty years old and 'fished' you to Zhongnanhai. ”
At the end of the conversation, Chairman Mao smiled and said, "You Commander Chen, Jinan Yang, and Nanjing Xu have been in one place for too long. Li Desheng, Pi Dingjun, and Ding Sheng, not so long, you take the lead, the provincial military district, the military sub-district, and the People's Armed Forces Department will all do the same. The meeting lasted for more than two hours, and finally Chairman Mao asked everyone to sing "Three Disciplines and Eight Notes" again.
On December 22, 1973, the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China officially issued an order that the commanders of the eight military regions of Beijing and Shenyang, Nanjing and Guangzhou, Jinan and Wuhan, and Fuzhou and Lanzhou were exchanged. The commanders of the major military regions after the transfer are as follows:
Comrade Li Desheng is the commander of the Shenyang Military Region; Comrade Chen Xilian is the commander of the Beijing Military Region; Comrade Xu Shiyou is the commander of the Guangzhou Military Region; Comrade Ding Sheng is the commander of the Nanjing Military Region; Comrade Yang Dezhi is the commander of the Wuhan Military Region; Comrade Zeng Siyu is the commander of the Jinan Military Region; Comrade Han Xianchu is the commander of the Lanzhou Military Region; Comrade Pi Dingjun is the commander of the Fuzhou Military Region.
To interject here, because Yang Yong, commander of the Xinjiang Military Region, Wang Bicheng, commander of the Kunming Military Region, and Qin Jiwei, commander of the Chengdu Military Region, have held their posts for a relatively short time, these three people have not been adjusted. In the face of the requirements of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman Mao, the commanders of the Eight Military Regions did not hesitate at all and resolutely followed the requirements of "no more than 10 attachés and no more than 10 days of time" and quickly took up their new posts.
Deng Xiaoping
There is no doubt that the transfer of the commanders of the Eight Military Regions embodies a major measure taken by the party Central Committee and Chairman Mao to ensure the party's absolute leadership over the army and the country, and this is of great historical significance to China's long-term peace and stability. Deng Xiaoping had a profound understanding of the transfer of the commanders of the Eight Military Regions, saying: "This is because Mao Zedong knew very well the art of leading the army, that is, no leading cadre of the army was allowed to have a regiment or a sphere of influence. ”
On January 5, 1975, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China officially issued Document No. 1, appointing Deng Xiaoping as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China and chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Faced with complex and thorny problems, Deng Xiaoping carried out a drastic rectification and gradually put all work on the right track.
Deng Xiaoping was particularly concerned about the issue of the army, which he regarded as one of the breakthrough points in his work. On January 25 of that year, Deng Xiaoping attended a meeting of cadres at and above the level of the organs and regiments of the General Staff Department, and while affirming the achievements made by the army, he clearly proposed to carry out rectification and reform.
On June 24, 1975, an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission was held in Beijing, and Deng Xiaoping formally began to rectify and reform the army. Because Deng Xiaoping took appropriate measures and reflected the strong demands and aspirations of the vast number of commanders and fighters of the whole army, the work of promoting the work was carried out quite smoothly and was praised by Premier Zhou.
Deng Xiaoping
In late October 1975, Premier Zhou was terminally ill and needed to undergo surgery again. Before entering the operating room, Premier Zhou clasped Deng Xiaoping's hand tightly and said, "You have done a very good job this year, you are much better than me..." History has long proved Deng Xiaoping's foresight, so there are two heroes who see the same thing. ”