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On October 6, 1976, it was past 9 p.m.
At the home of a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing, the telephone rang one after another.
"Please come to Yuquan Mountain quickly and hold an emergency meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee!"
A meeting of the Politburo was held in the middle of the night, and the venue of the meeting turned out not to be Zhongnanhai or the Great Hall of the People, but Yuquan Mountain.
Many people have a hunch that something big is going to happen.
The meeting lasted seven hours from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next morning.
And this all-night Politburo meeting was just to reach a consensus.
It is to elect Hua Guofeng as chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China.
He also asked the Politburo members attending the meeting to convey it to the whole party and the whole army.
Hua Guofeng
At this point, after the death of Chairman Mao, Hua Guofeng finally filled the vacancy of the top leader of the Communist Party of China.
At the same time, the appointment of chairman of the Hua Guofeng Military Commission has also effectively safeguarded the stability of the armed forces in this special historical period.
When everyone left at dawn on October 7, the uneasiness that had lasted for nearly a month was finally completely removed from their hearts.
The entire political landscape and destiny of China have also undergone tremendous changes because of this incident.
An unusual year deeply in the memory of Chinese people
1976 was a very unusual year for China.
This year can be said to be an eventful autumn for China.
Many events that happened this year have touched the hearts of the Chinese people.
Just after New Year's Day of this year, Premier Zhou, who had struggled all his life for China's revolution and construction, fell into a critical illness.
On January 8, Premier Zhou passed away.
Premier Zhou
For a time, the whole of China was immersed in extreme grief.
People could not accept this fact, and the cry of mourning for Premier Zhou throughout the country continued unceasingly.
Not only are wreaths piled up in Tiananmen Square, but the ten-mile long street is also crowded with people bidding farewell to the premier.
On July 6, 1976, Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, one of the main founders of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, died in Beijing.
Jude
That year, exactly 49 years had passed since he led the Nanchang Uprising, which fired the first shot of the Chinese revolution.
In the past 49 years, in the first half of his life, he worked hard for the Chinese revolution, strategized, and experienced ups and downs and tribulations.
In the second half of his life, he devoted himself to promoting the modernization and development of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, so that the military strength of New China, whether it was soldiers, equipment or military technology, was greatly improved.
Commander-in-Chief Zhu De did not let go of his work until he was seriously ill and bedridden.
In his life, he truly achieved the goal of "spring silkworm to the end of the dead silk" for the sake of revolution and the construction of new China.
The successive deaths of two great men not only made the people of the whole country breathless with grief, but also watched his close comrades-in-arms leave one by one, and Chairman Mao's psychology and body also suffered a huge blow.
Chairman Mao
A great man who has been supporting this piece of China, when the hero is late, his body collapses day by day, and even it is difficult to speak.
A few days after General Division Zhu's death, an even greater bad news reached Zhongnanhai.
When Chairman Mao saw the relevant quick report, his great body could not stop trembling.
At 3:42 a.m. on July 28, 1976, a massive earthquake of 7.8 on the Richter scale occurred in Tangshan, an industrial town in Hebei Province.
In just 23 seconds, a huge Tangshan city was razed to rubble.
1976.7.28 Tangshan earthquake
More than 650,000 houses collapsed in an instant, and more than 400,000 people were killed or injured.
The economic and property damage caused is even more immeasurable.
Chairman Mao, who has always been concerned about the people of the whole country, can imagine how much it has been affected after seeing these cold figures.
He sat quietly on the sofa in his office and didn't say a word for a long time.
I have been holding the quick report material about the Tangshan earthquake in my hand.
This series of accidents caused Chairman Mao to fall, and Chairman Mao, who had crossed the Yangtze River, lost his former radiance and vitality, and even occasionally became difficult to get up.
For more than a month, Chairman Mao spent most of his time in a hospital bed, and whenever he opened his eyes, he would always ask about the aftermath of the Tangshan earthquake.
Chairman Mao left us on September 9, 1976, still full of reluctance for this land and concerned about his unfinished cause of China's revolution and construction.
With the death of these three great men and the sudden earthquake in Tangshan, many major burdens fell on one person.
This person is Hua Guofeng, who was extremely valued by Chairman Mao and selected as his successor.
Why Hua Guofeng was pushed to the position of chairman of the Central Military Commission
Hua Guofeng, formerly known as Su Zhu, was born in 1921 in a merchant family in Jiaocheng County, Shanxi Province.
In 1938, he joined the Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force in Jiaocheng County and changed his name to Hua Guofeng.
In the same year, he joined the Communist Party of China.
After the founding of New China, Hua Guofeng was appointed party secretary of Xiangyin County, Hunan Province, and began his real political career.
In 1955, he was appreciated and received by Chairman Mao for publishing three articles on rural development in a row.
Since then, Hua Guofeng has become the focus of Chairman Mao's training.
In 1973, through the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Hua Guofeng became a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and held the important post of minister of public security, officially entering the work of the Central Committee.
In 1975, he was appointed vice premier of the State Council and became Premier Zhou's right-hand man.
It was from this time that Hua Guofeng fully intervened in the political and economic work of the whole country, and with the strong support of Premier Zhou, he achieved rapid growth and gradually showed outstanding governing ability and talent.
With the death of Premier Zhou, the premier of the State Council did not have a suitable candidate for a while, and Chairman Mao proposed that Hua Guofeng temporarily take over the post of premier, which was the year of many disasters for the Chinese nation in 1976.
Comprehensive economic construction needs to be promoted, the people's hearts need to be pacified, the huge disaster caused by the Tangshan earthquake needs relief, and the job vacancies caused by the deaths of Premier Zhou and Commander-in-Chief Zhu De need to be filled, and the stability of the national situation is still being maintained.
At this time, Chairman Mao's deteriorating physical and mental condition was no longer able to handle major domestic and international affairs.
These burdens all fall on Hua Guofeng, who has not yet fully adapted to the all-round work.
It can be said that at this difficult historical moment, he carried almost everything by himself.
In 1976, Comrade Hua Guofeng expressed condolences to the people in the earthquake-stricken areas of Tangshan
Chairman Mao, who had difficulty even speaking, could clearly see Hua Guofeng's growth.
He did not fail Chairman Mao's appreciation and expectations.
It was also this extremely difficult period that not only stimulated his fighting spirit, but also allowed him to quickly adapt to the leadership work on a national scale.
"You do things, I don't worry!"
These are a few big characters handwritten by Chairman Mao, who could not speak, on the note to Hua Guofeng.
These big words are an encouragement to Hua Guofeng.
It is also a recognition of Hua Guofeng as his successor.
It was precisely this kind of determination that allowed Hua Guofeng to legitimately take on the heavy task of rectifying the chaos after Chairman Mao's death.
For those recognized and authorized by Chairman Mao, as the old commander Ye Jianying, and Wang Dongxing, who had followed Chairman Mao for decades, they soon stood on Hua Guofeng's side.
Hua Guofeng, Ye Jianying
With the joint support of these two people, through Ye Shuai's influence in the army and Wang Dongxing's control over the central leadership, especially the Zhongnanhai guards, Hua Guofeng smoothly stabilized the army and quickly and steadily dealt with some obstacles and problems that were not conducive to political stability.
Hua Guofeng, who had already controlled the situation, not only showed excellent governing ability in the position of vice premier of the State Council and subsequent acting premier for many years, but he was also the designated successor of Chairman Mao.
Because Premier Zhou, Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, and Chairman Mao have passed away one after another, the vacancies in the top leadership of the party, government, and military urgently need to be filled.
After studying the Politburo meeting in Yuquan Mountain in Beijing all night, the most suitable candidate was naturally Hua Guofeng.
Therefore, Hua Guofeng was elected as the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the chairman of the Military Commission, in addition to Chairman Mao's trust and designation, but also his achievements over the years, the talent he showed, and his wisdom, determination and courage to turn the tide at that time.
Hua Guofeng's ability to govern the country has been fully recognized
Hua Guofeng can be said to be a central leader who has come out step by step from the grassroots level and through practical work.
In the early days of the founding of New China, he served in the most grass-roots county-level leading positions, such as secretary of the Xiangyin County CPC Committee and secretary of the Xiangtan County CPC Committee in Hunan Province.
During this period, he has been active at the grassroots level of industry, agriculture and commercial construction, and has a unique and in-depth understanding of the field of economic construction.
In 1969, he was promoted to the first secretary of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and began to coordinate the overall affairs and management of the provincial level.
Under his leadership, Hunan Province's economic construction has made good progress, and the living standards of the common people have also risen steadily.
It was precisely because of his outstanding performance and achievements in local leadership positions that Chairman Mao admired him even more, and in 1973 he was transferred to the Central Committee and became a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and concurrently served as the minister of public security.
In 1975, when Hua Guofeng became vice premier of the State Council, he gave full play to the advantages of local work experience and in-depth understanding of the grassroots.
He has played an important role in the recovery and revitalization of the country's economic work, becoming Premier Zhou's right-hand man and deeply valued by the premier.
After the death of Premier Zhou in January 1976, Hua Guofeng, in his capacity as acting premier of the State Council, began to take over and coordinate the overall work of the State Council, not only in the field of economic work, but also in some major domestic events, especially in the aftermath of the Tangshan earthquake and disaster relief.
It can be said that Hua Guofeng's ability to govern the country was obvious to all at that time and was unanimously recognized by the central leadership collective.
However, all the Politburo members attending the meeting knew that the military is the foundation of the stability of the country and the regime, but Hua Guofeng has almost no influence in the military, and he lacks experience in military development strategy and management, and as chairman of the Central Military Commission, he needs an experienced and trustworthy group of people to assist him.
So who would be the right person?
Why they were elected as vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission to assist Hua Guofeng?
After Hua Guofeng became chairman of the Central Military Commission, he began to look for suitable candidates for vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Because, having no influence in the army and lacking experience in state-level military management, he needs someone to make up for his shortcomings.
After many considerations, he nominated Ye Jianying, Li Xiannian and Wang Dongxing.
The first is Ye Jianying, who is one of the ten marshals.
Ye Jianying
In his early years, he served as the deputy director of the professor department of the Whampoa Military Academy, and it can be said that many graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy are his students.
In 1927, he also led the Guangzhou Uprising, which was the largest revolutionary uprising movement after the Nanchang Uprising and the Autumn Harvest Uprising.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Marshal Ye Jianying, in addition to personally leading troops to fight against the Japanese invaders and the Kuomintang troops, worked with Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, Commander-in-Chief Zhu and others to jointly formulate a nationwide military strategic principle and exercise overall command over all major battles.
In terms of "strategizing and winning a decisive victory," he is known as the "Zhang Liang" of the new era and is a great military scientist and strategist.
With Ye Jianying's military coordination ability and his huge influence in the army as an old commander, he would naturally make Hua Guofeng's worries much lighter.
The second is Li Xiannian.
Li Xiannian
Li Xiannian is also a military expert who has experienced hundreds of battles.
Since launching the Jute Uprising in 1927, he has been engaged in military command and combat work, and it can be said that he has been fighting step by step from the war of blood and fire.
He was one of the main leaders of the Fourth Front of the Red Army, leading his troops to participate in the 25,000-mile Long March, and led the remaining 1,000 people of the left detachment of the Western Route Army to fight all the way to Yan'an.
During the Huaihai Campaign in the War of Liberation, Comrade Li Xiannian was the main cadre of Liu Deng's army, the right-hand man of Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping, and had outstanding military talents.
It can be said that among the personnel selected at that time, Li Xiannian's military experience and management ability were also handful.
Moreover, most importantly, Hua Guofeng received strong support and help from the experienced Li Xiannian during his tenure as vice premier of the State Council, and when he took over the burden of acting premier, Li Xiannian helped him share most of the work.
Therefore, he trusted Li Xiannian and fully understood Li Xiannian's ability.
The last one is Wang Dongxing.
Wang Dongxing
There are three main reasons why Wang Dongxing was chosen.
First, in the historical changes in 1976, it was Wang Dongxing who stood up and cooperated with him to clean up the chaos. It can be said that without Wang Dongxing, it would be difficult to win down people with bad intentions just by him and Ye Jianying. It can be seen that Wang Dongxing has made great contributions in this dangerous situation.
Second, Wang Dongxing, who has long held the post of director of the Central Guard Bureau, has the ability to deeply influence the Beijing garrison, and the appointment of Wang Dongxing can effectively ensure the security of the central authorities during this special period.
Third, as we all know, Wang Dongxing has a high loyalty to Chairman Mao, and Hua Guofeng is Chairman Mao's designated successor, Wang Dongxing will naturally protect Hua Guofeng like he protects Chairman Mao, which virtually makes Hua Guofeng further strengthen his trust in Wang Dongxing.
Therefore, Hua Guofeng appointed the three of them as the vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, directly arranged to intervene in the work of the Central Military Commission, and conducted formal elections and appointments through subsequent people's congress meetings.
epilogue
The long river of history is turbulent, but many heavy historical memories have been precipitated in the riverbed.
In the extraordinary year of 1976, many memories were also deposited.
It was a heavy and sad year, but it was also worth rejoicing.
Under the leadership and command of Hua Guofeng, with superb wisdom and thunderous means, he quickly put chaos in order, brought the whole of China out of the crisis, and avoided chaos.
And many things that happened back then are deeply rooted in the hearts of the Chinese people.
The development of history is always full of variables and twists and turns, but the direction of historical development is still towards the bright.
There are always some great people, through some great things, who strive to correct history, avoid the track of history being too distorted, and avoid the harm caused to people by historical changes.
As future generations, we should not only see wonderful stories, but also experience their good intentions and selfless contributions.
When we look back at history, we should be grateful.