A hot-blooded young man like Runzhi will certainly become a long tree of the pillar sky and a great instrument of the country in the future! ——Zhang Shizhao
In June 1965, Mao Zedong received a manuscript, the first draft of Liu Wen's Instructions sent by Zhang Shizhao.
In his later years, Zhang Shizhao was proficient in writing, and his writing was graceful and upright, and he was self-contained; Mao Zedong liked it very much after reading it, and he always liked the articles of Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan, and carefully studied Zhang Shizhao's manuscript of studying Liu Zongyuan's articles, and also personally wrote and revised several places in the manuscript.
After reading it, Mao Zedong sent someone to send Zhang Shizhao 5 catties of peach and apricot each, and attached a letter.
After Zhang Shizhao received the gift, he was at a loss: I sent Chairman Mao's manuscript, and Chairman Mao sent me peaches and apricots.
It reminded him of 10 years ago, in 1955, when Mao Zedong also gave Zhang Shizhao a gift, this time with 2 chickens.
After opening the letter, Zhang Shizhao suddenly realized that he understood Mao Zedong's good intentions.
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong made a wide range of friends, and there was no shortage of friends. Among them is his teacher and friend,Zhang Shizhao.
The friendship between Mao Zedong and Zhang Shizhao can be traced back to when they were studying.
Zhang Shizhao, a native of Changsha, Hunan, was born in 1881, loved to read since childhood, and at the age of 13, he bought a copy of "Liu Zongyuan's Collected Works", which was a treasure, and from then on he studied Liu Zongyuan's articles and loved it all his life.
Zhang Shizhao was 12 years older than Mao Zedong, the two were not a generation, originally there was no intersection, when Mao Zedong studied at the First Normal School in Hunan, Zhang Shizhao had been famous for a long time, and had long been a well-known talent in the country, and was a good friend of Mao Zedong's mentor Yang Changji.
Mao Zedong had long heard of Zhang Shizhao's great name, admired Zhang Shizhao's revolutionary deeds in his early years, and liked to read the magazine "Jiayin" edited by Zhang Shizhao, but the two did not have the opportunity to get acquainted.
In 1916, Zhang Shizhao was invited to Peking University as a professor at the Academy of Liberal Arts and librarian, and soon after he recommended his friends Li Dazhao and Yang Changji to teach at Peking University, and the position of librarian was also handed over to Li Dazhao to succeed him.
In August 1918, in order to organize Hunan students to go to France for work-study, Mao Zedong, Cai Hesen and others came to Beijing to raise funds and found Yang Changji. In order to help Mao Zedong raise funds and solve Mao's living problems, Yang Changji introduced Mao Zedong to the Library of Peking University as a librarian.
In this way, Mao Zedong not only knew Li Dazhao, but also had contact with Zhang Shizhao, who had long admired, and their first "non-positive" contact was related to the love story of Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui.
Mao Zedong in his youth
During his time in Beijing, Mao Zedong often went to Yang Changji's home to seek advice and study, and the contact with Yang Kaihui gradually became more frequent, and over time, Yang Kaihui completely fell in love with the talented Mao Zedong, and Mao Zedong also had a good feeling for the young and lively Yang Kaihui, and the hearts of the two young people slowly came closer together.
Yang Changji discovered the love affair between Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui, he admired Mao Zedong very much, and he was also optimistic that Mao Zedong would become a pillar of the country in the future, but let Mao Zedong be his son-in-law. He wasn't ready and couldn't make up his mind.
At this time, Zhang Shizhao appeared.
One day, Zhang Shizhao went to Yang Changji's home as a guest, and the sensible Yang Kaihui made tea for Zhang Shizhao, and Zhang Shizhao casually asked: "Has Ling Ai been promised to match others?" ”
Yang Changji was hesitating about his daughter's marriage, did not hide it from his best friend, and replied truthfully: "There is a young man named Mao Zedong who is in contact with Kaihui. He was originally a student of my first division in Hunan, and his character and knowledge were very good. ”
Zhang Shizhao is not a nosy person, but when he heard about Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui's contacts, he still cared a little more, and Yang Changji's words also aroused his curiosity: Who is this Mao Zedong, and what is different?
Thinking of this, Zhang Shizhao said to Yang Changji: "When you have a chance, will you let me meet this Mao Zedong?" ”
Yang Changji has always admired Mao Zedong and also intended to introduce him to Zhang Shizhao, and immediately nodded in agreement.
Zhang Shizhao
But before Yang Changji could arrange for the two to meet, Zhang Shizhao and Mao Zedong "met.".
One day, Zhang Shizhao was teaching logic to students, who had studied in the UK for many years, specializing in law, politics and logic, and the course was very popular with Peking University students, and every lecture was overcrowded. This time, a student told Zhang Shizhao that Mao Zedong, whom he had always wanted to know, was on the spot to listen to the lecture and pointed out Mao Zedong's position.
Zhang Shizhao did not immediately go to Mao Zedong, he paid attention to Mao Zedong while lecturing.
The young Mao Zedong was slender in stature, taller than the average student, half a head taller than the average student, full in heaven, square in the pavilion, thick eyebrows and big eyes, very spiritual, and listening to the lectures attentively, his eyes did not turn his eyes, he appeared dignified and elegant, sitting in the crowd appeared to be generous, outstanding, a good teenager!
Zhang Shizhao became famous as a teenager, and he had a good impression of Mao Zedong, who was also a young talent, and he admired him very much, believing that this son had a very good appearance and extraordinary temperament, and would be able to dominate Gang Chang and have a bright future.
As soon as the lecture ended, Zhang Shizhao went straight to Yang Changji's house and excitedly said to Yang Changji: "Mr. Yang, congratulations on finding a good son-in-law, I have seen Mao Zedong, you should not hesitate, hurry up and give Miss Xu to Mao Zedong." ”
Zhang Shizhao's persuasion dispelled Yang Changji's last doubts and agreed to the marriage. It was this marriage that opened the deep friendship between Mao Zedong and Zhang Shizhao for more than half a century.
At first, Mao Zedong did not know about the marriage that Zhang Shizhao had accomplished for himself, and he only heard Yang Kaihui tell this story after he married Yang Kaihui, and Yang Kaihui also heard about it from his father Yang Changji.
However, the friendship between Mao Zedong and Zhang Shizhao was not only because Zhang Shizhao made him a "red lady", zhang Shizhao's real help to Mao Zedong was to raise funds for Mao Zedong in 1920.
Mao's fundraising in Beijing did not go well, and soon after Yang Changji became seriously ill and hospitalized, it was difficult to continue to help Mao Zedong. However, Yang Changji, who was seriously ill, was still worried about Mao Zedong, and he wrote a letter to Zhang Shizhao, who was far away in Shanghai, asking Zhang Shizhao to help Mao Zedong, Cai Hesen, and said in the letter: "I solemnly speak jun, the second son hai nei talent, the future is great, the jun does not say that saving the country is already over, and saving the country must first be the second son." ”
In 1920, Mao Zedong, Cai he and Sen came to Shanghai with Yang Changji's handwritten letter to meet Zhang Shizhao and ask for funding.
Zhang Shizhao admired Mao Zedong very much, and he immediately wrote back to Yang Changji, saying: "It is my duty to serve the country as a friend!" ”
Zhang Shizhao said the most, he immediately began to raise funds among shanghai's industrial and commercial celebrities, and soon raised 20,000 silver dollars, all of which was handed over to Mao Zedong.
At that time, 20,000 silver dollars was a huge amount of money, enough to support studying in France, and Mao Zedong gave most of the money to the second batch of students who went to France, but he returned to Hunan to engage in revolutionary activities, and the rest of the money was used as revolutionary funds.
The 20,000 silver dollars sent in the snow not only allowed Mao Zedong to tide over the difficulties, but also contributed to the cause of China's revolution, Mao Zedong always remembered Zhang Shizhao's help, never forgot it for a lifetime, until 50 years later, he still thought about the 20,000 silver dollars.
In his lifetime, Zhang Shizhao did not join any party, neither the Communist Party nor the Kuomintang.
However, as he did in helping Mao Zedong, Zhang Shizhao did many useful things for the Communist Party.
For example, in 1922, Zhou Enlai founded the Communist Youth League in Europe, bought a printing press, and entrusted Zhang Shizhao, who was inspecting Europe, to transport the printing press from France to Germany.
From Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and other Communists, Zhang Shizhao saw the future of China and the hope of the Chinese nation, and his political tendencies began to change, and he was willing to become a friend of the Communist Party of China and to contribute to the country and the nation.
In April 1927, Li Dazhao was arrested by Zhang Zuolin in Beijing, and Zhang Shizhao ran around and struggled to rescue him, but in the end he failed to save Li Dazhao's life. After Li Dazhao was killed, Zhang Shizhao and his friends raised 2,000 yuan, all of which was given to the widow of the martyr.
In October 1932, Chen Duxiu was arrested by the Kuomintang reactionaries in Shanghai and escorted to Nanjing for trial.
Chen Duxiu's crime was "crime of endangering the Republic of China," a felony with the highest death penalty, or at least life imprisonment. Zhang Shizhao, a lawyer, personally appeared in court to defend Chen Duxiu and asked the court to declare him not guilty.
Eventually, thanks to Zhang Shizhao's efforts, Chen Duxiu was sentenced to 13 years in prison and released early in 1937.
Zhang Shizhao and Chen Duxiu
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the traitor Liang Hongzhi tried to persuade Zhang Shizhao to join the Wang puppet regime, but Zhang Shizhao sternly refused.
During the Chongqing negotiations in 1945, Mao Zedong and Zhang Shizhao, two friends, reunited, and the two had a free conversation. During the conversation, Mao Zedong asked Zhang Shizhao's views on the current situation, and Zhang Shizhao knew very well that Chiang Kai-shek was harboring evil intentions and that Chongqing was not suitable for staying for a long time, so he spread out his left hand, wrote a "go" in the palm of his hand, and whispered to Mao Zedong: "Thirty-six plans, go up."
Mao Zedong was well aware of this meaning, and the day after the signing of the "Double Tenth Agreement," he flew back from Chongqing to Yan'an.
In the later period of the Liberation War, Zhang Shizhao has been doing his best to fight for the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists, and he has actively participated in the peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Communists as an informal representative, and when the peace talks collapsed, Zhang Shizhao contacted Cheng Qian, Chen Mingren and others to convey the expectations of the Communist Party and Mao Zedong for a peaceful uprising, persuaded Cheng Qian and Chen Mingren to revolt, and made certain contributions to the peaceful liberation of Hunan.
Because of Zhang Shizhao's help to the Communist Party of China and Mao Zedong personally, although he has been serving in the National Government, our Party and Mao Zedong personally have always been grateful to Zhang Shizhao and have provided him with a lot of help.
In May 1949, on the eve of the liberation of Shanghai, Mao Zedong specially instructed the East China Field Army to pay attention to protecting the safety of Zhang Shizhao's family, and on the day of the liberation of Shanghai, sure enough, 4 PLA soldiers took turns to stand guard in front of The Zhang Residence, and Zhang Shizhao was very touched when he learned about it.
On the eve of the founding of New China, Mao Zedong personally telephoned and invited Zhang Shizhao, who was far away in Hong Kong, to attend the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China, and witnessed the great birth of the People's Republic of China with him.
Mao Zedong and Zhang Shizhao
Mao Zedong's help to Zhang Shizhao was unreserved, and he could help and help as much as he could.
Before the founding of New China, the former vice minister of finance of the National Government participated in the peaceful uprising organized by Cheng Qian, stayed on the mainland, and in his later years, because he had no children, no daughters, no jobs, and lived in poverty, he found his friend Zhang Shizhao for help.
Zhang Shizhao saw that Li Wei was pitiful, so he asked him to write an autobiography, and Zhang Shizhao wrote a letter to Mao Zedong explaining Li Wei's situation and attaching Li Wei's autobiography, hoping that Mao Zedong would arrange a job for Li Wei.
Everyone knows that Mao Zedong made a clear distinction between public and private, and never arranged work for relatives and friends, but this time, he made an exception.
After reading Li Wei's autobiography, Mao Zedong felt that this person was still financially capable and could exert his residual heat, so he criticized on the first page of his autobiography: "Please do it at your discretion." Zhang Shizhao only recommended this one person, and it seems appropriate to use it. Li claims to be 66 years old, tired of his wife, childless, aware of his former wrongs, trying to benefit late, still able to do things with energy, and hoping to give a job. ”
Under Mao Zedong's interrogation, Li Wei soon had a job, counselor in the counselor's office of the Central and Southern Military and Political Committee.
Later, Mao Zedong and Zhang Shizhao had more frequent exchanges.
In 1955, Zhang Shizhao wrote a letter to Mao Zedong, and after Mao Zedong read it, he immediately poured ink on Zhang Shizhao and returned a letter, and ordered the guard chief Li Yinqiao to buy two chickens on the street.
After the letter was written, Mao Zedong asked Li Yinqiao to send two chickens and a letter to Zhang Shizhao. Li Yinqiao did not dare to be idle, and immediately rushed to Zhang Shizhao's home, handed the chicken and the letter to Zhang Shizhao, Zhang Shizhao held up two chickens, smiled and said: "I know." ”
Mao Zedong's letter to Zhang Shizhao
Many years later, Li Yinqiao recalled this incident and still did not know why Chairman Mao sent Zhang Shizhao two chickens, so he asked about Mao Zedong.
Originally, Zhang Shizhao had given Mao Zedong a copy of the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in his early years, and there was an allusion in the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", saying that Cao Cao was very exaggerated when he was young, many people looked down on him, and they were reluctant to associate with him, only Qiao Xuan was optimistic about Cao Cao, saying that he would definitely do great things in the future, after Qiao Xuan's death, Cao Cao took a chicken to his tomb to worship in gratitude.
Mao Zedong was a man of gratitude, and he gave Zhang Shizhao two chickens, which is the same as Cao Cao's sacrifice of Qiao Xuan with chickens, both of which are grateful for the kindness of the other party, which not only represents Mao Zedong personally, but also represents the Chinese Communist Party.
As mentioned earlier, Zhang Shizhao loved Liu Zongyuan's articles in his early years.
From 1960 onwards, Zhang Shizhao began to immerse himself in the study of the "Liuhe Dongji", which lasted 5 years to write the first draft of the book "Liu Wen Zhi", and Mao Zedong also loved the articles of Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan in his early years, and once deeply studied the "Complete Works of Han Changli", this time he heard that Zhang Shizhao wrote "Liu Wen Zhi Zhi", so he hoped that Zhang Shizhao could send him the manuscript to "read" first.
Mao Zedong is the article of everyone, Zhang Shizhao of course can not ask for it.
In June 1965, Zhang Shizhao submitted the first draft of the "Liu Wen Zhi Zhi" written by his brush to Mao Zedong for review, and Mao Zedong studied the "Liu Wen Zhi Zhi" word by word, and personally revised several places, and put forward his own preliminary opinions and evaluations.
On June 26, Mao Zedong sent someone to send Zhang Shizhao 5 catties of peaches and 5 catties of apricots, and attached a letter.
Zhang Shizhao was very strange when he received gifts: I sent Chairman Mao's manuscripts, and Chairman Mao sent me peaches and apricots.
After opening the letter, Zhang Shizhao suddenly realized: This is so!
Mao Zedong's letter reads:
"The great work is received, the righteousness is solemn, and the obedience is to the point." Ancient Yun: Vote for me with a wooden peach, and repay it with Qiong Yao. Five pounds of peach and apricot are offered today, and I hope for it! On the contrary, it is still begging for forgiveness. ”
Mao Zedong's letter to Zhang Shizhao
What exactly does this letter mean?
The phrase "Throw me a wooden peach, and repay it with Qiong Yao" comes from a poem by the pre-Qin Dynasty, the original text is as follows:
Vote for me with a papaya, and repay it with Qiongju. Bandits also, always think good too! Vote for me with a wooden peach, and repay it with Qiong Yao. Bandits also, always think good too! Vote for me with Mu Li, and repay it with Qiong Jiu. Bandits also, always think good too!
This poem is easy to understand, meaning: you gave me a papaya (a fruit), I gave you back "Qiongju / Qiongyao / Qiongjiu" (both are beautiful jade), the value of the return is much more valuable than the gift, which shows that I not only thank you for the gift, but also hope to express cherished affection, and you will always be good!
Mao Zedong believed that Zhang Shizhao's "Liu Wen Zhi Zhi" was "righteous and strict" and a "masterpiece", and he admired it very much.
The ancients said, "Vote for me with a wooden peach, and repay it with Qiong Yao", which should be more valuable in return, and Mao Zedong believed that Zhang Shizhao "voted" for his manuscript to be more valuable, and the peach apricot that he returned to "repay" was cheaper, you gave me a valuable book manuscript, but I returned to you cheap peach and apricot 5 pounds each, which is to "vote" and "report" in reverse, so he said "the opposite of the report, still begging for forgiveness."
The "wooden peach" mentioned by Mao Zedong is not limited to this manuscript, but should include Zhang Shizhao's long-term help to the Chinese Communist Party and Mao Zedong personally, and the peach and apricot he returned to Zhang Shizhao are 5 kilograms each, similar to the 2 chickens he gave to Zhang Shizhao before, and what he wants to express is his gratitude to Zhang Shizhao, not the economic value of the gift itself.
Mao Zedong had a cordial conversation with Zhang Shizhao
Mao Zedong's gratitude and return to Zhang Shizhao was even more profound in his repayment of Zhang Shizhao's 20,000 yuan loan.
Zhang Shizhao adopted a daughter named Zhang Hanzhi, who later became a teacher at a school of foreign Chinese in Beijing.
In 1962, Mao Zedong celebrated his 70th birthday, invited Zhang Shizhao and 4 other Hunan compatriots to eat together, Zhang Hanzhi also followed, Mao Zedong heard that she was an English teacher, so he let Zhang Hanzhi teach himself to learn English, Zhang Hanzhi thus became Mao Zedong's English teacher, and gradually became familiar with Mao Zedong.
One day in 1963, Mao Zedong and Zhang Hanzhi took a walk together, and when they talked about the fact that they had borrowed 20,000 silver dollars from Zhang Shizhao in 1920, they said to Zhang Hanzhi: "You go back and tell the elder (Zhang Shizhao) that from now on I will pay off the debt he has owed for nearly 50 years, 2,000 yuan a year, and 20,000 yuan in 10 years." ”
Zhang Hanzhi thought that Mao Zedong was laughing, and when he returned home and asked his father, Zhang Shizhao smiled: "There is indeed such a thing, I did not expect the chairman to remember it." But he only laughed at Mao Zedong and did not pay attention to it.
Unexpectedly, after a few days, Mao Zedong really sent his secretary to send 2,000 yuan to Zhang Shizhao, and the secretary also told Zhang Shizhao: "Chairman Mao said that every Spring Festival will pay back 2,000 yuan every year until it is paid off." ”
Zhang Shizhao was very uneasy, so he asked Zhang Hanzhi to relay to Mao Zedong: "This 20,000 silver dollars were raised from celebrities, and I can't come up with this huge amount myself, but I just do my part, not counting borrowing, of course, I don't have to pay it back." ”
Zhang Hanzhi sued Mao Zedong for his father's words, and Mao Zedong laughed and said:
"This is a little living allowance that I give to the elderly. Where is the help he gave to our Communist Party that I can repay in renminbi? The old man has no money in his life, and he is nosy and has helped many people. If I had made it clear that I would give him a subsidy, I would not have received it because of his temper. So I said it was debt repayment. You tell him that the debt is repaid, the money is borrowed and repaid, and this money is paid from my remuneration. ”
As Zhang Shizhao said, the 20,000 silver dollars were not lent to Mao Zedong, but given to him, and did not need to be returned.
But Mao Zedong had other plans, he heard that Zhang Shizhao was poor in his later years and had difficulties in life, so he wanted to fund assistance, he knew that Zhang Shizhao was a high-ranking person and refused to accept his own assistance, so he came up with the idea of repaying his debts, basically to help Zhang Shizhao.
Sure enough, Zhang Shizhao had no choice but to accept.
Mao Zedong said and did what he said, starting in 1963, every year on the second day of the first lunar month, Mao Zedong's secretary would take out 2,000 yuan from his remuneration and send it to Zhang Shizhao, which lasted until 1972, a full decade, and returned all 20,000 yuan.
During the Spring Festival of 1973, Mao Zedong asked Zhang Hanzhi: "Have you received the loans repaid this year?" ”
Zhang Hanzhi replied: "The 20,000 yuan has been paid off in full, and there is no need to repay it this year." ”
Mao Zedong shook his head and said seriously, "This can really stop in ten years!" I told them to refill it right away. You go back and tell the elders that from this year onwards, I can't tell how much interest I should have for 50 years, so I'll keep paying it back! As long as the old man is alive, this interest will have to be repaid. If he dies, stop. You are to rely on yourself, not on your father's inheritance. ”
Two days later, Zhang Shizhao, who was lying on a hospital bed, received 2,000 yuan of "interest" sent by Mao Zedong, and when he heard Zhang Hanzhi's relayed words, the old man excitedly said to his family: "The chairman is both faithful and honest, and he is really worthy of being a good leader of the people!" ”
On May 25, 1973, Mao Zedong sent a special plane to send the 92-year-old Zhang Shizhao to Hong Kong under the name of "Seeing a Doctor and Visiting His Wife", in fact shouldering the heavy responsibility of resuming peace talks with Taiwan, but Zhang Shizhao failed to complete the heavy task that Mao Zedong had entrusted to him.
Mao Zedong talked to Zhang Shizhao
On July 1, 1973, less than half a year after receiving Mao Zedong's first interest of 2,000 yuan, Zhang Shizhao died of illness in Hong Kong.
According to the staff's recollection, Mao Zedong had been immersed in grief for several days, looking gloomy and having trouble sleeping.
Three years later, on September 9, 1976, Mao Zedong died of illness in Beijing at the age of 83.
Mao Zedong and Zhang Shizhao were a pair of confidants who were also teachers and friends, and their half-century-long revolutionary friendship finally drew a satisfactory end, but the sincere friendship between the two people who looked at each other with all their hearts and guts and saw each other with sincerity will always be remembered by history, and they have set a model of friendship for future generations with their own high style and bright festival.