Transferred from "Warm Reading"
In July 1933, Zhang Yaoci, who had only been in the army for two months, was transferred to the guard company of the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet in Ruijinshazhouba, Jiangxi.
On this day, he stood guard for the first time since joining the Red Army, and the squad leader arranged for him to stand in front of Mao Zedong's office.
By then Mao Zedong had been stripped of his positions in the party and army, ostracized and isolated. Mao Zedong was tall, but Zhang Yaoci saw him at first sight but he was gaunt and emaciated.
During that period, almost no one came to Mao Zedong, who went out for a walk in his free time and returned the same way.
After Zhang Yaoci got off the post, he excitedly ran back to the dormitory, showing off to the comrades in the class: I saw Chairman Mao today!
In 1966, Mao Zedong was with Zhang Yaoci (first from left).
He did not expect that he would be closely linked to Mao Zedong all his life, and after the founding of New China, he would be an indispensable "great steward" in Mao Zedong's life.
Zhang Yaoci, a native of Yudu, Jiangxi, his father died at the age of 3, and his eldest brother died of a serious illness at the age of 10, and he and his second brother were brought up by their hard-working mother.
In 1929, the Zhumao Red Army liberated Zhang Yaoci's hometown, allowing Zhang Yaoci to see the hope of the poor people, and he led more than 50 young people from his hometown to join the International Division of the Young Communist Party.
Zhang Yaoci served as the leader of the children's regiment, the leader of the Young Pioneers, and the secretary of the branch of the township Communist Youth League. He was not very old, and he was alert and courageous, and led his young comrades to set up sentries and check the road to prevent the enemy's agents from mixing into the Soviet zone.
In April 1934, Zhang Yaoci was transferred to the Reconnaissance Section of the Eighth Army Security Bureau, and soon participated in the Long March.
Oil painting "Zunyi Conference"
On January 7, 1935, the Central Red Army forcibly crossed the Wujiang River and captured the important town of Zunyi in Guizhou.
In order to ensure the safety of the head of the central government, Zhang Yaoci and several comrades were dispatched by Deng Fa, director of the State Security Bureau, to enter Zunyi in advance to investigate and understand, and to publicize the policies and propositions of the Communist Party to the masses. He was also busy killing big fat pigs and celebrating victory.
Two days later, the city of Zunyi was full of joy, and the leading comrades of the Central Red Army walked to Zunyi Avenue under the protection of the special agents of the State Security Bureau, and the masses cheered and rejoiced.
Zhang Yaoci and other comrades of the Investigation Section and the Supervision Section wore civilian clothes and silently guarded the masses.
Zhang Yaoci watched Mao Zedong walk across the bridge, and as he passed in front of the fu yamen, he stepped on a long bench and stood on a high place and kept waving at the cheering crowd.
He said: "The Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army came to Guizhou to join you in overthrowing the warlord Wang Jialie, who ruled, oppressed, and exploited the working people, and to overthrow Chiang Kai-shek! "
Zhang Yaoci listened to Mao Zedong's confident speech and was as excited as the masses.
On January 15, an enlarged meeting of the Politburo, which was of great significance in the history of the Communist Party of China, was held in the living room of the ZunyiBai Mansion. Zhang Yaoci and the comrades of the Security Bureau carried out the 3-day meeting security task.
He watched as Bogu and Li De, a military adviser sent by the Comintern, sat at the door of the conference room, smoking one cigarette after another, their faces full of frustration. After the meeting, Deng Fa ordered Zhang Yaoci's class to take care of Li De and not let him escape or commit suicide.
In 1947, Mao Zedong was on his way to northern Shaanxi
In January 1937, Zhang Yaoci arrived in Yan'an with the central authorities and lived in northern Shaanxi for ten years.
At the beginning of 1947, Chiang Kai-shek mobilized 250,000 troops to attack the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region in three ways, and the CPC Central Committee judged the hour and sized up the situation and made a strategic decision to temporarily withdraw from Yan'an.
Liu Huishan, head of the Central Guard Regiment, Zhang Tingzhen, political commissar, Gu Yuanxin, chief of staff, and Zhang Yaoci, director of the Political Office, led two companies and a cavalry squadron to protect the central authorities and Mao Zedong's evacuation.
Mao Zedong, on the other hand, insisted on staying in northern Shaanxi, saying: "Leave us 4 and a half companies, and the rest of us will immediately cross the Yellow River." "
Zhang Yaoci knew that Mao Zedong did this because he wanted to drag Hu Zongnan and save the large army.
Later, Mao Zedong moved to a small mountain village with only a dozen families in Wangjiawan, Jingbian County. Chiang Kai-shek scolded Hu Zongnan for his incompetence, and secretly ordered that even if he lost three divisions, he would capture Mao Zedong.
The Kuomintang used a new radio direction finder provided by the United States to detect a radio group around Wangjiawan, and Hu Zongnan ordered his commander Liu Jie to lead four and a half brigades to sneak up on Wangjiawan and capture Mao Zedong alive.
In an extremely dangerous situation, Mao Zedong ordered to leave Wangjiawan, and the central organs and troops were scattered and hidden in the ravines to monitor the enemy's movements.
In July 1949, Mao Zedong and his confidential personnel who accompanied him to the war took a group photo in Xiaohe Village
Liu Jie pounced on Wangjiawan and led his army to search one hill after another nearby, only four or five hundred meters away from them at the nearest time.
Mao Zedong, on the other hand, was confident: "The position we are in now is exactly the joint part of the management of Hu Zongnan and Ma Hongkui, and Hu and Ma are conspiring to fight each other, which just gives us a loophole." As long as we hold our breath, the enemy will not necessarily find us. As long as the enemy does not find us, we are not allowed to shoot under our noses. "
Just in case, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Ren Bishi prepared for the worst, agreeing that 3 people would break through from 3 different directions, and even if one person escaped, it would be a victory.
Fortunately, at this time, Commander Peng Dehuai heard from the enemy's radio that Hu Zongnan was concentrating his forces to sneak into the Central Military Commission, and immediately sent Wang Zhen to lead a brigade to join the suide local troops and guerrillas to provide rapid support, and Liu Jie "passed by" Mao Zedong for the cavalry unit pursuing Wang Zhen.
In the aftermath of the crisis, Zhang Yaoci admired Mao's foresight.
In December 1947, Mao Zedong was in northern Shaanxi
On December 26, Mao Zedong's 54th birthday, he was busy all day, even eating at the urging of the guards. The meal that day was no different from usual, it was still a "money rice" and sour cabbage cooked from black beans and millet.
On March 23, 1949, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China left Xibaipo, and 11 jeeps and 10 large trucks formed a convoy and headed for Beijing.
Mao Zedong was very interested and said to Zhang Yaoci and his entourage: "On March 18, 1947, we withdrew from Yan'an; on March 22, 1948, we marched from northern Shaanxi to northern China; today is March 23, 1949, we are advancing towards Beiping again. The three major operations in three years are all in March, and in March next year, it is time to liberate all of China. When the whole country is liberated, we will never move again. "
At that time, they all knew that the light of liberation was within reach. Just did not expect the process to be so fast, the People's Liberation Army was like a bamboo, on October 1, 1949, the new China was formally established in the ardent expectations of hundreds of millions of compatriots.
In 1950, Zhang Yaoci, who had been away from home for 20 years, finally returned home. The old people in the family and the neighbors thought that he had died, and when they saw him, they all burst into tears with excitement. Zhang Yaoci also learned of his mother's death in 1935 after arriving home, and he felt guilty and mournful in his heart, and stayed in his hometown for a week before returning to Beijing.
Unit 8341
Mao Zedong's inscription to the "8341" unit
In May 1953, Wang Dongxing, director of the Central Guard Bureau, told Zhang Yaoci that the Central Committee had decided to establish the Central Guard Regiment to defend the core of the leadership of the Party Central Committee, and Zhang Yaoci was officially transferred to the post of Deputy Director of the Ninth Bureau of the Central Ministry of Public Security and Head of the Central Guard Regiment.
The Central Guard Regiment is based on the 1st Regiment of the Central Guard Division, code-named Unit 8341.
For a long time, the people were full of curiosity about Unit 8341, and there were even rumors: 8341 was written by an old Taoist leader, alluding to the fact that Mao Zedong would live to be 83 years old and serve as the leader of the Communist Party of China for 41 years since the Zunyi Conference. This is actually all rumors, Zhang Yaoci is the most aware of the origin of "8341", which is a code name named according to the compilation sequence, nominally called tuan, in fact, the establishment is the establishment of the division, and the treatment is also given according to the level of the division.
Later, the 8341 unit grew to more than 8,000 people, more than the average division, and all of them were elite soldiers.
As the head of the Central Guard Corps, Zhang Yaoci spent most of his time with Mao Zedong. The doctors, nurses, guards, masters, waiters, administrators, and drivers around Chairman Mao are all under his control, and he must worry about all aspects and consider them very thoroughly.
According to Zhang Yaoci, his duty was to arrange Mao Zedong's food, clothing, shelter and transportation.
Since August 1966, Mao Zedong has been working and living in the Zhongnanhai Swimming Pool, where Zhang Yaoci has been staying for many years, living in the dressing room a few feet away from Mao Zedong's bedroom, and spending time with Mao Zedong day and night. His accommodation was actually close to the pool, a quarter of an hour's walk, and he hardly came home.
Every time Mao Zedong went out, Zhang Yaoci had to be busy for a while.
In the early 1960s, Mao Zedong held a research forum on a special train
In the early 1950s, Mao Flew several times. Later, considering his safety, we tried not to arrange for him to take a plane, but to take a train.
Zhang Yaoci did not say much, and before Mao Zedong traveled every time, he personally organized and personally called other places, not letting anyone participate.
Mao Zedong had his special train, a total of fourteen carriages, Mao Zedong was generally in the middle of the section. In the sixties and seventies, the situation was tense, and for his safety, the special train was equipped with more than a hundred heavily armed 8341 soldiers. These are all Zhang Yaoci's mobilization.
Before leaving, Zhang Yaoci had to transport three or four boxes of books that Mao Zedong would often use, so that the chairman could get them immediately when he needed them on the road.
Mao Zedong had a unique preference for Hangzhou, a Jiangnan city, and whenever Beijing was cold and windy, he would miss the winter scenery of Jiangnan in Hangzhou and often moved to Hangzhou.
Mao Zedong's way of leisure sports was also very simple, in addition to swimming, it was climbing mountains.
From the end of December 1953 to the beginning of March 1954, Mao Zedong led a group to Hangzhou to draft the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. This was the first constitution of new China, the workload was very large, Mao Zedong insisted on climbing mountains and exercising after work, rain or shine. There are dozens of mountains around Hangzhou, Mao Zedong almost all climbed, Zhang Yaoci has been following him, accompanying him to see the mountain scenery of Hangzhou.
Mao Zedong climbed the mountain in Hangzhou
Mao Zedong's climbing of the mountain was not arranged in advance, it was all based on pleasure. He also resented the excitement of the crowd and did not want to climb the mountain leisurely and clear the scene in advance. He himself thought out which mountain to climb and when to go, and did not inform Zhang Yaoci until he was leaving.
Because they were all temporary choices of mountaineering locations, it made zhang Yaoci's escort work more difficult, and he could not go to investigate the safety of the mountain road in advance. Fortunately, Mao Zedong chose the climbing time from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and there was basically no one on the mountain, and there was no dangerous situation.
Zhang Yaoci was a very cautious comrade, and he always reminded himself in his heart: Chairman Mao's food, clothing, shelter and transportation are no small matters. He once advised Mao to wear sunglasses and a mask for Mao's safety. Mao Zedong was very unhappy and hated these things. Moreover, Mao Zedong was very tall, and even if he wore these, he was easily recognized.
Later, Mao Zedong simply did not wear anything, and he worked hard for the people for most of his life, and there were almost no special leisure hobbies. Freely exploring the mountains is like returning to the innocent time in Shaoshan as a teenager.
Mao Zedong's mother, Wen Qimei, believed in Buddhism, and when Mao Zedong was a child, he also worshipped the Buddha gods in his family every day because of the influence of his mother. If he had encountered a temple halfway up the mountain, Mao Zedong would still walk in with great interest and have a few words with the monks inside, who were always surprised and delighted, saying that Chairman Mao had fallen from the sky.
Mao Zedong loved to swim and liked to swim in the middle of big rivers, and Zhang Yaoci remembered that Mao Zedong once swam through the Beidai river, the Yangtze River, the Pearl River, the Qiantang River and so on. Although Zhang Yaoci could swim, he could not swim mao zedong at all. In order to protect Mao Zedong, Zhang Yaoci selected a group of fighters who were good at swimming among the 8341 units, and after training, accompanied Mao Zedong to swim together.
There is also a story about Mao Zedong's love of swimming, someone built a swimming pool for him in Yuquan Mountain without Mao Zedong's consent, but Mao Zedong was very unhappy after seeing the swimming pool at Yuquan Mountain, and criticized the relevant personnel on the spot.
On April 25, 1954, Mao Zedong wrote to Liu Shaoqi, Chen Yun, and Liu Shaoqi, explaining that the construction cost of the swimming pool was deducted from his writing fee, and that the swimming pool was closed for vigilance.
Mao Zedong and the staff took a group photo, and on The right side of Mao Zedong was Zhang Yaoci
In terms of "doing", Zhang Yaoci spent the most thought and energy. On the "food", Mao Zedong's table is full of simple dishes, two meals a day, rarely eating three meals. Bird's nest, shark fin soup and so on, can not be on Mao Zedong's table at all. Zhang Yaoci's biggest concern was how to make Mao Zedong eat better.
Mao Zedong's meals are inseparable from chili peppers, and in the 50s, Mao Zedong liked to eat braised pork. Later, the doctor advised him that the fat in the braised meat was high and he could not eat more. Mao Zedong changed to eating fish every day, usually eating silver carp and the like, and his favorite food was Wuchang fish. Zhang Yaoci asked the supply office to find a way to transport Wuchang fish from Wuhan.
Mao Zedong also liked to drink tea, the most beloved is Hangzhou's Longjing, Zhang Yaoci will order Longjing tea from Hangzhou every year.
Mao Zedong was very accommodating and kind to the comrades around him.
Philippine President Mrs. Marcos visited China when Mao Zedong was in Wuhan. She offered the Foreign Ministry that she wanted to see Mao Zedong, which declined Mrs. Marcos, considering that her visit to Wuhan was not very relevant. Mrs. Marcos burst into tears, and when the Foreign Ministry knew about it, she quickly reported it to Mao Zedong, who said, "Then see you." "
Mrs. Marcos flew to Wuhan and was very excited to see Mao Zedong. She told Mao that she had urgently contacted the Philippine Embassy in China and asked them to deliver some fresh mangoes from the Philippines to Mao and his children as soon as possible.
Not long after, several baskets of mangoes landed in Wuhan. Mao Zedong didn't like fruit very much, and the mangoes were left there. Zhang Yaoci was afraid that the fruit would spoil after a long time, so he asked Zhang Yufeng to report to Mao Zedong whether he could send some mangoes to his children in Beijing.
Mao Zedong smiled and said, "You take care of me more thoughtfully than my children." Thank you, please forward it to the masters, guards and nurses! "
According to Mao Zedong's wishes, Zhang Yaoci distributed the mangoes to the staff around Chairman Mao.
In May 1955, Mao Zedong personally wrote the "Code of Business Travel" for the soldiers of the first squadron of the Central Guard Regiment.
Many people take it for granted that mao zedong, as the president of a country, will receive gifts of great value. In fact, the valuable gifts that Mao Zedong received from foreign guests were handed over to the public, and he usually did not accept gifts sent from various places. If there is no way to return it, he will let the supply office discount the price and send the money to the gift giver. He would also ask the Petitioning Office to write a letter asking for an example.
Mao Zedong received gifts from old friends, and after a while, he would still give some other practical gifts. Zhang Yaoci only remembered that once a friend gave Mao Zedong a bag of millet, and Mao Zedong liked coarse grains and happily accepted them all.
Mao Zedong's physique is very good, not easy to get sick, every time he is sick, it is difficult to take injections and medicines, because Mao Zedong is afraid of injections and does not like to take medicine. Zhang Yaoci would still prepare some necessary medicines for Mao Zedong, such as sleeping pills and cold medicines.
Compared with eating and drinking, Mao Zedong dressed more simply. He told Zhang Yaoci several times that every time he bought clothes, he must get his consent. His pajamas were already very torn, and he had made up dozens of places, gray cloth heads, white cloth heads, blue cloth heads, and what cloth was made up for what cloth. Zhang Yaoci asked several times, Mao Zedong was reluctant to change to a new one, but wanted to say that the old one was comfortable to wear: "I wear it in which others can't see it, I don't think it will be ok." My standard is not to show flesh, not to breathe. "
In the spring of 1962, Mao Zedong at Xiangtang Airport in Jiangxi (Zhang Yaoci on the front left and Zhang Yufeng on the right)
After entering the city of Beijing, Mao Zedong often had to receive foreign guests, and he needed a new pair of leather shoes. The comrade in charge of the office felt that the yellow color was beautiful, so he customized a pair of yellow leather shoes for him. These shoes were seen by the comrades in charge of diplomacy but felt inappropriate, and he said to Mao Zedong: "On diplomatic occasions, wearing black leather shoes looks more solemn, or customize a pair of black leather shoes." "
Mao Zedong did not think so, the rules of this black leather shoes are set by foreigners, there is no need to follow foreigners, why make another pair. As a result, those yellow shoes Mao Zedong wore for many years.
He was simply dressed, but he was very hygienic, washing and changing frequently, even in the years of the flames.
Mao Zedong's house needed to be renovated several times, and he felt that it would cost a lot of money, so he always put it in place.
In the past, when the Long March was marching, Mao Zedong lived in the homes of ordinary people, never slept in other people's beds, and always made bunks. Later, he lived in Zhongnanhai, and had the conditions to sleep on the palm bed and Simmons, and he still slept on the hard wooden bed.
He pays great attention to saving water and electricity, and when the matches are used up, the matchbox must be kept, and some loose matches should be bought and put into them before use.
Mao Zedong was very willing to spend money only on books, and his personal library was a small library. Mao Zedong often kept his hands on books, lying in bed to read books, reading newspapers when eating, and one-third of his bed was filled with books. In the parlor and in the toilet, he had his designated books and pencils.
He read a wide range of books, such as history, natural science, philosophy, economics, politics, literature, etc., and Zhang Yaoci remembers that he read the Zizhi Tongjian more than 20 times. He once said to Zhang Yaoci: "You can go a day without eating, you can sleep for a day, you can't go a day without reading... Without books, there would be no Mao Zedong! "
On December 26, 1966, Mao Zedong took a group photo with the staff in Zhongnanhai on his birthday (Zhang Yaoci, the back right)
Every time Mao Zedong went out to inspect, Zhang Yaoci had to help him borrow books from other places according to Mao Zedong's needs, and the libraries in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Lushan and other places left records of Zhang Yaoci borrowing books for Mao Zedong.
In his later years, Mao Zedong suffered from cataracts and could no longer read books, and was not accustomed to this kind of life without books. He asked Zhang Yaoci to find a gentleman who studied for him, and Zhang Yaoci invited Comrade Ludi of Peking University to read ancient texts and poems for him. She read two or three hours a day for Mao Zedong, reading and talking, and Lu Di said that Mao Zedong was a "book-loving person."
Mao Zedong had almost no temper with the people around him, and when he was most angry, Mao Zedong would say: Pull when there is, and let go if there is fart! "Let the man speak out in pain, and he will argue with him in pain and pleasure, and when he is finished, he will pull down."
When Mao Zedong was over eighty years old, he was still like a young man who did not accept defeat, and he asked Zhang Yaoci to break his wrist with him. Zhang Yaoci deliberately put up a posture of wanting to compete, but did not use much force to deliberately let Mao Zedong win. He smiled and said to Mao Zedong, "Chairman, your hand is so strong, I can't compare to you." Mao Zedong laughed loudly.
Zhang Yaoci silently guarded Mao Zedong's side, many very detailed small things, many inconspicuous small objects, Zhang Yaoci may have to spend a lot of time to arrange properly.
In his later years, Mao Zedong could not see clearly, did not want to look, and was even more unwilling to undergo surgery. Zhang Yaoci took out the glasses that Mao Zedong had worn in the 50s and looked for the master who matched the glasses, but these glasses had passed for many years and were not suitable for Mao Zedong. In the end, they had to bring back three pairs of glasses with a difference of 25 degrees for Mao Zedong to try on, from a few hundred degrees to more than a thousand degrees, mao Zedong could barely see clearly.
If Zhang Yaoci in the war years saw Mao Zedong's wisdom and heroism, then after the founding of New China, Zhang Yaoci saw a kind old man, simple, kind, straightforward, simple, and sometimes like an old naughty boy.
Since Zhang Yaoci became the head of the Central Guard Regiment, his life has been spent in small and trivial matters, and he has accumulated deep feelings for Mao Zedong, treating him as his elder and relative, optimistic and strong, and able to remain calm in the face of even dangerous situations.
At 10:00 a.m. on January 8, 1976, Zhang Yaoci received a call from the Beijing 305 Hospital informing him that Zhou Enlai had died in the hospital.
Zhang Yaoci dropped the phone and immediately ran to Mao Zedong's bedroom, where the seriously ill Mao Zedong was sitting on a sofa. Zhang Yaoci reported to him: "I just received a phone call, the prime minister died of illness at 9:57 a.m.! "
After Mao Zedong listened, he did not speak for a long time.
Mao Zedong and Zhang Yaoci
Zhang Yaoci was sad in his heart, he stood there motionless, looked up at Chairman Mao's face was heavy, but weakly waved at him, Zhang Yaoci left Mao Zedong's bedroom.
In Zhang Yaoci's impression, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai had a very good relationship, and every time Zhou Enlai came to see Mao Zedong, he first called his secretary, and then came to Mao Zedong's residence, and the two chatted together, which was very harmonious. Zhou Enlai always respected Mao Zedong, and Mao Zedong also relied on Zhou Enlai.
Zhang Yaoci has been by Mao Zedong's side for so many years, knows his joys and sorrows, and also knows that At this moment, Mao Zedong needs to be alone and quietly bid farewell to Zhou Enlai.
This is Zhang Yaoci's life around Mao Zedong, serious, rigorous, and always infected by Chairman Mao's warmth.
On September 9, 1976, Mao Zedong passed away, and Zhang Yaoci was suddenly idle, not as busy as before. But like all the comrades around Mao Zedong, he often missed the chairman's voice and smile.
He remembered that Mao Zedong's favorite dance song was "Liuyang River", when he came to the Great Hall of the People every Saturday to arrange a dance party, and he could not dance, always following Chairman Mao. Everyone advised him to learn to dance, even for Chairman Mao, to learn it, and he learned it...
From standing in front of Mao Zedong's office at the age of 17 to still standing by Mao Zedong's sickbed at the age of 60, Zhang Yaoci once regarded the bits and pieces needed by Chairman Mao's life as his entire life, witnessing the old man's joys and sorrows. He was full of gratitude and reverence for Chairman Mao, and regarded the 43 years as the most glorious period of his life.
In 1970, Mao Zedong and Zhang Yaoci and their staff took a group photo in front of the Zhongnanhai Swimming Pool
On October 30, 2010, Zhang Yaoci died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 94.
His memorial service was attended by thousands of people, and in the farewell hall, Mr. Qian Sijie, Chairman Mao's former full-time photographer, sighed: "Alas! The people around the chairman, one less..."
【Transferred from "Warm Reading"】