In 1957, Yao Xueyan was branded a "rightist" and, in solitude, wrote the first volume of "Li Zicheng".
In 1963, the China Youth Publishing House published the first volume of "Li Zicheng", which immediately caused a huge sensation, but the evaluation was polarized.
Some people believe that this novel is a big poisonous weed.
Therefore, in the subsequent "Cultural Revolution", those who spoke out and affirmed this novel, after being overthrown, had a relatively one more crime: shielding the "old rightist" Yao Xueyu and touting the big poisonous weed "Li Zicheng".
It is conceivable that Yao Xueyu and his "Li Zicheng" were in danger at that time.
However, a sudden surprise came, which made Yao Xueyu and his "Li Zicheng" quickly turn the crisis into safety and avoid the disaster of destruction.
It was July 1966, and Chairman Mao personally presided over a meeting of the Politburo.
In the middle of the meeting, Chairman Mao saw Wang Renzhong, secretary of the Hubei Provincial CPC Committee, called him to his side and instructed: "Yao Xueyan's 'Li Zicheng' is divided into two volumes. You quickly inform the city of Wuhan to protect him and let him finish the next book! ”
The next morning, Wang Renzhong called Song Kanfu, the first secretary of the Wuhan Municipal CPC Committee, to convey Chairman Mao's instructions.
In this way, Yao Xueyan became an outlier among many intellectuals at that time during the "Cultural Revolution"—he was neither a leftist, but he was not criticized by raiders, let alone imprisoned in a "cowshed".
However, under the circumstances at that time, the next volume of his "Li Zicheng", although it was written, had no place to publish.
He had no choice but to write directly to Chairman Mao to explain his situation.
Therefore, Chairman Mao personally gave instructions to his letter, and the next volume of "Li Zicheng" was successfully published.
Subsequently, he wrote to Chairman Mao, asking him to continue writing the novels of Li Zicheng in two, three to five volumes.
Chairman Mao also gave instructions on his letter.
At that time, Chairman Mao had been ill for a long time and had an eye disease, and after reading Yao Xueyan's letter, he immediately used a pencil and criticized hu Qiaomu's report on the letter: "Print and distribute all comrades in the Political Bureau." I agree with him to write Li Zicheng's novels in two, three to five volumes. ”
Why, then, did Chairman Mao pay so much attention to a writer who was branded a "rightist" in such a historical era? Why do you pay so much attention to the novel "Li Zicheng" he wrote?
Is it that Chairman Mao, as a successful revolutionary who led the peasant movement, particularly liked Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant uprising, and particularly liked to propagate the peasant uprising?
Of course not.
One need only look at how Yao Xueyan wrote "Li Zicheng" and how he wrote about the peasant uprising led by Li Zicheng.
Many believe that the peasant uprising is the driving force that moves history forward.
However, Yao Xueyan did not think so.
Yao Xueyan's view is that the peasant uprising promoted the change of dynasty, but did not promote the progress of history.
It is precisely for this reason that the volume of his "Li Zicheng" will be identified by some people as a big poisonous weed.
If Chairman Mao had not paid special attention to him, he and his "Li Zicheng" would have been "crushed by the wheel of history" during the "Cultural Revolution," let alone let him continue to write the next volume of "Li Zicheng."
So, is it "the peasant uprising that moved history forward"? Or is it "the peasant revolt did not move history forward"?
Why did Chairman Mao protect Yao Xueyan at a crucial moment?
Obviously, Chairman Mao supported Yao Xueyan's view that "the peasant uprising did not advance history" and rejected the view that "the peasant uprising pushed history forward."
Because, According to Marxist theory, "the productive forces determine the relations of production, and the economic base determines the superstructure", the productive forces are the decisive driving force for the progress of history, not the peasant uprising, which is the driving force for the advancement of history.
We can speak of this with historical facts.
Before the production of iron tools, that is, before the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Chinese society had always been a slave society, and its highest form, that is, the sub-feudal system, did not implement the county system, and did not implement the separation of military and government in the localities.
Why?
Because iron tools have not been produced, there are no conditions for family-style liberalization of small-scale agricultural production, and only slavery can be carried out in large-scale agricultural production.
In the large-scale production of slavery, it is necessary to have an army at all times to supervise the labor of the slaves and suppress the resistance of the slaves.
Although the local army also has the danger factor of confronting the emperor and threatening the authority of the emperor, because the emperor's army cannot solve the fundamental problem of the slaves' resistance to labor, the sub-feudal system cannot be abolished, and the local army cannot be abolished.
And once the iron ware is produced, the productivity of small agricultural production in the family style liberalization is stronger than that of the slavery large agricultural production, and there is no longer a need for the local army to supervise the labor production of the slaves, so the local army is abolished, the system of division and feudalism is abolished, and the county system is introduced.
This is why the productive forces determine the relations of production, and the economic base determines the superstructure; that is, the productive forces push history forward.
The struggle of the slaves is, of course, a necessary condition for the advancement of history; but the struggle of the slaves is not a sufficient condition for the advancement of history.
Without the progress of the productive forces, the struggle of the slaves cannot advance history.
The same is true of the peasant uprising.
The peasant uprising is a necessary condition for advancing history, but the peasant uprising is not a sufficient condition for advancing history.
Without the progress of the productive forces, no matter how many peasant uprisings there are, they can only change dynasties and generations, and cannot push history forward.
The disadvantage of family-style liberalization of small agricultural production is that it is easy to cause "natural" land mergers and concentrations, thus creating social polarization.
However, this maladministration cannot be solved by relying on the peasant uprising, and can only be solved by relying on the progress of the productive forces.
Only the vigorous development of industrial and commercial production can change the drawbacks of family-style liberalization of small agricultural production and avoid the polarization caused by land mergers and concentrations.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the peasants' mutual assistance and cooperation with the people's communes are only a special means to promote the development of industrial and commercial production and realize the industrialization of Chinese society, and they are by no means a mature economic model and political model, and can never be regarded as promoting the progress of history.
Therefore, Chairman Mao should support Yao Xueyan's views and support Yao Xueyan's continued creation of the next volume of "Li Zicheng".
In fact, in Yao Xueyu's "Li Zicheng", there is not only this one point of view.
In affirming the legitimacy of Li Zicheng's leadership of the peasant uprising, as a leader of the peasant uprising, Li Zicheng's own shortcomings are also obvious.
When we all know that Chairman Mao protected Yao Xueyao, we may not have noticed that Chairman Mao also protected a larger literary hero, Guo Moruo.
During the Cultural Revolution (August 5, 1973), Chairman Mao wrote a poem criticizing Guo Moruo, saying: "Advise the emperor to scold Qin Shi Huang less, and the cause of burning pits should be discussed." Zu Long's soul is still dead in Qin, and Kong Xue's name is Gao Shi Chaff (高實秕糠). Hundreds of generations have practiced Qin politics and law, and "Ten Batches" is not a good article. Familiar with the Tang Dynasty's "Feudal Theory", Mo Congzihou returned to King Wen. ”
However, throughout the Cultural Revolution, Guo Moruo was always protected, and no one could criticize him face to face.
Guo Moruo's "Three Hundred Years of Jiashen Sacrifice", which also wrote about Li Zicheng's peasant uprising, was recommended by Chairman Mao as a must-read for party cadres just as the Anti-Japanese War was nearing the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
Then, how did Guo Moruo's "Three Hundred Years of Jiashen Sacrifice" write about Li Zicheng and his peasant uprising?
Guo Moruo's evaluation of Li Zicheng is that Li Zicheng is close to the people and loves the people, has a peasant class stance, has a relatively democratic style, and has a good personal character, but Li Zicheng is not a mature politician, not a political leader with superb control ability, he relies too much on Liu Zongmin and Niu Jinxing, two people with radical views and impure qualities, and alienating people with traditional scholar-doctor qualities like Li Yan and Song Xiance, which led to a series of serious mistakes made by the peasant rebel army after entering Beijing. Even at the critical juncture of defeat, he listened to the rumors of Niu Venus and allowed Niu Venus to kill the Li Yan brothers, which led to the internal division of the rebel army and made the final defeat of the rebel army irreparable.
Guo Moruo's article, after all, is an expository article, which can only have an impact on the upper echelons of cultured society.
How to transmit similar ideas to the lower strata of society, so that many ordinary people who are not very literate can also understand the defects of the peasant uprising and the mistakes that the leaders of the peasant uprising are prone to make, such a literary work as Yao Xueyu's "Li Zicheng" is undoubtedly a good form.
Therefore, Chairman Mao's purpose in protecting Yao Xueyu is, in fact, to open up the wisdom of the people, to enable our entire society to raise a cultural level, to make our entire society, in the midst of passion, there is still some rationality, and some calm thinking.
The past is not like smoke.
Today, when we recall Chairman Mao's "little things" of protecting Guo Moruo and Yao Xueyao, we may be able to better understand his old man's mental state and true thoughts in that environment.