From left: Chen Yi, Liu Bocheng, Nie Rongzhen
"You are one of the few people who have worked with Mao Zedong for the longest years, and I think you are also one of the people who have witnessed the most contacts between Mao Zedong and other CCP leaders, the central government and high-level officials everywhere. Have you ever seen a scene where when Mao Zedong talked about his own views, some of the leaders had different opinions, and Mao Zedong listened carefully to them fully state their views and finally gave up their own ideas? ”
"As I said earlier, when Mao Zedong and other CCP leaders discuss political affairs together, I am rarely present. This may have happened, but I haven't seen it. I have not seen many cases, but generally speaking, after Mao Zedong said his own ideas, it was basically settled, and no one put forward different opinions. ”
"Was Mao Zedong sometimes very stubborn about his views, propositions, and opinions, and would not change them easily?"
Mao zedong was sometimes very able to adopt the reasonable suggestions of others, but there were also times when he was very stubborn. I remember that around the second half of the 1950s, at a meeting, Mao Zedong praised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and made a harsh criticism of the work of the army at that time, saying that the army was "half the sky black", and shortly thereafter, the Politburo of the Central Committee held a standing committee, and Mao Zedong decided not to invite Nie Rongzhen to attend. I think that Nie Rongzhen has been attending the Politburo Standing Committee on behalf of the army since the early 1950s, and Mao Zedong did not agree that his attendance was only temporary, and after several meetings of the Politburo Standing Committee, I still included Nie Rongzhen in the list of notices to the meeting, but Mao Zedong checked Nie Rongzhen's name off the list several times. ”
Luo Ruiqing (left) and Mao Zedong
Because of the swimming matter and Luo Ruiqing's anger, it is very telling. It was the early summer of 1956, and Mao Zedong suddenly had the idea of swimming the Yangtze River. At that time, Luo Ruiqing, Wang Shoudao, and Wang Dongxing all resolutely opposed it, believing that the yangtze river was turbulent, whirlpool, and too dangerous, especially Luo Ruiqing repeatedly affirmed that this risk could not be taken.
The good interest in swimming was prevented, and Mao Zedong said to Luo Ruiqing irritably: "If you don't let me swim, you are just afraid that I will die in that place!" How do you know I'm going to drown? Luo Ruiqing explained uneasily: "Ensuring your safety is a task entrusted to me by the party and the people, so I can't let you take a little risk." But Mao Zedong insisted on traveling, and Luo Ruiqing did not recruit, saying: "Then this matter must be reported to the central authorities before it can be decided!" Mao Zedong also lost his temper and said, "Who do you ask for instructions to report to?" The Chairman of the Central Committee is me! ”
Because Mao Zedong insisted, he had to send someone to explore the water situation first, and finally confirmed that there was no danger, so that Mao Zedong swam the Yangtze River. He swam, but Mao Zedong's anger did not all subside, and he said to Luo Ruiqing: "What is the danger?" You don't understand water! So don't dare to swim! Can a person who can't swim still command an army? Mao Zedong was so excited, Luo Ruiqing really learned to swim later.
But for a long time after that, Mao Zedong saw that Luo Ruiqing did not greet him. Once again, on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square, Mao Zedong said Luo Ruiqing again. Therefore, later Ye Zilong invited Luo Ruiqing to see Mao Zedong several times, and Luo Ruiqing always said that he was afraid that Mao Zedong would get angry and shirk.
After about half a year, Ye Zilong said to Mao Zedong: "Minister Luo often greets you through me about your living conditions, and he has always been very concerned about you. Mao Zedong listened and said, "Then let him come and meet him." Therefore, Ye Zilong invited Luo Ruiqing. They met and ate a meal of noodles together, and the unpleasantness vanished.
——Excerpt from "The Insider Says: Dialogue with Key Figures in History", published by China Youth Publishing House
Author: Wang Fan Ye Zilong
Editor: Zhou Yiqian