Picture 丨 Old photo of Deng Xiaoping
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="71" > preface</h1>
"I think that the situation is still unstable, Xiaoping can't fully retreat for the time being, he is here, the army will not be chaotic." Nie Rongzhen pondered for a moment and slowly opened his mouth to Say to Wang Zhen.
On the eve of the 13th Party Congress, Wang Zhen approached Nie Rongzhen and asked him to give him an opinion on Deng Xiaoping's resignation as chairman of the Central Military Commission, so that he could report to the central authorities. Nie Rongzhen's opinion played a great role at that time, and after listening to Nie Rongzhen's opinion, Deng Xiaoping sighed and said:
"This Nie Boss is really thoughtful!"
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="144" > "no soldiers and no pawns"</h1>
"The Chinese government has decided to reduce the number of posts in the People's Liberation Army by 1 million." In June 1985, Deng Xiaoping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, solemnly announced at the meeting. Million-dollar disarmament is one of the few major operations in history, and as soon as the news was sent, it immediately caused a shock in the whole world.
Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech at the meeting
From 1949 to 1975, the Chinese People's Liberation Army grew to a total of 6.1 million people, making it the most numerous army in the world. After Deng Xiaoping began to preside over the daily work of the Central Military Commission, he clearly saw the current situation of the army and was determined to rectify the army. After only 20 days as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, he saw the problems of the PLA at that time:
The army is bloated, the proportion of military expenditure is too large, and the army is swelled up and not lean.
In 1977, at a meeting of the Central Military Commission at the end of the year, Deng Xiaoping again raised the issue of the "bloating" of the army, and under the presidency of Deng Xiaoping and others, the meeting adopted a plan for adjusting the structure of the troop establishment and called for streamlining the troops. But there is no concrete conclusion as to how and how much disarmament will be cut.
After the Soviet Union sent troops to Afghanistan, Deng Xiaoping smelled the changes in the world situation from this war, and he believed that it was still possible not to fight in the short term, and during this time, military expenditure should be reduced as much as possible and more money should be used to strengthen national construction. After the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, Deng Xiaoping officially became chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Pictured: Soviet soldiers on the battlefield in Afghanistan
Based on a calm analysis of the situation at home and abroad, Deng Xiaoping first proposed to lay off the railway troops. At that time, this instruction caused a fierce discussion among the railway troops, and Chen Zaidao, as the last commander of the railway troops, immediately found Yang Dezhi after hearing the news and asked him if he had such a thing.
Chen Zaidao announced this instruction of Deng Xiaoping at the Standing Committee of Railway Soldiers, and after a day of speeches and discussions, everyone expressed that they would resolutely implement the orders of the central authorities, but still suggested that the railway troops could be retained. Subsequently, Yang Shangkun summoned a meeting of cadres of relevant organizations of railway soldiers and conveyed Deng Xiaoping's instructions:
"Abolish the establishment of the railway troops, and the railway troops will be separated from the Central Military Commission and merged into the Ministry of Railways."
Many comrades felt very sorry for this, and Qin Jiwei once suggested to Deng Xiaoping on the removal of railway troops, hoping to transfer the railway troops to the major military regions and become a division in the military regions.
"Leave no soldiers behind."
Picture 丨 "Million Disarmament" news report
In December 1982, the Central Military Commission formally issued an order that 200,000 officers and men of the railway corps tearfully take off their uniforms, and the infrastructure engineering corps were also removed at the same time as the railway troops. After the abolition of these two branches of the armed forces, Deng Xiaoping believed that it was far from enough, and although the problem of the "bloating" of the Platon Army had improved slightly, it could not be fundamentally solved without a major action.
Deng Xiaoping made the removal of the Railway Corps and the Infrastructure Engineering Corps a first step toward streamlining the army and pointed the way for the General Staff to implement disarmament initiatives. In order to make the plan for streamlining and reorganizing the army more rational, Liu Huaqing, Zhang Zhen, and others personally organized and held more than 40 meetings and more than 10 special meetings.
At the end of October 1984, the Central Military Commission organized a forum of great significance, inviting all the top military and political leaders in the army to participate in the meeting. On the eighth day of the meeting, Deng Xiaoping made a speech at the meeting, and he began with humor from the military parade that had just passed:
"Although everyone has reported that this military parade is very good, I seem to have a flaw, that is, the 80-year-old person came to inspect the troops, which is a flaw in itself..."
Photo丨 Deng Xiaoping reviewed the troops in 1984
Deng Xiaoping's words directly hit the sensitive points of military and political leaders, and the problem of aging senior military leaders has developed to a very serious point. Deng Xiaoping proposed to disarm 1 million people and explained his reasons to everyone. The first is the bloated organization in the army, with as many as a dozen leaders in each military region, and some have even grown to more than twenty. "To play mahjong, you have to put together several tables," Deng Xiaoping humorously described this phenomenon.
Secondly, the military expenditure at that time was very small, only 19.1 billion yuan, equivalent to two percent of the US military expenditure, less than a fraction of the Soviet Union, but the number of our People's Liberation Army was equivalent to twice that of the US army, which was about the same as the number of Soviet troops. This is not only a burden on the country and the people, but also restricts the development of the troops and the improvement of combat effectiveness.
Finally, the structure of the People's Liberation Army at that time was unreasonable, in all the world powers, proportionally converted, an officer in other countries had to lead five or six soldiers, and even some countries to ten soldiers, while in our country, an officer only led two soldiers. It is a great internal drain on the resources of the army.
Pictured neatly arranged by the Chinese People's Liberation Army
At the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission the following year, Deng Xiaoping put forward the important thesis that "it is possible that there will be no large-scale world war in a long period of time" and officially announced that he would disarm 1 million people. The meeting made a major policy decision to change the military's strategic thinking and adopted a plan for streamlining and reorganizing the armed forces.
As 1986 approached, hundreds of thousands of OFFICERs and men of the People's Liberation Army took off their uniforms and embarked on other roads to build a new China, initially completing Deng Xiaoping's original strategic idea of "disarming millions." Deng Xiaoping's drastic rectification and reform of the armed forces not only promoted the pace of modernization of the Plaster, but also demonstrated to the world his sincerity in Chinese peace for the people.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="145" > "I still want early retirement."</h1>
Just after Deng Xiaoping completed the feat of "disarming millions," just when the famous American journalist Wallace came to China, Deng Xiaoping was interviewed by this American friend at the Ziguang Pavilion in Zhongnanhai. Wallace, who was 68 at the time, had read almost all of deng xiaoping's text before the interview, and he also asked the relevant Chinese authorities to provide film and television materials about Deng Xiaoping.
Picture 丨 Famous American journalist Wallace
At 10:00 a.m. on September 2, Deng Xiaoping, accompanied by staff, went to the Purple Light Pavilion and shook hands with Wallace. Wallace said he saw the interview as a very rare opportunity because it was not easy for a journalist to get an interview with a figure like Deng Xiaoping. Deng Xiaoping smiled and modestly said:
"I'm just an ordinary person."
Before the formal interview began, the two of them chatted like old friends for a while, talking about Deng Xiaoping's interview with Farage a few years ago, Wallace said that he had read the report, and Farage asked Deng Many difficult questions. Deng Xiaoping Falach was an easy man to deal with, and Wallace said to Deng Xiaoping with a slightly cunning look:
"Yes, I also interviewed Farage, but I also asked her some difficult questions."
Pictured by Wallace and Deng Xiaoping in Zhongnanhai
During the more than an hour of talking with Wallace, Deng Xiaoping made an incisive analysis of many issues between China and the world, and in the face of Wallace's questions, Deng Xiaoping's answers were sometimes deep and serious, sometimes humorous and funny. Speaking of Deng Xiaoping himself, Wallace asked Deng Xiaoping bluntly:
"How long are you going to stay in the main leadership position?"
"You know, in my conversation with Farage, I said, 'I'm going to do it until 1985, and it's been more than a year now.' Personally, I still want to retire early, but the problem is more difficult. Deng Xiaoping answered Wallace's question solemnly.
After the Central Committee set the date for the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Deng Xiaoping and Li Xiannian were invited to Chen Yun's home, and although they were all old, they had been fighting on the front line and working for the country's reform and opening up. The three old people had not seen each other for a long time, and Chen Yun quickly beckoned the staff to take photos for them. Just as the staff returned to the office, the three elderly people said in unison:
"Smoke, take the cigarette!"
Deng Xiaoping had a cordial conversation with Li Xiannian
At that time, only Deng Xiaoping smoked among the three, and under the persuasion of doctors, Deng Xiaoping was also trying to exercise restraint. At this time, Chen Yun and Li Xiannian eagerly looked for a cigarette for Deng Xiaoping because the conversation between them would involve a major issue. The three old men talked in the room for more than an hour, and the specific content was not known to others until a year later, when Chen Yun revealed the main content of the conversation at that time:
At that time, the three of them agreed that they would retire together at the 13th Party Congress a year later, and that they would retire to the end.
As early as 1980, Deng Xiaoping proposed to reform the leadership system, advocating abolishing the lifelong system of cadre leadership posts and establishing a retirement system. After the Twelfth National Congress, he, Chen Yun, and Li Xiannian resigned from a number of important posts, but they thought that it was not enough, so they planned to "retire to the end" at the time of the Thirteenth National Congress. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="146" > "Xiaoping can't be fully refunded for the time being"</h1>
At the last plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on the eve of the 13th Party Congress, Chen Yun revealed Deng Xiaoping's intention to retire after the 13th Party Congress, and this demand was immediately opposed by the masses inside and outside the party, who wrote letters to the party Central Committee one after another, strongly demanding that Deng Xiaoping continue to stay in office, and the delegates attending the meeting also asked Deng Xiaoping not to retire.
Deng Xiaoping had a cordial conversation with Chen Yun
Although the issue of promoting the rejuvenation of cadres is particularly important, the central government must take into account not only Deng Xiaoping's personal wishes, but also the party's will and public opinion. On July 30, Wang Zhen suddenly went to Yuquan Mountain to meet Nie Rongzhen, who lived there. After the two exchanged a few words of greeting, Wang Zhen said his intention to come this time.
At that time, Wang Zhen was a member of the personnel arrangement group designated by the central government, and was entrusted by the central government to seek Nie Rongzhen's opinion on the personnel arrangements for the "Thirteenth National Congress.". In particular, on the matter of Deng Xiaoping's proposal of "total retirement," the central authorities wanted to hear Nie Rongzhen's opinion. Nie Rongzhen was very cautious about this major issue, and he sat in the room in silence for a long time before he slowly opened his mouth and said to Wang Zhen:
"I think that now is a transitional period, the situation is still unstable, Xiaoping cannot fully retire for the time being, and he can not participate in the Standing Committee." He has completely retired, he is not the chairman of the Central Military Commission, once something happens, how can he order the whole army? Only if he can hold on, and if he is there, the army will not be in chaos. Therefore, Xiaoping cannot all retreat. ”
Photo by Deng Xiaoping and Nie Rongzhen
Wang Zhen nodded after listening, and after the two talked for a while, Wang Zhen left first. After sending Wang Zhen away, Nie Rongzhen got up and went for a walk in the courtyard, during which he did not say a word and kept pondering. After the walk, Nie Rongzhen returned to the living room and instructed the secretary:
"Let's write a formal opinion, be more precise, and let Elder Wang (that is, Wang Zhen) take it to Beidaihe."
Nie Rongzhen's secretary Chen Keqin drafted the opinions overnight according to Nie Rongzhen's opinions, and the next morning after Nie Rongzhen got up, Chen Keqin read the opinions he had drafted to him, and Nie Rongzhen listened to them twice before nodding his head in agreement:
"Let's call it a 'memo.'" Please ask Elder Wang to take it away. ”
In the "memorandum", Nie Rongzhen elaborated on Deng Xiaoping's importance to the party and the country at that time, and he believed that under the situation at that time, Deng Xiaoping not only could not retreat, but should continue to move forward, and his physical condition also allowed him to continue to struggle for several years. At the same time, considering the need to promote the rejuvenation of cadres, Nie Rongzhen suggested adding a few more young comrades to the Politburo Standing Committee, but the post of chairman of the Central Military Commission still needs Deng Xiaoping to hold the position for another period to stabilize the grass-roots thinking after the disarmament of one million:
"Comrade Xiaoping's withdrawal at such a time is indeed detrimental to stabilizing the morale of the army."
Figure: Deng Xiaoping and Li Xiannian entered the 13th Congress
Many years later, when Chen Keqin recalled the incident, he said that the draft of the "memorandum" had always been sandwiched in the work log, and Nie Rongzhen had always clearly insisted that it was not possible to retire Deng Xiaoping, and he himself drafted the "memorandum" according to this point. Soon after, News came from Beidaihe that Nie Rongzhen's opinions were reported to the central authorities, and the central leaders praised Nie Rongzhen's thinking for considering the long term, and Deng Xiaoping himself said with emotion:
Nie Rongzhen's opinion played a great role in the "Thirteenth National Congress," and after repeatedly considering Deng Xiaoping's own wishes and opinions inside and outside the party, the central authorities finally decided that Ye Jianying, Xu Xiangqian, and other "four elders" would all retire, while Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Li Xiannian, and other "three elders" would retire halfway. Deng Xiaoping was no longer in the new Politburo and Standing Committee, and remained chairman of the Party and State Military Commissions.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="147" > "This thing can finally be done"</h1>
After the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the new central leadership collective has achieved remarkable results in its work, and the domestic political situation has gradually stabilized. Seeing this, Deng Xiaoping once again put his retirement on the agenda. He said that his retirement is not only conducive to the stability of the right route, but also conducive to the real implementation of the retirement system.
Deng Xiaoping presided over the meeting
In September 1989, Deng Xiaoping wrote to the Politburo requesting his resignation as chairman of the Central Military Commission. He said that the current central leadership can already carry out his work very well, and he himself wants to resign from his current post while he is still healthy, which is beneficial to the state and the army, and at the same time he will submit a request to the NPC to resign as chairman of the State Military Commission.
On the day the Politburo received Deng Xiaoping's letter of resignation, members of the third-generation central leadership collective came to Deng Xiaoping's residence, hoping that Deng Xiaoping would take back his mandate and continue to steer the country in the chair of the Central Military Commission. Deng Xiaoping saw their thoughts and said to them without question:
"Today is mainly to discuss the time and way for me to retire!"
Photo of Deng Xiaoping's life after retirement
When Deng Xiaoping saw that someone was preparing to open his mouth to persuade him, he decisively waved his hand and said that it was very beneficial for him to retire, and if he died at work, he did not know what kind of world repercussions he would cause.
"Let this matter be settled like this, and it will be resolved at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee."
Then Deng Xiaoping talked to everyone about his way of retirement, and Deng Xiaoping advocated that the simpler the better, "come in a clean, neat, simple way, and say a few words at most." Subsequently, he asked all the people present to do persuasion work in the party so that he could retire smoothly:
"After death, the funeral will be simplified, please!"
When talking about his post after retirement, Deng Xiaoping looked around at the comrades around him and said that if the Central Military Commission wants to have a chairman, it is first necessary to determine the chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, and at the same time determine the chairman of the State Military Commission. Then he intensified his tone and said his proposal word by word.
Deng Xiaoping interacted cordially with his grandson
Deng Xiaoping's almost commanding-style speech, one link after another, did not give any room for negotiation to those who came to persuade him, and he completed all the important affairs of the party and the country in three words and two words. A few days later, he again met with the third-generation central leadership collective, asked the central authorities about the implementation of his application for retirement, and said to everyone:
"Maybe my final role in office is to take the lead in establishing a retirement system."
At the Fifth Plenum of the 13th Central Committee that year, the last item on the agenda of the meeting was to discuss Deng Xiaoping's resignation letter to the Politburo requesting his resignation, and to put a final vote. When Deng Xiaoping's resignation letter, which was less than 700 words short, was published, the sincerity between the lines touched many delegates attending the meeting.
Deng Xiaoping, who was at home, was very concerned about the results of the discussions at the meeting, and the staff who returned from the venue told him that through the discussion of his resignation letter to the Politburo, the delegates attending the meeting gradually understood his determination and the significance of retirement.
"This thing can finally be done!"
Pictured: Deng Xiaoping's family photo
On the afternoon of the same day, the decision on Deng Xiaoping's resignation as chairman of the Central Military Commission was adopted amid thunderous applause from the audience, and after discussion, everyone unanimously held that Deng Xiaoping proceeded from the consideration of the party and the state, resigned from his post when he was still in good health, fulfilled his long-cherished wish repeatedly put forward over the years, and showed his broad mind as a proletarian revolutionary, and the comrades attending the meeting paid the highest respect for his personal practice.
The stone in Deng Xiaoping's heart, which was watching TV at home, finally fell to the ground, and he immediately drove to the Great Hall of the People to bid farewell to the delegates attending the meeting. At four o'clock in the afternoon, Deng Xiaoping, accompanied by the central leaders, entered the hall, and the eagerly awaited deputies gave thunderous applause and cheers. Deng Xiaoping walked slowly to the microphone and said to everyone with a smile:
"Thank you comrades for their understanding and support of me, sincerely thank the plenary, and sincerely thank the comrades!"