On October 22, 1949, the first Beijing Sports Games was grandly held at Xiannongtan Stadium. During the sports meeting, Chairman Mao and Fu Zuoyi went to watch the game at the same time. Chairman Mao invited Fu Zuoyi to go to the Temple of Heaven.
Fu Zuoyi didn't know why Chairman Mao wanted to go for a walk with him in the Temple of Heaven. He seemed a little cautious when walking with anxiety.
Walking to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Chairman Mao pointed to a corner of the building and said to Fu Zuoyi: "A piece of this place was blown up by the People's Liberation Army's artillery. Do you think it was repaired?"
Fu Zuoyi's heart skipped a beat. Thinking about it, it was all because he didn't have one. The early uprising caused the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests to be bombarded, so he quickly said to Chairman Mao: "The repairs are very good. If you don't look carefully, you can't see any traces of repairs."
Fu Zuoyi
Chairman Mao took over and said: "If If it were not for the peaceful liberation of Peking, the losses would be far more than this, and we would not be able to hold sports games at Xiannongtan so soon."
Fu Zuoyi was very moved when he heard Chairman Mao say this, but Chairman Mao then changed the subject and asked Fu Zuoyi felt embarrassed.
After Chairman Mao cited Fu Zuoyi's contribution to the repair of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, he asked him if someone in the Communist Party had neglected him.
At this time, Fu Zuoyi had been nominated by Chairman Mao, and became the first Minister of Water Resources of New China.
Chairman Mao's question directly touched his heart during this period, but he was unable to express it clearly, so he could only deny it continuously, saying that Chairman Mao did not punish him, and he was already extremely grateful.
Chairman Mao and Fu Zuoyi
The meaning of Fu Zuoyi's words, is actually that as long as his crimes are not punished, it is nothing to neglect him. He then added that he was not good at water conservancy and might not be qualified for the position of Minister of Water Conservancy.
Chairman Mao told him that if you don’t understand, you can learn. There is nothing you can do well at birth, and he can learn by doing.
Chairman Mao asked Fu Zuoyi to come to the Temple of Heaven to talk because he felt his difficulties, and this difficulty was not because he was not good at water conservancy.
Seeing that Fu Zuoyi had said that he was not qualified to be the Minister of Water Resources, Chairman Mao simply made it clear and asked Fu Zuoyi: "Do you, the minister, have no real power? Why haven't I seen your signature on the document?"
Fu Zuoyi's words Flashing, he replied: "I am often away from home, and it is the same with documents being approved by the deputy minister."
Fu Zuoyi
Fu Zuoyi's unwillingness to speak freely is related to his twists and turns after the uprising.
After the uprising, most of the generals of the Kuomintang army retained their original army establishments, and their positions were transferred to the uprising generals. For example, after Zeng Zesheng's uprising, he served as commander of the 50th Army of the People's Liberation Army; after Chen Mingren's uprising, he served as chairman of the Hunan Provincial Provisional Government and commander of the First Corps.
Even Wu Huawen, who had been a traitor during the Anti-Japanese War, continued to serve as the commander of the 35th Army of the People's Liberation Army after he led the 96th Army in the uprising.
After Fu Zuoyi's uprising, he reorganized his troops and did not cancel the Corps' retained corps and division establishment as he hoped.
Fu Zuoyi's group photo with Premier Zhou and others in Xibaipo
Fu Zuoyi's army is large in scale and complex in composition, and the area is the future capital of New China , so it cannot be reorganized according to conventional methods.
Furthermore, the officers and soldiers of Fu Zuoyi's troops who were captured in the New Security Battle were not released in time as Fu Zuoyi requested due to some special circumstances. These things made Fu Zuoyi suspicious.
What made Fu Zuoyi even more uneasy was that after the People's Liberation Army entered Peiping, the first issue of the People's Daily in Peking published an editorial stating: "Only by peaceful uprising can Fu Zuoyi redeem his merits." There is no mention of his contribution to the peaceful uprising.
The Peking Street Organization called his home and asked a former Kuomintang member to register. He said he was Fu Zuoyi, but the other party said righteously: "The person we are looking for is you, Fu Zuoyi."
These things brought Fu Zuoyi nothing but Humiliated and panicked, he called Lin Biao directly and asked Lin Biao to prepare a prison for him. On October 22, 1949, the first Beijing Sports Games was grandly held at Xiannongtan Stadium. During the sports meeting, Chairman Mao and Fu Zuoyi went to watch the game at the same time. Chairman Mao invited Fu Zuoyi to go to the Temple of Heaven. Fu Zuoyi didn't know why Chairman Mao wanted to go for a walk with him in the Temple of Heaven. He seemed a little cautious when walking with anxiety. Walking to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Chairman Mao pointed to a corner of the building and said to Fu Zuoyi: "A piece of this place was blown up by the People's Liberation Army's artillery. Do you think it was repaired?" Fu Zuoyi's heart skipped a beat. Thinking about it, it was all because he didn't have one. The early uprising caused the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests to be bombarded, so he quickly said to Chairman Mao: "The repairs are very good. If you don't look carefully, you can't see any traces of repairs." Fu Zuoyi
Chairman Mao took over and said: "If If it were not for the peaceful liberation of Peking, the losses would be far more than this, and we would not be able to hold sports games at Xiannongtan so soon."
Fu Zuoyi was very moved when he heard Chairman Mao say this, but Chairman Mao then changed the subject and asked Fu Zuoyi felt embarrassed.
After Chairman Mao cited Fu Zuoyi's contribution to the repair of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, he asked him if someone in the Communist Party had neglected him.
At this time, Fu Zuoyi had been nominated by Chairman Mao, and became the first Minister of Water Resources of New China.
Chairman Mao's question directly touched his heart during this period, but he was unable to express it clearly, so he could only deny it continuously, saying that Chairman Mao did not punish him, and he was already extremely grateful.
Chairman Mao and Fu Zuoyi
The meaning of Fu Zuoyi's words, is actually that as long as his crimes are not punished, it is nothing to neglect him. He then added that he was not good at water conservancy and might not be qualified for the position of Minister of Water Conservancy.
Chairman Mao told him that if you don’t understand, you can learn. There is nothing you can do well at birth, and he can learn by doing.
Chairman Mao asked Fu Zuoyi to come to the Temple of Heaven to talk because he felt his difficulties, and this difficulty was not because he was not good at water conservancy.
Seeing that Fu Zuoyi had said that he was not qualified to be the Minister of Water Resources, Chairman Mao simply made it clear and asked Fu Zuoyi: "Do you, the minister, have no real power? Why haven't I seen your signature on the document?"
Fu Zuoyi's words Flashing, he replied: "I am often away from home, and it is the same with documents being approved by the deputy minister."
Fu Zuoyi
Fu Zuoyi's unwillingness to speak freely is related to his twists and turns after the uprising.
After the uprising, most of the generals of the Kuomintang army retained their original army establishments, and their positions were transferred to the uprising generals. For example, after Zeng Zesheng's uprising, he served as commander of the 50th Army of the People's Liberation Army; after Chen Mingren's uprising, he served as chairman of the Hunan Provincial Provisional Government and commander of the First Corps.
Even Wu Huawen, who had been a traitor during the Anti-Japanese War, continued to serve as the commander of the 35th Army of the People's Liberation Army after he led the 96th Army in the uprising.
After Fu Zuoyi's uprising, he reorganized his troops and did not cancel the Corps' retained corps and division establishment as he hoped.
Fu Zuoyi's group photo with Premier Zhou and others in Xibaipo
Fu Zuoyi's army is large in scale and complex in composition, and the area is the future capital of New China , so it cannot be reorganized according to conventional methods.
Furthermore, the officers and soldiers of Fu Zuoyi's troops who were captured in the New Security Battle were not released in time as Fu Zuoyi requested due to some special circumstances. These things made Fu Zuoyi suspicious.
What made Fu Zuoyi even more uneasy was that after the People's Liberation Army entered Peiping, the first issue of the People's Daily in Peking published an editorial stating: "Only by peaceful uprising can Fu Zuoyi redeem his merits." There is no mention of his contribution to the peaceful uprising.
The Peking Street Organization called his home and asked a former Kuomintang member to register. He said he was Fu Zuoyi, but the other party said righteously: "The person we are looking for is you, Fu Zuoyi."
These things brought Fu Zuoyi nothing but Humiliated and panicked, he called Lin Biao directly and asked Lin Biao to prepare a prison for him.
Lin Biao
He was venting and testing. Lin Biao and Luo Ronghuan held a special banquet to explain to him that the People's Daily editorial used Chairman Mao's letters before the peaceful uprising and did not draw conclusions about his uprising.
Fu Zuoyi was still uneasy after hearing this explanation. On February 22, 1949, he accompanied Zhang Shizhao, Shao Lizi and other democrats to the northwest slope to visit Chairman Mao. He wanted to find out Chairman Mao's attitude towards him face to face.
I learned that Chairman Mao liked to smoke, and he even brought ten cartons of "Hardman" cigarettes as souvenirs.
When he met Chairman Mao, Fu Zuoyi's first words were "I am guilty."
Fu Zuoyi
Of course Chairman Mao knew what Fu Zuoyi meant. He immediately smiled and comforted him and said: "No, you have merit. When the Eight-Power Allied Forces burned the Old Summer Palace and invaded the Forbidden City, they caused immeasurable losses to cultural relics. If we also inflict heavy losses on Peking." We have caused huge losses to the cultural relics and monuments, and future generations will condemn us. You are indispensable for the peaceful liberation of Peking, and we all want to thank you. If you made mistakes in the past, your achievements now outweigh your mistakes."
Hearing Chairman Mao's words After saying this, Fu Zuoyi felt confident. However, he was not sure what kind of treatment he would get, and tentatively asked Chairman Mao whether he would stay on the northwest slope or return to Peiping in the future.
Chairman Mao knew what Fu Zuoyi was worried about, and told him with certainty: "You live in Peiping well, and of course you will still live in Peking in the future. We will also move to Peking, and convene a meeting of various democratic parties in Peking to negotiate the establishment of a new China." , I will also invite you to the meeting at that time, and we will have more cooperation."
Chairman Mao
At this time, Fu Zuoyi was completely relieved. He excitedly expressed to Chairman Mao that he would convey the conversation with Chairman Mao to his subordinates when he got back. spirit and actively cooperate with the reorganization work.
He will unconditionally obey Chairman Mao and the instructions of the Central Committee. No matter what work is assigned to him, he will go all out.
It was this time when the topic of work arrangements was discussed that Fu Zuoyi became the longest-serving minister in New China.
Chairman Mao asked Fu Zuoyi what he hoped to do in the future. Fu Zuoyi seemed to have already thought about it. immediately replied that he hoped to contribute to the water conservancy construction in the Hetao and become the water conservancy director of Suiyuan.
When Fu Zuoyi was in charge of the Suiyuan area, he made great efforts to build water conservancy. He understood the importance of water conservancy to people's livelihood and had some experience in building water conservancy.
Chairman Mao smiled after hearing this and said: "It is overqualified to let you be the director of Suiyuan Water Conservancy. Since you are interested in water conservancy, then take charge of a country's water conservancy and become the Minister of Water Conservancy of New China!"
Fu Zuoyi
Chairman Mao also said: He said that he could also take care of the work of the army and serve as a member of the National Defense Commission in the future to provide suggestions for the construction of the National Defense Forces.
Chairman Mao's arrangement surprised and touched Fu Zuoyi. His trip was worthwhile and he returned to Peiping in a good mood. But after the central government moved to Xiangshan in the western suburbs of Beiping, Fu Zuoyi's guard regiment rebelled and tried to attack Xiangshan.
This incident has nothing to do with Fu Zuoyi, nor does it have anything to do with the regiment-level officers of the guard regiment. It is just a private conspiracy between the two battalion commanders, but Fu Zuoyi still left some psychological shadow.
After the founding of New China, Fu Zuoyi became my country's first Minister of Water Resources, nominated by Chairman Mao.
Unlike other uprising generals who led reorganized original troops, Fu Zuoyi entered a new field as a leader. His subordinates were basically his former enemies, and it was inevitable that they would not obey his control.
As soon as Fu Zuoyi
was appointed, some rumors spread from the Ministry of Water Resources. Many people complained that "the old revolution is not as good as the new revolution, and the new revolution is not as good as the counterrevolution.".
not only pays lip service to this, but also acts of boycott against Fu Zuoyi occur from time to time. Once Fu Zuoyi came out of a meeting and couldn't find his car, so he had to call a rickshaw to go home.
Premier Zhou took it very seriously when he learned about it and sent people to investigate.An investigation revealed that it was not an accident, but someone who was disgusted with Fu Zuoyi and deliberately parked the car in a remote place so that he could not find it. Premier Zhou severely criticized this behavior and asked the person involved to apologize to Fu Zuoyi.
Premier Zhou
It is easy to stop Fu Zuoyi's troublemaking, but the resistance to him in daily work is not easy to resolve.
The documents Fu Zuoyi directed were always rejected or not implemented. After experiencing this many times, he couldn't help but feel discouraged. simply handed the document to a deputy party minister for approval, and he only signed the document. .
When he was first appointed as the Minister of Water Conservancy, Fu Zuoyi was very excited and wanted to make great progress in the water conservancy industry. He said that during the Kuomintang's rule, he carried a whole box of gold and U.S. dollars when he went out to do business, and even if he wanted to be a minister who could do practical things, he couldn't do it.
Now that he is a convicted criminal, he has been favored as the Minister of Water Resources. How can he not shed tears of gratitude?
Unexpectedly, after taking office, he was marginalized everywhere, and Fu Zuoyi's heart became cold again. He felt that his colleagues in the Ministry of Water Resources were enthusiastic about their work. He was excluded just because he could not convince the public.
Fu Zuoyi
So Chairman Mao chatted with him about related topics in the Temple of Heaven. For the sake of the overall interests of the Ministry of Water Resources, he did not complain to Chairman Mao, but only showed his intention to withdraw in front of Chairman Mao.
Chairman Mao was keenly aware of Fu Zuoyi's situation in the Ministry of Water Resources from the fact that the documents of the Ministry of Water Resources did not contain details of Fu Zuoyi's instructions. Fu Zuoyi was unwilling to talk about it in the Temple of Heaven. Chairman Mao also knew that he had difficulties and did not press him.
After the talk in the Temple of Heaven, Chairman Mao told Premier Zhou about the matter and asked him to investigate the matter as soon as possible. If Fu Zuoyi was really ignored, he should be helped to obtain actual power and perform the duties of the minister.
Premier Zhou talked to officials from the Ministry of Water Resources and Fu Zuoyi himself. learned that the situation was even more serious than the lack of Fu Zuoyi's instructions in the Ministry of Water Resources documents.
Premier Zhou
Some documents of the Ministry of Water Resources are not shown to Minister Fu Zuoyi at all. Even the signature of the minister on the documents is signed by the office.
Some old revolutionaries in the Ministry of Water Resources completely look down on people who came from the Kuomintang. The Kuomintang collapsed because its officials were so bad. Letting officials from the Kuomintang lead the Ministry of Water Resources. The old revolutionaries believed that they could only bring down the atmosphere of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Premier Zhou convened a meeting with cadres from the Ministry of Water Resources to do ideological work for them on the issue of Fu Zuoyi.
Under the guidance of Premier Zhou, Fu Zuoyi's status in the Ministry of Water Resources has improved somewhat. However, Premier Zhou's secretary who followed up on the matter soon reported to Premier Zhou that Fu Zuoyi still did not have the decision-making power as a minister.
Premier Zhou
This week, the Premier used thunderous tactics . He went to the Ministry of Water Resources to convene a meeting of department-level cadres and solemnly announced: "From now on, documents from the Ministry of Water Resources that do not have Fu Zuoyi's instructions and signatures will not need to be reported. They will be reported." I won’t approve it; if you have something to report to me in person, let Minister Fu come, and no one else should come; Minister Fu Zuoyi should also be invited to attend the party group meeting of the Ministry of Water Resources."
Once these regulations come out, who is going to stop them? Fu Zuoyi's exercise of ministerial power is obstructing the operation of the entire Ministry of Water Resources. Fu Zuoyi's authority in the Ministry of Water Resources can no longer be ignored.
Under the care of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, Fu Zuoyi gained not only real power, but also more precious trust.
Premier Zhou
This trust inspired him to work selflessly. He did not want to be a superior official. He spent at least a quarter of each year inspecting water conservancy projects and surveying water conservancy projects across the country.
He is known for traveling in a light and easy manner. When encountering a target that is not accessible to traffic, he will not give up the inspection even if it is dozens of kilometers away, and insists on walking with his subordinates.
In the autumn of 1950, Chairman Mao invited Fu Zuoyi to his residence to discuss with him the management of the Huaihe River. Flooding in the Huaihe River has been a bane in all dynasties. Chairman Mao hoped that New China could fundamentally solve this problem.
After listening to Chairman Mao's instructions in person, Fu Zuoyi convened relevant experts when he returned to discuss and formulate a plan to regulate the Huaihe River. Subsequently, the project to regulate the Huaihe River was quickly launched in the Huaihe River Basin.
Fu Zuoyi
Chairman Mao's inscription "The Huaihe River must be repaired" was made into a banner and hung in various Huaihe River management headquarters. Fu Zuoyi also personally wrote an article "Chairman Mao's Leadership Determines the Success of the Huaihe River Control Project", expounding the methods of regulating the Huaihe River. importance, and the correctness of Chairman Mao’s decision-making.
Under the direct leadership of Fu Zuoyi, technical personnel from the water conservancy department and cadres and masses from various places have achieved remarkable results in the management of the Huaihe River after eight years of hard work. Fu Zuoyi, the Minister of Water Resources, also has achievements that will be praised by future generations.
Water conservancy work is a hard job of climbing mountains and wading in rivers. Running around in the wild all year round has damaged Fu Zuoyi's health.
In 1962, the central government arranged for Fu Zuoyi, whose heart disease became increasingly serious, to go to Guangdong for recuperation. Fu Zuoyi said: "I can go if it is for work, but I don't want to go for recuperation."
The central government had no choice but to comply with his request and allowed him to continue working in Guangdong. As a result, after Fu Zuoyi arrived in Guangdong, he inspected water conservancy projects everywhere and did not take his own body into consideration at all.
After learning about it, Chairman Mao commented on Fu Zuoyi: "He has got into the water conservancy industry."
Chairman Mao
Because of the trust shown by Chairman Mao in his speech at the Temple of Heaven, Fu Zuoyi served as Minister of Water Resources for 23 years, during which time There was an opportunity for promotion, but he declined it politely.
He devoted the rest of his life to the water conservancy industry in New China until he resigned due to illness in 1972.
The trust of Chairman Mao and the central government also gave Fu Zuoyi the courage to speak boldly.
When the Korean War broke out in 1950, when the central government was discussing whether to send troops to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, Fu Zuoyi, who was inspecting the Yellow River water conservancy project in the field, sent a telegram to Chairman Mao to express his opinions.
He made it clear: "A major purpose of the United States' intervention in North Korea is to contain the development of New China, so it is imperative to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. We must actively provide assistance to North Korea."
Chairman Mao
Many people in the party opposed sending troops In the case of North Korea, Chairman Mao was deeply pleased by Fu Zuoyi's attitude.
Chairman Mao circulated Fu Zuoyi's telegram to senior party cadres, and specially recalled Fu Zuoyi to Beijing and asked him to explain his views at a high-level state affairs meeting.
Fu Zuoyi made his own conclusion at the conference: "U.S. imperialism is not terrible. The Chinese army, which has been tempered by war, will definitely defeat the U.S. military!"
After the volunteers crossed the Yalu River, Fu Zuoyi actively supported his old subordinates. General Dong Qiwu led his troops into the DPRK to fight.
General Dong Qiwu's troops were reorganized into the 23rd Corps. After training, they went to North Korea and made immortal contributions to the war against U.S. aggression and aid to Korea.
Dong Qiwu
gained the trust of Chairman Mao and the central government, and Fu Zuoyi completely let down his guard.
In 1951, Fu Zuoyi took the initiative to confess to Chairman Mao that he also secretly hid six radio stations and a batch of arms but did not hand them over.
These things were actually the escape routes Fu Zuoyi left for himself during the uprising. After the uprising, he even used the radio to contact Chiang Kai-shek.
However, after Fu Zuoyi felt trusted, he gave up all those options. He once said that he would not join any other political parties for the rest of his life, but would only follow Chairman Mao and the Communist Party, and hoped to join the Communist Party.
confessed to him that he had hidden radio stations and arms, and Chairman Mao's attitude convinced him.
Chairman Mao did not say anything wrong to him, but asked him to keep the things for his own use. Faced with such generosity, Fu Zuoyi was ashamed and moved, and his determination to follow the Communist Party became stronger.
Chairman Mao
He no longer keeps privacy for himself, and demands himself by the standards of a Communist Party member. He wanted to donate his millions of private savings to the country, but Chairman Mao disagreed and asked him to keep it for himself.
Although Fu Zuoyi came from a wealthy businessman family, his upbringing made him live a simple life. When he was young, Fu Zuoyi also had the habit of spending a lot of money like a young master. One time when he came home from school, he withdrew two hundred oceans from the accounting room to spend on his leisurely life.
After his father found out, he took him to the Yellow River and waded into the river without saying a word. He hurriedly followed him down the river, and his father told him in the river that he had crossed the river on his back and accumulated the capital to start a business one coin at a time.
Soaking in the cold and fast river, Fu Zuoyi's soul was shaken by listening to his father talk about the difficulties of starting a business. From then on, Fu Zuoyi became a self-reliant, diligent and thrifty person.
His subsequent wealth was basically used for military expenses. In his personal life, he was a famous civilian general.
Fu Zuoyi
Giving up his private property was not heartbreaking for him, but gave him a sense of accomplishment in getting what he wanted. The country did not accept his donation for a while. He did not use his private money for personal use, but waited for the opportunity to donate.
In difficult times, Fu Zuoyi resolutely used half of his savings to buy national bonds and donated the other half to the country again. Chairman Mao saw that he had made up his mind, so had no choice but to agree that the state would keep the deposit for him. Once he needed it, he could withdraw it at any time.
Fu Zuoyi did not withdraw a penny until his death. After his death, his wife lived on a monthly allowance of 48 yuan and still did not ask the state for Fu Zuoyi's savings.
After Chairman Mao learned about Mrs. Fu Zuoyi's living conditions, he instructed her to increase her allowance to one hundred yuan, and to make up for the previous allowance.
Chairman Mao and the Central Committee have always cared for Fu Zuoyi, and have never forgotten his contribution to the peaceful uprising and his contribution to the construction of New China.
Chairman Mao and Fu Zuoyi
Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee's tolerance and trust in the uprising generals, including Fu Zuoyi, generated huge charisma, which was of great significance to the united front work.
Inspired by the powerful united front of our party, Weng Wenhao, the former executive director of the Kuomintang and geologist, who was designated as war criminal No. 12 by our party, returned to the mainland via Hong Kong in 1951.
In 1965, Li Zongren, the former acting president of the Kuomintang, who was once designated as the No. 2 war criminal by our party, also returned to the mainland after many hardships.
Our party treated the insurrectionists with sincerity, which allowed many former high-ranking Kuomintang officials who were overseas and wanted to return to let down their guard and fall into the embrace of the people. Their return further strengthened the appeal of the United Front.
From a historical perspective, Fu Zuoyi’s experience after the uprising was a personal blessing, a blessing for national unity, and a victory for our party’s wise decision-making.
An investigation revealed that it was not an accident, but someone who was disgusted with Fu Zuoyi and deliberately parked the car in a remote place so that he could not find it. Premier Zhou severely criticized this behavior and asked the person involved to apologize to Fu Zuoyi.
Premier Zhou
It is easy to stop Fu Zuoyi's troublemaking, but the resistance to him in daily work is not easy to resolve.
The documents Fu Zuoyi directed were always rejected or not implemented. After experiencing this many times, he couldn't help but feel discouraged. simply handed the document to a deputy party minister for approval, and he only signed the document. .
When he was first appointed as the Minister of Water Conservancy, Fu Zuoyi was very excited and wanted to make great progress in the water conservancy industry. He said that during the Kuomintang's rule, he carried a whole box of gold and U.S. dollars when he went out to do business, and even if he wanted to be a minister who could do practical things, he couldn't do it.
Now that he is a convicted criminal, he has been favored as the Minister of Water Resources. How can he not shed tears of gratitude?
Unexpectedly, after taking office, he was marginalized everywhere, and Fu Zuoyi's heart became cold again. He felt that his colleagues in the Ministry of Water Resources were enthusiastic about their work. He was excluded just because he could not convince the public.
Fu Zuoyi
So Chairman Mao chatted with him about related topics in the Temple of Heaven. For the sake of the overall interests of the Ministry of Water Resources, he did not complain to Chairman Mao, but only showed his intention to withdraw in front of Chairman Mao.
Chairman Mao was keenly aware of Fu Zuoyi's situation in the Ministry of Water Resources from the fact that the documents of the Ministry of Water Resources did not contain details of Fu Zuoyi's instructions. Fu Zuoyi was unwilling to talk about it in the Temple of Heaven. Chairman Mao also knew that he had difficulties and did not press him.
After the talk in the Temple of Heaven, Chairman Mao told Premier Zhou about the matter and asked him to investigate the matter as soon as possible. If Fu Zuoyi was really ignored, he should be helped to obtain actual power and perform the duties of the minister.
Premier Zhou talked to officials from the Ministry of Water Resources and Fu Zuoyi himself. learned that the situation was even more serious than the lack of Fu Zuoyi's instructions in the Ministry of Water Resources documents.
Premier Zhou
Some documents of the Ministry of Water Resources are not shown to Minister Fu Zuoyi at all. Even the signature of the minister on the documents is signed by the office.
Some old revolutionaries in the Ministry of Water Resources completely look down on people who came from the Kuomintang. The Kuomintang collapsed because its officials were so bad. Letting officials from the Kuomintang lead the Ministry of Water Resources. The old revolutionaries believed that they could only bring down the atmosphere of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Premier Zhou convened a meeting with cadres from the Ministry of Water Resources to do ideological work for them on the issue of Fu Zuoyi.
Under the guidance of Premier Zhou, Fu Zuoyi's status in the Ministry of Water Resources has improved somewhat. However, Premier Zhou's secretary who followed up on the matter soon reported to Premier Zhou that Fu Zuoyi still did not have the decision-making power as a minister.
Premier Zhou
This week, the Premier used thunderous tactics . He went to the Ministry of Water Resources to convene a meeting of department-level cadres and solemnly announced: "From now on, documents from the Ministry of Water Resources that do not have Fu Zuoyi's instructions and signatures will not need to be reported. They will be reported." I won’t approve it; if you have something to report to me in person, let Minister Fu come, and no one else should come; Minister Fu Zuoyi should also be invited to attend the party group meeting of the Ministry of Water Resources."
Once these regulations come out, who is going to stop them? Fu Zuoyi's exercise of ministerial power is obstructing the operation of the entire Ministry of Water Resources. Fu Zuoyi's authority in the Ministry of Water Resources can no longer be ignored.
Under the care of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, Fu Zuoyi gained not only real power, but also more precious trust.
Premier Zhou
This trust inspired him to work selflessly. He did not want to be a superior official. He spent at least a quarter of each year inspecting water conservancy projects and surveying water conservancy projects across the country.
He is known for traveling in a light and easy manner. When encountering a target that is not accessible to traffic, he will not give up the inspection even if it is dozens of kilometers away, and insists on walking with his subordinates.
In the autumn of 1950, Chairman Mao invited Fu Zuoyi to his residence to discuss with him the management of the Huaihe River. Flooding in the Huaihe River has been a bane in all dynasties. Chairman Mao hoped that New China could fundamentally solve this problem.
After listening to Chairman Mao's instructions in person, Fu Zuoyi convened relevant experts when he returned to discuss and formulate a plan to regulate the Huaihe River. Subsequently, the project to regulate the Huaihe River was quickly launched in the Huaihe River Basin.
Fu Zuoyi
Chairman Mao's inscription "The Huaihe River must be repaired" was made into a banner and hung in various Huaihe River management headquarters. Fu Zuoyi also personally wrote an article "Chairman Mao's Leadership Determines the Success of the Huaihe River Control Project", expounding the methods of regulating the Huaihe River. importance, and the correctness of Chairman Mao’s decision-making.
Under the direct leadership of Fu Zuoyi, technical personnel from the water conservancy department and cadres and masses from various places have achieved remarkable results in the management of the Huaihe River after eight years of hard work. Fu Zuoyi, the Minister of Water Resources, also has achievements that will be praised by future generations.
Water conservancy work is a hard job of climbing mountains and wading in rivers. Running around in the wild all year round has damaged Fu Zuoyi's health.
In 1962, the central government arranged for Fu Zuoyi, whose heart disease became increasingly serious, to go to Guangdong for recuperation. Fu Zuoyi said: "I can go if it is for work, but I don't want to go for recuperation."
The central government had no choice but to comply with his request and allowed him to continue working in Guangdong. As a result, after Fu Zuoyi arrived in Guangdong, he inspected water conservancy projects everywhere and did not take his own body into consideration at all.
After learning about it, Chairman Mao commented on Fu Zuoyi: "He has got into the water conservancy industry."
Chairman Mao
Because of the trust shown by Chairman Mao in his speech at the Temple of Heaven, Fu Zuoyi served as Minister of Water Resources for 23 years, during which time There was an opportunity for promotion, but he declined it politely.
He devoted the rest of his life to the water conservancy industry in New China until he resigned due to illness in 1972.
The trust of Chairman Mao and the central government also gave Fu Zuoyi the courage to speak boldly.
When the Korean War broke out in 1950, when the central government was discussing whether to send troops to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, Fu Zuoyi, who was inspecting the Yellow River water conservancy project in the field, sent a telegram to Chairman Mao to express his opinions.
He made it clear: "A major purpose of the United States' intervention in North Korea is to contain the development of New China, so it is imperative to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. We must actively provide assistance to North Korea."
Chairman Mao
Many people in the party opposed sending troops In the case of North Korea, Chairman Mao was deeply pleased by Fu Zuoyi's attitude.
Chairman Mao circulated Fu Zuoyi's telegram to senior party cadres, and specially recalled Fu Zuoyi to Beijing and asked him to explain his views at a high-level state affairs meeting.
Fu Zuoyi made his own conclusion at the conference: "U.S. imperialism is not terrible. The Chinese army, which has been tempered by war, will definitely defeat the U.S. military!"
After the volunteers crossed the Yalu River, Fu Zuoyi actively supported his old subordinates. General Dong Qiwu led his troops into the DPRK to fight.
General Dong Qiwu's troops were reorganized into the 23rd Corps. After training, they went to North Korea and made immortal contributions to the war against U.S. aggression and aid to Korea.
Dong Qiwu
gained the trust of Chairman Mao and the central government, and Fu Zuoyi completely let down his guard.
In 1951, Fu Zuoyi took the initiative to confess to Chairman Mao that he also secretly hid six radio stations and a batch of arms but did not hand them over.
These things were actually the escape routes Fu Zuoyi left for himself during the uprising. After the uprising, he even used the radio to contact Chiang Kai-shek.
However, after Fu Zuoyi felt trusted, he gave up all those options. He once said that he would not join any other political parties for the rest of his life, but would only follow Chairman Mao and the Communist Party, and hoped to join the Communist Party.
confessed to him that he had hidden radio stations and arms, and Chairman Mao's attitude convinced him.
Chairman Mao did not say anything wrong to him, but asked him to keep the things for his own use. Faced with such generosity, Fu Zuoyi was ashamed and moved, and his determination to follow the Communist Party became stronger.
Chairman Mao
He no longer keeps privacy for himself, and demands himself by the standards of a Communist Party member. He wanted to donate his millions of private savings to the country, but Chairman Mao disagreed and asked him to keep it for himself.
Although Fu Zuoyi came from a wealthy businessman family, his upbringing made him live a simple life. When he was young, Fu Zuoyi also had the habit of spending a lot of money like a young master. One time when he came home from school, he withdrew two hundred oceans from the accounting room to spend on his leisurely life.
After his father found out, he took him to the Yellow River and waded into the river without saying a word. He hurriedly followed him down the river, and his father told him in the river that he had crossed the river on his back and accumulated the capital to start a business one coin at a time.
Soaking in the cold and fast river, Fu Zuoyi's soul was shaken by listening to his father talk about the difficulties of starting a business. From then on, Fu Zuoyi became a self-reliant, diligent and thrifty person.
His subsequent wealth was basically used for military expenses. In his personal life, he was a famous civilian general.
Fu Zuoyi
Giving up his private property was not heartbreaking for him, but gave him a sense of accomplishment in getting what he wanted. The country did not accept his donation for a while. He did not use his private money for personal use, but waited for the opportunity to donate.
In difficult times, Fu Zuoyi resolutely used half of his savings to buy national bonds and donated the other half to the country again. Chairman Mao saw that he had made up his mind, so had no choice but to agree that the state would keep the deposit for him. Once he needed it, he could withdraw it at any time.
Fu Zuoyi did not withdraw a penny until his death. After his death, his wife lived on a monthly allowance of 48 yuan and still did not ask the state for Fu Zuoyi's savings.
After Chairman Mao learned about Mrs. Fu Zuoyi's living conditions, he instructed her to increase her allowance to one hundred yuan, and to make up for the previous allowance.
Chairman Mao and the Central Committee have always cared for Fu Zuoyi, and have never forgotten his contribution to the peaceful uprising and his contribution to the construction of New China.
Chairman Mao and Fu Zuoyi
Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee's tolerance and trust in the uprising generals, including Fu Zuoyi, generated huge charisma, which was of great significance to the united front work.
Inspired by the powerful united front of our party, Weng Wenhao, the former executive director of the Kuomintang and geologist, who was designated as war criminal No. 12 by our party, returned to the mainland via Hong Kong in 1951.
In 1965, Li Zongren, the former acting president of the Kuomintang, who was once designated as the No. 2 war criminal by our party, also returned to the mainland after many hardships.
Our party treated the insurrectionists with sincerity, which allowed many former high-ranking Kuomintang officials who were overseas and wanted to return to let down their guard and fall into the embrace of the people. Their return further strengthened the appeal of the United Front.
From a historical perspective, Fu Zuoyi’s experience after the uprising was a personal blessing, a blessing for national unity, and a victory for our party’s wise decision-making.
