In early May 1951, the secretary came to the Juxiang Bookstore in Fengze Garden, Zhongnanhai with a letter and handed it to Chairman Mao who was writing an article.
The content of the letter is very simple, with only one short line:
"My job is still unavailable! I can only come to Beijing to find you!"
As we all know, Chairman Mao hates others entrusting him with arranging work, but this letter The meaning expressed in it not only does not mean to ask for help, but also feels like relying on Chairman Mao.
It may not be difficult to understand after reading the signature of the letter. This letter was sent by Liu Cecheng, the benefactor who helped Chairman Mao escape from danger.
So, what choice would Chairman Mao make between principles and life-saving kindness? What happened when Liu Cecheng helped Chairman Mao escape from danger?
A high-spirited young man
Liu Ce's real name was Liu Wu, and Ce Cheng was his trade name, in March 1883. Liu Cecheng was born in Tianxin Village, Huaqiao Township, Xinshao County, Hunan Province, and attended a private school since he was a child.
Liu Cecheng was diligent and studious during his studies, and his favorite book was "Zhuangzi". He was deeply attracted by the idea of "hatred of evil as much as hatred" in "Zhuangzi", and took it as his life principle.
Coinciding with the troubled times, the corrupt feudal dynasty Qing government experienced the baptism of two Opium Wars and the Eight-Power Allied Forces' invasion of China. Emperor Guangxu implemented the 1898 Reform , but ultimately ended in failure.
also felt sad and indignant towards the incompetent Qing government Liu Cecheng, but even his strength was weak. If he wanted to realize his ambition, he must first make himself strong, so he traveled overseas to study in Japan.
While studying abroad, Liu Cecheng's thinking and vision were broadened, and he was also spiritually impacted by various new trends of thought. He had close contacts with progressive figures such as Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing, and they often gathered together to discuss major issues concerning the rise and fall of the country.
On August 20, 1905, in a private house in Akasaka District, Tokyo, Japan, the tatami room on the second floor was almost full of people. Standing in the middle of the crowd was Mr. Sun Yat-sen, the pioneer of the Chinese democratic revolution.
The purpose of this rally was to establish the Chinese Revolutionary League. Soon after the Revolution of 1911 broke out, the Provisional Government of the Republic of China was established in Nanjing, and Sun Yat-sen was elected as the provisional president. The feudal dynasty ruled for more than 200 years. It also collapsed.
After returning to China in 1913, Liu Cecheng was hired as the principal of Shaoyang Middle School in Hunan Province. At the same time, he also promoted revolutionary ideas in the school and had a close friendship with Yang Dongtian, a Chinese teacher in the school.
However, for some reason Liu Cecheng and Yang Dongtian leaked the news during a meeting for students. Hunan Governor Tang Xiangming sent people to arrest Liu Cecheng, Yang Dongtian and a progressive student Kuang Husheng, and guns were also found at their residence. ammunition.
The list of these crimes includes the felony of decapitation. However, Liu Cecheng was only sentenced to 15 years in prison and was released after two years.
This is because Liu Cecheng had a very good fellow countryman Cai E. Cai E was an army general of the Republic of China. He also opposed Yuan Shikai's restoration of the monarchy. He could not watch Liu Cecheng be executed in public or private matters.
So Cai E immediately called Tang Xiangming and provided bail for Liu Cecheng in his own name. This was exempted from the death penalty, but he was still sentenced to 15 years in prison. He did not regain his freedom until the death of Yuan Shikai two years later.
In 1916, after Liu Cecheng was released from prison, he was recommended by Fang Weixia, the director of the school superintendent, to serve as a history teacher at Hunan First Normal School. I believe everyone is familiar with this school. The great leader Chairman Mao came from this school.
At that time, Mao Zedong was studying in the eighth class of the undergraduate course of Hunan No. 1 Normal University. Under the influence of Yang Changji, he became a progressive young man and was very impressed by the " New Youth " magazine founded by Hu Shi and others. interest.
Speaking of the scene when Mao Zedong first met his mentor Liu Cecheng, he still remembered it deeply until many years later. The two formed an indissoluble bond after that class.
"Genius"
On this day, the classroom of Hunan No. 1 Normal University was full of people. After a while, a man dressed as a fellow countryman walked into the classroom and walked straight to the podium. He became the focus of the entire classroom for a while.
This "fellow fellow" is Liu Cecheng, the newly appointed history teacher. This is his first class at Hunan Normal University. However, he did not dress up deliberately before coming. He was wearing a coarse cloth gown and a pair of coarse cloth shoes. There is also a cloth belt tied around the waist, just like the attire of a farmer.
After Liu Cecheng walked to the podium, he looked at the students who were staring at him with blank faces and said slowly : "My name is Liu Wu, and my courtesy name is Cecheng!"
Looking at the students, they were still a little confused. , Liu Cecheng continued to explain : "From today on, I will be your history teacher!"
At this time, the students' expressions suddenly changed from a blank look to looking at Liu Cecheng. After all, he was dressed in this outfit. The image of him is very different from that of a teacher, so he has some doubts about his teaching ability.
Some students in the audience were still muttering : "Why did the school invite a fellow countryman to be a history teacher? Do you want us to farm?"
But another student murmured to himself : "I think this teacher is neither humble nor arrogant. He will definitely be a good teacher!"
This person was Mao Zedong who studied at Hunan No. 1 Normal University, and Liu Cecheng did not disappoint Mao Zedong. Not only was he strong in teaching, he was later honored as "Living History".
I saw Liu Cecheng talking eloquently. From the Qin Emperor and Han Dynasty to the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, every piece of history seemed to be a treasure. From time to time, he would expand his extracurricular knowledge and tell the students some anecdotes about historical celebrities. The students in the audience were dumbfounded. I admire Liu Cecheng’s talent from the bottom of my heart.
It was not until the end of class that Liu Cecheng slowly walked out of the classroom, and the students realized that he came to class without any textbooks. He just walked onto the podium empty-handed and finished the class abruptly with his profound knowledge.
For a time, the "old farmer" in the students' mouth also became "living history". Liu Cecheng's first class at Hunan Normal University left a deep impression on the students. Mao Zedong was also impressed by Liu Cecheng's talent and learning. .
But while other students were still discussing how awesome Liu Cecheng was, Mao Zedong had already left the classroom to catch up with Liu Cecheng.
Although it was Liu Cecheng's first day of class at Hunan No. 1 Normal University, he was relatively familiar with the situation in the school, and naturally he had heard about Mao Zedong, a young talent.
Liu Cecheng knew that Mao Zedong's academic performance was among the best, but he didn't like nerds who studied hard. Once knowledge is learned, it is used. Only those who can learn and apply it are considered talents.
After Mao Zedong had a conversation with Liu Cecheng, Liu Cecheng put away his worries and couldn't help but admire Mao Zedong's clear thinking and broad mind. After this conversation, Liu Cecheng wrote in his diary that night : "Run it, He is a man of great business acumen, extraordinary thinking, and a genius!"
What makes Liu Cecheng even more optimistic about Mao Zedong is that he is not only knowledgeable but also ambitious, and he has the dream of his family and country in his heart. He believes that only with such lofty ideals and ambitions can he succeed in life. To go further on the road, Mao Zedong had such conditions.
Because Liu Cecheng joined the Alliance in his early years and was influenced by revolutionary ideas, the teacher and students can be said to have the same aspirations. Mao Zedong often went to Liu Cecheng to ask questions about study, life, and state affairs.
However, "there is no feast that lasts forever". Not long after, Mao Zedong graduated from the Hunan First Normal University and set off for Beijing to receive the baptism of new ideas.
Liu Cecheng soon chose to abandon religion and enter politics, determined to develop an official career. It was with this choice that he had the opportunity to help Mao Zedong escape from danger.
Abandoned education and entered politics
After graduating from Hunan Normal University, Mao Zedong received an invitation from his mentor Yang Changji to organize a group of students to Beijing to participate in the work-study movement in France.
At Peking University Mao Zedong met Mr. Li Dazhao, the fan editor of "New Youth". With his help, Mao Zedong became the librarian of Peking University, which not only solved life problems, but also made learning more convenient.
The diplomatic failure of the Paris Peace Conference prompted the rise of the May Fourth Movement, which spread throughout the country in a very short period of time. Mao Zedong immediately returned to Hunan to establish the Hunan Students Federation, actively responded to the call of the May Fourth Movement, and led students They took to the streets to participate in the anti-imperialist and patriotic movement.
In 1920, when Yang Changji was seriously ill, Mao Zedong rushed to the German Hospital in Beijing to visit him. On his deathbed, his mentor Yang Changji still did not forget to help Mao Zedong pave the way and recommended him to Zhang Shizhao, then secretary-general of the Guangzhou Military Government.
However, the relationship between Mao Zedong and his wife, Xiang Zhenxi, was the same as that of mother and son. He resolutely gave up his future and chose to accompany his wife and Yang Kaihui to transport the body of his mentor back to his hometown in Itakura.
In fact, Mao Zedong lived with Yang Changji's house as early as when he first went to Beijing, and his relationship with Yang Kaihui also quickly heated up. The two fell in love, but they never pierced this layer of window paper. Mao Zedong's only thought was how to save the country. For fear of betraying Yang Kaihui's affection, he did not take the initiative to escalate the relationship.
Mrs. Xiang Zhenxi saw everything in her eyes and was determined to promote this marriage. She even let Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui get married regardless of Yang Changji's mourning period.
At this time, Mao Zedong was fully preparing to open the Cultural Book Club , but due to financial problems, it was never possible. Even when he got married, he kept everything simple and spent most of the money on setting up the book club.
However, Mao Zedong was still short of a lot of money even though he was frugal and scraping together things, so he had to find a way to borrow money. After thinking about it, he wrote a letter:
"I want to start a Progressive Culture Book Club, but I am short of money. I wonder if the teacher can do it." Nangzhuyiji. "
It is well known that Chairman Mao was studious and met many mentors in his life, but this letter of help was sent to Liu Cecheng. What is the reason for this?
It turns out that not long after Mao Zedong graduated from Hunan Normal University, Liu Cecheng also resigned from his job as a history teacher and decided to pursue a career in politics. He served as the county magistrate of Liuyang County and Hengshan County. He was even praised as "Liu Qingtian" by the people of Hengshan . .
As the saying goes, "There are mountains between us." Being a teacher is definitely different from being an official. At that time, when corruption among government officials had become the norm, it was difficult for Liu Cecheng to not only avoid being isolated and provoke hatred, but also to be considerate of the people's arbitrariness. , but Liu Cecheng not only successfully changed his career, but also became a parent official that the people relied on.
Mao Zedong also heard about this matter. First of all, he never doubted the revolutionary belief of his mentor Liu Cecheng, otherwise Liu Cecheng would not become "Liu Qingtian" among the people. Since he opened a literary book club to promote progressive ideas, Liu Cecheng would naturally support it. .
Furthermore, Liu Cecheng's living conditions will definitely be relatively good after he becomes an official, and he will probably have spare money in his hands. After all, the salaries of officials of the National Government at that time were very generous.
The facts were indeed as Mao Zedong thought. After receiving Mao Zedong's letter, Liu Cecheng immediately sent someone to send 300 silver dollars to Mao Zedong, saying that the money was used to "invest in shares", which greatly encouraged Mao Zedong.
In fact, these 300 pieces of silver are already Liu Cecheng's entire net worth. Although he is the county magistrate, Liu Cecheng is neither corrupt nor corrupt, and his income comes entirely from his monthly salary.
Liu Cecheng helped Mao Zedong as soon as he opened his mouth. From this, it is not difficult to see that Liu Cecheng not only trusted Mao Zedong, but also used practical actions to support Mao Zedong's cause.
However, before Mao Zedong had time to repay this kindness, he received help from Liu Cecheng a few years later. This time it can be said that he saved Mao Zedong from fire and water, and also saved the destruction of the Chinese revolution.
Intelligent Rescue of Mao Zedong
After this intersection, Mao Zedong once again severed contact with Liu Cecheng and devoted himself to leading the workers' student movement. He was elected as a member of the Central Executive Committee at the Third Congress of the Communist Party of China.
On September 16, 1923, Mao Zedong followed the instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. After research and decision, he was entrusted by Lin Boqu to return to Hunan to prepare for the establishment of the Kuomintang organization. However, he did not expect that the trip was extremely dangerous and he was almost arrested and imprisoned.
At the end of November, Liu Cecheng, who had been promoted to director of the Hunan Provincial Police Department, was suddenly called to attend a provincial meeting. Governor Zhao Hengti gave important instructions at the meeting to capture Mao Zedong who had returned to Hunan.
Speaking of which, we have to mention the grievances between Mao Zedong and Zhao Hengti. As early as when Zhao Hengti was the commander-in-chief of the Hunan Army, he suppressed the workers' movement and persecuted the workers' leaders Huang Ai and Pang Renshuan to death.
In December 1922, Zhao Hengti, who had been elected governor of Hunan Province, negotiated with a delegation from the Hunan Federation of Trade Unions. As the head of the delegation, Mao Zedong argued with them. Under the pressure of public opinion, he had to allow workers to assemble and form associations. , strikes and other powers, but he also held a grudge against Mao Zedong from that time.
Although he openly agreed to the federation's request, he secretly used underhanded tactics to destroy the agricultural cooperatives and suppress the peasant movement. In August of the following year, Zhao Hengti was appointed by Sun Yat-sen as the governor of Hunan ProvinceTan Yankai to fight for power. It ended with Zhao Hengti being expelled from Changsha.
At this time, Mao Zedong had just returned to Hunan with a mission. After learning about this, he and the Hunan District Committee of the Communist Party of China publicly supported Tan Yankai, and personally wrote "Hunan under the Provincial Constitution" and "Provincial Constitution". The two articles "Xianjing and Zhao Hengti" made the conflict between him and Zhao Hengti deeper and deeper.
In late November 1923, after Zhao Hengti gained the support of the Zhili warlord Wu Peifu , he once again took the initiative and forced Tan Yankai to retreat to Guangdong.
Zhao Hengti, who regained power, immediately launched frantic revenge and suppressed the workers' movement, including personally ordering the arrest of Mao Zedong this time.
Liu Cecheng, who attended the meeting, was shocked when he heard the news, and was even more worried about Mao Zedong's safety. Although Liu Cecheng had done many things that were both overt and covert in order to protect the people since he came into politics, this matter was of great importance, and Zhao Hengti personally ordered it. I'm afraid it's beyond Liu Cecheng's control.
Speaking of which, Liu Cecheng and Zhao Hengti are related by marriage. His daughter-in-law is Zhao Hengti's niece. The reason why Liu Cecheng can climb up the officialdom so quickly is naturally inseparable from Zhao Hengti's support, but Zhao Hengti did it in order to consolidate the power in his hands. Choose to reuse Liu Cecheng.
Liu Cecheng knew this very well, so it was even more unfeasible to go to Zhao Hengti to ask him to take back his life. Just when he was anxious about this matter, Zhao Hengti suddenly decided to hand over the task to Changsha East District Police Chief Wang Jian. Liu Cecheng breathed a sigh of relief when he screened , and his inner worries were lessened.
Wang Jianping is Liu Cecheng's confidant, and the two have a close relationship. Liu Cecheng immediately met with Wang Jianping and said : "Zhao Hengti wants to arrest Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong is my student. You try to pass this information to him, which can not only save Mao Zedong from danger, but also It will enable me to make a successful presentation to Governor Zhao!"
Liu Cecheng took a great risk in this move. Although Wang Jianping had a close friendship with him, they were deeply separated from each other. If Wang Jianping secretly reported the matter to Zhao Hengti, not only Mao Zedong If he couldn't be saved, even Liu Cecheng's life would be involved, but Liu Cecheng still chose to take the risk.
Fortunately, Liu Cecheng did not misjudge the person. Neither Wang Jianping nor Mao Zedong disappointed him. Wang Jianping was careful and knew that the matter should not be made public, so he sent his cronies to Qingshuitang while the police were searching the streets. He informed Mao Zedong of the incident and told him to inform Mao Zedong himself.
When the two guards arrived at Mao Zedong's residence cautiously, Mao Zedong was working at the Provincial Federation of Trade Unions, and the two immediately reported the matter to Mao Zedong.
Mao Zedong left Changsha early the next morning, and Liu Ce became the one who avoided arousing Zhao Hengti's suspicion and specifically ordered Wang Jianping to bluff and search for Mao Zedong in the city.
Until many years later, Chiang Kai-shek was defeated in Taiwan, and Zhao Hengti also followed him to Taiwan. He still did not know the truth of the incident. When interviewed by a reporter, he replied : "I don't know either, maybe it was him (Mao Zedong) The energy is too great. "
This crisis was successfully resolved. Mao Zedong was very grateful to Liu Cecheng in his heart, and he did not forget his kindness back then. This is what happened later.
went to Beijing to seek a job
The story was divided into two parts. Mao Zedong escaped smoothly, but Liu Cecheng's life was not easy. In April 1925, Zhao Hengti was driven out of Hunan, and Liu Cecheng also bid farewell to politics. He devoted himself to studying Zhuangzi at home and wrote "Supplement and Correction to the Inner Chapter of Zhuangzi's Collection".
Although he was unemployed at home, Liu Cecheng still cared about national affairs. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Liu Cecheng could not bear to see Chiang Kai-shek provoking a civil war to suppress the Communist Party on the pretext of "fighting foreign affairs before settling the internal affairs", so he wrote to Chiang Kai-shek and asked to put aside their grievances temporarily. The Kuomintang and the Communist Party They fought against Japan together, but they offended Chiang Kai-shek.
In 1949, after the founding of New China, the whole country cheered, and everyone was extremely excited. Just as Chairman Mao said at Tiananmen : " The People's Republic of China has stood up! The Chinese people have stood up!"
However, Liu Cecheng After learning about this matter, he felt a little worried, mainly because she had served in the National Government and had reached the position of director. She was also a high-ranking official. He didn't know how his problem would be dealt with, let alone What should I do.
So, after thinking for a long time, Liu Cecheng wrote a letter to Chairman Mao. The content of the letter was very interesting. It mainly talked about two things. One was to ask Chairman Mao what to do with the property he acquired when he was an official. , and the second is that after the founding of New China, I still want to contribute to New China, even though I am an old person, and hope to find a position in the Beijing Museum of Culture and History.
In fact, there is no need to seek Chairman Mao’s opinion on the first question Liu Cecheng mentioned. He mentioned this matter for the second matter. In other words, what Liu Cecheng wanted was an answer. He was an old man and the New China still had do you need?
One can imagine Chairman Mao's mood after receiving this letter. He didn't like others asking him to help arrange work, but this time Chairman Mao made an exception. He not only gave Liu Cecheng a reply, but also provided him with a way to find a job. .
Chairman Mao's reply was written as follows: I have received the letter and am very aware of it. All family land and property should be handled by the Farmers Association. As for you who want to work, you don’t need to come to Beijing to see me. I have said hello to the relevant comrades in Hunan. You can just go to Changsha and see the governor Cheng Qian. In
's short words, what deserves attention should be "You don't need to come to Beijing to find me." In fact, Chairman Mao is not disgusted with this kind of behavior of asking him to find a job. If there is real talent and hard work, he will definitely not bury people without talent, but He will do business and will only be responsible for recommendations. As for whether he can be hired by the unit, he will not say hello.
Liu Cecheng was naturally very happy after receiving the letter, indicating that Chairman Mao had not forgotten himself, let alone his contribution to the Chinese revolution. At the same time, he was a little regretful. He had forgotten to send the book he had just completed to Chairman Mao to read. look.
However, what Liu Cecheng did not expect was that he contacted the staff of the Changsha Museum of Literature and History many times, but could not get a reply. He waited for more than half a year. Liu Cecheng did not know the reason, but he knew that he could not wait for a reply. Then he made a bolder decision to go to Beijing to meet Chairman Mao!
In early May 1951, Liu Cecheng came to Beijing alone and settled in a simple hotel. Because all his previous properties were confiscated by the government, Liu Cecheng's current life was quite difficult.
Liu Cecheng did not tell Chairman Mao about his coming to Beijing in advance. Instead, he wrote a letter to Chairman Mao after staying in the hotel: My job is still not settled, so I can only come to Beijing to find you!
Chairman Mao did not get angry after receiving the letter. Instead, he sent someone to drive Liu Cecheng to a hotel with better conditions. He also gave part of his manuscript fee to Liu Cecheng to satisfy Liu Cecheng. Expenses during your stay in Beijing.
The last thing is also the most important thing. Chairman Mao reported Liu Cecheng's problem to Premier Zhou. Premier Zhou was selfless in handling affairs. Soon after, Liu Cecheng received a letter of appointment from the central government to become a librarian of the Museum of Culture and History. This was also It shows that his ability is recognized and he is not making unreasonable demands on Chairman Mao.
Later, Liu Cecheng's "Revisions to the Internal Chapters of Zhuangzi's Collection" was published by Zhonghua Book Company . He himself became the most famous Zhuangzi scholar in modern China!
As Chairman Mao's mentor, Liu Cecheng not only provided all aspects of support for Chairman Mao's career, but also risked his life to help Chairman Mao when he was in danger, which is awe-inspiring.
Chairman Mao also always kept Mr. Liu Cecheng’s kindness in his heart. After learning that Liu Cecheng came to Beijing, he also provided care and help. The teacher-student relationship between the two people for decades is also touching!
