The Lushan Conference in 1959 could have ended smoothly, because Peng Dehuai's letter caused an uproar, the meeting was extended, and Peng Dehuai was criticized. At the beginning, Peng Dehuai argued hard and insisted on his own opinion.
However, in order to maintain the unity of the party and the authority of the leader, many old comrades, such as Nie Rongzhen and Ye Jianying, came forward to do Peng Dehuai's work. Peng Dehuai had to make a self-examination and made three guarantees to Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao smiled tolerantly and the meeting was over.
What three guarantees did Peng Dehuai make?
Article 1: Never be counterrevolutionary.
Peng Dehuai is of course a revolutionary. He has served in the military for decades and is the backbone of the revolution. He is infinitely loyal to the party. However, at the Lushan Conference, Peng Dehuai was criticized, removed from his leadership position, and disappeared from the political stage.
Will Peng Dehuai waver in the face of criticism? In history, many people could not bear grievances and criticism, and eventually turned from revolutionaries to traitors and counter-revolutionaries. Peng Dehuai promised that he would not be a counterrevolutionary. In fact, Peng Dehuai did not need to guarantee at all. People all over the country believed in him and he would never be a counterrevolutionary.
After the Lushan Conference, Peng Dehuai always loved Chairman Mao. He went to inspect the third frontier in the Southwest and came to the places where the Red Army had walked during the Long March. Peng Dehuai said sincerely that if Chairman Mao had not used his troops like a god and with a well-thought-out plan, it would be difficult for us to move forward from here. Come out on the road.
General Peng had infinite love for Chairman Mao, infinite loyalty to the party, and infinite enthusiasm for the people. He was revolutionary until the last moment of his life. In Peng Dehuai's life dictionary, there is no word counterrevolution at all.
Article 2: Never commit suicide.
In the history of revolution, many people chose to commit suicide after being a little wronged or criticized. In a sense, suicide is also a silent struggle and a manifestation of uncompromising determination. Peng Dehuai promised not to commit suicide.
He still needs to continue working for the party. Peng Dehuai was a tough guy who was upright and unyielding. Whether before or after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he never thought of committing suicide. How could a person with a clear conscience commit suicide?
The Lushan Conference was held in 1959. Later, Peng Dehuai encountered more serious hardships. No matter how difficult the situation was, he always wanted to be bright and aboveboard. In 1974, Peng Dehuai, who was plagued by various illnesses, finally passed away at the age of 76.
He is the fifth marshal of the Republic to die after Luo Ronghuan, He Long, Lin Biao and Chen Yi. After the Lushan Conference, Peng Dehuai lived for another 15 years. History proves that he never thought of committing suicide.
The third rule is to be self-reliant.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Peng Dehuai served as Vice Premier of the State Council and Minister of National Defense. He also presided over the daily work of the Military Commission. He was a member of the Political Bureau and could be said to hold a high position. It is not easy for a person in a high position to be able to support himself again.
For Peng Dehuai, this is easy to do. Peng Dehuai was born into a poor family. When he was a child, he had to farm, earn a living, and work a lot of hard labor. As a result, he became tired and hunched over. He is a bitter boy. After participating in revolutionary work, Peng Dehuai has always been very simple and self-disciplined.
Chen Geng invited him to eat fish, but was severely criticized by Peng Dehuai. Mr. Zhu of once commented that in terms of life, he pays attention to frugality and hardship, and no one can compare with Mr. Peng.
After leaving Zhongnanhai, Peng Dehuai moved into Wujia Garden. He cultivated wasteland himself and was diligent and never lazy. Under Peng Dehuai's careful management, his land produced 92 kilograms of grain per mu. One point of land weighs 92 kilograms, so one acre of land weighs 1,000 kilograms. This fully shows that in the past, it was pure nonsense to say that the yield per mu was 10,000 jin.
After the war was over, what Peng Dehuai wanted most was construction. He most wanted to be the Minister of Agriculture, but he was appointed Minister of Defense with great prestige. After discharging his armor and returning to his fields, Peng Dehuai returned to his hometown in Xiangtan, Hunan Province. He told the villagers that he hoped to return to the community and settle down in the community in the future, and that he would have to work for 100 days every year.
Peng Dehuai has always been a self-reliant person. This is his wish. For him, there is no problem at all.
With these three guarantees from Peng Dehuai, Chairman Mao was relieved. This shows that Peng Dehuai took the initiative to admit his mistakes. It is not terrible to make mistakes, just change them. Peng Dehuai is willing to correct his mistakes. If he corrects his mistakes, he can still work in the future.
In 1965, Chairman Mao personally ordered Peng Dehuai to return to work and served as deputy director of the Southwest Third Front Construction Committee.
