's long-awaited TV drama "Breaking East" has finally been aired on CCTV during prime time. There is a scene in the second episode: Deng Xiaoping, as secretary of the General Front Committee, and Chen Yi, member of the Standing Committee of the General Front Committee, were at odds with each other over the formulation of the "Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Campaign Outline" and had a heated argument. At first glance, this quarrel seems to reflect the spirit of the two older generation proletarian revolutionaries who are highly responsible for the cause of the party, and also fully reflects the high degree of our military's military democracy . But in fact, because the design of this bridge is quite different from historical facts, and the relationship between Chen and Deng is seriously out of place, it will inevitably make people feel a little strange and inconsistent.
First point, will Chen Yi and Xiaoping quarrel over the formulation of the campaign outline?
The design of the plot of the relationship between important historical figures is often sensitive, and it is best to base it on historical reality rather than imagining it out of thin air. Looking at the relationship between Chen and Deng, especially the year from Chen Yi's arrival in the Central Plains Field Army in May 1948 until the end of the Shanghai Campaign, their cooperation should be close and pleasant. As the first secretary, Xiaoping was in charge of the overall situation, and as the second secretary, Chen Yi was selfless, magnanimous and helpful. No matter in "The Biography of Chen Yi", "Chronicle of Chen Yi", or other archival historical materials, there is no record of the two men having a heated dispute over the formulation of the campaign outline.
Xiaoping's daughter Maomao once recalled: "When I was young, I knew that my father and mother had a particularly good relationship with Uncle Chen and Aunt Zhang Qian." It can be seen that Chen and Deng have a good relationship both in work and personal relationship.
Formulating the "Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Campaign Outline" is not a trivial matter. It involves our army's grand strategic design and major campaign planning in the southeast during the grand march. In the research and formulation of this major strategic battle issue, Chen and Deng originally had no differences and conflicts, but a high degree of agreement. However, the directors added the quarrel to the plot, which could easily cause unnecessary ambiguity and conjecture for the audience.
Second point, will Chen Yi have a big quarrel with Xiaoping over the deployment of a regiment?
For the sake of the plot, it’s okay to design a quarrel. The key point is that the core of the dispute is whether the "Campaign Outline" of the General Front Committee should be written down to the regiment level. Chen Yi advocated that it must be detailed and specific, and it must be written down to the regiment level so that all units can have a basis and follow it. Xiaoping, on the other hand, advocated a clear outline and a concise and concise statement. Because there are two major field armies under the General Front Committee, and there are corps and so many armies under the field army. You can't do all the following things. This will inevitably interfere with and affect the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity below.
Xiaoping also emphasized that this outline needs to be submitted to Chairman Mao Zedong and the Central Military Commission for approval. It is obviously inappropriate to publish a long article.
History has proven that Comrade Xiaoping’s view is right. The General Front Committee's campaign outline does not need to be detailed to the regimental level. This also reflects Comrade Xiaoping's character and characteristics of always taking things lightly.
The key is to portray Chen Yi in this way, turning Chen Yi's character into a light-weight person and a micromanager, which is completely different from the real Chen Yi. To a certain extent, Chen Yi, like Xiaoping, should generally be classified as a person who takes things lightly. In the previous war in East China, the specific planning and command were mainly handled by Su Yu. This time for the joint operation of the two field armies, Chen Yi had to set a detailed deployment down to the regiment level, and had a big quarrel with Xiaoping because of it. Chen Yi's pattern and magnanimity were underestimated.
Another thing I have to mention is that at this time, the central government had already appointed Chen Yi as the first mayor of Shanghai. Chen Yi has already begun to think forward to some strategic issues in order to take over and build Shanghai. If the quarrel is rigidly grafted onto Chen Yi, not only will it not amplify the artistic tension, but it will actually damage Chen Yi's revolutionary image.
The third point is how the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Campaign Outline was introduced?
According to the unified arrangement between Chairman Mao Zedong and the Central Military Commission, the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Campaign "will still be commanded by the General Front Committee." On March 21, 1949, personnel from the General Front Committee, the Sanye Front Command, the East China Bureau and the East China Military Region headquarters took trains south in batches and stationed themselves in Sunjiaweizi, the southern suburb of Bengbu.
It was in this inconspicuous Sunjiaweizi that the General Front Committee, under the auspices of Xiaoping, held an enlarged meeting to plan and study the implementation of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Campaign by the Second and Third Fields. Zhang Zhen, then Chief of Staff of the Three Fields, later wrote an article and recalled:
"After the meeting, Deng Xiaoping asked Commander Chen to write a plan for crossing the river. Commander Chen told me that you should write it! So I wrote a plan for two field armies to cross the river and presented it to Political Commissar Deng. After reading it, he said that the General Front Committee should not be too specific in formulating the campaign outline, but mainly divide it into points. Analyzing the possible changes in the battle situation, several plans were proposed in principle. After the battle was launched, each field army made decisions based on the changes in the battlefield situation and combined with the plan. As for the specific deployment, it was decided by each field army. "As the chief of staff of the three fields and the drafter and manager of the original outline, Zhang Zhen's recollections are obviously objective and authoritative. Shuike feels that if the directors and directors set the plot based on this historical fact, rather than rigidly grafting the scene of Chen Yi and Xiaoping's quarrel, the plot will obviously be more natural, smoother, and more able to withstand the test of history and time.
