In 1973, after the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Chairman Mao called Wang Hongwen and Deng Xiaoping and asked them a question: "What will happen to China after I die?"
This question was a bit sudden. At this time, Chairman Mao felt that his body was deteriorating. Therefore, he was determined to arrange everything in the last few years to ensure that there would be no chaos in the country after his death.
Severe illness is difficult to cure
At that time, many people believed that Wang Hongwen would become the mainstay after Chairman Mao.
At this time, Chairman Mao was a little curious about what answers Wang Hongwen and Deng Xiaoping would give respectively when faced with his own question.
After Wang Hongwen thought for a long time, he gave a satisfactory answer. He said: "That must be to adhere to Chairman Mao's thoughts and implement the party's established line and political policy."
Chairman Mao listened and did not make an evaluation. This answer was too mediocre. Later, Chairman Mao turned his attention to Deng Xiaoping and wanted to hear his answer.
Deng Xiaoping’s words were astonishing. He said: “Even if we don’t mean ‘the world is in chaos and warlords are fighting.’”
This answer was very bold, and Wang Hongwen next to him was shocked. Unexpectedly, Chairman Mao was very excited after hearing this. He kept nodding his head and said with a smile that this is what heroes think alike.
Why did Deng Xiaoping's answer that didn't sound very good get praise from Chairman Mao?
Because what Deng Xiaoping said was exactly what Chairman Mao was most worried about.
1973 was a troubled year. Both Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou were in poor health.
Premier Zhou has been living in the hospital for a long time due to cancer, and he has to complete many daily tasks independently. Therefore, someone must take over this responsibility, and the person chosen by Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou is Deng Xiaoping.
Deng Xiaoping had been working in Jiangxi for many years at that time. Many people felt that Deng Xiaoping had faded from the political stage. However, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou agreed that Deng Xiaoping had the ability to turn the tide.
After Deng Xiaoping returned to the central government, he performed well indeed. Just like Premier Zhou, he devoted himself to the country, which made Chairman Mao appreciate him more and more and determined to entrust him with more important tasks.
The aging Chairman Mao is most worried about the stability of the country, and the military is an important factor affecting the stability of the country.
On the one hand, the huge People's Liberation Army team gives the Chinese people a sufficient sense of security, but on the other hand, the military is a double-edged sword. Once a problem occurs, it will damage the foundation of the entire country.
In 1971, Chairman Mao once visited the military region to inspect, and he discovered a very serious problem, that is, there were already small groups of their own within the army.
The commanders of several major military regions have been established for many years. The military regions are their hard work. The commanders of some military regions also serve as local governors. In this way, their influence must be great.
In fact, Chairman Mao trusted these military region commanders. They are all old revolutionaries who have dedicated their lives to New China and put the country first in their hearts, but many things cannot be decided by one person.
If a person stays in one place for too long, he will inevitably form a small group. Once a small group appears, it will cause divisions and separate people.
These problems are not exposed now because Chairman Mao and other first-generation revolutionary leaders are here. But Chairman Mao often worried that if he and Premier Zhou were gone, would these problems suddenly break out?
At the political meeting, Chairman Mao said rather bitterly: "There are also factions in our army. This is not good. One person is in charge of one place, and one person is in charge." Twenty years, if you stay for a long time, you will get fat! When the time comes to fool the party and fool the people, if this trend appears in the army, the country will suffer heavy losses! "
If the military region is not stable, the country will be unstable, so we must find a way to solve this problem.
Make up your mind
In 1973, Chairman Mao asked Wang Hongwen and Deng Xiaoping because he wanted to see if they could solve this, the most serious problem for China.
Therefore, Wang Hongwen's seemingly safe answer inevitably disappointed Chairman Mao, but Deng Xiaoping hit the nail on the head directly. Therefore, Chairman Mao wanted to further hear what kind of solution Deng Xiaoping had to this problem that had arisen.
Solving the problems of the military is a big project. Once it is not done well, it is easy to cause conflicts to explode in advance.
Chairman Mao looked at Deng Xiaoping quietly. Deng Xiaoping pondered for a while, then stretched out his hand and switched the teacup in front of him with the one in front of the Chairman.
Chairman Mao looked at it, clasped his hands and laughed, it was really a good idea. It turned out that the two men thought of swapping the commanders of the eight military regions.
On December 12, 1973, Chairman Mao held another meeting, attended by Premier Zhou, Deng Xiaoping, Ye Jianying, Wang Hongwen and others.
Before the meeting, Ye Jianying had already mentioned to Chairman Mao that the principle of the party commanding the gun could not be shaken and that we should find ways to correct the problems in the army. Chairman Mao greatly agreed.
However, once changes are to be made and someone puts forward opinions, it will cause great obstacles. Even if Chairman Mao wants to swap the commanders of the eight military regions, it cannot be done overnight.
Chairman Mao said somewhat eagerly: "The Politburo does not discuss politics, the Military Commission does not discuss the military. Let's change it in the future. If you don't change it, I will hold a meeting and come here." I have no choice but to hold a Politburo meeting to brag about it and tell you face to face. "
When Chairman Mao said this, everyone knew that something big was going to happen, so they all held their breath to listen to what Chairman Mao was going to say next. Chairman Mao made a ground-breaking statement when he spoke: "I propose that on a military issue, the commanders of the major military regions across the country be swapped."
Chairman Mao spoke so straightforwardly for the first time that everyone fell into thinking. None of the people present objected to this proposal, and Chairman Mao's mood eased slightly.
He encouraged everyone and assured everyone to fully support this work. After the meeting, Deng Xiaoping and others immediately began to develop specific plans.
After that, Deng Xiaoping was appointed as a member of the Political Bureau and the Military Commission, which was also to facilitate his future work. More and more people know about this incident, and Deng Xiaoping's role gradually becomes apparent.
Chairman Mao publicly said to everyone: "We have now hired a chief of general staff. As for him, some people are afraid of him, but he is more decisive in doing things. He probably has a 30-70 attitude in his life. I invited your old boss back. The Politburo invited him back. I did not invite him back alone."
He then told Deng Xiaoping: "You Well, people are a little afraid of you, so let me give you a few words: softness with strength, hidden needles in the cotton, be kinder on the outside, but be a steel company on the inside. Let’s slowly correct the shortcomings of the past. If you don’t do the work, you won’t make the mistakes. When doing work, you will always make mistakes. Not doing the work is also a mistake in itself. "
The preliminary preparations have been done, and the commanders of the eight military regions will be notified of this matter.
Having built in one place for so long, he has long regarded the military region as his second hometown. Now that he suddenly wants to leave, it is to be expected that there will be disagreements.
Therefore, Chairman Mao decided to have a long talk with several commanders to let them understand his painstaking efforts.
scraping bones to cure poison
On December 21, after the Central Military Commission meeting ended, Chairman Mao called Xu Shiyou and others to his study.
Because everyone had a premonition that something big was going to happen, they felt a little nervous for a while. In order to appease everyone, Chairman Mao first turned his attention to Xu Shiyou and asked with a smile: "I asked you to read "A Dream of Red Mansions" a few days ago, have you read it?"
Xu Shiyou quickly replied that he had read it. Chairman Mao asked Xu Shiyou how many times he had read "A Dream of Red Mansions"?
Xu Shiyou answered honestly that he only read it once. Chairman Mao smiled and said: "One time is not enough. You have to read it five times before you have the right to speak.""
Everyone laughed, and Chairman Mao asked everyone to sing the song "Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention" together.
As everyone sang, Chairman Mao said: "There will be many difficulties in a new place, but don't be impatient, it will get easier slowly." "
After singing the song, Chairman Mao decided to announce the exchange of orders. The arrangement at that time was as follows:
Beijing Military Region Commander Li Desheng and Shenyang Military Region Commander Chen Xilian were exchanged; Jinan Military Region Commander Yang Dezhi and Wuhan Military Region Commander Zeng Siyu were exchanged; htm Commander Xu Shiyou of the Nanjing Military Region was exchanged with Commander Ding Sheng of the Guangzhou Military Region; Commander Han Xianchu of the Fuzhou Military Region was exchanged with Commander Pi Dingjun of the Lanzhou Military Region.
Although Chairman Mao has been vaccinated many times, when the results come into effect, the generals’ The performance is still different.
When an order is announced, it must first be called by name to appear formal, so Chairman Mao asked Wang Hongwen to call by name.
Unexpectedly, Wang Hongwen was very impatient. After taking out the roster, he casually called Xu Shiyou's name.
His arrogant attitude made Xu Shiyou very unhappy. Instead of responding, he slammed the tea cup on the table, and the atmosphere at the scene fell into embarrassment again.
Wang Hongwen was shocked by Xu Shiyou, and he didn't know how to react. It was only after Premier Zhou came out to smooth things over, personally calling the names, and Chairman Mao personally announcing the order that everyone accepted it.
But Chairman Mao knew that things are not that simple. The announcement is just the beginning, and everyone must be willing to go to their new jobs. Only then can we do the next work well.
Chairman Mao decided to interview those with more radical emotions in person. The first person he interviewed was Xu Shiyou.
Xu Shiyou had expressed his dissatisfaction at the meeting, but Chairman Mao knew that Xu Shiyou actually supported the national decision in his heart. However, firstly, he has a strong temper and will express his dissatisfaction directly without covering it up; secondly, his feelings for Nanjing are indeed deep and he cannot fully understand them for a while.
Xu Shiyou was a little nervous when he learned that Chairman Mao wanted to see him. He actually knew that he had made a mistake, and after the meeting, he regretted it very much.
Chairman Mao asked to see him again. He felt This time I have to be criticized and make a self-examination.
But unexpectedly, after Xu Shiyou walked into Chairman Mao's study, Chairman Mao behaved very peacefully and did not mention the previous unhappiness. Instead, he invited Xu Shiyou to sit down and play a game of chess, which made Xu Shiyou a little confused.
If Chairman Mao did not take the initiative to start a conversation, Xu Shiyou could only play chess with the Chairman. Halfway through the game, Chairman Mao suddenly touched the chess piece on the chessboard and wanted to move it, which puzzled Xu Shiyou.
When playing chess, how can the general move his two pieces lightly? Chairman Mao is a first-class chess player and will not make such low-level mistakes.
Seeing Xu Shiyou's confused look, Chairman Mao smiled and said: "I am old and can no longer command, so I can only move myself." "
Chairman Mao's words shocked Xu Shiyou. After a few seconds, he reacted, stood up immediately, and solemnly saluted Chairman Mao with a military salute, indicating that he would take office in a few days and follow the arrangements of the central government.
Chairman Mao was very pleased to hear Xu Shiyou say this.
This time playing chess made Xu Shiyou truly understand Chairman Mao's concerns. Even though he had opinions before, now for the sake of national affairs, he Of course I agree.
Xu Shiyou's problem was solved, and Chairman Mao met Han Xianchu again.
Although Han Xianchu did not directly express his opinions at the meeting, he felt uncomfortable in his heart.
This time, he was transferred from Fuzhou to Lanzhou, the farthest place.
Moreover, the Fuzhou Military Region has a different meaning. It is the southeast coastal frontline and shoulders the heaviest national defense tasks. Han Xianchu naturally put in the most effort. Now that he is going to Lanzhou, he doesn't know how he will carry out his work.
After Chairman Mao met Han Xianchu, he still did not mention the decision made at the meeting. Instead, he asked Han Xianchu how was his health?
Han Xianchu didn't know what Chairman Mao meant, so he replied that he was still in good health.
Chairman Mao nodded after hearing this, and then said to Han Xianchu: "My health has not been very good recently. I have been suffering from toothache for the past two days, so I asked the doctor to pull it out because I couldn't bear it. The doctor said that it needs to be repaired after the extraction. Do you think I should have it repaired?"
Han Xianchu was a smart man, and he immediately understood that Chairman Mao was not talking about his teeth, but that the shortcomings and contradictions in the army were taking shape, and he had to scrape the bones to cure the poison.
If these commanders don't cooperate, wouldn't they be allowing conflicts to grow?
Han Xianchu immediately said to Chairman Mao: "It's better to take it up, it is good for your health."
After the words fell, the two of them smiled knowingly, and Chairman Mao felt relaxed. He said to Han Xianchu:
"I am 80 years old and want you to come to Zhongnanhai , "htm In l2 Romance of the Three Kingdoms , Liu Bei sells straw sandals, Zhang Fei is a butcher who kills pigs, Zhao Zilong sells rice cakes. When I get old, I will sell rice cakes. How about selling them in Fujian? Places like Nanjing and Changsha are extremely hot. "
Chairman Mao also said that after Han Xianchu leaves Fuzhou, he can go to Shenyang or Guangzhou. With his ability, he can do a good job wherever he goes. However, in the end, Han Xianchu decided to go to Lanzhou.
Next, Chairman Mao talked to many people. The matter was settled very quickly, and the news quickly spread throughout the country.
A new look
The central government required several commanders to take office within ten days. In addition, it was also specifically emphasized that if you want to bring the original staff, you can only bring no more than ten people.
If we want to eradicate the ills, we must be clean and tidy and no longer give room for small groups to develop.
Although it sounds a bit sudden and heartless, such vigorous and resolute action is truly responsible for the country and the people.
Although several commanders have agreed, many people within the military region still do not understand it. For example, many people in the Fuzhou Military Region wrote emotional letters to the central government to persuade Han Xianchu to stay and asked Han Xianchu to stay for another three years.
There was so much incomprehension. In fact, Chairman Mao and Deng Xiaoping were under a lot of pressure, but in the end, under Chairman Mao's insistence, the matter was completed.
For a time, people at home and abroad were shocked. Especially in many Western countries, they find it difficult to understand what kind of method is needed to complete a major military mobilization in such a peaceful way?
In fact, after all is said and done, the secret is nothing more than everyone’s love and loyalty to the country.
Deng Xiaoping later commented on this matter and said this: "This is because Chairman Mao knows the art of leading the army very well, that is, he does not allow any military leading cadre to have a regiment or a sphere of influence."
The effect of this policy is also obvious. Until now, our party's principle of commanding the gun has not wavered. The reason why the Chinese people have such a strong sense of security is precisely because the Chinese military has extremely strong stability.
Looking back at this period of history, people will find that the story about the People's Liberation Army has never been smooth sailing. There are many risks at every crossroads.
But fortunately, New China has a leader like Chairman Mao at the helm, who has always led the army and the country in the right direction.
Reference materials:
Ma Ning "In 1973, the record of the exchange of commanders of the eight military regions"
Motherland Magazine "In 1973, the Central Military Commission ordered the exchange of commanders of the eight military regions, causing international and domestic shocks"
Li Lin "In 1973, the "Inside Story of the "Eight Military Region Commanders Exchange" Incident""
