September 24, 1961, East Lake Hotel, Wuhan, Hubei Province.
This hotel, specially designed for central leaders to stay, welcomed two special guests.
One is Chairman Mao Zedong, and the other is Montgomery .
Montgomery, British Army Marshal, World War II man of the hour, known for his stubborn character, was originally out of reach of China. However, in the 1960s, Montgomery visited China twice, in 1960 and 1961, and had in-depth conversations with Chairman Mao. He was officially rated as "an outstanding British military strategist and a friend of the Chinese people" by our country's officials.
Chairman Mao and Montgomery talked about many topics. When asked about the successor, Chairman Mao suddenly took the initiative to talk about the issue of death. He said optimistically: "I have 5 ways to die, and I am ready to perish at any time."
Montgomery was shocked. He was 6 years older than Chairman Mao and had never thought about death. Why did Mao Zedong suddenly talk about death? Even in the West, death is a rather taboo subject.
Chairman Mao looked indifferent, and talked about the five possible ways to die with his fingers, and said: "I have prepared these five ways to die." , and even arranged his own funeral, saying: "It is best to be cremated after death, and throw the ashes into the sea to feed the fish."
What are the five ways to die that Chairman Mao talked about? What was the reason for his final death? Today, Di Feijing will tell you about Chairman Mao's views on life and death, and review the critical moments of life and death in the great man's life.
The first way to die mentioned by Chairman Mao is "being shot to death by the enemy."
Chairman Mao has been a revolutionary all his life, and he most admired armed struggle. Armed struggle requires fighting, and casualties are inevitable in fighting. But Chairman Mao has a special characteristic: he doesn't like to carry a gun, and he doesn't like to touch a gun. Chairman Mao commanded millions of troops and fought countless battles throughout his life, but there were only a handful of occasions when he fought with a gun himself.
After the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising in October 1911, Chairman Mao, who was still studying, decided to join the army and signed up to join the new uprising army. He was incorporated into the left team of the 1st Battalion of the 50th Standard of the 25th Mixed Association and became a recruit. During his time in the army, Chairman Mao was equipped with a gun, touched a gun, and fired a gun during training, but he never participated in a real battle. After that, even when he organized the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Chairman Mao never fought with a gun.
Although Chairman Mao was not equipped with a gun, the bullets did not have eyes and could not go around him. Not to mention that after the founding of New China, he experienced a real life and death test when he led an armed uprising for the first time.
In September 1927, Chairman Mao, as the Secretary of the Former Enemy Committee of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, traveled between Pingxiang and Tonggu, preparing to lead the uprising at the headquarters of the Third Regiment in Tonggu. On September 8, when Chairman Mao passed through Zhangjiafang in Liuyang, he was unfortunately caught by the Qingxiang team of the local Youth League Defense Bureau. Several members of the Qingxiang team were ordered to take Chairman Mao to the militia headquarters for execution.
Halfway through, Chairman Mao borrowed dozens of yuan from a comrade, bribed a soldier who was escorting him, and took the opportunity to escape. However, the enemy soon discovered it and chased him from behind, shooting at the same time. Chairman Mao was unarmed and bullets whizzed past him. He hid in the grass around a pond and was almost discovered by the enemy, but in the end he lost his life.
On the night of December 29, 1930, Red Army traitors sent assassins to assassinate Chairman Mao. The assassin took the opportunity to approach the unsuspecting Chairman Mao. The moment he pulled the trigger, Chairman Mao's bodyguard Xi Yaozi noticed something unusual and threw down the assassin. In panic, the assassin raised his gun and killed Xi Yaozi. When he was about to shoot Chairman Mao, he was shot dead by the sentry who came after hearing the news.
In September 1934, a rich farmer held a grudge against Chairman Mao due to the land reform. He lurked in a bamboo forest with a musket on Chairman Mao's only way out. When Chairman Mao passed by, he pulled the trigger. Unexpectedly, the gun went blind. Chairman Mao once again missed death. Afterwards, he humorously said, "The bullet has no chance with me, Mao Zedong."
The above three adventures are just a microcosm of Chairman Mao's life in danger.In fact, since the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Chairman Mao has been associated with the word "danger." From the struggle in Jinggangshan to the Long March, from the Anti-Japanese War to the battle in northern Shaanxi, and then after the founding of New China, Chairman Mao faced many overt or covert death threats from enemies and had many brushes with death.
Fortunately, there seems to be a force protecting Chairman Mao. Although he narrowly escaped death many times, he was able to save the day every time. Perhaps because of this, Chairman Mao believed that his most likely "method of death" was to be "shot to death by the enemy," because he had indeed encountered such dangers many times in his life.
The second way to die mentioned by Chairman Mao is "falling to death on a plane"
Chairman Mao traveled to thousands of mountains and rivers in his life, especially after the founding of New China, he traveled even wider and visited almost every piece of land in China. Interestingly, Chairman Mao rarely chose the fastest plane when traveling, but preferred to take the train. Even the only time he went abroad to visit Plastic Industry, he took a train and traveled thousands of kilometers across Siberia.
Why didn’t Chairman Mao want to fly? There are different opinions as to why, but one thing makes sense: flying is unsafe. At that time, airplanes were not as safe as they are now. Once they malfunctioned or encountered extreme weather, casualties could easily occur. The famous general Ye Ting died in an air crash. Considering Chairman Mao's status, flying by plane was too dangerous. Not only was Chairman Mao himself unwilling to fly, but the central government also did not want him to fly frequently.
However, due to work needs, Chairman Mao sometimes had to fly. For example, when Chongqing was negotiating in 1945, he took a plane from Yan'an to Chongqing. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao did encounter dangers while flying, and was even very dangerous for a time.
On the afternoon of June 4, 1956, Chairman Mao flew back to Beijing from Guangzhou on a special plane. Along the way, the weather was sunny, but when the plane flew over Hengshui, Hebei Province, it suddenly encountered a large area of thunderstorms . The impact of such clouds on flying is extremely serious or even fatal. For Chairman Mao's safety, the captain decided to bypass the clouds and fly to Cangzhou , then turn due north from Cangzhou and fly to Beijing via Tianjin.
However, during the detour, the plane was inevitably disturbed by strong lightning. The plane experienced severe turbulence, and the radio equipment on board suddenly failed, causing the plane to completely lose contact with the ground tower. People on the ground were anxious and anxious. If the plane malfunctioned, it would be a narrow escape, or even ten deaths.
Exactly 40 minutes later, the plane finally sent back a signal, and the ground confirmed that Chairman Mao was safe.
During this adventure, both the ground and the crew were highly nervous. On the contrary, Chairman Mao behaved very calmly, reading leisurely and contentedly, as if everything had nothing to do with him. However, I believe that Chairman Mao was deeply impressed by this experience, so when analyzing his "5 ways to die", he specifically mentioned "falling to death by airplane."
The third way Chairman Mao mentioned was "rolling over and dying by train"
As mentioned before, Chairman Mao's most popular way to travel was by train.
Compared with cars and airplanes, trains should be the safest mode of transportation, even now. But if you often walk by the river, how can your shoes not get wet? The safest does not mean absolute safety. There is also the possibility of a train derailing and overturning. Once an accident occurs, the consequences will be equally disastrous. What's more, the enemy has set its sights on assassinating Chairman Mao's special train.
In December 1949, Chairman Mao visited the Soviet Union by special train. When the enemy agents learned of the news, they actually prepared to install bombs on the tracks where the train passed, in an attempt to repeat the "Huanggutun Incident" and blow up the special train. Although the public security department conducted strict surveillance and searches along the special train, dangerous situations were still encountered.
Shortly after the train left Beijing, the security personnel found a hand grenade in the middle of the track where the special train was about to pass. Fortunately, it was a false alarm. It was an old, rusty bomb that could no longer explode. It was probably not planted by the enemy.Subsequently, the public security conducted an emergency investigation along the railway line, and found an explosive package installed by the enemy on a pier of a bridge that the special train passed, and immediately eliminated it.
The scarier thing is yet to come.
The latest intelligence seized by the public security department shows that the enemy leader Mao Renfeng has formulated a careful assassination plan to plant a powerful bomb in the Daxinganling Tunnel, more than 10 hours' drive from Harbin, in an attempt to blow up the train. Chairman Mao's special train will arrive soon.
The public security forces immediately sent heavy troops to inspect and launched 24-hour patrols. Sure enough, they discovered two enemy agents who had installed explosives. The enemy discovered that their whereabouts had been exposed and prepared to light explosives, but was shot dead on the spot by public security soldiers. A few hours later, Chairman Mao's special train passed through the tunnel safely. If it is not discovered in time, the consequences will be disastrous.
In fact, every time Chairman Mao’s special train traveled, the public security forces had to conduct strict inspections and monitoring along the route. Potential safety hazards and enemy plots to blow up the special train were discovered more than once. Despite this, these dangers could not stop Chairman Mao from choosing to take a special train to go out for inspection. Chairman Mao had long ignored death.
The fourth way to die mentioned by Chairman Mao is "drowning while swimming"
Chairman Mao has many hobbies, but if we want to talk about what he likes and is good at most, it is swimming. There was a pond in front of Chairman Mao's old house in Chongshang Wuchang, Shaoshan. According to Chairman Mao's memories, he liked to swim in the pond when he was a child and developed good swimming skills. Later, Chairman Mao left Shaoshan , went to Hunan, and went to the whole country. His horizons broadened and he began to swim in the big rivers.
Xiangjiang River, Yangtze River, Pearl River, Qiantang River, Lulin Lake, Shaoshan Youth Reservoir, Beidaihe, Qingdao sea... Except for the Yellow River, I have swam in all the rivers, lakes and seas that Chairman Mao has visited. The place where Chairman Mao swam the most was the Yangtze River. According to statistics, Chairman Mao swam the Yangtze River 18 times in his life. The last time he swam in the Yangtze River was in 1966 when he was 73 years old.
Chairman Mao especially loved swimming in strong winds and waves, and his poems left many records about swimming. For example, "Qinyuanchun · Changsha" "Have you ever remembered that when you hit the water in the middle of the stream, the waves stopped the flying boat." " Waves on the Sand·Beidaihe " "Heavy rain fell on the quiet swallows, white waves surged into the sky, Qinhuangdao fishing boats outside. A vast sea. Even if the ocean is gone, you know which way you are heading to!” Another example is “Crossing the Yangtze River for thousands of miles, the scenery is so beautiful. No matter the wind or waves, it’s better than walking in a leisurely way”… This is a vivid portrayal of Chairman Mao’s fight against the wind and waves.
There are two main reasons why Chairman Mao likes swimming. One is to exercise and strengthen the body, as he put forward in "Research on Sports": "Civilize the spirit, barbarize the body." Second, it can relax the body and mind and sharpen the will. As he himself said, "The bigger the wind and waves, the better. This can exercise people's will and enhance a person's courage to overcome difficulties."
Montgomery had a real understanding of Chairman Mao's hobby. Because while he was in Wuhan, Chairman Mao invited Montgomery to visit the Yangtze River and watch him swim in the Yangtze River. He also handwritten "Shui Tiao Ge Tou·Swimming" and gave it to Montgomery, which became his lifelong treasure.
But as the saying goes, "Those who drown are those who know how to swim." Going into the water too much will indeed increase the probability of drowning. Especially for older people, the risks of swimming increase. From this perspective, Chairman Mao said that his fourth way to die was to "drown while swimming." It seemed like a joke, but it actually had a certain basis in reality.
However, even when he was swimming in his later years and fighting against wind and waves in the rivers and seas, Chairman Mao did not have any accidents. First, because Chairman Mao's swimming skills were so superb, and second, because when the old man swam, there were guard soldiers nearby to accompany him and protect him. Therefore, the possibility of Chairman Mao mocking himself as "drowning while swimming" is almost non-existent.
The fifth way to die mentioned by Chairman Mao is "being killed by bacteria when sick"
"killed by bacteria when sick" means death from illness. People are born, old, sick and die, this is a natural law that no one can resist.As a Marxist-Leninist, Chairman Mao certainly understood that "all men are destined to die", and illness is the most common factor. I am afraid that he himself is not immune to this. Later, Chairman Mao died of illness as expected. It was a bacterial infection in his lungs that destroyed his health.
Chairman Mao has experienced decades of revolutionary struggle and has encountered all kinds of difficulties and setbacks. However, because he paid attention to exercise and health care and cultivated his character, he has always been in good health and rarely got sick before the age of sixty. Starting from the late 1960s, pneumonia, insomnia, constipation... various diseases began to affect the elderly Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao's reliance on sleeping pills to help him sleep has become a norm and even a dependence.
Starting in 1970, Chairman Mao's health took a turn for the worse. Pneumonia recurred and the infection was severe, and he once fell into a coma. Despite careful diagnosis and treatment by the health care team, pneumonia could not be cured. Instead, serious diseases such as senile cataracts, right motor nerve paralysis, and heart disease were added.
Chinese people are taboo about talking about death, especially the elderly. When Chairman Mao met with Montgomery, he took the initiative to propose "five ways to die", and emphasized that "I have prepared all five ways to die." He was not joking, but serious, fully demonstrating his fearless spirit of revolutionary optimism. For this reason, Chairman Mao even arranged his own funeral arrangements, saying to Montgomery : "It is best to be cremated after death, and throw the ashes into the sea to feed the fish."
In fact, Chairman Mao's statement about "cremation after death" is also very serious.
As early as the founding of New China, Chairman Mao was considering taking the lead in implementing a frugal funeral method within the party, especially among leading cadres. In 1954, Chairman Mao inspected Hangzhou and saw many large and small tombs around the West Lake. He said worriedly: "It is not good for the dead to compete for land with the living." In April 1956, an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee was held in Beijing. During the meeting, a proposal "Proposing the Implementation of Cremation" was presented to Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao was very satisfied after reading it and repeatedly said yes, and the first proposal had the three characters "Mao Zedong" written on it. Following Chairman Mao's example, 136 people including Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Kang Sheng, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Peng Zhen, Dong Biwu and Deng Xiaoping signed the cremation proposal.
In other words, as early as April 1956, Chairman Mao took the lead in advocating cremation. It can be seen that Chairman Mao said to Montgomery in 1961 that "it is best to be cremated after my death." This was not a whim, but a written statement in black and white, and a long-standing promise. After that, Chairman Mao also said more than once that he would be cremated after his death, and his ashes would be scattered into rivers, lakes and seas to feed fish.
In December 1963, after Marshal Luo Ronghuan died of illness, Chairman Mao was deeply moved and had a long talk about his views on life and death with his health doctor Wu Xujun. He said: "I ate a lot of fish when I was alive. After I die, I will be cremated and my ashes will be scattered in the Yangtze River to feed the fish. Just say to the fish: Fish, Mao Zedong is here to apologize to you. He ate you when he was alive, so you can eat him now. He will get fat." Go and serve the people. This is called the law of the immortality of matter."
Through this passage, we can completely feel that Chairman Mao, as a thorough materialist, has a very calm and fearless view of death.
Montgomery is an Englishman after all. He believes in God but not Marxism-Leninism. He cannot fully understand Chairman Mao's analysis of "five ways to die" and "the ashes are scattered into the sea to feed the fish after cremation", but he admires them very much.
After talking about his views on life and death, Chairman Mao suddenly asked Montgomery: "How old is Marshal this year?"
"74 years old." Montgomery is 6 years older than Chairman Mao.
"Oh, we are all old after we are 73 years old." Chairman Mao sighed with emotion: "There is a saying in China, 'Seventy-three and eighty-four, the king of hell will not ask you to go.' If you survive these two years, you can live to be 100 years old."
Montgomery looked confused.
Chairman Mao explained with a smile: "The King of Hell we call is the God you call. I am 68 years old and I only have a five-year plan. By then I will go to see my God.My god it's max . "Chairman Mao's meaning was very clear. He said that he could only live to be 73 years old, and he might not live to be 84 years old.
Montgomery then understood and quickly comforted him: "After this period of visit, I feel that the Chinese people need you. You cannot leave them. You should live to at least 84 years old. "
Chairman Mao laughed when he heard this and said: "No! I have many things to discuss with Marx, and staying here for another 4 years is enough! "
Montgomery also laughed: "If I knew where Marx was, I would tell him that the Chinese people need you, and you cannot go to him. I need to talk to him about this! "
However, the laws of nature will not change for anyone. It turns out that Chairman Mao's lifespan was not as short as he predicted, but closer to Montgomery's expectations. At 0:10 on September 19, 1976, Chairman Mao's heart stopped beating at the age of 83. The Chinese people lost their greatest leader.
In the end, this fearless proletarian revolutionary warrior was defeated by bacteria.
