Chapter 103 The anti-rebellion movement killed 1950

Journalist: “You build a new China, open the dynasty amnesty?”

Mao: “I did not. China is an ancient civilization with a history of 5,000 years and has experienced hundreds of dynasties. After all the political changes, there is a tradition of “amnesty” to show the benevolence of the world, is a Chinese characteristic of politics, is a successful way of ruling proven by history, regardless of the past, the amount of tolerance of the world, is recognized as the art of ruling.

But in my new China, instead of amnesty, there was a ‘campaign to suppress counter-revolution.’ There are very few people who should be killed for the most serious crimes, and most of them are people who should not be killed for minor crimes. I admit that ‘we killed hundreds of thousands of people in the crackdown on counterrevolution.’ But in fact, in the three years from 1950 to 1953, more than two million people were killed, resulting in a horrible counter-revolutionary campaign.”

Journalist: “The regime is in your hands, you hold the power, no one can move, why do you still want to kill it?”

Mao: “I lack confidence in myself. In Chongqing, I could shout ‘Long live Chairman Chiang!’ But once I leave Chongqing, I must exterminate Jiang’s entire army. After the establishment of the People’s Republic, those who were classified as landlords or rich peasants had their properties forcibly confiscated. Many of those who were labeled as landlords or rich peasants harbored hatred towards the Communist Party. I feared that they would collude with remaining Kuomintang agents and reactionary party members to counterattack the Communist Party. In order to suppress the arrogance of the wealthy, I issued directives to suppress ‘counterrevolutionary activities’ in March and July 1950. However, the measures were not strong enough. In October 1950, I issued the ‘Directive on Correcting the Right-leaning Tendency of Suppression of Counterrevolutionary Activities’ and the ‘Regulations of the People’s Republic of China for the Punishment of Counterrevolutionaries,’ known as the ‘Double Tenth Directives,’ warning against the ‘excessive leniency’ and ‘right-leaning’ tendencies. The ‘Double Tenth Directives’ marked a turning point, and the anti-counter revolutionary movement was launched in full swing. Waves of “counterrevolutionaries” were sent to the gallows. The more we killed, the more there were, and a large number of people were mistakenly executed. It was only in the later stages of the anti- counterrevolutionary movement that I issued signals to put the brakes on. By November 1953, it had basically come to an end, although sporadic killings continued.”

Journalist: “So you killed for another 3 years?”

Mao: “Yes, most of those who were wrongly killed in the later stages of the anti-counter-revolutionary movement were Kuomintang defectors or captured officers.

These people were killed, firstly, those who returned home after surrendering at the end of the Liberation War, and those who returned home after being released from captivity (usually after a few months of study in the PLA Officers’ Education Corps), the largest number of such people. Secondly, those who have returned to their hometowns after being discharged from military service for several years, either living idle, or working in business, or engaging in other occupations (such as teachers, lawyers, etc.). The number of such people is also quite large. Third, those who continued to fight and fight as guerrillas and were eventually captured during the “bandit fighting”, and those with secret service backgrounds. The number of people in this category is not large. Fourth, there are other people, such as those who fled the country out of fear, and those who were found out by hiding their names. The number of people is also small. Among the 242 generals of the Kuomintang army who were executed, there were 159 major generals, 78 lieutenant generals, admirals, and five patriarchs.”

Journalist: “You also killed more than 200 generals that the Kuomintang had already surrendered?”

Mao: “Yes, at the same time, I am lenient to Japanese war criminals, out of 1,062 Japanese war criminals, released 1,017 in batches, sentenced to 8-10 years of imprisonment 40. There was no death penalty. In contrast, public opinion thought that I was cruel to my brothers and forgiving to my enemies and was very incomprehensible.”

Journalist: “Oh, Japanese war criminals one does not kill, specializing in killing their own compatriot brothers?”

Mao: “Yes, after my death, in the 1980s, basically all of the first two categories were rehabilitated. Some of the former Kuomintang generals were rehabilitated after the execution of the crackdown, including 32 major generals, 20 lieutenant generals. admirals, and 5 generals. Here are 10 people as examples.

Number 1: Deng Yulin, No. Bing San, a native of the Tujia family, was born in 1881 in Badong County, Hubei Province, and served as the commander-in-chief of the First Road Army of the Left Wing of the Northern Expeditionary Army during the Northern Expeditionary War in 1926, participating in the battles of Jingsha and Yichang. After the Northern Expedition, he left the military and lived in Shanghai. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance, he refused to be bought by the Japanese and moved to Wuhan. After the fall of Wuhan, he moved to Changyang and returned to his hometown Badong in 1943. During his stay in various places, he raised funds to set up schools and industries. He refused to go to Taiwan on the eve of liberation and stayed in his hometown, and was arrested during the counter-revolutionary movement at the end of 1950 and executed the following spring for ‘organizing a counter-revolutionary riot.’ In July 1982, the Higher People’s Court of Hubei Province acquitted him of all charges and restored the honor of the Xinhai Revolutionaries.

Number 2: Xia Zhishi, the founder of the Xinhai Revolution, was born in 1887 in Hejiang, Sichuan. In 1938, he returned to Hejiang to escape the Japanese army and studied Buddhism and cultural relics and antiques, not asking about world affairs. In November 1987, the People’s Court of Hejiang County, Sichuan Province, declared the rehabilitated and restored the honor of the Xinhai Revolutionaries.

Number 3: He Haiqing, born in May 1875 in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, was a veteran of the Xinhai Revolutionary Movement against Yuan and served as the Fourth Captain of the Second Ladder Regiment of the First Army of Cai E’s Protectorate Army at the end of 1915, where he was successful in the battle of Naxi. In October 1925, he left the military and returned to his hometown to run a school. In October 1983, he was rehabilitated by the People’s Government and recognized as a member of the Xinhai Revolution.

Number 4: Song Hegeng, born in 1883, was a native of Xiangxiang, Hunan province. 1917, he joined the war to protect the French and was the commander of the First Brigade. 1923, he joined Tan Yanxian in Guangdong and was appointed as the commander of the First Army and the general commander of the front enemy of the Hunan army to suppress the bandits and the central commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army. 1925, Sun’s Northern Expedition failed due to the attack of the warlords from the north and south, and Song Hegeng resigned in anger and left the military. In 1929, he was appointed as a member of the Hunan Provincial Government and director of the Construction Department, and in 1931, he became a general counselor in the Military Senate. In 1949, nearing liberation, Song Hegeng took out his private gun collection and instructed his nephew to organize the Xiangxiang County Huaqiao Police Force and defect to the underground Communist Party’s Jiang Yaxun Division. In the 1980s, the Xiangtan Intermediate People’s Court found that Song Hegeng had done useful work for the Party on the eve of liberation, and should be treated as a policy for those who defected to the uprising, and the original sentence was revoked.

Number 5: Chen Chunlin, born in 1900 in Ziyang, Sichuan, was the commander of the 149th Division of the 44th Army in 1944 and led the army to fight in Hunan. After the victory of the war, he became the Director of the Personnel Division of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Director of the Organization Division of the Three Youth League. Luo Guangwen led his troops to participate in the uprising in western Sichuan. On November 9, 1951, he was sentenced to death by the Military Court of the Southwest Military Region during the counter-insurgency campaign, and was rehabilitated by the Chengdu Military Court in September 1983. He was appointed by Yang Hucheng as the director of the Third Branch of the Provincial Public Security Bureau in 1930 and the inspector general of the Lanzhou Police Department in 1931, and became the commander of the 54th Division in 1944. On December 30, 1949, he led the New 5th Army and defected to the PLA in the southwest of the country. 1950, he was sent to study at Northwestern University and was executed in 1951 during the rebellion. 1983, the Xi’an Intermediate People’s Court rehabilitated and restored the honor of those who defected.

Number 6: General Xu Jingji, born in 1897 in Lintong, Shaanxi, was a student of the first phase of the Whampoa Military Academy. In 1930, he was appointed as the director of the 3rd Division of the Provincial Public Security Bureau by Yang Hucheng. In 1931, he served as the Inspector General of the Lanzhou Police Department. In 1944, he became the commander of the 54th Division. In 1948, he served as the commander of the Baotou Garrison. In 1949, he became the commander of the newly formed 5th Army and the director of the Shaannan Administrative Office, concurrently serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Shaannan Guerrilla Self-Defense Force. On December 30, 1949, he led the New 5th Army to surrender to the People’s Liberation Army in the southwest. In 1950, he was sent to study at Northwest University. In 1951, he was executed during the counterrevolutionary movement. In 1983, the Intermediate People’s Court of Xi’an City overturned the verdict, restoring the honor of those who had participated in the uprising and surrender.

Number 7: Yin Zuogan, born in 1905, was born in Rizhao, Shandong Province, and became chief of staff of the 9th Division in 1941, and went to the U.S. Army Tactical School in Rangamgar, India, for training in 1944, and became chief of staff of the 11th Division of the 18th Army in the fall of 1945. In 1952, he was arrested by the Military Justice Department of the Political Department of the Central-South Military Region and sentenced to death by the Nanyang Intermediate People’s Court on April 8, 1954. 1987, the Higher People’s Court of Henan Province and the Nanyang Intermediate People’s Court declared the rehabilitated and restored the honor of the uprising defectors.

Number 8: Uprising leader Gan Qingchi, deputy commander of the 99th Army, participated in the battles of Xianggan. After winning the war, he became the governor of Yangjiang County in Guangdong Province in the spring of 1949, and on November 5, 1949, he led the county security forces and self-defense forces to announce the uprising in Xinyi. 1950, he was appointed the director of Xinyi County Electricity Factory, and was arrested in March 1951 and executed in December. 1982, in August, the Xinyi County People’s Court declared the reversion and restored the honor of the rebellion.

Number 9: Ye Ganwu, born in 1901, a native of Meixian County, Guangdong Province, was appointed by Li Tiejun in 1947 as a major general and senior counselor and inspector of the General Command of the Hexi Police in Gansu Province, defected to the PLA during the Lanzhou Campaign in the winter of 1949, and then voluntarily returned to his hometown of Meixian Shejiang to work as a peasant, and was executed in the autumn of 1950 during the crackdown.

Number 10: Uprising leader Zeng Xiancheng, originally from Chengdu, Sichuan, was born in 1911 in Zhongxiang, Hubei Province, and became deputy commander of the Hubei Provincial Security Command in 1948 and deputy commander of the provisional 8th Army of the Third Corps in early 1949. He was executed in October of the same year during a rebellion, and was rehabilitated in the 1980s.”

Journalist: “You cited 10 big people who were killed in vain, and there are countless small people, right?”

Mao: “Yes, many small ones were killed and killed in vain, and there are countless others.”