Chapter 47 The death of Yang Kaihui, Mao is a scoundrel 1930

Journalist: “Why didn’t you bring Yang Kaihui and your children with you to Jiangxi?”

Mao: “I had long wanted to be rid of her. She was a burden. Her ideological foundation was based on the teachings of her father, Confucius, which ultimately clashed with the Communist Party. How could she tolerate killings, arson, and banditry? She was a Confucian lady. How could she accompany me into the mountains as a bandit?”

Journalist: “When you attacked Changsha, where was Yang Kaihui?”

Mao: “Attacking Changsha brought great disaster to my family. At that time, Yang Kaihui, with our three sons, was living in the old Yang family house on the outskirts of Changsha. I had been away from them for three years. During the second attack on Changsha, Yang Kaihui lived within the Red Army-controlled area. It wasn’t difficult for me to visit her and bring her out. Some people in the Red Army even advised me to do so. But I chose not to step foot inside her door. He Jian, the Kuomintang’s officer in charge of defending Changsha, had no harassed Yang Kaihui for three years because she was not involved in any Communist Party activities. Even when Peng Dehuai launched the first attack on Changsha and nearly killed He Jian, he did not take it out on Yang Kaihui. However, when I launched the second attack on Changsha, He Jian became extremely angry and determined to seek revenge. On October 24, 1930, he arrested Yang Kaihui and our eldest son, Anying. It happened to be Anying’s 8th birthday that day. He Jian gave Yang Kaihui a way out: she just needed to publicly announce her disassociation from me. But she refused. She was executed on November 14, 1930. The next day, the Hunan Republic Daily reported her death with the headline, ‘Wife of Mao Zedong Executed, No Regrets.’ The target of their hatred was clearly me.”

Journalist: “Yang Kaihui was executed because she refused to dissociate herself from you. Didn’t she die for you?”

Mao: “Yes. According to the executioner’s later account, Yang Kaihui was brought into the courtroom wearing a green cheongsam. The executioners stripped off her cheongsam and took the two fifty-cent coins from her pocket. Bound, she was led through the streets of Changsha. An officer ordered a rickshaw for her, and the soldiers ran alongside. The execution site was outside the city gate, surrounded by desolate graves. After the executioners fired their guns, they threw her shoes far away, fearing that the deceased’s spirit would chase after them.

Upon hearing that Yang Kaihui had not been killed, the executioners returned and fired more shots, seven in total.

”Relatives transported Yang Kaihui’s body back to her hometown and buried her on the slope behind the old house. Anying was released, and in early 1931, my eldest brother, Zezhen, helped the three children go to Shanghai, where they were taken care of by the underground party.”

Journalist: “So, Yang Kaihu died, and the three children became orphans while you enjoyed your time with He Zizhen in Jiangxi.”

Mao: “That’s right. Upon hearing the news of Yang Kaihui’s death, I hypocritically said, ‘There is no redemption for her death.’ From the time I abandoned her until her death, Yang Kaihui expressed her anger and wrote eight articles, expressing her love for me and reflecting on her beliefs. She carefully wrapped these eight pieces in wax paper and hid them in the old house, hoping to pass them on to future generations. In her writings, she expressed her strong and forgiving love for me, occasionally mixed with reproach. There was the pain of being abandoned by me and the resentment of me heartlessly abandoning our three children. Yang Kaihui occasionally came across news about me in the newspapers. I was referred to as a ‘bandit,’ engaging in ‘burning, killing, and looting in the regions of East Hunan and West Jiangxi, with unimaginable brutality’ and ‘slaughtering people, burning houses, and rampant atrocities.’ Now she began to doubt her previous beliefs and concepts. All she heard was the voice saying, ‘Kill, kill, kill.’ Why are people so wicked and cruel? She yearned for a new faith!

Yang Kaihui’s eight heartfelt writings were all criticisms of me, summarizing that I was a political gangster and a moral gangster. The term ‘political gangster’ referred to my actions of going up the mountains to fight against landlords and killing people, while the term ‘moral gangster’ referred to my extramarital affairs and involvement in inappropriate relationships. To maintain my image, the official authorities have sealed and stored all eight pieces of her writings in the archival museum, only leaking some portions of the content. I admit that I am a moral gangster. Even before going up to Jinggang Mountain, during my days in Changsha, I had affairs with my friend Yi Lirong’s wife, Xu Wenxuan, as well as with Yang Kaihui’s cousin. I also had an affair with Li Lisan’s wife. My friend Xiao San bluntly called me a “penis,” saying that I was shamelessly immoral. Yang Kaihui knew about all of these, how could she not be furious? As a virtuous wife, how could she not feel hurt by me, a moral and political gangster?”

Journalist: “Yang Kaihui’s criticisms of you as a moral and political gangster are well-founded, and you had an affair with Li Lisan’s wife. How did he react to that?”

Mao: “That happened in 1925. Li Lisan said, ‘One should not steal a friend’s wife.’ I suggested that we settle the matter privately. I admitted that my animalistic nature was strong, and both of us believed in communism. Let’s embrace communal living, where your wife is my wife and my wife is your wife. I even offered to send Yang Kaihui to accompany him for a few nights, forging a mutual bond between our families. Communism first, followed by communal wives, sharing meals and wives alike. However, he ignored my proposal, and we dropped the matter.

Furthermore, Yang Kaiming, Yang Kaihui’s younger brother, was arrested and executed in February 1930. He was buried behind the old house. A few months later, Yang Kaihui also went to the execution ground. When I besieged Changsha, I didn’t make any efforts to help her and the children leave, although it wouldn’t have been difficult to do so. Her residence was on my way to Changsha, and I stayed outside the city for three weeks. I didn’t consider saving her; my mind was elsewhere. I thought, what would happen if I saved her and brought her to Jiangxi with me? What about He Zizhen? What if they started fighting? It’s better not to save her. That’s how I could bear to let Yang Kaihui be killed.”

Journalist: “Yang Kaihui couldn’t tolerate your burning, killing, and looting, so was there an inherent clash of ideologies between you two? Did she yearn for a new faith?”

Mao: “Yes, it’s true. Our ideologies didn’t align from the very beginning.

Even before going to the mountains, I could sense it. Therefore, deep down, I had already made up my mind that I couldn’t let her come with me to Jiangxi. Even if it were possible, it wouldn’t just be a matter of conflicts with He Zizhen. The bigger issue is that she couldn’t tolerate my acts of robbery and the brutal killings of the Red Terror. She would constantly argue and quarrel with me, causing internal strife that I couldn’t handle. Her presence in Jiangxi would be a burden that I couldn’t shake off or resolve. Hence, I decided to abandon her and prevent her from coming to Jiangxi.”

Journalist: “Didn’t Yang Kaihui also embrace Communist Party theory? Didn’t she participate in revolutionary activities with you before you went to the mountains?”

Mao: “Yes, but at that time, we hadn’t reached the stage of armed struggle or bloodshed. She could still accompany me during those times. However, once I joined the mountain-based bandits, I became even more ruthless than ordinary bandits. She wouldn’t be able to accept that. I understand that her ideological foundation lies in Confucian morality. Her father followed the ethical principles of Confucius and was an upright gentleman. She was influenced and educated by her father since childhood, with her ideological roots being gentle, humble, and obedient. The Communist Party’s revolutionary actions involving bloodshed and acts of robbery would drive her insane. Hence, deep in my heart, I decided not to take her with me. I could only let her leave me. However, she remained steadfastly loyal to her husband and never betrayed me, even until her death.”

Journalist: “So, after you became the emperor, did you write “Butterfly Loves Flowers” to mourn her?

Mao: “I wrote “Butterfly Loves Flowers” to give myself a favorable image, to show the world that someone with the surname Mao is not an ungrateful person. But in reality, it was hypocritical. It was a way to manipulate public opinion and improve my own image.