Chapter 51 The end of the Futian Incident 1931

Journalist: “How was the Fushun Incident handled?”

Mao: “On December 17, 1930, five days after the Fushun Incident, Peng Dehuai led the Red Third Army to suppress it, and Chen Yi subsequently went to the headquarters of the Red Twentieth Army to mediate. The Red Twentieth Army released the arrested individuals.

Based on the instructions from the Comintern, it was decided to establish a Central Bureau in the Central Soviet Zone. In November 1930, Xiang Ying was sent to the Soviet Zone, and on December 30, Xiang Ying arrived at the headquarters of the Red First Front Army, where he met with me and Zhu De.

On January 15, 1931, the Central Bureau was established in Xiaobu, Ningdu. As Zhou Enlai had not arrived yet, Xiang Ying acted as the acting secretary. On January 16, under his leadership, the second announcement of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Zone was issued, which criticized the Fushun Incident as a wrong action and emphasized the need to correct the mistakes of the anti-AB (anti-communist traitor) groups. It stated that arbitrary killings should be avoided. The release of this announcement helped alleviate the expansion of the rectification campaign.”

Journalist: “Oh, so Xiang Ying was the one handling it first, and both sides criticized him?”

Mao: “Yes, Xiang Ying tended to handle the Fushun Incident as an internal contradiction and disagreed with categorizing it as a betrayal. He characterized it as an internal ‘unprincipled factional struggle.’ Except for appropriate measures taken against Duang Liangbi, Li Baifang, Xie Hanchang, and Liu Di, the remaining individuals were not held accountable. Following Xiang Ying’s instructions, the four main leaders of the Fushun mutiny admitted their mistakes to the Party and requested education. Later, they were assigned new tasks. With this, everything calmed down, and I also had to exercise some restraint. Xiang Ying stopped me from carrying out massacres. On February 4, 1931, Xiang Ying, on behalf of the Central Bureau, declared: ‘Mutual destruction within the Party will not be tolerated.’”

Journalist: “Didn’t Xiang Ying handle it already?”

Mao: “It wasn’t over yet. On February 13, 1931, during a meeting of the Political Bureau, Zhou Enlai issued a central order to Jiangxi, demanding ‘an end to debates and unity in fighting against the enemy.’ On February 16, at a meeting of the Central Political Bureau, Zhou Enlai, Ren Bishi, and Wang Jiaxiang formed a special committee to discuss the handling of the Fushun Incident. On February 20, Xiang Ying attempted to resolve the Fushun Incident as an internal issue, but before he could implement it, Zhou Enlai publicly proclaimed, ‘The AB (anti-communist traitor) League in southwestern Jiangxi are counter-revolutionary organizations.’”

Journalist: “Oh, so Zhou Enlai supported you in the background?”

Mao: “Yes, Zhou Enlai was favorable to me. Mif arrived in Shanghai as a representative of the Comintern, and on March 18, 1931, under Mif’s guidance, the radical and terrorist line was established. On March 28, under Zhou Enlai’s leadership, the Central Political Bureau issued the ‘Resolution on the Fushun Incident.’ The tone was even more radical than Mif’s. The resolution stated, ‘The Central Front Committee under the leadership of Comrade Mao Zedong firmly opposes the class enemy, which is correct.’ The ‘Resolution’ characterized the Fushun Incident as a ‘counter-revolutionary uprising led by the AB League,’ rejecting Xiang Ying’s opinions. The already expanded rectification campaign further intensified.”

Journalist: “So, Moscow set the tone, Zhou Enlai said to implement it, and he unilaterally supported you?”

Mao: “Yes, Zhou EnlAiditspatched Deng Fa, Ren Bishi, Gu Zuolin, and Wang Jiaxiang to form a central delegation with ‘full authority to handle the Fushun Incident.’ After they arrived in the Jiangxi Soviet Zone, they took over Xiang Ying’s authority and supported me in continuing to fight against the AB League. Li Shaojiu was reinstated and given a higher position.

On April 17, 1931, Xiang Ying, who advocated negotiating with the Red Twentieth Army, was relieved of his acting secretary position, and I replaced him. Shortly after, I became the person in charge of the Central Military Commission, the highest leader of the Red Army.”

Journalist: “Zhou Enlai removed Xiang Ying and fully supported you in fighting against the AB League?”

Mao: “Yes, on April 18, 1931, when the leaders of the Fushun Incident, including Liu Di, who had already admitted their mistakes and self-criticized, participated in the negotiations, they were all lured, captured, paraded around, and soon executed.

In July 1931, the Red First Front Army surrounded the Red Twentieth Army. The Red Twentieth Army was relocated to Pingtouzhai in the southern part of Jiangxi. On July 23, the Red Twentieth Army was surrounded and disarmed by Peng Dehuai and Lin Biao’s forces. Except for a deputy officer known to Lin Biao and the former commander of the Red Twentieth Army, who supported the rectification campaign against the AB League, including the army commander Xiao Dapeng and the political commissar Zeng Bingchun, more than 700 cadres of the rank of deputy platoon leader or higher were all killed. Only Xie Xianghuang and Liu Shouying managed to escape. The designation of the Red Twentieth Army was abolished, and the remaining troops were incorporated into the Red 7th Army.”

Journalist: “Wow, all 700 cadres of the Red Twentieth Army, including Liu Di, were killed?”

Mao: “Yes. With this, the Fushun Incident ended in my complete victory, and the Red Twentieth Army was completely resolved. I achieved complete victory because I had the support of the Moscow-based Communist International behind me.”