Chapter 24 The Lushan Conference purged Peng Dehuai 1959

Journalist: “You especially like the beautiful lodge?

Mao: “Yes, I went to Mount Lushan, still like to stay in Meilu.

Journalist: “Why do you especially like to live in the beauty of the Lodge it?

Mao: “beauty lodge for a new master, I sat Chiang Kai-shek sat in the chair, to meet my later domination of the occupation desire, I ordered the beauty lodge beds, tables and chairs, writing tables are not replaced, but also with Chiang Kai-shek that set, sleep Chiang Kai-shek slept on the wooden frame bed, I slept with great satisfaction.

Journalist: “Why did you beat Peng Dehuai down?”

Mao: “In July 1959, Peng Dehuai at the Lushan Conference, for the people’s sake, to me in a private letter, I was like a treasure, the heart snickers, General Peng took the bait, just as I caught, was beaten as right-leaning opportunism, from then on to end Peng’s political life. I put down the undercurrent of denial of the Great Leap Forward and preserved my imperial prestige. “

Journalist: “What do you think of Peng Dehuai?”

Mao: “Peng Dehuai was dissatisfied with me a few years earlier. He was born poor, begged for food, often spurred himself not to corrupt, not forgetting the poor people, he was dissatisfied with my recruitment of the civilian engineering troupe of beautiful dancers to serve bed, in various places to repair the villa. 1956 anti-Stalinist personal cult, he said to the “military oath” the first “under the leadership of Chairman Mao”: the army is the country, can not say under the leadership of that person. He also disagreed with the excessive prominence of the military industry, saying that peacetime national defense construction, to fit the national economic development.”

Journalist: “Peng Dehuai said you shouldn’t edict the beauty of the clerical corps, repairing villas in various places and overly highlighting the military industry, nothing wrong with that, right?”

Mao: “The reason is right, after May 1958, I raised Lin Biao as vice chairman, above Peng Dehuai, but also made the military commission more than 1500 senior officers for more than 2 months, so Peng Dehuai anxious, resigned as minister of national defense, I did not allow. In the summer of 1958, during the Great Leap Forward, Peng Dehuai went to Henan for an inspection. He witnessed houses being demolished, fruit trees being cut down, and even small furnaces being used as fuel. The common people commented that the Japanese committed the Three Alls, and collectivization resulted in the Five Alls. Peng remarked, “Are you going to burn down everything with a single fire?”

Journalist: “Oh. When Peng Dehuai saw the common people, they said that the Japanese committed the Three Alls and the collectivization resulted in the Five Alls. He asked, ‘Are you going to burn down everything with a single fire?”

Mao: “Yes, in December 1958, Peng Dehuai returned to his hometown in Hunan Province to investigate the Great Leap Forward, it was found that the high yield falsification, the elderly happy home pot of broth and leaves a few grains of rice, disabled old Red Army stuffed him a note ‘please drum for the people Teeny!’ He left 200 yuan to the happy home and 200 yuan to the nursery. He sent me a telegram to reflect the truth, I ignored him. I said earlier: a few dolls died in the nursery, a few old men died in the happy home, there is no death, people do not perish.”

Journalist: “Peng Dehuai gave you the truth and you ignored it? Do you think the death is nothing?”

Mao: “April 1959 Shanghai meeting, Peng Dehuai said the Great Leap Forward wrong, and angry to leave the scene early, causing me great dissatisfaction. I said Peng Dehuai hated me, he is consistently against me. I am people do not offend me, I do not offend, if people offend me, I will offend. I transmitted Hai Rui to him, deliberately stimulating him, hoping that he has the courage to stand out like Hai Rui.

In late April 1959, Peng Dehuai took a military delegation to visit the countries of Eastern Europe, I specially assigned members of the delegation to monitor him inside and outside the country, but did not find him any small moves, did not catch anything.”

Journalist: “Oh you no longer trust Peng Dehuai, he went abroad to visit you sent a delegation to monitor him?”

Mao: “Yes. July 1959 Lushan meeting, review of the Great Leap Forward, I said to open the meeting of the gods, encourage everyone to sound release, I watched the fishing, to see who took the bait. Peng Dehuai spoke seven times in the northwest group, all posted on the briefing. But some sharp words were filtered out by Zhou Enlai, Yang Shangkun. Zhou is very alert, according to what I said a finger and 9 finger relationship, to compile the briefing, both to protect themselves, but also to protect Peng, I can not catch what braid. But Peng Dehuai stubborn, feel that the lower feelings have not been reached, personally door to door to find me for an interview, was blocked by the guards, I went to bed. The next day he could not hold back and wrote me a letter.

I got Peng letter, like a treasure. I can not catch Zhou Enlai fishing, he did not cross the line at all, I can not catch anything. Fishing out of General Peng, my heart snickers, then issued instructions to go down to the groups to discuss, and then generally fishing. Peng see the momentum is not right, after two days asked to withdraw the letter, I certainly not allowed.”

Journalist: “Peng Dehuai wrote to you for correction, you issued a large number of his letter to the participants, launched the whole him?

Mao: “Yes, I received his letter, 2 days decided to completely rectify him, the first step is to issue his ‘opinion letter’ to mobilize senior cadres to discuss the position, he saw that I issued his letter, relying on his decades of experience in the struggle within the Party, know that this is a prelude to my rectification, he immediately jumped like a thunderstorm, took the printed copies and ran to my residence to reason, just when I want to He stopped my car and yelled: ‘President, I’ve been with you for decades, how can you treat people like this? You have to make it clear, don’t try to be phony again!’ I sat in the car, as steady as a mountain, and didn’t say a word. Yes, after decades with me, fighting for me, he was too loyal and deluded, he ended up being loyal to the people, not to me, so how could I not get rid of him? He is the most outspoken and the most important problem in my heart. I am determined to get rid of him, so that no one will dare to speak out and I will be able to sit in peace….

I was most afraid of Li Zicheng, a peasant rebellion, a nationwide riot, and a fight to Beijing. I was even more afraid that the army would welcome Peng Dehuai back and go with Peng instead of me.”

Journalist: “Peng Dehuai gave you a letter of opinion, and you seized to rectify him?”

Mao: “Yes. To be fair, Peng’s letter of more than 3,000 words was not a fierce challenge, not a declaration of war, not only about shortcomings and mistakes, but also about achievements, in a calm tone, only to ask me to speak, to correct the bias, and not to criticize me by name. I deliberately distorted, infinite outline, exaggerated as ‘ten thousand words book.’ played as the same as the rightist attack.

I want everyone to be released for one more week to quietly observe the situation and lure the snake out of the hole, but I actually caught another big fish, Zhang Wentian, who spoke for three hours, with justifications, facts and theories, criticizing the Great Leap Forward. I caught him criticizing his old illness again. Huang Kecheng and Zhou Xiaozhou also pointed out the problems of the Great Leap Forward frankly, but I caught them and beat them together as ‘Peng, Huang, Zhang and Zhou, the anti-party group.’

Journalist: “Anyone who agreed with Peng Dehuai was branded as an anti-Party group?”

Mao: “Yes. July 23, 1959, I spoke at the General Assembly, singing to myself, no one presided over the meeting, I spoke without a script or outline, thinking of that to speak of that, fudging the mystery, so that people listen to seem to understand, so that people can not fully understand, a breath of more than an hour to speak. I also vainly said that there are mistakes I am responsible for the first, but the specific and pushed to the following.

When I ordered the criticism of Peng, Zhou Enlai said: or to three or seven, do not deny all. I said that Peng and I are three parts cooperation, seven parts non-cooperation in the long run. Zhu De said: Jinggang Mountain, with life and death, share the hardships, struggling for most of their lives, do not break up this. I said Zhu is always ‘scratching the itch,’ I threatened to say, we do not agree, I had to go to Jinggang Mountain. Lin Biao spoke most sharply, opening his mouth to criticize Peng Dehuai is an ambitious, conspiratorial. Anti-adventurous faction Liu Shaoqi, Chen Yun, etc., had to follow the outline to criticize Peng. The fishing fight to the right was a great success, everyone was subdued, I sat on the throne, the prestige did not diminish, the gods will be a great victory down the mountain.”

Journalist: “How do you see Peng Dehuai? He can not jump out of your magic circle?”

Mao: “In 1945, the 7th Congress determined that I have the right to veto irrigation, the final decision, overriding the collective leadership, forming my “magic circle”, the palm of the Buddha’s hand, no one can jump out, I have the say, playing all the big members in my palm. 1959 Peng Dehuai tried to jump out of my magic circle, fell to his death.”

Journalist: “1959 Lushan meeting anti-Peng Dehuai you have won all ‘vote are raised hands?’”

Mao: “Yes, Lushan Peng, Zhang against me, but the final vote Peng Zhang were forced to raise their hands and confess guilt, fueling my anger, I won a big gas more coarse, Peng Zhang afraid of their own party can not return, dare not insist on the end, voting none of the opposition, I was Peng Zhang review confession letter, such as a treasure, issued to the national party branches, stink them, Liu Shaoqi help me anti-Peng, stink Peng. Liu’s faults have a big impact.”

Journalist: “Peng Dehuai anti-Japanese period mentioned, to implement freedom, equality, fraternity spirit in democratic education, you in the Lushan meeting and turned out to criticize?”

Mao: “Yes, March 19, 1943 ‘Xinhua Daily’ (North China Edition) published ‘Peng Dehuai on democratic education,’ is that talk, June 6 I wrote a letter to him, criticizing him not to talk like that, he did not reply to the letter. It seems that he insisted on his viewpoint, so in 1959 Lushan meeting to rectify him, and again together with the criticism, I criticized him that is the viewpoint of the bourgeoisie, not the proletariat. I just put freedom, equality and fraternity as slogans to cope with the Kuomintang, while Peng Dehuai is seriously implemented in democratic education.

Journalist: “Peng Dehuai confessed his guilt to you?

Mao: “Yes, Peng Dehuai and Zhang Wentian finally confessed to me against their will, they were afraid of being abandoned by the Party, ‘no party to return to,’ and finally threw dung on themselves. In the end, I did not pity them because they admitted their guilt, they can not escape ‘no good death.’”

Journalist: “So you forced the Central Committee to beat Peng Dehuai down?”

Mao: “Yes, followed by a nationwide anti-Rightist opportunist climax, which was estimated to have involved 10 million people and affected tens of millions of people. The right-leaning criticism was reversed, and the momentum of the Great Leap Forward was preserved and increased. 10 years after the 10th anniversary of the National Day on October 1, 1959, I was still in the middle of the day. Although I resigned from the presidency and let Liu Shaoqi be, it was because I was not willing to deal with the diplomatic protocol lock.

Peng Dehuai asked to go to the commune to work, or go home to the countryside to retire, I could not let him outside the freedom, I ordered to imprison him in the western hills of Beijing, living in the dilapidated house of Wu Sangui in the Qing Dynasty, using a pseudonym, not allowed to use his real name.”

Journalist: “From then on you imprisoned Peng Dehuai and lost his freedom?”

Mao: “Yes. Lushan meeting there is a small episode, before the anti-Peng Dehuai, I know that He Zizhen in Nanchang, July 7, I let Jiangxi Secretary’s wife to accompany her up the mountain to see me. The first fear of her emotional, did not tell who to see, only that the weather is too hot, coax her up the mountain to rest a few days. He Zizhen was happy to go up to the mountain, talking and laughing all the way. She was brought to my residence at 9 p.m. She hadn’t seen me for 20 years, and when she suddenly saw me standing in front of her, she immediately lost her mind and became incoherent, answering incoherent questions, sitting upside down, and I became impatient and soon said: It’s late, we’ll meet again tomorrow and talk.

The next day He Zizhen was sent down the mountain, she kept asking why I was sent down the mountain, and he said he would meet me again to talk about it. He Zizhen’s mental illness was so severe that she could barely recognize her daughter. When she returned to Nanchang, she went to the gate of the Provincial Party Committee from time to time with a miserable look, asking who had destroyed the meeting. One day standing in the rain, to the provincial party committee gate like crazy.”

Journalist: “Oh, He Zizhen just like this psychotic episode? Why do you want to see her?”

Mao: “I thought she might still be beneficial value? I did not think that He Zizhen to me only then in Jiangxi use value, to the north of Shaanxi is finished, Jiang Qing came up, she went to the Soviet Union, I just unburdened. This time on Mount Lu, remembering the sweet days in Jiangxi, see her now there is still use value? The whim, want to see her side, did not expect her old and upside down, rather than not see, hurriedly see even.”