(The First: Zhang Xueliang takes the stand)

The Emperor: What is your name?

Zhang Xueliang: My name is Zhang Xueliang.

The Emperor: What grievances do you have? What accusations do you bring against Mao Zedong?

Zhang: Mao Zedong deceived me. He claimed the Soviet Union supported me in opposing Chiang Kai-shek. He incited me to launch a military revolt and kill Chiang, promising that I could establish a Northwest government with myself as its head, while he would manipulate matters from behind the scenes. In December 1936, I launched the “Xi’an Incident” and detained Chiang Kai-shek. Unexpectedly, the Soviet Union issued a statement condemning my opposition to Chiang. I was stunned—I had been deceived by Mao. Without Soviet support, once Chiang’s forces attacked, I would be finished. I had no choice but to apologize to Chiang, escort him back to Nanjing, and beg forgiveness. Fortunately, he did not kill me or imprison me, but placed me under house arrest. I lost command of 300,000 troops.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, do you admit to the crime of deception?

Mao: I admit that I deceived Zhang Xueliang. The claim that the Soviet Union supported him was fabricated by me. The Soviet side had never expressed such support. I believed that if Zhang opposed Chiang, it would greatly benefit me, so I incited him to act.

The Emperor: How did Zhang’s opposition to Chiang benefit you?

Mao: Once Zhang launched the “Xi’an Incident,” I positioned myself in the middle to negotiate with Chiang. He recognized the legitimacy of the Communist Party, the Red Army, and the Shaanbei government, provided military funding and government expenses, and ceased encirclement campaigns against us. That is why I called Zhang Xueliang a “hero for the ages.”

Zhang: Mao Zedong benefited himself at my expense. I lost my 300,000-strong army and was placed under house arrest in Taiwan. Meanwhile, he seized the opportunity to expand and strengthen himself, rising step by step until he took all of China and entered Beijing as emperor.

The Emperor: Zhang Xueliang accuses you of using him to rise to power. What is your defense?

Mao: Zhang Xueliang’s accusation accords entirely with the facts. I admit it all.

Zhang: After Deng Xiaoping came to power, he repeatedly offered to send a special plane to bring me back to the mainland for visits. I politely declined. I helped Mao Zedong seize power. He then acted recklessly, bringing disaster after disaster upon China—tens of millions dead, the people left destitute. How could I face the elders of the Northeast? In the end, I believed in God in the United States, repented the sins of my early life, and died there. My soul was reborn.

The Emperor: Zhang Xueliang accuses Mao Zedong, and Mao fully admits to deception. Zhang Xueliang also repents; may God bless him.

(The Second: Pan Hannian takes the stand)

The Emperor: What is your name?

Pan Hannian: My name is Pan Hannian.

The Emperor: What accusations do you bring against Mao Zedong?

Pan: Mao Zedong ordered me to act as a traitor. He instructed me to establish contact with the Japanese Imperial Army and to communicate with Wang Jingwei. I exchanged much intelligence with the Japanese, primarily providing them with information about Chiang Kai-shek’s troop movements. I also met Wang Jingwei and reached tacit understandings of peaceful compromise. In 1955, during a conversation with Chen Yi in Beijing, I mentioned these matters again. Mao immediately ordered my arrest. I was imprisoned and subjected to reform through labor for 22 years until my death. My wife was also imprisoned. Dozens of others were implicated and suffered.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, what is your defense regarding Pan Hannian’s accusations?

Defense Lawyer: Mao Zedong never gave Pan Hannian such instructions. Matters concerning contacts with Japan and Wang Jingwei were handled by Zhou Enlai.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, did you give Zhou Enlai such instructions?

Mao: Yes. I gave such instructions only to Zhou Enlai. Zhou then maintained single-line contact with Pan Hannian. Pan did not report to me directly; he reported only to Zhou, who then reported to me. Therefore, I knew of all Pan Hannian’s activities.

The Emperor: Then do you assume full responsibility and admit you were the principal offender?

Mao: I assume full responsibility. I was the principal offender. I feared the matter would be exposed and that I would be labeled a traitor. I could not bear that disgrace, so I had Pan Hannian imprisoned to silence him, permanently covering up my crime.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong admits to treason and to framing his subordinate, leading to Pan Hannian’s death. One question for Mao: Japan invaded China; resisting Japan was a matter of national righteousness. Why did you not fight Japan but instead assist them against your own compatriots?

Mao: My goal was to seize power and become China’s emperor. The Japanese Imperial Army could help weaken Chiang Kai-shek’s forces, making it easier for me to defeat him and seize power. Being called a traitor did not matter to me. As long as I gained power, I could do as I pleased. But the label “traitor” sounded bad, so I shifted the blame onto Pan Hannian.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong admits without reservation.

(The Third: Wang Shiwei takes the stand)

The Emperor: What is your name?

Wang Shiwei: My name is Wang Shiwei, a young writer who went to Yan’an.

The Emperor: What grievances do you have? What accusations do you bring against Mao Zedong?

Wang: I was dissatisfied with the special privileges and hierarchical system among the Communist leadership in Yan’an. I merely wrote several essays titled “Wild Lilies,” hoping the Party would honor its promises of freedom and equality and not disappoint revolutionary youth. Mao Zedong then mobilized the Party machine to attack and denounce me, had me imprisoned, subjected me to torture and forced confessions, drove me to mental breakdown, and finally had me hacked to death with a machete and thrown into a dry well. My wife was kept in the dark for ten years, searching for me without knowing my fate.

The Emperor: What is your defense against Wang Shiwei’s accusations?

Mao: It is true that I mobilized the Party machine to attack and denounce his “Wild Lilies.” However, I did not personally order his execution.

Defense Lawyer: In fact, Kang Sheng ordered Wang Shiwei’s execution. Mao Zedong was not in Yan’an at the time and was unaware.

The Emperor: Since you were unaware at the time, did you approve or oppose the execution?

Mao: In fact, I approved. After learning of it, I voiced no objection. I thought Wang Shiwei deserved to die. Keeping him alive was of no use. Kang Sheng was my most trusted subordinate; he had the authority to execute him. Ultimately, Wang Shiwei’s wrongful death is my responsibility. Kang Sheng was like a wolfhound under my command—I unleashed him to bite.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong admits responsibility. Wang Shiwei was ultimately killed because of him. Wang Shiwei, do you have further accusations?

Wang: Yes. I accuse Mao Zedong of deceiving the people with the slogan “revolution for workers and peasants.”

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, do you admit this accusation?

Mao: I admit it. Wang Shiwei’s accusations are true. The claims of “clothing in three colors, food in five grades” are factual. From the time I went to the mountains as a bandit, I used the banner of “revolution for workers and peasants” to deceive the masses. In reality, it was to make myself a mountain king, with power and privilege. In Jiangxi I lived in a large villa and enjoyed special meals—meat and delicacies, tonics without end. During the Long March, I lay on a stretcher the entire way, indifferent to whether the bearers lived or died. In Yan’an, there was only one ambulance donated by overseas Chinese; Jiang Qing and I monopolized it. Party cadres ate according to rank—large mess, medium mess, small mess. I ate at a special mess, with a personal chef and even a personal dairy cow. After entering Beijing, it need not be said: across the country I had twenty exclusive villas and palaces, off-limits to others, consuming countless sweat and blood of the people.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong confesses everything without reservation.

(The Fourth: Wang Ming takes the stand)

The Emperor: What is your name?

Wang Ming: My name is Wang Ming.

The Emperor: What accusations do you bring against Mao Zedong?

Wang: Mao Zedong instructed doctors to poison me and damage my brain. Medical consultations concluded I suffered mercury poisoning from ingested medicine, impairing my thinking ability.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, did you deliberately poison Wang Ming?

Mao: I once said to let doctors use medicine freely on Wang Ming, regardless of whether it was toxic. Perhaps toxic medicine could fight poison with poison. I never said to poison him to death.

The Emperor: Mao does not admit deliberate poisoning. Do you have other accusations?

Wang: Faced with Japanese invasion, Mao did not fight Japan. He focused on two things: expanding his forces and territory, and launching rectification campaigns to consolidate his authority. Following Stalin’s instructions, I joined Zhou Enlai in cooperating with Chiang Kai-shek to fight Japan. Mao instead launched rectification against Zhou and me. We made countless self-criticisms. Only because Stalin opposed further action were we spared. Mao’s so-called “rectification” involved concentration-camp-style detention, arresting thousands, torture and forced confessions, cruelty worse than prisons. At night, screams from torture chilled the blood. Hundreds committed suicide.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, do you admit these accusations?

Mao: I admit them. Wang Ming speaks the truth. Rectification was indeed harsh, meant to establish my authority and force loyalty to me.

The Emperor: Wang Ming, do you have further accusations?

Wang: Mao monopolized power and ruled dictatorially. He controlled the Party like a gang boss—one man deciding everything. The Seventh Party Congress had been decided upon as early as 1940, since the Sixth had been held in 1928. More than 500 delegates were already assembled in Yan’an. Mao felt his absolute authority was not yet secure. He wanted the congress to become a rally in his support, not a democratic assembly. So he delayed it repeatedly. The 500 delegates were kept in Party school, subjected to rectification and investigation. Many were broken; some committed suicide or lost their sanity. By 1945, only half remained.

The Emperor: Is this accusation true?

Mao: It is entirely true. I delayed the Seventh Congress because I believed the time was not ripe. I first needed rectification so that everyone would submit to me before convening it.

The Emperor: Wang Ming, any further statement?

Wang: By 1945, the Seventh Congress had truly become Mao’s congress. All delegates were loyal and obedient to him. A huge portrait of Mao hung in the center of the hall with the slogan “Advance victoriously under the banner of Mao Zedong.” Liu Shaoqi mentioned Mao’s name 105 times in his report. The crowd shouted “Long live Chairman Mao!” and called him the Communist emperor. Among the five core leaders, Mao was granted veto power—absolute authority. When I was gravely ill and requested leave, Mao insisted I attend the opening ceremony to support the image of unity. I was carried in on a stretcher and submitted a long written self-criticism. Without self-criticism, I could not pass. Lying there, I saw Mao standing alone on the rostrum, enthusiastically waving, inviting Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and Ren Bishi to join him behind the long table. Mao looked around hesitantly; the other four, red-faced, pulled and pushed at one another like guests unsure where to sit. Finally Mao assigned them their seats: Liu second, Zhou third, Zhu fourth, Ren fifth. Only then did they sit. This was a gang boss appointing numbers two through five—what election was there? The public communiqués merely presented it as dignified electoral results.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, your defense?

Mao: Wang Ming’s accusations are factual. I was indeed a gang boss. I did not like democracy. When I spoke of democracy, it was to demand it from Chiang Kai-shek. Within the Communist Party, there was none.

The Emperor: Wang Ming, anything further?

Wang: Mao was duplicitous. In 1938, when I returned to Yan’an under Stalin’s instruction, he led the shout “Long live Comrade Wang Ming!” In fact, he hated me and wanted me destroyed. In 1945, in Chongqing, he shouted “Long live Chairman Chiang!” while preparing to overthrow him. He said one thing and did another—a political rogue, sinister and ruthless.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, your defense?

Mao: What Wang Ming says accords with reality. I am indeed someone who says one thing and does another.

The Emperor: Any further accusation?

Wang: In 1956 I left Beijing for Moscow. Even during the Cultural Revolution, Mao did not spare me. I was denounced in absentia; my relatives were persecuted; my father’s grave was destroyed. I died in Moscow in 1974 and was buried there.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong, are these accusations true?

Mao: Completely true. I bore lifelong hatred toward Wang Ming. In Yan’an I wrote nine articles criticizing him; though unpublished, before my death I still had them read aloud to me.

The Emperor: Mao Zedong admits without reservation.

NEXT: The Great Trial Day Four