Li Wenlin was one of the founders of the local Red Army in Jiangxi during the 1920s. In 1932, Mao had him executed on the charge of being the “chief leader” of the AB League.

More than eighty years after his death, Li Wenlin still felt that his injustice had not been redressed and that he could not rest in peace. After inquiring about Mao’s whereabouts, he went to see him one night. Accompanying him were He Ducai, a section chief of the First Front Army who had also been executed after being labeled an AB League member, and Liu Di, a leader of the Futian Incident who had been killed.

Mao: “You look familiar. Are you Li Wenlin?”

Li: “That’s right. It’s me.”

Mao: “I remember. At that time I was in Jinggangshan, and you were in Donggu to the east.”

Li: “When you first arrived in Jinggangshan, you had come from far away and were exhausted. I had several thousand troops in Donggu—more men than you, strong soldiers and fine horses. I remember when you came to Donggu and saw that my Red Army was different. You were very pleased and even gave me a poem:
‘Donggu’s mountains rise high,
Peaks like protective screens.
This is the Eastern Jinggang—
When we unite, all under heaven grows strong.’”

Mao: “I admired you at the time, so I wrote you that poem.”

Li: “Back then we had no major disagreements. We cooperated well. There were minor differences—for example, in land redistribution. You advocated distributing land by population; I favored distributing it by labor force. Later, however, you escalated the issue, accusing me of following a rich-peasant line and of opportunism. When the campaign against the AB League began, I initially agreed and took part. But you became increasingly leftist, and the campaign grew more violent. You accused me of ‘insufficient struggle’ and heavily relied on Li Shaojiu, who began arresting AB League suspects indiscriminately.”

At the mention of Li Shaojiu, He Ducai interjected:

He: “Mao Zedong, you may still remember me. I went up to Jinggangshan with Commander Zhu. During your disputes with Zhu De, I sided with Commander Zhu. From then on, you never trusted me and never gave me important positions. I was only made a minor section chief.”

Mao: “Yes, I remember. You were the propaganda section chief of the Third Red Division, weren’t you?”

He: “That’s correct. Huang Kecheng was the political commissar of the Third Red Division at the time. I spoke freely with him. I once told Huang: Mao Zedong is remarkable—no one surpasses him in ability. But his organizational line is flawed. He trusts only those who submit to him, and excludes those with differing opinions. He lacks the magnanimity and frankness of Commander Zhu. I gave examples: some people of bad character, because they obeyed you, were heavily promoted and given great power. When they committed wrongdoing, you did not hold them accountable. Li Shaojiu was such a person. Soon afterward, I was labeled an AB League member and executed.”

Mao: “Li Shaojiu’s reputation was indeed terrible. But he was loyal to me. I use those who are absolutely loyal to me, regardless of whether they are good or bad. Later, due to circumstances, I had no choice but to transfer him elsewhere.”

When Liu Di heard Li Shaojiu’s name, he spoke through clenched teeth:

Liu: “During the Futian Incident, I led the uprising. You had sent Li Shaojiu to arrest and kill people. My uprising was forced by circumstances. After arriving in Futian, in just a few days he arrested more than 120 cadres and executed over forty. I was compelled to lead an independent battalion to arrest Li Shaojiu. Gu Bai and Zeng Shan escaped. We released Xie Hanchang, director of the Political Department of the Twentieth Red Army, and all the detained cadres. Duan Liangbi, a provincial leader who was released, accused you, Old Mao, of conspiracy and wrote to Zhu De and Peng Dehuai demanding your arrest. Duan Liangbi was sent to Shanghai to seek a ruling from the Central Committee and disappeared there. Chen Yi later mediated; we released Li Shaojiu. No one was killed by us during the Futian Incident.

But when the Twentieth Red Army officers involved in the mutiny went to negotiations as agreed, they were all deceived, arrested, and executed. In July 1937, the Twentieth Red Army was surrounded and disarmed by your forces. From Commander Xiao Dapeng and Political Commissar Zeng Bingchun down to deputy platoon leaders, more than 700 cadres were executed. The remnants of the Twentieth Red Army were merged into the Seventh Red Army. That was the final outcome of the ‘Futian Incident.’”

Mao: “The Futian Incident was handled by three envoys sent by the Central Committee. The final decision was made by the Center. No one dared oppose me.”

Li: “The Center sent Xiang Ying, Zhou Enlai, and Ren Bishi to handle it. Xiang Ying was the most moderate; Zhou Enlai took a middle position; Ren Bishi was the most leftist. But all of them protected you, because by then your power was strong and no one dared offend you. At most they shifted blame onto Wang Ming, calling it an ‘excessive expansion of the purge.’ In the end, Ren Bishi defined it as a ‘counterrevolutionary rebellion,’ and you gained the upper hand.”

Li continued: “After the Futian Incident, you directed a new wave of AB League purges throughout various regions. The campaign intensified; interrogations and torture became even more brutal. There were over a hundred methods of punishment: tying hands and hanging people in midair for beating; burning bodies with incense or kerosene; inserting bamboo slivers under fingernails; nailing hands to tables with iron spikes. Throughout the entire Soviet region, everyone lived in fear. In many institutions, eighty to ninety percent of cadres were labeled as AB League members. Province-wide statistics by name record over seventy thousand people executed. I was branded the ‘chief leader’ of the AB League. The only evidence was that my father had been a landlord. Before I was executed, I shouted: ‘Long live the Communist Party!’”

Mao: “At the Seventh and Eighth Party Congresses, I admitted that mistakes were made in the purge and that we took detours. I acknowledged problems.”

Li: “You spoke only lightly and perfunctorily. You never denied the purge itself, only that it was ‘expanded excessively.’ You never mentioned the AB League. Your admission of error was hollow. In fact, you never denied the campaign against the AB League and insisted that the Futian Incident was counterrevolutionary—a settled case. But the AB League never existed. You used its name to eliminate dissent and carry out large-scale killings. Deep down, you intended to devour and eliminate me.”

Mao: “Of course I could only speak perfunctorily, while actually maintaining my position. After my death, didn’t the Central Committee rehabilitate you?”

Li: “In 1980, at Xiao Ke’s urging, Hu Yaobang instructed a reinvestigation. In 1987 Hu Yaobang was removed from office, and the investigation fell silent. In 1988 Yang Shangkun raised the issue again and ordered it continued. In 1989 the investigative report was completed and recommended rehabilitation. But after the June Fourth Tiananmen Incident, everything stopped again, with no conclusion. To this day, there has been no decision, no official document, no final resolution.”

Mao: “So public opinion favors you, but the Central Committee has made no statement.”

Li: “Current Party histories acknowledge that the AB League did not exist and that the victims were innocent. But the blame is shifted onto Wang Ming to shield you. In reality, you were the chief culprit. We feel that the truth has not been clarified and our grievances have not been redressed. Though long dead, our wronged spirits cannot disperse and cannot rest in peace. Therefore, tonight we have come to settle accounts with you.”

Mao replied evasively: “I understand your grievances. The Jade Emperor will judge my case. I will also urge my successors to deal with these unresolved issues.”

NEXT: 47. Wu Han (1909–1969)