Chapter 36 4. Visit the upper echelons of the Kuomintang

After leaving the Shanghai branch of the Federation General Assembly, Zhou Enlai's car was on the way back to Zhou's mansion. It was still early for Zhou Enlai to meet, and he wanted to drop by a member of the Kuomintang. Zhang Wenjin reminded him: "Vice Chairman Zhou, Ms. Strong has already made an appointment with the Shanghai Working Committee, and I will meet you at Ma Sinan Road today." "Is it Ms. Anna Louise Strong?" Zhou Enlai asked. "Yes, that is the well-known American reporter." Zhang Wenjin said. "Okay, hurry back!" Anna Louise Strong is an old friend of Zhou Enlai.She was born in the United States in 1885, a progressive writer and journalist.Since 1925, she has visited China many times, and this is her fifth visit to China.During her fourth visit to China in 1940, just before and after the outbreak of the Southern Anhui Incident, Zhou Enlai talked at No. 50 Zengjiayan in Chongqing for several nights, expounding in detail the CCP’s views on the current situation, and gave her a long Please publish the 26-page document at the right time after returning to China, so as to break through the Kuomintang's news blockade and expose the truth of the Southern Anhui Incident.Strong lived up to the CCP's expectations and risked taking the interview notes and materials given to her by Zhou Enlai back to the United States, and published them in the Herald Tribune.The publication of these first-hand materials was another blockbuster after Snow's report that shook the American political arena and aroused strong repercussions at home and abroad.With deep feelings for the Chinese people, she successively wrote books such as "Thousands of Chinese People", "One-Fifth of Humanity" and "The Chinese Conquer China" to publicize the revolutionary achievements of the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China. Settled in China after 1958.It has been a while since she came to China this time. She wanted to learn more about the causes and inside story of the Chinese Civil War. She had also heard anecdotes about the Long March of the Chinese Red Army, and she wanted to meet the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party with her own eyes.And Zhou Enlai's whereabouts are always so erratic, finally found Hua Gang in the Zhou mansion, and then set up this interview.

After Ms. Strong got in touch with Hua Gang, because Zhou Enlai was really busy these days because of the blockage of the Yellow River and the aftermath relief in the liberated areas, Comrade Yu Chan of the Zhou Mansion was ordered by Hua Gang to bring some local products. And the snacks of Shanghai Town God's Temple, several times went to Shanghai Broadway Building (now Shanghai Building) to visit Strong.After the meeting, Yu Chan welcomed her and said that he would try his best to meet her request. Strong expressed his gratitude for this and asked: I hope to meet with General Zhou as soon as possible.Yu Chan immediately said: "We have reported to General Zhou. I think General Zhou will be very happy to meet you. After he arrives in Shanghai, I will inform you to come to Zhou's mansion soon. Do you think so?"

Strong said politely: "It's at the convenience of General Zhou!" As soon as Zhou Enlai's car stopped on Ma Sinan Road, Hua Gang and others greeted him. Hua Gang said: "Ms. Strong has been waiting in the conference room for a long time." Zhou Enlai strode to the conference room on the first floor, shook Strong's hand and said, "Welcome, Ms. Strong, I've kept you waiting." During the meeting, Zhang Wenjin, Hua Gang and Qiao Guanhua were present. Zhou Enlai first expressed his heartfelt thanks to Strong for his moral support to the Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party during the Anti-Japanese War, and introduced to her in detail the progress of the KMT-CCP ​​negotiations and the CCP's attitude towards the US policy toward China.In order to facilitate Strong's understanding of the situation in the liberated areas and the current civil war situation, Zhou Enlai also specially asked the staff to fetch a newly drawn map of the battlefield situation, and introduced to her in detail the situation of the Kuomintang army attacking the liberated areas, as well as our The basis for the army to win and Jiang to lose.

When talking about the reason why the situation in the Northeast was serious and the pass was relatively calm, but now it is the other way around, Zhou Enlai used logical reasoning to explain: This further proves the fact that wherever the government troops increase, war will break out.At present, the Northeast government's troops have not increased, and they are relatively scattered, and their strength is relatively insufficient, so there have been no major conflicts.This is illustrating a truth, who is the attacking party.Strong asked worriedly: "General Zhou, do you think it is possible to reach an armistice agreement? What is the CCP's attitude towards the civil war?"

Zhou Enlai introduced to her in detail the current situation where the current situation, which is formally talking and fighting, is actually developing into a full-scale civil war, and clarified the CCP's attitude of demanding a comprehensive and long-term cessation of the civil war.He emphasized that: signing 80% to 90% of the plans that have been negotiated, convening the CPPCC, and reorganizing the government, this is the track of peace and democracy. When Zhou Enlai introduced the people in the liberated areas and base areas to fight back against the attack of the Kuomintang army, Zhou Enlai found that Strong was not familiar with the origin of the liberated areas and the situation of the Communist Party in the base areas, so he recommended her with great enthusiasm to go to the liberated areas to see it with his own eyes. Look, take a walk.Strong happily agreed.

Zhou Enlai also introduced to Ms. Strong the relief of liberated areas and the assassination of democrats and other issues. Soon, under the arrangement of Zhou Enlai, Ms. Strong traveled from Shanghai to Yan'an to interview the liberated areas and Chairman Mao Zedong by taking the plane of the Military Adjustment Department via Beiping. It is worth mentioning that it was precisely because of Zhou Enlai's arrangement that Mao Zedong had the opportunity to meet her and published the famous statement that "all reactionaries are paper tigers". It happened like this. After arriving in Yan'an by the plane of the Military Adjustment Department, Strong first lived in Yan'an for several weeks, learned the basic situation of Yan'an, and had extensive contacts with many leaders of the CCP and people from all walks of life.

On the afternoon of August 6, Strong met Mao Zedong in Yangjialing.She was accompanied by Lu Dingyi, head of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Ma Haide, an American doctor who had worked in Yan'an for a long time, as a temporary interpreter.Hearing that Strong was coming, Mao Zedong walked out of the cave and came to the courtyard to welcome him. Several people sat around a stone table under the apple tree in front of the cave, chatting. Mao Zedong first asked Strong about many domestic situations in the United States. Strong was surprised to find: "There are many things that happened in the United States that he knows in more detail than I do."

Mao Zedong answered Strong's question.In this talk, Mao Zedong put forward the famous viewpoint that "all reactionaries are paper tigers" for the first time.Mao Zedong cited the examples of the Russian Tsar, Hitler of Germany, Mussolini of Italy, and Japanese imperialism to illustrate that these reactionary forces are powerful and terrifying on the surface, but from a long-term point of view, in essence, they are "The truly powerful power does not belong to the reactionaries, but to the people." When Strong asked about his views on the use of atomic bombs in the United States, Mao Zedong answered heartily: "The atomic bomb is a paper tiger used by the American reactionaries to scare people. It looks terrible, but it is not terrible in fact." Massacre weapons, "but it is the people who decide the outcome of a war, not one or two new weapons".Mao concluded by talking about the prospect of a large-scale civil war unleashed by Chiang Kai-shek.He told Strong very firmly: Taking the situation in China as an example, what we rely on is millet plus rifles, but history will eventually prove that this millet plus rifles is stronger than Chiang Kai-shek's plane plus tanks.Although there are still many difficulties facing the Chinese people, they will suffer for a long time under the combined attack of U.S. imperialism and Chinese reactionaries.But these reactionaries will one day be defeated, and we will one day be victorious.The reason for this is nothing else but that the reactionaries represent reaction, and we represent progress.

There was another small episode in this conversation: Shortly after the conversation started, Strong found a noise in the nearby grass, and asked in surprise: "Who is there?!" "It's a child of an ordinary family", Mao Zedong said. He smiled and replied: "He probably became curious about my foreign guests." This little incident made a great impression on Strong. 14 years later, she recalled: I have rarely seen such a person who can blend in with the surrounding environment.After eating, they continued talking until midnight. Mao Zedong's thesis that "all reactionaries are paper tigers" and that "millet plus rifles are stronger than Chiang Kai-shek's planes plus tanks", as soon as it was put forward, immediately spread at home and abroad, deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and produced unexpected surprises. Great power.Strong later recalled this conversation with fondness in his essay "A Great Truth of Our Time."The article said: "Chairman Mao said that imperialism and all reactionaries are paper tigers when he was in Yan'an 14 years ago. Now this has become a historical saying with historical significance." "Chairman Mao's sharp words, profound knowledge, keen His analysis and the poet's imagination make his talk the most enlightening I have ever heard in my life."

The next day, Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao drove to the home of Yang Hu, a member of the National Government's Supervision Department. In the April 12 coup in 1927, Yang Hu, who served as the commander of the Songhu garrison, ordered to hunt down and massacre a group of revolutionaries who participated in the Shanghai workers' armed uprising.During the Anti-Japanese War, Zhou Enlai and Yang Hu met in Chongqing.Facing the commander of the third armed uprising of Shanghai workers, Yang Hu was full of guilt.Talking about the past, Zhou Enlai said magnanimously: People are not sages, and no one can do anything wrong, not to mention that Mr. Yang acted according to orders, and it is good to know that he was wrong.The policy of the Communist Party is to let bygones be bygones.For a person, we should not only look at his past and present, but also look at his future.Senior military and political personnel of the Kuomintang like Mr. Yang must also be treated equally.Yang Hu was deeply moved by Zhou Enlai's tolerance and open-mindedness regardless of previous suspicions, and his political tendency became increasingly progressive.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he was squeezed out by factions within the Kuomintang and lived in Shanghai. Yang Hu never thought that Zhou Enlai would come to visit him, so he invited Zhou Enlai into the house overjoyed. "General Yang is always good. We have been in Shanghai for a few days, and today we came here specially to visit." Zhou Enlai said affectionately. "Is my sister-in-law at home?" Deng Yingchao said. "I'm old and useless. General Zhou will remember me. I'm ashamed, ashamed!" Yang Hu, who is over 60 years old, still speaks with a lot of energy, and his words clearly make people feel a sense of resentment. On the table was an open newspaper with the headline "Song Qingling Issues a Statement on Current Affairs" impressively printed. During the conversation, Zhou Enlai knew that Yang Hu had already left his job and lived at home.After listening to Zhou Enlai's introduction of the progress on the negotiating table, Yang Hu said sadly: "Ten years of melee before the war, eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, the people were devastated again, and the great China will suffer another catastrophe." "Mrs. Sun said it very well. Negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party will not yield the final answer. The final answer must be decided by the Chinese people." Zhou Enlai pointed to the newspaper on the table and said: China's peace and democracy cannot rely on the gift of Chiang Kai-shek, but on the The people come for it.When the people, including General Yang and the upper echelons of the Kuomintang, mobilize together, there is hope for peace and democracy. While the conversation was in full swing, suddenly, a Kuomintang officer in police uniform broke in.Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao stopped talking abruptly, and Adjutant He Qian also clenched his guns vigilantly. When Yang Hu saw it, he hurriedly said, "It doesn't matter, old subordinate." It turned out that this was Yan Jinwen, who worked in the Inspection Office of the Shanghai Garrison Headquarters, who also came to visit Yang Hu. Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao lost no time in persuading Yan patiently, expressing that he was welcome to stand on the side of the people. Yan Jinwen was moved by Zhou Enlai's sincerity and frankness, and stood up and said, "Yes, yes!" Three years later, in early May, when the Battle of Shanghai broke out, Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Shanghai and ordered to pay close attention to the whereabouts of Zhang Lan and Luo Longji, the leaders of the Democratic League. Prevent them from being transferred by the Communist Party, and execute them on the spot if necessary.Zhou Enlai was on the way to transfer in northern Shaanxi at that time. After hearing the news, he sent an urgent call to Wu Kejian of the Social Affairs Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from thousands of miles away, asking him to try to protect the lives of Zhang Lan and Luo Longji through Yang Hu.Wu Kejian sent someone to get in touch with Yang Hu and conveyed Zhou Enlai's great trust.Yang Hu discussed with Yan Jinwen how to rescue Zhang and Luo. On May 24, 1949, the eve of the liberation of Shanghai, the Kuomintang Shanghai Garrison Command ordered Yan Jinwen to kidnap Zhang Lan and Luo Longji and throw them into the river at Shiliupu Wharf at 10:00 that night.Yan followed his plan and drove Zhang and Luo, who were hiding in the Hongqiao Sanatorium, to Yang Hu's apartment for protection.Thus avoiding a big tragedy before dawn. Leaving Yang Hu's house, Zhou En saw that there was still time to spare, and said to Deng Yingchao, "Just now I heard Yang Hu talk about the veterans of the Kuomintang, and Qin Zhen, the vice president of the Judicial Yuan, is also sick at home. It's not far from here, let's go again." "The more people work, the greater the hope for peace and democracy," Deng Yingchao said. After driving out of Yang Hu's house, the black car drove towards Tan Zhen's house in a hurry. In the evening, Zhou Enlai met with Wu Yunfu and Lin Zhong who knew about the general office in Shanghai at the Zhou residence. Zhou Enlai: "Now the situation is changing rapidly, and civil war is likely to spread everywhere. You must find a way as soon as possible to send the relief materials won by the Tonglian Headquarters and the Bank Headquarters to the people in the liberated areas. In your work, you must pay attention to the unity of the Federation Headquarters, Bank Headquarters, The staff of the Bank Headquarters." "Yes, Vice Chairman Zhou's speech at the meeting with foreign journalists has aroused great repercussions among the Federation Headquarters and the Bank Headquarters, and several foreigners have asked us for relevant materials." Wu Yunfu said . "Foreign personnel have great opinions on the abuse of power, waste and corruption by the Kuomintang government and some high-ranking officials. Most people express sympathy for the relief of the CCP's liberated areas. We have initially established a good working relationship with the foreign personnel of the Federation. American agricultural officials Li Massa also provided us with a list of materials in the general warehouse, and brought Ji Feng into the warehouse to select the materials needed in the liberated areas." Lin Zhong added. "The China Welfare Foundation led by Mrs. Sun Soong Ching Ling has cooperated with the federation. She also has relations with some American officials of the federation. You can strengthen contact with them and cooperate closely." Zhou Enlai. Soon, Mr. Xie set up understanding general offices in Yantai, Kaifeng, Huaiyin, Tianjin, Huicaiwei and other places in the liberated areas. Thanks to the efforts of Xie Zong's Shanghai Office and the China Welfare Foundation, a large number of relief supplies were continuously transported from Shanghai to the liberated areas by rented foreign transport ships and the US Donald Air Transport Company. At the Huangpu River Wharf, Soong Ching Ling, Wu Yunfu, and comrades from Xie Zong’s Shanghai Office came in person to see off the cargo ship loaded with ten trucks, flour, machinery, and medicines that were urgently needed in the liberated areas. Although the Shanghai office of Xie Zong was only established for more than a year, under the specific deployment and leadership of Zhou Enlai and Dong Biwu, it actively carried out work and effectively cooperated with the negotiation struggle of the CCP delegation, making the unfair and The discriminatory policy is fully exposed in front of the world.By exposing and refuting the Kuomintang's slander and rumors, the people of the whole country and the world have recognized the reactionary face of the United States and Chiang Kai-shek from one side, enhanced the international community's understanding of the Chinese Communist Party, and strengthened the friendship between the people of the world and the Chinese people.At the same time, tens of thousands of tons of UN relief materials and materials for the Yellow River embankment restoration project, as well as tens of billions of yuan in cash, were obtained for the liberated areas. The relief materials received from Shandong coastal ports alone amounted to more than 80,000 tons.As of November 1947, the relief materials received by the Federation General Administration accounted for a total of about 100 billion French currency. Although it only accounted for 2% of the total relief aid provided by the Federation General Administration to China, it was helpful for strengthening the healing of war wounds by the people in the Liberated Areas and supporting the liberation The progress of the war played a positive role.