Chapter 19 Chapter 18 Changes in Party Responsibilities After the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee

Mao Zedong praised more than once: "Comrade Luo Fu does not fight for power." Zhang Wentian worked for the party wholeheartedly, and indeed he had no personal ambition or desire for power.During the Long March, Zhang Guotao fought for power with his troops, and Zhang Wentian offered to "cease power": to cede his position as "general secretary" (Mao Zedong disagreed, so the proposal was dropped).After Wang Ming returned to Yan'an from Moscow at the end of November 1937, Zhang Wentian presided over the Politburo meeting in December and decided to expand the Secretariat of the Central Committee, which consisted of Zhang Wentian, Mao Zedong, Wang Ming, Kang Sheng, and Chen Yun.At this time, there was an interview that still referred to Zhang Wentian as the "General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China". The interview was written by Luo Ji, a reporter from the Guangzhou "Salvation Daily", and was published in the newspaper on March 26, 1938.He particularly solemnly published the "Zhang Wentian (Luo Fu) Announcement" in Wuhan's "Xinhua Daily" on April 12, 1938, stating: "The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has a secretariat organized by a small number of comrades, but there is no so-called general secretary. .”

Since the Zunyi Conference, within the Party Central Committee, Zhang Wentian regarded Mao Zedong as the leader of the Red Army and the entire party. Mao Zedong respected Zhang Wentian's position as the general secretary of the Party Central Committee. They cooperated with each other until the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee.During the more than three and a half years from the Zunyi Conference to the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee, many important telegrams from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China were sent jointly by "Luo Mao" or "Mao Luo".After the Politburo meeting in December 1937, and before the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee in September 1938, Zhang Wentian was actually still the secretary in charge of the executive work of the Central Committee.During this period, the Politburo meeting in March, the Politburo meeting before the Sixth Plenary Session, and the opening ceremony of the Sixth Plenary Session were all presided over by him.However, after the Sixth Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee, Zhang Wentian took the initiative to hand over the work of General Secretary to Mao Zedong in accordance with the spirit of the Communist International’s instructions and the spirit of the resolution of the Sixth Plenary Session on preparations for the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China headed by Mao Zedong.

Zhang Wentian later (1943) described the process of changing his duties as follows: Although I did not relinquish the position of general secretary during the Sixth Plenary Session of the Central Committee, my policy was to gradually transfer the job instead of holding on to it.Since Wang Ming stayed and worked, I moved the meeting place of the Politburo to Comrade Mao Zedong in Yangjialing.I am the chairman only formally, and all major issues are decided by Chairman Mao.Especially after the Politburo meeting in July and August (the so-called "immortal meeting"), I actually did the work of propaganda and education departments.

Since the "Fairy Conference"... On the one hand, I proposed to completely liberate myself from my nominal secretary position (I mentioned this before Comrade Ren Bishi and Zhou Enlai did not return to China, and after they returned, I mentioned it more formally, myself and The Central Secretariat also moved there in May 1940, and actually handed over all my work.) On the other hand, I tried my best to get rid of my own work (such as the Publishing Department, Cultural Committee, Northwest Working Committee, etc. ), only in charge of the Propaganda Department and part of the Marxist-Leninist Academy.

It can be seen from these two passages that, first, since the beginning of 1939 (that is, Wang Ming returned to Yan'an after attending the National Political Council in Chongqing and stayed in Yan'an to work), Zhang Wentian actually no longer took overall responsibility within the party.But in terms of form, the meetings of the Central Committee are still presided over by Zhang Wentian, and the Central Secretariat is still following him.2. After the Politburo meeting in July and August 1939, Zhang Wentian was actually only responsible for the work of the Propaganda Department and the Cadre Education Department.He proposed several times to no longer serve as secretary, but was not adopted.3. In May 1940, both Zhang Wentian and the Central Secretariat moved to Yangjialing where Mao Zedong lived.At this time, Zhang Wentian had already voluntarily handed over the work of the General Secretary of the Party Central Committee. In fact, he was only in charge of the work of the Ministry of Propaganda and Education and the Marxist-Leninist Institute.

It should be noted that although Zhang Wentian's work focus has shifted to publicity and education after the Sixth Plenary Session, he is still one of the most prestigious and influential leaders in the party, and the work of his party secretary is gradually handed over Even after the transfer of main responsibilities, the Central Secretariat was still under his management (it was still the case after it was moved from Lanjiaping to Yangjialing in 1940). Therefore, for a considerable period after the Sixth Plenum However, Zhang Wentian has been paying attention to matters that have an overall impact, and has played a very important role.

In order to expand and consolidate the anti-Japanese national united front, to support the long-term war of resistance and strive for final victory, Zhang Wentian continued to do a lot of work. In June 1939, to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Zhang Wentian wrote the article "At the forefront of the national self-defense war", which was published in the "New China News" on June 30, 1939.Based on the facts of the past two years of the War of Resistance, it analyzes the incompleteness, compromise, and wavering nature of a part of the upper bourgeoisie and a small number of upper-class elements in China's fight for the national war of resistance, and points out that the main danger in the current situation is that they are ready to stop the War of Resistance and surrender and compromise. "Anti-communism" is their actual preparation for surrender and compromise, calling on the people of the whole country to mobilize, overcome the danger of surrender, break the countercurrent of "anti-communist and anti-communist", and make China's war of resistance last until the final victory.Then, the Politburo meeting held from July 3 to 6 passed the "Central Declaration on the Current Situation in Commemoration of the Second Anniversary of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression", proposing "Persist in the War of Resistance to the end and oppose midway compromises! Consolidate domestic unity and oppose internal divisions! Strive for national progress and oppose Go backwards!" At the Politburo meeting in August 1939, Zhang Wentian further analyzed the changes in the situation after the fall of Wuhan and Guangzhou, explaining that in the past "the unity in the united front was relatively prominent", but now "internal frictions have increased, and the unity in the united front The struggle is highlighted."Therefore, the current task of the party is to unite all progressive forces on the premise of adhering to the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and the Three People's Principles, to fight resolutely against the tendency of compromise, surrender, and retrogression, and to push the united front forward.He pointed out that the core of the struggle is the Communist Party, the Eighth Route Army, and the New Fourth Army.The form of the struggle is mainly political struggle, but the methods of the past cannot be completely copied, "more methods other than negotiation must be adopted", and "it is not completely retreat and passive defense".Across the country, the "main task of the party's work is to consolidate the party's organization and generally stop its development".

After more than a year of anti-Japanese and anti-friction struggles, the danger of right deviations still exists under the victorious situation, while the danger of "left" deviations has greatly increased in many areas.In August 1940, Zhang Wentian wrote the article "The "Left" Leaning Danger in the Anti-Japanese National United Front", which was included in the 10th issue of "Communist" (September 20, 1940), and included in "Zhang Wentian Selected Works".Explain in detail the contents of the just-approved "Decision of the Central Committee on the Current Situation and the Party's Policies" (July 7, 1940, the third anniversary of the Anti-Japanese War) about correcting the "Left" errors in the implementation of the United Front policy.Zhang Wentian analyzed eight important manifestations of the "Left" danger in detail: the wavering of the anti-Japanese national united front policy itself; the refusal to carefully, prudently, and in-depth study and analysis of different objects of the united front and take different countermeasures; People who are unwilling or will not use all methods to approach all resistance wars will not "make friends"; they will be too demanding and eager for success; The most important villain; unwilling to seriously abide by the principles of rationality, benefit, and restraint; lack of democratic spirit and the work style of the party taking care of everything; one-sided understanding.He conducted an in-depth and detailed analysis of the performance of the "left" in these eight aspects, and proposed corrective methods.He clearly pointed out that a cadre must not only have the principles of Marxism-Leninism, but also master the strategies of Marxism-Leninism; not only must he accept and understand the party's political line, but he must also have the methods to realize this line.In order to correctly implement the anti-Japanese national united front strategy, it is necessary to completely break through the erroneous view that "left deviation is better than right deviation" that has always existed in the party.These analyzes and expositions were of great significance to correcting the "Left" errors at that time and strengthening the strategic education of the whole party.

From October 1940, Chiang Kai-shek launched the second anti-communist upsurge. In January 1941, Chiang Kai-shek intensified his efforts and blatantly created the Southern Anhui Incident that shocked China and the world. He blocked and attacked the Southern Anhui troops of the New Fourth Army in the Maolin area on the way to the north, causing heavy losses to the New Fourth Army.On January 17, Chiang Kai-shek issued an order in the name of the Kuomintang Military Committee to cover up the truth, falsely accused the New Fourth Army of "rebellion", announced the cancellation of the New Fourth Army's designation, and "dismissed" the detained army commander Ye Ting and "handed over to the military court for trial".The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held consecutive Politburo meetings on January 20, 23, and 29 to discuss the current situation and policies.Zhang Wentian interrupted and made speeches during the three-day meeting.Regarding the nature of the incident, Zhang Wentian interjected on the 20th and pointed out: "Today, the entire national policy of the Kuomintang is focused on 'suppressing the Communist Party. To "use" and "expand" "the contradiction between Japan and Chiang Kai-shek and the contradiction between Japan and Britain and the United States" negates the judgment that this incident shows that Jiang's "falling to the sun".Zhang Wentian also disagreed with the estimate that the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party will break down quickly, pointing out that we must "strive to prolong the time for the country's breakdown" and believe that "we must isolate them, let us win a few battles, and actively break their anti-communist plan", "resolutely carry out Political offensive, openly criticizing Chiang Kai-shek's speeches, raising our demands to win over the masses, exposing the KMT's arbitrary propaganda, and dividing the KMT's inner circle."At the same time, Zhang Wentian clearly opposed the radical approach, pointing out: "For the time being, the slogan of overthrowing Chiang Kai-shek, the Kuomintang and the Nationalist government should not be raised, and the slogan of establishing a national defense government should not be raised for the time being, but a reformed government should be proposed."

In addition to the more important principles and policy issues mentioned above, some specific issues within the Party Central Committee and some important practical work were still asked and handled by Zhang Wentian. There are many such cases. For example, Zhang Wentian personally handled Mao Dun's work in Chongqing from Yan'an and his request for reinstatement of party membership.Mao Dun, whose real name is Shen Yanbing, was one of the earliest members of the Communist Party of China.After the failure of the Great Revolution, he fled to Japan and lost contact with the party organization.However, he still fought for the cause of the party. In May 1940, Mao Dun broke away from Sheng Shicai's tiger's mouth and took his family from Dihua (now Urumqi) to Yan'an via Xi'an.Lived and worked here for more than four months. In late September, Zhou Enlai called the Party Central Committee from Chongqing, hoping that Mao Dun would work in Chongqing and serve as a member of the Standing Committee of the Cultural Work Committee organized by Guo Moruo and others after they withdrew from the Third Office, so as to strengthen the cultural front in the Kuomintang-controlled areas.Zhang Wentian came from Yangjialing to Mao Dun’s residence in Qiao’ergou, handed the telegram to Mao Dun, told him about the establishment of the Cultural Work Committee, and said that Enlai wanted to invite you to Chongqing because he considered your reputation at home and abroad, and his influence and role would be even greater. bigger.However, this is just a suggestion. If you really want to stay in Yan'an, you don't have to force it.Mao Dun expressed his obedience to the party's dispatch, and at the same time poured out his wish for more than ten years, and asked the party center to study the restoration of his party membership.Zhang Wentian knew Mao Dun very well.In the section "The Birth of the Communist Party of China" in the "History of Modern Chinese Revolutionary Movement" edited by him, he wrote that in 1920, the Communist Party organizations in various places split up, and some new elements were absorbed. Shen Yanbing (in Shanghai) was in the One of the people who joined the party during this period.When Mao Dun resumed his party membership in 1981, this book was one of the documentary evidences.

According to Mao Dun's history and loyalty to the party, it is of course possible to restore his party membership.In fact, on October 9, 1928, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China replied to the Tokyo Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, expressing that it could allow the reinstatement of party membership. At that time, the Tokyo Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China was unable to gain a foothold due to the dangerous environment, so it was delayed because it did not receive this letter.According to Tang Tianran: "The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Considered Restoring Mao Dun's Party Membership in 1928", published in "Jianghai Academic Journal" No. 4, 1991.However, Zhang Wentian and the comrades in the Central Secretariat studied Mao Dun's request and believed that at this stage, Mao Dun is still outside the party, which is more beneficial to future work and the cause of the people.Zhang Wentian went to Mao Dun's residence again and told Mao Dun the Central Committee's opinion, hoping that he would understand.Mao Dun obeyed the central government's decision, left his two children (Shen Xia and Shen Shuang) in Yan'an, and embarked on a new journey by himself. For another example, the accident in which Zhou Enlai was injured by Jiang Qing was also handled by Zhang Wentian. On July 10, 1939, Zhou Enlai rode to the Central Party School to give a report. On the way, he happened to run into Jiang Qing running a horse there.The horse Jiang Qing was riding was suddenly frightened by the barking of the dog, lost control, and ran head-on. Zhou Enlai's horse fell to the ground with a broken right arm.Later, because of the risk of becoming disabled, he had to be sent to the Soviet Union for treatment.This is a random accident.After the incident, Mao Zedong was very angry, beat Jiang Qing up, and insisted that Jiang Qing must be punished.Zhou Enlai later had to telegraph Zhang Wentian from the Soviet hospital, asking Zhang to handle it as appropriate.Zhang hesitated.Because when Mao and Jiang combined, there were quite a lot of discussions in the party.Opinions expressed orally, in letters, and by telegrams were all brought together to Zhang Wentian.It was inconvenient for Zhang to forward these letters and telegrams to Mao, so he sent a letter to Mao, to the effect that no one had any objection to whether you and He Zizhen could get married separately; however, judging by Jiang Qing's performance in Shanghai, it seemed inappropriate.After Mao finished reading the letter, he tore it up on the spot. On the third day, he set up two tables at the cooperative and announced his marriage.Of course Zhang Wentian was not among the guests.Now for this accident, how to deal with it?But Mao insisted on dealing with Jiang Qing.At this time, the Marxist-Leninist Academy organized party members to go to the countryside to investigate. Jiang Qing was a student of the second batch of the Marxist-Leninist Academy. Zhang Wentian asked her to go to the countryside together, and the matter was settled. Another example, after the Southern Anhui Incident in January 1941, Zhang Wentian sent several urgent telegrams to Wu Xiuquan, director of the Lanzhou Office of the Eighth Route Army, instructing him in detail on how to retreat and hide. In the telegrams signed and signed by Zhang Wentian, there were decisions on cadre candidates and funding for Xinhua Daily, as well as the purchase of prosthetic eyes, reminders to send manuscripts (for writers such as Cao Ming, Yu Heiding, and Luo Feng), and purchases of new Cambridge Modern History and other foreign language books and other trivial matters. In short, Zhang Wentian was not totally indifferent to the daily work within the central government at this time, but there was no doubt that the focus of his work had shifted from the overall situation to the local area, from the whole party to the department, and theoretical propaganda and cadre education were his main responsibilities. However, the name of the general secretary had not been removed at that time.In reality and in name, Mao Zedong was the head of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. When the central leadership was reorganized in March 1943, the title used was not the general secretary but the chairman of the Party Central Committee.