Chapter 20 3. Take the risk

After the Lushan Conference, Zhou Enlai began to take the initiative to correct certain "Left" tendencies in the field of cultural propaganda, including foreign work.At the same time, he also made a preliminary investigation of what happened during the Lushan meeting, and criticized Huang Yongsheng, Wu Faxian and others in the working group of the Military Commission. In late September, Zhou Enlai suggested that Huang Yongsheng, Wu Faxian, Li Zuopeng, and Qiu Huizuo should write a written review to Chairman Mao and Vice Chairman Lin after they figured it out, "reveal the truth and completely break with Chen (Boda)".And said that doing so "is extremely beneficial to the party and itself."

In addition, Zhou Enlai also indirectly expressed his attitude towards the issue of "genius".During the "Three Generations Meeting" held by the Air Force, the host of the meeting touted Lin Liguo, who was only 25 years old, as a "super genius".After Zhou Enlai learned about it, he immediately sent Yang Dezhong to find Wu Faxian, and criticized: Why do you call Lin Liguo a "super genius"?This kind of argument is wrong, and it cannot be done like this.Zhou Enlai also shared his views with Huang Yongsheng. Zhou Enlai's criticism and help to Huang Yongsheng and others not only did not make them repent, but aroused the hatred of Lin Biao and his group.

In mid-October, Mao Zedong, who was persistently attached to the Lushan incident, issued instructions on the review of Wu Faxian and Ye Qun, severely criticizing Wu, Ye and other members of the Military Commission's working group for "lack of integrity" at the Lushan meeting. I made a personal attack, trying to deceive more than 200 members of the Central Committee", "what kind of genius question is it, it is just an excuse".Mao Zedong also pointed out: "The correctness of the ideological and political line determines everything."At the same time, Zhou Enlai also arranged and presided over the North China Conference and the Central Committee's report on the rectification of Chen (Boda) to criticize and help Huang Yongsheng and other members of the Military Commission's working group.

Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai's criticism and education of several members of the Military Commission's working group were serious and severe, but at the same time they were candid and responsible.At this time, Lin Biao's attitude has actually become the key to solving the problem.But Lin Biao has been perfunctory to Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, and has never made self-criticism; and Huang Yongsheng and others have not mentioned Lin Biao's mistakes and responsibilities at all.In May of this year, the "research team" of the Air Force Command secretly formed by Lin Liguo and Zhou Yuchi and received by Lin Biao was changed to the "United Fleet" at this time. People stipulate the address code.None of this is accidental.

A struggle in Lushan is quietly developing towards a more complicated and severe situation. While criticizing and correcting the mistakes of Lin Biao and others, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai still adhered to the policy of unity and education, and hoped that Lin Biao and several people in the Military Commission's working group could "take steps to change from passive to active" and truly understand their own problems. Draw a clear line with Chen Boda.To this end, the Party Central Committee successively held the North China Conference and the Criticism and Rectification Reporting Conference to conduct ideological and political education within the party.

However, Lin Biao, the "backstage" of the Military Commission's working group, who was the first to attack at the Lushan Conference, has been saying that he is "ill" since the Second Plenary Session of the Ninth Central Committee, neither criticizing nor conducting self-criticism. In March 1971, south of Lin Biao in Suzhou, Tang Li Yu's subjugation poems "How many times have you known to fight", "Crying to the palace maid" warned Lin Liguo and others not to "wait for death" but to engage in an armed plan. According to Lin Biao's instruction, Lin Liguo and his gang secretly worked out a counter-revolutionary coup plan in Shanghai, "The Minutes of the "May 1st Project"" in an attempt to seize the supreme leadership of the party and the country in one fell swoop by means of an "armed uprising".In order to implement this "Summary", Lin Liguo and others held many meetings to study and plan secretly.By the end of March, the "combat" command system and specific division of labor had been initially determined.

The release of the "Minutes of the "May 71 Project"" signified that Lin Biao and his group of sectarian forces within the party were determined to be enemies of the party and the people and became an outright counter-revolutionary conspiracy. Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai were completely unaware of the ongoing conspiracy of Lin Biao and his gang. On the night of "May 1st" in 1971, at the Tiananmen Square fireworks show held as usual, Lin Biao, who reluctantly came to the Tiananmen Gate Tower, looked frustrated and never spoke to Mao Zedong, not even saying hello.What surprised people around was that Lin Biao only sat on the tower for a few minutes before leaving without saying goodbye, so that the shadow of "Vice Chairman Lin" was not left on the news documentary!Lin Biao's obvious "angry" move aroused discussion and speculation among the people present.In order to minimize the consequences of Lin Biao's disregard of the overall situation and exposing the contradictions and differences of the upper echelons of the party to domestic and foreign public opinion, Zhou Enlai tried every means and adopted a series of remedial measures to avoid the possible serious passive situation.

After the Central Committee's Criticism and Rectification Conference ended, more than two months of "calm" days passed. In early July, Lin Biao and Ye Qun left Beijing to return to Beidaihe.Wu Faxian, who went to see him off, found: "Lin Biao was very dull, and he didn't say a word. It was completely different from the past, and it was abnormal." Neither Wu Faxian nor Lin Biao himself would have thought at this time that this departure was Lin Biao's last farewell to Beijing. Almost at the same time that Lin Biao left Beijing, Mao Zedong in Zhongnanhai made a historic decision.

At noon on July 9, Henry Kissinger, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, arrived in Beijing secretly.That night, Mao Zedong listened to reports on Kissinger's visit to China from Zhou Enlai and Xiong Xianghui, who had just been transferred to the General Staff, in his study.Before the official report, Mao Zedong "by the way" learned from Xiong Xianghui some of the situation of the General Staff's criticism of Chen's rectification, especially the truth about the mistakes made by Huang Yongsheng and others during the Lushan meeting, and all of them withheld from the central government. The review at the report meeting of the central government's criticism of the rectification movement refused to be communicated downward.

Based on this, Mao Zedong concluded: "Their review is fake. The Lushan matter is not over yet, and it has not been resolved at all. There are 'ghosts' in this. They still have a backstage." On the way back, Zhou Enlai told Xiong Xianghui: "What the chairman said tonight must not be passed on to the outside world." Zhou Enlai seemed to have foreseen the coming of a storm.Ten days ago, he told the visiting Japanese guests his favorite sentence: "The wind knows the strong grass". One month later, Zhou Enlai, who had been presiding over the daily work of the central government in Beijing, accompanied Burmese Prime Minister Ne Win to Guangzhou for a visit, which required 4 days to leave Beijing.Before leaving, Zhou Enlai sent a letter to Mao Zedong: "If the chairman is in a hurry, you can call me on a confidential phone through Comrade Wu Xujun, or tell (Wang) Hairong to pass it on."

On August 12, Zhou Enlai, who had returned to Beijing from Guangzhou, met with Mao Zedong and asked for instructions on when the Fourth National People's Congress should be held.Mao proposed that the fourth National People's Congress could be held after the National Day.That night, Zhou Enlai presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee to discuss various preparations for the Fourth National People's Congress. Two days later, Mao Zedong left Beijing to inspect various places in the south. After the Criticism and Rectification Movement since the Lushan Conference, Mao Zedong noticed from a large amount of exposing materials that the actions of Lin Biao and others were very suspicious.He decided to go to some provinces in the south, investigate and "blow the air" while preparing for the upcoming Third Plenary Session of the Ninth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In more than half a month, Mao Zedong successively arrived in Wuhan, Changsha, Nanchang and other places, talked with the leaders of the party, government and army along the way, told the history of the struggle within the party line, exposed and criticized Huang Yongsheng, Wu Faxian, Ye Qun, Li Zuopeng, Qiu Huizuo And Lin Biao, who secretly supported them, launched a surprise attack at the Lushan Conference to split the party and a series of conspiracies to seize power. On September 3, Wang Dongxing, who accompanied Mao Zedong on his inspection tour in the south, sent Zhou Enlai a copy of his and Hua Guofeng's posthumous transcripts of Mao's conversations that had been read and corrected by Mao Zedong himself.At this time, Mao Zedong had arrived in Hangzhou.This is the place Mao Zedong visited most often after the founding of the People's Republic of China.However, the still beautiful West Lake is full of murderous opportunities at this time.Chen Liyun, the leader of the Hangzhou area who participated in planning the counter-revolutionary coup, not only held the power of security in Hangzhou, but also was responsible for the security work of Mao Zedong's residence.Mao Zedong's situation is very dangerous. While "breathing" the leading cadres of the party, government and army all the way, Mao Zedong had already noticed the abnormal activities of Lin Biao and his gang.He promptly informed Zhou Enlai in Beijing of the conversation along the way, indicating that he had prepared for the worst. Two days later, Li Zuopeng, who accompanied the foreign guests to Wuhan, learned from Liu Feng, political commissar of the Wuhan Military Region, the content of Mao Zedong’s conversation here. Li immediately formed three "impressions": the Lushan meeting was not over yet, and the outline was higher than before. The spearhead seems to be directed at Lin Biao. Li Zuopeng and Huang Yongsheng, who had always associated themselves with Lin Biao's fate, couldn't wait to report the situation to Lin Biao and Ye Qun in Beidaihe, prompting Lin Biao and his gang to take risks. On September 5th and 6th, Lin Biao and Ye Qun received secret reports from Zhou Yuchi and Huang Yongsheng successively, and finally learned Mao Zedong's talking points for further exposing and criticizing their sectarian activities.Lin Biao and his gang, who were seen through by Mao Zedong, were terrified. After plotting and planning, they made a frenzied decision: kill Mao Zedong on the way of inspection, and then launch a counter-revolutionary armed coup. On September 8, Lin Biao personally wrote the coup order: "I hope to follow the orders conveyed by Comrade Liguo and Yuchi."According to this warrant, Lin Liguo and Zhou Yuchi issued specific plans to their members of the "United Fleet" to deploy and kill Mao Zedong, and assigned Jiang Tengjiao (political commissar of the Air Force of the Nanjing Military Region) as the "front-line commander." Lin Liguo and his accomplices attempted to murder Mao Zedong with the following means: using flamethrowers or "40" bazookas to burn and beat the special train that Mao Zedong was riding on; using explosives to blow up the Suzhou Shuofang Railway Bridge that Mao Zedong's special train must pass through; , or blow up the oil depot next to the train stop; send Wang Weiguo (one of the leaders of the coup d'état in Shanghai) to attack directly when Mao Zedong was interviewed... Lin Liguo had reported the action plan to Lin Biao and Ye Qun.While arranging the "South Line" operation, Lin Liguo and others also studied the "Northern Line" plan. Their attack targets were Zhongnanhai and Diaoyutai, and their targets included Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Ye Jianying, Nie Rongzhen, Xu Xiangqian, Liu Bocheng and other older generations Revolutionaries, in addition, there are Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and others. This is really a shocking coup action plan!Naturally, all this was carried out in an extremely surreptitious manner.The gang of conspirators will not and dare not make their plans public.They are isolated and vulnerable.