Chapter 2 2. Li Kenong was ordered to enter Peiping

In early and mid-March 1949, Xibaipo, which used to be peaceful in the past, ushered in a group of CCP generals who came from various battlefields.They came to attend the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The gathering of the elites of the Communist Party was truly unprecedented. It was at this meeting that Mao Zedong, dressed in patched clothes, waved his giant hand and announced to the world the beautiful blueprint of a new China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Since then, the focus of the party's work has shifted from the countryside to the cities.

After the meeting, Mao Zedong said to Yang Shangkun, who was in charge of the daily affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China: "From now on, our Party Central Committee will move to Beiping to work. You are our housekeeper. You should take the lead in this task. You can directly consult Enlai for specific matters. .” Yang Shangkun said: "According to Comrade Enlai's opinion, I sent someone to Beiping to discuss this matter with Comrade Ye Jianying, and I just wanted to report it to you." Mao Zedong lit a cigarette and said, "How is the situation?"

Yang Shangkun said: "Ye Jianying took the people we sent around Beiping for three days, and finally decided that Xiangshan is the best place for the central government's office." Hearing the word Xiangshan, Mao Zedong said thoughtfully: "Xiangshan is a unique place. Although I have never been there, I have heard of it. It is a forest garden in the mountains with beautiful scenery and towering old trees. It is said that in late autumn, there The mountain is full of red leaves, and the forests are all dyed. I heard that standing on the highest peak called ghosts and looking down, you can have a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery, which is refreshing. This is the place where the gods live!"

Yang Shangkun said: "The chairman is right." "It's not necessarily true, I'm just hearsay, but I've seen the records about Xiangshan from books. Tang, Liao, Yuan, Jin, and Ming all built scenery there, and several temples are still somewhat famous. In the 16th year of Kangxi, Emperor Xuanye also built the Xiangshan Palace in the vicinity of Xiangshan Temple and Hongguang Temple. Later, it was expanded in the hands of Qianlong, and it became a place for him to refresh his mind and escape the summer heat. It was named "Jingyi Garden". In 1860, it was robbed by the British and French invading forces. In 1900, it was set on fire by the Eight-Power Allied Forces, and all the treasures and cultural relics were looted. This is a disgrace to the Chinese..."

Mao Zedong's mood became a little heavy. He took a deep breath of the cigarette and exhaled it slowly. Wisps of smoke gradually dispersed from his face. "Do you know why it is called Xiangshan?" He asked suddenly. "I don't know." Yang Shangkun said. "It is said that there is a big stone that looks like a censer from a distance, and it also looks like a censer from a close view, so the name is very simple." Yang Shangkun said: "It seems that this place has a bit of aura." Mao Zedong waved his hand and said, "The city of Peiping is so big, can you find us a place in the city, Xiangshan is too far away from the city."

"Chairman, according to Ye Jianying's report, Xiangshan is safer than the city at present." "You always think about the safety of us old comrades. Peking is liberated, and we don't go among the people. How can we do that? The Communist Party cannot be divorced from the masses. The people are our backing in wartime, and they should be allowed in peacetime." Be the master of the house. You send someone to investigate, anyway, we are going into the city.” Yang Shangkun said: "It must be done." Mao Zedong said: "You are the Secretary-General of the Central Military Commission. I suggest that Comrade Li Kenong, the Minister of Social Affairs, be sent to take a few people. He is an expert in social issues and has a strong sense of responsibility. He must do all the work in front of the station. .”

After Li Kenong and his party arrived in Peiping, they consulted with Ye Jianying. Ye Jianying asked in the first sentence: "Has my suggestion been adopted by the Central Committee?" "It hasn't been finalized yet. I'm here just for this purpose." "What kind of convenience do you want me to provide? Just say it. If you want someone to give, you want a car to give a car." "You take me to Xiangshan first, and show me the information on all the Kuomintang agents and bandits in Beiping." "I knew you, an old agent, were interested in this."

Li Kenong reached out to take off his glasses, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and laughed loudly. Ye Jianying was very serious, he said: "It's better for the central government to live in Xiangshan first." Li Kenong asked: "The chairman once said that Xiangshan is too far from the city, can the Summer Palace work? Can Zhongnanhai work?" "At present, these two places are still a bit inappropriate." "why?" "In a word, I am for the safety of the chairman and other central leaders." "How is the public security in Peking now?"

"It's generally good, but there are still problems. You know that this place was liberated peacefully. Those reactionary forces have not been completely eradicated. There are still many Kuomintang agents lurking here. Our manpower is limited, and we can't destroy them all for a while. The social situation It is also very complicated. A few days ago, two comrades from our work team were killed by bad guys near the Old Summer Palace, and their guns were also taken away. Xiangshan is farther away from the city, so it is safer and easier to guard against.” Li Kenong spent a few days in Beiping and thought Ye Jianying's proposal was more realistic.

He exchanged views with Lin Biao, the main purpose of which was to ask Lin Biao for someone.This time he came to Peiping with a total of more than ten troops.Lin Biao squinted his small eyes, and kept a serious expression on his face like a trowel, which always kept a deep expression, giving people a feeling of incomprehensibility. When Li Kenong urgently told Lin Biao that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China would move to Xiangshan to work in detail, Lin Biao did not show any overly excited expression, but asked in a low voice: "Tell me, how many people are needed?"

Li Kenong said: "Mr. Lin, Xiangshan is a mess right now. The houses are also dilapidated. An engineering company is urgently needed to do the repair work there." "Yes, but our Beiping is not peaceful. The Central Committee and the Military Commission still have to consider safety issues when staying there temporarily. Our army is preparing to cross the river south. Taiyuan is in the hands of Yan Laoxi. Occupied by Hu Zongnan and Ma Jiajun, the imperialists headed by the United States also have attempts to interfere in the Chinese civil war, and they all want to help Chiang Kai-shek. The Kuomintang planes may bomb Peking at any time. Therefore, air defense fortifications should also be built in Xiangshan. what do you think?" "Boss Lin, your suggestion is very good!" "I also think about it from a security point of view." "I talked with Mayor Ye, and I plan to build a few simple civil defenses there." "How to build it is your business. I will give you another division. It is Wu Lie's unit. It is politically reliable and has fought many tough battles. When the central government comes, it needs to do security work." "Thank you Mr. Lin for your support." Li Kenong was a little excited and handed Lin Biao a cigarette. Lin Biao raised his right hand, waved it as if to chase away mosquitoes, and said coldly, "I never smoke this." Li Kenong transferred Wu Lieshi to the Xiangshan area and immediately began to make preparations. In his letter to the central government, he reported all the situation in detail, and suggested that the central government select a departure date in the near future.Yang Shangkun, the revolutionary housekeeper in Xibaipo, fully agreed with Li Kenong's plan and reported it to Zhou Enlai on the same day.At that time, the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission were a team with two brands, working together. Although there were few staff, the work was still quite arduous. Yang Shangkun was shrewd and energetic, which was appreciated by the head of the Central Committee. After listening to the report, Zhou Enlai said happily: "We are going to enter the city. This is not only a major event for our party, but also a major event for our Chinese people. Xibaipo will be our last headquarters in the countryside. From today on, we will go to the city. Prepare to bid farewell to the village and set up a handover organization, let’s call it the Xibaipo Transfer Committee! Comrade Shang Kun, what do you think?” Yang Shangkun smiled very decently and honestly. He looked at Zhou En and said, "Very good, very good." Zhou Enlai: "You and Comrade Zeng San will be in charge of this committee. You should immediately contact Comrade Kernong and say that the central government agrees with their opinion. When to leave is up to them to decide according to the preparations. We don't have any wealth here. It required too much preparation time, and he and Comrade Ye Jianying were responsible for the specific arrangements for the central government to enter Peiping." After Yang Shangkun took out his notebook and wrote down these instructions, he looked at Zhou En and said, "I'm going to send electricity to Comrade Li Kenong." "Wait a minute," Zhou Enlai turned around and said, "The work in Peiping is very important. Tell Li Kenong that the central government's presence in Xiangshan is temporary, and it must be kept secret. Put up a sign and call it Labor University. There will be three offices, except Li Kenong. In addition, the preparatory office is presided over by Lai Zulie, who is responsible for handling negotiations and the purchase of office materials; The supervisor is mainly responsible for the life and other matters inside Xiangshan." After Yang Shangkun turned and left, Zhou Enlai was still looking at his receding back and thinking about something.Yes, at this time, the burden on Zhou Enlai's shoulders is not light.