Chapter 23 4. The Central Committee sent a delegation to secretly visit the Soviet Union

On the evening of May 12th. After Liu Shaoqi finished the working meeting held by the Central Economic Commission, he went to Shuangqing Villa to meet Mao Zedong.At this time, Mao Zedong was reading a newspaper, the lights were dim, and the smoky study room seemed even quieter. Liu Shaoqi stepped into the room, Mao Zedong put down the newspaper, smiled and waved and said: "Please sit down, I heard that you are back, I have been waiting for you." Liu Shaoqi said: "I arrived this morning, and I had a financial meeting in the afternoon, so I was late." Mao Zedong said: "The central government holds this meeting mainly to study and solve production, finance, taxation, and foreign trade issues in Shanghai, Tianjin, Tangshan and other places. It is right for you to participate."

Mao Zedong smoked again. Liu Shaoqi briefly reported to him the inspection situation of his trip to Tianjin. Mao Zedong nodded while listening, and he finally said: "Your activities in Tianjin were reported to me by the North China Bureau. Agree, we have a lot of problems to solve now!" Liu Shaoqi lit another cigarette for Mao Zedong, and then said: "Tianjin's problem is representative to a certain extent. I think it will be resolved, and it will promote the work of the whole country." "That's right." Mao Zedong lightly flicked the cigarette ash and said, "We are currently adopting a coalition policy towards the capitalists. The people of the whole country need food and clothing. The Kuomintang is still living in dire straits, and the people are mourning everywhere!"

Liu Shaoqi said: "Although we still have many difficulties, they are temporary and we will definitely overcome them." Mao Zedong said: "The people are great, and they are the heroes who create history." Liu Shaoqi said: "Yes, the people are lovely and great." A guard came in with a jug to change the water. Mao Zedong instructed him to retreat. The soldier changed a glass of water for the two of them and was about to exit, but Mao Zedong was a little unhappy. He waved his hand and said: "You little brat! You just know how to waste it. Why are you throwing away my tea? You can still drink it."

The little soldier was very aggrieved, and stood there not knowing what to say. The tea in Mao Zedong's cup was brewed in the morning. To be honest, it was too dark to brew, but Mao Zedong didn't like to pour it out. Liu Shaoqi looked at the soldier, and smiled and said, "Little comrade, talking about hardship is the chairman's consistent style, and you must develop a habit from now on." The soldier stood erect at the door and nodded. A smile appeared on Mao Zedong's face again, he looked at the soldiers and said: "You go, remember, you can no longer pour tea from my teacup in the future, it is a treasure, you can't drink it, you can still chew it in your mouth. "

After the soldiers left, Liu Shaoqi smiled and said to Mao Zedong: "You are still living in Yan'an, and you are too hard on yourself." "I am a person who can endure all kinds of hardships, but I am not born to enjoy life. I am a bit reluctant to wear good clothes. After decades of revolution, I have no family property and no money. I often think that in the future I will be a hundred years old. What do you want to inherit from me? Maybe they didn’t understand me at that time.” Mao Zedong had a very unique expression when he said this. A secretary came in and sent Mao Zedong an urgent telegram to sign.Mao Zedong finished his signature with a swipe of his pen, and said to Liu Shaoqi: "The Nanjing government will not allow us to cross the river militarily. I told the representatives of the peace talks that we not only want to cross the river politically, but also cross the river militarily. Now our army has passed. River."

Only then did Liu Shaoqi ask: "Chairman, what important things do you want me to do when you ask me to come back?" Mao Zedong said: "I have an important task for you." "What's the matter?" "Now that our million-strong army has crossed the Yangtze River and most of the country has been liberated, it's time to start preparing for the founding ceremony. I'm going to ask you to bring a delegation to visit the Soviet Union and seek their help." Because this matter came so suddenly, Liu Shaoqi was not mentally prepared, but he still shouldered the heavy burden.He knew that this trip to the Soviet Union was of extraordinary significance, and it was to build a bridge for the meeting between two great men, Mao Zedong and Stalin, in the future.

Mao Zedong said to Liu Shaoqi: "I will give you a month to prepare. This visit is secret. You must hurry up and contact the Soviet side. This trip to the Soviet Union is of great significance. It is a meeting between the leaders of the two parties in China and the Soviet Union. , It is said that Stalin is not easy to see, their Communist Party is the big brother, you must be more humble.” Liu Shaoqi asked: "Are there any agreements to be signed?" Mao Zedong shook his head: "Don't be busy, let's see the situation first. Your main task is to rapproche the relationship first, inform Stalin about our founding of the country, and ask him for some suggestions."

Liu Shaoqi asked: "I wonder what the chairman of the delegation thinks?" Mao Zedong said: "It's up to you to choose. I suggest Gao Gang, a member of the Politburo, and Wang Jiaxiang, a member of the Central Committee, to be your assistant. The staff is up to you. You should not have too many people, but be capable." ... After a period of careful preparation, Liu Shaoqi and his party set off from Peiping on June 21. Members of the delegation include Wang Jiaxiang, Shi Zhe, Ge Baoquan, and Deng Liqun. Accompanying the CCP delegation was Kovalev, the leader of the Soviet expert group.

The war was still going on at that time, the delegation took a detour, arrived in Shenyang a few days later, took Gao Gang with them and left China by plane from Dalian.After passing through Khabarovsk, Chita, Novosibirsk, and Sverdlovsk, it arrived in Moscow six days later. On that day, the CCP delegation lived in an apartment on Ostrovskaya Street in Moscow.This is a very exquisite small courtyard. The building not only has European classical style, but also has green grass, small bridges and flowing water in the courtyard, reminiscent of the garden features of Chinese architectural pattern. It is said that this is Stalin's private villa.

Liu Shaoqi and his party lived in this villa for several days, but the top Soviet leaders did not show up.Liu Shaoqi's mood was very complicated. He couldn't sleep for several days. He was anxious to see Stalin. Stalin never showed up. Liu Shaoqi couldn't sit still at this time. He wrote two letters to Stalin in succession. In the letters, he not only informed about the situation of the CCP's liberation of China, but also put forward his plan for this visit to the Soviet Union. To be able to see Stalin sooner. After receiving Liu Shaoqi's letter, Stalin put forward suggestions on the arrangement of activities during the visit of the CCP delegation to the Soviet Union.Liu Shaoqi's mood was still not calm. When he was preparing documents for his meeting with Stalin, he asked Comrade Wang Jiaxiang to draft a report on China's issues.

On June 28, Stalin, Molotov, Malenkov, Mikoyan and others met with the delegation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Liu Shaoqi, Gao Gang, Wang Jiaxiang and others. Liu Shaoqi and his party were very happy after returning to the residence.Wang Jiaxiang said: "I didn't expect Comrade Stalin to be so enthusiastic. It's a pity that he didn't explain clearly the relevant issues of the talks." Liu Shaoqi said: "Don't be too anxious. Today he just hosted a banquet for us. Some things are not easy to talk about on this occasion." Gao Gang took off his green army overcoat and threw it on the bed, saying, "Stalin is hard to figure out, we should get in touch with him more to build a better relationship." Liu Shaoqi, who was smoking on the sofa, was a little unhappy, because after arriving in the Soviet Union, Gao Gang's words and deeds were not very decent, he was highly individualistic, and he did not follow the organizational principles. Gao Gang sat down on the soft bed and gave his opinion again. Liu Shaoqi's face was always serious, and Wang Jiaxiang turned around and asked, "What should I do next?" Shi Zhe poured a cup of tea and handed it to Liu Shaoqi.Liu Shaoqi took a sip of tea and said, "How about this, I will work overtime tonight to prepare materials." Wang Jiaxiang asked: "Is there a division of labor?" Liu Shaoqi said: "Let's have a meeting now to study the division of labor. Comrade Gao Gang is mainly responsible for liaison, Comrade Jiaxiang helps me draft the relevant meeting materials, and other comrades assist in the work. We came to the Soviet Union this time under orders from the Central Committee, so Everyone must adhere to organizational principles, abide by party discipline, and refrain from making random speeches." The other personnel returned to their rooms, but Wang Jiaxiang did not leave. Liu Shaoqi said: "Jiaxiang, you are an expert in diplomacy and have experience in this field. I want to hear your opinion. Stalin wants to fully understand our situation. You said that you should write Give him some materials." Wang Jiaxiang said: "The next meeting is very important. I think we should write a written report on the Chinese issue to Stalin. This will not only make the meeting follow rules, but also discuss the issue more comprehensively. This report can be used as the basis for discussing research issues during the talks, so that Stalin can have a more comprehensive, correct, and systematic understanding of China’s problems, and only in this way can we ensure that the content of the talks will not be repeated.” Liu Shaoqi nodded, and Wang Jiaxiang continued: "Of course, if there are some issues involved in the meeting that they don't understand, we can explain them in more detail." "Very good," Liu Shaoqi looked at Wang Jiaxiang and said, "Our talks should be carried out in a planned and step-by-step manner, and we must distinguish priorities. I think you should write this report." "Write a few questions," Wang Jiaxiang asked, "it's up to you to decide." "Okay, I can divide it into four parts." "Okay, you tell me to remember." Liu Shaoqi took a deep breath and said: "The first part first introduces the current situation in China, the second part talks about some of the work carried out by our new government in China, the third part talks about new China's diplomatic issues, and the fourth part Talk about Sino-Soviet relations. Do you think this will work?" Wang Jiaxiang closed his notebook and said, "I think it's ok. The first two parts should be written in as much detail as possible so that Stalin can understand it." It was very late at night, and Wang Jiaxiang sat alone at his desk to write this report. The next morning, after Liu Shaoqi finished reading the report, he called a meeting with the members of the delegation to study the report.After several revisions, the final draft was finally handed over to Stalin. After Stalin read the report, he immediately sent someone to convey his opinion to the CCP delegation. At this time, Liu Shaoqi proposed a formal meeting. This report can be said to be the most basic principled document for the talks between the two sides, and Stalin was quite satisfied.The first part of the report reads: The Chinese People's Revolutionary War has now basically won victory and will soon achieve complete victory.The report uses detailed figures to illustrate the great victories that the Chinese people have achieved in the past few years.By the end of 1949, the Chinese People's Liberation Army had liberated 2.9 million square kilometers of China's affluent areas, accounting for 30% of the country's total area; the population of the liberated areas had reached 275 million, accounting for 57% of the country's total population.There are 1,043 liberated cities above the county seat, including the largest cities Shanghai, Nanjing, Peiping, Tianjin, and Wuhan, accounting for 51% of the country's cities above the county seat.The Chinese People's Liberation Army wiped out 5.5 million Kuomintang troops during the three-year war that began in June 1946; the Kuomintang army, including its rear personnel, now has only about 1.5 million people left. Only about 200,000 people.The People's Liberation Army has grown to 3.9 million, including 2.4 million in the four field armies.In the summer and autumn of 1949, the People's Liberation Army is expected to continue to liberate provinces such as Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Shaanxi, and in winter it is expected to continue to liberate provinces such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Xikang, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai.This would essentially end the war against the Kuomintang.The rest are Taiwan, Hainan Island, Xinjiang and Tibet.Tibet must be resolved through political means, and Taiwan, Hainan Island and Xinjiang must be liberated next year.We fully agree that it is possible to occupy Xinjiang early, but the biggest difficulty is clearing the roads and lack of necessary means of transportation. During the Chinese revolution, there was experience in organizing the anti-imperialist national united front, experience in land reform, long-term armed struggle in the countryside, encirclement of the cities, and then capture of the cities, as well as secret work and legal struggle in the cities to complement the armed struggle experience, and the experience of building a Marxist-Leninist party in a country like China.These experiences may be of great reference to other colonial and semi-colonial countries. The second part of the report reads: We have decided to hold a new Political Consultative Conference in August this year and form a coalition government.Active preparations are underway now.The CPPCC Preparatory Committee is composed of 134 people from 23 units.The new CPPCC to be held is composed of more than 500 representatives from 45 units of various parties, regions, people's organizations, ethnic minorities and overseas Chinese. The organization of the new central government has not yet been decided.In addition to the military committee, under the cabinet, a financial and economic committee, a cultural and educational committee, and a political committee (management of public security, internal affairs, justice, etc.) will be established, and various ministries will be established.In the cabinet, the Ministry of Railways, Agriculture, Forestry, Commerce, Metals, Textiles, Fuel, Transportation, Posts and Telecommunications, and Industry are to be established.Mao Zedong was the chairman, Zhou Enlai was the prime minister, and Liu Shaoqi and Ren Bishi did not participate in the government. This part also elaborates on the nature of the state and regime of China's New Democracy, which is a state of people's democratic dictatorship led by the proletariat and based on the alliance of workers and peasants.The working class is the leading force of this dictatorship, and the alliance of workers, peasants and revolutionary intellectuals is the fundamental force of this dictatorship. faction to participate in this dictatorship.China's people's democratic dictatorship has both similarities and differences with the "democratic dictatorship of workers and peasants" proposed by Lenin in the 1905-1907 revolution.With the proletariat as the leader and the worker-peasant alliance as the basis, this is the common denominator.The Chinese people's democratic dictatorship includes representatives and factions of the national bourgeoisie who are willing to oppose imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism. This is the point of difference.The form of the Chinese people's democratic dictatorship is the people's congress system, which is not a bourgeois parliamentary system, but close to the Soviet system.But it is also different from the Soviet system of the dictatorship of the proletariat.Because the representatives of the national bourgeoisie participate in the People's Representative Conference.The Chinese people's democratic dictatorship has its external and internal contradictions, its external and internal struggles.The so-called external contradictions and external struggles refer to its contradictions and struggles with imperialism, feudalism, bureaucratic capitalism and the remnants of the Kuomintang.This still exists for quite a long time after the overthrow of the Kuomintang regime, and it is still the main contradiction and struggle.The so-called internal contradictions and internal struggles refer to the contradictions and struggles among the various classes and parties within the people's democratic dictatorship. These will gradually intensify in the future, but compared with external contradictions, they will remain secondary for a rather long period of time. position of obedience.Someone said: "After the overthrow of the Kuomintang regime, or after the implementation of the land reform, the contradiction between the Chinese proletariat and the bourgeoisie immediately became the main contradiction, and the struggle between the workers and the capitalists immediately became the main struggle." We think that is incorrect.This will drive over to the side of imperialism the national bourgeoisie, which is currently able to cooperate with us.This would be a dangerous adventurist policy if implemented in present China.After the overthrow of the Kuomintang regime, the contradiction between labor and capital exists objectively and will gradually intensify.Therefore, the working class must wage a necessary and appropriate struggle against the bourgeoisie in order to protect the interests of the working class and the people's democratic dictatorship.But at the same time, necessary and appropriate compromises and alliances must be made with the national bourgeoisie in order to concentrate our forces on dealing with external enemies and overcoming China's backwardness.From now until the nationalization of general national assets is implemented in China, there are still many steps to go through, and it will take a rather long period of time.How long this period of time will take depends on various international and domestic situations.It is estimated that it will take ten to fifteen years. The third part of the report explains the foreign policy of new China as follows: All imperialist control over China, whether militarily, politically, economically, or culturally, must be completely destroyed.This decision was enshrined in the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and it is unswerving... Diplomats from various countries in China do not recognize it, and they are only treated as expatriates.There are 120,000 overseas Chinese from various countries, concentrated in Shanghai and Northeast China.The result of this implementation makes people feel that China has stood up, and the Chinese Communist Party is not afraid of imperialism, and it also saves us a lot of trouble. After the establishment of the new Central People's Government, the issue of establishing official diplomatic relations with other countries and participating in the United Nations and other international organizations and international conferences will arise.The imperialist countries may ignore it for a period of time, or put forward some conditions that are enough to bind brothers and sisters as the price of recognition. Of course, this cannot be allowed.If the imperialist countries adopt a policy of recognizing the new China, we are ready to establish diplomatic relations with it.At that time, it was hoped that the Soviet Union could recognize New China before these countries. We are going to re-examine the various treaties and agreements concluded between the Kuomintang and foreign countries and deal with them separately.The principle is: We are ready to recognize and inherit all that is beneficial to the Chinese people and the peace and democracy of the world. Some non-Party people once criticized our policy of leaning to one side of the Soviet Union. Comrade Mao Zedong replied to them: Our policy is to lean to one side of the Soviet Union. That's wrong. After these statements were explained, various democratic parties and the CCP jointly issued a statement against NATO. The report also pointed out that the future diplomatic activities of the new Chinese government will be conducted according to the following principles: (1) Struggle with the imperialist countries in order to realize the complete independence of the Chinese nation; (2) Stand with the Soviet Union and the new democratic countries in international affairs, oppose new war dangers, and defend world peace and democracy; (3) Take advantage of the contradictions of the capitalist countries; (4) Under the conditions of equality and mutual benefit, develop China's trade with foreign countries, especially the trade with the Soviet Union and the new democratic countries. The fourth part of the report is about Sino-Soviet relations, which is also the focus of attention of the Soviet Union.The report had read: The relationship between the two parties in China and the Soviet Union, and the solid friendship between the two nations of China and the Soviet Union are of great significance to the two countries and to the world... I hope that the issues of postal, telegraphic, and air links between New China and the Soviet Union will be resolved quickly. We have been in the environment of guerrilla warfare in the countryside for a long time, and we know very little about the outside world.Now to manage such a large country, carry out economic construction and conduct diplomatic activities, we still need to learn a lot.In this regard, the advice and help given to us by the CPSU are very important, and we urgently need this kind of help. In order to help cultivate construction and management talents for the new China, in addition to sending experts, we also hope to send some professors to China to give lectures, and China will send some visiting groups to visit and study in the Soviet Union, and send some foreign students to study in the Soviet Union.In order to strengthen the relationship between the two parties in China and the Soviet Union, political representatives should be sent to each other in order to deal with the issues between the two parties and enhance understanding.Mao Zedong is preparing to visit Moscow publicly when China and the Soviet Union establish diplomatic relations, and hopes that the Soviet Union will consider the timing and method...