Chapter 9 〇8. Lushan 1959: China Goes "Left"

The Lushan Conference in 1959 made this famous mountain a key landmark that influenced the course of Chinese history. Lushan Mountain is located in Lushan District, Jiujiang City, northern Jiangxi Province. It is on the bank of Poyang Lake on the south bank of the Yangtze River and stands on the south bank of the Yangtze River.Lushan Mountain is oval in shape, about 25 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide, with more than 90 peaks stretching over it.Because of its beautiful scenery, many politicians regard Mount Lu as a summer resort and meeting place.Lushan has become a landmark in the 60-year history of the People's Republic of China. The most important reason is the Lushan Conference held in 1959.Originally, the purpose of the meeting was to correct the radical tendency that had appeared in the previous socialist construction, but this meeting was exactly the opposite, and it was decided that China would continue to lean to the left.The Lushan Conference Venue is located at the foot of Chubi Peak in the East Valley of Guling, Lushan Mountain.This venue was originally built for the use of the officer training regiment founded by Chiang Kai-shek in Lushan. It was completed in 1937 and was named Lushan Auditorium. After 1949, it was renamed "People's Theater".At present, it has been changed to the Lushan Conference Memorial Hall.

Throughout history, there have always been locations that have inadvertently played the role of turning points.Some of them are due to geographical location, just like the Yangtze River flows down from its source, instead of flowing to India on the other side of the mountain, it flows into China, which is related to the wonderful geographical location at the foot of the mountain; some are due to the needs of the spirit of the times, such as Dazhai in Xiyang County, Shanxi, before the era of Zhao Ziyang and Hu Yaobang, has been subtly grasping the pulse of Chinese social movements; but there are also some, purely because of a certain event in a certain period of time that can change the entire history. Events of the direction of the river, for example, Mount Lu in 1959.

The protagonist of the Lushan Conference was Peng Dehuai, a marshal with outstanding military achievements, but he was straightforward and outspoken.From the Chinese point of view, Peng Dehuai won the Korean War, but Mao Zedong's only surviving son died in the Korean War.Huang Kecheng, then Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, said in his memoirs that Peng Dehuai "has been a very rebellious person since he was a child, and he always took the lead. To say that he is rebellious and easy to commit crimes is only when he thinks it is wrong. He is upright and hates flattery. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was not used to singing praises. If he didn't like it, he had to say it, and he said it in a very ugly way. He was never afraid of offending people. Once, the chairman joked to Peng Dehuai, boss, let's make an agreement, and I will die In the future, don't rebel, okay? It can be seen that the chairman has deep scruples about Peng, but Peng has not become more vigilant because of this. He still does his own thing and speaks up when he wants to. He has a strong personality, can't tolerate things, and can't adapt to human society. Complexity. When the water is clear, there will be no fish, and when people observe it, there will be no disciples. Therefore, it is not easy to establish a good relationship with the leaders and comrades around. From the chairman’s criticism of Peng, it can be seen that the two of them are also incompatible in terms of lifestyle and get along well. Very unpleasant, many misunderstandings."

If it is said that Mao Anqing died in the Korean War, it can be speculated that Mao Zedong had a grudge against Peng De from then on, and it would be too stingy to imagine the father of the founding of the country; Years later, Mao Zedong had always been quite wary of the generals of the Red Army who were not his direct descendants; and according to Huang Kecheng's description, the differences in personality and even living habits between Peng Dehuai and Mao Zedong caused Mao Zedong to always be very wary of Peng Dehuai. I have scruples, because after all, Peng Dehuai is a marshal with great military exploits and military talent. In Chinese history, such a person has always been a confidant of those in power. Mao Zedong, who is familiar with Chinese history, would not be unaware of this. a little.

All kinds of evidence show that at the beginning of the Lushan Conference, Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China intended to correct the problem of rash advance in the Great Leap Forward.This kind of problem has become so serious that it cannot be ignored in localities, just like what Peng Dehuai saw in several places in Hunan. When Peng Dehuai insisted on doubting the grain production figures reported to him by local staff, the other party impatiently said to Peng Dehuai : "Boss! You also doubt this, then you also doubt, so what should we do?" The facts revealed afterwards show that at this stage, China's domestic economic situation has deteriorated significantly.

And the beginning of this meeting was not so aggressive, just like many events in Chinese history after 1949 that later turned violent. They started with good intentions, but they reaped disaster. "Those who study party history generally divide the Lushan Conference into two phases. The early phase is the immortal meeting, the mainstream is anti-leftist; Before the letter to Mao Zedong was issued, it was the Fairy Society; from August 16th to August 1st, it was the anti-rightist movement; from August 2nd to August 16th, it was the Eighth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee, which was the stage of a large number of Peng Huang Zhangzhou anti-party groups.” Zhang Shengzai He recalled his father Zhang Aiping's book like this.

At the beginning of the meeting, many important people didn't take it seriously and wanted to avoid the meeting. "The tax of the Kuomintang, the meeting of the Communist Party", most people regard this meeting held in Lushan as a long but boring ordinary meeting. Zhang Aiping recalled: "In the spring of 1959, Tibet was judged. On behalf of the General Staff, I went to Tibet to organize counter-insurgency. After the counter-insurgency was over, it was mid-July when I returned to Chengdu. I was tense for a while. I want to get some rest in Chengdu, and I also want to climb Mount Emei. But when I arrived in Chengdu, I received a call from the military office at night, informing me to go to Lushan to attend the Central Plenary Session. When I heard that it was a meeting, it was also a Central Plenary Session, so I didn’t want to go. This kind of meeting , It’s not interesting at all, just raise your hand. I immediately called Huang Lao (Chief of General Staff Huang Kecheng) who was on duty at home to ask for leave, and said that I would not go up the mountain until the summary of counter-insurgency was done. Huang Lao agreed. Who Knowing that at 11 o'clock in the middle of the night, Mr. Huang called again, saying that the central government stipulates that you cannot ask for leave."

Peng Dehuai and Huang Kecheng were also unwilling to go.Peng Dehuai later recalled: "I said (to Huang Kecheng) that the Central Committee held a work meeting in Lushan on July 1. I am very tired now and want to take a rest. I invite you to attend the Lushan meeting because you are the secretary of the secretariat. He said that it is better for you to go to the Lushan meeting by yourself. He would like to stay in the Military Commission as the housekeeper. I have to go by myself, and the inconvenience is too reluctant." The Lushan meeting lasted for half a month, Huang Kecheng still stayed in Beijing, and neither Peng Zhen nor Lin Biao went to Lushan to attend the meeting. "I didn't seem to expect any major problems," Huang Kecheng said.

But Peng Dehuai, who went up the mountain first, has already caused big trouble because of his outspokenness. "In the early days of the Lushan Conference in July 1957, I participated in the Northwest Group... From July 1, apart from attending the conference, I just sat indoors and read documents related to finance and economics of the central department, letters from the masses, and conference briefings. Until July 12 On the evening of the 13th, I realized that the current national planning work is seriously out of proportion, and Chairman Mao's policy of walking on two legs has not been implemented in all aspects of practical work... This decision was reported to the Chairman on the morning of the 13th. When I went there, the guard said that the chairman just fell asleep. I went to the Northwest Group to attend the meeting. After dinner on the 13th, I started writing the letter (actually, the draft was completed on the evening of July 12th), and on the morning of July 14th Send the completed letter to the chairman for personal collection. On the 16th, the General Office of the Central Committee printed it out. When I participated in the group meeting on the 18th, I explained that this letter was only for the chairman’s personal reference, and asked the General Office of the Central Committee to take back my letter. Letter. But around the 20th, Zhang Wentian, Zhou Xiaozhou and others made statements, saying that they basically agreed with my letter. Huang Kecheng only arrived at Lushan on the evening of the 18th or 19th... Chairman Mao on July 23 In the morning, I criticized my letter as an anti-party program, saying that before writing this letter, some people spoke in support of it, forming a concerted effort. If this is not an anti-party group, what is it? Since the chairman criticized my letter Afterwards, the atmosphere of the meeting changed, and I was also tense.”

Huang Kecheng said that after he arrived at Lushan Mountain on the 17th, "As soon as he went up the mountain and moved into the house, Peng Dehuai showed me the letter he wrote to Chairman Mao. I read it carefully and said: I agree with the opinion of this letter." , but the writing of the letter is not good, and some of the language is irritating, what are you doing like that? He said: The actual situation is so serious, no one dared to say sharp words at the meeting, I just want to raise it to attract attention.” Then Zhou Xiaozhou, Zhou Hui and Li Rui also came to visit Huang Kecheng and expressed their concerns about the "left".

However, Mao Zedong's speech on July 23 reversed the entire meeting, and even had history.The whole of China continues to march towards fanaticism, falsehood, absurdity and radicalization.Mao Zedong said that after reading Peng Dehuai's letter, he took sleeping pills three times without falling asleep.Zhang Wentian, who spoke before Mao Zedong, expressed his support for Peng Dehuai, and Mao Zedong later expressed his support and defense for both the People's Commune Movement and the Great Iron and Steel Movement.All of a sudden, the atmosphere of the whole meeting changed completely, and the smell of gunpowder on Mount Lu gradually became stronger. That night, both Peng Dehuai and Huang Kecheng couldn't eat dinner.Zhou Xiaozhou, who came to see Huang Kecheng that night, suddenly dared to say a word: "Chairman's sudden change, has it been discussed by the Standing Committee of the Politburo? Is the chairman in danger of Stalin's old age?" Zhou Xiaozhou's words became more serious later. accused them of crimes. Mao Zedong contacted history and said that Peng Dehuai "cooperated with three points and did not cooperate with seven points."In the last meeting, Huang, Zhang, and Zhou identified them as "anti-Party groups" that were "anti-Party, anti-people, and anti-socialist errors of the right-leaning line" and removed them from their posts. Even personal habits become points of critique.Mao Zedong said to Peng Dehuai: You were criticized in the past, and you held a grudge in your heart.We were both in Beijing, and it was rare to even make phone calls. If we couldn't get through a few times, we would say "I don't communicate with you".You came to see me in Xiangshan, because I have a special sleeping habit, and the guard said that I hadn’t woken up, so you walked away without talking.You are deeply involved in the Gao and Rao incident, so it is hard to say what will happen to you in the future... You are poorly organized and disciplined... Why didn't you report and ask for instructions first when you fought a hundred regiments?People say you're a hypocrite, you've always been ambitious.I am 66 years old and you are 61 years old. I will die before you. Many comrades have concerns about you and are afraid that it will be difficult to unite you. Coupled with Lin Biao and others stepping on his feet, it is really difficult for Peng Dehuai to stand up again.Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi briefed Zhang Aiping and others who had just gone up the mountain in advance, worrying that they were on the wrong team and that more military generals and high-level Communist Party officials would be involved in the purge. Soon in Beijing, an enlarged meeting of the Military Commission was held to expose and criticize Peng Dehuai's "communication with foreign countries" and pursue members of the "Anti-Party Military Club" headed by Peng.The final conclusion is that Peng and Huang are "complete hypocrites, careerists, and conspirators" and "the conspiracy to usurp the army, the party, and the country has a long history." It is not difficult to rule out Mao Zedong's fear of Peng Dehuai himself in the fight that took place at the long meeting in Lushan. Otherwise, how could a meeting discussing whether domestic economic affairs were too radical eventually become an attack on Peng Dehuai's personal ambitions and a "military club"? "The accusation.It's just a pity that the whole of China began to turn left to disaster after Lushan and Peng Dehuai's lonely backs.