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preface

chairman mao once commented on liu bei's way of employing people: "liu bei knows how to employ people, can unite people, and finally accomplish great things." chairman mao's own way of employing people is also eclectic. some people say that "to employ people, you must first know them." only by having a comprehensive understanding of a person can you put the right person in the right position. chairman mao was good at identifying talents with a discerning eye, and his way of employing people has reached a superb level.

during the revolutionary period and after the founding of new china, chairman mao inspected and employed a vast number of talents, from ordinary soldiers to senior generals. chairman mao had a unique view on li xiannian. he praised li xiannian with such flattering words as "a true hero emerges from youth" and "a general never dismounts". he also firmly believed that li xiannian was the only choice for the minister of finance and commented on li xiannian: "he is a good man, but a little soft!" interestingly, during his 40-year relationship with li xiannian, chairman mao used the word "good man" to evaluate li xiannian twice, one of which was after zhou enlai's death...

chairman mao's first meeting with li xiannian: heroes truly emerge from youth

in 1931, the fourth red army was formally established, with xu xiangqian as the commander-in-chief and li xiannian as the political commissar of the 33rd regiment of the 11th division of the fourth red army. prior to this, li xiannian had only launched guerrilla warfare and had never personally commanded a regiment in combat. military operations on the battlefield were not his forte. could the newly appointed "political commissar in a big gown" lead everyone to victory? the soldiers of the entire regiment rubbed their eyes, waiting to see li xiannian's performance.

therefore, the challenge li xiannian faced after taking office was to learn how to fight and overcome military difficulties as early as possible. only in this way could the officers and soldiers of the regiment be convinced and not leave any "handle" for people to laugh at. afterwards, li xiannian was busy all day and night, practicing horse riding and shooting every day, and studying hard on marching, camping, building positions, dividing and annihilating the enemy. his military capabilities made great progress in a short period of time.

on the evening of november 10, 1931, the battle of huangan broke out. under the leadership of xu xiangqian, li xiannian commanded a regiment for the first time, and he did a great job. in the end, the red fourth front army won a great victory and annihilated more than 15,000 kuomintang troops. li xiannian handed in a satisfactory answer in the battle, which also convinced everyone. in his later years, li xiannian recalled the first battle he participated in that year, and he still couldn't hide his pride: "at the beginning, some people were not convinced, but after the first battle, which was a big victory, everyone was convinced!"

since then, li xiannian fought countless tough and fierce battles, and his military talent was gradually developed, becoming a brilliant general. in 1931, the 22-year-old li xiannian served as the regiment political commissar. in 1932, the 23-year-old li xiannian was promoted to the division political commissar. in 1933, the 24-year-old li xiannian was promoted again to the political commissar of the 30th army of the red fourth front army. he was promoted three levels in three years, and his promotion speed was amazing.

in february 1933, the fourth red army opened up the sichuan-shaanxi soviet area. the establishment of the sichuan-shaanxi revolutionary base area dealt a heavy blow to the chiang kai-shek reactionaries and sichuan warlords, and enabled the revolutionary struggle in the northwest to flourish. at that time, chairman mao, chairman of the chinese soviet republic, said: "the sichuan-shaanxi soviet area is the second largest region of the chinese soviet republic... it plays a very huge role and significance in the great battle for the soviet new china." in january 1934, 25-year-old li xiannian was elected as a member of the central executive committee of the chinese soviet republic.

in xiaojin county, aba, sichuan province, there is a mountain that attracts worldwide attention: siguniang mountain, which is known as the "oriental alps". xiaojin county is also famous for this. before the founding of new china, xiaojin county was originally named "maogong county".

in june 1935, chairman mao and zhu de led the central red army across jiajin mountain and arrived at dawe town, maogong county. han dongshan, the commander of the 25th division of the 9th army of the fourth front army, led his troops to welcome chairman mao, zhu de and the brothers of the central red army who had been waiting for a long time. the local people came out in full force to form a mighty welcoming team and welcomed the arrival of the central red army with warm applause.

the fourth red army

all officers and soldiers as well as local people stuffed carefully prepared rice, salt, bean paste, tea, chili noodles and other items into the hands of the central red army soldiers. each sichuan specialty was filled with everyone's deep affection for the central red army. a regiment commander named cao, looking at the full bags of daily necessities in his hands and listening to the cheers of the people, suddenly burst into tears and said excitedly: "thank you comrades, thank you commander-in-chief xu xiangqian for personally sending you to deliver things. this is the greatest support for us!" the good news of the arrival of the central red army soon became known to everyone, and the entire jiajin mountain was immersed in surprise, joy and excitement.

on june 16, li xiannian, the political commissar of the 30th red army, welcomed chairman mao and other central leaders in the east wing of a local french church. chairman mao stepped forward with a smile, shook hands with li xiannian, and looked at him with bright eyes: "you are worthy of your reputation. it is true that heroes emerge from youth."

it was the first time for li xiannian to meet chairman mao in person, and he seemed more excited than usual. chairman mao looked at li xiannian with interest, a hint of a smile on his face: "how old are you this year?" it seemed that he thought that the military and political commissar in front of him, who had fought on the battlefield and made the enemy suffer, was too young. li xiannian said in a loud voice: "you are born in the year of the rooster. you will be 26 in a few days." chairman mao was surprised: "i am 16 years older than you. i am born in the year of the dragon, and i am already in my forties." then, chairman mao said half-envious and half-praisingly: "you are so young and have a bright future!" after chairman mao said this, li xiannian felt a little embarrassed and laughed: "i have younger people under my command. the commander of the 88th division, xiong houfa, just turned 20. he is our little tiger!" chairman mao clapped his hands in surprise and said: "great, great, our party has hope, our army has hope! it's not simple, it's not simple! where are you from in hubei?" li xiannian replied: "hong'an, it was called huang'an before the red army came." chairman mao smiled and said: "i know, i know, comrade dong biwu is also from huang'an. so, you and mr. dong are from the same hometown!" li xiannian said: "yes, mr. dong is my predecessor, teacher, and guide of the revolution." chairman mao instructed: "mr. dong is in the army. you can go to see your fellow villager and teacher when you have time." "yes!"

chairman mao, on behalf of the party central committee, extended sincere condolences to all officers and soldiers of the fourth red army and highly praised the results achieved by the fourth red army. chairman mao and li xiannian discussed the current revolutionary situation together.

chairman mao carefully looked at the map on the table and asked li xiannian: "what is the climate like in the minjiang and jialingjiang areas? what are the geographical conditions like? how are people's lives now?" chairman mao turned his head and looked at li xiannian, looking forward to his answer. li xiannian said in detail: the area between the minjiang and jialingjiang rivers has many flat plains in the mountains, rich products, and dense population. the residents are mainly han, but there are also qiang and tibetan people. it is estimated that there will be no problem in supplying troops and raising soldiers. from a strategic point of view, it is connected to the old base areas of sichuan and shaanxi in the east, shaanxi and gansu in the north, and the chengdu plain in the south. it can attack and defend, advance and retreat, and has a lot of room for maneuver. if the red army enters this area, it will have a foothold, can repair and replenish, restore physical strength, and then develop. while maoxian and beichuan are still under the control of our army, we can fight back, otherwise, it will be difficult to cross the minjiang river again. chairman mao listened with great interest, nodding his head from time to time to show his approval. li xiannian's speech was just what he wanted: "well said! very insightful and insightful!" chairman mao praised li xiannian: "heroes have always emerged from youth since ancient times. it's a pity that we met too late."

in october 1936, the central committee decided to open up the hexi corridor base. cheng shicai, commander of the 30th army of the red fourth front army, and li xiannian, political commissar, led more than 21,800 soldiers (equivalent to two-fifths of the total number of the red army) to cross the yellow river to the west. they were called the "hexi army" and later renamed the "west route army". the battle was extremely difficult. the west route army was surrounded by ma bufang's troops and suffered heavy casualties. li xiannian led the remaining troops into the qilian mountains, which were uninhabited and covered with ice and snow. it was a dangerous area that even birds could not conquer.

the cruel enemy ordered the mountains to be closed, hoping to freeze or starve the red army to death in the snowy mountains. li xiannian led the remaining troops to march in the ice and snow for 35 days, and finally walked out of the qilian mountains, preserving a group of backbone forces for the party.

mao zedong once commented on li xiannian's contribution to the western route army: "li xiannian is a general who will never dismount." in october 1945, the central committee decided to establish the central plains military region, which became one of the seven strategic regions of the national liberated areas, guarding the gates of the east china, north china, and northeast china liberated areas. li xiannian served as the commander.

chen yi once said: "after the victory of the anti-japanese war, the troops of the central plains military region could have marched into the east china and north china liberated areas with open arms, even taking away urinals and chamber pots, but the troops of the central plains military region did not leave for the overall interests." during the revolutionary war, li xiannian made indelible historical contributions. he was honest, cautious, and took the overall situation into consideration. recalling chairman mao's words "heroes emerge from youth", we can see that chairman mao was a man with a keen eye for people.

chairman mao: there is nothing wrong with our approach.

in may 1949, after the liberation of wuhan, li xiannian was appointed secretary of the hubei provincial party committee, chairman of the hubei provincial people's government, and commander and political commissar of the hubei military region. in 1954, the central committee decided to select a local cadre who had economic knowledge and understood the domestic economic growth situation to serve in the central committee. chen yun appreciated li xiannian very much and strongly recommended him to chairman mao and zhou enlai, proposing that he be appointed minister of finance. chen yun knew li xiannian, but what was the main reason for his recommendation? later, chen yun revealed: "being able to cross the qilian mountains and bring out so many people shows that this person is not simple."

however, li xiannian believed that finance was closely related to the national economy and was of great importance. he was worried that he was not capable enough and could not take on the job, so he declined the offer many times. when chairman mao learned about this, he immediately called li xiannian and asked him to meet in zhongnanhai. as soon as they met, li xiannian said frankly: "i can't be the minister of finance. i don't have the ability and level. please consider someone else." chairman mao smiled and said: "if you can't do it and don't want to do it, then i have to invite song ziwen, the minister of finance of the kuomintang, back from taiwan and let him do it." li xiannian quickly said: "chairman, that's fine. i will obey the decision of the central committee."

this incident shows that chairman mao was bold in employing people. and li xiannian did not disappoint chairman mao's expectations, and he did an excellent job.

in 1958, chairman mao met with guevara, the president of the cuban bank. he pointed to li xiannian standing beside him and said to guevara: when we just won the revolution, we were also very short of financial talents. later on, we paid more attention to training various cadres. however, the people we trained were always insufficient. we had to recruit a soldier to manage the money. facts have proved that there is nothing wrong with our approach.

chairman mao: he is a good man, but a little soft.

in 1954, li xiannian entered the central government and served as vice premier of the state council, minister of finance, and director of the finance and trade office. from then on, li xiannian became zhou enlai's right-hand man, actively doing a good job in finance and trade, and was the vice premier who worked with zhou enlai the longest. li xiannian and zhou enlai had very different working habits. zhou enlai often stayed up late to work until dawn. but no matter how busy he was at work the day before or how late he slept, li xiannian would get up early every day, insist on taking a walk to exercise, and start a new day's work after breakfast. at that time, all the ministers, staff members, and local cadres of the state council, including the general office of the central committee and the general office of the state council, talked about the story of "zhou late, li early" with great relish, and passed on the phrase "zhou late, li early" by word of mouth.

in 1972, zhou enlai was diagnosed with bladder cancer. in 1974, zhou enlai was admitted to the 305th hospital of the people's liberation army for treatment. he underwent surgery again and again, 13 operations of varying sizes, and endured tremendous pain. during zhou enlai's illness, chairman mao and li xiannian were concerned about him.

li xiannian went in and out of the hospital no less than a hundred times. sometimes he reported to zhou enlai on the progress of his work, and sometimes he made a special trip to the hospital to visit zhou enlai's condition. he was one of the leaders who communicated with zhou enlai the most in the hospital. on january 5 and 6, 1976, li xiannian went to the hospital to visit zhou enlai twice in a row. january 5 was the day zhou enlai had surgery. chairman mao was very concerned about the results of the surgery and asked the hospital to notify him as soon as there was any news. that night, chairman mao lay in bed tossing and turning, and almost did not fall asleep all night. it was not until dawn that the staff around him reported that zhou enlai had completed the surgery, and chairman mao fell asleep peacefully. on january 7, zhou enlai's condition worsened. chairman mao heard the news and could not suppress his worry. at 9:57 am on january 8, zhou enlai passed away. li xiannian heard the news and rushed to the hospital. he was the first among the central leaders to appear in the hospital. at noon on january 8, the staff around him brought zhou enlai's obituary. at this time, chairman mao was lying in bed resting. the staff read the obituary to chairman mao. when he heard the words "comrade zhou enlai passed away," tears welled up in chairman mao's eyes. he raised his head slightly, looked toward the ceiling, and said to himself, "enlai, you are gone." tears could not help but fall, and soon a large area of ​​the pillow was wet.

the death of zhou enlai meant that chairman mao lost an old comrade-in-arms with whom he had known for more than half a century, and also lost a capable assistant in military and political affairs. at the critical moment when the country was constantly moving forward, chairman mao was very aware of how great the loss of zhou enlai was, and he was in deep sorrow.

on january 8, li xiannian was in a low mood. he sat quietly during lunch and dinner and hardly ate anything. during dinner, he stood up and walked out. after a while, the family heard a heavy "boom". they didn't know what happened for a while. a second or two later, they heard li xiannian calling his daughter's nickname loudly: "little sister, little sister..."

the family members rushed over and saw li xiannian fell to the ground, and immediately helped him up. li xiannian stood up without saying a word. the family members felt a little bit of his sadness at the moment, and they were worried and anxious.

at that time, li xiannian's face was gray and haggard, and it was obvious that he was in great grief. he was such an old revolutionary who valued friendship and loyalty. on that day when the whole country was in grief and everyone was crying, li xiannian's lonely figure and haggard face silently expressed his condolences for zhou enlai.

on january 14, chairman mao reviewed and approved zhou enlai's eulogy. he repeatedly considered every word and every sentence. this eulogy described zhou enlai's life experience and deeds, and also brought chairman mao back to the years when he met zhou enlai. for more than half a century, they worked closely together to save the nation from danger and build a new china together. however, one of them left. thinking of this, chairman mao lay on the table and burst into tears. when the staff heard the crying, they rushed in and saw a heartbreaking scene.

at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of january 15, zhou enlai's memorial service was held in the great hall of the people. chairman mao was old, suffering from illness, and had not made a public appearance for a long time, so he did not attend the memorial service. however, chairman mao sent a wreath of mourning. on this day, chairman mao sat in front of the radio early, asking the time again and again, afraid of missing the memorial service. when the memorial service began, funeral music kept coming from the radio, and each beat struck chairman mao's heart directly. he became more and more sad, and tears rolled down silently. after zhou enlai's death, when chairman mao was considering the new prime minister, he talked about li xiannian and commented: "he is a good person, but a little 'soft'."

in his later years, chairman mao's hobby of reading books and newspapers never changed, and there were special staff members who read books and newspapers to him. after zhou enlai's death, chairman mao often stayed alone in the room, turned off all the lights in the room, and listened quietly to the poems and songs on the radio. at such a moment, chairman mao deeply remembered a poem he liked when he was young, "fu on the dead tree", written by yu xin, a writer of the northern and southern dynasties. chairman mao liked the patriotic feelings in yu xin's poems, so he sent people to find this "fu on the dead tree". after finding this poem, chairman mao said to the staff: "you take the book and see if i can recite it." after that, chairman mao recited with full emotion: "this tree is swaying, and its business is over!... i planted willows in the past, and they were lingering in the south of the han river. now i see them shaking and falling, and i am sad in the river. if the trees are like this, how can people bear it!"

chairman mao recited the poem from beginning to end, but he still felt unsatisfied after reciting it. although he felt tired even when he spoke, he still recited it a second time despite his physical discomfort. "in the past, i planted willows, which were swaying in the south of the han river. now i see them withering, and they are sad in the river. if trees are like this, how can people bear it!" this poem uses trees to metaphor people, and uses the process of trees flourishing and withering to metaphor the strong feelings of people from young and ambitious to old and frail. this poem may be exactly what chairman mao was thinking at this moment. he thought of the "overcoming difficulties" with his comrades decades ago. that period of time was an epic of revolution. now, he is in his twilight years, how can he not feel sad!

postscript

chairman mao, zhou enlai, and li xiannian devoted their lives to the country, no matter whether it was during the revolutionary period or after the founding of new china, no matter what position they were in. their spirit and their friendship will always be remembered in people's hearts.