In 1980, the special court established by the Supreme Court of the Communist Party of China conducted a so-called show-style public trial against the “Gang of Four” (Photo source: Internet picture)
October 6, 1976Mao ZedongOne month after death,Hua Guofeng,Ye JianyingWaiting for someone to startmilitary couparrested the “Gang of Four“,Right nowJiang Qing,Zhang Chunqiao,Yao WenyuanandWang Hongwen. At the same time, a purge of followers of the “Gang of Four” also began.
In 1980, the special court established by the Supreme Court of the Communist Party of China conducted a so-called show-style public trial on the “Gang of Four” and determined that they were all members of the “Lin Biao Jiang Qing Counter-revolutionary Group”. They were blamed for the Cultural Revolution and sentenced accordingly. penalty.
According to court records later disclosed, an attempted armed coup in Shanghai following a military coup in Beijing emerged.
Wang Hongwen admitted his intention to instigate an armed rebellion in Shanghai
On December 13, 1980, Wang Hongwen and Zhang Chunqiao appeared in court for trial. Judge Jiang Hua, Vice President and Chief Judge of the First Tribunal Zeng Hanzhou, and a total of fifteen judges. The CCP prosecutors who appeared in court were director Huang Huoqing, deputy director Yu Ping and three prosecutors.
The court first interrogated Wang Hongwen on charges in the indictment that Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian, Wang Xiuzhen and others “used Shanghai as a base to seize armed forces and instigated armed rebellion when facing destruction” . Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian, and Wang Xiuzhen were all Shanghai secretaries at the time, with different rankings. The latter two were also deputy directors of the Revolutionary Committee.
Wang Hongwen accepted Zhang Chunqiao’s instructions and established an armed force in Shanghai. (Picture source: Internet picture)
Wang Hongwen admitted that he accepted Zhang Chunqiao’s instructions in 1967 and established an armed force under their control in Shanghai. Wang mentioned that Zhang Chunqiao once said that “the army cannot lead the militia, and the leadership of the militia must be in the hands of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee.” Therefore, Wang Hongwen, as the head of the Shanghai General Industry Department, seized the leadership of the militia in the Shanghai Garrison Area, and the power rested with Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen And in the hands of Yao Wenyuan.
Wang Hongwen also explained what he said to Wang Xiuzhen and others that “the army has problems, its line is not correct, and it is unreliable.” He said that it was because there were two factions in the Shanghai Garrison Area at that time, and between the two factions, the real power was held by those who did not support the army. In the hands of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee. As for the statement “What I am most worried about is that the army is not in our hands and there are no our people in the army”, it refers to the army in Shanghai on the one hand and Deng Xiaoping in Beijing on the other.
According to the confessions of Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian, and Wang Xiuzhen, Wang Hongwen also convened a meeting with the heads of the municipal militia headquarters in September 1975 and said, “Whoever wants to slap down the militiamen, as long as I don’t die, I will bring down the militiamen twenty years later.” Pull up.” He also said that he should “prepare to go to the mountains to fight guerrillas.”
Zhang Chunqiao responded to the accusations by remaining silent
During the trial of Zhang Chunqiao, the judge asked about “inciting an armed rebellion in Shanghai” and “instructing Wang Hongwen to establish an armed force under his own control in Shanghai” and Ma Tianshui and others about Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen “tightly controlling the militia in their own hands.” Zhang Chunqiao remained silent on issues such as “completely separated from the leadership of the garrison area and had no contact with the army.”
However, from a series of inquiries by the judge, it was known that on June 27, 1976, just before Mao was about to die, the Shanghai Militia Command applied for a firing squad, but the report was never approved. After Ma Tianshui learned about it, he found the relevant personnel and reprimanded him. , and immediately approved the words “issue immediately”. According to Ma Tianshui, the reason for the rush to fire the gun was because he was worried about a civil war during the period of serious illness, so it was necessary to strengthen the militia and prepare in advance.
It is said that the last time the militiamen obtained 35,000 semi-automatic rifles, in addition to various cannons, rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons, etc.
Xu Jingxian also appeared in court as a witness. He mentioned that on September 21, 1976, just ten days after Mao’s death, he took the opportunity to attend a meeting held by the Ministry of Health from Shanghai to Beijing and reported several things to Zhang Chunqiao face to face. One was the meeting with Nanjing in August After a confidential discussion with Military Region Commander Ding Sheng, Ding Sheng felt that the 60th Army was unreliable and that he could not command this army. However, this army was located on the line between Nanjing, Wuxi, and Suzhou and posed a great threat to Shanghai. Zhang Chunqiao and others must be prepared. He also told Zhang Chunqiao that Ma Tianshui had issued additional guns to the Shanghai militia. Xu Jingxian said that Zhang Chunqiao listened very carefully and asked some questions.
A few days later, on September 28, Zhang Chunqiao sent Wang Hongwen’s secretary Xiao Mu to Shanghai to directly deliver a message to the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, which had never happened before. Six members of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, including Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian, Wang Xiuzhen, Wang Shaoyong, Feng Guozhu and Zhang Jingbiao, were present to listen to the message.
Zhang Chunqiao said, “The situation of class struggle must be analyzed frequently. On the one hand, we must be more vigilant, and on the other hand, we must increase confidence. Of course, we must see that there are still twists and turns, and see that the bourgeoisie still has strength. The question is who is in charge… I am not a worrier. Party, but a little worried, it is difficult to build a country… To be honest, Shanghai has not experienced serious tests. Lin Biao and Deng Xiaoping have not succeeded in building Shanghai. If Lin Biao succeeds, there will be a big test and a war will be fought. “From Zhang Chunqiao’s words. From the rhetoric, it can be seen that the internal competition among the top leaders of the CCP was fierce at that time, and war was very likely to be inevitable.
However, Zhang Chunqiao, who was considered by the CCP to be “mainly responsible for planning armed rebellion”, did not admit the accusations and basically remained silent, judging from the court records.
attempted armed coup
Trial records show that on October 7, one month after Mao’s death, Ma Tianshui and Zhou Chunlin, commander of the Shanghai Garrison District, were notified to go to Beijing for a meeting. This aroused the vigilance of Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian, Wang Xiuzhen and others, who thought this was abnormal.
After Ma Tianshui and Zhou Chunlin went to Beijing, Xu Jingxian and Wang Xiuzhen began to inquire about what was going on. That night, Xu called Yu Huiyong, the then Minister of Culture and Jiang Qing’s celebrity, and then called Liu Xiangping, Minister of Health, to inquire about the situation in Beijing. Later, he had a phone call with Ma Tianshui’s secretary Fang Zuoting, but Fang Zuoting said that the central government had not held a meeting yet, and Ma Tianshui was on standby and did not know the content of the meeting.
After October 7th, Xu Jingxian and Wang Xiuzhen heard Zhang Chunqiao’s wife Li Wenjing say early in the morning on October 7th that Zhang Chunqiao’s son was originally scheduled to go to Beijing on the 8th, but Li Wenjing called Zhang Chunqiao all night and didn’t get through. Something happened. At this time, Zhang Chunqiao had actually been arrested by Hua Guofeng, Ye Jianying and others.
After hearing what Li Wenjing said, Wang Xiuzhen, who was feeling uneasy, immediately called Wang Hongwen personally to ask about the situation, but she also couldn’t get through. After Xu Jingxian and Wang Xiuzhen discussed it, they called for Zhang Chunqiao’s secretary He Xiuwen in Shanghai and Wang Hongwen’s secretaries Liao Zukang and Xiao Mu, who were in Shanghai at the time, and asked them to call Beijing together. After these people arrived, they used various channels to I used various numbers to call Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen, but none of them got through…
Xu Jingxian then called Lu Ying, the person in charge of the People’s Daily, to ask about the situation. As a result, Lu Ying was very unusual and hurriedly hung up the phone without saying two or three sentences.
It was also at this time that Xu Jingxian and Wang Xiuzhen received a phone call from the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China on strengthening combat readiness. The notice specifically mentioned the need to prevent internal escape and escape. The Shanghai Garrison District also reported that the on-site meeting on the army’s library work that was originally decided by the General Administration to be held in Shanghai is now notified to be stopped.
There is no doubt that something big may have happened in Beijing. This made Xu Jingxian and others very worried. Xu and Wang Xiuzhen, Wang Shaoyong, Feng Guozhu, Zhang Jingbiao, He Xiuwen, Xiao Mu, and Liao Zukang gathered together to analyze the situation and speculate on who had the trouble.
At this time, Zhang Jingbiao, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, called Beijing Jingxi Hotel through the military phone in the Shanghai Garrison Area and found Ma Tianshui’s secretary Fang Zuoting. Fang Zuoting told them that calls outside the meeting were not allowed, and that when they arrived in Beijing this time, people in military uniforms would pick them up. Fang also said a secret phrase, “My old stomach problem is serious.”
After putting down the phone, several people speculated what Fang Zuoting, who had no stomach problems, meant by this code word. Wang Hongwen’s secretary Liao Zukang said: “A few old marshals, like Ye Shuai and Xu Shuai, still have appeal.” Everyone then understood that a few old marshals might have used the army to attack Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen.
Several people immediately understood that the situation was very serious, so they went to the head of the municipal militia headquarters, the head of the municipal public security bureau, and the head of the press respectively to give advance greetings and briefings on the armed coup.
That night, Wang Xiuzhen told Xu Jingxian that she had made an appointment with Miao Wenjin, secretary of Jin Zumin, deputy director of the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee, and asked Miao Wenjin to fly to Beijing in the afternoon to check out the situation. If Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen were found, something really happened. Just call and send a code saying, “My mother has a myocardial infarction.” Wang Xiuzhen said that Miao Wenjin had called just now and sent the code message “My mother has myocardial infarction”.
After hearing this, Xu Jingxian was shocked, “Something really happened.” He thought that Zhang Chunqiao’s prediction on September 28 had indeed come true, and that the moment of great test he had spoken of had really come. He immediately called Liu Qingtang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, and confirmed that the telephone contact between Yu Huiyong, Qian Haoliang, Liu Qingtang and Jiang Qing from the Ministry of Culture had also been interrupted. Everyone started talking about it.
At this time, Zhu Jiayao, who was transferred from Shanghai to the Ministry of Public Security by Wang Hongwen and was preparing to become the deputy minister of the Ministry of Public Security, called and said three words: “Everyone has gathered, locked up, and cannot be moved.” This further confirmed that Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen were all arrested.
After a while, Liu Qingtang called again, implying that several people from the Ministry of Culture had also been arrested. After hearing this, Xiao Mu screamed and said, “Oh no, the Ministry of Culture has been attacked, and it will be our turn next.” When Xiao Mu said this, everyone was in confusion, for fear that someone would come to arrest him.
What’s next? Xu Jingxian and others gathered together to discuss countermeasures and finally decided to launch an armed coup. One is based on Zhang Chunqiao’s instructions on September 28, that is, “If someone wants to invade Shanghai, there will be a big test and a war. To fight, you must have strength, and our strength is the Shanghai militia.” The other is Yao Wenyuan’s instructions and theories.
After the Tiananmen Incident in 1976, Yao Wenyuan concluded, “One of the basic lessons learned from the Tiananmen Incident is that revolutionary violence must be used to deal with and suppress counterrevolutionary violence. Some of these struggles are bloody and some are bloodless. We must persist in this struggle in the future. Such a basic experience.” Xu Jingxian deeply agreed with this.
Wang Xiuzhen told everyone that she had talked with Shi Shangying and several other people from the militia headquarters during the day. There were 2,500 armed militiamen with guns gathered in various factories and could be pulled out at any time, and another 31,000 people were scattered. On call.
Wang Shaoyong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, believes that the militia alone is not enough. It requires the strength of a regiment of troops to form a fist. Wang Hongwen’s secretary Liao Zukang then said, we need to bring several people in charge of the garrison area with us, because we cannot mobilize the troops through us, and only through them can we mobilize the troops.
Soon, Xu Jingxian, Wang Xiuzhen and others interviewed Zhang Yiai, chief of staff and deputy commander of the Shanghai Garrison District, Li Renzhai, commander of the garrison division of the Shanghai garrison area, and others, and determined that the garrison division would be the main armed force to plan the Shanghai rebellion.
According to the plan drawn up by Xu, Wang and others, two command centers were determined. One of them was Xu Jingxian, who was responsible for gathering general information and preparing public opinion. The location was set at Lilac Garden on Huashan Road. Other persons in charge include Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee members Wang Shaoyong, Zhang Yiai, Zhang Jingbiao, Zhu Yongjia, Li Renzhai and others. Li Renzhai is in charge of security. One was led by Wang Xiuzhen and was responsible for commanding the military operations of the militia and troops. The location was set at the Municipal Militia Headquarters and later moved to the Donghu Road Guest House. Other participants included Feng Guozhu, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, Li Binshan, deputy political commissar of the garrison area, Yang Xinya, deputy commander, Liao Zukang, Kang Ningyi, director of the Security Department of the Municipal Party Committee, and others.
In addition, at the planning meeting, Liao Zukang also proposed that some of Wang Hongwen’s younger brothers, such as Chen Ada, Dai Liqing, Huang Jinhai, Ma Zhenlong, and Ye Changming, should be brought together, saying that this could mobilize the team of workers. He is responsible for this matter.
After everyone discussed it, and before breaking up, Xu Jingxian wrote the first “coup” warrant in his own hand based on the militia numbers and situation provided by Wang Xiuzhen. The specific content is: “Please ask the militia command to strengthen combat readiness. 3,500 people will be concentrated and 31,000 militiamen will be on standby (that is, concentrated duty in the evening). Please ask the militia command to immediately send people to strengthen the protection of radio stations and newspapers.”
Soon, Xu Jingxian wrote the second order, which read: “Comrade Li Renzhai of the radio station informed the company of the radio station to pay attention to the security and obey the command of Comrade Liu Xiangxian. The third company was informed by Comrade Li Renzhai that they must obey the command of the municipal party committee.” Liu Xiangxian originally He was from the Shanghai Garrison District and was transferred to the People’s Broadcasting Station as Party Committee Secretary.
Subsequently, under Li Renzhai’s dispatch, two companies from the security area entered the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and the radio station respectively to maintain order.
Shi Shangying, deputy leader of the leading group of the militia headquarters, also confirmed in court that on the evening of October 8, the first batch of militia members assembled included 3,240 people, 100 motorcycles, 100 trucks, driver and co-driver, and the second batch There were 13,000 people in the batch, and 101 militia boats and 15 15-watt radio units were used. Secret command points were located at the Jiangnan Shipyard and the National Cotton Factory 17 or the National Cotton Factory 31. They also requested the leaders of the militia headquarters in each district. All are on duty and all will be implemented before 18:00 on the 9th.
Just as the militia forces in various regions of Shanghai were gradually being assembled and the armed coup in Shanghai was imminent, Xu Jingxian and Wang Xiuzhen also received notices to go to Beijing to “attend a meeting.” This should be a measure taken by Ye Jianying, Deng Xiaoping and others to prevent changes in Shanghai.
After Xu and Wang went to Beijing, the remaining people waited anxiously. On the 12th, some people thought that they could no longer wait for Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian, and Wang Xiuzhen to come back to make a decision, either to work hard or not to work. The slogan was “Give me back Jiang Qing, give me Wenyuan, give me Chunqiao, give me back” Give me Hongwen back.” At the same time, the militiamen are required to station at the radio station and the radio station is required to broadcast a message to the people of the city. Some people also suggested paralyzing Shanghai by destroying the power grid… In the midst of the clamor, everyone agreed that the armed coup would continue, and formulated two plans for the armed coup “Defend One” and “Fang Two”.
The main contents of “defending one” are: controlling the headquarters, newspapers, radio stations, bridges, stations, docks, airports and traffic arteries; determining the list of core command personnel: opening command posts; deploying troops; key “support” areas and counterattacks Airborne; passwords, secret orders, signs; ammunition supply and weapon repair; strengthening social control, etc.
The main contents of “Fang 2” are: setting up three “control circles” from the periphery of Shanghai to the downtown area; setting up six control points at the junction of Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang as the first control circle; setting up two “control circles” in the urban area Control circle; and stipulates the tasks of each district and county and the composition of the reserve team.
There is also a communication support plan, which stipulates communication tasks and various communication methods.
However, it is obvious that the failure of this armed coup, which lacked public support and the support of a sitting and powerful senior official, was not surprising.
Also on October 12, senior Beijing officials convened a Politburo meeting in Yuquan Mountain to discuss the Shanghai issue, and decided to send a Central Working Group with Generals Su Zhenhua, an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Ni Zhifu and Peng Chong to Shanghai.
On October 13, Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian, and Wang Xiuzhen returned to Shanghai. They conveyed the situation of the Central Government’s greeting meeting at the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee. Moreover, at this time, the news of the arrest of the “Gang of Four” had reached Shanghai through various channels.
A week later, on the evening of October 20, Su Zhenhua and others secretly went to Shanghai. Under the escort of Du Biao, Commander of the Naval Shanghai Base, and Political Commissar Kang Zhuang, they left the airport and stayed at the Naval Shanghai Base in Shuidian. Su Lianye summoned Zhou Chunlin, the commander of the Shanghai Garrison Area, and the heads of the land, sea and air forces stationed in Shanghai to understand the situation and make arrangements.
The next day, in addition to talking to Ma Tianshui, Xu Jingxian, and Wang Xiuzhen, Su also called in the political commissar of the Nanjing Military Region Liao Hansheng, transferred back all the military personnel involved in the coup, and asked Zhou Chunlin, the commander of the Shanghai Garrison District, to directly arrest the militiamen. The Nanjing Military Region also sent Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang Ting as a member of the working group to supervise the militia headquarters.
The armed coup in Shanghai was aborted. Soon after, Su Zhenhua was appointed first secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and director of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee, Ni Zhifu was the second secretary, and Peng Chong was the third secretary. Since then, they have continued to arrest and examine some people in relation to the coup.
Deng Xiaoping’s so-called “reform” was to prolong the life of the CCP. (Image source: Getty Images)
Although the armed coup in Shanghai seems to be a farce, it also reflects the intensity of the game among the top leaders of the CCP. The Beijing faction headed by Hua Guofeng, Ye Jianying, and Deng Xiaoping won the battle against Zhang Chunqiao’s “Shanghai Gang”. Perhaps this is also God’s will. If Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao and others continue to hold power and maintain Mao’s autocratic rule, will the Chinese who cannot bear it choose to overthrow this regime? The so-called reform and opening up after Deng came to power only extended the life of the CCP by more than thirty years.
Today, the CCP has once again reached a point where the anger of the people and the people have reached unprecedented levels. At this time, there is no one in the CCP who can renew its life, and its withdrawal from the stage of history is not far away.
The ending of the main participants in the coup
In 1981, Zhang Chunqiao was sentenced to death with a two-year suspended sentence, which was later changed to life imprisonment. He died of pancreatic cancer in Beijing Fuxing Hospital in 2005 at the age of 88. Wang Hongwen was sentenced to life imprisonment and died of liver cancer in Beijing Fuxing Hospital in 1992 at the age of 56.
In 1982, Xu Jingxian was sentenced to 18 years in prison, and Wang Xiuzhen was sentenced to 17 years. Ma Tianshui suffered from reactive mental illness and lost the ability to make confessions and pleas, so the preliminary trial was suspended. Ma Tianshui died in Shanghai Mental Hospital in December 1988 at the age of 77.
Xu Jingxian was released on medical parole in June 1992 and completed his sentence in 1995. In 2003, the memoir “A Dream in Ten Years” was published by Times International Publishing Co., Ltd. in Hong Kong. He died of a heart attack at home on October 31, 2007. In 2013, “The Last Memories of Xu Jingxian” was published in Hong Kong.
Wang Xiuzhen was released in 1994. If he were still alive, he would be 89 years old.
Zhang Yiai, then chief of staff and deputy commander of the Shanghai Garrison District, was expelled from the party and stripped of his military rank. He passed away in 2002 at the age of 81. Li Renzhai retained his party and military membership. Currently living low-key in Shanghai, he is now 105 years old.
References:
“Gang of Four” court trial records
“Doomsday Madness – The whole story of Shanghai’s counter-revolutionary armed rebellion instigated by the “Gang of Four” and other parties”
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