Deng Xiaoping’s Ugly Record
Deputy Deng’s Desertion
In 1930, Li Lisan’s leftist line dominated the central leadership, setting an adventurous plan for organizing armed uprisings in major cities across the country and concentrating the Red Army to attack central cities. As political commissar of the Red Seventh Army, Deng Xiaoping was a faithful executor of the “Li San” line.
That July, Deng returned from Shanghai, the headquarters of the “left” line, to Youjiang. He immediately led his troops away from the Red base in Youjiang. To follow the “Li San” line and “strive for victory in one or several provinces centered around Wuhan,” the Red Seventh Army prepared to establish a new base in Xiaobei River to prevent Guangdong warlords from advancing north to reinforce. Under the wrong line’s guidance, the Red Seventh Army focused on attacking cities and large counties and towns along the way, fighting many unnecessary battles, resulting in heavy casualties.
In January of the following year, the Red Seventh Army crossed the North River near Lechang, Guangdong, but was unfortunately cut off by the enemy. Deng Xiaoping had to lead the 55th Regiment and some military units to Chongyi, Jiangxi, for rest and regrouping, preparing to meet at Jinggangshan.
One day, Deng went to Jieba, more than sixty miles from Chongyi, to meet with the Special Committee and to visit wounded soldiers. Coincidentally, enemy troops from the direction of Youyu were attacking Chongyi, and our forces were forced to retreat to Yingqian Town, engaging in fierce battles. Just as many officers and soldiers hoped that Commissar Deng would return quickly, Deng was indeed on his way back. But he reached a mountain about twenty miles from Chongyi, heard intense gunfire, and became panicked, realizing that things were not good. He thought it was too dangerous to go back and decided, “Better to retreat now”.
He hurriedly wrote a message to the Red Seventh Army, saying he knew the troops were retreating and that he couldn’t catch up, so he wouldn’t go. But after writing it, he felt the reason was weak, so he added that he was going to report to the central authorities. After sealing the letter, he sent a messenger to catch up with the supposedly “unreachable” troops, but Deng himself slipped away to Hong Kong and then to Shanghai, seeking refuge with Li Lisan.
Deserting was certainly disgraceful. Before the Seventh National Congress in 1945, the central authorities held a discussion with former officers of the Red Seventh Army. Afterward, Mo Wenhua wrote a brief history of the Red Seventh Army, which was submitted for reference. According to the comrades’ opinions, it faithfully recorded: “Deng Bin (note: Deng Xiaoping), Deng Gang, Chen Haoren, and other leaders did not share hardships and life and death with soldiers, and deserted midway, which is indeed wrong.” These thirty words hit Deng Xiaoping’s core and made him furious, lingering in his mind. But he had no way to respond at that time. Only twenty years later did he find an opportunity for revenge.
At that time, Mo Wenhua was the director of the PLA Political Academy, the first in the country to use Mao Zedong’s works as textbooks. In 1963, Mao personally instructed local cadres to “study at Mo Wenhua’s Political Academy.” But in July 1964, Deng’s close associate Luo Ruiqing sent a work team to the academy, ostensibly for rectification, but actually to persecute Mo Wenhua for “defaming the General Secretary,” claiming that the General Secretary “deserted” during a critical time, branding Mo as an “anti-party element.” It was extremely vicious!
Karma caught up with them during the Cultural Revolution, when these counter-revolutionary revisionists were exposed, and the revolutionaries cleared Mo Wenhua’s name. But Deng’s case of fleeing from the battlefield was never overturned!
Deng Guolao, Deng Manager, and Deng King of Hell
As Mao pointed out, the Long March was a declaration, a propaganda team, and a seed-sower. The heroic Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, bearing the heavy task of resisting Japan and saving the country, broke through the Kuomintang’s encirclement and completed an unprecedented strategic shift.
Deng Xiaoping, who had just deserted, later arrived at the Central Soviet Area. At that time, he also participated in the Long March. He was then a propaganda director under the military corps’ political department.
It should be noted that during the Long March, the propaganda work was quite heavy! But Minister Deng was indifferent; the propaganda officers handled the work, and the team was led by a team leader accompanying the vanguard troops. Deng, broad-minded and fat, paid no attention, reading novels like “Little Five Righteousness” during marches, seemingly a “Deng Guolao.” During rest, he often played mahjong, usually until late at night, and still looked sleepy the next morning, staggering along. In northern Shaanxi, he was still like this. If the troops fought against local tyrants, he cared about food—pork, pork liver, etc. Once, after our army captured Jixian in Shanxi, he hurried into the town with the propaganda team to “make some money.” He ended up finding a large bag of bird’s nest in the enemy county magistrate’s mansion and gobbled it up.
If he was bored with novels and couldn’t find mahjong opponents, Minister Deng would start boasting wildly, executing his “propaganda mission,” but actually just bragging aimlessly from all over the country. He openly admitted to being the “general manager of the bragging company.” But later, he resigned.
The reason was that he was promoted to deputy director of the military corps’ political department and felt his status had changed. Mingling with comrades casually would undermine his “dignity.” So, before taking office, he declared to the propaganda department: “I’ve been promoted! From now on, we must be serious; the bragging company is closing.” From then on, Deng Xiaoping began to act like a high-ranking bureaucrat, putting on a stern face and being serious. Later, when he became director of the political department, he became even more intimidating. Subordinates who were slightly dissatisfied would face his stern reprimands, often making them feel embarrassed. Later, in the 129th Division, it was even worse. He showed no concern or care for officers; he would punish and criticize any mistake, earning him the nickname Deng Yanwang (Deng King of Hell). As a result, many officers in the 129th Division refused to return after the Yan’an rectification.
He was “boastful as an ox” to comrades but “timid as a mouse” to enemies. Deng Xiaoping was exactly like this. As previously mentioned, he had the disgraceful incident of deserting in Chongyi. Now, a few more small incidents:
In 1939, Deng was political commissar of the 129th Division. Once, during camp, comrades Xie Fuqi, Chen He, and Wang Zhenxiang arranged their troops in a triangular formation on the map, with the division headquarters inside the triangle. However, due to some map errors, the division headquarters was exposed. Actually, Wang’s unit was not far, and it wasn’t a big problem, especially since no enemy was detected at the time. But this cowardly Deng was terrified and angrily ordered Wang Zhenxiang’s cavalry to move immediately. Wang thought something urgent had happened and led his communication squad forward, with the main force following. When Wang reached the division headquarters, Deng was furious, pointing at him and shouting, “After so many years of revolution, you still want to hand me over to the Japanese!” This fully revealed Deng’s cowardice and weakness.
Another time, our army encountered the Yan bandits. Our troops were on the ridge, about to descend, while the bandits were in the valley. We had the high ground, which was very advantageous, and there was no need to fear the enemy. Moreover, the bandits hadn’t discovered us. But Deng, upon seeing this, was so frightened that he turned around and ran, even though no gunfire was heard. Comrades were both angry and amused.
In 1940, during a battle in southern Ji, Liu Bocheng was commanding at the front, and the fighting was fierce. But Deng, hearing approaching gunfire from behind, “old habit” kicked in, and he turned pale, his legs trembling, and he ordered the management section to bury some of Liu Bocheng’s military books. The section chief thought it was inappropriate to bury Liu’s things since Liu wasn’t present, but Deng insisted. Due to the hurried burial, the books were later lost.
From these incidents, it is clear that Deng Xiaoping repeatedly fled from the battlefield, and he was not an “old revolutionary” but a genuine deserter and a true counter-revolutionary.
General Secretary’s Remarks on “Civilization” and “Culture”
Mao Zedong said in “On New Democracy”: “A certain culture is a reflection of the political and economic ideas of a certain society”【1】. In “Drop the Illusions, Prepare for Struggle,” he pointed out: “Class struggle—some classes have triumphed, some classes have been eliminated. This is history, this is the history of civilization over thousands of years”【2】. So, what is “culture” and what is “civilization” is already very clear.
However, the esteemed General Secretary made a startling statement: “Not liking to watch Sichuan opera means not understanding civilization!” If he liked reformist Sichuan operas that truly reflect the spirit of our heroic era, perhaps that would be understandable. But the General Secretary deeply hated the reform of traditional opera, so after 1989, he was too lazy to even turn on the radio. Whenever he visited Sichuan, he would go to the theater every night to personally select and listen to traditional operas, mostly involving emperors, generals, talented women, and vulgar, feudal, and pornographic content, such as “Baihua Presents the Sword,” “Huazi Pan Guan,” “Nine Streamed Officials,” and other banned plays. These plays, whether they are “reformed” or not, are problematic. For example, one play originally featured a short official, but to avoid implying the General Secretary, the actor changed him to a tall one—just that.In order to be able to enjoy at any time, he even specially arranged a tape recorder, recording many of his beloved old operas for broadcast at any time. In 1959, he fell and injured his leg after tripping over a carpet while playing billiards, and was hospitalized for treatment, but it happened to be a “blessing in disguise.” At that time, the struggle at the Lushan Conference was very intense, and Deng was always very close to Peng Dehuai. He was happy to hide in the ward, neither checking nor exposing, not even giving a written speech, listening daily to recordings of operas, and even forcing a young female nurse to have a scandalous relationship with him, enjoying the “civilized” blessing, passing the Lushan Conference hurdle.
Regarding “civilization” and “culture,” the Secretary-General also had several “maxims.” For example, “Sichuan’s snacks represent Sichuan’s culture.” “If you don’t eat Beijing’s snacks, you don’t understand civilization.” It shows that Deng was very particular about eating.
Indeed, Deng was well-studied in food and always spared no effort to arrange for good taste.
For large rice, he insisted on eating Sichuan’s “Ma Gu Er.” It is said that this variety is soft and fragrant, but unfortunately has a very low yield. To satisfy his private desires, Deng spared no expense of the state’s funds, airlifting hundreds of jin from Sichuan to Beijing. Even for common seasonings like salt, he insisted on buying from Zigong. As for orange cakes from Neijiang, fat-head fish from Chongqing, and other foods, they were also regular foods for the Secretary-General, often supplied through the Sichuan restaurant set up in Beijing by his local followers.
When he arrived in Sichuan, he was even more active. Once, he went to Chengdu and headed straight for “Lai Tangyuan” right after getting off the train. This was originally a Tangyuan shop run by a landlord, which later became famous and was considered “traditional,” which was Deng’s so-called “culture.” During this visit, Deng criticized while eating: “Lai Tangyuan used to have soy milk and fried dough sticks, why did they remove them?! This is tradition, understand? It must be maintained! I will come again next time, and it must be restored.”
Another time, he patronized “Long Chaoshou,” and the waiter told him about the origin of “Song Sao Noodles,” which was said to be famous after being eaten by an emperor. Deng had long wanted to taste the emperor’s life, and was very happy to hear this. The next day, he invited Li Jingquan to eat “Song Sao Noodles.” While eating, he also instructed Li Zonglin: “Be sure to keep their traditional habits, don’t remove them!”
In these traditional symbols representing Deng Xiaoping’s “civilization,” Sichuan people have the habit of sitting in teahouses, where they can drink tea for most of the day. There, people chat idly in groups of three or two, and listen to low-grade “Qingyin” (light music), which is a waste of time and misleads youth. So, several were canceled in recent years. The former “Cowhide Company General Manager” naturally strongly opposed this revolutionary measure. Listen to his “high opinion”: “Sitting in teahouses is just for resting. Chatting in teahouses is very beneficial. Many people in Sichuan are good at talking, and they are cultivated in teahouses.” When he personally visited a teahouse and saw that the delicate porcelain bowls used by old-timers had been replaced with coarse porcelain cups used by the common people, he was even more furious and said: “Using jars to drink tea is a bad habit brought about after liberation. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of culture!” What a defender of feudal civilization and culture!
Deng’s Petodfi Club
The history of Deng’s Petodfi Club can be said to be quite long. As early as during the Long March, his “Half Leather Company” was the predecessor, and they played mahjong. Later, Deng “manager” was promoted, and the “Cowhide Company” closed, but mahjong was never discontinued.
After liberation, Deng perhaps thought playing mahjong was a bit rustic and wanted to learn some foreign games, so he started playing billiards. Unexpectedly, in 1961, he tripped over a carpet while playing billiards and broke his leg. From then on, Deng Xiaoping was afraid to play again. To fill the spiritual void, he became obsessed with bridge.
In 1961, when the entire nation was under the leadership of the great leader Chairman Mao, self-reliant, hard-working, thrifty, and overcoming temporary difficulties, Deng Xiaoping secretly operated a counter-revolutionary Petodfi Club. He ordered the former Beijing Municipal Party Committee’s counter-revolutionary revisionist Wanli to steal a large amount of construction materials and funds, and built a splendid “High-ranking Cadres’ Club” along the apiary alley, fully equipped with eating, drinking, and entertainment facilities. It was a place for Deng Xiaoping to play cards, dine, and seek pleasure, as well as a secret place for his conspiracy and treachery. So, people said he was playing political cards. The people who often appeared at his card table included Wanli, Wu Han, Xiang Ziming, Wang Hanbin, Lu Yu, Zhou You, Hu Yaobang, Hu Kesheng, Liang Yingyong, Zhao Erlu… a bunch of them. From this list, you can see what kind of activities they were involved in.
Every Wednesday, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon and evening, Deng would inevitably go to the apiary alley, rain or shine, with his card friends taking turns to accompany him, claiming to be “on duty.” They would play until after midnight. If Deng won, it was fine; if he lost, the waiters and guards would be unlucky, and no matter how tired they were, they had to force themselves to stay and keep him company. When there were documents to be approved, he would casually flip through them at the card table and sign hastily. In 1963, during a central meeting discussing the draft of a document on accelerating industrial construction drafted by Comrade Chen Boda, the document was brought to the card table. Deng said, “Comrade Boda is a bit stubborn about this document,” and set it aside, causing immeasurable damage to industrial development.
Between Nannies and County Party Secretaries
Deng Xiaoping was domineering, not only protecting his relatives and letting them be arrogant and overbearing, but even his nanny was quite formidable.
Once, his nanny returned to her hometown for a visit, acting as if she were a high-ranking official. The deputy secretary of the county party committee personally picked her up in a car. The main leaders of Guang’an County Party Committee accompanied her to visit Tianchi. County Party Secretary Li Min reported work to her and asked her to convey greetings to Deng Xiaoping. When leaving, Li Min also presented her with a batch of local specialties using public funds. After returning to Beijing, the nanny immediately wrote a letter to Li Min, saying: “Secretary Li and all comrades: I have given the things you brought to the Secretary-General, and he was very satisfied and sends his regards to you.” The recipient was naturally overwhelmed with surprise, and would naturally show even greater respect in the future.
Lord Deng’s Tour
Deng Xiaoping loved to “inspect” various places, but it was strange that he always chose school holidays. It turned out that “inspection” was actually taking his family on a government-funded trip, with his children and grandchildren. Of course, the school holidays had to be considered. The destinations generally followed a pattern: going south in winter, north in summer. As for specific places, they would hold a family meeting to discuss and decide, with Deng being very “democratic” in this regard. To go out alone was not very good, so he often had Peng Zhen, Hu Qiaomu, Bo Yibo, Yang Shangkun, and others, seven or eight families, accompanying him, old and young, guards, and nannies, all together. They would eat and drink extravagantly along the way, wasting the people’s blood and sweat, which was simply outrageous.
For example, in the summer of 1964, when it was time to go north, Deng led Yang Shangkun, Bo Yibo, and others, dozens of family members, to the northeast for “inspection,” planning to tour Xiaoxing’an Mountains, the old site of the Bohai Kingdom, and Chengde Summer Resort. At that time, Deng’s favorite child, Deng Nan, was preparing for the college entrance exam, so Deng Xiaoping dawdled along the way, waiting for Deng Nan to finish her exam before continuing.
On the way, they arrived in Shenyang. Deng Xiaoping, on one hand, wanted to wait for Deng Nan, but on the other hand, he was also very addicted to playing cards, so he stopped and made a long-distance call back to Beijing, asking Wu Han and Wanli to come and accompany him. Wanli, due to other commitments, could not leave, so Wu Han took two other card friends and flew there on Yang Shangkun’s “top-secret” plane. These three arrived in Shenyang and immediately played bridge with Deng. Yang Shangkun took the opportunity to boast: “I have brought the people you wanted. They are three short of a full table, but you are one short of three!” From then on, Deng Xiaoping had card friends and played day and night. Once, when visiting Daqing, he suddenly turned around and wanted to leave, saying there was nothing interesting. Others thought he had an urgent matter, but once back in the carriage, he immediately started a game of “bridge.”
In Harbin, Deng Nan was probably taking the college entrance exam, so he decided to wait. As long as someone was there to play cards, he wouldn’t be lonely. During these days, he kept calling back to Beijing to ask about Deng Nan’s exam results. After the exam, he used Yang Shangkun’s name to order a special car, bringing Deng’s three children and four children from the Bo family to Harbin.
After touring the primitive forests of Xing’an Mountains, they returned to Dalian for sightseeing. Deng heard that the Wangba (turtle shell) in Jin County was famous for its longevity and youth-preserving effects, so he was eager to try it and immediately ordered preparations. It was hard to find on the market, so the Party Secretary of Zhuanghe County personally went to Biliu River to catch some.
As for these people, their extravagance and corruption along the way could be seen in Dalian. He stayed at Dongshan Hotel for five days, with a single reception costing 4,800 yuan. He held two banquets, each costing 400 yuan. In addition, there was a nightly party every day. Over 200 people participated in the reception work. Deng even specifically brought a female waiter from Liaoning Building to study how to entertain himself. To procure supplies, the Dalian Municipal Party Committee temporarily organized a large procurement team, mobilizing all relevant departments in the city to go all out. It was truly a grand spectacle akin to Emperor Yang of Sui going south.
Carriage Pointing Method
In 1961, Chairman Mao called for a vigorous campaign of investigation and research. Many senior cadres responded promptly and went down to the grassroots. Deng Xiaoping, out of helplessness, also braced himself and stayed for a while. He led Peng Zhen, Liu Ren, Liao Mosha, and a group of troublemakers, taking a special train to Shunyi, only a few dozen miles from Beijing. The train was equipped with medical staff, guards, cooks, attendants, and dozens of other personnel, and carried all kinds of food from Beijing, even drinking water.
To park the special train, a large investment was required, and a dedicated track was built from Niulanshan Station. Near the train, two companies of troops were stationed specifically to guard him, with sentries posted up to ten miles away—truly a case of every blade of grass and tree under surveillance.
During the more than twenty days he ‘stayed’ there, all food and lodging were on the train. Reports were heard on the train as well, with only a few forums held at the county committee, and even fewer visits to the villages. Moreover, upon entering a village, there were posts every few steps, as if facing a major enemy.
What use is such “staying” besides exhausting the people and wasting resources?
Deng Xiaoping at the Zunyi Conference Memorial
In the winter of 1958, it was an ideal time to inspect the south. Deng Xiaoping, accompanied by Yang Shangkun, Li Jingquan, and others, toured the southwestern regions. They visited Zunyi and inevitably toured the Zunyi Conference Memorial.
The Zunyi Conference is one of the most historically significant meetings of our Party. It confirmed the leadership position of our great leader Mao Zedong. Since then, under Mao’s correct leadership, our Party has overcome countless difficulties and dangers, progressing from victory to victory.
Participants in this meeting included, besides the then members and alternate members of the Central Political Bureau, the commanders and political commissars of the First and Third Armies, as well as the political commissar, director of the General Political Department, and chief of staff of the Fifth Army, totaling eighteen people. Deng Xiaoping at that time was merely a propaganda director under the army corps political department and had no right to participate in such a meeting, which is quite obvious.
When they visited the memorial, they saw a photo of the eighteen participants hanging on the first floor. The general secretary couldn’t help but become jealous and unhappy. He then frowned and devised a plan. He went upstairs to the conference room, pretending to revisit the scene. He said solemnly, “Yes, the meeting was held right here.” Then, with a shameless attitude, he pointed to a corner that was not conspicuous, saying, “I sat there during the meeting.” To make others believe he truly attended, he also pretended to be an expert, pointing here and there, rearranging the layout, and talking nonsense. This caused the staff of the memorial to be at a loss, sweating profusely, thinking: “If I remove the general secretary from the Zunyi Conference, I might be doomed.”
Fortunately, Deng didn’t lose his temper at all, but was very gentle and somewhat flattering.
Later, the staff of the memorial had to work hard collecting evidence to prove Deng Xiaoping’s “participation” in the Zunyi Conference. Unfortunately, all efforts failed. Finally, under repeated inquiries from the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, the answer was clear: “We have no materials to prove whether Deng Xiaoping participated in the Zunyi Conference.” According to comrades Chen Changfeng’s recollections, he never saw Deng Xiaoping during the conference. All facts indicate that the claim that Deng Xiaoping attended the Zunyi Conference was purely fabricated by Deng himself. The matter was thus laid to rest.
Deng Xiaoping’s Distortion of History
However, in order to achieve his despicable goals, Deng Xiaoping visited Zunyi again in the autumn of 1965, ostensibly to inspect the display, but actually to check the modifications of the exhibits. At that time, the pro-capitalist faction within the memorial, in order to flatter Deng, dared to distort the Party’s history—adding an extra chair in the conference room, setting up an additional tea set, and increasing the number of photos on the first floor to nineteen. This was utterly shameless.
But history is not a block of marble that can be freely carved. Recently, heroic Red Guards and revolutionary factions at the memorial reversed the distortion, hanging Deng Xiaoping’s photo upside down. The distorted history has been restored to its true appearance.
Qinghua University Jinggangshan Corps “Honest Words”
“Zunyi Dawn” Combat Group
The above “Deng Xiaoping’s Disgrace” is from the May 1967 publication “Down with Deng Xiaoping (Part One)” by the Qinghua University Jinggangshan Corps of the Red Guard.
