History of the Long March -- Page 15
The Aftermath In the Great Cultural Revolution, Mao would turn on his old comrades who had brought him to power. With the help of Lin Biao, a number of the Long March survivors became "enemies of the people." Accused, Peng Dehuai was beaten to death by young Red Guards. He was 76 when the end came. He was knocked to the floor and kicked until his lungs were perforated and his ribs broken. When he could no longer rise from his bed, he was deprived of the right to drink water, go to the toilet, or turn over in bed. He died on November 29th 1974. He Long, Lin decided, would be too strong to struggle. He Long had suffered from diabetes and was on insulin. They took He Long to the hospital and gave him glucose injections, a sure case of medical murder. Zhu De found himself accused of being a traitor. Liu Shaoqi, was taken to a prison in Kaifeng where suffering from pneumonia, he was thrown on the cement floor and left to die. Deng Xiaoping was paraded in a dunce cap and sent off to Sichuan for labor. No one knows why Mao did these things. It was blamed all on his wife Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four. Some Chinese hold up five fingers when they speak of the "Gang of Four." ⇦ Back to Page 14 Return to Long March Choices On to Page 1 ⇨More about Liu Shaoqi ⇨ |
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Liu Shaoqi |