American Fugitive, a novel
Chapter 2 Lin Jianhan
In Wuhan China, other people were also investigating Lin Biao’s death.A residential and business mixed use building stood along ShouYi Road in Wuhan, with first floor fully occupied by a row of shops. The shop at the right end had a rectangular sign above it, which read “ShunAn Car Rental” with a small line “Happy self-guided sightseeing, Smooth and safe” underneath. “Smooth and safe” happened to be the meaning of the Chinese characters “ShunAn”.
On the sidewalk in front of the shop, two cars sparkled in the daylight. Posters of new cars lined up on the walls inside the shop. Manager Lin Jianhan’s office was in the back, connected to the front by a side hallway. Jianhan, twenty-eight, had medium height, lean, and fit. The name Jianhan literally means “sword cold” in Chinese. He was from HuangGang, Lin Biao’s hometown. Years ago, Jianhan’s father came to Wuhan and opened ShunAn and a restaurant. Jianhan served as a policeman in HuangGang, after graduating from a police academy. He got tired of patrolling the street after a couple years, came to Wuhan, and took over ShunAn.
A photographed portrait of Lin Biao hung in a gilded frame in Jianhan’s office. The photo was taken when Lin Biao graduated from the HuangPu military academy in 1926, two months shy of his nineteenth birthday. A larger photograph of Lin Biao was hung on another wall, which was taken just before Lin Biao won a victory in the battle of PingXingGuan over the Japanese invaders in 1937. Lin Biao was the commander of the 115th division of the eighth army of China at the time. Wearing a cap with a “blue sky white sun” nationalistic army button pinned at the top, Lin Biao had a clean-cut and handsome face, and looked more like a college student than a thirty-year-old division commander. Only his thick eyebrows perhaps gave an indication that just three years ago, he was the commander of the Red Army’s First Army Group with over thirty thousand men, and had battled with the national army for over seven years. Lin Jianhan was Lin Biao’s grandnephew. He was born after Lin Biao’s death in 1971.
On September 13, 1971, around 12:30 AM, Lin Biao, his wife Ye Chun, son Lin Liguo, and two associates boarded an airplane at the naval airport of ShanHaiGuan, a city two hundreds sixty kilometers to the east of Beijing. Two hours later, the plane crashed on a prairie near Öndörkhaan, a city in the middle of Mongolia, about 1200 kilometers away from ShanHaiGuan. The plane disintegrated into many pieces after impact, and a huge gasoline-fueled fire consumed the lives of everyone on board, including five passengers and four crew members. The fire also burnt an area that was 800 meters across on the prairie. Those were the facts of the so-called “Lin Biao incident” or the “9/13 incident”.
The communist government’s account of the incident was that Lin Biao ordered the pilot to fly to the Soviet Union, an enemy of China at the time, with the intent to defect. The plane ran short of fuel around Öndörkhaan, attempted an emergency landing, and the landing failed, causing a big fire.
The official report was full of holes, however, and didn’t match the facts. If the fuel level were low, how could there be a huge gasoline-fueled fire? Second, if the pilot wanted an emergency landing, why didn’t he waited until fuel tank were empty before landing? Third, the government had no material evidence that Lin Biao intended to defect. Anybody with a brain knew the “official” conclusions were lies.
After the fatal plane crash on September 13, 1971, Lin Biao turned from the vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, second only to Mao, into to a "careerist, “conspiracist" and “traitor.” Over the time, the name Lin Biao became synonymous to “insidious and cunning” in Chinese popular culture.
Since childhood, Jianhan knew that the name Lin Biao was a taboo, and should be avoided in conversations at any cost. After Mao died, however, the government loosened up media control. The cause of Lin Biao’s death became a common topic among ordinary Chinese citizens. Growing up, Jianhan was determined to overturn the unjust official account on his great-uncle’s death.
Lin Biao was the commander of 115th division of the eighth army in 1937
* * * * *
Two other frames were hung on the wall. Both frames contained photographs of Lin Biao’s handwriting. One said “Zhang Liang Fan Li, daring retreat in the face of a rapid current”. Zhang Liang (251 BC – 186 BC) and Fan Li (536 BC – 448 BC) were statesmen who successfully left imperial courts after making major contributions to the establishments of new dynasties. The other frame contained a quote from Confucius: “Among ten thousand things, this is the top priority: self-discipline for the recovery of the order.” Jianhan didn’t know whether the “order” was a Confucius one or Communist one in his great-uncle’s mind, but he was convinced his great-uncle was innocent, and he wanted to restore Lin Biao’s name.
It would have been an unimaginable crime to openly display his great-uncle’s portrait when Lin Jianhan was young. When he graduated from the police academy, however, the government relaxed its control over the topics surrounding Lin Biao.
* - * - * - * - *
It was time for Jianhan to leave for home. He stood up from his chair, only to see his cousin Lin Jianyou entering the office. Jianyou literally means “sword friend” in Chinese. Tall and big, he joined ShunAn after college, and was also keen on finding out the truth behind the deaths of Lin Biao and eight other people on the same airplane. And he had worked just as hard as his cousin toward that goal.
Jianhan and Jianyou had discussed interviewing Li Wenpu for some time. Before the air disaster, Li Wenpu was the Chief Guard for Lin Biao, and was on the post for over ten years. Being Chief Guard meant that Li was the leader of a platoon that guarded Lin Biao’s residence. On the night of the incident, when Lin Biao and his wife and son were on the way to the airport, Li was in the same car. By Li’s later account, he “heard” Lin Biao asking “How far away is Irkutsk (a city in the former Soviet Union on the border with Mongolia)?”. Li “realized” Lin Biao was going to defect, and therefore called for a stop. After the car stopped. he got off, and told people in the car he would never betray his fatherland. By Li’s account, Lin Biao’s son rolled down his window, and shot Li with a pistol. Li was hit in his left arm, and fell on the roadside. The car continued its journey to the airport. Li was found by troops trailing behind, and was sent to a hospital for treatment. Li’s left arm was never fully recovered.
The public had doubts about Li’s account, and suspected from the beginning that Li had shot himself in his left arm. However, the Communist government took Li’s account as truth, and never bothered to check whether the bullet was fired from his own pistol. Lin Biao and everyone on the car were convicted as traitors based solely on Li’s account.
Had Li stayed with Lin Biao, he would have perished like the others in that airplane. Many people suspected that when Li got out of the car, he not only knew the airplane was going to fly out of China, but also that it would crash in the end.
Li never changed his account over the years. Getting anything new out of him would be nearly impossible. That was very clear to Jianhan and Jianyou. Still, they felt that interviewing Li was the first thing to do, and had discussed it for many days.
* * * * *
“I got some ideas about questioning Li Wenpu.” said Jianyou.
“How?” Jianhan asked as he was putting his laptop into a bag.
“Freud said—”
Jianhan laughed.
Jianyou was not happy, and raised his voice. “Listen, Freud said, ‘The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises.’”
“Freud was really good with words.”
Jianyou said “Yes”, and paused. Jianhan said, “Please continue.”
“Let’s get going. We will talk in the restaurant.”
It was a Thursday—the day Jianhan would dine with his close friends. Half an hour later, the two arrived at HuiLong Restaurant. HuiLong, meaning “coming back dragon,” was also the name of Lin Biao’s hometown in HuangGang city. Entering the restaurant, Jianhan waved at a young waitress, who smiled back. The restaurant was almost full. A man over the age of forty in a navy suit and a pink floral pattern tie sat at a table next to a wall. The two Lins sat at the table opposite the man.
Jianhan said, “Haven’t seen you for a month! President must be pretty busy lately.”
The “president” was Lu Dingfeng, who owned a few companies.
“That’s right,” said Dingfeng, and looked at the palms of his hands. “Don’t know how the time went.” He then said, “Heard you’re going to pay a visit to Li Wenpu.”
“Yes. A few years ago, Li told the press that he had stories to tell, but that he would only do so at a future time.”
“That bastard!” said Dingfeng.
Jianyou felt the same way, and said, “Chief Lin was labeled a ‘traitor’ based solely on Li’s words.” Among Lin Biao’s admirers, “Chief Lin” was the favored way of referring to him, because Lin Biao was the Commander in Chief of the vast Northeastern Army Group on the Communist side during the civil war between 1946 and 1949.
Jianhan said, “Li knew that everyone getting on that airplane would die. The question is, what exactly did he know, and where did he get the information from?”
“How could he possibly tell you?”
“He won’t,” said Jianhan, and shook his head.
* * * * *
Three middle-aged men entered the restaurant. All of them frequently participated in the gathering, and they were all from HuangGang. Sitting around Dingfeng were two businessmen, Wu and Qi. Sitting next to Jianhan was Hu, an accountant. After meals were ordered, Jianhan asked Jianyou, “What does Freud have to do with the interview with Li?”
“Freud said, ‘He that has eyes to see and ears to hear may convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore.’”
Qi nodded with a loud “Yes!” Dingfeng also nodded.
Jianyou continued: “We can detect Li’s secret through his gestures and facial expressions. He can’t hide it.”
Dingfeng said, “Why not bring Freud with you?”
Everyone laughed.
Wu asked, “Have you settled on a date with Li?”
“Not yet,” said Jianhan.
Dingfeng asked, “Through whom?”
“Through his daughter. Li does not communicate with others directly.”
Hu said, “All contacts go through a woman. Sounds like Li works the same way as Chief Lin.”
“How could you compare him to Chief Lin?” asked an angry Jianhan.
Nobody said anything.
Dingfeng said, “Maybe Li’s daughter reports everything to the government behind Li’s back, like Lin Doudou did.”
“Doudou” was a nickname of Lin Biao’s only other child, a daughter, Lin Liheng. Five days before the air disaster, Doudou made a secret report to the government, saying that her brother and mother planned to “kidnap” her father to Hong Kong.
A portrait of the Lin family in 1962.
Daughter Lin Liheng, mother Ye Chun, father Lin Biao, son Lin Liguo
Jianhan said, “Doudou leaked her brother’s plan to Li, five days before the air disaster. Li certainly reported it to his superior. Who was the highest-level official with that information?”
Wu said, “That would be Mao, of course.”
Hu said, “With the leaked information, Mao must have planned countermeasures.”
“Right! When you see Li, ask him that question,” Dingfeng told Jianhan.
Two waitresses brought meals. The six men ate and talked.
* - * - * - * - *
One week later, Jianhan still hadn’t received a reply from Li Wenpu concerning the meeting date. Jianhan had found Li’s address in Beijing, however, and decided to pay Li a surprise visit. The two cousins boarded a train and arrived at Beijing. They took a taxi to a residential area.
While walking towards Li’s apartment building, Jianhan said, “We should say something pleasant and make him happy first.”
Jianyou nodded.
* * * * *
Jianhan and Jianyou walked up to the third floor, and knocked on Li’s door. After hearing their introduction, Li hesitated, but ushered them inside. Li was around eighty years old. He stooped slightly, and held a cane in his right hand. The three walked to the living room and sat on sofas.
Jianhan smiled. “Mister Li, you look really healthy.”
“I am okay,” Li said in a flat tone.
“Among the people in close contact with Lin Biao, he trusted you the most,” said Jianyou.
Li nodded.
“Ye Chun was also nice to you. She even got your daughter a nursing job in a Chinese Air Force hospital.”
Li nodded again.
Observing Li’s silence, Jianhan and Jianyou exchanged looks. Jianhan asked, “Mister Li, on September 7th, Lin Liheng told you about her brother and mother’s plan of taking Lin Biao to Hong Kong. Did you report this to your superior?”
Li closed his eyes and said nothing.
If Freud were here, what would he do with Mister Li? Jianhan thought. He decided to switch topics.
“You suffered quite a lot after the 9/13 incident, didn’t you?”
Li Wenpu sighed. “Well, I got the same treatment as all the others.”
Before the 9/13 incident, Lin Liguo was deputy chief of the Air Force’s HQ, and deputy chief of the Air Force’s war office. He had a small inner circle of colleagues and friends. The inner circle had two unofficial names: “Joint Fleet” and “Small Fleet.” Lin Liguo was the “commander” of the Joint Fleet.
Li asked, “Is Zeng Dequan still alive?” Zeng Dequan was a member of the Joint Fleet.
Jianhan said, “He is. He now lives inside the HuBei Provincial military base.”
“Sounds good. The surroundings there must be pretty nice.”
Jianhan and Jianyou were both encouraged that Li had opened his mouth. Then Jianhan asked, “When Lin Biao wanted to move from one location to another, how many guards would move along with him?”
Li was stunned a little bit, and said nothing.
Jianhan added, “If servants came with the guards, the total number of people would be at least ten, right?”
Li’s hands started trembling.
Is Li nervous, sick, or something else? Jianhan had no clue.
Then Jianyou asked, “Wouldn’t you decide who would board the airplane with the marshal?” Lin Biao had been a marshal in the Chinese army.
“You don’t need to know such things…. These, these, these topics may lead you to death,” Li replied.
“On September 12, 1971, why didn’t you bring more guards with the marshal to the airport?” asked Jianyou.
Li shook his head and said nothing. He seemed to be tired.
Jianhan asked, “Did your superior give you a secret order?”
Li’s body shook.
Jianhan asked, “Are you not feeling well?”
Li said nothing. Everyone was silent.
Then Jianyou asked, “Why did you get out of the car that was going to the airport?”
Li closed his eyes.
Jianyou asked, “Did you know that flight would be unsafe?”
Suddenly, Li stood up, waved his cane, and shouted, “Get out! Get out! Both of you! Sons of rabbits!”
Jianhan and Jianyou were shocked. The two picked up their bags, and headed toward the front door. Li followed the two and shouted after them: “You wanted to reverse the Party resolution on Lin Biao. That’s anti-Party, and anti-socialism. Sons of rabbits! I will fight you to the end!”
* * * * *
Li’s daughter opened the front door, and instantly knew who the two young men were. She put down her grocery bags and shouted angrily. “Lin Biao’s case was settled a long time ago by the party central committee. Stop thinking about overturning that case. My father will not tell you anything.”
While waving his cane, Li roared, “As soon as they told me their names, I knew exactly what they would do. Trying to get something out of me . . . No way!”
Jianhan and Jianyou walked out while Li tried to use his left hand to close the door. He had some difficulty because his left arm never healed properly. His daughter slammed the door.
Jianhan and Jianyou were horrified by the violent reactions from Li and his daughter. They came down the stairs as quickly as they could. Their fear subsided only when they left the apartment building.
Jianhan said, “The old man was really rough!”
“He was so tight-lipped.”
“You are our Freud. What do you think of the old man?”
“Crazy man. So tightly wound,” said Jianyou.
“So frightened.”
* * * * *
The two Lin’s were thrown out by Li Wenpu, without getting any new information from him. Jianyou never imagined the visit would fail so utterly. The old man was too cunning. No wonder he survived to this day!
Jianhan and Jianyou decided to interview the next person on their list: Zeng Dequan. Zeng lived inside the Hubei Province army base, which was fenced in and guarded. The communist Northeast Army was renamed the Fourth Field Army Group in 1948, or the “Fourth Field” for short. Lin Biao was the commander of the Fourth Field, which at its peak had over one million soldiers. Although the Chinese Communist government reorganized the army in 1952 and the Fourth Field Army Group no longer existed, former members of the Fourth Field Army Group still identified themselves as Fourth Field people. Many former members stayed in Wuhan, and so did their descendants. Jianhan got acquainted with several such descendants. Through them, Jianhan found Zeng’s address. To see Zeng, one needed to go through several military guard posts. Jianhan enlisted help from his friends, but everyone said getting him through the guards were not possible.
Jianhan had a girlfriend, named Yang Hongmei, who worked at the tax collection bureau in Wuhan. On sunny weekends, Jianhan and Hongmei would hike in parks in the suburbs. On rainy weekends, they would catch a movie or two. No progress was made in the investigation of the Lin Biao incident.
Book website: American Fugitive, a novel
