As documented in the book, throughout the weeks leading up to the crackdown, Zhao boldly insisted that the students were patriotic and should be dealt with gently. On the Politburo Standing Committee, he had support. In the vote on martial law, opponents outnumbered supporters 3 to 2. Apparently knowing that outright opposition to Deng and the elders, who were calling for the crackdown, would be futile, Qiao Shi abstained, and the vote was a draw. Days later, when the time came for Zhao to follow Deng's orders and implement martial law, he refused with the sure knowledge that he would pay for that decision in some way.
Power struggles continue to brew just beneath the surface in Beijing.
Premier Zhu Rongji, a strong advocate of economic reforms, has launched investigations into the business affairs of a number of Li's allies over the last year. According to one source, Li, meanwhile, has been working behind the scenes to get Zhu and his family investigated on charges of corruption. So far, Li's efforts have failed. Li is reportedly backed by powerful allies of former deputy chairman of the Central Military Commission Gen. Liu Huaqing, a protEgE of Deng. Jiang, on the other hand, is backed by the Shanghai clique, a group of cadres and generals whom he personally groomed while he was party secretary in Shanghai.