The comrades who committed the error of right-leaning opportunism did not raise their views at last November’s Zhengzhou Conference, nor at the Beidaihe Conference when high targets were being discussed, nor at the Wuchang Conference in December, nor at the Shanghai Conference held in late March and early April. Instead, they chose to bring up their concerns at this Lushan Conference.

Why did these comrades fail to voice their objections earlier? Because their own position could not have been put forward then. If they had held a set of sound, superior views, they would surely have raised them at Beidaihe! Instead, they waited until the central leadership had already resolved, or largely resolved, the issues before stepping forward. They reasoned that if they did not speak up now, it would be difficult to do so later—since they believed that within a few months the situation would improve, and once that time had passed, it would become even more challenging to make their case. Hence, they felt compelled to act quickly and initiate their campaign.