Li Keqiang’s Wronged Soul Storms Zhongnanhai — The Military Becomes the Lever of China’s Great Upheaval

Illustration: Is Zhang Youxia the "bowman" predicted in the Tui Bei Tu prophecy to launch a coup? (Illustration by People News)

[People News] In October 2023, former Premier Li Keqiang suddenly passed away, shocking public opinion both domestically and abroad. Over half a year later, this seemingly buried event has been deliberately unearthed in June 2025—on the eve of the 4th Plenary Session—and thrust back onto the political stage. A well-informed source publicly exposed all the details of Li Keqiang’s death on the “Old Lamp Channel,” claiming to know who ordered it, who executed it, and who covered it up. The death was laid out as a premeditated, planned "targeted elimination" operation.

Li Keqiang’s Spirit Used to Pressure Zhongnanhai

What makes this revelation intriguing is not just the shocking content, but the timing. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has always adhered to the strategy of “letting time wash away scandal.” Six months should have been enough to cool public sentiment. But now, just as the sensitive 4th Plenary approaches, the detailed cause of Li Keqiang’s death has been thrust into the spotlight. This is no accident.

This is a coordinated information warfare campaign: Overseas accounts first released emotionally charged content. Domestic social media quickly spread it like wildfire. Official state media kept silent, producing a “semi-authorised” effect of dissemination. The strategic objective is clear: Undermine Xi Jinping’s legitimacy by using the "wronged soul" of Li Keqiang as a political weapon for a renewed offensive.

Li is no longer just a deceased figure, but is being repurposed as a symbolic battering ram positioned at Zhongnanhai's gates—a form of palace siege. The message is unmistakable: If Xi does not voluntarily relinquish power, he will be forcibly collapsed.

Whether or not people believe the details is secondary; what can’t be ignored is the political effect being unleashed. If even a former Premier can be technically eliminated, then what bottom line remains for this regime?

Zhang Youxia Overturns Xi Jinping’s Military Reform

Coinciding with this explosive leak is a major reshuffle within the military system. Since early June, Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia has presided over an extended, high-level military meeting lasting more than ten days. Unlike past internal meetings, this one was of unprecedented scale and formality. Leaders from all service branches were required to attend in person, while the once-crucial commanders of the five theatre commands—core to Xi’s military reform—were completely excluded.

The theatre command system was a hallmark of Xi’s military reform. The old seven military regions were reorganised into five joint theatre commands, ostensibly to improve joint operations and efficiency. In reality, the goal was to weaken regional power centres and enhance centralised control.

But under Xi’s model, troops were handed to the branches, and the theatres became toothless tigers. To move troops, approvals from the Military Commission were needed; to reassign personnel, multiple bureaucratic reviews were required. In actual combat, by the time the green light came, the war would be lost.

Even worse, the former "Four General Departments"—General Staff, General Political, General Logistics, and General Armaments—were broken into 15 direct departments under the Central Military Commission. The result: chaotic hierarchy, command bottlenecks, and endless infighting. In short, the military was turned into a pot of mush.

This whole setup came to symbolise “rubber-stamp command centres” and armchair generalship.

Now Zhang Youxia is bypassing the theatre system altogether and directly summoning the top brass of service branches. The core agenda of the meeting: Abolish the theatre command system; Restore the seven military regions; Reinstate the Four General Departments; Reconstruct the combat command chain. In essence, this is a de facto declaration that Xi Jinping’s military reform has failed and is being terminated.

There has long been a consensus within the military that the theatre commands were never true combat units—they were political roadblocks. The Four Departments were the real backbone. The mantra of “absolute political loyalty” under Xi must go.

What’s even more noteworthy is that this military meeting was not a closed-door session with top-down decisions, but rather one that widely solicited opinions. Veteran officers from various military branches unexpectedly began voicing input on promotions, personnel decisions, and organisational structure. There was even the emergence of a personnel reporting mechanism where subordinates could make suggestions regarding their superiors — a prototype of what could be called “quasi-military democracy.” This reflects a dual intent: both purging and rebuilding the system.

Who Gave Zhang Youxia the Imperial Sword?

Zhang Youxia’s boldness to challenge the theatre system and restructure the military does not come from him alone. Though he’s a princeling and vice chairman, without central-level backing and real erosion of Xi’s authority, he would never dare to overturn a system personally installed by Xi.

The truth is, the hearts and minds within the military have long shifted. Xi’s reforms were seen as ineffective, and the Four Department model’s efficiency remains embedded in institutional memory. Even more critically, with the economy in shambles, public servant salaries delayed, and social unrest surfacing, the military cannot remain detached.

History provides precedent: When Deng Xiaoping launched reforms and cut a million troops, it was based on the judgment that no major war was looming and the country needed to focus on economic construction. Hence, the 4th Plenary will likely declare a major strategic shift: From “building a community of shared future for mankind” to prioritising domestic economic development.

Military Rehabilitation Wave Approaching — Zhang Personally Intervenes

Reports suggest the meeting also touched on re-investigating past purges under the theatre command era—wrongful cases against senior officers accused during Xi’s anti-corruption campaign. Some family members have repeatedly petitioned the central government, even publicly proclaiming the injustices. Zhang Youxia has personally intervened, indicating a military redress movement is imminent.

Conclusion: The Military Reemerges as the Lever of China’s Upheaval

Li Keqiang’s death may have let some in Zhongnanhai sleep a little easier for a few days. But now, that death has become a haunting nightmare. The sudden and detailed revelations of how Li died, coupled with Zhang Youxia’s overhaul of Xi’s military reform, send a clear political signal:

The CCP’s power core is fracturing. The military is once again the decisive lever in China’s great political transformation.

Xi Jinping’s regime is no longer a golden bell immune to strikes—it is quietly, invisibly crumbling. △

(Translated from a Jiang Feng video commentary)