Beijing at Breaking Point: Troops Move In, Highways Sealed, Military About to Open Fire?

Following the shocking detentions of Zhang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli, Beijing appears to have entered its most severe state of emergency in years. Multiple warning signs are emerging simultaneously. Major highways leading into the capital have been abruptly sealed. Civilian vehicles order to exit key routes, while columns of military vehicles are reportedly moving in coordinated directions. At the same time, unverified but persistent reports suggest that forces believed to be may be advancing toward Beijing, raising fears of internal confrontation. Against this backdrop, the struggle for power between Xi Jinping and the remaining factions within the Chinese Communist Party is reaching its most critical and dangerous phase yet. As established authority fractures, loyalty is tested, and China's leadership faces a moment of extreme uncertainty. According to commentary published on January 26 by Taiwanese economist Wu Jilong, unverified reports suggest that military forces loyal to Zhang Yuxia are allegedly moving toward Beijing, raising concerns that China could face serious internal instability or even the risk of internal armed conflict. Wu Jilong wrote that the situation remains unresolved following the detention of two senior figures from the Central Military Commission. These include Zhang Yuxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, chief of the Joint Staff Department, both of whom were officially announced by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense on the 24th as being under investigation for alleged serious disciplinary and legal violations. According to Wu, the Chinese leadership has accelerated official messaging through state media, suggesting that tensions between opposing sides are extremely high. Wu warned that Zhang Yuxia should not be underestimated or assumed to be easily removed. He argued that many of Xi Jinping's major initiatives have stalled or failed to deliver results, citing projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative, Xiongan New Area, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao-Greater Bay Area, the Beijing Stock Exchange, the Hainan Free Trade Port, the Shenzhen International Financial Center, and developments in Hong Kong. Wu speculated that Xi Jinping's attempt to neutralize Zhang Yuxia could ultimately face a similar outcome, though he stressed that the situation should continue to be observed rather than rushed to conclusions. Wu also pushed back against claims that Xi Jinping now holds unchecked power and could therefore launch a military adventure against Taiwan. He stated that he does not agree with this assessment, arguing that the confrontation between Xi Jinping and Zhang Yuxia is far more complex than it appears. According to Wu, Xi Jinping is currently consumed by internal power struggles and lacks the capacity to shift focus toward external military action. He further reassured that Taiwan's security does not rest solely on Beijing's internal dynamics. Wu emphasized that Taiwan maintains internal awareness of developments within the Chinese system, including intelligence networks and satellite monitoring of ground military movements. He argued that any attempt to launch a military operation against Taiwan would be highly complex and difficult to conceal. Wu concluded by questioning whether Xi Jinping even possesses commanders capable of executing such a challenging military campaign. He suggested that if such figures truly existed, the leadership would not need to go through the current internal confrontation with Zhang Yuxia in the first place. Internal Report Highways Leading Into Beijing Abruptly Restricted As Large Numbers Of Unusual Videos Spread On WeChat Following the Chinese Communist Party's official announcement on January 24 regarding the detention of Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Yuxia and Joint Staff Department Chief Liu Zhenli, the situation in Beijing is widely believed to have entered an unusually tense and abnormal state. On Chinese social media platforms, particularly WeChat and Douyin, a large number of videos have surfaced showing that major transportation arteries leading into Beijing have been suddenly restricted, accompanied by images and electronic messages that have triggered widespread public anxiety. According to information circulating on social media, on January 25, drivers traveling toward Beijing on the Beijing Harbin Expressway encountered a highly unusual scene. Large electronic display boards mounted above the expressway suddenly showed bold red text reading, All vehicles are requested to leave the expressway as soon as possible. Multiple drivers reported that at the same time, navigation systems lost their usual functions, including real-time traffic conditions and speed monitoring alerts, leaving maps blank and unresponsive. One Douyin video documents the experience of a driver who departed from the Tangshan area of Hebei province at approximately 6.30 a.m. He described the trip as nerve-wracking, saying that in many years of driving, he had never encountered a situation in which all vehicles were ordered to exit an expressway simultaneously. After traveling a short distance, he noticed that his navigation system displayed no information at all, further intensifying his unease. Shortly afterward, roadside electronic screens lit up with large red characters instructing all vehicles to leave the expressway immediately. What struck him most was that the lanes heading toward Beijing appeared almost completely empty, while traffic in the opposite direction continued to flow normally, creating an extremely abnormal contrast. Feeling uncertain, he pulled over to check for any official announcements on his phone but found none. The driver said he cautiously continued driving for another two to three kilometers until he reached a service area. The service area appeared deserted, with only a small number of staff present. After asking for information, he was told that the road segment ahead was under temporary control for unspecified reasons, and that drivers were required either to turn back or exit the expressway at the nearest off-ramp. He later described the experience as deeply unsettling, saying that although his original plan was to travel to Beijing, he was ultimately forced to abandon the expressway and detour via national highways. Even after leaving the area, the image of the empty expressway heading toward Beijing continued to haunt him. On January 26th, additional videos began circulating showing that on some routes leading into Beijing, civilian vehicles were not allowed to enter expressways at all, while long convoys of military vehicles moved continuously in one direction. In one video, a civilian driver stopped by the roadside can be heard muttering to himself that he wanted to enter the expressway but could not, because it's all military vehicles. The footage shows various types of military transport vehicles moving one after another, fueling speculation about large-scale troop movements amid a highly sensitive political and military climate. At the same time, WeChat has been flooded with a growing number of short, cryptic videos that appear to hint obliquely at major upcoming events. An ex-account known as ZhiBrainEra commented that since Zhang Youxia was publicly dealt with by the CCP, WeChat has seen a surge in these strange videos. They are typically brief, lack clear context, and convey vague suggestions that something big is about to happen. The account questioned whether such content could be implying preparations for a decapitation-style operation. In one widely shared clip, a young man wearing a mask and sunglasses states, The organization has dispatched personnel under the codename Youth to the East China 06 area to carry out the Cicada capture plan. Please remain alert. In another video, a young man wearing a mask, sunglasses, a hat, and a head covering claims that he has received a system notification indicating mysterious activity in a certain district and that he is packing up and preparing to depart. None of these videos have been independently verified, but their circulation has significantly heightened public unease and speculation. Political commentators have weighed in on these developments, warning that the simultaneous downfall of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli marks an extremely dangerous new phase in CCP's internal power struggle. Commentator New High Ground wrote on X that the purge represents a shift away from targeting peripheral figures under the banner of anti-corruption and toward directly striking at core red second-generation elites and their family networks within the military. According to this view, Zhang Youxia's detention is not a sign of regime consolidation, but rather the death knell of the CCP's long-standing red consensus, signaling a slide from rigid stability into a state of high-risk instability. An article published under the byline Fu Longshan on the website Vision Times also argued that Zhang Youxia's removal symbolizes the collapse of the last senior military figure who combined both red lineage and genuine combat authority. Regardless of how state media frames the event, the psychological blow to mid-level officers is described as devastating as it reinforces the belief that no matter how high one rises within the CCP system, eventual political purges are unavoidable. The article further warned that the CCP's trajectory toward extreme political control is eroding the military's actual combat effectiveness and flexibility. In this increasingly rigid and brittle state, if economic deterioration leads to insufficient funding for stability maintenance, the deeply suppressed tensions within the military could erupt suddenly, potentially triggering a chain reaction reminiscent of historical regime collapses. According to this analysis, the developments unfolding now may represent not renewed stability, but the early signs of a far more dangerous and uncontrollable phase ahead. MAJOR SHOCK Reports claim massive purge across Beijing garrison, multiple PLA theater commands, air force, and army leadership. Domestic sources claim that on the night before last, Liu Zhenli, the last remaining member of the Central Military Commission and chief of the Joint Staff Department, was raided and taken away. Also reportedly detained were Wang Xianglong, deputy political commissar of the Beijing garrison along with the air force's top two leaders, the top two officials of the Academy of Military Sciences, and the army political commissar Chen Hui, all of whom were reportedly removed. The reports further claim that Miao Wenjiang, political commissar of the Central Theater Command, Liu Xiaowu, deputy commander of the Western Theater Command, Zhang Xuejie, deputy political commissar of the Western Theater Command, and Zhao Lei, director of the army political work department, all four lieutenant generals were taken in two days earlier. According to the leak, apart from a few top figures at headquarters, there are allegedly no active three-star generals remaining at lower levels. It is also claimed that at 10.30 a.m. yesterday, the air force convened a video conference that was then relayed to leaders at division level and above. Following this meeting, air force commander Chang Dingqiu, political commissar Guo Puchao, vice commander Yu, and deputy political commissar Ji were all reportedly dismissed. The air force is now said to be under the temporary leadership of the chief of staff and a newly appointed discipline inspection chief. Another claim states that the central authorities have decided to construct a second Qincheng military prison directly under the Central Military Commission's security department. The facility is said to include separate detention areas for generals and field-grade officers with up to 2,000 rooms. Wang Duran noted that the detention of Liu Zhenli was officially announced by the Chinese Communist Party on the 24th, although the exact date of the alleged raid varies among different versions. One version traced the event to the 16th, while another, cited by Kai Shenkun, claimed Liu was detained at the Central Party School on the 19th by the Central Guard Bureau. Wang stated that while secrecy would be impossible given the scale of the alleged purge, the names and positions mentioned do correspond to real officials, making the leak appear highly credible in scope, though still unverified. The reports also claim that aside from a few top headquarters figures, no three-star generals remain in active service. Wang Duran analyzed that apart from newly appointed CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin and Defense Minister Dong Jun, only two active full generals are said to remain. Yang Zhibin, commander of the Eastern Theater Command, and Han Shengyan, commander of the Central Theater Command, both recently promoted. Additional rumors claim that references to Zhang Youya's arrest were removed from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection website. All of the above information remains unverified and is provided for reference only. Report claims CCP insider says over 500 million people died in China within five years after pandemic outbreak. China's population data has long been a focal point of international scrutiny. Recently, an explosive whistleblower revelation, allegedly coming from an official within China's civil affairs system, has circulated widely, claiming that more than 500 million people have died in China within the five years since the COVID-19 outbreak. The allegations include not only pandemic-related deaths but also large numbers of deaths linked to organ harvesting, with claims that millions of bodies' missing organs were reclassified as missing persons. The content of the revelations has shocked observers. According to a report compiled by Vision China journalist Li Muxi, a former mainland Chinese media professional living overseas, Zheng Jiaming disclosed on January 25 via an ex-account known as Xiufeng Zhenren that he had received an anonymous whistleblower tip on January 24 from an official inside the Chinese Communist Party's civil affairs system. Zheng stated that the content was deeply disturbing and aligned with many of his long-held suspicions. While emphasizing that he is unable to independently verify the authenticity of the claims, the whistleblower alleged that China's population has never been 1.4 billion. During the Hu Jintao and Jiabao era, the sixth national census conducted in 2010 recorded a total population of 1.3397 billion. However, when the seventh national census was completed in November 2020, the actual population figure was allegedly only 1.0933 billion, representing a sudden drop of more than 200 million people within a decade. According to the whistleblower, Xi Jinping was reportedly shocked when informed of the census results and felt the data severely damaged the regime's image. He allegedly ordered the results to be temporarily withheld and instructed teams to beautify and revise the numbers. This, the whistleblower claimed, was the real reason why the seventh census results were delayed for an unprecedented six months before being officially released. The whistleblower further claimed that during the three years of the pandemic, China's true death toll reached 387 million people. After the lifting of strict lockdown and zero COVID measures in December 2022, another 153 million people allegedly died within the following two years. In total, the whistleblower asserted that approximately 530 million people have died since the pandemic began. Crucially, the whistleblower emphasized that not all of these deaths were caused directly by COVID-19 infections or vaccine side effects. According to the allegation, a significant number of those recorded as suffering heart death or brain death did not die naturally but were victims of killings linked to China's organ harvesting industry. The whistleblower claimed that many deaths during the pandemic were in fact the result of state-sanctioned organ procurement. The revelations further stated that an organ transplant and harvesting industry, which authorities allegedly promoted as a new economic growth point, expanded rapidly under the cover of the pandemic. Strict lockdown measures, mass testing, and population controls reportedly made organ matching and covert killings far easier than before. The whistleblower asserted that this industry experienced unprecedented growth during the pandemic years. It is noted that independent investigations by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong have long concluded that large-scale forced organ harvesting began after the CCP launched its persecution of Falun Gong in 1999 and has continued for more than two decades, with donor databases already established. Public records also show that China's organ transplant sector expanded dramatically after 2000, with liver transplants alone reportedly increasing to nearly 10 times the 1999 level. Against this backdrop, the whistleblower alleged that the CCP once again exploited the pandemic to massively expand forced organ harvesting. The whistleblower claimed that during the first three years of the pandemic, among various targeted groups subjected to organ harvesting, people born in the 1980s accounted for the highest proportion of victims. According to the allegation, the death rate of the post-80s generation during the pandemic was twice that of those born in the 1970s, and even higher than that of people born in the 1950s. This, the whistleblower asserted, was the real reason behind the unusually high mortality rate observed among China's post-80s population, a phenomenon that has drawn international attention. Another shocking allegation concerns the treatment of bodies' missing organs. The whistleblower claimed that toward the end of 2024, authorities became extremely nervous and ordered that many deaths associated with organ donation no longer be included in official death statistics. As a result, bodies' missing organs that were abandoned across the country were no longer classified as deaths during cremation at funeral homes, but instead recorded as missing persons. Beginning in 2025, public security authorities allegedly stopped opening cases for abandoned bodies' missing organs. According to internal funeral home statistics cited by the whistleblower, the number of such bodies has reached an astonishing scale and continues to rise sharply. The year 2025 was described as an unprecedented peak, with more than 14 million bodies' missing organs reportedly cremated nationwide and recorded as missing persons. The whistleblower described this as nothing less than mass murder. The whistleblower stated that although his faith in the Communist Party had long since collapsed, he had previously managed to endure life within the system. Even as the economy deteriorated, civil servant salaries were slashed or delayed, and living conditions worsened, he could still tolerate the situation as long as he did not know this truth. However, witnessing what he described as a regime that calls itself a people's government engaging in large-scale killings of its own citizens, especially the younger generation, for massive profits, pushed him beyond endurance. He concluded with a dire warning, saying that unless China undergoes a complete change of regime, the population could face extinction and the country itself could collapse. In the comments section, Xu Feng Zhenren added that since the pandemic began, children in Chinese orphanages have rarely survived to adulthood. During the Wuhan lockdown, entire families reportedly died, leaving behind orphaned children who later disappeared after being sent to orphanages, allegedly becoming spare parts. Separately, a video released by a woman of Chinese descent recently gained attention overseas. She explained her analytical methodology and used AI-based calculations to estimate that China's actual population may be only around 500 million, far below the officially claimed 1.4 billion. She stated that she had previously predicted the population would fall below 400 to 500 million. Further doubts about China's population figures have also emerged from other sources. A vision. China columnist pointed out that after a massive data breach at the Shanghai Public Security Bureau in July 2022, leaked databases containing names, birthdates, addresses, and ID information reportedly included around 970 million records, suggesting that the actual population recorded by public security authorities may be closer to 1 billion. In January 2023, Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi publicly stated that the CCP had concealed the true scale of the pandemic for over three years, and that approximately 400 million people had already died, with the total expected to reach 500 million by the time the wave ended. Although many initially questioned such figures, one reader comment drew significant attention by breaking down the numbers. If 400 million people died over three years, that would average roughly 300,000 deaths per day nationwide. Spread across more than 2,000 counties, this would amount to fewer than 200 deaths per county per day, making the losses less immediately perceptible, especially in rural areas with many villages. However, the commenter noted that in recent months, deaths surged sharply, with funerals becoming ubiquitous in rural areas and crematoria in cities overwhelmed with backlogs lasting months. Despite the National Bureau of Statistics announcing on January 19 that China's total population stood at 1.400489 billion at the end of 2025, social media users across the mainland continue to report empty cities, deserted villages, shuttered markets, and vast ghost towns. Many netizens openly questioned the credibility of the CCP's official population data. Thanks for watching China Today. If you enjoy in-depth, unbiased journalism, we encourage you to subscribe, leave your comments, and join the conversation. Until our next episode, keep staying informed and take care.