During the Red August of Beijing, on August 18, 1966, over a million Red Guards from all over the country gathered in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing for a personal audience with the Chairman. Mao personally mingled with Red Guards and encouraged their motivation, donning a Red Guard armband himself. Lin Biao also took centre stage at the August 18 rally, vociferously denouncing all manner of perceived enemies in Chinese society that were impeding the "progress of the revolution." Subsequently, massive slaughter began in Beijing and the red terror quickly spread to other areas of China.