Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Later, some Zhang family members settled near Wanquan and the town gradually developed. Later, the Wanquan Right Guard Commander built a fortress here and named it "Zhangjiakou Fort". As history progressed, the fortress gradually rose to prominence and became Zhangjiakou.

Later, the Ming Dynasty opened markets and did business with Mongolian tribes.

As a result, Zhangjiakou's location became prominent and it began to become an important commercial center in northern Shanxi.

By the Qing Dynasty, the long-standing grassland problem had been solved, so Zhangjiakou's trade became more prosperous. During the Yongzheng period, a trade route with Russian merchants was even opened up, which was the famous "Zhangku Commercial Road".

The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, the first railway built by Chinese people in the late Qing Dynasty

After the opening of the canal, Zhangjiakou's commercial status was further enhanced. A large amount of goods arrived in Zhangjiakou from Beijing, then went to Mongolia, Russia, Suiyuan, Shanxi, and other places. Similarly, a large amount of goods from the grasslands arrived in Zhangjiakou and finally entered Beijing.

When the Republic of China was founded, Zhangjiakou boasted over 7000 businesses of all kinds, and all the nation's leading banks had branches there. At the time, Zhangjiakou's annual trade volume reached 1.5 million silver yuan, giving you an idea of ​​its prosperity.

However, the Japanese arrived and needed a unified Mengjiang financial system to plunder coal, iron, wool, and other supplies. So they seized the Chanan Bank, the Industrial Bank, the Jidong Bank, and the Suiyuan Pingshi Official Money Bureau, as well as the legal tender assets of the Central Bank, the Communications Bank, and the Farmers Bank throughout Suiyuan. They also annexed 44 private banks and silver shops, and Japan injected another 600 million yuan into establishing the Mengjiang Bank.

To put it bluntly, Japan annexed all the banks, money houses, and silver shops in Zhangjiakou, and then established the Mengjiang Bank.

The Mengjiang Bank served as the central bank for Mongolia, Chahar, and Suiyuan. Such an important bank was surprisingly not on his list of targets for immediate control. If Gao Weinong hadn't warned him, he would have nearly made a mistake.

If some people rob the finances of Mengjiang Bank, the losses will be too great.

So Wei Hongjun said: "I will inform the troops about this.

"Have the troops dispatched immediately to seize control of the Mengjiang Bank. Your Industry Department must also immediately take over the Mengjiang Bank and thoroughly investigate its accounts. Wait for the Border Region Bank to send someone over to take over."

"Yes."

Chapter 418 Preparations for Taking Over Zhangjiakou 2

After discussing the Mengjiang Bank incident, Gao Weinong continued, "Secretary Wei, how should we handle the business in Zhangjiakou? For hundreds of years, Zhangjiakou has been the most prosperous city in Chahar and Mongolia, and a city crowded with merchants. After the Japanese occupied Zhangjiakou, a large number of Japanese merchants entered Zhangjiakou and became the main force of its business.

Now that we're in Zhangjiakou, Japanese merchants and trading companies will definitely be targeted. As for us Chinese merchants, how should we handle this? Zhangjiakou has always been a prosperous commercial city. How will we navigate this policy once we enter? After our Industrial Department enters Zhangjiakou, there will undoubtedly be many merchants inquiring about our policies. How should we respond to them?

"What did you think about it?"

"Secretary Wei, after we conquer Zhangjiakou, our first priority is to stabilize it, and second, to restore its prosperity. If we overly suppress these merchants during this process, it will be difficult for the streets to regain their former prosperity. However, supporting them is a difficult policy issue."

Although Gao Weinong did not say it directly, Wei Hongjun understood the general meaning.

Zhangjiakou is a commercial city.

Many Chinese merchants suffered a great blow under Japanese rule. If the Eighth Route Army had adopted a policy of suppression against them after taking Zhangjiakou, it would have been difficult for Zhangjiakou to recover.

Therefore, these businessmen should not be suppressed excessively.

This is what Gao Weinong meant.

Wei Hongjun pondered for a moment and said, "The property of Japanese merchants and trading companies must be confiscated. They entered our country under the armies of the Japanese army with the intent of plundering our assets and resources. Therefore, these Japanese merchants must be resolutely dealt with and their property confiscated. As for other merchants, the Political Department will screen them to determine whether they are traitors. Different policies will apply to each merchant's situation. My suggestion is to wait and see. We will only collect the appropriate taxes according to the 'Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region Unified Progressive Tax Code' and the 'Detailed Implementation Rules for the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region Unified Progressive Tax Code.' As for other commercial activities, we'll wait and see. We will adopt a non-discriminatory and non-permissive approach towards the merchants in Zhangjiakou, and we will neither support nor encourage them. As long as they pay their taxes on time, we'll let them recover the rest on their own. After all, this is our first time managing a major city, so we shouldn't be too strict or overly controlling. We'll observe and see whether these merchants are beneficial to Zhangjiakou's development or pose a problem. We'll then discuss further policy changes based on the actual situation."

Wei Hongjun had no experience in how to manage a city.

Moreover, the current policies are different from those in my previous life when I was a grassroots worker. In my previous life, China was an industrialized country, while now China is an agricultural country. There are many differences.

At the same time, there are many differences within the party on how to treat the bourgeoisie and how to treat commercial activities.

Or rather, the central government currently lacks a consensus. The Eighth Route Army supported commercial activities within the base areas. Commercial taxes were a significant tax category within the Eighth Route Army base areas, and thus, commercial activity within them flourished. However, there is currently no clear policy on how to deal with the potential presence of a large bourgeoisie in commercial areas like Zhangjiakou.

Therefore, it is impossible to apply the policies of later generations casually.

Therefore, Wei Hongjun's approach is to put many things on hold, as long as they don't impact Zhangjiakou's stability, and then consider specific policies based on the actual situation. Wei Hongjun consistently believes that new things or things one is unfamiliar with shouldn't be suppressed immediately. Instead, the approach should be to observe, investigate, and ultimately come up with targeted solutions. This same approach applies to urban commerce.

"After we enter Zhangjiakou, we need to stabilize the market and prices in Zhangjiakou. Therefore, our trading company must move in as soon as possible and improve the supply of daily necessities for the trading company in Zhangjiakou."

The largest company in the base area right now is the trade company currently controlled by the column. In other words, the largest company in the entire Jin-Cha-Ji base area is the trade company controlled by the military region. The trade companies of the various military sub-districts are considered subordinate units of the military region trade company.

Jin-Cha-Ji used the General Trade Company to provide daily necessities to various bases and stabilize prices in the bases.

The situation is similar to that of the supply and marketing cooperatives after the founding of New China.

Gao Weinong nodded.

Said: "I know."

"Others continue talking."

"Secretary Wei, Zhangjiakou is different from many of our other bases. Farming is our most important priority in other bases, and the local government's primary responsibility is to ensure grain production. But once we control Zhangjiakou, animal husbandry will be a very important industry."

Han Kaiming, formerly the deputy secretary of the Xuanhuai County Party Committee and county magistrate, and currently the deputy director of the Cha'nan Border District Industry Department, spoke up.

He was the head of the Huailai local party committee when the independent detachment opened up the Sanggong Anti-Japanese Base in the early years. In recent years, Zhang Zihua has served as the secretary of the Xuanzhuohuai County Party Committee, and Han Kaiming is one of Zhang Zihua's most important assistants in the local area.

Because he had been in the Xuanzhuohuai base, he was more familiar with the things in Zhangjiakou.

In Zhangjiakou, animal husbandry is extremely important. As a major commercial center, cattle, horses, goats, and furs are all sold there. The Mengjiang United Autonomous Government established a dedicated department to manage animal husbandry, known as the Ministry of Animal Husbandry.

"Comrade Han Kaiming, what are your thoughts?"

"Secretary Wei, among our current cadres, many have experience in rural management and are familiar with agriculture. However, those who understand animal husbandry are very few. Furthermore, we have to manage vast tracts of pastureland, and most of our cadres have no experience. Should we request some cadres from the military region, other bases, or even Suiyuan to come work here?"

Wei Hongjun thought about it.

Taking Zhangjiakou would be a piece of juicy meat. Many officers would likely be eyeing this piece of juicy meat. Zhangjiakou would undoubtedly be the headquarters of the Jin-Cha Military Region; the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region headquarters couldn't remain in Fuping forever. However, before the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region headquarters moved to Zhangjiakou, the area was under the management of the 8th Column.

If Wei Hongjun had seized all the important positions after capturing Zhangjiakou, he might have been accused of "factionalism" and "sectarianism." However, if he had given important positions to people from other military sub-districts or other bases, the cadres within the column would certainly not accept it. They would have considered Wei Hongjun weak, sacrificing the interests of the column and its cadres.

This is a dilemma.

Wei Hongjun thought about it.

There is no perfect solution in this regard.

So Wei Hongjun said, "Comrade Han Kaiming, let's do this first.

Contact the Chabei and Chadong detachments. They have many ranches there, so they should have personnel in this area. Then send a telegram to the military district, requesting reinforcements from the military district for these troops. After we capture Zhangjiakou, you will take over the Animal Husbandry Department of the Puppet Mengjiang United Autonomous Government. Then, check the department's files to see if they have any records of technicians in this area. Those skilled in the animal husbandry industry must not be spared.

"Yes."

"Secretary Wei, what should we do with the prisoners in Zhangjiakou Prison?"

“How was it handled before?”

Yao Ziming, the head of the Security Section, immediately responded, "When our Red Army troops captured cities in the past, we were in and out quickly, so in most cases we would just open the prison doors and release the prisoners. We used to do the same with prisoners in the past."

"This won't work."

Wei Hongjun shook his head.

"We must learn from the lessons of Xuanhua. We cannot assume that all prisoners in the prison are good people and should be released just because they were captured by the Japanese and traitors. This is a wrong idea. In the past, our troops were in and out quickly and had no time to identify the people in the prison, so we took a very rough approach. But this time is different. After we captured Zhangjiakou, we have plenty of time. So we can't handle things so easily when we enter Zhangjiakou this time. After your Security Department takes over the pseudo police station, Comrade Yao Ziming will temporarily serve as the director of the Zhangjiakou Public Security Bureau. You have to form a Review team, sort through all the files from the Japanese puppet military police station and screen and examine each prison inmate one by one. Then, make a formal conclusion. Whether they are released or kept in custody, there must be solid evidence. This is not only a responsibility to Zhangjiakou's public security, but also a responsibility to the history of every individual in prison. Your investigation of the political prisoners in prison must be even more thorough. We must be accountable to our comrades, and your conclusions must stand the test of history, as they will be included in their files. Their behavior in prison must be recorded in the files, without any negligence."

"Yes.

Yao Ziming nodded.

But Yao Ziming quickly said, "Political Commissar, what should we do with those fake police officers in Zhangjiakou? Should we fire them all, or keep some of them?"

"Tell me what you think."

"Zhangjiakou is a large city with a population of over 100,000. Our security department alone is far from sufficient to manage such a large city. If we want to stabilize the public security in Zhangjiakou and handle some daily affairs, we should retain some pseudo-policemen. Moreover, many of these pseudo-policemen are locals and are more familiar with Zhangjiakou than we are. With their help, we can get familiar with Zhangjiakou faster and stabilize Zhangjiakou. Wei Hongjun felt helpless.

In reality, Wei Hongjun wanted to shoot all these scumbag puppet police. Even if he didn't want to execute them, he didn't want to use them. They said they were just trying to make a living, but puppet police were still puppet police. Why can you eat with the Japanese and still eat with the Eighth Route Army?

But what Yao Ziming said made sense. For a city as big as Zhangjiakou, the column security department alone was far from enough to have enough manpower.

Besides, it is impossible for all the officers of the column's security department to be transferred to Zhangjiakou to serve as police officers. They still have their own jobs in the army.

Also, since the war was still going on, it was impossible for the troops of the Eighth Column to transfer to Zhangjiakou to serve as police officers. Even if they did transfer to become police officers, it would still take time for them to become familiar with urban police work and the city of Zhangjiakou.

In comparison, many of those fake police officers are locals and are familiar with the affairs of Zhangjiakou.

But Wei Hongjun didn't quite trust these fake police officers. After some thought, he said, "We shouldn't treat them all the same. Retaining some fake police officers is necessary for our newly established Zhangjiakou Public Security Bureau. But these fake police officers must be carefully screened. Those who have been die-hard traitors or have blood debts to the people will be dealt with later. We must strengthen their education and discipline of these fake police officers. We must let them know that our Eighth Route Army public security forces serve the people, not oppress them. If they don't change their bad habits as old police officers, they will be resolutely eliminated."

"Yes."

"Commissar, what about those staff members of the puppet government?"

When mentioning the issue of retaining the pseudo police, Han Weiguo asked how to deal with the staff of the Zhangjiakou pseudo government.

Should we keep them?

Wei Hongjun looked at Chu He and said, "Comrade Chu He, what do you think?"

"Our cadres have no experience in managing a city as large as Zhangjiakou. Our cadres have never dealt with the affairs of many departments and institutions and certainly do not understand how they operate. Our cadres also need to adapt and learn before they can truly understand the functions of these city departments. If all the original pseudo-government staff are fired, there will be a lot of chaos in government work in a short period of time, and it may even affect the daily work of various departments. So my opinion is that after we enter the city, we should rely on the underground party organization to deal with those senior officials of the pseudo-government and identify the ordinary staff of the pseudo-government. For a short period of time, we should still retain those pseudo-government staff who are doing things.

The alternation of the old and new regimes.

How to treat those former government staff members was indeed a problem. Many later analyzed some of the problems that occurred in the early years of the People's Republic of China and attributed them to the swift and smooth progress of the Liberation War. Precisely because of this rapid pace, there was no time to train qualified cadres. Without qualified cadres, the only option was to retain a large number of former government staff members.

As a result, there were many conflicts in this regard later.

But there was no solution. Just like the Eighth Column now, which was about to attack the city, it lacked the cadres to manage the city. There were also not enough staff to replace the staff of the old regime.

Then the only option is to retain these government employees.

"still have a question."

Han Weiguo spoke.

He said: "Political Commissar, there are quite a few grassroots staff members of the puppet government in Zhangjiakou. If we expel them all and cut off their livelihoods, they will be hostile to our Eighth Route Army and the Zhangjiakou Military Control Commission we established. These people are very likely to have been working in government departments since the Kuomintang government period until now. They are Zhangjiakou's sitting ducks. They have deep connections in Zhangjiakou. If they unite with Japanese and puppet spies, or even Kuomintang spies, it will inevitably affect the stability of Zhangjiakou. Therefore, before we completely control Zhangjiakou, we should give them a way out. Only by giving them a way out will they not cause trouble." Wei Hongjun nodded.

What Han Weiguo said is also one aspect.

These ordinary staff members worked for whichever warlord came. When the Japanese came, they continued to work for them. They were like the local "officials" in history.

It doesn’t matter how the officials above change, these “officials” can inherit the position in the local area and have complex relationships in the local area.

Never underestimate these relationships.

It may be difficult for these people to accomplish anything, but if they want to do something bad, they are really worth two for one. If you offend them all, there is no telling what trouble they will cause you. Especially once the Eighth Route Army captures Zhangjiakou, the Kuomintang will not sit idly by. By then, no one knows how many spies will enter Zhangjiakou. If these two forces unite, it will cause great trouble for the new regime. Even if the Eighth Column captures Zhangjiakou, it will not be able to control it in a short period of time. Only when the new regime established in Zhangjiakou improves its institutions, educates and mobilizes the people of Zhangjiakou, and makes them fully identify with the Eighth Route Army and the new regime, will it be time to deal with these staff members of the old regime.

Those who have performed well, have clean histories, and are truly willing to contribute to the new regime can continue to be employed. Those who have performed poorly, have problematic histories, or are hostile to the new regime will all be expelled.

"Comrade Chu He, this task will be handed over to you. After we take over the various departments, the first thing we will do is to deal with those traitors at the top.

The remaining staff will continue to be employed. You will write a notice to appease these pseudo-government staff and tell them to obey the orders of the Military Control Commission from now on. Director Han, you will cooperate with Comrade Chu He to quickly deal with those traitorous officials. Only with speed can we quickly stabilize the situation.

"Yes."

Before the siege, Wei Hongjun was even busier.

For Wei Hongjun, taking over Zhangjiakou was as important as capturing it. Therefore, the work of taking over had to be properly arranged. Therefore, Wei Hongjun first discussed the work of taking over with local cadres, and then organized the political cadres of various units to emphasize urban discipline after entering Zhangjiakou.

Wei Hongjun absolutely cannot allow Zhangjiakou to experience a situation like what happened in history.

Chapter 419 Fatigue Tactics

On March 1942, 3, the Battle of Zhangjiakou, which was recorded in the history of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, officially broke out.

The September 18th Incident was the beginning of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the July 7th Incident was the beginning of the all-out war of resistance, the Battle of Wuhan was an important battle in China's war of resistance from strategic offensive to strategic stalemate, and the Battle of Zhangjiakou was an important battle in China's war of resistance from strategic stalemate to strategic counterattack.