Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Wei Hongjun kept trying to calm himself down.

Even told himself not to talk nonsense. But Wei Hongjun is very excited now, because the opportunity is rare. So he couldn't help but said: "Chairman, leaders, and I think Commander Nie's underestimation of the enemy should be criticized. But there are some aspects that the Central Committee should consider in advance and be adequately prepared. That is, once the Anti-Japanese War is won, what should we do? Or if Japan can't stand it anymore and suddenly chooses to surrender, what should we do then? We have been fighting the Japanese and puppet troops in North China for many years, and the changes in the Japanese army's combat effectiveness are the most obvious. The Japanese army's combat effectiveness was very strong in the first few years after the July 7 Incident, but the combat effectiveness of the Japanese recruits in the past two years is really poor. Even the independent guard team that the Japanese army had just formed, even They were all children between fifteen and sixteen, and men in their mid-thirties. It was clear that Japan's manpower supply was beginning to dry up. Some time ago, the North China Front mobilized over half of its mobile forces to encircle and suppress the Nationalist Second and Third Armies, but the North China Front performed very poorly. If the Pacific War continues to expand, the Japanese will have no choice but to continue withdrawing troops southward, and the combat effectiveness of Japanese forces in China will continue to decline. I believe the opportunity for a strategic counterattack has arrived. The Central Committee should begin considering now where to deploy the troops and which areas to occupy once victory is achieved. We cannot be completely without a plan."

"Red Army, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Marshal Nie couldn't help but interrupt Wei Hongjun.

Although Wei Hongjun's words were also meant to criticize Nie Shuai's "underestimation of the enemy"

Explain. But where is this? The central leadership is all here. It's not something a cadre of Wei Hongjun's rank can talk about.

However, Peng Dehua next to him said, "This little kid is interesting, and what he said makes a lot of sense. We at the Eighth Route Army Headquarters have also felt this."

The current North China Front Army's combat effectiveness has declined significantly compared to its predecessor. The main regiments of the 129th Division are now able to engage large Japanese forces in a decisive battle. This was never the case before. Japanese forces now simply dare not penetrate the base area on their own. The decline in combat effectiveness is significant. While the Eighth Route Army is facing considerable pressure in Shandong, the Jinsui Military Region, the 129th Division, and the Jin-Cha-Yi Military Region are actually gaining the upper hand against the Japanese and puppet forces. The base area has expanded significantly. If the current situation continues, victory is uncertain. The current global anti-fascist situation is also favorable to us. We should consider how to develop after victory in the War of Resistance.

Ren Peiguo said from the side, "Comrade Rong Zhen, what young comrade Wei Hongjun said makes a lot of sense. Don't interrupt him; let him speak freely."

"Yes."

Although Marshal Nie was criticized by Ren Peiguo, he was very happy in his heart.

Because he had already seen it.

Several central leaders had a good impression of Wei Hongjun.

"Comrade Wei Hongjun, what you said makes perfect sense. Don't worry. We're meeting with you precisely to hear the opinions of frontline commanders like you."

"Yes."

Ren Peiguo spoke in a low voice.

But he behaves like an elder and speaks in a gentle and polite manner.

The chairman remained silent.

After thinking for a while, he said, "If a person does not plan for the future, he will have immediate worries. If he does not plan for the whole situation, he cannot plan for a small part. If he does not plan for the whole life, he cannot plan for the short term.

The Japanese army remains powerful, and we must not allow ourselves to become complacent and underestimate the enemy. However, we cannot ignore the aftermath of victory simply because the Japanese army is strong. The Japanese army is already showing signs of weakness, and the dawn of victory is already appearing. The central government should carefully consider its next steps.

Chapter 541: Thousand Questions

Historically, the sudden surrender of the Japanese army actually caught both Chongqing and Yan'an off guard.

Although both sides were shocked, they reacted quickly. However, because it was so sudden, both sides made mistakes in many aspects. Chongqing's main force was in the southwest.

If the principle of surrendering at the nearest place was followed, most of China's major cities would fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army.

Because the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army were located around major cities like Peking, Tianjin, and Shanghai. For example, the guerrilla unit closest to Peking was only a dozen miles away and could have stormed into Peking in an hour.

The same is true for Shanghai.

New Fourth Army troops operated around Shanghai. Kunshan, for example, was one of the New Fourth Army's bases. Guerrillas like the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army frequently attacked Japanese and puppet troops even in the suburbs of major cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

So Chiang Kai-shek was anxious and sent telegrams to those puppet army troops.

They were urgently given new numbers to maintain local order. They were also told that the Japanese could only surrender to the Nationalist Army, not the Eighth Route Army or the New Fourth Army.

There was also some panic in Yan'an.

As a result, many of the orders were wrong. For example, the order given to the Jin-Cha-Ji region required it to capture the surrounding major cities. Instead, the Jin-Cha-Ji region concentrated its main forces to attack major cities such as Peking, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang.

But we can't take it down at all.

The Japanese army refused to surrender.

If the Japanese army hadn't surrendered, the Eighth Route Army wouldn't have been able to capture those major cities even if they concentrated their main forces. Consequently, they wasted a great opportunity for expansion. While the Eighth Route Army's main forces couldn't capture major cities like Peking, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang, they could easily have taken the next-tier cities. Smaller and medium-sized cities also held a wealth of valuable resources.

But at the time, Yan'an thought this was a good opportunity to attack a major city. As a result, attacking a major city wasted time and lost the initiative. Fortunately, Zhangjiakou was also captured, otherwise, if Jin-Cha-Ji was not softened, nothing would have been gained.

To put it bluntly, the Japanese surrender was so sudden that both Yan'an and the various military regions were overwhelmed by victory. They didn't know what to do, so some problems arose.

But Wei Hongjun stated the current situation.

The Japanese puppet army is still very powerful, but its combat effectiveness has declined significantly compared to a few years ago. It can be said that its combat effectiveness has dropped by more than half. It is obvious that Japan's stamina is running out.

Now we can consider what will happen after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan.

The Chairman also agreed with Wei Hongjun's words.

This is an issue that should be considered. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the future of the Party and the army was a major issue. In fact, the Chairman and his men did not meet with Wei Hongjun because of this matter.

This topic was just to calm Wei Hongjun down.

Of course, this was also because the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was in such a state of turmoil. The rectification movements in other cadre groups were also raging, but not as intense as in the Jin-Cha-Ji region. Because some of them even made mistakes in their line of work.

During the meeting, the middle and senior generals of Jin-Cha-Ji even wanted to fight.

The Chairman is dissatisfied with the current situation of the Shanxi-Chahar-Yibei Cadre Corps.

Jin Chayi's work was very effective.

Even if Marshal Nie made some mistakes, they didn't rise to the level of a so-called line error. In fact, it's fair to say that Marshal Nie's achievements in the Jin-Cha-Ji region are worthy of high praise. After all, among the entire Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army, Marshal Nie started with the least capital, yet achieved the greatest success.

Once an important meeting is held, Marshal Nie's achievements in Jin-Cha-Ji will definitely take him to an important level within the military and the party.

Apparently, some people were not very happy about the promotion of Jin-Cha-Ji cadres and were determined to stir up trouble.

At the Jin-Cha-Ji Cadre League meeting, some people went so far as to call it a line error. If this were truly a line error, it would mean the complete removal of Marshal Nie and his expulsion from Jin-Cha-Ji. Not only would this involve the removal of Marshal Nie, but once this was a line error, the entire Jin-Cha-Ji cadre would be affected, potentially requiring a major reshuffle. This was especially true for Yang Quanwu and Deng Guo, who were currently performing exceptionally well within the Jin-Cha-Ji region, as well as the Eighth Column. After all, this was a line error, and once it was labeled a line error within the Party, it would be extremely difficult to recover from it.

Even if it wasn't ultimately deemed a mistake, the intense debate within the Jin-Cha-Ji Cadre Corps was a near-incident. If that happened, Marshal Nie would be the first to bear the brunt of the consequences. How would he lead these cadres in the future?

Everyone has a thorn in their heart.

Although the Jin-Cha-Ji region was single-handedly built by Marshal Nie, it was in fact rife with factional factions. Marshal Nie meticulously safeguarded the interests of these factions and carefully reconciled the differences between them, resulting in the current favorable situation in the region. However, if Marshal Nie and the Jin-Cha-Ji cadres clashed, a rift would have formed within them, raising the question of future cooperation. Marshal Nie feared these individuals would defect at any moment, and these individuals feared a potential retribution from him.

Furthermore, being criticized by so many Jin-Cha-Ji cadres, who even directly accused them of wrongdoing, greatly reduced Marshal Nie's prestige in Jin-Cha-Ji. After all, in the base area he had personally built, there were so many voices criticizing Marshal Nie's wrongdoings.

It can be said that this time, the mistake in the route was a bloodless killing tactic. It was intended to expose the evidence within Jin-Cha-Ji and to humiliate Marshal Nie. It was completely intended to destroy the Black Tiger of Jin-Cha-Ji.

The Chairman despises such tactics.

Regardless of who intended to attack Jin-Cha-Ji, this is not the tactic of an upright revolutionary. Revolutionaries should be upright, and criticism and self-criticism should be well-intentioned. Criticism of comrades should not be motivated by personal grudges, nor by any other motive, but should be used to spur them on to progress. However, the problems that have arisen within the Jin-Cha-Ji Cadre Corps are rooted in the deeply selfish motives of some individuals.

However, the Chairman was very interested in and supportive of Wei Hongjun's stepping forward at this meeting.

This time, the Jin-Cha-Ji Cadre League meeting was a blessing in disguise, precisely because Wei Hongjun was at the forefront. If Marshal Nie had been at the forefront, direct conflict would have arisen between him and the Jin-Cha-Ji cadres, a conflict that would have been irreconcilable. These cadres each had their own connections within Jin-Cha-Ji. If Marshal Nie had truly stepped forward and completely fallen out with these cadres, a direct rift would have opened up between them, a rift that would have been impossible to bridge. But the current situation is very good.

Because Wei Hongjun stepped forward and protected Marshal Nie behind him, there was no intense and direct conflict between Marshal Nie and these cadres.

Now, Marshal Nie could make a very calm choice. He could either criticize these people or forgive them in Jinchayi. The initiative was completely in Marshal Nie's hands. Heihu, who had originally wanted to open his heart to Marshal Nie, failed.

I didn't expect that they all talked about what happened after the end of the Anti-Japanese War.

Xiuyang, standing nearby, changed the subject, "Comrade Wei Hongjun, your 8th Column was the first of our Eighth Route Army troops to capture a major city. We've also read the materials you wrote, so we're eager to know what happened after you captured that major city. After we defeat the Japanese, our Eighth Route Army may capture more major cities in North China. We're all old-fashioned, and we've never governed a major city before."

Xiu Yang on the side spoke.

Wei Hongjun immediately reported the troops' entry into Xuanhua and later into Zhangjiakou. Without embellishment or omission, he reported every detail to the leaders. Even the smallest details were vividly recounted by Wei Hongjun.

When everyone listened, they sometimes laughed out loud and sometimes fell into deep thought.

After Wei Hongjun finished speaking, Wu Hao said, "Comrade Wei Hongjun, I've heard you're good at summarizing reports. After going through these things in Xuanhua and Zhangjiakou, you must have learned some lessons. Tell us about them."

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun has made a lot of preparations for today's meeting.

He immediately took out a small notebook from his pocket.

"Then I'll start with the first question. When we first entered Xuanhua and the troops withdrew, many cadres and soldiers were reluctant to leave. This is because compared to struggling in the countryside, cities are cleaner and more comfortable. Even when I first entered Zhangjiakou, I was shocked by its prosperity. Zhangjiakou has electricity, running water, good houses, and clean roads. So the first thing many cadres do when they move to the city is to find a good house. I think this is a very serious problem. Right now, most of us are in the countryside, fighting in the revolution, and we can't see anything. But when our revolution is victorious and New China is established, everyone will want to go to the cities. Who would want to go to the countryside? But after all, our country is a country where farmers make up the vast majority. Even if our revolution is victorious and New China is established, rural work will still be the top priority. Agriculture is still the most important thing in our country. After all, the people of the country want to fill their stomachs, and agriculture is the top priority. If those cadres are unwilling to go to the countryside, how will rural work be carried out then?"

Wei Hongjun really found a lot of problems.

All written down in notes.

I had already written a report, but it mainly described what happened and how I handled it. I didn't elaborate much further. This time, I finally had the opportunity to meet with the central leadership face to face, so Wei Hongjun brought all of this with him.

The Chairman and others looked very solemn as they listened to Wei Hongjun's report.

Wei Hongjun was concerned with what would happen after the victory of the revolution. Yet, he bluntly addressed a serious problem. Everyone likes the better living conditions in cities. However, China is an agricultural country, and rural work is crucial.

All the cadres go to the cities, no one wants to go to the countryside.

If the cadres are unwilling, how can they work hard even if they are assigned to the countryside?

Wei Hongjun continued, "The second problem is the corruption among cadres. Not long after our Eighth Column captured Zhangjiakou and Xuanhua, some cadres began to indulge in pleasure and accept bribes.

When identifying traitorous merchants and landlords in Zhangjiakou, Xuanhua, Wanquan, and other places, some cadres accepted bribes from them and failed to classify them as traitors. Even when we were implementing rent and interest reductions in Rehe, the cadres we sent there accepted bribes from landlords and failed to earnestly implement the reductions. While this is a rare occurrence, I believe this issue must be taken seriously. Many of these cadres were veterans of the Long March, including veterans of the Red Army.

They have withstood the most brutal tests and should have been the most trustworthy cadres. Yet, their corruption is heartbreaking. Right now, our base area is small, our cadres' power is limited, and the situation we face isn't that complex. Yet, this problem has already arisen. If our revolution triumphs in the future and a new China is established, our cadres will have a lot to manage and a lot of power in their hands. Furthermore, they will enter better cities like Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. Dazzled by the glamorous world, how many cadres will be corrupted?

The Chairman nodded repeatedly upon hearing this and said to the Commander-in-Chief, "Boss, this kid has already thought ahead of us. He's even beginning to consider the future victory of the revolution. And this consideration is correct. How to prevent our cadres from becoming corrupt and degenerate is something the Central Committee needs to give more consideration to."

"That's right. The cadre issue is a big problem."

"Comrade Wei Hongjun, please continue."

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun just raised his own questions and made some small suggestions.

Wei Hongjun's rank doesn't allow him to have a say in how to solve the problem, or whether his suggestions will be adopted. Wei Hongjun is very self-aware, so his job is to report the problems he's uncovered to the central government, encouraging it to take them seriously.

"The third problem is the level of cadres. After we captured Xuanhua, there were many factories there. The Japanese built steel mills, copper mills, machinery plants, metallurgical plants, chemical plants, and some other factories in Xuanhua. After we captured Zhangjiakou, there were also many factories in Zhangjiakou. At that time, we took over these Japanese factories, but we had no cadres to take over. Many of our cadres in the Eighth Column, like me, came from poor peasant families for eight generations. The largest factory we had seen was probably a small mill owned by a rural landlord. Many of our cadres even had no idea what a factory or industry was. Therefore, we could only stabilize the factory management personnel first and select some of them who were not die-hard traitors to help us manage the factory. Later, we gradually let our cadres get familiar with the factory, worship the workers as teachers, and learn about factory affairs."

"I'm thinking about the future victory of the revolution and the founding of New China. The cadres of the new China will definitely be selected from these veteran cadres. But we cadres don't know what industry and factories are. Nowadays, the world's powerful countries are all industrial countries, and China definitely needs to develop industry as well.

But we, the cadres, are completely unfamiliar with industry, so how can we shoulder the heavy responsibility of developing the industry of New China?"

This has always been something Wei Hongjun was very worried about.

To put it bluntly, calling the Eighth Route Army "the Tubalu" is not wrong in some respects. Many of the Eighth Route Army's cadres, like Wei Hongjun, came from eight generations of impoverished peasant families. They were brave on the battlefield and adept at rural work. However, after the founding of New China, they faced a completely different landscape. They encountered completely unfamiliar territory.

That is industrialization.

Everyone was a hero who conquered the country, and naturally became the cadres who governed it. Unfortunately, when faced with unfamiliar industries, many of them made mistakes. It wasn't because they wanted to, but because they simply didn't understand.

They didn't understand industry, but they were incredibly passionate about industrial development and about building a new China. They hoped to transform China into an industrial nation in a short period of time, pouring all their energy and passion into this endeavor. The result was an industrial overreach, which severely undermined the development of New China's industry... Can you say that all those cadres who overreached were wrong? Can you say that all those cadres who made mistakes in industrial development were bad guys?

Why was the Chairman so tolerant of those impulsive cadres? Because he knew they were all passionate about building a new China. Many of them had no ill intentions, simply desiring a strong nation and a happy people. It was simply that they simply didn't understand, and so mistakes occurred in their work. It would be wrong to condemn them with a single blow.

But when they started learning after liberation, it was actually too late.

Because the work is complicated, you have just started to learn. How can there be no problems in the work?

But these were all heroes who had conquered the country, so they couldn't be left without jobs. However, after the founding of New China, industrialization became the most important task, and these cadres had to be involved to some extent.

This is a contradiction, an unsolvable contradiction.