Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

"Is southeastern Shanxi really so short of oxen and farm tools?"

"Deputy Secretary Wei, southeastern Shanxi should have been richer than Chahar. But Chahar has been stable in recent years, and the rural economy has been recovering.

"Because of its proximity to Mongolia, Suiyuan, and northwestern Shanxi, we were able to purchase a large number of oxen and hoes. Furthermore, Xuanhua had a strong industrial base and manufactured a large number of farm tools. However, southeastern Shanxi was plagued by constant warfare, and many rich peasants and landlords fled, so oxen and hoes were scarce. Last year, when we plowed the land, much of it was done manually, which was very inefficient."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

Tao Lujia continued, "With oxen, hoes, and farm tools, productivity will increase, giving farmers more time. They can use that extra time to build water conservancy projects, build bridges and roads, or develop other side businesses. Anything like that will increase rural wealth."

Although it was the first time they had such a conversation, Wei Hongjun had a good impression of Lai Ruoyu and Tao Lu's family.

Many of the two people's ideas coincide with Wei Hongjun's.

Especially regarding the understanding of mutual aid societies and small groups.

At this stage, the mutual aid society and small collective model are suitable for the objective conditions in rural areas. Of course, with the development of productivity, production relations also need to be constantly adjusted. The current mutual aid society and small collective model is not eternal and requires constant adjustment.

So Wei Hongjun was very willing to help them.

"Your idea is good, but we can't act blindly.

I've also been considering whether this mutual aid society and small collective model is suitable for widespread adoption, and I'd like to try it out in other places. By trying it in multiple locations, we'll gain more experience. Since you're here, I'll select two counties within your Jinnan Administrative Office to promote this mutual aid society and small collective model. As for bank support? Come with me, we'll talk to Comrade Zhou Bin.

Zhou Bin is as busy as Wei Hongjun.

After all, the North China Joint Administrative Committee had just been established, and all its departments were newly formed. Simply getting the new cadres to work together and merging the various agencies was no small feat. Furthermore, Zhou Bin was almost solely responsible for the economic affairs of North China.

To stabilize finance and develop the economy, neither is a trivial matter.

However, after hearing that Wei Hongjun wanted to visit him, he still made time. Zhou Bin didn't answer Wei Hongjun's words immediately. After thinking for a while, when Lai Ruoyu and Tao Lujia were both a little impatient, he spoke up, "There are two ways to solve this problem. One is exactly as you think, using the model of mutual aid societies and small collectives and bank loans. Compared with individual farmers, these mutual aid societies and small collectives will be more popular with banks. This is because mutual aid societies and small collectives are more resistant to risks and have stronger repayment capabilities than individual farmers. In addition, the loan procedures will be more convenient, and the bank's administrative costs can be greatly reduced. However, this is not just the bank's business. This requires a large cycle. You must first form mutual aid societies and small collectives, and then use them to borrow money from banks. But banks must have channels to recover these loans. It is basically difficult for rural areas to get cash, so you need to repay with grain. But banks cannot collect grain directly, so this requires another institution.

"Supply and Marketing Cooperative."

Wei Hongjun understood what Zhou Bin meant.

So it came out of my mouth.

Zhou Bin nodded and said, "It's the supply and marketing cooperative. We can complete a small economic cycle. Banks lend money to rural mutual aid societies and small collectives to support their development. Rural mutual aid societies and small collectives sell grain to the supply and marketing cooperatives, and the supply and marketing cooperatives directly transfer the money to our bank. In this way, our bank can make a profit from the loan, the supply and marketing cooperatives can obtain a stable source of grain, and the rural small collectives can quickly obtain means of production such as oxen or hoes, as well as agricultural tools, thereby increasing the wealth of the rural small collectives and developing the rural economy.

"The purchase of oxen, hoes, and farm tools by rural areas will also promote the development of these industries. Money, for example, must flow in order for the economy to thrive."

Wei Hongjun spoke.

Zhou Bin smiled and said, "Comrade Wei Hongjun is right. Funds need to flow. Comrade Lai Ruoyu, Comrade Tao Lujia, I agree in principle with your idea of ​​getting a bank loan. But it's not something I can accomplish with just one word. You have to show the banks and the supply and marketing cooperatives that your mutual aid societies and small collectives are truly capable of repaying the loans. Only then can you succeed."

"What about another method?"

Wei Hongjun asked Zhou Bin.

Zhou Bin said: "At present, the scale of our bank funds is still far from sufficient, and we cannot print money at will. Therefore, waiting for banks to support our agriculture actually has many difficulties. And even if they support, it is impossible to support on a large scale. So my idea is that we should not wait for banks, but adopt the credit cooperative model. Everyone is familiar with the credit cooperative model. Whether it is the former Soviet area or during the Anti-Japanese War, many rural areas have this cooperative model, but it is relatively scattered and not a big deal. However, the credit cooperative model will inevitably be the top priority of rural work in the future. When national funds are insufficient, rural areas raise funds themselves and use them for rural construction. This is a very good model. This is not only applicable to mutual aid societies and small collectives, but also to personal loans."

Credit unions, this is not a new thing.

This model has been used since the founding of the Republic of China. It was not only promoted in the Soviet areas, anti-Japanese base areas, and liberated areas, but also by the public during the Beiyang government period and the subsequent Nationalist government period.

It's just a mix of here and there, and nothing has become a big deal.

Zhou Bin brought this up because the situation during the Liberation War was improving, and it was time to start developing credit cooperatives in rural areas. If New China wanted to develop cooperatives, it wouldn't be the same as before; it would definitely be done on a large scale and in a formalized manner. Wei Hongjun nodded slightly at Zhou Bin's words. In his previous life, Wei Hongjun's only impression of rural credit cooperatives was that they came daily to collect deposits as a child. He had no other impressions.

However, during this ten years, Wei Hongjun has gained a deeper understanding of credit cooperatives.

The establishment of credit cooperatives is a common model for rural cooperation in this era. Credit cooperatives are designed to pool rural funds and use them for rural development. Their low interest rates also directly combat usury in rural areas.

"The credit union thing is a good idea. However, credit unions must have clear rules.

"Yes. Credit unions are financial institutions, after all. They need to have rules and regulations in place. We can't just rush into things and end up with a mess."

Zhou Bin nodded.

Then he looked at Lai Ruoyu and Tao Lujia. Lai Ruoyu said, "We are familiar with credit cooperatives, as some rural areas in southern Shanxi also have them. However, for more specific situations, especially the formal development of credit cooperatives, we still need more professional knowledge. Deputy Secretary Zhou, could the bank send some professionals to guide the development of credit cooperatives?"

Lai Ruoyu was a senior intellectual from Peking University.

He understood that credit cooperatives were ultimately financial institutions. Previously, when one or two villages established credit cooperatives, they relied primarily on ties like clan and in-laws. However, if credit cooperatives were to be developed on a large scale in rural areas, clear rules and regulations would be necessary.

And these rules require more professionalism.

Zhou Bin nodded.

"Once credit cooperatives are rolled out on a large scale, they will become an important financial force. We also need to understand the development of credit cooperatives. Whether it is the establishment of mutual aid societies, small collectives, or credit cooperatives, they are all epoch-making and important events. They have huge practical significance for future rural development."

Chapter 695: North China Field Army's Next Plan

Banks, supply and marketing cooperatives, rural mutual aid societies, small collective cooperatives, and rural credit cooperatives are all examples of ways to develop the rural economy and rural finance. Many of these are not new topics; countless people have experimented with them since the founding of the Republic of China. While most have failed, these attempts will undoubtedly continue to be a part of rural life for a long time to come.

Although Zhou Bin is not in charge of rural areas, he is very familiar with rural affairs.

Because Zhou Bin was born into a peasant family.

During his time in the Soviet areas, Zhou Bin conducted extensive research to restore their economy. He also implemented various cooperative models there. Although this was in North China, not the Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi regions, many aspects shared similarities. Among these various cooperative models, Zhou Bin was particularly interested in credit cooperatives, as they were considered the most basic financial institutions in rural areas.

Zhou Bin hoped to find an economic and financial model that could reduce state investment and instead rely on rural development's own capital. After all, after the founding of New China, government funding was severely insufficient. Funding was insufficient for both rural development and industrial development. If the credit cooperative model flourished, it could significantly alleviate the government's fiscal pressure.

Wei Hongjun, Zhou Bin, Li Shaocheng, Lai Ruoyu, and Tao Lujia discussed the matter for an entire day, sometimes even late into the night, before finally finalizing many of the details. The development of rural credit cooperatives, under strong government support, was a novel endeavor. Everyone was excited once the general agreement was reached.

The more we talked, the better the mood.

Wei Hongjun grew fond of Lai Ruoyu and Tao Lujia. They were both practical men. They had a deep understanding of rural conditions. Not only were they practical men, but they were also not at all conventional.

There are many new ideas.

The two also have many ideas they would like to experiment with regarding rural mutual aid societies and small collective models. Wei Hongjun strongly supports their efforts in southern Shanxi. They need to be bold in experimenting and come up with more solutions for rural mutual aid societies and small collective models.

Of course, Lai Ruoyu and Tao Lujia also admire Wei Hongjun very much.

A cadre from the military possessed such a deep understanding of the countryside. Furthermore, Wei Hongjun wasn't just concerned with the immediate land reform task. He was considering how to integrate the rural economy into the broader national economy. How to coordinate with future industrialization, how to enable the rural economy to contribute to the industrialization of New China, and how to ensure that the rural economy would benefit from future national industrialization.

Zhou Bin also had a very pleasant conversation this time.

He had also previously considered the stability and development of rural finance. Don't underestimate rural poverty and assume there's no future for financial development there. On the contrary, a stable financial system can effectively allocate rural resources, maximizing the efficiency of limited rural resources.

Several people really gradually appreciate each other.

"I hit it off right away" is how the current situation of several people works. They come from different backgrounds, have worked in different fields over the years, and have no personal connections in the past. But because they share similar ideas, or even political views, their relationship instantly becomes much better.

Zhou Bin was very generous, deploying a group of elite personnel from the People's Bank of China to support the development of rural cooperative credit cooperatives. One goal was to help rural credit cooperatives get back on track, rather than letting them fall into disarray due to a lack of professional guidance. Another reason was that once cooperative credit cooperatives expanded on a large scale, they would become Chinese financial institutions and would be subject to financial management.

Wei Hongjun also called Luo Weilin over.

We are planning to establish cooperative credit unions in Huailai as well, to see if we can first use rural capital to develop the countryside.

They also requested that Lai Ruoyu and Tao Lujia select two or three counties within the Jinnan Administrative Office for trial implementation upon their return. Wei Hongjun and Zhou Bin both greatly admired Lai Ruoyu and Tao Lujia and hoped to discuss further matters with them.

However, time was limited, and the Jinnan Administrative Office had just been established. Both of them were important officials in the Jinnan Administrative Office, and there was a lot of work waiting for them, so Wei Hongjun had no choice but to send them off. However, Wei Hongjun was very happy.

Because Shanxi has such outstanding cadres, there should not be too many problems in Shanxi's future work.

After seeing them off, Wei Hongjun immediately got down to work.

"Commander, after discussing with Comrade Xu Xiangqian and Comrade Yang Quanwu, we have formulated the next plan for the North China Field Army. Comrade Yang Quanwu will lead the Eastern Group Army and the Fifth Corps to launch the second Pinghan Railway Campaign. This time, the goal is to completely sever the connection between Peking and Baoding, while simultaneously destroying a large number of the Nationalist forces between Peking and Baoding. The goal of this Pinghan Railway Campaign is to completely drive the Nationalist forces into the three cities of Peking, Baoding, and Tianjin. If there is an opportunity, we will capture Baoding."

Wei Hongjun is in charge of the daily work of the military region and the field army.

During this period, I was exchanging telegrams with Marshal Xu, Yang Quanwu and others.

Discuss next steps.

Yang Quanwu now possessed a powerful army. After forming the First and Second Corps, along with two columns, he commanded approximately 35 field troops. Furthermore, the Hebei-Central Military Region, the Hebei-Shandong Military Region, and the Yi-Nan Military Region boasted large numbers of troops and abundant resources, resulting in a further local troops. With the Fifth Corps now under Yang Quanwu's command, Yang Quanwu now commanded over field troops. Consequently, Yang Quanwu was ambitious and prepared to launch a second Pinghan Road Campaign. He intended to capitalize on the current falling-out between Chen Cheng and Sun Lianzhong to annihilate a significant number of the Nationalist army's active forces and capture Baoding. The current feud between Chen Cheng and Sun Lianzhong was extremely serious.

Chen Cheng was truly an expert at annexing other armies. As the saying goes, "I'm not afraid of the enemy, I'm afraid of the Tumu faction." In the early years, when the Kuomintang was encircling and suppressing the Central Soviet Area, they suffered a series of defeats. But after each defeat, Chen Cheng was highly regarded by Chiang Kai-shek. Even after Chen Cheng suffered defeat, Chiang Kai-shek still liked and valued him. Even though Chen Cheng was constantly losing battles, upon his return, his Tumu faction would gain additional troops. One division would go to war, and upon return, it would become three divisions. This was because Chen Cheng took advantage of the defeats of local warlords to annex their forces into the Tumu faction. Chiang Kai-shek naturally appreciated this skill. Because Chen Cheng was Chiang Kai-shek's direct subordinate, the Tumu faction was the Central Army. As the Tumu faction grew in strength, so did the Central Army.

So even though he kept losing battles, Chen Cheng was always Chiang Kai-shek's favorite and most respected general.

This time, Chen Cheng led his "investigation team" to uncover flaws in the generals' ranks. Even the most incorruptible generals in the Nationalist Army would inevitably be found in a true investigation. Even the elite Central Army, which received the most military pay, had some taking unpaid salaries, not to mention the miscellaneous units. This was a fact everyone knew. Even Chen Cheng's civil engineering units had some taking unpaid salaries, the only difference being the number.

But Chen Cheng held on to this.

He removed Sun Lianzhong from his position as commander of a reorganized division and several brigades, and then sent his own generals to take over. Chiang Kai-shek trusted Chen Cheng very much and agreed to almost all of Chen Cheng's requests. This caused a serious conflict between Chen Cheng and Sun Lianzhong, reaching the point of being irreconcilable. This also led to a very tense relationship between the Central Army and Sun Lianzhong's troops. Although Sun Lianzhong had defected to Chiang Kai-shek, how could Sun Lianzhong not be angry when Chen Cheng so blatantly annexed his troops?

Yang Quanwu was about to take advantage of this opportunity.

There are many Kuomintang troops between Peking and Baoding.

The main ones were the Central Army and Sun Lianzhong's troops. Now that their relationship was so bad, it was a good opportunity.

Marshal Nie looked at the map and nodded.

If the Hebei Nationalist troops could be driven into Beijing, Baoding, and Tianjin, or even Baoding could be captured, then the PLA would essentially control Hebei. The Northeastern and North China Liberation Army, working together, could completely annihilate the Nationalist troops in the Northeast, Hebei, and Rehe.

"Are you sure?"

"Commander, we've carefully calculated this, and there won't be any problems. The Fifth Corps will march south to capture Jixian County and then head straight for Langfang. Chen Cheng will undoubtedly send a large force to intercept them. At this time, the First and Second Corps will send troops to attack Baoding, and Chen Cheng will have no choice but to send troops south to support them. It's true that the relationship between Chen Cheng and Sun Lianzhong is so tense, the Central Army will certainly not work hard. This way, we can pull the Nationalist troops north and south, and since they are not united, there will definitely be many opportunities. As long as there is a slight problem in the coordination between the Central Army and Sun Lianzhong's troops, we will have the opportunity to destroy them."

Wei Hongjun and Yang Quanwu discussed it in detail.

The PLA currently holds the advantage in Hebei. Once the Fifth Corps enters Hebei, the PLA's advantage will be even greater. Coupled with the current internal tensions within the country, it's time to launch a campaign of annihilation.

"Ok.

"Comrade Xu Xiangqian led the Western Army Group in launching the Jinzhong Campaign, completely isolating Taiyuan. Southern Shanxi was facing insufficient grain production, and the troops' logistics were extremely difficult. However, Jinzhong was Shanxi's grain-producing area. Once Jinzhong was controlled, the Western Army Group's logistics would be guaranteed.

"Where are Hu Zongnan's men?"

During this period, Marshal Nie focused more of his work on the construction of the North China Bureau and the North China People's Liberation Army.

The war in North China was completely left to Wei Hongjun.

So he is not very clear about a lot of the latest information.

"Commander, Hu Zongnan has no time to care about the southern Shanxi region right now.

The Central Plains Military Region was initially under considerable pressure, but after the Chen-Su and Chen-Xie armies launched counterattacks in southwestern Shandong and eastern and western Henan, they secured successive victories, drawing significant enemy forces to encircle and suppress them. Comrade Liu Bocheng seized this opportunity to deploy troops to western Henan, winning three battles and three victories, annihilating three brigades of Hu Zongnan's troops, totaling over 30,000 men. General Peng Dezong led the Northwest Field Army in the northwest, also achieving three victories and three victories, annihilating nearly three brigades of Hu Zongnan's troops, totaling over 20,000 men. Hu Zongnan was currently tied down in the northwest and western Henan, unable to deploy additional troops to southern Shanxi.

The current situation is really good.

After the outbreak of the War of Liberation, half of the Nationalist Army's American-equipped troops and half of its American-equipped troops were sent to the Northeast. However, within a year of their arrival, they were mired in the quagmire and had no choice but to retreat to Shenyang.

Marshal Lin's forces were increasing. The Second Line Corps, the regional troops of the Northeast Military Region, which Marshal Luo had built, had seen a significant increase in combat effectiveness after recent training. Marshal Lin used the Second Line Corps to supplement the main force, strengthening his main columns. Currently, the columns of the Northeast Field Army generally maintained a strength of over 50,000 men. And as if that weren't enough, Marshals Lin and Luo were also preparing to upgrade some units to field units, further increasing the strength of the Northeast Field Army.

It can be said that the elite troops of the National Army that entered the Northeast were completely trapped and are now unable to take care of themselves and can't help other war zones at all.

Of course, at present, the Central Plains Military Region has fought the most fierce battles.

Fortunately, the 129th Division had a solid foundation during the War of Resistance Against Japan.

One hundred thousand troops moved south to form the new Central Plains Military Region, placing the Nationalist forces at risk. With the Central Plains Military Region at the forefront, the other liberated areas were free to develop. Meanwhile, the Chen-Su and Chen-Xie armies were engaged in battles in southwestern Shandong, eastern Henan, and western Henan, reigniting the fighting in the Central Plains. The Nationalist forces besieging the Central Plains Military Region deployed six divisions to southwestern Shandong and eastern Henan, and four divisions to western Henan. This immediately reduced the pressure on the Central Plains Military Region.

Liu Bei mobilized three columns and suddenly appeared in western Henan, cooperating with Chen and Xie's army to successively annihilate three brigades of Hu Zongnan. Hu Zongnan was not only hit in western Henan, but also in the northwest. Peng Dejun commanded an army of approximately 70,000 men, and he eliminated Hu Zongnan's scattered troops one by one. Peng Dejun's ability to face Hu Zongnan in the northwest was a perfect demonstration of his abilities.