The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"It passed so quickly?"

"Not so fast. If you have professional skills, like Xie Zantai, who became very interested in airships after the success of Western airship research, he began studying airships and designed the "China" airship. He worked here for a few days before being transferred, and now I don't know where he works. And Chen Shaobai, who studied at a Western medical college, has also been transferred to work in the hospital. I heard he also has to teach students at the university. We've been here for over a month and a half, almost two months, so it's really late to approve our job applications now."

Hearing this, Deng Ziyu was shocked and asked hurriedly: "I have been here for almost three months and there is still no news. What is going on?"

Shen Ruo and Yu Zhimo exchanged a glance, and Yu Zhimo said, "We don't know about that."

Of course, they didn't know that the Forward Party would investigate these individuals if they were to be employed. Those with relevant skills and knowledge of science and technology were given the most leeway, as Zhang Yinghao didn't want them involved in politics, so they could be used with greater confidence. Then there were those with clean family backgrounds, no obvious problems, and a willingness to work. Those without skills or scientific knowledge were initially assigned to schools for training before being employed. Those like Yu Zhimo and Shen Ruo, who had participated in the Self-Reliance Army, would naturally be subject to longer investigations. As for those like Deng Zijian, who had joined the Revive China Society, served as a gang leader, and organized uprisings, the Forward Party would naturally investigate thoroughly, undergoing a lengthy period of investigation, testing, and even scrutiny before considering their use.

"Where were you assigned?"

Yu Zhimo smiled and replied, "I went to Japan in 1900 to learn textile technology and am now assigned to work in the Light Industry Bureau. Shen Ru also studied in Japan and is assigned to work in the External Affairs Office."

Deng Ziyu nodded and said, "They're all good jobs." Shen Ruo smiled and said, "They're all for the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the victory of the revolution. There's no distinction between good and bad."

Deng Ziyu listened, nodded with a wry smile and said, "Yes, it's all for the purpose of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty."

"There's a New Year's Gala tonight, so don't just lie around in the bunk. Get ready and go!"

"Uh?"

Deng Ziyu was a little annoyed by Shen Ruo's words and enthusiasm. He said helplessly, "Shen Ruo, I'm so tired. I'm exhausted. I just want to sleep now."

Yu Zimo and Shen Ruo were both in high spirits, their tiredness washed away by the good news of their transfer. They immediately went to pull Deng Ziyu out of bed, saying, "Haha, who doesn't want to sleep? Seeing the shop makes me want to lie down and sleep, and you haven't slept yet! But Chairman Zhang said that after death, you can lie down and sleep every day. Let's stick to it now and stop being so shy. Eat when you should eat, drink when you should drink, play when you should play, and work when you should work. How can you ever get enough sleep?"

"Ah, you guys just make sarcastic remarks. You even believe Chairman Zhang's lies."

Faced with this, Deng Ziyu had to admit that the Forward Party's assimilation capacity was formidable. Most of the people who had come to Sichuan and stayed, including Yu Zimo and Shen Ruo, were filled with passion. They now stood tall and proud, looking each other in the eye, neither provoking nor avoiding, simply doing what was expected of them.

"I still don't want to go." Deng Ziyu continued, still lying there motionless.

"Discipline requires us to act collectively. You cannot let your personal emotions affect the entire group," Shen Ruo said.

Since Yu Zimo and Shen Ruo had both brought up the rules, Deng Ziyu couldn't refuse. Organizational discipline couldn't be violated. If he stayed alone in the dormitory without anyone else, it would be inappropriate. Someone would even have to stay with him.

Even without discussing the discipline of the Forward Party, if he wasn't there during roll call, everyone would look at him differently. Being isolated wasn't a good thing. Deng Ziyu stood up unhappily, packed up the soap and other prizes, and followed Yu Zimo and Shen Ruo to watch the New Year's Gala.

The cafeteria was bustling with activity. Everyone greeted each other with smiles and good wishes, joking and laughing. The main dishes for this New Year's Eve dinner were, of course, dumplings and rice. Classes gathered around a large bowl of dumplings, each made from a mixture of flour, chopped cabbage, white radish, carrots, and pork. After the dumplings were completed, they were handed over to the cafeteria for steaming. The steamed dumplings were then served, and everyone sat down at the table to happily eat.

Each class also had a large steaming basin of food. Inside, chicken, duck, fish, and other meats were mixed with cornstarch, deep-fried, and then steamed. It looked delicious and tasty, and tasted incredibly smooth and refreshing. Since they were all young and strong, a smaller portion wouldn't be enough. Of course, if you wanted more of a particular dish, you had to buy it yourself. After swallowing a few mouthfuls of the rich, oily meat, Deng Ziyu felt his depressed mood lift considerably.

The Progressive Party is such an organization, which is always full of vitality and also maintains strict discipline.

After dinner, everyone washed their dishes and gathered to watch the evening show. Although it was called an evening show, there was no opera troupe. Although the performances were songs and dramas, the songs at the New Year's Eve party were not revolutionary songs, but festive songs.

Songs, love songs such as "Kangding Love Song". There are also children's songs sung by children. Even during the New Year, there were no "White Haired Girl" and "Put Down Your Whip".

It is not a traditional melancholy play, but a newly rehearsed comedy, a drama close to life.

When the comrades arrived at the party, they could tell the difference from the stage setting. The party began with the host announcing the start of the evening: the first song was a song by several first-grade children, "Listen to Me Say Thank You."

After the children finished singing and left the stage, the host announced that the second program would be "You Look So Pretty When You Smile." Then a group of 13 or 14-year-old female students wearing red scarves came on stage and began to sing:

I want to go to distant mountains and rivers, and go to the seaside to watch seagulls. No matter how much wind and rain there is, having you is enough.

I like to look at the corners of your mouth and the tips of your eyebrows. The white clouds hanging in the blue sky are like your smile.

You look so beautiful when you smile, like a spring flower, blowing away all the worries and sorrows.

Your smile is so beautiful, like the summer sunshine. The whole world and all the time are as beautiful as a painting. May every season be filled with joy, and may the air be filled with the scent of love. May this world be forever beautiful, and may everyone be free from worries.

After the students finished singing, their teachers took them to their reserved seats to watch the next performance. Then, they were escorted back to their seats to rest. The host returned to the evening, and the next performance was "Young Couple Farming," a newly rehearsed musical.

Deng Ziyu looked at those neatly dressed little angels, listened to the beautiful songs sung by these beautiful children's voices, listened to the content inside, and imagined the children's

After that, they all lived a good life. A smile suddenly appeared on his face, and the fatigue in his body was swept away. Isn't this the world that these single-life ancients from the Guanbei Province wanted to build by overthrowing the Qing Dynasty? Suddenly, he realized that such a world had been slowly built in Sichuan without anyone noticing. He suddenly felt a little confused. Why is this happening? The Forward Party didn't seem to do anything.

How did they do it? Is it true that revolution must be carried out like the one in Sichuan? Is this the correct path?

When he came to his senses, the next show was already being performed on the stage. He quickly calmed down and watched it carefully.

The content of the drama "Couple Farming" is very close to life, especially in the engineering corps, there are so many young people, so many single dogs, especially like this kind of life

It's a live drama, and the drama also teaches them how they should live after marriage.

This play tells the story of a newlywed couple who are poor and rent land from a landlord to farm. The husband is overwhelmed by the pressure of life and gradually loses faith in life.

After the revolutionary army led by the Forward Party liberated their area and carried out land reform, the couple was allocated land. Although they were happy, they didn't know how to arrange their lives.

The play consists of five acts. The husband begins by toiling away at work, while his wife picks up tools and joins him in the labor. In the first act, the wife, having been given new farm tools, is able to perform heavy labor. However, lacking her husband's experience, she encounters numerous challenges. The play depicts ordinary moments of labor, situations shared by everyone attending the evening party. A blisters on the hand hurts when pricked with a needle, a sprained ankle prevents work, and overwork or exhaustion leads to missed meals and hunger. The husband cherishes his wife, taking on more work while teaching her how to do better. With her husband's help, the wife overcomes these challenges, earnestly learns from him, and ultimately becomes a skilled laborer.

Although the comrades in the audience were fed with dog food, they seemed to have seen what their future lives would be like. They felt warm in their hearts because of the love between the young couple.

In the second scene, the husband is completely focused on his own land, refusing to learn the new agricultural techniques introduced in the base area. His wife, on the other hand, not only learns from him but also studies cultural knowledge organized by the Women's Federation and is willing to learn agricultural science and technology from colleagues in the agricultural technology department. This resents the husband, who thinks his wife shouldn't be so out in public and talking to strangers.

The husband was quite skeptical about the agricultural techniques his wife wanted him to learn, but after his wife's repeated requests, he reluctantly agreed to try out the new agricultural techniques on three small plots of land.

In the third act, the three plots of land showed mixed results. The husband, however, dismissed the techniques as unreliable, leading to a heated debate between the couple. The wife, however, blamed her own inadequacy and a lack of scientific knowledge. The husband, however, dismissed the agricultural techniques as inadequate. Faced with a common agricultural problem in the area, he dismissed them as "just the way it is, impossible to solve." The wife, however, adhered to the philosophy she'd learned from night school: "Learn science and apply it." After much persuasion from her, the husband reluctantly joined her in agricultural technology training. The training helped him recognize flaws in his previous planting methods, further encouraging him to learn.

In Act 4, one of the two cadres in charge of teaching in the agricultural department consistently looked down on the farmers and was arrogant. He was smug when he solved the farmers' problems, but he would shirk responsibility and make excuses if he couldn't. The other cadre earnestly urged the comrades to be realistic, analyze each case individually, and research and even consult experienced farmers until they understood the problem. Finally, after a heated debate, the cadre admitted his mistake and agreed to correct it. Finally, the couple, the agricultural cadres, and the experienced farmers worked together on scientific research, ultimately resolving the local agricultural problem and achieving a bountiful harvest.

In Act Five, the couple's mindset completely shifted. They volunteered to join the farmers' association and attend night school. Short of money for farm tools, they applied for a low-interest loan from a credit union. Ultimately, they not only successfully cultivated their own land but also helped other farmers solve their problems. They even worked in factories during their slack seasons. True to their belief that farmers can work, and workers can farm, the new countryside is a place where new people emerge. They also made many like-minded friends, sharing their labor. Their income grew, and their lives improved.

"Couple Farming" lacks the suffering caused by class oppression and the helpless self-pity of the past. Instead, it depicts the longing and yearning for a better life, and the debate over how to achieve it. It discusses how to do one's job better, how to better master labor skills, and how to better solve problems. The drama's language is simple, and it recounts everyday experiences. The comrades were completely captivated by this musical.

Deng Ziyu was completely captivated by the play. When the curtain fell, he joined his comrades in thunderous applause and cheers. After the play concluded, another program began, naturally praising the great leader, Chairman Zhang Yinghao, and the Progressive Party he led.

"Sailing the sea depends on the helmsman"

All things grow thanks to the sun! Rain and dew nourish the seedlings! Revolution depends on Zhang Yinghao's ideas!

Fish cannot live without water! Melons cannot live without vines! The revolutionary masses cannot live without the Forward Party!

Zhang Yinghao's thoughts are like the sun that never sets!

Since "Zhang Yinghao's Thought" has become the Party's guiding ideology and mandatory study at Party schools and cadre schools, it's natural to begin promoting it vigorously. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao plans to publish a Little Red Book in the future. Imagine how terrifying it would be if every Chinese person had a copy. Who in the world would dare to bully China? Who would dare to bully the Chinese people? With a copy of the Red Book in everyone's hands, all Chinese people would have a spiritual bond of unity and a common identity: disciples of Zhang Yinghao. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao would absolutely not allow anyone to monopolize his writings, nor would he allow anyone to monopolize the interpretation of their content. He wanted everyone to see his writings in their original form.

After praising Zhang Yinghao and the Progressive Party, the natural thing to do during this visit to the construction site was to praise our workers. These comrades were one of the sources of our strength, so Zhang Yinghao had already written a song for the comrades who were performing at the party.

The song is: "We Workers Have Power"

We workers are strong, hey! We workers are strong! We are busy working every day, hey! We are busy working every day!

They built tall buildings, constructed railways and coal mines, and transformed the world into something completely different! Hey!

The machines rumbled when they were started, and the hammers jingled when they were raised! The plows and hoes were used to produce goods, and the guns and cannons were sent to the front! Hey, hey, hey, hey! Our faces glowed red, and our sweat dripped down! Why? For liberation! Why? For liberation! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! For the complete liberation of all China!

After the party ended, returning to the dormitories, the comrades continued to discuss the performances. Some comrades felt that they could learn from them how to apply science and technology. Others greatly admired the close ties between Party members and cadres and the masses. Some comrades were gloating over the performances' success and describing them vividly, suggesting that many people like them existed in real life. Of course, some comrades commented that the woman who played the wife was beautiful, with long legs, and that the children were quite good, one of whom was particularly adorable and a natural beauty. Some comrades, unsure of Zhang Yinghao's ideology, began to inquire about their specific content.

"I think the saying in the book, 'A happy life can only be created through hard work,' makes perfect sense."

"Chairman Zhang Yinghao already said this in his article."

"What is Zhang Yinghao's ideology? How come I don't know? Political Commissar, do you know?"

"Uh~ Zhang Yinghao thought, you still don't know? This is a must-know in the exam now.

Our official interpretation of Zhang Yinghao's Thought is that it is a thought that combines the basic principles of Marxism with the concrete practice of the Chinese revolution, and is the foundation of China's progress.

The crystallization of the collective wisdom of the Communists. Simply put, it is the articles written by Chairman Zhang Yinghao."

"Oh, I see, but what's the use?"

"Haha, it's very useful. 'Zhang Yinghao Thought' is the guiding principle for all our work. Didn't we just say that labor creates a happy life? The reason we didn't live well before is because the fruits of our labor were taken away by others. These theories are comprehensively, systematically, and scientifically discussed in 'Zhang Yinghao Thought'. You should read more when you have free time. You will be tested when you are transferred to another job."

"Comrades, what do you think will happen to those leaders we've arrested? Will it be retaliation?"

"Who knows? It shouldn't be, right? These leaders just mess around. I feel like my share is too little."

"It's good to have some points, but I heard there was a beating this time."

"No way? Then how do we deal with it?"

Everyone's focus is different, so naturally, what impresses them most is different, and the topics discussed are also different. However, in the end, almost without exception, almost all discussions deviated from the topic and began to discuss the current rectification movement.

Deng Ziyu didn't participate in the discussion, but he suddenly felt that the question he'd been craving for so long had finally been answered. He finally understood what the Sichuan Progressive Party was really doing. The Sichuan Progressive Party was essentially teaching the people how to live a normal life.

He had always felt that Sichuan was abnormal. Today, after watching "Couple Farming," he realized that it wasn't the people in the liberated areas of Sichuan who were abnormal, but rather that they were living normal lives in this era. He had always believed that the lives of the people under the rule of the Qing Dynasty were normal. Now, it seems that the truly abnormal people are those who are still living in precarious conditions under the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Those people truly don't know how to live.

After figuring this out, he connected all the policies of the Progressive Party. In fact, everything the Progressive Party did revolved around how the people could live a normal life and how to make their lives better.

Chapter 231: More Updates

Deng Ziyu did not feel relieved after understanding this, but it made him even more anxious.

Under the Party's rule, the people of Sichuan can live and work in peace and contentment? Why do the people of Sichuan support the leadership of the Progressive Party? Why can the people of Sichuan pay taxes normally?

Why are the people so willing to work under the leadership of the Progressive Party? They work so hard but don't rebel against the Progressive Party? The Progressive Party's support from the people cannot be solely due to land reform. There must be other reasons that the party itself does not know about.

Deng Ziyu, who had not yet taken the Progress Party's political class, felt a growing headache the more he thought about it. There were so many problems that he didn't know where to start solving them.

Now it is the holiday for the New Year. The army does not need to be on guard on New Year's Eve. Because they participated in the New Year's Eve party, the rest time is much later than usual. The comrades have already

Feeling a little sleepy. Everyone returned to their sleeping area, washed up, and soon heard the bell, and everyone lay down to sleep. Although Deng Ziyu wanted to think for a while, he was very sleepy and fell asleep soon.

Ben didn't give him time to think.

Zhang Yinghao did not sleep. The Infrastructure Engineering Corps was established when Zhang Shijiaxin was a, but it has not been established for long.

The team has expanded to such a large scale. Zhang Yinghao has always focused on

It is also included in the revolutionary army, and the infrastructure engineering unit is somewhat subconsciously ignored. Fortunately, the engineering unit adopts the military system, otherwise it would have been

It's a mess.

Construction engineers are supposed to be involved in construction, but many officers have no problem using them with hoes and shovels, but immediately get frustrated when asked to use other machinery. Many leading cadres are promoted too quickly, with those with only the aptitude for company commander becoming regimental or even divisional commanders, yet their minds haven't changed and they continue to work the same way.

Construction engineers used to only receive allowances, the amount of which had long been fixed, so naturally more people meant more work and no conflicts. This year, with the New Year's bonuses and the start of distribution, it was easier to eat with fewer people.

This time, the army was promoting equal education and discussing the distribution plan. In the end, it turned into a rectification movement within the party. Those leaders are still a little out of touch.

In fact, after the rules for commendation were formulated, the problem of going north came up as soon as the comrades below were told about it. At the same time, there were incidents of beating soldiers and conflicts with guards.

The problems and contradictions that could have been suppressed before were completely exposed all at once.

Now the soldiers below are talking about this, and the superiors above are also beginning to feel at a loss. They don’t know how to solve the problems that have arisen. Especially after dealing with several people, rumors are spreading.

Lin Tianli came to Zhang Yinghao's office and saw Li Wei. He was very focused and said without any nonsense: "Chairman, the Chengdu people in the group are talking about it and are at a loss. Should we explain it to them?"

Down?"

"What do you want to explain? Do I have to explain it to the soldiers one by one?" Li Wei was in charge of the army's political security mission. He disagreed with Lin Tianli's words.

Zhang Yinghao waved his hand and said, "Comrades are discussing solutions. Please don't be so aggressive. Comrade Tianli, can you explain?"

"Chairman, we don't need to explain anything to the comrades, but we must let the comrades below know why the Party organization dealt with those comrades. This is better than letting them guess blindly."

Everyone nodded immediately after hearing this. It was indeed necessary to report this, but they had been so busy recently that they had forgotten about it.

Li Wei immediately nodded and said, "We certainly haven't done a good enough job on this point. The Political Department should immediately issue a document, and the Political Commissar and the instructors should be responsible for disseminating it so that all comrades know what's going on."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "The power base of the Party Central Committee lies in the grassroots organizations. Communication must be seamless and effective within the Party organizations, and a feedback mechanism must be established. Otherwise, problems will arise sooner or later. Although our Progressive Party adheres to the Four Obediences, this does not mean that the power structure of the organization is top-down. On the contrary, our power should be bottom-up. Grassroots Party organizations are composed of individual Party members. Grassroots organizations at all levels constitute our Party organization, and future leading cadres will actually be selected from within them. If grassroots comrades still believe that the Party organization is arranged from top to bottom, this can only mean one thing: the Party organization has become like a feudal bureaucracy. This has become a system of power division, rather than our centralized system of leadership."

The Progressive Party has only recently explicitly opposed the fragmentation of power within the party, having recently spoken out about it at the Third Session. Zhang Yinghao, chairman of the Progressive Party, naturally knew that the future Party organization would be like he had previously stated, with leading cadres promoted from below. However, as a party organizer, he would, barring any unforeseen circumstances, remain at the top, unelected. In other words, he had been at the top before the election, and the election was merely a formality. Of course, Zhang Yinghao dared to speak so confidently now because his position as party chairman was approved by a vote of party members. Although he was the only candidate, the election had already taken place.

Zhan Tianyou was not a party member and was not eligible to attend the party congress. Lin Tianli did not attend the party congress because he needed to follow Zhan Tianyou. After listening to Zhang Yinghao's words, Wang Erniu immediately remembered Zhang Yinghao's description of power division: in ancient times, the world was a family empire. The whole world belonged to the emperor. All under heaven was the king's land, and all the people were his subjects. However, the emperor could not manage such a large territory alone, so he divided power among the ministers below, and then the ministers divided it step by step. This is power division, that is, all power comes from the emperor, and all officials only need to be responsible to the emperor.

Our Progressive Party's power originates in reverse: Party organizations at all levels elect their superiors, and Party Congresses elect the Central Committee of the Party, composed of members and alternate members. The Central Committee, in turn, elects the Political Bureau, the Standing Committee, and the Party Chairman. This demonstrates a bottom-up power structure, ensuring maximum political stability.

After Wang Erniu figured it out, he realized that such a short time was insufficient to change the political dynamics that had been shaped in China for millennia. "Learn the arts of civil and military, and sell them to the imperial family." Because the imperial family held all power, becoming a member of the ruling class and gaining power required relying on the transfer of power and the approval of superiors. This idea was deeply ingrained in the Chinese people.

Wang Daniu understood this problem, and therefore completely understood Zhang Yinghao's perspective. He said, "Comrade Lin Tianli, while we must explain to the comrades why these Party members and cadres were dealt with, the current focus isn't explaining why they were removed. Instead, we must help grassroots comrades understand the true organizational model of our Progressive Party and where its power comes from. If we don't understand this, our mistakes will not cease. Many comrades will think we're like feudal emperors, killing people to establish our authority, that we're killing chickens to scare the monkeys, to make the soldiers obey. Is that actually the case? It's not the case at all."

Li Wei also frowned at this time and interrupted, "Commander Wang, you are right. Many comrades now feel that we are retaliating. I don't know about the other comrades in charge, but many comrades have come to me to plead for mercy. I have tried my best to explain, but the more I explain, the more many comrades think I am making excuses."

Some even told me they were willing to vouch for Comrade So-and-so, saying he was loyal to Chairman Zhang, not a bad person, and had no problems. I'm not saying we shouldn't help grassroots comrades understand the Party organization, but I think we need to stabilize everyone's thinking first. We can't just abandon all work and launch a complete rectification movement.

"Why not?" asked Wang Daniu.

"You...." Li Wei could feel Wang Daniu's confrontational spirit, but this rectification movement was originally led by Zhang Yinghao, and Li Wei was not willing to have a direct conflict with Zhang Yinghao.

Zhang Yinghao quickly interrupted when he saw this, "Okay, don't act on impulse. I've encountered many people coming to me to plead for mercy. Comrades are very emotional right now. We can't just do nothing and say nothing. That's not right."

But it is hard to explain, the truth will only become clearer the more it is argued. Let us first pass on the details. I believe that the comrades below are not confused.

I have always believed that the masses have sharp eyes. Comrade Li Wei, you will take care of informing those comrades why they were suspended."

"Yes."

When Zhang Yinghao was born in his previous life, the party had already changed its line of struggle. Reform and opening up had been in place for many years, and the original line of "taking class struggle as the key link" had been completely abandoned. In addition, there was no Internet in that era. After Zhang Yinghao became sensible, this incident had already happened for decades, and countless traces had been washed away by the wind and rain. Later, people had no idea what was happening.

I don't know what happened in detail back then. So Zhang Yinghao only heard about the crackdown and parading in the streets during the 1980s and 1990s, and this information can also be found on the Internet.

Hao attended a police academy and was aware that, after the country's crackdown, the new century had seen a constant high level of public security and a relentless crackdown on crime to maintain stability. However, Zhang Yinghao had little understanding of class struggle and the anti-counterrevolutionary movement, even finding only brief introductions online.

It wasn't until he personally initiated a formal rectification campaign that he realized the true difficulty of the movement. He was also thankful that he had been suspending and sending comrades who had made mistakes to training, and everyone had become accustomed to and accepted this. If he were to suddenly suspend some comrades for no apparent reason, the backlash would surely be much greater than it was. However, this small backlash had already left many comrades terrified and panicked.