The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

It starts with describing the PLA's shameless sneak attack on the British army, and immediately begins to describe the British's advanced weapons, advanced industry, and world-class warships.

It specifically emphasized the fact that the British army had defeated all the PLA troops that attacked Myitkyina, and emphasized that the British army was fully capable of defeating the PLA, etc.

This was a sore point for the British at the time. Although the British army had recaptured Myitkyina and Bhamo, they had also lost a large area of ​​land in the Menghen area, which made the chieftains see the weakness of the British army. Now many chieftains were waiting for the British army's response. If the British army showed signs of fatigue, the British would face huge trouble, even a disaster. Therefore, he had to emphasize the strength of the British army to give these chieftains confidence and force them to work for the British again.

Yang Guozheng continued to listen quietly, nodding his head in agreement. However, in his heart, he was thinking about the letter he had just received from the Progressive Party. The letter stated that if he returned to the motherland, not only would his safety and the safety of the entire Yang family be guaranteed, but he would also be able to serve as the county magistrate of Kokang. It was even possible that the chieftain system would remain unchanged during his reign.

If these promises weren't enough to tempt him, one sentence within the letter compelled him to take it seriously and ponder deeply. The letter stated with earnestness: "The British came all the way to Kokang, certainly not to offer welfare benefits; they came to make a fortune. The British will eventually be driven back to their homeland, and China will always be China. Kokang has been Chinese territory since ancient times. The Kokang Yang family cannot change their skin color; you and your ancestors will always be Chinese..."

Before the PLA launched its offensive against Menghen, he would have dismissed the Forward Party's letter as nonsense and dismissed it with disdain. But after witnessing the PLA's ability to defeat the British, even by surprise, demonstrating that the British were not invincible, this matter became a matter of considerable deliberation. This was because the decision at this moment hinged on the future survival of the Yang family; a single wrong choice could lead to the destruction of the entire family. Even the battle-hardened Yang Guozheng was once again forced to face a difficult choice.

The British army was powerful, far superior to the chieftains' armed forces. However, the problem now was that the People's Liberation Army, armed with only a cannon, could still send the British army reeling with their artillery shells. Their chieftains' armies were even more vulnerable, practically powerless against the artillery shells. Furthermore, he knew many people had long suffered under the British and longed for these barbarians to be driven out as soon as possible. He knew that many people were particularly jubilant after the PLA paraded captured British soldiers through the streets, accepting the Celestial Empire's rule.

His mindset shifted. Listening to Yinggema's words, Yang Guozheng immediately felt a sense of weakness, even as if he were delusional. As a qualified chieftain politician, once a two-faced individual, he had become even more cautious, hesitant to express his views easily. Despite Yinggema's coercion and inducements to send troops to retake Jiangnan, Yang Guozheng remained silent until Yinggema left, stalling for time. But the phrase "China will always be China" lingered ever more clearly in his mind.

Looking at Yinggema's back, Yang Chunrong, the 35-year-old crown prince of Kokang, said, "Uncle, what should we do next?"

Yang Guozheng did not answer Yang Chunrong's question, but asked: "The north also sent you a letter, right?"

Yang Chunrong was not surprised when he heard this. He took out the envelope from his pocket and handed it to Yang Guozheng, saying, "I was just about to tell you, uncle, that I did receive a letter."

Yang Guozheng took a look at the envelope, which hadn't even been opened. He took it without hesitation and opened it to read. The contents of the letter were similar, except that the one to Yang Chunrong emphasized the distinction between Chinese and foreigners, patriotism, and nationalism. There was no content intended to sow discord within the Yang family.

After Yang Guozheng read the letter quickly, he handed it to Yang Chunrong. After Yang Chunrong finished reading it, he asked directly: "What do you think about this matter?"

Yang Chunrong immediately said, "My nephew is not very knowledgeable and this matter is too serious. I really don't know how to handle it. Please give me some advice, uncle."

Yang Guozheng's expression was indifferent at this moment. He nodded calmly and said, "Let's wait and see. Hmm~ Let's also send people to the other side of the river to take a look. A national-level war is not something that small shrimps like us can participate in. If we are not careful, we will be shattered and the Yang family will be wiped out..."

Yang Guozheng had already made up his mind. He wanted to avoid offending either party and see the situation clearly before making a decision. He had to find out whether Britain could be relied upon and whether the interests of their chieftains could be protected. He also had to see if the Progressive Party was worth relying on.

After listening to this, Yang Chunrong nodded and said nothing more. He stood quietly with Yang Guozheng, not knowing what he was thinking.

Not all chieftains possessed Yang Guozheng's sagacity, capable of even a slight grasp of the situation. Some, under coercion or inducement from the British, sent troops back to the Yunnan border or even deep into Yunnan to spy on the PLA. These dispatched personnel were often trusted aides of the chieftains, vested interests in the chieftain system, and naturally harbored a grudge against the PLA and the Forward Party for forcing them to leave their homelands. They not only spied on PLA garrisons but also occasionally assassinated Party members and cadres. Some chieftains even led their troops directly into the liberated areas, stealthily through narrow paths and dense forests, and massacred innocent civilians. By the time the PLA arrived, these chieftains' forces had vanished without a trace.

Zhang Yinghao was furious at the actions of these chieftains. He was particularly distressed when he heard that some Party members and cadres had been assassinated. No one is raised on a single grain of rice, and these Party members and cadres had been cultivated with immense effort. Now, their deaths were practically worthless. How could Zhang Yinghao not be heartbroken?

Faced with this situation, Zhang Yinghao had no quick solution. In his previous life, as a child, he'd watched movies about the PLA's crackdowns on bandits in Southwest China and Xiangxi. The bandits came down the mountain and slaughtered innocent people. Zhang Yinghao wondered why the victims were so docile. Wouldn't they resist? Why didn't they flee? Why didn't the government relocate the locals? Why were the locals so indifferent to the PLA's efforts? In Zhang Yinghao's mind, it was normal for the locals to enthusiastically help the PLA suppress the bandits.

Chapter 380:

Now Zhang Yinghao completely understood. In this era, productivity was extremely underdeveloped. After the people fled their hometowns, there were simply not enough means of livelihood for them. The first problem they encountered after leaving their hometowns was what to eat.

"Xiao Yao You" says "Those who travel a hundred miles need to pound grain at night; those who travel a thousand miles need to collect grain for three months." This is not just talk. In this era, traveling far away is a very painful and troublesome thing. Now is different from the later generations. People don't have to worry about food and clothing. They can travel around the world by car.

Confucius said, "If one does not change for three years from his father's ways, he can be called filial." This statement was based on the productivity of the time. Even if a person who once worked behind his father's heels learned all the skills of farming, he had never shouldered the responsibility of supporting a family and did not fully understand the hardships of life or the realities of life. If one rashly changed the family's operations—for example, switching land previously planted with sorghum to rice or wheat without understanding the realities—then the family would inevitably face problems, potentially even the end of the family. Therefore, carefully following the path of one's father and making appropriate changes after fully understanding the realities of life would be a good idea. This is the truth: "An elder in the family is like a treasure."

This quote is still very relevant today. When someone takes over a position, is promoted to management or leadership, or inherits a company, no matter how dissatisfied they are with the existing system or how ambitious they are, the first thing to do is not to rush to change the status quo, do things according to their own ideas, or alter the original business strategy. Instead, they should first understand the reasons why their predecessor acted in this way. Only when they have a clear understanding of the situation and have established relationships can they move forward.

As for the relocation of residents from bandit-stricken areas, regardless of whether the locals were willing to leave their homes, the government couldn't possibly relocate all the people from vast bandit-stricken areas, right? After liberation, there were millions of bandits in the southwest. Could they all be relocated? Therefore, the best solution was to temporarily endure the losses caused by banditry while focusing all efforts on suppressing the bandits. As for the local people's indifference toward the People's Liberation Army, this is completely understandable. The locals didn't know anyone in the PLA, and the natural first reaction to an unfamiliar armed force would be resistance. Proclaiming the PLA as the people's army doesn't necessarily mean the people will immediately accept and recognize them. Only when people become familiar with the PLA's nature and understand that they can be fully relied upon will their attitude toward it undergo a fundamental shift.

In many places during this era, civilians and bandits were one and the same. They went up the mountains to become bandits, and down the mountains to become civilians. They served the people during the busy farming season, and became bandits during the slack season. Therefore, those bandits who dared to show up, rob people, and engage in armed resistance were naturally to be resolutely eliminated through armed force. However, those bandits who hid among the people, whose identities were unknown to anyone, could only be deterred by force.

Faced with the complicated situation on the Yunnan-Myanmar border, Zhang Yinghao had no choice but to convene another meeting to discuss solutions.

"Chairman, the Yunnan-Myanmar border situation has indeed occurred as you predicted. The problem you mentioned has occurred. What should we do there now?"

Zhang Yinghao didn't answer, but instead looked at Comrade Li Tianqiao from the Central Intelligence Agency who had been brought to the meeting. Li Tianqiao understood, coughed, stood up, and said to the map: "Comrades, according to the latest intelligence, the British are coming with great force this time. They have not only contacted the fleeing chieftains, promising them huge benefits and instigating them to fight against us. Moreover, the British have sent people to contact the local chieftains in large disputed areas such as the Hugang Valley, Jiangxinpo, and Nankan. The chieftains of the Jingpo, Lisu, Dulong, Nu, Dai, Yi and other ethnic tribes on the border have also been contacted by people sent by the British. It is not yet clear which chieftains will defect to the British and turn around to fight against us..."

After Li Tianqiao finished speaking, the conference room erupted in whispers as they heard the border situation described so gravely. If these ethnic minorities listened to the British and joined the PLA, it would truly be like being surrounded on all sides.

Zhang Yinghao saw worried expressions on the faces of many comrades, and even heard some comrades ask whether the policy towards the Tusi chieftains in the border areas was too soft, questioning the Party's policies. This was understandable, however, as people imagined that killing people indiscriminately and making others obey them was the most satisfying thing.

Seeing the comrades continue to discuss and the meeting room was a bit noisy, Zhang Yinghao did not intend to stop them. Instead, he continued to sit patiently and listen to the comrades' discussion. After the meeting room quieted down, Zhang Ying said: "Next, let's briefly talk about the counter-revolutionary armed forces in the southwest. Comrade Chen Qingzhi is one of the general leaders of this bandit suppression. Please introduce him to everyone."

Chen Qingzhi had originally been a brigade political commissar, leading the liberation of Guizhou from Zunyi. After the liberation of Yunnan and Guizhou, Li Laohu became the commander-in-chief of the bandit suppression effort, specifically responsible for suppressing the bandits. Naturally, Chen Qingzhi became the chief political commissar of the bandit suppression headquarters. This time, Chen Qingzhi came to report on his work, and Zhang Yinghao also asked him to discuss the current progress of the bandit suppression effort.

Seeing that Zhang Yinghao hadn't yet discussed resolving the issue of the frontier chieftains, and had instead shifted the focus to releasing counter-revolutionary forces, many comrades were somewhat puzzled. However, none expressed their doubts immediately, instead jotting them down on paper and preparing to listen carefully to Chen Qingzhi's explanation.

Chen Qingzhi did not act pretentiously. He stood up and pointed at the map and said: "Comrade

In the vast areas of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Xiangxi region where we are currently infiltrating, the local people are suffering from the constraints and oppression of various feudal systems, and corrupt officials are corrupt.

The complex social contradictions of corruption, brutal exploitation by corrupt officials, rampant pornography, gambling, and drug abuse, and usury, left the vast majority of farmers struggling to sustain themselves and suffering. These areas, located in remote mountainous areas with inconvenient transportation, have long remained undeveloped, isolated, and backward. The emperor was far away, and the imperial court was unable to reach them. Consequently, many unemployed people resorted to desperate means, resorting to robbery and extortion, and became bandits who endangered society and the people.

However, what really caused a qualitative change in the bandit problem in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Xiangxi was that after the Xiang Army conquered Tianjing and put down the Taiping Rebellion, they were ordered to be repatriated by Zeng Guofan. Once the habits of the old army are ingrained, it is difficult to get rid of them. The Xiang Army was accustomed to burning, killing, and looting. Many veterans from Xiangxi were unwilling to engage in agriculture after returning to their hometowns, nor did they want to be bound by the government, so they chose to become bandits. In addition, there were those chieftain riots. Many Qing soldiers who participated in suppressing the riots had very low fighting enthusiasm. They either fled or joined forces with local chieftains. Knowing that they could no longer return to the army, they were forced to join the Liangshan bandits and set up their own bandits. In addition, the Xiang Army and the Chu Army looted a large amount of property, and after returning to their hometowns, they began to buy land crazily, which forced countless landless farmers to join the Liangshan bandits. These are basically the sources of bandits in various places."

Chen Qingzhi's description of the banditry was rather general, but everyone was familiar with them, nodding their heads as they listened. The vast Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau is a land of towering mountains, densely packed with primeval forests, and rich with unique caves carved by the limestone terrain. This provides excellent natural conditions for those who dominate the mountains. Consequently, this region has always been home to numerous bandits. These bandits, united as soldiers and bandits, are elusive, plundering homes and running rampant, bringing chaos and unrest to the region day and night.

Chen Qingzhi continued, "The banditry is extremely dangerous. Disbanded Qing officers and soldiers, along with the old Qing forces, are colluding with the bandits, exploiting the difficult terrain, inconvenient transportation, and existing social connections to lurk in wait for an opportunity to establish new reactionary organizations. They sow discord among the ethnic minorities, win over reactionary elements among the upper echelons of the ethnic minorities, and even infiltrate grassroots organizations and mass groups of the People's Government..."

During the period of our army's liberation, there were 325 assassinations of PLA personnel and local Party members and cadres, 218 poisonings, and 198 arson attacks... In Mengzi and Wenshan, militias colluded with bandits, brutally killing 58 of our grain-collecting comrades and burning 10,000 kilograms of grain and fodder. Bandit suppression has become the central task of the southwest region. Without the elimination of bandits, all work cannot be carried out, and the safety of people's lives cannot be guaranteed.

Upon hearing these figures, the comrades fell silent. Normally, reports were sporadic and might not sound like much, but if all these counter-revolutionary incidents were added up, the number was truly incalculable.

"But~"

Hearing the word "however," the comrades present immediately perked up. They all knew a turning point had arrived. They knew that although the counter-revolutionaries were rampant and the bandits were difficult to deal with, the Progressive Party and the People's Liberation Army had already learned a great deal from their experience suppressing bandits in Sichuan, and that they could generally resolve the situation. Their greatest fear was that the counter-revolutionaries would remain hidden in the shadows. If they dared to show their faces, the weapons in the hands of the People's Liberation Army would be more than just firewood sticks.

Sure enough, I heard Chen Qingzhi say: "After the People's Liberation Army marched into Yunnan, Guizhou and Xiangxi, it began to work hard to eliminate bandits, and the results were quite remarkable. Of course, it was because we were desperately trying to eliminate the reactionaries that these reactionaries would make such a desperate struggle. According to the resolution of the Party Central Committee, the work of suppressing bandits should firmly implement the policy of "combining military strikes, political disintegration, and mobilizing the masses." The bandit suppression headquarters resolutely and correctly implemented the policy of combining suppression and leniency, that is, the policy of "the main culprits must be dealt with, those who were coerced will not be questioned, and those who have made meritorious contributions will be rewarded."

The first step in the anti-bandit campaign was to ban guns, confiscate civilian firearms, strictly control military weapons, and severely punish the private possession of firearms by civilians. Secondly, under the unified leadership of local Party committees, bandit suppression committees were established at all levels. They strengthened the defense of major transportation arteries and adopted a segmented approach to clearing out bandits. Forces were concentrated on eliminating bandit leaders who were particularly resentful of the people. Common bandits were offered escape routes, and those who rebelled were registered and subjected to labor reform, followed by distribution of land. Prostitution, gambling, and drugs were strictly prohibited, usury was eradicated, and reactionary forces that dared to engage in armed resistance against our army were resolutely eliminated. This ensured the people's livelihoods and the farming season.

Our Party and our army first chose to annihilate large reactionary armed groups in prosperous areas such as major transportation arteries, then gradually expanded to the remote mountainous areas. During the liberation of Yunnan, Guizhou, and western Hunan, we eliminated 47 counter-revolutionary organizations and uncovered over 51 counter-revolutionary incidents, dealing a heavy blow to counter-revolutionary forces and uniting the people of all ethnic groups. The various anti-revolutionary units carried out their missions in minority areas, conscientiously implementing the Party's ethnic policies and strictly enforcing discipline, winning the support and love of the people of all ethnic groups.

With the support and help of the masses, the bandit suppression effort has made significant progress to date. A total of 250,000 counter-revolutionary armed forces have been eliminated across the country, and most militia groups have been disbanded. Because most of these counter-revolutionaries were left over from the previous dynasty, after undergoing education and reform, most of them recognized the true nature of the Qing Dynasty's counter-revolution, turned over a new leaf, and ultimately returned to serving the people...

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but smile and nodded in affirmation unconsciously. However, Chen Qingzhi changed his tone and said: "However, due to the special terrain of these areas, these counter-revolutionaries will retreat into the mountains and forests when facing the strong encirclement and suppression of the People's Liberation Army. Once the People's Liberation Army retreats, these armed groups will come down the mountain to persecute party and government officials and ordinary people. Many supply and marketing cooperatives were robbed by criminals in the middle of the night. Some cloth and groceries were looted, and they even blocked the road to rob our transported salt and other goods. What's worse, they directly killed and set fire.

The most despicable were the bandits kept by the reactionaries. On their way down the mountain, they even wore PLA-style uniforms and set fire to and looted civilians' homes, in an effort to confuse the public and discredit the PLA. When the PLA arrived to put out the fire or provide support, they would hide in the shadows and launch a series of sniper attacks, even making it difficult for the PLA comrades to gain a foothold in the area.

Moreover, since the appearance of the bandits was no different from that of the locals, or even locals, they could easily blend into the ranks of ordinary people after taking off their military uniforms. Sometimes these bandits would pretend to be ordinary people to lead the anti-bandit team to the "barbarians" in the mountains.

Caves", these are natural caves in the mountains, with passages leading in all directions. The bandits took ordinary people as hostages in the caves while hiding in the black holes and fighting with our army. These soldiers did not fall under the guns of the Liberation War and the anti-aggression war, but

He fell under these countless black guns.

For example, totems are the "gods" of many tribes, but some people pretend to be us.

The PLA killed the people of these tribes and destroyed their totems, causing many tribes to misunderstand the PLA. The chieftains in the tribes even thought it was profitable and used this to their advantage.

These things prohibited our party and army from entering their tribe, and many misunderstandings have not been resolved yet.

Moreover, many chieftains have already started to make changes. Coupled with our land reform and other policy issues, many chieftains have been thinking about rioting.

Comrade Li Tianqiao also said that the British are now granting official titles and making promises, instigating these chieftains. If only these chieftains started a rebellion, we would not be worried. Now we are worried that these chieftains will rise up in rebellion, hinder us, and give the British an opportunity to invade us, causing us to lose troops and territory...

Chapter 381: Thank you for the gift of cappuccino and extra update!

After hearing this, the comrades fell silent, pondering the situation. One of the policies of the Progressive Party was to dismantle the chieftain system; land reform was inevitable. However, this was undermining the chieftains' very roots; severing their financial resources was like killing their parents. From this perspective, it's not an exaggeration to say that the Progressive Party and the People's Liberation Army were sworn enemies of the chieftains. Furthermore, the southwest was already difficult due to the dense jungles, and now there was a confrontation with the British, further complicating the situation.

"Can these chieftains kill everyone they catch?"

Chen Qingzhi shook his head and said, "A surprise attack to kill one or two is certainly no problem, but if we do that, all the local leaders will inevitably panic, and they might even rebel. Then we'll be helping the British, doing something that will only bring pain to our loved ones and joy to our enemies. Furthermore, the local people won't understand and will certainly oppose our armed forces entering their tribe."

"Is the previous method of sworn brotherhood with the Tusi leader still applicable?"

"It can be used, but we can't all become sworn brothers with them, right? Our policies are fundamentally in conflict with the interests of the chieftains. Even if we're doing it for their own good and can guarantee them a better life than they currently have, will they be willing to give up the power they hold? Furthermore, it's hereditary power. Ultimately, sworn brothers are just a stopgap measure to keep them in check. Even if all of us sincerely became sworn brothers with the chieftains, our policies would still be implemented the same way. This is a matter of our philosophy, not whether or not we become sworn brothers with them. Moreover, if we deliberately become sworn brothers with these chieftains, it would appear overly utilitarian. These chieftains are not fools, and they won't give up their power just to become sworn brothers with our PLA comrades."

The comrades proposed various solutions, many of which were quite constructive, but none of them could fundamentally resolve the Tusi and border issues. As the questions and answers drifted, the meeting room gradually quieted down. Everyone turned to Zhang Yinghao. Since Zhang Yinghao had convened this meeting, the chairman must have a plan in mind, right? Even if he hadn't, everyone had already offered their solutions, and it was Zhang Yinghao's turn to summarize.

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said: "What comrades said is very good. As long as we work towards solving the problem, we can always solve some of the problems. As long as we keep working hard, the problem will be solved sooner or later. Comrades, you all know about the abolition of the chieftain system and the reform of the official system in western Sichuan, Yunnan, XZ and other places by the Qing Dynasty, right? That is to say, the abolition of the chieftain system and the establishment of the official system. In other words, the chieftain system is not as advanced as the feudal system! So in fact, the chieftains in various places should basically know that the chieftain system will be swept into the garbage dump of history. Moreover, since the chieftain system was not started by us, there is actually no problem in abolishing the chieftain system.

As for how to abolish the Tusi system, this requires combining principle with flexibility. So our comrades can have a good discussion with the Tusi. Didn't our Political Department issue a document? For those Tusi who can be won over politically, we can have them serve on the committees of the newly established government, become town mayors, or even county heads. We can even temporarily preserve the Tusi system until the current Tusi dies. We shouldn't expect to solve the problem in a day or two, or even a year or two. After all, the Tusi system has existed for five or six hundred years since the Yuan Dynasty. What good will it do if we allow it to exist for a few more decades?

After listening to Zhang Yinghao's words, the comrades present at the meeting nodded continuously. The reason why the previous solutions proposed by the comrades seemed unsuccessful was because they all wanted to solve the problem quickly. As long as the time was appropriately extended, the chieftains would not be a problem at all.

"Chairman, are we going to let the chieftains become county and town heads, and then sideline them?"

Zhang Yinghao knew immediately that this person hadn't carefully read the Political Department's documents. However, there was indeed some political intrigue involved. Zhang Yinghao didn't bother to elaborate, but instead said, "Letting them serve as town or county heads is like hiring them to work and serve the people. If they continue to engage in reactionary activities or engage in corruption and bribery, then we can discipline them and enforce the law."

After hearing this, Chen Qingzhi said, "Chairman, many chieftains still want to be town, township, and county heads. In their eyes, this is becoming an official position. However, they are still unwilling to give up their chieftain power, and now there is a stalemate."

Hearing this, Zhang Yinghao laughed twice and said: "Haha, the power of the chieftains? Comrades. In the eyes of the chieftains, their power is hereditary and granted by the Qing Dynasty. It is natural for them to rule the local people. However, in fact, do we know how the chieftains' power is maintained? Isn't it the armed forces in their hands? The Qing Dynasty deceived the people by saying that her power was granted by God, and then granted the chieftains the power to manage the local people. The people were deceived and felt that they should be managed by these chieftains, and then everything was justified.

Comrades, the Qing dynasty deceived the people, the chieftains deceived the people, how could we believe their lies? Where did the Qing dynasty's power actually come from?

“It was given by the people.”

"Yes, their ability to rule the people wasn't divinely ordained; it was simply because the people didn't resist and acquiesced to their rule. Then, relying on the machinery of violence at their disposal, they fabricated a series of lies, making the people believe that the feudal rulers' power was top-down and that the people should unconditionally accept their rule. This lie has persisted for thousands of years. The people believed their lies and continued to serve the Qing Dynasty and its chieftains as obedient subjects.

But, comrades, we have awakened and know the lies of the Qing Dynasty and the chieftains. Do we need to take power from them? Our power comes from the people and has nothing to do with those chieftains. So, saying that the chieftains should hand over power is a joke. This fails to understand the true nature of power. Therefore, there is no such thing as the chieftains handing over power. The chieftains can only compete with us for the people. Comrades, our Forward Party is a proletarian party. Only by liberating the whole world can we liberate ourselves. In other words, we are a party that works for the interests of the working people at the bottom of society. Our People's Liberation Army is the people's army. Can we not compete for the people better than those chieftains? The people may be deceived by the chieftains in the short term, but can they deceive them forever? When the people recognize the true nature of feudal rule, they will naturally support us.

After hearing this, Chen Qingzhi immediately nodded and said, "I understand. Chairman, we should distribute these meeting minutes as soon as possible so that our comrades can study them. Those in charge are often confused, and it's easy to get lost if you work in the local area for a long time."

Zhang Yinghao glanced at the meeting recorder and nodded, then heard a comrade asking a question, and quickly collected his thoughts and concentrated on listening.

"Chairman, shouldn't we hold these chieftains on trial? And what about the slave owners in Tibet?"

Unexpectedly, someone wanted to deal with the troubles in Xinjiang again. Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and said, "The conditions are not ripe. We cannot carry out social reforms in these places. Even in Yunnan and Guizhou, if the British threat was not too great, we should not immediately touch the interests of these chieftains. However, since we have entered those disputed areas, we have no choice but to grit our teeth and persevere.

However, I still say that, whether under slavery or the Tusi system, Tusi chieftains and slave owners were able to appoint their own officials, set their own "local policies," levy taxes, assign forced labor, and decide life and death. In other words, they possessed legislative, judicial, and administrative powers. From their perspective, their treatment of the people under their rule was absolutely correct, but of course, we absolutely cannot tolerate this. Therefore, this was a systemic error, not the fault of any one individual. We are not targeting individuals. The Forward Party has no personal grudges against these Tusi chieftains and slave owners. What we need to do is to abolish these outdated systems and resolve the problem from an institutional perspective. Only then can the local people be truly liberated.

Of course, there's absolutely no problem with publicly trying chieftains and slave owners, provided the local people volunteer to do so, rather than unilaterally dragging them out for trial or even shooting them to death simply because we think the people under their rule are suffering. If we do that, then in the future, every one of us will be subject to public trial. Why? Because progress is endless. If we fall behind, we will be put on trial. We all have the potential to fall behind.

Therefore, only when the local people are willing to publicly try the chieftains and slave owners, can those chieftains and slave owners still escape trial? Can the few gangs they have raised stop the countless people? A few chieftains and slave owners can't cause chaos, so when the time comes, we can just support the local people."

Zhang Yinghao paused and continued: "Comrades, have you all read the Communist Manifesto? It describes this in this way: ... the bourgeoisie cannot exist unless it constantly revolutionizes the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of society... The constant revolutionizing of production, the incessant upheaval of all social conditions, eternal instability and change—this is what distinguishes the bourgeois epoch from all earlier ones. All fixed, rigid relations, with their correspondence of ancient and venerable ideas and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed relations become antiquated before they can ossify. All fixed and established Everything has melted into air... The rapid improvement of all instruments of production, the immensely facilitated means of communication, has drawn all, even the most barbarous, nations into civilization. The low price of its goods is its heavy artillery with which it destroys all the great walls and conquers the most stubborn xenophobia of the barbarians... The bourgeoisie has subjected the countryside to the rule of the city. It has created enormous cities, greatly increased the urban population compared to the rural population, and thus escaped a great part of the population from the ignorance of rural life. Just as it has subordinated the countryside to the city, it has subordinated uncivilized and semi-civilized countries to the civilized ones..."

After reading a few paragraphs, Zhang Yinghao continued, "We say that it is the development of productive forces that drives historical progress, and the development of productive forces naturally drives social change. From primitive society, slavery developed, from slavery, to feudalism, from feudalism, to capitalism, and from capitalism, to communism. The most crucial thing among them is the development of productive forces. We are now building a socialist country, which is a more advanced and superior social system than capitalism. If we actively develop productive forces, adjust production relations, develop and popularize science, and build cities, the people will naturally break free from their state of ignorance."

The Tusi system lies somewhere between slavery and feudalism. As long as we develop productivity and eliminate interdependence among people, production relations will naturally adjust, and the people will naturally overthrow the Tusi system, and it will naturally disintegrate. The general trend of the world is unstoppable; those who follow it prosper, while those who go against it perish. Therefore, even if we don't actively overthrow the Tusi system, as long as we continue to develop productivity, it will naturally disintegrate. But dust won't disappear without a broom. It's best if we proactively revolutionize the Tusi system, so that the local people can suffer less.

After hearing what Zhang Yinghao said, everyone no longer felt any pressure in their hearts. After listening to Zhang Yinghao's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Chairman, what about the British? What about all that land?"

Zhang Yinghao nodded toward the comrade who had asked the question and said, "I've said this before when I was training you: the system we've established is the most advanced in Chinese history, and even in the world today. It's incomparable to the Han and Tang dynasties, or to the United Kingdom and the United States. Our Progressive Party and the People's Liberation Army possess the most advanced guiding ideology in the world, and our workers' and peasants' regime is armed with the most advanced ideology in the world. Therefore, in the future, we will be one of the most powerful countries in the world, and our People's Liberation Army will be one of the most powerful armies in the world. However, comrades, we are still in the childhood stage, and we need time to grow.

When I was teaching my comrades about The Art of War, I mentioned a crucial phrase: "First, make yourself invincible, and then wait for the enemy to be defeated." "The key to being invincible lies in yourself, and the key to being defeated lies in the enemy." The tactics, strategies, training, military struggles, marches, and the use of spies in The Art of War all aim to achieve one goal: to make yourself invincible. As long as you achieve invincibility, no matter which wind blows, you will remain unshakable."

"Chairman, we are not yet invincible."

Zhang Yinghao listened, not angry at all, but nodded in agreement and said, "Comrades, it's good that we have a clear understanding. We are not invincible yet, so we can only use another method..."

Chapter 382:

When they heard Zhang Yinghao was about to propose a solution, everyone's eyes lit up, and they all listened intently. Many comrades felt that listening to long-winded theories was a bit confusing, and they all hoped that Zhang Yinghao would just explain the specific steps and let them implement them directly. Moreover, everyone knew that once Zhang Yinghao had outlined the solution, it would be their turn to implement it, and the success of the implementation would affect the future of countless people.

However, Zhang Yinghao did not directly explain how to proceed. Instead, he continued, "We say that our Progressive Party is a proletarian party that upholds the interests of the broad masses of working people. The local people are unfamiliar with our policies and guidelines, so they still follow their old habits, still unaware of the truth about the world. They are deceived by their previous understanding and continue to follow the chieftains..."

"Chairman, the last sentence of The Communist Manifesto says: 'This can only be achieved by the violent overthrow of all existing social conditions.' The proletarians have nothing to lose in this revolution but their chains; they have the world to gain. Chairman, he also said that revolution is not a dinner party, not an essay, not a painting or embroidery—elegant and leisurely as that. Revolution is an insurrection, a violent act of one class overthrowing another. Why do we seem to be constantly compromising with the chieftains, slave owners, and landlords? Shouldn't we use the development of productivity to slowly disintegrate them? Shouldn't we overthrow them violently and then quickly complete the revolution?"

Upon hearing this question, all the comrades immediately turned to look at the comrade who had asked the question. This was a young comrade sitting in the back, full of vigor and vitality. Zhang Yinghao knew that many of the comrades present were highly admired by comrades in higher positions and had been brought in for special training and development. Many looked at the young man with admiration, but many also expressed dissatisfaction. On the one hand, they felt that he should not speak so carelessly in such an occasion, and on the other hand, he opposed the current revolutionary line.

There are too many people like this in this era, those who want to criticize with force rather than criticism. Zhang Yinghao is tired of hearing this. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao knows that many people are already dissatisfied with his suppression, and some are even trying to challenge his authority and his position as a mentor. Many comrades in the liberated areas now basically want to quickly overthrow the Qing Dynasty, calling for the immediate overthrow of all unreasonable systems. Then they can enjoy the fruits of victory, claim to be heroes, and rest on their laurels. Everyone will enter the communist era, free from the endless toil of the present. However, they don't know or deliberately ignore that overthrowing the Qing Dynasty is only a small step forward. The real obstacle to China, besides the feudal landlord class's control of the economic foundation, is the lack of sufficient scientific knowledge and advanced productive forces among the vast majority of the people. These people who always want to achieve everything in one go should be sent to the countryside, to experience life in the impoverished and backward rural areas, preferably living in a cowshed. Only then will they break free from their own fantasies and face reality, working honestly to develop production.

In fact, these people know that revolution has no end, and that continuous forward revolution will eventually bring about their own destruction. Moreover, changing the world requires relying on one's own hands, which is a hard task.

In fact, the most comfortable thing is to complete the revolution immediately, overthrow the Qing Dynasty, and then return to the path of feudal fiefdom. Everyone will divide the power, the territory, and the status, and then the interests will be immediately solidified. Then all the heroes can enjoy the fruits of past victories and become masters, and no longer have to work hard to compete with others.

After realizing this, Zhang Yinghao made up his mind to rectify the current atmosphere within the party. He sent a group of young people who had gone to Sichuan to participate in the revolution to the countryside to experience life there. He smiled faintly and said, "We are a party armed with Marxism. Dialectical materialism and historical materialism in Marxism both require us to seek truth from facts and analyze specific issues in specific contexts. Marx argued that communism must first be carried out in developed capitalist countries. Why? Because the working class in these countries has mastered science and all productive forces.

However, our country is still a backward agricultural nation, and workers are far from forming a class. The people lack sufficient scientific knowledge and productivity, and some areas are still stuck in a primitive society of slash-and-burn agriculture. Did Marx teach how to directly establish communism in primitive and feudal societies? He didn't, did he? Should we abandon our ideals and insist on following the Marxist process step by step? This is not acceptable. Comrades, copying Marxism verbatim is dogmatism, and reading from a small notebook is bookishness. Our Progressive Party must integrate the universal truths of Marxism with the actual conditions of our country, seek truth from facts, and adapt Marxism to Chinese conditions. If the words of Marxism were a large pair of shoes, when we wear them, we can only find the pair that fits us. If the shoes don't fit and hurt our feet, they are worse than not wearing them at all. We must not cut off a piece of our own feet to fit the shoes. Slashing the feet to fit the shoes is unacceptable. "This book's group number is: 775111838

In fact, what Zhang Yinghao meant by saying so much is very simple. Marxism in China

The right to interpret Marxism has now fallen into the hands of Zhang Yinghao, who developed Zhang Yinghao's thought. Don't think of skipping Zhang Yinghao's thought before interpreting Marxism.

I say you should do it, and you will not go wrong if you do it. Zhang Yinghao's writings, meeting minutes, and speeches, all added up to tens of millions of words, are now more than enough for comrades to study.

After Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, he did not pause, but directly said: "Comrades, the Qing Dynasty sent troops to Xinjiang three times and took Xinjiang into its pocket. It repelled the Gurkha invasion of XZ twice. While defending XZ, Nepal also became a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. It fought four wars against Myanmar, and eventually Myanmar also became a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. Are we not as good as the Qing Dynasty? Can't we afford any failure? It is possible that we cannot win the war against Britain, and there is nothing we can do. If we fail, we cannot blame others, but only blame our own lack of strength. Of course, if we fail, the British army will definitely invade our Yunnan territory. But this land has belonged to China since ancient times, and there is no doubt about it. If we can't beat them now, we will definitely drive them out in the future, so there is nothing to be afraid of in defeat. If we lose, we will fight a second and third time until we win.

As mentioned earlier, the local people are still being deceived by the chieftains and are facing British aggression. Therefore, regardless of the measures we take against the chieftains or the British armed forces, our response is to let them fight their own battles, seize the initiative, and persist in doing our own thing. Now I will specifically outline several measures for you to consider:

All suppressive forces should be deployed in a coordinated manner and continue to annihilate the reactionary armed forces through armed force. Any force that dares to show its face must be attacked, and a high-pressure situation must be maintained. Our primary task in rural work is to suppress bandits and maintain production. We should employ long-range surprise attacks and carry out targeted encirclement and suppression campaigns. Simultaneously, while actively carrying out military suppression campaigns, we should vigorously mobilize the masses, popularize science, launch a political offensive, disintegrate the reactionaries, and ensure that social order is maintained and that people's production and daily lives return to normal.

The elimination of reactionaries must be combined with the fight against tyrants, rent reduction, the return of mortgages, or land reform. Bandit leaders, habitual bandits, and tyrants must be eliminated. This must be done under the unified leadership of the Party Committee, with all its might, in order to mobilize the masses and eradicate the bandit problem. In villages where land reform has already taken place, militias should be formed and issued weapons. Relying on the people of all ethnic groups, they should organize joint defense and suppression to prevent new rebellions…”

"Chairman, we confiscated weapons before, so why are we distributing them again now?"

"Well, we didn't know who had those weapons originally, and we couldn't be sure where they were being used, so naturally we had to confiscate them all. Now we're forming a militia. These militiamen are our own comrades. We're not asking them to fight against the foreign powers, but the environment in the border areas is harsh, so they have the responsibility and obligation to protect their homes and villages and maintain public order, right? Furthermore, the militia in the border areas can't be like the militia we first formed in Guang'an, without guns and ammunition, armed only with swords, spears, or even sticks. That would be too ineffective."

Seeing that everyone nodded, Zhang Yinghao continued: "Third, strictly implement our ticket and travel system, and implement our urban-rural dual household registration management system."

This policy restricted public movement, a system Zhang Yinghao had to follow in his past life. This was one of the reasons Zhang Yinghao equipped his militia with guns. Zhang Yinghao knew that enacting these policies, especially the urban-rural dual system, was a form of social injustice. Coming from a later era, Zhang Yinghao naturally understood the consequences of this, but in this era, he still felt it was necessary.

In this era of low productivity, it wasn't that Zhang Yinghao wanted to temporarily confine the masses to the land and make them dig for food; rather, there simply weren't enough jobs. In 1901, Germany had only 12 automobile factories, employing only 1773 people and producing 884 cars annually. Three years later, in 1908, there were 53 factories, but they still employed only 12400 people and produced 5547 cars annually.

Think about the past—a single factory could easily employ thousands or even tens of thousands of people, and a large industrial park could even reach hundreds of thousands. With the rise of the internet, employment has become even more diverse. However, what mass-produced product in the past didn't require electricity? Production requires electricity, and so do the products. However, in this era, all the electricity generated is prioritized for factories and hospitals, just like the aluminum smelters being built today, which are huge electricity hogs. Ordinary residents now have no access to electricity at all. Without electricity, there are naturally no appliances. Without appliances, how could there be so many jobs? It's no exaggeration to say that most families today are penniless, given the lack of appliances.

Just like the United States today, it only produces 14 to 15 million tons of steel annually. But why does the US export so much scrap steel? The reason is simple: it simply can't digest it domestically! Japan didn't even have a large steel plant, so how could it build so many warships? There simply weren't enough places to use steel in that era. This is one of the reasons for the frenzied construction of railways around the world. After all, railways not only generate economic benefits, but also consume vast quantities of steel. After Germany completed the Second Industrial Revolution, it faced severe overproduction. As its economy continued to expand, it was forced to wage war to redivide the world and expand its sales.