The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Lin Weiyi, the young and beautiful team leader, had never been exposed to rural work before. After arriving in Yangshugou, she was completely in the dark. Although they had received a few days of short-term training before coming, it was still a different world after all. Lin Weiyi was so anxious that she wanted to cry every day.

Fortunately, the other team members all had rich work experience, and after being in Yangshugou for a few days, they basically understood the situation.

Yangshugou is now a large village, home to several thousand people, but the land is largely concentrated in the hands of a few landlords. In line with the spirit of land reform, Lin Weiyi and her work team visited these landlords several times, hoping they would voluntarily give up their land and distribute it to the landless peasants. However, as expected, not a single landlord voluntarily surrendered their land.

Song Baoshu and Chen Xin suggested arresting these landlords first and then distributing the land directly to the landless poor peasants. Lin Weiyi felt that this approach didn't fully align with the central government's directive. The central government document didn't call for indiscriminate, large-scale criticism of landlords, but rather for public criticism of the most egregious. It also emphasized encouraging and mobilizing landlords to donate their land, with land only being forcibly allocated if they refused to do so. Song Baoshu and Chen Xin felt Lin Weiyi was too conservative and offered her advice several times, but Captain Lin Weiyi, deeply dogmatic, clung to the central government's directive.

The landless poor peasants in the village were very curious when they saw a female PLA soldier leading a dozen PLA soldiers into the village. When they heard that they were here to carry out land reform, they were very enthusiastic at first, but soon they became quiet.

Cai Zhonghe took time out of his busy schedule to check on his wife's work situation. Upon arrival, he saw Lin Weiyi in a dilemma, not knowing what to do. Upon seeing Cai Zhonghe, Lin Weiyi turned her back on him and threw herself into his arms, crying, asking him to take her back to the army. She felt like she couldn't do the work of a team leader, and her heart melted. However, Cai Zhonghe was an old comrade who had been through the flames of revolution. Looking around, he saw that Lin Weiyi was living in a landlord's house, with blue bricks and tiles, and a clean, tidy bed. With his rich work experience, Cai Zhonghe immediately understood why the work wasn't going well.

After calming the weeping Lin Weiyi, Cai Zhonghe called over several team members to discuss the situation. He then counseled Lin Weiyi in front of everyone. Cai Zhonghe then said, "First, the team leader's own residence is wrong. He shouldn't be living in a landlord's home, but in the home of a landless or landless poor peasant. Only then can we understand what they need. We should treat them as family, mobilize them, and rely on them."

Second, they failed to realize that redistributing land was itself a revolution, undermining the very foundations of feudal rule. It wasn't simply a matter of distributing land; more importantly, mobilizing all the people, including the landlords, was a revolution in thought. Without mobilization, if the people were simply allocated land, the revolution would only be halfway successful. The central government emphasized mobilizing landlords to donate their land to prevent cadres from going to extremes and harming those progressive landlords willing to donate their land.

After all, the enlightened landlords are a minority, and the vast majority will resist us. Therefore, for those stubborn landlords, we must mobilize the people to fight against them until they are overthrown and the masses are mobilized. Without struggle, there would be no democratic regime, and without land revolution, there would be no place for the democratic regime. Therefore, we must remember that land reform is the foundation of our democratic regime, and so we must do everything possible to mobilize the masses to complete land reform.

After hearing Cai Zhonghe's words, Lin Weiyi realized that she was indeed wrong. However, after the meeting, Lin Weiyi whispered to Cai Zhonghe: "Those poor people have poor living conditions and cannot guarantee personal hygiene. Many families have fleas and lice..."

Cai Zhonghe said: "We live in the homes of poor farmers to understand their thoughts and feelings, and at the same time, to help them understand our policies. This is a two-way process of understanding. At the same time, it also lets these oppressed people know that we stand on their side. If the conditions of these people's homes are too poor, then women comrades can apply for tents and live in the yard.

Moreover, our revolution is for these poor people to live a good life. If you don’t understand the needs of these people, how do you know where to start the revolution? Moreover, when our revolutionary comrades are injured, these poor people will basically help our comrades, but except for a few enlightened landlords, they generally will not help them. I think, if these poor people are your saviors, you will not despise the dirtiness of their homes. Knowing that they squeeze out the best food to feed us, you will not think their food is unpalatable. Why can Song Baoshu and Chen Xin get along well with the poor people? Because they come from the poor people, and our revolution is for the poor people, so they don’t have the pampered attitude of you at all...”

Cai Zhonghe thought about it and realized that he couldn't blame Lin Weiyi entirely. He had asked her to participate in the work only to give her some training, without considering that she was just a participant in the land reform work, and directly made her the team leader. Thinking of this, he also realized that he was wrong and did not follow the organizational procedures.

As a new soldier, Lin Weiyi had practically zero experience in the countryside. Furthermore, having previously lived in comfortable conditions at home, she had never experienced true hardship. How could she possibly understand the hardships faced by the poor peasants? Thinking of this, Cai Zhonghe muttered to himself, "It seems I need more training!"

Cai Zhonghe felt that land reform involved too many issues, and Lin Weiyi's role as team leader was inappropriate. He simply assigned Lin Weiyi to a work team member and held a small election. Song Baoshu was ultimately appointed team leader, with Chen Xin and Yelu Ce as vice-team leaders. Considering that his position as military political commissar meant he lacked the authority to appoint team members, he instructed the team to report to the Ikh Ju League Land Reform Work Team and have them make additional appointments based on their opinions.

After the cadre elections were completed, Cai Zhonghe ordered the work team to immediately move out of the landlords' homes and into the homes of impoverished peasants. He also instructed Lin Weiyi to lead three soldiers to conduct in-depth work among the impoverished peasants, disseminating policy information and quickly identifying key personnel to elect village chiefs and militia captains, thereby mobilizing the masses in the struggle. Lin Weiyi, having the courage to escape her marriage, was no mere charm; she possessed a strong character. After Cai Zhonghe's counseling, she realized her mistake. As an educated woman, she grasped the principles quickly, and soon understood how to conduct the work.

Song Baoshu, Chen Xin, and Yelu Ce were all very experienced, so the work was easy for them. Previously, they had been reluctant to speak much due to Lin Weiyi's status, but now that work was back on track, everyone was fully motivated.

Chapter 405:

Cai Zhonghe had only come to see Lin Weiyi and couldn't stay longer. However, upon returning, he felt the matter couldn't be let go. He immediately submitted a report, clearly stating that all comrades must undergo necessary training or have relevant work experience before taking on new positions. Without this, they couldn't directly assume leadership. If the matter was new, a committee could be formed to discuss and handle it. Otherwise, if the leadership made a mistake, the losses would be irreparable.

This report had a profound impact on the base area, and it soon reached Zhang Yinghao. Zhang Yinghao took a look at it and laughed twice.

This report does point out some issues, but it misses the crux of the matter: the other comrades, knowing their team leader was wrong, failed to argue for their position, nor dared to initiate a vote, and instead allowed the situation to continue unchecked. If no one dared to speak out and remained silent, what was the point of establishing a committee? It's like a movie Zhang Yinghao watched in his previous life: an inspection team went to investigate pollution. A factory owner, to save money, avoided running sewage treatment equipment and instead ordered workers to secretly open a valve and release wastewater into the river on a rainy night. In this case, the factory owner who ordered the workers to open the drain was certainly guilty, but the workers who opened the drain were actually more problematic! They knew the wastewater was untreated, yet they obeyed the factory owner's orders to open the valve and release the wastewater for the sake of money. Aren't they accomplices to the crime?

If these workers dare to confront the factory owner and refuse to open the valve, the factory owner will eventually open the valve himself. If these workers dare to fight the factory owner, then it is uncertain whether the factory owner will dare to discharge sewage at will. Of course, it is very difficult for workers to achieve this level of struggle consciousness. It requires long-term education, appropriate legal system development, and incentive measures.

Even now, there are cases where individual cadres in various places help the landlord class.

Hiding property, interfering with the struggle of the masses, forcing the masses to release arrested landlords, causing local work to come to a standstill; shooting and killing peasant association cadres, causing local reactionary arrogance to spread; and even disarming the work team, etc., which lost their class stance.

In the west, a company commander, unable to withstand the sugar-coated pressure, degenerated and committed adultery with a landlord's concubine. Finally, instigated by others, he shot and killed Guan Yu, a cadre in charge of land distribution in the landlord's village. Later, the Ming government held a grand memorial service for Guan Yu and publicly tried and executed the company commander, a matter that caused quite a stir.

In response to these situations, Zhang Yinghao urgently instructed the General Political Department to notify the entire army: After extensive land reform education, if there are still people who shelter landlords, interfere with mass struggles, etc., regardless of their background and history, they must be criticized and punished. In serious cases, they will be expelled from the party, and criminals will be brought to justice. There will be no leniency.

Wu Zhongsheng, who had already summoned the armed forces led by Wang Heshun to begin the grievance campaign, walked up to the stage and glanced around. He noticed a farmer wearing a shirt riddled with holes and patches. Without a word, Wu Zhongsheng stepped down, took off his own clothes, and exchanged them with the soldier. He then held up the tattered shirt and displayed it. Everyone laughed at the sight of such shabby clothing.

Hearing the laughter, Wu Zhongsheng shouted, "Laughing? What's so funny about this? Who would want to wear such tattered clothes and pants? Who would wear clothes like this? Would an official or a landlord wear such clothes?"

At this time, someone replied: "Landlords and officials would not wear such clothes."

"These are the clothes worn by poor people."

"The landlord would find this piece of clothing dirty even if he used it to wipe his butt. This is for tenants to wear."

"Will the Qing government provide good clothes for the poor people of the world?" "No, they only collect taxes and ask us to pay tribute."

Starting with a piece of torn clothing, Wu Zhongsheng stirred up the atmosphere and immediately began to teach everyone a lesson on the principles of exploitation. After that, he called out, "Sanwa, tell us about your family's experience and let us judge for you."

Sanwa was a man Wu Zhongsheng knew about, a typical example of someone he had captured within the armed forces, a member of the millions of miserable civilians. Wu Zhongsheng intended to begin his grievances with Sanwa, having already encouraged him to speak out bravely about his experiences.

Sanwa did not disappoint Wu Zhongsheng. He immediately went on stage to tell his story. "The landlord in our area is so bad that I want to kill him right now. My family rents land from the landlord. During the severe drought a few years ago, my father went to the landlord to borrow two dou of wheat, and promised to return four dou after the New Year. But the drought was still severe the following year, so how could we return the wheat to the landlord? I asked for some time off, but the landlord just hung me up and beat me severely. My father felt sorry for me and went to the landlord to plead for mercy. The landlord actually called my father uncle and said that it didn't matter if he couldn't pay back the debt. He asked my sister to go to his house to cook for a year to pay off the debt. My father had no choice but to send my sister away because he thought cooking for a year was not a big deal.

My poor sister was only seventeen years old, had just been promised, and ended up dying in the landlord's house. My father was so angry that he died. I wanted to fight the landlord's family many times, but they had money, guns, and connections, so I couldn't win. And my mother said that if I died, my family's lineage would be cut off. Captain Wu, please help me get revenge. If you can take the landlord's guns, I will rebel with you and do whatever you want! Wuuuuuuu... "

The poor people had opened their box of suffering, and without Wu Zhongsheng's further mobilization, one bloody fact after another was revealed.

At this time, another man with a sad face also cried out: "...His father worked as a farmhand for the landlord, and he worked himself to death but could not support his family of four. After his father died of exhaustion, he and his mother buried the body, and took his sister to the salt field to dry salt. Later, his mother passed away from illness and hunger. He had no money to bury his mother, and it was only with the money raised by the villagers who fled with him that he was able to hastily bury his mother. Now he understands who made him suffer, and he knows who he should shoot with the gun in his hand... "

...From now on, I will fight hard and avenge my family!" ...We were all born and raised by our parents, why do the poor have to suffer so much?"

Wu Zhongsheng wasn't the only one launching the grievance campaign. News of the PLA's invasion of Guangxi spread like wildfire, unleashing jubilation across the land. By this time, the Forward Party had fully opened its activities in Guangxi, and all its units were engaged in the grievance campaign. Comrades understood that grievances heightened the awareness of all officers and soldiers to bravely fight for the liberation of the exploited working people. It also strengthened the unwavering unity of all officers and soldiers under the leadership of the Forward Party, uniting the troops as one, fearing no sacrifice, and emboldened by collective courage, they bravely fought the enemy, ensuring the victory of the People's Liberation War.

Zhang Yinghao knew even more clearly that the People's Liberation Army's new military reorganization campaign, using the methods of grievance-telling and the "Three Investigations," was unique and original in the world and would make the PLA invincible!

It wasn't just the Guangxi armed forces complaining. Ge Erbao, facing a group of captives, was also giving a eloquent lecture on the podium, teaching them lessons on settling accounts and other matters, and using his complaints to persuade them to turn against the Qing army. Among the Qing troops present, both new and old, there wasn't a single officer. Experience had taught the comrades that when capturing troops, officers and enlisted personnel must be carefully separated and held separately. Leaving officers and enlisted personnel together was bound to lead to trouble.

After the accounting lesson, the prisoners' emotions were aroused, and they were then allowed to begin complaining. The vast majority of these prisoners were peasants, having suffered brutal exploitation at the hands of the landlord class and oppression from their Qing military superiors. In reality, their class composition was similar to that of our soldiers, and some even came from families poorer than those from the liberated areas. Through this grievance-complaining education, their consciousness quickly rose, and they were resolute in exposing bad people and bad deeds, drawing clear lines between their classes.

Soon, waves of crying erupted from the prisoner camp. This simple outburst of grievances yielded enormous results. Not only did it boost the prisoners' morale, but it also gave them a clearer sense of purpose and purpose. In the end, the prisoners all pledged to follow the PLA into battle.

After complaining about their grievances, the prisoners were relieved both mentally and physically. Comrade Ge Erbao made the prisoners complain about the sufferings inflicted on the working people by the old society and the reactionaries, so that everyone understood class, understood exploitation, understood the importance of serving as soldiers for the people and fighting for their own liberation. Their hatred for class enemies deepened, and the prisoners were full of fighting spirit and hoped to join the People's Liberation Army and join the ranks of liberating the people.

This was a complaint to the captured soldiers, but the treatment of the officers was a different story. Because officers were generally educated, or had relatively comfortable lives, the PLA emphasized teaching them lessons and reasoning, explaining the Qing Dynasty's decadent rule and its loss of national sovereignty, the principles of class oppression and exploitation, the principles of nation and country, and the Party's ideals and goals. They explained that the PLA was a force fighting for the liberation of the poor, awakening their class consciousness.

Officers willing to follow the Progressive Party were required to undergo three key checks: their class background, their work history, and their fighting spirit. Finally, many officers expressed their determination to not forget the hardships endured by their ancestors and parents, or the suffering of the world's poor. They expressed their resolve to follow the Progressive Party in revolution, persevering through the revolution and earning meritorious service on the battlefield.

Through the grievance campaign, the PLA incorporated a large number of captured armed forces, resulting in the PLA's numbers and combat effectiveness not only not decreasing, but actually increasing in number and strength. The fighting spirit and morale of the troops, far from declining through the marches and battles, actually grew even stronger. The units that incorporated prisoners were eager to make meritorious contributions, daring to fight the enemy to the death. The speed of attacking cities and strongholds increased, and more towns surrendered after being called upon to surrender. This is truly a unique phenomenon in the history of world wars.

At this moment, Li Fugui appeared in a forest outside Taiyuan City, looking weary. He gazed at the towering Taiyuan City in the distance, then glanced back at his beggar-like army. He immediately said, "Eat some dry food immediately and then rest. We will capture Taiyuan today."

The journey from Xingxian to Taiyuan was over 200 kilometers. The entire regiment slept only three hours a day over three days, spending the rest of their time scientifically planned for eating, drinking, resting, and marching. Finally, they were the first to arrive in Taiyuan. By this time, Li Fugui's troops were no longer a single regiment. Many guerrillas had joined them along the way, and instead of reducing the force due to a few stragglers, their numbers actually increased significantly.

At this time, Wang Shizhen was still sitting in his office in Taiyuan, drinking tea, completely unaware that a regiment of the People's Liberation Army had already arrived in Taiyuan after a forced march.

Shanxi Province began dismantling its old army and training a new one in 1902. At the time, Cen Chunxuan petitioned: "Shanxi Province should train regular and extended reserve armies, draft military regulations, and reduce the number of soldiers and establish officer vacancies instead." Initially, the existing Green Camp officers and soldiers would be reduced by 50%, and the existing officer and military positions would be established. After receiving approval from the Qing court, the plan was implemented.

Cen Chunxuan was resolute in his dismantling of the old army in Shanxi, quickly eliminating half of the Green Camp. The final result was a total of 6,000 troops, but Cen Chunxuan took 4,000 with him upon his appointment to Guangdong, leaving only 2,000. Subsequently, due to the frequent changes of Shanxi governors, despite pressure from Shaanxi, only 4,000 new troops were ultimately trained. Among these 4,000 new troops were not only hidden members of the Forward Party, but the vast majority were currently guarding the Yellow River. At this time, Taiyuan City was essentially empty, save for a few patrolling soldiers.

At that time, there were only about 40,000 men within the four gates of Taiyuan City, a truly small force. Even if Wang Shizhen truly desired to defend Taiyuan, it would be difficult. Soon, bursts of light gunfire could be heard from outside the city. Wang Shizhen had been a soldier since he was fifteen, and it had been nearly thirty years since then. He could already roughly gauge the enemy's numbers and combat effectiveness by hearing these gunshots. Li Fugui's troops took the enemy by surprise, attacking them unprepared. They first blew up Taiyuan's western gate—Hanxi Gate—and immediately launched their offensive.

Sure enough, after just over an hour of fighting, the gunfire completely stopped and all key points in the city were occupied by our army, which means that Taiyuan fell completely into the hands of the Forward Party.

Li Fugui conquered the Governor's Office and saw Wang Shizhen still quietly drinking tea. He smiled faintly and said, "General Wang is quite calm."

Wang Shizhen took a sip from his teacup and said, "From the moment you took the initiative to attack Shanxi, our defeat was already doomed. Come, have a drink?"

Li Fugui was not afraid that Wang Shizhen would poison him. He walked over, picked up the teacup and said, "I'm honored to refuse it. Thank you very much."

Then he swallowed it in one gulp. "Aren't you afraid it's poisonous?"

Li Fugui did not answer directly, but said: "Isn't it time for you to say that the Qing Dynasty will fall?"

Wang Shizhen was stunned for a moment and said, "Come on, have another drink."

Perhaps, as Wang Shizhen had said, defeat was inevitable from the moment the People's Liberation Army launched their offensive against Shanxi. Perhaps the Qing dynasty was doomed from the moment it lost its will to attack. Wang Shizhen, perhaps having seen all this clearly, did not offer much resistance, not even leaving troops to defend Taiyuan, as there was no need for it.

Zhang Yinghao had no doubt at this time that the Liberation Army's attack on Shanxi would fail, so he went to the arsenal and found Yu Qingao and said, "Director Yu, we now need to build a large arsenal in Shanxi."

"Where is the site?"

"Taiyuan."

Yu Qingao nodded and said, "As early as 98, Shanxi Governor Hu Pinzhi, influenced by Zhang Zhidong's Westernization Movement and the establishment of the Hanyang Arsenal, built 22 factory buildings on the site of the Thousand Buddha Temple in Baishu Garden outside the Xiaobei Gate of Taiyuan. He established the Shanxi Machinery Bureau for the purpose of producing arms, pioneering the production of weapons in Shanxi using steam engines and metal cutting machine tools, and became one of my country's early modern military factories. We have been paying attention to this place for a long time. At the beginning, the Machinery Bureau had simple equipment and was short of craftsmen. It could only repair items such as spears, sabers, rifles, and small cannons. Later, a group of craftsmen were hired from Tianjin and other places, and more complex old weapons could be repaired to make them look like new."

Zhang Yinghao listened and said with a smile: "That's not all. After we liberated Shaanxi, the Qing government, under pressure, bought more than 100,000 taels of silver worth of machinery and equipment to expand the Machinery Bureau. They can even produce rifles without any problem. Now they can also produce bullets and shells. Otherwise, where would the bullets and shells for the 20,000 new troops stationed in Shanxi come from?"

Yu Qingao said: "When Taiyuan is captured, we will immediately organize elite troops to go there and expand the arsenal!"

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "The scale of the Taiyuan Arsenal must exceed that of our Chongqing and Chengdu Arsenals. The production of munitions must meet the demand for bullets and artillery shells for hundreds of thousands of troops. Therefore, the Taiyuan Arsenal must be built larger, and we must also allocate half of our research institute to strengthen this new arsenal. We should also establish a university specifically for training our arsenal personnel."

“Chairman, does Shanxi have enough iron now?”

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "Shanxi has been a major iron-producing province since ancient times. Yincheng in Changzhi is the distribution center for iron goods from the north. Shanxi merchants often purchase iron goods here and then transport them to the border for sale. Yincheng iron goods are divided into two categories: pig iron and wrought iron, with hundreds of varieties. There are more than 300 iron goods shops and stores in the town. The daily turnover of iron goods is more than 3,000 taels of silver, hence the saying 'Ten thousand miles of Yincheng, every day brings in a fortune.' In addition, Yincheng iron goods are also exported to countries such as India, Bhutan, and North Korea, with an average annual transaction volume of 10 million taels of silver."

Jincheng, the industrial and commercial center of southeastern Shanxi, served as a strategic point of communication between Shanxi and Henan, and was the only way for Shanxi merchants to travel north and south. Its geographical location was crucial. Jincheng's handicraft industry was highly developed, with a wide range of products and brisk sales. Steel needles, iron goods, coal, and leather and gold were particularly popular. There were over 1,000 small-scale, handmade pig iron furnaces, over 100 wrought iron furnaces, and over 400 casting boilers.

Nancun in Jincheng is also a distribution center for iron goods. Its iron is sold nationwide, with an annual trading volume exceeding 10 million taels. Therefore, iron is Jincheng's primary industry. Therefore, we have established an arsenal in Taiyuan, so we have no shortage of steel for the time being. Of course, we will also establish steel groups in these locations to provide sufficient raw materials for our arsenal.

"Okay, I'll start recruiting people right now. After Taiyuan is liberated, we'll immediately send people to Taiyuan to start work."

Chapter 406:

Shanxi is one of the provinces that Zhang Yinghao will focus on managing next. Shanxi is called "mountains and rivers inside and outside". "Mountains and rivers inside and outside" is an idiom from "Zuo Zhuan". It means that there are big rivers on the outside and high mountains on the inside of an area, which can serve as a natural barrier for protection. Shanxi is because it has the Yellow River on the outside and Taihang Mountains and Luliang Mountains on the inside. It includes mountains, plains, hills and other landforms. The terrain is dangerous, so it is called "mountains and rivers inside and outside".

After liberating Taiyuan, Li Fugui immediately sent a message to the Shaanxi Military Sub-district, which then immediately reported the victory to the Central Military Commission. Zhang Yinghao rushed to the Military Commission office after receiving the telegram, but on his way back, he received another message: Lu Jianzhang had led a branch of the Beiyang Army in an uprising and surrendered.

Zhang Yinghao was delighted to hear this and took the telegram to read it. It turned out that Wang Liang had ordered the troops entering Henan from Tongguan to advance rapidly along the Yellow River. While Lu Jianzhang was still hesitating about where to retreat, they quickly crossed the Yellow River and completed the encirclement of Lu Jianzhang's troops.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Jianzhang might have fought to the death or held out, awaiting rescue. However, news soon arrived of our liberation of Taiyuan. The soldiers of the Sixth Beiyang Regiment had previously welcomed the Second Beiyang Regiment's invasion of Shaanxi, and they all knew the PLA treated prisoners with respect, ensuring the safety of their lives and property. Upon hearing this news, the soldiers' will to fight and the generals' will to fight waned. Morale collapsed. Under our powerful political pressure, Lu Jianzhang chose to revolt and surrender. Of course, the Forward Party defined Lu Jianzhang as someone who saw the true nature of the revolution and led his troops in rebellion, thereby reducing the drain on the nation's internal forces and further accelerating the Qing dynasty's demise.

After reading the telegram, Zhang Yinghao found it somewhat unbelievable that the PLA's liberation of Shanxi had merely staged a massive armed parade. A province had been conquered in just a few days? Zhang Yinghao knew that it would take at least six months for the Progressive Party to completely pacify and digest Shanxi, but he still felt that time was too short.

Zhang Yinghao immediately replied by telegram: "Except for a few die-hard Qing loyalists, all Beiyang and Shanxi New Army should be reformed and incorporated." He ordered the People's Liberation Army to immediately launch an offensive against local bandits, bullies, and local tyrants, and actively implement the land reform policy in places where conditions are ripe.

After returning to the Military Commission's office, Zhang Yinghao sent another telegram to Zhang Feng: "Vigorously build woolen textile mills and canneries in northern Shanxi; accelerate the collection of information on Outer Mongolia through Shanxi merchants; immediately establish a Shaanxi commercial department in Shanxi, and establish a large-scale trade team to accompany the army all the way to Mongolia to trade, offering silk, cloth, ready-made clothes, tea, salt, tobacco, sugar, porcelain, and ironware in exchange for horses, cattle, sheep, and wool from the herders. Ensure fair trade; immediately march into Outer Mongolia and liberate the people of Mongolia. It is particularly important to note that liberating Mongolia is not a military matter, but a matter of commerce and politics."

Originally, these tasks didn't require Zhang Yinghao's personal attention, just like Zhang Yinghao's establishment of a cannery in the Bakang region. Zhang Feng had already built several wool textile mills and beef and mutton canneries in northern Shaanxi based on Zhang Yinghao's suggestions, but in the end, Zhang Yinghao still sent a telegram to express his concern.

After sending the telegram, Zhang Yinghao immediately picked up his pen and began drawing a comprehensive defense map for the liberation of Kulun and Uliastai. Zhang Yinghao knew that if the People's Liberation Army wanted to completely liberate Northeast China and reclaim the territories seized by Tsarist Russia from the Qing Dynasty, it would have to engage in an all-out war with Tsarist Russia. The sooner he prepared, the better his chances of victory would be.

At that time, Outer Mongolia was not called Outer Mongolia, but Uliastai. However, Zhang Yinghao was accustomed to using the later name and simply called it Outer Mongolia. In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao was extremely heartbroken about the loss of Outer Mongolia, but from Zhang Yinghao's current perspective, before Tsarist Russia built the Trans-Siberian Railway, Outer Mongolia's supplies were almost entirely provided by the inland areas. Mongolia was naturally inseparable from the inland areas, which was also the best way for dynasties to control the grasslands.

However, after Tsarist Russia completed the Trans-Siberian Railway, Outer Mongolia's demand for inland resources drastically decreased, and China's influence on Mongolia naturally dwindled rapidly. Then, during the Xinhai Revolution, Outer Mongolia declared independence under the auspices of Tsarist Russia, and the central government essentially severed ties with Mongolia. The Mongolian traitors discovered they could still dominate and thrive without relying on the mainland, further increasing centrifugal forces. Ultimately, without China's own development, the inevitable outcome was that, under the interference of a foreign power like Russia, Outer Mongolia would break away from China's embrace and become a pawn in Tsarist Russia's clutches.

After receiving the telegram, Zhang Feng convened a meeting of all units and immediately said, "The Qing troops stationed in Kulun are only a few hundred symbolic men. It's actually very easy to eliminate the Qing forces in Mongolia. But such a large area, to be honest, it makes my scalp tingle just looking at it!"

As Chief of Staff, Zhao Jinshan never ceased gathering information on the Mongolian region. He then heard him reply, "The Mongolian people have been gradually declining since Genghis Khan, and are now even weaker. The entire Mongolian tribe has been completely tamed by the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty consistently implemented a population reduction policy in Outer Mongolia. Before and after the Qing invaded the country, the Mongols fought numerous battles for the Qing. After the Qing Dynasty was established, it began to wield a soft knife against Mongolia, causing a sharp decline in its population. This soft knife was the "worship of Buddhism to control its livelihood," meaning the promotion of Buddhism. Mongol men rushed to become lamas, offering a comfortable life without engaging in production. They enjoyed privileges and could freely have affairs with women. Thus, the problem of the northern nomads, which had long troubled the Central Plains dynasties, was completely resolved by the Qing Dynasty. The once warlike and aggressive "scourge of God" was transformed into a simple, honest, and poor man."

Although the meeting should be serious, many comrades could not help but smile after listening. Comrade Qian Guide of the Nationalities and Religious Affairs Commission said directly: "The population of the entire Mongolian region reached its peak in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, with an original population of 12 million. After the long rule of the Qing Dynasty, the population of Outer Mongolia has now decreased to 500,000 or 600,000. The Qing Dynasty used Lamaism to rule the Mongolian people. As the saying goes, "One Lama temple is worth 100,000 soldiers." After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, Lama temples were built on a large scale in Mongolia to promote Tibetan Buddhism and require everyone to Every Mongolian family with male members must have one member become a monk, and the ratio is quite high. For every eight brothers, seven must become lamas; for every five brothers, four must become lamas. Only one member can be a commoner, marrying and having children. If this man dies unexpectedly, a lama can return to secular life and continue the family line. Lamas wear red and yellow satin, do not engage in labor, and receive generous salaries and many special privileges. The large number of Mongolian men who became monks led to a sharp decline in Mongolia's labor force and a further decline in productivity on the plateau.

Women were no longer blessed with the privilege of becoming lamas, but with more women than men, finding suitable spouses was difficult, so they became prey to the sexual gratification of inland Chinese. Civil and military officials, soldiers, and merchants traveling from inland to Mongolia were unable to bring their families due to the long journey, so they could find temporary wives here. Seven or eight Mongolian men had only one wife, while a Mongolian woman had several inland Chinese men as temporary husbands, effectively creating a promiscuous society. Furthermore, both men and women showed little regard for hygiene, contracting gonorrhea and syphilis and letting things take their course. According to our current examinations, 85% of Mongolian youth aged 17 to 25 have STDs, and the percentage is naturally even higher for those over 25. The promiscuous sexual lives of nomadic peoples also facilitate the spread of STDs. In some nomadic communities, 55% of women of childbearing age are infertile due to illness. This phenomenon is horrific. If allowed to continue, Mongolians are in imminent danger of genocide.

Zhang Feng frowned and said, "Don't Manchus and Mongols intermarry?"

Zhao Jinshan laughed and said, "The Qing Dynasty had a lot of intermarriage with tribes like the Khorchin in Inner Mongolia, but had basically no relationship with Outer Mongolia."

"It seems that it will not be easy for us to solve the Mongolian problem!"

Qian Guide interjected, "As far as the Mongolian region is concerned, with such a small population, the problem is actually quite easy to solve. The Qing Dynasty's actions, on the one hand, restricted the development of Mongolia's productivity and its population. Monks were unable to marry and have children, which greatly hindered population growth. The sharp decline in the number of males meant that more and more of the burden of labor fell on women. Years of hard work made infertility among women extremely common in Mongolia during the Qing Dynasty, further reducing the population in Mongolia. Although there were fewer people engaged in production, the number of banner owners and princes remained unchanged. They would not give up their extravagant lives and would inevitably continue to intensify their exploitation of ordinary herders. On the other hand, the various bad habits of promiscuity without taking responsibility led to the rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases among the Mongolian people, resulting in an extremely high incidence rate and further deprivation of the Mongolian people's combat effectiveness.

In fact, from the perspective of feudal rule, the Qing Dynasty's methods of controlling Mongolia were extremely sophisticated. Without the intervention of external forces, their continued rule would have been completely unaffected. They used Tibetan Buddhism to control the Outer Mongolian spiritual world, implemented population reduction policies to control population growth, and enfeoffed the upper echelons of Outer Mongolia as princes and beile, demarcated pastures, and prohibited nomadic migration. These policies allowed the Qing Dynasty to firmly control Outer Mongolia and, to a certain extent, maintained national unity. However, it must be acknowledged that these policies severely restricted Mongolia's development. The people could not remain in the dark forever. If these problems were to explode, they would be enough to devastate the entire Mongol tribe.

These words are not wrong. In fact, it was after the Russo-Japanese War that Russia shifted its focus from the Northeast to the Mongolian region, which led to the emergence of a sense of independence in the Mongolian region. Before that, everyone in the Mongolian region had basically never thought about separation, and had no sense of independence or resistance spirit at all. The Mongolian eagle was finally outed by the Qing Dynasty and became well-behaved and obedient.

"Hasn't the Chairman said this? Historically, the ethnic minorities that were able to rule the Central Plains dynasties all originated from the Northeast. The ancestors of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Murong Xianbei, came from the Northeast, and the subsequent Liao, Jin, Yuan, and Qing dynasties all originated from the Northeast. Pure grassland empires like the Xiongnu, Turks, and Uighurs had no particular interest in ruling the Central Plains. They often simply rushed into the Central Plains, burned, killed, looted, and left. To them, the prosperous Central Plains was just a piece of fat meat that they could reuse to plunder wealth and maintain their tribal alliances.

The nomadic culture of the steppes struggled to establish Confucian ethical principles, and a purely Central Plains culture had neither the interest nor the ability to rule the steppes. A universal ruler capable of transcending the grassland-Central Plains divide must be someone who understands both the Central Plains and the steppes. Such a ruler is neither a pure Central Plains person nor a pure steppe person, but rather someone from the transition zone between the steppes and the Central Plains, namely, the Northeast. The Northeast borders the Hulunbuir steppes to the north, and the agriculturally favorable Liaodong region, often under the rule of Central Plains culture, to the south. A ruler who could establish a firm foothold in the Northeast must be familiar with both models of governance. This way, after entering the Central Plains, he could establish a dual empire encompassing both the steppes and the Central Plains. This meant ruling the steppes through a tribal alliance as a Khan, and ruling the Central Plains through the emperor.

After hearing this, Zhang Feng said, "That's why we have such a difficult time dealing with Mongolia! How exactly should we manage the grasslands? This is a completely new issue we must address. And I don't think it's an ethical issue. The Chairman said the economic base determines the superstructure. The fact that the ethnic groups in Northeast China were able to rule the Central Plains must have had a corresponding economic foundation."

Zhao Jinshan nodded and said, "The Chairman said that these dynasties originated in the Northeast because it combined the economic foundations of nomadism and farming. They could use farming and nomadism to deal with other nomadic areas, and they could also use the methods of the Central Plains dynasties to deal with the Central Plains dynasties. Furthermore, the Liao, Jin, Yuan, and Qing dynasties all made Beijing their capital because Beijing's location along the Great Wall facilitated governance of both the north and the south. Each of these dynasties also established a separate capital in the northern grasslands: the Liao in Shangjing, the Yuan in Shangdu, and the Qing in Chengde. This allowed for joint governance of the grasslands and the Central Plains through these two capitals. How do we solve this problem?"

After Zhao Jinshan finished speaking, everyone fell into deep thought.

Zhang Feng suddenly asked, "What's the matter with the Chairman saying he obtained information from Shanxi merchants?"

A comrade from the commerce department said directly: "I may know a little about this. Shanxi merchants played a huge role in the Qing Dynasty's rule over Mongolia. Shanxi merchants' move to the west facilitated the flow of trade between the north and the south, and earned huge profits. However, Shanxi merchants lent money at high interest rates in Outer Mongolia, which led to cruel oppression and exploitation of Outer Mongolia. Shanxi merchants also often used credit to lure Mongolians, that is, they would buy the things they liked without cash transactions and set a time to return them. Because Mongolians could get what they liked without cash, they bought what they needed and what they didn't need, and the Shanxi merchants' business flourished.

Now the Mongols used sheep instead of currency in transactions. If the price was agreed upon for 100 sheep and the repayment period came at the end of the year, the Shanxi merchant would go to the Mongols and take away 140 sheep. The Mongols would ask why they took away 40 more sheep.

The Shanxi merchant said: "Sheep are meant to give birth to lambs! Wouldn't it be fair if we had 40 more sheep now than we had at that time?" Meng was honest and thought it made sense, so he let them take the sheep away.

The Qing Dynasty, which operated in Mongolia for over two hundred years, starting with the reign of Emperor Kangxi, relied heavily on Shanxi merchants for military supplies and logistics. Now, dozens or even hundreds of Shanxi merchants are holding debts that would take decades for all the Outer Mongolians to repay. This is both outrageous and terrifying.

"This is too much! Looks like we'll have our hands full again. We need to find a way to clear all these debts after the Shanxi and Mongolian revolutions. It seems this time we'll not only have to fight the local tyrants and divide up the land, but we'll also have to slaughter the rich and give the wealth we've taken from the Mongolian people back to them."

In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao had even searched the internet for information on the loss of Outer Mongolia, finding that Outer Mongolia's independence was closely linked to the Shanxi merchants. While this was primarily due to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, first the Russians and Japanese coaxed the Outer Mongolian upper classes into rebellion, then the establishment of the Soviet Union spurred a revolution among the lower classes, leading to a growing rift between Outer Mongolia and the mainland, ultimately culminating in its independence. While the Republic of China's incompetence was also a major factor, the Shanxi merchants' exploitation of the Mongolian region should not be underestimated.

Zhang Feng said, "This is inevitable. Ultimately, it's the same as the Qing Dynasty's oppression of the Han people, and also the oppression of the Mongolian region..."

After Zhang Feng finished speaking, he suddenly understood Zhang Yinghao's solution to the Mongolian problem and laughed, "Haha! The Chairman has a thorough understanding of the problem. He knows that the essence of the Outer Mongolian problem is class contradiction. This class contradiction is not only between the Mongolian princes and their herders and tenant farmers, but also between the Shanxi merchants who lend money at high interest rates and the Mongolian people... There are actually two points to solving the problems in the Mongolian region. The first is to mobilize the vast number of Mongolian herders and overthrow the current feudal system. Then, we need to develop production, build factories, and use our products to exchange for the agricultural and pastoral products in the hands of the herders to improve their quality of life. In the final analysis, it all comes down to science, loyalty, and labor..."

It is true that those involved are often confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things more clearly! After Zhang Feng finished speaking, all the comrades immediately felt as if the clouds had cleared and the sky was blue, and they all felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Chapter 407:

Zhang Yinghao didn't know that Zhang Feng and his team had held a meeting, unified their thinking, and already knew how to solve the Mongolian problem. Zhang Yinghao himself simply drew a defensive map of the war fortress and submitted it to the teaching division and other departments for review. If there were any problems, he would make corresponding revisions. He then sent it to the Shaanxi Military Sub-district and gave it to Zhang Feng and his team. He instructed them to send engineering troops and sapper units to begin building war fortresses in Kulun, Uliastai, and Tannu Uriankhai after liberating Outer Mongolia.

Construction was the eternal theme of the Forward Party led by Zhang Yinghao. After the imperialist powers instructed the Qing Dynasty to blockade the Yangtze River, Zhang Yinghao, conscious of future industrial development, quickly issued instructions. Taking advantage of the global economic crisis and the full-blown US economic crisis of 03, he launched a massive effort to acquire inexpensive, bankrupt factories. Since these factories could not be shipped back to China, they would continue production there, training willing workers. Even if production could not continue, the machines would be temporarily stored, pending the relocation or replication of these factories to China.

The Progressive Party still had a significant amount of illicit income from overseas, primarily from the sale of white flour, which brought in tens of millions of taels of silver. Furthermore, there were donations from overseas Chinese, many of whom, through frugality, donated their entire life savings to build the nation. This money had now essentially all gone into factory machinery.

Zhang Yinghao spoke with Comrade Cai Xiaofen, Minister of Commerce, and Comrade Bai Guangliang, Director of the Anti-Smoking Bureau. Zhang Yinghao then said, "...After the liberation of Hubei, Guangxi, and other places, we have more space to build factories. This means we need to import a large amount of machinery and equipment. We've been forced to embargo our imports for quite some time now. How are your preparations overseas?"

Cai Xiaofen and the others were prepared. With the tech tree as a foundation, everyone knew what they needed to buy. Cai Xiaofen replied, "Chairman, we have expertise in railways, machinery manufacturing, various machine tools, power equipment, shipbuilding, automobiles, electric locomotives, chemicals, steel rolling equipment, textiles, and power generation. The items we're buying are cheap. To put it in American terms, we're helping them dispose of a bunch of garbage..."