The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

You don't know! A few years ago, Hejin suffered a great disaster. It was a terrible time. Many people starved to death, and a lot of good land was left idle. Now it can be said that there is wasteland everywhere, and any land can be cultivated. If the landlord does not agree to divide the land, his land will be left idle. Do you think it will be okay if he doesn't agree? Besides, it would be much better to take the initiative. At least you can keep a lot of money and the most fertile land at home, and you can also live a decent life. If you firmly refuse to pay, it means you are resisting land reform. Hey, how many of those who don't listen to the new government and resist land reform are really good people? It's not too much to kill these people a thousand times..."

Feng Jichuan said "Oh" and began to think quietly.

Chapter 432:

Zhang Yinghao sat in his office, his eyes closed, thinking quietly. He had no idea that a man named Feng Jichuan was planning to travel from Shanxi to Sichuan to see him. However, even if he knew, Zhang Yinghao wouldn't have paid much attention to it. He knew that countless people wanted to see him, and whether Feng Jichuan and his men could meet him was still a long shot. The comrades who would receive Feng Jichuan and his men would naturally ask what they were doing. If it was education-related, they would be introduced to the Ministry of Education. If it was something else, they would be introduced to the relevant departments and units. Only when it was truly necessary would they arrange a meeting with him.

Because the new government created by Zhang Yinghao is a government that gets things done, if these people come to get things done, they are naturally welcome.

No matter what it is, only by doing it can you achieve results. If Feng Jichuan wanted to persuade Zhang Yinghao or reason with him, to get him to abandon or change the current policies and propositions of the Progress Party, Zhang Yinghao really didn't want to meet such a person. This wasn't to say that Zhang Yinghao was arrogant, or stubborn, but Zhang Yinghao knew that he was a person who copied the correct answer. If he changed his answer, he might deviate from the correct answer, and he would not be able to compete with the top students of this era. In fact, even if the poor students knew the correct answer, they might not be able to beat the top students. After all, copying answers is a skill...

Moreover, Zhang Yinghao had heard too many great truths in his previous life. What truths had he not heard? Why didn't he understand them? But these great truths were actually useless. Apart from drinking a bowl of chicken soup for the soul to comfort himself, he still couldn't live his life well, nor could he live the life he wanted.

In reality, whether in past lives or present, Zhang Yinghao knew that in this world, pain is the norm and happiness is abnormal. For example, those who console others by saying, "A day is as good as a day, and a day is as bad as a day, so why be unhappy?" are just talking nonsense. Those who can laugh at everything don't necessarily learn this saying; they're simply born with this optimism. They're naturally able to laugh. Others, however, simply can't.

Actually, it's not just humans. The world was originally cold, filled with dead things like stone and dirt. But then, life appeared, and because of life, the world became colorful...

However, life requires maintenance and is short-lived. It requires metabolism and reproduction, which necessitates the constant exchange of matter and energy. Otherwise, death is inevitable. Furthermore, all things must inevitably pass from birth to death, returning to their original state. Therefore, to survive, life must constantly fight death. To continue living is to experience pain and to strive for gain, all of which make life immensely painful. Therefore, Buddhism teaches that all living beings suffer!

Hehe! In fact, only you know whether it is bitter or not!

In fact, human suffering is even greater. Eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, and sleeping are all part of a struggle against death. Which of these can humans forgo? Do you eat well? Do you drink well? Do you sleep well? All of these things are related to a person's survival and quality of life. Although humans are advanced animals and have solved all the problems of survival, even if these problems are no longer a problem, they still suffer unbearably...

why?

It was only after Zhang Yinghao came to this world that he understood that the reason why people suffer is actually because they cannot live the life they want and the life is not in line with what they want.

When Marx described communist society, he said: Material wealth is extremely abundant, spiritual realm is greatly elevated, and everyone develops freely and comprehensively...

Sometimes, when a person is alone in their study, quietly reading, fishing, or doing something else, they feel incredibly relaxed and comfortable, a genuine joy. This is because this is the ideal life they desire, free from pressure, ideals, or morals. They simply live their own life, free and unfettered. If someone could earn enough money simply by reading, countless people would surely spend their days in the library reading...

However, once a person leaves this state, he or she will also leave their ideal life state, facing the daily necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education, illness, etc., and will naturally suffer. The only way to avoid this is to have the ability to make yourself live the life you want...

In every era, people's pursuits change, and naturally, their aspirations for life also differ. Zhang Yinghao knows that in this era, many people can live the lives they desire. Just as Premier Zhou Enlai once said, "Study for China's rise!" In fact, Premier Zhou also worked his entire life for China's rise.

In fact, in this painful era, countless people worked hard to save the country and its people. Their ideal was to rescue the country and its people from dire straits. They disregarded personal gain and loss, their future prospects, and their poverty. These people were truly living their ideal lives. Zhang Yinghao was fortunate; such people were indeed plentiful in this era.

As for Zhang Yinghao's own past life, hehe! Although everyone's ideal life is different, the vast majority of people who want to live the life they want basically need a lot of money. This alone blocks a large part of the path to their ideal life. Everyone is forced to constantly rush around for money...

In today's world, before communism has even been achieved, we must keep pace with the times. The best way to live an ideal life is to earn enough money while living the life you desire. Therefore, the best way is to turn your hobbies into profitable careers. Furthermore, human society is a vast market, and everyone should learn how to monetize. If someone can monetize their talents, labor, abilities, and even their looks—all things that can be monetized—then they have truly found a golden rice bowl.

This is also why protagonists in novels with systems are so awesome. Simply by following the system's instructions, they can acquire sufficient resources, allowing them to easily cash out. If someone were to acquire a system that could improve their abilities after acquiring something, making it even easier to cash out, this would be the best thing in the world. Unfortunately, how could this be possible in the real world? So, it's just fantasy.

Life is a process, and each person is an independent individual, responsible for their own actions. Buddhism teaches that the sea of ​​suffering is boundless, and turning back is the shore. In reality, there's no such thing as turning back. Turning back simply means giving up on your original pursuit. If you don't recognize the truth, turning back often leads to even greater suffering.

Why do we say we need to keep up with the times? Haha, even Buddhist temples must be magnificent. If they are shabby, who would come to worship? On the contrary, the more money a temple makes, the richer the monks become, and the more people will come to worship. So if Buddhism cannot keep up with the times, it will eventually perish.

The Buddhist scriptures also describe the Western Paradise described there. What is it like? ... The Pure Land is filled with seven-treasure ponds, eight kinds of water, and the bottom of the pond is covered with pure golden sand. The steps on the four sides are made of gold, silver, glass, and glass. There are pavilions on top, also adorned with gold, silver, glass, broken plates, red pearls, and agate... Hey, you can't visit the Pure Land without money!

Therefore, it is said that Buddha saves those who are destined to be saved. In the mundane world and the boundless sea of ​​suffering, one can comprehend life and achieve enlightenment. The predecessors of Buddhism have long understood that a person's life is a process from birth to death. Everything experienced during this period is illusory in the long river of time. The ultimate pursuit is only peace of mind and living the life you want.

People are the sum of social relations. Even if monks are liberated and know that everyone is an independent individual, they cannot bear the worldly troubles and they can only run into the deep mountains and forests.

So, monks are people who share the same goal. The simplest way for modern people to find liberation is to do something they enjoy, to work tirelessly, to be willing to do it their whole lives, and to earn money. It's that simple, but it's also often the hardest thing to do.

Buddhism advocates the salvation of all living beings, but when others are still struggling in the sea of ​​suffering, can we help them reach the shore? No! We can only let them escape from the sea of ​​suffering on their own. When these people actively seek liberation, see through the world, and understand the true meaning of life, those who are destined to be enlightened will have already turned to the Buddha's principles.

Those who cannot see through things will naturally pray to gods and Buddhas. Even if these people are barely saved, they will still fall into pain. Self-comfort is not liberation...

Zhang Yinghao closed his eyes and pondered the question of how to free himself from suffering. Then he considered legal issues. The law never imposes restrictions. For example, if you see someone fall, the law doesn't require any passerby to rescue them. If you rescue someone, you're responsible for your actions. Of course, if someone is blackmailing you and you don't have proof you didn't hit them, you still have to take responsibility for your actions. Of course, you can also immediately file a police report for extortion...

Furthermore, the law doesn't encourage good behavior. From the law's perspective, everyone is an independent individual, responsible for their own actions. Even minors, the elderly, and other special circumstances are responsible for their actions by their guardians. Therefore, the law merely maintains order among the ruling class.

Just when Zhang Yinghao was daydreaming, Liu Qi's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Chairman, good news, great news."

Seeing Liu Qi smiling, Zhang Yinghao opened his eyes and smiled: "Oh, what good news makes you so happy?"

"Haha, I just received a telegram saying Wuhan has been captured!" "Liberated so quickly? Where's Zhang Xiangshuai?"

"Oh, the General Labor Union sent a telegram saying that Zhang Zhidong plans to come to Chengdu to talk to the Chairman!"

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "Haha! Very good! Welcome! I will go to greet him in person when the time comes. Zhang Xiangshuai has made great contributions to the construction and development of the national industry. He is also a patriotic man and naturally does not want the Qing Dynasty to continue to corrupt the country. Let him come! Let him see the difference between the industrial construction of our Forward Party and the construction he has in Wuhan!"

"it is good."

"Why does everything seem to be going so smoothly for me? It's really going so smoothly." "Chairman, this is called thorough preparation. First, make yourself invincible, and then wait for the enemy to be defeated!"

"Haha, right! How are the steel mills and arsenals?"

"After the PLA comrades captured Hanyang and Hankou, they employed only small artillery fire in a few areas and encountered almost no fierce or stubborn resistance, ultimately capturing the entire area north of the Yangtze River. The machinery and equipment in Hanyang and Hankou, protected by the workers, suffered some damage from stray bullets, but overall the damage was minimal, with little impact on production. As for Wuchang, thanks to the organized demonstrations by students and citizens, and thanks to Comrade Deng Lugang winning over Zhang Zhidong, it can now be considered a peaceful liberation."

"Great! Very good! This is the result of the hard work of our comrades. The power of the people is indeed infinite! Now that the problem in Wuhan has been temporarily resolved, there is no need to keep too many troops in Wuhan. Since the PLA troops in Changsha have already set out, the PLA troops in Wuhan should be allowed to replenish supplies in Wuhan, and then arrange for some of them to immediately go to Jiujiang and liberate Jiangxi!"

"Chairman, does this war end with the liberation of Jiangxi?"

"How is that possible? We must take an offensive stance against the Qing Dynasty, so we absolutely cannot stop. Now that Wuhan has been liberated, the purpose of this military operation has been achieved. However, liberating a place doesn't necessarily require military occupation; there are other ways. Look at western Hunan, northwestern Hubei, and the areas bordering Guangxi. We've already liberated them. Now that we've taken over the two lakes and Shanxi regions, there's really no need to rush..."

"Our forces are actually quite stretched now. Too many personnel have been transferred from Sichuan. It's not a good thing for the newly liberated areas to be too dispersed. It's easy for hidden enemies to attack us one by one."

Zhang Yinghao said without hesitation: "Then let's recruit soldiers. Hunan and Hubei are both places with a large population and limited land, which are good sources of soldiers. Let the Dabie Mountain Column also complete its reorganization in Wuhan and replenish its supplies! You guys should take care of this matter, and then let them go to Anhui. The responsibility of liberating Anhui will be handed over to the Dabie Mountain Column."

"Chairman, if the Beiyang Army were to take action, they might..."

Zhang Yinghao waved his hand and said, "As long as the Progressive Party and the People's Liberation Army stand with the people, they will naturally find a way to defeat the enemy. So far, guns and artillery are actually secondary. If they are separated from the people, no matter how good their weapons are, they are just firewood. The weapons of the Hubei New Army and the Beiyang Army are not bad, right? How much combat effectiveness do they have? Therefore, only by standing with the people can we be invincible."

"Okay, I'll send the telegram right away."

"Wait a minute, there are many party members we recruited in the Hubei New Army. This time, we need to complete the political commissars. The principle of the party commanding the gun must not be neglected in the slightest. As for the guards, we must also send capable comrades to train the guards over there. In addition, we need to bring more radios to them..."

"When will we send troops to Henan?"

"Shanxi has been liberated, Hubei has also been liberated, so many troops should be enough to march into Henan. However, we still have to ask the officers and soldiers on the front line. If they still have spare strength to use troops and can still fight, they can use them. I have no objection. If they can't win, they can just retreat. But my opinion is to complete the land reform in Hunan and Hubei first..."

"Okay, Chairman, do you have any other instructions?"

Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and said to the secretary beside him: "Secretary Wu, please record the issue of the Beijing-Hankou Railway. This is a big deal. You can ask Zhang Xiangshuai for help and ask the comrades of the Ministry of Railways to go to Wuhan to check the railway data and find out how much money the Belgians spent on building the railway. Find out how to redeem the railway from the Belgians. Then it will be much easier to send troops to Henan along the railway. However, after all, it is someone else's construction in their own country, and we still have to pay the Belgians accordingly, otherwise it will really break the rules. If there are Belgian engineers willing to stay in China to work, we will treat them well. Now this railway has not been fully opened to traffic, and we still have to complete it. We also need to extend the railway south and eventually build it to Guangzhou, forming a major artery from the northeast to Guangzhou..."

Before Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, a correspondent ran into the office, saluted Zhang Yinghao breathlessly, and then hurriedly reported to him: "Chairman, something big happened in Hankou..."

Chapter 433:

Zhang Yinghao looked at the comrade who was panting and had difficulty breathing when speaking, and knew that something very serious must have happened in Hankou. Without waiting for the comrade to finish his report, Zhang Yinghao took the telegram and read it carefully.

Zhang Yinghao knew that Wuhan was so far away from Chengdu and the transportation was inconvenient, so there was no point in rushing.

The more Zhang Yinghao read, the more helpless he felt, but he really didn't feel anxious anymore. However, seeing the communicator panting, perhaps in the minds of these comrades, this was indeed a matter of great importance concerning the great powers and there could not be any delay.

After reading the contents of the telegram, Zhang Yinghao handed it to Liu Qi and began to think quickly. Zhang Yinghao knew that he was in Chengdu and could not provide any direct assistance to the comrades in Wuhan. However, Zhang Yinghao knew even more clearly that what Wuhan needed now was a statement from the central government to support them.

After reading it, Liu Qi asked, "Chairman, what should we do?"

Zhang Yinghao came to his senses and replied directly: "Let the bullets fly for a while! There's no rush!"

Zhang Yinghao knew that Liu Qi and the others didn't know the meaning of the phrase "bullets fly", so he explained: "The People's Liberation Army is in Wuhan. No matter what urgent matters arise, I believe we won't suffer a great loss. Let the situation develop for a while and see what the people of Wuhan choose. We will deal with more news from Wuhan later."

Zhang Yinghao was truly not in a hurry at this point. Whatever choice the people of Wuhan made regarding the concession, the Forward Party would follow suit. With military force as a backup, almost all current problems could be solved. Furthermore, he didn't understand the situation in Chengdu, so worrying about it was pointless. He couldn't give orders blindly, or mistakes would be inevitable. So Zhang Yinghao picked up a pen, wrote a few words, and handed the note to the messenger, saying, "Just send this message to Wuhan. Go back and wait for further news."

The correspondent took one look at the note with the words "Protect the people" and was immediately moved. He said silently in his heart: "The Chairman really only thinks about the people at all times!"

He immediately answered loudly: "Yes!"

Zhang Yinghao had no idea what the messenger was thinking. Glancing at the messenger's departing figure, he changed the subject and said, "Let's talk about the Beijing-Hankou Railway. This railway is extremely important to future national defense and national construction. It also affects the development of many cities along the route. Even Wuhan's rapid development depends on this railway! Only through the railway can Wuhan's industrial products be sold well in the northern market..."

Zhang Yinghao was absolutely right. Wuhan's population only began to surge after the opening of the Beijing-Hankou Railway, and the city began to develop rapidly. Even now, with a population of less than 200,000 and a small area, Wuhan can hardly be considered a large city.

At this time, Zhan Tianyou also came in from the door and interrupted directly: "Haha, I didn't expect that the Chairman was talking about the Luhan Railway. It seems that I came here by chance. The Chairman is right. I am quite familiar with this Luhan Railway that passes through Wuhan, which is what we call the Jinghan Railway. Wuhan is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Han River. The Han River flows into the Yangtze River from here, so Wuhan is divided into three parts. To the south of the Yangtze River is Wuchang, to the side of the Han River is Hanyang, and to the other side is Hankou. The Jinghan Railway is a railway built to Hankou..."

Zhang Yinghao smiled when he saw Zhan Tianyou, "Haha, Comrade Juancheng is here, welcome! Are you here for the Beijing-Hankou Railway as well? It seems you've made a lot of preparations."

Zhan Tianyou immediately answered frankly: "Of course, Chairman, let me introduce this railway to you! The Beijing-Hankou Railway was the first railway that the Qing government planned to build after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. However, the Qing treasury was empty. In order to build the Lu-Han Railway, in mid-March 1897, the Belgian Consul in Hankou, Franji, met with Zhang Zhidong to discuss the construction of the Lu-Han Railway. After negotiations, the Qing government finally reached an agreement with the Belgians.

In June 1898, the "Detailed Contract for the Renewal of the Belgian Loan for the Luhan Railway" and the "Luhan Railway Operation Contract" were officially signed. The Qing government loaned 6 million pounds to a Belgian company at an annual interest rate of 5%, with a 450% discount, for a period of 30 years. The contract stipulated that the Belgian company would send personnel to supervise the construction of the railway; all required materials, except those supplied by the Hanyang Iron Works, would be provided by the Belgian company, which would enjoy tax-free status. During the 30-year loan period, all operation rights would be controlled by the Belgian company. With the signing of the contract, the Luhan Railway, which had previously only been constructed sporadically for over 100 kilometers, could finally begin full-scale construction. In the 9th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the Qing government borrowed another 1250 million francs from Belgium under the same conditions. In fact, when news of the Qing government's loan for railway construction broke, representatives from companies in the United States, Britain, France, Belgium, and other countries flocked to China to compete for the project. Zhang Zhidong believed that other countries had too large an appetite, while Belgium was a small country with abundant steel resources and mature railway technology. Most importantly, they had "no ambitions for China," making them more reassuring. That's why he chose Belgium to build the railway.

After hearing this, Zhang Yinghao immediately said, "Haha, no matter who the Qing Dynasty let build the railway, they borrowed money to build the railway. Not only did they completely lose the country's railway sovereignty, they also suffered huge financial losses. It also set an extremely bad precedent for the imperialists to exploit debt relationships to plunder China's railway rights!"

Zhang Yinghao knew exactly what the powers were up to. The idea of ​​a loan was a good one, but the consequences of not being able to repay the debt were disastrous. The Qing couldn't repay, so they kept borrowing to pay off their debts. Ultimately, they borrowed more and more, becoming completely trapped and ultimately losing everything. Ultimately, it was the Chinese people who suffered the most.

Although the debtor is the boss, it also depends on who owes the money. In this cruel era, how could a weak country like the Qing Dynasty dare to owe the great powers money and not pay it back? Isn't that like looking for death? The great powers could easily crush the Qing Dynasty to the ground and make it doubt its life!

"The Chairman is right. The subsequent treaties signed for the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway and other railways basically referred to the regulations in it."

"How much money would it cost to redeem this railway? To take back the jurisdiction of the railway?"

"Chairman, we've already calculated this. This railway isn't open to traffic yet, and it might take less than a year for it to be fully operational. However, if we repay the Beijing-Hankou Railway loan, redeem the railway, and regain management of it, aside from repaying the approximately 40 million taels of silver borrowed for construction, the remaining expenses shouldn't exceed 5 million taels of silver. However, based on the current busy state of the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway, I'm confident that once the Beijing-Hankou Railway opens, it will undoubtedly flourish and generate substantial profits, so redeeming the railway will still be profitable."

In fact, Zhang Yinghao really doesn’t care about whether it makes a profit or not for the time being. What Zhang Yinghao wants is to eliminate the privileges of the great powers from China first and clean up the house. The railway will not be able to make money for a long time in the future, and it will have to invest money into this bottomless pit! Of course, if it can make a profit, it will naturally be the best thing.

So Zhang Yinghao said: "Okay, you are familiar with this railway, so let your Ministry of Railways negotiate the matter of taking back the railway! In addition, the Belgians also set up a concession in Hankou to build the railway. If we take back the railway, we must also take back the concession. This is non-negotiable. You can talk with confidence, and you can also seek help from Marshal Zhang Xiang. Of course, the People's Liberation Army is your strong backing. However, we can also make appropriate concessions to Belgium. We can still cooperate more in future industrial construction!"

"Okay! We know what to do. Alas! Chairman, our country's railway construction has been plagued by many setbacks. Before the Taiping Rebellion ended, merchants from Britain, France, and other countries had repeatedly proposed to the Qing government to build railways. However, due to issues concerning inland trade rights and the livelihoods of porters, coupled with the hostility of conservative forces, the Westernization Movement and conservative forces clashed several times. Finally, due to the stimulation of the Sino-French War, the Qing government began to seriously consider the issue of railway construction.

Later, under the auspices of Li Hongzhang, construction officially began on the Kaiping Railway, marking the beginning of my country's railway industry. Following the First Sino-Japanese War, my country's national strength further weakened, making it impossible for the country to independently undertake railway construction. Following the Boxer Rebellion, my country's railways officially became the new target of division among the great powers...

Zhang Yinghao laughed after hearing this and said, "Haha, there's no need to be sad. In this era of rapid progress, not making progress means regressing, and even slow progress means regressing. The decadent Qing Dynasty didn't make any progress, so naturally it got worse and worse! But look at us in the Liberated Areas. We're all Chinese too. We've already built the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway and trained so many teams. Now Yunnan, Guizhou, Shaanxi and other places are all building railways. I believe that soon, our railway construction team will expand several times over, and in the future our railways will connect every province in the country..."

"Chairman, honestly, I have great admiration for you! You've accomplished such a great feat in the Liberated Areas in such a short time. Furthermore, I really like the idea of ​​building railways by organizing engineering corps. Not only will the construction be fast and of high quality, but these comrades will also be easier to educate when gathered together, and most of them are eager to learn. Most of these engineering corps are now capable of independent work."

Zhang Yinghao ignored Zhan Tianyou's compliments and just smiled slightly, saying, "So we need to build a few more training schools! Send more outstanding and studious comrades in the engineering corps to schools for further studies. Only in this way can we have countless talents. During this Liberation War, the workers on the Beijing-Hankou Railway also gave us great help. These railway workers worked under foreigners, and many of them must have learned a lot. These workers are precious. You must cherish them and incorporate them into the system as soon as possible."

"I understand this, otherwise I wouldn't have come to see you, Chairman. my country's railway construction began during the Tongzhi period, and there are still quite a few railway workers today. We want to gather these railway workers together and build railways for the country."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "Sure! That's great! We need to concentrate our efforts on major projects! Furthermore, we need to gather together talented individuals in bridge construction. We've already built quite a few bridges, and now that we have qualified cement and steel, we need to start building superbridges. In the future, when we build the Yue-Han Railway, it must connect to the Jing-Han Railway, running north and south. This natural barrier, the Yangtze River, must become a thoroughfare. We must overcome all difficulties and conquer it!"

Listening to Zhang Yinghao's bold words, Zhan Tianyou also became excited. Building a bridge across the Yangtze River was something he had never dared to think about before. But now, he knew it was something he had to do in the future. He had always dreamed of building such a bridge, so he immediately said, "I understand, Chairman! We know how to do it!"

……-

The Beijing-Hankou Railway hasn't been fully opened to traffic yet, and the Yellow River Bridge hasn't been completed. However, train speeds aren't very high, and the requirements for building a railway aren't high. To save costs, the railway is being built while traffic is being opened. Some even build the railway first and then open it to traffic, allowing supplies to be transported directly by train. This is why the railway workers were able to find trains to transport supplies for the People's Liberation Army.

Just as Zhang Yinghao finished his conversation with Zhan Tianyou and was about to hold a meeting to discuss how to deal with the events in Wuhan, Hankou exploded like a powder keg! The storm had finally begun...

It turns out that after breaking through the outer defenses of the Hubei New Army, the People's Liberation Army quickly entered the urban areas of Hanyang and Hankou. The battle after entering the urban areas was indeed very easy. It was not that the Hubei New Army's combat effectiveness was really too poor, but that the People's Liberation Army had the support of the people. With the ubiquitous support of the people, how could it not win?

Because the Central Government had previously mandated that the foreign powers' concessions in Hankou remain in their current status quo, the PLA refrained from engaging in combat too close to the concessions, fearing they might provoke the foreign powers. After Zhang Zhidong in Wuchang compromised and the Forward Party declared a peaceful settlement, the PLA naturally could not retain a large force in the city. Therefore, some troops began returning to their bases with the rebellious New Army, while others left Wuhan and camped outside the city. Only a small number of troops remained, dressed in police uniforms, to maintain law and order.

The liberation of the people was naturally a cause for celebration. Organized by the Forward Party, the people of Wuhan planned to hold a grand celebration and victory parade for two consecutive days to celebrate the liberation of Wuhan. This was a natural event, allowing the masses to sing and dance, expressing their joy at liberation.

The workers' strike and mass demonstration organized by the Federation of Trade Unions demonstrated the power of the people and made an indelible contribution to the liberation of Wuhan. After the People's Liberation Army entered the city, especially after liberating the Hanyang Arsenal and capturing several weapons storage warehouses, they immediately distributed a large number of firearms to the pickets of several factories and the workers stationed at the barricades to defend the factories. For a time, the streets were filled with armed patrols of workers.

The strikes and demonstrations organized by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions in conjunction with the PLA offensive heightened the people's ideological awareness to an unprecedented level. Especially after workers took up arms, many felt an instant sense of security. The moment they grasped their weapons, they understood countless things, realizing that their fate was entirely in their own hands. With just a little propaganda, they immediately grasped the saying: political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

Many people have realized that, as long as they unite, they can rely on their own strength to control their own destiny. However, many people overestimate the loose power of the masses, thus falling into delusion, failing to realistically recognize the power of the masses. They even believe that relying on the unleashed power of the masses can accomplish many things previously unimaginable. This is true, but overestimating the power of the masses and failing to guide and utilize this power can also lead to harm...

At the same time, according to the development of the movement, under the leadership of the Federation of Trade Unions, a number of comrades from the Forward Party were assigned to directly enter various factories to openly promote revolutionary ideas. They also organized rallies and speeches on the streets and squares to promote revolutionary ideas, which also included a lot of content denouncing the atrocities of the powers.

Many comrades even brought out the contents of Zhang Yinghao's "The Chinese Forward Party's Letter to the People of the Nation on Resisting the Imperialist Brutal Massacre" and reiterated that the Forward Party's main goal was to abolish all unequal treaties and eliminate all privileges of the imperialist powers in China.

Chapter 434:

Although Zhang Yinghao opposed street politics, he didn't currently oppose the Progressive Party's moderate revolutionary propaganda and speeches on the streets. After all, the masses of this era were still too unfamiliar with revolutionary principles, and their understanding of politics was particularly limited. Street politics did, to a certain extent, contribute to the awakening of the people, so Zhang Yinghao naturally had little reason to oppose it.

These comrades' propaganda speeches certainly played a significant role in raising the people's consciousness. However, they also undoubtedly reminded the people of Wuhan of the five foreign concessions in Wuhan, the daily oppression they endured, the massacres they had previously perpetrated in Wuhan, their participation in suppressing popular demonstrations, and the shameful occupation of Wuhan's academies by the powers who had previously occupied them.

Through the concessions, foreign powers plundered China's resources. Foreign merchants virtually monopolized Yangtze River shipping, dumped industrial commodities like kerosene, engaged in a large-scale opium trade, and established factories, significantly stifling the development of local national industries. Under the protection of "consular jurisdiction," foreigners acted arrogantly and oppressed the Chinese people. This, coupled with cultural differences between China and the West, led to widespread dissatisfaction among the Wuhan people with the concession authorities and the foreigners. Resistance was frequent, with demonstrations of tens of thousands of people in Wuhan leading to clashes with the concession authorities and even incidents such as the burning of consulates and churches.

Will the people ever forget all these events? If the imperialist powers had been driven away, perhaps the people would slowly forget, letting these events fade into the long river of history. But now, these imperialist powers remain a heavy burden on the people. Having suffered so much, the people naturally dare not forget these events, and they all remember them firmly in their hearts. Now, after a series of events, the suppressed anger in their hearts is constantly gathering, waiting for the opportunity to erupt...

However, the comrades of the Forward Party did not keep pace with the times, did not analyze the problems in a timely and realistic manner, and were unaware of the changes in the inner needs of the people of Wuhan. Although they vaguely sensed this and even promoted anti-imperialist ideas, they did not fully understand that when the People's Liberation Army overthrew the Qing Dynasty's rule in Wuhan and liberated Wuhan, the main and secondary contradictions faced by the people of Wuhan had completely changed. They did not know at this time that after the People's Liberation Army liberated Wuhan, after the series of propaganda by the Forward Party, when the workers held steel guns in their hands, when the people felt that they had weapons in their hands, had a backer, and held power, and were no longer oppressed, the original revolutionary enthusiasm of the Wuhan people quickly turned into a strong xenophobic sentiment. They were eager to overthrow the mountain of oppression...

Therefore, the Wuhan Federation of Trade Unions held a grand celebration and victory parade. After only a short period of preparation, the people of Wuhan took to the streets. The number of protesters on the streets increased. At this time, Wuhan's population was only 200,000, but under the organization of the Forward Party, 70,000 to 80,000 people participated in the parade. In other words, one in three people in Wuhan participated in this revolutionary celebration, not including the elderly and children.

The reality of China's poverty and weakness and the people's desire for independence filled the crowd. The procession in Hankou seemed to have reached a tacit understanding and began to move towards the British Concession in Hankou. When they were about to reach the Jianghan Customs, the slogans of the procession suddenly changed, and everyone shouted:

“Down with imperialism.”

"Give me back my sovereignty." "Take back the concessions." "Foreigners get out of China."

"Abolish all privileges enjoyed by the great powers in China." "Refuse to pay further indemnities."

Mass movements are like this: crowd emotions, influenced by radical groups and the surrounding environment, can easily spiral out of control. The IQ of those involved in these movements often plummets, they lose their rationality, their ability to analyze and judge, and become blindly excited, full of blindness and randomness. Often, they themselves don't even realize what they're doing, simply following the crowd and being pulled by it...

In fact, not to mention the demonstrations of this era, even those of the early 20th century could easily be led astray by excited citizens. They could even deliberately vent their discontent, believing that the law doesn't hold everyone responsible, and eventually devolve into looting, smashing, and burning...

Now, the fire of the crowd has been ignited. Who can control the development of the situation? After launching a mass movement, once it gets out of control, what can the initiators do to end it immediately? They don’t know where this matter will develop.

Street politics is similar. By starting with a single point of contact and resonating with the crowd, one can easily stir up their emotions, even encouraging them to take irrational actions, easily disrupting public order and safety. Before Zhang Yinghao's time travel, there were sayings like, "Those earning 3,000 yuan a month still need to take naps; those earning less than a certain amount don't deserve to live; this is an era of money-grabbing, only fools can't get rich; those who talk about morality in school are full of thieves and whores in society..." The more extreme these people's views were, the more attention they received. It was truly amazing.

Back to the point. By this point, the comrades organizing the march knew that the situation had derailed their expectations and was completely out of control. Especially after they suddenly learned that a large number of students from Wuchang had actually arrived in Hankou by boat to participate in the march, they knew that this matter would not be resolved amicably, and that the march would inevitably directly affect the foreign concessions...

Zhang Yinghao had previously stated at a meeting that, given the strong position of the Liberated Areas, the PLA would not only refrain from liberating the foreign concessions, but would also retain them. This would effectively make the foreigners in the concessions hostages of the Liberated Areas. This information had naturally reached the front lines, but the actions of the masses were clearly contrary to the central government's directives, hindering the comrades handling the matter from seeking truth from facts and making them feel constrained.

What should we do? Should we stop the march by force?