The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"That's up to you guys to work out. As for the bonds, you can split them into multiple installments—six months, one year, two years, five years, ten years are all fine. That way, the longer the term, the higher the interest rate. By the way, how are our precious metal reserves doing?"

"Chairman, since we started to achieve trade balance, coupled with loans and partial aid from foreign powers, as well as donations from overseas Chinese, trade with foreigners no longer requires the use of gold and silver from the national treasury. Our gold and silver reserves are still good."

"That's good. We still need to stockpile some precious metals, otherwise we'll be in trouble later. Contact the geological and mineral resources department immediately. Comrade Liu Wenxiu and his team have seized a lot of information from Japan and Russia. Organize personnel to go to the Northeast to excavate those confiscated gold and silver mines. At the same time, organize exploration teams to explore for gold and silver mines. Since there are so many gold and silver mines in places like Mohe, there must be more in the vast areas of the Northeast. As long as a few deposits are discovered, we won't have to worry about the so-called currency inflation problem."

Zhang Yinghao was well aware that the entire Northeast and East Siberia region had numerous mineral deposits, including numerous gold and silver mines. As long as he began digging for gold and silver in the Northeast, Zhang Yinghao felt that many problems would be easily solved.

"Okay, Mr. Chairman. Let me ask you a question. If someone really makes a lot of money and takes it all away, what should we do? Especially if they transfer the money abroad and suck our blood, is there no way we can deal with it?"

Zhang Yinghao thought this was a very good question. Considering the massive emigration of wealthy individuals in previous generations, the transfer of assets, and the housing bubble, it's incredible that housing prices in a developing country like China far exceed those in many developed countries. Especially after the trillion-dollar deficit caused by Belt Brother, how can this affect the people, who have always been taught about hard work and perseverance,? The spirit of young people has been greatly dampened. Damn, what are they striving for? It's not even enough to be ripped off once. They've even dug up the roots.

Faced with issues like property transfer, Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment before saying, "What would happen if someone was very good at making money and took most of it? The market would inevitably be short of currency and prices would rise. If someone truly transfers money legally, our only recourse is to increase taxes. The solution to the problem of property transfer is to create a large amount of wealth while simultaneously issuing a large amount of currency, allowing this currency to flow into the hands of the people and keeping their wealth within their grasp. At the same time, currency depreciation means that the more cash you have, the more you lose. This is the only way to offset the impact of this loss of wealth."

"Wouldn't that increase the burden on the people? Especially those who enter society later, who have to work hard to earn money and can't enjoy the benefits of earlier economic development? Wouldn't the later they enter society, the more disadvantaged they would be?"

Zhang Yinghao was stunned. This was indeed the case. This was how it was in his past life. Those who first entered society gritted their teeth and bought a house. Later, as the national economy developed, these people completely reaped the benefits of development and could easily win. If they chose to sell the house, they would have hundreds of millions in cash. This amount of money was a huge fortune for those who entered society later. Therefore, many of those who bought houses early on couldn't believe how wealthy their families were. They shook their heads when they heard the housing prices, because they knew that if they worked hard on their own, they would never be able to earn enough to buy another house.

Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment before saying, "So we must develop as much as possible and incorporate all the people into industrial society as soon as possible to reduce the pain of development. Moving forward is certainly painful, but if we stop or even go backwards, then the pain will not be felt at all. Let's not talk about this. The issuance of currency can be slow, but it cannot stop. The market must have a sufficient amount of currency circulating. Since you all say that the currency issued is too much, then you should first see how effective our bond issuance is and then make a decision based on the situation."

Zhang Yinghao knew that the current currency supply was limited, and the newly liberated areas needed even more. Furthermore, many places still used traditional copper and silver coins for trade, and paper money was still out of circulation. However, the inevitable trend of inferior currency driving out superior currency was inevitable, and there was no rush to deal with it, especially in remote areas where there were no ways to earn paper money.

Since Fan Side and Bao Shilin had come to see him, Zhang Yinghao simply took them to the State Administration of Taxation. Liu Haitao, the director of the State Administration of Taxation, received Zhang Yinghao and his group. Zhang Yinghao didn't bother to talk to Liu Haitao and asked directly: "How is the establishment of tax departments in various places going now?"

To avoid the situation in his previous life where the localities were wealthy but the national government was poor, Zhang Yinghao simply divided the tax department into national and local taxes. However, the current tax system is relatively simple, with agricultural taxes still accounting for the majority, given the scarcity of factories. The tax department is also short of staff capable of handling the math, so many tasks are overlapping.

"Chairman, the tax department framework has been established. However, we're currently short-staffed. Many of our colleagues are lucky to have just one day off a month. Sometimes I even dream of a ton of numbers flying around."

Zhang Yinghao knew what Liu Haitao meant by the framework. After all, the first thing any regime has to grasp is local tax revenue. If the tax revenue is not in hand, how can it maintain the occupation of a place? What is the point of occupying a place? This is the case with the Forward Party. When liberating a region, the first department set up will definitely include the tax department. The tax department is responsible for local tax issues. It is a department as important as the police responsible for public security.

"What's the point of complaining to me? I can't conjure up a human for you. We can only get through this now. Once our students graduate, we can relax a little more on the human side."

Zhang Yinghao's words were simple, but in reality, every unit was struggling, especially with the war with Russia underway. A large amount of supplies had been withdrawn, leaving many units with expenditures exceeding their incomes. Most importantly, it wasn't just supplies that were withdrawn; a large number of personnel were also withdrawn, leaving many units extremely depleted.

Furthermore, these institutions can only recruit relevant personnel and then provide training. The compulsory education advocated by Zhang Yinghao will take a long time to bear fruit, and the people currently employed are unfit for purpose. Furthermore, compulsory education is a money-consuming beast. So many teachers need food and drink, and so do so many students. They are all human beings; it's impossible to expect them to starve to death three times a day to survive.

Then there's the construction of schools and the purchase of educational equipment. These all cost money, or rather, they all have to be acquired through trade. Due to factors like the war, the rate of wealth growth in the liberated areas far outstripped the rate of wealth consumption. Zhang Yinghao could only solve the problem by issuing more currency and striving to increase wealth. For example, the abacus, which the school now needs to teach, was purchased by the finance department at a huge expense. Of course, to save costs, the abacus factory was built by comrades from the Qianjin Party.

Work hard and live comfortably. No one knew what would happen to these factories after they were built, whether they would be public or private, but they were needed, so they were built. Zhang Yinghao knew that it was these working comrades who truly kept the liberated areas running.

The tax department needs a large number of abacus experts, and these people can only be recruited from the society. They undergo large-scale recruitment, then relevant training, and then pass the abacus examination. Those who fail the examination are not hired at all. Even so, there is still a serious shortage of manpower.

"Alas, that still requires a few years of waiting."

"Your tax department is short-staffed, and so is our finance department, as well as the banks and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. It seems that almost every department involved in accounting is short-staffed."

"Haha, this is a legacy of the Qing Dynasty. How many people today have studied mathematics? Scholars are all studying eight-legged essays and various themes. Who would study arithmetic?"

"So, the civil service exam we're implementing includes a lot of math, physics, chemistry, and other subjects, in addition to what scholars call miscellaneous subjects. Our first requirement for recruiting is passing the exam. If someone fails, we'd rather not recruit them. We must change this culture."

Finally, Zhang Yinghao offered these units a suggestion: establish a business school and recruit a large number of people from the outside world to study. Each unit would be responsible for providing a few people to train the people it needs. This would greatly reduce the time and training costs of each unit.

In reality, Zhang Yinghao's proposal was simply to commission training for the future. However, Zhang Yinghao knew that commissioned training was not suitable for state-owned institutions. With too many transfer students, it would inevitably become unrecognizable. However, there was a real need for it, so Zhang Yinghao suggested establishing a school to carry it out. This would allow the program to be spun off directly in the future, rather than turning the training program into a temporary unit.

Zhang Yinghao knew how many universities the country would need in the future, so it was completely necessary to start establishing some business and industrial schools now.

Chapter 594:

While Zhang Yinghao was holding the meeting, production work in various areas could not be halted. Peace had been enjoyed for over a year in South Manchuria, from the Forward Party to many areas in Northeast China. Northeast China was vast and sparsely populated, and land reform was quickly completed in the vast rural areas, with numerous farms and cooperatives established.

The Fifth Field Army never stopped fighting in Northeast China, so a large number of disabled soldiers retired and returned to the vast rural areas to participate in production and participate in the election of village cadres. While fighting the Russians, the Fifth Field Army captured a large number of Russian women. Although Russian women have a short shelf life, it is undeniable that most of them still conform to the Chinese aesthetic.

Many of the young women were assigned to these soldiers as wives, allowing them to fully integrate into the local community. Xiao Hualong was assigned to a newly formed village called Shengli. On the day the production team elected its team leader, Shengli village cadres and the village Party branch were present, and all the men, young and old, from the village gathered to prepare for the election of their own head of household.

Team leader Wang Huayuan first announced the election procedures, and then the Party Secretary gave a mobilization speech, urging everyone to be impartial and responsible, choosing a team leader who would lead them to a better life. He then asked everyone to publicly express their opinions, and everyone expressed their willingness to elect someone they trusted. However, this was the first time such an election had been held, and the villagers were unsure of what the team leader's responsibilities would be.

Xiao Hualong was different. He was a comrade in the army who had received special training in this area. At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "We elect Comrade Xiao Hualong as our team leader!"

Hearing this voice, Xiao Hualong knew that it was his comrade who was assigned to Shengli Village cheering him on. As soon as the voice fell, everyone seemed to be inspired, and the shouts of support from the crowd continued: "Yes, we will choose Xiao Hualong. He is young and capable. The Russian women are all obedient to him. He will definitely be able to run the production team well!"

"Yes, I also agree to choose Xiao Hualong!" "I agree too!"

Wang Huayuan was surprised by this sudden change, but it was understandable. After all, everyone had seen Xiao Hualong's contributions during the village's construction. These days, with little extra income, everyone just had to make ends meet. If they could elect a capable production team leader and improve the team's performance, the members' lives would be better.

If a loser is elected as the village chief, the production team's efficiency will not improve, and everyone will suffer poverty. Therefore, when it comes to electing a team leader, everyone hopes to choose a capable person who can lead everyone to common prosperity. At this time, who else can be chosen if not a capable comrade from the army?

The team leader and the Party Secretary were amused by this dramatic scene and suggested that candidate Xiao Hualong discuss his campaign plans. Xiao Hualong, unfazed by the stage, walked slowly to the front, glanced around, and then listened to his speech. He confidently told everyone, "I believe the success of our production team is closely tied to our management. Therefore, we must strengthen management, pay attention to the overall planning of our work, and ensure that everyone treats the production team as their own home, rather than just muddling through. Only then can we achieve success."

After listening to Xiao Hualong's words, Wang Huayuan nodded with satisfaction. After all, he was a comrade from the army and had extraordinary knowledge.

Xiao Hualong went on to say, "If I become the production team leader, I can make three promises to everyone. First, I will ensure that everyone's expenses are paid in full and on time by the end of the year. Second, the production team's profits this year must be more than half of what they were before, and the rate of increase must be no less than 20% each year. Third, during festivals, everyone must be given rice, flour, and pork so that everyone can have a good time. If these promises are not met, I will voluntarily resign by this time next year."

As soon as Xiao Hualong finished speaking, the audience below the stage exploded with excitement. People were talking about it. Who doesn't want to live a good life? But now they often work for nothing all year round. According to Xiao Hualong, not only can they get their expenses on time and in full, but they can also get benefits during festivals and holidays. Where can they find such a good thing? If this is really possible, we will choose Xiao Hualong as the team leader.

Xiao Hualong continued his speech and said: "In addition, there is one thing I must explain to everyone. In addition to the three promises, there are three conditions for me to be the captain. I wonder if everyone can agree to them. First, I must have

More than 90% of the members agree, otherwise I won’t do it. Second, if I become the team leader, everyone must listen to me, no matter if they are aunts or uncles, no one will give me face, everyone must agree.

Third, I want to earn 1000 more work points than others, which is also a reflection of my value. Other than that, I promise not to be greedy or take advantage of others.

As soon as Xiao Hualong finished speaking, the audience below the stage began to discuss again. Someone shouted, "As long as you can improve the efficiency of the production team and lead everyone to a good life, your three promises will be fulfilled. We agree to all three conditions." The rest of the crowd responded, "Yes, we agree to all of them!"

It seems that everyone is tired of being poor, so as long as someone can lead them to wealth, everyone will accept some appropriate conditions.

Team leader Wang Huayuan, despite having participated in numerous elections, both large and small, had never encountered such a dramatic scene. He was deeply impressed by Xiao Hualong's boldness. After Xiao Hualong's speech, a public vote was held, and the results showed that Xiao Hualong's support rate exceeded 90%.

When brigade secretary Wang Huayuan announced Xiao Hualong's successful election, the audience erupted in applause. As the saying goes, "A new official starts with three major changes," Xiao Hualong's first act upon taking office was to announce ten rules. These included prohibiting lateness or early departures, slacking off, or engaging in activities unrelated to work. Furthermore, quality work was required. Any over- or under-sowing of seeds, or thinning of seedlings too sparsely or too densely, would result in a categorical deduction of work points. The commune assigned specialized personnel to inspect production quality.

In addition, Xiao Hualong also stipulated that except for the full-time custodian, everyone else in the commune, whether accountant or team leader, must personally go to the fields to participate in labor. At the same time, the system of having dedicated personnel cook was abolished, and women would take turns to do it.

Xiao Hualong still clearly remembers what his trainer said: "At the beginning of the business, try to get everyone involved in the work and reduce the number of managers as much as possible. Let everyone create wealth through labor..."

As soon as these regulations were introduced, they caused a strong response among the members. Farmers are idle and used to being relaxed in normal times. Now that the situation becomes tense, they are really a little uncomfortable.

In a village, if there are hardworking people, there will naturally be lazy people. In particular, the opposition led by Qin Shaoji has been taking a wait-and-see attitude to see whether Xiao Hualong's policies can be implemented. On this day, Qin Shaoji deliberately arrived 10 minutes late. The scorekeeper saw him and deducted 5 points according to the regulations. Qin Shaoji was dissatisfied and shouted: "Isn't it just a few minutes late? Why deduct points from me? Everyone has big and small things!"

Xiao Hualong heard the noise and came over to ask: "What are you arguing about? If you're late, you'll be deducted points. Even the Lord can't stop you!"

Qin Shaoji saw Xiao Hualong's majestic look and immediately lowered his head, muttering softly: "I don't believe you treat everyone like this. Let's wait and see."

Sure enough, a few days later, Xiao Hualong's comrade's wife was late for work because of family matters. When he hurried over, the scorekeeper looked at the watch and saw that he was three minutes late, so he deducted 3 points from her according to the rules. The comrade's wife felt sorry for the 3 points, so she begged the scorekeeper, "It's just a little late, so don't deduct the points."

The scorekeeper was in a difficult position because of her special status and was considering giving her an easy time, but Xiao Hualong came over and saw her. He scolded the scorekeeper and said, "How can you be so unprincipled? I said that no matter who is late, points will be deducted. If you can't do it, just give up and I'll let someone else do it."

A few words made the scorekeeper sweat. At this time, the comrade's wife was not happy and said, "Hey, what's the big deal? He just became the captain. He doesn't care about his comrades and his relatives. Just deduct the money!"

After saying that, he glared at Xiao Hualong and turned away. This scene was seen by Qin Shaoji who was not far away. While he was gloating, he also secretly admired Xiao Hualong's integrity.

From then on, the production team no longer dared to be late or leave early. All members were on edge, fully committed to production and daily life. Those who occasionally overslept voluntarily accepted the penalty points, without any objection. This created a spectacular scene: every morning before dawn, Xiao Hualong would leave for the fields without a single person behind him. But once he arrived, he'd look behind him and see a steady stream of people going to the fields, like a market. In less than 10 minutes, everyone had arrived, one by one.

After everyone arrived, Xiao Hualong would usually hold a short meeting at the edge of the field to coordinate the day's work, ensuring that no unnecessary work was done, focusing everyone's efforts where they were needed most. This greatly improved production efficiency, significantly increasing the time it took to complete a task that once took three days to complete in two. Xiao Hualong then dedicated the remaining time to cultivating wasteland, leading all members to reclaim over 50 mu of barren slopes, laying a solid foundation for increasing the team's grain output.

Of course, Xiao Hualong was deeply aware that achieving the goals he had pledged at the beginning of the year required more than just this. He knew that seed quality and soil nutrients were two of the most important factors for a good harvest. To that end, he made a special trip to the county, where, with the help of the county's agricultural science department, he selected and purchased some high-quality varieties. He also invested in fertilizer, making all necessary preparations for spring farming.

In order to realize the idea of ​​letting everyone eat pork during the Chinese New Year, Xiao Hualong organized and built a pig farm, raising more than 20 pigs. The team arranged a special person to be responsible for feeding the pigs. After his training, he used scientific ingredients and carefully raised the pigs, so that all the pigs were fat and strong.

By July and August, thanks to everyone's meticulous work, the crops in the fields were growing well. The corn leaves, fertilized with nutrients, were turning dark green. An experienced farmer, stroking his beard, said with a smile, "If this continues, this year will definitely be a bumper harvest."

Although he was sure of victory, production team leader Xiao Hualong did not dare to be careless at all. He went to the fields many times every day to check on them. He knew clearly which fields were barren and needed weeding, and which fields were severely drought-stricken and needed watering. He then directed everyone to take care of the problematic fields in a timely manner.

As the saying goes, "No pain, no gain." As autumn arrived, the foot-long corn cobs, plump with kernels and heavy ears of corn, seemed to herald the impending harvest. The villagers had never seen such a bountiful harvest, and smiles spread across their faces. They waited until frost arrived to harvest the crops and enjoy the joy of a bountiful harvest.

However, at this time, something unexpected happened. The production team's crops were being stolen one after another. The corn cobs were not yet fully ripe, but someone had broken them off. At first, Xiao Hualong didn't care much. Similar incidents had occurred at this time of year in previous years. Due to the hardship of life, some people would steal food from other people's fields. But when the number of losses increased, Xiao Hualong took it seriously. It was clear that the thieves had malicious intentions. Not only did they steal, they also trampled on large areas of the production team's crops. If this continued, it would seriously affect the crop yield.

The villagers were furious at this shameless act and were determined to catch the thief, tear his tendons, and skin him alive. Although the team increased the number of guards, it had little effect. The saboteurs clearly knew everyone's movements and were playing hide-and-seek with them. Xiao Hualong carefully analyzed the team's situation and zeroed in on a single individual. He then devised a plan: he recruited a few trusted members to wait in the pits and strictly block any information from the situation.

That evening, a drizzling rain fell. It was already late at night. Xiao Hualong and several other members of the commune were squatting at the village entrance when two dark figures stalked over, carrying two bags on their shoulders. Due to the dark and slippery road, they walked with a heavy, shallow tread. Seeing their opportunity, Xiao Hualong waved his hand, and everyone rushed over. The two men, seeing the situation was dire, dropped their belongings and tried to run, but villagers with sickles blocked their way. Everyone realized the man was none other than Qin Shaoji. In the firelight, he looked utterly disheveled, huddled and shivering. From the sack beside him, some still-green corn cobs peeked out, making it clear he was responsible for all the actions.

The people nearby were so angry that they couldn't help but shout, "Beat him up, you bastard!"

So everyone rushed forward and started beating Qin Shaoji, who was screaming in pain. Xiao Hualong quickly rushed forward, pulled everyone apart and said, "Forget it, let's leave it to the production team!"

Chapter 595:

A special meeting was held in the production team regarding Qin Shaoji's deliberate theft of grain and destruction of crops from the production team. Everyone hated this, and since it was a newly formed village and not very worldly-wise, everyone naturally started discussing it.

"Report them to the authorities and let them go to jail." "That's not right. We're all from the same village. We'll see each other every day. It'll be hard to get along with each other in the future."

"You want to get along well with them, but they don't want to get along well with us!"

"Even if they don't report it to the government, all their work points will be deducted..."

Xiao Hualong listened to these speeches and felt that they all made sense, but he also knew that this was not a contradiction between the enemy and us, but a contradiction among the people, a problem of personal consciousness, and a problem of low productivity. If this matter became a big deal, it would actually be of no benefit to anyone.

Everyone knew that Xiao Hualong hated these thieves who stole crops, but what he said was beyond everyone's expectations. Xiao Hualong said in front of everyone, "No matter what Qin Shaoji's motives were for stealing crops, I think it's best not to report this matter to the authorities for the time being. Because once they are reported to the authorities, they may not be free at all. Besides, this is not a big deal and they may be released in a few days. We are all from the same village, so it would not be good to do something too extreme. As for deducting all their work points, it seems unethical. Their whole family depends on those work points to make a living. It doesn't matter if they starve themselves, but we can't bear to see their wives and children starve too."

At this point, Xiao Hualong glanced around and said, "I think we should symbolically deduct 500 work points from him. This will serve as a lesson for him. We will all supervise them from now on, and hope they will mend their ways. If they have any complaints about the team committee or me, we hope they won't take it out on the production team's public property. That's the lifeblood of all the team members. If they do it again, we won't hesitate to arrest them and take them to the police station. If they refuse to mend their ways, they will be punished for multiple crimes."

After Xiao Hualong finished speaking, everyone agreed. Qin Shaoji, knowing Zhao Hualong had spoken up for him, felt grateful and lowered his head in shame. He had never dreamed Xiao Hualong would be so magnanimous. He had originally thought the matter would go to the police station and he would face legal action, but unexpectedly, Xiao Hualong gave him a light-hearted treatment. Although Qin Shaoji didn't express any words of gratitude to Xiao Hualong in person, his resentment and jealousy towards Xiao Hualong subsided a lot in his heart.

Xiao Hualong's comrades later learned about how he handled the situation and gave him affirmation and praise, saying that it made sense to do so. It is always better to make one more friend than to offend someone, and it is not appropriate for you to make more enemies in the production team given your current situation.

Xiao Hualong said, "Repaying evil with kindness presupposes that one has sufficient ability to control the situation. Only winners can be magnanimous. Unprincipled concessions will only make the situation worse. I'm not afraid of them, but I think people should be more magnanimous and forgive others when they can. After all, this is not a life-and-death war, nor is it a class struggle. It's better not to take things too far among fellow villagers. After all, brothers are still together through thick and thin, and a smile will wipe out all grudges. A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor, and a close neighbor is not as good as the one next door."

His comrades looked at Xiao Hualong and felt that he was becoming more mature and powerful, and they admired him from the bottom of their hearts.

Xiao Hualong's life was getting smoother and smoother, and everything was moving in a positive direction. What was particularly unexpected was that his Russian wife, Anna, was actually getting pregnant. This was truly a great joy for him. After Anna became pregnant, she seemed to have completely accepted her fate. When she accurately told Xiao Hualong the news, Xiao Hualong excitedly jumped up from the ground, picked up his wife, and spun around in circles.

In the autumn of that year, Shengli Village achieved its first bumper harvest in history, with total grain output increasing by nearly 20 jin. Combined with income from side jobs and cost savings, the per capita net income of farmers increased by 85% over the previous year.

After the twelfth lunar month, Xiao Hualong gave the members a day off. Everyone went to the pigpen, carefully selecting the brightly colored pigs to slaughter. They slaughtered ten in a row. The sounds of the fat pigs, the shouts of the pig catchers, and the laughter of the nearby members mixed together, making it more lively than any other festival.

Xiao Hualong fulfilled the promise he made at the beginning of the year. He not only gave the members enough cash, but also distributed rice, flour and pork to everyone.

But things weren't entirely perfect. To their surprise, during the slaughter, two bean pigs were found. These pigs were quite common in that era. Also known as rice pork, bean pigs are diseased pork that contains parasitic larvae. Within the lean meat are milky white, translucent blisters of varying sizes, similar to soybeans. It resembles grains of rice stuck in the meat, hence the name "rice pork."

Eating undercooked rice and pork can easily lead to two diseases. One is tapeworm disease, which causes tapeworms up to 2-4 meters long to grow in the small intestine and are excreted in the feces as segmented white worms called inchworms. The other is cysticercosis. After accidentally ingesting cysticercosis, the eggs, under the influence of gastric and intestinal fluids, hatch into larvae, which burrow into the intestinal wall and are carried throughout the body through the bloodstream, forming rice-like cysts in the muscles. Cysticercosis can parasitize the heart, brain, and eyes. In the eyes, it can cause blindness, while in the brain, it can cause epilepsy. Treatment is extremely difficult and, in modern times, virtually incurable.

Zhao Hualong knew what rice pork was, but Xiao Hualong was at a loss as to how to deal with the two bean pigs. Later, he adopted everyone's suggestion and adopted the method of castration. Whoever got the rice pork would be unlucky.

Zhao Hualong knew that this kind of meat was not inedible, so he popularized some scientific knowledge to the villagers, telling them that this kind of meat is best cooked into soup, and it is also fine to fry it, but it cannot be stir-fried or undercooked, otherwise the insect eggs will not be killed and will parasitize the human body. Children should not be allowed to come into contact with pork, etc.

In order to demonstrate the village chief's noble character, Xiao Hualong did not participate in catching Wen, but took the initiative to ask for a piece of bean pork to take home. It was this piece of bean pork that took Anna's wife a whole day to pick. She picked out a lot of beans the size of rice grains.

Because pork was precious, Xiao Hualong was reluctant to throw it away. He boiled the pork in a pot again and again, then fried it in oil and ate it himself. Fearing infection, he did not let his wife Anna eat it, so he could only buy some more with cash.

The entire village was very pleased with Xiao Hualong's achievements, and he naturally continued to serve as team leader. An elderly villager named Liu Sigen took Xiao Hualong's hand and said, "Hualong, your uncle has lived a long life, and this is the first time I've seen such a courageous young man like you. We will definitely be right if we all follow you in the future."

Liu Sigen was a veteran of the Guandong region and a man of extraordinary courage. The fact that he could say this showed Xiao Hualong's extraordinary abilities. Xiao Hualong leaned over and whispered in Liu Sigen's ear, "Uncle Gen, this is thanks to our army and the good policies above. But don't worry, as long as I, Xiao Hualong, am here, I will definitely lead everyone to a prosperous life."

After the Lunar New Year, Xiao Hualong had already set his sights on the long term. He was well aware that the Field Army's motto was self-reliance and hard work. Just like in battle, they fought when conditions allowed, and even when conditions were lacking, they created them. Only by working hard could they achieve adequate food and clothing.

He knew that land resources were limited, and relying solely on farming wouldn't yield significant returns. Therefore, during the off-season, he organized the team's renowned cart owners to hire several large carts and drive them to the city to earn a living. Furthermore, Xiao Hualong also established a brick and tile factory and a blacksmith's forge, pooling surplus labor and developing sideline businesses. Although the initial stages weren't entirely smooth, with gradual experimentation, everything fell into place, and the village saw its various businesses flourish.

One day, Xiao Hualong was busy at the brick and tile factory. Several workers had been pressing tiles, and due to poor craftsmanship, they were not only very rough but also lacked the necessary hardness and toughness. They shattered when dropped to the ground. Xiao Hualong was fuming over this when his sister-in-law from next door suddenly rushed over and said, "Hualong... you, uh... you should go home quickly. Your wife is having a difficult labor..."

After hearing this, Xiao Hualong realized the seriousness of the dystocia and became anxious. He didn't even have time to wash his hands and ran home.

Meanwhile, on the kang in the west room of Zhao Hualong's house, his wife clutched her blanket and screamed in pain. A pool of blood formed beneath her, and the baby was already showing signs of imminent birth. It was clearly too late to rush her to the hospital. The village's sole midwife was sweating profusely, but the baby still showed no sign of coming out. It looked as if both would die.

Seeing Xiao Hualong running back breathlessly, he immediately said, "What should we do? The baby is in an abnormal position, with its feet facing downwards and the umbilical cord entangled. If we don't find a solution in time, not only will the baby suffocate to death, but even the adults will be in danger."

Xiao Hualong was stunned when he heard this, but he knew he couldn't be impatient. He quickly came to his wife's side and said to her: "Anna, wait a minute, I'll find a doctor for you."

Anna weakly heard Xiao Hualong was about to leave, and she grabbed Xiao Hualong's hand, and said with tears on her face: "Xiao, don't leave me, I want you to stay with me!"

Seeing his wife's pleading expression, Xiao Hualong turned to his sister-in-law and said, "Sister-in-law, please ask my brother to find a doctor right away. It might be too late."

The eldest sister-in-law immediately said: "I have already gone to look for it, but the distance..."

Before his sister-in-law finished speaking, Zhao Hualong already knew what she meant. It would take time for the doctor to arrive.

Xiao Hualong held Anna's hands tightly. He could clearly feel the coldness of his wife's hands. He looked at Anna's pale face and knew that the situation was extremely critical. Xiao Hualong encouraged Anna anxiously: "You must hold on. Big brother has gone to find a doctor and will be back soon."

Anna's eyes were filled with tears, and she said in a low voice: "Xiao, I'm afraid it's too late. You are a good man. If anything happens to me, I hope you can find another one..."

Xiao Hualong couldn't listen any longer, and tears streamed down his face. "Anna, you'll be fine. Didn't you say you'd share life's ups and downs with me? We still have a lot of good days to live. When you give birth to the baby, our family will enjoy the joy of having a child."

Xiao Hualong held Anna's hands tightly, afraid that he would lose her if he wasn't careful. The midwife also encouraged him, "Anna, don't lose heart. Try harder, maybe you can make it."

At this moment, Anna's voice had completely turned into tears: "But, I've tried many times, and it seems there is no hope."

Xiao Hualong encouraged Anna: "Anna, don't be discouraged, I'm here, just follow my beat and push hard, come on, one, two, three, come on..."

Anna nodded obediently with tears in her eyes, and really began to push harder with her husband's encouragement. Xiao Hualong accompanied Anna in pushing harder, and Anna held Xiao Hualong's hand in her mouth. The more Anna bit, the harder she knew her strength was, so Xiao Hualong silently endured it until his hand was bleeding from Anna's bite.

The midwife leaned over Anna's lower body, staring at the place where life was, and encouraged loudly: "One more time, it's almost there, push harder..."

Anna almost used up all her strength, but the baby in her belly still did not move.

With a cry of "Ah", Anna opened her mouth and gave up. She let go of Xiao Hualong's hand.

By this time, Xiao Hualong had calmed down. He had taken human anatomy and physiology classes in the army, and had also learned basic suturing and bandaging. He knew this was a critical moment. He couldn't wait any longer, so he immediately stood up and quickly washed himself, put on a clean long coat, and found the precious dagger he had been issued in the army. This dagger was one of the rewards for his military exploits, and he had always kept it, still as sharp as ever. He took out some liquor and a lighter to disinfect the dagger, then walked towards Anna.

The midwife saw Xiao Hualong using the knife, and didn't know what Zhao Hualong was going to do, so she ran out to call for help. At this time, people from the village also came over one after another, and when they heard the midwife say that Xiao Hualong was using the knife, they immediately went in to stop him.