The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Strength lies in numbers, and when many hands gather, the flames rise high. Even before the advent of large-scale machinery and equipment, this kind of nationwide construction, with the participation of the entire population, could still achieve remarkable success. Construction cannot wait, and human resources cannot be wasted. The poorer and more difficult the situation, the more we must work, because in this era, only labor can create sufficient wealth. Just like in the liberated areas today, thousands of roads are under construction simultaneously, hundreds of small and medium-sized reservoirs are being built simultaneously, tens of thousands of canals are being excavated simultaneously, dozens of railway sections are being dug in sections, and dozens of mines and factories are simultaneously beginning preliminary construction...

What a magnificent scene this is, what a great power this is, what a spirit of selfless dedication this is, and how many touching stories have emerged from it?

Zhang Yinghao really didn't have time to wait for the arrival of machinery and equipment, nor did he have time to wait until the country was prosperous and the people were strong before doing these things. The liberated areas didn't have enough money to invest in high-standard construction. However, construction couldn't wait, it couldn't stop, it had to be done as soon as possible.

Zhang Yinghao's mission is to make the public understand that these development initiatives will benefit the region, the people, and the nation. Only by uniting and taking action can the material foundation for national prosperity be laid in the shortest possible time. Zhang Yinghao sees this as a major nationwide initiative, a nationwide mobilization, a step forward for the Party to reach out to the grassroots and organize the people, a nationwide effort to build the nation together.

There must be many problems, but Zhang Yinghao believes that since the Soviet Union was able to overcome numerous difficulties and build the miraculous city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur on the ice field of the Far East, the hardworking and capable Chinese people can also fulfill the historical responsibilities and missions entrusted to them by the country, accomplish a series of miracles, and build their own country.

Currently, in the Shaanxi and Gansu regions alone, a construction team of over 150,000 people, led by ten engineering corps and including other mobilized personnel, is intensively working on railway subgrade construction in Shaanxi and Gansu. Multiple sections are being constructed simultaneously, including the Baoxi Line, Baotian Line, and Tianlan Line, and preparations are underway for track laying. Simultaneously, construction has also begun on the Baoji-Kulong Railway, aiming to connect it to Kulun soon and resolve issues in northern Xinjiang.

Zhang Yinghao knew that the roadbed problem from Lanzhou to Xinjiang could not be solved with current technology, so in the near future, he must fully support the construction of a railway through Mongolia to Xinjiang.

There are still many railways to be built in the northwest, such as the Shilan Railway from Shizuizi in northern Ningxia to Lanzhou, the Zhongping Railway from Zhongwei in Ningxia to Pingliang, and the construction of the Shaanxi railway network. Although these projects may not all be completed in a short period of time, if they can be completed in about five to six years, it will be an absolute great victory.

Zhang Yinghao invested so much in transportation construction in the Northwest Liberated Area. In addition to further strengthening the connection between all parts of the country and facilitating the flow of personnel and materials, he also considered breaking through the population limit of the Northwest. Of course, this is the hinterland of China, and the most important thing is national defense issues and solving the logistics problems of the army.

The Tongzhi Hui Rebellion, a religious and ethnic massacre, killed at least 20 million people in the northwest, and the three years of drought that preceded it also resulted in a significant number of deaths. This lost population needed to be replenished, and the only options for increasing the population were natural growth or external influx. The former would take too long to address the immediate situation, while the latter was also difficult to achieve at the moment, primarily due to the transportation issues of population and material flows. Solving this transportation issue would resolve most of the northwest's difficulties.

Zhang Yinghao also planned to continue to form a production and construction corps and enter Xinjiang after the liberation of Xinjiang. These would require a large amount of supplies. If the transportation of supplies did not have enough means of transportation and was only done by manpower or mules and horses, there would be huge problems.

At this time, the entire Northwest had a small population and a large land area, with barren land and poor people. However, Henan, Sichuan and other places had a large population, and there was also the problem of soil erosion in the Yellow River. Immigration could reduce human activities and achieve the purpose of controlling the Yellow River. As long as appropriate immigration was carried out, not only could the Northwest be developed, but the local population structure could also be changed, which would be more conducive to ethnic integration. This was a century-long plan.

Speeding up the construction of transportation means speeding up the deployment of troops. In this era, mules, horses, cars, airplanes and other means of deployment are inferior to trains. Among them, mules, horses and cars are not only slower than trains, but also cannot transport as many troops as trains.

While airplanes are faster, how many people can the largest biplane currently carry? Therefore, Zhang Yinghao prioritized the Northwest railway project.

The construction of railways, highways and other transportation facilities is being stepped up, and other infrastructure and

Industrial construction is also being rushed, and some have made good progress.

The early construction of the two major bases of Yumen and Jingtieshan is in full swing;

The metallurgical base is expanding its production capacity; the construction of the Liujiaxia Hydropower Station is still in full swing; and the military industry, which is crucial to China's future development and growth, has opened an arsenal under the organization of Zhang Yinghao, using the "Lanzhou Manufacturing Bureau" previously established by Zuo Zongtang in Lanzhou as an expansion. After all, when Zuo Zongtang recovered Xinjiang, he had already built a military factory in Lanzhou.

The state produced a large number of weapons, imitated the German screw cannon and breech-loading seven-shot rifle, and modified the Chinese mountain-splitting cannon and Guangdong caseless rifle.

The main purpose of building the Lanzhou Arsenal was to solve the problem of supplying weapons and ammunition when deploying troops in the northwest frontier. At this time, the production of standard equipment had been started using the raw materials transported. The standard equipment currently produced by the Lanzhou Arsenal is mainly

Including pistols, rifles, mortars, other small artillery and the ammunition they need, etc.

Regarding firearms, the rifle production line was purchased from the United States two years ago. It produces rifles with detachable steel magazines holding 10 rounds, similar to the British Lee-Enfield rifle. By being able to carry multiple fully loaded magazines during combat, the PLA's firepower output per unit time will be significantly enhanced. Of course, these rifles produced using the existing production line will only be emergency equipment for the PLA for the next few years. Zhang Yinghao envisions that all of these non-standardized weapons will be sold during World War I, and the troops will inevitably need more advanced firearms in the future.

However, the level of soldiers and equipment of the PLA entering Xinjiang at this time is already much stronger than when the PLA originally marched into XZ and Shaanxi. The soldiers are more elite, the equipment is better, the logistical supplies are more sufficient, and the relevant military operations can also be more convenient.

Weapons are one of the most important guarantees of military victory, and therefore, Zhang Yinghao has never lost sight of the importance he places on the arsenal. Developing the military industry remains a top priority in the liberated areas, stemming from Zhang Yinghao's deep-seated fear of firepower. The People's Liberation Army must possess world-class weaponry; otherwise, Zhang Yinghao will feel uneasy.

Therefore, the Wuhan Arsenal has never stopped its research on firearms. It has begun to produce and equip a large-caliber sniper rifle for special forces. This rifle was proposed by Zhang Yinghao and he participated in the design and manufacture. Except for a few parts, all of them are carefully polished and manufactured by hand, and all bullets need to be specially made. The effective range reaches 1,500 meters, and it is specially used for sniping high-value targets.

At the same time, the Wuhan Arsenal had already begun designing and manufacturing the general-purpose machine gun that Zhang Yinghao had proposed and participated in designing, a weapon used by Germany in World War II. The general-purpose machine gun had a simple manufacturing process, easy assembly and disassembly of its main components, simple operation, and the ability to quickly relocate positions. How could Zhang Yinghao not salivate over these advantages?

Zhang Yinghao, recalling memories from his past life, favored the AK-series assault rifles. However, the Liberation Areas at the time couldn't afford the high-ammunition consumption of automatic rifles; semi-automatic rifles were the most practical. However, Zhang Yinghao's requirements for a firearm were simple, durable, and reliable. China's vast territory and complex environment demanded a firearm capable of maintaining excellent performance in a variety of challenging weather and geographical environments, from deserts and plateaus to tropical rainforests and Gobi deserts. It also required excellent accuracy, reliability, and all-weather performance.

Given the ingenuity of the Chinese people, with Zhang Yinghao's requirements, design ideas, and even partial blueprints, what weapons and equipment couldn't be produced? The main issues were simply the lathe's precision and the quality of the steel. Zhang Yinghao had never fired an AK-family assault rifle and didn't know the specifics of the AK series, but he believed the PLA would be able to field an assault rifle with comparable performance before it was too late.

Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao also contributed many practical weapons he knew, such as bazookas, rifle grenades, and recoilless rifles, all of which became the arsenal's technical reserves. In the future, after breakthroughs in steel production and quality are achieved, these weapons will be rapidly mass-produced and equipped for the army, further enhancing the army's combat effectiveness.

Chapter 699:

Verkhno-Udinsk had become a vast construction site. The substandard trenches dug by the Russians and the bomb craters left behind by the war needed to be filled in. The damaged houses of the locals needed repairing or even rebuilding. The bodies of the Russian soldiers had to be cremated or buried. The work was endless. The Russian prisoners of war were the perfect labor force, sleeping in makeshift prisoner-of-war camps at night and working during the day.

While Russian officers and generals were relocated elsewhere, they could trade money for relatively generous treatment, but these ordinary soldiers were not. They would emerge from the prisoner-of-war camps in batches at daybreak, earning food through labor. With so much young labor available for exploitation, it was indeed possible to create astonishing wealth.

Without officers, the ordinary soldiers of the Tsarist Russia, descended from serfs, were truly obedient, practically following orders without hesitation. Sun Tongpao, riding a tall horse, looked at the captives like a nouveau riche. Looking at the endless array of captives, Sun Tongpao felt a surge of joy. He had never dreamed of capturing so many Russians.

The captives were all dazed, their heads drooping in dismay. No one dared to speak, fearing the wrath of the Chinese. The PLA had no experience guarding Russian prisoners, and faced with so many, they were naturally extremely nervous. So, initially, they used the tactic of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, using thunderbolts to suppress some of the troublemakers.

In fact, the serfs of Tsarist Russia were really similar to the honest farmers in China. In the past, the Japanese captured so many people and forced them to work as miners, and many farmers did not dare to resist at all. What's more, aren't these Russian soldiers mining now? After killing the chicken to scare the monkey, they all behaved well.

Sun Tongpao looked at the prisoners working and shouted in Russian: "You are all prisoners who have laid down their weapons. If any of you dare to cause trouble, you will take up arms and resist, and you will no longer be prisoners. For enemy soldiers who dare to resist, the lightest punishment is breaking their limbs, the worst is shooting... As long as you work hard, there will be vodka and bread and buns..."

After hearing Sun Tongpao's shout, the comrade next to him said with a smile: "Chief of Staff, these old Russians are really strange. They are quite fierce when fighting with them, but after raising their hands to surrender, they immediately become grandsons. Now they allow us to beat you and scold you at will."

Sun Tongpao also smiled and said: "Prisoner discipline must still be enforced, and prisoner management can be stricter, but beating and scolding them is not allowed in the future. However, for the sake of convenience, it is necessary to let them fight each other. We can ask Koreans or locals who have been bullied here for many years to be supervisors. Then divide the Russians into several teams and let them supervise each other and report on each other. We must also use collective responsibility to punish prisoners. We will also reward informants, and those who have made meritorious deeds and are aware of the current situation will be rewarded. We can even allow those who have made great contributions to live in China in the future and get land and fields, eliminating their worries."

"These methods are good. Moreover, after we divide them into teams, we will also assign tasks. Those who complete their tasks first, quickly and well, can eat until they are 70% full, and even get some strong liquor. Those who complete their tasks later can eat until they are 50% full. If they fail to complete their tasks, we will give them hard and unpalatable black bread to fill their stomachs! We can also use hunger and cold to deal with those cunning and treacherous prisoners. Only in this way will these prisoners burst out with unlimited enthusiasm for our construction."

"Yes, that's right. This is one of the topics in Game Theory that the Chairman once discussed. He also gave an example of how to manage a large group of prisoners of war if one only has a six-shot pistol. The solution is to make the prisoners fight among themselves, to make them compete with each other, and to make them distrust each other. This is the only way to better manage the prisoners of war."

"Very good. Let's brainstorm and record and organize these contents. Then we can arrange for implementation and see the results. We also need to quickly let the prisoners finish their work here. Then all the prisoners will go to build the railway. After the railway is built, we can start assigning tasks."

"That's great! With the Russians building the railway, the construction will definitely be much faster. These are all strong laborers!"

"Yes, that's the privilege of the victor. But, building a railway is no big deal. We've done our utmost by not massacring the prisoners! If we lose and are accidentally captured, we'll need to do the same thing."

"No, we will not lose. We cannot lose. Even if I die in battle, I will never be taken prisoner."

"Don't brag. Our actions are just, and we're not afraid of death. We can certainly die on the charge, but what if we're accidentally knocked unconscious by a shell? What if we faint from excessive blood loss? If we're really captured, do we have to commit suicide? This isn't about living a miserable life, but about using our lives to do more meaningful things. For example, we can organize other prisoners of war, learn about the enemy, gather intelligence, actively find ways to escape, and even riot to contain the enemy when necessary. I believe our Party and our country will not abandon any of our citizens."

Everyone nodded after hearing Sun Tongpao's words. "Chief of Staff, I heard that Kulun captured over 100,000 Russian soldiers. If these Russian soldiers join the railway construction team, we should be able to complete the Chita-Kulun railway next year, right?"

"No, not Chita anymore."

Sun Tongpao shook his head and continued, "After we liberated Verkhovniye, there's little value in building a railway from Chita to Kulun. What we need to urgently repair now is a railway directly from Verkhovniye to Kulun, and then build a railway from the south to Kulun. In this way, the entire north will be revitalized."

At this moment, Zhang Yinghao was also examining the map of Siberia. The PLA's northward advance to attack Russia was incredibly easy. With a multi-pronged attack and a staged encirclement, the Russians had virtually no strategic defenses, let alone major cities suitable for large-scale street fighting. Both sides essentially concentrated their forces for a decisive battle. After victory, the PLA could easily eliminate all Russian strongholds along the railway line, ultimately achieving a rapid capture.

But what if Verkhovniye fell and the entire Lake Baikal was liberated? These areas are simply too vast. Relying solely on military garrisons is completely unrealistic and not conducive to local development. Relying on garrisoned troops is also prone to being overwhelmed, being exploited, and ultimately suffering heavy losses.

With the exception of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Outer Mongolia, China is generally a country with a large population and limited land. Even Tibet is no exception. Furthermore, we will soon face a period of high birth rates. Many families have less than one mu of arable land per person. There are simply too many people and no land to divide. It's impossible to cut down all the trees on the mountains to create farmland, right?

However, the Siberian Plain is different. There is enough land here to cultivate hundreds of millions of acres of fertile farmland. The Siberian Plain is very fertile and has large areas of fertile black calcium soil and brown calcium soil waiting to be developed. Secondly, there are meadow soil, swamp soil and other fertile lands. From the perspective of soil environment alone, the fertility of the West Siberian Plain is no less than that of the black soil in the Northeast. It is suitable for growing wheat, potatoes, vegetables and soybeans. The area of ​​the West Siberian Plain is much larger than that of the Northeast Plain, which is very suitable for large-scale mechanized planting.

This is not the most important thing. Everything needs to be prevented in advance. If the Soviet Union or Tsarist Russia wants to take back these lands in the future, then a super war that will shock the world may break out in Siberia. Such a vast land is enough for tens of thousands of steel torrents to collide, millions of soldiers to fight, and tens of thousands of planes to fight.

Expanding territory is indeed a joyous thing. Emperors throughout the dynasties have used it to judge their own military prowess. Even if expansion were to stop now, the land gained in the liberated areas would be like a thick blanket covering the crabapple leaves. Zhang Yinghao just thought about the tens of millions of square kilometers of land in Siberia, which is almost as big as China. Isn't that enough to make Zhang Yinghao swallow his saliva?

However, Zhang Yinghao knew that rational thinking was more needed at this time. Now that a part of the country had been occupied, it had to be digested completely and turned into an integral part of the country's territory. It could not be taken back by the Russians again. Even if the war was still going on, the local area had to be transformed while fighting.

Zhang Yinghao thought for a while and immediately ordered someone to notify Premier Zhang Weiqiang, Minister of Propaganda Chen Tianhua, Minister of Agriculture Wu Guozhu, Central Bank Governor Bao Shilin, State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission Zhao Erni and other leaders and their subordinates to hold a meeting.

There's a saying from the past: The more taxes the Kuomintang collects, the more Communist Party meetings there are. Sometimes Zhang Yinghao feels like he's holding too many meetings, but there's no other way. He can't avoid meetings, he can't avoid unifying his thoughts. Especially for the impoverished and weak Liberated Areas and the somewhat immature Progressive Party, they must work together; if they each focus on their own interests, problems are bound to arise.

After a comrade from the General Staff explained the current situation in the north, Zhang Yinghao didn't have time for idle chatter. He pointed to the large map and said, "This war in the northern border has already achieved a glorious victory. We have driven out not only the Japanese invaders but also the Russian invaders, and liberated so much land. This is a great victory, worthy of being recorded in history. We should be proud of every soldier on the front line. We also want to thank all the people who support the People's Liberation Army. Without them, there would be no such great victory."

After hearing Zhang Yinghao's words, all the comrades immediately applauded. When the applause died down, Zhang Yinghao continued: "Although our victory was glorious, our losses were also extremely heavy. We suffered over 10,000 casualties in liberating Shuangchengzi, and tens of thousands in defending Kulun. These comrades who were killed and wounded are all heroes of our nation. We must provide them with generous compensation according to the pension regulations. We must also identify those families who are in particularly difficult circumstances and provide them with special care. We must not let our heroes and their families shed blood and tears."

A comrade from the Civil Affairs Department immediately stood up and stated, "Rest assured, Chairman. Even if we ourselves cannot afford to eat, we will not allow the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our country to die with grievances. We will proactively follow the procedures and provide them with the compensation they deserve. Anyone who dares to take advantage of us will be found guilty and punished without mercy."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "Very good. War is currently unavoidable. However, every soldier has a family behind him. They have relatives and friends, and they are all brothers and sisters who are as close as blood. Therefore, we must resolve the worries of these soldiers fighting for their country and absolutely not let them down. If there are any problems here, all departments must thoroughly investigate and deal with them strictly, quickly and resolutely."

Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, waved his hand for the comrades from the Ministry of Civil Affairs to sit down, and then continued: "Our country currently has a population of approximately 4 million, and per capita arable land is severely insufficient. I have said before that the fundamental problem of China's cycle of order and chaos is the food problem. Our Forward Party and the Liberated Areas are not unwilling to distribute more land to the people, but simply because the population is too large and there is no land to be divided. Why are our people only able to guard their few acres of land, while Tsarist Russia has acquired tens of millions of square kilometers of land through plunder? Putting aside the historical story of Su Wu herding sheep in the North Sea, this is originally our territory. Even if this fertile land is not ours, we should seize it and give it to our people to cultivate. In this era of the survival of the fittest, if you do not take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences. It is only natural for us to recover our homeland. Do you have any questions about this, comrades?"

The comrades all answered in unison: "No."

Comrade Wu Guozhu even said: "Chairman, these lands can greatly alleviate the pressure of our large population and limited land. Once developed, they will definitely become another granary for China."

Liu Qi also said: "Siberia is actually a colony of Tsarist Russia. It is not much different from India and Burma being colonies of Britain. These countries have sparse populations or are difficult to occupy and digest due to their harsh environments. They can only rely on exploitation to gain profits. Therefore, when the colonial people can no longer bear the oppression, European countries will inevitably lose all their colonies. However, our country is exactly the opposite. We have a large population and limited land. Even though Siberia has a harsh environment, under the leadership of the Forward Party, with the creativity and survival ability of our people, we are absolutely capable of digesting these fertile lands. We even need more land."

When Zhang Yinghao thinks of Siberia, he thinks of the scene of farmers driving crawler tillers to cultivate land on the vast plains. Zhang Yinghao knows that this scene is actually not far away.

Zhang Yinghao looked at his comrades and continued, "We must develop East and West Siberia, otherwise we won't be able to hold on to this land. Russia's best forces are in Europe, and they can send millions, even tens of millions, of soldiers eastward. That's why I've always said we must prepare for a Hundred Years' War with Tsarist Russia. Therefore, we must promptly transform these newly liberated territories."

Zhang Yinghao stopped talking nonsense and began to assign tasks. He patted the map and continued, "I've said many times that these territories became ours after our liberation, so we must immediately treat the newly liberated areas as our own. The local names must be restored to their old names or changed to Chinese names. All municipal construction work, including map drawing and publishing, must be started immediately. The Russians in the newly liberated areas must be dealt with as quickly as possible. Those who leave must be sent away promptly, and those who stay must be registered. The education department must also open Chinese schools to eliminate the colonial imprint of Tsarist Russia from an early age. The propaganda department must vigorously publicize and expose the crimes of Tsarist Russia and its colonial nature, unite the local people, and allow them to return to the big family of the Chinese nation as soon as possible..."

Zhang Yinghao took a sip from his teacup, moistened his throat, and continued, "I've already sent Comrade Zhan Tianyou to the Northeast. All departments must fully support the railway department and support the construction of the railway. In the Northeast, Siberia, and Mongolia, without railways, everything is in vain. This is the top priority."

Zhang Yinghao knew that guerrilla warfare required a critical mass of support from the people; neither was indispensable. Furthermore, organizing guerrilla forces was difficult in Tsarist Russia, while by the Soviet era, immigrants had already established themselves there. Waging effective guerrilla warfare in the vast Siberian landscape was exceedingly difficult. The harsh environment of Siberia, lacking supplies and food, meant that even a few guerrilla units could be quickly eliminated by the joint defense forces, militia, or mobile units stationed there.

Zhang Yinghao continued, "We estimate that the entire Northeast, Outer Northeast, Greater Khingan Range, and East and West Siberia can relocate at least tens of millions of people. This immigration policy is a long-term project. However, in the short term, we must relocate millions of people. This is a mission that must be accomplished. Otherwise, we will find it difficult to fully absorb these newly liberated lands. Therefore, the most critical factor is the railway."

Comrades, you all understand that relocating millions of people without railroads would be a tremendously difficult task. Relocation isn't just about bringing people over; it involves providing them with food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, which consumes countless resources. However, with railroads, things are different. With proper organization and development, the process of relocation can yield significant output.

However, Zhang Yinghao also knew that these areas were on the front lines of the war, presenting certain dangers. Furthermore, the harsh environment there meant that few people would voluntarily migrate north. So, Zhang Yinghao said, "Our soldiers have fought here, shed blood, and made great sacrifices for their country. They know the fertile land here. Therefore, we should first distribute land to those who wish to stay. We can rent up to 100 mu of land to each soldier, and this policy will remain unchanged for 50 years. Comrades, do you have any questions about this?"

When the comrades heard Zhang Yinghao mention a hundred acres of land, they were a little surprised, but they answered in unison: "No."

No one here would be willing to cultivate those fields, so naturally there was no problem. However, Zhang Yinghao believed that after this policy was implemented, the soldiers would undoubtedly raise numerous questions for their own benefit. However, there was no rush. Problems would be solved as they arose, and we would wait until the political department had summarized the issues.

Only the comrade from the Ministry of Finance raised his hand and asked, "Chairman, how will the tax be calculated?" Without hesitation, Zhang Yinghao said, "For the country, defending the border and developing the area is beneficial. If it's left barren, what good will it do to the country? We say that the grain produced by the entire country feeds the people. So, wouldn't it be better to sell the grain harvested from these lands to the state in the future than to collect taxes? We need to take a long-term view. Of course, we can exempt the area from tax for the first three or five years, and then decide whether to impose taxes on it based on the specific circumstances."

"understood."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "Besides the voluntary stay of soldiers, the second thing is to re-establish the Production and Construction Corps, using divisions and regiments as units and adopting semi-militarized management. Initially, one hundred regimental-level Production and Construction Corps will be formed and sent north, known as the 'Hundred Regiments Grand Occupation Campaign'. This will integrate military and political power. The purpose of all this is to guard the border, cultivate land, develop the newly liberated areas, and allow the locals to live a better life."

"Chairman, will these new Production and Construction Corps be issued weapons?"

"We won't be issuing standard weapons for the time being. However, our large inventory of outdated weapons, including muskets, can be shipped to the border areas. From now on, every village and town in the newly liberated areas will form a militia, under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces Department. Each militia will work together for joint defense and control, receive paramilitary training, and receive rationed gunpowder and ammunition. This will be used to maintain local security and prevent the emergence of guerrillas, until it becomes necessary to disband the Construction Corps."

Now that we have experience organizing production and construction corps, we know that this is the most effective and fastest way to relocate people, aside from the military. Production and Construction Corps in safe areas like Shaanxi don't need to be equipped with weapons, but they still need to undergo some military training. One hundred corps would only have 200,000 to 300,000 people, far short of the target of one million.

"Chairman, it's difficult to completely rebuild the Production and Construction Corps from scratch. Could we perhaps draw key personnel from the previously established Production and Construction Corps, or simply split it in two and recruit new personnel? This way, with the veterans guiding the new, the newly formed Production and Construction Corps can get started quickly and avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."

Zhang Yinghao nodded in agreement and said, "Excellent, let's do it. All departments must cooperate with each other to complete this arduous task. Departments that need to establish branches in the newly liberated areas should do so. This is especially true for the banks, civil affairs, public security, procuratorate, courts, the Women's Federation, propaganda, education, finance and taxation, agriculture, industry, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and so on. They must follow suit as soon as possible."

Zhang Yinghao saw that his comrades were listening attentively, so he said at the end: "China and Russia must be prepared for a hundred-year war. Therefore, while migrating, we must also remain vigilant and ready for war. In order to complete the defense of the country and protect the lives and property of the people, while keeping the enemy out of the country, we must also be prepared to prevent the enemy from invading the country."

Zhang Yinghao picked up a piece of red chalk and drew a circle from the Trans-Baikal region to Kyakhta, then another line from Verkhovna Udinsk to Kulun, and finally another line from Uliastai through Kulun to Chita before saying, "To prevent a large-scale Russian invasion in the future, in addition to building a northern Great Wall, we must also establish a cluster of fortresses and strongholds in Kyakhta and along the railway, digging trenches. We will then establish a tiered, deep defense system in Verkhovna Udinsk, Kulun, Chita, Uliastai, and other places. We must block the possible Russian surge and prevent them from advancing further into the heart of the country. Of course, the best defense is offense, so Kulun, Chita, Verkhovna Udinsk, Kobdo, and other places are also forward bases. Therefore, our most important task in the newly liberated areas is to digest and absorb it thoroughly. We cannot allow the fat we have eaten to be taken out again. That would be a disservice to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives and to the people of this country who have high hopes for us!"

When Zhang Yinghao talked about building a fortress complex, he suddenly thought of the Maginot Line, France's ultimate project, the Brest Fortress of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union, Belgium's Fortress of Liège and Fortress Eben-Emael, and China's Port Arthur and Qingdao Fortresses. With the increasing power of modern weapons, there really is no fortress that is impregnable. However, Zhang Yinghao knew that his purpose in building a fortress complex was different. They were primarily to protect the development, production, and livelihoods of the people in the newly liberated areas, just as the Great Wall historically protected the people in the interior. China and Russia have many forward bases. Wouldn't Xinjiang be a better choice?

Chapter 700: First update!

At this time, Liu Wenxiu, who was in Shenyang, was also discussing with his comrades how to carry out their orders: to do their utmost to cooperate with Mr. Zhan Tianyou. Zhang Yinghao assigned Liu Wenxiu and his comrades the task of coordinating the railway construction because he knew they fully understood the importance of railways and the immense convenience they offered in transporting troops and supplies. After all, they already had experience in this area and were more eager to build the railway, whereas Zhang Feng and his comrades had no such experience.

Moreover, there are a large number of railway workers in the Northeast region, but there are very few railway workers in Mongolia. Even most Mongolians don’t know what a train is, let alone understand the importance of railways.

"We should first ask the experts for their opinions. Mr. Zhan Tianyou will be arriving in Shenyang soon. We need his advice on how to build this railway. The Chairman has said that this railway should continue westward, passing through Kobdo and then on to Xinjiang. The Russians were able to build a railway across Asia and Europe under such difficult circumstances, so we can do the same and eventually extend it to Europe."

Liu Wenxiu then pointed at the map and said, "Look, the railway through Kulun will definitely need another line to Changchun or Shenyang in the future. Although there's the eastern section of the Trans-Siberian Railway, it still has numerous problems. Only by building another line and repairing the line can we completely stabilize the northern border. Kulun can then extend south to Baotou and Zhangjiakou, then through Shaanxi and into Sichuan. The existing Beijing-Hankou Railway will extend north to Zhangjiakou and connect to the Shenyang railway. Once these railways are connected, the entire country will be completely connected, and its geographical isolation will be greatly broken. Furthermore, the time it takes to transport troops from south to north across the country will be greatly reduced. We have unlimited manpower, and our country will be invincible..."

Everyone nodded after hearing this. Such a vision was truly wonderful. Indeed, with such a railway network, it would practically traverse the entire core of China. With the supply of materials from these regions, as long as the army dared to fight, the entire northern border would not be impregnable, but losing these territories again would be a real challenge.

"So what does the Chairman mean by building the Northern Great Wall?"

"Comrades, do you think it's easy to survive in East Siberia?"

Everyone laughed bitterly after hearing this. As the PLA marched into these areas, they finally understood why Kang Mazi had so easily ceded such vast tracts of land to the Russians. If these places weren't developed, they would be uninhabitable. Winters were freezing cold, and there was no one living within a hundred miles. Over a hundred PLA soldiers had lost their lives falling into snow pits and icy ravines while pursuing the Russians and fighting bandits.

If we say that the PLA has basically controlled the Outer Northeast region, comrades can say so with confidence, but if we say that the PLA has controlled the East and West Siberia regions, that is wishful thinking. We have no idea how many Russians are in the northern ice fields. Moreover, even if there are hundreds of thousands of troops hidden in the snowfields, they will definitely not be found if they want to hide.

"So, all we can say now is that we've taken control of the area along the railway and cleared out the Russians along the line. As for how many Russians there are further north, we don't know. Think about it—how big is the entire Siberian region? Over 10 million square kilometers. If the Russians keep sending small forces to attack us, how are we going to deal with them?"

So we can't be greedy; what goes into our stomachs is meat. Right now, the most important thing is to build a northern Great Wall, essentially demarcating the border. If the Russians dare to send a small force to East and West Siberia, we can send troops to Central or West Siberia. Ultimately, both sides will be forced to compromise. Otherwise, it will be a wound that will never heal for both sides."

Liu Wenxiu's point was simple: come on, hurt each other, and when both sides can no longer bear it, they'll naturally stop. Zhang Yinghao would have felt a wave of relief upon hearing Liu Wenxiu's analysis. However, that was only part of the story. Another factor was that the liberated areas had completely shattered Tsarist Russia's hopes of gaining access to the sea in Asia. In other words, one of the two-headed eagles of Russia had been abruptly severed. From then on, Russia's attention and progress would be directed westward or southward. This would result in a sharp increase in pressure from countries like the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and Norway. As for whether Russia could ultimately gain access to the sea from these areas, Zhang Yinghao didn't care at all.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Our main tasks next are three. The first is to build a railway. This railway will go west to Xinjiang, so the manpower and material resources required are huge, and we must be fully prepared. The second thing is to accept immigrants. However, for the local Russians, if they don't attack us, we will temporarily allow them to live there. Later, we will ask them if they are willing to change their nationality to Chinese. If they are willing, they can continue to live there. Many of them are farmers who can't make a living in Europe, so giving them a chance is not a big deal. Moreover, these places are vast and sparsely populated, so it is not a big problem to accommodate some naturalized Russians.

The third thing is to continue to put pressure on Vladivostok and strive to resolve the Vladivostok issue as quickly as possible. However, if the people inside refuse to surrender, we will have to wait until winter, when the sea freezes, and then attack from all sides simultaneously to completely capture Vladivostok. However, with the current severity of the epidemic, I believe the Russians will not be able to hold out until then...

Tang Genli, who was in charge of civil affairs in Northeast China, said, "Commander, there is one more thing to do. That is to try the captured Russians who caused the Boxer Rebellion. It has only been six years since the Boxer Rebellion, and the civilians who had escaped by chance have gradually returned to Hailanpao and the Sixty-Four Villages of Jiangdong. The murderers they have identified have caused great public outrage, and a public trial is necessary."

Liu Wenxiu knocked on the table and said, "A public trial is a matter of course. Most of the Russians who killed civilians back then were either police officers or soldiers, and some were volunteers. These people were either hooligans or exiled criminals, and all of them deserved death. However, these people knew that their crimes were serious, so when we liberated Hailanpao and the Sixty-Four Villages of Jiangdong, these remaining Russians put up a fierce resistance. After liberating these places, we did capture some people. The families of the victims can look for them among the Russians under our control, or they can encourage the Russians to report on each other. All of these people can be shot, and none of them are innocent. This operation will be a joint operation by the public security, procuratorial and judicial departments, with the cooperation of the military, to bring all these murderers to justice as much as possible."

At that time, more than 10,000 people in Hailar and the Sixty-Four Villages of Jiangdong were slaughtered by the Russians. Business shops were confiscated or burned down, and the cultivated land was confiscated. The Qing court was powerless. Many knowledgeable people looked up to the sky and cried. This has always been an eternal pain in the hearts of the Chinese people.

The Russians first frantically hunted down the Chinese and took them to the police station. When the police station was overwhelmed with people, they deceived the Chinese, telling them to take a boat across the river. As a result, when the Chinese were driven to the riverside, they found in despair that the Russians raised their bayonets, hacked them with knives and axes, and machine-gunned them, slaughtering them alive on the riverside. The remaining people were all driven into the Heilongjiang River and drowned...

Rivers of blood flowed, corpses littered the ground. More than 10,000 Chinese were massacred by the Russians, and millions of square kilometers of land were seized. The hatred between the Chinese and the Russians is truly indescribable. These atrocities also thoroughly exposed the Russians' brutal and vicious nature, shocking the world.

At the same time as the Hailar Massacre and the Jiangdong Sixty-Four Villages Massacre, the Tsarist Russian authorities also launched persecution and massacres against ethnic Chinese in other parts of the Far East. Massacres of varying scale occurred from Irkutsk to Sakhalin Island, with hundreds to thousands of ethnic Chinese killed in various locations. The Chinese population in the Russian Far East was brutally exterminated, and large numbers of Japanese, Koreans, and indigenous Siberians were also affected, suffering heavy casualties. Later, the Tsarist Russians launched an invasion, attempting to seize the entire Northeast and establish a "Yellow Russia."

Tang Genli listened, nodded, and said nothing more. His goal was to make those murderers pay the price they deserved. He believed that justice might be late, but it would never be absent. However, Tang Genli did not know that in his previous life, China was in chaos due to wars between warlords. Those who fell behind were beaten. Justice never came, and was even absent forever. How many war criminals and executioners escaped the judgment they deserved? However, a weak country has no diplomacy. Who made China weak at that time and had no say?

In the past, driven by widespread condemnation of the massacre at home and abroad, the Tsarist authorities were forced to establish a military tribunal in May 1901, posing as a pretense of investigation and trial. This was a classic case of the court suing the official. The so-called investigation, however, had no impact on the culprit, Nicholas II. He merely dismissed Gribsky, commander of the Amur Military District, but did not remove him from the military. The military commander of Blagoveshchensk was dismissed from his post and sentenced to three months in prison. The deputy chief of police, who was responsible for the Chinese refugees' crossing of the river, was also sentenced to three months in prison. All other complaints regarding the massacre were dismissed.

This is pure bandit logic. In the past, some people sympathized with the massacre of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. But what sympathy is there? They were all executioners. Without Tsar Nicholas II's desire to establish a "Yellow Russia," without Tsar Nicholas II's greedy orders, would the Russian army have taken these actions? Without Tsar Nicholas II's support, would these executioners have been able to escape justice?

Liu Wenxiu and his colleagues' resolution reached places like Hailanpao and Jiangdong Sixty-Four Villages. The news sent a frenzy among the Chinese whose families had been murdered. The next day, under the bright and sunny weather, thousands of eagerly awaited witnesses watched as the military and police dragged pale-faced criminals from the prison. Some of the Russians were dragged out, their legs limp as if they were dead dogs. They lacked the reckless arrogance they had shown when they murdered the Chinese. Perhaps the Russians never dreamed that, as fate would have it, they would face their own day of trial by the Chinese.

"Kill these old Russians?" "Kill them all, hang them."

The roar of thousands of people was like a volcanic eruption. If it weren't for the military and police holding them back, these damned Russians would have been devoured by the angry masses. The masses truly wanted to eat their flesh and drink their blood! Many people shed tears, clenched their fists, and shouted loudly, hoping that these executioners would be killed as soon as possible.

This execution was not to behead, but to be hanged. Ten gallows were erected on the scaffold. As usual, the judge took the stage and began reading out the executioners' charges one by one. After each one, the judge asked, "Fellow villagers, this criminal truly deserves death. Of course, some may have truly repented and atoneed for their sins. So, is there any reason not to execute him?"

At this point, if no people stand up to speak for this sentenced Russian, or if it is not found that this Russian has done anything beneficial to China or the Chinese people, then death will be waiting for him.

According to later records, the captured police chief and other leaders who had issued orders were the first criminals dragged to the gallows. As they were hung by their beltless trousers, their bodies instinctively struggled, causing their trousers to fall, revealing their white thighs. The crowd, witnessing the execution of these criminals in this manner, was filled with excitement and could not help but cheer...

When the Russians waiting to be hanged saw their superiors' feces and urine streaming down their thighs after their deaths, they finally realized that the Chinese actually dared to kill them, that they actually dared to do it. They all struggled, but of course, what awaited them was the butt of a rifle. Although their time had not yet come to be hanged, many of them were still frightened to the point of feces and urine flowing. Perhaps, at this moment, they deeply regretted their actions?

Do not do to others what you do not want done to you. Repay evil with kindness. How can you repay kindness? Repay kindness with kindness, repay evil with justice. This is the hatred that is lingering in your heart!