The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Just drive all the foreigners out. We don't welcome them."

When Zhang Yinghao heard the words "drive the foreigners out", his eyes suddenly lit up. Yes, the temporary solution is to drive all these foreigners out. Out of sight, out of mind. Seeing that the voices of discussion gradually subsided, Zhang Yinghao asked: "Did these mine owners resist with force?"

"We haven't suffered any casualties yet, but our comrades can't enter the mine."

Zhang Yinghao then asked, "Have you discussed internally how these problems should be resolved?"

Bao Shilin said: "We discussed it internally within the Mineral Resources Management Committee and decided that if we don't send troops, we can only buy them. Only by sending troops can we forcibly confiscate the minerals, but that might damage the mines."

Zhang Yinghao asked again: "What are your opinions?"

"Chairman, we have to take everything back by force. We don't have enough manpower to manage it."

"Well, that's a question. Are there any more?" "Chairman, do we have to collect them?"

Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and said, "We must reclaim the underground mineral deposits. These are the core assets of our country and the precious wealth left to future generations by our ancestors. We are not reclaiming these minerals for profit, but to build the country and develop productivity. This is our justice. Whether to reclaim them by force or with compensation is just a different means. We are only discussing how to better reclaim these state assets, not whether to reclaim them or not.

Even if it is handed over to private mining in the future, it will be a recognition of the mineral

What happens after nationalization is another matter. It is like finding a piece of land that is all nationalized and then contracted out to the people for cultivation.

The land is still the same land, but the ownership of the land becomes the state.

Private individuals are not allowed to buy or sell land; they only have the right to use it. (Han Dui, do you understand?)

"Chairman, it seems these principles have not been explained clearly to the people."

Zhang Yinghao glanced at the comrade calmly, then said, "Land is never enough. Even if all the land in the world belonged to you, you would still think it was not enough. We have already promoted the theory of 'land to the tiller' to the people, and they agree. If the people don't want to farm anymore, should they just leave the land idle? The government will definitely take it back. No one has private land. You don't have it, and neither do I, Zhang Yinghao. But this concerns the future of the Progressive Party. All party members must adhere to this principle. We must uphold the nationalization of land for ten thousand years without wavering. Do you understand?"

"clear."

Are you kidding? Even the words of Wandai Jiangshan and the policy of adhering to it for ten thousand years have been said. Who dares not to understand it? If you don’t understand it, you will only be in trouble.

"So, the same applies to mineral resources. Mineral resources must be state-owned. This is a prerequisite. We take them back and then give them away, and the ownership changes. So even if a mine is destroyed, it must be confiscated and then rebuilt. The minerals are underground, and once they are confiscated, they can't escape. If they are not taken back, the minerals will be mined by these people, and then they will really run away.

As for those workers, we must divide and disintegrate them. They oppose us only because they don't understand our policies. Once they understand them, the workers will undoubtedly be excited about them. Only the exploiting class fears us. Even if we confiscate the minerals, we won't stop mining, so their jobs are not a problem. On the contrary, we will intensify mining and need more workers.

Quotations from Zhang Yinghao: We must have a materialistic concept of time and make friends with time.

Chapter 69

Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and continued, "Secondly, we must investigate the legality of the mining operation. If the mine owner is mining privately, the mine will be confiscated directly. If the Qing court agrees to mine, then we will invest, but we must have controlling rights. If there are foreigners' shares, their legality must be investigated. If they are confirmed to be legal, then we will give them some compensation before confiscating them.

However, we must clearly communicate this beforehand. For those current mine owners, factories will primarily focus on education and reform. The truth must be made clear: between individuals and the state, the choice now lies with the state. Those responsible for sabotaging machinery and equipment will be held criminally liable, and labor reform is mandatory. If it's illegal, then it should be confiscated, regardless of the country of origin. I don't think foreigners these days would consider legal investment; it's almost always done illegally. Act boldly; confiscation will be made.

Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and then continued, "We need to conduct a detailed investigation. If the owner of the mine or factory is a laborer, that is, he will work with the workers, then we can peacefully reform him by buying him shares. If he is an exploiter, then we can peacefully buy him out with long-term regular interest payments. If he is unwilling to do either, then he is our enemy, and we will eliminate him. Small family-run workshops are fine, but as long as our factories are open and productivity increases, they will all go bankrupt.

The focus is primarily on factories and mines that employ workers. We should confiscate what should be confiscated, and buy out what should be purchased. But there's a prerequisite: we must thoroughly publicize the situation in the mines and factories, establish unions, establish minimum wages, improve workers' treatment, and protect their interests. I have no regard for most factories these days. Remember, their workers are our most valuable asset.

After Comrade Chen Yiwei returns, we will also build a series of factories that will be many times more advanced than the current workshops. At that time, we will need a large number of workers, so those workers are our most valuable assets at this stage.

Zhang Yinghao continued, "I've already instructed Comrade Chen Yiwei to purchase books related to Capital. After he returns, we'll all undergo further training. By then, everyone will understand more about principles, production theory, and specific practices. For those legally eligible, redemption or equity investment can be made in silver, up to 20%, with regular, fixed interest payments. Others can only be paid in RMB. Oh, and how are the sales of those factories and mines? What are their scale?"

"Well, Chairman, it's not a problem to sell. But you know what the Qing court was like. There were too many people trying to get their hands on it. Now the scale is small, but some of the salt wells in Guang'an Prefecture are still very large. And I heard that the salt production in Zigong is very large, and some salt fields employ thousands of workers year-round."

"Haha, what kind of factory is a thousand people? Forget it, let's not talk about that. We have to carry out this plan no matter how much resistance there is. It's not that we don't want to pay more, but we don't have the money. Our money must be used to buy machinery and build the country. Land reform in Guang'an isn't complete yet, and we can't reach Zigong for the time being. Let's put it this way for now, and let those people choose from three options.

Whether they are our friends or our enemies depends on their own choice. We will soon purchase advanced machinery and equipment from foreign countries to upgrade the salt wells and mineral resources we control. Salt is a necessity of life. Look at the current price of salt. We in Sichuan have become slaves to salt. This cannot be tolerated."

"Yes, it's very expensive, but the salt production in our salt wells is not high right now. We have already set the price of salt at three kilograms of rice per kilogram. In the future, as we produce more salt, we will lower the price. Now, many villagers who live far away have heard about our low salt prices and travel dozens or even hundreds of miles just to buy our low-priced salt. Our villagers are really poor."

"Well, technological upgrades are imminent, but they can't be rushed. By the way, we'll have to offer a way out to those factory and mine owners who accept our transformation, and we'll also have to invest heavily in adopting new technologies to increase production.

Oh, by the way, another point is that factory and mine workers under our jurisdiction should have a minimum wage. I think we should assume an eight-hour workday, with room and board included, and then pay them half a jin of rice per hour. Without room and board, we should pay them at least 0.8 jin of rice. In other words, a worker must be paid at least four jin of rice per day, and at least one hundred jin of rice per month. For more than eight hours but less than twelve, we'll pay them 1.5 times the wage. In principle, a workday cannot exceed twelve hours. Of course, in special circumstances, for more than twelve but less than sixteen hours, we'll pay them double the wage. We can't let our workers suffer and starve, leaving their families starving. This must be implemented. What do you think, comrades?

"Yes, this calculation is concise and simple."

"Yeah, we get 100 kilograms of rice a month, which is way too much to eat."

"This is great. Paper money is tied to the price of grain. It seems very convenient now."

"Since everyone agrees, let's do it this way from now on. Our wages will also be based on this standard. The workers work harder than we do, so there's no reason for us to earn more than them. Is everyone in agreement?"

This latter sentence was one of Zhang Yinghao's main objectives today. With paper currency pegged to the price of rice and broken promises, the value of labor was also fixed, thus establishing government salaries. Zhang Yinghao wasn't interested in high salaries to maintain integrity. Furthermore, the price Zhang Yinghao mentioned was already high among workers. Countless workers toiled, yet their families struggled to eat. Zhang Yinghao had a clear vision for civil servants' salaries: they should be above average in the local area. Economically developed areas tended to have higher salaries, while underdeveloped areas were inevitably lower.

Hearing Zhang Yinghao's question, everyone was speechless. Everyone wanted to work harder and gain more, which was inevitable. Who would dare to express their opinion now? Agreeing would offend those around them who wanted a higher salary, and disagreeing was also something they didn't dare to do.

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "Raise your hands if you disagree."

As soon as Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, he saw a comrade raise his hand. Zhang Yinghao was stunned. Is there such a stubborn person? Many comrades stared at him, as if hoping he would say something that would suit their own interests. "Tell me why you disagree," he said.

"Ah, what? I heard wrong, I heard wrong, I agree!" Zhang Yinghao was so angry that he laughed. He suppressed his anger and said, "We're in a meeting, pay attention. What are you thinking about? Don't take it for granted, it's the easiest way to ruin things."

"Uh, nothing, nothing!"

"Since everyone agrees, our salaries will be set as such. If we need to change them, we can discuss them in a meeting later."

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao lowered his head to look at his notebook and said, "Let's get back to the topic. As for the issue of foreign missionaries, we also need to investigate and eliminate them. For example, people like the Kilde couple who run hospitals, they preach on their own, not just build their own places of worship, so we can tolerate them."

After all, worship is just their private matter, just like we worship our ancestors. It's no big deal. We can issue these foreigners a temporary residence permit for five or ten years, and it doesn't matter, and we can renew it when it expires. If they are trafficking opium or committing other crimes, we will publicly try and execute them. Oh no, not by shooting. Foreigners are hanged on the gallows, that is, they are strung with a rope around their necks. We hang them all.

All other foreigners who have not clearly committed any crime will be driven out of their territory and temporarily expelled to Chongqing. We will expel them from China in the future. All their gold and silver property will be confiscated, of course, and their foreign

If you have any toys, such as piano, violin, etc., find an agent and let him take them away.

The church they built can be used as a classroom for our children to attend, and it can also be used as a hospital. As for the crosses and other objects inside, it's fine to take them down and chop them into firewood. As for the believers, they're all the same. We'll investigate thoroughly. If they were simply forced into religion and haven't done anything wrong, we won't care. Religious freedom is our priority! It's just like worshipping our ancestors. But if there are believers who harm the people, we can kill them without hesitation. Do you understand?"

"understood."

"Got it? You guys memorized all that information so quickly? Do you want someone to repeat it?"

Hearing Zhang Yinghao's words, everyone looked at each other in surprise, wondering who was so smart as to repeat it. He only shouted it out out of habit after he understood it.

"I understand that you can't remember that much right now. So, look, isn't Comrade Wang Qixian acting as a secretary? You must also have a secretary at your meetings, and you must keep meeting minutes. This is discipline, don't you understand? If there are problems in the future, they will be investigated. If there are no meeting minutes, then you, the top leaders, will be held responsible. This is to protect you, don't you understand?"

"understood."

"After the meeting, Wang Qixian will organize the minutes and archive them. He will also print them out and distribute them to our comrades for study. If you forget something later, just flip through them and you'll know. A good memory is not as good as a poor pen."

Zhang Yinghao really can't care so much. It's your own choice whether you listen or not. They won't do anything even if I tell them in person. But if something happens in the future, when dealing with people, they will know that they are protecting themselves. Zhang Yinghao has to use negative examples to educate them, and there is nothing he can do.

Who are our friends and who are our enemies? This is the primary question of the revolution.

Many aspects still need the help of foreigners. Of course, we can't let those enemies go. Wang Le published the sixth edition of the nationwide purge of counter-revolutionary producers. This is sabotaging production. If caught, they will be handed over to the national purge of counter-revolutionaries.

"Capitalists, we don't need to be too polite to them, do you understand?"

"understood."

"Today, I was in class and a comrade reported to me about a situation. I think everyone has heard of the Boxers, the Pao Brothers, the Red Lantern Sect, and the White Lotus Sect, right?

Everyone looked at Zhang Yinghao, a little confused about what he was trying to say. However, they had indeed heard everything he said, especially the Boxer Rebellion, which was now causing a stir throughout Sichuan. Of course, they had long known about the White Lotus Sect and the Red Lantern Sect. So everyone just nodded slightly.

"Since you have heard it all, what is our attitude towards religion? It is a personal freedom to believe in religion or not. No one should be forced to believe in religion, and no one should be intimidated or threatened to believe in religion. Of course, religions that come to China must be managed by the Chinese themselves, and ties with foreign religions must be severed.

"We must have a system of religions that develop independently and must not accept leadership or funding from foreign religions, nor can we be branches of foreign religions. In other words, when religions come to China, we must have the final say. Should this be the case?"

"Yes, that's how it should be."

"Why should we listen to foreigners? We have the final say."

"There are currently several major religions in the world, such as Islam, Catholicism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Taoism, which originated in our native China. Religion is a unique product of a specific period, and its emergence is both rational and inevitable. Some of these religions were introduced to my country, with a history of thousands of years, and some of them hundreds of years. We can't just tell everyone not to believe and then everyone will stop believing. That's unscientific. It's like telling everyone not to worship their ancestors and then everyone will stop. That's ridiculous."

Given this, we must acknowledge the facts, the fact that these religions are now spreading in China. However, no matter how long they have been here, they must abide by the rules I outlined above. Our territory is our own, and no one can coerce us. This applies to religions that have come to China, and it also applies to Chinese people, whether they believe in religion or not. No coercion or intimidation is allowed.

Therefore, we can classify sects like the White Lotus, the Red Lantern, and the God Worshipping Society as cults, which promote feudal superstition, deceive the masses, rob people of their property, and even murder and rape women. They also preach about the afterlife, the apocalypse, hell, and reincarnation to scare the people. We must resolutely eradicate these cults.

Zhang Yinghao's Quotations - When you enjoy the happiness and joy brought by your family, you must also bear the responsibilities and obligations brought by your family!

Chapter 70

"Chairman, you also said that whether or not one believes in religion is in one's heart. We have no way of knowing."

"Humph, people in this world suffer too much, so they seek a little relief in religion. As far as religion is concerned, it itself is a lie. Our Taoism is better. The real Taoism does not talk about the afterlife. They just pursue the "Tao". It was only after Buddhism entered China that Taoism absorbed some of the Buddhist content, so it changed a lot.

Other religions talk about afterlife, hell, and heaven. Buddhism, for example, touts how wonderful it is: believers go to a paradise free from suffering, with golden floors, glazed tiles, and the utmost luxury. But this is completely useless. Because in paradise, people don't need to eat, poop, or work, so naturally, it's as beautiful as you imagine. Think about it, as long as people don't need to eat, then everywhere is paradise. It's just an imaginary world; when you close your eyes, it's dark. What's the point?

Buddhism is better. True Buddhism usually hides in the mountains and forests, just seeking to escape from the world and get rid of it, or walks in the world to save all living beings. However, since it has developed to the present, because the ruling class needs religious lies to enslave the people, they are more kind to religion. Nowadays, most temples own large tracts of land. A temple is

The largest local landlord. Lies like burning incense to no end and having nothing in the afterlife bind a person to religion for life. Such religion is problematic.

The religion of the subject.

Cults like the White Lotus and Red Lantern sects deceive their followers, using incantations, talismans, talisman water, and holy water to defraud them of money, often bankrupting them. They are easily exposed. The simplest explanation is that legitimate religions require labor and are self-sufficient; they don't rely solely on donations from their followers. Any religion that relies entirely on donations is definitely a cult or has taken a treacherous path. Therefore, cults are all about defrauding people of their money. As long as we remember this, cults will be nowhere to hide, especially for the police officers in our police station, who will be the most exposed.

Of course, to combat cults and feudal superstitions, we must be prepared for a long-term battle. We must replace feudal superstitions with science, and religious beliefs with scientific faith. This may take a hundred years, two hundred years, or even a thousand years. Therefore, none of us here will ever see the day when feudal superstitions and religions are eradicated.

"Chairman, should we also set up a religious management committee?"

"This is a good proposal. Religion must be included in our management. We want to build a modern nationalist state. I have said before that we are all Chinese, all members of the Chinese nation. This concept is the consensus of all people living on this land. We are materialists. Some of us believe in Taoism, some in Buddhism, some in Islam, some in Catholicism, and so on.

What should we do when Taoism and Islam clash? Should we launch a sectarian war, completely overthrow the opposing religion, or launch a war of extermination? Or when we clash with foreigners, which side do these foreign religions take? My religion was introduced from the West, and we cannot oppose the West. It's unacceptable for these religious figures to use religion to interfere in national affairs.

It should be like this: everyone is happy and harmonious together. We are all Chinese. You believe in Islam, I believe in Taoism, he believes in Catholicism, there is no problem. No one relies on the offerings of believers to survive, and the number of believers is of no concern to me. Everyone has freedom of belief; whether to believe or not is up to me.

Therefore, religious figures are also Chinese. They must consider issues from the perspective of the Chinese. This is the responsibility and obligation of every Chinese, and there cannot be the slightest mistake.

Any religious propaganda must not place itself above the nation and must promote patriotism and love for the Party. Otherwise, it can be labeled a cult. Once such a situation occurs, that religion must be banned and eradicated. This is an enemy-enemy conflict, a life-or-death struggle. Therefore, religion must be banished from politics and economics, and its promotion will only be in the realm of thought. Another point is that anyone with religious beliefs is prohibited from joining the Progressive Party.

"Chairman, I'm a little confused by what you're saying."

"Haha." Zhang Yinghao laughed dryly. He didn't know what to say anymore. If he said it too complicatedly, these people wouldn't understand, and it would be pointless to say anything. But Zhang Yinghao felt that he had said it very simply.

He sighed inwardly, took a deep breath and said, "Let me give you the simplest analogy. Let's say we see a foreign priest and you ask him directly who he is. If he answers that he is from the British Empire or the German Empire, then he is a person of a modern nation-state. If he answers that he is a Catholic missionary or a Christian, then he is a complete religious believer and his country and nation are not in his heart.

In our country, if you see a Hui and ask them what their ethnicity is, and they immediately say they're Chinese, that's best. If they say they're Hui, that's still acceptable, after all, the Hui are part of the Chinese nation. But if they only identify as Muslim or a follower of Islam, then that's it. Let me say this here, and remember it: I can accept a certain degree of expansion of the black-white divide, but I absolutely cannot accept the expansion of the green-green divide.

Well, the issue of religion is quite complex. When I have time, I will organize a team to give a very comprehensive and rational introduction. From a materialistic perspective, I will explain the origins and development of religion. Religion is a special product of a special period and has its own rationality. Due to time constraints today, I will discuss the doctrines of various religions later. All you need to know is that we are banning cults like the Red Lantern and White Lotus. Furthermore, no member of the Forward Party can believe in any religion, and believers are prohibited from becoming civil servants. We must not have anyone who believes in the Red Lantern or White Lotus in our ranks. Do you understand?"

"Oh, that makes sense."

"I haven't heard of anyone believing in these cults, right?" "Chairman, what is Green Green?"

"We will liberate Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and Qinghai in the future. You will know later."

Zhang Yinghao took a deep breath and said, "Then let's move on to the next topic, the Pao Brothers. This organization, along with the Chongqing dock gangs, the Hongmen, the Qing Gang, and other gangs, are all classified as black gangs and will be completely banned in our base. Their existence is not allowed."

The government's prestige must be maintained within our base. The Pao Brothers, the Qing Gang, and the Hongmen are all gangs of rogues who disregard the government. They seek to stir up trouble and openly recruit disciples. So, if such situations arise, I have a message for all comrades: in times of chaos, we must prioritize our actions. Those who should be executed should be executed, and those who should be imprisoned should be imprisoned.

"Chairman, according to intelligence, there are a large number of Pao brothers in Sichuan. If we do this, we will offend too many people. These people are omnipresent and may bring unexpected dangers."

Zhang Yinghao flew into a rage after hearing this and slammed his hand on the table.

"I finally understand why I haven't been able to get any information about Brother Pao for so long.

It turned out that the information was concealed by the people who collected it. Yuan Kesheng, when have I ever been afraid of death? If you are afraid of death, don't follow me in the revolution. In the revolution, don't have any scruples.

Why are you revolutionizing me? Damn it. Just do your own thing. My safety is the responsibility of the security forces. You don't need to worry about it. If you are afraid of death, just die early.

Get lost. "

Yuan Kesheng lowered his head and stopped talking. Zhang Yinghao looked at Yuan Kesheng with his head down, and was so angry that he felt so disappointed with him.

"Open up."

"arrive."

"In troubled times, severe punishments must be used. This task is given to your police department. Can you complete it?"

"Make sure to complete the mission."

"You might offend a lot of people. The Pao Brothers organization is very powerful. You might be in danger. Aren't you afraid?"

"After deciding to follow the Chairman in the revolution, I have never known the word fear." "Well, this is what a revolutionary soldier is, not afraid of death, and must have this kind of spirit for the people.

Are you brave enough to face death? Fine, I'll hand these gangs over to your police department. You can get the relevant information from the intelligence department and the National Counter-Revolutionary Suppression and Emergency Safety Committee. Once the leaders are caught, they should be killed. As for the small fry, the characteristics of the times are that the government is incompetent and can only rely on the people to form various organizations. So

After recognizing their mistakes through education and labor reform, they can be released.”

"it is good."

"Also, there may be members of the Pao Brother organization infiltrating our army, or even members of a cult lurking among them. Comrade Zhang Feng is responsible for ferreting out these little rats. Of course, as I just said, the Pao Brothers are a special product of this era. These people may not have done anything bad; they joined the Pao Brothers simply to protect themselves. They themselves don't even know what the Pao Brothers are.

If they have done nothing harmful, we need to understand their intentions in joining our army. If they are willing to cooperate and wipe out this group of Pao brothers, we can ask them to write a letter of guarantee and sever ties with the Pao brothers organization, and they can still stay in the army.

However, if there are members of a cult, we cannot handle them this way. We must investigate whether the cult is exercising mind control over its members and determine their intentions to join our military. We must cooperate with the police to completely eradicate the cult."

"clear."

"Next is the Boxer Fist. I originally wanted to classify the Boxers as gangs, but the Boxers are much more complicated. They are national heroes with gang-like characteristics. Over the long term, they have acquired strong sectarian overtones. They are composed of and developed from folk secret societies such as the Big Sword Society, the Boxers, the Divine Fist, and the Plum Blossom Fist. They have their own set of disciplines, including not being greedy for money or lustful. They are a group with simple patriotic ideas. They hate the treaties that have harmed the country and the people, and they hope to free the country from humiliation."

At this point, Zhang Yinghao suddenly thought of something and said, "What do we compare the Boxers to? They are like a group of ancient knights, a group of martial arts masters, a group of people who practice swords and boxing. These people are full of blood and hot-blooded, and naturally cannot stand being bullied by foreigners. So the Boxer Rebellion is their total outburst. Don't you think so?"

Seeing that everyone nodded, Zhang Yinghao said, "The complexity of the Boxer Rebellion lies in the fact that in addition to these martial arts masters, there are also a large number of cults and feudal superstitions mixed in, so we must treat them separately. We must resolutely criticize the cults and feudal superstitions, but we must fully affirm the patriotic actions of these martial arts masters. Then we have our own attitude towards each of them.