The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Certain marksmen, particularly skilled in firearms and exceptionally accurate, naturally became specialized rifle calibrators within the army. These calibrators were the backbone of the revolutionary army, frequently visiting the troops to train soldiers. Naturally, calibrators were also needed in the arsenal to test firearms. They also developed new training methods and proposed new tactics based on the performance of new weapons for reference by higher-ups.

"How about it? Songhui, do you want to try it now?" "Of course."

After saying this, Hu Songhui checked the rifle, confirming it was fine. He pulled the bolt and fired three bullets. One missed the target, but two hit it.

"This gun is much better than the old one. Why do you have to pull the trigger continuously? Wouldn't it be better if it could fire automatically?"

"You wishful thinking, bullets falling from the sky? Our logistics simply can't supply them. But your suggestion is indeed a good one, Comrade Qingao, can you think of adding a mechanism like the Maxim so it can be adjusted and automatically fire in an emergency?"

"Okay, I'll study it when I get back."

Zhang Yinghao also picked up his gun and fired three shots at the target. Then he looked at the gun and said, "Okay, I'll show you a special skill today."

Zhang Yinghao's Quotations: There is no bottom line for morality; it is just the result of compromise and struggle.

Chapter 77

After Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, he held the gun in his right hand without moving, took out the magazine with his left hand, pushed the old magazine forward with the new magazine, installed the new magazine, then stretched his left hand to the right and pulled the bolt to load the magazine.

"See? Using this method to change magazines, your right hand doesn't need to move, the muzzle remains pointed forward, and it's much faster. If you're skilled, the entire process takes only 2-3 seconds. Experienced veterans can even start changing magazines with only one round left. This way, there's virtually no interruption in firepower, significantly reducing the gap in firepower while changing magazines."

"Chairman, this is a great idea. It greatly saves time when changing magazines." "Yes, with magazines, the logistics department can provide fewer single rounds of ammunition and instead provide magazines with pre-loaded bullets. This will greatly improve the efficiency of the troops during wartime."

Yu Qingao saw how Zhang Yinghao changed the magazine and walked over to say, "Chairman, your method is good, but it can easily damage the gun. And if you just throw the replaced magazine on the ground, it's easy to lose it."

"Haha, that hits the nail on the head. You're right, so this method of changing magazines can only be used in intense combat situations. Under normal circumstances, you must change magazines according to the rules. You don't have to, but you must know."

After hearing this, everyone nodded.

"Since the bullets are universal and have been tested, let's start production. Transfer all the workers who previously produced rifles to produce the new guns."

"it is good."

It's been a few days since Zhang Yinghao bought his gun. Ever since he got it, he's been thinking about one question. In his previous life, he saw Tsarist Russia fighting World War I, with an average of only one gun for every three soldiers. Why was Russia able to hold out for several years? Even now, Zhang Yinghao still can't understand why those soldiers, knowing their inevitable death, didn't rebel, but instead charged forward, braving the German guns.

Zhang Yinghao had only just begun to grasp the difference between organized and disorganized forces. He now felt that the Russian Empire's ruling class was in a state of organization vis-à-vis the ruled. Individuals or small groups could hardly stand up to the power of the organized state, and even if there were scattered resistance, it would be largely insignificant to the overall situation. In other words, for the ruling class, which controlled the majority of the nation's power, as long as their power was on the rise, a single defeat or two wouldn't be a problem.

But on the contrary, the rebels were weak and it was difficult for them to gather strength again after a failure, especially the loss of personnel was difficult to replenish immediately. This was why the famous Huang Chao Uprising and Li Zicheng ultimately failed, and why the revolutionaries before the Xinhai Revolution failed again and again, because the success of the Xinhai Revolution did not lie in the outside, but in the inside.

Without one's own territory, one cannot maintain stability. Without a base of their own, no one has ever conquered the world. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao's most important task now is to consolidate his existing territory and desperately expand it, doing everything possible to gain more resources and strengthen the power of the violent machine he controls.

Zhang Yinghao thought again about the potential encirclement and suppression he might face. He knew now was not the time for chaos, not the time to fish in troubled waters. If he had control of a province, or even several, and had established a certain level of industrial development, Zhang Yinghao would have no hesitation in launching an offensive. But for now, Zhang Yinghao was still trying to suppress the news. He had already made up his mind: even if the entire nation knew he was anti-Qing, he would never raise the banner of anti-Qing or independence.

Zhang Yinghao often thought of the Xinhai Revolution in his previous life, when provinces declared independence one after another, imposing some kind of federal autonomy that was completely unsuitable for China's national conditions. The result was the fall of the Qing Dynasty, further fragmentation of the country, and the opportunity for foreign forces to invade. Ultimately, Outer Mongolia truly became independent, losing the opportunity to reclaim it.

If China did not have a tradition of great unity, if the two world wars had not completely weakened the power of British and French colonial imperialism, if the Communist Party had not unified the country quickly and vigorously after the war and implemented provincial local autonomy through compromise, otherwise, more land would have been lost.

Zhang Yinghao wondered when he would finally overcome the aftereffects of his time travel and shed the decades-long stigma of modern society. He felt a constant urge to wait for the Qing Dynasty's downfall, hoping to reap the benefits. He knew it was his own laziness at work, constantly striving for maximum gain with minimal effort. This was absolutely wrong and unrealistic. He also felt he still struggled to understand the people of this era, constantly comparing those around him to those he had encountered in his past life, a deeply damaging experience.

After Zhang Yinghao pondered this, he reflected that if the Qing Dynasty mobilized its entire nation to attack him, his only recourse would be to retreat into the mountains. This realization immediately dawned on him: now, while the Qing Dynasty was at its weakest, he must do his utmost to expand his territory and recruit as many troops as possible. These troops didn't necessarily need to be assigned to combat units; they could also be assigned to infrastructure units. With a little training and cultural education, they should be able to serve in combat units if needed in the future.

Zhang Yinghao was finally beginning to appreciate the benefits of occupying cities. Not only were cities densely populated and rich in human resources, but they also had more workshops and educated students. The basic quality of people in cities was generally higher than in rural areas, and training these workers and students could save a lot of effort compared to reforming farmers.

At the beginning, Zhang Yinghao believed that the rural areas were not able to provide blood transfusions, but the blood transfusions were from the beginning. The only thing that was being thoroughly inspected in the city was the basic living materials, such as food. The blood transfusions that the city gave to the rural areas were people.

Just now.

After learning this, Zhang Yinghao immediately regarded the city as a switch.

They transferred some party members who had been influenced by the city to the Yi N Sheng Guo [F] base area in the north for training, as well as the party members and probationary party members, and the Yuncheng E Kangyuan to carry out ten things and began to build a large-scale project in the entire Guang'an, building water conservancy, repairing the Ha, Lianli, and eight infrastructure projects.

As the population grew, the supply and marketing cooperatives were in short supply, so much so that when they bought salt and grain, they had to buy only enough food for ten days according to their household registration. Slowly, inflation began to occur, and now there was a shortage of materials. If this problem was not resolved, Zhang Yinghao was worried that the base would collapse.

Zhang Yinghao now has more people who aren't farming, and taking them off the land means they can't produce their own food. While they can still survive by seizing grain from the local tyrants, the drawbacks of their limited territory are becoming clear. Zhang Yinghao's relentless recruitment and construction efforts have resulted in a sudden increase in the number of people to feed. These people, who used to eat porridge once a day, now eat two or three, increasing their consumption. Furthermore, the crops haven't grown yet, and this year's drought is severe. While areas where reservoirs and ponds were built last year might still see some harvest, many other areas are likely to see nothing. He's not the Qing Dynasty; he can't ignore the lives of the people.

Therefore, we can only send some of the big grain consumers out. The first is the army. The army has trained for a period of time after helping the farmers sow seeds, and most officers have already received a period of short-term intensive training.

Therefore, Zhang Yinghao planned to expand his territory. Originally, his first choice was Chongqing. As long as Chongqing was taken with lightning speed, Sichuan would be in a state of siege. However, after meeting the two foreign devils, this idea was immediately shattered, and Zhang Yinghao immediately put away this unrealistic fantasy.

Just how powerful is Britain today? No one knows this better than Zhang Yinghao. Consider the United States from the mid-to-late 20th century to the 21st century. After experiencing two world wars, its power surged, like an overly energetic troubled teenager, constantly clamoring for war and even boasting that the United States could fight a war on two fronts and win both. What was the result?

The PLA drove the United States back to the 38th parallel in the Korean War, the Vietnam War made the United States lose its temper, and it was troubled by the security war in Afghanistan and eventually retreated in disgrace.

But Britain was still at its peak. While suppressing the Indian National Uprising, it was also fighting the Second Opium War against the Qing Dynasty. During the Second Boer War, it was also participating in the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China...

The British have quietly completed several two-front wars, or won two wars at the same time. From this perspective, the arrogance of the British is justified, and the United States is far behind. Of course, this also further illustrates a truth, that

The industrial countries have an overwhelming advantage over the agricultural countries, which is a dimensionality reduction attack. However, the power comparison between the super industrial countries and the garbage industrial countries is also very obvious, but they still have

The strong ability to resist further illustrates that only industrial countries can defeat industrial countries, and victory can only be achieved by relying on industry.

Of course, there were some unexpected circumstances, including logistical and human factors. For example, the Qing Dynasty suppressed the Gapsin Coup in Korea, thwarting a Japanese conspiracy, and defeated France at the Zhennan Pass Victory. However, the overall situation remained unchanged: industrial countries are definitely inferior to agricultural countries.

Zhang Yinghao was confident that if he dared to intervene now, the British might not be able to stop him for a while, as their main force was still in Beijing. However, blocking the Sichuan shipping lanes would be a piece of cake. Foreigners across the country might have rejoiced over the Eight-Nation Alliance's occupation of the capital, believing that the time had come to conquer or divide the Qing Dynasty. However, the foreigners in the capital were well aware that the Qing Dynasty was not something they could conquer or divide at this time.

After the Boxer Rebellion, the British understood that China wasn't like India, so they would undoubtedly support the continued existence of the Qing Dynasty. This was entirely in line with the British Empire's interests in the Qing Dynasty. As long as they didn't act too aggressively, Britain might not allow the Qing Dynasty to mobilize its entire nation to destroy them. Their existence also served the British interests. With them around, the Qing Dynasty would become even more dependent on them, the great powers. After all, the Qing Dynasty's previous victory over the Taiping Rebellion had led to the Tongzhi Restoration, and a stronger Qing Dynasty was not in the interests of the British Empire.

After figuring this out, Zhang Yinghao decided not to provoke the British for now. So where should he attack now? Having already tasted the sweetness of attacking cities, Zhang Yinghao naturally decided to focus his forces first, then, with them as the center, liberate the countryside. Zhang Yinghao now knew his next path forward: conquer the cities first, then, with them as the center, liberate the countryside. This was yet another adjustment to his path, as Zhang Yinghao had largely shaken off the influence of his past life, able to view things realistically and begin to fully integrate with this world.

However, if the expansion continues, it will probably be impossible to continue to conceal this power, and we must be prepared for a counter-encirclement.

Zhang Yinghao initially set his sights on the future Zigong region, as Chen Yiwei had mentioned a large number of salt slaves there. However, considering the distance from Guang'an to Zigong and the administrative challenges it would face after conquering it, he decided against it. Zhang Yinghao then looked towards Shaanxi. Cixi was probably still there. If she heard of a rebellion, especially near Shaanxi, she would undoubtedly be enraged and panicked. A frightened person is capable of any behavior, perhaps even betraying the country completely.

After much deliberation, Zhang Yinghao was still unwilling to give up. He wanted to occupy a few more cities to train his troops and cultivate talents, so he finally chose places like Shunqing and Yuechi.

Only then did Zhang Yinghao realize that not only had he made a mistake, but so had everyone else in Guang'an Prefecture. Perhaps due to historical reasons, the highest official in Guang'an Prefecture was called the prefect. Zhang Yinghao had no idea how official positions were arranged during the Qing Dynasty, or if it was simply a misnomer. The highest official in Guang'an Prefecture should have been called the prefect, while the prefect in Shunqing Prefecture was called the prefect, and the county magistrate in Yuechi was called the county magistrate.

Zhang Yinghao's Quotes: I am who I am. I don't need your approval, I don't need anyone else's approval, I just live like this!

Chapter 78

But it doesn't matter. Since the decision has been made to take it down, what difference does it make whether the official is high or low? Zhang Yinghao immediately called a meeting of relevant personnel. Before the meeting, comrades from various departments must report on their work. Everyone listened carefully and raised any problems for discussion.

Zhang Yinghao was very happy when he saw this. This is what an organization should be like, and only in this way can the people in the organization grow rapidly.

After everyone finished reporting on their work, Zhang Yinghao said, "Everyone's work is very effective, and I'm very happy. We've all witnessed each other's growth. But don't be proud or complacent. There's a Chinese saying: 'Humility makes people progress, and pride makes people fall behind.' My message to everyone is: study hard and make progress every day."

I also often read the work diaries and learning experiences of comrades. At the same time, when we encounter good problem-solving methods at work, we also summarize the solutions and convey them to comrades. Comrades, we are comrades, we are

Let's make progress together. No one should be left behind. Just like what I did not do well just now, I must criticize and self-criticize regularly.

Where others have done wrong, do you have the same situation? Did you have any evil thoughts when you saw the money you collected?

Upon hearing this, some comrades obviously did not know that a group of people had been arrested recently, so they burst into laughter.

Zhang Yinghao heard someone laugh, so he chuckled a few times and continued, "This is what criticism and self-criticism are all about. These things must be overcome. Haha, we've also caught some corrupt elements who infiltrated our party. They were the ones who didn't practice criticism and self-criticism. Don't you agree?"

Now everyone was silent. Some comrades looked around as if to see who was corrupt. Others looked furious. They thought it was unacceptable that someone could actually embezzle money. Zhang Yinghao ignored them and continued talking.

"A person who frequently criticizes and self-criticizes will certainly be able to overcome any bad habits. Our Shu Han Emperor Liu Bei once said: 'Do not commit any evil, no matter how small it is; do not refrain from any good, no matter how small it is.' There's also the saying, 'When you are young, you steal a needle; when you are old, you steal gold.' This tells us a truth: criticism and self-criticism must be carried out at all times. If you don't criticize yourself and stop stealing a needle in time, then you are not reaching out. If you reach out, you will be caught. The Party and the people are watching, and it is difficult to escape under the watchful eyes of the public. If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself."

In ancient times, we cultivated ourselves by saying, "Don't deceive yourself even in the dark." What does this mean? It means that when you're alone, you should remain as self-aware as if you were in public. If you're modest and cautious in front of others, then you should also be modest and cautious in the dark.

"Chairman, these people are not our comrades at all." "Yes, they are not our comrades."

"If they are caught, they will be shot immediately. Let's see who dares to embezzle again."

Zhang Yinghao was very happy to see the crowd so excited.

"Comrades, do we hate those corrupt officials? I think we do. But some people don't hate the corrupt officials, but they hate why they themselves cannot become corrupt officials."

After hearing Zhang Yinghao's witty remarks, some comrades couldn't hold back their laughter and burst out laughing.

Zhang Yinghao also laughed and said, "Just now you said they weren't our comrades. That's not a pragmatic approach! But after they're arrested, they'll naturally be expelled from the Party. At that point, they'll no longer be our comrades. In troubled times, severe punishments should be applied. In the future, these comrades will be executed if they deserve it, or sent to labor reform if they deserve it. We can just hand them over to the legal authorities."

Regarding the current corruption within the Party, all Zhang Yinghao can do is to identify those responsible, send them to labor camps or execute them. For the rest, he can only rely on education and institutional constraints. After all, management still relies on these individuals, and corruption remains rampant even in the 21st century. Even Zhu Yuanzhang's brutal execution of corrupt officials, even skinning and scalding them, couldn't curb officials' greed. As for the high-salary system to maintain integrity, well, is it really that effective? In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao was just a nobody, so he wouldn't know.

But Zhang Yinghao knew that the Soviet Union had a saying: "If you don't eat and live well, how can you have the energy to serve the people?" Even in later generations, this saying would seem natural to foreigners, but incredible to the Chinese. Just like when Australia experienced a national wildfire, their officials were still able to go on vacation as planned, which was also incredible to the Chinese. Every Chinese person knows that Chinese civil servants serve the people and are the people's servants. It must be said that propaganda has made this concept deeply rooted in people's hearts. Some bureaucrats are indeed powerful, but once they are exposed to the people, they still obediently surrender.

But the principle remains the same: human greed can only be temporarily suppressed through intimidation. Harsher punishments for those who maintain high salaries will certainly have some effect, but for those who remain greedy, more covert measures will be adopted. That's all. Zhang Yinghao could only keep saying it like a nagging nag. Only the adults know the effect: just eight people should be allowed to be corrupt.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yinghao turned around and went up to the dark side. - A bright mirror, always wipe it diligently, don't let it collect dust!

After Zhang Yinghao finished writing Shenxiu's verse in the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, he turned around and said: "The body is the bodhi tree, the mind is like a bright mirror, always wipe it diligently, don't let it collect dust!" This is a verse written by Shenxiu, the founder of the Northern School, which is recorded in the Platform Sutra and is called the "No-Form Gatha".

There is a fundamental difference. Shenxiu emphasized the thoroughness of the pt plus the "Shenxiu Gatha".

Negation directly grasps the key to "enlightenment of mind and nature, enlightenment and Buddhahood", which is called "sudden enlightenment".

Wupai".

When you are confused? When you are not ignorant? When you are free from spiritual garbage? "Always wipe away" through continuous research, continuous learning, continuous reflection, and continuous

Progress allows us to see things as they really are.

I know that many comrades will surely recognize the nature of this society, the nature of our Progressive Party, and that if our Progressive Party does not serve the people, it will be doomed.

He will certainly be able to serve the people wholeheartedly and sincerely, and this will achieve the level of the Bodhi Gāthā said by Huineng.”

"Chairman, what is the content of Huineng's Bodhi Gāthā?"

Zhang Yinghao turned and wrote: There is no Bodhi tree, nor is there a mirror stand. Originally there is nothing, so where can dust gather?

The Bodhi Gāthā states, "To understand one's mind and see one's true nature, one attains Buddhahood." This means understanding one's true inner thoughts and aspirations, without the slightest doubt, and firmly believing that one can achieve them. Then, one reaches the state of "a mind free from attachment. Free from attachment, free from fear, free from delusion and dreams, ultimately attaining nirvana." At this point, it's as if one has been freed from the constraints of time and space, able to see a thousand years at a glance, without any fog before one's eyes, and knowing exactly what one should do.

Just like me, I firmly believe that China can become strong again and that we can achieve socialism and communism. So I wholeheartedly and single-mindedly move towards this goal, without any fear in my heart, and I will not give up what I firmly believe in even if there is any hardship or difficulty. This is what Huineng meant.

"Chairman, you said that if we don't serve the people, we will die. Can you explain that?"

"Haha, because our exploitation of the people is several times more brutal than that of the landlord class." Upon hearing Zhang Yinghao's words, most of the comrades present were immediately furious. They discussed it all, finding it truly unbelievable. The unliberated areas were now in dire straits, but the base areas were now thriving. While the people weren't able to eat every day, there had been no reports of anyone starving to death. The people were deeply grateful to the Forward Party, and many of its comrades took the people's gratitude in stride. But what was Chairman Zhang Yinghao saying now? He was actually saying that our exploitation of the people was several times more brutal than that of the landlord class. This, this was truly unacceptable.

Zhang Yinghao waited until the meeting was quiet before he said, "Hehe, think about it, when did the people of Guang'an ever work so hard like they do now? For a bite of food, they work from morning till night every day. They don't know how much harder they worked than before. Isn't that right?"

Zhang Yinghao saw everyone nodding, and then said: "The theory of our progressive party is that labor creates value. Our theory is exactly the same as the landlord class's theory. The landlord class is exploiting the people, and the people will starve to death. We are exploiting the people.

Labor, through the purchase of large quantities of cheap labor, produces more material goods. We take much more than the landlord class, but for the working people, even if we take more, what we give them is more than they get. As for the distribution of land, that is our policy to solve the problem of hunger, not charity or favors.

"Chairman, we do this, and the landlords do this too, as if the only ones who suffer are Bai."

"So, Comrade Qing'en, are you one of the people?" "Of course I am."

"That's right, we work together with the people, and whatever the people take away, we will also be taken away. Moreover, the landlord class takes away the people's living materials in order to eliminate

We take these things to develop productivity. I have said before that we

The country now has to solve two problems: one is the problem of hunger, and the other is the problem of targeted poverty alleviation.

The purpose of distributing land is to solve the problem of hunger, and we take away the fruits of the people's hard work in order to solve the problem of being beaten, and at the same time to completely solve the problem of beatings and hunger for future generations.

We exploit the people's labor force and sacrifice some of their short-term interests for the sake of long-term interests. This is the limit of what we can do now.

Combining short-term and long-term interests is justice for us."

"Chairman, if that's the case, when will it end?"

"Let me ask you a question first. Who thinks they can get something for nothing?"

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhang Yinghao continued, "No, labor creates value. If you don't work, what will you eat and drink? Are you expecting pie to fall from the sky? So everyone must work. Is this understandable?"

"understand."

"Yeah, food doesn't fall from the sky."

Hearing this answer, Zhang Yinghao nodded with satisfaction and said: "Since we want to develop productivity, we naturally need to take some materials from the hands of the working people to develop productivity.

Productivity, that is, taxation. To put it nicely, this tax is taxation, to put it bluntly, it is a disguised form of exploitation! Of course, this kind of exploitation is necessary and must exist.

As for when this will end, once we've resolved the issue of being bullied, we can focus on developing the economy and distributing more of society's wealth to the people. I think we should set a timeframe of forty years. Anyone here who lives long enough will see that day."

"So soon?" "So long?" "Really?"

- ---

Zhang Yinghao's Quotations - Only a noble and selfless soul can be truly admired!

Chapter 79

Zhang Yinghao slammed the table vigorously. "Quiet down, a moment!" There's a line in Romance of the Three Kingdoms: 'The general trend of the world is that long periods of division will inevitably lead to unification, and long periods of unification will inevitably lead to division.' But I would argue that the general trend of the world is one of intermittent fighting. The entire history of mankind is a history of struggle. Humanity struggles against nature, against wild beasts, and among humans for their own interests. Throughout the history of the entire planet, there has been no more than a year without war. Today, it's either here or there. So, is it normal for us to be at war now?

I tell you, it's perfectly normal. It's almost like it's never been this normal. Since the world is constantly at war, how do we solve the problem of being attacked? How do we avoid attacking others? The answer is to develop productivity. Think about it, the cannons and battleships of foreigners today have barrels as thick as water basins. A single shell creates a ten-meter crater, killing everyone within a playground. If these cannons continue to grow in size, and a single shell could flatten an entire city, then no one would want to fight anymore. Wars are fought for profit. If you destroy everything, there's no profit in war, and we can completely get rid of the problem of being attacked.

"Chairman, can such a large cannon really be made?"

"Why can't we make it? With the development of productivity, such a cannon will definitely be made. It's just that we are too backward now and we dare not even think about it. So, comrades, the forty years I mentioned is just a conservative estimate. How can we avoid war so easily?"

"So, what should we do, Chairman?"

"Haha, how to do it? That's a question. I have a question for you comrades. Everyone here is a Party member. Who of you has the Party Constitution with you?"

When everyone heard Zhang Yinghao ask this, they looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what he meant. Who would carry the Party Constitution with them for no reason?