The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Zhang Yinghao took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was 11:40 a.m. Zhang Yinghao checked the hourglass again. There were about ten minutes left, which meant that the time to gather for lunch was about 12:00.

"What time does training start this afternoon?"

"Classes start at 1 p.m., two 45-minute periods. Training begins at 3 p.m. Chairman, would you like to review the training content?"

As he spoke, Zhao Jinshan pointed to the training plan on the table. "Okay."

Zhang Yinghao picked it up and began to read. It covered several emergency evening assemblies. Early in the morning, they would read or practice dictation, mastering Chinese pinyin and multiplication tables. Later, they would get up and run three or five kilometers. Zhang Yinghao, reflecting on the low intensity of the initial exercise, had suggested it himself, simply to condition the soldiers' bodies and help them acclimate to the local environment.

There were a lot of academic classes scheduled, and there wasn't a single day off for three months. Every Sunday, aside from morning drills, there was no training, but a day of academic classes. These included a music class and two drawing classes, all of which were Zhang Yinghao's suggestions.

Zhang Yinghao flipped through the pages faster and faster, reaching the back. He felt satisfied when he saw that there were also geography, chemistry, and other lessons. These soldiers weren't children, so they couldn't be taught like elementary school students. However, their foundation was no different from that of children, so the content they were taught included a lot of basic courses.

For Zhang Yinghao, the most important course is history, because China is what it is because of its unique history. And one of the most important aspects of education in a modern country is ethnicity, which, to a large extent, is about distinguishing between friends and enemies. If you say, "I'm Chinese, you're a foreigner," then you're naturally two different camps.

Zhang Yinghao's current goal is to promote modern nationalist education. As long as everyone in the base area knows that they are Chinese and other common sense, many tasks will be easily solved.

National awakening can solve many problems, but it also creates many more. Zhang Yinghao knows that even in the 21st century, education about nation and ethnicity will remain mainstream. Although many claim that ethnicity is a false concept and that joining the communist world alongside black people is unacceptable, it's clear that nationalism will not disappear for centuries to come.

There's actually another kind of racial education involved, but it wasn't until after several genocides, especially the Aryan farce directed by the moustache, that racism was abandoned. But now, in 1901, racism is still a form of political correctness and is still prevalent.

Zhang Yinghao places a lot of emphasis on history in the recruits' cultural curriculum, aiming to help them understand their own country. He also observed that there were also ideological and moral education and political classes, but the content of the lectures was primarily about complaining and reasoning.

The suffering of individuals and families is attributed to the suffering of the class, the nation, and the country. Speaking of reason means speaking the truth of the poor people, so that these fighters can stand firm on their class standpoint and understand the goal of struggle.

Unity is strength, but there is a problem here: how to achieve unity? It is impossible to achieve unity by simply saying "let's unite". So how can we achieve unity?

This reminded Zhang Yinghao of something that happened in the 1980s in his previous life. He heard that there was a large village that, due to historical reasons, was always fighting or quarreling within the village, and the village had no unity at all. What should he do?

At this time, a new village chief came to power. Whenever there was a conflict between villagers and other villages, even escalating into a fight, he would call all the young people in the village to come together. As a result, after a few times, the young people in the village became united as one. Whenever there was a conflict within the village, he would find a way to divert the conflict so that the villagers had to unite against the outside world.

So there are many ways to unite people, but the underlying reasons are few. As the art of war says in the book "Nine Terrains": "Although the people of Wu and Yue hate each other, when they are in the same boat and encounter a storm, they rescue each other like left and right hands."

I've read many articles claiming that if the KMT and the CCP had united, the Liberation War wouldn't have had to be fought, and that it would have been infinitely beneficial to the country. In reality, this is just wishful thinking. Some novels even portray the author as a savior, attempting to ease the conflict between the two parties and act as a middleman or intermediary force. This is just the rY in the novels.

The prerequisite for the proletariat and the landlord class to cooperate is that, like Wu and Yue, they are on a boat and encounter a storm, and if they do not cooperate, both will perish. Only then can they transform their internal contradiction into an external one. This is why they briefly joined forces during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, but in fact, internal friction has not stopped until the Japanese are driven out.

Chapter 113:

It was absolutely impossible for Wu and Yue to reconcile after landing. The conflict between different groups for their own interests was not determined by will; it could only result in cooperation within struggle and struggle within cooperation. Therefore, Taizu said: "Peace survives through struggle; peace perishes through compromise."

Therefore, unity requires common interests, common goals, or common enemies. Whether it's as small as playing a game or as big as a nation, this is what is necessary to unite; otherwise, it will be just empty slogans.

Zhang Yinghao had almost finished reading the training plan when he heard a whistle. Looking up, he knew it was time to gather for lunch. He put down the plan, gave his seat to the head instructor, and stood in the upper left corner of the team to watch.

Soon, they saw each squad being led to the designated assembly point. Zhang Yinghao nodded slightly. The formation was fairly neat, the pace was acceptable, and most importantly, the team had a spirit of vigor. An army, when formed, has military momentum, and an army must have the unstoppable spirit to forge ahead.

"Everyone, stand at attention."

"Look to the right, look forward." "Look to the right, look forward." "At ease, talk for a moment."

When they heard the words, everyone immediately returned to standing at attention.

"Take a break."

"This morning's training is almost over. Comrades, we still need to improve our formation. If we march for a long distance, we will become uneven. There is no other way to deal with this except to walk more. Comrades, you all know how to march in step, but to march in step, we need to practice more. Not only on the training ground, but also in our daily lives, we need to constantly think about how to march in step.

When walking, always keep your peripheral vision focused on the comrades to your left and right. The rhythm of our marching is fixed; it becomes a regular pattern after repeated practice. However, everyone's height and habits vary, so when marching in unison, it's important to keep your peripheral vision focused to the sides. The vanguard carries the heaviest responsibility in the group, so the distance between those in front and those behind must be carefully managed.

There are also those who practice falling down. If you're told to fall down, just fall down. Some comrades can't fall down or hesitate. Comrades, remember, our training isn't for playing house, it's for killing. Some comrades have seen our soldiers attacking landlords. How could they hesitate? It's a life-or-death battle. A moment's hesitation could cost you your life.

We're training here to help you master the art of killing the enemy. The army is a machine of violence; if you're not violent enough, you'll die. More sweat in peacetime, less blood in war. If you're unwilling to train hard now, are you hoping the reactionaries will show you mercy on the battlefield? So, my message to you comrades is this: As long as you're not dying from training, train until you're dead. Our new recruits have the best food and the best medical care. Comrades, practice with confidence and hone your skills in killing the enemy. Do you understand?"

"clear"

"Stand at attention, at ease." "Stand at attention."

The chief instructor then turned right, facing Zhang Yinghao, and saluted. Zhang Yinghao returned the salute. "Comrade Chairman, the Fifth Battalion's morning training is complete. Please give your instructions."

"Take a break."

"Yes."

Zhao Jinshan turned left and shouted, "At ease."

Then he turned and left his seat. Zhang Yinghao walked over and stood in his place.

"Tell me about it."

All the soldiers stood at attention immediately.

"Please stand at ease. I came here today to see that the comrades' training is basically satisfactory. Comrades, do you all know why you are here? Some of you know, while some may still be confused. Our only purpose in coming here is to protect the fruits of our revolution.

Comrades, have all your families received land by now? If your family hasn't, it's because your family isn't in our base area; it's in Chongqing or somewhere else. As long as you're in our base area, your family has received land. Land at home gives you hope. So where did this land come from? Did it just fall from the sky? No, we snatched it from the landlords and evil gentry with our guns.

Why do we want to seize their land? Because we cannot allow our working people to die of exhaustion and hunger at the same time. Has anyone here never gone hungry? No, right? Why? Because the fruits of our years of hard work have been snatched away by these reactionaries.

We have divided up the land, and the comrades are all able to work diligently. They all have food stored at home. Eating the food they grow themselves, how can anyone starve to death? Why are you here? It's because the reactionaries can't bear to see us live a good life. They're always thinking about how to kill us and take back the land they've lost. We absolutely won't allow this, so we're organizing comrades to train and take up arms to defend our revolutionary gains.

It is very rare for comrades to be able to train here peacefully for a period of time. I hope that comrades will seize the time here, train well, study hard, practice hard to kill the enemy, and fight for the liberation of all the working people all their lives.

We are now expanding our base every day, which means we are constantly fighting. Once the Qing court knows for sure that our comrades have killed landlords and divided up the land, they will definitely not let us go. Because the Qing court wants to protect those reactionaries, that is, those landlords, bullies, and local tyrants.

If comrades want to live a good life, to have enough food and clothing, and no longer go hungry every day, then they must destroy all the reactionary armed forces that attack us. Our relationship with them is a life-and-death struggle.

Some comrades may wonder why the landlord class and the Qing Dynasty don't want us to live a good life. We've already discussed this in our lessons on reasoning and settling accounts, and you'll learn more about it later. Basically, if we poor people eat a little more, the landlord reactionaries will eat a little less. If the landlord reactionaries eat a little more, we poor people will starve to death.

The logic is simple: to prevent starvation, we must divide land from the landlord class reactionaries. This way, everyone can have enough food and clothing. If anyone wants to go hungry every day, with no food to eat, we won't force them. They can leave at any time. Revolution is entirely voluntary. Our team is here to protect the fruits of our revolution and the people who have been given land.

Therefore, comrades, during training here, must do everything in their power to master the art of killing the enemy. None of us were raised on a single grain of rice, so we must cherish our own lives. Yet, we all embark on the revolutionary path with the ideal of saving our nation and our people. Some deaths are heavier than Mount Tai, while others are lighter than a feather. To die for one's country and people is to die with a death heavier than Mount Tai, and we will honor, revere, and commemorate them for generations to come.

The standard for measuring the value of our lives is not personal stability and enjoyment, but considering the issue from the perspective of the independence, rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the liberation of the Chinese people. This pursuit of lofty beliefs and ideals and making correct value choices in the path of life are exactly what people today, especially our generation of young people, need to learn.

Now we must burn our youth, ignite our passion, forge a world of crimson. We must transform our country in accordance with our ideals. We will not retreat, there will be no compromise. For I have long said that for our country and our revolutionary cause, retreating would mean national destruction, while moving forward would mean mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Our generation must wade through this sea of ​​blood and corpses to hope to reach the other shore of happiness. In this sea of ​​blood and corpses, those bleeding and dying are not only our enemies and friends, but also ourselves and our comrades. We continue to move forward, following the path paved by the bodies of the martyrs. We will ultimately achieve final victory.

The road to the future is right under our feet. Comrades, what we need to do now is to do a good job in training. Comrades, can you do it?"

"can."

The soldiers immediately stood at attention and answered.

"At ease, okay, I have confidence in my comrades." Zhang Yinghao turned and asked Zhao Jinshan.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, at ease, each class will leave in turn." "Class one, turn left and run." "Class two..."

Zhang Yinghao and the others watched as the troops were sent off one by one. Lieutenant Shi Song had never experienced any combat, and the soldiers didn't understand what he said. "Shiyue' Sichuan University, that place wasn't a barracks. There was a dispute. Although Zhang Yinghao had trained others himself, that place wasn't a barracks.

Instead, he trained a group of students, and the training was only physical fitness and military boxing.

In the past, no matter how much training was done, the students lacked the spirit of Beiren. However, in the training of "Xinqiu Tulian", the students lacked a spirit. This is also the reason why TV series such as "Yun Chuang Jufangkou God Drama Destruction" were so popular. Even the anti-Japanese god drama "Destruction"

The reason why films are being made continuously is because modern people have lost this spirit and hope to get it back.

But now, Zhang Yinghao truly understood that Rui Ren's ability could be completely different at any time. That is, he would not die in his previous life, but would die in the present life. There is a great terror between life and death, which can greatly enhance a person's potential.

There is no such pressure in the world, and no matter what you say, it lacks a bit of energy.

Zhang Yinghao now hopes that these soldiers can fight for the future and have grandchildren. Because Zhang Yinghao now deeply understands one thing, that is, these people have

They have been organized by themselves. If they were to send it by themselves now, they would not necessarily resist, just like the Russian cattle in World War I, who would send it one after another.

Death, this is the difference between organized and unorganized.

Once these people understand why they are fighting, and even further understand that the state is a tool of class rule, they will be able to stimulate their subjective initiative to the greatest extent, turning passivity into initiative, and they will be able to grow at the fastest speed.

After all the troops left, Zhang Yinghao, the guards, and Zhao Jinshan also headed for the cafeteria. Arriving, Zhang Yinghao smelled the food and immediately joined the queue behind the others. Zhang Yinghao had always advocated for equality between officers and soldiers, and would never allow anyone to cook for themselves. Furthermore, there wasn't a place in the cafeteria where you could get better food just by paying a fee. In his past, this was common in many places, with separate windows where you could get better food by paying a little more.

Although Zhang Yinghao doesn't care about this, one of his current goals is to overthrow privilege. He can't care about how things will change in the future, but he should not cause trouble for himself with these things now.

Zhang Yinghao knew that after dinner, the soldiers would have a little time to digest their food before attending their cultural classes. Having never served in the military before, Zhang Yinghao didn't know how the training for new recruits was arranged. But now, Zhang Yinghao had no objections to the training plan. He felt that for the time being, cultural education for these comrades should even take precedence over military training.

Zhang Yinghao stood in line, occasionally greeted by others, and Zhang Yinghao responded with a smile. Zhang Yinghao already knew he was a legendary figure within the base. Even at such a young age, he was already admired by everyone there. While Zhang Yinghao saw this as untrue, claiming he was the base's greatest service provider, this was the reality in the eyes of these new recruits.

Zhang Yinghao's reputation has now become privately known as a deity descended from the heavens. Cao Cao once said, "If I had a son, I would want him to be like Sun Zhongmou." The current rumor circulating in the base area is, "If I were a man, I would emulate Zhang Yinghao." In the eyes of the impoverished masses, Zhang Yinghao is the reincarnation of the bodhisattva who saves the suffering.

With the expansion of the base, the increase in the number of party members, the establishment of cultural cram schools, and the popularization of pinyin, Zhang Yinghao's reputation was unparalleled. As the old saying goes: "Virtue does not match position." It's also said that one should always be content with fate and seek happiness for oneself. So Zhang Yinghao didn't care about these things, but he did keep this issue in mind.

Chapter 114:

Today, Zhang Yinghao saw that his plate had a few more pieces of meat than the other comrades. He didn't point it out and quietly began to eat. The canteen now uses a single plate for food, and the soup is free and available nearby. This is the best Zhang Yinghao can offer at this stage, eliminating the need for soldiers to provide their own bowls and chopsticks.

The current factories and schools don't have this kind of equipment, and people still need to bring their own bowls to eat. Zhang Yinghao has no other solution for this. Iron production is really insufficient, and there is no extra to make tableware.

Seeing that the others had generous portions, Zhang Yinghao felt relieved. As long as he was full, it was fine. There was no way to avoid spoiling his meal. After finishing his meal, he chatted with Zhao Jinshan for a while before leaving the training ground.

As soon as Zhang Yinghao walked out of the gate, he heard someone calling him. Zhang Yinghao immediately stopped and looked carefully. It turned out to be Yuan Kesheng calling him. Zhang Yinghao quickly waved.

"Chairman, something happened, something happened, Chairman."

When Zhang Yinghao heard this, his brows slightly frowned and he stood still, waiting for Yuan Kesheng to come over and report to him.

"Chairman, that foreign devil Payne is here again."

Zhang Yinghao was even more puzzled. So what if Payne came? What was the big deal? Zhang Yinghao still didn't say anything. He looked at Yuan Kesheng quietly, waiting for him to finish speaking.

"Chairman, that foreign devil Payne has arrived with a group of foreigners. He actually set up a ring in Liberation Square and said arrogantly that he would first attack Guang'an, then Chongqing, and finally all of China."

Zhang Yinghao, still thinking about future boxing matches, didn't react for a moment. He chuckled and said, "If he wants to fight, then let him fight. So what if he's the world champion?"

"Chairman, the key point is that foreigner's couplet is so infuriating." "Oh, what couplet?"

"Punch the weak countries of the world, kick the sick man of East Asia, and the horizontal banner is actually "making friends through martial arts." After hearing what Yuan Kesheng said, Zhang Yinghao immediately knew what was going on. Damn it, this is bullying on my head. Zhang Yinghao knew very well that it was a common thing for foreigners to come to China to fight in the late Qing Dynasty. To put it bluntly, foreigners took the opportunity to suppress China and make money by the way.

But these foreigners are just going to fight, why bother coming up with a couplet? Don't they know the principle of springs? The more you suppress, the faster the Chinese will awaken. This couplet is perfect for inspiring the people. The more you bully the Chinese, the more they will strive to become stronger. And in Zhang Yinghao's memory, or in all the movies and TV series, these foreigners never seem to get any advantage.

Just like the line in the movie I watched when I was a child: You have Western technology, I have body protection magic. At this time, China's warships, cannons, and firearms were no match for the foreigners, but China

The martial artists in China are still very powerful. They are really training with their lives, and their goal is to be able to compete with the foreigners. To destroy the prestige of the foreigners. Zhang Feng and his men invited several brothers from the Boxer Rebellion to teach martial arts in the army. Usually, eight or ten young men

None of them are a match for these martial artists.

Chinese martial artists taught foreigners countless lessons. There was Ding Faxiang, who defeated two Russian strongmen in a row; there was Fan Xudong, who beat up over a dozen Russian boxers; and there was Shaolin monk Shi Degen, who defeated British Royal Boxer Georgesville three times. As for great martial artists like Du Xinwu and Huo Yuanjia, they repeatedly defeated foreigners.

But honestly, even with these great martial artists boosting morale, the Chinese of that era still inevitably succumbed to inferiority complexes, groveling before foreigners and unable to hold their heads high in front of them. This was because the Chinese understood that China lacked large warships and artillery, and could not build them, and thus was still no match for the foreigners' killing machines. Defeating foreigners in the ring only satisfied their pride, but was practically useless. Their so-called protective skills still couldn't withstand machine guns and artillery.

In fact, not only now, but even in the new China, many Chinese still have a deep-seated inferiority complex. Because even after the founding of the People's Republic of China, despite fighting against all the Western powers and winning every battle, it still could not solve a problem. China almost always relied on the human wave tactics to achieve victory.

Over 180,000 people died in the Korean War, and hundreds of thousands were injured. Films like "Changjin Lake," "Changjin Lake: The Watergate Bridge," "The Battle of Shangganling," "The Raid," and "Meritorious Service" all feature specific descriptions of the soldiers fighting bloody battles, desperate struggles, the tenacious struggle of flesh and blood, the fearlessness of sacrifice, the fearless devotion of their lives, and the heroic fighting. We are all moved by the spirit of the soldiers in these films and proud to be born in China. However, China has never experienced the kind of easy victory achieved by simply attacking a country, as the United States later did in the Middle East.

Everyone in China understands that modern China has been plagued by numerous disasters. Even today, China continues to face constant suppression and hostility from European and American countries, making its development unnecessarily difficult. Furthermore, Taiwan remains unliberated. It's not that China doesn't want to liberate Taiwan, but rather that the Strait is a natural barrier, making it impossible to liberate Taiwan. If another world war breaks out, people's war may still be the ultimate option. China only truly escaped the danger of land invasion in the 1990s, but its maritime defenses remain a weakness. It remains unclear when China will be able to completely keep the enemy out of its borders.

Back to the point, Zhang Yinghao knew what the couplet meant when he heard it, and immediately said with a smile: "Then you don't have to worry. Even if he can blow up the earth, we can still live our lives as usual. Let's go and take a look.

“I’m not in a hurry, I just think these foreigners are bullying us.

"Who says we are weak? Even Han Xin suffered the humiliation of being kicked in the crotch. Let's take it easy.

As they spoke, Zhang Yinghao and Yuan Kesheng walked to the newly built Liberation Square. They saw the couplet from afar and weren't angry. "Foreigners, foreign devils, go ahead and do what you want. The more you do, the faster you'll die. The more arrogant you are, the more you'll boost the morale of the Chinese people. China has its own heritage, and it's not something you, who just finished taking a shit, can understand."

When we arrived at Liberation Square, it was already packed with people. It was so lively and bustling. I was afraid that all the people who didn't have to work in Guang'an City had come. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the streets were deserted.

In the center of Liberation Square, a clearing had been cordoned off, serving as a fighting arena. On either side, wooden poles, each bearing the couplet, stood tall, creating a rather arrogant atmosphere. The arena was now surrounded on all sides, and a burly, robust foreigner stood there. He was indeed exceptionally robust.

At this time, in the place where the foreigners gathered, a conversation was going on, the content of which Zhang Yinghao did not know. He heard one of the foreigners say: "...I will make good use of Hoffman to deal with the Chinese. I want to undermine their will, so that we can achieve our goal of invading China..."

Hearing this, Payne quickly said, "Mr. Pitt, China has a population of 400 million. I don't approve of what you're doing. I don't think it's going to be easy for them to admit they're the sick man of East Asia. Ah, haha."

“Hehe, Mr. Payne, I have faith in Hoffman.

"Yes, we are confident that Hoffman is the best strongman we have found and we will definitely succeed.

54 sea

If Zhang Yinghao had heard this exchange, he would have scoffed. This wasn't a fair fight to begin with. A boxer trained for years against an ordinary person, the outcome is obvious. It wouldn't matter in China; the result would be similar anywhere in the world.

At this time, a traitor-looking translator was showing off on the stage, "Ahaha, everyone, everyone, everyone, to be honest, I also feel sorry for our compatriots who can't beat them, but there's nothing we can do. We really can't beat them!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd below immediately started to make a fuss and stopped him from speaking.

"Everyone, everyone, everyone, regarding this arena competition, I have already made an agreement with the foreign master. Anyone of you can come up and fight, but you must sign a life and death agreement. If you think you can't win, just kneel on the ground and shout "I am the sick man of East Asia" three times, and you can leave the arena without any danger to your life.

“Down with the traitors.

"Down with the traitors.

相德

"Hey, everyone, everyone, we're friends through fighting, so naturally there's a punishment for losing. Shouting a few times won't kill you, so it's nothing! I begged for this condition, otherwise what if one of them comes up and this foreigner kills one of them?