The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Haha, welcome home, welcome home, I missed you so much." Zhang Yinghao said, and with a strong pull, he half-huggled Chen Yiwei. After hugging him tightly for a while, he let go of Chen Yiwei and said, "Come on, let's go. Let's go inside for a cup of tea and talk. Oh, by the way, are you home yet?"

As Zhang Yinghao spoke, he was about to reach out and pick up Chen Yiwei's luggage bag and walk towards the guard, but before Zhang Yinghao could get the luggage bag, the guard got there first.

"Not yet, let's go back later."

"That's up to you, but you've been away for more than half a year, so you should spend more time with your sister-in-law."

Zhang Yinghao and Chen Yiwei were chatting when they arrived at the gate. "Chairman, please sign your name here."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

Zhang Yinghao signed his name after the information filled in by Chen Yiwei, and then

Walking behind him, he said: "We are currently in the new advanced training class. It is just in time for you to return to Mi. You have been working hard outside for so long. Come to the training class and learn some lessons.

Relax, it's like a day off."

"Haha, Chairman, you're so cunning. You take a vacation when you want to take a vacation, and study when you want to study. Only you can mix them up."

"Ah, only children separate study and vacation. As adults, when can we calm down and properly arrange it?"

"Chairman, it might not be possible in the short term. I just bought a steel mill, and I need to follow this work, otherwise I will be worried."

Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and said, "Let's say you bought two here. The steel plant is already doing the final debugging. Very good. You bought another one here.

We're definitely short on these things right now, and even more so, talent. So, please contact the relevant comrades as soon as possible and ask them for both the people and the materials. These machines we've purchased need to be up and running as soon as possible, otherwise they'll be nothing more than a pile of scrap metal. After all, scrap metal can be recycled, but these things can't be simply recycled."

"Okay, I thought so too. This time I packed up the entire steel mill and brought it back. I didn't miss any of the information."

"Okay, that's all. I need to translate it as soon as possible."

Zhang Yinghao and Chen Yiwei were talking in the middle of the conversation.

"Sit down and I'll get you a cup of tea."

I didn't dare drink tea now, so I just poured myself a glass of boiled water and put some sugar in it.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"By the way, Chairman, I bought you this book."

Chen Yiwei picked up the luggage that the guard had placed beside him and put it on the ground. He then took out a pile of books from it and placed them on Zhang Yinghao's desk. Zhang Yinghao picked it up and flipped through it. There were no books in English or other languages ​​that he could recognize.

"Here are a few books I had translated right after arriving in the United States. It's called 'The Communist Manifesto,' written by Marx."

"Oh, bring it here for me to see."

Chen Yiwei pulled two more books from the bottom of his luggage. One was the "Communist Manifesto" I mentioned earlier, and the other was about surplus value, presumably an excerpt from "Das Kapital." But none of this mattered to Zhang Yinghao. It didn't matter what the book was, as long as it was related to "Das Kapital" or "The Communist Manifesto." The content was all in Zhang Yinghao's head, so it didn't matter whether he read it or not.

But ideas are not rootless trees or sourceless water; they have their origins. Materialists believe that ideas cannot exist independently of matter. If Zhang Yinghao hasn't even read these books, yet he's pontificating on the contents of "Das Kapital," it would be surprising if he didn't come up with something genius.

"Okay, you're so thoughtful. Thank you so much. I'll print out this book after I finish it. I'll put some of these books in the library for everyone to read. I'll give you one directly when the time comes. I'll keep this one here for now. You don't know, I've read Mr. Ma's books before, but I forgot where I saw them. The content is very exciting and I really miss it day and night."

As he spoke, he took the book handed to him by Chen Yiwei and immediately opened the first page to read.

"There is a monster stalking Europe, and that monster is communism."

Zhang Yinghao was slightly stunned when he saw this sentence. This was a little different from what he saw in his previous life. In his previous life, he saw a ghost, a communist ghost.

A ghost is hovering over Europe, and all the old European powers have formed a holy alliance to drive out this ghost.

However, Zhang Yinghao understood after a moment's thought. The translation might be correct, but the version Zhang Yinghao saw in later generations was the result of countless people's hard work, and it must be countless times better than the second-rate translation he had seen.

But Zhang Yinghao didn't care at all. As long as he had the book, it was enough. As for the quality of the translation, it wasn't something Zhang Yinghao, who couldn't even pass the CET-4, could decide. He closed the book and placed the two books neatly on the upper right. Jun Tangshui blew on it and took a sip. It was sweet.

"Some time ago, there were some unusual moves by Sichuan Governor Kui Jun, so I conducted this intensive training for the comrades. Now there's more news coming in: Sichuan Governor Kui Jun has commissioned a group of landlords and gentry to form a militia to deal with us. Although I despise these landlords and gentry and the armed forces they have formed, we must be on guard. Take a look at this information."

As he spoke, he handed the collected information to Chen Yiwei, who began to read it.

"Your task is simple, but also very difficult. That is to

The machines we bought should be assembled and put into operation as soon as possible. The sooner we start producing, the sooner we will have more supplies. We cannot wait for these people to attack us. We must take the initiative to attack them as soon as possible and not give these landlords and gentry a lesson.

An opportunity to train militia.”

"Chairman, when will we attack?"

"The army is now stepping up its training and will soon begin operations. Although there are still many difficulties, I believe that if we face difficulties, the enemy will certainly face greater difficulties. We must overcome all difficulties."

"Chairman, I completely agree with you. The Qing Dynasty has almost lost the support of the people. The foreigners are still staying in Beijing, and the southern provinces have even come up with the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement. This is a sign of national destruction."

"Haha, isn't this perfectly normal? How did the Song Dynasty fall? How did the other six kingdoms fall during the Warring States Period? Wasn't it all because they were weakened by ceding territory and paying indemnities? Which dynasty in history was as bad as the Qing Dynasty? Which ruined China to this extent? Now, the whole world knows that the Qing Dynasty was a weakling. From then on, the Qing Dynasty became a foreign dynasty. We don't know when this broken house of the Qing Dynasty will suddenly collapse. Let's wait and see. Perhaps we are the gravediggers of the Qing Dynasty!"

"Haha, that's great. I wonder how long the Qing Dynasty can last?" "That depends on how well we do our job. Dust won't go away without a broom. Without someone working hard, the Qing Dynasty won't step down."

After chatting for a while, Zhang Yinghao took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and said, "It's almost time for dinner. Let's go to the cafeteria to eat together. You rushed back so fast, your sister-in-law probably doesn't know yet. She might not have prepared anything for you at home. After dinner, hurry home to check on the food. You have a lot of work to do next."

"Okay, I'll go back after dinner."

Zhang Yinghao drank the sugar water in the cup in one gulp, stood up and walked out with Chen Yiwei.

"This training facility is newly built. Our cadre and party member training courses are now held here. However, we won't be staying here long and will be moving out soon."

Chapters 144 and 145 are combined into one:

Chen Yiwei was also a smart man. He knew immediately that Zhang Yinghao meant moving to another city, or even Chengdu. So he said, "After it's built, it can be left to those who need it, which would be great."

After a while, the two of them arrived at the cafeteria. Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class. Zhang Yinghao quickly took two steps and handed Chen Yiwei his meal ticket while walking, saying, "I'll go buy you a meal ticket. You take mine and go get your food first."

Chen Yiwei said, confused, "I'll go with you."

"No need, just get your food and wait for me, I'll be there in a while. Otherwise, the queue will be very long, and the students will be here soon."

As they were talking, students appeared not far away. Chen Yiwei didn't say anything more and went to get two meals and waited there. A while later, Zhang Yinghao came back, handed the meal ticket to the auntie, and left with the meals.

At this time, students also came to eat in groups. At a short distance, the students kept shouting "Hello, teacher" and Zhang Yinghao also greeted them with a smile.

"Chairman, how many students are there in this training school now?"

"Over 600 people. This group was urgently notified to come for training. These people are almost the cream of our current base."

“How long have they been training?”

"It's not a long time, mainly because the training time is different. Some people only need one week of training, some people need three months of training. But it seems that these people

They will graduate early soon, and I hope they will study quietly here. I hope they will work hard on their own when they return."

"Chairman, self-study is not just a saying. I often can't calm down to study. If I'm busy, I just want to sleep when I stop. It's not easy to study on my own."

"So, even if the training lasts for a week, I always hope to gather them together to study together. This way, there will be a learning atmosphere and efficiency will be high."

After finishing his meal and bidding farewell to Chen Yiwei, Zhang Yinghao felt a bit sore in the waist and legs. He knew that he might have worked too hard at night.

A cow that is exhausted to death will never spoil the land. I need to replenish my nutrition now, and I think I should go home and stew a chicken when I have time. But in the end, Zhang Yinghao returned to the office again.

The office began to deal with the unfinished work. There was no other way, as the workload had obviously increased. However, with Chen Yiwei back, some of his work could be shared with this young man.

It's break time at school, but no one has returned to their dormitories to rest; at most, they're taking a nap in the classroom. Bai Mingliang, a trainee in this batch, is currently reading in the library. Bai Mingliang may be a veteran of the base, but he's only been there about eight months.

Bai Mingliang had been promoted as an outstanding candidate in the village chief training program. He knew his interests were completely tied to the base. Several months had passed since he ran for village chief and then participated in the training program. In those few months, Bai Mingliang had become a completely different person.

Bai Mingliang's initial success in the election for village chief stemmed from the villagers' recognition of his abilities. Bai Mingliang was bright and studious from a young age. Although he never attended school, he learned a considerable amount of Chinese characters through eavesdropping and learning from those who did. During his training as a village chief, he learned Chinese pinyin and most simplified characters. While he may not be able to read classical Chinese now, he has no trouble understanding common vernacular Chinese.

As a farmer in his late twenties, it's not logical to settle down and study. However, Bai Mingliang is an exception. He deeply understands the preciousness of his current educational opportunities. The village chief and cadre training programs have opened up a whole new world for Bai Mingliang. While he may not know what the future holds, he has a vague understanding that this is the best opportunity to change his destiny.

Bai Mingliang was currently in the library, avidly reading Zhang Yinghao's articles. A year had passed since the base was established, and Zhang Yinghao's articles had been compiled and published. Although no one had yet proposed adopting Zhang Yinghao's ideas as a guiding ideology, all Party members and cadres in the base knew that studying Zhang Yinghao's articles was essential for success.

Bai Mingliang knew that every graduation exam for training would include content written by Zhang Yinghao. Some people failed the exam or stayed in school to study after passing it without being assigned a job. Although Bai Mingliang did not know the specific reason, it was definitely related to not reading the articles written by Chairman Zhang Yinghao carefully.

Bai Mingliang himself wasn't entirely sure, however. Some people claimed Chairman Zhang Yinghao spoke well, but these people hadn't graduated yet, leaving him somewhat baffled. However, as someone whose ancestors were farmers, Bai Mingliang truly understood many of Chairman Zhang Yinghao's lectures, such as those on accounting and the landlord class and reactionaries. However, he struggled with some of the subjects, such as the proletariat and the people's democratic dictatorship. These were things Bai Mingliang didn't fully grasp; he only had vague notions.

As a member of the Progressive Party, Bai Mingliang knew from his Party lectures that he still had much to learn. He also knew he wasn't a fully qualified Party member and cadre, as he genuinely didn't understand much of what was covered in the lectures. This is why he cherishes his time, eagerly studying and actively asking teachers and classmates for advice.

Many people are now saying that Chairman Zhang Yinghao is the incarnation of Wenquxing, or that he's a living Bodhisattva who saves the suffering. Bai Mingliang agrees with these rumors, but he also understands the principle that while a master is the only way to gain enlightenment, the practice is the individual's. Furthermore, Bai Mingliang particularly likes the words of Chinese revolutionary songs: "There has never been a savior, nor do we rely on gods or emperors. To create human happiness, we must rely entirely on ourselves."

Bai Mingliang, while listening to the lecture, completely agreed that this answer was correct, and that Chairman Zhang Yinghao had also said the same thing. This training session, in particular, made the principle even clearer: everything in the base area was created by the people, and only by relying on them could one accomplish anything. If one were to separate from them, one would inevitably stumble.

But Bai Mingliang felt a bit intimidated by the young Chairman Zhang Yinghao. Every time he saw him, he felt he was unfathomable. Bai Mingliang had no idea what was going on in Chairman Zhang's head. Bai Mingliang felt he knew his colleagues well enough; after working and studying with them for a while, he could get a feel for them. But Bai Mingliang had no idea what Chairman Zhang Yinghao was like. He felt like Zhang Yinghao was a mystery, completely unfathomable.

Bai Mingliang now feels a sense of urgency. He has learned

After the New Culture Movement, he also read some books in the library. He already knew what these people were doing. But now he felt that he was not capable enough.

He felt his brains weren't enough, because he felt many comrades were more capable than he was. Some, though not as educated as he, were exceptionally adept at handling problems. Some, surprisingly, learned many things instantly, especially memorizing material after just a few repetitions. Yet, these people still worked incredibly hard. Bai Mingliang was just barely getting by, feeling incredibly overwhelmed.

Right now, Bai Mingliang is reading Chairman Zhang Yinghao's latest article, "Rural Investigation":

1. The situation is gradually understood and requires continuous efforts.

Understanding the world is not an easy task. Marx and Engels worked hard throughout their lives and conducted a lot of investigations before they completed scientific communism.

The Chinese revolution also needs...

2. Methods

1. The unity of opposites and the struggle of contradictions are the two starting points for our work.

The first step of observation is to see only the general outline of the object and form a concept.

2. Possess detailed information and grasp the key points.

Zhang Yinghao traveled through time and space, and possessed knowledge and insights that people in this era did not have. The articles he copied were generally selected articles. After Zhang Yinghao came to this world to guide the revolution, he realized how powerful the Taizu of his previous life was. He was like a wise man who taught people how to behave and do things.

Zhang Yinghao now thinks that anyone who has carefully read the selected works of Taizu's thoughts will be deeply impressed by the wisdom contained in them.

clothes.

Zhang Yinghao knew that he would never reach his level, so he could only copy the correct answer he gave him.

The answer may not be better than Taizu's thought. After all, those were analyzed by Taizu himself through the struggle of contradictions and the method of dialectical materialism, and he can always

You can't grasp the true essence of it.

But I know what the future will be like, and people in this era are

The future is almost beyond my dreams. I don't know how to compare my situation with Taizu's, but as long as the ultimate goal is

It's the same, Zhang Yinghao feels that he can still accept it.

Zhang Yinghao wrote the article "Rural Investigation" which was also an example of how comrades said they did not know how to write after investigation during the lecture.

The names of Marx and Engels are written in it to remind the comrades in the base area so that they can have some idea in their minds.

When I came to class, I knew nothing.

Upon receiving the Communist Manifesto, Zhang Yinghao immediately reorganized it according to his own impressions and then took it to the printing house. The book was completely unfamiliar to the comrades in the base area; it was printed solely for lectures. Zhang Yinghao had no concerns about the book's negative impact on the base area, as there was no Soviet model. Zhang Yinghao's own interpretation was the only official, unified interpretation.

Why were there so many debates during later revolutions? It's because many people were so preconceived that they couldn't break free from the template. They didn't want to engage in the difficult research and exploration themselves, but simply wanted to copy the template. But in this life, Zhang Yinghao firmly grasped the right to interpret Marxism, incorporating it into his own writings, firmly maintaining his voice.

In fact, Zhang Yinghao completely agreed with Chiang Kai-shek's later words about one doctrine, one party, one government, and one army. Of course, Zhang Yinghao agreed with these words, but he completely disagreed with the Kuomintang's approach. Zhang Yinghao had already made up his mind that since he had no achievements in his past life, there must be something wrong with him. So in this life, Zhang Yinghao would just copy the correct answers. If there were still any problems, then he deserved it.

Zhang Yinghao knew that capitalism profited from the exploitation of surplus value, but the products he was currently producing were simple, low-quality industrial goods and handmade products, with low profit margins. Most importantly, there were too few factories in the base area, and the base was unable to manufacture complex machinery. The precision of the machines they did design and manufacture was not as good as imported ones.

Therefore, Zhang Yinghao can't earn much from these factories now.

The profit can only support some workers. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao combined the actual situation of the base area and tried every possible way to increase employment so that everyone

Individuals participated in labor as much as possible, thereby increasing the wealth of the base.

This is what Zhang Yinghao told the members of the Forward Party during class: "We are now extremely poor. Our base area is poor. What do we have now? Cars? Trains? We don't have any. Every day, there may still be a large number of people working in the fields on an empty stomach. Meat may only be eaten once or twice a year. We don't rely on warm clothes to survive the winter, but on shivering.

What does it mean that our base area is a blank slate? It means that our base area has no infrastructure at all. What can we make now? Tables and stools are fine, and so are sickles and axes. We probably can't make anything more advanced. In other words, we have to start from scratch in our base area. How do we start from scratch? It's been over 140 years since the Industrial Revolution in other countries. If we want to learn from the West, we must start from the very basics, that is, from over a century ago.

This had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that we could directly learn from mature foreign science and technology without setbacks or setbacks. Our base area had a complete industrial blank slate, so we could design whatever we wanted. The disadvantage was that learning these foreign technologies was expensive, and we weren't guaranteed to learn the truly valuable ones. The Qing Dynasty's Westernization Movement only yielded superficial insights, not much in the way of deeper understanding.

Chen Yiwei was temporarily away from his post due to work, so he could only look through the content of Zhang Yinghao's first training class. As a senior official in the base, Chen Yiwei could understand most of the base if necessary, so getting a copy of the latest training content was not difficult at all.

As an international student studying in the United States, Chen Yiwei disagreed with some aspects of Zhang Yinghao's remarks. While the United States has yet to project the image of a future superpower, as a country without historical baggage, it does possess unparalleled advantages in the design of its political system. International students today often envy the so-called "freedom" advocated by Americans.

Furthermore, the Western concept of decentralization has been thoroughly implemented in the United States, so most international students believe that the American system of separation of powers is the most suitable political system of the era. Chen Yiwei had known during training that Zhang Yinghao intended to establish a country called the "People's Democratic Dictatorship."

But for Chen Yiwei, this was an instinctive aversion. Dictatorship meant coercion, one group oppressing another. And since it was people's democracy, how could there be a dictatorship? However, when Zhang Yinghao spoke of this, few in the base area fully understood it. Only Chen Yiwei, an international student, seemed to be paying close attention.

Chen Yiwei ultimately remained silent on the matter, as Zhang Yinghao later explained the details. Although Chen Yiwei felt it was impossible, he felt it was best to withhold his opinion. After all, he was a technician with more work to do than he could handle, so there was no point in worrying about it. However, from then on, he paid close attention to every training session Zhang Yinghao gave. Whenever Zhang Yinghao presented a lecture, he would take the time to read it and understand what it was about.

However, this business trip to the United States—not as a student, but as a businessman—has given Chen Yiwei a completely different experience. Looking back now, rereading Zhang Yinghao's article, Chen Yiwei feels a completely different feeling.

Especially after Chen Yiwei read The Communist Manifesto in its entirety, he felt as if many of his previous mysteries had dissipated. As a highly educated individual who had experienced the rigors of life at the Wuhan Steel Mill, he understood this era and society better than most. However, after reading The Communist Manifesto and Zhang Yinghao's article, he finally understood some issues completely, which is why Chen Yiwei now strongly supports the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty.

After returning home to reunite with his wife, Chen Yiwei took time out that evening for another in-depth conversation with Zhang Yinghao. Zhang Yinghao was genuinely pleased with Chen Yiwei's growth. In Zhang Yinghao's view, Chen Yiwei was a truly worldly-wise man of our time, quicker to embrace new things than most. Having him become a true comrade was crucial. If he were merely a technical staff member, politically immature, Zhang Yinghao wouldn't have dared to entrust him with such a significant responsibility.

However, Chen Yiwei was no match for the country bumpkins like Bai Mingliang. After nearly a year of working and studying at the base, he had become a knowledgeable and cultured revolutionary, a true leader capable of standing on his own. While Bai Mingliang and his ilk had ample room for growth, their limitations were significant, requiring a greater investment of time and energy.

Zhang Yinghao was delighted with the growth of his comrades, but his style was to devote the vast majority of his time and energy to cultivating those who deserved it. As for those who didn't follow his team or who held him back, Zhang Yinghao simply told them, "God helps those who help themselves."