The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

We bought back all the opium in our base at the market price so that the people would not suffer any loss. However, we were not allowed to grow opium anymore.

Every case discovered was dealt with. All opium dens were closed down, all pipes destroyed, and all opium users forced to undergo drug rehabilitation.

"Chairman, what do we do with the opium we bought?"

"Well, isn't heroin a medicinal herb? We also secretly produce heroin from the opium we buy. However, a small portion will be publicly destroyed along with the pipes to demonstrate our determination to quit smoking. I will also organize relevant personnel to research drug addiction treatment and the deep processing of opium paste. Then, before other countries fully understand the harm of these processed products, we will secretly sell them to other countries to harm foreigners."

Zhang Yinghao spoke confidently at this point. This was a business that would make him a fortune, openly poisoning foreigners. Although foreigners were also human beings, Zhang Yinghao felt no guilt. After all, these things were harmless and could be bought and sold openly. Moreover, the foreigners could do it on the first day, so he only had to do it on the fifteenth.

"Chairman, are you saying that things like heroin are as addictive as opium?"

"That's right, and they're more addictive and harmful than opium paste. So we have to control these things in our base. Hospitals have to report their use, and they can't flow into the hands of the people. Even if we want to sell them to foreign countries, we can't sell them directly. We have to go through another person and sell them secretly. After all, this thing is not a good thing, so we can't sell it openly. Even if foreigners find out about it in the future, it won't have anything to do with us."

Although Zhang Yinghao's actions were somewhat pedantic, they had to be done. Decades or even centuries from now, if Zhang Yinghao were to sell these items directly, it would undoubtedly be recorded in history books. People unaware of the truth would simply claim that Zhang Yinghao had sold these items before, and they wouldn't question the fact that these things were completely legal in this era. Perhaps this would become evidence used by countries around the world to attack the Progressive Party and China. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao felt it was best to avoid this if possible.

After Zhang Yinghao took power in Chengdu, he had been continuously carrying out reforms. In fact, it was not just Chengdu, but all the surrounding areas were also undergoing necessary reforms. The most important of these was the taxation issue after the abolition of the lijin system. After Zhang Yinghao assigned administrative officials to various regions, he also sent officials to each county to establish industrial and commercial taxation departments.

Many of these individuals were excellent accountants from shops recruited from Chengdu, and their assistants were personnel trained in the base area. After these individuals arrived in the counties, tax matters were generally handled with them. Previously, cases of arbitrary collection and tax evasion were significantly reduced.

With the cooperation of the army, the newly appointed officials dismantled numerous public and private tax checkpoints. As a result, local residents paid less tax, and the exploitation of the merchandise trade was reduced. Of course, the losses were not only suffered by the local checkpoint staff, but also by the former petty officials.

Ancient China gives the impression that corruption was a persistent problem, one that even Zhu Yuanzhang, with his skin peeled and straw stuffed, could not fundamentally change. It seemed as if every official was corrupt, a classic saying being: "Three years as a clean magistrate earns you 100,000 taels of silver." However, this issue requires a different perspective. Officials who passed the imperial examinations at least had to climb the corporate ladder. While they might covet wealth, they generally maintained a sense of dignity. After all, the sages taught us not to incur public outrage.

In reality, in an era when imperial power did not extend beyond the county level, the power of the county magistrate likely existed only within the county seat. Beyond the county seat, there was a situation where policies from above were countered by measures below. A county's officials consisted of only a few people: the magistrate, the county magistrate, and the chief clerk. Could such a small group of people manage a county? They couldn't even manage a county seat.

Therefore, a large number of officials are needed to manage the country. The foundation of governing a country lies in the officials. Moreover, many of these county magistrates are those stupid students who have studied for more than ten years, or even decades. They are unfamiliar with the place, so the first thing they do when they arrive is to build good relationships with the local landlords and gentry.

Otherwise it would be almost impossible to move forward.

So these officials are easy to manage? In fact, it is not at all. Most of these officials are hereditary occupations, and ordinary people have no chance to become officials.

Yes, the work here is almost monopolized by these officials. It is the foundation of their livelihood. It can be said that anyone who touches their livelihood is not only cutting off their income, but also completely destroying their jobs. It can be described as a relentless fight.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the magistrate would not change the position of clerk without a suitable reason. All that mattered was that everyone got by and cooperated with each other. Moreover, in ancient times, all other things were inferior except for education. Scholars considered the clerical work of clerks to be menial and disdained it.

These are the jobs of the untouchables, so the yamen runners, coachmen, petty officials, etc. are all from the untouchables. These people have no chance of promotion and are controlled by the

However, these people happen to hold actual power in their hands. This power may not be a big deal in front of bigwigs, but for an ordinary person, it is enough for him to make a living.

Officials appointed and dismissed by the court all have a term limit, but these people have almost no term limit. County officials who are ignorant of grains and have no knowledge of arithmetic are often deceived by them. In the eyes of these people, money is the only thing they care about. They regard their work scope as their own small piece of land.

If you don't do evil, there is almost no money you dare not covet.

These officials often had complex connections with local landlords and gentry, colluding with each other to form a powerful local force. They deceived their superiors and subordinates, and ordinary people who fell under their sway were inevitably doomed to ruin. Any official who wanted to achieve success in the local area could not achieve outstanding political achievements without taking action against the local officials and landlords.

Zhang Yinghao's attitude toward these officials was simple: those who committed heinous crimes and caused great public outrage must be dealt with. As for the few capable individuals, they would only be employed after undergoing training and passing the required examinations. Zhang Yinghao would rather impose martial law than allow these individuals to hold positions in the new government.

In fact, after the military crackdown, local forces have been greatly reduced. With the removal of checkpoints, the means by which these people profit have also been greatly reduced. After the county magistrate is dispatched, the next step will be to preside over a series of local elections. This will fundamentally dismantle these local forces.

However, a number of problems did arise in the early stages, such as the murder of a comrade in the tax department and the incitement of riots in some areas. These events were not simple, and could be considered a direct clash between the old and new forces. However, Zhang Yinghao had no way to completely prevent these events from happening. The enemy was hidden, while we were in the open, and many problems could only be solved with time.

Of course, Zhang Yinghao wasn't completely helpless in dealing with these issues. The first was the establishment of a violent apparatus. Many conflicts within the community weren't suitable for military intervention; the police were the most appropriate target. As part of grassroots government, the police played an irreplaceable role in maintaining stability.

Once the police force was established, the next issue was recruitment. Zhang Yinghao employed a clever strategy, recruiting younger locals. In this era, the locals were the ones who truly understood local conditions. Young people, imbued with youthful energy and unintegrated by society, were the most vulnerable to injustice. Of course, these individuals also underwent political review and rigorous military and technical training before they could be appointed.

Therefore, the police officers recruited locally are mostly those with basic literacy and from moderately well-off families, with some being women. It's safe to say that any county magistrate faces a myriad of challenges upon taking office. The sheer number of staffing issues associated with establishing various departments alone can be enough to make many of these comrades' hair turn gray.

But the tentacles of power reach deep into every village; this is an unchanging policy. The new government's power must reach every household. In reality, the mere issue of land distribution and household registration paper alone drives Zhang Yinghao crazy. The current paper production is completely insufficient, and the relevant factories cannot be built overnight.

Therefore, in many places, the work did not go smoothly. The main reason was that we were not well prepared in this regard. We did not have enough manpower and material resources to organize the masses. Fortunately, when we were in Guang'an before, a large number of comrades had basic work experience, so a lot of work could be done without rushing.

Proceed without delay.

Many places are now seriously short of manpower, but many comrades, after being appointed county heads, have bravely led their troops to take over local government, regardless of the difficulties and dangers. When the troops leave, only a few soldiers, some wounded soldiers, and a few administrative personnel remain.

These comrades are also very strong. Based on a few people, they slowly do the corresponding work, waiting for the arrival of the large force in the near future. In fact, is Zhang Yinghao short of people now? In fact, Zhang Yinghao now has a lot of people. A large number of soldiers have been recruited in those newly occupied areas. But can it be said that Zhang Yinghao does not lack people? In fact, this is the situation now.

Zhang Yinghao now painfully discovered that he was in such a situation.

He had many people under his command, but they were completely useless. Everything had to be done slowly and patiently. This required Zhang Yinghao to send a large number of comrades to train and educate them, thus squeezing out manpower.

Even so, whenever Zhang Yinghao saw these people training, his heart

His heart was always filled with excitement. Thanks to these people, Zhang Yinghao knew his strength would grow stronger and stronger, ultimately defeating the remaining reactionaries. Once this large group of comrades could begin to be employed, his current manpower shortage would be drastically improved. However, thinking about the huge talent gap across the country, Zhang Yinghao couldn't help but feel a wave of worry.

At this point, Zhang Yinghao was unaware that news of the Sichuan Revolution had already spread throughout the country, particularly in coastal and riverside cities. This news had caused a huge sensation. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao's songs, such as "China's Dedication," "Unity Is Strength," "A Man Should Be Self-reliant," and "The Great Wall Falls Down in Water," had already reached the ears of those who cared. Furthermore, the poem "Dead Water," which the Eryang family had previously arranged for Li Tianqiao to publish, had already caused a strong response in Niu She's 82nd Chamber.

In the social atmosphere at that time, especially after the Qing Dynasty signed the "Xin Chou Treaty", any far-sighted person would think that it was a loss of power.

The Manchu Qing court, which had humiliated the country, was completely corrupt and beyond redemption. Coupled with the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform, a wave of turmoil spread throughout the southeast.

The south was spared from the war, but the political impact was that the Qing Dynasty gradually lost control of the southeast.

Chapter 177:

The southeastern coastal and riverine regions were the first to open ports, and they also suffered the most from the economic invasions of the foreign powers, causing countless people of insight to feel immense pain. Now, the Sichuan Revolution had succeeded, and it was like a bombshell dropped on these people, setting off a tsunami. Their emotions seemed to have found an outlet, and they instantly began shouting, as if they hoped to overthrow the Qing court in the next moment. Countless people of insight called on their friends and trekked across mountains and rivers to reach what they considered a sacred place: Sichuan.

Everything has its pros and cons, and the Sichuan revolution also frightened countless people. Thanks to propaganda from the Qing Dynasty and its escaped landlords, gentry, and secret society members, the Sichuan revolution was viewed in a polarized light. Those who feared revolution actively denigrated Sichuan, branding the Sichuan rebels as bandits, thugs, bandits, robbers, and demons, remnants of the Hongyang rebels. They demonized the Sichuan revolutionaries, calling them "communists who share wives" and "commit all kinds of evil." Landlords and gentry used terms like "killing," "burning," "rape," "drug abuse," "prostitution," and "murder and arson" to elevate the Forward Party and the revolutionary army it led. They even portrayed the revolutionaries as having green faces, fangs, red beards, and green eyes, like demons in paintings, to confuse, deceive, and intimidate the ignorant masses.

However, the closed nature of China's feudal peasant economy, further aided by the limitations of information transmission during that era, meant that no matter how much propaganda the Qing Dynasty, its landlords, gentry, and secret societies circulated, their influence was ultimately limited. Of course, the vast majority of ordinary people still had no idea what revolution was, or that Sichuan had undergone a revolution, or even where Sichuan was located. They continued to live in precarious conditions and darkness.

They say people are often forced into action. Even as Zhang Yinghao was still hoping these new recruits would mature quickly, many of the Party members and cadres he had sent down had already begun to exercise their subjective initiative. As Zhang Yinghao's earliest followers, many of these comrades naturally understood the current situation and realized that they would not receive much help from the Party Central Committee.

As Zhang Yinghao once said, members of the Progressive Party are like seeds; wherever they land, they will take root and sprout. Furthermore, the current situation is that most reactionary forces have been wiped out by the army, and the remaining ones have gone into hiding. In fact, in the eyes of most comrades, this is a golden opportunity to show their talents. That's why, when someone is assigned to be a mayor or county magistrate, these people rush to take office. Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that such opportunities only arise during a change of dynasty and a reform of the old order. Where would such promotion opportunities arise in peacetime?

Besides, almost all the comrades knew how Zhang Yinghao got his start, so no one felt they were incompetent. With Zhang Yinghao as his role model, Zhang Yinghao even believed that many comrades would dare to take up the position alone, even without any colleagues.

Even in the midst of this busy work, Zhang Yinghao still did not forget to attack the Qing court, and he even personally wrote an article titled "The World Has Suffered from the Qing Dynasty for a Long Time" and published it.

...Looking back at the history of the Qing Dynasty's conquest of the Central Plains, they slaughtered all the Han people in Northeast China before entering the Pass, and after entering the Pass, they killed countless people. The Ten Days of Yangzhou, the Three Massacres of the Jiajing Emperor, the Guangzhou Massacre, and so on, all of which demonstrate the brutality of the Qing Dynasty.

...The order to shave the head and change clothing has ruined the Chinese clothing. Keep the head but not the hair, keep the hair but not the head...

.....Time and again, literary inquisitions were launched...

...Since the First Opium War, the Qing Dynasty has lost sovereignty and humiliated the country. First there was the Treaty of Nanjing, then the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and now the Boxer Protocol. In between, there are countless treaties, both large and small. Their willingness to sell out the country is comparable to that of the puppet emperor Shi Jingtang...

...Since then, poverty and weakness had descended upon society, leading to unresolved chaos and devastating suffering for the people... The contents of the Boxer Protocol, along with Zhang Yinghao's article, were like a bombshell, sending a massive wave of protests throughout Sichuan, which continued to spread along the Yangtze River. While the content was admittedly a bit over the top, Zhang Yinghao's article was merely a statement of fact. For the first time, countless people understood the Qing Dynasty in this light, realizing its numerous crimes and evil deeds.

Many people immediately expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Manchus who had dispersed from the city. Many people threw feces and urine. As for whether anyone was beaten to death, I didn't pay attention to it. It was also from this time that fewer and fewer people in Sichuan dared to speak well of the Qing Dynasty and sing praises to it. Otherwise, it would be true.

Someone dared to hit someone.

As for the much-publicized "Xin Chou Treaty," Zhang Yinghao remained vague, refusing to comment on its contents. Truthfully, Zhang Yinghao certainly hoped to push through. Wanting me to pay compensation? Don't even think about it. Wanting me to recognize the treaty? That, too, is out of the question. But after speaking and writing about it and publishing it, he felt incredibly good. But then what?

In reality, if Zhang Yinghao had made such a foolish statement, it was hard to say whether the people and his comrades would have understood, but the Qing court would have certainly been grinning from ear to ear. Adhering to the principle that we must oppose whatever the enemy approves of, Zhang Yinghao insisted that such a statement not be made, as it would have been a complete loss of face and dignity.

Therefore, Zhang Yinghao's article does not address the question of whether he should pay war reparations or recognize the treaty. It simply factually recounts historical events and the current situation. Zhang Yinghao believes that the people have discerning eyes and will naturally understand what decision they should make for themselves.

Indeed, this was indeed the case, thanks to Zhang Yinghao's control over the propaganda tools. He dispatched a large number of personnel to carry out extensive publicity for this matter. Everyone with free time in the teahouses and taverns knew about this matter and was discussing it.

Zhang Yinghao seized this opportunity to vigorously promote the concept of nation and state. This was the nature of the times; the vast majority of people had no concept of nation and state. There's a saying: "The Qing dynasty belonged to the master, the emperor. What did it have to do with the slaves?" While this statement reflects servile culture, it also represents a fundamental truth.

In reality, many things require the concept of nation and state to explain, just like Zhang Yinghao's anti-drug campaign. Why ban drugs? Because opium is poisonous to the human body. Given the known harms of opium, why did foreigners continue to sell it? Because foreigners are not Chinese. Why didn't the Qing Dynasty stop opium cultivation and smoking? Because the Qing court and the common people were not on the same page, so we could overthrow it.

In fact, these are all easy conclusions to draw. If we cannot create the concepts of the Chinese people, the Chinese nation, and the descendants of Yan and Huang, then even if we forcibly unify the entire country now, sooner or later, the land of China will fall apart like the former Soviet Union.

We are Chinese, we are descendants of Yan and Huang, we are the Chinese nation

China is our motherland and we love our motherland. We have the responsibility to

We have the responsibility to defend our motherland. These words are familiar to Zhang Yinghao.

Language is something extremely new in this era.

The concept of the modern nation-state is an either-or concept.

The concept is so simple and straightforward that anyone can come up with it naturally if they just imagine it.

Create an imaginary community, and imagination does not need any reason to exist.

The more I explain, the more confused I become, because the concept of nation is a false

Proposition.

Moreover, the concept of nation is actually a natural way to distinguish between friends and enemies.

Product. One sentence I am Chinese, you are a foreigner, countless questions can be solved

Why did the foreigners come to attack us? Because they are foreigners.

Why do foreigners come to plunder us? Because they are foreigners.

Why did we sign the indemnity treaty without our consent? That was because the Qing Dynasty

They do not represent our interests, they only think they are the masters of the Chinese.

They only treat ordinary Chinese as slaves.

In fact, this is why the Qing Dynasty always declared

The reason for the founding of the Manchuria was that the Manchus believed that the 18 provinces of Han were not the Manchus.

It is not the place where they occupied the Han people, but the place where they occupied the Han people. Manchuria is the place of the Qing Dynasty.

So for them, if they lost the pass, they lost it. Sun Zhongshan's mouth

Their slogan is to expel the invaders and restore China. And their flag is not the so-called

The iron-blooded eighteen-star flag represents the eighteen provinces of Han.

Why after the Xinhai Revolution, under the guidance of all parties, they subconsciously chose

Ignoring all the frontier lands, this also led to the loss of Outer Mongolia.

If the Qing Dynasty finally established a country in the Northeast, it would be a legitimate thing.

They can still occupy their so-called dragon's rise.

Unforeseen events, especially Japan's excessive greed, caused the Qing Dynasty to completely lose its opportunity.

After the concept of the nation-state emerged, many of the problems of land reform were readily resolved. That is, since we are Chinese, the food produced on Chinese land should be used to feed all of us Chinese. This land should not belong to the landlords, but to the state. The state uses this land to feed all of us Chinese, thus providing a theoretical basis for nationalizing land.

Is there anything wrong with this logic? There is not the slightest problem. You do not agree with nationalization of land but private ownership of land? You want to occupy more land and become a local landlord? Then you want some Chinese people to starve to death, and you are the enemy of all Chinese people.

After arriving in this era, Zhang Yinghao felt a sense of missing many things. During the Qing Dynasty, he felt a profound sense of isolation. He'd felt this way before, when training his comrades, but never as deeply. Now, Zhang Yinghao finally understood why he felt isolated.

Because Zhang Yinghao discovered that he was the only Chinese person in this era. After writing this article, Zhang Yinghao developed an absolute sense of identity as a Chinese. It was an identification of friend and foe, an identification of absolute position. This is why I used to feel that my comrades were always lacking something. Now I realize that it was because they didn't know they were Chinese.

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

Zhang Yinghao knew that his tens of thousands of members of the Forward Party and the Revolutionary Army were still a minority compared to the 45 million people of Sichuan. To lead the Forward Party and the Revolutionary Army, and to guide the tens of millions of people in Sichuan, Zhang Yinghao couldn't just resort to trickery. Instead, he needed to present a theory that everyone could understand and identify with, and he needed to represent the interests of the vast majority of the people of Sichuan. Only then could he truly gain their support.

Taking advantage of the signing of the Boxer Protocol, Zhang Yinghao spared no effort to promote the theory of modern nation-state for national salvation, the theory of the Chinese nation, and the idea that all Chinese people are a common group of descendants of Yan and Huang.

"...Every Chinese who identifies with the motherland, every Chinese who identifies with the Chinese nation, is a member of the Chinese nation, is a Chinese, and is part of China. We have the responsibility and obligation to defend our motherland..."

"...The worker-peasant alliance is the foundation of our Forward Party. Anyone who agrees with our Forward Party's program and accepts the policy of land nationalization is our comrade or friend..."

"...Land reform must be implemented unconditionally and earnestly. This is a matter of great importance to the Chinese people. Land is a means of production, not just controlled by certain individuals or a certain group of people. All Chinese people must be able to benefit from it..."

Zhang Yinghao now deeply understood that the state was a tool of class rule, and political parties were tools of the class. Political parties were meant to unite and suppress dissidents. His goal was to become the political group that dominated national leadership.

Zhang Yinghao launched a massive propaganda campaign that shocked everyone. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Yinghao dispatched comrades to all the places he could still control. If he didn't work hard now, when would he?

After arriving at the local area, these comrades also sent reports to Zhang Yinghao asking for help, but in fact they were already very proficient in many tasks. In this situation of not waiting or relying on others, many comrades achieved very good results.

Chapter 178:

Zhao Erni was one such comrade. The base strongly encouraged female comrades to work. The female comrades working in the government departments organized by Zhang Yinghao were already a considerable group. After all, the Women's Federation was composed mostly of female comrades. It didn't seem right for a man to work in the Women's Federation.

Zhao Erni was already a veteran revolutionary. She had been one of the first people Zhang Yinghao recruited in Guang'an. At that time, Zhang Yinghao hadn't yet started fighting against landlords and dividing up the land. It can be said that Zhao Erni had been a personal participant from the time Zhang Yinghao established his power until now.

Zhao Erni was a bold and daring individual. Initially assigned to the ranks of the arts and culture female soldiers, she was one of the women who signed up when Zhang Yinghao selected female comrades to serve as instructors for the male soldiers. It was during this time that Zhao Erni came into Zhang Yinghao's sight. She led the troops in several battles against landlords and even later became a political commissar.

In order to better strengthen the capabilities of the comrades in the base area, a large number of comrades with outstanding performance were sent down to the countryside to participate in local land reform and other work. Zhao Erni also left her beloved army and was sent down to the countryside to participate in the land revolution, helping those poor farmers to be allocated their own land for cultivation.

Zhao Erni, due to her outstanding performance and her ability to engage with the masses, was transferred to Chengdu with Zhang Yinghao. As for the decision to appoint Zhao Erni as the top leader, Zhang Yinghao, while not overwhelmingly against all opposition at the Party Committee meeting, did put in a lot of effort and speak out. While no one could have stopped Zhang Yinghao from insisting on Zhao Erni becoming county magistrate, once things get started, ending them is not so easy.

Of course, Zhang Yinghao treated Zhao Erni well, choosing Meishan as a good place for her. You have to know that the administrative divisions of Sichuan today and the Sichuan Zhang Yinghao had seen in his previous life were very different.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were two types of "zhou": directly governed zhou and scattered zhou. Scattered zhou were equivalent to modern county-level cities, not much different from counties, save for a more pleasant name and a slightly higher-ranking official. Directly governed zhou, on the other hand, were like smaller prefectures, administering counties. However, the key difference between a directly governed zhou and a prefecture was that a directly governed zhou lacked a resident county. Instead, the prefecture yamen administered the prefecture capital (this term, "ben jurisdiction," can be understood as the current prefecture-level city, which has no districts but instead has the municipal government administer the urban area). In contrast, a prefecture had counties within its capital (for example, Chengdu prefecture was divided between Chengdu and Huayang counties, and Chongqing prefecture was governed by Ba County). The yamen generally oversaw local administrative matters within the prefecture capital.

Because in the late Qing Dynasty, Sichuan Province had a total of 12 prefectures: Chengdu Prefecture, Chongqing Prefecture, Baoning Prefecture, Shunqing Prefecture, Xuzhou Prefecture, Kuizhou Prefecture, Long'an Prefecture, Ningyuan Prefecture, Yazhou Prefecture, Jiading Prefecture, Tongchuan Prefecture, and Suiding Prefecture. The first seven, plus the later abolished Mahu Prefecture (with its seat in Pingshan County), are the "old eight prefectures" of Sichuan Province.

Sichuan's nine directly-administered prefectures were Mianzhou, Maozhou, Qiongzhou, Meizhou, Luzhou, Zizhou, Zhongzhou, Yongningzhou, and Xiyangzhou.

In addition, Sichuan Province has four direct-controlled prefectures, namely Zagu, Songpan, Maogong and Shigui. These are all ethnic minority areas with different systems from those in the mainland, and none of them have jurisdiction over counties, so they are not included.

Zhang Yinghao was accustomed to later generations' designations and the administrative divisions of provinces, cities, counties, and towns (townships). However, these weren't things that could be changed quickly. Zhang Yinghao simply changed the Zhili Prefecture to a city-level unit. After all, the word "Zhili" was full of feudal connotations. Consequently, Zhao Erni was ultimately assigned to Meizhou Zhili Prefecture, which Zhang Yinghao renamed Meishan City.

When Zhao Erni arrived in Meishan City, although the army had already swept through the local resistance, a large number of remnants remained. As a city-level administrative unit, the number of people transferred here was not large, but it was not small either, with a leadership team of over a hundred people.

Zhao Erni and her men arrived in Meishan City. While they appeared to be numerous, in reality, they were pitifully few. While these hundreds of people formed the administrative leadership team, they currently had only a handful of soldiers. While Meishan was ostensibly under military control, in reality, the army was completely unable to provide adequate support in many areas.