German Red Prince

Page 18

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Reorganization of Sanwan

Katayama Sen had been in the Hunan-Jiangxi base area for some time, during which time he witnessed the changes that had taken place and gained a lot of inspiration.

He increasingly felt how correct Nosaka Sanzo's suggestion was. Here, he learned theoretical knowledge that was completely different from that in the United States, and at the same time, he deeply realized the importance of uniting the people.

"Where is Chairman Mao? Where is he now?" Katayama asked the guard beside him politely.

“The Chairman is teaching at the village up ahead,” the guard replied.

"Teaching?"

Katayama became interested. Chairman Mao was now a member of the Hunan Provincial Committee appointed by the revolutionary government and the de facto person in charge of the Hunan-Jiangxi base area. How could someone with such a high position and power still be able to lower himself to teach?

"interesting."

Katayama Sen followed the path pointed out by the guard and headed to the village ahead to investigate.

Chairman Mao, dressed in a long gown, was teaching a class to the village children in the courtyard.

Today is the first day of classes, and I heard that someone is going to teach children to read and write, and it's free. Many families have sent their children here; after all, at this time, for ordinary people to receive an education is a blessing.

"Today is the first day of school, so I will teach you to read." Chairman Mao stood in front of the podium and bowed to the children below.

"Hello, sir."

The students sitting in the chairs also stood up and bowed to Chairman Mao.

"Today is the first lesson, and I'll start by teaching you the first character." Chairman Mao wrote a large "人" (person) character on the blackboard. "The character is formed by the strokes '撇' (left-falling stroke) and '捺' (right-falling stroke). Now, tell me what this '人' means."

Chairman Mao asked the students in the audience a question, and a child raised his hand and answered: "Those landlords who own a lot of land are all human beings."

"Then what are you?" the chairman asked again.

“We are all livestock to the landlord. The landlord often praises my dad as a good animal, more capable than his oxen. My dad also taught me to work hard for the landlord in the future, so that we can have food to eat every day and live a good life eating dry rice and white flour buns every day.” After the child finished answering, he looked at Chairman Mao in fear, afraid that he would be punished for saying something wrong.

The chairman looked into the child's eyes, and a pang of sadness welled up inside him. "So, how is your family doing now?"

“The landlords were driven away by your people, and my father was allocated ten acres of land. Now my father is telling me to listen to you so that I will have food to eat in the future.”

Listening to the children's simple language, Chairman Mao patted the blackboard and said, "You all need to understand that the character '人' (person) is composed of two strokes. A person is not a landlord, not a rich person, you are not livestock, and you are not inferior to others. This character does not represent privilege."

Chairman Mao walked down from the stage, his legs apart. "Look," he said, "humans are standing with their heads touching the sky and their feet firmly planted on the ground. Stand up and take a look."

The children in the audience stood up as well. The chairman walked over to them and said, “Look, aren’t you all ‘people’? Aren’t you all standing firmly on the same ground as the landlords and me, and under the same sky? Compared to those landlords, we’re not missing any limbs, so why can’t we be called ‘people’?”

"We are all human beings! We must overthrow those landlords who ride roughshod over us! We must be human beings!" shouted an older child. His family had been persecuted the most by the landlords, and now they only had their grandmother as a relative.

"Yes, we must be human! We must overthrow those 'people' who ride roughshod over us and make us work like cattle and horses!"

Katayama Sen saw that Chairman Mao was giving a lesson, so he waited quietly at the door.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Comrade Katayama Sen. It's getting chilly, you can come inside and sit for a while." Chairman Mao came out of the house after finishing his class, smiling and apologizing to Katayama Sen.

"Excuse me, I graduated from a teacher's college. What I love most is being called 'sir' by others. Coming here to teach the children is just doing my job."

“No, no, no. Mr. Mao, I have disturbed you.” Katayama bowed deeply. “What I have gained from coming here is more than what I have gained in the previous ten years. I have come to ask you some questions.”

"Oh?" The chairman glanced at Katayama Sen and smiled.

"My answer may not satisfy you, so don't blame me if it's wrong."

"No, no, I'd like to ask why you, as the person in charge of the Hunan-Jiangxi base area, would come here to teach these children to read?"

"Hahaha, Comrade Katayama Sen, I wasn't appointed by the emperor. I was put in this position by the people."

Chairman Mao explained to Katayama Sen, “The people are the ultimate responsible party. Without the people, I can’t do anything. I am the chairman because the people trust me and believe that I can do things for them, which is why they put me in this position.”

“We are appointed by the people, so of course we can’t put on airs. Otherwise, the people can make you chairman, but they can also kick you out at any time. We can’t be high and mighty. We have to be down-to-earth, closely connected with the masses, and know what they need and what difficulties they have.”

"Correct mistakes if you make them, and keep working hard if you don't. The Communist Party can't be on a high platform where people worship it. It has to be a little more down-to-earth and be a 'peasant'."

After listening to Chairman Mao's words, Katayama nodded. Indeed, the Communist Party cannot be aloof and distant; it must be deeply rooted in the grassroots. Otherwise, it is like water without a source, a tree without roots, all show and no substance.

"Perfect timing! I was just about to hold a meeting later. Didn't you want to learn about some issues related to army building? Commander-in-Chief Zhu has brought over 10,000 people here, and we have so many more people joining us. This commotion isn't going to work. We need to reorganize and rebuild our forces to truly make them powerful!"

The meeting was held in Sanwan Village, Yongxin County, hence the name "Sanwan Reorganization." Katayama Sen also attended the meeting as a representative, sitting to the side taking notes.

At the meeting, Chairman Mao pointed out the fundamental nature of the People's Army: the People's Army is an army under the leadership of the Communist Party, which adheres to the principle of serving the people and working for the interests of the people, and must adhere to Marxism as its guiding principle.

The Red Army is an armed group that carries out revolutionary tasks. It must obey the leadership of the proletariat and serve the people's revolutionary struggle and the construction of revolutionary base areas, acting as a fighting force, a working force, and a production force.

"In the end!" Chairman Mao stood up, his left hand habitually on his hip, "Our Red Army is different from other warlords; it is a completely new force. Our Red Army is different from the armies of all exploiting classes, and fundamentally different from the old warlords!"

"The corrupt practices and evils of the old warlord armies must be eliminated here! In our revolutionary army, officers and soldiers must be equal, the economy must be fair, and the old army's employment relationship must be completely abolished! Everyone eats from the same pot, sleeps in the same bed, and there are no special privileges or special treatment."

"The army must be democratic. Officers must not arbitrarily beat or scold soldiers. Soldiers' committees must be established! They must participate in troop management and assist in political and mass work. Party branches must be established at the company level! Party representatives must be appointed, and there must be Party groups in platoons and Party cadres in squads! There must also be Party committees in battalions and regiments! We must be with the soldiers at the grassroots level, understand their situation, and let the Party command the gun!"

"The soldiers' committee is democratically elected by all soldiers. Under the guidance of the branch, it organizes and leads the soldiers' cultural and recreational activities and supervises the unit's financial expenditures and food management!"

Chairman Mao then encouraged everyone, "Back then, the warlord Sun Chuanfang betrayed the revolution, and we, relying on our own two legs, a few lonely people, escaped from Changsha. We started with just over a thousand people and a few hundred guns! But look at us now, we have raised an army of over 20,000 people! And so many people support us. That Hunan Province Governor, Tang Shengzhi, is now losing sleep day and night, thinking of encircling and suppressing us! Now it's him who's afraid of us, not us who's afraid of them!"

After hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. "Now, we must maintain this revolutionary optimism and continue to fight against the reactionaries and reactionary warlords! We are all revolutionary fighters. One person can fight ten people. We now have more than 20,000 people, which can fight against more than 200,000 enemies. We are not even afraid of Marshal Sun, so why would we be afraid of that Tang Shengzhi? Are you all afraid of him?"

"Don't be afraid!" the crowd below shouted.

"That's right! What's there to be afraid of! We're going to reorganize our army now! Fight our way out! Fight our way back! Down with all the warlords! Down with all the opposition!"

"Down with the warlords! Down with the reactionary forces!" the Red Army soldiers shouted.

This conference carefully summarized the rich experience accumulated by the Red Army in the revolutionary struggle in Hunan and Jiangxi, unified thinking, unanimously adopted a number of resolutions, and corrected some erroneous ideas. It systematically resolved a series of fundamental problems that had arisen since the establishment of the Red Army.

This also clearly defines the nature of the Red Army, fundamentally distinguishing it from all old-style armies. The Red Army is a completely new army, different from all old armies.

At the same time, it clarified the relationship between the army and the Party, pointing out that the army must absolutely obey the leadership of the Party and fight for the Party's program, line and policies. It rejected the view that military and politics are opposed and that the military should not obey politics, or the simplistic military view that the military should command politics. It fundamentally reshaped the spirit of the Red Army.

It emphasizes the importance of strengthening the Party's ideological building, strengthening the Party's organizational building, and adhering to democratic centralism.

At the same time, we oppose erroneous tendencies such as extreme democratization and non-organizational viewpoints. We must improve the quality of Party members and cadres, and use proletarian ideology to build the army and the Party.

Build the Party ideologically, and build the army politically!

The Red Army, numbering over 20,000, was reorganized into two armies, each comprising two divisions, with Zhu De as the overall commander. Lin Biao was the commander of the First Army, and Wang Erzhuo was the commander of the Second Army. Ren Bishi served as the director of the political department.

The congress also passed a resolution on establishing a cadre school, setting up the Red Army Cadre Academy with Chairman Mao as its first principal. It also improved the functions of the Young Pioneers, the Communist Youth League, and the Party organization. Furthermore, it established literacy schools for women and children, formed the Red Guards, and resolutely implemented the land revolution, vowing to carry the revolution through to the end!

Katayama, sitting in the audience, dared not miss a single word, meticulously recording each one. Every word was precious!

The next morning, the villagers noticed the changes in the troops. The soldiers were wearing brand-new uniforms, blue with red stars, looking so harmonious.

The boy who was a little younger has now joined the Red Army and become a bugler. Orders are obeyed strictly; bugles are used to command everything.

As the bugle sounded, the Red Army soldiers marching in orderly formation began to sing.

"Every revolutionary soldier must remember! The Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention! First, obey all commands in all actions; only by acting in unison can we achieve victory! Second, do not take a single needle or thread from the masses; the masses support and love me! Third, all spoils of war must be turned over to the public; strive to reduce the burden on the people! We must abide by the Three Main Rules of Discipline! And never forget the Eight Points for Attention..."

The soldiers sang "The Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention," compiled and edited by Chairman Mao. With their brand-new military uniforms and resounding songs, the soul of this army was formed at that moment.

"Grandpa, are you feeling better?" Jiang Yun asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Oh, thank you so much for your hard work." Old Man Zheng thanked him repeatedly. He had been seriously injured by Zheng Facai, and if it weren't for the Red Army sending people to take care of him, he probably would have been bedridden for the rest of his life.

"Thank you so much." During the time he was bedridden, many Red Army soldiers came to take care of him, help him clean his house, fetch water and sweep. He was allocated land, but he was too weak to get out of bed. Every day after he left the army, Jiang Yun would go to take care of him, and he would stay up very late each time.

"Drink water."

Zheng Shanshan blushed as she handed Jiang Yun a bowl of tea and ran outside. Jiang Yun, who was holding the tea, also blushed.

Old Zheng saw this and was delighted.

"Comrade, I've lived to such an old age and this is the first time I've ever seen an army like this. It's worth dying for. It's just that my daughter is so old and still unmarried. Comrade, if you don't mind that I'm an old man, please make the decision for her in private. She can marry you. Then I can die in peace!"

"This...this, sir, isn't this inappropriate? We don't even know the other person's wishes. Our Red Army advocates free love and opposes arranged marriages..."

Before Jiang Yun could finish speaking, Zheng Shanshan suddenly rushed in, "My dad said it! My dad's opinion is my opinion! I agree!" Zheng Shanshan looked at Jiang Yun with a blush, but her eyes revealed determination.

"Well, well..." Jiang Yun scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

"You're a grown man, how can you be more fussy than me, a woman!" Zheng Shanshan stormed out angrily when she saw him hesitate for so long.

"You won't agree? That's putting you in a difficult position, comrade." Old Zheng sighed.

"No, I... I'm willing too," Jiang Yun stammered.

"I'm relieved to hear that," Old Zheng chuckled. "I'm an old man, don't worry about me, I'm as sturdy as you think! But my daughter, why aren't you chasing after her? How long are you going to let her run away?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun realized what was happening, settled Old Man Zheng down, and then chased after him.

"Comrade Zheng Jiawang, I'll help too!" Shang Yunxia called out to Zheng Jiawang, who was repairing the house. Zheng Laogen hadn't returned from working in the fields yet. His family had received a lot of things when the landlords were overthrown, and they could use them to repair their dilapidated house.

"Comrade Shang Yunxia, ​​weren't you at the cadre academy for training? What are you doing here?" Zheng Jiawang asked, somewhat puzzled.

“This is also part of the cadre academy. We must unite with the people.” Shang Yunxia started helping out, making Zheng Jiawang a little embarrassed.

“What woman does this kind of thing? If people saw me, they would laugh at me.”

"What are you saying?" Shang Yunxia said angrily. "I've seen you join the Party for so long, but your Party spirit hasn't improved much! This is feudal thinking, and it must be overthrown! Chairman Mao said, 'Women hold up half the sky,' so let's see who dares to laugh at you."

Just then, Zheng Laogen returned with his old ox. Seeing the two talking in the yard, he smiled from the bottom of his heart. The Communist Party's land redistribution had completely won him over. Who else in the world would take care of people like them? Only the Communist Party.

"Oh, the lady's here. It's getting late, let's have some food before you go," Zheng Laogen said to Shang Yunxia.

"Please don't look down on my cooking skills. Jiawang in our family hasn't gotten married yet, and no one in the family knows how to cook."

There was clearly a hidden meaning in this, and the two people listening blushed.

"This, Dad, isn't this inappropriate?" Zheng Jiawang hesitated.

"What's wrong with me? You don't want me to eat your rice? Uncle, isn't your family short of someone who can cook? I'll cook today." Shang Yunxia pouted and looked at Zheng Jiawang.

"Hahaha, good, good! Today, this old man will taste my daughter's cooking." Zheng Laogen laughed so hard his beard trembled. With the arrival of the Communist Party, he finally lived a comfortable life he had never known before.

Some were happy while others were sad. Back at the Changsha headquarters, Tang Shengzhi was so worried that he couldn't sleep. This so-called Red Army was getting more and more agitated. Every day, landlords would come to complain that the Communist Party had taken away a lot of their land, which made him extremely irritable.

The increasingly powerful Red Army also made him feel threatened. He had to eliminate the Red Army before it grew too strong, otherwise there would be endless troubles!

"Go and fetch Wang Jialie! Red Army! We must encircle and annihilate him immediately!" Tang Shengzhi said to his adjutant beside him.

What kind of crisis will the newly reborn Red Army encounter?

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Advantage Lies With Me

"Shaowu, how have you been staying with me?" Tang Shengzhi called Wang Jialie into the house and asked with a smile.

When Wang Jialie saw his smiling face, he felt nauseous.

He fought a decisive battle against Tang Jiyao in Guizhou and suffered a crushing defeat. Having lost Guizhou, he fled north to Hunan. After a period of development, he occupied Yongzhou and Chenzhou, and is now waiting for an opportunity to march south and retake Guizhou.

So, the fact that Tang Shengzhi has summoned him here now is definitely not for anything good. He doesn't need to think to know that he's being called here to fight the Red Army.

Tang Shengzhi is now the chairman of Hunan Province. He must be very unhappy that the Red Army is causing such a ruckus in Zhuzhou and turning upside down on his territory.

Sure enough, after exchanging pleasantries, he started rambling on about the Red Army, which was giving him a headache.

“Shaowu, the Red Army is getting more and more aggressive, and this can’t go on any longer. From what I understand, they now have nearly 10,000 men. If we just let them grow, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

After Tang Shengzhi finished speaking, he looked at Wang Jialie. Wang Jialie could figure it out even with his toes: Tang was asking him to join the troops to fight the Red Army.

"Damn it, the Red Army attacks you and you come to me, but if they attack me, will you come to save me?" he cursed inwardly, but still smiled and nodded repeatedly.

"The governor is right; it is my duty to suppress the Red Army!"

"Hahaha, good!" Tang Shengzhi laughed after hearing this. "Jiangxi is currently fighting the revolutionary army in Nanchang and cannot spare any troops. However, I have already made arrangements for the Jiangxi army to build fortifications along the Pingxiang-Suizhou route to prevent the Red Army from wandering into Jiangxi and causing trouble for General Shangguan Yunxiang."

Tang Shengzhi led Wang Jialie to the map and said, “Shaowu, look, you should set up defenses in Hengyang to block the Red Army’s front. He Jian should surround the Red Army in the south and block them along the Yongxing, Zixing and Rucheng line to prevent them from fleeing south to Guangdong. I will defend the Zhuzhou line in the north to prevent the Red Army from attacking Changsha.”

"You shameless bastard!" Wang Jialie cursed inwardly. "Everyone knows the Red Army can't possibly march north, unless they've gone mad. If they don't march north, they'll definitely head south back to Guangdong. I have no grudge against the Red Army; they're attacking you, and you're driving them towards me!"

Wang Jialie never expected Tang Shengzhi to be so shameless. Everyone knew that He Jian was in cahoots with him. He was clearly afraid that Wang Jialie would be too protective of his territory and let the Red Army go after firing a couple of shots. So he deliberately transferred him to Hengyang to set up defenses.

Tang Shengzhi transferred his men to Chenzhou. He planned to wipe out the Red Army and then stay put, occupying their territory. Even if the Red Army escaped, his own territory would certainly be devastated.

But he had no choice. He was under someone else's roof, and if they turned against him, he would lose even faster, and then he would really have nowhere to stay. So now he could only grit his teeth and agree.

After making arrangements, Tang Shengzhi had already laid a tight net around the Hunan-Jiangxi Revolutionary Base Area. He recruited tens of thousands of able-bodied men, and with the existing troops, the army of nearly 110,000 made him feel that the Red Army would definitely not escape this encirclement and suppression.

In any case, the troop strength in the battle is 110,000 to 15,000, so the advantage is on our side!

“I say the General’s opinion is excellent.” Wang Jialie clapped his hands.

Xu Shengjie returned from the fields and found a group of people gathered together ahead, doing something he didn't know. Curious, he walked over.

"Old Zhang, what's going on up ahead?"

"I heard it was about giving out eggs, but I didn't quite catch that." Old Zhang scratched his head and walked away.