German Red Prince

Page 69

Although labor unions had long existed across the United States, Marx's scientific socialist ideas did not take hold nationwide. Most labor unions were guided by anarchism, and as the number of anarchists within the unions increased, so did the number of violent incidents involving workers, which eventually led to the collapse of the Knights of Labor.

Due to the immaturity of political activities at the time, these violent activities were mostly assassinations, and these anarchists' assassinations seemed to have no fixed targets or groups of people, which led to public opinion completely abandoning them, and most of the Knights of Labor's activities ended amidst condemnation.

Having largely lost public support, the Knights of Labor's influence across the United States plummeted, and the U.S. government began a crackdown on the group, during which many members were arrested and sentenced to death.

In an effort to reverse this passive situation, the Knights of Labor accelerated the push for an eight-hour workday across the United States, and launched a major strike in Chicago as a result.

However, lacking scientific guidance, the strikers quickly clashed with the arriving police, during which some strikers were killed. At a subsequent rally, the strikers again clashed with police who arrived to suppress them.

An anarchist in the strike crowd threw a bomb at the police, killing a police officer and several bystanders. The police then fired several shots at the out-of-control crowd, causing many innocent civilian casualties.

Following this, the police arrested several anarchist leaders, which also provided them with a pretext to target the Knights of Labour. This incident greatly changed public perception of the Knights of Labour, turning it from initial support to resentment.

Anarchists have completely infiltrated the Knights of Labor, and despite the efforts of the Order's president to break free of the Order's ties with the anarchists, they have been unable to do so.

After suffering a series of blows, the Knights of Labor began to collapse rapidly, with more and more people choosing to leave. This was because the Knights were keen on promoting various policy reforms and did not pay much attention to the internal development and personnel management of the organization. The loose management style led to its rapid decline and collapse in a very short period of time.

However, the American labor movement did not disappear. Workers learned from their failures and gained new life. When the Knights of Labor collapsed, the AFL-CIO rose rapidly. It summarized the series of mistakes made by the Knights of Labor. It valued workers' lives more and focused on workers' wages, working conditions and welfare benefits. It did not participate in the political reform movement.

The Labour Federation also learned from the Knights of Labour's loose management style. It possessed strong organizational capabilities, deeply penetrated the working class, and helped workers gain better rights through strikes. This strong organizational ability helped the Labour Federation gain greater influence than the Knights of Labour and made it a large alliance of skilled workers.

Through continuous exploration and progress, the American labor movement gradually developed, and a Marxist force from Europe finally rose up. A more complete organization—the Industrial Workers of the World—also came into view. Later, their continuous integration and development created the thriving workforce in the United States today.

American workers today are not like they were decades ago. They have sufficient benefits and a certain salary. Before capitalists try to exploit them, they have to consider the power of the CSA. This is their effort. Why fight? Why resist?

Don't ask whether the campfire should burn; first ask whether the cold and darkness exist. Don't ask whether the bullet should be loaded; first ask whether oppression and exploitation exist. Don't ask whether justice should be commemorated; first ask whether injustice still exists in the world.

If it weren't for long-term exploration and practice, would today's capitalists be willing to lower themselves and say a single word to the workers?

They will give you a raise, build hospitals and schools, not because they have become better, but because I was here.

Today's workers have labor protections, relatively clean housing, and wages that allow one person to support a family of three. Child labor has gradually disappeared, and the eight-hour workday is becoming more widespread. All of this is the result of struggle; power must be earned through one's own efforts.

It is the efforts of American workers over decades and centuries that have brought about the current strength of the Communist Party of the United States, enabling this red force to arm itself and survive on the American continent surrounded by reactionary forces.

Chapter 107 Journey Westward

As mentioned before, because Heywood's health is not very good and he needs to rest most of the time, he is unable to handle many things on his own. These things have to be handed over to Reed, who will temporarily take over the position of General Secretary.

The CSA headquarters is now in Detroit, which is also the center of left-wing forces across the United States. Michigan can be said to be completely controlled by the Communist Party of the United States. The headquarters of various labor groups and alliances are located here. Because they have their own armed forces, even the US government cannot really take action against them.

Because Heywood is now semi-retired, he is no longer able to handle his usual duties, and many responsibilities have fallen on Reed's shoulders, so much so that he is busy until late at night every day.

At previous meetings, they put forward the slogan of "election or revolution," hoping to lead the United States onto the socialist path peacefully. However, it is clear to everyone that this is impossible. If it were possible, they would have succeeded long ago. How could the capitalists who set the rules so easily hand over power?

I was busy all night again. There were many things to deal with within the union, and the workers' demands had to be met. Moreover, the next election was approaching, so the publicity work couldn't be neglected. I was running around like crazy.

Reed rubbed his slightly dizzy head. Although some time had passed, he still hadn't forgotten about Comrade Katayama Sen, who had gone to China.

The situation of revolutionary struggles in Asia was certainly different from that in the United States today. It was much poorer and more war-torn than the United States. Reed had heard about the chaotic environment and wars between warlords in East Asia, but he had also heard about the revolutionary forces in East Asia.

Influenced by isolationism, the United States did not pay much attention to external affairs, at most showing concern for European affairs, but revolutionary forces in East Asia actually made it into the newspapers.

Reed learned from the newspaper that there was a revolutionary armed force in Guangzhou, East Asia, which seemed to be the place Katayama Sen had mentioned before. Similarly, the newspaper also mentioned a red armed force in East Asia. The fact that such a local armed force could be mentioned in American newspapers indicated that it must be something special.

It was only after reading the newspaper that Reed learned how powerful this local Red Army was. After its organization was completely destroyed, it was able to develop and overthrow the reactionary forces that had oppressed them. It was simply an East Asian miracle.

Moreover, this matter seems to have caused a sensation within the Comintern. Influenced by isolationism, the American socialist movement was not closely connected with Europe. The Communist Party of the United States, led by Reed, hoped to spark a revolution in the Americas, so they did not care much about the Comintern.

Although they didn't have much contact with the Comintern, they still had regular exchanges. Reid also saw from French newspapers that the Comintern attached great importance to this armed force, and many of their newspapers reported on and highly praised this armed force.

These reports piqued Reed's curiosity. What kind of magic did this revolutionary force in East Asia possess that allowed it to survive and thrive in such an environment? He even wrote a letter to Comrade Katayama Sen, who had been to East Asia for some time, hoping to learn more about this armed force from him.

Just recently, Katayama Sen's reply arrived. I've been too busy lately to open it, but now I finally have time to read it and see if this comrade who went to East Asia can answer all my questions.

In his reply, Katayama Sen recounted his various experiences in East Asia. It turned out that shortly after arriving in Guangzhou, he went to the Hunan revolutionary base area led by Mao Zedong and lived there ever since.

His first thought was to understand why such a force could go from having nothing to liberating the entire region, and Katayama Sen's answer was simple: "the people."

Through Katayama Sen's letter, Reed gradually came to understand what kind of team this was, and why such a team could not be eliminated despite so many attempts to encircle and suppress them.

In the letter, Katayama Sen mentioned "revolutionary optimism." He wrote that even though the base at the time consisted of only a few small villages and a population of no more than a thousand, no one was discouraged. They were all very confident about the future and believed that they were on the right path to save China.

Even under such harsh conditions, he did not see anyone deserting the ranks. Even in the revolutionary government's Northern Expeditionary Army, desertion was a common occurrence. But this was completely different. The Red Army had its own set of military building plans, which ensured that the army had sufficient strength to face the enemy.

Unlike other places, the Red Army's management style was different. Officers had to maintain a distance from ordinary soldiers to create a sense of "mystery" in order to effectively control and discipline their subordinates.

The officers in the Red Army did not deliberately keep their distance from the soldiers. On the contrary, they took the initiative to get close to ordinary soldiers and were very concerned about the living conditions of their subordinates.

Katayama Sen even witnessed several high-ranking Red Army leaders competing with their lower-ranking soldiers, demonstrating a harmonious internal relationship within the army. Consequently, many soldiers from local warlords would voluntarily defect to the Red Army, which was one of the reasons why they were never able to wipe out the Red Army.

Reed looked at the letter and began to think about it. He found that some things in the letter were very valuable for reference. For example, regarding the construction of armed forces, the Red Army leader in the East had made a very systematic standard for the army, which could also be applied to their Red armed forces.

The American communist forces may seem powerful, but most of these armed individuals are temporary civilian groups, some of whom may have been working in factories the day before. Moreover, the unions have not established systematic regulations for these soldiers. Their sole duty is to protect the security of the CSA.

These armed groups were too loosely organized; they were given only a single mission and had not received systematic education or discipline, so they had not yet truly become a revolutionary armed force.

Whether soldiers will cause trouble depends entirely on their personal character, which is very dangerous in the long run because these soldiers are essentially a rabble and have no chance of opposing a regular army.

Reed was intrigued by the Red Army's Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention. He reasoned that if these militiamen were educated, given faith, and made aware of their mission and responsibilities, their strength would surely experience a qualitative leap.

The economic situation in East Asia was very poor. Most of those who joined the Red Army were peasants who could barely read. However, the Red Army was very good at education. It is said that Chairman Mao would take time to go down to the front lines to teach children to read. The Red Army took education very seriously. The army was more like a school. You might be illiterate when you joined, but after a few years you would definitely have learned most of the characters.

Most of the American Red Guards were workers, and while they weren't completely illiterate, they lacked ideological education. They joined the Red Guards primarily out of patriotism, without a deep understanding of communism.

Reed realized that Asia's experience could be used as a reference here, as there were quite a few intellectuals within the labor unions, and the socialist movement could not rely on just these people.

The socialist revolution is a revolution for the people. It is not enough to rely solely on theorists; the support of the people is also necessary. Therefore, they cannot remain seated forever; they must also get down and walk around.

We can establish a systematic Red Guard education institution and promote their theories. The people at the bottom only know that they speak for them, but they don't know why they speak for them. So we should also let them understand and recognize socialism and plant a seed in everyone's heart. That way, even if the current trade unions fail, thousands of trade unions will emerge in the future.

In Katayama Sen's letter, Reed deeply realized the importance of the people. The socialist movement is a people's war, and only by uniting the people can they win. Abandoning the people is tantamount to abandoning the core of the revolution. If the roots are rotten, failure is only a matter of time.

Reed also became interested in the East, but due to his work here, he couldn't go there himself. However, he could send others to see that mysterious land.

When Katayama Sen left before, there was a young man who couldn't sit still. This time, we can let him go. This young man, Snow, has been clamoring to go to Asia to see the world, so let's give him a chance.

Reed picked up a pen and began to write. He named this expedition to East Asia "Westward Wanderings," and the head of the expedition was Edgar Snow.

Chapter 108 Ding Zhen of Litang

"Have you heard? The revolutionary army has already reached Chengdu, and I reckon they'll be here soon. I think General Liu's good days are coming to an end."

A customer, with his legs crossed, leaned against a pillar behind him, holding a small cup and smiling as he spoke to the person sitting opposite him.

"Keep your voice down, are you out of your mind?"

His friend across from him was clearly not as calm. He quickly tapped the back of his hand with his chopsticks, hunched over and looked around. Only when he saw that there was nothing amiss did he dare to lower his voice and speak.

"You should say less. Don't you know that a few revolutionaries were just beheaded at Caishikou a few days ago? If the soldiers hear what you're saying, I'll be dragged away with them."

"What are you afraid of?"

The man put down his cup and glanced at his friend. "The revolutionary army has already reached Chengdu. Do you think they still care about us? They're probably already thinking about how to escape. They were so confident that they could hold Chongqing, but what happened? They ran away with the revolutionary army from every inch of land they had."

"And also..." He pulled his hand away and beckoned his friend to come closer, then whispered as the friend leaned close to the table, "I'm going to join the revolutionary army."

"Oh!"

Upon hearing this, his friend was stunned and fell to the ground. The loud noise drew stares from the surrounding diners.

The person who fell to the ground didn't care about anything else, quickly got up, and sat on his friend's bench.

"I think you've really gone mad! You're insane!" he whispered. "This could cost you your head!"

"Then let him be dragged out and beheaded! I've been farming for so long, I'm fucking fed up with it. I've found out that they're different from the revolutionary army in the south. They're called the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, you hear me? They're peasants, they're leading our revolution."

“I have relatives in the east. They really distributed land there and even dragged the landlords out to fight. My relative was usually so afraid of being scolded by the landlords that he didn’t dare to breathe loudly. When the workers’ and peasants’ army came to fight the landlords, he went up and was scolded like a donkey ball.”

He picked up his wine glass again, took a sip, and said, "To be honest, the reason I invited you to this meal today is to tell you this. Anyway, my parents died early, and I'm still not married at my age. I have nothing to lose, so I have nothing to worry about."

“My relative always raves about the Workers’ and Peasants’ Army to me, saying they are heavenly soldiers and generals descended to earth. He has joined them and even become a minor cadre. He wants me to work with him. I’ve already packed my bags. After this meal today, I’m going east to join their revolutionary army.”

"Screw the land that these old men work for every day. Let whoever wants to do it do it. I'm not doing it anymore. Do you want to come with me? We'll come back and skin these landlords alive."

"this......"

My friend hesitated for a moment, but still refused, saying, "I have an eighty-year-old mother to support and a four-year-old child to raise. If I leave this place, I will have no food to eat."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, the man could only pat his friend's arm and say, "You have your own ideas, and I can't persuade you. So you can stay here and be done with it. I'm leaving. I'll come back and liberate you when the time comes. This is a new term I learned from the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers."

After the meal, the two parted ways; one stayed where he was, while the other chose to head east to find the workers' and peasants' army.

Many people in Sichuan, like him, chose to head east to find that army, but most chose to stay where they were because they were afraid.

After so many years of civil war in China, warlords have come and gone, each employing their own methods to erode public trust.

These people still didn't quite trust the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, fearing that they would be like the previous warlords and continue to oppress them after a while.

After the situation in Guangzhou stabilized, the revolutionary army continued its mission to liberate all of China. After the reorganization of the army, the strength of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was greatly enhanced. So after a period of rest and recuperation, they continued their journey.

Liu Xiang had failed when he deployed a large force in Chongqing to block the revolutionary army, so he was even less likely to succeed now. After the Nationalist government's military reforms, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had better weaponry.

The revolutionary army can now deploy several artillery pieces at once, and with its promoted land policies, more and more people in central Sichuan are beginning to support the revolutionary army. The warlords in Sichuan were already quite scattered, with many large and small forces. When the revolutionary army stormed in with unstoppable momentum, many warlords were simply unable to resist.

Liu Xiang panicked immediately after losing Chongqing and ordered the mobilization of heavy troops to defend Chengdu. Just then, something happened in Guangzhou, and Lin Biao's army retreated after attacking for a few days.

This retreat delighted Liu Xiang, who thought his large army had scared off the revolutionary army and began to think about a counterattack. However, Lin Biao must have thought of this after the retreat, and after suffering several setbacks, Liu Xiang had no choice but to obediently retreat.

Now that the army has re-entered Sichuan, the ironclad defense line has collapsed, and Chengdu has been liberated quickly. Liu Xiang can only flee west with his defeated troops. After liberating Chengdu, the army did not stay for many days. After leaving a small number of people to organize the work, they continued to advance. Their goal was to liberate the entire Sichuan province.

Xu Shengjie, who was captured in Hengyang a long time ago, has transformed into a glorious revolutionary fighter. After his capture, he and his comrades were sent to the rear, where they were not met with prison cells and execution grounds, but with people constantly coming to give them lessons.

Sometimes they talked about things he couldn't understand, like theories, principles, or missions. Other times they talked about things he could understand, like land redistribution and big landlords. What he couldn't forget was the promise of braised pork every day. The propagandists told them that after their revolution succeeded, they would be able to eat braised pork every day.

At first, Xu Shengjie wasn't very interested in these things. Joining the army was just about making a living. He was conscripted, so he didn't understand these theories. He was just a farmer before and didn't know many words, so knowing so much wouldn't be of any use to him.

However, Xu Shengjie gradually changed his mind. The army here seemed different from the army he had served in before. He remembered the previous army very clearly. The officers in charge never ate with them. They would go into a small room to eat something different. From the aroma of meat and the voices of women wafting from the room, he knew that their lives must be much better than his own.

But things were different here. The people in charge ate from the same pot as them and even sat with them. It was unbelievable. Moreover, life in the army was very rich. In the old army, soldiers who received money would either gamble, go to prostitutes, or buy opium for a few puffs.

The army here didn't have that kind of mentality at all. He felt that they were very energetic, unlike the lifeless troops of those warlords. There were many sports activities here, as well as literacy classes to teach them to read.

The old society turned people into ghosts, and the new society turned ghosts into people. The same is true in the army. In the new army, Xu Shengjie became a human again. Here, no one is superior to anyone else. He found satisfaction in helping the villagers with their daily work. This is what he truly wanted.

Whenever he helped villagers tidy up their houses or finished farm work, and saw the smiles on their faces when they poured him water, Xu Shengjie understood the meaning of wearing this military uniform and the meaning of becoming a soldier. When an old farmer took out a few hot eggs from the house and tried to put them in his pocket, he could say without any hesitation, "I will not take a single needle or thread from the masses."

He gradually came to understand those missions and responsibilities. The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was the army of workers and peasants, the people's army. Through repeated labor, he came to understand those theories that were difficult to comprehend before. This was probably what Chairman Mao, the leader of the workers and peasants who had taught them, meant when he said that practice yields true knowledge.

The revolutionary army swept through Sichuan and soon reached the heart of the province. It seemed that the entire province would be liberated soon. Jiang Yun led his soldiers at the forefront. He had been promoted to battalion commander before, and his battalion fought the fiercest throughout the entire Sichuan campaign.

"Battalion Commander, it seems we rushed too fast," Xu Shengjie said to Jiang Yun as he ran ahead.

Looking at the map, Jiang Yun saw that after liberating Chengdu, the revolutionary army had been relentlessly pursuing Liu Xiang, and the main force had now reached Kangding. The nearest unit was also near Yajiang. Their battalion had moved too fast and couldn't afford to fall too far behind the main force. Moreover, the troops needed to rest after running for so long, so Jiang Yun decided to stop temporarily.

"Tell the comrades in the camp to rest where they are, but we can't just sit idly by."

Jiang Yun glanced at the map. "That place ahead seems to be called Litang. We can't just sit here. Aren't the comrades from the Propaganda Department and the Political Department with us? Let's ask them to go over there. You're quick-witted, so take a few comrades with you to avoid any accidents."

"Yes!"

Xu Shengjie saluted, then called a few comrades to the back to find the heads of the political department and the propaganda department. Shang Yunxia knew they were going to visit the front, so she took the initiative to follow. Because of personnel transfers, Zheng Jiawang was also assigned to the propaganda team and went to Sichuan with the troops, so he also went.

"That's really nice," Zheng Jiawang exclaimed, pointing to the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

"Don't just look at the scenery, we're here to carry out a mission." Shang Yunxia patted Zheng Jiawang.

"Comrades, does any of you understand Tibetan? We're about to enter Tibet, and I imagine it will be difficult for the people here to communicate with us."

"I can!"

A young man volunteered and raised his hand, "I'm from western Sichuan, and I can speak Tibetan."

"That's good, thank you very much, comrade." Having a translator in the team makes things much easier.

As they walked, they saw a shepherd boy ahead. They figured the town was still some distance away, so they decided to chat with him.

The boy was throwing stones into the river in the distance, unaware that people were approaching from behind. When he saw Shang Yunxia and her group getting closer, especially some of them carrying guns, he was clearly surprised and tried to climb onto a nearby pony to leave.

"Wait a minute, we mean no harm."

Shang Yunxia quickly spoke to the boy, and the comrade beside her quickly translated in Tibetan, afraid that he wouldn't understand.

"You can take the sheep, but don't take me to be a soldier." He hid behind the horse and said in strange Chinese. The horse snorted, clearly not welcoming the group's arrival.

"You've misunderstood. We're not bad people; we just want to know some things."

Seeing that he understood a little Chinese, Shang Yunxia immediately continued speaking, and even told the comrades with guns to step back and not provoke the young man.

Only when he saw that the soldiers had retreated far away did he dare to step out from behind the horse, but he still didn't dare to raise his head to speak, keeping his head down as if he were thinking about something.

"My name is Shang Yunxia, ​​and this is Zheng Jiawang. We are not bad people; we are the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. We fight against bad people and speak up for the poor. What's your name?"

The young man remained silent for a long time, occasionally glancing around furtively to make sure there was no one around before he dared to speak hesitantly.