German Red Prince

Page 162

“Some people see this phenomenon but dare not criticize it because the person in question is an officer. So let’s create an army without officers, where everyone wears the same uniform.”

After speaking, Chairman Mao took out the clothes that had been designed long ago. At present, the uniforms of the National Revolutionary Army were not yet standardized. There were khaki, dark blue and gray uniforms.

The army is now moving towards standardization. The new Nationalist rifle has begun production and will soon be deployed as the standard rifle of the National Revolutionary Army. Since the weapons are unified, the uniforms must also be unified. Chairman Mao took out the Type 28 new military uniform, which is different from the previous one in that it is green.

The focus of this military conference was actually on the reform of the army. No major changes were made to the members of the upper-level military committee, but the impact of this conference was far-reaching.

No matter how many leaders are replaced at the top, it's useless if the nature of the army remains unchanged. However, if reforms are carried out throughout the army and the army's beliefs and ideology are established, then no matter what ulterior motives the leaders may have, they will not be able to command or mobilize such a reformed army.

The new Central Military Commission of the Nationalist Government was formally established in Changsha. After much consultation, Deng Yanda was appointed as the chairman of the Military Commission. As the general member of the Nationalist Government, Mao Zedong did not serve as an executive member of the Military Commission, but rather as an advisor to the Military Commission.

Regardless, the meeting was a success, indicating that the Chinese revolution was entering a completely new phase.

336. A New Look

Throughout the Nationalist government, Deng Yanda held a very high level of seniority. Whether in the government or in the Whampoa Military Academy, Deng Yanda wielded extraordinary influence.

His military talent and experience studying in Europe made him highly valued by the government and gave him considerable influence within the Kuomintang and the National Revolutionary Army.

At the same time, Deng Yanda's ideas were very radical within the Kuomintang. In the early days, he maintained good relations with Liao Zhongkai, He Xiangning, Soong Ching-ling, and others. While firmly supporting Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People, he also had some understanding of the socialism advocated by the Communist Party. Therefore, he maintained close relations with the Communist Party within the government.

In addition to his military service, as a member of the government, he frequently gave speeches at farmers' associations in various places. He also participated in the formulation of many government policies. Years of study and party and government experience have given Deng Yanda a firm political ideology.

As a member of the Kuomintang, he was well-versed in Marxism and had a deeper understanding of revolution. In his view, the success rate of a revolution in one country was very small, and even if it succeeded, things were likely to change soon. Revolution must be a global revolution, and only when the whole world is united can it achieve complete success.

When Deng Yanda was in the revolutionary government, he sided with the internationalists. He was not only concerned about the current revolutionary situation in China, but also about the revolutionary cause abroad. He often met with revolutionary leaders in Southeast Asia and provided them with support. In his vision, the revolution in China would surely drive the revolution in the whole of Asia, and then the revolution in Asia would drive the revolution in the world.

Undeniably, there were very few generals like Deng Yanda in the entire Nationalist government, who were both capable and experienced enough to withstand the test of time.

At the same time, his identity was also very appropriate. Although Deng Yanda was a radical leftist in the Kuomintang, he was still a member of the Kuomintang, but he maintained a good relationship with the Communist Party.

If he were to serve as Chairman of the Central Military Commission, neither the Kuomintang nor the Communist Party would have much objection. Furthermore, as the current principal of the Whampoa Military Academy, he could effectively manage the Whampoa-affiliated officers in the army if he were to become Chairman of the Military Commission. Therefore, there is no one in the entire government who is more suitable than Deng Yanda.

The Nationalist government's Second Northern Expedition is under active preparation and has entered the second phase. After the military reform is completed and the third phase of preparation is finished, the National Revolutionary Army will be able to carry out a complete reform and will only need to wait for the right opportunity.

"A red star on my head, a revolutionary red flag on my shoulders."

Shortly after the Military Commission meeting, the various matters were announced, and the new military uniforms, which Chairman Mao had prepared long ago, could now be distributed.

The entire army began to uniformly change uniforms, switching to the newly designed Type 28 uniform. Compared with the previous uniforms, this uniform was simpler in design, and the materials used for officers' and ordinary soldiers' uniforms were no longer differentiated, all using the same material. The production process was also simpler, and with uniform uniforms for the entire army, the production efficiency in factories was also higher.

With the help of the Comintern and the Kingdom of the Rhine, the Nationalist government has established a relatively complete industrial system in several major cities.

Although it was a bit small, it was still usable. In order to resist the impact of a possible economic crisis in the future, the Kingdom of the Rhine and the National Government signed many terms with the traders, giving them enough preferential treatment. Prussia was leaving such a large market untouched, so they took it over.

Under the unified government's plan, the Nationalist government is now developing much faster than the two separatist regimes in the north. Thorne also believes that the country's development is much better than the so-called "Golden Decade of the Nationalist Government." The achievements made in the next two or three years will probably surpass those so-called Golden Decade. After all, everyone knows what Chiang Kai-shek meant by unification and what his so-called government was.

Now that the Nationalist government has successfully developed its own rifles and the entire army has changed into uniforms, it has basically achieved self-sufficiency in individual soldier capabilities. It no longer needs to send money abroad every year, and China can produce its own weapons.

The new army brings a new look; not only has morale been boosted, but combat effectiveness has also been effectively enhanced.

The military reform plan was approved by all members of the Military Commission, so there was no resistance to its implementation. Apart from the front-line combat troops, other troops quickly completed the re-equipment.

"Old Zhang, what do you think of my outfit?"

Chen Dexi put on a new military uniform and a helmet. Because the Kingdom of the Rhine had completed the reorganization of its army, the stockpiled military supplies had to be sold off. Most of the helmets were sent to the National Government. The National Government was now employing a military advisory group from the Kingdom of the Rhine, so the overall army design and equipment configuration were basically modeled after the German model.

They were troops stationed in Changsha, so they were among the first to complete the re-equipment. The Nationalist government wanted to create a model unit to see how effective it was. Chen Dexi's unit had participated in many famous battles during the Northern Expedition, so it was selected as one of the first units to be re-equipped.

"A red star on the head, a revolutionary red flag on both sides, a good omen."

Zhang Shun was very satisfied with the uniform. Their army finally had a unified uniform, which meant that they were one step closer to standardization and were slowly narrowing the gap with the world. How could they not be happy?

"This helmet is German."

These days, there's talk of "precision German industry," and German goods are still very sought after in the arms market. After all, Germany is the current world leader. The most common foreign goods in China are Japanese and German products. However, it's clear that in the East Asian market, Japan can't compete with Germany.

Although Japan had a geographical advantage, the eight provinces and the Qing government were both controlled by Germany, making it a dumping ground for German goods. Japan only had the Northeast market, but Zhang Zuolin was disobedient. Japan went to great lengths to squeeze into the Chinese market.

After the defeat of the eight provinces, Japan was the first to come to show goodwill, calling it a "victory for our Asian brothers" and began to discuss cooperation. However, despite Japan's entry into the Nationalist government's market, it still did not have much of an advantage. Prussia was gone, but the Kingdom of the Rhine came.

"The helmet is good, but this red star..."

The red five-pointed star painted on the helmet made Zhang Shun feel a little embarrassed, and his head felt cool when he put it on.

"Perhaps we could ask them to make the color lighter, or to place it on the side."

Chen Dexi scratched his head. The red five-pointed star was indeed too eye-catching, as were the two red epaulets. Although it looked smart, it was obviously not suitable for combat. The red was too conspicuous against the green background.

Anyway, since they are the first batch to test the equipment, the higher-ups are just waiting for their feedback. Once they report the problems, things will probably be much better after the second batch is adjusted.

"Have you heard? We're going to be transferred to Wuhan soon. I heard there's going to be a war soon."

"This is a good thing. The sooner we start fighting, the better. The sooner we start fighting, the sooner we can unify the country."

"It's not us fighting, it's the other side."

Zhang Shun somehow got the news that the National Revolutionary Army was indeed beginning to gather in the direction of Wuhan, and there was also movement in the direction of Nanjing. He wondered what had happened.

According to reliable sources, something happened within the Qing government, and something might happen in the Nanjing area. In order to be on the safe side, the Nationalist government deployed defenses in both Wuhan and Nanjing.

337. Cooperative

The situation within the Nationalist government is indeed as Chairman Mao described at the time: a mixed bag.

During the Northern Expedition, in order to expand the scale of the battle, many old armies joined in, and many warlord troops were captured by the revolutionary army or surrendered directly after being defeated.

There are now a considerable number of former soldiers in the revolutionary ranks. While this was a good approach during wartime, it is no longer suitable for the present.

If these armies, clinging to outdated thinking, grow to a certain size within the military, they will gradually corrupt the entire revolutionary ranks.

Although there are many progressive individuals with ideals and beliefs among them, the majority are former soldiers. It is very important to reform their thinking. A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole, so we must take precautions before problems arise.

During the period of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, Chairman Mao had already arranged for the reform of the army. The results of the reform were very obvious. The Red Army achieved a new level of improvement in both combat effectiveness and organization. Now it is time to promote this plan and let the whole army accept the reform.

Thinking of the Red Army, Chairman Mao suddenly thought of another issue: the rural problem. China was a traditionally large agricultural country, and the state of the rural areas and the farmers was related to the future of the entire Nationalist government. He needed to understand it carefully.

When Mao Zedong was sent to Hunan to carry out the workers' and peasants' movement, he already had the idea of ​​a "revolutionary base area." This is one of the reasons why he was able to quickly extricate himself and strengthen his own forces after Sun Chuanfang's betrayal.

Mao Zedong's base areas opened up another path for the National Revolutionary Movement by establishing a three-thirds system of democratic politics based on local operations. This path was different from the "top-down" system advocated by the Kuomintang at the time. It was a bottom-up change, a more thorough approach, but similarly, it had fewer supporters.

Mao Zedong's land revolution received almost no support within the government. However, after he published the report "Why Red Regime Can Exist," many members turned to support this line. Moreover, the plan proved successful in both economic and military aspects and gained popular support, which led the Central Committee to approve his methods.

However, without Liao Zhongkai's full support, the reform would not have gone so smoothly. Now that Chairman Mao has taken power, the previous land revolution must continue. He thought of one of his supporters at the time, Fang Zhimin, who was also carrying out the land revolution in the Jiangxi border region.

The purpose of the National Revolution was not only to overthrow an old country, but also to overthrow an old system. To change China's current backward situation, it was necessary to comprehensively transform the countryside and the current backward system.

Feudalism still wielded significant influence in rural areas. Under such rules, landlords used their political power to seize land, legally plunder farmers' produce, and exploit them by forcing them into unpaid labor.

Landlords who control the means of production can easily transform themselves into the so-called "national bourgeoisie" and oppress the people in a different way. Once these people become numerous, they will monopolize the country's economic and political power.

There are many different forces within the current united front. They can cooperate now, but what the future holds is uncertain.

There are significant regional disparities in China today. The coastal areas under the Nationalist government, having engaged in trade with overseas regions for a long time, have essentially entered the capitalist stage.

While China ranks highly in urbanization and industrialization, its backward northwest, southwest, and rural areas remain in a feudal stage, with 70 percent of the population still bound to feudal society.

After Mao Zedong was elected as a member of the committee, his main task was to intervene and change this backward production relationship, liberating the people from nearly a thousand years of oppression.

After the reorganization of the Nationalist government, most of the central committee members tended to adopt more radical land revolution methods, transferring the means of production, while seeking to promote fair and just land reform.

Of course, this fairness does not apply to large landlords and powerful families. The land of various warlords, local tyrants, and corrupt officials will be confiscated, and the private sale of land will be prohibited.

Tenant farmers who worked for landlords could obtain land ownership rights. The current Nationalist government wants to fulfill Dr. Sun Yat-sen's vow that "land to the tiller" should be fulfilled.

Most of the Central Committee members agreed with Dr. Sun Yat-sen's orthodox principle of "land to the tiller," which would allow farmers to acquire their own land for cultivation, while the government would take measures to gradually nationalize land. This would solve the land ownership problem without causing the revolution to fall into excessive populism.

However, the violent reclamation of landlords' land will certainly raise questions about how to define "local tyrants and evil gentry." Among the military and intellectuals within the Nationalist government, some who came from landlord families opposed this radical reform, believing it to be a violation of the rule of law and detrimental to the needs of united front work.

However, Chairman Mao remained steadfast in his reform policy. He did not say that such methods were brutal and bloody, nor that such coercion disregarded the rule of law. Landlords had been plundering the people for thousands of years; were their methods legal?

There were quite a few peasants who were suppressed and killed by landlords, so why didn't anyone accuse them? Now that the peasants are just starting to stand up, some people immediately jump out, acting as if they are the conscience of humanity. But these people have never spoken up for the peasants.

These old intellectuals were also targets for reform. The Nationalist government needed to unify thought in order to accelerate the unification process. These old intellectuals were constantly chattering and whining, which had a significant impact on society.

After Mao Zedong became the General Committee member, Fang Zhimin continued his land revolution movement. The current Peasant Movement Committee was originally Fang Zhimin's organization in rural Jiangxi.

During the war, this organization played a significant role in mobilizing farmers, allocating resources, and stabilizing the rear. Although the war has temporarily ended, the farmers' association cannot be abolished, and the government needs this organization to deal with the current post-war issues.

Fang Zhimin now controls the peasant association and is mainly responsible for the land reform tasks of the Nationalist government. There are many problems in this process, and the meeting between Chairman Mao and Fang Zhimin is precisely to solve these problems.

A significant problem is that although the land has been distributed, the farmers are too poor and lack the tools to cultivate the land. While the government is now collecting far less grain than under the old regime, it is still a burden on the impoverished farmers. Therefore, this issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Simply distributing land did not significantly improve the lives of the peasants, so it was necessary to reunite them. Mao Zedong and Fang Zhimin had both studied rural areas, and after discussion, they came up with a solution: to establish rural cooperatives.

If individual farmers cannot bear the burden of production, then organize these farmers together. The land still belongs to them. After organizing them together, they can coordinate and produce in a unified manner, which will greatly reduce the pressure.

With cooperatives, the government can also get involved, which can gradually influence farmers' thinking and bring the grassroots into government management, thus playing a role in national integration.

338. Central Special Branch

It was an inconspicuous room, one that would have gone unnoticed by anyone in the past. But recently, however, this room has been targeted by someone.

Zhang Yunjie had been paying attention to this room for some time. Although it seemed unremarkable to outsiders, he noticed something unusual about it.

Locals say the house has always been empty. It was inhabited before the revolutionary army attacked, but it has been vacant ever since. However, recently, they have been hearing noises coming from inside.

This caught their attention. Changsha is now the location of the central government, and no place can be ignored. The people of Changsha are also very enthusiastic about this, and through reports, they have already arrested many intelligence agents from the north.

Recently, someone reported that there was noise coming from this place, with strange noises every night, and many people were running to this empty house every day, which was obviously a problem. Zhang Yunjie understood the feedback clearly; it must be the group of people from the north causing trouble.

After several days of surveillance, they had figured out the situation and it was time to close the net. This group was really unprofessional; they didn't know to change locations or thought the central government wouldn't find this place.

After this rendezvous, there was no next time. Zhang Yunjie and his men easily took over the intelligence station and brought it back for interrogation. These people were not professional intelligence agents, but intelligence brokers who collected all sorts of intelligence. Zhang Yunjie had arrested many such people.

As another group of people came in, he sighed. He wasn't in charge of this kind of thing himself. The central government should have a professional department for this, otherwise he would be busy just arresting these people.

Zhang Yunjie then wrote a report and submitted it, hoping that the central government would pay attention to this issue. He said that the Nationalist government was being infiltrated by different forces almost every day, and it was necessary to take this matter seriously.

.......

Becoming a leader is not as easy as one might imagine, especially for the leader of a major power.

"Committee Member Mao, the document from the Ministry of Industry."

"Committee Member Mao, the technical department's approval has been granted."

"Committee Member Mao, news from the front."

.......

Every day, Mao Zedong had many things to deal with, and of course, these were things he had to do. The revolution had not yet succeeded, and comrades still needed to work hard.

"Chairman Mao, here is a new document."

An officer walked in and handed the document to Mao Zedong. After opening the document and reading it, Chairman Mao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This is a joint application from financial tycoons from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, hoping that the government can relax restrictions and allow them to participate more in "national construction".

To participate in national construction? Chairman Mao was well aware of their thoughts. They just wanted the government to relax its grip on them and not keep such close watch on them so they could make more money.

The door has been opened, and now they seem to be contributing to the people, but it won't be long before they're riding roughshod over the common people again.

Undeniably, the Jiangzhe financial group was once the financial backbone of the revolutionary army and played a pivotal role in the revolutionary cause during the First Northern Expedition.

At that time, Chiang Kai-shek, as their spokesperson, promised them many benefits within the revolutionary army, which is why these financial tycoons were willing to provide substantial assistance to the Northern Expeditionary Army.

However, these financial magnates were strictly restricted while Liao Zhongkai was alive. After Chiang Kai-shek was killed by a cannon on the battlefield and the war situation suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse, these businessmen who were good at speculation immediately chose to abandon the Nationalist government.

At the time of the Guangzhou Incident, some businessmen who had heard rumors were already discussing the possibility of a German-led government.

These people are fickle and have no regard for revolution. They follow whichever side is in power. Now that the revolutionary government has firmly controlled the southern region, these financial groups have to face a sad fact: the revolutionary army they betrayed has returned.

These unscrupulous businessmen proposed deeper cooperation and lowering restrictions, but it was obvious that this was impossible. Chairman Mao would not agree, and these people had big appetites, eyeing the reactionary property that the Nationalist government was waiting to deal with.

With the Nationalist government's successful liberation of the South, the revolutionary army seized considerable wealth from the warlords and fleeing bourgeoisie who had been eliminated along the way.

Even though they had transferred their various assets abroad in advance through various means, apart from liquid assets such as gold, jewelry, and French assets, the Nationalist government had also taken back a lot of their real estate, railways, factories, and ports, which had all been nationalized.

These reactionary assets have already been reformed by the state, yet they still have ideas about them. The Nationalist government is not a warlord government, and of course, none of these matters can be agreed to.

After dealing with this matter, Zhang Yunjie's report was also submitted. It detailed some problems of the Nationalist government. These various intelligence agencies had completely infiltrated society. Street vendors and office staff, people you see every day, could all be spies.

The Nationalist government needs to build a complete and rigorous intelligence system, not only to ensure domestic security, but more importantly, to target the North. After being busy with the Northern Expedition and various other matters, there are all sorts of messes to clean up. The fact that a report has been submitted indicates that this matter should also be taken seriously.

The South has now been completely liberated, and the revolutionary army no longer needs to wage guerrilla warfare everywhere. However, this does not mean that the crisis has been resolved. The Nationalist government is still semi-surrounded by warlords. These warlords serve their own masters, but they all have one goal: to be hostile to the Nationalist government.

The small special operations teams created during the Northern Expedition were no longer sufficient to deal with these issues, and the government needed to expand its intelligence organizations and police force to maintain order and counter-infiltration efforts.

Fortunately, the Kingdom of the Rhine has experience in this area. The Nationalist government has learned a lot from the experiences of Germany and France. The intelligence agencies of these two countries are among the best in Europe. It is very convenient to learn from these two masters.

The Rhine Kingdom's advisory group included professional advisors from the Stasi and Gestapo, who could be used to guide the development of the Nationalist government's intelligence agencies.