German Red Prince

Page 163

In fact, there have been suggestions within the government to expand the intelligence department. The Political Department, which was headed by Zhou Enlai, proposed the creation of the Special Action Section of the Central Executive Committee.

The Special Branch would ensure that the Party's socialist orthodoxy was upheld as the guiding principle, and would crack down on counter-revolutionary forces. These specialized subordinate forces, known as the Red Teams, would not only crack down on counter-revolutionary forces, but also collect various intelligence to prepare for the Second Northern Expedition.

The advisors from the Kingdom of the Rhine had already helped the Nationalist government train specialized operatives. This opportunity provided a chance to unify their organization, and another reason was the Jiangzhe region.

After being rejected by the government time and again, it's hard to guarantee that those tycoons won't resort to underhanded tactics, especially in the Shanghai area, which is an embassy city and a melting pot of all sorts of people. If these individuals collude with certain forces, it could have a very negative impact.

"Call Comrade Zhou Enlai over; I have some things I'd like to discuss with him."

Chairman Mao sent someone to summon Comrade Zhou Enlai. He was still not entirely at ease with the southeastern coastal region, which was now a major source of tax revenue for the Nationalist government, and he couldn't afford any trouble there.

339. Reforming the People

"Gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?"

Seeing the increasing number of police officers at the door, Huang Dahai rushed out in a panic and asked them questions.

The lead policeman, seeing Huang Dahai running out in a panic, didn't explain the reason to him, but instead directed his men inside.

"Hey, boss, what's the matter? I'm operating legally, legally."

"Legitimate business operation?"

Zhang Zhiming smiled. He had heard countless "legal business operations" along the way; if this was truly a legal business, something was amiss.

"Legally operating? This is a routine inspection. What are you panicking about? Show us your purchase invoices."

“There’s definitely no problem with the inspection, but boss, the people around here rely entirely on me for their medicine. If this takes too long, it will delay you, and others won’t dare to come here to get their medicine.”

"Don't worry, if there are no problems, it definitely won't take you too long."

Zhang Zhiming ignored him and went inside with the others to inspect the house.

"Your pharmacy is quite busy; you get a lot of customers every day."

After reviewing the purchase order, Zhang Zhiming and Huang Dahai started chatting.

"There are quite a few, isn't this in response to the government's call?" Huang Dahai wiped his sweat.

"Isn't the government advocating for the development of public health and medical care? That's why I'm a bit busier, with more people and more medicinal herbs being procured, all to serve the people."

"Serving the people? That's good." Zhang Zhiming nodded. "But when you say you're serving the people, do you know what you should and shouldn't do?"

"this......"

Upon hearing this, Huang Dahai broke out in a cold sweat and didn't know what to say. At this moment, the professional prosecutors arrived and spoke to Zhao Zhiming.

"You, a public servant, should explain yourself."

Huang Dahai's pharmacy has many unusual features. Logically speaking, a pharmacy shouldn't have so many people every ten days or so, since nobody gets sick every day. But every few days, a group of people come in, buy medicine, and stay for a long time. It's obvious that something is fishy going on.

"How's business going with your 'selling dog meat under the guise of mutton'?"

By now, there's really no need to explain. The Nationalist government is now strictly prohibiting opium, and the力度 (intensity/strength) is extraordinary. After the central government moved to the interior, its influence has increased even more, and its control over this area has become even stricter. Selling opium is extremely profitable, and many warlords are also involved in it. How much money does the opium industry make? The north relies on this to raise military funds.

This industry is extremely profitable, but the harm it causes is also enormous. At most, people can gain some benefits now, but it will harm future generations. China has not yet shaken off the label of "sick man of East Asia." Countries like Japan have very strict control over opium, and it is basically banned domestically, but it is sold freely in China. Of course, they have no good intentions whatsoever.

During this crackdown, those who still defy the rules will face dire consequences. This is no longer the era of eight provinces; once caught, they won't be able to get out with a few dollars. Knowing full well that they are committing crimes, they should have foreseen the consequences back then.

Since modern times, opium has been poisoning the Chinese people and has been a symbol of the decline of the once glorious Chinese nation in many ways. In the past, Britain exported large quantities of opium to China, which seriously affected the country. China was like a degenerate addict, which was corrupted by the addiction forcibly instilled by unscrupulous foreign capitalists and their imperialist masters.

If the Nationalist government is to save the soul of the nation, it must address the root cause of the nation's decline by tackling the problem at its source. The opium trade is highly profitable, and various warlords, government officials, and even the early revolutionary government were involved in the opium trade, making it extremely difficult to combat the opium trade.

The cost of buying and selling opium was very high, including not only labor costs but also trade channels. Although many other narcotics emerged, it remained a readily available source of profit.

Everyone knows the problems caused by drugs. During the period of the Eight Provinces, special departments and agencies and unofficial reformers tried to ban opium, but to no avail. They could only take restrictive measures, but these did not achieve much effect.

However, now that the Nationalist government has firmly established itself, the opportunity to eradicate the source of the disease has arrived. During the Guangzhou period, Chairman Mao had a special discussion with the Ministry of Health on issues related to the construction of the Nationalist government's medical system and public health prevention and control.

China is currently impoverished and weak, not only in terms of the country but also in terms of its people. To fundamentally change this situation, it is necessary to thoroughly transform the Chinese people, changing their physical and mental state.

In an effort to stop the spread of opium, various legal, medical, and sociological experts have put forward numerous recommendations, including various drug rehabilitation policies, increasing the arrest and punishment of drug traffickers, and actively destroying opium in opium-producing areas or converting those areas to other crops.

However, it is a long road. One must take things one step at a time. A good start is already a great achievement. Chairman Mao also read the books sent by the German advisory group last time. He was very interested in the plan for barefoot doctors. China is too big now to train so many professional doctors. Moreover, most of China's population are farmers, with more than 90 percent of the population living in rural areas.

These people are sick and certainly don't have time to go to the city, so solving rural problems is the only way to truly solve China's problems. This is basically a consensus among all high-ranking officials now.

The barefoot doctors described in that book were well-suited to the current situation, and were able to train a large number of skilled doctors in rural areas, thus building a comprehensive medical and health system.

As mentioned before, to fundamentally change China's current situation of poverty and weakness, we must change the Chinese people, not only their physical health but also their spirit, and shape a completely new set of national values ​​to straighten China's backbone.

Talking about revolution always gets people excited. The current revolutionary situation is very promising, especially for young people and those who are dissatisfied with the old order. The initial victory of the National Revolution has given them a brighter future and a system that is much better than any current order.

Many radical forces have jumped on the bandwagon of mainstream socialist ideology, while the rise of nationalism and anti-traditionalism has brought them more followers, allowing these forces to boldly open newspapers and promote their ideas.

Regarding the censorship of works, the current Nationalist government has a fairly powerful security agency that can censor any dissent as needed, so that old ideas will no longer poison the next generation. However, this is only aimed at old culture, and the publication of revolutionary culture must also be carefully considered.

The current flourishing of revolutionary literature has brought many benefits, but it also has some drawbacks. One is the lack of a unified direction. Although they all actively promote revolution, the revolutionary ideas published in some newspapers are completely inconsistent with the current revolutionary policy.

The central government should also regulate these things reasonably. Revolutionaries should not only be good at destroying an old society, but also good at creating a completely new society. The central propaganda department should also take action quickly. Society now needs a group of left-wing writers who can shape the national spirit.

340. Ideological Reform

Soldiers must first and foremost maintain their political orientation. This was a requirement from the very beginning of the National Revolutionary Army. When Sun Yat-sen organized the revolutionary army, he visited many countries and gained some understanding of the armies of Europe, America, and Japan. These countries' armies were very advanced in terms of weaponry, but they were always lacking something.

The revolutionary government at the time certainly couldn't equip its army with as many advanced weapons as these developed countries, as its economic situation was not as good as those countries.

The subsequent French Revolution showed Sun Yat-sen another possibility: the armed forces formed by workers and peasants actually defeated the regular French armed forces. The success of the French Commune made Sun Yat-sen realize the importance of ideology; an army must have faith and be an army with a political stance.

Thus, the Political Department was established, and the first batch of students from the Whampoa Military Academy received political training from the newly established Political Department. This department was established inspired by the global revolutionary wave and also learned from the advanced experience of the French Commune, arming the troops with revolutionary ideas.

At that time, Liao Zhongkai was appointed as the official head of the Political Department, responsible for the ideological construction of the army. Meanwhile, veteran members of the Kuomintang, such as Dai Jitao, Wang Jingwei, and Hu Hanmin, served as political lecturers, mainly preaching Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People and using the Three Principles of the People to arm the revolutionary army.

Following a series of upheavals, the power structure within the Nationalist government was reshuffled, and the Whampoa Military Academy was rebuilt. After the government reorganized, the political department of the military academy also needed to be rebuilt. After much discussion, Zhou Enlai once again served as the director of the political department.

At the National Assembly, Chairman Mao re-explained the Three Principles of the People and further developed them. The overall goal of the Three Principles of the People is to establish a socialist society, and the future country should be a socialist country.

At the Whampoa Military Academy, Zhou Enlai, as the director of the political department, encouraged students to read socialist books, the history of the British and French revolutions, and translated Marxist works. Socialist culture flourished in the government, and left-wing officers and young people began to embrace this new ideology.

Within the military system, left-wing propaganda is within the government's control and is basically developed based on the current government's mainstream socialist ideology. These developed cultural ideas are also reflected in military academies.

Deng Yanda consistently emphasized that soldiers should stand with workers and peasants, and that the revolutionary army should safeguard the interests of workers and peasants. However, some radical nationalist officers within the school also gave speeches, focusing on revitalizing the revolution to confront China's real enemies at home and abroad.

While these ideas now belong to the left wing, they do not align very well with mainstream values. After all, the mainstream left-wing ideology worldwide is world revolution, and France has always been an advocate of world revolution. The Communist International Congress also takes world revolution as its program. This trend of nationalism can promote national development, but it must be kept within a controllable range, especially within the military.

The ideological transformation of the military is now being gradually promoted, with socialism gradually replacing the Three Principles of the People to arm the revolutionary army. Unifying the thoughts of the entire army is an important step in military reform, but this step is also quite difficult. Ideological unification is very troublesome. If the army, which is firmly controlled by the state, is in such a state, it is even more difficult than society at large.

In today's society, talking about revolution seems to have become a trend. It seems like you're out of touch if you don't say a few words about it. Many social groups have also emerged, all of which use the banner of socialism to attract people's attention. However, it is unknown whether these groups are actually promoting socialism.

Many groups are just using this banner to attract different people to talk about their theories. Many of them are waving the red flag while opposing the red flag. We also need to take action to solve these social problems. The mainstream social thought must be spoken out.

Otherwise, if a group of people in society are like a breeding ground for venomous insects, it will not be a good thing for the government no matter which ideology wins. If they have enough followers, they can force the government to do things.

To establish an "orthodox" ideological stronghold, the first step must be to start with the arts and culture, to create a cultural path that truly conforms to mainstream thought, and to let these cultures occupy the pinnacle of thought.

The Chinese National Revolution was not only a revolution against imperialism or traditional society, but also a cultural revolution, a revolution against the old culture.

Early writers recognized this and launched a fierce critique of the old society and culture even before the Northern Expedition had fully begun. When Sun Chuanfang sabotaged the revolution and began massacring progressives, these writers shifted from simply criticizing the old society to aligning themselves with the proletarian movement. Their literary works became tools for the development of Marxist dialectics of nature in the social revolution.

Such a group of writers is exactly what the government needs now. Guo Moruo, Cheng Fangwu, Yu Dafu and other literary figures, along with other famous socialists, took the lead in forming a literary society called the Creation Society. This society provided a platform for submitting articles criticizing the old Chinese society and discussing the future proletarian revolution.

This organization wields considerable influence, even extending to the embassy cities leased by foreign powers, where the oppression was more severe and the impact was greater.

Compared with the old culture and literature, the new culture turned its perspective more towards ordinary people and advocated literature for the people. Left-wing literary and artistic workers had begun to rush to produce works depicting their struggles, poverty and great future.

In society, the works created by these groups and individuals are very much in line with the current mainstream social values ​​and the propaganda direction of the Nationalist government. Therefore, the state also strongly supports the development of these writers. At the same time, in order to establish a mainstream viewpoint in society, it is necessary for the government to organize these groups and merge them into an alliance.

Thus, with the help of the government, the League of Left-Wing Writers was established in the literary and artistic circles of the Nationalist government. To win the overall victory in the war, it was necessary to occupy the high ground of thought. The leading figures of the League of Left-Wing Writers were several well-known left-wing writers in society. Healing and saving people should not only be done physically, but also ideologically.

Besides having significant influence in areas controlled by the Nationalist government, their main focus was on ideological propaganda targeting the North. The message was that for any country, the people are the foundation, and as long as the support of the people is won, final victory can be achieved. This was also what they were trying to do: win the support of the broad masses of people and launch an ideological offensive.

The Nationalist government is now transforming its citizens from the inside out by carrying out public health construction and establishing mainstream ideology. To enter the new society, one must first become a new citizen. At the same time, the education of the next generation is also indispensable for the development of this new society.

Just then, those young comrades who had gone to Europe to study returned to China. They had gained enough experience in Europe to start working in China.

341. Communist Youth League

Back when the revolution was still raging in Hunan, Chairman Mao sent special personnel to Europe to study. Now that they have returned after some time, the knowledge they gained in Europe can be applied to domestic work.

To fundamentally change China, in addition to reforming the people, it is also necessary to reform the next generation. The education of young people is also indispensable. Chairman Mao also attached great importance to this point. In the new society, young people also need to be properly guided.

The problems of teenagers are not new; when the Kuomintang was in power, they had already begun to form new youth groups.

The two parties cooperated extensively during the National Revolution. At that time, the Kuomintang called itself the vanguard of the National Revolution, but this did not mean that the Kuomintang intended to exclude the people from the revolutionary struggle. With the help and propaganda of the Communist Party, they mobilized people from all over the country, regardless of gender, including many teenagers.

At that time, the central political propaganda department in Guangzhou specially established the Three People's Principles Youth League, whose members mainly consisted of young people aged fifteen to twenty.

These members had to swear absolute loyalty to the Party and to the Three Principles of the People. They also had to undergo quasi-military training. At that time, the Youth League was a reserve force of youth, so a large number of them were to go to the front lines to fight.

During the war, the Youth League continued to expand in size and its organizational structure became more and more complete. It became one of the largest youth groups. In addition to the Three People's Principles Youth League of Guangzhou government, other regions also had their own youth organizations before the revolution began.

At that time, Fujian had its own New Democratic Youth League, and Jiangxi had its own Workers' and Peasants' Youth League. These groups were of a certain size and carried out propaganda and organized revolutionary struggles among the masses.

These organizations influenced the course of the revolution and spread revolutionary ideas among young people, exerting a great influence in various regions of the eight provinces during the Great Revolution.

However, now that the eight provinces are back under the jurisdiction of a single government, a brand-new revolutionary government, having so many youth organizations is not a good thing for the government, because these youth organizations have different guiding ideologies. Like many literary organizations in society today, some youth organizations are also carrying the red flag while opposing the red flag.

As the official youth organization of the Guangdong Revolutionary Government at the time, the Three Principles of the People Youth League could now be considered a national-level youth organization. However, the ruling party in the current government has changed, and the Three Principles of the People Youth League is no longer very suitable for the current government.

The new Nationalist government needs an official organization that can convey correct values ​​to young people. The future China is a socialist country, and it needs a Communist Youth League guided by socialist ideology.

The International Brigades invited Mao Zedong, who was still leading the revolution in Hunan, to form the International Brigades China Battalion. The main responsibility of the International Brigades was to assist proletarian revolutionary movements around the world, and many countries participated.

Chairman Mao said that the Chinese battalion should not be defeated by other proletarian brothers, so he sent Cao Yu to Europe to study. He went all the way to Germany. He believed that only by learning from the enemy could he defeat the enemy. He spent a long time studying in Germany. In Germany, he not only learned professional military knowledge, but also learned some other things.

A revolution must awaken people's inner consciousness in order to achieve a thorough revolution. The education of young people is also very important. Study classes should be set up to help young people learn, improve their political and ideological awareness, cultivate communist fighters, and strengthen the revolutionary reserve force.

He conceived the idea of ​​a university for young people while he was in Europe, aiming to help young people truly grasp revolutionary knowledge and develop revolutionary ideas.

Upon returning to China, he immediately began to establish the Comintern China Battalion and put into practice his vision from his youth at university: to manage both politics and military affairs, and to cultivate outstanding revolutionary fighters for the world revolution.

This model is currently only implemented in the military. Most of the soldiers in the Chinese battalion under Cao Yu's command are young people, and some of them are well-educated. In their daily studies and training, outstanding individuals can be selected as "Outstanding Communist Youths".

This was the prototype of the Communist Youth League in the army. If you passed the collective review, you could join the collective. Many years ago, the Communist Party also had its own Youth League organization, but it was later merged into the Three Principles of the People Youth League in order to adapt to the needs of the revolution. It then began to develop again, but it was difficult to compete in terms of scale and strength.

Cao Yu's selection rules and methods for the Communist Youth League in the army were very good. He also participated in the youth study program he attended while studying abroad, which Chairman Mao highly approved of.

Young people can only transform into proletarian fighters through continuous learning. However, while young people in the army can receive real-world training, there will also be some problems if the organization is continuously expanded.

For young people, social practice is the best teacher. If they only listen to propaganda and speeches every day, it will become a waste of time and a formality, and will become a burden. It will not only fail to have a positive impact on young people, but will also stimulate a rebellious mentality and have the opposite effect.

Compared to classroom education, social education is the true form of education, because people will eventually enter society. Spending too much time in school can easily lead to a disconnect from society, resulting in a lack of understanding of reality and encountering many problems when they first enter the workforce.

The same applies to this youth university study program. They have learned a lot, but some of what they have learned may be out of touch with the realities of society, and problems may arise when it is actually implemented.

The overall idea is a very good one, but it needs improvement. The first batch of international brigade Chinese battalion is almost ready for training. Cao Yu has some experience, so let him take charge of the construction of the Communist Youth League. However, Chairman Mao also made some requirements for this youth university study. Social practice is the real classroom, and young people should actively train themselves in society.

Besides these domestic issues, there are also some international problems. Comrade Katayama Sen has now returned to Japan and will have some contact with Chairman Mao. The situation in Japan is also very unstable. Emperor Hirohito is wavering on the current government. Whether to continue the Taisho Democracy or start to take the autocratic route is no longer a decision he can make alone.

The conflict between government officials and military personnel in China is deepening, and the two sides have been arguing over economic reasons. There are many different voices even within the military.

The army wanted to move north and directly occupy the three northeastern provinces to replenish Japan's resources, while the navy wanted to move south, take over the German-controlled Southeast Asia, and then gradually control the entire South Asia, thus forming a pincer movement against China. However, those members of parliament preferred to control China through economic means rather than force, because the cost would be too high.

Besides Japan, there has also been news from the Korean Revolutionary Party. After the failure of the Great Uprising, some members of the Korean Revolutionary Party fled to China and now have a government-in-exile in Changsha. Their activities have recently become more frequent, and they are constantly contacting Koreans in China.

All these phenomena indicate that East Asia is likely to experience a complete chain reaction due to a certain trigger, and the Nationalist government must respond actively; war may not be far off.

342.Conflict

There are quite a few labor unions in Germany; in Berlin alone, there are nearly a hundred unions of all sizes.

However, most of the authoritative large guilds are either controlled by the state or secretly traded to enterprises by the state.

One of the major functions of labor unions is to oppose government oppression and exploitation by entrepreneurs. However, under the manipulation of the government, these two functions of labor unions have become completely ineffective. Instead, labor unions have become a tool for the government and entrepreneurs to oppress the unions.

However, among these unions, some were spontaneously organized by the workers themselves. They found some loopholes in the imperial laws of that time and established a union that truly belonged to the working class.

Although this union has extremely strict membership standards due to various government restrictions and can only perform a limited number of functions, it is undeniable that it is the most union-like union in the Berlin area.

Berlin workers went to work as usual today, but they discovered a surprising scene as they walked through familiar streets.

The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) of the German Empire is engulfed in flames. This is the official trade union of the German Empire, but it has a bad reputation. The workers affectionately call it "another lackey of the Empire."

The Imperial General Union building was burning, but it was early morning, so there should be no casualties. Firefighters arrived quickly and began to extinguish the fire, but the fire was too fierce and they could only watch as the fire burned the union to the ground.

The fire at the trade union was just an isolated incident, and people didn't take it too seriously at first. However, what followed caused a public uproar.

When such an incident occurs at the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), the first thing to do is to investigate the cause of the fire. Berlin police quickly arrested suspects, and after a surprise interrogation, the results came out quickly.

The entire arson attack was a targeted attack planned by the German General Confederation of Labour (DGTU), a terrorist attack launched against other unions in an effort to expand its own power.