cicada

Chapter 1141 Pagoda

On the dirt road from Yanchang County to the border area station, a team advanced rapidly. It was the condolences group, the government delegation, and the Eighth Route Army escorts. The dust kicked up by the horses' hooves and footsteps flew wantonly in the sun.

The members of the Shannan guerrillas were also among them. The guerrillas suffered heavy casualties in the previous battle, with more than ten people killed, and they had to go to the border area to rest and recuperate.

Including Cui Hongyong and the man with a Chinese character, many team members came to the core area of ​​the border area for the first time. Everyone looked around excitedly, wanting to see what the rear area looked like.

Among the team, Zuo Zhong rode a pack horse and looked at both sides of the road. The hillsides and fields in the distance were full of mountain people busy with farming. It gave a sense of the abundance of the year in Taiping, and it almost made people not feel that this was war time. .

Compared with those around the mountain city, although the local people's clothes are shabby, their faces are rosy, their spirits are high, their eyes are not numb, and some of them are full of hope for the future.

Just from this detail, it can be seen that the underground party has thrown the Kuomintang party out of the eight streets in terms of domestic political governance. The members of the condolence group who are not well-informed will naturally be aware of it.

Mr. Chen, who was also sitting on the horse, saw this in his eyes, pulled the reins to slow down, suddenly turned his head, and asked the deputy minister a more pointed question.

"Mr. Li, how does your party deal with landlords and industrial and commercial owners?

I heard that you confiscated all the land and property from landlords and businessmen and distributed it to landless farmers, tenants and poor people for free. Is this the case? "

The members of the condolences group next to him, Zuo Zhong, Xu Enzeng, and the special agents, pricked up their ears, wanting to hear how the other party would answer.

Newspapers in the Kuomintang-controlled areas have long reported on this, and there are all kinds of sensational news, such as communists, murders and arson, all told with nose and eyes, as if they had witnessed it with their own eyes.

Many "highly respected" party leaders wrote to the central government, sternly demanding that the government deal with this behavior of the underground party and protect "legitimate" property from infringement. Standard p-shares determine the head.

The deputy minister's smile did not change when he heard this question. In fact, before the condolences delegation arrived, the superiors anticipated the concerns of these overseas Chinese and established a principle - tell the truth.

He glanced at Zuo Zhong and the agents, and said slowly: "Yes, we did crack down on some landowners and capitalists who were unkind to their wealth."

As soon as this statement came out, the scene was in an uproar, and the faces of the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia became very ugly. If it weren't for the underground party saving them, they would have turned around and left.

This has nothing to do with being patriotic or not. It is purely determined by class standpoint. No one wants to give their property to others, at least most people.

But before anyone could speak, the deputy minister added calmly.

“According to our statistics, before the land reform, 70% of the land in the border area was concentrated in the hands of less than 10% of the rural population, and this number is constantly expanding.

The poor peasants, who account for more than 80% of the entire rural population, are not only responsible for the heaviest physical labor, but also bear various exorbitant taxes and live in extreme poverty.

After the land reform, most of the land in Border District, Yanchuan, Yanchang and other counties was redistributed, and feudal land ownership was basically eliminated.

By the end of 1938, poor and middle peasants, who accounted for 80% to 85% of the entire population, owned more than 80% of the land, and people's lives had been greatly improved. "

70% and 10%.

Mr. Chen and others were dumbfounded. How could overseas Chinese who have received a complete modern education not know the meaning behind these two sets of numbers? The late Ming Dynasty is a living example.

Land is highly concentrated, and the vast majority of farmers have been deprived of their land and become tenant servants of the gentry and landlords, or are forced to live in exile. Social production is shrinking day by day.

When it develops to its most serious stage, the disaster of cursed water is not far away①. Coupled with the full-scale invasion of China by the Japanese, China Luchen is probably just around the corner. By then, they will all be the sinners of the nation.

Therefore, land reform in the border areas is imperative. If we do not change it, we will end up being slaves to the country.

While everyone was thinking, the deputy minister continued to explain various policies in the border area to enhance understanding between the two sides and eliminate the barriers between them.

"Before the July 7th Incident broke out in full force, for the purpose of uniting all anti-Japanese forces, we made timely adjustments to relevant policies and made rent reduction and interest reduction the basic policy to solve the land problem at this stage.

The specific manifestation is that in places where land reform has been carried out, the vested interests of farmers who have been allocated land are ensured, counterattacks by landlords and rich peasants are prohibited, and the life-saving achievements are protected.

In areas where land reform has not been carried out, the confiscation of land from landlords and rich peasants will be stopped and distributed to poor peasants and laborers, and rent and interest reductions will be used to resolve conflicts between the landlord class and peasants.

However, we have also imposed restrictions on land rents. Generally, the principle of rent reduction is implemented on a 25-year basis, and interest must not be reduced to or exceed the level permitted by the socio-economic lending relationship. "

The deputy minister explained the border region's land policy changes and the reasons without any concealment. This open and honest attitude won the favor of the condolences group.

Mr. Chen nodded slightly, looked at his companions a few times, and then asked the border area about their views on private business. This was what they were most concerned about.

"Western economists say that numbers don't deceive, so let me tell you a few more sets of data. My friends have all drank foreign ink, so you can think for yourself."

The deputy minister made a little joke and elaborated in a deep voice the history, number, and total capital of private enterprises around the border area before and after the establishment of the border area, and even the overall business policies.

“Before the establishment of the border area, the local reactionary government not only demanded food and money, but also sent out laborers to extort and extort people as harshly as tigers. The army also burned, killed, and looted, leaving only ten houses empty and all the people suffering misery.

The population near the settlement has decreased significantly. Walking hundreds of miles away, sometimes there are only twenty or thirty households. As of 36, there were only 168 local private enterprises with a total capital of 4 yuan.

With the encouragement of our policies, these two figures became 1937 companies and 204 yuan in 7, and last year, at the end of 1939, they became 262 companies and 40 yuan. Business activities were restored.

Many landlords' capital has also turned to industrial investment. There are currently 6 private textile factories in the entire border area, with no less than 200 apprentices, dozens of large looms, and an annual output of 4000 pieces of homespun cloth.

There are more than 20 private coal mines in Zhushuang, Anding, Yanchuan, Yanchang and other places, with a daily output of more than 30 kilograms of coal. It can be used by 1/3 of the people in the above areas.

There are as many as five or six private salt ponds in Dingbian, with a large output. In addition to being consumed by the border areas, they are also sold in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia provinces, solving the salt crisis in the rear areas. There are 39 private paper mills, 98 workers and apprentices, and 38 ponds. The paper they produce is very popular in the Second War Zone. Even Chief Yan uses our paper. "

After talking about the results, the vice minister bluntly said that since last year, the development of the border area has slowed down, and the economy that had finally recovered has been hit hard.

In particular, the sources of cloth decreased, prices soared, farmers exchanged grain for cloth, and the gap between grain prices and cloth widened.

如1937年每斗小米可换土布1匹，或换洋布0.28匹，1939年每斗小米只能换土布0.6匹，或洋布0.08匹。

The deputy minister did not say the reason, but everyone present knew that without him, Yamashiro and the Japanese economic blockade had a tacit understanding on this.

The condolences group unconsciously looked at Zuo Zhong, but Zuo Zhong had been in the government for so long and had perfected his shamelessness. He pretended that nothing happened and looked up at the sky.

The deputy minister paused for a moment, and then spoke again after everyone had digested what he had just said. His tone became exciting and indomitable.

“In order to develop the economy and further improve people’s lives, superiors put forward the slogan of self-reliance, increased investment in handicraft industries, and abolished various exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, which has achieved good results.

Taking the residence as an example, by the end of last year, there were 16 blacksmiths, 47 carpenters, nailmakers, scale nailers, tailors, tinsmiths, silversmiths, etc., 500 migrant workers, and more than rural spinners.

Facts have proved that we underground party members are not afraid of hardship or blockade. As long as we stand with the people and sincerely consider the people, any difficulties will be temporary! "

The members of the condolence group were whispering. Even though the people mentioned above were all small and inconspicuous craftsmen, as businessmen they knew very well that the activity of the handicraft industry was closely related to the economy.

Mr. Chen felt inexplicably that compared with the northwest, mountain cities had advantages in terms of natural environment and population, but what did he see in mountain cities?

Officials are corrupt.

The economy is in decline.

The morale of the army was low.

Rich people live in intoxication and dream.

The people were miserable.

The entire society is like a pool of stagnant water that exudes despair. The upper class has no concern for the fate and future of the country, and only thinks about how to make a few extra taels of silver.

But Mr. Chen was not in a hurry to express his position. Yamashiro and his party made him understand that domestic affairs are very complicated. Sometimes what he sees and hears does not mean that it is the truth. It is better to go to the border area and visit in person before making the final decision.

The deputy minister stopped talking about official business and chatted cordially with the condolences group about daily life. He asked many times about the political, economic and military situation of Southeast Asian countries, as well as the living conditions of overseas Chinese.

This moved the overseas Chinese deeply. The Chinese in Nanyang are indeed rich, but they are only a small part. More Chinese are at the bottom of society and are squeezed by natives and foreigners.

When they were in the mountain city, the chairman of the committee never asked about this matter. He only asked for money. It should be noted that people's hearts are full of flesh. Facing the deputy minister's concern, the members of the condolence group couldn't help but feel warm in their hearts.

Zuo Zhong sighed secretly. Someone really played a good card to pieces. The military overseas intelligence station submitted relevant information every month. He didn't believe that someone didn't know the suffering suffered by overseas Chinese.

Then why didn't the other party ask? The answer is very simple. It is the foreigners who exploit the overseas Chinese.

After asking, what if the condolence group asks the mountainous city to protest against the Western colonists? The government still expects those countries to help, so it has no choice but to suffer the hardships of the overseas Chinese.

Thinking of this, Zuo Zhong changed his mind and asked the deputy minister a question as to why reinforcements from the Eighth Route Army came so quickly.

The scene of the battle was some distance away from Yanchang County. It was difficult for people in the city to hear the gunfire. Even if they could hear it, it would take time to organize people to come.

The deputy minister looked at him and smiled lightly: "After the convoy was attacked, we sent people to search for your traces in Yanchang County."

After saying that, the conversation between the two stopped abruptly.

As they were both old rivals and had old information, there was no need to say something too clearly. It was obvious that the other party had seen through Zuo Zhong's plan very early on.

A few meters away, Xu Enzeng was following behind on a small donkey. He secretly looked at Zuo Zhong and his "old friend", his eyes darting around, not knowing what bad idea he was planning.

Wu Chunyang and Gui Youguang who were further away did not pay attention to these, and focused on the accompanying Eighth Route Army soldiers, analyzing the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness in terms of weapons and equipment, water maintenance, and morale performance.

This is also another main purpose of the military commander's escort of the condolence group. There is no way. Regardless of the military commander or the central commander, except for the secret agents with public identities, all the intelligence personnel sent to the border area have no information.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of escorting, they could collect military and political intelligence of the underground party at close range. Gui Youguang and Wu Chunyang lowered their heads to discuss from time to time, and it seemed that they gained a lot.

"Look! Pagoda!"

Someone suddenly shouted loudly. When everyone heard the sound, they looked around and saw a Buddhist pagoda standing on the mountain peak from a distance. The golden sunset shone on the ancient pagoda, and the rushing Yan River flowed under the pagoda.

Zuo Zhong reined in the reins and watched this magnificent scene quietly. Dai Chunfeng, who was far away in the mountain city, also received a telegram at this time. Looking at the contents of the telegram, Lao Dai let out a long sigh.

　①The Yongli Dynasty of the Southern Ming Dynasty was destroyed, and countless princes and ministers were killed by the Burmese.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)