Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

January 1954, border of Shan State, Yun Region.

Wang Yaowu, along with Li Guohui and more than two thousand remaining troops, stopped in their tracks.

They were greeted by a brand new base.

The barracks are neatly arranged, the warehouses are full of supplies, and flags are planted on the training ground. It is less than three kilometers away from the border.

Li Guohui stood at the entrance of the camp, looking at all this, somewhat stunned.

"Commander Wang, shall we... stay here?"

Wang Yaowu nodded.

Li Guohui frowned: "We're so close to the border. What if Li Mi attacks... and the Republic won't let us in? We'll have nowhere to run!"

Wang Yaowu glanced at him.

"He doesn't dare. Did you see that unit? It's part of the unit that ambushed Li Mi before."

If needed, they can call on artillery positions across the border for fire support.

Their artillery has a range of 11 to 15 kilometers, capable of covering any area within a 5-kilometer radius.

Li Guohui remained silent.

After settling in, Wang Yaowu led Li Guohui to the headquarters of the Yunnan Provincial Column.

Throughout the journey, Li Guohui kept pondering Wang Yaowu's words.

It can provide fire support, covering an area with a radius of 5 kilometers.

"Then I'm also within this five-kilometer radius..." Li Guohui finally couldn't help but ask.

"Commander Wang, why do we have to stay right next to the border? Wouldn't it be safer to move a little further in?"

Wang Yaowu was silent for a moment, then said, "Guohui, why do you think I brought you back?"

Li Guohui thought about it.

"Incorporate them? Relocate them? Or... make them farm?"

Wang Yaowu shook his head.

"Neither."

He looked at the mountain road ahead.

"Although they didn't explain it clearly to me, the fact that they released me and sent me all this way to persuade you to surrender means we must still be of use to you. Very useful indeed."

The headquarters was temporarily set up in an old house on the outskirts of the county town. There were sentries at the entrance, and the courtyard was bustling with people coming and going.

Li Guohui followed Wang Yaowu inside, passed through several doors, and underwent several checks before arriving at the door of an office.

The door was open, and two people were sitting inside.

Zhao Ping'an sat behind his desk, holding a document in his hand. Zhao Dongliang stood by the window, looking at the training field outside.

Wang Yaowu knocked on the door frame.

Zhao Pingan looked up and smiled.

"Mr. Wang has arrived, please come in."

He stood up and his gaze fell on Li Guohui.

"This must be Commander Li Guohui, right?"

Li Guohui was stunned for a moment, then quickly saluted.

"I wouldn't dare, Li Guohui, greetings, sir."

Zhao Pingan waved his hand.

"No need to be so polite. Please sit down."

Li Guohui sat down, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Zhao Ping'an spoke to him first, asking a few questions about the situation in the army, the resettlement of family members, and whether there were any difficulties.

Li Guohui answered each question, but in his heart he kept wondering: What exactly does this young Minister Zhao want him to do?

After chatting for about ten minutes, Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"Commander Li, Mr. Wang will explain the details of your situation to you. Go back and settle your troops first. If you need anything, just contact Mr. Wang."

Li Guohui stood up, saluted, and left.

After Li Guohui left, the office became quiet.

Zhao Pingan looked at Wang Yaowu.

"Mr. Wang, please have a seat."

Wang Yaowu sat down opposite him. Zhao Dongliang also came over and leaned against the table.

Zhao Ping'an didn't beat around the bush.

"Mr. Wang, I have an idea and would like to hear your opinion."

Wang Yaowu nodded.

Zhao Ping'an said, "I want you to return to Shan State to serve as the regional head, just like you did in Lu Province back then."

Wang Yaowu was stunned for a moment.

"go back?"

"It's not about going back to fight a war." Zhao Ping'an stood up and walked to the map hanging on the wall. "It's about going back to do one thing—turn northern Shan State into a testing ground."

Wang Yaowu frowned.

"An experimental field?"

Zhao Ping'an pointed to the location of Shan State on the map.

"Look. There are many mountains and lots of land here, but few people. Landlords, remnants of the army, and various forces that fled from the country have all occupied land and ruled there."

The local ethnic minorities live a hard life, and no one cares about them.

He paused.

"I want you to take Li Guohui's troops there, whether to incorporate those forces or drive them away, to first control the territory. Of course, Li Guohui's troops will need to undergo our reformation first. Then, if you encounter any tough opponents while incorporating the forces, Commander Zhao can provide assistance, helping the government army to clear out bandits and warlords when appropriate. They are authorized by the Shan State government..."

Wang Yaowu remained silent for a few seconds.

"Minister Zhao, are you... trying to carve out your own territory there?"

Zhao Ping'an looked at him.

What if I said yes?

Wang Yaowu's brows furrowed even more.

Zhao Pingan smiled.

"Mr. Wang, please don't be anxious. The separatism I'm talking about isn't the kind you're thinking of."

He walked back to the table, took out a document, and pushed it in front of Wang Yaowu.

"You've seen what I've been doing in Yunnan Province these past three months, haven't you?"

Wang Yaowu nodded. He had seen it all: mushrooms, tea, factories, cement roads, and even the hospitals, schools, power plants, and steel mills that had been built.

Zhao Pingan said, "That was just the beginning."

He opened the document and pointed to each page.

"The Academy of Agricultural Sciences has been built. High-yield crop seeds are ready, and they can be widely promoted in Yunnan Province next year."

"The pesticide and fertilizer plants are both completed and currently in trial production. The plan is to supply not only the nearby areas next year, but there should also be a surplus..."

"The penicillin production line is in operation. The hospital has been built, and accelerated training courses for medical staff have begun."

He raised his head.

"There is also a team of several hundred teachers and medical personnel who are ready to depart at any time."

Wang Yaowu looked at the documents and fell silent.

Zhao Ping'an continued, "Mr. Wang, you're not going back to Shan State to become a local tyrant. You're going to bring these things to them."

He pointed to the map.

"First, we will promote high-yield rice. We will use our seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to ensure that local farmers have enough to eat."

Technicians went along and taught them step by step. We started with a few pilot projects so the people could see for themselves—that by working with us, they could have food to eat.

"Second, promote cash crops. Rubber, mushrooms, and fruits can all be grown."

The produce we grow is bought domestically. What doesn't store well is sent to canneries in Yunnan Province for processing. Let them make money.”

"Third, healthcare. Those medical personnel who have studied the 'Barefoot Doctor's Manual' will follow you. They will provide free medical care and free medicine. Let the people know—following us, they can survive."

"Fourth, education. Three years of compulsory education teaches Chinese, literacy, and arithmetic. If children can study, they will have a future."

"Fifth, industrial goods. Matches, cooking utensils, cloth, clothing, medicine, farm tools—we ship these things from China and sell them to them at low prices."

He looked at Wang Yaowu.

"Mr. Wang, did you understand?"

Wang Yaowu remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke, his voice a little hoarse.

"Minister Zhao, do you want them to come with us voluntarily?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"Yes. It wasn't about forcing them at gunpoint, it was about giving them food, medicine, books, and a good life."

He paused.

"Those landlords and those remnants of the army, they seize territory and plunder food with their guns. The common people are afraid of them, but they don't submit to them. They follow them now only because they can't survive without them. But we are different."

"We feed people, we ensure their survival, we provide education, and we enable people to live a good life. Once life is better, who would want to go back to the past?"

Wang Yaowu remained silent.

He lowered his head and stared at the document for a long time.

Zhao Dongliang, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up.

"Mr. Wang, my brother is the kind of person who never does anything without being sure of success. Since he brought it up, he must be confident."

Wang Yaowu raised his head.

He looked at Zhao Ping'an with a complex expression in his eyes.

"Minister Zhao, may I ask you a question?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

How old are you this year?

Zhao Pingan paused for a moment, then smiled.

"I was born in 1930, and I'm 24 this year."

Wang Yaowu remained silent for a few seconds.

"What was I doing when I was twenty-four? I was working for Chiang Kai-shek, fighting against the X Army."

He lowered his head, then raised it again.

"Minister Zhao is only twenty-four years old, yet he's thinking about these things."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the training field.

Chiang Kai-shek's defeat was not unjust.

He turned around and looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"I worked for him for twenty years, and he never said any of this to me. He only told me, fight, fight, fight. If we win, it's ours."

"Minister Zhao, you're different. You let me fight, and after that, I have to farm, treat patients, teach, and help people live a better life."

He paused for a moment.

"Minister Zhao, I'll spend the rest of my life working for you."

Zhao Pingan stood up.

"Mr. Wang..."

Wang Yaowu waved his hand.

"I understand now."

He looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Minister Zhao, I also want to prove myself. Chiang Kai-shek's treatment of Commander Du's son was chilling."

Now I want to show Chiang Kai-shek what I, Wang Yaowu, can accomplish without following him. Our faction may have its share of useless people, but I, Wang Zuomin, am definitely not one of them!

That night, Wang Yaowu did not return to his post.

He talked with Zhao Ping'an until late at night in the headquarters.

The map was laid out on the table, and they took out their pens and began to plan the route, one place at a time.

Where to build pilot projects, where to set up medical stations, where to open schools, where to build roads, where to build factories...

How to utilize Li Guohui's troops, how to contact the ethnic minority leaders, how to divide and incorporate the landlords' forces...

One by one, item by item, I slowly pieced things together.

As he was leaving, Wang Yaowu stood at the door and glanced back.

"Minister Zhao, I'll take you there to see it in a year."

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"I'll be waiting."

Wang Yaowu pushed open the door and stepped into the night.

Zhao Dongliang stood next to Zhao Ping'an, watching the figure disappear into the darkness.

"Ping An, do you think he can make it?"

Zhao Pingan thought for a moment.

"Big brother, he's the commander of a major military region. He's much more capable than us. He knows more than anyone else."

With so many years of military service and his time in the Merit Forest, he naturally knew what those people were thinking.

What he lacked before was direction.

Zhao Pingan paused for a moment.

"Now we have a direction."

A month later, Wang Yaowu led Li Guohui's troops across the border again.

This time, they brought not only guns, but also seeds, medicine, textbooks, and a group of technicians.

Li Guohui followed behind Wang Yaowu and glanced back at the mountains on the other side of the border.

"Commander Wang, how long will it take us to return?"

Wang Yaowu thought about it.

"I don't know. But when I come back, I won't be alone."

He walked forward without looking back.