Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

The farmers from the group tribes had long lost their land and were grateful for the opportunity to return to their hometowns and cultivate their land.

He also strongly supported the rent and interest reductions implemented by the Eighth Route Army.

But it’s different in northern Rehe.

There is a lot of resistance to implementing rent and interest reduction here.

In order to open up the Rehe base, Wei Hongjun also transferred a number of cadres from the old base.

Li Shaocheng was the county magistrate of Sheng County when Wei Hongjun and his men established the Sheng County base. He was a local cadre that Wei Hongjun greatly admired. Sheng County was originally just an ordinary, poor county in Shanxi Province, but under Li Shaocheng's management, it managed to provide a large amount of food to the Eighth Column every year without affecting the lives of the people in Sheng County.

The cadres trained are also very pragmatic.

That's why Wei Hongjun transferred Li Shaocheng to Rehe to be responsible for rent and interest reduction.

"This was transferred from the Military Region Political Department."

"This... Li Shaocheng was very surprised when he saw the report.

Since arriving in Rehe, he's been focusing on rent and interest reductions. He never expected something like this to happen. This incident concerns Weitai Township in Weichang County. The Military Region Political Department is, after all, a military department, and won't interfere too much in local affairs.

This was true even in wartime.

But what happened in Weitai Township was so terrible that the Military Region Political Department intervened.

They directly forwarded the investigation report to Wei Hongjun.

"Secretary, I'm really not aware of this matter. It's my responsibility."

"This isn't simply a question of responsibility. You're responsible for rent and interest reductions in so many areas of Rehe. It's normal for a township to have some problems. We can't be perfect in our work.

But that's not what I'm angry about. We've been establishing and developing our base in Rehe for a long time. Even though Weitai Township's base hasn't been established for long, the grassroots government there, and the work teams sent there, must have had quite a few Party members, right? So many Party members just watched this happen, and not a single one reported it to the organization? What is the local Party organization for?

Wei Hongjun was really angry.

Because Weitai Township’s rent and interest reduction work was a mess.

Officials in Weitai Township colluded with local landlords and failed to seriously implement rent and interest reductions. Some officials in Weitai Township even engaged in serious sexual misconduct. One, without reporting the matter to the Party, lived with the daughter of a local landlord.

If the Military Region Political Department had not been sorting out the files of traitors in Rehe, they would have happened to find out the situation in Weitai Township.

Wei Hongjun, the Party Secretary of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Border Region, was unaware that such a terrible thing had happened in the area under his management. What made Wei Hongjun even more angry was that the problem in Weitai Township was only a matter of a few cadres.

But so many party members in Weitai Township just watched it happen calmly.

This is why Wei Hongjun was angry.

The Red Army, the Eighth Route Army, and the People's Liberation Army grew stronger and stronger, ultimately liberating all of China. They relied on the powerful Party organizations at the grassroots level. But the problems in Weitai Township were directly reported to Wei Hongjun, and the local Party organization was immediately destroyed.

"Dongdongdong

"Political Commissar, the person has been brought here.

"Bring him in."

"Yes."

The moment Wei Hongjun received the report from the Political Department, he sent people to investigate.

As soon as they received the investigation report, they dispatched personnel to apprehend several key individuals. The individual currently under arrest was the District Party Secretary of Weitai Township, considered the township's top official. He was the one who had the most serious problems.

The man was in his thirties and had a small tumor on one of his legs.

After seeing Wei Hongjun, he immediately said: "Political Commissar, I am innocent.

"Xu Wu joined the Shengxian Guerrilla Army in November 37. He performed well in the army and was among the first large group of soldiers to join the Party. I personally approved his application. He studied in the training brigade for two months. Later, he was injured in the ambush at Beilingzhuang, where Nanyun Shinichirō was killed, and left the main force. He was first responsible for training local troops, and then studied at the Chanan Qianbu School for four months. He began to work on rent and interest reduction in the local area."

Xu Wu, whose original name was Xu Wu.

He didn't actually have a name. His father's surname was Xu, and he was the fifth child, so he was named Xu Wu. After joining the army, he performed very well and fought actively. He was among the first to be recommended for Party membership by Wei Hongjun, who was instrumental in expanding the number of Party members among his soldiers. It was Wei Hongjun who helped change his "Wu" (武) character.

Xu Wu was really good at that time.

Not only was he brave and aggressive in combat, he was also able to motivate others and delve into infantry tactics.

He gradually rose from an ordinary soldier to become a company commander of the Eighth Route Army's main force. However, he was later injured on the battlefield and was sent to train local troops. At the same time, he was also allowed to attend the Cha'nan Cadre School and finally went to the local government.

Now he has become the head of a township.

Wei Hongjun read his resume and said, "But you should know what you did in Weitai Township. In your Weitai Township, there are less than 4000 mu of arable land in total, and your cheap father-in-law's family owns more than 600 mu of land. There are only seven people in their family, and the average landowner owns nearly mu. Moreover, your cheap father-in-law is a real evildoer in Weitai Township. He is a real local tyrant and evil gentry. Not only does your father-in-law own so much arable land, he also rents land from Mongolian princes and nobles, and then acts as a second-in-law, exploiting more profits from it.

The land concentration situation in Chahar and Rehe regions is also very serious.

In the Rehe region, especially in northern Rehe, Han Chinese landlords who had defected to the Japanese, along with local landlords who were dependent on them, controlled half of Rehe's arable land. They used various methods to annex land.

Before implementing rent and interest reductions, the Ji-Rehe-Chahar Military Region confiscated over 20% of the farmland owned by traitorous landlords who had defected to the Japanese. However, due to policy constraints, the land of some Mongolian princes and nobles has not yet been confiscated on a large scale. This also applies to those landlords who had not completely become traitors. The arable land they owned alone exceeded 40% of the current arable land in Rehe, meaning they once controlled over 60% of the area's farmland.

These people only account for about 10% of the total population of Rehe.

As for ordinary wealthy households, middle peasants, and a large number of self-cultivating farmers, semi-self-cultivating farmers, and poor hired farmhands, they comprised 80% of the total population, yet owned only about 30% of the arable land. In fact, before the Japanese army entered Rehe, the land issue wasn't as acute. However, after the Japanese arrived, the large landowners colluded with the Japanese and continued their land annexation. Even after the Japanese puppet army implemented the group-based tribal system, they deprived a large number of self-cultivating farmers of their land.

Xu Wu's adoptive father-in-law is the largest landlord in Weitai Township.

The family owns more than 4000 acres of land.

Xu Wu's father-in-law, Teng Zhiyi, not only owned a large amount of farmland himself, but also, not content with that, rented a large amount of farmland from Mongolian nobles and became their second-in-command. The Mongolian nobles were unfamiliar with farmland, so they had to work through Han Chinese landlords. Teng Zhiyi exploited this opportunity to exploit the poor peasants and accumulate considerable wealth.

When Xu Wu heard Wei Hongjun's words, he immediately said, "Political Commissar, we are now cooperating in the anti-Japanese war and forming an anti-Japanese united front. Although Teng Zhiyi is a large landlord, he is willing to support the anti-Japanese war and the Eighth Route Army's rent and interest reduction efforts. Didn't the Political Commissar say before that we should unite with the local enlightened gentry because they are also our friends in the anti-Japanese war? His daughter and I are in a free relationship, and I am ready to submit a report on our relationship to the organization."

"You're still making excuses here."

Wei Hongjun became furious when he saw Xu Wu's quibbling.

He threw the report from the Political Department in his hand in Xu Wu's face and said, "Teng Zhiyi, although he did not directly serve in the puppet government, he was not included in the list of traitors of the Political Department at the first time. But after the investigation of the Political Department during this period of time, he did a lot of things for the Japanese during the Japanese occupation. He also colluded with the Japanese and Han people, and was rampant in Weitai Township. Don't you know about this situation during the days you worked in Weitai Township? My Eighth Route Army is currently implementing rent and interest reductions to unite enlightened gentry. But what kind of enlightened gentleman is he, Teng Zhiyi? He is a complete traitor, a local tyrant and a bully. He is the enemy that our Eighth Route Army must focus on eliminating. Do you think we haven't investigated what you did in Weitai Township?"

"Xu Wu, don't you know what crime you have committed?

To put it mildly, you accepted bribes and were dragged into this trap by traitors. To put it more seriously, you sabotaged the rent and interest reduction efforts and the military region's work in Rehe, which is a counter-revolutionary crime.

Xu Wu, who had been standing firm just now, collapsed to the ground when he heard Wei Hongjun's words. He understood Wei Hongjun's intention, that he was going to be shot. So he immediately said, "Political Commissar, Political Commissar, I have made contributions to the Eighth Column and shed blood. I am a hero of the Eighth Column and a hero of the revolution.

Political Commissar, please spare me for the sake of my meritorious service to the Eighth Column."

Looking at Xu Wu like this, Wei Hongjun was angry and heartbroken.

Xu Wu's rise from an ordinary soldier to an experienced local cadre was no easy task. It was a result of his own hard work, but also the training of the column and the local government. If he had diligently participated in the construction of the base area, he might have become a founding hero of the Republic in the future. Unfortunately, he took a wrong step and ended up on the wrong side of the revolution. Wei Hongjun certainly wouldn't have been willing to punish such a cadre too harshly if possible. After all, Xu Wu was one of the first batch of soldier party members approved by Wei Hongjun in Sheng County, then personally trained in the army, and after being injured, he went to a cadre school and was finally sent to the local cadres. Such cadres who have fought in the war and have local experience are so rare these days.

Unfortunately, he made such a big mistake.

Wei Hongjun waved his hand and said, "Drag him out."

"Commissar, Commissar."

Chapter 517 Democratic Life Meeting

In the eyes of many people, this incident is not a big deal.

There was just a small problem in the rent and interest reduction work.

The cadres of a rural work group colluded with the local landlords and affected the implementation of the rent and interest reduction work, that's all.

For the leadership of the Ji-Re-Cha Military Region, the most important issue was to fight the Japanese and puppet troops for food in Rehe. Food for the Ji-Re-Cha Military Region troops was mainly delivered via the Ping-Sui Railway, so they were not short of food themselves.

But the Japanese and puppet troops were really short of food.

The Japanese and puppet troops were now desperate for food. For the current military district cadres, this was a major issue. But Wei Hongjun couldn't let this matter go so easily, because in his view, this matter was a major issue. Because rent and interest reduction was only a prelude to future land reform.

If we do not attach importance to this issue and do not deal with the problems of grassroots cadres, there will be problems in the future land reform. Moreover, these cadres are all grassroots cadres, and after liberation they may move to higher positions.

Just like Xu Wu.

Born into a family of semi-self-sufficient farmers, he joined the Party, fought in the army, earned meritorious service, and was wounded. He then attended a cadre school and, after arriving in the local area, was responsible for local military development and subsequently oversaw rent and interest reduction efforts. He could be considered a legitimate figure, with military honors to his name. Had he lived to see the founding of the People's Republic of China, he would have been a veteran revolutionary, undoubtedly a key county leader.

If we don't deal with them now and educate these grassroots cadres, they will cause even bigger trouble after liberation, because the grassroots cadres will have more power after liberation than they do now.

To govern a country, one must first govern the officials.

The quality of cadres directly determines the development of a place.

It's like the most famous slogan in the early days of the People's Republic of China: "Learn from Dazhai in agriculture and Daqing in industry." It was originally a good slogan, but when it was promoted to local areas, all kinds of ridiculous things happened.

Some places are forcibly turning perfectly arable land into so-called terraced fields, emulating the "Agriculture Learns from Dazhai" movement. The cadres in such places are either typically incompetent, bureaucratic, or "flying the red flag to oppose the red flag."

Was there a shortage of cadres after the founding of New China?

?

There is a serious shortage of cadres.

The main reason was that the Liberation War was fought too quickly, leaving no time for the training of their own troops. Those who joined the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army during the Anti-Japanese War, as well as the cadres who joined the Party at that time, were all veteran revolutionaries and cadres after the founding of New China.

But can their level really adapt to the construction of New China?

Are they really Marxists?

Not really. They joined the Party and chose to join the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army primarily because of the banner of nationalism. This included many grassroots cadres and soldiers, many of whom did not understand Marxism.

They also have a very naive view of "conquering the world and ruling the world." Given the slightest opportunity, they feel they deserve to reap the fruits of their revolutionary legacy. Otherwise, they pursue policies that are extremely "leftist," driven by the desire to be more revolutionary than others.

Therefore, Wei Hongjun specially convened an enlarged meeting in the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Border Region.

In addition to the members of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Border Region Party Committee, there are also leaders of various local governments. Wei Hongjun must learn from the current Yan'an Rectification Movement and carry out ideological construction in the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Border Region and the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region.

"Look, this is the progress of our reinvestigation of rent and interest reduction work. Although there have been no more serious incidents like the Xu Wu incident, many problems have emerged in many places. The cadres we have trained for many years, after arriving in the local areas, have fallen completely into the trap of local landlords, been wooed by them, and lost their revolutionary stance.

Xu Wu's problem is the most serious. He didn't simply lose his revolutionary stance; he completely forgot about the revolution. He even colluded with local tyrants and bullies to sabotage the implementation of rent and interest reductions. I must also reflect on this."

Wei Hongjun did not shirk responsibility and directly admitted his mistakes: "When I was in the army, I made some mistakes regarding the issue of the officers and soldiers joining the party and the education after joining the party.

Priority is always given to officers and soldiers who bravely and fearlessly fought on the battlefield, believing that they proved their loyalty to the organization and revolutionary fervor with their lives. However, this selection criterion also has limitations. Bravery on the battlefield does not necessarily mean they are politically mature or have ideologically joined the Party. Furthermore, there are gaps in their subsequent education, which has prevented their naive revolutionary enthusiasm from being transformed into genuine revolutionary thinking and becoming true revolutionary fighters.

"Comrade Xu Wu was a hero on the battlefield, and I still believe so. He was one of the first soldiers and members of the guerrilla army to join the party, and I personally approved his application. But judging by this incident, he was very brave on the battlefield, but he did not truly join the party spiritually. He did not understand what a true party member should do. This is not just a problem for Xu Wu alone, but a problem that many people have. Since we opened up the Shengxian base in Shengxian, the number of our party members has increased a hundredfold. But so many party members have joined the party physically, but have they also joined the party ideologically and spiritually? No, many have not fully joined the party and have not fully become qualified party members. As secretary of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Border Region and acting political commissar of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region, I have an unshirkable responsibility."

"The Chairman proposed criticism and self-criticism in 'On Contradiction'.

Everyone has read the Central Committee's "Rectification" document. Criticism and self-criticism have become one of the most important aspects of our Party's democratic life. Therefore, the purpose of holding this meeting today is simple: we are holding a democratic life meeting for the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Border Region. Everyone can speak out, and we will engage in criticism and self-criticism. From this, we will identify the root causes of the numerous problems that have arisen with the recent rent and interest reductions.

The central government’s rectification documents have reached all military regions.

Although the large-scale rectification movement did not begin as it did in Yan'an, everyone has read the rectification documents. The most important point is that the main form of this rectification movement was criticism and self-criticism.

That's why Wei Hongjun convened this meeting and named it the Democratic Life Meeting.

"Comrade Wei Hongjun, let me say a few words first."

"Mr. Niu, this meeting is held to allow everyone to speak freely. Our party has always adhered to democratic centralism within the party. Of course, we need broad democracy and listen to everyone's opinions.

Among all the people present here, Niu Heshan has the most experience.