Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

What about besieging a point and attacking reinforcements, besieging a city and attacking reinforcements, and raiding thousands of miles away.

Hu Zongnan was unable to capture the main force of the Northwest Field Army. Hu Zongnan also concentrated his forces to annihilate the Northwest Field Army, but was fooled by Peng Dehuai. In other words, the Northwest was too poor, and Peng Dehuai could not afford to support too many troops.

Otherwise, General Peng would have swallowed up Hu Zongnan long ago.

Hu Zongnan's mobile forces were devoured bit by bit by Peng, and within less than three months, Peng had annihilated several brigades. Although Hu Zongnan was furious, he also knew that dividing his forces would only give Peng an opportunity to devour them. So, Hu Zongnan had no choice but to retreat to Xi'an.

Chiang Kai-shek's all-out offensive had been a complete failure. But if Chiang Kai-shek wanted to launch a concentrated offensive like he had in the past, he would have been unable to mobilize his forces. The PLA's annihilation of a Nationalist army, division, or brigade was now commonplace.

After Hu Zongnan retreated, the war situation in Shanxi became very favorable to the People's Liberation Army.

Because the person the Shanxi People's Liberation Army cared about most was never Yan Xishan.

Yan Xishan's troops were too weak to fight. Now, after seeing how strong the People's Liberation Army was, Yan Xishan's main forces retreated to Taiyuan.

Only a large number of fortifications were built around Taiyuan, and other places were basically lost.

Marshal Xu was preparing to launch the Jinzhong Campaign in Jinzhong, liberate the entire Jinzhong and encircle Taiyuan.

"Commander, there is also good news from the Enemy Work Department. They are currently working very effectively with Wu Shimin's unit, and Wu Shimin's attitude has softened. Although Chiang Kai-shek expanded Wu Shimin's troops, Chiang Kai-shek and Hu Zongnan sent a lot of officers and spies into his troops, causing many conflicts with his officers. Now Hu Zongnan feels that his troops are insufficient, so he is tightening his control over Wu Shimin's unit. In addition, the incident in Hebei Province where Chen Cheng annexed Sun Lianzhong's troops has made Wu Shimin very sensitive. Therefore, the work of the Enemy Work Department is now making great progress, and only the final issues remain to be resolved.

“If Wu Shimin’s army revolts, not only will the situation in southern Shanxi change, but the situation in northern Henan will also change.

Marshal Nie nodded.

Wu Shimin currently has a force of approximately 50,000 men. Even if all of his troops are unable to revolt, bringing in around 20,000 would significantly alter the current situation in southern Shanxi. The Shaanxi Army historically has a close relationship with the CCP, not only do the top brass of the Shaanxi Army have strong ties to the CCP, but there are also numerous underground members within the army.

就像是1945年起义的陕军38军17师，一个师里面光是地下党员就有七八百人。1946年陕军38军剩下的部队再次起义，整个38军都成为了解放军。

Wu Shimin's troops had been fighting in southern Shanxi since the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, working closely with the 129th Division. Initially, Wu Shimin's troops recruited a large number of new recruits in the Taihang region, but that region was an Eighth Route Army base, and many of these recruits had ties to the Eighth Route Army. Consequently, over the years, Wu Shimin's troops also had a large number of underground members. The Enemy Work Department undertook extensive work.

Only after Wei Hongjun began to be responsible for the daily work of the North China Military Region and the North China Field Army did he realize that the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Central Bureau had put a lot of effort into Wu Shimin.

"Okay. You organize the battle plan and submit it to the Military Commission.

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

Chapter 696: Opium and Secret Societies

"Commander, there are two important matters that must be addressed as soon as possible. The first is the opium problem in the Liberated Areas. Although the Liberated Areas have been cracking down on opium cultivation and trade, the opium trade is still rampant. Moreover, many farmers in the countryside are still secretly growing opium.

I believe we must be determined to eradicate the opium problem once and for all.”

Chahar, Suiyuan, northern Shanxi, Rehe and other places used to be places where opium was grown on a large scale.

Although during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Eighth Route Army cracked down on opium.

But it still couldn't be eradicated.

Many farmers were used to growing opium, and since it was forbidden to do so openly, they secretly cultivated it. Especially since the price of opium kept rising, many desperate people began to grow it.

"Commander, I have privately investigated the opium problem in North China. There is a very important reason for the rampant opium epidemic in North China. That is, many areas are poor and have low fiscal revenues. As a result, some of our grassroots cadres, in order to solve financial problems, even secretly encourage local people to grow opium. This is especially true in Suiyuan, the area with the most serious opium problem. According to my investigation, the area of ​​opium cultivation in Suiyuan exceeds 20 mu, and this is still the most conservative estimate. The actual situation is likely to be even more serious. Because we have cracked down on opium in Jin-Cha-Ji quite strongly, the price of opium in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and other places has risen rapidly. As a result, opium merchants have made huge profits, and they have been unable to stop despite repeated bans. Even in Chahar, some cadres directly colluded with opium merchants, collecting tolls from them and providing them with a transportation channel."

The opium merchants were able to do business with the participation of many cadres from the liberated areas.

This made Wei Hongjun very sad.

Of course, some officials were lured into the opium trade by bribes, but Wei Hongjun didn't care. This was a personal issue, and it was unstoppable. But what distressed Wei Hongjun most was that some local governments, driven by financial constraints, turned a blind eye to the opium problem, even secretly supporting opium cultivation. They completely ignored the various anti-smoking orders issued by the central government and the liberated areas, focusing solely on their own interests.

Although they had received the order to ban opium, they were waiting and watching. They were waiting to see if the central government was truly committed to eradicating opium. Before the central government issued a clear order, or even before they actually took action, they were more concerned with financial issues. Growing opium was completely different from growing grain in terms of fiscal revenue.

This is what Wei Hongjun is most worried about.

Today, they can disregard central government orders for the sake of local finances. In the future, they will also be able to defy central government orders for the sake of local interests. These people are extremely audacious.

"Commander, I think we should issue clear regulations and publish them in the form of laws to clearly express the attitude of the North China Bureau. Clearly stipulate that if the amount of opium sold reaches a certain level, all will be shot. And once an opium dealer is caught, he must be publicly tried. Let everyone in the liberated areas know our determination to ban the opium trade, and let our cadres know that there is no room for negotiation on this matter. Otherwise, our cadres will all have some lucky ideas. Including farmers who grow opium privately, we will publicize it first. If there are those who refuse to listen after repeated warnings, they should also be sentenced to death. Including those who buy opium, they should also be severely dealt with. Only with enough shock and slowness can we completely eradicate opium in the liberated areas. Those cadres who ignore the anti-smoking orders of the Central Committee and the North China Bureau should all be arrested and tried, and there should be no leniency.

Many people now have no fear of the law.

What everyone fears is counter-revolution.

Aside from the charge of counter-revolution, everyone took chances with everything else. This is why the liberated areas haven't been able to completely eradicate opium. Previously, they were constantly fighting, so they didn't put much effort into this matter.

Now the North China Bureau has been established.

The Central Committee was watching the North China Bureau closely because, compared to other central bureaus, the policies of the North China Bureau would directly influence the future policies of New China.

"Ah."

Marshal Nie nodded.

"The opium problem is a very stubborn one and must be dealt with resolutely. Furthermore, to deal with it, we must coordinate policies, laws, propaganda, and public security personnel. We'll confirm this matter at the North China Bureau meeting in two days. I believe this matter still needs to be handled by Elder Dong."

Wei Hongjun is in charge of the Public Security Management Office.

But the opium problem isn't something that can be handled solely by the public security department. We need to address the source first, by enacting laws regarding opium. While there are policy documents on opium in the liberated areas, they remain vague. The penalties should be clarified.

And it needs to be publicized.

Some rural farmers also lack awareness of the seriousness of the opium problem.

We must increase publicity.

Then process it.

Such a multi-departmental coordination matter needed to be finalized at a meeting of the North China Bureau. Then, someone would be chosen to take full responsibility for the task. Marshal Nie chose Dong Biwu. Dong Biwu was the chairman of the North China Joint Administrative Committee and the most suitable person to take charge of this matter.

"What's the other thing?"

"Commander, it's a problem with secret societies. Comrade Lai Ruoyu and Comrade Tao Lujia from the Jinzhong Administrative Office came to see me a while ago regarding land reform and rural development in southern Shanxi. We discussed some of the current rural problems. Since land reform overthrew the privileges of rich peasants and landlords, the main problems in rural areas are clans, lumpen proletarians, and secret societies. Secret societies are not only prevalent in rural areas, but are also very common in many cities. After speaking with Comrade Lai Ruoyu and Comrade Tao Lujia, I had the Public Security Administration send someone to investigate the situation with secret societies. They discovered that secret societies are very serious within our liberated areas.

Even some of our grassroots cadres are supporters of secret societies and are members of them themselves. This situation is extremely dangerous. These secret societies, through their pretense of secrecy, not only amass wealth but also collude with Kuomintang spies to spread lies and incite public sentiment in the liberated areas. Therefore, I believe we should strike hard against secret societies. If we allow these secret societies to grow unchecked, who knows what will happen in the future.

Marshal Nie also knew about the Huidao Sect.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei concentrated their efforts to crack down on secret societies.

Because the secret societies colluded with the Japanese.

Stirring up public sentiment and claiming Japan was the savior, this "evil cult" posed a significant threat to the stability of the base area. While this crackdown had a short-term effect, it was never able to completely resolve the problem of the secret societies.

One of the most notorious rumors spread by secret societies throughout history was the rumor of "cutting off testicles to make an atomic bomb." This rumor surfaced in early 1950, shortly after China and the Soviet Union signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance. The story went that the Soviet Union intended to build an atomic bomb, using male testicles, female uterus, and children's intestines as raw materials. The government promised to supply the Soviets, and so dispatched plainclothes troops throughout the country to cut off these materials for the Soviets. The men who cut off the testicles disguised themselves as monks, Taoist priests, merchants, and farmers. They were specially trained to climb walls and traverse rooftops, conducting reconnaissance missions by day and carrying out operations at night.

As a result, many rural areas in North China and East China are afraid to sleep every night.

Even the capital Beijing is like this.

You can imagine the power of rumors.

Marshal Nie said, "The problem with secret societies lies in the fact that the general public is uneducated. Because they lack education, they are easily deceived by tricks and schemes. Lack of education will make our people ignorant, and ignorance will easily breed superstition, and when superstitious people gather together, cults will emerge. Some people take advantage of this superstition and organize themselves together, and that is secret societies. To solve the problem of secret societies, we can't just arrest a few secret society leaders and suppress some secret societies. We have always done this before, but the effect is not very good. The best way is to make the general public wake up to this deception.

"Commander, how about this? We can gather together some of the daily tricks and perform them in rural towns. Seeing is believing. No matter how much we tell the people about it, it's better to let them see it with their own eyes. Let them see what these magical tricks they have always believed in are really.

"good idea."

Marshal Nie nodded.

He said, "When we were establishing bases, our cadres' work was sometimes less effective than our drama club performing a play in the countryside. When we interact with the people, we can't use our own ideas to promote our policies. We must use words that the people can understand. So, you will be in charge of the Public Security Administration Office. You will be responsible for banning secret societies."

"Yes."

"Red Army, there is one thing you must remember. Our strategy is a united front. This united front is not only aimed at intellectuals, enlightened gentry, and left-wing members of the Kuomintang. It also includes those deceived people. We must ban secret societies and suppress them. What we must do is to resolutely suppress the leaders of secret societies and strike at the backbone members of secret societies. As for those deceived secret society members, we must win them over and educate them.

Marshal Nie is a master of the united front.

The fact that Jin-Cha-Ji became a model base area was not something that just happened by chance. It was the result of the hard work of its cadres, especially Marshal Nie, who accurately understood the central government's policies and grasped the actual situation in Jin-Cha-Ji.

Marshal Nie always struck a perfect balance when it came to the issue of the united front. When establishing the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area, he was able to rally the enlightened gentry and gain their support for the Eighth Route Army. However, throughout this process, he also firmly maintained the Eighth Route Army's leadership.

In contrast, during the early days of the Eighth Route Army's expansion into base areas, many failed to grasp this balance. Like Wang Ming, some, like the United Front, ultimately lost their command. Others simply ignored the United Front and directly applied Soviet policies to the base areas. Consequently, the development of the base areas was significantly hindered.

The same is true now.

Marshal Nie quickly grasped the overall situation of how to deal with the secret societies.

Wei Hongjun nodded.

"Commander, I understand what you mean. Then I will begin to deploy the plan to suppress the secret society."

"Are you too busy to come here?"

"is acceptable."

"Take good care of yourself and don't overwork yourself. If there are things that should be handed over to lower-level cadres, then hand them over. You can't be responsible for everything yourself. You need to fully understand how to mobilize the enthusiasm of your subordinates."

Wei Hongjun is a cadre that Marshal Nie is very optimistic about.

If it were not for Marshal Nie's strong support, Wei Hongjun would not have been able to become the first deputy secretary of the North China Bureau and the fourth in command of the North China Bureau.

Wei Hongjun is young.

So Marshal Nie told Wei Hongjun some tips on how to be an official.

"Yes."

"Go ahead.

Chapter 697: Deployment to Suppress the Secret Society

Marshal Nie, after hearing Wei Hongjun's suggestion, quickly convened a meeting of the North China Bureau Standing Committee to discuss how to address the opium problem in the North China Liberated Areas. Nie summarized Wei Hongjun's opinion and proposed at the meeting that the North China Bureau formally introduce the "North China Anti-Drug Law."

In fact, since the Eighth Route Army period, each base area has had its own anti-drug regulations.

They are all issued in the form of government bans.

The Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, in particular, issued the most policies regarding drug control. These included the "Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Anti-Opium and Drug Regulations (Draft)", "Proclamation of the 18th Group Army Headquarters of the National Revolutionary Army and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government on the Anti-Opium Policy", "Order of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government on the Establishment of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Anti-Opium Supervision Office", "Interim Measures for the Seizure of Opium and Drugs in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region", and "Order of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government on the Suppression of Opium Seedlings", among many others.

Overall, it covers all aspects.

Many of the policies proposed by the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region actually reflected the central government's intentions. Therefore, other Eighth Route Army bases, besides the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, also followed suit and implemented similar prohibitions. Much of the content was similar.

First, the cultivation of poppies is strictly prohibited. Poppy seedlings discovered during inspections must be eradicated. Those who defy the government ban and cultivate poppy seedlings will be subject to legal sanctions or heavy financial penalties.

Second, the sale and trafficking of opium and drugs is strictly prohibited. Anyone who buys, sells or traffics opium will have all of it confiscated once discovered, and will also be fined. Penalty standards are set based on the amount of opium bought, sold or trafficked.

Third, smoking or injecting drugs is prohibited. Those who have already used drugs must quit within a specified period of time, and comprehensive persuasion should be provided through the distribution of drug addiction treatment drugs. Users should be helped and encouraged to completely quit smoking through effective means such as actively participating in agricultural production.

Fourth, it is prohibited to help or shelter others to smoke, inject, buy, sell or traffic drugs, and it is prohibited to resist the execution of public duties of banning smoking and drugs. Violators will be sentenced or severely fined.

Fifth, establish a smoking ban inspection office and a drug control committee to specifically investigate and deal with drug-related cases.

Sixth, rewards will be given to those who seize drugs and informants. To launch a mass anti-drug campaign, calling on the general public to remain vigilant and resolutely eliminate the harm caused by drugs, in addition to cracking down on drug crimes, relevant laws and regulations will be enacted to reward those who have made contributions to drug control or reported drug crimes, based on a certain proportion of the amount of drugs seized and confiscated.

Seventh, we must resolutely put an end to fraud and deception in the fight against smoking and drug abuse.

Eighth, military and political personnel who violate relevant regulations will be subject to heavier penalties.