Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

“They say cooperatives are collectivization.”

Everyone expressed their opinions in a flurry of chatter.

If this were an internal party meeting, the Chairman would undoubtedly be furious. But when it comes to mass work, he's very patient. He extracted the answer he wanted from their words. So, he asked, "Do we have to hand over our personal belongings to the cooperative, too?"

"Yes, Chairman."

"The cadre who came at that time said that everything in the countryside is collective property."

"Yes, and he also took my pig away."

One of them said, "Chairman, after the leadership came, they canceled all the existing mutual aid groups. Then they took away all the grain our mutual aid groups had painstakingly accumulated over the years, saying it was collective property and would be incorporated into the cooperative. They said if we didn't hand over the grain, our mutual aid group would be considered a rich peasant organization."

Wei Hongjun was standing next to the Chairman and could already feel his anger.

However, the chairman did not deal the cards directly, but talked to everyone calmly.

"anything else?"

"Leaders have demanded that our cooperative no longer have mutual aid groups and strictly adhere to the cooperative plan established by the provincial government. Once established, the cooperative must have unified accounting, planning, production, and distribution. However, our village currently lacks a qualified accountant capable of maintaining such a large ledger, and recording work points is no easy task. As a result, since the reforms to the cooperative began in April, our cooperative's accounts have been a mess."

The secretary of Shuangyang Cooperative was almost crying.

The cooperative was established.

But how to keep accounts and divide work points was completely unknown to everyone. The cadres who came down simply told them to quickly set up a cooperative according to regulations, without explaining the specifics.

"Then how do you do the accounts of your mutual aid group?"

"Chairman, mutual aid groups are simple. We used to form groups of five or six, or even seven or eight households, working and accounting together. The calculations were simple. Those of us who learned basic math during literacy training were perfectly capable of handling them. But after the cooperative was established, we had to keep track of daily work points and the cooperative's assets. The workload suddenly increased significantly. It's simply not something we can manage. How do we calculate work points? How do we keep track of all the cooperative's assets? How do we distribute them? We're completely at a loss."

The chairman nodded.

Since the nationwide promotion of mutual aid groups and cooperatives, all regions have been training mutual aid group and cooperative cadres on a large scale.

Because cooperatives, from the outset, are independent production cooperatives. Independent accounting requires the ability to keep accounts. However, with widespread illiteracy and semi-literacy in rural China, where would we find so many skilled accountants? Where would we find such talented individuals?

Therefore, we can only set up temporary training courses to train a group of cooperative cadres in a short period of time.

But no matter how much training is done, there will never be enough cadres. The number of cadres needed for cooperatives nationwide isn't just 10,000 or 20,000, but millions. Training a few or tens of thousands of people annually isn't enough. A cooperative needs at least four or five core members. If cooperatives were established nationwide, there would be over a million of them. The cadres needed would be several million.

Why did Wei Hongjun emphasize developing mutual aid groups first, and then cooperatives? This is because the mutual aid group model can train group leaders, giving them experience in rural cooperative economy. After a short period of training, they can become the backbone of cooperatives.

Without the mutual aid group stage, there wouldn't be a sufficient cadre base. Furthermore, rural farmers, lacking experience in cooperative production, would find it difficult to adapt to cooperatives. The mutual aid group development stage is a crucial link between the past and the future.

Therefore, we must not neglect the development stage of mutual aid groups. If mutual aid groups are not fully developed before entering cooperatives, a large number of problems will arise.

Without enough cadres, the accounts are naturally in disarray.

Because mutual aid groups have fewer members, the accounts involved are simpler, so a dedicated accountant isn't needed. A few families can sit down and work out a rough calculation. However, cooperatives typically consist of at least 20 to 30 households, with a population of nearly 200 people.

This calculation is different.

If a cooperative consists of fifty, sixty, or even a hundred households, management becomes even more difficult. Just the daily work points earned by one person and the distribution of income based on those points are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Chairman, the accounts are too messy now. That's why everyone wants to withdraw from the collective and return to the mutual aid group model. Our village mutual aid group has done very well before. We are all relatives of revolutionaries and will not hinder the revolution. We will definitely not default on the state's public grain."

The chairman already roughly understood what had happened.

The rural areas in Anyang lack the foundation for cooperatives. At the very least, they haven't trained qualified cooperative cadres, yet they're being forced into cooperatives. Once they've joined, these villages are implementing cooperative models tailored to their circumstances.

For example, the Shuangyang Cooperative, lacking the necessary conditions, retained the original mutual aid groups. Although a cooperative was established, the primary production unit remained the mutual aid groups. The cooperative's primary role was to coordinate these mutual aid groups.

However, officials at higher levels considered this problematic, arguing that it wasn't a cooperative, but rather a mutual aid group. Therefore, they forcibly closed those mutual aid groups and insisted on establishing cooperatives, incorporating everyone into them for shared production and accounting. As a result, cooperatives have become plagued by problems, and now farmers are eager to withdraw from them and start over with mutual aid groups. This reckless push, despite the lack of objective conditions, is a classic example of "leftism."

Chairman Mao has been involved in the revolution for so many years and has seen this kind of "leftist" approach of rushing for quick results countless times.

So the chairman finally said: "I know everything you have said. If you trust me, I will handle this matter. I will definitely give the villagers a satisfactory answer. Even in this hot weather, you should go back to visit your elderly and children at home."

"Chairman, we believe in you."

"Yep."

Someone suddenly said, "Chairman, have you not eaten?"

"correct."

"Doesn't the cooperative have pigs?"

The chairman looked at the enthusiastic crowd and waved his hands, saying, "Fellow villagers, thank you all for your enthusiasm. But I still have things to deal with and cannot stay here long. And I have to deal with the affairs of my fellow villagers first." How could everyone let the chairman leave like this?

So they kept watching the Chairman get into his car. However, as the Chairman's motorcade left, they remained where they were, not returning until it was out of sight. Their faces were filled with excitement.

They actually met the Chairman.

The chairman's sudden visit to the Shuangyang Cooperative has become a story passed down from generation to generation here.

Compared to the excitement at Shuangyang Cooperative, the chairman's face fell as he got into the car. After returning to Anyang County, the chairman asked directly, "Comrade Lin Xiao, how many years have you been a party member? How many years have you participated in the revolution?"

"Chairman, I have been a Party member since 38 and joined the revolution in 38. During the Anti-Japanese War, I was in Handan where I was engaged in the revolution. Later, when the army opened up a base in northern Henan, I came to Anyang to participate in the revolution."

"You're also a veteran Party member with over a decade of membership. Now, tell me, why are there such big problems with the cooperative? Haven't you read the central government's documents? Don't you know that cooperatives are production cooperatives? They only nationalize the means of production in the countryside, not the farmers' personal means of subsistence. You're even taking the farmers' pigs. How can you be considered a new-age bandit?"

It's scary when the Chairman gets angry.

Lin Xiao was at a loss as to what to do in the face of the Chairman's harsh questioning.

Don't know where to start.

Lin Xiao is very young. Although he has been a party member for 14 years, he is only 32 years old this year and was only 18 when he joined the party.

I've never experienced anything like this before. But the Chairman didn't give Lin Xiao any face and continued, "Comrade Lin Xiao, it's the support of the people that made our revolution victorious. They are the greatest contributors to the revolution. How come now that you're in power you look down on these muddy peasants, thinking you're the masters and don't need to look down on the 'untouchables'?"

“Chairman, this is a mistake in our work.”

"This isn't just a simple work error." Even though the Chairman had been through so much, he couldn't help but be furious when he saw what was happening. So, pointing at Lin Xiao, he said, "This is a crime, a crime against the people."

Wei Hongjun did not persuade the Chairman.

Wei Hongjun knew the Chairman was about to vent his anger. It would be better for everyone if he did so now. If the Chairman didn't lose his temper and instead kept the matter to himself, it would only make everyone worried.

The young man next to Lin Xiao spoke up at this time: "Chairman, I am Yang Gui, deputy director of the Anyang Prefectural Party Committee Office. I would like to say a few words."

After he introduced himself like this, Wei Hongjun looked up at him.

Wei Hongjun had previously thought he was Lin's correspondent because he was so young, only in his twenties. But after he introduced himself, Wei Hongjun finally remembered who he was.

This was the man responsible for the historically renowned Red Flag Canal in Lin County. When he was the Lin County Party Secretary, he led the people of Lin County in building the famous Red Flag Canal. Wei Hongjun hadn't expected Yang Gui to be so young at that time—only in his twenties, yet already serving as deputy director of the Prefectural Party Committee Office.

This is the political ecology of this era.

He joined the revolution in his teens, and by the time he was in his twenties and thirties, he had already accumulated more than a decade of revolutionary experience. Therefore, he was able to hold high positions at a young age. However, Yang Gui was very courageous. At the age of twenty-four, he was not afraid in front of the furious Chairman and expressed his desire to speak. The Chairman looked at Yang Gui and nodded, saying:

"Then tell me how your Anyang Prefectural Committee works."

Although the Chairman was furious, he still had a good first impression of Yang Gui.

After all, he is so young and so courageous.

The Chairman admires young cadres who have the temperament of remaining calm even when faced with a mountain collapse.

"Chairman, our mutual aid groups in Anyang have been doing very well in recent years. So our next step is to establish several primary cooperatives in each county to set an example. We will then run a cadre school to train a group of cooperative cadres, and then gradually develop primary cooperatives. In order to develop cooperatives, we have already coordinated with Shanxi to send more than 200 mutual aid group leaders with good performance to attend the Shanxi Cooperative Cadre Training Class and also visit Shanxi cooperatives to see how they run cooperatives. The Anyang Prefectural Committee's plan is to use three years to transform all of Anyang's mutual aid groups into primary cooperatives before 1955.

Yang Gui is very courageous.

He said directly, "But after Anyang was incorporated into Henan Province this year, the provincial government criticized our Anyang Prefectural Committee several times, believing that our Anyang Prefectural Committee had a rightist tendency in rural work. Across the river in Henan Province, every rural area has completed cooperative reform. If we don't count our several prefectures, the proportion of advanced cooperatives has reached 70%. But our Anyang Prefectural District, Puyang Prefectural District, and Xinxiang City have just begun to develop primary cooperatives, accounting for 1.4% of all farmers. The majority of rural areas are still at the mutual aid group stage. The provincial government has criticized our Anyang Prefectural Committee's plan to use three years to enter the primary cooperative stage across the province."

"In March, the provincial government demanded that all rural areas develop cooperatives within a month. In April, the provincial government sent cadres to inspect the cooperative situation here. They criticized us for continuing to make rightist mistakes on the cooperative issue and refusing to correct them, saying that this was opposing the central government's rural policies. If our Anyang Prefectural Committee did not correct our rightist policies, the provincial government would send personnel to take over Anyang's rural work. They demanded that our Anyang Prefectural Committee and Anyang Special Administrative Office keep pace with the provincial government and understand its guidance. So, in April, all rural areas in Anyang Special Administrative Region were forced to cancel all mutual aid groups. However, after two months of cooperative reform in April and May, various problems arose in various rural areas, and calls for the withdrawal of cooperatives were growing in rural areas."

"Playing the piano randomly."

The chairman couldn't help but slam the table.

How can we continue to work like this?

They're insisting on promoting cooperatives even though they're clearly not mature yet. It would be possible if you had the foundations of Shanxi and Hebei. After all, Shanxi and Hebei have been working hard for six or seven years to develop mutual aid groups and cooperatives.

Many cadres have been trained and farmers have adapted to the cooperative model.

But what foundation does Henan have?

The chairman slammed his fist on the table, startling everyone. Yang Gui, sitting across from him, was particularly shocked. But he mustered his courage and said, "Since March, the Henan Daily has been reporting extensively on the success of cooperative reforms in other regions. They've also criticized our Anyang, Puyang, and Xinxiang districts for slowing the pace of rural cooperative reform in Henan, and accused our cadres of harboring dangerous rightist ideas. Under these circumstances, we can only follow the provincial government's lead."

Yang Gui was actually crying out for injustice.

The cadres of the entire Anyang Special District have been feeling very depressed since Anyang was incorporated into Henan Province in February.

Since the merger of Anyang Prefecture, Puyang Prefecture, and Xinxiang City into Henan Province, the provincial government has been criticizing us constantly, despite the fact that we haven't gotten to know each other much yet. No matter what work we do, the provincial government is dissatisfied.

Yang Gui knew that if his words were to be spread today, he would offend former Henan provincial officials.

But he couldn't help it.

He had been thinking about these things for a long time. But it was precisely because Yang Gui was still young, only in his early twenties, full of vigor and vitality, that he couldn't help but blurt them out when he saw the Chairman.

"Chairman, Anyang is doing very well. Since its liberation, its industry and agriculture have developed rapidly. Batteries produced here are now being exported to Southeast Asia via Hong Kong. The Yubei Spinning Mill in Anyang is well-known in my country's textile industry for its high production efficiency and quality. The Anyang Match Factory is also one of the largest match factories in the country."

Seeing that the atmosphere was rather solemn, Wei Hongjun still spoke a fair word for Anyang.

This is not Wei Hongjun's attempt to win people's hearts.

Although Pingyuan Province was previously under the jurisdiction of the North China Bureau and the North China People's Government, Wei Hongjun had no prior connections with the provincial cadres. Later, their work interactions were limited, and their friendship was minimal. This was true even for the provincial cadres, and the Anyang cadres were even more distant from Wei Hongjun.

What Wei Hongjun said came from the heart.

Because Anyang's cadres were highly capable, within a short period of time after liberation, Anyang's industry and agriculture recovered to their previous levels and rapidly expanded again. Despite lacking state financial support, the city, relying on its own capabilities, forged a path forward. Anyang's cadres were highly pragmatic, adapting to the city's unique characteristics and establishing a number of small-scale, low-investment, and high-yield enterprises, such as cotton ginning, granular fertilizer, comprehensive chemicals, dye processing, limestone, and wood processing. These industries quickly generated profits, replenishing Anyang's finances.

Later, Anyang developed other industries, such as the Yubei Spinning Mill and the Anyang Battery Factory mentioned by Wei Hongjun, which are currently flourishing. They are even contributing to the country's foreign exchange earnings. It can be said that in the years since liberation, apart from Luoyang, which has received state investment, Anyang is undoubtedly one of the most developed regions in Henan.

Among the current cadres in the country, the cadres in Anyang are definitely qualified.

Because Wei Hongjun was in charge of the textile industry and light industry, he was relatively familiar with the situation in Anyang.

The chairman then slowly suppressed his anger.

Of course, the Chairman's outburst wasn't directed at the Anyang officials. He was irritated with the Henan provincial government officials. So, the Chairman asked, "The Henan Provincial Party Secretary is Comrade Pan Fusheng, right?"

"Yes."

Don't ever think that the Chairman knows the top and second-in-command positions in every province across the country.

Not so.

Except for some important provinces, the chairman does not really care about personnel appointments in most provinces.

Once the Secretariat and the Organization Department draft a list and submit it, and everyone approves it at the Politburo meeting, the Chairman will not object. This is unless the Chairman has a truly negative impression of the person and is politically unfavorable. Only in this case will the Chairman raise objections. As for routine cadre adjustments, the Chairman simply takes a final look and does not directly intervene, as these are all based on organizational procedures.

The Chairman himself doesn't care much about these things.