1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 31

The officials present didn't even ask these people if they were willing to do it. As long as they came, they were to be worked to death. They couldn't escape the fate of being treated like cattle and horses, so how could these able-bodied men escape it?

After the start of spring, young men from all over the country came to Changsha in droves, braving all obstacles to seek opportunities for revolution. Since they were idle anyway, and staying at home meant going hungry three times a day, they might as well go out and try their luck.

However, the Central Plains front could not possibly accommodate so many people. The revolutionary army's reserve personnel system has gradually become more standardized. There are dedicated recruit camps in Changsha and Wuhan, which can provide at least 7,000 qualified recruits to the front every month.

The demand for troops from the rear on the Central Plains battlefield depends on how many troops are consumed at the front. If a certain number are used up this month, then the number of troops to be sent next month will be determined. Just maintain the current level; too many would be too much to support.

Sending two train cars of people is not as good as sending two train cars of grain. The Central Plains battlefield lacks everything except people.

Even locals from Henan and Hebei came to join the army every day, the number was frightening, but the Northern Expeditionary Army did not dare to recruit too many, for fear that the locals would overwhelm their logistics.

People from all over the country who came to join the revolution mainly came to Changsha, the birthplace of the uprising, because only by coming here could they receive reasonable arrangements.

The brothers Luo Ming and Luo Liang were transferred from Henan in the Central Plains. They didn't feel like they were of much use staying at home, so they thought they might as well join the army and get a government salary.

Every day, tens of thousands of onlookers gathered around the battlefields of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Beiyang Army. Luo Ming and Luo Liang learned about the war from these onlookers.

Yes, you heard right. There were also a lot of civilians watching the battle on the battlefield of the Central Plains War. Every night after the two armies stopped fighting, a large number of civilians would even enter the dangerous war zone to scavenge for scraps. They would pick up whatever they could find, and if they were lucky enough to find a wounded soldier and send him back, they could get a lot of money as a reward.

However, the onlookers preferred the Northern Expeditionary Army because they paid for everything, while the Qing army was much worse. If you found a wounded revolutionary soldier and sent him to them, they would give you two silver dollars so you could go home and live a good life.

But if you find a wounded Qing soldier and bring him there, the Qing army will whip you twice and then conscript you to be a laborer.

The desperate people of the Central Plains thought the Northern Expeditionary Army was a good option and began to enthusiastically join it. However, Zhao Yan refused to accept them. He thought they were a bunch of scoundrels who joined the army on the battlefield. Did he think he was reading a military fantasy novel? He believed that taking them in would only waste their resources and pay, and he couldn't afford to support them. He could only send them south to join the revolution!

Luo Ming and Luo Liang were rejected when they joined the army, so they had no choice but to go south. Of course, many of their fellow villagers felt that the Northern Expeditionary Army would not accept them, so they went to the Beiyang Army. The next day, their bodies were discovered by their fellow villagers. The Beiyang Army was simply using the locals as cannon fodder. The locals were not stupid. After discovering this, they decisively blocked the Beiyang Army.

Large numbers of people could no longer survive in the Central Plains, so they began a massive southward migration to join the revolution.

Indeed, in the prosperous Central Plains, the common people were struggling to survive; this was the reality of the late Qing Dynasty!

It is true that the Central Plains were prosperous, but prosperity had nothing to do with the lower classes. The majority of farmers were tenant farmers or serfs. The landlord class and the Manchu noble class occupied the vast majority of the land. Less than 10% of the population occupied 70-80% of the land, while the remaining 90% of the population could only survive by struggling to make ends meet.

The same is true of Luo Ming and Luo Liang's family. Their father broke his leg when he went out at night because he couldn't afford a light. So he named the two brothers Mingliang.

Luo Ming and Luo Liang's family consists of nine people: their grandfather, parents, four brothers, and two sisters. However, they only have 2.2 mu of arable land, which is still considered a relatively wealthy household among the lower classes!

If the brothers Luo Ming and Luo Liang don't go out and try their luck, their younger siblings will starve to death. The farmland they have is simply not enough to support a family of nine. This is not because the Luo family is not hardworking enough, but because no matter how hard you work, the land only produces so much, and after paying taxes, there is not enough left for a family of nine to eat and drink.

In the past, members of the Luo family would go out to help Manchu and Han landlords cultivate the land, earning a meager income that barely covered their own needs, leaving no extra money to support the family.

But if there's one less mouth to feed in the family, they can save a mouthful of food, and in previous years they could barely survive. But it got harder and harder each year as the government's taxes became heavier and heavier.

Grandpa is getting older and can't work anymore, and there's another mouth to feed in the family that can't work. This year, the Central Plains War broke out, and the landlords stopped taking people. Luo Ming and Luo Liang could only head south in confusion.

The two brothers, Luo Ming and Luo Liang, were 18 and 16 years old respectively. They were both young enough to eat their fathers' food, but if they stayed at home eating, their younger siblings would starve to death. This is the cruel survival of the fittest in the lower class.

The mother could only send her two sons out to participate in the revolution. She didn't understand what revolution was at all, but she thought that even revolutionaries needed to eat and wear clothes. It couldn't be worse than working as a long-term laborer for a landlord, could it? As for war, chaos, and death, did you think being a farmer wouldn't lead to death these days?

Following the large group south, Luo Ming and Luo Liang were nearly starving when they arrived in Changsha. Fortunately, they met officials who came to receive them and arranged accommodation and meals for them.

After only one day of rest, these idlers were recruited by the newly established infrastructure corps and sent to construction sites that were about to start work. No one asked for their own wishes, and they were haphazardly arranged to start work.

However, after hearing about the benefits of the construction corps, the two brothers were more than willing! Three meals a day, and they were even paid for with their own food—what kind of heavenly treatment was that? As for the civil service exam, the two taels of silver, and all sorts of other active duty benefits, the two brothers didn't care at all.

Because everyone thought that three meals a day was the best they could get, and dreaming of two taels of silver was simply wishful thinking. This is not how you carry out a revolution!

These days, most people's biggest pursuit is simply not going hungry. If they can achieve that, they'll make a profit no matter what they do. As for making money and accumulating wealth, that's just a dream!

Most people thought it was just corvée labor and complained that the officials made all sorts of fancy promises, but in the end it was just corvée labor. But the good thing was that they were provided with food and tools, which made it all worthwhile.

In the Qing Dynasty, or in other words, in ancient times, when one performed corvée labor, one had to bring one's own food and tools. There was no pay for the work, and one had to supplement it with things from one's own home.

Someone asked if there were any corvée labor services that provided food and tools. Yes! But you would definitely prefer the kind of corvée labor service where you bring your own food and tools!

Once the government provides food and tools, it's no longer local corvée labor, but going to a distant place where whether you can come back alive is a complete unknown.

For example, right now, the able-bodied men in the infrastructure corps feel that they are performing forced labor in other places. Fortunately, the officials promised three meals a day, which made everyone temporarily stop complaining. They all plan to work for a while and see. If they really do get three meals a day, they will continue to work. If not, it depends on the situation.

If you're a little hungry, you can keep working, but if you have to work like crazy even if you only have rice porridge for two meals a day, then don't blame me for having legs to run away on my own!

Construction on the Beijing-Hankou Highway, fraught with difficulties, began. The Changsha Provisional Government scraped together 6,000 tons of grain and 50,000 taels of silver to barely get the first phase of the project started.

Before construction began, after the officials finished their speeches, the first thing they did was serve food. Buckets of fragrant white rice were cooked fresh on the construction site, and then, without any side dishes, the construction workers each ate a large bowl of the provided porcelain bowls before getting back to work.

This is also a key performance indicator set by the head of state for the project: eat first, then work, so that the project can be completed with high quality and quantity!

Being able to eat a meal before even starting work boosted the morale of the large number of infrastructure engineering soldiers. Forget about pay and benefits; those monthly payments were unreliable. At least the white rice in front of them was paid daily.

A total of seventeen construction sections across Changsha, north and south, commenced construction simultaneously today, with over 60,000 construction engineers from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps being deployed to the project.

The progress on the first day of construction was very encouraging. The engineers, who had eaten their fill, displayed an astonishing level of physical ability. They could even dig through rocks with their hoes, and sparks flew everywhere.

However, the officials of the provisional government were very worried. If they continued to spend money like this, the national treasury would not be able to support them at all!

Chapter 56 Industry also needs a revolution!

On March 15, 1906, Zhang Xinghua, the head of the General Affairs Department of the Yuan Headquarters and Minister of the Supervision Department of the Restoration Party, arrived in Wuhan after a long journey and went straight to the Hanyang Arsenal.

Li Lanqing, who had just been appointed governor of Hubei Province, wanted to host a welcome dinner for Zhang Xinghua, but was decisively refused. Li Lanqing could only take a group of officials and go to the arsenal with Zhang Xinghua.

During the inspection, Zhang Xinghua looked very unhappy, which made Li Lanqing smile and beg for mercy the whole way. Li Lanqing was in his fifties and was the governor of the province, yet he still had to smile and beg for a young man of eighteen or nineteen. Li Lanqing had never been so embarrassed in his life.

But there was nothing they could do. Zhang Xinghua was one of the five tigers of the Restoration Party, a figure who rose to power in Shanghai with the head of state. Even if he was only a minor official, his party rank was terrifyingly high, and he was also a close advisor to the emperor in the head of state's office. He was not someone to be trifled with.

The five ministers and one special operations team leader from the original Ba'ath Party are now all serving in the military or government. On the surface, their ranks are very low or even nonexistent, but their actual power is very high.

It's just that these young lads are too young, so Zhao Yan can't promote them. He can only give them low-ranking but high-power positions. The highest-ranking military representative at present is Wu Zifu, who is only nineteen years old. He serves as the military representative of the southward-bound army group. Although he has no military rank or specific position, the military and political leaders in Guangdong and Guangxi have to consult with Wu Zifu on everything.

Last month, Chen Jiongming, dissatisfied, led some of his new army to cause trouble in Guangzhou. It was said that the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) was backing and encouraging him. However, the day after the incident, Wu Zifu led his men to wipe out Chen Jiongming and his entire family, which terrified everyone in Guangdong and Guangxi.

The five tigers of the Revival Party didn't learn much from Zhao Yanhao, but they did learn his ruthless determination to do things thoroughly and completely.

Now, Li Lanqing and a group of Hubei officials dare not underestimate Zhang Xinghua, this young man who has just turned eighteen, because Zhao Yan is standing behind him!

Zhao Yan was ruthless towards officials, and no one dared to cross him.

"Governor Li, I've taken my look around here and seen everything I needed to. I won't bother with any bureaucratic maneuvering." My message this time is simply: "The Head of State is very dissatisfied!"

"Ah!" Li Lanqing's face turned deathly pale, already considering whether to draw his gun and shoot or to slit his own throat: "Please, Your Majesty, spare my family, considering that I have already done my best!"

Zhang Xinghua retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? We are revolutionaries, not butchers! If we're not satisfied with something at work, we can improve it, we can strengthen it. What are you doing making such a fuss about?"

"The Führer only expressed dissatisfaction, he didn't say you did anything wrong! You people are always fighting and killing each other. Internal affairs should be peaceful and stable, and we should seek development instead of turning against our own people!"

Zhang Xinghua had learned a thing or two from Zhao Yan, and his words were full of official jargon, which put the officials at ease.

Li Lanqing touched her pounding heart, still shaken, and said, "What exactly is the head of state's opinion? The Hubei government will do its utmost to fulfill it."

Zhang Xinghua countered, "The head of state has no objections, but instead wants me to ask about your difficulties!"

Zhao Yan wasn't the kind of tyrant who only knew how to kill and behead. He still had to consider things properly. He had given the officials all the necessary blows, and even some that he shouldn't have. If he were to put pressure on them now, the officials might collectively rebel. So, Zhao Yan had to be understanding of what was appropriate.

The unexpected show of concern brought tears to the eyes of some officials, a clear case of Stockholm syndrome.

Li Lanqing paused for a moment, then said, "The Hanyang Arsenal has already improved its assembly line operations, making targeted improvements to all the previously inefficient processes."

At the same time, we hired a large number of foreign technicians and engineers, which cost a lot of money, but the results were very obvious. Currently, the arsenal's production capacity has increased by 120% compared to before the revolution.

But the biggest problem now is the equipment. The equipment at the Hanyang Arsenal is all outdated foreign equipment, and many pieces of equipment are not properly maintained. By the time we discovered this, it was too late to fix it.

The arsenal is currently facing a severe shortage of raw materials, especially smokeless powder and special tubing for manufacturing gun barrels. The situation is even more dire for artillery; the steel used for the barrels must be entirely imported. We also need to import artillery fuses and primers.”

Li Lanqing's recent efforts to vigorously promote industrial development in Hubei are not without merit. With Zhao Yan holding a knife to his throat, Li Lanqing immediately unleashed the fierce determination he had shown during his years of diligent study. He found a large number of professional books and invited many foreigners to learn from him, giving himself a thorough crash course in industrial knowledge.

While they may not be as professional as the officials, it is already quite remarkable that they can understand this level of knowledge, know what industry is all about, and how industrial products are produced.

The difficulties that Li Lanqing has now summarized are that the hardware equipment is inadequate, the upstream raw materials are insufficient, and the localization rate of weapon parts is too low!

The issue of technical personnel is actually the easiest to resolve. Although the Hanyang Arsenal has been in decline and overstaffed for years, it is still the second largest arsenal in the country, and its reserve of technical personnel is still adequate.

The only problem was hardware; China was held hostage by foreigners, and such a large country as China did not even have the ability to produce smokeless gunpowder.

This isn't a technical problem. China can certainly produce a certain amount of smokeless gunpowder in a laboratory, but industrial-scale mass production is out of the question.

This is not just a problem with the Hanyang Arsenal, but a problem with designing an entire industrial system. If you can't even handle the mass industrial production of three acids and two alkalis, then producing more advanced smokeless gunpowder and explosives is pure nonsense.

Moreover, although the Hanyang Arsenal was nominally capable of manufacturing artillery and producing high-end military products such as shells, its domestic production rate was actually worrying, with a large portion of the parts and raw materials needing to be imported!

Even the brass plates needed to produce bullets need to be imported from foreign manufacturers. For some components such as fuses and gun barrels that involve precision machining and material strength, the capabilities of local manufacturers are questionable.

There are manufacturers with better technology, such as the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, which has strong technological capabilities, but the Revolutionary Army cannot control it at present.

The Jiangnan Arsenal was the largest arsenal in the late Qing Dynasty. It could produce smokeless gunpowder and shells on its own, and it was responsible for the logistics of the Beiyang Fleet. However, it still had the same old problems: insufficient basic resources, and although it had the technology, it was extremely dependent on overseas raw materials.

Previously, the Qing dynasty didn't care about these things. Foreigners treated the Qing dynasty almost like their own son, giving them whatever they wanted as long as they had money. But the revolutionary army was different, because the revolutionary army could not be treated like a son, but only like a master.

The side effects of this hardening of the spine came quickly: the foreigners stopped catering to China, and the country's weak and nascent industrial sector soon suffered a severe blow.

Currently, most of the rifle bullets sent to the front lines from the Hanyang Arsenal are black powder bullets. The front lines are in an uproar, and the small amount of smokeless powder stockpile can only be used exclusively for the manufacture of machine gun bullets.

Many riflemen cursed and swore when they fired, and the bullets were as soft as noodles. The smoke was choking and seriously interfered with the machine gunners' field of fire.

Li Lanqing didn't ramble on or spout empty platitudes like he did during the Qing Dynasty. Instead, he spoke only about solid, practical information. He knew that these hotheads from the Restoration Party had very little patience and that he shouldn't beat around the bush.

After listening to Li Lanqing's report, Zhang Xinghua nodded repeatedly: "Very good, this is what revolution should be like, not avoiding or being ambiguous, and facing difficulties head-on."

I've remembered everything you said. The equipment problem is easy to solve. Go find the Germans and Americans. The Führer has already opened the channels there. As long as you have money, you can sell anything and buy whatever you need. Just keep good accounts and don't embezzle!

The same applies to technical issues. While hiring foreign technical personnel, we should also increase the training of our own local technical personnel, establish several schools, and do more basic education and professional skills training.

Domestic businesses should be encouraged to set up factories; the government should provide all the necessary incentives, such as tax exemptions and purchase orders.

"Although the leader is far away on the front lines, he is very concerned about you all back home!"

"The head of state personally instructed that China needs revolution not only in military and political affairs, but also in industry. Don't be afraid of making mistakes; the only thing to fear is not doing anything. As long as the money is used to get things done and the mind is focused on the task at hand, the head of state is quite tolerant of such officials. Don't keep asking for your family to be treated well!"

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. Long live the revolution!" Li Lanqing, who had just escaped with his life, was so moved that he couldn't express his gratitude. But then he rubbed his fingers together and asked, "Besides verbal instructions, has Your Majesty allocated any funds?"

"Ahem!" Now it was Zhang Xinghua's turn to be embarrassed. Where would there be any funding? The war machine at the front was a bottomless pit of money. They should be grateful they weren't robbing Hubei of their military funds. Want funding? Dream on!

Zhang Xinghua said righteously, "The greatest support the head of state has given to Hubei is no support at all! We've already made Hubei self-sufficient in its finances, what more do you want? Is it so difficult to use all the tax revenue of an entire province to develop industry?"

"If we really had money, what would we need you for? With enough money, why would we need an arms factory? We could just import the goods directly, give each of us a machine gun, and just shoot anyone we see. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"Only through difficulties can achievements be made. And only with achievements will the head of state remember you. The Prime Minister's Office currently only has two prime ministers, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister; the ministerial positions are all vacant!"

Li Lanqing's eyes widened: "Is this the head of state's intention?"

Zhang Xinghua nodded: "The head of state said that as long as Hubei's industry does well, it will be a piece of cake for you to be transferred to the central government as Minister of Industry in the future."

Li Lanqing was immediately disappointed: "I thought it was the Minister of Personnel."

Zhang Xinghua's eyes widened: "You? You want to be the future Minister of Civil Service? What a pipe dream! I wouldn't even dare to dream of that position!"

Chapter 57 One After Another

"Have you not seen Zhong Jun of the Han Dynasty, who, in his youth, bound the enemy and volunteered to lead a long spear?"

"Have you not seen the top of the board, where sterilization hydrogen fuels the war clouds~"

"A man should be prepared to face danger; how can he let the scholar's cap ruin his life?"

Loud singing echoed from afar, the military songs majestic and long. This was a section of completed national highway dirt road. After being rammed with gravel and rammed earth, the road barely resembled a highway.

Farmers busy with spring plowing in the fields on both sides of the road looked up and stared with complicated expressions at the young men walking past in neat steps on the main road.

"These kids are all going on the Northern Expedition, aren't they?" The farmer, carrying a hoe, stretched out his hand and looked at the endless ranks of soldiers, muttering, "My goodness, every few days there are several thousand people heading north. What kind of big operation is going on in the north?"

The farmer who had been bending down to pull weeds straightened up: "I don't know, but I've never seen a team marching into battle with such spirit."

The farmer carrying a hoe said, "You know nothing! The revolutionary army eats three meals a day and has one meat dish every day. I heard there are still 200 million taels of silver in Beijing, and even the roof tiles there are made of gold!"

The farmer pulling weeds sighed, "What do those things have to do with us? All I know is to take good care of my crops, harvest more grain this summer, and be able to eat my fill after paying taxes. That will make me content."

"You eat meat every day, and you still want a share of the Forbidden City's silver? You're dreaming!"

The farmer angrily put down his hoe and complained, "I'm just too old to carry a gun anymore, otherwise I would have joined the revolutionary army to fight!"

The farmer pulling weeds mocked, "You only see people eating meat, but you don't see them getting shot. Throughout history, how many armies have ever returned alive from battle?"

The farmer, leaning on his hoe, said helplessly, "That's true, but with the revolutionary army fighting so hard, why haven't we seen any tax increases yet? I heard from the officials that if someone in your family is serving in the army this year, the whole household will be exempt from taxes!"

The farmer pulling weeds cursed, "You worthless wretch, you're only happy when taxes are raised, aren't you?"

"We should hope that the Northern Expeditionary Army wins. If the revolutionary army takes control of the country, perhaps we can fill our stomachs. We don't need three meals a day, but at least the kids can eat their fill!"

The two farmers watched as groups of young men carrying guns headed north. To be honest, the people of the South actually hoped that the revolutionary army would win this battle. Putting aside everything else, at least after the revolutionary army came to power, the levies and taxes on the southern provinces were much lighter, and the new government never conscripted laborers.

The revolutionary army paid for all its logistical support during battles, and there was never any forced requisition or forced labor. This was unprecedented in the eyes of the people in the southern provinces.

When the imperial court went to war, there was no need to increase taxes or impose levies, and no corvée labor was conscripted from the people to accompany the army. The government bore all the pressure, and apart from a large number of unemployed youths joining the army, there were no other impacts on the people. In fact, social order was much better.

At this moment, inside Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, the faster recruit teams are already preparing to board the train, and the railway station has been fully placed under military control.

"Woooooo~~"

A train belching white steam slowly pulled into the station, its wheels screeching against the rails.