Rebirth from the Ashes: Rebuilding the Red Soviet Area

Li Yan washed and tidied himself up and hurried to the meeting room

All cadres present

Li Yan said directly: "Comrades, after our battle at Meishan, many new situations have emerged."

"As the old squad leader just said, so many people trust us, and we absolutely cannot let them down."

“There are several issues to discuss now.”

"The first problem is that with so many people coming to Meishan, what will they eat and drink? Winter is just a few months away, and will they have a place to live? We have to consider all these things."

"The second question is how to arrange for more than 1000 new recruits."

"The third question is, the enemy already knows our location and could attack us at any time. What should we do?"

These three issues are all rather thorny problems, and everyone fell into deep thought.

The old squad leader said: "We used to think that the people's surrender was a good thing, but now that the company commander has said this, there are indeed many problems that need to be solved."

"These ordinary people who have fled here will definitely not be able to return. The Kuomintang will not let them go."

"Captain, do you think this will work? Meishan is very big. Although there are many mountains, there are still some places where crops can be grown."

"We'll arrange for them to grow some sweet potatoes over there, and we'll provide them with some support so they can get through the initial stage first."

Li Yan thought for a moment and said, "Old squad leader, this is not a long-term solution."

"We can support the people temporarily, but not forever."

“We need to solve the problem fundamentally.”

"I plan to implement the Construction Corps in Meishan"

Gao Xuan asked: "What is the Construction Corps? I've never heard of it."

Li Yan explained: "It is similar to the farmers' association in the past, but it is different from the farmers' association."

"Everyone knows that Fujian is not only mountainous but also lacks a lot of land and supplies. The population is also very sparse, which is an important factor."

"For example, a family of four has only one mu of paddy field, but why don't they reclaim the land?"

"The main problem is that there are not enough strong laborers. We don't even have enough food to eat, so how can we have the energy to open up wasteland?"

“If we have an agricultural construction company, we can implement a collective system and pool all the strong laborers and farming tools. In this way, we can create a lot of fertile land.”

Zhang Dong said: "Captain, you mean to imitate Cao Wei's "military farming system"?

Li Yan nodded, then shook his head: "It's the same as the military farming system, but it's different from the military farming system."

"We in Meishan need to develop not only politically and militarily, but also economically and culturally, with economic development being the top priority."

"Without money, we can only survive, not fight."

“But economic development is more than just agriculture”

"There's also animal husbandry, the military industry, the mining industry, and so on. These can all develop the economy. With money, why would we still worry about food, clothing, housing, and transportation?"

The old squad leader said with a hint of enlightenment: "Company Commander, you mean to build factories like in the old Soviet areas, let the people become workers, dig tungsten sand ore and then sell it to the Southern King in exchange for oceans, food, and weapons?"

Li Yan nodded and said: "Yes, that's what I mean."

"For example, if our arsenal needs workers, we can hire ordinary people to work as workers and pay them salaries."

"For example, everyone who comes to Fujian has heard a saying: 'Every cave in Meishan is full of treasures.' What does this mean? We have them all right under our feet. We can hire workers and professionals to help us find and dig."

“Not only can we use it ourselves, but we can also sell it.”

Zhang Dong said, "Company Commander, the mining industry and the arsenal all need professionals. The common people here can hardly read. Besides, these all require strong labor. What about the elderly, children, and women among the common people?"

Li Yan said: "This is simple, we can start with the basics first."

"For example, we can raise chickens and ducks, open fish ponds, etc. These are jobs that both the elderly and women can do."

The old squad leader said: "Raising chickens and ducks requires feeding them. We don't even have enough food to eat, so how can we feed them? Besides, all this takes a long time."

People in this era are limited by science, and many things are difficult to explain. So Li Yan said: "Well, old squad leader, let's do an experiment first."

"First, find me a few women who have experience raising chickens and ducks, and tell them to help us raise them. We will pay them two dollars a month."

The old squad leader said: "Isn't that a bit too much?"

Li Yan said: "Not much. Only when the people are well off can we develop."

"Okay, let's just say this for now, and you will understand it slowly."