Newborn 1927

Chapter 235 Seven and a Half Paths

Yang Jiefang kept Yan Laoxi on the dragon carriage for two days. During these two days, Gao Qiang led two infantry regiments to take over the defense of Taiyuan City and control the Taiyuan Arsenal. Only after everything settled down did Yang Jiefang let Yan Laoxi leave. Yan Laoxi acted very straightforwardly, repeatedly stating before leaving that he would prepare for the railway construction.

Subsequently, Yang Jiefang also left Datong in a dragon-drawn carriage, heading to Suiyuan. Yan Donglai led the special forces team to remain in Datong, monitoring the movements of all parties. After inspecting Baotou, Yang Jiefang would definitely return to Jinan, and would have to pass through Datong again. After all, it wasn't his own territory, so he couldn't afford to be careless.

When the train arrived in Guihua, it stopped normally at the platform to have water added. Steam-powered trains consume a lot of water, and the water-addition time is also relatively long.

The wind was biting cold outside, and Yang Jiefang didn't intend to get out of the car, staying in the carriage with his two wives. Li Fuxing reported to him that Fu Zuoyi, commander of the 35th Army and chairman of Suiyuan Province, was requesting an audience. Yang Jiefang felt bad about neglecting this renowned general, so he received him in the reception room.

Fu Zuoyi, dressed in military uniform, gave a standard military salute and said, "Reporting to the junior commander, Fu Zuoyi, commander of the 35th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, is here to report for duty. Please give instructions!"

Yang Jiefang said, "Commander Fu, I want to go to Baotou to take a look. I'm just passing through Guihua and have no intention of disturbing the local garrison. I have no instructions. You've come to see me, is there something you need?"

Fu Zuoyi replied, "Whether it's Guihua or Baotou, they are both under the jurisdiction of Suiyuan Province. Since the young commander is going to Baotou for inspection, I, as the newly appointed chairman of Suiyuan Province, should accompany him."

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "In that case, come with me to Baotou! Is there anything else you need to prepare?"

Fu Zuoyi said, "This humble officer will accompany you alone and can depart at any time. There is nothing to prepare."

Yang Jiefang said, "Alright, sit down! Tell me about the situation in Guihua first!"

Fu Zuoyi agreed and sat down in the guest seat, saying, "In 1928, Suiyuan Province was established, with Guihua as its capital. Guihua was originally a county town with a population of less than 100,000. The area around Guihua was mostly uncultivated wasteland, and grain production was limited. I only brought the 73rd Division here to garrison, but the grain supply is still tight. I heard that Baotou has a population of one million and abundant resources, and I have long wanted to go there to take a look."

Although Fu Zuoyi was the chairman of Suiyuan Province, he dared not interfere in the affairs of Baotou. The territory he could control was only Guihua and the twelve counties that had been transferred from Shanxi to Suiyuan, with a total population of less than one million.

The 35th Army adopted a structure of one division and two brigades, and one brigade and two regiments, comprising the 72nd and 73rd Divisions. Of these, only the 73rd Division moved with the army headquarters to Guihua, while the 72nd Division remained stationed in Shanxi.

At that time in China, apart from the Central Army, which received full funding from the Ministry of Military Affairs, local warlord forces rarely received funding from the Ministry. Most warlords had to solve their own funding problems. For example, Yang Jiefang and Xiao Liuzi, who were powerful and controlled vast territories, did not pay taxes to the central government and did not require funding from the Ministry of Military Affairs. Other warlord forces, weaker in strength, could not fully solve their own funding problems and had to ask Chiang Kai-shek for money. Therefore, they had to rely on the Central Army. Han Fuqu and Yang Hucheng were examples of this type.

It was virtually impossible for the 35th Army to receive military funding directly from the Ministry of Military Affairs. Although nominally under Yang Jiefang's command, Yang Jiefang had never paid any attention to these controlled armies and would not allocate military funds to them as he would to his own.

Fu Zuoyi, holding a concurrent local official position, could use his authority to collect grain and taxes to support his army. However, Suiyuan was vast and sparsely populated, making it difficult to collect much tax. The territory he currently controlled was barely enough to support a division, let alone an army. If Yang Jiefang imposed further restrictions on him, he would only suffer more, utterly powerless to retaliate.

Yang Jiefang said with a half-smile, "Commander Fu, are you trying to plead poverty with me or are you just complaining?"

Fu Zuoyi quickly explained, "This humble officer dares not. I heard that Baotou has reclaimed a large area of ​​farmland this year and achieved a bumper harvest, which has resulted in sufficient food supplies. I would like to go there to see and learn from their experience. I plan to send troops out next year to cultivate land around Guihua to solve the army's food supply problem."

Yang Jiefang said, "If you send all the troops to settle down and engage in production, it will inevitably affect daily training. How can you guarantee the army's combat effectiveness then?"

Fu Zuoyi said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do about it. However, the 35th Army's weapons and equipment are outdated, and its combat effectiveness is inherently poor. It can't compare to the People's Liberation Army. There is a cavalry division of the People's Liberation Army stationed in Baotou, which will surely ensure the safety of Suiyuan."

Judging from his tone, you could tell he was resentful! Yang Jiefang was willing to win him over, but he feared that such a person wouldn't be so easily won over. Yang Jiefang said, "The 73rd Division is a combat unit, and it's indeed inappropriate to use it for land reclamation and production. The 35th Army is under my command after all, and I can't just stand by and watch you go hungry, can I? Here's what we'll do! I'll expand your 35th Army with an extra land reclamation brigade, specifically for grain production."

Fu Zuoyi said, "I'm afraid a single reclamation brigade would be insufficient to supply the entire army's food needs."

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "This year, a million people migrated from Baotou. They built homes, factories, and farmed the land at the same time. In just one year, their grain production became self-sufficient. Do you know how they did it?"

Fu Zuoyi replied, "That's exactly what I wanted to ask you!"

Yang Jiefang said, "Because I equipped them with agricultural tractors. There are tractors specifically for plowing, sowing, and harvesting. One machine can do the work of a hundred people. The terrain around Guihua is flat, with a lot of arable land, which is also suitable for mechanized farming. If we have dozens or hundreds of agricultural tractors, how much land can we arable and how much grain can we grow? Are we worried that we can't supply your 35th Army?"

Fu Zuoyi was overjoyed and said, "If that's the case, just make sure there's enough food for my 35th Army. Any surplus food is at your disposal, Commander."

Yang Jiefang was very pleased with his understanding and then said, "I can help solve the food and ammunition supply problems for the 35th Army. You just need to focus on training your troops! When it's convenient, I will come to inspect your troops. If you can satisfy me, I will equip you with the same weapons as the People's Liberation Army."

Fu Zuoyi was overjoyed and immediately stood up, proudly saying, "Rest assured! The 35th Army will not disappoint the young commander."

Yang Jiefang continued, "Military training is certainly important. But military discipline cannot be relaxed! The people prefer a disciplined and righteous army, not lawless bandits. I will never allow such bandits to exist in my defense zone!"

Fu Zuoyi took out a small booklet from his pocket, handed it over with both hands, and said, "This is the 'Code of Conduct for Political Work of the 35th Army' that I have drafted. Please give me your feedback, Commander!"

Yang Jiefang took the booklet and skimmed through it. His own Ten Military Regulations, derived from the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention, were plagiarized. He suddenly remembered that in the original historical account, this man was known as "Seven and a Half Route." When it came to copying homework, he was remarkably thorough.

Yang Jiefang praised, "Commander Fu is quite adept at managing troops. This work code is well-written; I'll take it back to the General Political Department for careful study!" This meant it should be promoted throughout the entire army, which made Fu Zuoyi feel gratified.

At this moment, Li Fuxing came in and reported, "Commander, the water has been added, and the driver is asking when we will depart." Yang Jiefang replied, "Set off immediately. We need to get to Baotou as soon as possible."

Li Fuxing agreed and went out to relay the order. The train quickly started moving and continued its journey. Yang Jiefang left Fu Zuoyi in the living room to chat with him. The two, one willing to seek refuge and the other eager to be accepted, hit it off immediately and chatted very congenially.

When the train arrived in Baotou, a group of people were still waiting to greet it at the Baotou Railway Station. Yang Jiefang immediately spotted Li Boyan, Chu Shiwu, Wu Zhichen, and others in the crowd. After exchanging greetings, Yang Jiefang introduced Fu Zuoyi, who was standing next to him, saying, "Some of you may know this man, and some may not. Let me formally introduce him to you! He is Fu Yisheng, the commander of the 35th Army and the chairman of Suiyuan Province."

Li Boyan stepped forward and greeted, "Chairman Fu, it's been a long time. Welcome to Baotou!"

Fu Zuoyi replied, "Mayor Li, in just one year, you have built Baotou so well! I'm not here to inspect; I'm here to learn from your experience. Please don't hold back! Tell me all about how you built Baotou!"

When Suiyuan was established as a province, Baotou was just a county. Yang Jiefang upgraded it to a prefecture-level city in order to build the Baotou Steel Plant.

Li Boyan said, "This is all thanks to the young commander's excellent guidance. What experience do I have to share? If you want to see the current situation in Baotou, I can lead the way and give you an introduction."

Yang Jiefang said, "Alright, enough with the nonsense in this freezing weather! Let's go to the steel plant first to check on the construction progress. Then we'll take a look at the other factories. Commander Wu, you go back to the barracks first! I'll inspect your Third Cavalry Division tomorrow."

Afterwards, the group split up. Li Boyan led Yang Jiefang straight to the steel plant. The plant's buildings were mostly completed, and blast furnaces were being constructed and various machines were being installed. Although it was cold outside, the work inside was in full swing.

Yang Jiefang didn't disturb the construction workers who were working normally. He walked around, looking at the progress and listening to Li Boyan explain the construction progress of the steel plant. He had experience building the Laiyang Steel Plant, so he was quite familiar with the process.

Li Boyan said, "When we built the Laiyang Steel Plant, we lacked relevant experience and started with small blast furnaces, resulting in low output. In Baotou, however, we built large blast furnaces from the beginning. This blast furnace under construction has a volume of over 1,000 cubic meters. Once it goes into production, it will produce more than 2,000 tons of pig iron per day. The annual output will reach more than 700,000 tons. This is not far from your goal of producing one million tons per year!"

Yang Jiefang nodded in satisfaction. Currently, the Yantai Steel Plant, Laiwu Steel Plant, Wuhan Steel Plant, and the long-established Tangshan Steel Plant, all under his control, are undergoing capacity upgrades and constructing large-scale blast furnaces. Once these steel plants complete their capacity upgrades, China's annual steel production will approach or even surpass that of Japan at present. At that time, Japan, due to a shortage of raw materials, only produced a little over five million tons of steel annually.

Yang Jiefang asked, "Can the raw materials be supplied in sufficient quantities?"

Li Boyan replied, "We have already built a railway to the Baiyun Obo mining area. Iron ore mining and transportation are not a problem. As for coal, Datong can supply it in full. Besides, the coal reserves around Baotou are also very rich, and the coking plant has already been built. If the young commander wants to take a look, I will take you there in a moment."

Yang Jiefang then asked, "What kinds of factories have been completed or are under construction?"

Li Boyan replied, "The factories that have already been built include a waterworks and a power plant. However, the current power plant's output is only enough to meet current needs. Once the steel plant goes into operation, it won't be enough. Therefore, new generator units are still under construction. In addition, the wool textile and leather processing factories are already in normal production. You see, the wool sweaters and sheepskin coats that everyone is wearing are all made by us. By next year, we will be able to sell textiles and leather products."

Fu Zuoyi, who was traveling with them, exclaimed in admiration, "That's remarkable! I heard you've also reclaimed a large amount of farmland?"

Li Boyan replied, "Yes. After all, more than a million people have been relocated here. We cannot rely entirely on grain transported from other places."

Fu Zuoyi pressed further, "How much farmland have you reclaimed this year?"

Li Boyan replied with a smile, "There are a total of over 1.5 million mu, but the per capita arable land is still insufficient. We will have to continue reclamation next year. Based on the order in which the land was reclaimed, we planted spring wheat, potatoes, corn, soybeans, and other grain crops. The grain produced should be enough to last until next summer's harvest. However, the yield of spring wheat is relatively low. We tried planting some winter wheat before winter, but we don't know if it will be successful."

It may not seem like a lot that a population of over one million has cultivated more than 1.5 million mu of arable land. But these people include men and women, young and old. A significant portion of the able-bodied laborers are engaged in heavy manual labor such as road construction, mining, and building factories and housing. The fact that the remaining people have managed to cultivate so much land is quite remarkable.

Fu Zuoyi asked, "I heard you used a machine for land reclamation. How fast is it?"

Li Boyan replied, "Depending on the texture of the soil, the tillage speed varies. A tractor can till 80 to 100 mu of land per day. There are also seeders, harvesters, etc., with the same horsepower and similar speed." These tractors have the same power as the No. 1 tank, 70 horsepower.

Fu Zuoyi was taken aback and immediately began to calculate. If there were a hundred such tractors, a single reclamation brigade would be enough to support an army of 100,000. He turned to look at Yang Jiefang and tentatively asked, "Commander, I want to implement your rent and interest reduction policy in Suiyuan, but we lack the talent to govern. Could you please appoint Mayor Li as the vice chairman of Suiyuan Province?"

Yang Jiefang knew what he was up to as soon as he heard it, and laughed, "You want to copy the Baotou model to Guihua?"

Fu Zuoyi did not deny it, replying, "Yes. I also want to relocate some people from Shanxi." At that time, Shanxi had a population of about 16 million, and the contradiction between the large population and the limited land was very prominent. In contrast, Suiyuan had a population of only over 2 million when it was established as a province.

Yang Jiefang turned around and asked, "Mayor Li, what are your thoughts?"

Li Boyan replied, "I will follow the young commander's orders!"

Yang Jiefang immediately said, "Alright then! As Chairman Fu said, you will serve as the Vice Chairman of Suiyuan Province and Mayor of Baotou City. The economic development of Suiyuan Province must be done well, and the development of Baotou cannot be neglected. Do you understand?"

Li Boyan replied, "Understood."

Fu Zuoyi said with a sigh of relief, "I am a soldier, and governance is not my forte. From now on, I will entrust the administration of Suiyuan to Vice Chairman Li."

Yang Jiefang's principle in personnel selection was the separation of military and political power; no one could simultaneously lead the army and govern a region. Although Fu Zuoyi was the nominal provincial chairman, Li Boyan's administration in Suiyuan greatly weakened his power, allowing Yang to confidently let him lead the army. Fu Zuoyi was a shrewd man and perhaps had considered this as well.