Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

"County Magistrate Li's approach is to prepare for a rainy day. Our troops fully support the local efforts and the people's efforts to reclaim wasteland. Furthermore, County Magistrate Li's ideas have inspired me. We can't assume that all is well just because the anti-Japanese sentiment in Sheng County is surging. We should look further and further ahead. Judging from the national situation, the current anti-Japanese situation is extremely grim. The Japanese army's formidable combat capability is undeniable. Everyone should be aware of this."

As the political commissar of the independent detachment, Wei Hongjun had to encourage the troops when morale was low and pour cold water on them when they were proud.

Li Shaocheng's words today also woke Wei Hongjun up.

Wei Hongjun also felt proud during this period.

I almost forgot that after the July 7 Incident, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression lasted for eight years. The Japanese army is not so easy to deal with. Wei Hongjun continued: "Whether it is our army or the local government, I think everyone's thinking needs to change. That is, don't think that with public grain, everything will be fine and everyone will be able to eat enough. In the future, our army will continue to increase, and various other institutions will also increase. Schools and universities will increase. Should teachers be paid? In the future, as the battles become more and more intense, the army's logistics hospitals will also need to be expanded. Should doctors and nurses be paid? Even if they are not paid, living supplies must be distributed, right? Sheng County is only a county with less than 200,000 people, and grain production is also limited. The amount of public grain will always be limited. So we have to find another way.

"Old Wei, if you have any ideas, please share them with us so we can discuss them.

"Do it yourself and you will have enough food and clothing." After hearing Wei Hongjun's words, no one reacted for a while.

Wei Hongjun explained, "My idea is that we should do it ourselves. Whether it's the military or local governments, we can use our spare time to grow food wherever there's space. We'll plant food wherever we can. In normal times, our troops and our logistics units must maintain their usual austerity and simplicity, absolutely avoiding extravagance and waste. If we have surplus food, we must store it. Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, we must secretly build our granaries. When food is plentiful, we'll store it. When it's scarce, we'll take it out."

"Everyone grows food?"

"Yes. Let me talk about the county party committee office. There's a lot of space around your office. You can leave a road and cultivate the rest of the land for growing things. Although it's not big, there's still two or three acres of land. Whether you grow food or vegetables, you need to make use of it. Our troops and local governments must have this awareness and take action. Only in this way can we have enough food to keep dealing with the Japanese army."

"I agree with Political Commissar Wei's idea."

Li Shaocheng was the first to agree with Wei Hongjun's proposal.

Then he said, "Fighting the Japanese is a difficult war. It's even harder than when we fought Chiang Kai-shek. We encountered food shortages in the Soviet area back then. Now that we have to fight the Japanese, we should make more preparations. After we go back, we will discuss a solution. See how to allow our staff to carry out some land reclamation activities without delaying their work."

"it is good."

"Political Commissar, the troops also need to come up with a solution that will allow them to balance combat and training while also growing their own food."

Li Shiping spoke.

In the independent detachment, Li Shiping not only cooperates with Wei Hongjun, but is also in charge of logistics work.

"anything else?"

"Let me talk about developing the party organization."

Liang Dayong, the Organization Minister of Sheng County, spoke up and said, "Dear leaders, I think the biggest problem of our base area at present is the lack of party members and cadres. Compared with the current situation of the Sheng County base area, the number of party members is too small. According to statistics from our organization department, there are only about 80 local party members in Sheng County, excluding the army. The number of party members is simply too small, which seriously affects the operation of the base area. Therefore, my suggestion is that our base area should focus on solving this problem in the new year. Recruit party members from among the peasant activists in those base areas to increase our party member number. Only with a considerable number of party members can our rural work be guaranteed. And with rural party members, we can ensure that our district teams and village militias are always in our hands to support our anti-Japanese war."

Chapter 083 Party Member Development Issues

"The problem of a shortage of party members in the base areas is indeed very serious."

County Party Secretary Duan Chengwei also agreed with the views of Organization Minister Liang Dayong.

He said, "Currently, the members of Sheng County's Party are primarily those who formed the underground Party in the early days of Sheng County, as well as those of us who received training from the Pingxi Prefectural Committee, and the local Party members recruited last year. However, the number of local Party members recruited last year was too small, only about twenty in total. The current situation is that even the County Committee is short of Party members, and each District Government can only have one or two. This is seriously impacting the work of both the County and District Committees."

"So, Secretary Duan, what are your thoughts?"

"When the county committee implemented the rent and interest reduction program, many conscious and highly motivated peasant activists emerged. I believe we should be bolder in recruiting these peasant activists into the Party and developing the Party organization. Also, during the process of establishing the Women's Rescue Association, some women activists emerged. They demanded gender equality and that women participate in national salvation, and they were very enthusiastic. We believe we should also recruit some women Party members from among these women. This will allow us to continuously promote women's work in Sheng County and, in the future, influence other surrounding counties."

Duan Chengwei expressed the ideas of Shengxian County Party Committee.

Liang Dayong added, "Our Organization Department believes that, given Sheng County's situation, the number of local Party members should be at least 300. Judging from the current number of farmer and women activists in Sheng County, adding around 100 farmer and women Party members within a month or two shouldn't be a problem."

"That's right. But we have to screen them carefully. Don't miss the opportunity to recruit new members and let some scoundrels or drug addicts sneak in.

This will affect the image of our party. Moreover, such people are most likely to defect in difficult times.”

"it is good."

"Deputy Political Commissar Li, our troops must, like our local comrades, quickly recruit the activists currently under investigation into the Party. Within six months, our independent detachment squads should have Party members, our platoons should have small groups, and our companies should have Party branches."

"Okay. The soldier activists we've been investigating are in the final review stage and will soon be able to become party members."

Li Shiping nodded.

Since the failure of the Fifth Anti-Encirclement and Suppression Campaign, the number of Party members nationwide has plummeted, from a peak of 30 to the current 4. Not only has the number of Party members in the military plummeted, but the number of Party members in local areas has also continued to decline.

Some were sacrificed and captured, but many also left the Party, seeing no future for the revolution. Of course, there were also those who surrendered and betrayed the revolution. The decline in membership also meant a rapid decline in the Party's influence across the country.

Now that the Anti-Japanese War has broken out, the party organization must be restored as soon as possible, from the army to the local areas.

"Political Commissar Wei, I remember when we first met and talked, you said that the enlightened landlords were the ones to unite with."

"Correct."

"Later, in order to promote rent and interest reductions, you told students in a lecture that the Communist Party of China would not reject anyone willing to fight for the poor and for the prosperity of the country and nation. It would not reject those who wanted to become comrades and friends of the Communist Party of China based on their background."

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun nodded in acknowledgment.

Seeing Wei Hongjun's frank admission, Yang Yonghui immediately said, "But why did both the army and the local authorities insist on recruiting Party members from among activist farmers and soldiers? I think this approach is biased."

"Minister Yang, you can speak your mind."

"Activists from peasant backgrounds are highly motivated and have firm convictions. After joining the Party, they will become resolute revolutionary fighters. Similarly, activists from student backgrounds also have strong convictions. Because they have been educated, they are more likely to understand Marxism, revolution, and the policies of the Eighth Route Army. I believe they should also be important targets for expanding Party membership."

We are now engaged in a nationwide war of resistance, forming an anti-Japanese united front. We should not reject those willing to revolutionize based on their background. 〈1 After Yang Yonghui finished speaking, no one present spoke immediately.

Because this is not a small matter.

Although there are a large number of cadres from large landowner and capitalist families among the current party members, these individuals still make up a small proportion of the total party membership. It is not an easy decision to completely disregard family background and accept members from families with higher social status.

It's easy to make mistakes.

Normally it might not be a big deal, but once one or two traitors emerge among them, it will become a huge problem.

Even Wei Hongjun fell into deep thought.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Eighth Route Army expanded significantly, incorporating a vast number of individuals from diverse backgrounds. However, this decision was only made by the Central Committee in the spring of this year, and it wasn't implemented in all the bases until several months later. This means that according to historical records, areas like the Shengxian Anti-Japanese Base wouldn't have received this order until the second half of 1938. Proposing it now seems a bit premature. However, this is a good idea.

Party members who came from peasant backgrounds were highly militant. If properly trained, they could become core personnel for military and rural work. However, the Eighth Route Army also lacked educated individuals. Only by recruiting enough educated individuals could the Eighth Route Army become a cultured army.

Of course, the large-scale recruitment of these high-born members has actually led to a gradual change in the party organization. As some have commented, the party organization during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression gradually transformed from a proletarian party to a nationalist party, no longer a purely Marxist party.

Because during the Anti-Japanese War, a large number of party members were recruited, and they supported nationalism rather than the CCP. They supported the anti-Japanese stance of the Party Central Committee, not the CCP's stance.

Of course this is a theoretical question.

Wei Hongjun was a grassroots civil servant in his previous life, and in this life he was only a grassroots political cadre. Because of his status, he couldn't fully understand, comprehend, or even express his own opinions on such theoretical issues.

But Wei Hongjun knew something.

That is, the fact that the party organizations in history were able to recover quickly and develop rapidly, and even the fact that the Eighth Route Army was able to quickly open up the situation and establish bases behind enemy lines, had a lot to do with the large-scale absorption of party members from high-class backgrounds.

Absorbing them into the Party was a compromise with the forces behind them. The Party accepted them as comrades and friends, thus gaining their support in a short period of time. These people were very powerful and influential in their local areas, and with their support, the Eighth Route Army could quickly establish a foothold behind enemy lines. 2 So Wei Hongjun slowly began to speak: "The poor peasants and hired peasants joined the revolution because the circumstances they found themselves in forced them to do so. Therefore, they are the core force of the revolution and the force we rely on most. But similarly, the revolutionaries who came from the families of the big landlords and the big bourgeoisie had an even harder time. They originally had very good lives, but they gave up their privileged lives to devote themselves to the liberation movement of the country and the nation, and to the liberation movement of the poor people of the world.

Their ability to break with their old families and join the revolution is a testament to their courage. They may have some petty-bourgeois ways and faults, but as long as they yearn for revolution and are willing to join it, we should not simply reject them. Instead, we should actively engage with them, help them, and transform their petty-bourgeois ways. Let them go from being our friends to being our comrades-in-arms and our comrades.

"Political Commissar Wei said it very well."

Yang Yonghui has come into contact with many party members during this period.

They were passionate, resourceful, and full of conviction. They were far superior to the people he'd met during his time at the provincial Party headquarters. But the one he admired most was Wei Hongjun. He was knowledgeable and open-minded.

Duan Chengwei hesitated and said, "Currently, there are many students from relatively high-class backgrounds in our local government. They have ideals and are driven, and many have a deep understanding of Marxist theory. If we can recruit them into the party, it will be of great benefit to the development of our party organization. However, I am worried that recruiting such a large number of members from this background will not be allowed by higher authorities, and we will make mistakes."

"Will not."

Wei Hongjun shook his head.

He said: "Since the end of the Long March and the Central Committee settled in northern Shaanxi, so many young students have flocked to Yan'an. Those students came from relatively high-class backgrounds, but many of them joined our party and became our comrades. Our party originally came from the student movement and the workers' movement, and the students who can go to school now generally have relatively good family conditions. How can our party exclude these people? If we exclude them because of their background, how can we carry out the student movement in the future? Sooner or later, the Central Committee will see this problem and will definitely have new policies. Given the current situation in Sheng County, there is no chance to hesitate. In the new year, we will continue to expand our base area, and we must have more cadres. Increasing the number of our party members is imminent. There are many students in Sheng County, and Minister Yang and Deputy Political Commissar Li are aware of this. They are brave, have ideals, are not afraid of sacrifice, and are not afraid of difficulties. Whether fighting in the army or doing rural work in the countryside, they have performed very well.

Our Party shouldn't reject them; that would be disheartening. As long as we accept them and help them, we'll be able to harvest a large number of knowledgeable, idealistic, and enthusiastic grassroots cadres. If anything goes wrong, as the political commissar of the independent detachment, I will be fully responsible."

Wei Hongjun was more urgent than others.

Because the Battle of Wuhan was a turning point. Before the Battle of Wuhan, the main force of the Japanese army was on the front line. When the Battle of Wuhan ended, life in the base areas behind enemy lines would become increasingly difficult.

Therefore, before the Battle of Wuhan, we must try our best to expand the base, develop the troops, and increase the number of party members.

The military and local governments currently have a large number of students on their payroll. After several months of training, many have already performed very well in their roles. However, due to policy constraints, they are hesitant to use them freely or bring them into the Party on a large scale. This represents a waste of talent.

Wei Hongjun currently has no conditions to consider other options. He only knows that if he can develop these students, they will soon become qualified grassroots cadres, greatly alleviating the current situation of cadre shortage in the independent detachment and the Shengxian local party committee.

"What the political commissar said makes sense. Many senior cadres of our party did not come from workers or peasants, but they have made indelible contributions to the development of our party. At this stage, we should not think too much and should work boldly. If there are any problems, the political commissar and I will bear them together." Wang Qiuyun supported Wei Hongjun.

Wang Qiuyun didn't really think much about this. He simply trusted his partner and expressed his support for Wei Hongjun.

"Commander, Political Commissar, you're saying this as if our local comrades are irresponsible. If any problems arise, I, as the Sheng County Party Committee Secretary, will bear primary responsibility."

Duan Chengwei also expressed his support.

Being chosen as the county party secretary, responsible for developing the base area, Duan Chengwei has comprehensive abilities. Since Wei Hongjun is taking the lead, he will not be a drag.

Chapter 084 Determining the Work Direction

The joint military-civilian meeting lasted a whole day.

The meeting lasted from morning till evening. Finally, Wei Hongjun picked up his notebook, which was densely packed with the issues raised during the meeting. During a break, Wei Hongjun briefly reviewed the meeting's contents. There were so many issues to address and so many suggestions that it was impossible to address them all at once. So, Wei Hongjun briefly summarized them, looking at his notebook and saying, "Everyone is exhausted. Let me summarize the main points discussed today."

"First: Our first task next year is to continue to open up new bases and expand the area of ​​our bases. What the commander just said is very reasonable. In the new year, we will mainly expand in three directions. One is to develop the Xining base in the northwest, one is to develop the anti-Japanese bases in Xuanhua and Zhuolu in the north, and the other is to open up a passage between the bases and Wanping. The expansion of the bases requires close cooperation between the troops and localities. The chief of staff needs to formulate the troops' new year base expansion battle plan as soon as possible. Secretary Duan said that you don't have enough local cadres to follow up, but this is not the time to say it's impossible. No matter how difficult it is, you must overcome the difficulties and cooperate with the troops to attack. The local party committees should carefully examine and train those local cadres who are capable of adapting to the new bases because we will need more base construction cadres in the future.

"Yes. Command will make a battle plan as soon as possible."

Zhang Dahu nodded.

Duan Chengwei was in a difficult position, but he still promised: "We will fully cooperate with the troops. However, the cadres we send are unlikely to be very experienced. I hope the comrades in the army can understand this."

The loss of the Soviet area also resulted in the loss of a large number of base construction cadres.

The full-scale war of resistance had only been going on for over six months, and the base areas behind enemy lines had only been established for a few months. The local Party committees didn't have that many experienced cadres. Wei Hongjun nodded and said, "No one is experienced right now. It's not just the local cadres; the same is true for our army as well. We all need to learn while we make revolution. So this isn't a problem."

The base areas behind enemy lines that are being developed now are also very different from the Soviet area model that was originally developed.

This requires the Eighth Route Army cadres to adapt.

Wei Hongjun was not afraid of the lack of experience of local cadres, but he was afraid that they would be timid and dare not develop behind enemy lines.

"Second: the development of local forces. A few of us in our unit just had a brief private discussion and believe the demands of the local comrades are reasonable. Local forces and rural militias really can't be left unattended, as they are the most effective supplement to the main force. Therefore, we've decided to quickly transfer some veterans from the army to the local forces to improve their combat effectiveness. However, before that, I'd like to consider ways to recruit some disabled soldiers. While some of our disabled soldiers may not be able to go to the battlefield, many of them have received training and fought in combat, so they have a solid foundation. It shouldn't be a problem to have them help train some local troops. However, these are just stopgap measures, and the detachment will discuss a specific solution."

Local forces are a very effective supplement to the main force.

The development of the independent detachment was somewhat barbaric. Although the emphasis has always been on developing local forces, it has never been truly taken seriously.

However, the main force does not have much choice because the reality does not allow it.

The independent detachment developed too quickly, and the army expanded at an alarming rate. Therefore, it was very short of cadres and veterans, and there were not enough cadres and veterans to support the local troops.

Wei Hongjun had a conversation with Wang Qiuyun, Xiao Yongshi, and Zhang Dahu, the detachment's military officers. They all supported the development of local forces, but were reluctant to transfer cadres and veterans from the main force.

Because this will affect the combat effectiveness of the main force.

Although Wei Hongjun was the political commissar and currently the top leader of the army, these military cadres were opposed, and Wei Hongjun could not ignore their opinions. Therefore, Wei Hongjun could only find a solution from the disabled soldiers.

Let’s deal with it first.