The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

“How else can we get rid of these banks?”

"If we can sustain a bank run, then we can compete with the great powers, and..."

Bao Shilin smiled mysteriously and said, "The legal tender issued in our liberated areas is based on grain and salt. Private gold and silver transactions have been frozen, and it has been clearly stipulated that domestic gold and silver transactions are under the unified management of the People's Bank of China. All gold and silver income and expenditure of urban and rural collective economic organizations are included in the national gold and silver revenue and expenditure plan. All gold and silver held by domestic institutions, except for raw materials, equipment, utensils, and souvenirs retained with the permission of the People's Bank of China, must be sold to the People's Bank of China and may not be handled or possessed by them. All units and individuals in the liberated areas are prohibited from using gold and silver for pricing. Private trading and lending and mortgaging of gold and silver are prohibited... Therefore, unless these foreign banks accept our legal tender, they are violating our laws. Isn't it us who have the final say?"

Bao Shilin knew very well that clearing out these banks would certainly result in huge losses, but allowing these cancers to grow on the body would be fatal. It is better to suffer a short pain than a long pain. The sooner these banks are cleared out, the better. Moreover, there is one point that Bao Shilin did not mention, that is, those who can deposit gold and silver in the banks of the great powers are all rich people and "big shots". At this time, the banks of the great powers have already transported most of this gold and silver away. If the banks cheat and withdraw or even declare bankruptcy directly, the losses will basically be suffered by these people and the country. The vast majority of ordinary people in this era will not suffer direct losses. For the entire country, this money has basically been transported away and it has already been lost. The withdrawal or bankruptcy of the banks will only wipe out the book data. It will not have any major impact. On the contrary, it will become healthier!

Chapter 578:

After the next few comrades finished speaking, everyone had no objection. Even if the method of dealing with the banks and other financial industries of the great powers in China was determined, the fate of these financial institutions in China would be determined.

The next topic was to deal with the factories and foreign trading companies of the great powers in China, and the discussion on this issue was even more lively. Foreign trading companies were fine. The Liberated Areas had always encouraged trade with the great powers, and they needed to purchase large quantities of machinery and equipment through foreign companies, so naturally there were no major problems. However, the attitude towards factories was a bit problematic. For China today, the problem is that there are too few factories, not too many. It can be said that China is now a complete seller's market. Although the people are generally poor, the population base is there, and there are few wealthy people. Moreover, labor is extremely cheap. It is precisely because of this that the profits from running factories, especially for exports, are now extremely lucrative.

"It's a combination of principle and flexibility. The principle is to confiscate them. We must confiscate them and integrate them into our system so that they become part of us. The flexibility is how to confiscate them."

"Yes, our products are selling well now. Why should we let the foreigners make money from us?" "It's not a good idea to forcefully confiscate or buy them out without any reason. We are still doing business with the great powers. If we confiscate them, it will scare the foreigners away."

"Yes, it would be a bad idea to confiscate it at this time. If the major powers refuse to do business with us, we will suffer a huge loss."

"Yes, we can't lose the big picture for the sake of small gains!"

After listening for a while, Zhang Yinghao sensed something was amiss. There was something fundamentally wrong with the message! This was truly misguided; the more knowledge one gained, the more reactionary one became. Furthermore, there was no discussion of the capitalist or socialist line, as Zhang Yinghao had in mind, nor was there any mention of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Instead, it was primarily based on traditional Chinese peasant mentality, which held that foreigners should not be allowed to take China's money.

As for the question of whether workers were exploited and oppressed in factories, and whether they worked more than 16 hours, no comrade in attendance raised the issue. Perhaps they all subconsciously knew that in this cruel era, being exploited and oppressed at least allowed them to survive, while many others could not survive. Even if they wanted to be exploited in this way, they would not have the opportunity to be exploited in this way.

Zhang Yinghao couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Perhaps the vast majority of people in this era truly just wanted to survive and have something to eat. Their demands were so low: just being alive and not being bullied was even better. As for living a good life and eating white rice every day, that was just a wishful thinking. However, this era was so cruel, because even such a simple and trivial thought as an ordinary life was a luxury. He couldn't help but feel helpless about this era, and felt that living in it was not worth it...

Zhang Yinghao quickly put aside his melancholy and yearning for the coming of age, then felt a wave of helplessness and frustration at the failure of his own education. He doubted how many of his comrades truly met the requirements of a working-class proletarian Party member. He even wondered if these comrades would be able to withstand a color revolution in the future. Without the thread of class struggle, corruption and degeneration were inevitable. Moreover, the more the economy developed, the more problems arose. Ignoring the evil nature of capitalism was a dangerous thing.

Zhang Yinghao instantly made up his mind to intensify the promotion of the Forward Party's political philosophy, not only to Party members and cadres but also to the general public, starting with children. He wanted to ensure that all residents of the liberated areas knew the Forward Party's political philosophy and understood that the new government was a government that served the people. He also wanted to expel problematic Party members from the Party. Only when the broad masses of the liberated areas recognized the Forward Party, and only then, with nationwide oversight, and with constant renewal, forming an unstoppable forward momentum, would the Forward Party remain true to its original character.

Zhang Yinghao's own perspective on how to deal with the foreign powers establishing factories in China was actually constantly evolving. When he first arrived, deeply influenced by his past life, he naturally had no problem with the foreign powers establishing factories in China. However, after the revolution began, seeing how the foreign powers plundered the country's and people's wealth, and how they cruelly exploited and oppressed us, he began to think that the foreign powers' factories should be either directly confiscated or bought out, and all of them nationalized. Later, when state-owned enterprises became unsustainable, it wouldn't be too late to introduce foreign companies to compete.

However, Zhang Yinghao's thoughts shifted again. He considered the abalone effect. If China had a few whales, perhaps it could spur rapid development in the liberated areas and help the Forward Party mature more quickly. But... there seemed to be so many problems! This was a brand new challenge for Zhang Yinghao. He couldn't quickly weigh the pros and cons, and for a moment, he wasn't sure what to do best.

Indecision and wavering are the biggest taboos for leaders. Changing orders from day to day, leaving subordinates at a loss, is a sign of impending loss of authority. At Zhang Yinghao's level, where a single decision can impact the future of hundreds of millions, how could there be no pressure?

In reality, Zhang Yinghao was also deeply conflicted. Born after the Reform and Opening Up era, he had no idea why many historical decisions were made the way they were. Without the experience of copying and pasting, he wasn't sure what the best course of action was. However, making a decision, even if it was wrong, was better than not making one at all. If mistakes were discovered, they could be corrected promptly. If they were delayed, there would be no chance to discover them. How could they be corrected?

After listening to the comrades' debate, Zhang Yinghao noticed that they gradually quieted down and turned their attention to Zhang Yinghao, who was presiding over the meeting. Zhang Yinghao then stopped writing, tapped the table with the tip of his pen, took a sip of tea, and then said, "Comrades, what are the three major principles and advocates of our Forward Party?"

Upon hearing Chairman Zhang Yinghao's questions, all the comrades immediately perked up. Many comrades knew that when Chairman Zhang Yinghao asked these questions, it was a time to establish the relationship between enemy and us, right and wrong, and to determine one's position. If one could not answer the Chairman's questions, one would be doomed on the spot. This would leave a bad impression on the comrades, making future promotions difficult.

Zhang Yinghao had spent a fortune on these questions, compiling a special red booklet and distributing it to all party members and prospective members for study. He wouldn't compromise on these simple political concepts, especially for those with limited education in this era, insisting they memorize them. So after the questions were asked, he called on people to answer.

"Luke Qun! You answer!"

"Yes, our Progressive Party's three main principles and advocates are science, democracy, and labor. That's the answer."

"Sit down. So, what about the three major styles? Liu Haitao, you come!"

"Yes, the three major work styles are integrating theory with practice, maintaining close ties with the masses, and criticism and self-criticism. That's all!"

"Sit down, three magic weapons, Liao Xiaomin!"

"It's armed struggle, the united front, and party building. That's all." "Sit down, three great souls, Li Gaolei!"

"Seeking truth from facts, independence and self-reliance, and the mass line! Answer completed!"

Zhang Yinghao nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile: "Haha, all good, take a seat. In fact, the question of how we should treat the factories built by the great powers already has the answer here. Whether these factories can be built is not something we can discuss here. Instead, we should ask the workers in the factories whether the factories built by the great powers are good, whether their lives have changed, and what needs to be changed to make them better and more reasonable. Those workers know best how to do it..."

In fact, when asking comrades questions, it was also a process of reviewing and finding answers. Zhang Yinghao had a rough idea of ​​how to deal with these factories in his mind, so he continued: "For our Forward Party, developing productivity is the fundamental need of the essence of socialism and the fundamental task of socialism. Therefore, the factories opened by the great powers in China are not the biggest problem for us at all. The biggest question should be whether these factories are beneficial to the development of productivity in our country. If they are beneficial, we support them in principle, but the method of support needs to be flexible. Do you understand? Moreover, problems come one after another, contradictions are everywhere, and things will never end. So never try to solve all problems once and for all. That is not a scientific attitude! We must learn to solve problems in the process of development, because today's problems may not be problems tomorrow..."

The comrades all knew that this was Zhang Yinghao teaching them how to think, and they all listened very carefully. Zhang Yinghao also sorted out his thoughts and continued: "After the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the powers were allowed to open factories in the trading ports. These factories naturally brought great harm to the Qing Dynasty. They cruelly exploited and oppressed the workers and seriously damaged their health. These are the sins brought by these factories. However, these are things of the past. Is this also the case for the liberated areas led by our Forward Party? It is not certain now, right?"

"Chairman, what should we do specifically?"

"Comrades, without investigation, there is no right to speak. After we liberated Wuhan and other cities, we had to come into contact with the great powers. However, our understanding of the factories built by the great powers is still very superficial. We still don't know whether these factories will move away on their own initiative, right? If all these factories move away on their own initiative, there is no need for us to discuss it now. So, in fact, we don't understand these factories now, right? To deal with these factories, we must find out about them. Therefore, we have to investigate them, we have to approach them, and get close to them in person to determine how to deal with them.

Everything has two sides. On the positive side, these factories have at least solved some employment problems, introduced new production technologies, and broadened the horizons of the people. Without these factories, how would we know how capitalism oppresses and exploits the working class? Without factories, how would we cultivate the proletariat? Without these man-eating factories, how would we awaken the proletariat?

"Chairman, if that's the case, then we should keep these factories!"

"Yes, these factories can be preserved, but they cannot be preserved intact. Instead, they must undergo socialist transformation. We are now opening factories and purchasing machinery in large numbers. There is no reason to stop production and move equipment already in operation in China. Isn't this a waste of natural resources, abandoning what is near and seeking something far away? However, our land must be nationalized. We are not trading land now, so we can use the land use rights as equity or investment. Therefore, we must force these factories to acquire shares and carry out socialist transformation. We must establish labor unions led by the Party Committee within the factories and ensure that these factories abide by the laws and regulations of our liberated areas. We will transform these factories into part of our system, making them a useful supplement to our socialist state and contributing to socialist construction. Of course, for the sake of safety, in some important industries, we can control more than 51% of the shares. We can also use this opportunity to learn and absorb advanced foreign science and technology and mature management experience..."

“What if these factories don’t agree?”

"Then buy out the factory or have it relocate. Until our government functions, social management capabilities, and our country's industry have independently developed to a certain level, we don't need these factories that are out of our control. Furthermore, we must encourage foreign investment to set up factories in China, especially since we have a large number of overseas Chinese. Many of them are patriotic and have made money abroad. If they are interested in investing, we can encourage them to return to China. Of course, there will need to be restrictions on the industries in which factories can invest. For example, they cannot invest in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery, mining, tobacco, and other industries... Of course, if problems arise in the future after foreign investment sets up factories in China, it won't be too late to stop it..."

In fact, the return of overseas Chinese to invest is one of the reasons why Zhang Yinghao supports foreigners building factories in China. China lacks capital, technology, and talent. It can be said that it lacks many things, but it does not lack cheap labor or the poor and unemployed. To solve the employment problems of the vast number of people and increase their income, the people must work, which requires sufficient jobs, which requires the introduction of foreign investment and the construction of more factories. If China wants to create a proletariat, it must also have a large number of factories. Without enough factories, how can a class that develops production be formed?

Once the decision to bring in foreign investment was made, Zhang Yinghao's mind cleared up. However, this also brought him even greater anguish. A period of chaos and chaos would inevitably follow. Bringing in foreign capital to build factories would present countless problems. This would necessitate strengthening government functions, requiring a vast pool of skilled personnel, police forces to maintain stability, and preventing the depravity and corruption of Party members and cadres. The intertwining of economics and power would complicate the contradictions, further burdening the Party and the people with the task of educating them. Furthermore, allowing private factories would attract a large number of talented individuals, making the Party's struggle even more challenging in this era of talent shortages and already stretched resources. Therefore, even if foreign capital were allowed to establish factories, Zhang Yinghao would not allow them to escape his control. These foreign-built factories were only allowed in because they could solve employment problems and liberate people's minds. Therefore, they must be used for our benefit. This was the overall situation that must be respected.

"Of course, we allow foreign investment to establish factories, and we also need to establish a united front. We have already completed land reform in areas with a population of at least 100 million, such as Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou... And we will continue land reform, starting land reform again in vast areas with a population of nearly 100 million, to overthrow the entire landlord class. In the land reform, our enemies are large and numerous enough. Under the threat of war at any time, allowing foreign investment to establish factories can also divide some of the great powers or divide some of the people within the great powers..."

Chapter 579:

After the diplomatic corps of the great powers came to the liberated areas for negotiations, the upper echelons of the great powers basically knew the liberated areas' foreign attitude, and the whole of China immediately entered a short and strange period of relative peace. Just as Zhang Yinghao and his comrades were dealing with various matters in the liberated areas, the powerful countries and the powerful groups in the unliberated areas took action one after another. All parties were accumulating strength and preparing for war.

They used every possible means, including conspiracy, collusion, instigation and agitation, and gradually formed a huge anti-liberation zone torrent.

In the blink of an eye, it was August 1905, and Sichuan, which had suffered from drought for a long time, finally welcomed the long-awaited rain. However, this was not the long-awaited good weather, but the beginning of another natural disaster.

It seemed as if God felt that the suffering of the Sichuan people was not enough, and just after they were liberated, he brought down a new round of suffering on them, as if to test them again. This was not only a test for the Sichuan people, but also a test for the Progressive Party.

Since August, Sichuan's weather has been noticeably abnormal. Starting from the Yaxi, Dadu, and Tuojiang Rivers in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, it's as if a gaping hole has been torn open in the sky and water is leaking in. The downpour has been relentless, undeniably a major flood in Sichuan, a once-in-a-century devastating event that has caused the rivers to swell dramatically. Telegrams have been pouring in from all over the country, reporting that days of heavy rain in Santai have led to flash floods. Flash floods have erupted in the Minjiang River system in Pujiang, Meishan, and Leshan, destroying reed huts, railroad tracks, and even the Lishan Bridge...

Following the disaster, "countless fields, crops, and houses were washed away" along the Yangtze River from Yibin to Chongqing, and "the property and livestock of merchants and civilians were lost beyond measure." Floodwaters from the middle and lower reaches of the Jinsha River and the Minjiang River severely affected cities and rural areas along the Yangtze River, with Xuzhou and Luzhou being particularly hard hit. Heavy rains in Xuzhou continued for three days and nights, and by the evening of the seventh day, the river had surged, rising further at midnight, completely submerging the city. Zhengnan Street was eight feet deep. Floodwaters also entered Lizhuang, Nanxi, Jiang'an, Naxi, Luzhou, Chongqing, and Fuling, along the Yangtze River system, causing countless houses to collapse. Chongqing alone was flooded, and due to the poor access to roads and information, the death toll reached hundreds.

Although the losses were devastating, Zhang Yinghao had already predicted future floods due to years of drought in Sichuan, leading to the accumulation of materials in many areas. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao's dedication to water conservancy projects and dredging of rivers meant that the current situation was significantly better than the previous flood. However, the situation remained grim and no slackness was allowed.

"Can the flood rise to the sky?"

After receiving telegrams from various regions, Zhang Yinghao immediately established a flood control and disaster relief committee to specifically direct this flood control and disaster relief effort and centralize the mobilization of supplies and manpower. At the mobilization meeting, Zhang Yinghao slammed the table with force, and his words shocked everyone present. He then continued, "In ancient times, Dayu controlled floods by digging river channels to defeat them. Now natural disasters have struck again, and it is the turn of our Progressive Party, the People's Liberation Army, and the new government. This is our responsibility and obligation, and we cannot shirk it. For the safety of the people's lives and property, even if the floods rise to the sky, we will fight against the heavens. Natural disasters are ruthless, but people are compassionate. We must also let the people of Sichuan know that we are different from the Qing court, that we stand with the people, and that this flood is a test for our liberated areas... We vow to fight the flood to the end and achieve the final victory!"

After Zhang Yinghao completed the mobilization, he immediately signed a presidential decree mobilizing the army to participate in flood control and disaster relief efforts. The troops that received the order, especially those in nearby areas, immediately took action and participated in flood control and disaster relief efforts.

Zhang Yinghao was very worried about the flood. Since ancient times, water and fire have been merciless. If a large-scale flood occurred, in this era of road traffic and information congestion, there would definitely be heavy casualties. It would also seriously affect food production and would most likely affect the overall stability of the entire liberated area. Zhang Yinghao could not help but worry.

Of course, facing disasters was both a test and an opportunity for the liberated areas, demonstrating the Party's solidarity with the people of Sichuan. A nation's prosperity stemmed largely from this very source. Zhang Yinghao naturally wouldn't stay in the rear, and immediately began his journey south, with Chen Xue'er closely accompanying him. Southern Sichuan and other areas were experiencing relentless torrential rains, and after major disasters, major epidemics were inevitable. Naturally, Chen Xue'er joined Zhang Yinghao on the medical team.

After four days of travel, the group finally arrived in Xuzhou. At that time, it was still raining heavily in Xuzhou day and night. As the confluence of the Minjiang River and the Jinsha River, Xuzhou bears the water from both sides, especially the Minjiang River. After leaving Chengdu, it rained all the way, and the water level of the Minjiang River rose very rapidly. If you are not careful, the dike may be destroyed and the city may be destroyed.

By this time, the entire riverside region had been mobilized, with the top leaders of local governments everywhere personally on the front lines of flood control. Zhang Yinghao had issued a strict order: any government official who dared not leave the front lines would be dismissed on the spot, unless there were special circumstances. Simultaneously, the military in all regions entered a second-level combat readiness state, and the police were also mobilized, all on high alert.

It can be said that this mobilization ability was unimaginable before, and even other provinces in the liberated areas were far behind. Of course, there is not much mystery in it. The key is that Sichuan’s ruling class is a group of workers. Everyone knows that workers’ organizational ability is far superior to that of farmers. Similarly, Sichuan’s ruling class’s mobilization and organizational ability is not comparable to that of other provinces. Coupled with Zhang Yinghao’s death order, basically no one in Sichuan dared to neglect it.

"Li Cheng, what's the situation now?"

Li Cheng was the regiment commander who had fought directly with the British in XZ. After his injury was under control, he was immediately sent to Sichuan for recuperation. Due to his injury, he was no longer suitable to continue serving in the army, so he worked in the Xuzhou Police Department after retiring.

The first thing Zhang Yinghao did when he arrived in Xuzhou was to personally lead his men to the Yangtze River embankment. At that time, thousands of people had gathered on the embankment, constantly reinforcing the embankment. Below the embankment was the surging river water, like an angry dragon with bared fangs and claws, ready to break free from its restraints and rush out to wreak havoc at any time.

Li Cheng's expression was also very serious. He wiped the rain from his face and said, "Chairman, the situation is very serious now. The water from the upper reaches of the Minjiang and Jinsha rivers is very heavy. Many of the dikes have been in disrepair for a long time. People have to guard the dikes day and night. Some sections have leaks and pipe bursts. If the water continues like this, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold them. In addition, there are many mudslides in Pingshan and other places now. Disaster relief is needed everywhere..."

Zhang Yinghao frowned. The situation was more serious than he had expected. Looking at the surging and surging river in front of him, his heart felt heavy. Zhang Yinghao glanced in the direction of the flood. Even if it didn't rain in Hubei, it would still be affected by the disaster. He wondered what the current situation was.

From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, various floods and droughts occurred frequently. It was considered good if a hundred or so people died. Even if tens of thousands of people died, there would be no records and they would all be glossed over. Human life was so worthless.

Thinking too much was pointless. Zhang Yinghao shook his head and ordered, "Order all nearby troops to be mobilized. We can't hold out with just the civilians and our current numbers. We must also gather supplies as quickly as possible, especially compressed biscuits, instant noodles, canned food, and drinking water. Make sure there's enough. The troops can stay and eat on the dike until the flood recedes. We must also organize the people. All the young and strong must go to the dike, and the elderly, women, and children must be evacuated as soon as possible. Evacuate Pingshan as well. Tell the people that human life is the most important thing. As long as they can save their lives, we can find a way to deal with the losses later. Also, mobilize Luzhou and even Chongqing and other places to defend themselves strictly and be on high alert. If any problems arise, we'll hold those responsible accountable. I don't mind taking a few lives..."

As soon as Zhang Yinghao gave the order, the entire Xuzhou Prefecture was mobilized, and the reserve troops - upon hearing Zhang Yinghao's order, all immediately came to the levee.

"Report to the Chairman, all 1,520 officers and soldiers of the newly formed 28th Regiment have arrived. Please give your instructions!"

Zhang Yinghao nodded slightly, walked straight to the heroic soldier and shouted: "Comrades, you are all members of the Workers' and Peasants' Liberation Army, and you are also our people's soldiers. People's soldiers are supposed to serve the people. You took up arms to protect the people, and fighting the flood is also to protect the people. There is no difference. Behind you is Xuzhou, the homes of hundreds of thousands of people. Those people are our elders and fellow countrymen. Can we just watch them lose their homes and their families?"

"cannot!"

"cannot!"

The soldiers suddenly erupted in shouts, their voices shaking the heavens and earth! Even after the propaganda from the Progressive Party and the new government, the civilians were still astonished. Floods had occurred frequently over the years, but they had never seen these soldiers participating in disaster relief before. They'd probably have fled before the water even reached them, and it was a good thing they hadn't taken the opportunity to loot. Now, this army was actually going to join the civilians in defending the levee. Everyone felt a strange feeling.

At Zhang Yinghao's command, all the officers and soldiers were deployed to the levee. They were strong and well-trained, and they quickly followed the instructions to reinforce the levee and prevent leakage, and they were very busy.

Mayor Qin Hantang also brought all the officials from Xuzhou to the levee. Since the chairman was present in person, these people had nothing to say. Even if they were afraid, they dared not say it out loud. Whether they were willing or not, they had to do their best to protect the levee and dared not slack off now.

Outside Xufu City, the waves were surging, and the huge waves were constantly eroding the crumbling embankment. The soldiers and civilians in southern Sichuan, under the command of Zhang Yinghao, had been defending the embankment for three full days. The heavy rain showed no signs of abating. Zhang Yinghao's brows were tightly knitted into a knot. He patrolled the embankment, looking up at the sky from time to time, hoping that God would open his eyes.

The people of Xuzhou have also become accustomed to this young chairman. Whenever he passes by, they all smile. The supreme ruler of this liberated area is now the subject of discussion among them. Now he can stand with them at this critical moment, eat and live together, and face the invasion of the flood together. Although the water this time is eight times more violent than before, the people have never felt so at ease.

Although Sichuan has undergone a change of dynasty and the new government's practices have undergone significant changes, the people are still accustomed to the habits they have had for countless years. For so many years, the officials have been high and mighty, never caring about their safety. Now, they finally have a leader who stands with them. The thought of this seems to fill them with endless energy.

At this moment, Li Cheng hurried over and said, "Chairman, there has been a landslide in Pingshan, and a village has been buried in the mud!"

"No one was killed?"

"No, a soldier broke his leg while helping civilians evacuate!"

Zhang Yinghao nodded slightly. "Give this soldier a commendation and a commendation. We're still a little short on manpower. When will the new personnel arrive?"

"Reporting to the Chairman, we will be there within two hours, don't worry!" "Don't worry? I'm not worried at all, I..."

As they were talking, a dike not far away suddenly collapsed, and a gap more than two meters wide appeared. The two civilians and a soldier who had been guarding the gap fell directly into the rushing flood and disappeared in an instant...

"Hurry! Save them, save them... Oh, quickly seal the breach... We will live and die with the levee!"

Seeing this situation, the people nearby subconsciously began to flee, but the PLA soldiers immediately picked up cloth bags filled with sand or stones and rushed towards the gap, becoming the retrogrades.

The shouts of "We swear to live and die with the levee!" became louder and louder, and finally became one and the same.

Li Cheng was also extremely anxious at this time. The Chairman was here. If something unexpected happened, the consequences would be disastrous. He immediately took the police officers and rushed up with sandbags, regardless of the fact that his body could not do heavy physical work. Seeing the PLA soldiers rushing towards the gap, the other people also recovered from their shock. One by one, they frantically carried stones and sandbags and rushed to the gap where the flood was surging. Some people took out all the baskets in their homes, filled them with sand, and desperately filled the gap. Group number of this book: 775111838

Zhang Yinghao also took action, along with hundreds of soldiers and civilians, throwing bags of rocks into the torrent. His hands were rubbed raw, his shoulders red and swollen, and sweat mixed with rainwater flowed into his mouth, leaving a mixed taste. However, the water continued to surge, and the embankment was shaky. In desperation, a squad leader led a dozen soldiers, tied to their bodies with ropes, and jumped into the rapids, forming a human wall to block the flood. The wall looked fragile, but thanks to the joint efforts of their comrades, the Xuzhou government behind them was as solid as a rock...

At this time, Qin, Han and Tang organized a group of nearby people to rush over. They even took out the door panels, tied them tightly together, and put them in front of the human wall. Then everyone continued to carry sand and stones and put them in. Gradually, the momentum of the flood leakage was blocked.

The levee was finally out of danger, but Zhang Yinghao's eyes fell on the gap in the levee and his face turned ashen.

"Mayor Qin, please explain to me what's going on. Who on earth is responsible for this idiotic project that will wipe out our entire family?"

Qin Hantang's face began to twist. He immediately noticed that there was still a lot of wood and even some garbage inside the gap on both sides. In fact, Qin Hantang had rushed over when the gap appeared, and he also witnessed a scene that left him stunned. When the flood broke through the levee, a large piece of rotten wood emerged from the inside of the levee. These bastards actually used this kind of thing to make excuses, playing with the lives of the people. They really deserved to be killed and not spared.

When Zhang Yinghao issued the order to repair the river, Mayor Qin Hantang was among the first to receive it. He held a meeting in the city, and the water conservancy departments from all regions expressed their commitment to repairing the levees. Furthermore, the levees in Xu Prefecture had been specifically funded, and to have such a large sum of money exchanged for a pile of rotten wood filled Qin Hantang with inexpressible anger and shame. Soon, the head of the Xu Prefecture water conservancy department was summoned.

"Chairman, this section of the dam was built by Huang Shiren!" "Huang Shiren? Bring him here!"

Soon, several soldiers arrived at the levee with a capable-looking official. It turned out that Huang Shiren had been on the levee since the flood and hadn't rested much, appearing extremely exhausted. When the soldiers found him, he was still patrolling the levee. Huang Shiren knew something was amiss.

“Chairman, you’re looking for me?”

When Zhang Yinghao saw this man, he immediately suppressed his anger and said, "You should have records, right? Who built this section of the embankment?"

"Chairman, this section of the embankment was built by a group of chain-smokers and captured landowners. I remember it clearly."

Zhang Yinghao frowned and said, "Can we still find those people?" "Chairman, their group should be on the levee now."

"Hmm? Probably? They hid a lot of rotten planks inside the embankment. We don't know why they put them there, but they're definitely not escaping. None of them are innocent. Go call these people over. If there's a counter-revolutionary among them and we don't deal with him, who knows what he'll do in the future."

"it is good."

Seeing Huang Shiren and the soldiers quickly leave, Zhang Yinghao said: "It seems that these counter-revolutionaries are constantly undermining us."

Not long after, Huang Shiren and his men captured a group of people and brought them back.

"Chairman, this group of landlords didn't show up during the flood relief efforts. They were all feigning illness. I'm in charge of this section of the dike, and I suddenly thought of these people while I was on my way, so I immediately took the soldiers to capture them. Just as the soldiers went to capture them, they were packing up their belongings and preparing to escape..."

Huang Shiren explained the situation to Zhang Yinghao, who narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the landlords. Seeing Zhang Yinghao and his companions looking at them with sullen faces, the landlords' legs began to weaken. If it weren't for the soldiers supporting them, they would have collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Yinghao took one look and shouted to the soldiers and civilians present: "Fellow villagers, comrades, these people are executioners and murderers. Because of them, two of us civilians and a soldier were swept away by the flood, and now our lives are still uncertain. We should abide by the law and let the court judge them. But these people treat everyone's lives and property as a joke. I will now use the highest power given to me by the people to make their lives a joke!"

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao waved his hand, and the soldiers' cold guns were pressed against the heads of the former landlords. They knelt and begged for mercy, but all the people looked on indifferently. A gunshot rang out, and Huahong's brain flew out, scattering in the rain. The bodies of these people lay quietly in the rain.

The people present were stunned for a moment, then erupted in a roar of excitement. The sight of lives lost so easily filled everyone present with trepidation, and the public's morale soared as they united in a united effort to bravely combat the flood.

At that moment, a battalion of reinforcements arrived and joined the flood control efforts. Zhang Yinghao carried sandbags, one by one, and threw them into the river. The place where he collected the sandbags was at least two hundred meters from the breach. He ran back and forth, picking up the sandbags and running back. It became almost a mechanical movement: just going forward, someone put a sandbag on your shoulder, and then running. Once he reached the spot, he tilted his shoulder and threw the sandbag into the water. His mind was blank, and he couldn't hear anyone shouting. He was severely exhausted. When you reach your limit, your body functions become mechanical, and you lose all sense. In time, he couldn't even carry a single sandbag, so two people had to do it.

The sandbags weren't actually that heavy, only about 60 pounds. At first, it didn't feel like much, so many comrades ran with two bags on their shoulders, one on each. But later, exhaustion overwhelmed them, and they could only carry them one bag at a time, their clothes looking like they'd been fished out of the water. There were plenty of salted boiled water lying around along the way from the sandbag collection point to the embankment. The comrades could only grab a spoonful and drink it as they ran, but they were sweating so much that the water soon turned back into sweat.

Zhang Yinghao knew that carrying sandbags was relatively easy work. The most tiring part was carrying rocks. Each rock weighed at least 300 jin (approximately 150 kilograms), requiring four people to carry it, using two thick wooden sticks to cross them. Other rocks weighed over 100 kilograms, requiring two people to carry them. After a while, his shoulders were rubbed raw. The moment the sticks were placed on them, the pain burned, but after a while, he lost consciousness.

We held on like this for two whole days. The rainstorm finally stopped and the sky cleared up. We finally survived the most dangerous moment.

From then on, a saying spread in Xuzhou: "Chairman Zhang killed a group of bad landlords, the levee was saved, and the sky cleared up!" Then Zhang Yinghao became a god-like figure.

After fighting for more than ten days and overcoming all difficulties, the sky finally cleared up and Xuzhou was out of danger. Although there was water several feet deep in the city, the levee was saved after all, and there was no large-scale collapse of houses. Except for a few small mountain villages affected by mudslides, the rest of the losses were not great. Good news also came from other areas such as Luzhou, and Zhang Yinghao finally relaxed.

After staying in the rain for more than ten days, Zhang Yinghao had to go into battle himself at the critical moment. His shoulders had already become red and swollen from being pressed. Chen Xueer was applying anti-swelling medicine on him at this time.

"He's a man of character after all, so why would he risk his life so desperately? He even went into battle himself, and he doesn't even know how to take care of himself!"

Snowman looked distressed. While applying medicine, he scolded Zhang Yinghao. "Hey, this is what our Progressive Party should do. This isn't a show. Do I need to put on a show for others? But then again, the Progressive Party is still too young. If I don't step up, some of those bureaucrats might dare to hide and disregard the lives and property of the people. So this kind of thing has to be a tradition. Once it happens, it will happen countless times. Besides, if Party members and cadres don't respond to a disaster, who will? If something goes wrong, at least hundreds of thousands of people will be displaced. Just imagine how much more supplies we'll have to allocate for disaster relief. Most importantly, we still have to focus on construction. Without food, there's no way we can build anything!"

"Construction doesn't happen overnight. Didn't you say that those great powers have accumulated experience for decades or even centuries? Some things can't be rushed!"