The sun never sets.

Three months later, after receiving a reply from Chairman Lin, William II was ready to let Ludendorff pull out his troops to see whether the "infantry infiltration attack" and the "Soldiers' Committee" were useful.

Chapter 489: Attack and Defense

德国陆军师的编制跟其他欧洲列强相似，1个步兵师由2个步兵旅及1个炮兵团组成。每个步兵旅又下辖2个步兵团，每个步兵团下辖3个步兵营和1个机枪连；每个步兵营由4个步兵连和1个机枪排组成，每个步兵连又下辖4个步兵排。德国1个步兵连人数在245人左右，1个步兵营人数在1000人左右，1个步兵团3287人左右，1个步兵师在18000人左右。

In terms of weapons, each division has 4 heavy machine gun companies, each equipped with 6 Maxim heavy machine guns, so the total number of the whole division is 24. Each division has 4 artillery battalions, three equipped with 18 77mm field guns, and the other equipped with 18 105mm howitzers, for a total of 72 artillery pieces.

This is the organization of the German Army. Ludendorff's infantry division reduced the number of field guns and howitzers and increased the number of heavy machine guns and mortars. Originally, he wanted to increase the number of mortars and machine guns without reducing the number of howitzers and field guns, but this is unfair. He can't say that the firepower of his division has increased while the opponent in the exercise has not.

William II was more fond of Ludendorff, but the purpose of the exercise was not to see the side with stronger firepower beat the other side, but to test whether the "defense tactics" and "infantry penetration attack" tactics were really more advanced, and to test whether the "soldiers' committee" could add to the combat effectiveness of the army. Many Junker officers believed that the "soldiers' committee" would not only fail to enhance the combat effectiveness of the troops, but would make the soldiers despise the authority of the officers, which was contrary to military common sense.

As for the "infantry penetration attack" tactic, the officer corps generally opposed it, but many people also believed that the "penetration attack" tactic was indeed desirable, and whether it would work or not still needed to be tested. After all, the Chinese defeated the 400,000-strong Russian army with this tactic. The current German army has become a little more rigid than in the Prussian era, but it is not as rigid and stubborn as the British.

Although the German navy was cooperating with China and the German economy was becoming increasingly close to China, the Junker officers were still hostile to the People's Army. This hostility stemmed from the defeat of the Eight-Nation Alliance, the death of Marshal Waldersee, and the Chinese trial of the Germans.

Some Junkers believed that war was war, and that if they lost, they should learn from their experience. However, more Junker officers could not forget this shame. They believed that China had damaged Germany's dignity and were very dissatisfied with Ludendorff and others who advocated the combat effectiveness of the People's Army. In addition, Moltke the Younger, who succeeded Alfred Schlieffen as Chief of the General Staff, and others insisted on focusing on the attack on the Western Front and the correctness of the "Schlieffen Plan". France's land area and population were not as large as Germany's. It was an unshakable strategy to crush France first and then turn back to deal with Germany.

Ludendorff, on the other hand, believed that the correct choice was to take a defensive position on the Western Front and kick the weaker Russia out of the war. However, Ludendorff was now a lowly figure. Although he had been promoted to general, there were still a lot of lieutenant generals, admirals and marshals above him, so it was not his turn to make decisions on strategic planning.

He needs to prove the advanced nature of the "infantry penetration attack" tactics before he can have a chance to expand his influence. If the exercise fails, let alone affecting Germany's overall strategy, he may not be able to continue to stay in the army.

No matter what the parties thought or planned, after three months of waiting, the exercise finally began. Ludendorff's division was the Red Army, and the other side of the exercise, Erich von Falkenhayn's division, was the Blue Army.

The first exercise was conducted by the Red Army on defense. Didn’t Ludendorff say that at the current level of military technology, “defense” has surpassed “offense”? General Falkenhayn was going to crush this shameless lie with a fierce attack!

General Erich von Falkenhayn was confident that he would win the battle, but he was not careless and did all the necessary preparations. It could even be said that he was more prepared than usual.

Falkenhayn was not alone, he had a whole faction behind him. Everyone was expecting him to crush Ludendorff's challenge and restore the German Army to its former atmosphere of military discipline.

Similarly, another General Erich was also very confident. General Erich Ludendorff believed that defense was more efficient than offense at this stage, which was an irrefutable fact that had been proven many times in the Northeast and Korean battlefields. When the exercise started to fall behind, Ludendorff ordered the army to deploy and start building a defense line on the spot. Officers and soldiers dug jagged right-angle trenches, anti-artillery holes, machine gun bunkers and other defense facilities according to the training in the past three months.

Because there was only one day to prepare, the defense line was not very solid. There were no three lines of defense, and the trenches and machine gun bunkers could not be reinforced with logs. However, the Ludendorff Division set up two layers of barbed wire in front of the position and buried mines (for exercises). Although there were ten less howitzers and ten field guns, there were a lot more machine guns and mortars. The Blue Army's 105mm howitzers were really not enough, and they might pose some threat to the hastily built defense line, but only a little.

The exercise was held in East Prussia, the home of the Junkers, with rivers and farmland all over the place. The land was open and flat, and the combat intentions of the Red Army and the Blue Army were clearly visible. On the first day, both sides detected the general deployment of the other side. In the exercise judgment, both sides suffered dozens of casualties during the reconnaissance phase.

The real battle started on the second day. The Blue Army had more howitzers, and after the troops were deployed, they bombarded the defense line built by the Red Army with howitzers. Of course, the people of Ludendorff's division had already withdrawn. This was just an exercise, not a real battle.

After years of development, the military exercise system of European and American powers has become very mature. According to the referee's judgment, the blue army's artillery coverage caused some casualties to the red army, but not much. Then the blue army launched an attack on the red army's defense line under the cover of field artillery, but was killed by the red army's machine gun side fire and mortars. The blue army was only equipped with 24 Maxim machine guns, and the number of machine guns equipped by the red army reached 72!

In addition, the mortar's indirect firepower has a very good effect in defensive operations. It is difficult for the attacker to find where the Red Army's mortars are hidden. After the machine guns and field artillery were knocked out, the only advantage left for the Blue Army was 18 105 howitzers.

In the Far East, 105mm howitzers are called heavy artillery, but in Europe, 105mm caliber is only considered light artillery. The greatest use of this kind of howitzer is to kill unprotected infantry and destroy simple bunkers, but it is not so effective against systematic trenches. Moreover, the defenders also have howitzers, although the number is small, but they can use the method of firing a few shots and then changing positions to suppress the blue army's counter-artillery.

After two days of "battle", the Blue Army was judged to have lost 70% of its machine guns and field artillery, and suffered 50% casualties, and had lost the ability to continue fighting. The Red Army also suffered heavy losses, but compared to the Blue Army, they were not much.

Chapter 490: Attack and Defense (End)

The first exercise undoubtedly ended in a disastrous defeat for the Blue Army, which had a certain impact on the General Staff and the Junker Officers Corps. Defense would definitely be more advantageous, but the casualty ratio of both sides reached 1:2.5. In addition to the 105mm howitzers, the Blue Army lost almost all its heavy weapons and equipment. Such heavy casualties were not expected by Moltke the Younger and the retired Admiral Schlieffen.

However, this was not enough. The 105mm howitzer was only a light howitzer, belonging to the artillery of the division level, and the German Army had more and thicker barrels. In front of the 280mm howitzer, the hastily built defense line would be easily torn apart. In order to deal with the French fortresses, Germany also planned to manufacture artillery with a larger caliber. The focus of the Schlieffen Plan was on the right wing of the Western Front, which would require a passage into Belgium, but Belgium would most likely not agree to the passage, so it was necessary to use super heavy artillery to flatten the solid Liege fortress, which required thicker and larger barrels.

The first exercise proved the value of "defensive operations", but at best it only showed that Ludendorff was a qualified general, and it could not change the German military's admiration for "offensive tactics". Even General Falkenhayn himself was prepared for the failure of the first exercise, and the focus was on the second exercise after the red and blue sides exchanged roles.

The generals and staff officers of the General Staff congratulated Ludendorff, saying that although the Junkers were stubborn, they could still see the facts. In fact, the Junkers chose to be rigid and conservative just to maintain their own ruling position. If it could enhance the combat effectiveness of the army, they did not mind making changes.

"Ludendorff, you have proven yourself to be not only a good staff officer, but also a good general. But I hope you can perform better in the exercise the day after tomorrow!"

Moltke the Younger apologized to Ludendorff and admitted that his previous evaluation of him was biased. "I hope you can prove that we were wrong!" He emphasized the word "we".

Ludendorff was a talent favored by Moltke the Younger and Admiral Schlieffen. Without their promotion, Ludendorff would not have been promoted so quickly. The Junker officer corps had more than 100,000 people, many of whom served in the army for their entire lives, and it was considered good to be able to retire as a major. Of course, his own talents also played a big role. Military books like "Total War" are not something that anyone can write.

After Ludendorff had a conflict with the General Staff, it was Moltke the Younger who first stood up and reprimanded him. When Ludendorff proved himself in a military exercise, it was Moltke the Younger who first stood up...

Why was Moltke the Younger able to surpass so many generals with stronger military talents than him and ascend to the throne of the Chief of the General Staff? Just look at this smooth and smooth operation. Everyone knows that Ludendorff is Moltke the Younger's man. He stood up and reprimanded him first, and others were speechless. Now that Ludendorff has shown an extraordinary level of military ability, Moltke the Younger expressed his support with confidence, and others were speechless. However, this Chief of the General Staff has put all his thoughts on power politics, and his military ability is a little worse. Being slick means weakness. Sometimes, in many cases, being slick is not a good thing for generals and commanders.

At first, the military exercises conducted within the German Army did not attract much attention from the outside world. These Germans conduct military exercises several times a year, and everyone is used to it. After hearing that the Germans are conducting military exercises again, the powers just habitually sent some people to collect information. But soon, those intelligence personnel found something wrong.

It's not that the intelligence personnel knew that the German army used the tactics of the People's Army, but they found that they could not find much useful information. In the past, they could get a lot of detailed information, but this time the news was blocked. Because they could not collect enough information, it attracted great attention from other countries, mainly Britain and France. The more they cover up, the more problems there are. It may also be a smokescreen. But even if it is a smokescreen, Britain and France will follow.

Now Britain and France together can hardly hold Germany down, and the Russian Empire must be added. After the Moroccan crisis almost led to a European war, Britain, France and Russia have been getting closer and closer. The Allies and the Axis Powers... ah, the Allies. The confrontation between the Allies and the Alliances has already begun, and neither side has made up its mind to go to war. But the seeds have taken root and sprouted. People of insight know that the war between the Allies and the Alliances is inevitable. It just depends on when and why it breaks out.

A few days later, it was a fine day, and the second exercise started on time. This time, the Red Army attacked and the Blue Army defended. They also had one day to prepare, dig trenches, and scout the enemy's deployment. The Blue Army still used traditional tactics, while Ludendorff and his men were already using the "infantry penetration attack" tactics that were two generations ahead of their time.

"Infantry infiltration attack" is an improved version of "Storm Assault Tactics", which is a new tactic invented by the German army after summarizing the lessons learned after suffering enough in World War I. That was a bloody lesson. The Germans used hundreds of thousands of casualties to prove a truth - "times have changed."

The Red Army demonstrated excellent technical and tactical skills in the previous exercise, proving the value of the "defense theory". When they switched to the offensive side, they truly demonstrated the style of "infantry infiltration attack".

First they tested the enemy, then they concentrated their artillery and troops to tear a hole in the Blue Army's defense line. Commandos equipped with rifles, grenades, and mortars swept in like a whirlwind. The Blue Army had more howitzers and field guns, but the attackers had the advantage of concentrated artillery fire. Although they could only suppress the enemy in a short period of time, Ludendorff only needed to suppress the enemy for a short period of time. As long as they tore a hole, the entire defense system of the Blue Army would cease to exist.

The Red Army's rapid attack left Falkenhayn no time to react, and the swift assault swept through the Blue Army's positions. Mortars were very useful in defense and even more useful against trenches.

The second exercise was only halfway through, and the winner had already been decided, so there was no need to force a conclusion. General Erich von Falkenhayn maintained his composure and congratulated Ludendorff, "Sharp tactics, wonderful command! General, when are you free? I would like to ask you some questions."

Falkenhayn still believed that the "Schlieffen Plan" was the most correct choice, but this did not prevent him from realizing the power of the "infantry infiltration attack" tactic. Soldiers are like this, they only recognize strength. This is especially true in the German army, which has its own country.

Moltke the Younger talked with Seeckt and others for a while, then walked over with a serious expression and said to Ludendorff: "I'll give you a week to sort out all the relevant information and then report to the General Staff. You know the location!"

Chapter 491: In full swing

"........Falkenhayn's command was fine. After the left wing's defense line was torn open, he promptly sent an infantry regiment over and sealed the gap with artillery fire, blocking the Red Army's subsequent deployment of troops, but........."

"............The Red Army's troops are too scattered. Although they can make better use of their firepower," Hans von Seeckt paused for a moment and said, "This tactic is suitable for elite troops, but it places too high demands on officers and soldiers!"

Seeckt was a true soldier, usually taciturn, doing more than talking, and always receiving good reviews when he served in frontline combat units and staff units, which made his reputation continue to improve. In Moltke's view, people like Seeckt were role models for Junker officers, while Ludendorff was talented but too unruly.

After the exercise, the General Staff conducted several mapping exercises on the “battle” process between the Red and Blue sides.

Deduction. In terms of command, Erich von Falkenhayn had no problem, but he still couldn't win, which meant that his tactics were really outdated. Well, there was also the problem of equipment. Whether it was offense or defense, mortars played a big role, and some could be equipped in infantry divisions. Heavy machine guns also needed to be equipped more. In defensive battles, the side firepower of heavy machine guns had excellent lethality against densely charged infantry.

If the enemy also uses the same machine gun tactics in the defensive battle, the offensive forces will become lambs to be slaughtered. There are two ways to solve this problem. One is to strengthen artillery, especially heavy artillery; the other is to make the infantry's offensive formation more loose. In this way, under the same manpower conditions, an infantry division can control a longer front line, which can effectively reduce the casualties suffered by machine guns and artillery, and the saved manpower can be invested in the "commando".

For some people, war is passionate and romantic, but for more people, war is cruel and ruthless, nothing more than cold calculation. The focus of generals is not casualties. As long as there is a war, there will be deaths, but as long as victory can be achieved, it's fine. Using the lives of soldiers to exchange for victory, isn't this the job of a general?

The question is how to make the soldiers willing to die, and how to consume the lives of the soldiers more efficiently. Sekt thought for a while and continued, "According to the organization of the Red Army, we need more officers and NCOs, not one thousand or two thousand, but an increase of 20%... at least 30%."

At this point, Seckt couldn't help but shake his head. This was obviously impossible. The Junker officer corps was very exclusive. NCOs could be promoted from the enlisted men, but what about officers? Let the Junker nobles work hard and have many children? That would take another twenty years before they could be put to use.

In fact, including Seeckt, all the Junkers did not really understand how cruel the upcoming war would be. They were updating their equipment and tactics, but their thinking was still stuck in the era of the Franco-Prussian War. No one thought that war could drain a country's vitality. Even Ludendorff, who wrote "Total War", only wanted to increase the number of standing troops, burst out the maximum force at the moment of war, and then take down the opponent in one wave.

Ludendorff and his colleagues helped the People's Army establish the General Staff, and were also influenced by the People's Army, believing that a situation of "using the strong to attack the weak" should be formed at the moment of the outbreak of the battle. Germany was worried about being attacked by France and Russia, so it expanded its army. What else was there to think about?

After spending a few years in China, Ludendorff felt that his life had been sublimated. There were many things that he didn't understand before, but now he could understand them clearly. In the past, he only had some vague ideas based on experience, but now he had them at the level of theory. But even so, it was hard for Ludendorff to imagine that a battle could be launched with artillery for several days. How could there be any survivors on the battlefield after such a long period of artillery preparation?

The secret military exercises conducted by the Germans have caused some speculation in the outside world, and the attention has also increased, but they have not been really taken seriously by Britain, France, and Russia. The British are most concerned about the new warships that the Germans are tinkering with. On the contrary, China, which is far away on the other side of the earth, has obtained more information because China has sent many officers to Germany for exchanges. The People's Army has advanced aspects, but it also has many shortcomings. For example, logistics scheduling is far worse than that of the Germans. China is still an agricultural country, while Germany has entered the industrial age for decades. It is normal to have a gap.

Lin Yongchang was not worried about what would happen if the Germans learned the "infantry penetration attack". If the German army could really kill the city of Paris and reproduce the glory of the Franco-Prussian War, it would be a good thing for China. In order to deal with the Germans, the British Empire had to retreat in great strides around the world and could no longer chase and intercept China. The British were not deliberately targeting China. The gentlemen of Downing Street treated all countries equally, and they pulled and fought, fought and pulled, with the aim of maintaining a balance of power.

Moreover, can the German army really reach the gates of Paris again? Lin Yongchang is very skeptical. The "infantry infiltration attack" tactic is certainly powerful, and it is almost the pinnacle of light infantry tactics, but light infantry is only light infantry after all, and there is no good way to deal with solid fortresses and hundreds of heavy artillery. War is a confrontation between one system and another system, and infantry tactics are not everything.

If he really wanted the Germans to win the World War, Lin Yongchang should not have given them "super-dreadnought battleships" but "Land Cruisers". But Lin Yongchang was not a pushover, nor was he a German fan. There was no reason for him to help the Germans for no reason. In fact, the more you understand something or a person, the less you will blindly worship them. All things that appear to be brilliant on the surface are bloody when torn apart.

The world is changing, and so is China. China began to implement its first Five-Year Plan in 1906. So far, a year and a half have passed, and several key projects in the First Five-Year Plan have been completed, including the restoration of three railways, the construction and repair of new and repaired railway trunk lines, double lines, and branch lines totaling about 3 miles. The Baoji-Chengdu Railway, Yingxia Railway, and Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge have been completed one after another.

Everyone was intoxicated by such achievements, especially those in the Planning Commission, who burned their lives on a map of more than 10 million square kilometers, turning the map into the color they wanted. In the face of such a raging tide, no one could stay out.

Except for Lin Yongchang

. Because the problem still exists.

Chapter 492 Plan

The tractor factory imported from the United States was running well. At first, only parts could be shipped from the United States and then assembled in the factory. Gradually, some parts were also produced domestically. When the relationship with the United States deteriorated rapidly, many things were either unavailable for purchase or detained by the US customs for inspection. As long as they wanted, they could always find a reason to detain them, which forced China to implement the full localization of tractors.

It is not difficult to achieve full localization. There are no technical problems. Once the most difficult engine and transmission system are solved, there will be no other technical difficulties. The output of rubber and oil is not high, but it is enough. The problem lies in the price. Full localization means that a series of upstream factories must be established. In this way, the cost is actually more expensive than purchasing parts from the United States for assembly. This has affected the sales of tractors. Some farms even wrote to the central government to reflect this situation.

Can the price be lowered? Of course it can. Strengthening management and optimizing production to improve efficiency can effectively reduce prices, but the simplest way is to increase production. This is how industrial products are. The more you produce, the thinner the initial investment in machinery, equipment, and factories will be. The more you produce, the cheaper it will be. Why does imperialism need colonies? It is to gain markets and sources of raw materials.

Comrades from the Ministry of Industry made plans to expand production and reduce the price of tractors. Products can only become commodities if they are sold. If the tractors cannot be sold, they will lose money. The People's Government does not implement a "steel model" planned economy, but a "black cat, white cat" type of planned economy. Even state-owned enterprises will go bankrupt if they are not well managed, although such a thing has not happened yet.

After the plan was sent to the State Planning Commission, it first evaluated it according to the normal process, and then it got stuck. Expanding production can spread the cost, but the premise is that it can be sold. If it can't be sold, the more it is produced, the more it loses. After all, a tractor is a big thing, more than ten times more expensive than a large livestock. Apart from state-owned farms and production corps, how many families can afford it? Moreover, it is not enough to buy a tractor. Diesel is not cheap and hard to buy. In addition, the maintenance and repair of tractors is also a troublesome matter.

Although Lin Yongchang had developed more advanced gasoline and diesel engines through cheating, which could reduce fuel consumption and costs, tractors were still very expensive. Even if large-scale production was achieved as planned by the Ministry of Industry, the cost would still not be reduced much. It could be reduced a little, but not by much.

After the liberation of China, the agricultural tax was reduced to "two out of ten taxes", and the living standards of farmers improved a lot, but they did not save much money. Most, most families could not afford tens of thousands of yuan. Even Lin Yongchang only had a salary of more than 200 yuan a month. How much income could farmers have?

Moreover, the people's government only reduced the agricultural tax, but did not use other methods to obtain the surplus value of the countryside, such as the "scissors gap". The local government also has "levies", that is, "miscellaneous taxes". The lives of farmers have improved, but they can only eat enough and not starve to death. If they do not go out to work during the slack season, their lives will still be very tight.

In recent years, cities and railway lines have developed rapidly. Convenient transportation has greatly reduced logistics and travel costs, which is a prerequisite for the development of a place. In places where the state has made key investments, railways or roads are built first, and factories are built only after the basic construction of "three connections and one leveling" is completed.

After evaluation, the State Planning Commission rejected the Ministry of Industry's plan to expand tractor production. A planned economy is also an economy. Since it is an economy, it must follow economic laws. Losing money is not a problem as long as there are greater benefits in other areas, or it can be earned back in the future, even if this "future" is ten or twenty years later. The public ownership economy is the main body, which means "counter-cyclical" investment, but it still needs to follow economic laws.

After the Ministry of Industry's plan was rejected, they drafted a new plan. In the new plan, they provided solutions to the problem of tractors being difficult to sell, and there were more than one. The first solution was for the state to subsidize and lower the price of tractors. Second, the Agricultural Bank of China would issue special loans to provide low-interest or interest-free loans to farmers who purchased tractors. Third, the farm and construction corps model could be implemented in rural areas to concentrate farmers' land and carry out agricultural production in the form of agricultural cooperatives. A family could not afford a tractor, but a group or a village could afford it, right? Even if they still couldn't afford it, they could always get a loan, right? A whole village, are you afraid that you can't pay back the money?

These solutions did not come out of thin air. There are experiences that can be learned from both at home and abroad. For example, the third one is very similar to some of the policies in the reforms carried out by Spinretto in Tsarist Russia. The first two solutions also have precedents in China. The state subsidizes farmers to buy farm tools, seeds and fertilizers, but the subsidy is not large; Rural Commercial Bank has many preferential loans for township enterprises. If there are college students starting a business, the state will also provide an interest-free loan of 5,000 to 20,000 yuan.

After the Ministry of Industry submitted its new plan to the Planning Commission, it sparked a heated debate. Some comrades believed that the Ministry of Industry’s new plan was feasible, that it could increase tractor production, and that the entire production chain could feed a large number of workers;

Increasing the mechanization level of agricultural production will increase the total grain output in the country, save manpower and provide more labor for industry.

Another group of people believed that the plan of the Ministry of Industry violated the principles of economics. It looked good, but it was not feasible. The intensity of the debate gradually escalated, and the two sides with opposing views cited classics and argued sharply. At first, it was only discussed within the Planning Commission. Gradually, the debate extended to newspapers, involving more people or being involved.

At this point, it was no longer just a matter of tractors, but a dispute over the route. The Republic currently practices a planned economy, the so-called planned economy, or planned economic system, also known as a command economy, is an economic system that plans production, resource allocation, and product consumption in advance. Since almost all planned economic systems rely on command planning, the planned economy is also called a command economy.

A planned economy is generally a plan formulated by the government in advance, which proposes the overall goal of national economic and social development, formulates reasonable policies and measures, arranges major economic activities in a planned manner, and guides and regulates the direction of economic operation. The allocation of planned economic resources, including what to produce and how much to produce, is determined by the government plan.

The "Five-Year Plan" is a typical planned economy.

The question now is whether to strengthen the role of "planning" or continue the system of "planned economy" and "market economy" in parallel?

Chapter 493 Seeking Truth from Facts

Europe and the United States practice a "market economy" that allows the invisible hand to regulate the economy. Adam Smith first proposed this idea in "The Wealth of Nations". He believed that the market could be opened up and the invisible hand of the market could regulate the economy. Any economic phenomenon is under the autonomous regulation of the market and is normal, including inflation and deflation. His idea is more idealistic, and he believes that the market can solve all problems in economic operation.

However, there is no country in the world that is a complete "market economy". The government always has some plans and programs. The United States is the best at "liberal market economy", but now it has also begun to have a lot of "planned economy" elements.

Keynes advocated that the government should conduct appropriate macroeconomic regulation of the market economy, which was exactly the opposite of Adam Smith's laissez-faire market economy theory. Keynes advocated that the state should intervene in the market when the market economy was in chaos. However, Keynes was not born at that time, and perhaps even his father was not born yet. In the eyes of many people, "market economy" and "planned economy" are completely opposite, and it is either one or the other.

The great debate in the newspapers lasted for several months. There were many people who supported the "planned economy", most of whom were government officials and managers of state-owned enterprises; there were also many people who supported the "market economy", most of whom were private business owners, individual industrial and commercial households, as well as local powerful groups and some local government officials, such as officials in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangzhou.

The debate was so intense that it caused a nationwide sensation. The People's Daily received thousands of letters every day, many of which contained only a few short sentences followed by a long string of signatures and fingerprints. The sensation spread to other countries, including North Korea, Japan, and Siberia, and sparked a lot of debate.

Premier Wang Qi did a good job in developing agriculture and building industry, but he did not do much theoretical research. He was busy with various things in his daily life, so how could he calm down and do research? Wang Qi was not sure which side was right. He didn't pay much attention to the debate, but when the debate affected the normal operation of the country, he could no longer ignore it.

"We must come to a conclusion as soon as possible! If we continue like this, it will affect the First Five-Year Plan!" In the Prime Minister's Office, Wang Qi said to Lin Yongchang: "We can't waste time on this kind of thing!"

"The more the truth is debated, the clearer it becomes. We can't stop people from speaking." Lin Yongchang asked with a smile, "Which side do you support?"

"I don't support either side. As long as it's good for the country, why bother about whether it's a market economy or a planned economy?"

Lin Yongchang shook his head. "That's not the case. The route is the most important issue. It's like the human brain. If the brain doesn't think clearly, the hands and feet will just move randomly. One leg wants to go left, and the other wants to go right. How can that work?"

Actually, it is not impossible. It is not uncommon to turn right with the left signal on.

"Then think it over quickly!" Wang Qi's voice became louder. "There have been three large-scale demonstrations this month! Comrades from Liaoning Province called and said that the progress of the project has been affected. Other provinces have also been affected to varying degrees. The central government must make a decision as soon as possible!"

"Wait a little longer, let everyone clarify the problem first."

"This kind of problem is hard to explain. It's impossible for people on both sides to convince the other side. Maybe a few people will change their stance, but the vast majority of people cannot be persuaded with words."

"Debates are not about convincing the other party, but about convincing the masses and passers-by."

"Soy sauce?"

Lin Yongchang waved his hand, "This is not important. Wait another month, I will write a few articles in the newspaper to cool everyone down. Whether it is a debate or an argument, we must stick to the facts and not mess with people.

"

Before this, Lin Yongchang mainly copied the Chairman’s thoughts and wrote the relevant content into "Selected Works of Lin Yongchang" after changing its appearance. Now it has been published to the third volume.

The anthology only mentioned "black cat, white cat" a little bit. Now it seems that Comrade Zhuo Xisheng's theory needs to be brought into play.

We need to have ideals, but we must also be down-to-earth. The planned economy can avoid problems such as duplicate construction, vicious competition among enterprises, factory closures, unemployment, unbalanced regional economic development, and social and economic crises. However, we must also see the shortcomings of the planned economy. At this stage, it is impossible to include all activities of the country and the people in the plan. There is no such great computing power. We must learn from the success and failure of the Soviet Union and respect objective facts. Practice is the only way to test the truth.

Any department or group will spontaneously want to expand their power, want to master and control more. Whether it is bureaucracy or capital, they all have a tendency to grow wildly. As long as they can expand their power, they will definitely expand their power. Lin Yongchang believes that China still needs to be wary of capitalism and crack down on bureaucracy.

Not long after, Lin Yongchang published a new article in the newspaper, reiterating the need to adhere to seeking truth from facts, "... To adhere to seeking truth from facts, we must deeply understand the true face of things. We must see the essence through phenomena, discover the inevitable connection within things from chaotic phenomena, proceed from the laws of the existence and development of objective things, and act in accordance with objective laws in practice. Adhering to seeking truth from facts is not a one-time thing. Being realistic at one time and place does not mean that we can also be realistic at another time and place. The conclusions and experiences gained by adhering to seeking truth from facts at one time and place do not mean that they can be applied at another time and place. We must consciously strengthen our belief in seeking truth from facts, enhance our ability to seek truth from facts, and always keep seeking truth from facts in mind and put it into practice..."

"......To adhere to seeking truth from facts, we must clearly understand and correctly grasp the basic national conditions that my country is still in the primary stage of socialism and will remain in this stage for a long time. In promoting reform and development and formulating policies, we must firmly base ourselves on the greatest reality of the primary stage of socialism, fully reflect the inevitable requirements of this basic national condition, and insist on starting from this basic national condition in everything. We must strive to avoid any tendency to rush for quick results that goes beyond reality and stages, and resolutely correct any ideas and practices that lag behind reality, ignore the profound changes in objective facts, and are conservative and self-contained......"

".....To adhere to seeking truth from facts, we must adhere to the truth and correct mistakes for the benefit of the people. We must have the courage and integrity to speak the truth, be selfless and fearless, and be based on facts. We must promptly discover and correct deviations in our thinking, mistakes in decision-making, and shortcomings in our work, and promptly discover and resolve various existing contradictions and problems, so that our thoughts and actions are more in line with objective laws, the requirements of the times, and the wishes of the people..."

"...Practice has repeatedly proved that seeking truth from facts is the key to the success of all work of the Party and the country. All Party members must integrate seeking truth from facts into all work, conduct regular, extensive and in-depth investigations and studies, strive to grasp the real situation more and understand the objective laws more thoroughly, and lay a solid working foundation for coordinating and promoting the "four comprehensive" strategic layout..."

Chapter 1: Joseph's Amazing Adventure ()

Siberia