In the face of the Xiaogan municipal government staff, the elderly Yang Mingrong, who was dressed in ordinary clothes, was helpless and even a little restrained. Looking at the cautious and scrutinizing gaze of the staff, the elderly Yang Mingrong silently expected that his IOU could be cashed.
The IOU in the hand of the old man Yang Mingrong was left by his grandfather Yang Changyin, and it has been nearly 90 years. At that time, the currency circulating on the market was silver dollars, and the amount of arrears marked on the IOU was whether 400 oceans could be exchanged, and how much Yang Changyin old man could exchange in his heart.
The past events drawn by this IOU in the hands of the elderly Yang Mingrong remind people of the Zhengrong years 90 years ago. What kind of touching story is behind this IOU, whether the arrears have been cashed in, and how much has it been cashed?
An IOU opens the dust of the past
Yang Mingrong, an old man in Xiaogan, Hubei Province, who lived in embarrassment in 2015, really had no way out, and turned over a yellowed IOU left by his grandfather. This IOU has been through three generations, and although the paper has turned yellow and looks very worn, the borrower, the time and the amount can still be clearly identified.
Unlike the ordinary IOU, the amount borrowed in this IOU is 400 oceans. Now that Dayang has long since withdrawn from the stage of history, the elderly Yang Mingrong came to the Xiaogan Municipal Government with this IOU with trepidation, hoping to seek the help of local staff to redeem the arrears.
The elderly Yang Mingrong explained in detail the ins and outs of the IOU. In the face of this special IOU, the staff could not judge the truth or falsity for a while, and could only report the situation to the leader. The relevant leaders are also very cautious in the face of such a situation, and immediately organize experts to identify the authenticity of the IOU.
After expert appraisal, the IOU in the hands of the elderly Yang Mingrong is real. The borrower from Yang Mingrong's grandfather was a detachment leader of the Red First Army, and the story behind the IOU witnessed the water situation of the military and civilian fish.
The military and civilian water situation of the Red Army and the people
At the beginning of the establishment of the Red Army in 1927, it faced a very severe external environment, and the lack of materials became a very serious problem. It was an era of war, coupled with the environment in which hostile forces suppressed the Red Army. It was common not to be able to eat, clothe, and warmth, and even though the environment was so harsh, the Red Army still set strict military discipline.
Two of them are not to take a needle and a thread from the masses, and not to eat porridge and rice from the masses. Everywhere the Red Army went, it strictly observed military discipline and did not harass the local people without orders, even if it was on a very cold day, using a straw bunk with a door panel to sleep on the side of the road as its own bed.
The people have always been suppressed by warlords and local tycoons and gentry, who have even forced the people to pay all kinds of harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes for the people to take advantage of the fish and meat. The people were already dissatisfied, and such a disciplined contingent as the Red Army quickly won the trust of the people.
Therefore, the people have food to contribute, money to pay, and powerful contributions, often spontaneously donating money and materials. The eggs that he was reluctant to eat were all saved up for the Red Army, but every time he donated money, materials, grain, and clothes, the Red Army politely refused.
If you want to fight, you must first solve the problem of survival. There is a stipulation that the masses cannot take a needle and a thread, but in the face of more and more people joining, the red army's army is also spending more and more. The soldiers and horses did not move the grain and grass first, and only by solving the problem of logistical supply could the combat effectiveness of the army be maintained.
At this time, the Red Army thought of a way, that is, to find some local people with good economic conditions and very supportive of the Red Army to borrow money, and to write down the time and borrower of the loan in accordance with the regulations. This will solve the immediate difficulties and solve the problem of survival without violating the rules.
Yang Changyin collected money for the Red Army
In 1929, the 31st, 32nd, and 33rd Divisions of the Red Army were reorganized into the Red First Army, and Tu Xing, who was the leader of the first detachment at the time, came to the home of Yang Changyin, the grandfather of Yang Mingrong, in order to solve the problem of military expenditure after the reorganization. Yang Changyin's economic conditions for running a business in Xiaogan at that time were quite good.
At that time, the Red Army was stationed in the village where Yang Changyin lived, often helping the villagers to do farm work and solve their difficulties. Yang Changyin looked at all these things and felt that the Red Army was truly an army for the people. In the face of the request to borrow money, he did not hesitate at all, Yang Changyin only had 300 oceans in his hand at that time. In order to raise more expenses for the Red Army and his relatives and friends, he borrowed another 100 oceans.
Yang Changyin gave these 400 oceans to Tu Xing. Although the Red Army offered a loan, Yang Changyin said in the mountain that the Red Army fought for the common people, and the money was nothing, and it was donated to the Red Army free of charge. According to the regulations at that time, the people could not take a needle and a thread, and Tu Xing insisted on giving Yang Changyin an IOU.
The arrears are returned after 85 years
The war years were turbulent and the Red Army could hardly stay in one place for a long time. Yang Changyin also did not intend to ask for the loan, and the IOU was also locked in a box and forgotten in the corner. Yang Changyin's son also did not move the idea of wanting to owe money. Previously, the old man Yang Mingrong had never thought of asking for this debt.
However, the old man encountered difficulties in life, so he remembered this yellow and worn-out IOU. I hope that the relevant departments can exchange the loans of the year to improve their lives. Because he did not know where to exchange the money, the elderly Yang Mingrong asked for help from local government workers.
The first time the staff encountered such a thing, they attached great importance to it. Quickly reported to the relevant leaders. Looking at the plainly dressed and even some shabby old man Yang Mingrong, the leader was relieved that as long as the IOU was true, the money would be repaid in full. Old Man Yang Mingrong was relieved.
This money faces two difficulties, one is the authenticity of the IOU, and the other is the 400 oceans 90 years ago, equivalent to how much the renminbi is now. Most of the Red Army special agent battalions that borrowed money from Yang Mingrong at that time had already died in the war, and the rest of them were never heard from.
The staff did a lot of work and finally found some clues in the local county chronicle, and finally confirmed that the loan was real. Another big question that arises is how many renminbi 400 oceans should return.
Oceans as a circulating currency have long since withdrawn from the stage of history, when 400 oceans was not a small number. How to exchange the purchasing power of the current currency has also become a problem, and after expert calculations, 400 oceans can be exchanged for 40,000 yuan. After a century, the loan was finally returned.
summary
If it were not for the difficulties of life, I believe that the elderly Yang Mingrong would bury the IOU in his heart forever like his father and grandfather. This small IOU not only records the difficult years, but also becomes a witness to the military and civilian families. The people's army is for the people, the people's army is loved by the people, although in the past 90 years, this fine tradition has been passed down from generation to generation.