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Text丨Editor: Literature and History
Preface
In 1935, the Central Red Army finally ended the hard years of eating grass roots and gnawing bark and came to northern Shaanxi. But winter brought new challenges ahead: there was no money to eat, no money to wear, how to survive the winter? At that time, the living expenses of more than 7,000 soldiers were only 1,000 yuan, and it was not enough to buy winter clothes. Yang Zhicheng, the minister of logistics, told Chairman Mao that at least 3,000 oceans were needed. How could the Kuomintang army raise this money under the watchful eye of the Red Army? The Red Army has never robbed the people of a stitch or a thread, so what should we do now? Chairman Mao decided to borrow money after thinking about it for a few days. He wrote an IOU to Xu Haidong, the commander of the Red 25th Army, but he didn't expect Xu Haidong to generously borrow 5,000 oceans. Chairman Mao was very grateful, this money not only solved the immediate difficulties, but also made him remember Xu Haidong in his heart. But how did our army's military spending come from in those years? Let's go with Xiao Yao to see what it was.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, an iron law adhered to by the Central Red Army was "not to take a stitch from the masses", and the first version of this discipline was actually more simple, expressing it as "not taking a sweet potato from the masses". Behind the formation of this regulation is a profound reflection on the army that ran rampant in the countryside and plundered the countryside in the old society. Historically, many places where armies have passed through have often become a mess, and the people have suffered unspeakably. Even during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it was not uncommon to use plunder to maintain the army, not only the Japanese army that invaded China, but also some domestic armies adopted similar practices. The Central Red Army chose a different path, insisting on not treating the people with violence and not robbing the people.
This seemed almost impossible at the time. In an era of bullets and scarcity, maintaining military discipline and respecting the people seems to run counter to the army's rules of survival. But it is this distinctive discipline that has won the trust and support of the people. At that time, the common people were Xi to the plundering and oppression of the army, and the behavior of the Central Red Army gave them a different hope. On the basis of this mutual respect and trust, a deep emotional bond was established between the Red Army and the population.
In fact, this discipline of the Red Army also changed the traditional concept of the army to a large extent. The army is no longer a high-minded, ruthless existence, but has become a protector and friend of the people. The support of the people became a powerful backing for the Red Army to overcome difficulties and obstacles.
This discipline also prompted the Red Army to be more innovative in solving logistical supplies. They did not rely on plunder, but through hard work, self-sufficiency, and even working with local farmers to cultivate the land and grow food, they solved the problems of life together. The Red Army also carried out a great deal of propaganda and education work, disseminated revolutionary ideas to the people, and explained the purpose of its actions, thus gaining more understanding and support from the people.
This approach of the Red Army, although it seemed quite difficult under the circumstances of the time, proved to be correct and far-sighted in the end. It not only helped them to hold out in the war, but also laid a solid mass foundation for the later victory of the revolution.
In the early stages of KMT-CCP cooperation, the Communist Party and the Kuomintang joined hands to establish a joint army. At that time, the army was mainly financed by the support of the Kuomintang, and the weapons used by the workers' pickets in Shanghai, Beijing and other areas were provided by the Nationalist government. With Chiang Kai-shek's betrayal of the revolution, the Communist Party faced an unprecedented crisis and urgently needed to master its armed forces. Against this background, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai led the historic Autumn Harvest Uprising and the Nanchang Uprising, respectively. The main body of these rebel armies was still in fact the army of the former Nationalist Army, while the peasant self-defense army and the workers' pickets occupied only a smaller part. In addition, Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan also led the Pingjiang Uprising, which was also transformed from the troops of the former Nationalist Army. In the course of the uprising, the Communist Party gradually established its own independent military force, which laid a solid foundation for the subsequent revolutionary struggle.
In an effort to achieve economic self-sufficiency, the Red Army turned its attention to the local tyrant class that dotted the Chinese countryside. These tyrants, usually the descendants of local landlords or rich peasants, lived in luxury on high rents and exorbitant taxes, imposing a heavy economic burden on ordinary peasants. Although there are some virtuous deeds among them, most of them are still exploiters who oppress the peasants.
In the tactics of the Red Army, these tyrants were not considered ordinary people, so the blow to them did not violate the basic discipline of the army. After eliminating the influence of these exploiting classes, the Red Army would confiscate the wealth it had accumulated and use it to replenish the army. At the same time, the confiscated land was distributed to the poor local peasants, a move that greatly increased the prestige and support of the Red Army among the peasants.
The local peasants were naturally full of gratitude and support for the Red Army when they saw that the local tyrants who had oppressed them were defeated by the Red Army and their land was redistributed. This support was manifested not only morally, but also materially, and many peasants offered to provide food and shelter, and even joined the ranks of the Red Army.
In addition, the Red Army's treatment of local tyrants is relatively fair and orderly, and they usually confirm the exploitation of local tyrants through investigations to ensure that innocent people are not injured by mistake. In this way, the Red Army not only solved the problem of material shortages, but also consolidated its mass base at the grassroots level in the countryside and laid a solid foundation for subsequent revolutionary activities.
At a critical moment in 1931, the Communist Party made an important decision to appoint Mao Zemin in charge of the establishment of the State Bank, which was to consolidate the financial base and monetary system of the Soviet region. In the face of this arduous task, Mao Zemin had only four comrades by his side, and they jointly shouldered the important tasks of unifying the finances of the Soviet region, regulating and controlling finance, stabilizing the economy, and supporting the Red Army's operations.
Mao Zemin demonstrated exceptional leadership and organizational skills, and in just two months, he was able to develop this small team into a team capable of tackling complex financial tasks. As a result of their efforts, the State Bank soon began its official operations, and Mao Zemin became the president of the first State Bank established by the Communist Party.
Once a bank is founded, one of the first tasks it faces is the issuance of new currency. Since the party was still in its infancy in terms of anti-counterfeiting technology, the first batch of banknotes issued soon encountered the challenge of a surge of counterfeit money, which had a serious impact on the market environment in the Soviet area. Mao Zemin reacted quickly to this crisis by creatively proposing the idea of adding a specific amount of wool to banknotes, an innovative initiative that not only improved the security of the currency, but also became a simple and effective way to identify authenticity. The wool fibers in the banknote can be seen through the light, and the special smell of burnt wool can be smelled by burning the banknote slightly with a fire. This strategy succeeded in curbing the circulation of counterfeit money and ensuring the stability of the Soviet currency.
During the critical period from 1938 to 1940, the Chinese Communist Party faced tremendous financial pressure. The $300,000 that Wang Jiaxiang and Zhou Enlai brought back from Moscow in the past two years became the key funds for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to ease financial constraints. At the same time, the underground party and revolutionary contingent in the Jiaodong region provided invaluable support to Yan'an through the gold extracted from the Zhaoyuan gold mine. Especially in 1940, the Jiaodong Special Commission sent more than 20,000 taels of gold to Yan'an, which alleviated the central government's material predicament to a certain extent.
Because the Eighth Route Army persisted in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it won wide attention and support from all walks of life. Many people took the initiative to donate, and many enthusiastic young people went to Yan'an to join the anti-Japanese war. Beginning in 1939, the Kuomintang imposed a strict material blockade on the liberated areas, resulting in severe food shortages in the liberated areas. Even leaders such as Mao Zedong and Wang Jiaxiang had to eat black bean soup as their daily food, and the life of the soldiers was even more difficult.
In this predicament, Mao Zedong launched a call for "do it yourself, have enough food and clothing". He also specifically assigned some personnel to carry out business activities in large cities to solve the problem of material shortages. After more than two years of unremitting efforts, the basic livelihood security in the liberated areas has been significantly improved, and even self-sufficiency has been achieved in the manufacture of weapons and equipment, such as the local production of bullets and guns.