Volume 1: Turbulent Times Chapter 54: Discussing Matters Over Wine

  Vote for this spot! Also, don't forget to collect it! Thank you!

  "Jiang Ming! Jiang Ming!"

  A sudden shout came from the quiet courtyard, Fang Zida rushed out of the study with a smile and welcomed him warmly.

  "Haha, I wondered who it was, turns out it's Brother Xiaozi visiting, what wind blew you here?"

  "Fang Yingming, Fang Yingming! If Old Duan hadn't told me you were back, I wouldn't have known. You're hiding at home and refusing to see guests, this isn't like you, Fang Yingming." Yang Du said discontentedly, waving his folding fan in the direction of Fang Zida.

  Smiling and shaking his head, Fang Zidao said: "I, Fang Zidao, am now infamous on the streets. Where would I dare to show my face? It's better for me to rest at home and avoid trouble. Brother Xi will not mind being with this fugitive like me, will it tarnish your reputation?"

  "Foolish people's nonsense, what bloodshed? All nonsense!" Yang Du disdainfully said: "The foolish commoners spread rumors and are not trustworthy. How could I, Yang Du, not know what really happened in Fang Zheng's case? Come on! Follow me to drink wine!"

  Fang Zidao has been back in Beijing for quite some time, and during this period, he has not left his house. Very few people have come to visit him, even within the KMT party, only a handful of people like Liao Zhongkai and Tang Shaoyi have visited him. Due to newspaper propaganda, his reputation in Beijing is indeed not very good. Those who used to try to get close to him are now avoiding him, keeping their distance out of fear.

  At this time, Yang Du surprisingly showed his attitude and treated himself as a friend, Fang Zida was somewhat moved in his heart.

  "Let's just drink. 7Z?"

  "No way! Today is a rare opportunity to meet, you must drink this wine! Let's go!" Yang Du dragged Fang Zida out despite his refusal. Fang Zida couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, raising his hands in surrender: "Wait, wait, at least let me change my clothes? How can I go out looking like this?"

  Turning back, Fang Zida was only wearing his home clothes, and Yang Duli, who had lost his voice in laughter, pushed him. Before long, Fang Zida changed into new clothes and followed Yang Duli out the door to a wine shop.

  The room was booked long ago, and the guests were only Yang Du and Fang Zida. They were all friends, and they didn't stand on ceremony with each other, drinking and chatting while enjoying a very warm atmosphere.

  When drinking, Yang Du would not miss the opportunity to ask Fang Zidao about the situation in the south, especially interested in the Battle of Shanghai and Nanjing. Fang Zidao did not disappoint him, vividly describing the intense battle scenes, causing Yang Du's eyes to widen in shock and excitement, repeatedly exclaiming "Great!"

  "So, does this mean the Battle of Nanjing was a lucky victory?"

  "Yes!" Fang Zida also acknowledged, nodding his head: "The fighting strength of Zhang Xun's braid army was indeed very strong. The Eighth Division fought extremely hard. To be honest, Zhang Xun's final retreat was not because he was defeated by the Eighth Division, but rather a voluntary withdrawal to preserve his strength."

  "Zhang Shaoxuan is quite a character! He can take it and put it down!" Yang Du praised, then smiled and said: "But you, Fang Meng, can make Zhang Shaoxuan lose so badly, you're even more of a character. Come on, I'll toast to you."

  Laughing and raising their cups for a toast, Fang Zida asked, "Has Zhang Xun's braid army arrived in Shaanxi? How is the battle with the White Wolf Army going?"

  "Haha, you've been out of touch for a few days! Zhang Shaohuan's troops didn't go to the northwest, they were replaced by Lu Langzhai."

  "Lu Jianzhang?" Fang Zidao was taken aback. Didn't Duan Qirui say that Zhang Xun would be transferred? Why did they suddenly change people? With a puzzled gaze, he looked at Yang Du.

  "What kind of person is Zhang Shaoxuan, do you still not know? Originally, the Ministry of War wanted him to go and put down the rebellion, but he cited heavy losses as a reason, stretched out his hand to the central government asking for guns and supplies, and also asked to replenish the establishment of 15 battalions."

  "What! Fifteen battalions?" Fang Zida was shocked upon hearing this, Zhang Heng's appetite was too big, he actually dared to ask for so many troops. No wonder the Ministry of War later changed its orders and replaced him with Lu Jianzhang to quell the rebellion.

  Looking at Fang Zidao with a thoughtful expression, Yang Du smiled and said: "That's why I say that Zhang Shaoxuan is a talented person, but unfortunately this man has limited vision and cannot be used for great things. He can only handle small matters, but he will never be able to handle big situations."

  Fang Zidao deeply agreed with Yang Du's comment on Zhang Xun. This man did not recognize the trend, after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, he still remained loyal to the old court, refused to shave his head, and only knew how to preserve his power and occupy territory, and was also arrogant and unruly. Such a person may be able to flourish for a while, but will never last long.

  "Zheng Ming, I heard you've been writing something at home recently? Don't know what it is?" Yang Du asked with a sly smile after taking a sip of wine.

  "Is this a question asked on someone's behalf?" Fang Zida asked back, smiling at him.

  "Is it or isn't it." Yang Du was straightforward and said, "Yesterday I happened to run into Old Duan at the Presidential Palace. He said you're back and have been staying home writing something, apparently related to politics. At the time, the President himself was also present and was very interested after hearing this. Of course, I, Yang Du, am even more curious - does Brother Xiong have some profound insight that he can share with me?"

  "Haha, I knew you dragged me out to drink for no good reason! Look, the fox's tail is exposed!" Fang Zida pointed at Yang Du with a straight face, laughing. Yang Du was also smiling brightly at him, shaking his folding fan without showing any annoyance.

  "In fact, there's nothing confidential about it, just some thoughts. Anyway, Fang Zidao didn't intend to hide anything from anyone, so when Yang Du asked, he simply said: 'Since returning to the country, including this trip south, I've seen and heard a lot that has left me with many feelings. There are some things that I really need to get off my chest, so I plan to organize them and write something down. You could say it's also a bit of advice for the country.'"

  "Oh, which ones specifically?" Yang Du asked with interest.

  "There are many, but it's not written well yet, and it may take some time to revise. However, there are three main aspects. Firstly, the economy. The economic structure of our country is still mainly based on agriculture, but land annexation is severe, and many farmers have lost their land. In addition, agricultural taxes account for a large proportion of the central government's finances, which has caused great hardship for ordinary people at the grassroots level. This is a major problem. If it cannot be changed, once there is a natural disaster, social unrest will be unavoidable..."

  Fang Zidao carefully expounded the rural problem, borrowing some of Marx's theories and combining them with China's current situation to analyze the consequences of class contradictions. In addition, from the agricultural aspect, it extended to industry and commerce, starting from the Westernization Movement during the Qing dynasty, all the way to the end of the Qing dynasty, discussing national capital, foreign capital, comprador bourgeoisie, etc., finally proposing to vigorously develop industry and commerce, reduce the proportion of agricultural taxes in state revenue, and guide landlords from land to commercial capital to alleviate the burden on peasants.

  As Fang Zida explained, Yang Du's smile gradually turned serious, listening intently and nodding in agreement from time to time. Although Yang Du, a scholar who had served as an official in the Qing dynasty and had been abroad, did not fully understand the situation of the lowest social class, it did not mean that he lacked discerning eyes. Many things Fang Zida said hit the nail on the head, some of which Yang Du had even felt before, but had never thought deeply about or come up with a systematic solution. Fang Zida's words made him feel enlightened, and he couldn't help but applaud.

  "What about the second one?" Yang Du asked impatiently after Fang Zida finished talking about the first one.

  "The second is the state system." Fang Zida raised his eyes and looked at him, saying slowly: "Although the current presidential system, the prime ministerial system, and the parliamentary system have been established, the state system is not perfect, especially the constitution, civil law, criminal law, etc. In addition, there are various systems, such as the supervision system, the auditing system, etc., which all need to be supplemented step by step. What worries people most is that military and civilian affairs are not separated at present, which is a major taboo for the country! The governor system in each province must be cancelled as soon as possible, and the military and civilians must be separated, so that they can be stable and peaceful for a long time."

  "This... isn't going to be easy, is it?" Yang Du furrowed his brow and shook his head. The constitution and whatnot that Fang Zida mentioned were still manageable, but wanting to separate military, political, and civil powers? Isn't that just asking for trouble? Nowadays, whoever has guns is the king, and even Yuan Shikai only became president because of the power he held in the Beiyang Army. Who would be willing to give up their guns? Fang Zida's thinking was too simplistic.

  Without explaining, Fang Zidao said the third point directly after he finished speaking, which is also the most crucial one.

  "Militarization of the State?"

  "Yes! It's the nationalization of the army!" Fang Zida nodded: "Nowadays, the military is nominally under the banner of the state, but in reality, it is a military force controlled by individual families, factions, and parties. It's just a false facade. Let's not talk about distant examples, let's look at recent ones. Why were the revolutionary parties able to rise up independently in the south? Isn't it because those military forces didn't listen to central command, but only listened to certain individuals or parties? And why did Zhang Xun disobey orders and attack Jiangsu on his own accord? Now they're not listening to commands again, using the excuse of wanting troops, supplies, and designations to coerce the central government. In short, what are these military forces? Thoroughly warlord-ized! Brother Shu is well-read in history books, he should know how much harm warlords can bring to a country. The downfall of the Tang Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, and even the Qing Dynasty - weren't they all due to the actions of warlords?"

  Yang Du was left speechless by Fang Zidao's words, and what Fang said was not wrong. Yang knew very well the harm caused by warlords, and it could even be said that Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army was the largest warlord, otherwise the Qing dynasty would not have been overthrown by Yuan Shikai. However, what did Fang Zidao mean by nationalizing the army? Did he want to replace the Beiyang Army with the KMT's army? Yang Du couldn't help but feel vigilant.

  "If the army is nationalized, what will your party's army do? For example, the Eighth Route Army?"

  "Haha, what else can be done? Whatever should be done will be done! No one's army is an exception!" Fang Zidadi said resolutely. Yang Du was both shocked and delighted in his heart, staring at Fang Zidadi for half a day without making a sound, pondering whether these words were really his true thoughts.