Chapter 20 Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth

  At this time, the streets of Tongdao County were filled with propaganda slogans of the Red Army, and the faces of pedestrians had an excited expression.

  At the original security team's headquarters gate, crowds of people who made clothes lined up in a long queue to hand over clothes to the Red Army and receive wages. Those who had already handed over their clothes were busy going back to pick up fabric to continue making more, with the Red Army buying as much as they could make.

  At that time, the purchasing power of silver dollars was very strong. One silver dollar could buy 7 catties of pork in Shanghai, and more in a relatively remote place like Tongdao. Therefore, the masses in Tongdao County and nearby counties were very enthusiastic about making military uniforms, especially poor families, who had never seen such a good thing fall from the sky? So, the Red Army cadres responsible for distributing materials were busy with joy.

  Merchants opened their doors early, they already knew that the Red Army would buy and sell publicly. The cloth stores, tailor shops, and dye houses had all done business with the Red Army, and the cloth stores' inventory was completely sold out, making a good profit. They had to hurry up and open their doors to see if the Red Army needed to purchase their goods.

  The Red Army cadres led a team of soldiers to go from door to door in various shops to purchase supplies, including kerosene, salt, medicine, food, cigarettes, and white wine. They bought everything that the army could use. The few restaurants in the county town were also busy making dry rations for the Red Army. Even the blacksmiths were working hard to make pickaxes and shovels for the Red Army engineers. The bosses who were delighted to do business with them couldn't help but smile, saying that the Red Army was truly a civilized army and a righteous army.

  Around 11 o'clock, the Red Army held a public trial meeting in the county seat, and publicly tried the captured county magistrate, county party secretary, police chief, security team leader, tax bureau chief, and finance bureau chief.

  It turned out that after the Red 18th Regiment's telegram requesting a public trial for several heinous criminals was sent, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission immediately replied with approval and requested that the public trial be held in the name of the Soviet Provisional Central Government. Early in the morning, the Political Department of the 18th Regiment posted notices announcing the public trial meeting on the streets of the county town and nearby villages. Upon hearing the news, the residents of the county town and the surrounding villagers rushed to the scene early.

  The common people originally knew that these officials were all bad eggs, but they didn't expect them to be so extremely bad. So when the Red Army cadres publicly announced the crimes and corruption of several bad guys, the common people only then realized that their hard work for a year had all gone into the pockets of these guys. The scene immediately became excited, the Red Army soldiers took advantage of the momentum to guide them, shouting slogans such as "Down with the Kuomintang reactionaries" and "Resolutely suppress counter-revolution", and most of the crowd also followed suit. Many people started throwing stones, mud, and whatever they could pick up at these guys. In the end, the Red Army cadres announced that the county head, county party secretary, police chief, security team leader, tax bureau chief, and finance bureau chief would be executed by firing squad due to their enormous corruption and extreme popular anger.

  After the public trial ended, several guys who were sentenced to death were shot on the spot.

  The Red Army cadres then announced that they would distribute the land occupied by these guys to poor and landless peasants, and open warehouses for grain.

  This finally excited the common people, who surrounded the Red Army cadres to reflect on the situation and demand land distribution. Even in front of the Red Army's recruitment desk, there were long queues, and by lunchtime, 500 new recruits had been recruited. Adding the 300 people mobilized from the security team and police, the new recruit camp suddenly had 800 new recruits.

  Xi's new recruit camp commander Lei Meng, instructor Chang Hua-yu has been following Liu Yi-min to ask for weapons and equipment, saying that they can go on the battlefield in three months.

  Liu Yimin was entangled and had no choice but to say that he would use the captured tunnel security team and police station's weapons and ammunition for training first, focusing on grenade throwing, shooting, and bayonet fighting. Who knew that Lei Hong, who had seen the weapons of several combat brigades, didn't want them, saying that the barrels of the security team's guns were all worn out and couldn't be used. In the end, Liu Yimin agreed to prioritize replenishing with new captures before sending Lei Hong away.

  In the afternoon, the Second Division of the First Red Army arrived at Tongdao County Town.

  The First Red Army Corps is the main force of the Red Army. This heroic and legendary unit, after experiencing the Nanchang Uprising, Autumn Harvest Uprising, establishment of the Central Soviet Area, and numerous battles against encirclement and suppression, has been tempered like fine steel. After the Long March began, the First Corps, along with the Third Corps, was always at the forefront. During the Battle of Xiangjiang, the First Corps defended the Shibanshan position, resisting the crazy attacks of 16 regiments of the Hunan Army under intense bombing and artillery fire, forming a double barrier with the Guanghuapu position of the Third Corps to ensure the safe passage of the Central Column across the Xiangjiang River. At the most critical moment, a small unit of the Hunan Army attacked the corps headquarters, almost threatening the safety of the corps commander. In history, after the Zunyi Conference, the First Red Army Corps was downsized to 2 divisions and 6 regiments, accounting for half of the 12 regiments of the Central Red Army. Liu Yimin from later generations knew that in the history of the Long March, classic battles such as the surprise attack on Zunyi, the forced crossing of the Wujiang River, and the aerial capture of the Luding Bridge were all masterpieces of this vanguard unit of the Red Army. The units derived from the First Corps continued to be the elite of our army in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War, making indelible contributions to the birth of the Republic.

  Looking at the worn-out military uniforms and exhausted expressions of the Red Second Division soldiers in front of him, Liu Yimin was filled with emotions. These were all elite veterans, each one a deserving hero of the people. He instructed Li Qing, who was responsible for logistics, to arrange food and lodging properly, provide new uniforms for the division's soldiers, and ensure that they could eat well and sleep well.

  Due to the adequate logistical preparation of the 18th Regiment, the cadres and soldiers of the Second Division were able to rest in Tongdao County. As one regimental commander of the Second Division recalled after the founding of the nation, it was the first time since the Long March that they had eaten hot meals, taken baths, gotten haircuts, changed into new uniforms, and slept soundly without fear of enemy attack. Chen Guang and Liu Yalou also praised the 18th Regiment.

  The next morning, the 18th Regiment of the Second Division of the First Army Corps, which had been briefly rested and prepared with dry rations, set out to reconnoiter the roads leading into Guizhou from Sichuan and Xiangxiang, continuing their vanguard journey as the Red Army's pathfinders.

  On the 11th at 10:00 am, the First Division of the First Red Army Corps, the Corps Headquarters and the Central Column rushed to Tongdao County.

  To welcome the central leaders and comrades of the First Army Corps, and to show the spirit and style of the 18th Regiment after its formation, to boost the morale of the Red Army, Liu Yimin arranged for troops without guard duties to put on brand new uniforms and line up at the city gate to welcome them.

  At Liu Yimin's request, the troops sang in unison "The Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention" by company:

  Revolutionary soldiers must remember the Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention.

  Unity of action and unity of command are essential for victory.

  The second is not to take a single thread from the masses, and the masses will support and love me.

  All spoils of war should be turned over to the government, and efforts made to lighten the people's burdens.

  Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention

  First of all, one's attitude should be good and respectful to the masses, without being arrogant.

  The second transaction price should be fair, and monopolistic buying and selling are not allowed.

  The third is to borrow things from others and return them in person after use, lest they be lost.

  If something is damaged, it will be compensated at its original price without any deduction.

  Fifth, no beating or scolding people is allowed; the warlord style must be resolutely eliminated.

  The sixth is to take care of the people's crops and pay attention everywhere when marching and fighting.

  Seventh, no flirting with women, rascal habits must be eliminated.

  The eighth is not allowed to abuse prisoners of war, not allowed to beat and scold, not allowed to search their pockets.

  Everyone should be self-conscious in observing discipline and supervise each other, never violating it.

  Revolutionary discipline must be remembered clearly; people's warriors love the people everywhere.

  Defend the motherland forever and move forward, people all over the country support and welcome it.

  One company sang after another, singing and competing with each other. Before your song ended, my song began, rising and falling in turn, a magnificent sight.

  The officers and men of the First Corps and the Military Commission's column were all attracted by the songs of the 18th Regiment, walking along and curiously sizing up this powerful Red Army unit.

  Zhang Wentian and Wang Jiaxiang stopped at the city gate and listened to the soldiers singing.

  Zhang Wentian said: "Old Mao, how come we've never heard this song before?"

  "He said: 'The lyrics are our three main disciplines and eight points for attention, the melody is also very familiar, it seems to have been around since the Northern Expedition, not simple, sounds good.'"

  Wang Jiaxiang said: "Call them over and ask, then you'll know. Squad Leader Hu, call their regimental commander over." Chairman Mao's guard squad leader Hu responded with a "yes" and ran off.

  Liu Yimin's heart was racing with excitement as he heard that Chairman Mao was here, his eyes brimming with hot tears. Chairman Mao, oh Chairman Mao, I finally get to see you! It's great to be able to meet a great man in person, and from now on, I'll follow the great man on his southern and northern expeditions - what bliss! By the way, if possible, please ask Chairman Mao to write a few more poems for me, which I can leave as family heirlooms for my children. If by chance I can return to the 21st century, just with the Chairman's handwritten works, I'll be able to dazzle those arrogant classmates from Peking University and those general dreamers from National Defense University.

  Looking at Liu Yimin, who was tearful and dazed one moment and then another, Captain Hu suddenly felt very amused. It seemed that this regimental commander had never seen Chairman Mao before, and as soon as he heard the chairman's name, he became so excited. Wasn't Chairman Mao very ordinary? Many Red Army cadres and soldiers were familiar with him, could this regimental commander really be a new recruit? Thinking of this, Captain Hu shouted: "Commander Liu, Chairman Mao and several leaders are waiting for you."

  Liu Yimin finally came to his senses, damn it, he was so caught up in his own fantasies that he forgot the soldiers were all watching, how embarrassing. He hastily said to Hu: "Sorry, I've kept you waiting for too long, let's go see Chairman Mao."

  Arriving in front of Mao Zedong, Zhang Wentian and Wang Jiaxiang, Liu Yimin took a look and determined the identities of several people based on their later portraits and images from films and television. He slightly adjusted his military uniform, stood at attention and saluted: "Reporting to Chairman Mao, Chairman Zhang and Director Wang, Deputy Commander of the 18th Regiment of the 6th Division of the Third Red Army Liu Yimin reporting for duty, awaiting instructions."

  "With his thick Hunan accent, he said: 'Please take a rest. You are Liu Yimin, who joined the army on the same day and became the deputy regimental commander? I've heard about your exploits over the past few days, you're really something, with both courage and wisdom, breaking through the encirclement and killing your way out, heavily injuring the Guangxi and Hunan armies, saving the lives of many Red Army soldiers. You are truly a legendary hero of our Red Army.'"

  Liu Yimin hastily said: "Report to Chairman Mao, at that time on the Xinwan battlefield, I judged that the enemy was surrounding Jieshoutou according to the interrogation of prisoners and the situation on the battlefield. Our central column should have already passed through Jieshoutou, so I suggested that the 34th Division Commander Chen abandon the marching route designated by the Military Commission and launch a surprise attack on the rear of the Gui Army, directly attacking Fenghuangzui. To be honest, it was mainly because of the bravery and tenacity of the Red Army soldiers, and the correct decision-making of the leaders of the 34th Division. If not, we would not have succeeded."

  Smiling, he said: "Not bad, you young people know not to be proud of your achievements, that's good. I heard the soldiers singing a great song, can you tell me what it's about?"

  Liu Yimin replied: "Report to Chairman Mao, this is my own composition of the Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points of Attention of the Red Army into song lyrics, set to music, for soldiers to sing as a marching song. The purpose has two aspects, one is to educate soldiers to follow discipline, and the other is to boost morale."

  Haha, "Luo Fu, Jiaxiang, you two take a look, our Red Army soldiers are so creative! Our Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention, once sung, not only do the Red Army soldiers know it, but also the common people. It immediately makes clear the difference between our Red Army and the Nationalist Central Army as well as other warlord troops. Liu Yimin, well done! The propaganda effect of this song is equivalent to many propaganda teams. From now on, we must teach all Red Army soldiers to learn it, so that everyone can sing it."

  Liu Yimin said: "Please rest assured, Chairman Mao, the Red 18th Regiment will resolutely complete the task you have assigned!"

  He asked again: "Comrade Liu Yimin, why does your 18th team look so neat and tidy, with a lot of people?"

  "Report to Chairman Mao, my regiment suffered heavy losses in the battle of Xinwan, from 1500 people to only 800 people. After the battle of Gulingtou, there were only over 500 people left. Later, during the reorganization on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, the commander of the 34th Division, Chen Shuxiang, allowed the 113-man vanguard company of the 34th Division to join my regiment. We also reorganized more than 400 scattered troops and soldiers from the Xiangjiang River area, excluding the 8th Army Corps, and incorporated over 900 captured Guangxi and Hunan soldiers into our new recruit battalion after a short period of training. Now the whole regiment has 2160 people. In addition, today we recruited 800 new soldiers in Tongdao County, with sufficient troop strength and high morale, but lacking heavy weapons such as mortars, and insufficient light weapons. The weapons captured from the Tongdao County Security Regiment are all very old, and basically all the new soldiers are unarmed."

  Wang Jiaxiang asked, "I heard that the Guangxi soldiers were deeply deceived by reactionary propaganda. How did you manage to transform them into Red Army soldiers in such a short period of time?"

  Liu Yimin said: "Report to Director Wang, we carried out two activities in the troops. One was a heart-to-heart talk activity, where cadres and soldiers had heart-to-heart talks and shared family stories, old Red Army men and new soldiers had heart-to-heart talks and shared family stories, one helping another, one supporting the other; secondly, we carried out an activity to recount bitterness, recounting the suffering brought by the reactionary Nationalist Party, recounting the suffering brought by the warlords' division and chaos, recounting the suffering of exploitation by landlords, recounting the suffering of being illiterate and uncultured. This made new soldiers quickly realize that only by following ***, following *, and following the Red Army could they change their fate of being exploited and oppressed. Therefore, the rectification training did not encounter too much resistance, and all the new soldiers joined the Red Army voluntarily."

  Zhang Wentian said: "Jiaxiang, we have had heart-to-heart talks in the Red Army before, but telling grievances is absolutely an innovation in the political and ideological work of the Red Army. It has great significance for our future expansion of the Red Army and transformation of prisoners of war. The 18th Regiment has taken a step forward than the Political Department."

  Wang Jiaxiang said: "Lao Mao, Luo Fu, the work of this 18th Regiment is indeed innovative and worth studying. By the way, Liu Yimin, you just said that following **and the Red Army was no problem, so why are there still people following *?"

  Liu Yimin said: "Report to Director Wang, I have been in the Red Army for a short time, but before I joined the army, I knew that all domestic newspapers called our Central Red Army the Zhu-Mao Red Army. The common people regarded Comrade * as their savior. In the days since joining the Red Army, I have come to understand from the opinions of cadres and soldiers that the Red Army soldiers hope Chairman Mao will lead us to victory. When studying with some old comrades, I also learned about some of the history of our Central Red Army. Objectively speaking, Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu are the main creators of our Central Red Army and the founders of the Central Soviet Area. In the hearts of veteran Red Army soldiers, Chairman Mao is the leader of the Red Army and the banner of victory for the Red Army. Therefore, it is not wrong to follow Comrade *."

  A warm current surged in his heart, he had been standing aside for so long, the Red Army soldiers still thought of him, even Liu Yimin, who had just joined the army, knew about his contributions to the Red Army. It can be seen that history is written by the people. Although Liu Yimin was not old, he had clear thinking, strict logic, and bravery, he was a wise and courageous general in the Red Army who dared to think with his brain. Such comrades are the wealth of the Red Army.

  After calming down, he said: "Comrade Liu Yimin, the achievements of the Red Army in the Central Soviet Area should be attributed to the leadership of the Party and the struggles of all Red Army fighters. From now on, don't mention following me, I am also an ordinary party member, it's enough to say follow the Party and follow the Red Army."

  "Report to the Chairman, I have thought a lot over the past few days. From both Chinese and foreign history, in order to achieve great accomplishments and build a prosperous and powerful country, it is necessary to have clear goals for struggle and a strong leadership core."

  Seeing the three leaders remaining silent, Liu Yimin continued: "If this leadership core is in a period of peaceful construction, it should focus on strengthening democratic mechanisms, mainly focusing on decentralization and limiting power, ensuring that the leadership core can represent the interests of the majority of people, and resolutely rejecting personal autocracy and dictatorship. The essence of our country's ancient prime minister system was an attempt to separate imperial power and administrative power, but it was not implemented well. More developed countries in the world have also made many explorations in this regard, such as the constitutional monarchy implemented by Britain after the bourgeois revolution, the separation of powers implemented by the United States, and the Soviet Union's Soviet representative assembly system, all of which became the fundamental systems of the country."

  At this time, Wang Jiaxiang leaned over on the stretcher and Liu Yimin hastily asked: "Director Wang, is your wound hurting again?"

  Wang Jiaxiang waved his hand with difficulty: "It's okay, you continue speaking."

  Liu Yimin continued: "While the leadership core during wartime must highlight the role of leading figures, clear goals, wise leaders, correct strategies and strong armies are the most basic factors to ensure victory in war. Because with a clear goal, people's hearts can be united, teams can be formed, and leaders can emerge; With wise leaders, correct strategic guidelines can be determined; With correct strategic guidelines, troops can be commanded to win all battles. The founding wars of China throughout history, from Shang Tang overthrowing Jie, King Wu overthrowing Zhou, Qin unifying the country, Chu and Han competing for hegemony, to Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing, all victories followed this logic. Foreign histories are also like this, without Washington there would be no modern America, without Lenin there would be no new Soviet Union."

  Zhang Wentian said: "What you said makes a lot of sense, can you analyze our Red Army's situation?"

  Liu Yimin said: "The struggle goal of our Red Army is to establish a new Soviet China. With the goal and a strong Red Army, what we lack are powerful leaders and correct strategic guidelines. In the past, why was the Soviet area able to continuously develop and grow in the midst of strong enemy encirclement? One major reason was that there was a strong leadership core that understood China's national conditions, knew what the people wanted, and could give them what they wanted; there was a command center that knew itself and its enemies, planned carefully, and made correct strategic decisions. Therefore, the Red Army's policies were supported by the masses, the Red Army troops were able to continuously grow stronger, and the base areas were able to continuously develop."

  Looking at the three people savoring their words, Liu Yimin thought that he had gone all out. He continued to say: "Since the five encirclement and suppression campaigns, the Red Army soldiers are still the original Red Army soldiers, but the Soviet area has been getting smaller and smaller, eventually leading to a strategic shift of the entire army, resulting in the later defeat at the Xiangjiang River. The reason for this is not that our Red Army soldiers are not brave, nor is it that the tactical command of our Red Army commanders is incorrect, nor is it that the enemy is too powerful. It is because the highest command institution has a deviation in strategic thinking, which has repeatedly pushed the Red Army into danger."

  Zhang Wentian said: "Do you know what caused this?"

  Liu Yimin replied: "I joined the Red Army for a short time, and my studies were far from enough. Many things have not been thought through to maturity. Since the leader asked, I said it. If there are any mistakes, please correct me."

  Zhang Wentian said: "You say it, even if you're wrong, it doesn't matter."

  "Liu Yimin had to say: 'The reason for this situation is that our party is still in its early stages and is very immature. In theory, we only copy and paste, without understanding how to combine Marxist principles with the actual Chinese revolution. In terms of thought, we are sometimes left and sometimes right, not practical or realistic; organizationally, we rely too heavily on the Communist International and forget about independence and autonomy. This has led to a situation where someone like Zhang Guotao, who doesn't even recognize a few characters, can become the party's general secretary, and a foreign advisor from Germany, Li De, who only has the level of a battalion commander, can dominate the Politburo and decide on military actions by drawing lines on a map. This phenomenon goes against the party's guiding ideology and organizational principles, and is extremely abnormal. If we don't immediately correct this, our Red Army will face total annihilation, and our cause will be destroyed by individual mistakes. The blood of the martyrs on both banks of the Xiang River has once again proven that only Chairman Mao's strategic thinking is the correct strategic thinking that conforms to the actual situation of our Red Army and the Chinese revolution. Our Red Army urgently needs Chairman Mao to return to his post as commander-in-chief, lead us out of this predicament, and fight for victory.'"

  "Hum! This is simply a pack of lies and deceitful nonsense!"