183 Blood Debt Paid In Blood (19)

"We have always said that labor is the most glorious, and we must absolutely not treat labor as a form of punishment. So what exactly is punishment? Punishment is depriving the criminal of the economic benefits obtained through labor. This is the content of the punishment. Of course, I actually do not recommend depriving criminals of the right to obtain remuneration through participating in labor. I think this still needs to be clearly distinguished."

Li Shouxian spoke with fervor and assurance while facing Xu Dian, and Xu Dian listened quietly. Theoretical research, as well as research combining fact with theory, had always been important work for the People's Party. The People's Party promoted the rapid development of the base area's economy by establishing a socialist system, promoting scientific systems, and improving labor efficiency. In this process, the People's Party, as well as the Party, government, and army, all paid a huge amount of labor, even labor without remuneration. Therefore, in the field of labor remuneration and property rights definition, there has always been a lot of debate and discussion.

After listening to Li Shouxian express a set of leftist concepts within the People's Party, Xu Dian asked a question, "Now it is not such a simple problem of defining punishment. Chairman Chen has spoken about labor-intensive sweatshops. Our labor reform department once made an attempt and organized production according to that method. I think you definitely know what the result was."

Li Shouxian certainly knew. There was a labor reform team in Hubei that implemented an unprecedentedly "harsh" management model. All actions had to be strictly carried out according to the schedule, and there was also mandatory ideological education of criticism and self-criticism. This labor reform team was engaged in the repetitive labor of making buttons. After a year, the income of the high-efficiency working criminals was higher than that of ordinary workers outside. Because this money, after deducting food costs, was all handed over to the criminals' families, it ended up causing incidents where, when the criminals' sentences were served and they were about to be released, their families begged for them to be locked up for a few more years.

Envy is human nature. Hubei produced various jingles to satirize this matter. The rumor that "Going to prison makes you a rich man!" made the Hubei local government quite uncomfortable for a while.

Li Shouxian certainly would not be stumped by this example. He sneered, "What was the propaganda department doing?"

Xu Dian waved his hand, "This is not a matter for the propaganda department. We also want to implement such a high intensity of workload outside, but we simply cannot find so many laborers willing to exert such great effort. That labor reform team had meticulous management. Moreover, criminals participating in labor is a compulsory behavior; labor became the entirety of the criminals' lives. But when you are outside, life is not that simple. What is that called? Oh, pursuing quality of life."

Li Shouxian sneered, "Only laborers can possibly improve their quality of life. Without labor, where does life come from?"

Xu Dian really couldn't figure out what exactly Li Shouxian meant. He laughed, "This idea of yours..." Just as he said this, Xu Dian somewhat understood what Li Shouxian meant. He said in surprise, "Are you planning to do this in Zhejiang?"

"Can't I?" Li Shouxian replied.

Xu Dian replied seriously, "I think it won't work, at least it is inappropriate. You must know, what the masses want to get rid of now is the status quo of poverty. If you use material incentives like this, I'm afraid it will cause ideological confusion. There will definitely be a portion who feel that crime is not that shameful."

Li Shouxian replied seriously, "You are the one talking nonsense. Which of the Chinese common people doesn't know that crime is shameful? It is inevitable that some people will be confused as you said, but that shows there is a problem with the propaganda department. Comrade Lu Huitian is very capable, but I think he is a rightist. Propaganda work cannot make the masses distinguish right from wrong; the purpose of propaganda work is to let the masses come into contact with facts. Distinguishing right from wrong is a personal ideological problem. Thinking that talking with one's mouth can solve ideological problems, that is idealism."

Xu Dian actually believed Li Shouxian's words. Even if severe laws and harsh punishments were adopted, there would still be people flying into the fire like moths to trigger the law. Everyone pursues different things. In order to satisfy the desires in their hearts, many people really disregard everything. After calming his emotions a bit, Xu Dian replied, "But if it is not mandatory, many things I'm afraid may not necessarily develop in the direction we hope for. I still say that. The social cost is too high. Sometimes strong control is also necessary."

Facing Xu Dian's questioning, Li Shouxian replied, "How the social cost is increased can only be determined after practice. No investigation, no right to speak."

Seeing that Li Shouxian was determined, Xu Dian also gave up the effort to persuade Li Shouxian. Because Xu Dian himself also hoped to see Li Shouxian's attempt succeed.

Concern for laborers and respect for labor did not mean that Li Shouxian was soft on the counter-revolutionaries who should be shot. While arranging labor reform, Li Shouxian also arranged for the execution of counter-revolutionaries in Western Zhejiang. In every village, in every town, at the places where those counter-revolutionaries had killed revolutionary masses, execution rallies were held. Revolutionary families wearing mourning dress, as well as common people with various expressions on their faces, all arrived at the scene.

Red flags fluttered, dazzlingly bright under the winter sky. The criminals to be executed had long known their fate of being forced to death. Everyone was limp all over, no longer having the tyranny they had when killing people. In groups of four, these people were brought to the execution ground and made to kneel. The judicial police pulled out the wooden signs marked with their names inserted behind their backs, and then shot them in the back of the head at the position of the medulla oblongata with pistols.

After the gunshots rang out, the crowd all had dark faces and did not make a sound. The revolutionary families, on the other hand, wailed loudly. Within ten days, a total of more than 9,700 counter-revolutionaries were executed in Western Zhejiang. Adding the more than 45,000 people sentenced to prison terms, the forces of landlords and gentry entrenched in Western Zhejiang were completely swept away.

With such a powerful deterrent force, the People's Party carried out land reform in Western Zhejiang. No one resisted. Based on the People's Party's investigation of the mountains, forests, and fields in Western Zhejiang, all the land reform work was completed very quickly. After the land reform was completed, Western Zhejiang built supply and marketing cooperatives and various labor production technology service departments according to the plan. The People's Party struck its roots deeply in Zhejiang.

Jiangsu, which neighbors Zhejiang, also welcomed representatives of the People's Party in the winter of 1916. The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army formally made a request to Wang Youhong to fully take over the Beiyang government's assets in Jiangsu. Wang Youhong naturally knew that the People's Party was referring to the officially owned land in Shanghai, as well as a series of industries with the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau as the core.

To this, Wang Youhong did not refuse. Moreover, Wang Youhong also maintained very flexible discussion techniques, conducting discussions on how the People's Party and Jiangsu would cooperate in Shanghai. "Raw silk is not only the bulk of your side's exports but also our side's largest export item. And we both need to import machinery and equipment. I hope to be able to cooperate on this matter."

The People's Party representative was very appreciative of the attitude Wang Youhong showed. He asked, "Admiral Wang, our side is very interested in the New Policies you are implementing in Jiangsu. But I wonder how Admiral Wang carried out the theoretical design?"

Wang Youhong laughed, "This is thanks to Mr. Yan, who successively produced two versions of the translation of *The Wealth of Nations*. I also read Chairman Chen's book review. It was truly of great benefit."

"Adam Smith's *The Wealth of Nations*?" the People's Party representative asked.

Wang Youhong replied frankly, "Exactly. Chairman Chen said in the book review that the most shining point of Adam Smith in the book is encouraging the development of industrial capital and restricting or even striking at landlord forces. Because industrial capital is capital based on the entire society, while landlord forces are a backward way of drawing a circle on the ground to serve as a prison. We in Jiangsu have learned Chairman Chen's attitude, encouraging production and restricting speculation and various rents and taxes. Although the days were hard in the first few years, it got better after getting over the hurdle."

"So that's how it is," the People's Party representative nodded slowly and said.

Wang Youhong was also unclear whether the People's Party representative was faking it or was really moved. Anyway, these were no longer important. The People's Party possessed the ability to destroy Jiangsu, so what was said with the mouth was no longer important.

Sure enough, the People's Party representative paused for a moment and then said, "Military Governor Wang, Chairman Chen entrusted me to pass a word to you. Regarding Jiangsu, we want to split it into two. Shanghai will be a municipality directly under the central government, directly managed by our People's Party. And the remaining part of Jiangsu will form a special administrative region. This administrative region can decide its own system and establish laws by itself. Everything will be like the policies during the autonomy of the joint provinces. I wonder what Military Governor Wang thinks?"

What should come will come eventually, Wang Youhong thought. However, Wang Youhong's power could no longer determine the fate of Jiangsu. Whether the People's Party swallowed it whole or nibbled it away was no longer important to Wang Youhong. Moreover, the request made by Chen Ke really could not be said to have not saved face for Wang Youhong. The place of Shanghai was simply not an area Wang Youhong could control. Not only could Wang Youhong not afford to provoke the foreign forces, but even the local gang forces in Shanghai were hard for Wang Youhong to shake. Since the People's Party was willing to wade into this muddy water, Wang Youhong had no other way but to agree.

"As for the Jiangsu Special Administrative Region, are there any particular requirements?" Wang Youhong inquired about the matter most important to himself.

Just as Wang Youhong thought, the People's Party actually did not care at all what Wang Youhong thought about Shanghai. While that representative of the People's Party was negotiating with Wang Youhong, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, with the help of He Ruqing, had already controlled the various enterprises of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. And a fleet of considerable size, covered in rust, also approached the dock of the Jiangnan Shipyard. The Beiyang symbol was faintly visible on the ships, but the flags on the masts had already been changed to the red August 1st military flag.

Yan Fu, in a snow-white navy uniform, stood on the dock watching this Chinese fleet that had weathered storms slowly approaching, tears already glistening in his eyes. This fleet had undergone emergency repairs and was replenished with coal. The small vessels underwent major repairs in Mawei. The large vessels sailed to Shanghai to undergo comprehensive repairs at the shipyard of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. If no accidents happened, in two months, a brand-new People's Navy fleet would set sail from Shanghai and head south. The destination of this fleet was Hainan Island.

The purpose of the People's Party building a navy was to face the future, but what Yan Fu felt at this moment was heavy history. Having experienced countless storms, countless efforts, and countless heartbreaks. Yan Fu had experienced all the major events of this navy for nearly 30 years of the first half of his life. Now that this navy was crowned with the name of the people, he met with it again.

Most of the workers and technical personnel of the Jiangnan Shipyard were already in place. Among them were also many engineering personnel of the People's Party. The personnel of the Jiangnan Shipyard showed more vigilance, while the personnel of the People's Party showed a kind of enthusiastic expectation. The vast majority of them had never boarded a warship with a tonnage of over a thousand tons, let alone repaired and refitted these warships. Now that they finally got such an opportunity, every comrade was full of drive. More importantly, in the eyes of the engineering and technical personnel of the People's Party, the fleet before them was "our fleet." This especially stirred their emotions.

With the help of tugboats, the largest warship in the lead finally docked at the pier. The technical personnel and port affairs personnel of the Jiangnan Shipyard began work such as tying cables to the ship.

After the gangway was set up, a team of soldiers wearing Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army Navy uniforms walked down from the mottled gangway. Leading them was Navy Commander Sa Zhenbing. Unlike Yan Fu's emotional excitement, Sa Zhenbing appeared slightly reserved. Sailing for the first time as a member of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army Navy was also a very new experience for Sa Zhenbing.

Outside the shipyard harbor, there were not only the navy of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army but also warships of Britain and even Japan. Compared with the rusty Chinese ships, the British and Japanese ships looked quite sleek because of timely maintenance. Moreover, from tonnage to artillery, the British and Japanese warships exceeded the warships of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army by a lot. Comparing the two, the British and Japanese militaries were full of a high-spirited posturing attitude. It was just that the moods of the naval commanders of the two countries were far from that relaxed.

The only thing that can destroy a fleet on the ocean is the enemy's fleet. Up to now, Britain and Japan temporarily had no intention of having a showdown with the People's Party on land. The sharp weapon they could use to threaten the People's Party was the navy in their hands. China has a long coastline and numerous ports. Even if this fleet, which could almost be described as dilapidated, underwent repairs, it could still play a very important role after escaping the surveillance of the British and Japanese navies.

The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had already proven its power on land. Even with the cooperation of a not-so-powerful navy, the difficulty of fighting the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army would be greatly increased. Especially Japan; they knew very well that fighting the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army in Korea was only a matter of time. If Japan encountered an attack by the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army Navy during the war, Japan's combat would also encounter great problems.

The Japanese naval commander actually really wanted to shell the navy of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army right now. Launching a surprise attack at this moment, there was a more than ninety percent probability of completely wiping out this fleet. However, the Japanese naval commander was equally clear that if he did this now, the army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army would have a one hundred percent probability of immediately launching an attack on Korea. If that happened, the Japanese naval commander did not want to guess at all what winning percentage Japan could have in the Korean war. Anyway, that would definitely not be a number that made the Japanese feel rejoicing and encouraged.

The China of the past that would succumb as long as it received a war threat no longer existed. Even watching China strive to sharpen its fangs of war with their own eyes, foreign countries could only watch helplessly. The Japanese naval commander, sensing this change, felt a great unease arise in his heart.