Chapter 43 "Parallel Central Bank" and 13-day "Red Army Ticket"

In October 1934, due to the failure of the fifth anti-"encirclement and suppression" campaign, the Central Red Army was forced to withdraw from the base area. 14 people from the National Bank, together with the guards and nearly 200 transporters, carried 160 boxes of gold jewelry, silver dollars and Soviet banknotes. Overloading the central bank's assets is on the road. In January 1935, the Central Red Army entered Zunyi.Zunyi is an important commercial town in northern Guizhou, a distribution center for various local products, and the first prosperous medium-sized city that the Red Army has passed through since the Long March.

The commanders and fighters of the Red Army who had traveled long distances for three months had a good opportunity to recuperate. They used Zunyi, a place with abundant supplies, to supplement their supplies, purchase daily necessities, medical supplies, and other supplies to prepare for future marches and battles.Most of what the Red Army carried with them were Soviet banknotes issued by the National Bank in the Central Soviet Area, and the people of Zunyi, who had suffered from the war and the devaluation of banknotes, did not accept the Soviet banknotes in the hands of the Red Army.After several years of experience in the Soviet area, Mao Zemin understood that in order for the "Red Army Ticket" to gain the trust of the people, two conditions must be met: first, the "Red Army Ticket" must be able to buy supplies and commodities; Material preparation.

In order to circulate the "Red Army tickets" in Zunyi, Mao Zemin mobilized vendors in Zunyi to actively open their doors and provide the Red Army with as many commodities as possible.At the same time, he wants to establish credit for the "Red Army ticket".At this time, Mao Zemin held two trump cards: one was salt and the other was cigarettes. Back then, warlords, bureaucrats, and wealthy gentry in Guizhou gathered in Zunyi, and they opened many cloth shops, salt shops, smokehouses, and money houses.Warlords, landlords, bureaucrats, and profiteers colluded with each other, manipulated the market, hoarded hundreds of thousands of yuan worth of salt and a large amount of tobacco and soil, and sold them at high prices in the market. Many ordinary people suffered from big neck disease because they could not afford salt.After the Red Army entered Zunyi, they confiscated these supplies.

So Mao Zemin sold the salt seized from warlords and local tyrants at a low price.But to buy these cheap salt, you must use the "Red Army ticket". People and businesses in Zunyi began to be willing to sell their own items, and accepted the "Red Army Ticket", and then used the "Red Army Ticket" to buy precious and cheap table salt.In order to make it easier for the masses to exchange "Red Army Tickets" with the Red Army at any time, the National Bank has set up 25 exchange points in the Zunyi commercial center and military garrisons. The reputation of "Red Army Tickets" was extremely prosperous, and the market was unprecedentedly prosperous.Later, because they could not establish a base in Zunyi, the Red Army decided to withdraw.In order to ensure that the interests of the common people in Zunyi would not be lost after the Red Army left, the National Bank posted notices in Zunyi and set up an exchange office to exchange salt, rice, cloth and other materials and Guangyang for the "Red Army Tickets" in the hands of the people.The night before the Red Army voluntarily withdrew from Zunyi City, they sorted out and exchanged the "Red Army Tickets" for return overnight.

The National Bank's practice of issuing and returning "Red Army Tickets" in Zunyi not only activated the market, ensured the supply of the Red Army, but also maintained the credibility of the Soviet banknotes, safeguarded the interests of the people, and let the people understand that the Red Army is to safeguard the interests of the masses Good army, so left a good impression on the ground.The local people said: "The Red Army is good, it doesn't cheat people, and the 'Red Army ticket' is valuable." In this way, the National Bank, with only 14 people, commanded and completed the issuance, circulation, exchange and return of "Red Army Tickets" in Zunyi, a city with a population of hundreds of thousands, in just over 10 days. This cannot but be said to be a miracle.They not only replenished abundant supplies for the Red Army commanders and fighters through the efficient circulation of "Red Army Tickets", but also organized the return of currency for the sake of the masses when they evacuated, which fully demonstrated the credit of the Soviet government and the National Bank, and established a good reputation in the hearts of the people. A good image of the Communist Party and the Red Army.