Chapter 21 Contest at Caolinxu

After Mao Zedong led the Revolutionary Army of Workers and Peasants to capture Suichuan County in January 1928, he fought a smoke-free battle with the landlords and bullies at Caolinwei in the county. The origin of the incident was that the tyrants and bullies instigated a strike in Caolinwei. Caolinwei is adjacent to Suichuan County in the east, Nankang and Shangyou in the south, Guidong and Shatian in the west, and Wudoujiang, Huang'ao and Jinggangshan in the north. .There are Xiajie, Zhengjie, Yanwang Street, Nuomi Lane, Hebian Street, Tanqian Street and other main streets in Weizhong.There are more than 200 shops and more than 600 families living in the street.The old watch with a radius of nearly a hundred miles, every first, fourth, and seventh day of the lunar calendar, will go to the market with agricultural and sideline products.Nine times in January, the day and the middle of the day are the city.This can be said to be a fairly large-scale polder in the relatively closed and backward border of Hunan and Jiangxi.

However, for a long time, the government and gentry have colluded with each other to set up tax cards on the road leading to Caolinwei to carry out extortion. On the 70-mile road from Huang'ao to Caolin, the Suichuan Jingwei Group had to collect five taxes, and no agricultural and sideline products could be spared.Farmers from the four townships managed to pass the customs and picked up the agricultural and sideline products on the fair, but they were also exploited by the tyrants and landlords in the form of extortion, arbitrarily lowering prices, and unequal exchange.Therefore, someone made up a jingle to describe this situation: There are countless customs duties along the road.

Walking around the grass forest fair, shed the blood and sweat of the poor. Besides, most of the more than 200 shops in Weishang are small businesses or part-time businesses, and they are also exploited by tyrants and bullies. The economic lifeline of the entire Caolinwei can be said to be controlled by a very small number of local tyrants and evil gentry such as Huang Lirui.Huang Lirui is a big bully who runs rampant in Caolinwei. Relying on his son's influence as the captain of the Jingwei regiment, he occupies more than 7,000 dan of land, thousands of acres of mountains and forests, and more than 50 domineering houses.

In Caolinwei, he opened opium dens, pastry shops and pawnshops, trying his best to crowd out small and medium-sized businessmen.In a few years, he squeezed out more than 200 shops on Weishang to only 110 shops left.On the surface, he is the owner of the shop, but secretly he is the backstage owner of the Jingwei regiment. After the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army beat the Suichuan Jingwei Regiment and captured Suichuan City, it hurt Huang Lirui. He was afraid and worried, so he thought of an idea to fight the revolutionary army. After the Revolutionary Army of Workers and Peasants occupied Suichuan, Mao Zedong ordered the removal of all tax cards set up by the government and the Jingwei regiment along the road.However, Caolinyu did not become lively and prosperous as expected.Without the tax card, the farmers in the four townships were naturally very happy. They went to Caolin excitedly on the fair day, but the streets were deserted and the shops were closed and locked.The picked agricultural and sideline products cannot be sold, and daily necessities such as salt and cloth that are urgently needed at home cannot be bought. It is really worrying!

The revolutionary army sent troops to Caolin, but all they saw were closed shops and the boss disappeared. Even the troops couldn't find the shop when they wanted to buy salt. What is the problem? After investigation, we found out that it was Huang Lirui who was causing the trouble. After the troops of the revolutionary army came to Caolin, Huang Lirui quickly closed the door of his store, and posted a notice on the door of the store, "The stock is empty, and I will switch to farming."During the day, he closed the door to store goods, and at night, he went around spreading rumors.

After a while he came to Chen's house and said: "Boss Chen, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army only valued farmers, and they didn't show mercy to our businessmen! Their policy is that the goods of large stores will be returned to the public, and the boss will beheaded; Walk." Then, he went to Li's house and said, "Boss Li, it's not good. I heard that all the shops in Suichuan City are communist! Let's close the doors and save a funeral meal!" This was not enough, Huang Lirui even bought some hooligans to come to threaten the shopkeeper: "The Jingwei regiment has not collapsed, and the head of Xiaotuan sent a letter yesterday, saying which one sells goods to help the workers' and peasants' revolutionary army, be careful to move your head, and everyone will be punished."

With rumors and threats, Huang Lirui's hands really worked, and Caolinwei was basically paralyzed.Not only were the shops closed and the market was closed, but some timid shopkeepers even took their goods to the countryside to "shelter from the wind".For this reason, Huang Lirui smugly threatened: "Hey! See how capable the Workers' and Peasants Revolutionary Army is. The Jingwei regiment can't beat you to death, but I will trap you to death!" However, Huang Lirui overestimated himself. Mao Zedong soon came to Caolinwei. After investigation and research, he formulated the policy of "protecting industry and commerce" in time.Regulations: To oppose feudal exploitation, only the property of the landlord can be confiscated, and the interests of industry and commerce must be protected.If it is a landlord and businessman, only his feudal exploitation part will be confiscated, and the commercial part will not be allowed to move even a red date.For the heinous local tyrant, when his shop must be confiscated, a notice must be issued announcing his guilt.The confiscation of the landlord's property also required a notice announcing his crime of exploitation.The confiscated finances and food should be distributed to the masses as much as possible to increase the enthusiasm of the masses.

After confirming the correct policy, the propaganda team of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army made a big publicity campaign in the fairs and nearby villages, and even went door-to-door to do the work of small and medium-sized businessmen: “The Jingwei regiment has been defeated, and the exorbitant taxes are gone. Are you open for business?" "The Revolutionary Army of Workers and Peasants is ordered to revolutionize imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism, but not to revolutionize you. What are you afraid of?" "Commissioner Mao instructed to protect industry and commerce. What we want to seal up are big shops opened by gentry and landlords. We will not touch the property of small and medium businessmen. You should rest assured to do business!"

... Some people's doubts have been dispelled, and they open for business with doubts. Sure enough, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army did not make a mistake. Not only were the shops that were open for business not confiscated, but the officers and soldiers of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army paid for everything they bought.The "stone" in the hearts of small and medium-sized businessmen was finally let go, and they opened their stores one after another to do business, and even those who took their goods to the countryside to "shelter" came back to open their businesses one after another.

The business of Caolinwei gradually became active. While encouraging small and medium-sized businessmen to open their businesses, the revolutionary army confiscated several large businesses opened by several big local tyrants on Caolinwei, burned down the "Yongjing" gunhouse of the big local tyrant Huang Lirui, and seized 10 of his local cannons and a large number of guns. ammunition. On January 16th, the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month in the lunar calendar, early in the morning, on the roads leading to Caolinwei, there were people carrying burdens, baskets, and baskets, and even Nankang, which was more than a hundred miles away, was crowded with people. Businessmen and vendors from Shangyou and other counties also came here one after another.By noon, there were more than 20,000 visitors to Caolin Fair, which was unprecedented in the past.

The attempt of the local tyrants and evil gentry to paralyze the Caolin Fair was completely shattered.