Chapter 43 "Government of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers" - Loud and Friendly

The birth of the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government in Chaling County was the first to establish a revolutionary regime in the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base, and set up a banner for the construction of a revolutionary regime on the border. The "Government of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers", a resounding and friendly name, was quickly accepted by the masses on the border, so all the subsequent red regimes established one after another adopted this name. On January 5, 1928, Mao Zedong led the Revolutionary Army of Workers and Peasants to occupy Suichuan County. When the Revolutionary Army of Workers and Peasants captured Suichuan, they won almost without a fight, because the small number of enemy troops defending the city knew that they were no match, so they abandoned the city and fled.However, due to the deceitful propaganda of the Kuomintang and the local tyrants and evil gentry, many people fear the Communist Party.The city of Suichuan, occupied by the Revolutionary Army of Workers and Peasants, turned out to be a scene of deserted streets and closed doors of every house.

Mao Zedong ordered the troops to use squads and platoons as units to divide troops, organize propaganda teams, publicize the masses, and mobilize the masses, which quickly opened up the situation and won the trust of the people of Suichuan. At the same time, Mao Zedong was extremely concerned about the establishment of a red regime.After the troops stationed in Suichuan County, he immediately convened a meeting of party members in the county, established the Suichuan County Committee of the Communist Party of China, and asked the county committee to take the preparation of the county government of workers, peasants and soldiers as an important matter.

One night, Mao Zedong invited Chen Zhengren, secretary of the Suichuan County Party Committee, and other comrades to his residence, and assigned them an important task: to draft a "Government Outline" for the county government of workers, peasants and soldiers.Mao Zedong also gave specific instructions on what the outline should include. A few days later, Chen Zhengren sent the "Government Outline" drafted by the county party committee to Mao Zedong for review. The "Government Outline" involves more than 30 administrative measures and methods in the fields of politics, military affairs, culture, land, production, and people's lives, and they collectively represent the political propositions of the Jinggangshan revolutionary base area in its early days.Mao Zedong was very happy to see it.After carefully reading the outline, he immediately discussed and revised it one by one with Chen Zhengren.In order to make it easy for the masses to understand, Mao Zedong himself changed some esoteric and difficult sentences into easy-to-understand words.For example: "Abolish bride price and dowry, oppose buying and selling marriage" to "Don't ask for money from wives"; "Abolish child abuse" to "Oppose adults to beat children"; ... After Mao Zedong's meticulous revision line by line, the first "Government Outline" of the red regime in the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base was finally born!

The formulation of the "Government Outline" of the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government of Suichuan County is a great contribution to the construction of political power in the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area. In the mid-1980s, among the enemy and puppet archives discovered from the Anhua County Archives in Hunan Province, there was a reprint of the "Provisional Program for the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers Government of Suichuan County", which contained the first 24 articles. You may wish to quote some articles for the readers: " Article 1: All men and women who work (do) labor and do not exploit others, such as workers, peasants, soldiers and other poor people, have the right to participate in politics"; "Article 2: All workers, peasants, soldiers and civilians have the right to assembly, Absolute freedom of speech, publication, residence, and strike”; “Article 10: Formulate labor laws and labor insurance laws that can truly protect the interests of the working class, implement an 8-hour work system, pay wages for weekly holidays, and equal work for men and women. Wages"; "Article 11: Workers should (have) the minimum amount of money suitable for their living needs"; "Article 13: Special protection for child and female workers, child labor shall not (exceed) six hours a day, and child labor and female workers shall not Night work, and work that is violent and harmful to health is not allowed. Children under the age of 8 are not allowed to participate in labor. Female workers must have 8 weeks of rest before and after childbirth, and the rest time should be paid according to wages"; "Article 14: Bosses and masters must not abuse Apprentices, apprentices should receive corresponding wages during their study period. Apprentices should not study for more than two years, and the ceremony of entering and leaving the teacher will be cancelled”; “Article 15: All places, temples, public institutions, fields, and forests belong to all affiliated These fields and forests and the poor people and retired soldiers who lack fields and forests are cultivated and used”; “Article 16: Improve the treatment of soldiers, improve the education level of soldiers, soldiers have sufficient supplies, and the salaries of officers and soldiers are equal. Soldiers organize soldiers committees to participate in army management "; "Article 20: Cancel all exorbitant taxes such as land tax, land tax lijin, stamp oil tax, chicken and duck tax, slaughter tax, nitric acid tax, department store donation, etc., and stipulate appropriate land tax and capital tax"; "Article 21 : Set up consumer cooperatives, so that workers and peasants can get cheap goods, and avoid the exploitation of merchants. Set up sales cooperatives, so that farmers and small industrial producers can get a suitable price for their products, and avoid manipulation by profiteers such as warehouses. Set up credit cooperatives, so that workers and peasants Common people get low-interest unsecured loans, exempting capitalists from usurious exploitation. Production cooperatives are established to increase agricultural and industrial production and avoid the disadvantages of individual production"; "Article 23: Labor unions shall establish workers' schools, and farmers' associations shall establish farmers' schools , The county government of workers, peasants and soldiers opens high-level workers’ and peasants’ schools to increase the labor knowledge and general education level of workers, peasants and civilians”; “Article 24: Dredge rivers and build dikes to promote water conservancy.”

Reading these articles, I have to be amazed! On January 24, the second day of the first month of the lunar calendar, the people of Suichuan, who had just had a good year due to the arrival of the revolutionary army, ushered in another happy day. In the early morning, the warm sunshine dispelled the cold fog of winter and illuminated the land of Suichuan.More than 10,000 workers, peasants and soldiers gathered on the large lawn in front of the Zhang Family Ancestral Hall in the county seat to celebrate the establishment of the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government with joy.Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, Mao Zedong, Chen Zhengren, Zhang Ziqing, Wan Xixian, Wang Cixun and others stepped onto the rostrum of the celebration meeting.At about 10 o'clock, Chen Zhengren, the executive chairman of the conference, announced the establishment of the Suichuan County Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government!The sound of gongs, drums and cheers erupted in the venue.

Mao Zedong spoke at the conference.He said: "Comrades, folks! Today's meeting is the founding meeting of the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government, and it is also the meeting where our workers, peasants and toiling masses began to take power." He pointed to Wang Cixun, chairman of the County Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government, and said, "This is your county. The chief, Wang Cixun, is from Xizhuang, and he was still picking up dung the day before yesterday, and today he still wears straw sandals on his feet, and there is still mud on his legs." Speaking of this, Mao Zedong raised one hand, stretched out his little finger, and said: "In the past, the local tyrants and evil gentry were in power, and this is what we are." Then, he stretched out his thumb again: "Nowadays, when farmers are county magistrates, this is what we are. This is Such a happy event that has never been seen since ancient times!"

There were bursts of laughter in the venue. Mao Zedong continued: "Workers and peasants serve as county magistrates and do things for them. We, the workers and peasants, must support our own government and our own county magistrate. However, the revolution cannot rely on the county magistrate alone, but also depends on the unity of everyone. The straw will break when you pull it, but if you twist a few straws into a rope, it won't break easily!" Amid the cheers of the crowd, Mao Zedong ended his speech. Finally, the meeting announced the "Government Outline" of the county government of workers, peasants and soldiers.

One month later, on February 21, the Ninggang County Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government was established in Long City.Under Mao Zedong's proposal, the first chairman of the workers', peasants' and soldiers' government was Wen Genzong, the riot leader of Dajiangbian Village in the ancient city who was born in mud legs. At the end of April, after joining forces, the two ministries of Zhu and Mao joined hands to smash the second "suppression" of Jiangxi's hostile Jinggangshan base in one fell swoop, and took advantage of the victory to capture Yongxin County.

Yongxin, located in the northeast of Jinggangshan, is only separated from Ninggang, the base camp of the base, by Qixi Ridge.There are towering mountains in the county, the terrain is complex, the mountains are dangerous, and the land and water are convenient. The geographical location is very important; in addition, it is a large county in the middle of the Luoxiao Mountains, with a large area, a large population, and rich products.Therefore, it can be said that it is a must-have place for armed separatism, establishment and development of the red regime in the middle of the Luoxiao Mountains.

Mao Zedong was very aware of the importance of seizing and controlling Yongxin to establish a solid Jinggangshan base area. He once said: "Yongxin is more important than a country", and he must "vigorously manage Yongxin".To this end, he took advantage of the gap between battles to personally lead troops to Qiuxi Township in Yongxin County to mobilize the masses, help build the party, and conduct social investigations.Under his care, in February 1928, the Yongxin County Committee of the Communist Party of China was established with Liu Zhen as the secretary. Therefore, after the Fourth Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army captured Yongxin County, the establishment of a workers', peasants' and soldiers' government was put on the agenda as soon as possible.

After intense preparations, in early May, Mao Zedong announced the establishment of the Yongxin County Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government at the military-civilian meeting hosted by the Yongxin County Party Committee to welcome the Fourth Army of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army and celebrate the victory of Yongxin’s liberation. After the meeting, Peng Wenxiang was elected as the chairman of the county government of workers, peasants and soldiers and a member of the county government.The Yongxin County Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government consists of the Military Department, Finance Department, Judgment Department, Land Department, Women's Department, etc., and the county government is located in Zuojia Temple in the county seat. After the establishment of red regimes in several important areas of the Jinggangshan base area, the establishment of a unified revolutionary regime on the border between Hunan and Jiangxi was imminent. At the end of May, the first Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of the counties on the border between Hunan and Jiangxi was held in Maoping, Ninggang. The Executive Committee of the Soviet Government was formally elected, and the Soviet Government of the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers on the Hunan-Jiangxi Border was established. The chairman of the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Soviet Government on the border between Hunan and Jiangxi was not Mao Zedong, but Yuan Wencai. Originally, everyone elected Mao Zedong as the chairman of the government, but Mao Zedong believed that he mainly focused on the work of the party and the army, and it was better for local comrades to be in charge of the local government. Therefore, he proposed and elected Yuan Wencai. The Soviet Government of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers on the border between Hunan and Jiangxi was established in the Yuan family's mansion in Cangbian Village, Maoping.The government consists of military, financial, land, judicial, youth, women's ministries and workers' and peasants' movement committees.The heads of each department are: Zhang Ziqing of the Military Department; Yu Benmin of the Finance Department; Tan Zhenlin of the Land Department; Deng Yunting of the Justice Department; Xiao Zinan, Liu Zhen, and Hu Bo of the Youth Department; Wu Zhonglian and Peng Ru of the Women's Department; Song Qiaosheng and Mao Kewen of the Workers and Peasants Movement Committee. After the establishment of the Soviet Government of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers on the Hunan-Jiangxi border, it continued to promote the development of the red areas and speed up the construction of the red regime. In June, the workers', peasants' and soldiers' governments in Lingxian and Lianhua counties were established. Ling County is a place where the Red Army often conducts activities. In January 1928, the Lingxian Special District Committee of the Communist Party of China was established with Liu Yinsheng as the secretary; in March, Liu Yinsheng and Zhou Li led the county-wide riot, established the Lingxian Red Guard Brigade, and changed the special district committee to the county committee; In May, due to the betrayal of the traitors, the county party committee was destroyed, and the secretary Liu Yinsheng died.After the "big one" of the Boundary Party, Mao Zedong helped to re-establish the Ling County Party Committee in Maoping, Ninggang, and appointed Li Quefei as the county Party Secretary.The new county party committee returned to Ling County and went to various places to actively carry out work, which made great progress in party organization construction and armed struggle in Ling County. In early June, the county workers, peasants and soldiers congress was held in the dam of the compound, the workers, peasants and soldiers government of Ling County was established, and Xu Dingyan was elected as the chairman of the county workers, peasants and soldiers government. Lianhua, the county seat of Jinggangshan was occupied by the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army and sowed the seeds of revolution. In February 1928, the Lianhua Special Branch of the Communist Party of China was established, with Zhu Yiyue as the secretary; in April, the Red Independent Group was formed on the basis of the county red team, and the worker-peasant movement in Lianhua was booming. On June 28, the Red Twenty-nineth Regiment occupied Lianhua County. The Lianhua Party organization took advantage of this opportunity to mobilize and organize the masses. The Peasant Congress announced the establishment of the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers Government of Lianhua County, and elected Liu Renkan as the chairman of the county government. The establishment of workers’, peasants’ and soldiers’ governments in Ling County and Lianhua County marked the heyday of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area. A small part is the North Township of Suichuan, and a part of the Southeast Township of Lingxian County, which spans several hundreds of miles", with an area of ​​more than 7,200 square kilometers and a population of about 500,000. At this time, the Soviet Government of the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers on the border between Hunan and Jiangxi had jurisdiction over the county governments of Chaling, Suichuan, Ninggang, Yongxin, Lianhua, and Lingxian, and the districts and townships of each county also established revolutionary regimes one after another.At that time, the people in Jinggangshan all knew the "Soviet Government of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers" at all levels, and many places simply called it "Soviet Government". "We" is called "Egyptian" in the local dialect, so "Egyptian government" means "our government". After the establishment of the Soviet governments of workers, peasants and soldiers at all levels, an important task was to carry out the agrarian revolution in depth.Although due to lack of practical experience, a lot of practical work was not carried out after the government's signboard was put up, and small landlords and rich peasants in some places "used tricks to sneak into the government committee and control everything", which affected the government's work to a certain extent.However, the vigorous agrarian revolution made the prestige of the Soviet government of workers, peasants and soldiers quite high.Du Xiujing, an inspector of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee, once commented in the "Report to the Hunan Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China" on June 15, 1928: "The people believed in Commander Mao after the local tyrants were suppressed, and they believed in the Party and the Soviet after the land was divided. "