1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 83

However, the Eastern legal system is different; its core principle must be to maintain national stability.

Yes, you heard right. The core purpose of the sacred law has never been fairness and justice, but rather interests and stability.

There's no way around it, because judges don't rule the country, and the law is just one part of the national order; the ultimate goal is to safeguard order and stability.

Zhao Yan disliked creating a legal system like the Western one, where loopholes could be exploited everywhere. Fairness needed to be guaranteed, but stability was also important. Most importantly, there couldn't be any situation where a criminal could be released without charge.

Of course, the most core element of the legal system is the constitution. All the systems, terms of office, and structures discussed earlier must be written into the constitution. The importance of this constitution of the Republic is basically the same as that of the ancestral precepts of the Ming Dynasty.

The biggest proposal from the officials and generals at the meeting regarding the constitution was to make the head of state a lifelong ruler. Ultimately, this is due to the inertia of the system. After thousands of years of imperial rule, even now, under the name of the Republic, most people still think the same way they did before.

More importantly, there are national conditions at play. Given China's current situation, it's impossible to learn from the West and implement a term limit system for leaders. If they were to change leaders every few years, wouldn't that lead to chaos?

Besides, who would dare to run against Zhao Yan? Anyone who dares to stand up and run would be purged as a traitor in no time.

Zhao Yan scoffed at his subordinates' strong feudalistic ideas and strongly criticized them, saying that since it was a republic, how could they continue to have a dictatorship and a lifelong leader? Wouldn't that be no different from being an emperor?

“When I launched the uprising in Changsha, I made a promise to the world that I, Zhao Yan, was not going to rebel and become emperor. Do you expect me to go back on my word?”

"I, Zhao Yan, will never break my promise to the people of the world. The world belongs to all the people, not just to me, Zhao Yan!"

Everyone below was completely bewildered by Zhao Yan, but a few of his close confidants who knew him well immediately understood that Zhao Yan was about to pull another trick.

As expected, after his strong criticism, Zhao Yan turned around and announced: "In a republic, the leader can never serve for life, so I have decided that the position of head of state of the republic will henceforth be subject to a term system."

A single term is fifty years, and re-election is prohibited!

"This clause must be written into the constitution and cannot be changed. Although it is only a small step for the constitution, it is a giant leap for us Chinese people toward democracy!"

"Understand the applause!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar, their gazes toward Zhao Yan filled with complex emotions. Everyone had assumed that Zhao Yan was about to pull some kind of trick, offering his position three times and then finally shouting, "You all have caused me so much suffering!"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yan himself set a fifty-year term! Throughout history, the number of emperors who have reigned for fifty years can be counted on one hand!

Banning re-election? Are you kidding me? With such a long term, who can be re-elected? It's uncertain whether anyone will even live to complete their term. I estimate that many people won't even live as long as the head of state's term.

Faced with the complicated gazes of the crowd, Zhao Yan had no words to express his predicament. Did you think I didn't want to be crowned emperor? It's just that there's a crab with its big pincers staring at me!

Others thought that adding a term limit clause to the constitution was pointless, but Zhao Yan himself attached great importance to it, which is called being prepared for a rainy day.

Now everyone thinks it's nothing, but once Zhao Yan can ensure everyone has enough to eat, things will be different. Once people are well-fed, they'll definitely cause trouble without you even thinking about it.

It's much better to clearly state it in the constitution beforehand than to deal with it in a muddled way later.

Zhao Yan took the lead in adding elements to the constitution, and the others followed suit, since the head of state was leading the way.

Of course, we also need to be civilized. For example, the economic committee member proposed on behalf of the business class that officials should not treat businessmen as easy targets. Of course, the constitution cannot be written like that, so it can only be written as "legitimate property is sacred and inviolable".

Others also put forward their own ideas, representing the demands of their respective classes and interest groups. These demands, after being embellished and polished, were processed into legal provisions and written into the constitution.

Of course, the demands must be reasonable and can be brought to the table. For example, some officials wanted to add two articles such as "the law does not apply to high-ranking officials" and "the blessings of a virtuous person will be cut off after three generations," but Zhao Yan rejected them as soon as they said it.

Finally, Minister Zhang Xinghua, one of the five tigers of the Revival Party, raised a question: the Revival Party's status as a whole and in the law has not yet been discussed.

This is a sensitive issue; it's not that people have forgotten about it, but rather that they've intentionally ignored it.

At the same time, Zhao Yan frowned at his disciple Zhang Xinghua for the first time. Zhang Xinghua, who was usually steady and low-key, suddenly became somewhat unruly at this conference.

Or perhaps it should be said that Zhang Xinghua was too sensible and too clever; he seemed to have sensed something and thus began to take his own action.

Zhao Yan spoke up: "This matter will be discussed later!"

These words relieved the others. Zhang Xinghua was stunned for a moment, then chose to remain silent and did not speak again.

The Revival Party has undergone many changes recently, and Zhang Xinghua has keenly noticed these changes, which is why he asked this question.

But his master Zhao Yan's answer undoubtedly made him more certain of who was behind these changes. Many times, the answer to a question does not need to be explicitly stated; a mere tendency is enough to confirm it.

Zhang Xinghua has confirmed that his mentor, Zhao Yan, intends to weaken the Restoration Party.

Towards the end of this major war, Zhao Yan dismissed the party representatives in the army and concentrated a large number of party members in the army into the SS troops, forming the 1st SS Division, which was almost entirely composed of party members.

This move, while seemingly concentrating the power of the Ba'ath Party and creating a force that belonged entirely to the Ba'ath Party, actually resulted in the loss of the Ba'ath Party's overall influence over the military.

The reason behind this is that Zhao Yan noticed the little tricks his disciples were up to and began to reprimand them.

The current Ba'ath Party is the undisputed ruling party of the Republic, a fact that requires no constitutional confirmation because no other party can compete with it.

However, the specific situation within the Revival Party is somewhat difficult to say.

The Revival Party is beginning to show signs of division, and the source of this division is not from anyone else, but from its leader, Zhao Yan.

The Revival Party grew too fast and too rapidly, from a mere few dozen people in 1905 to more than 85,000 people in 1908. This speed was like nuclear fission.

What followed was internal division within the party. Zhao Yan had instilled too many ideas into the Revival Party. In the beginning, Zhao Yan was simply playing around with life and using the Revival Party as a tool for his fraud.

So at that time, in order to fool young people, he didn't consider what would happen in the future at all, and he instilled all kinds of ideas such as nationalism, communism, and capitalism into them.

At that time, Zhao Yan did not expect that the situation would turn out like this in just a few years. He himself did not believe that he could succeed, so he indifferently instilled his ideology in the party members.

Now, the consequences have emerged: the internal party divisions are no longer about factions and cliques, but a complete struggle over the party's direction.

The proletarian revolutionary line led by Wu Zifu and Jean Sinor, the nationalist line centered on Wang Dingyun and Zhang Xinghua, and the capitalist line supported by Liu Shangsheng—these three lines became three huge rifts within the Revival Party.

No one could completely submit to anyone else; Wang Dingyun, Zhang Xinghua, and Liu Shangsheng could still compromise and coexist to some extent.

However, Wu Zifu could not coexist with the other two factions. As an extreme radical revolutionary within the Revival Party, Wu Zifu always believed that proletarian revolution was superior to democracy and even that capitalism needed to be completely eliminated.

Under the influence of these three factions within the party, other party members made their own choices and found their own beliefs.

All three factions hoped to gain Zhao Yan's approval so that the Revival Party could lead China onto its own path in the future.

This wasn't driven by personal ambition, but by ideals and beliefs—a decision made back in that little beer hall.

As for Zhao Yan, his choice was not to choose, or rather, he didn't believe in anything, because God doesn't read the Bible.

Zhao Yan, torn between his own flesh and blood and the other side of the army, had no choice but to compromise. He abolished the system of party representatives in the army and concentrated all party members in the 1st SS Division for this reason.

After all, Zhao Yan himself didn't know which faction those army party representatives belonged to. After Zhao Yan took control of the capital, he was so busy with government affairs that he almost died from exhaustion. Then he personally led the army to the front lines. Where would he have time to worry about party affairs?

The development of the Revival Party has been handed over to a few apprentices. It's quite remarkable that Zhao Yan can handle the heavy military and political affairs.

As the ruling party of the Republic, the Revival Party still doesn't have a party school, precisely because it doesn't know what to teach. It can't possibly have a party school with separate departments for communism and capitalism for students to choose from, can it?

All Zhao Yan could do was to extricate the army as quickly as possible, and not allow the three factions to continue to influence the army, otherwise Zhao Yan dared not think about what would happen in the future.

After all the party members in the army were incorporated into the SS, they were stationed in the capital and served as the imperial guards. Zhao Yan believed that under his watchful eye, these party members would not dare to cause trouble. Moreover, the commander of the 1st SS Division was Zhao Hao, a simpleton who did not belong to any faction and was loyal to Zhao Yan.

At this moment, Zhao Yan could only put aside Zhang Xinghua's question, because Zhao Yan did not know whether Zhang Xinghua represented the interests of the entire Revival Party or the interests of the nationalist faction behind him.

Zhao Yan dared not take the slightest risk. Conquering the world is easy, but ruling it is difficult! The more difficult the times, the more united everyone will be.

But once you get through the toughest part, many ideas will emerge.

Zhao Yan only regretted his loose tongue back then. In order to deceive people, he recklessly spread misinformation, turning the Revival Party into a hodgepodge. It was simply impossible to reorganize it now.

If you don't utter a word, you are its master; if you do, you become its slave.

What Zhao Yan said was not just a single sentence; he was talking about the essence of various ideologies distilled over the decades!

Chapter 146 Industry and Infrastructure

Even late at night, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was still brightly lit.

A tiny minority of people, who hold the future and destiny of the entire vast republic in their hands, are engaged in a heated debate in the main hall.

Once the national legal framework is in place, the next step is to discuss practical matters. Even close brothers have to be clear about their interests, let alone enemies.

Zhao Yan's proposed plan for a southern industrial zone was rejected first, as the northern provinces simply did not agree to such a request. The Central China Industrial Zone was located in Wuhan, the East China Industrial Zone in Jiangsu, and the South China Industrial Zone in Guangdong.

They hadn't even been allocated a single industrial zone in the north, yet they still had to work themselves to the bone, contributing money and effort. Nobody would agree to such a thing. Representatives and committee members from various northern provinces almost unanimously and strongly opposed it. They argued that if this were agreed to, their ancestral graves in their hometowns would be dug up by their fellow villagers.

Officials from the northern provinces had prepared in advance for the meeting, with all kinds of coal and iron resources written down and laid out on the table, speaking clearly with evidence.

The North has resources and labor, so why should industrial zones be planned for the South?

Southern officials also disapproved of the industrial zone that Zhao Yan had planned on a whim. They didn't want to give the industrial zone to the north, but rather wanted to bring it to their own territory.

Southern provinces, relying on their status as founding fathers, tried to suppress the north, but the northern provinces resisted fiercely.

Nobody is willing to submit to anyone else. Real benefits are right in front of them. If they back down now, they might as well quit their official positions and go home to grow sweet potatoes.

The criteria for promoting officials at the central level are very clear: industry comes first, the economy is the backbone, and education shines. If you have excellent industrial development, rapid economic growth, and universal education, you can be promoted to a central position in no time.

As for agriculture, there's no need to emphasize it at all. Agriculture has been a topic of repeated emphasis in China for thousands of years. If you can't do this job well, you might as well not be an official anymore.

The current situation still revolves around solving the core issues of industrial development and economic growth. Industry can create a large number of jobs and generate enormous economic value.

Hubei is the best example. Hubei withheld nearly three years' worth of provincial fiscal revenue to develop industry, creating the Central China Industrial Zone. Both of its governors were promoted like rockets.

Hubei Province is also known for its rapid economic development; the industrial and agricultural output of Hubei alone is equivalent to that of three or four northern provinces.

Other provinces were severely drained during this war, but Hubei Province made a fortune by supplying military equipment to the National Defense Force. Even a newly hired ninth-level clerk in Hubei Province could receive a bonus of more than 100 yuan at the end of the year. Who wouldn't be envious?

In this five-year plan, no province wants to miss the opportunity to take off, and even the three northeastern provinces, which have a relatively low profile, are constantly making their presence felt.

The Chinese people have reached a consensus on the concept of a strong industrial nation. During the Self-Strengthening Movement, everyone realized that China must vigorously develop its industry in the future, but the Qing Dynasty at that time was too incompetent.

The current Republican government is going all out to develop industry, elevating the goal of becoming an industrial powerhouse to a national strategic level. The Republican government expects to invest at least 1.2 billion yuan in this five-year plan to develop domestic industry.

This 1.2 billion is a huge gift from the central government; whoever gets it will make a profit.

Fortunately, the attendees' weapons were confiscated before they entered the main hall, and there were no ink bottles or similar items on the conference table; even the water cups were tied up.

Even Zhao Yan, the head of state, acted as a mediator, trying his best to persuade the delegates not to get too agitated.

Amid the debate, the final planning outcome saw both the North and South compromise, and after considering various factors and practical conditions, the two major strategic projects of the Northeast Industrial Zone and the Yangtze River Industrial Belt were finalized.

This is the optimal solution under the current priority conditions of the Republic. First, there is the Northeast Industrial Zone. As the front line of the Republic's eastward expansion into East Asia to control Japan and Russia, the current strength of the three northeastern provinces is still too weak to serve as a strategic rear area to support the large-scale war that is highly likely to break out in the future.

The Republic cannot tolerate others sleeping soundly beside its bed. The Russians and Japanese in the Far East must be conquered or eliminated. It will take at least ten years, and at most twenty years. The entire Korean Peninsula and Outer Northeast region must be taken back. This is the consensus of the central leadership.

In this recently concluded Far East war, a large amount of military equipment and supplies had to be transported from thousands of miles to the south, which greatly affected the course of the war.

With foresight in mind, establishing an industrial zone in Northeast China was an urgent matter. Whether it was conquering the Russian Far East or destroying Japan, the Northeast was an indispensable strategic rear area.

Therefore, the three northeastern provinces, which were previously relatively unknown, unexpectedly received the first big piece of the pie at this strategic planning meeting.

After all, the Northeast benefits from the conflict between the North and the South. Both the Southern and Northern provinces can accept this outcome, as long as the pie isn't eaten by their rivals. From the Southerners' perspective, the Northeast doesn't belong to the North in the traditional sense, and the Northern provinces don't consider the Northeast as their own.

To later generations, Northeast China is clearly a northern province, but the current Republic does not see it that way. From the perspective of the current Republic's historical view, Northeast China is a region that separated from the traditional Han territory from the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, and was only recently recovered by the Han regime.

Moreover, during the Qing Dynasty, the Northeast region had an extremely weak presence in the political arena.

It wasn't until Zhao Yan's Northern Expedition succeeded and he marched into the Northeast, establishing the three provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning, that the Northeast region was considered to have returned to the political sphere of Han culture. However, upon entering the region, it was still relatively unknown. In the eyes of both the North and the South, the three northeastern provinces were not even considered minor allies and posed little threat; they were simply given a piece of the pie.

However, the Yangtze River Industrial Belt, which is of paramount importance, is the focal point of contention between the North and the South. The Yangtze River Industrial Belt proposed by Zhao Yan is located in the middle of the North and South, since the traditional division of China into North and South is based on the Yangtze River.

Setting it here is both in line with tradition and meets practical needs.

In this day and age, the Yangtze River shipping is of unparalleled importance to China's industrial development. The Yangtze River shipping is a natural super artery. Relying on the Yangtze River waterway can greatly reduce the cost of industrial construction. After the industrial zone is built, the cost of raw materials and production will be greatly reduced due to the convenience of water transportation.

Given the current severe shortage of infrastructure in China, building an industrial belt along the Yangtze River is the best option, as the internal resources and minerals can be transported directly to the industrial zone at low cost through the Yangtze River system.

External international technology and equipment can also travel across oceans and up the Yangtze River directly. In the Yangtze River basin, one yuan can accomplish what three yuan would normally do, but in other places, once water transport is no longer available, it is difficult to accomplish even one yuan's worth of work.

Overall, the southern part of the Yangtze River industrial belt still benefited, but there was nothing that could be done; the conditions were what they were, and there was only so much money available.

National fiscal appropriations will introduce a series of industrial systems, such as energy and chemical industry, iron and steel metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, and shipbuilding, into the Yangtze River Industrial Belt. These enterprises will become state-owned enterprises directly under the central government, subject to dual leadership and management by local and central authorities.

The Yangtze River Industrial Belt will spread and develop with the Central China Industrial Zone as its core. Currently, Wuhan has the most solid industrial foundation in China. It concentrates the essence of the country's industry and has the support of central government policies. With vigorous development, it has become the industrial leader of China.

The central government's plan this time is to let this dragon head lead the rest of the dragon body to take off together, creating an industrial belt stretching for thousands of miles across China, supporting the steel backbone of the Republic of China.

The Northeast Industrial Zone was purely a wartime industrial zone, developed to meet future wartime needs. Nobody wants a box of bullets to have to travel thousands of kilometers to reach the front lines in a future war.

Of course, apart from the industrial zones and industrial belts supported by national funding, other regions have not stopped moving forward, after all, the tax-sharing system has been implemented.

Local governments will not be left with no income and will have to rely entirely on central government funding to make ends meet. With a 30/70 split, local governments will still be able to retain a considerable amount of fiscal revenue.

Squeezing and shifting, each province can raise a few million yuan a year to develop its industries without much problem. But if you invest the initial capital, build up the industrial zone, and then complain about not having enough money and go to the central government to cause trouble, do you think the central government can just watch a local industrial zone, which has been invested in with real money, be abandoned halfway?

Moreover, Zhao Yan also opened a major loophole, allowing provinces to attract foreign investment and concentrate local private capital to develop themselves. The central government may not have the funds, but local governments can take initiative and raise money from foreigners, ordinary people, and wealthy gentry. The central government is responsible for reviewing and providing a safety net.

After the debate over general industrial planning ended, infrastructure investment became the main battleground. The idea was that building roads would bring wealth, and that wealth could only come after roads were built.

The central government plans to invest 700 million yuan over five years to launch a national project for one horizontal and one vertical railway line. The first line will be the Beijing-Shanghai line, which will be the horizontal line.

Currently, China has only one major railway line, the Beijing-Hankou Railway, which runs directly from Wuhan to Beijing. Beijing has also built the Shanhaiguan Railway, connecting the interior of China to the exterior of the Great Wall.

You can travel directly from Wuhan to Harbin; the Beijing-Hankou Railway is now connected to the Middle East Railway.

Prior to this, the central government had already decided to extend the Beijing-Hankou Railway to Guangzhou, thus opening the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway. Therefore, the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway project had already been decided before this meeting and would not be discussed at this meeting.

The main discussion focused on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway and the Longhai Railway. These two railways, one horizontal and one vertical, connected the four directions of China, but an investment of 700 million Han Yuan was still insufficient to complete their construction.

This would require additional funding for railway construction from local governments. The North certainly couldn't afford that much money, and the South could provide it, but that would inevitably benefit the North.