The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

Shanxi's railways are narrow gauge, which is very different from the national railway system. Whoever wants to lead an army into Shanxi must first collect trains that match the model, otherwise they can only march on foot.

When Yan Xishan was building the railway, he had already had the ambition of self-government.

Through the car window, Zhou Hexuan looked at the continuous farmland outside and the rising smoke, and couldn't help admiring: "Yan Laoxi's way of governing the region is very clever. Looking at this scene, Shanxi is actually better than some provinces in the south. Be happy and rich."

Sun Yongzhen said with a smile: "Shanxi is better."

Sun Yonghao is singing the opposite tune: "It's not the same, everywhere the people at the bottom suffer from poverty."

Zhou Hexuan asked curiously, "How?"

Sun Yonghao introduced the situation in Shanxi: "The peaceful years were fine, but once the war broke out, it would be very uncomfortable. The military masters exploited in every possible way, and the ordinary people struggled to survive. If Shanxi is really so rich, how could the forehead and the forehead be so rich?" Go out and wander?"

After hearing this, Zhou Hexuan immediately understood.

Some people say that Shanxi is the richest province in the Republic of China, some people say that Shanxi is the happiest place in the Republic of China, and some even compare Yan Xishan to Jin Wengong in the Republic of China.

However, if you think about it carefully, the population of Shanxi is only in the tens of millions. Agriculture is definitely not as prosperous as in the South, and industry is not necessarily as developed as in the Yangtze River Valley. How did Yan Xishan support his two to three hundred thousand troops?

Raising military expenses is the most important thing for every warlord, and it is always the common people who are exploited. The military expenditure preparation organization is called the military depot, and seizure is the main method. Everywhere they go, granaries, buildings, and vehicles must be pasted with a note saying "seizure by a certain division".

If these things belong to big bureaucrats, big landlords, or big warlords, they can raise materials from other places through the government. If the owner is a big businessman, he can pay for the army to go elsewhere to purchase. Anyway, the rich and powerful will not suffer losses, and in the end it will be passed on to small landlords, rich peasants and poor peasants.

According to data, before the outbreak of the Central Plains War, military pay and taxes in northern Shanxi were 225 times higher than regular taxes, ranking first in the country.

Knowing these things, do you still think that the Shanxi people under Yan Xishan's rule are happy and prosperous?

What makes Yan Xishan superior to ordinary warlords is that he runs education, promotes industry, destroys bandits, persuades farmers and mulberry... and implements a series of good policies. The common people are free from bandits, and are not in danger of war. They are indeed much happier than those in other provinces.

But once there is a war, the truth is immediately exposed, because the army burns too much money, and the money is passed on to the common people.

Zhou Hexuan couldn't help but sigh when he thought of the Central Plains War two years later. It was the largest civil war in the period of the Republic of China. The total number of troops invested by all parties reached more than 1.1 million, involving more than 20 provinces, and more than 300,000 officers and soldiers were killed or injured.

How good it would be to save these money, weapons and troops to fight the Japanese devils!

Chang Kaishen's political reduction was too hasty, just like Zhu Yunqi back then, he pushed all the warlords to the opposite side of the central government. Fortunately, Chang Kaishen is good at bribery, once the battle is unfavorable, he will use money to poach the opponent's corner, and he actually won the victory.

In order to get Zhang Xueliang's support, Chang Kaishen directly sent someone to bring a huge sum of 20 million. Not only did they spend money to buy Zhang Xueliang, but even the staff, secretaries, adjutants and guards around Zhang Xueliang were all included in the list of bribes.

Once, a representative sent by Chang Kaishen invited Northeast politicians to dinner and played mahjong after the meal. Each person had 20,000 yuan in their drawer, and no matter whether they won or lost, it went to the person who sat down.

As for the two representatives sent by Yan Xishan, one came to the door with 1,000 yuan and the other 500 yuan. The first time they went, they managed to meet Zhang Xueliang, and the second time they went, they were directly thrown out by the guards at the gate.

The Great War in the Central Plains was a victory for money.

...

Zhou Hexuan arrived in Taiyuan along the Zhengtai Railway, and ran to Yan Xishan's official residence to vote his business card, but was informed by the guard that Minister Yan (Minister of the Interior) was not there. Zhou Hexuan thought he was short of money, and sent another 50 oceans. The guard finally revealed the news: Yan Xishan was inspecting the arsenal.

The next day, Zhou Hexuan came to submit his business card again, but Yan Xishan was still not there. I heard that he went to the next county to inspect a chemical factory.

Zhou Hexuan was speechless, waiting for six days in a row, and finally saw the busy man Yan Laoxi.

To be honest, Yan Xishan is relatively simple among the warlords. Although his old house in Wutai County is magnificent, after more than ten years of expansion, the total cost is only more than 1 million, and it is for the whole family to live in.

As for Yan Xishan's Taiyuan official residence, it does not occupy a large area, and it is very ordinary inside and out, and it is not as good as the local wealthy businessman's residence.

Yan Xishan sat in the living room, and after the adjutant brought Zhou Hexuan in, he laughed and said, "Mr. Zhou, why did you come to this poor country like mine?"

Yan Xishan is 1.83 meters tall, with a burly and powerful appearance, but he has a very easy-going demeanor, sitting there like a businessman.

"Hello Minister Yan, I'm here to present you a pennant." Zhou Hexuan held out a pennant and said.

Yan Xishan asked the adjutant to open the banner, but saw eight characters written on it: Weihong Longde, rain moistens the world.

Translated into vernacular, it roughly means that Yan Xishan worked hard to establish education, cultivate talents for the country, pursue good morals, and benefit all people in the world.

"Haha, don't deserve it, don't deserve it." Yan Xishan laughed heartily, obviously flattered by these eight words.

Zhou Hexuan said with a serious expression: "Education is the foundation of national rejuvenation, and basic education is the most important thing. Nowadays, everyone values ​​higher education, because running a university is easy to get results, but basic education is often neglected. Minister Yan is in Shanxi. Compulsory education has been implemented extensively, and the enrollment rate of school-age children in Shanxi has reached 70%, the highest in the country, and Jiangsu, which is second, is only 20%.

Yan Xishan was even more delighted when his most proud achievements were mentioned. He said with a smile, "Mr. Zhou is talking about data from three years ago. Today, the enrollment rate of elementary school students in Shanxi has reached 74%."

Zhou Hexuan continued to flatter: "I heard that in various cities and counties in Shanxi, school-age children who do not enroll without reason will be fined 1 to 5 yuan. Children over 10 years old who are out of school will be fined 1 yuan for each year they grow. This move is similar to the historical Prussian The king's education policy is similar, and he admires it."

Yan Xishan said with a smile: "Mr. Zhou really guessed it right. I am imitating Prussia, not only in education, but also in my way of running the army. I also follow the German iron-blooded ideology."

"This is the blessing of the people of Shanxi." Zhou Hexuan flattered, but sighed in his heart: Yan Xishan's civil affairs ability is extremely strong, but it's a pity that his strategic vision is too short-term, and he has no long-term plans. subdivision.

Before the Great War in the Central Plains, Chang Kaishen put a knife on Yan Xishan's neck, and he still wanted to be a fence-sitter to reap the benefits.

Feng Yuxiang took his wife to Taiyuan in person, hoping to unite with Yan Xishan to fight against the central government. How did Yan Xishan do it? He actually kept Feng Yuxiang in with good food and wine (under house arrest), and then used this as a bargaining chip to put pressure on Chang Kaishen.

Chang Kaishen immediately appointed Yan Xishan as the deputy commander-in-chief of the army, navy and air force. This benefit actually made Yan Xishan complacent, thinking that he was the second in the national government.

If the Republic of China is compared to the Three Kingdoms, Yan Xishan is probably equivalent to Liu Biao.

After flattering, Zhou Hexuan took out another gift, handed it to Yan Xishan and said, "Minister Yan, apart from the silk banner, I'm still here to give you a clock today."

Yan Xishan looked at the small western pendulum clock, and his face suddenly became gloomy.