The 359th Leap Forward of Socialism II

At the beginning of July 1921, the imperialist and revisionist conspiracy to peacefully evolve Soviet Russia seemed to be bankrupt. At the end of June, Nikolai Murphy, who actually presided over the negotiations on the non-military project. Bukharin was suddenly recalled to the country, and the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of Soviet Russia, who succeeded him, seemed to be a difficult guy to deal with - he rejected almost all the proposals put forward by the West and China, and the most common word in each meeting was "no", and over time Western diplomats gave him the nickname Mr. No.

As a result of Mr. Bu's appearance, the spring breeze of détente against the Soviet Union, which had briefly appeared at the Shanghai Conference, disappeared without a trace, and was replaced by a cage policy to contain Soviet Russia. Germany's Jewish Foreign Minister, Tranau, used his diplomatic skills to maneuver between the diplomats of Britain, the United States, and France. First, the "understanding" of French Foreign Minister Briand was obtained on the condition of renunciating its territorial claims to Alsace-Lorraine. The biggest obstacle to Germany's rise was removed.

Subsequently, the idea of a Polish-German alliance aimed at containing the westward advance of Soviet Russia was proposed, which was unanimously supported by Britain, the United States, and France. According to this assumption, the upper limit of the total strength of Germany's army would exceed the 100,000 troops stipulated in the Treaty of Versailles, and it would also be able to possess advanced weapons such as tanks and airplanes. However, the development of Germany's military strength must be based on defending against the westward advance of Soviet Russia, and the total strength of the army in peacetime must not exceed 300,000, and it must not develop naval capital ships with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, nor can it restore the compulsory military service system and the general staff, and at the same time it must accept strict supervision from Britain and France.

In the end, Tranau raised the issue of Germany's inability to repay war reparations, and united Britain and France to propose a plan to "forgive one qiē war debt"! According to this plan, Britain and France would give up Germany's war reparations, while the United States would give up its claims to all European countries, including Britain and France...... It's almost more than $10 billion! In other words, it is a way for European countries to unite and pay their debts.

U.S. Secretary of State Hughes and U.S. Treasury First Director Dawes proposed a way for the United States to provide Germany with a huge loan to help Germany rebuild its economy and repay war reparations...... According to the initial assumptions of the Americans, the United States will provide loans of no more than $4 billion to Germany in the next 10 years. The European powers, such as Britain and France, would also lend a similar amount to Germany. Germany, on the other hand, will pay war reparations equivalent to about half of the total amount of loans they received each year for the next 10 years, while the United States will recover about $3.5 billion in war principal and interest from Britain and France.

In this way, batch after batch of funds flowed from the United States into Germany, and then into Britain, France, and other European countries in the form of reparations. Finally, it flowed back to the United States in the form of war debts. Form a cycle. As a result, Germany's economy will be restored through an inflow of nearly $4 billion and will re-emerge as a regional power, a barrier to the westward expansion of GCISM. At the same time, there is a surplus of capital in the United States. It is also possible to lend money to Germany through guò and get a good book return...... As for the question of whether Germany, which is facing the peak of reparations and debt repayment in 10 years, will have enough funds to repay its debts, it has been deliberately ignored by the American bigwigs represented by Dawes and Hughes.

Although Britain, France, and the United States are still arguing over the "comprehensive war debt forgiveness plan" and the "Dawes plan." However, Chang Ruiqing's memories of his previous life told him that the "Dawes Project" would most likely win in the end. Become the basis for the rise of the Third Reich! Compared with another time and space, the current "Dawes Plan" is obviously more favorable to Germany, and the revival of the German armed forces has also been greatly advanced due to the different endings of the Soviet-Polish war! If Adolf. If Hitler and the Nazi Party had come to power on this plane, they would have inherited a Germany that was much stronger than before...... This is really a blessing and a curse for China!

……

July 11th. The weather was bad. Chang Ruiqing took the train to Nanjing. During this time, he was still running between Shanghai and Nanjing, maneuvering between the great powers attending the conference in Shanghai and working hard to formulate China's first five-year heavy industry plan. The train leaves the station at 9 a.m. sharp, rumbling through the stormy summer landscape. China's richest and most modern land of fish and rice in southern Jiangsu. It still looks very backward in the rain curtain brought by the typhoon. It is a large plain made up of paddy fields, villages, lakes and rivers. The city also looks very dilapidated, with all kinds of old Jiangnan water town-style buildings, and the newly built industrial areas are all small in scale. There are also some construction sites that are under construction -- in Chang Ruiqing's view, the scale of construction is also very small, and it cannot be compared with the big projects that will bloom everywhere in the 21st century.

But there is no way to do this, and the start of industrialization is always very difficult and slow. And in the twenties, the biggest problem with China's industrialization was not the lack of capital and technology - the central bank coffers contained nearly 700 tons of gold and more than a billion silver dollars (some of which had been converted into gold). Technology and advanced industrial equipment are not a problem either. At present, China gets along well with almost all the major powers, and as long as it is not a cutting-edge technology, it can basically be bought with money.

But China's industrialization is still very slow. And the main problem lies in the labor force! This may sound like a strange question, but it's just the way it is! China's population is the largest in the world, and there is absolutely no shortage of coolies. However, the development of industrialization requires engineers, technicians, and skilled workers who have a certain degree of education and can master more complex manufacturing processes.

According to the joint statistics of the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Education of the National Government. At present, the illiteracy rate of the Chinese working class is as high as more than 90%! Among the remaining 10% of the workers who still know a few words, almost no one has received a new education, and they have recited the three-character scripture in a private school for a few days...... They may have no problem becoming traditional craftsmen, but it is a bit difficult to get them to master advanced industrial equipment!

Of course, it is not impossible, and it requires engineers and technicians to teach the process slowly and repeatedly. Fortunately, there were many third-rate engineers and technicians in Belarus brought by Kolchak who were not wanted in Europe and the United States, and with their patient teaching, they were finally able to reluctantly start industrialization. However, cultivating a new generation of well-educated industrial workers who can master complex technology is still a top priority in China's industrialization.

On the way back to Nanjing, Chang Ruiqing sat in the special train and carefully looked at the first draft of the first five-year heavy industry plan sent by Yan Xishan. Kong Xiangxi, the minister of heavy industry who was on a business trip to Shanghai, sat opposite him, ready to explain to Chang Ruiqing.

“…… The first five-year heavy industry plan was expected to begin in January 1922 and end in December 1926. The objectives of the 1st Five-Year Plan. It will lay a good foundation for the country's comprehensive industrialization.

1. Training Program for Industrial Workers: According to the joint statistics of the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Education, by the end of March 1921, the total number of industrial workers in the country was about 4.5 million. It is mainly distributed in textile, mining, construction, transportation, metallurgy and other industrial categories. Among them, there are less than 300,000 skilled workers with certain skills, and less than 50,000 workers with a new primary school education program or above, and most of them are Russians living in exile in China. Presently. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour have developed and implemented a training program for industrial workers covering most of the country. Since 1920, more than 200 schools for skilled workers have been built in conjunction with some enterprises, and since 1922, more than 150,000 young technicians have been trained and educated at the same time. However, it is still unable to meet the needs of China's industrial construction. Therefore, the State Development Planning Commission has focused on arranging funds and personnel for the training of industrial workers within the First Five-Year Plan. It took five years to increase the number of schools for skilled workers tenfold to fifteen, and more than one was completed

Training of millions of skilled workers. Beginning in 1927, more than 10 percent of young skilled workers who had completed six years of compulsory education were enrolled in schools......

2. Key industrial projects: According to the statistics of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, the Ministry of Mining, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Communications, as of the end of March 1921. There are 53 large-scale heavy industry enterprises (including public, commercial and foreign-funded enterprises) such as iron and steel, chemical industry, machinery, shipbuilding, electric power, and mining with a capital of more than 5 million yuan, with a total capital of more than 530 million yuan, and 11 railway enterprises, with a total capital of more than 220 million yuan. It has an annual steel production capacity of 150,000 tons, an annual power production capacity of about 100 million kWh, an annual shipbuilding capacity of 200,000 tons, an annual coal output of more than 30 million tons, an annual iron ore output of 3.8 million tons, and a total mileage of more than 13,000 kilometers of railways. More than 12,000 kilometers of railways are under construction......

2. Investment plan for key projects: The key investment projects in the First Five-Year Plan are mainly concentrated in basic projects for industrialization such as iron and steel, electric power, railways, and mines. By the end of the First Five-Year Plan, the annual production capacity of steel will be 2 million tons, the annual production capacity of electricity will be 2 billion kWh, the total mileage of railway operation will exceed 20,000 kilometers, and the annual coal capacity will exceed 100 million tons. The annual production capacity of oil is more than three million tons, and the annual production capacity of iron ore is more than six million tons. To this end, the company plans to focus on the following heavy industry projects.

…………”

Chang Ruiqing is fascinated by the fact that this "five-year heavy industry plan" will be the key to future work and the key to the growth of China's strength. If the three five-year plans can be successfully implemented. By 1937, China would be able to initially complete industrialization. Considering China's vast territory and large population. It can barely be regarded as a first-class power, but it is still far behind the two **oss of the United States and Germany.

Thinking of this, he put down the Wen Jiàn in his hand and smiled with satisfaction at Kong Xiangxi opposite. "Yong, this plan is very good, but is the construction speed slow? Can you speed it up a little faster? ”

Hearing this, Hahakong's eyelids drooped, and after thinking for dozens of seconds, he shook his head. "No, no...... To be honest, this speed is already very fast, it is good to be able to complete it, and it is impossible to speed it up. ”

"Isn't it impossible? What are the main difficulties? Chang Ruiqing clearly remembers that in the first five-year plan in history, more than 5 million tons of steel could be built!

"It's still a human problem." Kong Xiangxi smiled bitterly and folded his fingers to Chang Ruiqing and calculated: "Funds are not a problem, tickets can be printed, and gold foreign exchange reserves are also sufficient." I also talked to Mr. Dawes in the United States about loans, and I dare not say that I can always borrow more than 100 billion or 2 billion dollars -- this is the case with those who open banks, and the more money you have, the more they will borrow. ”

Chang Ruiqing nodded, Hahakong said it well, and the same is true for banks in later generations. Small and medium-sized enterprises that are in dire need of funds cannot borrow money, and monopolies with deep pockets never have to worry about loans.

Hahakong continued: "There are also many large heavy industry enterprises in Britain and the United States that have expressed their intention to invest and open factories in our country...... But they also encounter the same difficulties as us, and there is no one who can do things! What China lacks most now is talent! However, the cultivation of talents can only be done step by step slowly, and there is no urgency at all. He sighed. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Education, there are only 100,000 people who have received a new type of secondary education and only 20,000 or 30,000 people who have received a university education. The total number of science and engineering graduates is less than 10,000! In any industrialized country, there are at least hundreds of thousands of engineers and technicians and millions of skilled workers with a secondary education or higher......"

"We can also increase funding for education." Chang Ruiqing said: "Zou Haiou (Minister of Education) will give him as much as he wants. ”

"It's useless to have money." Kong Xiangxi shook his head. "There are no teachers! It's easy to get a teacher from a university elementary school. There are dozens of universities, and you can't invite them from abroad, but there are thousands of middle schools, and these are all three-year junior high schools...... In the future, tens of thousands of teachers will be needed to run a high school. I don't know where to look! As for the elementary school, you can also use a private school teacher to make do. Anyway, the science curriculum in elementary school is not deep, but can Mr. Middle School Private School teach it? Teachers of chemistry, physics, mathematics, foreign languages and other subjects must have received a junior college (college) education or above.

How many such talents are there now? It takes a lot of time to train a middle school teacher than it does to build a middle school teacher, and it is not something that will be conjured up by throwing money on it. At present, the education department has built nearly 1,000 secondary schools across the country, but more than half of them are unable to open because of the lack of teachers...... If it weren't for the fact that a large number of White Russian intellectuals had come to China. It is estimated that the remaining half will be difficult to open! ”

Chang Ruiqing's face is also difficult to look at, he himself had been a middle school teacher in his previous life, so he naturally knows how many teachers are needed in a middle school, and it takes about 16 years to train a middle school teacher! The number of teachers needed in thousands of middle schools in the country is probably more than the total number of domestic college students currently in the country, right? But where do teachers come from? Thinking of this, Chang Ruiqing had the urge to send troops to rob the Soviet Russian concentration camp!

At a time when Chang Ruiqing was sad about the education of the Republic of China. Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door of the train compartment. Chang Ruiqing shouted: "Come in!" I saw Zeng Qi hurriedly walk in with a telegram and newspaper, put it on the table in front of Chang Ruiqing, and said in a low voice: "The commission, it's a secret telegram from the Chinese and G International Delegation to GC." He handed the message silently.

Kong Xiangxi was a member of the Kuomintang, and when he saw the secret telegram of Zhongg, he felt that it was inconvenient for him to stay here, so he got up and wanted to leave. Chang Ruiqing waved his hand. "Yongzhi, you can also take a look." As he spoke, he gave the message to Kong Xiangxi.

Hahakong took the telegram and read it carefully. There are two things above. The first is the preparation for the formation of a union of Soviet socialist states, consisting of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Far East, Kazakhstan and a large number of Soviet states controlled by Russia. The second is after the founding of the Soviet Union. The GCD of the USSR is ready to change the existing NEP, limit private ownership, introduce a planned economy, and will develop the first five-year plan of the USSR!

Kong Xiangxi handed the message back to Zeng Qi, and sat opposite Chang Ruiqing without saying a word. Wait for the chairman to ask questions.

"Mu Han also sit down and discuss it together." Chang Ruiqing beckoned to Zeng Qi, who was standing aside, and asked him to sit down. "Mu Han, Yongzhi, what do you think?"

Zeng Qi thought for a moment. With a smile, he said: "Bench, it seems that Bukharin has been unlucky." As for the abolition of the NEP in Soviet Russia. It is a good thing for us to start implementing a planned economy. ”

"Really?" Chang Ruiqing asked noncommittally.

Zeng Qi said: "Soviet Russia is now fully turned to the left, so their trade with Western countries will inevitably be affected, so that we can make a little fortune through guò entrepot trade." ”

"Commission, I don't think it's good for us for Soviet Russia to start the first five-year plan." Kong Xiangxi frowned and said: "After all, Soviet Russia is our close neighbor, and it was an imperialist country in the past, so it is not comparable to us. If we go all out to develop heavy industrialization like us, the development speed in the next 10 to 20 years will be much faster than that of China! Moreover, their doctrine does not deal with us, and they also claim to liberate all mankind...... Now that Britain and the United States are helping Germany to rejuvenate, if in the future the leaders of Soviet Russia feel that the liberation of the Germans and the Poles is not sure, will they turn around and make it difficult for us? ”

Chang Ruiqing turned his head and looked at him steadily. After a while, he sighed: "Yongzhi, your worries are justified." We must always be vigilant against Soviet Russia! It seems that the speed of the development of heavy industry has to be accelerated, and when I return to Nanjing, I will convene a meeting of the heads of all quarters, and everyone will work together to find a way, and there will always be a way. ”