Chapter Fourteen: On Swords

  January 20, 1986.

  In the conference room on the fourth floor of the county party committee office building, Lu Zhong presided over a meeting of the Qinglong County Government Party Group to study the spirit of Central Document No. 1.

  The county government party members attending the meeting include: Tan Wusi, member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and Vice Governor; Wang Nihang, Deputy Secretary of the County Government Party Group and Vice Governor; Wang Xuanfeng, Deputy Secretary of the County Government Party Group, Vice Governor and Director of the County Economic Commission; Wang Ming, Zhang Guowen, Wang Shuwen and Huo Xiaoqing, members of the County Government Party Group and Vice Governors; Gao Zhikai, member of the County Government Party Group and Director of the County Public Security Bureau; and Wang Jiabin, member of the County Government Party Group and Director of the Government Office.

  This year's Central Document No. 1 is still an agricultural document, namely the "Deployment of Rural Work in 1986" issued by the Central Committee and the State Council. The document affirms that the guiding principles and policies for rural reform are correct, pointing out that China's rural areas have begun to embark on a path of planned development of commodity economy. Agriculture and rural industry must develop in coordination, combining "no industry, no prosperity" with "no agriculture, no stability". The overall requirement for rural work in 1986 is: implement policies, deepen reforms, improve agricultural production conditions, organize pre- and post-production services, and promote sustainable and coordinated development of the rural economy. To achieve this overall goal, it is necessary to further establish the position of agriculture in the national economy, unwaveringly adhere to taking agriculture as the foundation as a long-term strategic guideline; rely on science, increase investment, maintain stable growth in agriculture; deepen rural economic reforms; practically help poor areas gradually change their appearance; and strengthen and improve leadership over rural work.

  Ma Tuo Ying Township Party Committee Secretary and Acting Mayor Zhao Pingfan attended the meeting, he is also the only non-county government party group member attending the meeting. Apparently, this township party committee secretary has become a new noble in front of Lu Zhong County Magistrate, and Lu Zhong also does not hide his bias towards him.

  "Ordinary, tell me, how's the small commune in your hometown doing? I think it's quite consistent with Document No. 1, an exploration of deepening rural economic reform, and I think it's very meaningful." Lu Zhong smiled at Zhao Pingfan.

  For the first time attending a county government party group meeting, and being named by Lu Zhong to speak, Zhao Pingfan's heart was slightly tense.

  But he knew that Magistrate Lu Zhuang's promotion of him was under great pressure, and he had to do a good job no matter what, so as not to let Magistrate Lu Zhuang down.

  The ancients said that knowing and encountering kindness is an emotional experience that can only be deeply understood by those who have personally experienced it, which can evoke the feeling of "being willing to die to repay your kindness".

  From a deputy officer who was marginalized to the current leader, managing the eating, drinking, and sanitation of tens of thousands of farmers in the town, although the responsibility is great, he can fully display his ambitions.

  These were all given by Lu Zhong County Magistrate, Zhao Pingfan's heart was very clear.

  So, although it was the first time to speak in front of many county leaders, and slightly nervous, Zhao Pingfan still stubbornly put down the notebook in his hand. He had never liked reading aloud from a script, although holding a manuscript might be safer.

  "First of all, I think that collective agricultural economy has not disappeared, but is thriving." Zhao Pingfan's first sentence was shocking, and the cadres in the conference room exchanged whispers, some thought Zhao Pingfan was talking nonsense, while others were interested and prepared to listen further.

  Gao Zhikai sneered inwardly, indeed worthy of being Lu Zheng's direct disciple, who loves the tone of "if words don't shock people to death, then they're not worth saying". These two master and apprentice are really a match made in heaven.

  Zhao Pingfan continued: "Why do I say that? Because our village-run enterprises, brigade-run enterprises, now called township enterprises, have burst forth with vigorous vitality nationwide. Township collective enterprises lacking clear private property rights have made extraordinary achievements. This shows that when competition breaks the soft budget constraint and changes the incentive structure of operators, even without the private property rights emphasized by mainstream economics, good economic efficiency can still be achieved."

  "Agricultural economy is actually the same principle."

  "In the past, our rural cooperative economy collapsed for many reasons. Lu Zhong, the county head, published an article in the city's journal 'Red Star', which I believe all leaders have read and had a deep understanding of. Now, many constraints that restricted our agricultural development no longer exist. The biggest problem facing rural cooperative economies now is how to mobilize the enthusiasm of members' labor."

  "For the survival and efficiency of rural cooperative organizations, some scholars believe that as long as farmers' right to exit is preserved, diligent members can use the threat of exit to effectively deter members with lazy motives, thereby achieving effective cooperation among different members and improving the efficiency of farmers' cooperatives."

  "But through my experience of working in the countryside, I feel that actually individual peasants are not afraid to slack off because they fear that the exit of diligent farmers will cause the cooperative organization to disband."

  "To increase the efficiency of individual members within rural cooperative organizations, I think we should learn from township enterprises and introduce competitive mechanisms, such as a work-point system, to reform and achieve true distribution according to labor. Another model is to implement small-scale contracting under large collectives, where each household contracts for specific responsibilities in the fields, and receives compensation based on yield, while the overall layout of the land is arranged by several large teams. This way, we can reduce the costs associated with small-scale farming economies and increase the enthusiasm of individual laborers."

  Lu Zhong made a gesture and said, "I'll add my two cents." He thought for a moment and said, "Pingfan, there's one more thing you haven't considered. As the level of productive forces improves, for example in the future when we implement agricultural mechanization, then dividing up the land and working individually will be far less efficient than collective agriculture."

  "Moreover, agricultural economy is not just about grains and crops. Many regions have their own unique economic crops, such as our Qinglong peaches? Are they not the sweetest and most fragrant in the entire northern region? This should be an advantage, but there are less than 50 households in Qinglong that plant peach trees. As a result, it's hard to attract outside tourists to come pick peaches in Qinglong, and even if some do come, the prices are dictated by others, leaving our farmers without any bargaining power."

  "If we adopt a collective economy, half of the county's land will be planted with peach trees, and then we'll make the Qinglong Peach famous. When the peaches are ripe, customers will come in droves. At that time, we'll have the upper hand. Especially since our collective economy is like an enterprise, old customers won't be able to negotiate with individual commune members. This will also avoid vicious price competition among our villagers and instead, we'll negotiate with them in a unified manner to get the best price for our products."

  "You said, is it this reason?" Lu Zhong said, picking up his teacup and taking a few sips.

  Some cadres couldn't help but nod in agreement, indeed, County Magistrate Lu Zhong and Zhao Pingfan sang the same tune, what they said wasn't necessarily unreasonable, it's just that this grand blueprint seemed a bit vague.

  Zhao Pingfan waited for a while and saw that Lu Zhong had nothing to add, so he thought for a moment and said: "Hmm, it seems I still haven't considered everything thoroughly. I'll go back and think about it carefully."

  Lu Zhong said: "Still have to grope in practice." He made another gesture, indicating that Zhao Pingfan should continue.

  Zhao Pingfan continued, then talked about the specific situation of Mahetang Township, and shared his personal experience and gains from studying the spirit of Central Document No. 1. Finally, he said: "In short, we need to further explore the rural cooperative economic system, but I believe that this is a more advanced form of economy, which will ultimately be more advanced and have more vitality than small-scale peasant economy!"

  There were officials present who were sensitive to high-level politics, and they suddenly realized that if they followed the path of Lu Zhong, the county magistrate, and Zhao Pingfan, Qinglong would likely be thrown into the forefront of high-level ideological clashes in the foreseeable future. Can't County Magistrate Lu see this point? Or is he actually a vanguard of a certain faction at the central level, coming down to the grassroots level to carry out experiments? Perhaps he even wants to use this as preparation for making a big stir in the future, creating a huge sensation, and turning the revisionist heaven upside down.

  Those figures who are always remembered by the Communist Party are best at theoretical struggles, aren't they?

  ……

  Wang Jiabin followed Lu Zhong back to the office, although the Discipline Inspection Commission had concluded its investigation into the original director of the office, Fu Pan Shi, who had been given an intra-party warning and was transferred out of the county party committee compound. Wang Jiabin had been promoted a few days ago and was formally appointed as the director of the county government office.

  "What's up, what did the cadres say later?" Lu Zhong asked with a smile.

  Wang Jiabin was about to speak when the office door was gently knocked from outside. Wang Jiabin hurriedly went to open the door, only to see a young cadre with a square face and thick eyebrows standing outside, who should be from the propaganda department. Wang Jiabin vaguely remembered that his surname was Guo, Director Guo.

  "Wei Song!" Lu Zhong smiled and walked over quickly, shaking hands with Guo Wei Song. Childhood playmates, one of the "Red Movement" strategists, now working together again.

  Guo Weisong smiled and said: "County Magistrate Lu."

  "Hey, there's no outsider here, just call me Zhēngzi!" Lu Zhēng patted Guō Wěisōng's shoulder with force.

  Wang Jiabin heard this and realized that the visitor was actually a close friend of Lu Xian's, so he hastily poured water for the two of them before retreating.

  Guo Weisong looked at Lu Zhong, for a moment he really didn't know what to say. At the beginning in Guangning, Lu Zhong becoming the director of the Public Security Bureau was already surprising enough, but he didn't expect that after not seeing him for several months, Lu Zhong would suddenly become the county head, the gap between him and Lu Zhong was getting bigger and bigger, even his biggest wish in this life was just to have a deputy department-level treatment when he retired, let alone becoming a county head? He hadn't even thought about it, if there weren't any particularly good opportunities, such a high-ranking official who held power wasn't something that someone from a rural background with no social connections like him could aspire to.

  Originally, Guo Weisong had a subtle resentment towards Lu Zhong in his heart, which had existed since childhood. Otherwise, he wouldn't have fought with Lu Zhong twice for the position of "Red Dynamic Commander". But now, what could he say?

  Kuo Wei Song let out a deep sigh in his heart and after a long while, he finally found the words: "Are you going back home for Chinese New Year?"

  "Go home."

  Guo Weisong smiled: "Then let's go together? It's just that I don't know if I can coordinate with your schedule." In the tone of his words, there was an unconscious implication of a subordinate treating their superior.

  Lu Zhong said going home, referring to his own home in Beijing. It's clear that Guo Weisong misunderstood. Moreover, Lu Zhong suddenly felt Guo Weisong's cautiousness and was taken aback for a moment before nodding and saying: "Let's take another look."

  Lu Zhong patted Guo Weisong's hand and picked up his tea cup to take a sip of water, without saying anything else.