Chapter 2: Countercurrent (Part 3)

"Let's take out the notebook first. Review the kanji you taught yesterday. I'll be back in five minutes." Zhang Songling's eyes are good. Redbeard was spotted standing at the window. Hurry up and arrange for the recruits to study on their own for the time being. Step out the door." Team Wang. You're looking for something with me.."

"Oh. There's a little thing." Redbeard quickly wiped his face. When I looked up again. It's the usual little old man who always laughs." I didn't bother you with the lessons."

"Nope. This cultural lesson has just begun. The first five minutes are a routine singing. Liven up the atmosphere. And then you will move on to the formal course." Zhang Songling shook his head. Explain with a smile.

"That's good. That's good." Redbeard's face is full of smiles. His voice revealed that he had just experienced a big emotional swing. I'm afraid. I'm afraid to disturb you teaching students. That's why I didn't dare to call you out.. Alas. Let's go a little further. Just a few words. It won't delay you too long."

I don't want the recruits to see my gaffe. He smiled. Send an invitation to Zhang Songling. Zhang Songling understands the old man's thoughts. Nodding in agreement. Step up and keep up. The two of them walked slowly out of five or ten meters side by side. Wait until each other's breathing sounds become even. Only then did he slowly stop under a flowering sand date tree.

In early summer, the jujube trees are full of white flowers the size of soybeans. The taste is fragrant and sweet. It's intoxicatingly thick. Redbeard took a deep inhale of the floral scent first. Then with a bit of appreciation, he asked, "I've taught a few songs. It looks like it's working pretty well."

"A total of three songs were taught. Everyone is highly motivated to learn. The question of what to fight for. I also have a deeper understanding." Zhang Songling smiled. The expression on his face was a little ashamed. Half a month ago when Redbeard proposed to teach the recruits to sing. He didn't expect to see results so quickly. I thought I was so tired every day that I couldn't even climb into bed with the strength left. I don't have much interest in singing. Who expected it to come down in more than half a month. Singing has become a favorite homework for recruits. It is no less than holding a rifle and firing live ammunition with reloading bullets.

"Not bad. Not bad. I saw that the spirits of the people were obviously different from when they first joined the army. And so it goes. Estimated it won't take two months. They'll be officially on the battlefield. It's all your credit. It's so much better than when I was doing it alone." Redbeard nodded in satisfaction. Praise with a smile.

"It's the king team who is well guided. Captain Zhao, Captain Zheng and Team Leader Wu. It didn't help me a lot." Zhang Songling didn't dare to be greedy. Waving hands in response.

"Whose grades should be. It's who's. How much work they did. I don't know how to count it." Redbeard glanced at him. Laugh and count." You kid. I didn't learn so many faults from nowhere. I'm afraid I've made that rafter that is out of the woods. On the partisans this acre of three-point land. There are still people who find fault and hit you... Sensei said I wouldn't say yes. The brethren will not have that grain of sand in their eyes."

"I. I didn't mean that. Captain Zhao, they really helped a lot. At least. Riding has always been his hand-in-hand teaching." Zhang Songling's face became more and more ruddy when he was praised. waved his hand. Explain curtly.

"Alright. You don't have to be humble. Anyway, even if you are given a commendation. It can only be verbal. I don't have any prize money here." Redbeard added with a smile. Then quickly turn the conversation to the construction of the guerrilla zone." Start a workshop thing. How far has it been. I haven't bothered to go up and down the mountain to see it these days. You can report to me on the progress."

Even if he didn't come over and ask. Zhang Songling will also take the initiative to report to him. Thought about it. Very neat response." The first felt workshop has already been put into operation. It's on the small Liu Zhuang at the bottom of the mountain. I recorded the whole construction process. Together with the tool drawings, they were handed over to Zheng Xiaobao and a few of them. Let them do the same in the other three nearby villages. Each of them opened a felt-making workshop and came out. They are holding the drawings and discussing them with the village council people. It just needs to be agreed upon. Organize people to work immediately."

"Wouldn't that have been all at once four felt-making workshops? Will it be more. Can you sell it?" Redbeard knows that Zhang Songling is a doer. I didn't expect him to move so fast. Stunned. Confused questioning.

"Not much. Not much." Zhang Songling smiled and shook his head. No machine helps. Making felt becomes a purely manual work. Four workshops started production at the same time. That's the monthly output of about 300 sheets of felt. That thing. Mongolians can use refurbished felt bags. As long as the price is right. Definitely not unmarketable."

"Don't the Mongols themselves roll out felts? It's still cheaper to buy it than to do it themselves.." Redbeard knows that he is a layman in industrial and commercial production. Thought about it. I asked Zhang Songling very seriously.

"The Mongols themselves rolled felt. But there are only two products, white and brown. And the size is also very arbitrary. It's not like what we produce in the workshop. It can be based on prior design. Brown wool is mixed in stages. Make a nice pattern. And our workshop uses a unified measuring tool and mold. Each of the felts is the same size. It's much neater than the herdsmen roll it out themselves."

Lest Redbeard not understand. There was a pause. Zhang Songling continued to add. Such. The next time they renovate the felt bag. You don't have to bother cutting at all. Just pick up the rotten piece. You will be able to replace a new one with a new one. So even if our goods are more expensive than the ones they make themselves. They'll buy it from us, too. Besides, it's almost summer. The price of wool is going down all the way. In addition to our workshop. No one can afford to spend money to get all the wool in the hands of the herdsmen."

Varies according to the season. At the lowest price of the year. Eat raw materials in large quantities. And then at a relatively flat price. Sell the finished product evenly. The reason is simple. But except for the partisans . No one would have thought of this idea within a radius of hundreds of miles. There is no strength and organizational ability to start a felt-making workshop in batches. Redbeard doesn't know how to do business though. It can be dialed by Zhang Songling a little. Then you can see the reason. Smiled and nodded. Very happily said, "That's good. That's good. Able to sell goods. You'll be able to do it with confidence. If asked. Naturally, I'll deal with them."

"How. The higher authorities have different opinions." Zhang Songling is very sensitive. Immediately frowned and asked.

"There must be. After all you do these attempts. It's all something we've never done before. Not only the Northern Army Division. That is, several military divisions in Chanan and Hebei are counted. We are also scorpion poop. One and only one." Redbeard doesn't want to hide. Say whatever you want." But we have to develop. and they cannot exploit the people like a warlord. Don't figure out how to make money yourself. Are you still waiting for the central government to pay your military salaries? Needless to say, the central government can't pay the military salaries. Even if there is. A few cents can fall on our heads.!"

"That's right." Zhang Songling was amused by Redbeard's statement and laughed in a low voice. Heart. But I still don't feel well. There were different voices on the military side so quickly. It must have been someone in the guerrillas who took the initiative to report the situation to the higher authorities. Otherwise. Take the distance between the two sides. What happened inside the guerrillas spread to the military divisions. At least two or three months or even longer. Until then. My own felt business has gone to my mouth. It's impossible to stop so easily.

"Don't be afraid to have opposing voices. We can convince them with facts. I'm afraid that there is no objection. but quietly stumble." guessed that Zhang Songling would have a pimple in his heart. Redbeard patted him on the shoulder. Smile and enlighten." Cadres of our Eighth Route Army. They all grew up eating rice. It is impossible for everyone to think the same way. That's it. Everyone has become a shadow puppet with a string on it. It can't be a living thing at all. You just have to do it boldly. I'm in charge of keeping up with the head of the lawsuit. As long as we stand still. Even if there are different opinions from above. I'm also sure that they won't be able to interfere with the normal production of the workshop."

"Hmm." Zhang Songling nodded. I let out a long breath gently. I don't know how. I remembered in my heart that the old 26th Road Special Service Group was fighting with the little devils in the walnut orchard. A group of people led by Deputy Commander Huang stabbed the secret service group in the back. That experience. Let him completely recognize the despicability of human nature. From now on. Don't dare to trust others easily.

Redbeard's heart doesn't bend so much. After introducing the attention to the workshop. He continued, "How did the people in the village react? Would you like to work in a workshop? How are you going to settle them.."

"Okay." Speaking of the industrial side of things. Zhang Songling's mood quickly improved again." According to the pre-agreed agreement. We contribute capital and technology. Out of the village in the field. The products are purchased by us. After earning money, the cost of the advance will be deducted. Thirty percent of the profits go to the village committee. Seventy percent turned over to the guerrillas. The workers in the village are paid by the day. Work for five hours in the morning and five hours in the afternoon. Two hours at noon to go home for dinner and rest. The big worker works for a day to give triangular money. The small worker gives a dime five. If you work overtime. The wages are then converted by the hour. Work up to twenty-four days a month. Six days off. The wages will be paid in advance by our guerrillas."

"It's been a hard month. At most, I can earn seven or eight dollars." Redbeard made a quick mental calculation. Said with some trepidation. Wouldn't it be a little less? Rolling out felt is a manual task."

"Compared to the factory over there. It's definitely less." Zhang Songling smiled. Shake your head slightly." But compared to farming. It's still a lot stronger. You see, every house here has their own wasteland. You can be busy all year round. Rations are deducted for each strong laborer. You can also earn seven or eight oceans. Give our factory to dry. A month is almost enough to top a year. So we don't have to worry about not being able to recruit workers. I'm looking for a job now. It's a priority to take care of someone in the family who has joined our guerrillas. The remaining places. before handing it over to the village committee for distribution."

"This ......." Redbeard still felt that Zhang Songling's salary was a bit black-hearted. But the situation of the partisans themselves is laid out there. It's also impossible to lose money to make money. Thinking of this section. Put it is a horizontal heart. He said, "Just do it your way. and so on to make money in the future. And find a way to compensate the workers."

"It would be good to wait for the bone glue workshop and the cooked leather workshop to open. These two are more profitable. It is also easier to ship to the merchants who come from the mouth. At the moment my thoughts are. Start by rolling out the felt. Let the villagers accept the existence of the workshop. And then. Reuse the felt workshop to train qualified workers. Then build a new workshop. From easy to difficult. Gradual. Wait until the future. Even bullet reloading. It can be handed over to a special workshop in the village. We provide technology and scrap bullet casings. Then just buy the finished product. It can save a lot of time for the soldiers." Zhang Songling thinks long-term. Patiently introduce to Redbeard.

Some of the previous arrangements. Redbeard has long been impressed. I nodded my head again and again. Heard the last sentence. But he was taken aback by Zhang Songling's boldness." How. Even bullet reloading. You're also going to leave it to the villagers. They. Can they do it?"

"No problem at all." Zhang Songling nodded proudly. It's nothing more than melting bullet casings into molten copper. Then pour it into a pre-made mold to cast the bullet. Then use sand and gravel to polish the bullet smooth. Reload it back and just do it. If it is divided into several processes. Leave it to the villagers to do it. Each team is responsible for a process. The speed will be much faster than it is now. The yield can also be more guaranteed. Of course. In the near future, it will be up to the workshop in our own camp. The supply of raw materials for the first bullet is not enough. Second. Now hand it over to the village. It can also cause a lot of unnecessary trouble."

Listen to him and say it's not right away. Redbeard's heart finally fell back into his stomach. Breathed a sigh of relief. Whispered emphasis: "Hmm. Just like the brick kiln and lime kiln you talked about last time. Wait until the conditions are ripe to consider it. That's right. Villagers over there at night school. Are you also hurrying to arrange it. If you need my side to cooperate. Mention it to me as soon as possible. Don't hold on to it."

"I've been a little out of time lately." Zhang Songling's face finally showed a little difficulty. Hesitant to respond." But. Team Leader Wu seems to have told me. He didn't mind giving me some help. Or. You ask him. Are you willing to take this matter on your own?"

"You mean Xiao Wu.." Redbeard frowned. looked at Zhang Songling in confusion. from the face of the latter. He didn't see any hypocrisy. A few strokes of the head. continued: "Okay then. I'll just ask him. Also right. It's time for me to put some weight on him. Otherwise, everything depends on you. It's a problem to wear you out."

Zhang Songling's original intention was to bring the telecommunications team in. Take a share of your own credit. Lest the team leader Xiao Wu staring at himself like a cockfight all day long. It makes both sides unhappy. At this moment, Redbeard agreed to his suggestion. Then he smiled and said, "Team Leader Wu has a higher education than me. I also learned how to mobilize the masses. He was the head of this evening school. Definitely better suited than me. You can rest assured. It doesn't take long. Evening school grades. will be able to leave the new barracks far behind."

"You kid. will make excuses to be lazy." Redbeard reached out and rubbed Zhang Songling's head. Some helplessly counted. It was the initiative of the guerrillas who responded to the higher authorities that the guerrillas were opening workshops. No need to guess. His heart was like a mirror. And with Zhang Songling's cleverness and old age. I would have thought about the reason why the higher authorities were able to grasp the movements of the guerrillas so quickly. Next, take some precautionary measures. It can't be avoided.

But to his relief. Zhang Songling didn't want to go to Xiao Wu's trouble. Instead, take the initiative to do something that is relatively simple and can quickly achieve results. Transferred to the latter. This shows the gap between the realms of the two young people. It is also invisibly proven. His red beard doesn't make a mistake in his eyes. Your career can definitely be handed over to this little fat man in the future. Even if his consciousness rises a little more slowly. You can rest assured. At least. Don't be afraid of him headband the team into the gutter.

glanced at Zhang Songling's young face again. Redbeard smiled and pushed him away. Come on. I don't have anything else to do here. You should go back and give the recruit eggs a lesson. I guess they've been waiting impatiently."

"Then I'll go back. If there's something you need to do, just come to me." Zhang Songling said politely again. Turn around and walk towards the classroom that has been set aside for the recruits to learn. Footsteps are unnoticed. It's a little easier.

"This little fat man. There are so many eyes." Looking at his back as he walked away. Redbeard laughed and muttered to himself. Fortunately, there is nothing bad about it. Otherwise. There's really no one who can cure him."

Laugh. While rubbing his old waist that was standing sore. While walking slowly towards the headquarters. Only after walking thirty or fifty meters. After a house. Suddenly, the polite face of Xiao Wu, the head of the telecommunications team, flashed." Team Wang. Can I delay you for a few minutes? I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Yes. What can't be." Redbeard looked at the old watch on his wrist. Smile and nod." What's wrong. The battery of the radio station is not enough again.! Then you can save as much as possible. There's no place to sell this stuff nearby. The current stocks of the guerrillas. still rely on the face of Captain Zhang. I asked for it from the independent battalion of the Jin Sui Army."

"Hmm. I know. I've tried to save as much as I can." Xiao Wu, the head of the telecommunications team, was said to be red. Explain in a curt." It's because the terrain on our side is too low. It is not easy to receive radio waves. That's why I had to turn up the power a little more."

"You just have to know what to do. I don't understand that." Redbeard nodded. Added with a smile. Although I feel that Xiao Wu is a master of doing things. But he didn't want to hurt the other party's self-esteem too much. After all, this kid was directly supplemented from the military division. I have to save some face for the chiefs.

"I figured out how to make a few holes in the battery. Add some refined salt to it. It's going to make it a little bit more durable." Listen to Redbeard and don't plan to delve into it. Xiao Wu hurriedly figured out a way to make up for his mistakes.

"Hmm. If only you could figure it out yourself." Redbeard nodded in approval. Find me something. There are new instructions from the higher-ups."

"Nope." Xiao Wu, the head of the telecommunications team, shook his head with a smile. I'm looking for you. I want to talk about the felt workshop. The management system formulated by Captain Zhang. I don't know if you've seen it."

"It's already been handed over to me. I haven't had time to see it yet." Redbeard's brow furrowed slightly. Whispered with a bit of dissatisfaction." How. What problems do you find in there? Will it affect production?"

"This. It can't be said to be a problem." Xiao Wu glanced up at Redbeard's face. The voice became a little unconfident." Simplicity. Purely from the point of view of workshop management. It's not a big deal. Captain Zhang's family is a shopkeeper. Know how to get your apprentices to do their work. Know how to get the most out of it."

"Hmm." Redbeard just groaned softly. Noncommittal on Xiao Wu's evaluation.

"But. From other angles. This demonstration workshop. It's too the workers." Xiao Wu pondered the words. Try not to use the word 'exploitation.'" I mean. He treated the shop like apprentices and long-term workers. Almost copied into the workshop. The daily working time is very fixed. If you go to the toilet in the middle, you have to ask the foreman for leave. Take a leave of absence to drink water. The commute time is fixed. Late arrival, early departure. All wages will be deducted. It doesn't matter if the workers are sick or not. There is no other reason. Wages were originally low. Seven and eight deductions every month. I'm afraid of having a fight with all the sweatshops in the city."

"Oh.." Redbeard's face quickly swelled with anger. It's not because Zhang Songling treats workers harshly. And because Xiao Wu deliberately found fault and created contradictions." You've been to the workshop and seen it. Have you talked to the workers? Is that all their opinion?"

"Not yet." Xiao Wu, the head of the telecommunications team, turned slightly red when asked. Explain with a smile." Captain Zhang took the management regulations. Let me give him advice. I'm afraid to say what I think. upset him. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it beforehand."

"Then you should go to the workshop and work for a few days. Ask the workers for their opinions." Redbeard looked Xiao Wu up and down. Command in a low voice." The work at hand will be handed over to your team members for the time being. You go down to the factory and see for yourself. Just right. I'm going to hold a night school for the people in the village. Teach them to read, read and write, and save the country during the war of resistance. You also take on the responsibility of being a principal."

"I. I ..... "Be a headmaster and teach the people to read and write. Spread to them the truth of resisting Japan and saving the country. Xiao Wu doesn't care. But go to the workshop and roll the felt with the sweaty workers. But let him get goosebumps just thinking about it. That's pure manual labor. He shouldn't have done it at all, a proud man who graduated from college. Although just a minute ago. He also spoke out on behalf of the workers to protest against Zhang Songling's exploitation.

"How. You're scared." Don't guess with a red beard. You can think of Xiao Wu's thoughts. Looking at each other with a smile. Whispering excitedly.

"No. Not afraid. I. My family is from the South. I've never done the work of rolling felt." Of course, Xiao Wu didn't want to admit it. Defend yourself out loud at once.

"Then go and try it. You can't learn. Believe in your Xiao Wu's cleverness. You can learn it in half a day." Redbeard smiled and patted him on the shoulder. The final word." You don't have to do it all the time. Just roll out the felt in the workshop for two weeks. Wait until you get acquainted with the workers. Learn what they really think and what they are struggling with. Come back and give advice. Isn't that more convincing?"