Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 165 - 대약진
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Translator: crow
Chapter 165: The Great Leap Forward
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China's situation was complicated.
The Nanjing regime under Chen Gongbo dominating the East China region, Li Zongren's Chongqing regime controlling Sichuan and half of Jiangnan, the essentially independent warlords of North China, and the Communists in Yan'an threatening them all.
They were biting and tearing at each other, maintaining a precarious balance.
Of course, the balance of power wasn't perfectly even.
Qualitatively speaking, the Chinese Communists had the edge with their high morale and well-motivated army, leaving the others scrambling just to hold back their expansion.
Among them, Chen Gongbo's regime was holding up well against the Communist threat, thanks to chemical weapons supplied by Korea and a stable governing base. But the North China warlords and the Nationalists weren't faring as well.
At first, they managed somehow by relying on anti-Communist brigades and mercenaries from Korea.
But that didn't last long.
"They can't even manage inflation and have ruined their economy. Are those people really running a country?"
To make matters worse, hyperinflation exploded across China.
In truth, this problem had been foreseeable.
With the wealthiest regions of East and North China effectively severed, they kept pouring endless war expenditures into the pot.
Unlike the Communists, who could motivate with ideology alone, the Nationalists were at a severe disadvantage in fiscal management compared to Mao Zedong.
"Please, just get a handle on this goddamn rice price. It's hard to even scoop a bite of food!"
Protests, strikes, and uprisings broke out endlessly in Nationalist-held areas.
The frustration boiled over against a corrupt government endlessly printing worthless military scrip and banknotes, shaking the very foundations of Li Zongren's regime.
"At this rate, Chongqing will collapse."
The Korean government was racking its brains over the issue.
The problem was that committing directly to a continent where armies of a million clashed wasn't easy.
For now, the Korean government decided to check the Communists by exporting large quantities of chemical weapons to the Nationalists and warlords tied by anti-Communist pacts.
This allowed Korea to maintain a rough balance between Nationalists and Communists for the time being.
But even that didn't last.
Chemical weapons proved ineffective against the Communists' signature guerrilla warfare.
Firing chemical shells at Communist guerrillas who had infiltrated Nationalist areas would only alienate the populace.
Once public sentiment soured, breakthroughs came even easier next time.
To solve this, Nationalist army commander-in-chief Li Zongren visited Pyongyang.
"We need Pyongyang's active support on the Communist army problem."
"What more do you want from us?"
"We need economic aid."
The Korean government asked Li Zongren for time to discuss.
Pyongyang's cabinet engaged in heated debate over the matter.
"We should provide subsidies to keep Li Zongren's regime from collapsing."
"No, give money to those corrupt bastards? If we cover their defense costs, they'll spend it properly on national defense, sure."
Korean government officials acknowledged the need for support but doubted its effectiveness if handed straight to the Nationalists.
"So, we're just going to let China fall apart?"
Absolutely not.
If the Republic of China collapsed, so would Chen Gongbo.
That would bring back a unified China—the nightmare that had haunted Korea for so long.
Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty.
Just thinking of those terrifying eras of massive unified dynasties left the officials breathless.
After agonizing deliberation, the officials agreed to provide aid.
But not in the form China wanted.
"Let's give it in kind."
Supplies like rice and cloth.
They'd probably siphon and sell it off anyway, but it was better than handing over cash that could vanish entirely.
Less than a week after the Korean government's aid decision, steamships loaded with rice, coal, and more set off up the Yangtze River.
Li Zongren's regime received the massive in-kind aid from Korea and managed to somewhat calm the immediate fallout from inflation.
Of course, to fully curb inflation, they'd need to end the war—but that was impossible.
His Excellency knew that fact all too well.
'Just pouring in aid like this is like filling a bottomless bucket. To improve the situation now, weakening the Chinese Communists is the best option.'
To keep China divided anyway, the Communists needed to be weakened.
Following His Excellency's intent, the Korean Intelligence Agency launched operations against the Chinese Communists.
The agency excelled at this kind of warfare.
The goal of the operation was simple.
To make China "leap forward greatly."
For this operation, Korea utilized communist sympathizers with pan-Asianist leanings within the country.
"Catching sparrows increases rural productivity?"
The agency arranged for various government documents to "accidentally" fall into their hands.
The communists were skeptical at first.
The sources were credible, and the figures seemed plausible—hard to dismiss as fakes.
The agricultural research institutes mentioned as having conducted real experiments actually existed.
The communists visited the institutes, verified the facts, and became convinced the information was genuine.
Of course, the Korean government hadn't lied.
Crop yields in paddies without sparrows had indeed increased—that much was true.
Several such verified documents made their way covertly to the Chinese Communists.
The Communists lit up at the sight.
"If we boost agricultural productivity, we can mobilize even larger armies!"
Mao Zedong immediately pointed at a sparrow.
"That bird is harmful."
The Chinese Communist Party launched a sparrow extermination campaign on the spot.
Drawing on Mao's own rural experience, it evolved into a full-scale Four Pests Campaign.
"Smash the sparrows, mosquitoes, rats, and flies."
Farmers had to chase the four pests during breaks from fieldwork.
The malign influence of Korea's operation didn't stop at sparrows.
"Plant rice densely packed?"
"Dense planting boosts yields and is good overall."
This stemmed from more fake information smuggled from Korea.
"But even so, dense planting makes weeding harder."
"Tsk. It's verified by the Party Central."
The farmers sensed something was off but had no choice except to prepare their fields as ordered.
Next came the "innovative" earthen blast furnaces sent by Korea's communists.
"Installing backyard furnaces in every household will increase steel production?"
"It's theoretically possible."
"If a tiny backyard furnace can achieve that feat, what are we waiting for? Start immediately."
At Mao Zedong's word, backyard furnaces sprang up in every home.
Naturally, without proper technicians or technology, producing steel in these small furnaces was impossible.
The earthen furnaces mass-produced low-quality scrap iron, not the high-grade steel Mao envisioned.
It wasn't even fit for farm tools, let alone kitchen knives.
Anything made from it snapped like twigs.
And chopping down hillside trees for fuel was just the bonus.
"Production is too low. Increase furnace utilization."
Later, production quotas sparked competitions, feeding perfectly good farm tools into the furnaces to emerge as pig iron.
Mao Zedong brushed off the issues.
"At this rate, we'll easily overrun the puppet regimes in Nanjing and Chongqing."
Mao trusted the inflated production figures.
In his eyes, he saw only the Chinese Communists charging toward a bright future.
But those with common sense sensed something was wrong.
"Is this really the right direction?"
"Follow Comrade Mao Zedong's instructions for now."
Zhou Enlai knew Mao's directives were flawed but hesitated to speak up.
Who had saved the party from annihilation during the failed initial offensive with the Long March?
Mao Zedong.
Who had elevated the Communists from a local Yan'an clique to a major contender for control of China?
Mao Zedong again.
With Mao's track record, who could question his judgment?
At least Zhou Enlai thought no one could.
With no one daring to criticize Mao's errors, the runaway train kept going.
The party kept raising backyard furnace quotas and crop yield targets.
Party members and farmers toiled over 60 hours a week to meet them.
"This won't do with just moderate fertilizer, will it?"
"Let's steal night soil. The more we spread, the better the effect, right?"
Now, fertilizer wars erupted—smashing neighbors' outhouses to steal manure.
People stood guard with bloodshot eyes over toilets and manure-spread fields.
Even without that, they had to take shifts watching their homes against those dismantling them for furnace fuel.
A moment's lapse, and everything vanished—so no one could rest.
Amid it all, they farmed with junk tools from the furnaces while diligently hunting sparrows, rats, mosquitoes, and flies.
"Can't live under these reds anymore."
Eventually, some began fleeing Communist areas for Republic of China territories.
Considering refugees rarely emerged from Communist zones, it was an ominous sign.
The Communists put refugee spokesmen on the radio, scoffing at Li Zongren regime propaganda decrying the "Great Leap Forward."
"Ridiculous. Once we push through our Great Leap Forward, they'll collapse in one go."
The Communists brimmed with confidence in their Great Leap Forward drive.
No mistakes could mar the great leader comrade's thrust.
They would triumph again.
And lay the foundations for New China.
Party members mocked the Chongqing regime's broadcasts with vigorous song.
"Without the Communist Party, there would be no New China!"
The outcome of the Great Leap Forward—who would laugh last—remained anyone's guess.