Chapter 23: Expulsion

  The "rice-fish" program of Hongqi Commune has achieved a bumper harvest on a large scale, but many problems have also arisen.

  At that time, all production resources were owned by the public, either state-owned or collective. The production resources belonging to individual farmers' households were extremely rare, almost non-existent. The paddy fields for "rice-fish culture" were collective resources, and the purchase of fish seedlings was also invested by the brigade. Labor such as tending to the paddy fields, changing water, draining water, etc., were all recorded in work points by the production team. Therefore, all the fish caught belonged to the brigade, which is beyond doubt.

  The problem lies in the allocation.

  The members of the Red Flag Commune have never caught so many fish in the paddy fields since its establishment, and it didn't take much effort, almost like having pies fall from the sky. Each production team got 2,500 to 2,600 kilograms of fish, with the least getting nearly 2,000 kilograms, which is not a small amount. Everyone's eyes are fixed on the commune's distribution of fish.

  At first, the decision to release fish fry was made by Secretary Shi of the commune with a single order, and all brigades followed suit without any doubt. After the harvest, because it belonged to the collective property of the brigade, the commune did not interfere with the distribution, and did not even provide any guiding opinions. The 21 brigades went their separate ways, some distributed them according to the number of work points, while others distributed them equally per person; some divided them in half, with one half being disposed of by the brigade and sold as part of the brigade's accumulation, and the other half being given away as favors by the brigade cadres, and even more so by individual cadres who embezzled them. There were also several brigades that did not catch all of them, but only caught a portion to distribute to commune members, leaving the rest to be transferred to ponds, waiting for an even bigger harvest after the New Year.

  Collectively owned property, collectively decided allocation is also normal.

  But the Red Flag Commune suddenly produced so many fresh carp and crucian carp during the early rice harvest, which had a significant impact on the entire water product supply and marketing system of Xiangyang County. The production team uniformly sold it to the county supply and marketing association, which was fine, and the supply and marketing association would arrange for its sale. Some members who received fresh fish were frugal and would not eat them all at once, but secretly sold them out, even some cadres' families in nearby communes and counties who lived a slightly better life came to Red Flag Commune to buy fish. For a time, the traffic was convenient, and several large teams of people flowed like a weaving pattern, it was bustling with activity.

  If it were a few years later, at the beginning of reform and opening up, this scenario would be written in bold strokes on the political achievement book of the person in charge of Hongqi Commune. Unfortunately, it was a few years too early. This is not an achievement but a crime.

  The crimes don't stop at just one count.

  The first is the breeding of corrupt phenomena. So-called corruption, as mentioned earlier, a small number of brigade cadres ate more and occupied more when distributing fish, and some even sent fish to commune cadres or county cadres, causing strong dissatisfaction among the masses.

  When he first heard about it, Liu Jun's head spun violently.

  Sending fish? Greed and corruption?

  To Liu Jun, a 21st-century time-traveler, it was really hard to find any connection between the two. It was dizzying and made sense at the same time.

  Secondly, it disrupted the normal supply and marketing channels, giving rise to speculation and profiteering. Xiangyang County is located in the inland mountainous area, more accurately, it is a hilly region, which has never had an abundance of aquatic products. Although carp and crucian carp are not rare, they are not often available for consumption. In the past, it was usually only during festivals that the supply and marketing system would organize freshwater fish supplies for urban residents. Now, suddenly, there are 20-30 thousand catties of fish on the market without any reason, and private buying and selling activities have appeared. Isn't this speculation and profiteering? The source of the trouble is naturally also attributed to the person in charge of the Red Flag Commune.

  Speculation, Liu Jun is a name I've heard of, and it's not a derogatory term. As for "Dao Bai", I really don't know what it means. In 1977, there was no internet, so I couldn't look it up even if I wanted to.

  The third is the theory of productive forces and the "rise of capitalist thought".

  Raising a few more fish is the theory of productive forces, eating a few more fish is the rise of capitalist ideology. This way of reasoning Liu Jun understands, but can't figure it out. It's probably because of the different times we live in.

  The fourth count of indictment was private and could not be made public.

  The Hongqi Commune's "rice field fish farming" achieved a bumper harvest, and soon spread throughout the county. Other communes were envious, and team cadres inquired with their own commune leaders whether they could follow suit and let their members also taste some meat. This was a sensitive issue, and many commune leaders dared not make decisions on their own, instead escalating the contradictions to higher levels, seeking instructions from the district and county authorities.

  Wang Benqing, who had been in charge of the ancient town commune for many years, even wrote a special report to the county revolutionary committee, requesting approval.

  It is said that Wang Benqing was extremely angry.

  What is a planned economy? A planned economy means everything goes according to plan. Who makes the plans? Of course, it's the higher-ups. Could a small Red Flag Commune Revolutionary Committee like yours possibly make plans?

  If you just casually raise a few fish, scoop them up and eat them in one go, that's the end of it, no one cares about you. But this guy produces tens of thousands of catties, eating some selling some, making the whole county buzz with excitement, if the leaders of Baozhou area find out, who knows how they will define it.

  Yan Yucheng and Liu Jinchai, these two rascals, really won't let people live in peace.

  Director Wang was furious, and in Xiangyang County, this was a big deal. Tang Haitian, the third-ranking deputy director of the county revolutionary committee, who was in charge of agricultural production, personally organized an investigation team to rush to Hongqi Commune to investigate the "rice field fish farming" incident.

  Tang Deputy Director had not yet arrived at Hongqi Commune, and in Taishan District, he already clashed with Yan Yucheng.

  Yan Yucheng was furious when he heard that Tang Haitian had made such a big fuss just to investigate the so-called "fish farming incident".

  "I explained this matter to Old Cui when he came to Hongqi Commune last time. Why are you still clinging to it and won't let go? What is Cui Xiuhuo's intention?"

  Anyway, having already offended Choi Soo-young, Yoon Yuk-seong didn't even leave a bit of face, directly scolding her name, not even bothering to address Minister Choi.

  Tang Haitian is a relatively gentle person by nature. He used to work with Yan Yucheng at the county agricultural bureau and was very familiar with Yan's temper.

  "Lao Yan, don't get agitated. Since someone has reflected on the problem, the organization must investigate it clearly and make a fair conclusion. You have to trust the organization..."

  "Alright, Director Tang, then tell me, what's wrong with the members of Hongqi Commune spontaneously raising fish to increase collective income? Does it need a special investigation team sent by the County Revolutionary Committee? And does it require you, the third-ranked deputy director, to personally take action?"

  The specifications of this investigation team are also very particular. Generally, functional departments take the lead in asking questions. When the third-in-command of the county revolutionary committee personally takes action, it is clear that they want to investigate the main leaders of the Red Flag Commune, namely Yan Yucheng and Liu Jinchang.

  Yan Yucheng has been through many storms and his eyes are as bright as snow. How can he not see the trick?

  Tang Haotian couldn't help but be speechless.

  Since entering the government, Tang Haitian has always been dealing with agriculture and rural areas, and he has a deep understanding of the situation of the broad masses of peasants. When he first heard the news that the Red Flag Commune's "rice field fish" had a bumper harvest, he was very happy in his heart, feeling that he had found a feasible path for development. If the income of the grassroots teams can be increased, all work such as grain procurement and government reserve allocation will be much smoother. The burden on Tang Haitian, the deputy director in charge of agricultural production, will also be much lighter.

  He also exchanged this idea with Wang Benqing, the first-in-command, and was criticized by Wang as "politically naive", "with a vague stance of taking class struggle as the key link" and "having a tendency towards productionism".

  Xiangyang County only has two relatively clear factions, Wang Benqing and Zheng Xingyun. As the third-in-command, Tang Haitian does not have his own faction, and he is generally inclined towards Wang's faction, but his relationship with Zheng Xingyun is also manageable. This time, Wang Benqing appointed him as the head of the investigation team, which also implies that he wants to force him to take a stand.

  "I don't believe it, the villagers just ate a few more fish and they even made mistakes. Director Tang, you're also from a rural area, the son of a peasant, treating our fellow villagers like this, doesn't it weigh on your conscience?"

  The head of the investigation team refuted the investigated object so that he was speechless, and this investigation could not be carried out any further.

  Tang Haitian let out a long sigh and shook hands tightly with Yan Yuchen, without even going to the Hongqi Commune, he went back directly to the county.

  Tang Haitian's attitude suddenly became clear, which was beyond Wang Benqing's expectation and also made this leader furious. He convened an emergency meeting of the Revolutionary Committee directors overnight, with all eight directors attending except for one deputy director who was out on a business trip.

  The two parties involved in the "rice field fish incident", Yan Yucheng and Liu Jincan, slept very soundly that night. They only later found out that because of the several tens of thousands of kilograms of fish from Hongqi Commune, the eight directors and deputy directors of the county revolutionary committee had a meeting that lasted all night, and also quarreled all night. The directors engaged in fierce debates on the nature of the "rice field fish incident".

  At first, both Wang Benqing and Zheng Xingyun were still dignified in their positions, allowing their respective followers to fire the first shots. Cui Xiuhuo was Wang Benqing's vanguard, having just heard Tang Haitian's investigation report, he couldn't hold back his words and vehemently expressed his opinions. He proposed that Yan Yuchen and Liu Jinchang, two corrupt officials who supported "speculation" and advocated for the "theory of productive forces", must be severely punished.

  A deputy director of the Zheng faction immediately retorted and subtly suggested that Cui Xiuhao was seeking revenge, with a hint of hitting back. Cui Xiuhao became furious, and if not for Wang Benqing's timely intervention, he would have almost started scolding.

  Next, several deputy directors took turns to speak, debating with each other, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Seeing that no one could convince anyone else, Wang Benqing and Zheng Xingyun had no choice but to personally intervene and express their own views.

  Normally, the attitude of a leader is clear, and other team members, even if they have different opinions, will choose to reserve themselves and support the leader's opinion. This time was different, however, because the investigation conclusion of Tang Haitian, the head of the investigation group, was at odds with the leader's opinion.

  Zheng Xingyun then said: In dealing with problems, we must seek truth from facts.

  This is equivalent to openly singing a counterpoint with Wang Benqing. Relatively speaking, the strength of Zheng's faction is inferior to that of Wang's faction, so Zheng Xingyun has always been relatively low-key and only secretly competed with Wang Benqing in private. It is extremely rare for them to confront each other directly at a director's meeting like this.

  For the first time at a director's meeting, Wang Benqing felt that his authority was greatly challenged. Now it is no longer a question of how to deal with Yan Yuchen and Liu Jinchang, but he must win, otherwise his power base in Xiangyang County will be shaken.

  Having seen them argue all night without any result, Wang Benqing was furious and decided to settle the matter once and for all.

  This has made Wang Benqing lose a lot of face. In the past, in Xiangyang County, whenever it came to disciplining cadres, wasn't it always Director Wang who had the final say? This time, he was actually forced to resort to a vote!

  The Wang faction is stronger than the Zheng faction, with four deputy directors following him, plus Tang Haitian, six out of nine votes are in the hands of the Wang faction, so Wang Benqing is still confident about the vote.

  But as soon as the result came out, it was 4:4, which made Wang Benqing really crazy. He only then remembered that a deputy director of the Wang faction was on a business trip and could not attend the vote. And Tang Haitian turned to Zheng Xingyun, so there was such a voting result that made Wang Benqing extremely depressed.

  Alas, it's all because of my own impulsive actions, I didn't think the problem through thoroughly, and now I've ended up shooting myself in the foot.

  "Dismissed!"

  After saying these two insipid words, Wang Benqing's face turned iron-green, he picked up his teacup and walked out of the conference room without looking back.

  As soon as the meeting was over, Tang Haitian didn't even have time to rest and hastily called Taiyuan District to wake up Yan Yuchen from his bed, briefly telling him about the meeting process and voting results.

  The voting result of 4:4 seems to be a tie, but in fact Wang's faction suffered a great defeat. Because Wang Benqing's decision to punish Yan Yuchen and Liu Jinchang was not passed, indicating that Wang Benqing's position as the top leader in Xiangyang County is precarious.

  Yan Yucheng immediately informed Liu Jinchang of this matter.

  Liu Jincai was stunned for a moment. He didn't know about the investigation team, let alone the county revolutionary committee director holding an overnight meeting to make a decision. However, upon learning of the outcome, Liu Jincai was still quite pleased.

  If he weren't his own father, Liu Jun really wanted to say to him: Director Liu, don't be too happy too early, Wang Benqing is not that easy to mess with!

  In fact, after the meeting was dismissed, Wang Benqing did not rest either. Instead, he immediately took a car to Baozhou District where it is located - Baozhou City! He hastily found a major leader in the area and reported the extremely abnormal situation that existed in Xiangyang County.

  Wang Benqing has made up his mind to take down Zheng Xingyun, and if all else fails, he will at least squeeze him out of Yangyang County. With such a deputy in place, Wang's future days won't be easy. As for how to deal with Yan Yuchen and Liu Jincheng, that's a secondary issue. Relatively speaking, Yan Yuchen and Liu Jincheng are not yet able to pose a direct threat to Wang's position.

  The content of Wang Benqing's conversation with the main leader in the Baozhou region is unknown to outsiders.

  Two days later, the investigation team sent by the Baozhou District Revolutionary Committee directly entered the Hongqi Commune and returned to the district seven days later. The Baozhou District Revolutionary Committee immediately asked the Xiangyang County Revolutionary Committee to punish Yan Yuchen and Liu Jincan.

  Upon receiving the notification from the region, Wang Benqing felt a mix of emotions. He was pleased that the regional leaders explicitly supported him, proving that his work in Yangyang County had been recognized by his superiors. However, he was worried because the region only mentioned punishing the two individuals involved, Yan Liu and Li Wei, without mentioning Zheng Xingyun at all. Even if Yan Yuancheng and Liu Jinchang were to be punished, it was specifically stated that they should be dealt with through "criticism and education" rather than being completely dismissed. Moreover, the region did not directly make a decision on punishment, but indirectly hinted that he should no longer get entangled with Zheng Xingyun over this matter.

  Xiangyang County Revolutionary Committee has no right to dispose of members of the political power organization team at this level.

  It seems that Zheng Xingyun's backer in the region is also very powerful.

  The path stretches far and long!

  Wang Benqing sighed quietly and thought of Qu Yuan's famous poem.

  On July 24, 1977, the disciplinary decision of the Xiangyang County Revolutionary Committee was conveyed to Taishan District and Hongqi Commune.

  In view of the mistakes made by Comrade Yan Yucheng and Comrade Liu Jincan in the "Paddy Field Fish" incident, Comrade Yan Yucheng is given an administrative demerit, and Comrade Liu Jincan is given a party internal warning. The "Paddy Field Fish" project of Hongqi Commune is to be stopped immediately.