In Ruijin, Jiangxi Province in 1932, a thin figure was pacing anxiously. This seemingly ordinary young man had a difficult task on his shoulders - to raise military salaries for the newly established Central Soviet District. He was Mao Zemin, a key figure who was about to use financial talent to change the course of the revolution. At that time, the Central Soviet District was facing an unprecedented economic crisis, and the answer to this dilemma was hidden in a dusty mine.
How can the tinkling red regime, which is so poor, feed an army of 100,000?
In the early 30s of the 20th century, the Communist Party of China established the Central Soviet Government in Ruijin, Jiangxi. The nascent Red regime, full of ideals and passions, faced severe economic difficulties. There is no stable fiscal revenue, no mature financial system, and even the funds to maintain daily operations are stretched. To make matters worse, the Kuomintang is preparing to launch an "encirclement and suppression" campaign against this red base area. Against this background, how to raise military spending and maintain the operation of the political power has become a life-and-death problem facing the Communists.
An accidental discovery gave the revolution a way to "money".
As the economic director of the Central Soviet Region, Mao Zemin spent all day anxiously trying to raise military salaries. By chance, he heard that there was a tungsten mine in the area that had been abandoned for many years. This news was like a ray of light in the darkness, giving Mao Zemin hope.
He immediately organized a field trip. As they trudged their way to the mine, the scene was not encouraging: overgrown with weeds and rusty equipment, as if they had not been cared for for for years. But Mao Zemin's eyes flashed with excitement. He picked up a piece of ore and looked at it carefully, and his mind was already thinking about it.
It turns out that tungsten is an important raw material for the manufacture of military products, and there has been a stable demand in the international market. If the mine can be restarted, it will not only solve the current economic difficulties, but also lay the foundation for the long-term development of the Soviet area.
But how easy is it to restart a mine that has been abandoned for years? With outdated equipment, outdated technology, and a shortage of manpower, each problem was enough to stillin. Not to mention having to find a market under the blockade of the Kuomintang.
In the face of these difficulties, Mao Zemin did not flinch. He began to travel around looking for experienced miners, scouring for available equipment, and even delving into mining techniques himself. His persistence and enthusiasm infected everyone around him, and a special "miners' team" of communists, Red Army soldiers, and local peasants was soon formed.
In this way, in the midst of doubts, China Tungsten Mining Company was quietly born. No one knows how this seemingly risky decision will change the fate of the Central Soviet District.
How many hardships are there behind the call of "tungsten capital"?
The news of the resumption of tungsten mines spread quickly and caused quite a stir in the Central Soviet District. Proponents see this as an opportunity to get out of economic woes, while opponents fear that it will distract limited human and material resources. At one point, the focus of the debate even rose to the level of whether or not to adhere to the "leftist" line.
In the face of doubts, Mao Zemin chose to speak with action. He led the team to work day and night, overcoming one seemingly impossible difficulty after another. For example, in order to solve the problem of equipment shortage, they even came up with the idea of making improvised tools from discarded railroad tracks.
However, the difficulties go far beyond that. In the beginning, due to lack of experience, the output was so low that even the wages of the workers could not be paid. Some people began to waver, thinking that the plan was simply a dream.
Just when everyone was in trouble, Mao Zemin came up with an innovative management method. He divided the workers into small groups and introduced a system of competitions, with additional rewards given to the group with high output. The effect was immediate, the workers were fully motivated, and production soon increased several times.
But even bigger challenges lie ahead. When they finally mined a batch of tungsten ore, they found that there was nowhere to sell it. The Kuomintang's economic blockade disrupted all traditional sales channels. Seeing that the ore that was finally mined was about to turn into a pile of scrap iron, Mao Zemin was so anxious that he couldn't even sleep.
That's when an unexpected opportunity presented itself. The 19th Route Army in Fujian, dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship, declared its independence from the Kuomintang. Mao Zemin keenly seized this opportunity and established contact with the 19th Route Army through secret channels. In this way, the tungsten mines of the Central Soviet District finally found a way out.
With the passage of time, the reputation of China Tungsten Mining Company gradually spread in the international market. "Ruijin Tungsten Mine" became a well-known brand, bringing a large amount of much-needed foreign exchange earnings to the Central Soviet District.
However, behind the success is countless sweat and hard work. Mao Zemin and his team have almost no days off, and it is common for them to work more than ten hours a day. Once, in order to solve a technical problem, Mao Zemin did not close his eyes for three days and three nights. By the time he finally found a solution, he was too tired to stand still.
The Rise and Fall of the "Tungsten Capital": A Thrilling Gold Rush
As the reputation of China Tungsten Ore Company grew, Ruijin soon had a new nickname: "Tungsten Capital". This once obscure town has become an important hub for the international tungsten trade. Every day, a steady stream of tungsten ore is shipped from here to all over the world, in exchange for a large amount of foreign exchange and supplies.
However, the good times were short-lived. The Kuomintang soon realized the importance of tungsten ore to the central Soviet zone and began to intensify the blockade. Not only did they cut off all known transport routes, but they also sent spies to infiltrate the Soviet zone in an attempt to sabotage tungsten production.
Faced with this situation, Mao Zemin and his team had to rack their brains to find a way. They began to use various covert ways to transport tungsten ore, and sometimes even smuggled it out by hiding tungsten ore powder in ordinary commodities. Once, in order to avoid the inspection of the Kuomintang, they actually hid tungsten ore powder in a batch of salted fish! This risky approach, while thrilling, succeeded in ensuring a continuous output of tungsten ore.
At the same time, the changes in the international situation have also brought new opportunities and challenges to the tungsten ore trade. As tensions in Europe grew, countries began to hoard strategic goods, including tungsten. As a result, the international price of tungsten has skyrocketed, reaching more than three times the previous price.
This is undoubtedly great news for the Central Soviet District. Mao Zemin seized this opportunity and greatly increased production. At its peak, the annual output of China Tungsten Mining Company reached an astonishing 4,000 tons, creating huge profits.
However, the good times were short-lived. As the Kuomintang's "encirclement and suppression" of the central Soviet area became more and more intense, the production and transportation of tungsten ore became extremely difficult. Especially during the fifth "encirclement and suppression", almost all transportation routes were cut off, and the backlog of tungsten ore was serious, which once led to the company's cash flow almost drying up.
To make matters worse, due to the needs of the war, a large number of young and middle-aged people were transferred to the front line to fight, resulting in a serious shortage of manpower in the mining area. Mao Zemin had to go down the mine himself and mine with the workers. On one occasion, he worked underground for 36 hours until he collapsed and collapsed in the mine, and was lifted out.
Despite this, Mao Zemin still did not give up. He began to mobilize the elderly, women, and even children to participate in simple tasks to maintain the most basic production. At the same time, he organized a special "guerrilla detachment" that was specifically responsible for opening new transport routes behind enemy lines.
In this way, in the face of the disparity between the enemy and our forces, the China Tungsten Mining Company stubbornly supported and continued to provide valuable economic support for the Central Soviet Area. It was not until the end of 1934, when the Central Red Army had to start the Long March, that tungsten ore production finally stopped.
In the last days, Mao Zemin led the workers to disassemble all the equipment that could be used and hide it in the deep mountains and old forests. He firmly believes that one day, they will come back and reopen the mine that once worked miracles.
Mao Zemin and China Tungsten Ore Company seem to be only a small part of the revolutionary history, but they reflect the epitome of that era. In the rain of bullets, they used their wisdom and courage to open up an economic lifeline in the barrenness. This not only provided material support for the survival and development of the Central Soviet District, but also proved that even in the most difficult circumstances, with faith and perseverance, amazing miracles can be created.
Today, when we look back on this period of history, we may feel that revolution has never been just a battle on the battlefield, but also an all-round contest in various fields such as economy and people's livelihood. And those who can persist in struggle and pay silently in these seemingly ordinary positions are also heroes who push history forward.