Chapter 388

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

But the local gentry could no longer sit still. Wang Baiwan, seeing his great backer trapped, plucked up his courage and stood up.

"Commander Lu, it's not that we aren't patriotic. It's just that there has been war year after year these past few years; even landlord households have no surplus grain."

The great landlord Maodetang said somewhat aggrievedly: "If it's really collected this way, we old bones won't have a good time. This land—there will likely be vast tracts left fallow, with no one willing to farm it."

Lv Muzhi watched his performance coldly, and his mouthpiece Chen Minren spoke directly beside him.

"Not having a good time? Then don't have one!"

"According to wartime ordinances, any land left fallow during wartime shall be requisitioned by the state without exception.

Whoever doesn't want to farm it, hand over the land; we'll rent it out at low prices to tenants. As long as they pay the grain ration on time and in full, plenty of people will fight to farm it!"

"You..." Maodetang was so angry he was about to vomit blood: "Where is there such a thing? The land left by our ancestors—setting aside that I can't set the rent myself...

Now I don't want to farm it, and you won't agree, and you even want to requisition the land?!"

Chen Minren rebuked him: "Ask your own conscience—do you dislike earning too little, or do you truly not want to farm? Do you have no idea where your family's ancestral land came from?

Our soldiers are fighting the Japanese to the death on the frontline. Without us, the Japanese horse hooves would long ago have trampled your land!"

Chen Minren had originally wanted to say something even harsher. In his eyes, even if the Japanese truly occupied Xinyang, these gentry could still live very well. As long as there was room to squeeze and exploit the bottom layer of the people, they could curry favor with the Japanese. These great landlords and great merchants would still live comfortably.

But such words, Chen Minren did not speak aloud. If he really said them, they would be far too harsh.

Jiang Dingwen watched this scene, and misgivings arose in his heart.

Actually, the grain rations of Tang Enbo's Thirty-first Group Army were originally also to be collected by Jiang Dingwen from them; it was just that he wouldn't care how the collected grain came about.

Nor would he, like Lv Muzhi, try to find ways to reduce the burden on the bottom-layer farmers.

But it was precisely this point that angered the gentry before his eyes.

Not wanting to make the scene too stiff, Jiang Dingwen joked: "Wei Yue, your Commander of the Military Police Corps Chen Minren truly has an explosive temper."

Lv Muzhi glanced at Chen Minren: "Otherwise, how could he be Commander of the Military Police Corps? If it were me, I couldn't do it. His temper is famous even among our Whampoa First Phase."

Jiang Dingwen nodded with a smile, knowing this Chen Minren dared to talk back to and question even the old man, so he said: "Soldiers fight wars, farmers pay grain—that is natural and just.

No matter what, everyone go back first and farm the land well, produce the summer grain. As for the specific plan for paying grain, our government will consider it in detail."

Lv Muzhi stood up: "Then thank Provincial Chairman Jiang for his cooperation. Wei Yue is deeply grateful. Military affairs are busy, so I'll return first."

Jiang Dingwen stood up and saw Lv Muzhi to the door, watching as Lv Muzhi, surrounded by guards, took a car to the airport.

But turning back, he saw Chen Minren still sitting in his seat, and asked: "Commander Chen, aren't you coming back with us?"

Chen Minren sat steadily in his chair and asked: "Go back where? I am the Commissioner of the Xinyang region. I still need to stay here and assist Provincial Chairman you in carrying out work."

The grain merchant Wang Baiwan, who had originally relaxed upon seeing Lv Muzhi leave, had just let down his guard when he heard Chen Minren's words, and couldn't help but grow nervous again.

"Commissioner?"

Chen Minren produced his commission letter—it was actually an order personally signed by the previous Provincial Chairman of Henan Province!

Wang Baiwan groaned inwardly: This isn't an assistant arriving; this is clearly Lv Muzhi planting a living King of Hell by Jiang Dingwen's side!

Jiang Dingwen felt stifled in his heart. Lady Song had inserted herself into Lv Muzhi's territory, so Lv Muzhi had directly sent Chen Minren to his side, and he still had to force a smile and say "Fine."

Half an hour later, Chen Minren led the way with practiced ease, taking Jiang Dingwen and Tang Enbo to the "Provincial Government."

Called the Provincial Government, it was actually a large manor within Xinyang City.

He, a grand Provincial Chairman of Henan Province, had his office not in the provincial capital Kaifeng, nor in the transportation hub Zhengzhou.

Instead, he was squeezed to the southernmost Xinyang. What difference was there between this and being exiled to the frontier?

Jiang Dingwen had originally wanted to set the provincial government office in Kaifeng, but upon thinking of the position of Commander of the Three Provinces of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Border Area that he concurrently held, he set the provincial government office in Xinyang.

The provincial government compound of the previous Provincial Chairman of Henan Province was originally beside Lv Muzhi's Youth Army Headquarters.

The Youth Army had demands, and the provincial government acceded to every one.

But Jiang Dingwen didn't plan that way; he chose to move the provincial government away.

Xinyang wasn't bad—it was on the Pinghan Railway and produced plenty of grain. The only bad thing was that gendarmerie units of the Youth Army filled the streets.

"Provincial Chairman, please. This side is the Civil Affairs Department, that side is the Finance Office."

Chen Minren led the way in front, walking and introducing the place to Jiang Dingwen like a host.

"I heard you wanted to move the provincial government to Xinyang, so Commander Lu had me arrange an office location in advance. The original civil servants of the provincial government have all moved here too."

Jiang Dingwen listened while walking, and the more he heard, the more wrong it felt.

Passing the gate of the Police Department, a man buried in writing documents raised his head and saluted Chen Minren.

"Commissioner... Chen, hello!"

Jiang Dingwen looked closely. The man's clothing was clearly the same as what Chen Minren wore—they were both gendarmerie uniforms of the Youth Army!

It seemed that besides Chen Mingren, other Youth Army personnel had been planted in the provincial government!

Jiang Dingwen could tolerate this much. Having Lv Muzhi's people in the police department could be considered maintaining public security.

But after walking a few more steps, some officials, though wearing Zhongshan Suits, couldn't hide a military air. Clearly, many officials of this provincial government were already Lv Muzhi's people.

Jiang Dingwen stopped, pointing to an office with a "Division Chief" sign, and pointed to the division chief working inside, saying:

"Isn't that some so-and-so from Whampoa Class 5? I remember he served in your Youth Army, didn't he? How did he end up here?"

Chen Minren clapped his hands and said with a smile: "That's right, it's him! In the army he was in charge of quartermaster duties; now in the provincial government he handles civil affairs.

Recently he's been busy organizing household registration data for the counties of Henan South. After all, he's meticulous in this regard."

Tang Enbo beside him edged up to Jiang Dingwen's ear and muttered in a low voice.

"Provincial Chairman, before you even took office, the previous Provincial Chairman of Henan Province, following Wei Yue's wishes, had already replaced many positions in the provincial government with Youth Army people!"

Jiang Dingwen heard this and was so furious he nearly suffered a stroke; he himself could see that this provincial government building had been thoroughly infiltrated by Lv Muzhi.

Was this being the Provincial Chairman? His own decrees couldn't leave this building without passing through the hands of these Youth Army men below!

Chen Minren led them to the door of the Provincial Chairman's office, pushed it open, and a scent of sandalwood rushed toward them.

"Chairman Jiang, this is your office. Wei Yue specially had someone arrange it according to the highest specifications."

"Large and imposing, low-key yet elegant, with substance."

"I won't disturb your rest. Once you're settled, let me know. My office... is right next door to yours."

Chen Minren pointed to the room door separated by only one wall; the smile on his face looked ill-intentioned no matter how one looked at it.

"If you have any instructions in the future, just push open the door and shout; I'll be at your beck and call."

After speaking, Chen Minren gave a crisp salute, turned around, and left.

Jiang Dingwen walked into the office, having nowhere to vent his anger, so he vented it on Tang Enbo beside him.

"What exactly were you thinking at the banquet just now?"

"You brought a st Army Group with you—that's the strength of four armies! I brought you here to back me up!"

"The Youth Corps also consists of four Youth Armies, and your st Army Group also consists of four armies."

"But you—when Lv Muzhi asked you a question, you didn't dare to fart, and just backed down directly?"

Tang Enbo wasn't angry; he skillfully found a soft sofa and collapsed into it, even stretching lazily, looking like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

"Chairman Jiang, calm down. I did bring four armies, but can my four armies compare with Lv Weiyue's four?"

"Besides, my four armies are still in Hubei and haven't even entered Henan territory."

"You forgot how you came to Xinyang? You were surrounded by Wei Yue's military police and escorted here by planes in the sky."

"I don't want to cross swords with Lv Weiyue; joking with you during the day, and at night I might end up eating his leftovers?"

Jiang Dingwen was extremely depressed, pointing at Tang Enbo's nose and trembling.

"You... you... you're truly embarrassing!"

Tang Enbo was somewhat carefree; he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit one for Jiang Dingwen.

"The Old Man sent us here, but didn't say we were targeting Wei Yue."

"It's Lady Song and the Kong Family who specifically named Wei Yue as the target."

"The big families' businesses in Henan have been disrupted by the Youth Army; they're anxious, but we have no need to be anxious along with them."

Jiang Dingwen grew anxious and said: "The Song Family and Kong Family aren't easy to fool! With Wei Yue doing this, their grain and money demands mean their income decreases; textiles, banking, agriculture... they all have shares!"

Tang Enbo leaned on the sofa, puffing clouds and spitting fog: "In this situation, I can't afford to offend anyone."

"Anyway, I'm a soldier; I only fight battles. If the Old Man has clear instructions, I'll firmly carry them out."

"As for Lady Song... as long as we don't go against Wei Yue, we can also help her with some work."

"At other times, we just do our duty."

"My troops came from Hubei; grain is directly requested from the Wuhan side, not occupying Lv Weiyue's turf, so no one can do anything to me."

Tang Enbo exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze seeming to see through worldly affairs.

"I just say one thing: I don't seek merit, only to avoid fault."

At the same time, several hundred li away in Zhengzhou, Youth Army Headquarters.

"Those gentry leading the trouble in Xinyang are secretly colluding with the big families' companies."

"We drove the Japanese out of Henan South not to let them keep making money—speculating on war bonds, usury, monopolizing textiles, mining..."

"They think bringing in another Provincial Chairman will let them continue to profit from national calamity? Dream on!"

Qiu Qingquan had just lit his cigar; hearing Lv Muzhi's words, he put down the cigarette and asked: "Commander Lu, are you really going to do this?"

Lv Muzhi pointed at the telephone and said: "Tell Chen Minren, arrest those who should be arrested, kill those who should be killed!"