Chapter 393: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 403 Stir it, stir it, just stir it

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Several reporters immediately crowded to the front of the stage, aiming long and short guns at Chen Minren.

"Commander Chen, there are rumors that someone is deliberately speculating on the price of these bonds. Is this true?"

Chen Minren answered: "Regarding this possibility, we are conducting a strict investigation. Any behavior involving financial speculation or war profiteering will not be tolerated by the Military Police Command."

Another reporter shouted: "May I ask if the use of Youth Army soldiers' images on the government bonds was authorized by Lu Commander?"

Chen Minren sneered coldly and responded loudly into the microphone.

"I hereby make a solemn statement on behalf of the Youth Corps Headquarters: the Headquarters has never authorized any institution to use the images of our soldiers to produce financial products."

"The soldier images on the National Salvation Bonds do not specifically refer to the Youth Army, but are regular images of Xia Guo soldiers."

"There is almost no connection between the Youth Army and the National Salvation Bonds."

"The only connection is that the Youth Army is part of the Xia Guo Army."

"I hope all investors keep their eyes open and are not deceived by those with ulterior motives!"

Another reporter asked: "Then how should the National Salvation Bonds previously purchased by investors be handled?"

Chen Minren answered: "The National Salvation Bonds should return to their 'National Salvation' attribute."

"If they are genuine bonds, they can be redeemed at the bank upon maturity. After the bank authenticates them as genuine, they will pay the investors the principal and the agreed interest."

"Before the ban is lifted, please do not trade National Salvation Bonds privately, to avoid counterfeit bonds circulating."

Once these words were spoken, it was equivalent to dropping a heavy bomb directly on the National Salvation Bond market.

The reason these government bonds could sell at high prices was largely due to speculating on the Youth Army's golden signboard.

Now Chen Minren directly said "it has nothing to do with me," and also said "most are fakes."

These special government bonds almost lost their credit.

Half an hour later, after finishing all this, Chen Minren returned to the Provincial Government Building with a tired face.

He had not yet reached his office when he was stopped by a government official.

"Commander Chen, Chairman Jiang requests you to go there immediately; he is waiting for you in his office."

Chen Minren adjusted his military uniform, once again looking radiant, and pushed open the door to Jiang Dingwen's office.

Inside the office, cigarette smoke filled the entire room.

Jiang Dingwen was smoking heavily; seeing Chen Minren enter, he pressed the cigarette butt hard into the ashtray.

He slapped the table with both hands.

"Chen Minren! What exactly do you want to do?"

"On what basis did you arrest Wang Baiwan? On what basis did you raid Maode Hall's home?"

"They are prominent figures in Xinyang, gentry leaders of Henan South! You confiscated all their property; this is purely bandit behavior!"

Chen Minren sat down opposite him unhurriedly, removed his white gloves, and responded faintly.

"Chairman Jiang, they broke the law."

"Hoarding and driving up prices, counterfeiting bonds, inciting farmers' strikes—according to the Wartime Regulations, every single one is a capital offense."

"The Military Police Command's seizure and confiscation of assets fully complies with procedure."

Jiang Dingwen trembled with rage: "Which Wartime Regulations? Who made that law?"

Chen Minren glanced at him, took a book with a blue cover from the bookshelf behind Jiang Dingwen.

"This is the 'Wartime Economic Management Regulations' passed by the previous Provincial Government. The Military Police Command has law enforcement authority; I am acting according to the law."

"This is the responsibility and power granted to me by law."

Jiang Dingwen was speechless for a moment, then shouted: "Fine! You have law enforcement authority, but what about judicial and legislative authority?!"

"I won't let you act recklessly like this!"

"I am the Chairman of Henan Province, and I demand the repeal of unreasonable wartime decrees!"

Chen Minren nodded slightly:

"Of course, Chairman Jiang indeed has this power—the power to propose amendments to the law."

But you may have forgotten that changing decrees requires a full resolution by all the committee members below.

It requires meetings and procedures; if you are willing, you can have someone propose a motion right now."

Jiang Dingwen suddenly realized: currently, the seats in various departments seemed to be mostly controlled by talents personally selected by Lv Muzhi.

Without their signatures to pass it, his own chairman's order was merely going through the motions and would never be implemented.

Before Jiang Dingwen took office in Xinyang, Lv Muzhi had already, through personnel adjustments, replaced all key positions in the Provincial Government with people from the Youth Army.

This chairman of his was only a nominal top leader; in reality, apart from this office, he could only mobilize a few clerks.

"Chen Minren... you are hollowing me out!"

Chen Minren stood up and adjusted his collar.

"Chairman, your words are too heavy. We govern the province according to law. Did you not read the statutes carefully when you took office?"

Jiang Dingwen, helpless, took out another notice from the Ministry of Finance regarding the promotion of National Salvation Bonds and slapped it heavily on the table.

"What about the bonds? The bonds were issued by the central government, weren't they?"

"They were to raise war funds! They are quartermaster supplies for the fighting at the front!"

"Look at what you've done now—you've stopped the bonds, and you still have the face to talk about legal statutes in front of me!"

Chen Minren said sternly: "Chairman Jiang, this hat is too big; my head is small, I cannot wear this hat."

"The Military Police Command has already seized a large amount of counterfeit bonds; most bonds on the market are counterfeit, and National Salvation Bonds have no credit left. That is a fact. If trading isn't stopped now, others will blame the government."

"There are so many counterfeit bonds that they actually outnumber the genuine ones!"

"If anyone is to blame, blame the factory that produces the National Salvation Bonds for making them so easy to counterfeit!"

"These Military Police Brothers under us are all worn out, running their legs off."

Jiang Dingwen was left speechless by the retort, pointing at Chen Minren as he said:

"Stir it up then, just keep stirring it up!"

"Stirring it up so that the front lines have no quartermaster supplies for battle, stirring up such chaos in Henan South!"

"I... I simply... resign!"

Having finished speaking, Jiang Dingwen slammed his hat down and stormed out the door.

In a fit of anger, Jiang Dingwen actually resigned.

Without power, he couldn't accomplish anything.

Although he had Tang Enbo's troops at his disposal, he couldn't really go to war with Chen Minren.

Strictly speaking, Jiang Dingwen had resigned outright this time.

Jiang Dingwen's former position, Director of the Xi'an Field Office, had already been taken over by Hu Gongnan as Deputy.

With the previous occupant gone and no successor found yet, Jiang Dingwen could only return to Chongqing to see the old man.

In a fit of anger, the old man threw Jiang Dingwen out: "I sent you to Xinyang, not to confront Wei Yue!"

"Couldn't you just hold back until the counteroffensive begins? Why must you act on impulse!"

Lady Song looked at the dejected Jiang Dingwen outside the door, and thinking of how her Song Sisters and brother-in-law's National Salvation Bonds had been ruined, her anger rose.

She complained to the old man: "Your student is truly capable now in Henan South, daring to obstruct even the central government's National Salvation Bonds?!"

The old man lay on the sofa and asked: "How can you be so sure it was him?"

Lady Song was furious: "The counterfeit bonds appearing on the market are at least in the tens of millions in denomination. With such a large hand, I can't think of anyone else who could do it!"

The old man actually laughed heartily, not responding directly, but flipping through a yellowed notebook.

"Perhaps it was him. Back when he was at the Military Academy, Wei Yue taught me a great deal of stock trading knowledge, all of which I recorded in this book."

Seeing that the old man didn't care at all, Lady Song continued to threaten: "Wei Yue is now in Henan South, and he has economic, military, and political power all in his grasp!"

"He now dares to directly oppose the central government's decisions. I dare not even imagine what comes next!"

"Hmph!" The old man closed the notebook: "That is truly the view of a woman!"

"I've figured it out these past few days. If we can recover North China, why should I quibble over these things?!"

Lady Song widened her eyes, feeling that all the ideological work she had done these past days had been completely in vain.

The old man continued: "Don't always talk about Wei Yue. I am also very dissatisfied with your brother-in-law. One family holds the economic power—how much civil wealth have they extorted?"

"The country's economy and price levels are in a complete mess!"

"If the counterfeit bond affair was really done by Wei Yue, then he has merely done what I wanted to do anyway!"