Chapter 485: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 495 General Lu's Kindness Can Never Be Repaid

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Before the establishment of Zhongnan State, the Zhongnan Yixin Society had a guiding principle: the tiller shall have his field.

This was one of the reasons the Zhongnan Yixin Society was able to grow so large.

Now that Zhongnan State has been established, the Yixin Society operates behind the scenes as a secret society, controlling the general direction of Zhongnan State.

The Unity Party, as the ruling party the Yixin Society puts forward openly, should fulfill the promise of 'the tiller shall have his field' that they once made.

Otherwise, the Unity Party's regime will inevitably be bitten back by the people and eventually disintegrate from within.

However, Zhongnan State currently faces dual threats from the Thai Army and the Japanese Army, and obviously has no energy to devote to this aspect.

For this reason, Lv Muzhi urged them multiple times, demanding they provide a good investment environment for him, lest the people think the Unity Party is deceiving them and a major riot finally breaks out.

Unable to withstand the multiple urgings of this major financier Lv Muzhi, Prime Minister Fan Jing sat down at the same conference table with Lv Muzhi once again.

Unlike the previous meeting, far fewer people came this time.

"Where are the commanders of the various military regions?" Lv Muzhi asked through a translator.

Fan Jing answered: "Thailand has supported puppet emperors in Laos and Cambodia and occupied a large amount of Zhongnan State's territory; the commanders of the various military regions are fighting on the frontline. General Lu, I will hear your proposal regarding land reform."

Lv Muzhi tapped the table: "Not a proposal, but a demand; you must understand this!"

Fan Jing was stunned, not expecting Lv Muzhi to suddenly be so serious.

"Land reform must be executed as soon as possible; otherwise, it means the Unity Party and your government have broken faith with the people. If you are overthrown by the people, what the hell am I investing for!"

The translator was stunned, not knowing how to translate it for a moment.

Lv Muzhi exhaled through his nose, thinking to himself that he really was acting as both father and mother to this newborn country, and he had to worry more for them.

Fan Jing noticed Lv Muzhi's anger and hurriedly said politely: "General Lu, it's not that we don't want to, it's just that there are no conditions now; the frontline is in combat, all departments are busy to death, where is the energy to carry out land reform?"

"Moreover, carrying out land reform will inevitably be opposed by the landlords; without the army to support the scene and suppress the landlords, it won't work. Our army is fighting the Thais on the frontline!"

Lv Muzhi crossed his arms over his chest: "I know carrying out land reform is difficult and will inevitably be opposed by the landlords."

"But this is also a good opportunity; we can use wartime decrees as a basis, at a lower cost, to forcibly obtain land from the landlords' hands and fulfill your promise of the tiller shall have his field."

Fan Jing blinked his eyes: "The meaning of the commanders of the various military regions is to wait until the war ends before carrying out this work."

Lv Muzhi persuaded: "The way you are doing this actually worries me very much."

"Thailand is relatively very powerful compared to Zhongnan State. If the war drags on without ending, your people will inevitably develop war-weariness in their hearts, and coupled with land reform making no progress for a long time, you will inevitably disintegrate from within."

"This will pose a huge threat to my investment, which is also why I have not invested my full strength in your economy, nor provided you with more weapon support."

Fan Jing was stunned: 'So General Lu hasn't given his full effort yet? But I feel my country is prospering day by day!'

'If General Lu gave his all, wouldn't Zhongnan State take off directly?!'

Lv Muzhi looked at Fan Jing's surprised appearance and continued: "French Indochina under French rule, which is now Zhongnan State, was ruled by feudal landlords."

"The French garrison only had fifty thousand men; to colonize the vast French Indochina, they could only let the landlords act as their running dogs."

"Therefore, rather than saying the French colonized Indochina, it is better to say that the landlords and the French together jointly colonized Indochina."

"You have confiscated the French plantations and farmland, but do not move against the landlords, so you will not gain the complete trust of the people."

Fan Jing was somewhat embarrassed and shook his head: "In fact, we are resisting the Thais and conscripting soldiers from rural areas everywhere; that also relies on landlords to conscript soldiers for us. If we act now, isn't it too early?!"

Lv Muzhi said: "You are right, but this also shows that you are almost no different from the French, just different races and different nations."

"The French relied on landlords to conscript Indochinese peasants to participate in World War I and the fighting against Thailand."

"You are now also conscripting peasants through landlords to defend your Zhongnan State."

"For many peasants who find it difficult to even eat a full meal, you and the French are fundamentally no different!"

Fan Jing was shocked in his heart, and cold sweat broke out on his head: "But..."

Lv Muzhi directly interrupted: "No buts!"

"You have long proposed the slogan 'the tiller shall have his field,' and once distributed the landlords' land to peasants in the base areas. Now you have shelved land reform because of the war. Are you not afraid that the landlords, to prevent you from getting rid of the donkey after the millstone is done after the war ends, will take advantage of this gap to collude with foreign forces to overthrow you?"

"Not carrying out land reform now means you will not only fail to gain the peasants' trust, but also give the landlords an opportunity to stab you in the back."

"Your country does not have many people who truly support the Unity Party. Landlords only love their granaries and territories, peasants only love their rice bowls, workers only care about their remuneration... think about it carefully."

Fan Jing thought carefully: previously, Vietnam's emperor Bao Dadi had been captured by the Thai Army.

Would Thailand, in the name of Emperor Bao Da, collude with the remnants of the former dynasty within the country—that is, the landlord class Lv Muzhi spoke of—and directly overthrow the regime of Zhongnan State?

"Your Unity Party is just too young, too naive, and sometimes very childish!"

Lv Muzhi's words made Fan Jing immediately alert.

Although the troops are fighting on the frontline, who said Zhongnan State has no troops to carry out land reform?

Isn't the Lv Muzhi before our eyes stationing fifty thousand Youth Army troops in North Vietnam?!

Letting this outsider, the Youth Army, directly carry out land reform—Lv Muzhi and Zhongnan State's landlord class have no vested interests, and it can get everything done cleanly!

Moreover, even if the Youth Army encounters fierce resistance from the landlord class during land reform, they can shift the blame, claiming the Youth Army are 'temporary workers' hired in, and can also quell public opinion. Isn't that wonderful?

Fan Jing explained his request clearly to Lv Muzhi.

As for Lv Muzhi... he had actually long been waiting to do this thing.

Since Zhongnan State's army is busy fighting, if they want a good 'business environment,' Lv Muzhi still has to do it himself!

Moreover, in Lv Muzhi's view, although the Youth Army going down to carry out land reform will be besieged by the landlord class,

as long as it succeeds, the Youth Army will become the greatest benefactor of Zhongnan State's peasants!

General Lu's kindness—that can never be repaid!

At the same time, the puppet royal regime supported by Thailand in Laos has already been overthrown by Zhongnan State's army.

To recover the situation, Thailand decided to completely destroy Zhongnan State and seize the vast colonies left behind by the French.

Thailand held Bao Dadi hostage, supporting him to ascend the throne in Bangkok.

In Bao Dadi's name, they called on the landlords and peasants within Zhongnan State to suppress the Traitors of the Unity Party and help Bao Dadi return to the Old Capital.

Provided that it succeeded, it would be the Merit of Riding the Dragon, bringing promotion in rank and title.

The landlords within Zhongnan State were all eager to move for a time.

Many forces took advantage of Zhongnan State being engaged in operations abroad to plot actions to overthrow Zhongnan State.