Chapter 523: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 533: What I Call Inserting into Teams

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

After Lv Muzhi finished speaking, several generals had varying expressions.

Yan Laoxi furrowed his brow into a dead knot, clearly scheming in his heart.

Lv Muzhi looked around and spoke in a deep voice: "I know your difficulties; originally, you just needed to contribute some grain and some money."

"But now I want to transfer refugees into your jurisdictions, which means you will be responsible for their livelihoods, and the responsibility is more than doubled."

"I call this method 'inserting into teams,' settling disaster victims in rural areas of other provinces to help with production, using their own labor to exchange for food rations."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Qingquan, Zhang Fei, and others felt it was no ordinary trouble, and they all held back without speaking.

Seeing this, Lv Muzhi looked toward Qiu Qingquan.

"Yuan'an, your side must guard against the Kwantung Army, with great military pressure, and now you also have to feed disaster victims, making difficulties pile up."

"But I have no choice, so I entrusted some disaster victims to you......"

Lv Muzhi said while speaking, gripping Qiu Qingquan's hand tightly.

Qiu Qingquan had always been loyal to Lv Muzhi, and it was the first time he saw Commander Lu show an expression close to entrusting.

His heart tightened, and he immediately stood up to express his stance: "Commander Lu, rest assured! I am willing to accept some disaster victims."

"When I return, I will issue death orders to each county, allocating reception tasks by headcount, and settle the disaster victims in villages to engage in production."

"If there are those with strong constitutions and aspirations to join the army, directly incorporate them into troop logistics or the Civilian Corps, and absolutely do not make things difficult for the commander!"

Zhang Fei also nodded immediately, speaking with a firm tone: "Our Youth Army came out of Henan; without Henan, there would be no today for us."

"The Shandong Guard Command Headquarters also agrees to accept! I will personally supervise the resettlement work; road building, water conservancy, and reclaiming wasteland are all possible, using labor in place of relief."

"As long as my Youth Army has a mouthful to eat, I will absolutely not let these elders and fellow villagers starve to death in Shandong!"

The two great generals expressed their stance one after another, and Lv Muzhi shifted his gaze to Yan Laoxi.

Although Yan Laoxi was not of the Youth Army faction, to avoid being dealt with by the old man, he had been leaning toward Lv Muzhi these years to seek self-preservation.

He sighed deeply with his old, deep, and calculating nature: "Although Shanxi's millet nourishes people, feeding so many mouths—how easy can that be?"

"My place originally has little arable land, and we still have to supply military needs; the number we can accept is truly limited......"

Lv Muzhi knew this Shanxi local emperor too well; he smiled faintly.

"Commander Yan, disaster victims won't eat white rice for nothing; they are going to work."

"Shanxi has little land but many mines; coal mines can be expanded to recruit strong laborers from Henan as miners, with food and lodging provided."

"As for going to the countryside to insert into teams, the standard can be lower than Shandong and Hebei."

"This is not only helping me, Lv Muzhi, but also helping yourself......"

Lv Muzhi's gaze made Yan Laoxi feel a hint of danger; what does helping myself mean? Is this something I can refuse?

With things said to this extent, Yan Laoxi could only nod: "Since Commander Lu has put it clearly, when I return I will discuss a charter and absolutely not make things difficult for you."

The three parties initially reached a consensus, but Liao Yaoxiang's complexion was still not good.

"Commander Lu, even if the three places each accept several hundred thousand disaster victims, I fear it is still a drop in the bucket."

"According to the Relief Headquarters' estimate, by winter the disaster will reach its peak, with nearly ten million victims, and the grain shortage will become a bottomless pit; we will be dragged down."

Lv Muzhi had thought of this long ago; it is only June now, and there is still time and space to operate.

"So, the evacuation direction for disaster victims is not only those I just mentioned, but also Sichuan in the Southwest."

"I have already sent a telegram to the Sichuan side; a large number of famine victims will go to Sichuan to reclaim wasteland and engage in production."

"The two main tasks at present are evacuating disaster victims and allocating grain; these two things must proceed simultaneously."

"The relief grain from Zhongnan State and Sichuan is already on the way, but we cannot rely only on ourselves."

"Does the old man want to be a hands-off shopkeeper? Does he want to see me helpless? He thinks too beautifully!"

Yan Laoxi, upon hearing this, immediately showed an expression of indignation: "Exactly! Why should only we spend money and contribute grain? We absolutely cannot let the old man be a hands-off shopkeeper; Commander Lu, I support you!"

Qiu Qingquan and Zhang Fei had the same idea; the Central Government must be dragged into the situation.

A hint of sternness flashed in Lv Muzhi's eyes:

"Use all your connections, immediately contact all major newspaper offices, especially those with overseas backgrounds, and conduct all-around reporting on the disaster area situation."

"Expose the evil deeds of the Central Government not only not allocating grain but also attempting to levy grain taxes from the disaster area."

"Although family ugliness should not be publicized, since he, the old man, does not want decency, I have no need to give him face!"

Yan Laoxi could be said to be very active: "Good! I also know some people in Hankou; I will directly have them break this news under the Central Government's very eyelids!"

Under Lv Muzhi's strong promotion, the refugees' escape channels were officially opened.

Large numbers of refugees carried tattered packages, bringing their families to migrate to the southeast, northwest, and all directions.

Qiu Qingquan, Zhang Fei, and Yan Laoxi dispatched a large number of cadres to receive them at the border and maintain order.

The refugees were "inserted into teams" and placed in various villages; some went down to mines, some worked on water conservancy, and finally found a glimmer of a way to survive in the famine year.

Some skilled artisans were directly absorbed by Lv Muzhi's factories and became workers at the Southwest Industrial Base.

——————

Inside Zhengzhou Railway Station, train after train belched black smoke, fully loaded with refugees as they slowly started.

Liao Yaoxiang pointed to the southbound trains and said: "These trains will go directly to Hankou, then transfer to ships on the Yangtze River to go to Sichuan."

"But transporting refugees to Hankou for transfer by ship has made many Central Government officials dissatisfied......"

Lv Muzhi snorted coldly: "They pretend not to know the disaster is severe, only handling it according to ordinary famine; I insist on making them see clearly that there are enough refugees to fill the entire Hankou."

"Have the railway side dispatch all movable trains; tell the train conductors that the trains go straight to Hankou, and after unloading the refugees, immediately return to transport the next batch!"

Liao Yaoxiang nodded heavily, understanding Lv Muzhi's meaning: "Understood, I'll go handle it right now, stuff all the disaster victims right in front of the old man's eyes."

Lv Muzhi transporting the disaster victims to Hankou for transfer was precisely to make things difficult for the old man, to see just how thick the Central Government's face really was.

"Right, how are things on the newspaper office side?"

"Make those pen-pushers bring out their literati backbone, fiercely expose the Central Government's inaction, let everyone see who is doing disaster relief and who is standing by with folded arms!"

Liao Yaoxiang handed over a stack of newspapers, the covers all full of huge headlines, every word like a knife.

"The pen-pushers are all cursing! Terribly harsh."

Unfolding the newspaper, just looking at the headlines was sufficiently sharp.

"Famine Rages, Central Government Urges Tax Collection More Urgently Than Sparks", "Whose War of Resistance? Whose Famine?"......

Even some international newspapers published photographs of the disaster areas, public opinion pressure surging toward Hankou like a tsunami.

Liao Yaoxiang reported another recent piece of news: "There's also a piece of bad news, the Japanese have caught wind and started a war of public opinion."

"The devils dispatched large numbers of aircraft, exploiting gaps in our anti-aircraft system, dropping leaflets in parts of the disaster areas, spreading rumors that the famine was caused by the Youth Army's excessive taxes and levies."

"They also lure disaster victims to go to Manchuria to escape the famine, wanting to use this to lure labor, and even incite armed resistance."

Lv Muzhi responded disdainfully: "With a famine like this, many people would starve to death originally, the common people have a scale in their hearts, we've done things with a clear conscience, the devils' ghost talk can't deceive people."

The train whistle sounded long, the train loaded with disaster victims departed from Zhengzhou, racing toward Hankou along the Pinghan Railway.

Inside the carriage, the refugees squeezed together, their eyes filled with bewilderment and fear for the future.

Some refugees chattered away, discussing the experiences of their relatives and friends.

A middle-aged man sighed: "This year not a single grain harvested, my uncle's whole family has already gone to Hebei to join a production team. Probably to work as long-term laborers for others."

An old farmer stroked his grandson's head while chiming in: "Having land to farm, having grain to eat, at least they won't starve to death, that's going to enjoy blessings."

A young man in his twenties also sighed: "My cousin's whole family, ran off to Shanxi to go down the mines and dig coal, heard they even get a few pieces of wages."

The old farmer picked up: "Food provided and wages too, room and board included, that's going to enjoy blessings."

The old farmer's grandson asked: "Grandpa, heard we're going to Sichuan Province in the Southwest, what are we going there to do?"

The old farmer answered: "Sichuan Province is called the Land of Abundance, living there is guaranteed not to starve to death."

"Riding this big iron dragon southbound, not even having to walk ourselves, this is going to enjoy blessings......"

The remaining people in the train all nodded, muttering: "Yeah, being alive is enjoying blessings......"

After a day and night of jolting, the train arrived at Hankou.

The refugees got off and looked, only to see Hankou's wharf and streets everywhere full of fellow villagers from Henan.

Shipping capacity was limited, each day able to transport to Sichuan Province no more than a few thousand refugees, the rest all squeezed onto Hankou's wharf and streets.

The Youth Army issued dry rations to the refugees, letting them wait in Hankou for ships to come pick them up.

Whether intentional or not, some men whispered in the crowd: "Fellow villagers, Hankou city has many rich people, the official residence side is all high officials."

"Their homes store refined rice and white flour they can't finish eating, go beg for mercy, surely can get a mouthful of food."

Once these words came out, disaster victims began leaving the wharf, walking onto the streets and lanes to beg.

The Youth Army also didn't stop them, because the train brought more and more refugees, but on the Hankou side the receiving ships were very few, the refugees could only disperse outward from the wharf.

This dispersal was not to be allowed, the refugees began large-scale begging on Hankou's streets and lanes.

Although the Youth Army gave dry rations, this couldn't compare at all with proper meals.

Street begging sounds bad, but with good luck one might beg some oily food, like a bowl of noodles, a lump of sugar......

They wore tattered clothes, arriving in groups of three or five at the gates of wealthy families.

Even the steps of banks, police bureaus, and various government office buildings were completely squatted full of dust-covered refugee commoners.

Most outrageous was, unknown which youngster led the way, the refugees directly came to that big street in front of the Commander-in-Chief's official residence gate.

Several hundred disaster victims directly sat on the road opposite the official residence gate, the scene extremely shocking.

"Give a mouthful of food, almost starved to death......" plaintive cries rose and fell.

Some bolder disaster victims even walked to the official residence's iron gate, using hands to knock on the iron bars.

The guards inside the iron gate held guns, expressions tense, yet didn't dare really open fire.

This made the old man inside the official residence extremely angry, he felt Lv Muzhi was deliberately giving him eye drops.

Hankou is now Xia Guo's temporary capital, Lv Muzhi sending disaster victims to Hankou, what is his intention? Too obvious!

"What decency! Hankou is the capital, moreover the international image!"

The old man angrily picked up the phone inside the official residence: "Guard Command Headquarters? Go negotiate with the Youth Army, restrict the people to the dock area, don't let them beg at the gates of various agencies, too ugly!"

The phone just hung up, Song Zhiwen hugging a stack of newspapers, face iron-green, walked in.

"Lv Wei Yue this is deliberate! The disaster victims pouring into Hankou these three days are too many, almost a group army!"

"He puts the disaster victims right under our eyelids, just to make us lose face, to make us pay out money!"

Words just fell, Dai Li walked in quickly with a head full of sweat.

"Not good! The disaster victims are making a commotion outside, and there are people trying to climb the wall!"

"There are also quite a few foreign reporters outside taking photos!"

The old man's pupils shrank sharply, these disaster victims had clear purpose, knew the addresses of various departments very well.

This is clearly Lv Muzhi sending people to secretly guide them, to make the old man lose face publicly.

He flipped open the newspaper Song Zhiwen brought, looking at the words coldly mocking him on it, so angry he almost fainted.

"Hateful Lv Wei Yue, he thinks this can blackmail me?"

Dai Li requested instructions: "Those disaster victims at the gate...... can't beat them, reporters are watching, what to do?"

The old man with a black face, let out a long sigh: "Who told you to beat them? Go, have the mess hall prepare meals, they are also pitiable people......"

He turned his head to look at Song Zhiwen, expression complex: "Lv Wei Yue this move is too ruthless, Hankou is a necessary route, people will only gather more and more."

"I have every reason to believe, if the Central Government doesn't pay out money for a day, Lv Wei Yue will continuously airdrop refugees into Hankou."

"A group of refugees who can't get food are wandering around Hankou; if this goes on, trouble will break out sooner or later!"

Song Zhiwen gritted his teeth: "The public opinion offensive is too fierce, Li Zongren and the others are watching too; if we don't act now, the charge of 'passive disaster relief' will be pinned on us."

"I'll go right now to discuss with the Kong Family and allocate 10 billion legal tender first."

"Emergently purchase grain along the Yangtze River and transport it to Henan; we also need to send out newspapers to respond to Lv Muzhi's smearing."

"Dai Li, hurry up! Have people bring out all the grain stored in the official residence mess hall and let the refugees eat!"

——————

The official residence gate slowly opened, and Song Zhiwen in a Western suit and leather shoes appeared before the refugees and reporters.

Several soldiers carried out several huge wooden buckets, filled with freshly steamed rice and side dishes to go with the rice.

"Fellow villagers! I've come late......"

Song Zhiwen had just wanted to say a couple of perfunctory words when the refugees surged forward and began scrambling for the freshly cooked food.

In the pushing and shoving, the scrambling refugees knocked Song Zhiwen's glasses off.

This made Song Zhiwen very displeased; his face red, he surveyed the riotous crowd with a look of disdain.

Flashbulbs flashed, and reporters vied to record this scene.

Song Zhiwen hurriedly put on a smiling face and announced: "The Central Government sympathizes with the suffering of Henan disaster victims and has specially allocated ten billion legal tender to buy grain for disaster relief."

Among the refugees, however, a young person stirred things up: "The national currency is depreciating this fast — is ten billion legal tender enough?!"