Chapter 402: Failing to Steal the Chicken and Losing the Rice

If reporters left this designated activity area, Sichuan Army scouts inside the city would secretly follow these reporters; once they discovered a reporter wanting to take photos, the Sichuan Army scouts would immediately stop them.

In some areas designated as off-limits by the Sichuan Army, guards would also drive people away if they discovered anyone approaching.

Now that Sun Zhen said they could take photos, many reporters cheered; this was big news, and this trip to Lincheng was worth it.

The reporters from Europe were also very satisfied with this trip to Lincheng, which made many reporters feel that on this ancient Far East Continent, the Sichuan Army, this emerging force, was stepping onto the stage.

Afterwards, these reporters followed the Sichuan Army to the prisoner-of-war camp, and from the high walls, the reporters and the common people all saw the prisoners of war working.

Regarding the prisoners of the Chongteng Detachment, Yu Hua only executed those who had headed toward Jinling and Su Province; the rest were all locked in the prisoner-of-war camp to perform compulsory labor, adopting the policy of "no work, no food"!

The common people of Lincheng, seeing so many "little Japanese devils" inside the prisoner-of-war camp, all believed the Sichuan Army's recent claim of having annihilated one detachment and one regiment of the Japanese Army.

The reporters snapped photos and gathered material quickly; after seeing the prisoner-of-war camp, everyone came to the warehouse and saw the Japanese-style weapons captured by the Sichuan Army piled up like a small mountain.

"Yes!" Wei Dayong saluted and left.

Once the leading man heard this, he realized... his group had long been targeted by the Sichuan Army; this was damn well delivering themselves to the door.

At the same time, the reporters also displayed a large number of photos, with both pictures and text, fully illustrating the authenticity of the Sichuan Army's battle results.

"Military masters, what crime have we committed? Why do you arrest people without a word?"

Subsequently, the press conference ended, and the reporters and common people of Lincheng left; the reporters were impatient to go back and publish the front-page headlines!

The iron ore production of this Panzhihua, as discovered in later generations, has reserves of nearly ten billion tons stored here.

Now, most of the steel needed for the Sichuan Army's weapons comes from the Panzhihua Mining Area; this mining requires people, and if the Military Statistics Bureau and Central Statistics Bureau won't pay, Yu Hua will really send people to the mining area.

After the few people looked at each other, they prepared to leave and report to their superiors.

"If they still want to use this group of people, bring silver dollars to redeem them. Considering we are all acquaintances, one thousand silver dollars per person; not a single cent less."

At this moment, at the scene of the press conference, Sun Zhen gave the crowd another speech, and at the same time, the Sichuan Army's shills in the crowd began to shout slogans of the Sichuan Army's might.

Similar slogans also rang out continuously among the crowd!

One day later!

Yu Hua was still on the train to Xuzhou when he received telegrams from Deng Xihou, Pan Wenhua, and Liu Wenhui, saying that after this Sichuan Army press conference, major newspapers were competing to report the Sichuan Army's true battle achievements.

This is all free labor, working until they die.

"I don't believe it; will your Director Dai and the Chen Brothers fall out with our Sichuan Army for the sake of you few small fries!"

Now, having failed to steal the chicken and instead losing the rice, the two were furious; in order to do something big and squeeze benefits from the Sichuan Army, the people they sent out were their trusted aides.

Panzhihua in Sichuan Province is a famous iron ore production area; Yu Hua must make good use of this treasure land.

Furthermore, this time there were not only reporters from the Far East Continent but also reporters from Europe, and the reports from both sides were about the same.

The leading man from the Military Statistics Bureau, seeing the Sichuan Army blocking the road, said obsequiously: "Respected military masters, we brothers suddenly remembered there is urgent business at home, and we are in a hurry to go back and handle it."

"Chief of Staff, the matter is settled!" Coming to Yu Hua's side, Wei Dayong said softly.

After Dai Chunfeng received the Sichuan Army's telegram, he cursed angrily; the Military Statistics Bureau personnel sent to Lincheng were all his direct subordinates, and furthermore, several people shouldered important missions.

However, just as they had broken away from the main group, they were tracked down; Wei Dayong led the Sichuan Army guard, smiling as he looked at this group of people.

Wei Dayong gave an evil, charming smile and weighed the silver dollars in his hand: "Oh... so there's urgent business, is there!"

For this official business in Lincheng, the Central Statistics Bureau was nominally under the Military Statistics Bureau; the people from the Central Statistics Bureau, seeing that the Military Statistics Bureau didn't want to fight, actually didn't want to fight either; after all, the top priority now was to unite against the outside.

Saying this, the man even fished a few silver dollars out of his pocket and stuffed them into Wei Dayong's hand.

Therefore, this group of people was willing to be captured by Wei Dayong!

After Wei Dayong handled this matter, he went to report to Yu Hua.

For a time, the national public opinion trend suddenly reversed, and the Sichuan Army's reputation rose again; anyone who said a bad word about the Sichuan Army would be drowned by the public's spit.

This baffled the leading man; the money was accepted, so why were they still arresting people?

Wei Dayong snorted coldly: "What crime? You know clearly in your hearts. I advise you to just surrender; I have been watching you for a long time."

On the way to the prisoner-of-war camp, the people from the Central Statistics Bureau and Military Statistics Bureau saw that the situation was gone; everyone felt that inciting the common people and then arresting the Sichuan Army in the name of the Central Government was a dead end!

Hankou!

"Yes, yes, yes... military master, look..." The leading man had a fawning face.

"I say, brothers! The press conference isn't even over yet; where are you all going?!"

"If you don't pay, my Sichuan Army will send this group of people to Sichuan Province to mine."

The people from the Military Statistics Bureau, upon hearing this, all turned their eyes to the leading man.

Now that the Sichuan Army actually said they wouldn't release people without money and would send them all to mine, Dai Chunfeng was very melancholy; he had the money, but having it taken away by the Sichuan Army like this still made him feel unhappy.

Likewise, the Chen Brothers of the CC Clique were the same; the Sichuan Army making them pay to redeem people—originally this matter was for the Military Statistics Bureau to handle, and these two had previously seen the Sichuan Army's poor reputation and felt that manipulating the Sichuan Army was a sure thing.

He gave his subordinates a look, signaling them to surrender; according to his understanding of the Sichuan Army, they themselves had no threat to their lives, and besides, he did not want to fight his own people.

"Men!" Wei Dayong said sternly: "Tie them all up for me; whoever dares to play tricks, just shoot them for me."

"Hmm!" Yu Hua nodded: "You go tell the Communications Department to send a telegram to Director Dai and the Chen Brothers."

With this, the Sichuan Army proved to everyone with actual actions that the Sichuan Army had underreported their battle results; the actual number of enemies annihilated was even higher than what was reported.

"Aren't they just the Military Statistics Bureau and Central Statistics Bureau? I'm not afraid; the Sichuan Army even dared to bomb the 'Low-key Club' in Hanyang, so why would I fear your Military Statistics Bureau and Central Statistics Bureau?"

With so many mines, a lot of people are needed to dig; Yu Hua has already planned to send the prisoners of the Chongteng Detachment to mine.

The great victory at Teng County was also reported by many reporters, saying that the supplies captured by the Sichuan Army were piled like mountains, and the 'Japanese prisoners' in the prisoner-of-war camp were also countless.

The two of them found Chang Kaishen, wanting to get a share of the benefits, so they found Chang Kaishen and, after pestering him, obtained permission.

Chang Kaishen was also depressed!

The Sichuan Army's fame rose, making the old man roar in his office, cursing "niang xipi" at every turn, saying the Sichuan Army was a heart-trouble, and so on.

After all, it had been difficult to make the national populace dislike the Sichuan Army and prepare to use public opinion to manipulate them; he didn't expect the Sichuan Army to have reversed it now.

(End of chapter)