Section 69 Before the War (1)

The news that the imperial court was going to attack Lingao finally spread throughout Lingao in the second half of May -- in fact, the local people had already received the news from the people around the chiefs, from the newspapers, bulletin boards, and from the discussions in the streets and alleys. Everyone knows that the officials in Guangdong could not see the people living in peace, and they had to drive the Australians away -- it is said that the Australians refused to give the Guangdong officials 1 million taels of silver a year. Therefore, the government will be requisitioned, and the people of Lingao will be washed in blood, and only young women can live.

The newspapers have repeatedly reported on the "deeds" of the officers and soldiers who killed the good and risked the merits and burned the traitors. The deeds are all accompanied by time and place. This made Ma Qianzhu very strange - where did Ding Ding get these materials.

"Part of it is from the mouth of the natives, part of it is from historical books, and part of it is compiled by the Propaganda Department......"

Ding Ding's information fabrication is very careful, first of all, every time this kind of report is published, one of the three pieces of news is fake, and the truth is false; The second is to work closely with the big library, and such forged materials are sent to the big library for review and verification first, so as not to reveal the details.

In addition, Tintin also reported to the cadres of the People's Commissariat for Civil Affairs to find out a few Tong Sheng Xiucai and other figures from among the refugees who had been taken in, and to specialize in writing work in the Ministry of Culture and Propaganda.

"You make it up so well, will it frighten the common people......" Ma Qianzhuo was worried, he was very afraid that there would be a large-scale rebellion - in case the people poured into the county seat or went directly to the gate of Bairen City to ask for shelter, would they be allowed to enter?

"The people of Lingao must have played the role of the soy sauce crowd before this battle. It is impossible to get them to participate in the war and defend the Lingao regime. Ding Ding said, "My idea is to remind them that defending Lingao is to defend their 'home', and the so-called 'defending the family and the country' is said together." ”

This news made the people very uneasy. Many people are secretly preparing to run away when the time comes. But everyone saw that the number of Australians was increasing day by day. Every day, new troops sing songs and go from the highway to shoot targets. The soldiers, all dressed in brand new clothes, carried new glittering black birds, and a glittering two-wheeled artillery cart was dragged through. The sound of gunfire on the shooting range was deafening all day long. It was rumored that a new man had arrived from Australia, and one swore that he had seen a ship come to Bopu at night, with a pair of soldiers and many cannons coming down from it. Moreover, the Australians continued to show up everywhere one by one: the agricultural technicians were still going to the countryside to guide the summer harvest and summer planting, Li Mei continued to do business in Dongmen City, the big iron boats parked in the bay still did not move, and many people who were originally panicked calmed down again -- the Australians are not afraid, and what are we afraid of.

Many people secretly hope that the Australians can defeat the official army and let the peaceful life that has only been a few years go on. Although the clans and local heroes were worried that the Australians might not be the opponents of the official army and were afraid that a war would involve them, because of the strong military strength of the Australians, the artillery and firearms were invincible, and they did not dare to resist. Therefore, whether it was the recruitment of Ding to mobilize materials or the preparation of villages and townships to listen to the survey, they did not encounter much resistance.

The senators were called up for military training. Originally, military training was conducted once a week. The strength is also relatively large. However, recently, the military training with a large amount of exercise has not been carried out much, and only once a week shooting training has been retained to maintain the feel of using the gun. But the imminent invasion of the enemy put the military role of the senators on the agenda. As soon as the proposal was proposed, there was a groan of pain:

All veterans over the age of 18, male and female, get up at 6 a.m. every morning and go out for exercises: first running, then parade and assassination. It wasn't until 8 o'clock that the official work began.

Cancel the Sunday rest and take half a day for cross-country and long-distance marching training.

"Don't sweat now, you will bleed later." He Ming was not accommodating in the Senate, "You all sit in the office and your belly is big"

Xiao Zishan is kind and persuasive: "If your physical strength is good, your body's functions in all aspects will increase." Isn't everyone having a life secretary? ”

In the midst of the wails of the cadres, the proposal was passed - everyone can still realize that a small life is important.

At the moment, all the veterans were organized into a veteran battalion. They are divided into "teams" according to the divisions, and each team is roughly the size of a platoon. Some teams are larger, like the mechanical team, which is divided into one team and two teams. Each team elects a captain and vice-captain.

He Ming appointed the battalion commander of Ying Yue's veteran battalion and also specified three emergency assembly sites. Once the matter was urgent, all the elders would gather in the three camps of Bairen, Bopu and Gaoshanling, and be dispatched at any time at the request of orders.

"When we want to go into battle, it is estimated that it will be over......" Dugu's marriage proposal was made up in the first team of the Heaven and Earth Society, complaining.

"Who is saying strange things" Ying Yue has been a soldier for many years, although he has been retired from the army for many years and has done IT, he still has a lot of intimidating energy when he stares at him, "Fighting, fighting, you always have to think about everything you can, don't think that we have a few SKS and we are invulnerable, from now on it will be a wartime state, we must be armed anytime and anywhere, ready to fight"

Ying Yue said as he checked everyone's weapons and equipment. He examined it very carefully. It was found that many people's protective weapons had not been wiped GLOCK17, and the pistols worn by some female elders had not even been wiped off the oil seal. SKS rifles are cleaned because they have to shoot targets every week, and they usually check the maintenance of weapons after shooting.

"It's really terrible" Ying Yue shook his head in annoyance, but this can't be blamed on everyone, ordinary people in the country are not allowed to take a dog, how can they know the importance of maintaining weapons? The blame can only be blamed on the lack of enough emphasis when formulating military training jihua.

The clothing, leggings, and shoes were basically up to standard, and each person also carried an extra vial of Zhuge marching powder and a pack of salt tablets.

"All departures," Ying Yue ordered.

Excluding the veterans who were in Sanya, those who served in the army, those who were stationed abroad, and those who were on duty at various posts, the veteran battalion of more than 300 people set off in a majestic manner.

Many veterans who originally worked in the administrative department complained bitterly, and the result of sitting in the office for a long time was the deterioration of physical functions, and the little muscles that were originally trained before the crossing disappeared in the form of hard work. The veterans who worked in the industrial and agricultural sectors were all sturdy and dark-skinned, and they did not feel hard at all.

The senators carried rifles and backpacks and wore military boots. Panting along the highway for marching training. The senators were much more equipped than the indigenous soldiers. The indigenous soldiers wore light rattan hats, and the patriarchs wore heavy steel helmets. In order not to fall into the ambition of the "chiefs", all the elders have to make a look of holding their heads high and holding their heads high.

Accompanied by snare drums and flutes, hundreds of pairs of military boots tread on the road, smoke and dust billowing from the road. The indigenous people working in the rice fields have turned a blind eye to such sights – several teams have been passing up and down the road almost daily with snare drums lately. Only a few natives who are familiar with the crossing will be surprised to find that it is full of patriarchs.

"One by one, they puffed up their chests, like a girl" Li Jun stood at the front of the team and looked at the soldiers of the "financial team". This platoon is all composed of personnel in finance, finance, and accounting, and Li Jun is a person who has served as a soldier in the financial system, so he has become a temporary corporal, responsible for leading the whole team.

The soldiers of the financial team began to sing this song with their voices raised, and although the lyrics had been changed, many people still subconsciously sang "The Red Army is not afraid of expeditions".

Not to be outdone, the "mechanical team" immediately sang the "Bo Pu Song", a military song tampered with with the "Marseillaise", although the tune was impassioned, but the singing was a little stumbling.

"What kind of lyrics are changed randomly, just sing the military song of PLA." Du Wen, who marched in the "Civil Affairs Team", commented.

However, the mechanical team was outnumbered, and most of them were strong men, and their lung capacity was large, and they soon suppressed the singing of the financial team and the other teams. The high-pitched singing of "Bopu" and "Bopu" floated over the highway.

After the veteran battalion arrived at Bopu, they did not enter the camp and the port, but directly bypassed and walked another kilometer before starting to rest. Although Bopu has a canteen, Ying Yue, who is in charge of directing this training, does not allow everyone to leave the road, and all of them drink cold water and eat dry food.

The next leg of the journey is from Lingao Kok to the Ma Yuan Peninsula.

"The teams are kept quiet, no chatting, no wasting food. and pee. Men are on the left side of the road and women are on the right side of the road. ”

"Battalion commander, there is also an open field on the right side of the road. It's not very convenient for girls, can you send someone to build a toilet? Dong Weiwei came to ask for instructions while chewing dry food.

"If you want to during the war, you should go to the toilet first?" Ying Yu said with a straight face, "Thatched shrubs are tall enough. ”

Dong Weiwei was bored in white, but she was mixed up in the agency, and knew that this was not the time to make a little girl angry, so she had to retreat, find a few companions by herself, and choose a bushy place on the side of the road, clear out a vacant lot, and put a few picked up stones, and look around to see if there is no light leakage to complete a "simple toilet".

Probably because the atmosphere of the war was already very strong, and no one wanted to be said to be "ignorant of the severity" at this juncture, the girls did not make a louder voice except for whispered complaints, and they all went to the roadside bushes one by one.

Ying Yu checked the elders' equipment before and after if it was loose, and asked if anyone felt uncomfortable with the equipment, and he helped them rearrange it one by one.

After resting, the veteran battalion continued to march along the newly repaired road towards the horse. The weather was not too hot, although I walked more than ten kilometers in the morning, but it did not exceed everyone's physical limit, and even the women in each team did not fall behind. Everyone looked at the newly developed fields along the road and the cantonment sites where the migrants were settled, and their emotions were high. When they landed on the land three years ago, it was still barren and poor. Except for a beacon tower and the house of the Inspection Division, there was no sign of human activity.

When they came, they asked for no people, no food, and all the rice, flour, and salt that were unloaded from the boats, and they drank the water of the river with bleached powder, and they slept in tents. During the day, he did heavy physical work, and at night it was pitch black, and at night he stood guard on a crumbling watchtower with a rifle in his hand.

In less than three years, there has been such a drastic change. And this change was personally led by the natives. Our Lingao regime is finally in shape.

In the past few days, they have eliminated local tyrants, defeated pirates, controlled county seats, recruited exiles, won the hearts and minds of the people, built the prototype of a modern industrialized society that took shape at first a large scale on a white field, trained hundreds of natives, and established an army and administrative team...... Thinking of all this, everyone's heart welled up with an unprecedented sense of pride.

Whoever dares to infringe on my dreams will be beaten to pieces

It seems that infected by such a mood, someone took the lead in singing:

"Forward, forward, forward,

Our procession to the sun,

Feet on the vast earth

……”

At first, a few people sang, and then the whole column sang, and the loud military song echoed on the road, reaching into the sky. The peasants working in the fields straightened up and watched the procession roll past the road.

The marching training of the senators boosted the morale of some of the people, and when the indigenous soldiers, civilians and members of the society knew that the Australians would not abandon them and flee, and would fight with guns to defend Lingao at critical passes, they naturally had a spirit of hatred for the enemy.

Of course, it also frightened some people, thinking that the Australians themselves were training in guns, and the army of the imperial court did not know how strong it was. Some people are looking for an opportunity to go to the county seat to join relatives and friends: the magistrate in the county government is still there, and it is always the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and the official army will not bloody the county seat when they come. For a while, rents and housing prices in the county skyrocketed.

Most of the empty real estate rights in Lingao County belong to the county yamen, that is to say, they belong to the crossing group in disguise. Xiong Buyou was sincerely happy that all kinds of dilapidated houses in the county town had suddenly become hot -- and now he had revitalized his assets

But Mei Wan's construction company was not happy at all. The sudden rush to renovate houses has strained the local lime supply. Originally, the construction company had several lime kilns of its own, and in addition to collecting the raw materials themselves, it also procured some from the private sector: limestone and oyster houses. Now the sudden increase in demand has caused the price of raw materials to rise sharply.

In response to his situation, the Planning Institute immediately took action and announced the "control" of lime raw materials. Originally, Wu De also wanted to announce the control of grain circulation, but the Executive Committee held that since there was no rush to buy grain at this stage, there was no need to control grain. Too much material control will only exacerbate the panic in the county.

But people in the finance department are starting to get nervous. On a daily basis, the Cheka of Yifan transcribes sales from various stores in Dongmen City, and monitors the price changes and sales volume of various goods. In particular, the situation of the three main essential goods of the people, namely, grain, cloth, and salt. People in the treasury department are worried about a possible run on negotiable bills.

Although the negotiable bonds have established a strong credit in Lingao, this is entirely based on the strong existence of the crossing group, and once the situation of instability in the rule appears, the credibility of the negotiable bonds will be hit. A concentrated run is likely. People in the financial department know that negotiable bills are actually over-issued, and if there is a run, the consequences will be very serious. He didn't care about any audits or audits, and focused all his attention on the market situation.

Judging from the data, there has not yet been a run on the negotiable bills. In order to ensure market stability, rice was imported from Vietnam on a large scale. The Planning Institute has also prepared a large amount of loot and goods, and is ready to put them on the market immediately in case of a rush to buy and run.

However, the fears of the financial sector have not materialized, and the situation in the market remains stable.

"But our danger is still not over." Cheng Dong pointed out at the financial work conference that as a result of this mobilization, the issuance of negotiable bills increased by 37 percent in the current month, which was mainly used for capital construction investment, military spending, and material mobilization. This fee is ongoing.

"It is not expected that the magnitude next month will be so large, but the absolute number will not be small." Cheng Dong sighed, "It wasn't until I mobilized that I realized that our economic aggregate was really small. ”

"If you continue to mobilize like this for three or four months, inflation will be inevitable." Wu Di muttered, "The recent foreign exchange expenditure is also very large. ”

In order to suddenly expand the production of armaments, large quantities of pig iron, coal and cloth were temporarily imported.

Because of the loss of Guangzhou Station, the main source of silver. Foreign exchange reserves have plummeted. The financial system is under a lot of pressure.

The most profitable luxury goods can only be piled up in the warehouse because there is no sales channel in Guangzhou. The bulk of light industrial consumer goods are in a better situation because a large part of them are picked up by merchants.

"If you can't do it, you can temporarily reduce imports," Cheng Dong instructed, "and a part of the silver must be kept as an emergency reserve, and the war may end when it will end." ”

"Didn't you say three to six months?"

"It's still six months, and if we continue to mobilize like this, we will mobilize ourselves to death before Daming is finished." Wu Di said, "I think the mobilization should be enough. ”

"Some projects can't be stopped, and you have to bite the bullet." Cheng Dong looked at the temporary addition of several project budgets, all of which were passed in the third reading of the Senate, "I have to talk to Skade, and without the Guangzhou station, I have to find a few more channels to export goods." Earn more forex as soon as possible. ”