Photo studio.

Zhou Hexuan took out the film and asked the boss: "When will the photo be washed out?" ”

The boss smiled: "It takes at least a week for others to wash the film, but Zhou Shenxian washes the film, and he can get the photos tomorrow afternoon at the latest." ”

Li Zongwu teased: "It seems that the immortals just want to do things faster." ”

"Knock knock knock!"

At this moment, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly sounded on the street.

Everyone went out to take a look, but there were people in uniform, carrying big red flowers along the street to propagandize, shouting: "The War of Resistance is responsible, and it is glorious to be a soldier!" The old lady Chen of Chengguan Town sent her four sons to the battlefield, and the county magistrate Gan personally ordered a reward! The War of Resistance is responsible, and it is glorious to be a soldier! Old lady Chen of Chengguan Town......"

Nan Huaijin exclaimed: "That old lady Chen is really a heroic mother. ”

The owner of the photo studio sneered: "Fushun County is a hero. ”

"What do you mean by that?" Zhou Hexuan asked.

The boss said: "Every spring and autumn, we have to recruit soldiers, and we go door to door to arrest strong men. My eldest son is only 14 years old, and he is also on the conscription roster this year, and it took me ten yuan to get through the relationship. ”

Qian Ji said dumbly: "Minors, only children and students, it seems that they don't need to be forced to serve in the military, right?" ”

"Huh." The boss laughed dryly.

Zhou Hexuan was silent, his expression a little ugly.

Sichuan has the largest number of soldiers participating in the Anti-Japanese War, although these words make Sichuan people proud, but behind them are the blood and tears of countless families.

Take Fushun County as an example, the population of the county is less than 400,000, and the number of people who joined the army in the eight-year War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression is 35,000, which is equivalent to one-tenth of the people in the county who have gone to the battlefield. Counting the tens of thousands of strong men who have served in the construction projects in the past, it is estimated that more than 80 percent of the young and middle-aged people have served the country, excluding the old, weak, sick and disabled, and women.

Are there really so many people who sacrifice their families to serve the country?

Certainly not.

To put it bluntly, it's just three words, catch the strong man!

This situation is extremely common in Sichuan, from county magistrates and mayors to township chiefs and security chiefs, all of whom are executioners. The county magistrate and mayor have political achievements in catching strong men, and the township magistrates and security chiefs have money to catch strong men, and they take the opportunity to extort the people and make a national disaster that has lost their conscience.

Although the rich can spend money to buy strong men to replace them, they have become the focus of bureaucratic blackmail. For example, a rich peasant in Leshan County, because he spent money to buy a strong man, was repeatedly blackmailed six times by the township mayor under the pretext of high incidence, and he had to give gifts and filial piety during the New Year's holidays.

The officers in charge of conscription had another way to make money, they deducted the soldiers' settling-in allowances, food and lodging expenses, and the money allocated was not enough for the strong men to enter the new barracks, resulting in the death of strong men who were about to become soldiers along the way.

According to Li Shaoliang, who was the commander of a regiment of the National Army at that time, he deducted 1.2 yuan for each soldier recruited, and the remaining 0.8 yuan was used as basic expenses, and he had at least 3,000 yuan a month's income, but this money needed to be divided with the receiving officer. He claimed that this kind of deduction method was very conscientious, and he didn't take much, and he didn't have any money to settle in.

Henan's side is even more shameless-

Mercury was a scarce supply for Japanese munitions, and the Chinese government banned the export of mercury. In order to get mercury, the officers in Henan took advantage of the opportunity to send Zhuang Ding to join the army, and asked Zhuang Ding to carry supplies to Chongqing to exchange for mercury, and then the cadres who sent the troops back to Henan with the mercury, often selling 50% of the recruits' mortality rate in exchange for a little mercury to sell to the Japanese.

In 1943, the government enacted the New Military Service Act, which included students in compulsory military service.

Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin and Minister of Finance Kong Xiangxi came up with a good idea that young people of appropriate age could pay 3,500 yuan to the government, that is, they could postpone their military service for one year. At that time, there were about 40 million school-age young people in the country, and they felt that at least 30 million people were willing to pay, so Kong Xiangxi had a budget income of several billion yuan every year, and He Yingqin also had a source of 10 million soldiers who were enlisted in the army.

At that time, the fiat currency had not completely become waste paper, and 3,500 yuan could be converted into 250 US dollars at market price.

This is the true background of "one inch of rivers and mountains, one inch of blood, 100,000 young people and 100,000 troops".

On the way home, Li Zongwu said: "Not far from the place where I live in seclusion, there is a family that died of only two out of seven people during the great drought a few years ago. At the end of last year, he was arrested as a strong man, and there was only a blind old woman left in the family, who did a lot of evil! ”

Nan Huaijin asked, "How is the old woman?" ”

Li Zongwu said: "Dead." The neighbors are not rich, and each family gives her a good meal to live, and she hangs herself when she can't figure it out during the New Year. ”

Qian Ji said indignantly: "How can this be? According to the military service law, only sons are exempt from military service! ”

Li Zongwu sneered: "In order to make meritorious contributions, the officials are very active. If the soldiers are dissatisfied, they will arrest the strong man, first arrest the homeless man called Hanako, and then arrest this kind of unique bachelor, anyway, no matter how much they catch, they will not cause trouble. ”

Zhou Hexuan did not participate in the discussion, and the information he saw was even worse than this. Because 1940 was quite good, after 1942, the Kuomintang caught the strong men and ran all the way - the strong men died all the way, and the shortages could only be replenished halfway, and there were farmers, traders, fishermen, and slender men along the way...... In remote places, even the elderly and children are arrested, and even go to teahouses and restaurants to catch chefs and tea sellers (outsiders).

In order to avoid military service, ordinary people pretend to be crazy and stupid, and even harm themselves, and there are not a few who cut off their fingers and poke their eyes.

It's not that the people are not patriotic, it's that the death rate of recruits is too high, and they may die several percent before they go to the battlefield.

Zhou Hexuan didn't bother to give Chang Kaishen advice, and he didn't bother to reflect these bad situations. Because Chang Kaishen knows the truth, but the government has rotted to the roots, and the central government has repeatedly ordered that there is nothing to be done about it, and the middle and low-level administrative system has long been out of control, or it has never been effectively controlled.

Only where there is a civil uprising, or if it is too ugly, will he be severely punished by Lao Jiang. For Fushun County's level of arrest, Lao Jiang will not only not punish him, but will issue a commendation order to the county magistrate.

Until he returned home, Li Zongwu was still complaining: "Now not only is it hard to catch strong men, but the taxes are also very high." The government also called on civil servants and ordinary people to eat two meals a day, saying that this food can be saved to fight devils. Beat Nima, a devil! If the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression can be won, the Communist Party will definitely sit in the world in the future, and if we don't believe it, we'll see. ”

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "Brother Li, don't talk about state affairs, be careful that the wall has ears." ”

Li Zongwu didn't care: "He's coming to arrest me." I am the same year as Albert Einstein, and Einstein is famous all over the world, and I am famous in Sichuan. If Lao Jiang comes to arrest me, then I will be famous again, and I will definitely be famous all over the country! ”

Nan Huaijin said: "Mr. Zhou, you have the opportunity to meet President Jiang in person, and you can reflect it next time you see him." ”

"Well, I'll reflect." Zhou Hexuan didn't want to say more.