Luo Yangming was so busy that he finally managed to get the grain purchase in order. There is no time to pay attention to external reports. After all the affairs were completed, they just waited for the food to arrive. He was relieved and went to the city hall to ask if Zhao Toyota had responded.
"There is no reply." Zhao Toyota said after checking the incoming mail record.
"It's been half a month since then..."
"It's hard to say," Zhao Toyota said, "Our political institutions in Teng County have just been established, and there are few people and many things. You have to find out that although this person has a specific name and address, he is not in Teng County. At this time We also need to send people to the countryside to conduct special inquiries, because the war is so chaotic that we can’t stop it."
"Then let's wait a little longer." Luo Yangming thought that there was nothing suspicious about him usually watching Yi Haoran with a cold eye. When he wasn't teaching his children to read in his room, he would amuse himself with poems and books. From time to time he would go to the dock to settle accounts for Wen Tietou. Even though he was a remnant of the Ming Dynasty, he couldn't cause much trouble.
"There's no hurry with this matter. The worst we can do is arrest the person and let you interrogate him personally after it's over." Zhao Toyota picked up an official document. "This is the notice sent to us by Lianqin. The grain shipment from Dachang will start tomorrow and is expected to arrive in August. Arrive in Wuzhou on the 5th. We need to be ready to receive the goods."
"So fast? Our money has just been delivered..." Luo Yangming was a little surprised.
"This is a policy-based grain adjustment," Zhao Toyota said. "Even if Wuzhou doesn't have a tael of silver to send over, it will be shipped. But that being said, it's very difficult now..."
Zhao Toyota's eyes were red. Since he became the secretary of the city government, he has been working late into the night every day, and sometimes even all night long - there is too much routine work.
"It's difficult up there, and it's difficult for us too," Luo Yangming said with emotion. "Although it's a good thing, it's not a long-term solution. I don't know when the situation will get better. I feel that many things in the aftermath have not been as easy to do as before."
"All the rich people are unreliable." Zhao Toyota said very tiredly, "But now we have to rely on the old money to maintain the situation. Who taught us to be poor? When the autumn grain comes, the situation will look better if we have money and food in our hands."
"If we can win a few more big battles, we can stop these people from thinking about it."
"It's easy to win the war, but it's hard to feed and clothe the troops." Zhao Toyota lowered his voice and said, "The most difficult thing ahead now is supplies. Otherwise, Guangxi would have been finished long ago. The further you go to Guangxi, the smaller the ships and the smaller the transportation. It’s hard work. The Mao people and Yao people in Guangxi are not giving up. The troops are fighting all the way, and they have to expand the army on the spot. They have won many battles, and the consumption is also astonishing..."
"Look, can this battle be completed by the end of the year?"
"It's almost the end of the year. I'm looking at the reports from northern Guangdong. The progress on Huang Yuanlao's side is pretty smooth. The situation is getting better. It will probably be settled in a few days..."
"Now people are thinking that as long as there is no war, the circulation of goods in Guangdong and Guangxi will be restored and the market will recover. People's lives will be easier, and our work will be easier to carry out..."
"Everything is difficult at the beginning. It was even more difficult when the chief and I went to Qiongnan to open up a new district. There were no roads on land, so we had to rely on sea ships to transport supplies. We came here once a month. The county town was smaller than the villages in Guangdong, and it was shabby and shabby. rotten……"
Zhao Toyota is a veteran, and if he talks too much, he will inevitably brag about his "glorious history." Naturally, Luo Yangming could only listen attentively.
"...No matter how difficult the situation was, we have finally overcome it. With the chief and the Senate here, we don't have to be afraid of anything." Zhao Toyota said confidently.
As soon as Luo Yangming said this, his somewhat worried mood completely dissipated. Thinking that the shipment of ten thousand shi of grain would have a great stabilizing effect on the market and people's hearts, I couldn't help but feel much more relaxed.
"...Let's talk about the security work." Zhao Toyota took out a document, "This is the food security plan drawn up by Qian Duo. Take a look at it first."
"I don't think this is appropriate." Luo Yangming said uneasily.
"According to the position, it is indeed inappropriate, but you are a local and are more familiar with us. There may be some loopholes..."
Having said this, Luo Yangming was not in a position to speculate, so he took it and read through it. According to the current relay escort model, the First Squadron of Wuzhou Brigade, which is responsible for river patrol work, will arrive in Fengchuan County one day in advance to wait for the arrival of the fleet. After dawn the next day, the First Squadron and the navy of the Inland River Fleet will escort the fleet to Wuzhou together.
After arriving in Wuzhou, the First Squadron was responsible for guarding the pier, one platoon of the battle infantry company was responsible for guarding along the way into the city, and the other two platoons stayed in the city to guard key points in the city. The Third Squadron stationed at Sanhezui must also be ready for battle and rush to the dock at any time.
Wuzhou will be under total martial law at that time. People are not allowed to take to the streets. All city gates are closed. Only Nanxun Gate and Dezheng Gate near the pier are open.
"This is considered foolproof." Luo Yangming said after looking at it, "If we just leave the No. 1 Squadron one day in advance, the city will be empty."
"Company Commander Qian said the problem is not big. The most important thing is to close the city gate. Besides, we have a third squadron outside the city that can respond. In case of emergency, they will provide assistance." Zhao Toyota didn't take it seriously. "There haven't been any reports around Wuzhou recently. Signs of large groups of bandits or Ming army activities."
"Then there's no problem."
"I will send the document to Director Xie right now and ask him to read it." He put the document in an envelope, stamped it with sealing wax, and handed it to the correspondent, "Send it to Director Xie's office immediately!"
"The chief is not in the office today. He is working over there at the Third General Office..." the correspondent said. "He said it was not an urgent document and will be sent there after lunch."
Zhao Toyota frowned slightly, and Luo Yangming knew that this was because he was worried and disgusted with Chief Xie's "indulgence in women's sex." However, naturalized cadres generally do not openly express this sentiment or discuss it with each other. For them, absolute belief and respect for the chief have been engraved in their bones.
"Okay, you can send them together at noon." Zhao Toyota said.
Night enveloped the mountains, and the stars twinkled with cold light. Flowing clouds in the sky occasionally block the moonlight. It's getting darker and darker in the mountains. It was quiet in the mountains and woods.
Although it has high mountains and dense forests and is inaccessible to people, it is less than ten miles away from Wuzhou. Standing on the mountain, you can see the city tower of Wuzhou.
In the mountain forest, a group of bandits is gathering here. It is the gang of Gou Erye and Hu Lanyan.
Gou Er was wearing a tattered t-shirt, tied around his waist with a rope, and hung with an officer's sword. Over the years, he has been living in caves and forests with bandits. The original look of a gentleman was basically gone, and he now looked like a bandit leader with messy beard and hair.
He stared with sly eyes and observed his surroundings warily. The gangsters were all disheveled, with ferocious faces, and gathered around him in twos and threes with various weapons.
The Australians' march north created a large number of stragglers, and the wars along the way also caused many people to become displaced, live in poverty, and join the ranks of bandits. The original small gang suddenly expanded to more than 200 people - to be honest, Gou Er himself didn't even know how many people he had: people died in battle, died of illness, and escaped every now and then, but there were still people joining. Rather than saying it is to make a fortune, it is better to say that it is purely to make a living.
But this meal is not easy to eat. As the Australians continue to increase public security and fully implement joint security measures in each village, the bandits' room for maneuver is getting smaller and smaller, and they are also facing continuous attacks by the Fubo Army. Fortunately, Gou Er and Hu Lanyan were people who had suffered losses from Fubo's army and had some coping methods, so they were not caught. One of the countless gangsters known as Swirling Up and Swinging Down.
Earlier, when Xiong Wencan sent people to Guangdong to distribute various self-reports in large quantities, Gou Er and Hu Lanyan also got one each, and they were regarded as "officials of the imperial court." However, as time went by, they realized that this thing was of no use at all. Still making a big tree attracts the wind - Fu Bo's army specializes in picking off gangsters who have raised the banner of the official army and fight against them.
A figure walked over and whispered a few words to him. Gou Er nodded, beckoned everyone over, and said, "Brothers! Chief Jiang is back from Wuzhou!"
The gangsters made a small commotion for a while. Although Jiang Suo has not been in the gang for a long time, everyone knows that he led Xiong Wencan's servants in Wuzhou to fight the Kun thief bravely in Bangshan - not only did he dare to fight against the arrogant Kun thief, but he could also fight back and forth. . So he became the leader as soon as he joined the gang. Unfortunately, this young man was not interested in being the leader. He only knew how to concentrate on fighting. He was not afraid of death when he rushed to kill, and he immediately gained a high prestige among the gangs.
Not long ago, Jiang Suo disappeared mysteriously. Some among the gangsters speculated that Gou Er and Hu Lanyan could not tolerate him and drove him away or assassinated him.
"Chiang Kai-shek went out this time to contact people from the imperial court. Our brothers are going to do a big deal in Wuzhou! The deal is done, and a silver reward is indispensable. Once the trouble is over, we can have a serious future. On your body!"
He glanced proudly at the gangsters. Most of these gangsters were soldiers of the officers and soldiers. He is used to eating food, loves leisure and hates work, and values his future and silver rewards more than anything else.
Hearing some of the gangsters talking in low voices, Gou Er knew that his trick had worked, and said even more energetically: "This time, the gangster has brought a large amount of food and wages from Guangzhou. Let's go and fuck him hard." One vote is a great achievement..."
This time, the discussion among the gangsters was not so lively, and immediately became cold. Food and money are both good things, and it goes without saying that the Kun thieves will protect them with heavy troops - there are so many gangs attacking the Kun thieves' fleet on the Xijiang River these days. Although there are some who succeed, most of them are just a waste of human lives. There is no benefit to be gained.
Gou Er quickly said: "Don't worry, everyone! It's true that we are going to work in the fleet, but the threshold for promotion and wealth is not on the ship - since the Australians have to escort the ships with heavy troops, Wuzhou City must be empty. Let's take this opportunity to break into Wuzhou go!"
