After the July 7th Incident (Separation), the Anti-Japanese War broke out in an all-round way, followed by the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Xucheng that followed, causing huge losses to the economies of various places.
In particular, the light and heavy industrial bases located along the southeast coast were severely damaged. Many people of insight have repeatedly called for the relocation of factories to preserve China's industrial base for the Anti-Japanese War.
At a time of crisis, the Nationalist Government issued a declaration in 1937 to move (separate) the capital to Shancheng, and determined Sichuan Province to be the wartime rear area.
An overall policy was formulated to relocate all military and industrial-related factories along the coast and rivers to the interior, and to make the southwest a key area for industrial construction.
Some private factories in Shanghai, Xicheng, Sioux City, Hangcheng and other places immediately began to relocate. Jiangcheng, which had advantages in transporting electricity, space, labor, raw materials, and taxes, became the choice of most people.
But when Jiangcheng was about to be captured, more than 100 privately relocated factories in Shanghai lost confidence in another long-distance move due to the hardships of moving from Shanghai to Jiangcheng.
There are also some manufacturers that are unable to relocate due to lack of funds and operating difficulties, so they simply sell their machines. For example, the iron casting factory sold all its equipment to the Industrial and Mining Adjustment Office.
——This is a newly established department that specializes in the financing and assistance of private industrial and mining funds, the adjustment and control of supply and demand of industrial and mining materials, and the transportation, marketing and distribution of industrial and mining materials.
And not only the factory owners who moved westward, but even the local factory owners in Jiangcheng also had various thoughts privately, just like when the private factories in Shanghai moved inward.
Some people think that when the Japanese are approaching the city, the country will not be the country, so why should the family take care of themselves? Whether for the sake of the country or the family, the factory should be moved to the mountain city as soon as possible.
Others believe that although Jiangcheng cannot be saved, the war will not continue forever and there must be a day for peace talks. To put it bluntly, they are just waiting for the country to cool down.
If the Guo army wins by then, Jiangcheng will naturally be recovered and may become the capital. When the time comes to build a new factory, purchasing land will be a big expense.
If the Japanese army wins, it will be nothing more than ceding territory for peace. It is estimated that Shanghai, Jinling, and even Jiujiang, Wuhu and other areas will not be saved, but Jiangcheng and the southwest area may be spared.
For example, when all directors of Yuhua Cotton Mill held a meeting to discuss whether to relocate, a small number of people believed that the Anti-Japanese War was a national war, completely different from the previous warlord melee.
Civil wars broke out and subsided frequently, and production could be started while avoiding the limelight. However, this Sino-Japanese war is related to the life and death of the Chinese nation. If we do not move westward, we will definitely endanger the enemy and help the enemy.
Most of the older directors are opposed to tormenting the company, believing that no matter what kind of war it is, it will never affect production and business after it subsides.
What's more important is that Sichuan Province does not produce raw cotton, and transportation is so difficult that it is difficult to transport machinery and materials. Rather than moving randomly, it is better not to move.
Individuals even attacked some directors from Sichuan Province who advocated relocation to Sichuan, saying that they had ulterior motives in advocating relocation to Sichuan and wanted to occupy the factory.
In fact, these people who were unwilling to move had other plans in mind, because at this time, traditional textile centers such as Shanghai and Sioux City had already been lost.
The gauze mills there are either closed or destroyed, and there is a shortage of gauze in the market. Jiangcheng is working hard to produce, and the profit will be more than 10 times when selling one piece of goods.
With this absurd idea, many factories were very resistant to the anti-capitalist sabotage orders issued by the Military Council, preventing explosives personnel from entering the factory area, and even mobilizing workers to carry out sieges.
When Zuo Zhong and Wu Chunyang came to the largest Baisha paper mill in Hankou, Jiangcheng, they happened to witness a large-scale protest (separation) organized by the factory operators.
"Gou Ri's Fruit Party won't give us a way to survive, let's fight with them!"
"We want to eat, we want to live!"
"The factory belongs to people from Hubei Province, why should Sichuan Province demolish it!"
Hundreds of excited workers stood arm in arm at the door, blocking a demolition team composed of Jiangcheng Garrison Headquarters, engineering troops and special agents.
A few thieves in short-shirted gangsters in the crowd shouted slogans from time to time. This was like adding fuel to the fire, and the situation that was already on the verge of breaking out gradually began to get out of control.
The soldiers and agents of the demolition team were also in a dilemma. If the opponent was an underground party, they would have shot and dispersed it long ago. But this is the largest paper mill in Jiangcheng, and God knows who is behind it.
They had cooperated with Zuo Zhong in the fake torture trial of Xu Enzeng in Shanghai. A man surnamed Li with a brain in heels, a man surnamed Yu who was good at Stiepank's theorem, and a man surnamed Xu who was proficient in cheating and taking advantage of others were also on the team. middle.
After being evacuated from Shanghai, the Qingpu training class suffered heavy losses. Only about 100 people remained in the team of more than 400 students. After a break, they went to Linli, Hunan Province to become instructors of the newly opened training class.
This time, the Secret Service was responsible for carrying out the demolition mission. Due to lack of manpower, these personnel who had mastered the key points of demolition were transferred to Jiangcheng to cooperate with the military in destroying the target.
The three of them looked at the workers who were covered in darkness. The palms of their hands holding weapons were full of sweat. The military personnel all carried submachine guns. If this gunshot fired, I don’t know how many people would die today.
"boom!"
While people on both sides were pushing and shoving, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the distance, startling everyone present. The leading officer of the garrison headquarters quickly warned his men not to shoot.
In the chaos, the agent reacted first, looked for a bunker and pointed his gun in the direction of the gunfire. Then he saw Zuo Zhong with a gloomy face and Wu Chunyang who was guarding him with a gun.
"Don't shoot, it's the Deputy Director, Deputy Director Zuo!"
The man surnamed Xu was the first to recognize the person. He stood up with the muzzle of the gun pointed upward and shouted loudly, in case someone accidentally shot and injured the deputy director, in which case no one present would survive.
When they heard the words "Deputy Director", the agents were surprised and happy. They originally thought that they would be abandoned to protect the commander. Unexpectedly, the Deputy Director also stayed in Jiangcheng, and their morale was suddenly boosted.
The man surnamed Li and the man surnamed Yu also looked happy and ran over to salute them. They pointed at the workers and the warehouse area and briefly introduced the situation at the scene.
The leading officer of the garrison headquarters was well-informed and knew some of the situation. He knew that the deputy director of the Secret Service was a major general-level officer. He was surprised and the whole team hurriedly prepared to welcome him.
The workers looked at this scene and knew that the chief officer was coming. They all lowered their heads and did not dare to speak. The gangsters in short shirts among them swallowed their saliva and slowly retreated to the back of the crowd.
A few middle-aged men in suits and leather shoes also slipped out of the factory, hurriedly squeezed out of the door, and ran towards Zuo Zhong with their hands outstretched from a distance, with flattering smiles on their faces.
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"Hello, sir, hello, sir, I am the director of Baisha Paper Mill. These idiots are so ignorant that they dare to obstruct official business. We will deal with it well."
After arriving at Zuo Zhong's side, the leader bent down and first put the responsibility on the worker, then carefully tested his identity.
"I'm blind, I don't know what sir is..."
Looking at the other party coldly, Zuo Zhong did not shake his hand and said expressionlessly: "Deputy Director of the Secret Service, have you received the order issued by the Military Weihui and the Industrial and Mineral Adjustment Office?"
"Receive... Got it."
The factory director took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat on his head. How could the Secret Service be such a department that kills people without blinking an eye? Thinking of this, he bent down a little more and stammered.
"The Industrial and Mineral Adjustment Office, the Ministry of Communications, the Jiangcheng Camp, the Garrison Headquarters, the Jiangcheng City Government, the New Life Movement Promotion Committee, the Women's Guidance Committee, and the Relief Committee all issued orders.
All yarn mills run by Chinese people are required to be dismantled and transported to mountain cities. Larger machinery and hardware factories with assets of more than 5,000 yuan should be moved separately and no brick or tile should be left behind.
Other items with a production value of more than 5,000 yuan and those employing more than a hundred workers should be relocated or destroyed. But sir, this factory is the entire wealth of a few of us. "
"All your net worth?"
Zuo Zhong asked back in a cold voice, turned around and looked at Jiangcheng where smoke pillars were everywhere, and scolded sternly: "Did you see that, that is also everyone else's entire net worth, are you the only one special?
Moving but not moving, bombing and not blowing up, what's the point! I think you are not reluctant to give up your wealth, but you want to join the Japanese, become a traitor and a lackey, and oppress your brothers and sisters.
What a daring person, he actually dares to slap the workers. Let me tell you, this is the highest decision of the government. No one is allowed to delay and delay the decision. Violators will be shot! "
Kneel down.
The factory director immediately knelt down, surrendered to the Japanese, and became a traitor and lackey. Who wouldn’t kneel down if these two big hats were slapped on him? He just couldn’t let go of this business. Why did he suddenly become a national sinner?
"I'm going to blow it up. I'm going to ask the workers to get out of my way. Sir, please spare my life! Please spare your life!"
Several shareholders nearby were also frightened out of their wits. They knelt on the ground and began to beg for mercy. Although the Guo army had withdrawn, there was still no problem in dealing with these businessmen.
Seeing these stupid idiots, Zuo Zhong stepped forward, stood in front of the bewildered workers, looked around, and loudly announced the government's resettlement measures for the workers.
"Workers, please rest assured that your life will not be without a solution. According to regulations, all employees involved in the relocation of the factory will be issued with vouchers and exempted from military service.
Child workers, female workers and workers' family members accompanying them to Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province or rear provinces will be exempted from fares by the Pinghan Road Bureau, and will have free food and drinking water on board.
The Women's Guidance Committee is responsible for the organization, training, and work of female and child workers, and the wives are entrusted with directing them personally (separately), so that your wives and children will receive the best care.
The transportation and accommodation required for workers moving to mountain towns along the way will be handled by the Industrial and Mineral Adjustment Office and the Weiwei Relief Committee. The vehicles needed for the factory will be financed by the Ministry of Transportation.
Workers who do not move will be given evacuation fees, 20 yuan per person, and the monthly salary will be calculated based on 15 days. You can receive the money now, come and pay! "
Zuo Zhong waved his hand, and the agents brought in a few boxes of French currency and began to distribute them. Anyway, they printed them themselves, so the bald man was particularly generous when giving them.
Therefore, even if the Japanese counterfeit banknote conspiracy succeeds, it is of no use. Thinking about it at the top of the government, as long as it is printed fast enough, inflation (separation) will not be able to keep up with me.
Seeing a large pile of banknotes, the workers' emotions gradually stabilized, and they consciously loosened their hands and opened the door to the factory.
"Chunyang, arrest those saboteurs who disrupt order and shoot them on the spot."
After solving the problem of the completionist, Zuo Zhong looked at the gangster in short shirt who was quietly leaving, and made a beheading gesture towards Wu Chunyang.
"Run!"
When the gangster heard this, he was so frightened that he crawled and ran towards the corner of the street. However, as soon as he took two steps, he was hit by bullets fired by Li, Yu, and Xu and fell to the ground.
It is worth mentioning that among the three, the man surnamed Xu had the most accurate marksmanship. Three bullets hit three people in a row, all in the back.
Tsk, that’s interesting. Are you no longer pretending?
Zuo Zhong glanced at the opponent, waved his right hand down, and the demolition team broke into the factory area in two columns, and installed explosives (separation) at the load-bearing parts of the building according to the drawings.
The factory building is large in size and has a very solid structure. If you want to completely destroy it, you must attack the weak points. The installation of the blasting device requires professional skills.
Time was of the essence. Engineers and professional agents quickly fixed the blocks on the pillars and paper-making machines, and inserted mine (separation) tubes and fuses.
Half an hour later, Zuo Zhong checked it carefully and made sure nothing was missing. Then he looked down at his watch and raised his head to give the order.
"Evacuate and detonate immediately."
"yes!"
Under everyone's gaze, as an engineer pressed the detonation button, several cement factories were immediately reduced to ruins along with several loud noises and clouds of smoke and dust.
Even though they were mentally prepared, the factory director and shareholders still burst into tears when they saw this. It is understandable that no one would feel good if the factory that cost countless money to build is gone.
But this cannot be blamed on the government. If it were not for the Japanese, none of this would have happened. We could not leave the machine to the enemy. Zuo Zhong asked his men to help up a few people and lead the team to the target below.
At this time, the vanguard of the Japanese army was less than ten miles away from Jiangcheng. Seeing the continuous explosions and flames in the three towns from a distance, they could not help but hesitate and temporarily stopped their march.
