The news that the imperial court was going to suppress Lingao finally spread throughout Lingao in late May. In fact, the local people had already gotten the news from people around the leaders, newspapers, bulletin boards and discussions in the streets. Everyone
Everyone knows that the officials in Guangdong did not want to see the people in Lingao living in peace and insisted on driving away the Australians - it is said that the Australians refused to give the Guangdong officials one million taels of silver a year. Therefore, the officials wanted to exterminate the people.
If the people of Lingao are to be washed with blood, only young women can survive.
The newspapers were full of reports of "deeds" of officers and soldiers killing good people for merit, burning, killing and committing adultery. All the deeds were accompanied by time and place. This made Ma Qianzhu wonder-where did Ding Ding get all this information.
"Part of it is from the mouths of the indigenous people, part of it is from historical records, and part of it is compiled by the Propaganda Department..."
Tintin is very careful in compiling information. Firstly, every time such reports are published, one of the three pieces of information is false, so that the truth is mixed with the false. Secondly, he works closely with the big library. Such forged materials are first sent to the big library for processing.
Review and check to avoid exposing flaws in details.
In addition, Tintin also reported to the cadre office of the People's Committee for Civil Affairs to find a few young scholars and other figures among the refugees who were admitted, and specialized in literary work in the Propaganda Department. This time, he fabricated materials, and some of the materials were false claims.
It was fabricated in the form of notes taken by local scholars - which proves that no license is needed to publish and copy private notes, and there is no way to verify the authenticity.
"If you make it up so well, will it scare the common people..." Ma Qianzhu was worried. He was afraid that there would be a large-scale rebellion - what if the common people poured into the county or went directly to Bairen City?
If you ask for asylum at the door, will you let them in?
"The people of Lingao must have played the role of soy sauce soldiers before this battle. It is impossible to want them to actively participate in the war to defend the Lingao regime." Ding Ding said, "My idea is to remind them that defending Lingao means protecting them.
The so-called 'home' and 'defending the home and the country' are linked together."
This news made the people very uneasy. Many people were secretly preparing to rebel when the time came. But everyone saw that the number of Australians was increasing day by day. Every day, new troops sang songs and came from the highway.
Went over for target practice. These soldiers were all wearing brand new clothes, carrying shiny new muskets, and a pair of shiny blue two-wheeled artillery carts were dragged over. The sound of gunfire on the shooting range was deafening all day long. Everyone
It is said that new troops have arrived from Australia. Some people swore that they saw a ship coming to Bopu at night, with a team of soldiers and many cannons disembarking. And the Australians continued to show up everywhere: peasants
Technicians are still going to the countryside to guide summer harvest and planting, Li Mei continues to do business in Dongmen City, the large iron ship parked in the bay remains motionless, and many people who were originally panic have calmed down again - the Australians are not afraid, we are again
What are you afraid of?
Many people secretly hope that the Australians can defeat the official army so that the peaceful days that have just passed a few years can continue. Although clans and local powerful people worry that the Australians may not be the opponents of the official army, they are afraid that they will be involved in a war.
However, due to the strong military strength of the Australians, their artillery and firearms were indestructible, and they did not dare to resist. Therefore, whether they were recruiting soldiers to mobilize supplies or asking the villages to organize and obey orders, they did not encounter much resistance.
The veterans were summoned for military training. Originally, military training was conducted once a week and was relatively intense. However, recently, military training with high-intensity exercise has not been carried out much, and only shooting training once a week is retained to maintain the feel of using a gun.
.But the imminent invasion of the enemy put the military role of the senators on the agenda. This proposal caused a groan of pain as soon as it was put forward:
All elders over the age of 18, regardless of gender, get up at 6 a.m. every morning to perform exercises: first running, then practicing formation and assassination, and then officially starting work at 8 a.m.
Cancel the Sunday rest and set aside half a day for cross-country and long-distance march training.
"If you don't sweat now, you will bleed later." He Ming was not accommodating in the Senate, "Everyone of you has a big stomach while sitting in the office!"
Xiao Zishan followed suit: "When your physical strength improves, all aspects of your body's functions will improve. Don't you all have a life secretary?"
Amidst the wailing of a group of people, the proposal was passed - everyone can still realize that life is at stake.
At present, all the veterans were organized into a veteran battalion. They were divided into "teams" according to departments. Each team was roughly the size of a platoon. Some teams were larger, like the mechanical team, which was divided into one team and two teams. Each team
Elect captain and vice-captain.
He Ming appointed Ying Yu as the battalion commander of the veteran camp, and also specified three emergency gathering places. Once an emergency happened, all the veterans would gather in the three camps of Bairen, Bopu and Gaoshanling, waiting for orders to be dispatched at any time.
"When we go into battle, we're probably going to be doomed..." Dugu proposed and complained as he was assigned to the first team of the Tiandihui.
"Who are you talking about?" Ying Yu had been a soldier for many years after all. Even though he had been retired from the military for many years, his eyes were still very intimidating. "When fighting, when fighting, always think about everything.
!Don’t think that we are invulnerable just because we have a few SKS. From now on, we are in a wartime state. We must be armed and ready for war anytime and anywhere!”
Ying Yu said and checked everyone's weapons and equipment. He checked very carefully. He found that many people's protective weapons Glock17 had not been wiped, and the pistols worn by some female senators had not even wiped off the oil seals. The SKS rifle was because
I have to do target shooting every week. After shooting, I have to check the weapons for maintenance as usual, but they are all wiped clean.
"It's terrible!" Ying Yu shook his head in annoyance, but he couldn't blame everyone. Generally speaking, civilians in the country are not allowed to hold a dog. How could they know the importance of maintaining weapons? The only one to blame is those who made the military training plan.
Time is not emphasized enough.
Clothes, leggings, and shoes were all basically up to standard. Each person also brought an extra bottle of Zhuge Marching Powder and a pack of salt tablets.
"Let's all go!" Ying Yu ordered.
Excluding those in Sanya, those serving in the army, those stationed abroad and those on duty at various posts, a camp of more than 300 veterans set off in a mighty manner.
Many veterans who used to work in the administrative department complained that the result of sitting in the office for a long time was the deterioration of their physical functions, and the muscles they had developed before time traveling disappeared in the form of paperwork. A veteran who worked in the industrial and agricultural department, a
He has a strong build and dark skin, and he doesn't feel hard at all.
The senators carried rifles and backpacks, and wore military boots. They were panting and marching along the road. The equipment of the senators was much more than that of the indigenous soldiers. The indigenous soldiers wore light rattan hats, while the senators all wore heavy steel helmets.
.In order not to lose the ambition of the "chiefs", all the elders must act like I, Wu Weiyang, hold their heads high and their chests high.
Accompanied by military drums and flutes, hundreds of pairs of military boots stepped on the road, causing smoke to billow. The indigenous people working in the rice fields had turned a blind eye to this scene - recently, several teams beat the military drums almost every day.
Going back and forth on the road, only a few natives who are familiar with the traveling group will be surprised to find that they are all elders.
"Everyone puffed up their chests, like girls!" Li Jun stood in front of the team and looked at the soldiers of the "Financial Team". This platoon is composed entirely of finance, finance, and accounting personnel.
Li Jun was a soldier in the financial system, so he became a temporary corporal, responsible for leading the entire team. "Everyone, please be energetic!" Page 5 of "Military Songbook"! "The army is not afraid of the difficulty of expedition"!
"Li Jun seems to have returned to the way he was when he was the squad leader of the armed police many years ago.
The soldiers of the Caijin Team began to sing this song at the top of their lungs. Although the lyrics had been changed, many people still subconsciously sang "The Red Army is not afraid of the difficulties of the expedition."
Not to be outdone, the "Mechanical Team" immediately sang "Bopou". Although this military song was modified from "Marseillaise", although the melody was impassioned, it was a bit awkward to sing.
"If you change the lyrics randomly, you can just sing Pla's military song." Du Wen, who was marching in the "Civil Affairs Team" commented.
However, the mechanical team had a large number of people, and most of them were strong men with large lung capacity. They quickly suppressed the singing of the financial team and other teams. The high-pitched singing of "Bo Pu", "Bo Pu" floated over the highway.
With.
After the veteran camp arrived at Bopu, they did not enter the camp and the port. Instead, they walked directly around and walked another kilometer before starting their big break. Although there was a canteen in Bopu, Ying Yu, who was in charge of directing the training, did not allow everyone to leave the road and all drank cold water.
Eat dry food.
The next section of the journey starts from Lingaojiao and heads towards Ma Niao Peninsula.
"Every team must be silent! No chatting, no wasting food. Go and pee quickly. Men should stay on the left side of the road, and women should stay on the right side of the road."
"Battal Commander, there is also an open space on the right side of the road. It is inconvenient for girls. Can you send someone to set up a toilet?" Dong Weiwei came to ask for instructions while chewing dry food.
"When you want to poop during a war, you have to build a toilet first?" Ying Yu said with a serious face, "Thatch bushes are high enough."
Dong Weiwei was bored, but she had been in the agency and knew that this was not the time to get angry, so she had no choice but to retreat. She found a few companions and chose a place with thick bushes on the roadside.
In the place, a clear space was cleared, and a few picked stones were placed. After looking around to see if there was no light leakage, a "simple toilet" was completed.
Probably because the atmosphere of war was already very strong, and no one wanted to be said to be "ignorant" at this juncture, the girls did not make any louder noise except for some people complaining quietly, and all of them went to the bushes on the roadside.
It’s convenient to go.
Ying Yu then checked whether the equipment of the senators was loose and asked if anyone felt uncomfortable wearing the equipment. He rearranged them one by one.
After resting, the veteran camp continued to move forward, heading towards Ma Niao along the newly repaired road. The weather was not too hot, and although they walked more than ten kilometers in the morning, it did not exceed everyone's physical limit. Even the members of each team
The women were not left behind. Everyone looked at the newly developed fields and the settlement points for resettlement along the road, and everyone's emotions were high. When they landed on this land three years ago, it was still desolate, and the people were poor and the land was scarce. Bo
The area was covered with smoke and grass, and apart from a beacon tower and the house of the inspection department, there was almost no sign of human activity.
When they arrived, they were in need of people and food. They ate rice, flour, and salt all unloaded from boats, drank river water mixed with bleach, and slept in tents. They did heavy physical work during the day.
, it was pitch dark at night, and I stood on the crumbling watchtower holding a rifle and standing guard.
In less than three years, earth-shaking changes have taken place here. And they personally led the indigenous people to carry out these changes. Our Lingao government has finally taken shape.
In these days, they eliminated local tyrants, defeated pirates, controlled county towns, recruited exiles, won over people's hearts, built the prototype of a modern industrialized society on a blank land, trained hundreds of indigenous people, and established an army.
And the administrative team... Thinking of all this, everyone felt an unprecedented sense of pride in their hearts.
If anyone dares to invade my dream, I will beat him to pieces!
Seemingly infected by such a mood, someone took the lead in singing:
"Forward, forward, forward,
Our team faces the sun,
Stepping on the vast earth
…”
It started with a few people singing, and then the entire column started singing. The loud military songs echoed on the road and soared into the sky. The farmers working in the fields straightened up and watched the team rolling past the road.
The marching training of the elders boosted the morale of some people. The indigenous soldiers, civil servants and community members knew that the Australians would not abandon them and run away, and they would also use guns to fight and defend Lingao at critical passes. It was natural for them to do so.
A spirit of common hatred.
Of course, it also frightened some people, thinking that the Australians were already training with guns, and the imperial army had no idea how powerful it was. Some people looked for opportunities to go to the county town to visit relatives and friends: County Yamen
The county magistrate is still there, and it is still the territory of the Ming Dynasty. If the government troops come, they will not bloodbath the county. For a time, rents and housing prices in the county suddenly skyrocketed.
Most of the vacant property rights in Lingao County belong to the county government, which means they belong to Chuanchuan Group in disguise. Xiong Buyou is sincerely happy that all kinds of dilapidated houses in the county have suddenly become hot-selling - now the assets are being revitalized!
But Mei Wan's construction company was not happy at all. The sudden upsurge in house repairs made the local lime supply suddenly tight. The construction company originally had several lime kilns of its own. In addition to collecting the raw materials themselves, it also purchased some of the raw materials from the private sector: including limestone.
He oyster house. 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 believed that since there was no panic buying of grain at this stage, it was
There is no need to control food. Excessive material control will only aggravate the atmosphere of panic in the county.
But the people in the financial department have begun to get nervous. Yifan's Cheka records the sales status from various stores in Dongmen City every day, monitoring the price changes and sales volume of various commodities. Especially the three major commodities: grain, cloth, and salt.
People in the financial sector are worried about the situation of major people's livelihood assets. There may be a run on the circulation bonds.
Although the circulation notes have established a strong credit in Lingao, this is entirely based on the strong existence of Chuanchuan Group. Once the rule becomes unstable, the credit of the circulation notes will be hit. It is likely that there will be
The situation of concentrated runs. Everyone in the financial department knows that circulation certificates are actually over-issued. Once a run occurs, the consequences will be very serious. Yifan has no control over the audit and will focus all his attention on
Market conditions have improved.
Judging from the data, there has not yet been a run on the circulation coupons. In order to ensure the stability of the market, rice has been imported from Vietnam on a large scale. The Planning Institute has also prepared a large amount of trophies and goods, ready to be dispatched immediately in case of a rush to buy and run.
Put it into the market.
However, the concerns of the financial sector have not materialized, and the market situation remains stable.
"But our danger is still not lifted." Cheng Dong pointed out at the financial work conference that due to this mobilization, the issuance of circulating coupons increased by 37% that month, which was mainly used for capital construction investment, military expenditures and material mobilization.
This fee is ongoing.
"It is expected that the magnitude will not be so large next month, but the absolute number will not be small." Cheng Dong sighed, "It was only after mobilization that I realized that our economic aggregate is really too small."
"If we continue to mobilize like this for three or four months, inflation will be inevitable." Wu Di pondered, "Recent foreign exchange expenditures are also very large."
In order to meet the sudden expansion of armaments production, temporary arrangements were made to import large quantities of pig iron, coal and cloth.
Because the Guangzhou Station was lost as the main source of silver, foreign exchange reserves plummeted and the financial system felt very stressed.
The most profitable luxury goods can only be piled in warehouses because they have no sales channels in Guangzhou. The bulk of light industrial consumer goods are in better condition because most of them are picked up by merchants.
"If it doesn't work, we can temporarily reduce imports," Cheng Dong instructed. "Silver must be reserved as an emergency reserve. The war may not be over when."
"Didn't you say three to six months?"
"It's still six months. If we continue to mobilize like this, we will mobilize ourselves to death before the Ming Dynasty is over." Wu Di said, "I think the mobilization should be stopped at the right time."
"Some projects can't be stopped, so we have to start them anyway." Cheng Dong looked at the budget bills for several temporarily added projects - all of which were approved by the Senate on the third reading. "I have to talk to Si Kaide.
Without the Guangzhou station, we have to find several more channels to export goods. We need to earn more foreign exchange as soon as possible."