The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 463 Make a decision and then act

Each task of the assault corps was arranged in an orderly manner. After nearly a month, when the time came to the end of the 27th year of the Republic of China, He Wei's long-planned recruitment plan finally began to be implemented. After the troops arrived in Ba County, He Wei had actually not leaked any news of recruitment, let alone any major actions.

On the surface, he has been busy with organizational work such as equipment reception and replenishment, officer education, and sergeant education, and has not touched on the military service work which is also his responsibility.

He Wei, the colonel commander of the assault corps and director of the First Supplementary Soldier Training Department directly under the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs, apparently almost completely failed to perform his second part-time duties as director. He did not issue orders to conscript able-bodied men, nor did he organize the two regiments under his command to publicize the military service policy, as if his second part-time job did not exist.

He Wei's actions naturally gave temporary relief to the people of Ba County and Fuling. Many counties near these two counties had already begun to implement conscription, and the military service policies in those counties were extremely poor. There were endless incidents of forced conscription of men, buying and selling men, and even arresting ordinary pedestrians on the road to serve as men. Therefore, the people of these two counties had long been afraid of the word conscription.

When the two regiment management areas and the first supplementary soldier training office in Ba County and Fuling County were first established, the people of the two counties were in a state of panic and great fear, because the people knew that the establishment of such a military service agency meant that their county would soon begin conscription, and the terrible things that had happened in the neighboring counties would soon be repeated in their own country. How could those ordinary people not panic?

Some smart people even sent their young men away from home to avoid conscription.

After the publicity of the great victory in Yangxin, He Wei's name had become quite famous, even in the two counties. However, in the eyes of the people, there was a world of difference between his two positions. The position of the chief of the assault team was enough to make the people praise him and give him a thumbs up.

But the position of director of the other supplementary soldier training department is like a disaster in the eyes of the people. This has nothing to do with He Wei himself. It is just that the conscription in many places is really not done well, and the reputation of all conscription agencies and military service agencies has become bad. Even if the director of the first supplementary soldier training department is a very famous combat hero like He Wei, he cannot offset the negative impact of the current terrible conscription system.

In short, right after He Wei arrived in Ba County with his troops, the people of Ba County and Fuling County were still full of fear and worry about the newly arrived assault corps. Although this corps had good military discipline and did not disturb the public, and was fair in transactions with the people, and the officers and soldiers were friendly when dealing with the people, the ordinary people of the two counties were still full of fear of the assault corps.

In the final analysis, it was all because of conscription and military service. When the regiment management area and the supplementary soldier training department were established and the news of conscription spread in the two counties, everything related to the army and soldiers was cast under a terrifying shadow in the eyes of the people.

However, as two months passed, the fear in the hearts of the people gradually eased a little. After all, although there had been rumors that the two counties were preparing to start conscription, it had never been implemented. Not to mention conscripting able-bodied men to serve in the army, even the conscription of teachers and labor service had not taken place. The people's lives had not been disturbed or disrupted. In this way, the people who had been worried all the time finally felt a little relieved, but they still remained highly vigilant about conscription.

Of course, He Wei's indifference to military service is only on the surface.

Secretly, He Wei had been studying with the county governors of Ba County and Fuling County on the distribution of townships and villages within their jurisdictions, the population registration status, etc., and instructed the General Staff Office to formulate a corresponding recruitment plan.

In addition, he also sent a number of officers and soldiers in disguise to various villages and towns to inquire about the local people's sentiments and the people's views and reactions to conscription and recruitment, and to understand the actual conditions in each village, such as the population, the number of adult people, and all aspects. He Wei also secretly negotiated with the two county governors to collect the population household registration lists and baojia information of each village in the two counties, so as to have a clear understanding of the conditions of each township and village under the two counties, as well as the number, conditions, and distribution of young men who could be recruited as soldiers.

Not only that, with the full assistance of the two county governors, He Wei also thoroughly investigated the relationship networks, personalities, weaknesses, family situations, and social relations of the security chiefs and village heads in each township and village.

In order to obtain this information, He Wei not only mobilized a considerable number of elite officers and soldiers, but also the staff of the assault corps invested at least half of its forces to participate in it. The entire process of investigation and undercover investigation was no different from intelligence gathering during wartime!
When fighting a war, you need to plan before you act. The same is true if you want to recruit soldiers. Initially, He Wei thought that he had soldiers, money, and guns, and he could recruit soldiers by spending money. Whoever dared to ruin his business would be labeled a traitor, and whoever showed up would be killed.

At least, that's what He Wei thought when he went to Ba County for inspection that day and saw the county governors of Ba County and Fuling County crying to him at the dinner table. He was worried that the village headmen who went to the countryside to investigate were trying to use conscription to engage in corruption and make money, and he was willing to crack down on them but unable to do so. His military instinct made him believe that whoever has the stronger fist is the boss. These scumbags dared to argue with the county governors because they had no guns, but he had a gun. How dare they not accept it?

But after learning some actual facts, he realized that he had thought too simply. This matter could not be rushed. Various circumstances showed that the biggest obstacle to He Wei's recruitment of soldiers was the headmen and village heads who controlled the most basic management of the two counties. These black-hearted guys, in order to make a fortune and profit from conscription, not only dared to disobey the county magistrate's orders.

He Wei even heard recently that during the conscription process, a county magistrate in a neighboring county had a conflict of interest with the township heads and security chiefs under him, as well as the county security captain who was responsible for escorting able-bodied men in the county. Instead of relying on the county magistrate's power to subdue his subordinates, he was beheaded by bandits for unknown reasons on his way out shortly after the conflict.

Although bandits were rampant these days, Ba County was near the city of the secondary capital, and the surrounding counties were also considered suburbs of the secondary capital. Although there were no strong central army troops, there were still some miscellaneous Sichuan army troops and various security teams. How could there be so many bandits? Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the murdered county magistrate was obviously assassinated by his subordinates. There were also some well-connected township heads and village heads who were even bold enough to bypass their county magistrates and directly connect with some illegal officers in the recruiting troops in order to earn more benefits in the conscription.

They even dared to kill the county magistrate, which showed that these township heads and security chiefs were not easy to deal with. Once He Wei started recruiting soldiers instead of conscripting them in the two counties, it would be tantamount to cutting off their financial resources. Naturally, they would resent He Wei. With the power these guys held and their status as local tyrants, as well as their complicated social relations and attributes, He Wei was sure that once he started recruiting soldiers, the level of bad deeds these people could do would be much stronger than he had imagined. He had underestimated them before.

Therefore, after realizing that he was a little careless, He Wei cancelled his original rough and drastic plan to recruit soldiers, and changed it to a slow and steady approach and covert action. Therefore, He Wei decided to conduct a thorough investigation before taking action. This way, he could be fully prepared and also catch the group of village heads and security chiefs off guard when he started recruiting soldiers.

This is why He Wei has done nothing on the issue of military service in the past two months.

After working secretly for nearly two months, with the assault corps having all the necessary reinforcements ready and various situations having been thoroughly investigated, He Wei's recruitment plan was finally ready to be launched.

In the early morning, before daybreak, Sanlong Village in Tianxi Township, Ba County was shrouded in silence. Except for some young and strong people who were getting ready to work early, most of the people were still immersed in their dreams. In the largest courtyard in the village, Wang Qinian, the head of Sanlong Village, pushed open the door, stretched his body, stroked his white beard, looked at his spacious courtyard which was unique in the village, the warehouse full of grain, and the village faintly visible in the distance. The fatigue on his face was instantly swept away, and his old face suddenly became energetic.

The baojia system is a household registration management system with military management that began in the Song Dynasty. It is a grassroots administrative organization that has been passed down since ancient times. During the Republic of China period, the basic form of the baojia system in the village was 10 households forming a jia, and 10 jias forming a bao. In actual operation, there could be slight flexibility in cities, villages, and various regions. In cities, each house number was one household. Wang Qinian was the largest baozhang in Sanlong Village. He had more than households under his command, far exceeding the rule of one households per jia. He was also the most senior and oldest of the baozhang in Sanlong Village.

In fact, Wang Qinian has become the local tyrant of Sanlong Village. All the big and small matters of the village are under his control, especially all matters related to the baojia system, which are all in his hands.

Looking at the warehouse filled with grain and bacon, looking at his own house and courtyard, and then looking at the silent village, Wang Qinian had a feeling that "this is our world". Everything in this yard, every brick, every tile, every grain of food, and the fields outside the village were all earned by him during these years as a head of the village and a head of the police station.

Everywhere his eyes took could bring back countless memories for Wang Qinian, and after sighing, Wang Qinian paced in the yard again, thinking about the rumors he had heard recently. He had already sent people to inquire about it. A regiment management area had been established in the county, and there was also some kind of supplementary soldier training department above it. Recruitment was about to begin, and for him, this was another good opportunity to make a fortune.

When he thought of this, Wang Qinian became more energetic and felt happier.

While humming a little tune, Wang Qinian was calculating how much money he could squeeze out of the households in the village that had men of the right age to enlist. How could he seek more benefits from the conscription? Should he ask the villagers to pay money to be exempted from the conscription, or find some soldiers dealers to let the villagers who were conscripted pay to replace them? How should he deal with the villagers who neither signed up nor paid money? How should he manage the connections and relationships?

He had thought of all the ways to recruit soldiers and make money, as well as how to deal with it. A feeling that everything was under control flooded Wang Qinian's mind. When he looked up and around, it seemed that what he saw was not the village where he had the final say, but piles of cash and dozens of legal tender.

All the ways to make money that lingered in Wang Qinian's mind were unscrupulous. They were nothing more than using the name of conscription for the War of Resistance against Japan and the power of the village chief to exploit the conscripted households in the village. It was no exaggeration to say that they were utterly unscrupulous, but Wang Qinian did not feel any psychological pressure at all, and even thought that this was what he deserved as the village chief.

After all, the current baozhang and jiazhang throughout the country actually have no salary to receive, and their status is at the bottom of the administrative system. Their own status is not high, but they have to handle a lot of affairs. The government's conscription, grain collection, and labor assignment all require baozhang and jiazhang to organize and be responsible. Even if they don't get paid, there are still a lot of things to do. These baozhang and jiazhang naturally have to seek some way to make money. Therefore, they use their power and the excuse of the various affairs handled by the baojia to privately levy taxes on the people under their jurisdiction. They can take whatever they want, and wanton exploitation has become the main way for these baozhang and jiazhang to make money.

Many baozhang and jiazhang who used their power to make a fortune also had the same mentality as Wang Qinian. Since I am a baozhang and jiazhang, and I am busy with various affairs, what's wrong with making some money? That's what I deserve!

As for what happens to the oppressed people in the area, whether they are dead or alive, that is not within their consideration.

Just as Wang Qinian was enjoying himself, suddenly, there were waves of increasingly loud roars, breaking the silence of the air. Wang Qinian didn't react at first, but as the sound got louder, he finally realized it was the sound of a car. He had also been to the temporary capital and seen it before. The cars running on the roads of the temporary capital made this kind of noise. And judging from the sound, the car seemed to be at the entrance of the village?
Why would a car drive into his village so early in the morning? Wang Qinian, whose thoughts were interrupted, stopped wandering around, quickly put on his clothes, and hurried out of his yard.

The sun gradually rose, and the whole Sanlong Village was awakened by the sudden roar of car engines...
(End of this chapter)