Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 407: Working Group Goes to the Countryside

Sister Lanhua was the one who saw clearly. She was very familiar with the military uniform of the man who came. It was exactly the same as the one her husband wore. He looked quite decent and much more pleasing to the eye than when he was a bandit. So she said in a scolding tone:

"What are you talking about, wife of Lao Wu? These are the guerrillas of the National Army. They are our own people!"

When the women heard that it was the guerrilla warfare that brought them great hope, they all became excited. Those girls who were still unmarried even quietly combed their hair and lowered their heads shyly, but their beautiful big eyes could not help but glance towards the village entrance, their eyes full of curiosity.

Outside the village, Lin Tianqi, the leader of the guerrilla team sent to Songling Village, was a little nervous. This was his first time leading a team to carry out an important mission. Although it was just mass work, it was no easier than going to the battlefield.

After the troops entered Lu, the focus of the mission began to shift. This was very uncomfortable for Lin Tianqi, who was used to fighting conventional battles, but this was a difficult task assigned to them by their superiors and it had to be completed.

The villagers at the entrance of the village also came over, so he put away his nervousness, cheered up, and said loudly to others:

“Brothers, from now on we must be careful about our words and actions. If we want to carry out our work well, we must treat our fellow villagers as family members. We should regard it as returning home and remember our military discipline at all times;

I started the song, and we sang military songs and marched into the village in high spirits! "

Lin Tianqi sang a battle song called "Cut the Japs' Heads with the Big Knife". The working group entered the village singing the majestic military song. This military song was also their business card, telling the villagers that they were a team fighting the Japs.

When they passed by the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, Lin Tianqi took the initiative to greet Sister Lanhua and the others. His tone was very cordial, which instantly dispelled the villagers' worries, as if his own brother had returned to the village.

When the villagers learned that the work team came to help implement the rent reduction and interest reduction policy and to establish a militia to fight the Japanese, they completely let down their guard, because they had already received some information that Liu Bapi had already spread the word that he would reduce their rent, and now that the work team had entered the village, that would not change.

Liu Baopi's reputation has long been known to the public. If there were no guerrillas watching him, he would definitely go back on his word.

"Sir, you guys are here this time and you won't leave, right?"

The fifth sister-in-law plucked up the courage to ask. These were the issues that the women were most concerned about. They were worried that the rich man Liu would go back on his word.

Lin Tianqi took over and said:

"Don't worry. Once the militia company is established in the village, no one will dare to bully you. If the Japanese come, we will drive them away."

"Sir, will we be issued guns when we join the militia?"

Another woman asked curiously, the reason why Liu Baopi was so arrogant was because his family had a group of armed servants, each armed with a quick-firing rifle. These lackeys were very vicious and could not be dealt with without guns.

Lin Tianqi quickly gave them a reassurance and said loudly:

"Of course we give them guns. How can we fight the devils without them? Only with guns can we protect our families from the bad guys and the devils."

A bunch of women suddenly became excited, chattering like magpies. Seeing that Lin Tianqi had no airs at all, they all started asking questions at once. Lin Tianqi answered all their questions patiently, and the two sides became closer through the questions and answers.

The working group smoothly entered Songling Village and temporarily stayed in several empty rooms provided by Liu Bapi. As the only big landlord in the village, Liu Shicai naturally knew how to maintain good relations with the working group. These people were all smart people.

That evening, Liu Shicai set up a banquet to welcome the working group, but Lin Tianqi refused. He couldn't stay and eat at Liu Shicai's house on his first day. What would his fellow villagers think? But he also had to give Liu Shicai some face. After all, the follow-up work also required his cooperation. So he agreed to visit Liu's house the next morning.

As soon as Lin Tianqi left, Liu Xiaowen, the eldest son of the Liu family, spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm and said with a sullen face:
"Bah, what a joke! Do you really think you are a big shot? You are just a platoon leader with a dozen guns. If they provoke me, I will take my guard team to kill them."

Liu Shicai was not as brainless as Liu Xiaowen. He snorted coldly and said:

"You are going to destroy the Liu family. Do you really think they only have a dozen people? The entire Yinan is their world. There are tens of thousands of people. How many of them can you kill?" Liu Xiaowen's face suddenly became very ugly, and he said very unwillingly:

“Are we just going to let them do whatever they want?”

The anger in Liu Shicai's eyes flashed away, and he said in a calm tone:
"They have strong guns. We have to endure it no matter how uncomfortable it is. But they can't be arrogant for long. The Japanese will attack us sooner or later. The whole Shandong is their territory. Just wait and see. Songling Village will still be ruled by our Liu family. By then, these peasants will have to vomit out what they have eaten."

When Liu Xiaowen mentioned the devils, he became excited and said:

"The news from the south is that Wuhan has been occupied by the Japanese, and the government has fled to the mountains of Shuzhong. I think surrender is a matter of time. Last time, Mr. Yasuda asked you to serve as the chairman of the maintenance association. I think you can agree.
Now that the National Army is standing behind those peasants, our Liu family can only follow the Japanese and enjoy the good life."

Liu Shicai shook his head and said:

"Don't be in a hurry. Let's see how the situation develops. Don't be the first to stand out. These guerrillas are not easy to mess with."

Liu Shicai was obviously much more tactful. He would not do anything to get involved with the Liu family before he saw any benefits from the foreigners. It was just a matter of collecting less rent, so he would just bear with it for now.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Lin Tianqi arrived as promised, with only two guards. He knew that the Liu family had dozens of servants, so bringing two people was the same as bringing the entire working group, which was actually inferior.
The Liu family is wealthy and powerful, with their roots in Yinan. Unless Liu Shicai is stupid, he will not do anything to him. Now the Yimeng Mountains are under the control of the guerrilla column. They should have heard about the eradication of all the bandits. The Liu family cannot afford to offend them.

As expected, Liu Shicai was very polite. He personally came out to welcome them into the living room, and seated them as host and guest. He also took out the fine tea that he had treasured for many years. After the two exchanged a few polite words, Liu Shicai intentionally or unintentionally led the topic to the suppression of bandits, simply wanting to find out the details of the guerrillas.
Lin Tianqi did not hide anything and told the story of the guerrilla column's crushing victory over tens of thousands of bandits. Liu Shiqi's attitude really improved a lot, and he smiled charmingly and said:

"Commander Lin, please have some tea. This is the top-grade Longjing tea that I brought from the south. Please try it."

It was indeed tea, good tea, top-quality tea. After Lin Tianqi revealed some of the guerrilla column's strength, Liu Shicai's attitude improved a lot, at least on the surface.

Then they started talking about business. Liu Shicai took the initiative to talk about how he responded to the call of the National Government and reduced the land rent to 50%. Then he gave himself all kinds of compliments and packaged himself as a great philanthropist. Lin Tianqi also fully affirmed his contribution to the anti-Japanese cause, which made Liu Shicai very happy.

Then Lin Tianqi talked about the plan to establish a militia in the village. Liu Shicai thought that Lin Tianqi was here to collect money from him. This was very common in the government. Whether it was Marshal Zhang or Chairman Han who was in charge of Shandong, various taxes were endless. So Liu Shicai was very tactful and said that he was willing to take out 1 yuan and 500 dan of grain to support the militia training. Lin Tianqi refused righteously and said:

"The democratic government promises to collect only 10% of the land tax and 20% of the business tax, and all other miscellaneous taxes will be abolished. The standards are the same throughout Shandong, and everything will be done according to the rules. If someone charges you extra money, you can refuse and tell us.

I came here mainly to discuss with you the purchase of 500 dan of grain at market price for militia training. We are not short of grain, but it is consumed too much during transportation. Don't worry, this is a voluntary transaction between both parties, and we will pay with gold or silver dollars."

Liu Shicai was somewhat surprised that he did not accept the 500 dan of grain he offered them, but was willing to spend real money to buy it. This was completely different from the style of other national troops;
Since Lin Tianqi was willing to spend money, he would not feel bad about it, so he agreed without hesitation and lowered the price by 10% compared to the market price. This time Lin Tianqi did not refuse.

In the previous bandit suppression, the Third Detachment seized a large amount of floating property, which was supposed to be handed over to the column headquarters. When Yue Qianli found out, he specially approved them to keep 30% for militia training and base construction. Always being in debt would easily damage the influence of the guerrilla column among the gentry class, and it also set rules for the people below.

The guerrilla column must first abide by the corresponding policies of the base area. It may take a long time to establish a complete set of regulations, but it is very easy to destroy them. Now Yanzhou's fast policy is also in the process of exploration. If Shandong achieves good results, it is not ruled out that it will be promoted to other base areas.

The land problem and class contradiction problem must be solved, but the means can be mild or radical. It is difficult to say which method is more suitable for China. However, Yue Qianli from later generations knows that the rise of another time and space relies on the market economy with Chinese characteristics. Therefore, there are many ways to solve the problem of excessive land concentration, and he is also groping now.

After the grain issue was settled, Lin Tianqi left Liu Shicai's home. He then led the work team to the villagers' homes to learn about the situation and obtain first-hand information.
He found that the villagers in the mountainous areas were generally poorer than those in the plains. The land was barren and the yield was too low. They needed to do more to feed everyone, but this could not be done in a hurry. They had to form a militia company first.

The Japanese are the biggest problem at the moment. If we fail to resist their counterattack on the base, all our efforts will be in vain.

During their visits to the villagers' homes, the working group also learned about Liu Shicai's reputation among the masses, and had a direct understanding of the Liu family's exploitation of the people in the village. However, they cannot use extreme means to resolve the conflict between the two sides. After all, ethnic conflicts are the top priority now, and Liu Shicai disguised himself very well. He had no handle for the working group to catch, so they could only put it aside.

The villagers were informed of the establishment of a militia company in advance and received support from the majority of them. Their opinions were also sought. After sufficient work was done, the village committee and militia company were formally established, with Lin Tianqi serving as the company commander concurrently.

(End of this chapter)