"Everyone, I understand very clearly what everyone said just now. In fact, everyone's purpose is the same, which is to achieve the goal of enriching the country and strengthening the military in the northwest in the shortest possible time. Due to various reasons, the foundation of our northwest region is very Weak, no matter in terms of population, economy, or military, it is far from being compared with other regions of the empire and surrounding countries, but we are also in a very sensitive zone. There are nomads in the northwest, two ambitious powers in the north, and there are also some in the southwest. Neighbors with malicious intentions, there are also two internal hidden dangers with different ambitions, and there are still many uncertain factors within the empire that threaten our survival at any time. Even in the center of the empire, there are many people who are not completely at ease with us and are still talking nonsense. Our hindrance. The situation is pressing. If we don’t speed up our development, we may not be able to keep up with the situation. Maybe it won’t be long before potential enemies come to the city.”
Having said this, Li Wufeng stood up, put his hands on the case, his domineering face looked even more energetic under the sunlight shining in the window, and his voice was slightly louder, "We are facing crises and challenges, but also opportunities. and the favor of fate. The situation in the entire northwest region has stabilized, and the people are eager to develop the economy to live a prosperous life. The economies of Qingyang and Jinzhou are on the right track, and the economies of Guide and Bonan have also begun to show hope. Immigrants and foreign Investments are still pouring in here, and the strength of the military has been greatly improved, and it can fully cope with provocations from foreign enemies. All of this has created excellent conditions for our next development."
"The question before us is whether to give priority to military construction or to concentrate on economic construction? This is actually the focus of the debate just now. I personally think that the two are not contradictory, but complementary and interdependent. One is missing. No, as long as you handle it correctly, you can have your cake and eat it too." The confidence revealed in Li Wufeng's words is unquestionable.
"Now let me talk about my views on the work in the future. First of all, we must focus on developing our economy. The economy is the basis for the existence of the political power and the army. Without economic backing, everything is empty talk. Qingyang should On the current basis, we will continue to increase investment and vigorously develop industry and commerce. At the same time, we must take into account the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. We must take over the land that the Luobi people exchanged for prisoners of war as soon as possible and establish a grassroots government in the local area. Three organic towns will be established on the ground. The most basic water source exploration will be completed first, wells will be dug to collect water, and external herdsmen will be attracted to settle down, with the focus on developing animal husbandry. Jinzhou will also attract foreign investment from various sources on the existing basis to develop industry and commerce with local characteristics, especially logging, medicine and other industries, while increasing infrastructure construction such as transportation to create good conditions for attracting foreign investment and local economic development. The first task for Guide and Bonan now is to develop your local three pillar industries of well salt, wine making and ceramics, and strive to To return to the original level in the shortest possible time, you can tap into the potential of local businessmen and at the same time increase the promotion of foreign investment, especially the promotion of economically developed areas such as the Empire of Jiangnan and Wuhu." Wu Feng's words immediately aroused the enthusiasm of government officials, who all applauded to express their support.
"Secondly, the construction of the army can only be strengthened, not relaxed. The four divisions of the Northwest Army must be fully staffed, and any shortages must be made up immediately. In response to the weaknesses and problems exposed in this counter-insurgency campaign, all ministries must immediately carry out large-scale troop training Movement, and strive to make up for the shortcomings through this training and bring the combat effectiveness to a higher level. The training of the four garrison divisions must be launched immediately, and Ling Tian and I will make detailed arrangements for the training plan when the time comes. The combat readiness department must step up its preparation Recruitment and training of reserve personnel, and make all preparations for the establishment of the second garrison division of each prefecture. I can tell you without hesitation here that once the situation changes and the need arises, it is possible for each garrison division to be established within a period of time. The Second Northwest Army, local defense was taken over by the Second Guard Division that was immediately formed. In short, the army must be prepared for all emergencies, not only to meet new challenges anytime and anywhere, but also to be ready to obtain benefits equal to our status at any time And fight." The initially depressed military personnel were immediately aroused by Wu Feng's words, their eyes sparkling, and they finally suppressed the boiling blood in their hearts.
"In addition, education and health services in various places must not be slackened. This is also a major issue related to the development of the entire northwest. In view of the lack of talents in the northwest and lagging educational facilities, there is still no institution of higher learning, and the quality of government and military personnel is generally low. , I decided to establish the Imperial Northwest Military Academy and the Imperial Northwest University in Qingpu Town on the eastern outskirts of Qingyang. Ling Tianfang and Mu Haoran were responsible for the preparatory work for the two institutions respectively, with the full cooperation of the Department of Culture, Education and Health and the War Preparedness Department. After completion, In the near future, rotation training will mainly be carried out for military cadres and government agency personnel. The length of time is uncertain. I have applied to the Imperial Administration of Culture, Education and Health, Imperial University, and Imperial Military Academy to hire teachers with large sums of money to teach in Qingyang. Officers above the squadron leader in the army Those who have not received formal education and training among government agencies and personnel must go to these two schools for training.”
"Everyone, we are facing a turbulent era. Natural selection. If you want to survive in this world of the jungle, if you want to live better than others, if you want to get more benefits, then you can only become better than others. Others are stronger. Since we are in this troubled world, we must abide by this law. A bright future is already before us, let us join hands to create a brighter tomorrow!" With bursts of applause, Li Wufeng glanced over, All that was left was the pair of eyes full of desire for more land, wealth and power, shining in the depths of the conference hall that was blocked from the sun by him.
After the meeting, Li Wufeng decided to select 15,000 veterans from the 60,000 surrendered troops to enrich the Northwest Army and form a unit directly under the Northwest Army. The remaining 45,000 people were all released as civilians and allowed to return to their own country. hometown. Of course, there were exceptions for a very small number of bandit leaders whose crimes were so heinous that the public was outraged. They were tried by the tribunal without exception and sentenced to death.
With the arrival of the Spring Festival, the entire northwest is immersed in a joyful and peaceful atmosphere. It has not been like this for many years. Non-governmental organizations from all over the country have spontaneously organized and carried out colorful celebrations. The local government has also shown good intentions. Guided and funded some Spring Festival programs that were enjoyable for the people. The security department has stepped up vigilance and precautions to prevent hostile forces from causing damage during this period.
During this period, Li Wufeng held a large-scale Spring Festival group visit. He led the main military and political officials from the four prefectures in the northwest county to invite celebrities from all walks of life in the four prefectures to gather at the largest Hongbin Building in Qingyang to discuss development plans for the coming year. Seek opinions from people from all walks of life on government development plans. Li Wufeng's actions won high praise from all walks of life. Even the Imperial Capital's "Daily Express" published a news article titled "Corporal Courtesy and Xian, Let's Discuss Big Plans Together", praising Li Wufeng for sparing no effort in developing the local economy. "Empire News" wrote a special report titled "The Road to Revitalization", describing in detail the service measures developed by Northwest County in the form of a long article to develop the economy and attract foreign businessmen to invest in enterprises. These two reports caused great repercussions in the economically developed areas of the empire such as Jiangnan, Wuhu, and Donghai. Many businessmen came here one after another, which greatly promoted the development of the northwest economy.
However, Li Wufeng's actions also aroused the dissatisfaction of many nobles in various parts of the empire, especially in the imperial capital. They believed that Li Wufeng, as a nobleman with a title in the empire and a noble family, mixed with those lower-class people who had no positions and no positions, which seriously affected the society. The image of the gentry had tarnished Chao Gang, and they jointly submitted a letter to the emperor, demanding that Li Wufeng be punished for his behavior. Originally, the emperor did not want to expand the matter, but those old nobles with old and rigid ideas were instigated by some people with ulterior motives. They united some officials in the court, wrote letters all day long, and even dug out the ancestral injunctions. Based on the theory, she strongly requested Situ Mingyue to deal with it and set the record straight. Finally, as a last resort, Situ Mingyue had no choice but to criticize Li Wufeng's behavior in the form of an order and asked him to pay attention to his identity in the future and not do anything inconsistent with his identity. This matter also broke out a fierce debate in the court. Some representatives of the emerging business forces in the court expressed strong dissatisfaction with the behavior of the nobles, believing that this was serious discrimination against businessmen and would have a very negative impact on the economic development of the entire empire. Impact.
However, the parties concerned did not seem to care much about this matter. When His Majesty the Emperor's order was sent to Qingyang, Li Wufeng laughed at it casually and did not take it to heart. On the contrary, Guan Yingying, Hua Yumei and An Qier took it very seriously and advised Wu Feng to pay attention to his behavior in the future. Of course, he should pay attention to his dealings with others, but more importantly, he should be careful not to go to any teahouses, hotels or even restaurants at will. If the imperial censor catches the case and reports it to the court, even if His Majesty the Emperor wants to suppress it, there will be a lot of trouble. Li Wufeng was obedient to this, but he did not restrain his behavior.
Hua Yumei and An Qier came to Qingyang before the Spring Festival. On the one hand, they couldn't bear the pain of missing each other, and on the other hand, they each accepted the commission from their own families to express their gratitude to Li Wufeng for his promotion to the post of Jiedu Envoy. Congratulations. In addition to the valuable treasures brought by the two girls, the gift was given by the two girls themselves. Li Wufeng happily accepted it.
Through understanding, Li Wufeng discovered that Angel was very talented in diplomacy, especially his activities in the imperial capital, which gave him a lot of help. For example, he used various relationships to win over many neutral parties inside and outside the court. Most of these people can Being able to speak well in the empire, he also promoted his business among the imperial capital, attracting the imperial capital's merchants to invest and start businesses in the northwest. In addition, he also used his unique status and charm to make friends with the upper class people in the empire and build momentum for Li Wufeng. The reason why "Empire News" and "Daily Express" spared no effort to sing praises for Li Wufeng is inseparable from Angel's role. Even Gu Ji, who was in charge of intelligence collection for Li Wufeng in the Imperial Capital, also wrote a letter praising Angel for being at home in the upper class society of the Imperial Capital and playing an unexpected role.
The arrival of Hua Yumei also brought a lot of good news to Wu Feng. The merchant power in Jiangnan is second to none in the entire empire. Almost all local government officials at all levels have an inseparable relationship with the merchant power. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the local government to do anything. The nature of businessmen is to pursue profits. The rich natural resources in the northwest have long been concerned by merchants in Jiangnan County and even the adjacent Wuhu County. However, due to the constant war in the northwest and the chaotic social security, the northern highway is controlled by nomads. , the merchant forces in Jiangnan have never dared to enter.
Two years ago, Li Wufeng took control of Qingyang, which attracted the attention of these sensitive businessmen. However, the situation has not stabilized at that time, and Li Wufeng has not fully grasped the power of the entire northwest. However, many bold businessmen have tried Then came to Qingyang. They were all attracted by Qingyang's preferential policies, and then Li Wufeng took control of Jinzhou. Jinzhou's extremely rich wood and medicinal resources also attracted many businessmen. This time, Li Wufeng was appointed by the empire as the military and political envoy of the northwest county with sole power. He eliminated the long-standing rebel forces in one fell swoop and completely controlled the four prefectures of Qingyang, Jinzhou, Guide, and Bonan. In addition, After Hua Yumei returned to her hometown, she used her family's power to vigorously promote the northwest. Almost all the big businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River visited the Hua family, hoping to learn about the real situation in the northwest through the Hua family. The Hua family's status was also greatly improved. Hua Yumei's detailed publicity, especially the explanation of preferential policies and social security conditions, made all businessmen excited. Due to the special relationship between Hua Yumei and Li Wufeng, they all asked Hua Yumei to help them connect. Once the traditional Spring Festival is over, a large number of businessmen will arrive with huge sums of money.