When Cheng Dali, the new county chief of Heihuo County, arrived at Lao Liuzhuang on a bicycle with two guards, Lu Ming was at Old Man Liu's house in the village, listening to Old Man Liu telling the legend of Heihuo County.
It is said that thousands of years ago, this place was a land of black fire hell. The people here did something wrong, and black fire fell from the sky, burning the place until no grass grew. The hellfire burned for several years before gradually subsiding. The current residents here are all later immigrants, and Black Fire County got its name from this.
In the fenced yard of Uncle Liu's house, Lu Ming sat on a wooden stool and listened patiently to Uncle Liu telling stories.
The old man was in his sixties, with a hunched back, deep wrinkles on his face, and cloudy eyes that were so sunken that they could not be seen. He looked very old. In Lu Ming's previous life, there were very few people in their seventies or eighties who looked so old.
Old Mr. Liu was also a little confused, and his story was incoherent. His eldest son Liu Yigou, who was standing next to him, had deep worry in his eyes, but did not dare to interrupt.
"Old man, you look tired too. Go and have a rest!" Lu Ming smiled and said to Liu Yigou, "Help your father go back to the house. You have worked hard today."
Liu Yigou felt relieved, and hurriedly helped his father back to the thatched hut with his wife Wang. Although Wang was originally standing there trembling with fear, she was very impatient with her father-in-law. As soon as she heard him enter the thatched hut, she scolded him a few words.
The couple came back quickly. They were both in their early forties, but Liu Yi's back was a little hunched, a typical figure of an old farmer under the heavy pressure of farm work. Wang was a dark-skinned peasant woman. They stood in front of the thatched hut with numb and slightly fearful looks on their faces, a picture of farmers in the old society.
"Well, take those things in!" Lu Ming pointed to the four-colored gifts on the ground beside him: snacks, wine, candies and canned food. Because there was no place to put them, they could only be placed on the ground temporarily.
"Although the environment at home is not good, I have done my best to support my old father." Standing in this farmyard, Lu Ming's heart was full of emotion. It is these families that make up the vast rural area. Can he bring them the changes they really need
At this time, a red feather came hurriedly to report that the commissioner of the county office had arrived at the village entrance and asked if the master wanted to see him.
Lu Ming looked at Liu Yigou and Wang and smiled: "I'm leaving." He patted Liu Yigou's shoulder and said, "Be filial to the elders."
Liu Yigou bowed in fear and trepidation, "Yes, yes."
As soon as Lu Ming and his party walked out of the fenced yard, Wang couldn't wait to pick up the four-color snacks and looked through them as if they were treasures.
Outside, several figures were hurrying in, led by a young man in his early twenties, Cheng Dali, the commissioner of the county government.
The two guards behind him were stopped at a long distance because they were carrying box guns.
"Commissioner!" Cheng Dali ran over excitedly.
Lu Ming smiled and stretched out his hand to shake his hand. "Now you are also a specialist! You are making great progress!"
Cheng Dali was a little embarrassed and said, "I am just filling in the gaps."
Lu Ming had seen this young man when he was fighting bandits in Wanzhou. At that time, he was a member of the armed working team of Dahuling Township. After spending several months together, he became very familiar with him.
It seems that he was selected as a reserve cadre. After a year of emergency training, he successfully joined the Westward Expedition Cadre Corps.
The Westward Cadre Group is composed of candidates for cadres who come to Anshan to supplement various administrative agencies.
"Captain Miao, ah, it's Commissioner Miao. She heard that you were here, so let me salute you on her behalf!" Cheng Dali said, standing at attention.
Lu Ming knew that he was talking about Miao Hongmei, the leader of the armed work team of Dahuling Township, the cheerful and capable tomboy.
He was also in the westward-moving cadre group and was appointed as the commissioner of the Leshan Municipal Office in Yanzhou Dao.
The formation of the cadre group heading west was naturally signed by themselves.
Although most of the group members only glanced at it briefly, the commissioners of the city and county offices naturally looked at their files in detail, so they still took the appointment of old friends such as Cheng Dali and Miao Hongmei into consideration.
"Da Li, how is the transformation of the old patrol police in Heihuo County going?" Lu Ming asked, "Do we need to train police officers from the base and send them here? Besides, for the patrol police profession, it is better for locals to be familiar with the local area."
When it comes to business, Cheng Dali's expression becomes serious. "It's difficult. We can only take it slowly! I didn't retain any staff from the old police station. All of them are new young people. However, many of them have concerns and lack the confidence to go out and take charge."
Lu Ming pondered: "In a couple of days, a platoon of judicial police will escort the judge here, right? If you guys work together and pass one or two cases, the situation will be much better."
"I understand!" Cheng Dali nodded.
Lu Ming smiled again: "I've been here recently, so you might as well set off bigger firecrackers, and you won't be afraid of disturbing a hornet's nest."
Cheng Dali gritted his teeth and said, "Okay!"
Lu Ming looked towards the north. "According to the latest intelligence, the cavalry division of Ma Quanyou's army in Northern Xinjiang has already arrived in Gongyang. They are moving very fast. Northern Xinjiang still has some strengths. No wonder they can compete with the Haixi Army supported by the Japanese without losing the upper hand."
"If Ma Quanyou's troops go south, they will enter Songshan Road, which is adjacent to us. According to the original strategy, we don't want to enter Songshan Road, but we will use it as a buffer zone between us and the expansion of Northern Xinjiang. We have also expressed our willingness to Northern Xinjiang. The commander of Songshan Road, An Benxi, is a good friend of our Tangyang Brigade Commander An Dashun, and is also inclined to exist as our friendly army. But I don't think Ma Quanyou's troops will abide by the tacit agreement between us and Northern Xinjiang."
"So Dali, you have to be prepared too. You may have to go hunting with me to see how powerful the Ma family army, which is known for its speed, is." Lu Ming said with a smile.
Cheng Dali became excited: "Okay, let's take those little bastards to see the world, then they will become braver and not afraid of this master or that master!"
The armed work team once followed "Commissioner Zhang" to fight, entered the Shibaguaizi Cave three times, won three battles and completely defeated the Haixi bandits. Those battles left an indelible shock in the hearts of Cheng Dali and other team members.
In Cheng Dali's opinion, the regular brigades of the Black Mountain Corps are invincible, not to mention the elite subordinates of Commissioner Zhang.
Therefore, he dared to lead out even the patrol team of dozens of people that he had just recruited. After all, they would just be supporting roles and were just accepting the baptism of war.
As for handling the affairs of the county office, it would be better to let him lead a few dozen armed men to fight, which would make him feel more comfortable.
Lu Ming looked at him and smiled: "Don't forget your duties. You are in a different position now. However, the cadres of the Westward Advancement Group are all capable of fighting. Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to take over a place with just a few guards. I have high expectations for you."
He added: "If the patrol team of dozens of people really listens to your command, then you can master this small Black Fire County. What you will do in the future will be civilian work. You need to be patient and learn all kinds of trivial matters. What does the manual say?"
Cheng Dali smiled innocently, "I feel embarrassed to tell you this. I'm afraid you will laugh at me."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "It's okay. Tell me, how do you want to be the county magistrate?"
Cheng Dali put away his smile, "Exactly. I am different from the previous county magistrate. I will not hire anyone if I can do what I want. I will also try to keep the institutions as simple as possible. I will use local taxes to support public officials. If I want to reduce local taxes and have more money to invest in infrastructure, I definitely cannot have too many public officials supported by taxes."
Lu Ming nodded. "That's right. More public officials are good for stability, but we're afraid that we'll fall into a vicious circle of becoming more and more bloated. People are redundant and waste social resources without doing any work. There's always a limit to the wealth created by the grassroots people and the number of people they can support. If this balance is not good, it's easy to collapse when encountering natural disasters or man-made disasters."
"In fact, if you want to govern, you still need representatives of the people or parliament to constrain you. But in Anshan, we can only talk about it later. Now, it depends on you to govern by people. Whether it works well or not depends on your ability and character. In addition, the local judges who are completely different from you are also a kind of check and balance for you public officials." Lu Ming laughed at himself and said, "It seems strange. I said these words out of my feelings. It's not directed at you. It makes me and you become opposites, as if you think you have original sin. But a good system must be good if everyone is preset as a bad person. Only in this way can the regulations and transparent supervision be formulated to restrain the real bad guys and the good guys will not go astray."
Cheng Dali laughed dryly, not knowing what to say.
Bai Narcissus, who had always been following Lu Ming, also brought the four-color snacks. Her beautiful eyes flickered at this moment, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Lu Ming looked at his watch and said with a smile, "Da Li, stay for dinner and meet the experts from Donghai."
…
There was a round table near the RV with simple benches. There were four dishes and one soup on the table, and the portions were large enough to feed seven or eight people. There were also drinks and so on.
Cheng Dali seemed even more restrained in front of the experts and cultural figures from Donghai.
The exploration team consisted of more than 30 people, divided into several groups, each with a guard squad following them.
Still at the "headquarters" are three older professors, led by Professor Li Bohai, a man in his seventies who is still in good health. He is also one of the most famous geological experts in the empire. If the students go down to work and really find any clues, it is up to Professor Li and others to analyze and make the final decision.
Lu Ming really didn't know much about geology. He talked to Professor Li about the legend of the black fire here. He said that although the legend here is a bit like nonsense, folk legends often have their roots. It was just that people at that time found it difficult to understand some natural phenomena, so they recorded them in the form of myths.
Professor Li also agreed with this and expressed great approval of Lu Ming.
"Commissioner Zhang, the farmers in the Northern Territory are really suffering. It was hard to imagine before we came here. You said that the transportation here is blocked and the land is barren. Now that you are here, but have changed the rulers, can you change things? I think it's difficult!" Professor Li said with a sigh.
Cheng Dali frowned beside him, the words sounded harsh to his ears.
Especially Professor Li, who always referred to General Lu as "Lu Ming" and "Lu Ming". If it weren't for the fact that Commissioner Zhang respected these old men very much, he would have scolded them long ago.
Lu Ming nodded and said, "I dare not say anything about change. Let's take it slowly. But I think that if we plan a fertilizer plant in each province, organize manpower to repair canals and dig wells, and slowly increase its grain production, it should be possible to solve the problem of food and clothing for most people in due time, right? Of course, I am just talking about it on paper. There will definitely be problems in implementation. General Lu requires that in our controlled area of Anshan, we must ensure the execution of the political power at all levels. That is, we will not implement a democratically elected government for the time being, and we will not set up a parliament to restrict the governors. This is all for the purpose of concentrating our efforts on doing things." Looking at Cheng Dali, "In terms of execution, the number of public officials should be streamlined as much as possible, and we still have to rely on the people to mobilize the people. How to mobilize the people depends on your ability!"
Cheng Dali nodded silently, digesting Commissioner Zhang's words.
Professor Li nodded thoughtfully and said, "Maybe Mr. Lu Ming is right. In Anshan now, a centralized planned economy may be the only way to achieve real development."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Professor Li should have some 'but' or 'however', right?"
Professor Li smiled happily, "Yes, I want to say that, but you said that you want to set up a fertilizer plant here, so there must be a power plant, other types of factories, etc. These investments obviously don't have much return in the short term, and are far less profitable than dumping fertilizers from other places. Of course, in that case, the price of fertilizers is very high, and only a small number of landlords can afford it, but Mr. Lu Ming can make more money. But according to Mr. Lu Ming's plan, it is obvious that he does not want to quench thirst with poison or exhaust the pond to catch fish, but to make the people's lives gradually better, so that tax revenue will be high and enter a virtuous circle. But that requires initial investment, let's talk about the factory, where does the initial investment come from?"
"If we use agriculture to subsidize industry, how much grain will the villagers have to use to buy a set of factory equipment? I guess it will take a generation of suffering!" Professor Li's eyes flickered, "But think about it, this is worth it, right?"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "We have the support of the Eastern Alliance, so we don't need a complete industrial system in Anshan. In the short term, we will mainly plan enterprises that are helpful to agricultural development. General Lu will strive for assistance from the Eastern Alliance. Our Eastern Alliance has the obligation to assist poor members. Otherwise, General Lu will sue this organization in the East China Sea Court!"
Professor Li was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Yes, Mr. Lu Ming, um, General Lu Ming, is capable of doing such a thing. He is a very interesting person!"
Lu Ming said, "Of course, these can't solve the fundamental problem." His eyes flickered, "In the next year, most of the powerful people here will be overthrown, and their assets will be enough to build the factory."
Professor Li was silent and sighed softly: "Any real reform will be bloody, otherwise, it will not change the nature of a society. General Lu Ming has understood this very well!"
Lu Ming took a sip of the juice. "If the initiator consoles himself for this bloody and cruel reform, it is because these powerful people in Anshan are greedy and plunder the people's wealth. They illegally accumulate wealth in a lawless state. Therefore, in order to get rid of these people, Anshan will still adopt the method of public prosecution and use the court to conduct the trial. The evidence will be collected very fully. After decades or hundreds of years, at least they will not be criticized so much."
Professor Li was silent for a while, then picked up the juice. "General Lu Ming is a remarkable man. His merits and demerits can only be judged by future generations!" He raised the juice cup and clinked it with Lu Ming's. "Thank you, Commissioner Zhang, for telling me this. We wish General Lu Ming a safe journey and hope he can reach his ideal country!"
Including Bai Shuixian, everyone raised their glasses. Lu Ming was stunned for a moment, then raised his glass and clinked it with theirs.
…
After taking a bath and drinking a cup of tea, Lu Ming had just returned to the bedroom when there was a knock on the door.
Although the bedroom in the RV is very small, it is a good place to stay in the countryside. The interior is extremely clean and tidy, like a smaller version of a suite in a big hotel. The big white bed is as soft as clouds, which is hard for ordinary people to imagine.
The person who knocked on the door was Bai Narcissus. She had obviously just taken a bath. Lu Ming also saw her enter the bathroom while he was sipping tea.
Her pretty face was lightly powdered, her long, wet black hair was tied into a beautiful bun like a flower, she was wearing soft yellow satin pajamas and pants, and her small, charming pair of feet, as white as frost and snow, were pulling on embroidered slippers, she was extremely charming.
“Master, after listening to your speech today, I don’t know why, I couldn’t sleep. I have a lot to say. General Lu is just as Professor Li said, he is truly a hero of the time, he will bring about great changes…” Bai Shuixian’s beautiful eyes were full of yearning, her voice was extremely gentle, like the chant of an immortal.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "As a result, my Lord sent you to me, so you are very regretful now, right?"
Bai Shuixian shook her head gently: "Not really. The Master's thoughts and ideas are different from those of the people I have met before. General Lu is illusory, but the Master is a hero living in the world. When I am with the Master, I feel enlightened. All my life before was in vain. A man like the Master..."
The delicate and beautiful body full of coquettishness and charm had gently come to Lu Ming's side. The faint fragrance of her makeup was intoxicating, and Lu Ming's heart was slightly moved.
“Master, Master…” Bai Narcissus murmured softly, and slowly nestled in Lu Ming’s arms. With her pretty face and red lips, she gently kissed Lu Ming’s chin and neck… Her red lips even whispered in Lu Ming’s ear, “Master…” Her hot and humid breath and gentle panting were captivating.
Lu Ming was slightly tipsy, and he felt the soft and tingling little mouth of this delicate beauty. The little fragrant snake moved slightly, licking people's bones and muscles, and went all the way down...