When the Independence Brigade was training in Damei Mountain, the Japanese were not idle either. []
After capturing Nanjing, the Central China Front Army immediately deployed two divisions, and the troops were divided into two groups to invade north along the canal and Jinpu Railway to cope with the North China Front Army moving south. However, when they advanced to the Huaihe River line, they were attacked. The Japanese resisted tenaciously and fought hard for more than a month without making any progress.
At this time, Japan's logistics support capabilities were somewhat unable to keep up.
In terms of weapons and ammunition, Japan's industrial manufacturing capabilities are quite strong, at least several orders of magnitude stronger than China's at the time, so the supply of weapons and ammunition is still sufficient.
However, grain, cotton and other materials cannot be produced by factories, but must be grown by farmers. If the national treasury is still sufficient, the Japanese government can also purchase grain from overseas. But the problem is that after the Sino-Japanese war broke out, the Japanese government's The national treasury has been exhausted. In order to support the war of aggression against China, the Japanese government has issued two consecutive national bonds, and even the private financial resources have been almost exhausted.
In the words of then Japanese Prime Minister Konoe Fumima, if the incident in China cannot be fully resolved within half a year and the Chinese government cannot be forced to surrender, the Japanese government will declare bankruptcy.
This is of course an exaggeration, and Konoe Fumima was deliberately complaining. However, it is undeniable that the Japanese government's finances were indeed extremely tight at that time. This was also the end of 1938 when the Japanese invaders could not The main reason for not stopping the frontal attack.
Under such circumstances, the Japanese government simply cannot afford to continue supporting the millions of troops on the Chinese battlefield! Therefore, the Japanese Army Ministry issued an order, ordering the Kwantung Army, North China Front Army, and Central China Front Army to find ways to supply food and clothing on their own. The Army Ministry was only responsible for the supply of weapons and ammunition.
The orders issued by the Japanese Army Ministry were broken down and passed down layer by layer.
The final amount sent to Pu County was 500,000 jin, and it was limited to be paid within one month.
After receiving the order, Kameda Ichiro, commander of the Kame Prefecture Military Police, immediately broke down the quota of 500,000 jins. The final quota assigned to Meizhen was 200,000 jins, and the amount was paid within half a month.
Pu County has three towns and six townships under its jurisdiction. Among them, Meizhen is a traditional grain-producing town. Because the Dameishan Basin surrounded by Damei Mountain has fertile land and extremely convenient irrigation, its annual output can account for almost the entire county's cotton grain. half of the output. It is precisely because they sit on ten thousand acres of fertile land in the Dameishan Basin that the Huang family is qualified to become the first household in Pu County.
After receiving the call from Kameda Ichiro, Meizhen Maintenance Chairman Huang Shixun immediately sent someone to call Huang Shouyi and Huang Shouzhi's two sons, as well as the housekeeper Huang Delu, to discuss countermeasures.
Frankly speaking, Huang Shixun actually didn't want to be the chairman of the maintenance committee, but he couldn't stand Huang Shouyi's repeated persuasion. In addition, two months ago, a squadron of Japanese soldiers entered Meizhen. Under the pressure of the Japanese, Huang Shixun had no choice but to agree. At the request of Kameda Ichiro, he served as the maintenance president.
In front of his two sons and the housekeeper Huang Delu, Huang Shixun knocked the table leg hard twice with his cigarette pipe, and said with a dark face: "I'm just, I'm just me, how can a Japanese job be so easy? It’s no trouble to come here, two hundred thousand catties of grain, good guy, the Japanese really dare to open their mouths.”
Huang Delu also said: "The Japanese are too unreasonable. They don't take care of themselves. Every household can't live without rent. Where can we get the surplus food to pay to the Japanese? Master, we can't agree to this. We must Otherwise, this will put the villagers on the road to death, and they will have their spines stabbed."
What Huang Delu said is the truth. Spring has just begun, which is the most difficult time for the poor tenant farmers. Even the well-off Kangzhi family may not have a few kilograms of surplus grain left at home. According to the Japanese, Meizhen must pay grain. 200,000 jins, for 2,000 households in Meizhen, equal to 100 jins per household! This can cost lives!
Huang Shouzhi was a loser. He spread his hands and said, "But the Japanese have already spoken. How can we not obey them? Otherwise, dad, our family will be able to afford these 200,000 kilograms of grain."
"Put it on!" Huang Shixun was furious when he heard this, and hit Huang Shouzhi on the head with a brass pipe, while cursing, "I also saved my food hard, it was not blown by the strong wind. , Why should I pay for those mud-legged people?"
Huang Shouzhi quickly dodged and said with a grimace, "Just, dad, why are you doing this?"
Huang Shouyi also hurriedly stepped forward to hold Huang Shixun, while reprimanding Huang Shouzhi: "Third brother, look at what a bad idea you came up with. You have made dad so angry, so hurry up and make amends to him."
Huang Shouzhi then flattened his lips and said, "Dad, why don't you think I was wrong? Don't be as knowledgeable as me."
"Sooner or later I will make you angry to death." Huang Shixun cursed, but the anger in his heart became much smoother.
Huang Shouyi helped Huang Shixun sit back on the Grand Master's chair, and said: "Dad, although the fourth child's words may not be pleasant to listen to, the first half of his sentence is also correct. The Japanese have spoken. I'm afraid we won't do it if we don't do it. These two hundred thousand No matter whether you steal or deceive, you have to find a way to collect the kilograms of grain."
"It's so light, so grab it? Someone has to have it!" Huang Shixun said, "But second-in-command, take a look at it. Apart from a few households that can be counted, which one in the town has surplus food?"
Huang Shouyi said: "They don't have it, but our family does."
"Boss, you're angry with me too, right?" Huang Shixun became a little angry again.
"Dad, please listen to what I have to say." Huang Shouyi said, "This food is not given to our family for free, it is borrowed. Each household has to use the land deed as a mortgage. If the rent is not paid by autumn, then their Tian Ke belongs to our family."
Huang Delu became anxious when he heard this. This was what he was most afraid of. He immediately said to Huang Shixun: "Master, we can't do this. We fellow countrymen can't push big guys to a dead end. Besides, if our family does this, In fact, they are taking the blame for the Japanese. The folks don't know what they are doing and will not blame the Japanese. Instead, they will only scold our family for not leaving any room for things, sir... "
Huang Shouyi's expression immediately turned cold. He looked at Huang Delu coldly and said quietly: "Uncle Delu, you are still not the housekeeper of our old Huang family. Why are you just helping those nonsense?"
Huang Delu ignored Huang Shouyi and continued to persuade Huang Shixun: "Master, we have to leave room for work, and we can't dry up the lake to fish or kill people to get their eggs."
"Well, it's reasonable for you to be rewarded. Keep a line in everything so that we can see each other in the future. We can't do this." Huang Shixun is an older generation, and he pays attention to the golden mean. Although he has also annexed the fields of fellow villagers in recent years. , but the service is fair and the price is reasonable, so the reputation is pretty good.
After a pause, Huang Shixun said to Huang Shouyi again: "Shouyi, since you have a good relationship with Kameda, it's up to you to go to the county seat and tell Kameda that we can't finish these 200,000 kilograms of grain. Let's wait until autumn."
When Huang Shixun said this, Huang Shouyi knew that he could no longer change it, so he immediately agreed.
However, Huang Shouyi did not agree with Huang Shixun's approach in his heart. He thought it was a woman's kindness. In today's world, people eat people. If you don't eat people, people will eat you! You care about your fellow villagers, but the Japanese will not care about you. When the time comes, the board will only hit the Huang family.
Therefore, after leaving home, Huang Shouyi did not go to the county seat. Instead, he went to Xinghualou in the west end of the town to order a good table of noodles, and then asked Huang Shouzhi to send someone to burn Liu Heiqi, the leader of the Black Dragon Society, and the leader of Yiguandao. Master Deng and Hong Jiugong, the head of the Hong clan, invited them to Xinghua Tower.
It is true that the Huang family is the first family in Meizhen and the most powerful.
But the Huang family is not the only force in Meizhen. The forces of the Huidao Sect are also to be reckoned with. Since Huang Shouyi could not do the work of his father Huang Shixun, Huang Shouyi decided to bypass Huang Shixun and rely on the power of the Huidao Sect to accomplish the task. In short, what the Japanese told him The errand must be done, and not at half discount!
Huang Shouyi knew that Liu Heiqi and the other three were all old gangsters, and he was completely incompetent to play tricks on them, so he got to the point right away.
Huang Shouyi gave an overview of the grain payment, and then went straight to Chongqing: "The grain used for rent will be shared among four families, 50,000 jin per family. After it arrives at the farm, it will be shared equally among the three families. I won't take any of it, but there is one thing. In the next ten years, I have to decide what crops will be planted in these tens of thousands of acres of land."
Liu Heiqi, Ran Deng Zhenren and Hong Jiugong all looked at each other with some doubts.
Finally, Liu Heiqi asked: "Second Young Master, you are renting the grain to the four families, but the deducted fields are divided equally between the three of us. You don't want a penny, as long as you have the right to decide on crop planting in the next ten years." ?”
"That's right." Huang Shouyi said, "On this condition, the three heads of the family can give you a happy word."
Ren Deng was still a little worried and asked: "Second Young Master, can I ask you first, after acquiring these tens of thousands of acres of land, what do you plan to plant in the next ten years?"
"I knew you would ask this." Huang Shouyi smiled slightly and wrote two words on the table while drinking wine.
"Big smoke?!" Liu Heiqi, Ran Deng Zhenren and Hong Jiugong immediately exclaimed when they saw this.
Huang Shouyi chuckled and said, "How about it? The three leaders should be relieved now, right?"
Hong Jiugong thought for a while and then said: "Second Young Master, if Master Huang asks about such a big matter..."
"It's okay. My dad has me, him and me." Huang Shouyi waved his hands carelessly and said, "My dad is an old man. He can no longer keep up with this era."
"That's right, from now on it will be the second young master's turn to be the head of our Meizhen family."
"You're right, the second young master is a capable man who returned from studying abroad."
"Second Young Master, it's just about today's matter, no problem, I, Liu Heiqi, will obey you."
After listening to Huang Shouyi's words, Liu Heiqi, Ran Dengzhenren and Hong Jiugong began to slap Huang Shouyi on the horse, praising Huang Shouyi as an unparalleled capable person in the world.
A huge and outrageous matter was decided in the middle of a banquet.