Cicada Moving

 Chapter 888 Sabotage Mission

 After the July 7 Incident (Separation), the Anti-Japanese War broke out in an all-round way, followed by the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Xucheng that followed, causing huge losses to the economies of various places.

 Especially the light and heavy industrial bases located along the southeastern coast were severely damaged. Many people of insight have repeatedly called for the relocation of factories to preserve China's industrial base for the Anti-Japanese War.

At the time of crisis, the Nationalist Government issued a declaration in 1937 to move (separate) the capital to Shancheng, and determined Sichuan Province to be the wartime rear area.

 The overall policy has been formulated to relocate all military and industrial-related factories along the coast and along the coast, and to make the southwest a key area for industrial construction.

 Some private factories in Shanghai, Xicheng, Sioux City, Hangcheng and other places immediately began to relocate. Qicheng, which has advantages in transporting electricity, space, labor, raw materials, and taxes, became the choice of most people.

However, when the city of Jiacheng was about to be captured, more than 100 privately relocated factories in Shanghai lost confidence in another long-distance move due to the hardship of moving from Shanghai to Jiacheng.

There are also some manufacturers that are unable to relocate due to lack of funds and operational difficulties, so they simply sell their machines. For example, a ferrous iron foundry sold all its equipment to the Industrial and Mining Adjustment Office.

—This is a newly established department that specializes in assisting private industrial and mining funds in raising funds, adjusting and controlling the supply and demand of industrial and mining materials, and transporting, marketing and distributing industrial and mining materials.

And not only the factory owners who moved westward, but even the local factory owners in Qicheng also had various ideas privately, just like when the private factories in Shanghai moved inland.

 Some people think that when the Japanese troops are approaching the city, the country will not be a country, so why do we need to take care of the family? Whether for the sake of the country or the family, the factory should be moved to the mountain city as soon as possible.

Other people believe that although Qicheng cannot be saved, the war will not continue forever, and there must be a day for peace talks. To put it bluntly, they are waiting for the country to cool down.

 If the Guo army wins by then, Chicheng will naturally be recovered and may become the capital. When the time comes, a new factory will be built, and purchasing land will be a big expense.

If the Japanese army wins, it will be nothing more than ceding territory for peace. It is estimated that areas such as Shanghai, Jinling, and even Jiujiang and Wuhu will not be saved. Changcheng and the southwest region may be spared.

For example, when all directors of Yuhua Cotton Mill held a meeting to discuss whether to relocate, a small number of people believed that the Anti-Japanese War was a national war, completely different from the previous warlord melee.

      Civil wars have arisen and subsided frequently, and production can be started if they avoid the limelight. However, this Sino-Japanese war is related to the life and death of the Chinese nation. If we do not move westward, we will definitely endanger the enemy and help the enemy.

Most of the older directors are opposed to disrupting the company, believing that no matter what kind of war it is, it will never affect production and business after it ends.

More importantly, Sichuan Province does not produce raw cotton, and transportation is so difficult that it is difficult to transport machinery and materials. Rather than moving randomly, it is better not to move.

Some people even attacked some Sichuan provincial directors who advocated relocation to Sichuan, saying that they had ulterior motives in advocating relocation and wanted to occupy the factory.

 In fact, these people who were unwilling to move had other plans in mind, because at this time, traditional textile centers such as Shanghai and Sioux City had been lost.

 The gauze mills there were either closed or destroyed, and there was a shortage of gauze in the market. Qicheng worked hard to produce, and the profit from selling one piece of goods was bound to be more than 10 times.

With this absurd idea, many factories were very resistant to the Military Council's anti-capitalist and enemy-controlled sabotage orders, preventing explosives personnel from entering the factory area, and even mobilizing workers to carry out sieges.

When Zuo Zhong and Wu Chunyang came to the largest Baisha paper mill in Hankou, Jicheng, they happened to witness a large-scale protest (separation) organized by the factory operators.

 “The stubborn fruit party won’t give us a way to survive, let’s fight with them!”

 “We want to eat, we want to live!”

“The factory belongs to people from Hubei Province, why should Sichuan Province demolish it!”

Hundreds of excited workers stood arm in arm at the door, blocking a demolition team composed of the Chicheng Garrison Headquarters, engineering troops and special agents.

 A few thieves in short-shirted gangsters in the crowd shouted slogans from time to time. This was like adding fuel to the fire, and the already explosive situation gradually began to get out of control.

The soldiers and agents of the demolition team were also in a difficult situation. If the opponent was an underground party, they would have shot and dispersed it long ago. But this is the largest paper mill in Jiacheng, and God knows who is behind it.

They had cooperated with Zuo Zhong in the fake torture trial of Xu Enzeng in Shanghai. A man surnamed Li with a brain in heels, a man surnamed Yu who was good at Stiepank's theorem, and a man surnamed Xu who was proficient in cheating and taking advantage of others were also on the team. middle.

 After the evacuation from Shanghai, the Qingpu training class suffered heavy losses. Only about 100 people remained in the team of more than 400 students. After a break, they went to Linli, Hunan Province to become instructors of the newly opened training class.

This time the Secret Service was responsible for carrying out the demolition mission. Due to lack of manpower, these personnel who had mastered the key points of demolition were transferred to Jicheng to cooperate with the military in destroying the target.

The three of them looked at the workers in the dark, their hands holding weapons were full of sweat. The military personnel all carried submachine guns. If this gun went off, I don’t know how many people would die today.

"boom!"

While people from both sides were pushing and shoving, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the distance, startling everyone present. The leading officer of the garrison headquarters quickly warned his men not to shoot.

In the chaos, the agent reacted first, looked for a bunker and pointed his gun in the direction of the gunfire. Then he saw Zuo Zhong with a gloomy face and Wu Chunyang who was guarding him with a gun.

“Don’t shoot, it’s the Deputy Director, Deputy Director Zuo!”

The man surnamed Xu was the first to recognize the person. He stood up with the muzzle of his gun pointed upward and shouted loudly, in case someone accidentally shot and injured the deputy director, in which case no one present would survive.

Hearing the words deputy director, the agents were surprised and happy. They originally thought that they had abandoned their vehicles to protect the commander, but they did not expect that the deputy director also stayed in Qicheng, and their morale was suddenly boosted.

The men surnamed Li and the man surnamed Yu also looked happy and ran over to salute them. While pointing to the workers and the warehouse area, they briefly introduced the situation at the scene.

The leading officers of the Garrison Headquarters were well-informed and knew some of the situation. They knew that the deputy director of the Secret Service was a major general-level officer. They were surprised and hurriedly prepared to welcome him.

The workers looked at this scene and knew that the chief officer was coming. They lowered their heads one by one and did not dare to speak. The guy in a short shirt among them swallowed his saliva and slowly retreated to the back of the crowd.

A few middle-aged men in suits and leather shoes also slipped out of the factory, hurriedly squeezed out of the door, stretched out their hands from a distance and ran towards Zuo Chong, with flattering smiles on their faces. "Hello, sir, sir, I am the director of Baisha Paper Mill. These idiots are so ignorant that they dare to obstruct official business. We will deal with it well."

After arriving at Zuo Zhong’s side, the leader bent down and first put the responsibility on the worker, and then carefully tested his identity.

 “I am blind and don’t know who my superior is”

Looked at the other party coldly, Zuo Zhong did not shake his hand and said expressionlessly: "Deputy Director of the Secret Service, have you received the order issued by the Military Weihui and the Industrial and Mineral Adjustment Office?"

 “Received.”

The factory director took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat on his head. How could the Secret Service be such a department that kills people without blinking an eye? Thinking of this, he bent down a little more and stammered.

“The Industrial and Mineral Adjustment Office, the Ministry of Communications, the Chicheng Camp, the Garrison Headquarters, the Chicheng City Government, the New Life Movement Promotion Committee, the Women’s Guidance Committee, and the Wei Relief Committee all issued orders.

 Requires all yarn mills run by Chinese people to be dismantled and transported to mountain cities. Larger machinery and hardware factories with assets of more than 5,000 yuan should be moved separately, and no brick or tile should be left behind.

 Other items with a production value of more than 5,000 yuan, and those employing more than 100 workers, should be relocated or destroyed. But sir, this factory is the entire property of a few of us. "

 “All your net worth?”

Zuo Zhong asked in a cold voice, turned around and looked at the smoke-filled Changcheng City, and scolded sternly: "Did you see that, that is also everyone else's entire net worth, are you the only one special?

Moving but not moving, bombing and not bombing, what's the point! I think you are not reluctant to give up your wealth, but you want to join the Japanese, become a traitor and a lackey, and oppress your brothers and sisters.

What a daring person, he actually dares to incite the workers. Let me tell you, this is the highest decision of the government. No one is allowed to delay and delay the decision. Anyone who violates this rule will be shot! "

Kneel down.

The factory director immediately knelt down, surrendered to the Japanese, and became a traitor and a lackey. Who wouldn’t kneel down if these two big hats were slapped on him? He just couldn’t let go of the business. How could he suddenly become a national sinner?

"Blow it up now. I ask the workers to get out of the way. Sir, spare your life, spare your life!"

Several shareholders nearby were also frightened out of their wits. They knelt on the ground and began to beg for mercy. Although the Guo army had withdrawn, there was still no problem in dealing with these businessmen.

Looking at these stupid idiots, Zuo Zhong stepped forward, came to stand in front of the bewildered workers, looked around, and loudly announced the government's resettlement measures for the workers.

“Workers, please rest assured that your life will not be without a solution. According to regulations, all employees participating in the relocation of factories will be issued vouchers and exempt from military service.

 Child workers, female workers and workers’ family members accompanying them to Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province or rear provinces will be exempted from fares by the Pinghan Road Bureau, and there will be free food and drinking water on board.

 The organization, study, and work of female workers and child workers are under the responsibility of the Women's Guidance Committee, and the ladies are appointed to direct them personally (separately), so that your wives and children will receive the best care.

The transportation and accommodation needed by workers who move to mountain towns along the way will be handled by the Industrial and Mineral Adjustment Office and the Weiwei Relief Committee. The vehicles needed for the factory will be financed by the Ministry of Transportation.

Evacuation fees will be paid to workers who will not move, 20 yuan per person, and the monthly salary will be calculated based on 15 days. You can receive this money now, come and pay! "

Zuo Zhong waved his hand, and the agents brought in a few boxes of French currency and started distributing it. Anyway, they printed it themselves, so the bald man was particularly generous with it.

So even if the Japanese counterfeit banknote conspiracy succeeds, it will be of no use. Thinking about it at the top of the government, as long as it is printed fast enough, inflation (separation) will not be able to keep up with me.

Seeing a large pile of banknotes, the workers' emotions gradually stabilized, and they consciously loosened their hands and opened the door to the factory.

“Chunyang, arrest those saboteurs who disrupt order and shoot them on the spot.”

After solving the problem of the completionist, Zuo Zhong suddenly looked at the gangster in short shirt who was quietly leaving, and made a beheading gesture towards Wu Chunyang.

 “Run quickly!”

When the gangster heard this, he was so frightened that he crawled to the corner of the street. However, as soon as he took two steps, he was hit by bullets fired by Li, Yu, and Xu and fell to the ground.

It is worth mentioning that among the three, the man surnamed Xu had the most accurate marksmanship. Three bullets hit three people in a row, all in the back.

 Tsk, that’s interesting. Are you no longer pretending?

Zuo Zhong glanced at the opponent and waved his right hand down. The demolition team broke into the factory in two columns and installed explosives (partitioning) on ​​the load-bearing parts of the building according to the drawings.

The factory building is large in size and has a very solid structure. If you want to completely destroy it, you must attack the weak points. The installation of blasting devices requires professional skills.

Timing was urgent, engineers and professional agents quickly fixed the blocks on the pillars and paper-making machines, and inserted mine (dividing) tubes and fuses.

 Half an hour later, Zuo Zhong checked it carefully to make sure nothing was missing, then looked down at his watch and raised his head to issue the order.

 “Evacuate and detonate immediately.”

"yes!"

Under everyone's gaze, as an engineer pressed the detonation button, several cement factories were immediately reduced to ruins accompanied by several loud noises and clouds of smoke and dust.

Even though they were mentally prepared, the factory director and shareholders still burst into tears when they saw this. It is understandable that the factory that cost countless money to build is gone, and no one will feel good about it.

But this cannot be blamed on the government. If it were not for the Japanese, none of this would have happened. We could not leave the machine to the enemy. Zuo Zhong asked his men to help up a few people and lead the team to the target below.

At this time, the vanguard of the Japanese army was less than ten miles away from Chicheng. Seeing the continuous explosions and flames in the three towns from a distance, they could not help but hesitate and temporarily stopped their march.