allonlinenovel Chapter 1263 Consistent Practice
Chapter 1263 Consistent Practice
In Li Shaoyi's mind, the Shancheng government had always been like this: They were never the ones to get good things, but when it came to bad things, they were all exceptionally good at it, and they were also better at understanding people's hearts than anyone else. In their eyes, he, Li, was simply an ambitious schemer, and everything he did was an attempt to overthrow their rule.
"But to be honest, we should send our men out. Among the wounded and sick soldiers in the mountain city, there are many excellent commanders. We should try to transport them back without alerting the higher-ups. I estimate that they will be alert this time, but their strength is limited. They can't possibly settle all the idle personnel in the mountain city. But we have the ability to do that."
Li Shaoyi didn't have time to complain like the two of them; he had already given the order. Liu Xiaoshan also knew what to do next. The veterans who survived the battlefield were an invaluable force. Many in the Shancheng government knew this, but regrouping these people would require a tremendous amount of manpower and resources. Much money had already been misappropriated; could they really expect those officials to return it?
If it weren't for the war effort, Li Shaoyi would have genuinely wanted to publicize the current situation in Chongqing, letting all the overseas Chinese who had donated money see where their funds were going. However, after careful consideration, Li Shaoyi realized that while doing so would let people know the truth, without these donations, the Nationalist government would likely come to a standstill.
Of course, the main reason is that many people see no hope for the war of resistance. Now that they have this money, although a large portion has been embezzled, at least some has been used for the war effort. If this money were lost, those people would likely side with the Japanese. The 72nd Army alone is currently insufficient to fully combat the Japanese.
"Sir, it's a phone call from Minister He of the Ministry of Military Affairs."
Li Shaoyi had just been served his hot tea and hadn't even had a chance to take a sip when Minister He called.
"What instructions does Minister He have?"
Li Shaoyi knew it was because of the question from earlier, but he couldn't say it directly. In fact, Li Shaoyi also understood that his presence in Shancheng was making these people extremely uneasy. If he were to leave Shancheng, they would probably celebrate with firecrackers, because his presence represented some kind of instability.
“Brother, your remarks in the street have put us in a very difficult position. I've been severely reprimanded by the higher-ups, who told me to have a proper talk with you and not to speak recklessly in front of so many people. As high-ranking military officers, every word we say carries the weight of our own image and that of the Party and the country. If it gets out in the streets, it will put many people in a very passive position.”
Minister He said with a bitter face, he knew that saying these things was useless, but he had to do what needed to be done, otherwise he would be scolded by his superiors again. In fact, no one in the whole mountain city could do anything about Li Shaoyi. Ever since his departure from Hankou, everyone had understood, but they still had to persuade him, otherwise his superiors would say that he was not working hard enough.
"I don't think what I said tarnished my image. I just feel that they are all heroes of the War of Resistance and shouldn't be treated like this. On my way back, I passed several nightclubs. Is this appropriate for Chongqing? This is the wartime capital, and the word 'wartime' is reflected in all the documents, but the development of the entertainment industry has exceeded our imagination. Many of us have embezzled a lot of donations and government funds to maintain the same extravagant lifestyle as before. If even half of these people were punished, I estimate the situation in Chongqing would be completely different. Minister He, instead of advising me here, you should have a good talk with the supervisory department. Squat outside those nightclubs, go in and check them one by one, and I guarantee that the funds will come out immediately. If Minister He can't do it, I can do it myself. I'm not afraid of offending anyone."
Li Shaoyi spoke with absolute certainty, while Minister He opposite him wore a wry smile. How could they dare entrust this matter to Li Shaoyi? If they dared to entrust this matter to Li Shaoyi, they were afraid they didn't know which way the sun would rise in Chongqing tomorrow.
Li Shaoyi is incredibly audacious, and he's ruthless when it comes to his actions. If what he says is true—that he can arrest thousands of people a day by lying in wait outside those dance halls, and then ransack their homes—what kind of funds can't he seize?
"No, we can't be so radical about this. This is the time when we need unity, and many people are wavering. If our policies are too ruthless, it could very well cause these people to side with the Japanese, which would be very detrimental to our cause of resisting Japan."
Minister He dared not cause any unnecessary trouble; his original intention was to persuade Li Shaoyi not to make any extreme remarks outside. If Li Shaoyi were to use this phone call as an excuse to start arresting people outside those nightclubs, that would be quite a spectacle.
Li Shaoyi was prepared to continue the discussion, but Minister He quickly hung up the phone. Some things couldn't be discussed in depth; everyone understood this, but no one dared to voice it, fearing they might offend certain people. However, Li Shaoyi wasn't afraid of this at all. In his view, if the rear wasn't properly reorganized, even if victory was achieved at the front, they wouldn't be able to hold that position.
"Brother, stop sighing. The Nationalist government hasn't been like this for just a day. You know how these people have been living since the Nanjing Incident. Do you really think a war can wake them up? If we followed their methods, we wouldn't have achieved so many victories."
Liu Xiaoshan said somewhat speechlessly, "I had only heard about it from others before, but after I became Li Shaoyi's representative and was stationed in Chongqing, I finally understood that the entire Nationalist government was terminally ill. Don't think that only a few individuals are like this; in fact, most of them are like this. It's probably impossible to save them, mainly because we simply don't have that ability."
Just as the group was talking, a burst of gunfire came from the southeast, clearly indicating an armed conflict. They had never heard of any Japanese soldiers in the vicinity.
What's going on here?