Volume 1: Laying the Foundation Chapter 59: Meeting Director-General (Part 1)

  Today's second update! Everyone's support, so let's collect it down!

  Li Junfeng went to Tai'an with his entourage a month later. At that time, the main government officials of Shandong Province were working in "Tai'an Road", and key figures were all there. The target person for Li Junfeng's trip was Zheng Shiqi, the military governor of Shandong Province who rose to power in this "Lincheng Train Robbery Case".

  Zheng Shiqi, also known as Yunqing, was born in 1873 in Xiangdao Township, Feidong County, Anhui Province. His grandfather, Daren Gong, was a farmer, and his father was a Confucian official who served as a lieutenant general in the Qing dynasty. Zheng was intelligent from a young age and initially lived with his stepmother in his hometown. However, due to his stepmother's jealousy, he moved to Shandong Province at the age of 15 to live with his father.

  Zheng entered the Anhui Provincial Military Academy in 1890 and graduated in 1893. He then joined the army and rose through the ranks, serving as a platoon leader, company commander, battalion commander, and regimental commander. In 1910, he was appointed as the commander of the Fifth Brigade of the Northern Zejiang Army in Shandong Province.

  After the fall of the Qing dynasty, Zheng continued to serve in the military. In 1912, he became the commander of the Tenth Division of the Fifth Army and concurrently served as the commander of the Seventh Mixed Brigade. In 1921, he was appointed as a deputy governor of Shandong Province, overseeing military affairs.

  In 1923, Zheng was appointed as the military governor of Shandong Province, and in 1925, he was granted the title of General Jiwei and promoted to the rank of general.

  In May 1923, the "Lincheng Outrage" suddenly broke out, leaving the unprepared Beiyang government in a humiliating situation. Tian Zhongyu, then military governor of Shandong Province, was particularly flustered and helpless. Under pressure from foreign powers, the weak Beiyang government had no way to deal with the bandits who held multiple foreigners hostage, nor did it have any idea how to handle this international dispute. In order to minimize losses for "friendly nations", it reluctantly yielded to foreign demands and reached a cooperative agreement with the bandits - namely, an amnesty.

  The person who handled this matter was Zheng Shiqi, the then military governor of Shandong Province and commander of the 5th Division. In handling this matter, Zheng Shiqi showed his extraordinary ability to reason things out, leaving a deep impression on the various high-ranking officials sent from Beijing. In October, the newly appointed President Cao Kun promoted him to Military Governor of Shandong Province and conferred upon him the title of General Jiwei, with the rank of Army General.

  At this time, Sun Meiyao's troops had been recruited and had become regular army from bandits, stationed in the Zaozhuang area. As an important figure who was about to take the stage, Zheng Shiqi did not intend to let go of this notorious outlaw leader. "Eliminate evil thoroughly" was his creed, leaving no future troubles was his style, only Sun Meiyao had not yet given him an excuse, and his subordinates were not yet ready.

  Li Junfeng's visit to the Taian Governor's Mansion was not a smooth one, as he himself was just an unknown minor official. At that time, Director Zheng was in high spirits and at the peak of his career, so how could he possibly put this nobody in his eyes? It is worth noting that when handling the Sun Meiyao case earlier, various foreign military officers came to Shandong, but he didn't even give them a nod, let alone Li Junfeng. Moreover, at this time, everyone with discerning eyes knew that Director Zheng was highly favored and likely to be promoted soon, so there were many people trying to curry favor with him, and it wouldn't make a difference if Li Junfeng was one of them or not.

  Li Junfeng was not in a hurry, he first settled down in Tai'an and then sent a letter to the Governor's Mansion. He wandered around the streets of Tai'an, turning every corner of the historic city inside out. He even took some time off to visit Laiwu, where he met with Huang Zhen Shan, the big bandit who had already established himself. After exchanging information about their work progress, Li Junfeng returned to Tai'an at his leisure. By this time, the little devils who had been bribed multiple times finally stopped blocking Li Junfeng's way, and he smoothly entered Zheng Shiqi's sight.

  One day, Li Junfeng wore a suit and leather shoes, wearing a windbreaker and a hat, carrying a briefcase and walking into the office of Governor Zheng Sizhi with his head held high. The red envelope had been stuffed enough beforehand, and at this time he knew every nook and cranny inside, it can be said that if he wanted to assassinate Zheng at this time, it would not be difficult at all. At this time, people seemed to have no confidentiality measures, knowing what to say, as if Governor Zheng's head was worthless.

  After the guard's report, Li Junfeng stood at the door and tidied up his appearance. He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door three times with a "bang bang bang" sound. Then he heard a low and powerful voice from inside say: "Come in!"

  Li Junfeng pushed open the door and entered, seeing a spacious office filled with high-quality huanghuali wood and redwood furniture. Behind a huge desk in front of him, a stout middle-aged man with a bald head and an eight-shaped beard stared at him with hawk-like eyes, his face cold as ice without any emotional fluctuations.

  Li Junfeng's mental quality was extremely good, and he seemed to be unaffected by the piercing gaze that could penetrate one's heart and lungs. He walked in with a normal expression, stopped three meters away from the table, and said in a clear and calm voice: "Junior Li Junfeng has come to pay respects to General Du!"

  Zheng Shi Qi's eyes quickly flashed over his straight figure, still expressionless. He lightly picked up a red and gold-edged visiting card in his hand, with some playful tone, saying: "Li Jun Feng, alias Tie Ya, the person in charge of the Shandong office of the 'Mei Hua Group' from America. I am not the one who is supervising the army now, the supervisor is Tian Zhong Yu, don't mistake me for someone else. Hmm, young man's posture isn't bad, have you been a soldier?"

  "Replying to the Governor, I am a graduate of the 7th term of the Infantry Department of the Baoding Military Academy." Li Junfeng did not change his words at all, because he had already known that the person in front of him would be promoted to Governor within a short period of time.

  Zheng Shi Qi raised an eyebrow, his cheek twitched slightly, and his voice rose slightly as he said: "Oh? Born into a military family in Baoding? So it's fitting for you to call me your junior. But as a military officer, you don't think about protecting your country, but instead willingly sink to the level of merchants, why is that?"

  Li Junfeng replied with a straight face: "Your Excellency, I dare not agree with your words! As a military man, I always remember the teachings of our military school that 'a soldier does not ask about politics is noble'. In today's world, there are no external enemies or border troubles, but internally, powerful countries are carving up and running amok. As a soldier, if I cannot rush to the battlefield to sacrifice for my country, then it is my duty to do my best to assist in making our nation strong, striving to drive out the powerful countries from Chinese territory as soon as possible, achieving true independence and autonomy for the Chinese people."

  "It's good that the military doesn't interfere with politics." Zheng Shiqi nodded, "Then according to your words, since foreign powers are still rampaging in China, why can't you display your ambitions in the military and drive out the foreign powers with force? Why do you have to be among merchants instead, which would allow for national independence?"

  "Today's world is no longer a place where military strength alone can achieve success. Any nation or ethnic group that wants to rise must have strong national power as its backing, and this national power is none other than the way of enriching the country and strengthening the military. Today's powerful nations no longer prioritize attacking cities, seizing land, and killing people, but instead focus on controlling the lives and resources within their sphere of influence. They plunder the resources and labor of their subordinate regions at a low cost, using them to develop their own industries and commerce, and then dump cheap products back into those regions, conducting a second round of plundering. This reduces the people living in those areas to the cheapest labor force in the world, leaving them with no ability to resist. In this way, it is easier to control and implement than military suppression, and can greatly reduce the casualties of their own soldiers. This can fundamentally drain away the foundation of our weak national independence, leaving us without money, food, or equipment to sustain ourselves, making military struggles a joke."

  Zheng Shi Qi's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he nodded again: "Hmm, that makes a lot of sense. It seems that you have your own reasons for giving up the honor of being a soldier to devote yourself to industry."

  Li Junfeng said: "I think that any form of national independence and salvation is valuable and noble. Moreover, once the country suffers from foreign invasion, we can also reorganize our troops and take to the battlefield again."

  Zheng Shiqi's face suddenly broke into a smile, saying: "Not bad, not bad, worthy of being from Baoding Military Academy, indeed a talent! Just with your confident and eloquent speech, you can at least be a regiment commander under me. How about it? Are you interested?"

  Li Junfeng found it amusing that this General Zheng had come to him with such a low offer, considering that by now he could have been a regiment commander in Baoding's 7th Division, and being just a battalion commander was nothing. If he were willing, the people gathered at Huangzhuang Mountain would be enough to form two regiments, and according to his boss's plan, by this time next year, their team would have at least a division-sized force. This General Zheng was really interesting.

  Li Junfeng's face remained unchanged as he said in a loud voice, "Junior thanks the General for his appreciation! Now junior is under Chen Laoban with heavy responsibilities, eating your salary and being loyal to you, but dare not be even slightly lazy."

  Zheng Shi Qi didn't think he was lacking in charm, but rather that Old Master Chen was a straightforward person and Li Jun Feng had a noble style. As someone who had read books and served in the military, he still deeply appreciated people who took responsibility and upheld their principles. Upon hearing this, he simply nodded his head and said: "Alright! It's rare for you to be so forthright. What brings you here today?" He then pointed to the sofa beside him and said: "Sit down and talk."

  This was a rare courtesy from Zheng Shi Qi. The guard outside immediately came in to pour tea for Li Jun Feng, then continued to stand guard outside the door, leaving space for the two of them.

  After Li Junfeng thanked and sat down calmly, under the gaze of Zheng Shiqi, he put down his hat, picked up his cup to drink water, and then cleared his throat: "Today, I have come to pay respects to General Du, but there are three things that I would like to ask for your permission. The first is that our company, 'Meihua Group', will invest heavily in Shandong to build a heavy industry base in China. For this purpose, we need not only plan industrial parks in Jinan and other places, develop mines, build factories, but also recruit a large number of workers as laborers and technical workers, and open a series of professional skill training schools to accumulate useful talents for our country's industry and commerce. In all aspects, we cannot do without the permission and assistance of General Du. Therefore, today I have come to ask for your permission to allow 'Meihua Group' to take various actions in Shandong with a legitimate document, so as to facilitate coordination in all matters."

  During the warlord regime, there were checkpoints everywhere. If someone without a certain background and support wandered around to inspect, they would be in trouble. Not to mention bandits and militia, even local civilians wouldn't think you're a good person. So if you wanted to open mines or factories, you had to have actual military power giving special attention, and at that time, the largest one in Shandong was the Fifth Division. Who else could be the real power holder of the military besides Zheng Shi Qi?

  Zheng Shi Qi took a deep breath, this guy's tone was too big, right? These three things, the first one already had such a big condition, heavy industry base? What is that thing? Mining, opening factories, opening schools, opening industrial parks? He understood industry, but what's the difference between adding "park" or "base"?

  Zheng Shi Qi asked, "What are the industrial bases and parks you mentioned? If they're just ordinary factories, wouldn't they be approved by my governor's office? Tell me in detail."

  "Your Excellency, this industrial base is not just a simple factory, but a comprehensive modern industrial system that includes steel, coal, oil, chemicals, electronics, machinery, machine tools, automobiles, aircraft, ships, cement, glass, and paper. It can be said that it fully encompasses the basic industries of a country's industry. Currently, our China does not have a mature industrial system to support national economic development, so our group is taking the lead in Shandong to set an example."

  Zheng's eyes widened in disbelief, and he said: "Your words are too big! To set up so many industries, how much financial resources are needed to support them? I'm afraid even the entire National Government can't afford it now! Who is this Chen Laoban, and how does he have such great ability?"