Volume 1: Laying the Foundation Chapter 51: Returning Home as a Bandit (2)

  Back from dinner, second update! Seeking votes!

  "Alright, boss. I'm doomed to be a bandit anyway, so what's the difference if I do it one more time? Damn it, let's do it!"

  "Hey Old Huang, don't think that you're doing something shameful. Have you ever thought that if you really become the most powerful bandit in history, what a scene it would be? You know, this is not an easy thing to do! Now is the era of heroes rising and vying for power, with countless heroic figures waiting for you to conquer and collide with. You should feel lucky! As a hot-blooded man, being born in this era is a great opportunity to achieve something big. You must strive to improve yourself!"

  Huang Zhen Shan said with a serious expression: "The boss is right! I, Old Huang, am not the kind of person who gets discouraged when things get tough. Just wait and see how we brothers perform! Boss, tell us specifically what to do!"

  Chen Xiaoqi nodded, looking at Li Junfeng. Li Junfeng continued: "Your main business, apart from fighting against local tyrants and evil cults, is to return the land and property that these people have occupied to the ordinary people who were once persecuted by them. Take this opportunity to establish your prestige among the people, and set up the 'Revival Army' brand. One thing to note is that you must carefully screen these people, don't just see a big household and eat. In folk, a considerable part of the landlords are enlightened scholars, they rarely do business that forces others to go bankrupt, except for occasional high-interest loans. People who get rich through their own accumulation and investment in industry and commerce should not only not be touched but also actively unite with them, seek their cooperation, at least not conflict with them, so as to facilitate our follow-up work. This must be repeatedly emphasized within the entire army, no one is allowed to violate it, otherwise, military law will be enforced, absolutely no mercy!"

  "Huang Zhen Shan said solemnly: 'Yes! On this point, I represent all the brothers to express our attitude to the General Staff and the boss! Absolutely will not have a case of such a vicious incident, if there is any mistake, everything asks me!'"

  Chen Xiaoqi nodded: "Having a sense of responsibility is good, but it's better to prevent problems before they arise. I believe that our brothers will all follow the rules, what I'm worried about is those guys who are used to being bandits and have been doing so for a long time, their bad habits won't be changed overnight."

  "Absorb the bandits?" Huang Zhen Shan asked, "Boss, are you saying that we should let our power grow stronger by eating away at each other?"

  Li Junfeng replied on behalf of him: "That's what it means! In the plan formulated by the General Staff, regarding the expansion of troops and the way to expand, the initial stage is to select and absorb those who are not too evil and still have the value of salvation. After our criticism, education and training, they can become a qualified soldier and join our ranks. This work is crucial, and at that time, people from the 'Zhuque Department' will assist you. In addition, instructors will be sent to each grassroots company continuously, and you should also cultivate political workers on your own, striving to put all the work into practice."

  Dai Chunfeng nodded and said slowly, "According to the information collected by our department, there are currently large-scale bandit organizations active in various parts of the country. In Shandong alone, there are nearly 20 well-known bandit groups with over 30,000 armed bandits. If we add some unorganized bandits, rogue soldiers, local ruffians and underworld figures, this number will reach as high as 200,000. This is still a conservative estimate. Therefore, we believe that in a relatively long period of time, using the method of transforming habitual bandits to expand our forces, despite the risks, is extremely effective."

  Among these people, those who have received military training and have been soldiers are not in the minority. Those who have had actual combat experience and have confronted government troops also account for the vast majority. It can be said that they are a relatively cunning group of people. Once they can transform and absorb, they will expand themselves in an extremely short period of time. However, it must be understood that some of their bad habits, such as smoking, gambling, theft, and robbery, have become deeply ingrained and difficult to eradicate. This requires the political department to increase its work intensity, and our department will also actively cooperate. As for those who are extremely evil among these people, our suggested approach is to "cut the grass and eliminate the roots!"

  These words were spoken without any emotion, but everyone present felt a chill run down their spine. What a ruthless person! How can someone so young make decisions that affect millions of people's lives without batting an eyelid? It's heartless!

  Huang Zhen Shan nodded in understanding: "In chaotic times, human life is worthless! For the happiness and well-being of more people, these heinous leaders and main forces must be dealt with cleanly. Otherwise, not only can they not be eliminated, but it may also affect the purity of our troops. I understand and will execute this command."

  Chen Xiaoqi said: "You understand, this is a must-have guarantee work, otherwise everything is empty talk. Your task, in addition to absorbing and transforming these people to develop and grow, while carrying out the work of cracking down on evil cults among the people, should also take Laiwu as the center, and grasp this piece of central Shandong mountainous area in the shortest time possible. The number of bandits inside may be as many as tens of thousands, whether or not you can control these people depends on your efforts. Our requirement is that before June 1924, you must control the entire Laiwu area, with influence extending to Boshan Pass, Xintai Pass and Tai'an Pass, making the entire Laiwu internal area our big rear base and stronghold. Although there is only a little more than a year's time, I believe this should not be difficult for you. Besides, I have already created a good mass foundation for you."

  Huang Zhen Shan looked serious at first, but as soon as he heard that there was a foundation, he immediately became excited and asked: "Boss, when did you start building the foundation? This speed is fast enough!"

  Wu Sheng laughed and said, "The boss has long become the largest landowner in Shandong Province. Most of the land is in Laiwu, it can be said that all the land that can be bought in Laiwu in the past two years belongs to the boss."

  Everyone's eyes widened in shock, staring at Chen Xiaoqi as if they had just seen an alien.

  Chen Xiaoqi smiled and said, "What? You feel very strange? I remember that on the first day you came, I told you that I wanted to be the largest landlord in Shandong. This is not a joke. Now my land ownership is among the top, but this is far from enough. The distance to our goal of controlling Shandong's economy is still very far. With these farmers as our tenants and the effective work of the political workers, they will first become your backing, so you don't have to worry about the problem of grain supply. On this basis, by striking down the local tyrants and evil cult organizations, we can win over another large group of people. The remaining self-sufficient people, under the threat of bandits, will eventually rely on us. In this way, the vast majority of the population will become our people. I believe that under our land policy, those old hundred names who are most likely to cause trouble and the dispossessed farmers who become bandits will all become our most reliable foundation, so your work is not as difficult as you imagined!"

  "Huang Zhen Shan sighed: "The boss is the boss! Everything is calculated so far ahead! I, old Huang, am convinced! Boss, do you have any other trump cards? Reveal them all at once! Let's get our brothers moving with a full spirit!"

  "Alright, I won't say too much, but you probably can't sleep at night anyway. Let's just say that the white powder industry in Shandong is now dominated by Mr. Miao and his family, and he's our man, so you can rest assured on that point. With his influence, we can plant our eyes and ears in many places in Shandong, making it easier for 'Zhu Que Department' to operate. That's one thing. Secondly, the company's trade department will set up an office in Jinan, and through them, a large amount of military equipment and strategic materials will be transported to Jinan through regular channels. At that time, you just need to come out and rob a few times at the right moment, haha!"

  Everyone burst out laughing, this replenishment method is really special! It's obviously their own thing, but they have to rob it back, what kind of situation is this? However, it's quite fun to talk about!

  "Alright, you've got the guns and ammo, you've got supplies, and you've got popular support. If you still can't achieve anything, I'll really start to question whether you're competent or not! You call yourselves the best-trained and highest-quality troops? Ha! But I can give you some advice: when you get back, your top priority shouldn't be expanding right away, but rather finding a place in the mountains to set up camp and conduct adaptive training. At least adapt to mountain warfare before making a move - I don't want any of you to suffer losses easily! You must understand that apart from those few who came from within the country, those soldiers are all idealistic adventurers from abroad, they're our much-needed backbone, and I don't want them to be harmed innocently. You have to guarantee this!"

  "Please rest assured, boss! I absolutely won't let my brothers get hurt easily! We've been together for two years now, you can't bear to part with me and I won't bear to part with you either! At worst, our special forces team will go in first, then we'll let those stubborn fools take the hit!"

  Chen Xiaoqi said: "How to do it is your business, I won't interfere or give orders beyond my authority. Our team must maintain this spirit and absolutely cannot have superiors giving arbitrary orders! I have confidence in you and your subordinates! Here, I want to emphasize one thing, this is a special task for you, it must be completed! After you return, I don't care what method you use, get rid of Liu Heiqi and Liu Guixiang!"

  This sudden mention, not only Huang Zhen Shan, but also Dai Chun Feng couldn't help but take a closer look at Chen Xiao Qi. For such a long time, they had never heard of the boss making derogatory remarks about a specific person, let alone openly wanting to get rid of them! What did Liu Gui Tang do to make the boss extremely unhappy?

  "Huang Zhen Shan stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, 'I seem to have heard of this guy before. He's ruthless and cruel! A heartless and inhumane person! Good boss, if I get the chance, I'll definitely take him down!'"

  Chen Xiaoqi nodded. Li Junfeng cleared his throat and continued, "While the 'Revival Army' department is expanding its territory, the General Staff Department and the 'Zhuque Department' will jointly take action, focusing on infiltrating and bribing officials of the Northern Government to lay the foundation for our entire plan in advance. Additionally, we will seek out suitable businesspeople and industrialists in Shandong Province to form joint ventures and make acquisitions, making preparations for the next step of work for the 'MeiHua' system. Among these, I will personally handle a few important people, and the details are not worth mentioning here. In short, we need to achieve several goals: first, to plant our intelligence personnel within the military government to provide timely and effective important intelligence for our 'Revival Army' department and General Staff Department; second, to bribe some officials to serve as our protective umbrella and stepping stone, clearing obstacles; third, to control some industrial and commercial enterprises, which will be the foundation for our next step of work. Here, I represent the General Staff Department in guaranteeing that we will definitely complete the task on time."

  This matter is unclear, but Chen Xiaoqi understands everything, so after he nodded, others stopped talking. Li Junfeng continued: "So the third question is about our 'MeiHua System' second phase expansion plan, this plan is quite large, I think it's better for the boss to introduce it personally,"