Chapter 6: Taiwan's New Image (Part 1)

  In mid-April 1970, after the Ministry of Finance's internal meeting ended, other departments of the Executive Yuan also took action closely. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Economic Affairs first officially announced Taiwan's 1970 economic investment plan to the outside world.

  This massive economic development plan has sparked a heated response from the island's people, and it is the first time that the government has proposed such a formal and detailed economic plan. The island is abuzz with discussion about this plan, and everyone feels that the government really wants to revitalize Taiwan's economy this time, which has somewhat eased the tense political atmosphere in Taiwan.

  In practice, since March, the political atmosphere within Taiwan has gradually eased, especially recently with Premier Chiang Ching-kuo publicly stating: "The mainland and Taiwan are of the same roots, both sides should quickly eliminate their enemy status, and return to the track of peaceful dialogue. The Taiwanese authorities will stop harassing the coastal areas of the mainland and underground espionage activities from today, and recall all undercover agents. I hope that the KMT and the Communist Party can cooperate for a third time."

  With Chiang Ching-kuo's public statement, it brought a huge shock to the intellectuals in Taiwan, as if the heavy stone pressed on their chest suddenly disappeared, and the people on the island seemed to have let out a sigh of relief and completely relaxed.

  In the past, due to the hostile relationship between mainland China and Taiwan, exchanges between the two sides were almost completely severed. The mainland had put great pressure on Taiwanese civilians for a long time. Now, with the government's high-profile announcement of abandoning armed confrontation, they no longer have to worry about war coming to their heads, nor do they have to worry about being taken away by military police at any time on suspicion of espionage.

  Although this is just a wishful thinking of the Taiwanese people, Lin Feng has already used the KMT-controlled propaganda agencies to vigorously promote the speeches of both the KMT and the Communist Party starting to move towards peace. At the same time, some official writers published articles that had been prepared long ago, and for a while, many experts on TV and in newspapers argued from economic and political perspectives that the two sides across the strait have no choice but to take the path of peaceful reunification.

  The early 1970s was a period of ideological and cultural enlightenment in Taiwan, which had a great impact on the later generations. Many people who looked back on this era said that it was indeed an age where darkness and dawn intersected. In post-war Taiwan, the control of political power made the entire society almost suffocate, young people were either trapped in nihilism or felt they were a lost generation, making the 1970s the enlightenment era for Taiwan.

  Recently, as Chiang Ching-kuo's assistant, Lin Feng has also frequently appeared on TV and in newspapers. His young face and sharp words have left a deep impression on everyone, especially attracting the attention of many young people.

  "Does everyone know what the biggest scourge in Taiwan is right now? It's the gangsters from all over. In the next stage, the government will focus on cracking down on gangsters. Those who are involved with gangsters and surrender to the government before April 20th will be dealt with leniency. Otherwise, you will face severe punishment by law. I also want to warn those government officials who collude with gangsters that you won't have a good outcome." Lin Feng's words sparked a strong reaction in Taiwan, ordinary people are naturally jubilant, but for gangsters, this is nothing short of a nightmare.

  Lin Feng was well aware that some of the gangs existing in Taiwanese society today were not as powerful as they would be in a decade or so. Many of the big shots who shook Taiwan in later years rose to prominence during this time. All of Taiwan's future leaders would be entangled with gang members, which is truly a joke of epic proportions. Now Lin Feng wanted to take advantage of the fact that many gangs had not yet risen to power and eliminate them all at once, thoroughly eradicating the major scourge that had been plaguing Taiwan.

  To avoid a disastrous fate, many gang leaders gathered together. The Taiwan Bamboo Union headquarters' Chen Qi-li, Deng Guo-feng, Zhang An-le and Wu Dun were also discussing Lin Feng's remarks.

  Chen Qili glanced at Wu Dun and said: "Ah Dun, do you think the government is serious this time or just making a big show like before, mainly to make money?"

  Wu Dun was silent for a moment before saying: "It's hard to say, I have a bad premonition, this time the government is probably going to come down really heavily."

  "What are we afraid of? If they really come, can't we still be afraid of them?" Deng Guofeng shouted with his eyes wide open.

  Chen Qili ignored him and continued to speak to Wu Dun, "Let's hold our troops back for now and observe the actions of the Four Seas Gang. If things don't work out, we can leave Taiwan and head to Southeast Asia."

  Unfortunately, before the gangsters could react, various government departments, under Chiang's instruction, jointly launched a crackdown on organized crime with the intelligence agency and the military. Under the command of Chiang Ching-kuo and Lin Feng, the operation was carried out at 2 am on April 20, 1970.

  This can be said to be a lightning-fast action, and most of the gang members were caught in bed. More than 1,000 gang members were arrested, mainly including Chen Qili, the leader of the Bamboo Union Triad, and Feng Zuyu, the leader of the Four Seas Gang, as well as their trusted subordinates. If these people have murder cases on their hands, they will be in trouble, and what awaits them is the death penalty.

  The next morning, when the islanders woke up to find that the air on the island seemed fresher, at 8 o'clock news channel, the islanders watched Lin Feng talking eloquently and listened to the long list of names. For the first time, they felt that the government was still a bit reliable deep down in their hearts. People walked onto the streets where the once ubiquitous thugs and gangsters had vanished without a trace, and many former arrogant underworld figures were nowhere to be seen.

  At 9:00 sharp, most of the people in Taipei gathered at an abandoned military base on the outskirts of Taipei City, where a public trial of underworld figures would be held.

  In fact, Lam Fung did not quite agree with this public trial system, but in order to eradicate the gangsters as soon as possible and deter some ambitious people on the island, he had to do so.

  "Fellow countrymen, citizens, after a night of hard fighting, we have now captured all the gangsters. Those who are guilty of serious crimes will be executed by firing squad. Some with lighter sentences will be sentenced to 10 years or more in prison, and no reduction in sentence will be allowed. I hope everyone will go back and educate their children well, as taking this path of being a gangster will lead to a dead end. From now on, the government will launch an annual campaign to crack down on gangs."

  "What? Execution by shooting?"

  It can be said that Lin Feng's words caused a heated discussion among everyone, and no one expected this result beforehand, including that