The officials and bandits are of one family

  After the ceremony, Luo Yi accompanied Tang Yuanpu and Wang Dewei to inspect the construction of Zhushan Town. They visited a garment factory, a wood products factory, and a machinery factory, and also inspected newly reclaimed wasteland. Luo Yi pointed at a water pump on the edge of the pond and said: "The electricity used by this water pump comes from a small hydropower station we built on the mountain. Since it's quite far away and there are wild animals roaming around, I won't arrange for you two to visit."

  Wang Dewei looked at the electric wires pulled from the mountain and sighed, "Brother Luo is really generous. If China's rural areas can reach this level of development, China will surely become rich and powerful."

  Tang Yuanpu wanted to be more practical, and he asked Luo Yi: "Building these things requires a huge investment, Mr. Luo must have spent a lot of his own money, right?"

  Luo Yi didn't tell them about the gold mine, and he thought to himself that if he could keep it a secret for as long as possible, then so be it. He smiled and said: "My father has remitted some money from overseas, specifically to do some welfare work for our fellow villagers back home. I reckon that after a while, we entrepreneurs will be able to reap some benefits too. This land, I plan to turn it into a farm, the income is quite substantial. We strive to be self-sufficient and profitable within a few years."

  Tang Yuanpu said: "Good, your respected father is a patriotic overseas Chinese and a role model for us to learn from. If Mr. Luo has any difficulties in Zhushan Town, please let us know and we will try our best to satisfy them within the government's capabilities."

  Lu Yi said: "There are many difficulties, and I was just thinking of finding an opportunity to have a good talk with the county magistrate."

  "Please go on."

  "Firstly, the National Army is currently surrounding and annihilating the Red Army, and the northwest of Jiangxi Province is in a state of chaos. I would like to ask the county magistrate to help mediate this situation, and request that the National Army not pass through or camp in Zhushan Town. To be frank, it's always been difficult to distinguish between soldiers and bandits, and I'm afraid that if some soldiers don't follow the rules, they might disrupt the town's public order, which would put us in a difficult position whether we intervene or not."

  Tang Yuanpu nodded: "I'll do my best. However, since it involves military matters, the role I can play is also limited. If the Red Army runs to your place to hide, the National Army will not come either. I'll try my best to prevent them from disturbing the local area."

  "It will never happen," Luo Yi patted his chest and said, "This place of mine will definitely not harbor the Red Army."

  "What about the second one?"

  "Secondly, in order to prevent accidents, I plan to expand my security team. Currently, I only have a dozen or so people, and maintaining the town's public safety is still a bit difficult. Now that the town has factories and farms, I plan to increase the size of the security team to around 100 people. But this way, there will be some shortages in equipment..."

  Tang Yuanpu said: "In terms of equipment, the government can provide some, but the quantity is very limited. Each town has its own security team and they all ask for help from the government, so I don't want to be too biased towards you. You need equipment for 100 people, which is a large number, it's probably not easy to arrange."

  "If I pay for it myself? Can the county head help me buy it?"

  "It's no problem to spend money," said Tang Yuanpu. "I'll just go and procure it in the name of the county government, and the price will be cheaper than the market price, according to the government procurement price. However, for a town like yours, do you need a security team of 100 people? Wouldn't 30 or 50 people be enough?"

  Luo Yi said: "Now my town is more prosperous than other towns. There are three factories in my town, and there may be more in the future. You just mentioned the Red Army, what if they come here to overthrow the local tyrants and divide up my factories? I don't have 100 men, I'm afraid it's really hard to defend."

  "That's also true." Tang Yuanpu acknowledged Luo Yi's statement, "Alright, what equipment do you need? Make a list for me and I'll arrange someone to procure it for you. As for the expenses, we'll just go with actual reimbursement, I'll get them to help you negotiate the price as much as possible, after all, it's all within the family."

  Luo Yi said: "As for the price, if the county magistrate can help say something, that would be great. According to the price the county magistrate said, I can add 10% more, and consider it as a handling fee for the staff. Then, I'll hand it over to the county magistrate, please help me distribute it."

  Tang Yuanpu smiled slightly, understanding that this was a bribe from Luo Yi. He didn't decline it either. As a county magistrate, he had many social engagements and needed some money on hand. Compared to other local officials, he was already considered quite clean.

  "Are there any other requirements?"

  Luo Yi thought for a moment and said: "When I first arrived in the town, the brothers of the security team had no place to live. I took the initiative to requisition some idle houses of the rich families in the town. It's almost winter solstice now, and I heard that these rich families want to come back to worship their ancestors. I'd like to ask the county magistrate to help mediate and let them sell all their properties in the town to me at a discounted price, so as to avoid any future disputes."

  Tang Yuanpu said, "This thing, I can do it. Actually in the past they also found someone to sell these houses, but Zhu Shan Town is poor and chaotic, no one wants to take over. Now you plan to buy it, I guess they will be eager for it."

  Luo Yi felt at ease now. Although the barracks of the shock troops had been built, he still wanted to keep those large houses as assets for the shock troops. There were many military secrets in the barracks, and if some visitors came from outside, it would be more suitable to live in the townhouses than in the barracks. Moreover, employees like Zhang Tianyou who had status and skills also needed a big house to settle down.

  Many people walked and chatted, discussing many things. Tang Yuanpu and Luo Yi had no conflicts of interest, but rather complemented each other in many ways, so they talked very smoothly. Wang Dewei followed them, occasionally inserting a few words. From an academic perspective, he made some suggestions on the folk customs and education of Zhu Shan Town, which were all accepted by Luo Yi with pleasure. Wang Dewei also had another gratitude towards Luo Yi, according to Luo Yi's plan, his "Hope Project" in the county town had raised a lot of donations, making his free education plan for ordinary people progress very smoothly.

  After visiting various places and discussing matters, Luo Yi invited the county magistrate and his entourage to have lunch at the security team's headquarters. Tang Yuanpu and Wang Dewei ate in a small room, while Luo Yi specially arranged for some mountain specialties to be served to them. Lu Shuangyong, Wang Dacheng and others accompanied them, frequently raising their glasses in a toast, with the officials and bandits enjoying themselves together. Tang Yuanpu asked about the origins of Lu Shuangyong and others, but Luo Yi just said they were helpers he had recruited himself, so Tang didn't ask any further questions.

  Tang Yuanpu's entourage was arranged to dine elsewhere and also got drunk. Yue Jialin made friends with a deputy captain of the county security team at the dinner table, who promised that as long as he had the county magistrate's approval, he would be responsible for purchasing equipment for the assault camp, and even heavy weapons that were not suitable for the county magistrate to know could be obtained. When Yue Jialin toasted, he secretly stuffed a small red cloth package into the deputy captain's pocket, which contained two self-produced gold bars. The deputy captain understood the quantity at once and immediately expressed that when new aircraft were produced in the United States, he would definitely get one for Zhu Shan Town to patrol the mountain.

  Watching Tang Yuanpu and his group carrying several loads of local mountain products, drunk and leaving Zhushan Town, Lu Shuangying had an unreal feeling: "Luozi, the one who drank with us just now, was he really the county magistrate?"

  "Is this fake too?"

  "I thought you were just an actor hired to put on a show. But thinking about it again, an actor bringing along a security team of over ten people doesn't seem right either."

  Luo Yi patted Lu Shuangyong's back: "What are you daydreaming about? Why can't I invite the county head?"

  "Now, are we considered to have been pacified? In the past, the county magistrate had a price on our heads, but now he's drinking with us at the same table and addressing us as brothers. However, this county magistrate doesn't seem too bad, not like those arrogant and wealthy masters."

  "What's the use of inviting him? Now I'm going to use him as a protective umbrella, and when our team grows stronger, who invites whom is still uncertain. He'll still have to rely on us for protection."

  Lè Jiā Lín stood on one side with a worried and bitter face: "Luó Zǐ, two gold bars, not even a sound, just gone."

  "Are you done?"

  "Got it." Le Jialin has also learned Luo Yi's language now.

  "That's it, what else can be said?"

  "He said that since the county head had already nodded, he could get us 50,000 bullets within a week. The matter of guns has not been discussed yet, but he said that as long as there are guns to be found in China, he can get them... His brother-in-law is a logistics officer in the National Army."

  "500,000 bullets?" Lu Shuangyu said in surprise.

  "Uh-huh."

  "Ah, refreshing!" Lu Shuangyu slapped his thigh hard, as if it wasn't a part of his own body. "If we can get 50,000 rounds of ammunition, then giving these bastards a gift today is worth it. This time we can really satisfy our gun cravings."

  Luo Yi said: "Notify Xu Liangqing and Su Xiaofeng, starting tomorrow, the whole camp will enter shooting training, with no less than 300 rounds of ammunition per person. The target is 200 meters away, and 10 rounds of ammunition must score at least 80 rings. For every ring short, 10 military sticks will be beaten."