Tian Zhenming said, "Battalion Commander Zhang, no matter how you treat us, this is no joke. Abolishing Chenguang County? Whose order is this? Even the central government would have to consider this matter carefully."
Zhang Junpeng said, "No one gave me orders, but I will make this suggestion to the Central Committee. I invited you two here just to hear your opinions."
Tang Yuanfeng said, "Our opinion is that we absolutely disagree!" Tian Zhenming also echoed him emotionally.
Zhang Junpeng said, "In that case, I have no choice but to report to my superiors and find two people who can agree to be the local officials."
Tian Zhenming said, "Battalion Commander Zhang, although Chenguang County has a small population, the natural villages are scattered and the residents have lived there for hundreds of years. They are unlikely to agree to move away."
Zhang Junpeng said, "They have no choice in this matter. Personal interests must be subordinate to national interests, and this is actually for their own good. Staying here will bring them no benefit whatsoever. They might even find themselves unable to wake up one morning."
Tian Zhenming said, "Is Battalion Commander Zhang threatening us?"
Zhang Junpeng said, "I'm not threatening you, this is the truth. Things are not as simple as you think, and there are many things that cannot be disclosed to you."
Tang Yuanfeng exclaimed excitedly, "It can't be made public! We are the landlords of Chenguang County, the masters of Chenguang County, why can't it be made public to us!"
Zhang Junpeng coldly reminded Tang Yuanfeng: "Mind your identity. You are a Party member, and you must obey the decisions of your superiors."
Tang Yuanfeng said, "But it's precisely because there were no instructions or decisions from above that we are dissatisfied."
Zhang Junpeng said, "Then you two should wait here until the decision from above is issued."
Tian Zhenming said, "You want to put us under house arrest?"
Zhang Junpeng said, "That's right, Liu Bo, take them down and keep a close eye on them. Don't release them until the central government's order reaches the province."
Liu Bo accepted the order and led Tian Zhenming and Tang Yuanfeng to another barracks. Although the two were unwilling, they had no choice but to go with him due to the pressure of the gun. As for Chenguang County, it wouldn't be completely chaotic without a leader for a day or two. Even if it was chaotic, it wouldn't matter. It was better than letting these two go back and cause trouble.
Zhang Junpeng received orders from the Special Forces Division to clear the entire area within ten days. He was under immense pressure and had to resort to special measures. Of course, the first step was to force the leaders of Chenguang County to submit. However, the higher-ups were reacting too slowly, and the order to withdraw the county had not yet been issued. Zhang Junpeng could only carry out the reconnaissance mission first.
In fact, after Liu Bo forcibly took Tian Zhenming and Tang Yuanfeng away, the county government had already reported the situation to the city, and naturally, it went up level by level for instructions. As more and more information leaked down, some things were confirmed, and Chenguang County was very likely to be merged into other counties and cities in a very short time. The specific reasons were unclear.
The reason why we haven't received a clear document yet is because there is also debate about this matter at higher levels. Abolishing a county is no small matter, and time is of the essence. Even Yang Zhaoxi and Hu Weimin are hesitant. In addition, some rumors have started to circulate in the province, and the central government's control over local areas is relatively weak, so this decision is difficult to make.
It was late at night when Zhao Qiang came out of the refining workshop. The past few days had exhausted him. In order to successfully complete the Wulong Mountain layout, he had to manufacture two drilling rigs in advance, making a total of three with the original one. However, the two new rigs he manufactured did not contain 'X' substance, but only 'G' substance with higher purity. Their quality was slightly worse than the original one, but they were still usable. Because manufacturing these two drilling rigs consumed the reserve of 'G' substance, Zhao Qiang had to refine it as quickly as possible. The next step was to manufacture compression cannons and laser cannons. These three drilling rigs would not work without weapons, and he also had to install anti-gravity devices on them. In short, there was a lot to do.
Yang Shiqi was waiting outside, very anxious. When she saw Zhao Qiang, she rushed up to him and asked, "Zhao Qiang, are you tired?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "It's alright, but my teeth are getting soft from eating so much." The refining process requires constant replenishment of nutrients.
Yang Shiqi said, "If you could use electricity directly, I think you should let my sister help you with your work."
Zhao Qiang said, "She's busy with research, I can handle these things myself. How's the progress at Wulong Mountain?"
Yang Shiqi said, "I came here to talk to you about this matter; it's not going very well."
Zhao Qiang said, "Chenguang County doesn't have many people, so is it really that difficult to relocate them?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Yes, they are all long-time residents. They certainly don't want to move away from their homes. Moreover, this matter has not received support from the central government to the provincial government and then to the city and county governments, making it very difficult to implement."
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's go see your grandfather."
Yang Shiqi said, "Okay, that's exactly what I was thinking too. I'll call home first."
Yang Shiqi answered the phone quickly, but it wasn't Yang Zhaoxi himself who answered; it was his secretary. Only then did Yang Shiqi realize that Yang Zhaoxi was still in a meeting. Yang Shiqi said to Zhao Qiang, "Perfect timing, let's go straight to the conference room."
With Yang Shiqi's status, no one could stop her. She led Zhao Qiang and pushed open the conference room door. The bigwigs who were having a meeting inside immediately turned their gazes toward her. If they hadn't seen that Zhao Qiang was behind them, they probably would have started criticizing Yang Shiqi.
Yang Shiqi proactively pulled out a chair for Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang greeted everyone warmly, then sat down. Ignoring what they had just been discussing, he said directly, "Excuse me for interrupting the meeting, but I heard that things aren't going well at Wulong Mountain. I'd like to ask about it." These people were all important figures in the Politburo, and they naturally understood what Wulong Mountain represented.
Yang Zhaoxi said, "Xiao Zhao, we were just discussing the problem of Chenguang County. It's very difficult right now."
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't care about that. If you don't want anything to happen there, you'd better speed things up, or it will be too late."
An old man said, "Speed up? You make it sound so easy. Besides, there haven't been any problems underground for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Are you saying there will be problems in our generation? Are you just exaggerating?"
Zhao Qiang snorted: "You can think that way."
The old man said, "If that's the case, why should we go to such great lengths to abolish Chenguang County? You should know how much money it takes to move a county. They've been settled underground for thousands of years. We don't need to panic. Let's just keep to ourselves and continue to live in peace."
Zhao Qiang asked the others, "Do you all share this opinion?"
Volume 2 [772] Bribery
Yang Zhaoxi didn't speak. In fact, he and Hu Weimin were both under pressure from the province. The province refused to abolish and merge Chenguang County, citing the urgency and lack of preparation. Yang Zhaoxi and Hu Weimin couldn't possibly dismiss the provincial leaders because of this, as it would be quite embarrassing for them.
Someone chimed in, "I think this was handled a bit rashly. There's no indication that those underground people will cause trouble. Besides, are there even any underground people? What evidence have you seen? They're just robots; who knows if they're fake?"
Zhao Qiang snorted: "Since that's what you all think, I won't force you. But I'm warning you all, don't come looking for me if anything goes wrong. If you want me to take care of things, then you, you, you, and you all have to disappear from Beijing. I never want to see you in any place again."
This is a real coup! Zhao Qiang is going to purge all the people at the top who oppose him. The few he pointed out have always been against him. Although Zhao Qiang doesn't care about national affairs, when he wants to go east, those people will go west. If he removes them, no one will oppose Zhao Qiang's decisions anymore.
The expressions of the bigwigs changed. This blatant threat displeased them, but considering Zhao Qiang's power, they could only endure it. However, they refused to budge, and Yang Zhaoxi and Hu Weimin's attempt to issue a forced order to abolish the county was also futile.
Zhao Qiang flung his sleeves and left the conference room. Yang Shiqi followed him and said, "What should we do? Things aren't as simple as we thought. My grandfather and the others can't control the bigger picture."
Zhao Qiang said, "Never mind that for now. Let's go straight to Wulong Mountain. Also, inform your troops to remain stationary from now on. No matter who gives the order, not a single soldier is allowed to be moved, except for you."
Yang Shiqi nodded, and the two left the central core area and took a helicopter straight to Wulong Mountain. By the time they arrived, it was already dawn. Soldiers were out of the military camp, while Zhang Junpeng was hiding in the barracks studying the terrain. In the past few days, through helicopter reconnaissance, he had identified the people in the entire area and created a large map. The areas marked with red dots were where humans lived and belonged to the parts that needed to be relocated.
Zhao Qiang barged into the barracks, startling Zhang Junpeng. Zhang Junpeng looked up and saw it was Zhao Qiang, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Hello, Instructor Zhao."
Zhao Qiang asked, "How is the situation?"
Zhang Junpeng said, "Leaving aside the large population in the urban area, there are 50,000 people in the mountainous areas who need to be relocated, and the total number of people relocated in the entire region, including the urban area, is more than 390,000."
Zhao Qiang said, "The mission is too urgent, so it's impossible to relocate them all at once. Our main target is the population in the mountainous areas. We shouldn't move the population in Chenguang County for the time being."
Zhang Junpeng asked, "Does it mean our superiors don't approve of our plan?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "There are differences of opinion, so it won't work for now."
Zhang Junpeng asked anxiously, "Then what should we do?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's just do what we need to do and ignore them. I think they'll regret it someday."
Zhang Junpeng said, "We don't have enough manpower to relocate 50,000 people from the mountainous area. According to the timeline, it should be time for the regular army to move in. If they don't arrive, we can't do anything."
Zhao Qiang said to Yang Shiqi, "Have your grandfather order the army to move closer here. If this is delayed for ten days, it will definitely not be possible to clear this area. We can only postpone the time. It should be fine to move the army without abolishing the county."
Yang Shiqi nodded. She knew that her grandfather was taking a risk by giving this order, but since Zhao Qiang had said so, she had to carry it out because she believed that Zhao Qiang was right.
A few days later, tens of thousands of troops gathered from all directions. Many civilians were uneasy, as they had never seen such a large-scale troop mobilization. Various rumors spread. However, these troops were stationed in the interior and had nothing to do with neighboring countries. Otherwise, there would have been even more rumors internationally, and China would have faced more accusations and questions.
That evening, officers of battalion level and above from various units gathered at the special forces camp outside Chenguang County for a meeting. Because there were many officers, the tents had to be expanded temporarily, and it was still very crowded. Fortunately, the air was not too polluted indoors because the air conditioning was on.
Before the meeting had even officially started, the people below were already buzzing with discussion. These officers were different from those in the special forces division; they were under the command of their superiors. However, the order to mobilize the troops this time came directly from the Central Military Commission, and the military region had not issued any corresponding instructions.
"Do you know why we're here?" someone asked in a low voice.
"Of course I know, it was the use of force to abolish Chenguang County," someone replied.
Some people are puzzled: "Why abolish Chenguang County? And why use the army? Was it really necessary?"
The officer next to him explained, "What do you know? It's said that a rare mineral deposit has been discovered in Wulong Mountain. In order to protect it, this area is to be completely militarized. We may have to be stationed here for a long time in the future."
"I heard there's a lot of opposition, from the local level to the provincial level, and even the central government, nobody agrees to abolish Chenguang County."
"Why? If it's something that benefits the country, then we should withdraw it."
"What do you know? This is a game of political power, not a matter of who benefits whom."
Someone said seriously, "Don't make irresponsible remarks about national affairs. We are soldiers, and we should just obey orders."
At this moment, Zhang Junpeng turned on the microphone, "Everyone, please be quiet. Next, please welcome our Special Forces Division Commander Yang Shiqi to speak." Because the attendees belonged to different units and were all high-ranking officers, military discipline was not very strict. Otherwise, the meeting would not have been so chaotic beforehand. The military is a place that emphasizes discipline the most.
Special forces are like mythical beings in the eyes of ordinary soldiers. It is said that one special forces soldier is as powerful as an entire platoon of ordinary soldiers. Everyone envies them. If you can join a special forces division, it means you won't have to worry about the rest of your life. In addition to the high monthly allowances and subsidies, you will also receive a settlement allowance of more than one million yuan upon retirement, and even priority to work in the Home Investment Company. Although special forces carry out dangerous missions, their equipment is so advanced that ordinary soldiers can only dream of it. The possibility of combat casualties is extremely low. Everyone wants to join after leaving the army, even if it's just as good as joining as an ordinary soldier. Therefore, Yang Shiqi's appearance attracted a lot of attention.
Yang Shiqi cleared her throat and said, "Everyone, you may still have doubts about the purpose of our visit. Now I can tell you openly that something harmful to our country and people has appeared in this area. Therefore, we must guard this place and completely suppress it underground so that it can never come up and harm our people."
"What?" Everyone was surprised to hear Yang Shiqi's words; it turned out there was danger here.
Suddenly, someone stood up and asked loudly, "Commander Yang, we are not afraid of danger. What are we soldiers for? Isn't it to protect our country? But I don't understand, are we following the orders of the country, or the orders of certain people, or the orders of your special forces division? Can you explain this to us, Commander Yang?"
Yang Shiqi's face was not very happy. The person's high-sounding words earlier were an accusation that the order to mobilize the troops was irregular. However, the person's questioning was also reasonable. Yang Shiqi could not openly express her dissatisfaction with him. She even had to patiently explain and persuade him.
“You’re right. We soldiers are here to protect our country. Since we’re here for this purpose, we’ll come even if no one gives us orders, knowing there’s danger here.”
The man then asked, "So, Commander Yang, can you tell us what dangers are here?"
Yang Shiqi said, "There is an unknown and terrifying force underground here. We must keep it firmly trapped underground."
"Terrifying power? What is that?"
Yang Shiqi said, "I'm sorry, I think you should know about the confidentiality regulations."
The man smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry, Commander Yang, I asked too many questions. Since that's the case, we can only continue to remain in the dark." His words were somewhat aggressive.
Yang Shiqi didn't intend to say much about this matter, because too much talk would only lead to mistakes. She smiled slightly and said, "I think everyone must be very envious of the special forces' equipment. If you were given the opportunity, I wonder what you would want to get."
The people below immediately broke the meeting etiquette expected of soldiers and started making a commotion, "Are we really allowed to take whatever we want? Is this some kind of lie, just to amuse us...?"
Yang Shiqi seemed quite satisfied with the noisy meeting room below. She pointed to the officer at the very front and said, "You, introduce yourself."
The officer stood up and said, "Qi Kang, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the xx Division."
Yang Shiqi asked, "What do you want?"
Qi Kang asked cautiously, "Anything a special forces division has, we can take?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Tell me your thoughts." She didn't answer directly.
Qi Kang said, “We are a mechanized infantry brigade, but our marching speed is not very fast. If we convert the troop carriers into helicopters, I think it would be better able to adapt to various terrains and achieve faster marching. I am very interested in the transport helicopters of the special forces division. I heard that they can carry five times the number of personnel at one time, and can fly silently, and have more powerful counter-attack firepower.”
Qi Kang said that the aircraft used to transport crude oil to ports in Africa was an improved version. Saying it was a silent flight was a bit of an exaggeration. Although it was battery powered, the propellers still made a whooshing sound when they were working. However, once the engine noise was eliminated, it was considered quiet compared to helicopters of the same level.
Yang Shiqi asked, "Commander Qi, do you know how much a transport helicopter costs?"
Qi Kang scratched his head: "I think it must be very high, but I don't know the exact number. It is said that the outer shell of the helicopter is made of a material that we do not know, and its hardness can withstand the impact of ordinary anti-aircraft guns."
Yang Shiqi said, "So, Commander Qi, how many helicopters does your brigade think you need to be equipped with to achieve high-altitude marching?"
Qi Kang said, "Given its carrying capacity, we would need at least six helicopters, and of course, eight would be faster." Actually, Qi Kang would have preferred ten or even thirty, ideally loading the entire brigade onto helicopters at once, but that was impossible.
Yang Shiqi said, "Okay, I guarantee I will fulfill Commander Qi's request. The Special Forces Division will provide your brigade with ten transport helicopters free of charge."
(Thanks to daVId问天 for the donation)
Volume 2 [774] Crisis