"Bring the victims here?" Principal Tang, who had a background in logistics, couldn't help being surprised: "Batalion Commander, you have to think clearly, there are... hundreds of thousands of victims at least!"
Principal Tang made this analysis based on the current situation and believed that there were only hundreds of thousands of victims.
But Wang Xuexin knew that the victims were far more than hundreds of thousands. From 1942 to 1943, the number of people affected by disasters in Henan reached 30 million, and 3 million people died of starvation.
At this time, the disaster in Henan has just begun. Principal Tang has not yet seen the ensuing locust plague and the situation after the summer drought.
However, hundreds of thousands of people are no longer a small number for the Eighth Route Army base area.
Although the Eighth Route Army has food reserves that can temporarily tide over the difficulties, there is a saying that "sit back and eat with nothing." The land area of the base is so large, and the production capacity cannot keep up. It is difficult to feed the Eighth Route Army and the local people. Everyone has to pay back the food.
How can drinking sweet potato porridge be sustainable in the long run?
But Wang Xuexin did not hesitate. He nodded to Principal Tang and said, "Just reply to the Chief of Staff!"
Principal Tang could only forward Wang Xuexin's words to the chief of staff, and sent another copy to the headquarters, because this matter also required decision-making by the chief.
When the chief saw the telegram, his brows knitted together.
It’s not that he doesn’t sympathize with the victims, let alone that he doesn’t want to save them.
If you don't want to, you won't think about transporting food.
But the question is, can North China accommodate so many people?
As a battalion commander, Wang Xuexin may be able to consider the issue purely from an emotional perspective and save as many as he can, but as the leader of an army, he has to consider the overall situation.
If due to the influx of these victims, the base area is in dire straits due to food problems... not only will it be impossible to save the victims, but it will also involve the soldiers and civilians in the base area!
The chief thought for a moment and then sent a telegram asking the chief of staff: "Have you ever counted the number of victims in Zhengzhou?"
The chief of staff hesitated for a moment, and then called back: "There are no detailed figures. It is conservatively estimated that the first batch will be 300,000. These people are still unable to escape. If, as Xiao Dongbei said, our base area opens up the reception,
I’m afraid it won’t be less than a million, but it may be more in the future!”
After hearing this, the chief became even more worried.
No less than one million, and that’s a conservative estimate. This is no small matter!
After walking back and forth in front of the headquarters for a few times, the commander sent a telegram to Wang Xuexin: "Xiao Dongbei, we can't be emotional about this matter! Because of the previous food reserves, although we have no problem accepting the victims right now,
But have you ever thought about the long-term problem and what to do in the future?”
Wang Xuexin had already thought of the answer, and he replied: "Chief, we can let them work!"
"It's easy to say, what kind of jobs can there be?" the chief replied: "Our Eighth Route Army has already carried out a large-scale production movement, and almost all the land that can be opened has been opened. It's almost impossible to think about all the jobs and businesses that can be done.
Have you ever thought that this will cause serious social problems, and in the end it will harm others and yourself!"
Wang Xuexin admitted that what the commander said was right, especially since the Eighth Route Army was still under the double strangulation of the Japanese and the stubborn army. There were wolves in front and tigers in the back. Once there was a food crisis, the soldiers would not even have enough to eat, and the Japanese would take the opportunity to come in.
Then it will set the whole thing on fire.
Grain chopsticks
but……
Of course Wang Xuexin has a solution, otherwise he would not have made this suggestion.
"Chief!" Wang Xuexin replied: "Do you remember that the prisoner we captured before was named Ye Peng?"
The leader was stunned for a moment, and then he immediately remembered: "You mean Ye Peng, the puppet defense minister? You insisted on letting us shoot him because you said he was useful. What? You found a way to use him?"
Wang Xuexin nodded and replied: "It can be said that after this period of detailed interrogation, he has found out almost everything I want to know!"
"Oh, what is it?" The chief was a little surprised, because as far as he knew, this Ye Peng was just a minister of defense in name only. He said he was the minister of defense, but he only wrote and gave reactionary speeches. He didn't know any secrets. Can Xiao Dongbei pry out something?
Wang Xuexin replied calmly: "Chief, the Japanese have built secret factories in many places in order to supply the army with rations, daily necessities, and basic urban living facilities nearby!"
The leader nodded. He knew this. This was a way for the Japanese to save transportation capacity.
Originally, the Japanese factories were built in the Northeast, where they were safer and better equipped.
The problem is that the things produced in the Northeast still need to be transported south by train, and the troops needed along the way are transported and distributed. By the time they reach the front line, everything is almost finished.
So the Japanese thought, there is so much coal available in Shanxi and a large number of free labor (common people), why not set up factories in Shanxi so that the nearby troops can be self-sufficient? There is even enough left to supply the front lines in the south. Supplies...
Soon, a lot of equipment was moved to Shanxi, and factories were built one after another.
For security reasons, mainly the fear of being attacked and destroyed by guerrillas, most of these factories are built secretly and far away from the city... There are no secrets if they are built in the city. If they are built in the suburbs, closed management will be implemented, that is, all factories will be built secretly. Since workers can only enter and exit, few Chinese people know the location of these factories, so the guerrillas cannot carry out targeted sneak attacks on them.
When the chief heard this, he immediately understood what Wang Xuexin meant: "You mean, Ye Peng knows the location of these factories?"
"Of course!" Wang Xuexin laughed: "Chief, Ye Peng 'sold' many workers in these factories to the Japanese. Of course he knows their location!"
It turns out that although the Japanese captured many people and worked hard in this kind of sweatshop, there was always a shortage of people because of the extremely high mortality rate in this factory.
What Ye Peng, a traitor, did was to use all kinds of tricks to recruit labor from the people. He used a few copper coins to trick people into working in sweatshops, and then he made a lot of money by changing hands.
After knowing this, the chief couldn't help but punched the table hard and said: "This Ye Peng, if I don't shoot him, it will be difficult to relieve the hatred in my heart!"
Wang Xuexin didn't care at this time, since he had gotten the information he wanted.
As for Ye Pengna... Wang Xuexin could have told him: "The merits you have accomplished are worth nine lives, but the crimes you have committed require death ten times. Now you can die once!"
But this is not the point. Wang Xuexin continued: "Chief, these factories include glass factories, canneries, brick factories, tile factories, and textile factories... If we can grab these machines, at least we can solve some of the victims. It’s a work problem, right?”