northernbook Chapter 1231 Satisfaction
Chapter 1231 Satisfaction
According to Liu Xiaoshan, this place was much better than the north. Those around him breathed a sigh of relief; as long as Liu Xiaoshan was satisfied, everyone else was willing to compromise. The special envoys sent by the Nationalist government also breathed a sigh of relief; they were afraid the 72nd Army would find fault with them.
These people are currently with Liu Xiaoshan not only to settle one contingent of the 72nd Army, but also for another important reason. Yesterday, Li Shaoyi described their current mission in Pujiang in a telegram to the Nationalist government. Furthermore, Li Shaoyi is preparing to provide the Nationalist government with 400 million silver dollars as resettlement funds.
This money was for the resettlement of various departments of the Nationalist government in Chongqing. Before the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, 400 million silver dollars wouldn't have been a large sum for the Nationalist government, but it wasn't insignificant either. However, now that the war had been raging for so long and the important tax-producing areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang had been lost, 400 million silver dollars was no small matter for the Nationalist government. They were now waiting for Liu Xiaoshan to expedite the payment.
To be honest, government workers haven't received their salaries for three months. Most of the time, they only receive receipts, which can only be exchanged for some food, enough to feed their families. Some grassroots government workers can't even afford to eat their fill.
But this is already quite good. Look at the areas outside affected by the war. Many people have been starving for days and can't find food. After the Japanese destroyed their homes, these people could only beg for food all the way to the Nationalist-controlled areas, eating grass roots and tree bark along the way.
"You don't need to wait here anymore. You have a lot of things to do on your end. The 400 million silver dollars that our commander promised will be flown over tonight, and the handover will be done with some people from the Ministry of Finance. If you want the money, go to the Ministry of Finance. It has nothing to do with me. I'm just passing through and I will never arrange what to do with the money."
Liu Xiaoshan knew what these so-called directors and section chiefs were doing here: their superiors had heard about the money and wanted a share. In reality, with so many people from various departments arriving in Shancheng, the resettlement funds were definitely insufficient. Li Shaoyi's 400 million yuan was a lifesaver for them. However, Li Shaoyi's telegram to Liu Xiaoshan clearly stated that they only needed to hand over the money; the rest was none of their concern.
Of course, there's no need to worry about embezzlement. Our people will monitor the money throughout the process. How it's used and to whom it's given is your business, but we must record it and publish it in the newspaper. Li Shaoyi didn't spend those 400 million silver dollars for nothing; he just wanted to continue this practice. All future donations from the Nationalist government must also be published in the newspaper. If anyone refuses to have their donation published, we'll immediately guide public opinion and label them.
Before the war, officials lined their own pockets, and Li Shaoyi didn't care. After all, that's how the entire government operated; could you fight against the entire government? Now is the most difficult time. If you people still want to use the old methods, don't blame me for being impolite.
Especially the donations from all walks of life—they must all be used for the war effort. If someone dares to pocket some, consider yourself lucky if I don't know. But if I find out, I'll deal with each one I find. If the Nationalist government doesn't take action, I'll send assassins directly.
Li Shaoyi was well aware of the corruption during this period, and the people were extremely disgusted by it. The soldiers fought bloody battles on the front lines, only to find themselves without a single bite to eat, while those in the rear were trying to airlift all sorts of luxury goods to them. Such things had to be found and reported one by one, leaving these people with no room to survive.
After hearing Liu Xiaoshan's words, everyone looked a little embarrassed, bid farewell to Commander Liu, and went to wait at the Ministry of Finance. That evening, several transport planes arrived at Shancheng Airport, and just as Li Shaoyi had said, there was 400 million silver dollars, not a single cent less.
Liu Xiaoshan also handed over the funds to the commissioner from the Ministry of Finance on the spot, and the two sides reached an agreement on a series of subsequent matters. For example, the 72nd Group Army would send six officers to supervise the funds, and the Ministry of Finance had agreed to this.
In the past, these guys would definitely have been unwilling; who wants to be treated like an emperor emeritus? But now this money is a gift from someone else; you can say you're unwilling, and they can say they won't donate. How much money does your Ministry of Finance have in its coffers right now?
According to the Ministry of Finance's budget, the relocation of various departments to the mountain city would require a settlement budget of 6 million silver dollars. However, the Ministry of Finance could only squeeze out 1.2 million silver dollars, only one-fifth of the original amount. Would the heads of the various departments be willing to accept this?
Now that we have Li Shaoyi's 400 million silver dollars, although there's still a shortfall, we can basically finish the task by scraping together what we have. During wartime, everyone has to make do.
On the first day, the newspapers published information on where the money was spent. For example, the repair of various government buildings cost 17 silver dollars, and the newspapers also published information on the construction teams involved in the repairs, including some of the agreements signed, so that all the people knew where the money went.
The ordinary people holding the newspaper were puzzled. Before, when the government spent money, they would just discuss it from the sidelines; how could they possibly get involved? Now the newspaper said that if you found anything questionable, you could complain to the 72nd Group Army's office in Shancheng. If the complaint was successful, you could even receive a reward of over a hundred silver dollars. Of course, if you were to fabricate stories, there would be corresponding penalties.
When this news broke, some people who had initially planned to exploit the 400 million silver dollars figured out and, seeing the daily newspaper columns, obediently withdrew their hands. If they had tried to dig a hole in it, someone would probably have dug a hole in their own head. The War of Resistance Against Japan was different from other periods; tolerance for corrupt officials was at its lowest point. Everyone was working together to fight the war; if you were undermining others from the rear, who else would you kill but yourself?