ebookland Chapter 184 Office of the Deputy Minister of Military Affairs
Chapter 184 Office of the Deputy Minister of Military Affairs
Normally, this conversation should be between Minister He and Li Shaoyi, but Minister He is in a lot of trouble now. Many heads of government offices have called him, and Minister He has to explain to them one by one. This commotion is quite big, and the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs has a lot of things to explain. After all, you are the one who is holding the press conference.
The original intention of holding this press conference was indeed to boost morale, but the degree of boost was unexpectedly so high. Now warlords all over the country, including some anti-Japanese figures in Nanjing, have been ignited by Li Shaoyi. Minister He has to balance it out.
"I was afraid you'd make things awkward, so I asked Zhenkui to remind you. I didn't expect you to mess things up like this. Don't be so high-profile when doing certain things."
When Deputy Director Wu saw Li Shaoyi in front of him, he really had a headache.
"Commander Wu, you can't say that. Our national anti-Japanese situation is basically stagnant right now. Many citizens haven't woken up yet, and they're going to suffer. Or maybe many people want to fight the Japanese, but can't find a way to contribute. If I stand up, isn't this pointing them to a bright future? It also lets the Japanese know that our people are not to be trifled with."
Li Shaoyi did not agree with what Vice Minister Wu said. For many people of that era, Li Shaoyi still had a say. Most of the people wanted to resist Japan, but their eyes were cold, mainly because the people in power had disappointed them so much.
Every time there was a conflict with the Japanese, we were the first to admit defeat, which gradually cooled the enthusiasm of many people. Li Shaoyi's unreasonable behavior towards the Japanese now made everyone feel that this was a different government.
"Now that it has happened, there's no point in saying more. Things in Jinling are basically done. Is there anything else?"
Deputy Minister Wu smiled bitterly and shook his head. He really had no way to refute Li Shaoyi's answer.
Take the Great Wall War of Resistance for example. We clearly won the war, but when we signed the agreement later, it was an agreement that was disadvantageous to us. People from all over the country took to the streets to protest, but the government had no choice but to give in.
Deputy Minister Wu also remarked within the government at the time that this matter was difficult to handle alone. Just like Mayor Yuan in Peking, there were too few like-minded people around him. At every turn, a large number of people would come forward to analyze the situation: How strong is Japan? How strong is our country? How strong is Japan's army? How strong is our army? In the end, the analysis was that we couldn't defeat them.
Li Shaoyi also heard that Deputy Minister Wu was afraid that we would continue to cause trouble in Jinling.
"Commander Wu, if nothing else, I'll be heading to Pujiang tomorrow. I'll definitely take a stroll around the country on this trip south, so I won't cause any trouble for you in Nanjing."
If Li Shaoyi had not said this, Deputy Minister Wu might not have been nervous. Pujiang is the money bag of the entire National Government, and there are also Japanese Marine Corps troops there. If Li Shaoyi causes trouble in Pujiang, it will be a major event that will shake Nanjing.
"Let Zhenkui go with you. You're alone in the south, so you might feel a little unfamiliar. This guy is very familiar with Pujiang, and he can help you with anything you need."
Deputy Minister Wu remembered the Jinling Hotel incident very clearly. If someone had tried to mediate at that time, the outcome might have been different.
"You don't need to ask Zhen Kui to accompany me. The Ministry of Military Affairs has so much going on every day. It's better for me to stay by your side. I'm a person who doesn't like to cause trouble. What kind of trouble can I cause?"
As soon as Li Shaoyi finished speaking, Deputy Director Wu spat out a mouthful of tea.
"You don't like to cause trouble, but you've already caused me enough trouble. The Jinling Hotel incident just died down, and the press conference has caused great difficulties for all departments. The Japanese envoy is protesting to us vigorously. Some warlords in various places think that the situation in Jinling has changed, and some are preparing to lead their troops to the north."
Deputy Minister Wu said this somewhat speechlessly, but Li Shaoyi was very happy to hear this. It seemed that the anti-Japanese consciousness in all parts of the country had been aroused by us.
"Isn't this a good thing? Recovering the three northeastern provinces is not just empty talk. If you hand over the governorship of the three northeastern provinces to me, I promise to take them back for you within two years."
Li Shaoyi patted his chest and said that he was really hoping for a chance at the moment. Maybe Nanjing would give it to him. Four hundred thousand troops would be arranged in the three northeastern provinces. It was not too many at all. As long as you can get the organization down and the system recognizes it, wouldn't recruiting soldiers be an easy task?
"Hurry up and go back and pack up. I'll call Zhenkui right now. I'm not in charge of the affairs of the three northeastern provinces. Anyway, remember these things in Pujiang. Keep a low profile on what can be resolved, and report what can't be resolved in advance. I'll find a way to help you resolve it. There must be no recurrence of the Jinling Hotel incident."
It was the first time that the Deputy Minister of Military and Political Affairs spoke to Li Shaoyi in the tone of an elder. It was estimated that none of the younger generations in Deputy Minister Wu's family had ever enjoyed such treatment.
There was nothing that could be done about it. After the press conference, the top leaders of the Military Commission met. Except for Vice Minister Wu, none of the others had met Li Shaoyi, so they entrusted this matter to him.
Pujiang must not have any problems. When the 19th Route Army fought the war in Pujiang, although we demonstrated our prowess, in the eyes of those in the Nationalist government, this resulted in a reduction of tax revenue by nearly one-fifth. Many departments at that time did not have enough money and had to borrow money from foreign countries. A comprehensive analysis shows that they suffered a lot of losses.
Therefore, Li Shaoyi must not cause trouble in Pujiang. The Japanese were constantly looking for opportunities to provoke him in Pujiang. Once trouble started, it would not be of any benefit to the National Government.
"Look at what you're saying. I sound like a troublemaker. If that Jia hadn't come to the Jinling Hotel to look for me, could I have possibly caused such trouble? I've been acting like a little wife every day, not even daring to breathe. That day, I was completely forced into a corner. My life was hanging by a thread. I was almost tied up and bled..."
"Come on, come on, I don't have time to listen to your nonsense. The door is right behind you. Hurry up and do what you need to do..."
After hearing what Li Shaoyi said, Deputy Minister Wu almost spit out the water again, "Are you still a young wife?"