The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

Most of the members in this bandit den are swordsmen and highly value personal force.

Zhu Guozhen knocked out the "bandit commander" in three minutes, causing the leaders to look sideways. They all knew that two heroes came today - Sun Yongzhen was also regarded as a hero, and he was even more unpredictable. After all, he had great abilities. They don't take action easily.

Ma Yongkui secretly winked at Pang You, and Pang You immediately asked, "Did Mr. Ming come to Gansu for business?"

Zhou Hexuan kept talking nonsense: "I went to Xinjiang to discuss with the Soviet Union about supplies to China."

Pang You immediately stood in awe, clasped his fists and said, "My Lord, you have worked really hard for your country."

Zhou Hexuan said casually: "I heard that opium cultivation is rampant in Gansu. Along the way, I found that the ban on tobacco seedlings has been done very well. How do the local officials here govern?"

"It's no longer allowed to grow opium anyway. If anyone is found to be growing opium, the government will directly drive horses to trample the tobacco seedlings, and the farmers will have to lose all their property and pay fines." Ma Yongkui said.

Zhou Hexuan said: "This is a good thing. Opium has harmed the country and the people, and it should have been banned long ago."

Pang You smiled and waved his hand: "Do you think the Northwest Four Horses are really so kind? They don't let others grow tobacco seedlings, but they secretly grow them themselves, and they also seize opium everywhere under the banner of the central government and stockpile it. In recent years, the price of opium in Gansu has It's like rolling up, those warlords have made a lot of money from their own opium business."

"That's it." Zhou Hexuan laughed dumbly.

I heard Zhang Henshui say before that there are tobacco fields everywhere in Gansu, and all the middle and upper-class cultivated land is used to grow opium. But this time Zhou Hexuan passed through the Hexi area and saw grain growing along the way. He thought that a smoking ban expert came from Gansu Province.

Now when he heard what Pang You said, Zhou Hexuan realized that he had gone astray.

The person responsible for banning smoking in Gansu is Ma Buqing. Last year, the central commissioner came to inspect the ban on smoking. He was very surprised to find that the tobacco seedlings in the Hexi Corridor had been extinct for two years. After careful investigation, the central commissioner found out that a certain adviser gave Ma Buqing a good idea.

The counselor said: "The counties in Hexi Province have complied with the order to ban the cultivation of opium. Firstly, they can gain the favor of the central government, and secondly, they can use this to hoard cigarettes in the territory. If you stockpile cigarettes for a year and a half, the price of cigarettes will inevitably rise sharply, and you will definitely make several times the profit."

Ma Buqing thought it made sense and immediately followed the instructions. While smoking was banned, he secretly grew his own opium. Now he has become the largest opium supplier in Gansu.

Not only that, because Lanzhou ushered in great development during the Anti-Japanese War, warlords such as Ma Buqing, Ma Bufang, and Ma Hongkui also invested a large amount of money earned from selling opium into Lanzhou's industry and commerce. The number of factories in Lanzhou has more than doubled from pre-war to now, and the money comes in much faster than selling opium.

The Nationalist Government's wartime western development policy was obviously very effective...

Zhou Hexuan asked again: "Since Gansu's tobacco fields have been converted to grain cultivation on a large scale, there should be more food than before, right?"

Pang You shook his head and said: "I don't know if there is enough food, but the people's lives are even harder. Especially this year, the land tax does not collect legal currency, only grain. The farmers' rations are not much left after paying taxes. I estimate that this winter will be There will be a food shortage. If this continues, there will be famine everywhere next year."

Zhou Hexuan was speechless.

The banditry problem in the northwest was well controlled after 1935. However, in 1943, banditry suddenly broke out on a large scale. It seemed that it was forced out by the lack of food.

Ma Yongkui gritted his teeth and said: "The common people cannot afford to eat because they are harmed by corrupt officials!"

Zhou Hexuan said: "There must be problems with corrupt officials, but the culprits are the Japanese."

"What does this have to do with the Japanese?" Pang You asked.

Ma Yongkui also said: "Yes, the Japanese did not invade Gansu."

Zhou Hexuan said: "Why doesn't the government accept legal tender, only grain?"

Pang You sneered: "Just like the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes, the central government printed too many banknotes and the banknotes became waste paper."

"This is just one of them," Zhou Hexuan explained. "The Japanese invaded China, causing China's financial collapse and shortage of supplies. The government could only rely on printing money to support it. Not only that, the little devils have also been printing counterfeit money, specifically for Disrupting the Chinese economy. Those little devils’ counterfeit banknotes are all stamped with hundreds of millions, do you think the French currency is still valuable?”

"Damn it!" Ma Yongkui slapped the armrest of the chair and cursed.

Zhou Hexuan added: "If you want to live a good life, you must first drive the little devils out of China. The men in the northwest are all heroes. I have always admired them, especially General Ma Biao."

Ma Yongkui asked: "Is this Ma Bufang's uncle Ma Biao?"

Pang You said: "I have seen Ma Biao's achievements in the newspaper. He slaughtered more than a thousand puppet troops in Longju Village three years ago. Two years ago, he annihilated more than 800 Japanese invaders and killed more than 1,000 puppet troops in Huaiyang. , it really showed the style of our northwest man."

Zhang Debiao, who had been beaten up by Fatty, suddenly interjected: "General Ma Biao is a good man, just like me, he has the word 'Biao' in his name."

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed.

Zhou Hexuan said: "Mr. Pang is talking about the old almanac."

"General Ma Biao won another battle?" Ma Yongkui asked.

Zhou Hexuan said: "After General Ma Biao left Huaiyang, he and the New Fourth Army attacked the Japanese invaders in Xiangcheng, killing the little Japanese devils to pieces, and soon wiped out more than 500 Japanese cavalry troops. The Japanese invaders became angry and dispatched heavy troops to pursue and intercept them. Ma Biao General Biao made a roundabout charge and was outnumbered, so he could only lead the main force of the 1st Cavalry Division to retreat quickly, leaving more than a hundred heroes behind to block the attack."

"Then what?" Zhang Debiao asked.

Zhou Hexuan sighed: "Although the more than a hundred heroes of the First Division successfully covered the retreat of the main force, they themselves ran out of ammunition and food. After more than six hours of fighting, they were forced to the river by the Japanese invaders and found it difficult to break out. They did not want to Captured and humiliated by the Japanese, the remaining ten people drowned themselves collectively, martyring their country heroically!"

"Good man!"

"They are all great heroes!"

"You didn't disgrace me as a northwest man."

"..."

The big and small bosses in the Juyi Hall all praised him.

Zhou Hexuan added: "General Ma Biao campaigned in northern Anhui for several months last year. He killed the Japanese with fear. His reputation spread throughout northern Anhui, and he was called the 'Ma Huizi Army' and 'Ma Beard Army' by the Japanese."

"Good kill, haha, happy!" Ma Yongkui laughed loudly.

Zhou Hexuan did not boast too much. Most of these deeds are true. Okamura Neji's combat record also contains the words "Fighting Ma Biao".

Unfortunately, the performance of Ma Biao and the First Cavalry Division was so amazing that it attracted Chang Kaishen's attention. Chang Kaishen is now trying to win over Ma Biao in various ways and is preparing to promote Ma Biao to deputy army commander. This move is met with suspicion by Ma Bufang.

By the next summer, Ma Bufang was afraid that his troops would be annexed by Chiang Kai-shek, so he asked his cousin Ma Bukang to take over as the division commander. The brave and skilled Ma Biao was no longer able to go to the battlefield, and his cavalry unit also lost its general soul, and its performance in the following years could only be considered mediocre.

Of course, Zhou Hexuan couldn't talk about this kind of thing. When he saw that the bandit leaders were all excited, he immediately laughed and said: "We are all heroes from the northwest. General Ma Biao is majestic on the battlefield. Are you willing to rob your house in the bandit's den?"

The Juyi Hall suddenly became silent, and the bandits all laughed awkwardly.

Ma Yongkui said: "To be honest with General Zhou, I have been a soldier before, but none of those officers were good. Now even if I join the army to serve the country, I will definitely be incorporated into Ma Hongkui and Ma Bufang's cavalry. These two people are in In the northwest, we didn’t fight many battles with the Japanese, but spent more time harming the people.”

Zhou Hexuan suddenly stood up and said: "Brother Ma, as long as you can lead your men to join the army, I promise to send you to join General Ma Biao's First Cavalry Division! What's the point of being a bandit? If you are a man, you will get your fame from horseback, saying Maybe he can become a brigade commander in a year and a half."

"Can you really make me defect to the First Cavalry Division?" Ma Yongkui was a little moved.

Zhou Hexuan pointed at Pang You and asked: "Mr. Pang, have you ever heard of a time when I, Zhou Hexuan, don't keep my words?"

Pang You nodded towards Ma Yongkui, indicating that it was feasible.

Zhou Hexuan struck while the iron was hot: "As long as you are willing to join the army, I will personally go to the Eighth Theater Command to write you a note, and I will also fund you with 50,000 French currency as your departure fee. You can recruit strong men in Gansu. You have 500 people under your command. I recommend you." As a battalion commander, if you have 1,000 men under your command, I will recommend you to be the regimental commander!"

"I am determined to be the leader of the regiment!" Ma Yongkui's heart was surging. On the one hand, he was inspired by the wish to be granted an official position, and on the other hand, he was also infected by Ma Biao's deeds.

Let you rob me, and I will send you to the battlefield!

No one expected that in just three years, Ma Yongkui would be promoted to the position of brigade commander due to his military exploits.

In the second year of the Liberation War, Ma Yongkui directly became a major general and division commander. After announcing the uprising, he left his troops to Zhang Debiao and ran to follow Zhou Hexuan, hanging out with bodyguards such as Sun Yongzhen all day long.