si-mexico Chapter 1144 Air Defense Committee
Chapter 1144 Air Defense Committee
Although things took a rather complicated turn, at least the headquarters' documents have now been issued. It would be a laughingstock to hear that a general like Li Shaoyi would be appointed as the deputy commander of an air defense command. Therefore, the National Air Defense Committee was re-established.
Li Shaoyi's appointment as the director of the Central China region of the Air Defense Committee is somewhat understandable. If he were merely the commander of a city's air defense command, it would be truly baffling, and even ordinary citizens could see the implications.
"I've figured it out now. These so-called committees can be set up as soon as they're told. No wonder there are so many useless people in the Party and the State. It's because there are just too many of these committees. If half of these committees were eliminated, I estimate that the speed of action would at least double, and we wouldn't be so incompetent when facing the Japanese."
The establishment of the Air Defense Committee made Li Shaoyi realize why the internal workings of the Party and the State were so slow. Several government departments had to make decisions on a single matter, and if all these departments didn't affix their seals, you would be held responsible if problems arose later.
Originally, with one official in each department, many things were done very quickly, and nothing seemed to be delayed.
With various departments now intertwined, it is indeed a good way for those in positions of power to maintain control. After all, power is truly decentralized, and department heads dare not act arbitrarily; everything is discussed and decided upon.
But this is the good side. What about the bad side? If the heads of different departments have even slight conflicts, they will restrain each other. A good thing will eventually turn into a bad thing if they keep talking about it.
"This kind of thing has been happening within the Party and the State for quite some time now, and the higher-ups have to consider many people. Take this retreat to Hankou, for example. There were over a hundred generals who came, but at least a third of them either wiped out their troops or abandoned them and fled. Those people should naturally be dealt with, but what about those generals who wiped out their troops? You have to give them a position, right? Otherwise, should you just demote them to commoners? If that's the case, for a long time to come, the generals of the local warlords won't send their men to the battlefield."
Li Sibei poured Li Shaoyi a cup of tea from the side; there was no other way. The Party and the State didn't want so many committees internally, but as he said, many people had emptied their armies; were they just going to leave them without any arrangements? Were their past contributions to the country simply wiped away?
If that's the case, then for a long time to come, these people are likely to spread such defeatist remarks everywhere, and if the Japanese so easily seduce them, they will immediately become the Japanese's lackeys.
Of course, they shouldn't be underestimated. Although their army was wiped out, they had spent their entire lives in the military and had connections with military commanders in various places. With the help of the Japanese, if they wrote letters to these commanders, it would be easy to undermine morale.
So, from another perspective, the establishment of various committees was also to settle these people. Although they no longer had troops under their command, their officers' salaries could still be paid, allowing them to receive their salaries and support their families. This was a solution, better than simply pushing them out into society and giving the Japanese a great opportunity to win them over.
"I must say, you've convinced me. From this perspective, this matter can indeed help prevent Japanese infiltration. However, if these people are all idle, my 72nd Army can take them all in. We are short of officers. Although I can't guarantee that they will be the same as before, with division commanders becoming army commanders, there's no problem with them becoming regimental commanders or brigade commanders."
Li Shaoyi's eyes lit up at this moment. Although these people might have developed various bad habits in their respective armies, which would be difficult to correct after joining his side, the 72nd Army Group was expanding too rapidly, especially lacking in personnel at the regimental and brigade commander levels. If these people were willing, they could be easily recruited to his side.
"It's worth a try. I've already heard that the higher-ups are having a lot of headaches with these people. If you're willing to take them all in, I think they'd be very happy. But we can't take them all in. Many of them have terrible reputations. If we bring them to our side, even with all sorts of restrictions, they'll still cause trouble for you. We can only take those who have performed well, especially combat heroes on the battlefield."
Deputy Director Wu walked in from outside and overheard the conversation inside. This guy had also been given a new position; because he had a powerful group of subordinates, he was temporarily appointed as the deputy director of the Hankou City Police Department.
There was nothing that could be done about it. The whole of Hankou was in chaos, with Japanese spies and people they had bribed everywhere. People in the rear were in a state of constant fear, and the police station couldn't get anything done. This greatly angered the higher-ups. In addition, this guy had worked in the Pujiang Police Station before, and he had done a pretty good job there.
Although he was also one of Li Shaoyi's men, Li Shaoyi had an uncle who was the Vice Minister of Military Affairs. So, in this situation, with no one else available, they could push him up. Today alone, they arrested over 80 people outside.
Li Shaoyi and Li Sibei both nodded in agreement with Deputy Director Wu's suggestion. According to Li Shaoyi's previous thinking, even if the combat heroes on the battlefield did something excessive, they could tolerate it. But if they were deserters, they shouldn't come at all; he'd want to shoot them the moment he saw them.
"How's it going with the police station? Is it really as the newspapers say, that they've got the situation under control?"
Li Shaoyi produced that day's Hankou Daily, in which a large print announced to the public that after the police department's reorganization, more than 2700 police officers were now maintaining order on the streets. He assured the public that the previous incidents would not happen again and guaranteed that the soldiers in Hankou would not harass the people.
When Li Shaoyi finished asking the question, our Deputy Director Wu didn't answer, but judging from the expression on his face...