Chapter 951 - The Tiandihui Mobilizes

After receiving a positive response, he read on with mounting excitement. Wu Nanhai had also called—this was unsurprising, probably work-related. But the next name was more unusual: Liu Muzhou.

He had dealt with Liu Muzhou before. As the Leizhou Station had gradually become "Lingao-ified," the Civil Affairs People's Committee had extended its reach there. Particularly regarding the Leizhou Sugar Industry Association that he oversaw, Liu Muzhou had helped him considerably. But since his transfer back to Lingao, their interactions had dwindled. For Liu Muzhou to suddenly call him meant the new appointment was very likely related to the civil affairs system.

"TNND—I'm going to become a local chief," Chang Shide could not contain his excitement. While staying in Lingao meant enjoying modern living conditions, it was nowhere near as impressive as being deployed abroad, commanding respect everywhere. Housing conditions alone were vastly different: when he first moved into the apartment, he found it quite uncomfortable—the entire unit's floor space wasn't even as large as the three main rooms of his residence in Leizhou.

The final call was from Ye Yuming. He thought nothing of it—this was certainly about agricultural cooperative work. Since they saw each other daily, anything could be discussed at any time, so it probably wasn't urgent.

Chang Shide considered whether to call the Organization Section but ultimately decided against it. They would contact him again anyway, and taking the initiative would seem overeager—maintaining composure was also important for a senior official.

The next day, Ming Lang did indeed come to speak with him. Chang Shide was appointed Deputy Director of the Qiongshan County Office, with overall responsibility for local Tiandihui work and the promotion of land consolidation.

Chang Shide was quite satisfied with this appointment. Becoming the agricultural deputy county chief in Qiongshan was far superior to being a vaguely defined Tiandihui inspector in Lingao—especially since the Tiandihui, by its nature, could only be considered a public-benefit institution with fully allocated funding and quasi-civil-service status. How could that compare to the proper prestige and authority of an impressive title like Deputy Director of the Qiongshan County Office?

During the week-long public notice period after the meeting, Chang Shide was very busy. On one hand, he discussed with Wu Nanhai, Ye Yuming, and others how to carry out Tiandihui work in Qiongshan. On the other hand, he frequently engaged with the Planning Commission and the State Council. Liu Muzhou gave him a general briefing on Qiongshan's current land and agricultural situation, particularly discussing Liu Xiang's present predicament.

"This is the land ownership status map he sent. Take a look. Things are not easy." Liu Muzhou pulled back the map curtain, revealing the newly drafted land ownership schematic for Qiongshan County.

Facing that tattered map, Chang Shide drew in a sharp breath.

Qiongshan County, with its more developed agriculture, had far more fragmented land than Lingao. Moreover, it was quite different from the Leizhou where he had once worked. In Leizhou, the focus had been on agricultural technology promotion to increase yields—there had been little involvement in land consolidation. Though he had established some moderately large sugarcane plantations under the Agricultural Committee's direct control, his main methods had been economic ones such as purchasing and seizing loan collateral. He had never faced such a complex situation.

"This is his forecast map for post-disaster land transfers." Liu Muzhou pulled open a second map.

He explained the meaning of the complex patterns, markers, and alphanumeric codes. Chang Shide waved his hand: "Stop, my head is already spinning. Adding this pile will only make it worse."

Liu Muzhou smiled bitterly: "This is to help you understand just how complicated Qiongshan County's land situation is." He picked up a cigar. "The State Council is pressing hard on this. It looks like they want at least thirty percent of Qiongshan's land consolidated by the time autumn harvest ends—at the latest before spring sowing next year."

"That's probably not realistic..." Chang Shide said. Lingao had the highest land consolidation rate. Through direct confiscation, purchase, Tiandihui contracting, and promoting "agricultural cooperatives" and other means, the Agricultural Committee had secured forty percent of the "old fields"—"old fields" meaning land that existed before D-Day, excluding fields developed by the Senate afterward. For Qiongshan, an entirely new district, to achieve one-third in just over half a year was pushing too hard.

"Whether it's realistic isn't up for debate—anyway, the State Council hasn't issued a clear directive. Just do your best." Liu Muzhou said.

"Mm, mm." Chang Shide studied the two maps carefully—this burden was quite heavy. He calculated back and forth, then asked: "Are there any Elder cadres coming with me? Can one of the Wan brothers be transferred to join me? And I'll need some naturalized cadres too."

"I don't know the specific personnel arrangements. Wan Lihui heads the Agricultural Technology Department—he definitely can't leave. Wan Lihuang probably can. The Agricultural Committee was going to send people to Qiongshan anyway to guide post-disaster emergency planting and replanting. As for other people, make a separate list and submit it. If you want naturalized cadres, include them in the same request."

"I need at least a few people—naturalized cadres alone won't be able to handle it." Chang Shide nodded casually while continuing to study the map. "But Little Liu left some things unsaid." He suddenly spoke. "The circles on the map mark land likely to be sold, and there are some parcels marked with ownership '0'—what are those?"

"Those are 'state-owned agricultural lands.' These are lands confiscated during the pacification campaign and land survey. This village was forcibly relocated and consolidated due to 'collaborating with bandits'—all its land is currently lying fallow." Liu Muzhou explained. "As for the ownership of these lands, there's still no clear determination."

"There are quite a few." Chang Shide refocused his attention on the unshaded parcels marked with ownership unit "0," and after a quick count, he found there were indeed many. These fields were composed of official lands, school lands, lands without deed registration, and confiscated lands. Though also quite scattered, they could still partially meet the needs of consolidated cultivation. Chang Shide traced several parcels on the transparency paper with a pencil—these could be directly converted into farms.

Then he focused his attention on the Nandu River banks—this was Qiongshan's most densely cultivated area. But both banks still showed large areas marked as undeveloped wasteland—particularly heading upstream toward the middle and upper reaches of the Nandu River. The potential for development was staggering, far exceeding the already-developed farmland.

"Why is the State Council so intent on acquiring old fields?" Chang Shide found it puzzling. Old fields certainly had the advantage of being mature land, requiring less investment, but the administrative costs were not small. Developing wasteland was an enormous undertaking for individual farmers working alone, practically insurmountable. But for the Tiandihui, which possessed mechanized agricultural production methods, it presented no great difficulty.

Liu Muzhou said: "Isn't it all for labor and rural social reform?" He coughed. "You know the Governor has always placed great importance on agricultural issues..."

Chang Shide waved dismissively: "I know, I know. The Senate's new countryside—that's the baseline for regime construction." He scribbled on the transparency paper over the map again. "I want to develop these state-owned agricultural lands. Who currently manages them? The Planning Commission?"

"Yes, the Planning Commission. All 'state-owned agricultural lands' belong to the Planning Commission." Liu Muzhou said. "For practical management, in Lingao County they're handled by the Agricultural Committee. For counties outside Lingao, there's still no clear determination of who specifically handles operations."

"When it comes down to it, the Senate's position on land ownership is still vague. Are they going to acknowledge private land ownership, or just nationalize everything and sell seventy-year leases?"

"That's high policy, and a recurring topic. Besides, there are too many internal disagreements. Land issues are the Senate's G-spot—press it and the entire Elder body climaxes. Bad for health." Liu Muzhou laughed. "The Governor and the Elder said: let's not discuss ownership this time. First issue a general directive through the Planning Commission's authority—the Agricultural Committee will fully manage all state-owned agricultural lands, whether in Lingao or outer counties. The Tiandihui will dispatch agricultural workers to these lands. Get restorative production started first. Ownership issues—we'll take our time and discuss them at meetings."

After leaving Liu Muzhou's office, Chang Shide did not return directly to his apartment but went to an agricultural station under the Agricultural Committee. It was located near Bopu, and though the station itself was not large, it had a dock. What was most unusual was that within the agricultural station stood an iron foundry, its chimney perpetually belching black smoke. It even had its own dedicated rail track. The yard constantly emitted tremendous rumbling and roaring, and occasionally violent explosions. Consequently, the locals gave this place a wide berth.

At the entrance to the agricultural station hung two prominent and imposing signs: "Agricultural Reclamation First Maritime Mobile Regiment" and "Lingao County Agricultural Machinery Central Station."

This was the county agricultural machinery central station that shouldered the burden of agricultural mechanization for all of Lingao. Besides serving the Agricultural Committee's directly managed farms, this station also provided agricultural machinery services to farmers participating in the Tiandihui. However, the station contained not a single tractor from the old timeline—the agricultural machinery brought from the old timeline belonged to the Agricultural Committee's directly managed machinery station. All the machinery here was manufactured by the General Machinery Factory of the Manufacturing Supervisory Department. Given the current level of industry, everything was naturally of the crude, massive, and heavy variety.

Most of the tractors here were steam-powered tracked vehicles. The enormous locomobiles could provide anywhere from fifteen to fifty horsepower, so the equipment appeared extremely ponderous. Land transport could only be conducted over short distances—the steam tractors used before the Chengmai campaign had demonstrated the difficulties of overland mobility: slow speed and frequent breakdowns. Therefore, a policy of using watercraft for transport as much as possible had been adopted.

A few lighter agricultural machines, such as water pumps, used locally manufactured single-cylinder diesel engines paired with coal-gas generators. Their dimensions were also quite impressive. Add to that the various oversized attached implements, all neatly parked in the vehicle sheds, looking imposing yet menacing. Against the backdrop of bold red workplace safety slogans, the whole scene had a rather post-modern feel.

(End of Chapter)