Chapter 420: Recruitment

“By your status, to infiltrate Lingao under a false name is, in itself, a criminal act,” Li Yan said. “Our Senate rules the world by law. All illegal acts will be investigated. Your actions will certainly be punished by the law.”

“Yes, yes, I completely accept any punishment the Senate gives me. I will turn over a new leaf and become a new man!” Lin Ming said, bowing.

“Sit down. You don’t need to be so tense.” Li Yan observed his hollow eyes, thinking, either this man is an Oscar-winning actor, or the National Police’s interrogation techniques are truly formidable…

“Of course, it has always been the principle of our Senate to cure the disease to save the patient. We have already investigated and found that your motive for infiltrating Lingao was simple. During your time working and living in Lingao, you were law-abiding. Other than scribbling on the walls in violation of the Public Security Law, you have not committed any illegal acts. Your offense is minor…”

“Yes, the Senate is wise and sees all—” Lin Ming said, bowing and scraping.

“Alright, I won’t say more.” Li Yan flicked the ash from his cigarette. “Although your crime is minor, you are a member of the Ming Jinyiwei who illegally infiltrated this territory. According to the laws of the Senate, you should at least be sent to the mines for labor reform for three to five years…” He glanced at Lin Ming, saw a flash of despair cross his face, and then changed his tone. “However, considering your heavy family burden, and that we are in need of people, I am recommending to the Senate that you be given a lighter punishment—”

Lin Ming was stunned for a moment. He was a smart man. He immediately understood that the other party was trying to recruit him.

What should he do? Join the Australian bandits? This was rebellion! If this was exposed, his entire family was in Foshan. They would all be executed!

But, on the other hand, the bandits’ fortunes were clearly on the rise here. Anyone could see that. Lin Ming estimated that they had already openly rebelled in Hainan. With their strength, it was only a matter of time before they contended for the Central Plains. If he boarded the “pirate ship” now—no, “followed the dragon”—with his skills, it would be no problem to secure titles and honors for his family in the future…

But this was still rebellion! Lin Ming’s briefly animated thoughts turned cold again.

To surrender was death, but not to surrender was also death… Lin Ming knew that if he refused the “recommendation,” he would be dragged off to the legendary mines the next day. “Labor reform for three to five years”—he had heard people say that no one who went there ever came back…

“You can think it over carefully,” Li Yan said, seeing the changing expressions on his face. He knew the man was struggling internally. He smiled. “There are still a few days.”

“Thank you, sir!”

“I hear you have five wives?” Li Yan suddenly changed the subject.

Lin Ming was taken aback, wondering why he was bringing this up. There was no need to hide it. He nodded. “Thank you for your concern, sir. I do have my wife and four concubines at home.”

“That’s quite a burden,” Li Yan said casually. “A man of your status and position, your women generally don’t work. They all depend on you. It’s not easy for you.”

Lin Ming’s eyelids twitched. That’s right! If something happened to him, even if the bandits didn’t take his life, if they really just imprisoned him for three to five years, his family in Foshan would be ruined. His wives and concubines were used to a comfortable life. When their savings ran out, how would they survive? And without him, the head of the household, five beautiful women would be like a piece of fat meat…

He had many friends in Foshan, but they were all fair-weather friends, completely unreliable. It would be a blessing if they didn’t take advantage of the situation.

At this thought, his heart felt as if it were being torn apart, and his mind was in turmoil. Li Yan, having achieved his goal, immediately retreated. “You think it over carefully.” He stood up and left.

“Well? Did he surrender?” Jiang Shan asked.

“He didn’t even take a day. This afternoon, he asked someone to tell me he wanted to see me. When I went, he immediately knelt down and shouted, ‘Long live the Great Song Emperor, long live Chairman Wen…’” Li Yan said with a laugh. “This report is really useful.”

“He who understands the times is a wise man.” Jiang Shan nodded. The interrogation report mentioned that this Centurion Lin was a “man of many passions.” Not only did he have numerous wives and concubines, but critically, he had deep feelings for all of them. He was not a brute who indulged in lust. Approaching him from this angle had proven effective.

“But he made a request. He wants to move all his wives and concubines to Lingao—only then can he work for us with peace of mind.”

“Of course,” Jiang Shan said. “But there’s no rush right now.”

Li Yan knew what he meant by “no rush.” For the past year, the Foreign Intelligence Bureau had been stepping up its infiltration of Guangdong, especially the Pearl River Delta region. It was no secret to him what the Senate planned to do next.

“I think the most urgent task is to get him back to Foshan as soon as possible. He’s been away from Foshan for too long, which might be detrimental to his future work.”

“The position of Jinyiwei Centurion in Foshan is a sinecure. He also took leave. Returning a month or two early or late won’t be a big problem. The top priority is to have him write a letter to reassure his family. We can monitor his family through the Runshitang’s channels,” Jiang Shan said. “Since he is defecting to us, the necessary training process must still be completed.”

“Thank you for your cultivation, sir!” Lin Ming’s spirit had recovered. He was a different man from the one that morning. When he heard about the “training,” he was momentarily at a loss, but after Li Yan explained, he immediately snapped to “attention” in the manner of the “false Australians.”

“As for your request, the leadership has already agreed. Of course, we must choose a suitable opportunity,” Li Yan said. “And you don’t need to worry about your family’s livelihood or housing after they move here.”

“Thank you, sir.” Although Lin Ming was uncertain, he put on a face of absolute trust. He hesitated for a moment. “Sir, I have a question, but I don’t know if I should ask.”

“From now on, you are one of our comrades. As long as it doesn’t violate regulations, feel free to ask anything.”

“I… I… just want to ask what will happen to Li Yongxun…”

“Hehe,” Li Yan laughed and patted his shoulder. “What, haven’t forgotten her yet?”

Lin Ming blushed. “You jest, sir. Li Yongxun is my wife’s sister. I must be able to give her family an explanation. That’s why I came to Lingao in the first place…”

“You can rest assured about that. Although Li Yongxun was in contact with you privately and failed to report it in a timely manner, which is a breach of discipline, she is currently undergoing organizational review and will be disciplined—but she will not be prosecuted. However, she cannot return to Guangdong yet.”

“Thank you, sir. As long as she is safe.” Lin Ming almost shed tears. He felt a mixture of love and hate for his sister-in-law.

Li Yan looked at his expression and thought, he really is a man of many passions. Such a man was rare among those of his social status in this era. He couldn’t help but feel a slight fondness for him.

Wen Desi sat in his office, looking at Ma Qianzhu. The man’s hair had gone from “showing signs of balding” to “bald,” which gave the still full-haired Wen Zong a sense of satisfaction.

However, from the way Ma Qianzhu looked at him, he could sense a similar sentiment. Wen Zong knew his own image was probably not as good as he imagined.

“Old Ma, you’ve been busy with work lately.”

Ma Qianzhu nodded. “Our work is always busy.”

Wen Desi nodded. “Then I won’t keep you long. A few years ago, you proposed establishing a youth organization, similar to the Communist Youth League of the past.”

“Yes. But at the time, the Executive Committee discussed it and concluded that the quality of our naturalized youth was not up to par. The time was not yet ripe.”

“I think the time is about right now,” Wen Desi said. “You see, our youth work is currently focused on Fangcaodi. It’s true that Fangcaodi is training our cadres, our future successors, and it’s understandable that the focus of youth work is there. But our industrial workforce is also very large now. I looked at the latest report from the Human Resources Department, and the proportion of young people is very high.”

“That’s right. Not only in the industrial sector, but also among the farm workers in the agricultural sector, the commercial system, and the military, the proportion of young people is very high,” Ma Qianzhu said.

“But according to the reports from the National Police, the Political Security Bureau, and the Human Resources Department, the ideological problems of these young industrial workers are significant,” Wen Desi said with a frown. “They generally have a philosophy of just eating to live, at most, a philosophy of eating meat. They have no ideals, no ambitions. They only think about their own family matters, lacking the drive to embrace the world and not actively learning new knowledge. The worldview of the older generation of naturalized citizens has already been formed. No matter how much effort we put in, it will be difficult to reform them. But there is still much that can be done with the young people.”

“I’ve raised this issue before: our ideological reform of the naturalized citizens is insufficient. We haven’t emphasized politics enough. It’s all the old society’s way of buying loyalty. This approach won’t last long, and its effects are not good.”

“You’re right. Compared to a few thousand students, these hundreds of thousands of young industrial workers are the cornerstone of our cause. Their ideology is very important to us. So I think it’s time to have a political organization that can organize the young people and bring their learning and fighting spirit into play. After all, young people are more energetic and better at learning. We need to make good use of their energy.”

“I completely agree on this point,” Ma Qianzhu said. “It’s not too late for us to start this work now.”

“I’ve already spoken with the other comrades on the Executive Committee, and everyone agrees. It should be passed at the next Executive Committee meeting. I think you might be more familiar with this kind of work, so I’d like to ask you to see who would be suitable to lead the preparatory work for the Youth League and recommend them to the Executive Committee—of course, they can’t be too old, let’s set the line at under thirty-five. Their image should be healthy and positive—Youth League, Youth League, we can’t have a middle-aged person as the leader.” Wen Desi looked at his fingers. “As for the name, let’s just call it the Senate Youth League, to emphasize the Senate. Of course, all of this will have to be discussed and decided later…”