In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 122 Village Farmers' Association
July 19th.

Zhao Zhili, accompanied by three village representatives, rode on three old-fashioned bicycles along the national highway toward the border station.

Along the way, villagers kept joining us; all the village chiefs in the Ant Ridge area had brought their people.

Even in ancient times, clans wouldn't dare to oppose county officials, let alone in modern times.

The group traveled together according to their closeness or distance in the community, stopping frequently along the way to discuss who the new station chief of the border post was. Some were also asking around to see if anyone had any inside information.

The experience of Lüjia Village made the villagers realize the true value of the station chief's position.

He held military power and controlled the entire Ant Ridge. Whether you were a local thug or a business owner, you had to behave yourself once you entered Ant Ridge.

In the past, Lü Jinshan was very domineering. He would send soldiers to arrest people on the pretext of border affairs, and then throw them into the police station for half a month.

Those who provoke the people of Lüjia Village rarely have a good ending.

Now that a new station chief has taken office, the local tyrant of Ant Ridge Border Station has changed.

Accompanying Zhao Zhili was the village chief of Luo Village. He did not know Zhao Zhili, but he did know one of the village representatives.

Luo Yingtu, a middle-aged man in his fifties, had shaved his head and had rather regular features, looking very energetic.

He also has another identity: Lu Zhao's maternal uncle.

While resting under the shade of a tree, Zhao Zhili asked, "Brother, Lu Zhao is a platoon leader at the border station. Has he told you anything?"

Luo Yingtu looked embarrassed and said, "My younger sister broke off all contact with the family after she got married, and we haven't been in touch for ten years. Lu Zhao did come to see me at the beginning of this year, but we only had one meal together."

The relationship between the Luo family and the Lu family has become very strained.

Grandpa Luo looked down on the poor boy from the Lu family, but his sister insisted on marrying him, which eventually led to Lu Zhao's mother severing ties with her family.

It wasn't a deep-seated grudge, but unfortunately, both my father and sister are stubborn, and they haven't reconciled to this day.

He got in touch with Lu Zhao because four years ago he heard from someone in the village who worked at the border station that Lu Zhao wasn't doing well there, so he went to give him some money.

He's my nephew, after all; I should at least help him out.

Since then, Lu Zhao would visit him whenever he had time during holidays, but their relationship remained distant.

For example, Lu Zhao had never visited his own father.

Zhao Lizhi understood, but it meant they weren't very familiar with each other.

He said, "A few days ago, Lu Zhao brought the eldest son of the Lu family back to the village. They were in a very nice car, and a very beautiful woman was with them."

This statement piqued everyone's interest.

A car is a symbol of status, especially in today's world, where families who can afford to own a car can be considered wealthy.

Aside from those driven by leaders, most government vehicles are dilapidated, and many are simply tractors.

The village chief of Luo Village guessed, "Could that young woman be the head of the border station?"

"Why can't it be Lu Zhao? He's done a great job these past few years; the water beasts have disappeared without a trace."

"If Lu Zhao had been able to take the position, would there have been rumors of him being bullied a couple of years ago?"

"Uh... that's true, but at least the second son of the Lu family has made something of himself. He's probably not a platoon leader anymore, but a company commander."

Lu Zhao was very famous in the area. Whether it was the Lu family or the graduates of the Imperial Academy, his name had been known in this land for ten years.

Many people sacrificed their lives in the war to defend the country, and many families were recognized as martyrs, but very few were reduced to having only one son left.

That's why the Lu family received special treatment and were escorted all the way to Cangwu City.

It was once promoted as a model.

News of his poor performance at the border post spread quickly.

Everyone knows what's going on, but what can a group of farmers do? At most, they'll lend a hand when Lu Zhao goes on missions and bring him some food.

8:35 a.m.

When the group arrived at the border station, they saw a tent set up at the entrance of the camp, where staff members were receiving the farmers' representatives who kept arriving.

"Comrade Zhao Zhili, welcome to Ant Ridge Border Station. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I ate two pancakes, but I'm hungry again."

Zhao Zhili answered truthfully, and the clerk smiled and said, "Then please go to the cafeteria. All the food is free, so please don't be shy."

The staff were efficient and quick, showing none of the arrogance one might expect from public officials.

Strange.

Zhao Zhili and the others entered the camp with doubts in their hearts. What they saw were neat roads and barracks. Although some facilities were old, it was clear that they were regularly cleaned.

Looking back on my visit two years ago, the border post was quite dirty and chaotic.

Upon entering the canteen, those who had arrived earlier were already eating. Instead of simply being given two cold steamed buns, they were served hot soup noodles.

The treatment was so good that they all wondered if they were dreaming.

We are farmers, not leaders coming down for an inspection.

In places unseen by them, inspectors were watching from afar with notebooks in hand.

Since Lu Zhao took over as the head of the border station, his first priority has been to rectify discipline. Many previous problems were swept away by Lu Zhao's strong measures.

Especially in the reorganized border garrison corps, everyone immediately stopped resisting when they heard about the year-end bonus.

Whoever controls personnel controls resources. Whoever controls resources controls everything.

By the time everyone had finished breakfast, it was exactly nine o'clock.

There were 88 farmer representatives from 22 villages in 4 towns.

The border station didn't have a large meeting hall, so the staff simply moved the canteen chairs around, and a somewhat rudimentary meeting hall was quickly created.

The farmer representatives took their seats and waited for the arrival of the border station's leadership.

About ten minutes later, a commotion was heard outside the cafeteria. Everyone craned their necks and could see a group of people walking towards them.

The farmers were very curious about the new stationmaster because of a breakfast he had and the attitude of the staff.

Zhao Lizhi sat in a relatively front row, leaning forward as much as possible, and finally he caught a glimpse of the border station's leadership.

They marched in as border guards saluted. The leader, backlit, was obscured from view, but he wore a dark green officer's uniform, his epaulets gleaming slightly in the sunlight, and his steps were steady and confident. Even before he arrived, the others could feel his imposing presence, like the rising sun.

As the border station chief stepped into the canteen, the sunlight overhead dissipated, revealing a handsome and resolute face to everyone.

He stood before everyone, his posture as upright as a mountain. His phoenix eyes swept over the crowd, and everyone unconsciously held their breath.

Things like aura and temperament are hard to define, but they certainly exist.

Appearance also plays a role; otherwise, people in ancient times would have chosen officials based on their looks. A good face makes a better first impression than a thousand words.

'This border station chief is a big shot,'

This impression was etched into everyone's mind.

"Fellow villagers, welcome to the Ant Ridge Border Garrison. I am Lu Zhao, the person in charge here."

A calm voice rang out, carrying an inexplicable penetrating power.

Zhao Lizhi was stunned for a moment, then looked at that handsome face.

At first glance, he just seems dignified.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed somewhat familiar.

And look again, holy crap, isn't that Lu Zhao?!

"Isn't this Lu Zhao?"

Someone in the crowd voiced Zhao Lizhi's true feelings, and then the crowd immediately erupted in discussion.

Those who hadn't seen Lu Zhao asked others for confirmation, while those who had stood up, their eyes wide with disbelief.

In the Ant Ridge area, everyone knows Lu Zhao, and many have seen him. Partly because he's handsome, but more importantly, he's been in charge of flood control work for three consecutive years.

The specific tasks of flood prevention work involve going into and out of various villages to inspect river channels, calculate water levels, and guard against aquatic animals. They also venture deep into the mountains and forests, through hidden channels and caves, to hunt down these aquatic creatures.

These are the dirtiest and most tiring jobs.

Every year in July and August, if there is anything unusual in the village's river, the villagers will call the border station for help.

And it was usually Lu Zhao who was present; how could they not recognize him?
Zhao Zhili stood up and called out, "Lu Zhao, is that Lu Zhao?"

“It’s me, Uncle Zhao.”

Lu Zhao nodded, then raised his voice slightly and said, "Since everyone knows me, there's no need for me to introduce myself, otherwise it will seem too formal."

"We've invited everyone here today to solve the problem of the threshing ground."

The crowd's restlessness was slightly suppressed. Although they had many questions in their minds, they were still willing to listen to what Lu Zhao had to say.

If it were Lu Zhao, he should be able to come up with a solution that everyone would agree on.

Zhang Like blinked, thinking that it wasn't like this yesterday.

I shouted myself hoarse, but no one listened.

How come everyone became so obedient after just one simple sentence from Lu Zhao?

"It is currently the flood season. According to past practice, the rice should have been dried by now, and everyone should be resting at home."

Lu Zhao's voice was loud and clear, not just a loud voice, but more like a great bell, making it easy for people to hear and understand.

“This year’s situation is a bit special. The heavy rain came a month early, and the weather has only just cleared up recently. I understand that everyone is eager to dry their grain. But we shouldn’t just think about ourselves and want to dry our grain first. We should follow the rules.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a somewhat fierce-looking man stood up and said, "Station Chief Lu, what if we don't follow the rules?"

"Then go to jail."

Lu Zhao glanced at him, and his slightly cold gaze instantly stunned him.

The speech that the important figures in the city had prepared for him suddenly became a lump in his throat.

"The Border Garrison Corps has the right to expropriate all cultivated land in the Ant Ridge area. If anyone obstructs, affects, or sabotages the expropriation, I have the right to arrest them and file a lawsuit."

There are bad people among the masses, and the people never refer to any specific individual.

Anyone who succumbs to bureaucracy and undermines people's productive activities is a lackey. Guests are offered water, and dogs are chained.

Lu Zhao never believed that talk therapy could solve problems.

The "mixing in sand" theory taught by the teacher can also be used by the enemy to deal with themselves.

Lu Zhao didn't know how many scumbags were hidden among these eighty-eight people, but as long as they dared to show their faces, he would crush them with his 'steel teeth'.

Mobilizing the masses is not about begging; what the people need is never for someone to beg them.

If a group that is already in a vulnerable position has voices demanding that others 'kneel down,' it only shows that there are bad people trying to confuse the public.

Inside the cafeteria, everyone fell silent.

Lu Zhao continued, "Everyone's wish is to dry the rice, deliver the grain tax, and then go home to enjoy a comfortable leisure time in the fields. Am I wrong?"

Everyone nodded, their attention instantly drawn back to the topic.

"Here's a solution I'd like to propose: the Border Garrison Corps should incorporate all the grain depots and establish a village grain and farmers' association for unified management. In the future, if people need to use the threshing grounds or deliver grain to the state, they can submit an application directly to the village grain and farmers' association, and the Border Garrison Corps will send vehicles to each village to transport the grain."

“All farmers can join the village’s food and agriculture association and participate in production decisions. I will ensure that the border garrison troops cooperate with the village’s food and agriculture association.”

Upon hearing this, the eighty-eight farmer representatives were all agitated, whispering among themselves and discussing the matter.

No one reacted to the previous sentence. If the right to expropriate farmland in the Ant Ridge area belonged to the Border Garrison Corps, then unified management would be normal.

The so-called village grain and farmers' association was nothing more than a different kind of grain depot.

But the nature of the second sentence immediately changes.

Involving myself in production decisions? Is there really such a good thing in the world?
Lu Zhao gave everyone space to discuss and calm down.

The village food and farmers' association—that's what the teacher taught us.

However, the teacher instructed him to divide and reorganize the grain depots, and to use his authority to establish a temporary, unorganized consultative organization.

This not only avoids violations but also maintains loyalty to the organization.

Instead, he started directly with farmers at the grassroots level, using his teacher's ingenious strategies in reverse.

(End of this chapter)