You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

Outside the former Governor's Mansion Auditorium in Qingcheng Port.

Duan Tiangan was wearing an elegant gray trench coat over a sophisticated three-piece suit.

He wore round-framed gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, carried a leather briefcase in his hand, and had a Leica camera hanging around his neck.

He stood in the line of reporters waiting for security checks, looking at the armed military police with their dogs in front of him, and pushed up his glasses.

As a special correspondent for Ta Kung Pao in Shandong Province, Duan Tiangan had met countless warlords and politicians.

But this was the first time he had ever seen such a tight security check.

Not only do they check press passes and special passes, but they also conduct extremely rigorous body searches.

Even the camera's back cover had to be opened to check the film compartment, and the pens in the briefcase had to be unscrewed to check for hidden poison or miniature bombs.

"This Lin Feng seems to value his life quite a bit."

Duan Tiangan muttered to himself.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. This young corps commander had just annihilated the Japanese 5th Division and captured Itagaki Seishiro alive.

The Japanese Special Higher Police and the Military Intelligence Bureau in Jiangcheng are probably dreaming of killing him.

It's only natural to have stricter security checks.

When it was Duan Tiangan's turn, he calmly handed over his identification.

The name "Ta Kung Pao" was a prestigious brand in the journalism world of the Republic of China.

Its famous "Four No's" principle—no party affiliation, no selling out, no selfishness, and no blind faith—has earned it a very high reputation in both military and political circles.

Sure enough, the military police officer in charge of security checks became much more polite after seeing the identification.

After the routine body search, the officer stood at attention and saluted:

"Mr. Duan, please come in."

Commander Lin's press conference is about to begin.

Duan Tiangan nodded and stepped into the magnificent auditorium.

The auditorium was already full of people.

In addition to Chinese and foreign journalists, there were also local wealthy businessmen, enlightened gentry, and some cultural figures dressed in long gowns from Qingcheng Port.

Duan Tiangan found a seat in the front row of the press section, took out his leather notebook and pen, and prepared to take notes.

His heart was filled with contradictions at this moment.

As a native of Daxia, he naturally admired and was thrilled by Lin Feng's unprecedented victory in annihilating the Japanese Class A division.

But he was a high-ranking intelligence observer for the Red Party who concealed his true identity.

What he was more concerned about was what kind of person Lin Feng really was.

Was he fighting for the country and the nation, or to seize territory and become a local tyrant?

He had seen far too many new warlords on the land of the Republic of China who, under the guise of resisting Japan and saving the nation, secretly levied exorbitant taxes and oppressed the people.

Could Lin Feng just be the next Lao Han?

It was exactly 10:00 AM.

The main door on the side of the auditorium opened.

Surrounded by several high-ranking generals, Lin Feng strode onto the podium.

He was wearing a crisp second-class general's uniform today.

He wore the First Class Order of the Precious Tripod, the First Class Order of the Cloud Banner, and several other medals he had won in various battles.

Under the flashing lights, the medals gleamed, highlighting the young general's imposing presence.

A round of enthusiastic applause immediately erupted from the audience.

Lin Feng walked to the microphone, pressed his hands together as if to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Friends from the press, fellow countrymen."

Lin Feng's voice, amplified through the loudspeaker, resonated clearly throughout the entire auditorium:

"I've invited everyone here today to announce a few things."

The first piece.

Given that the former governor of Shandong Province, surnamed Han, fled without a fight and has been dealt with by the Nationalist government's military law.

This resulted in the complete paralysis of local government agencies at all levels in Shandong Province, leaving them leaderless.

I, Lin Feng, have been officially appointed as the acting head of the Shandong Provincial Government by order of the Jiangcheng Command.

He was given full authority to manage all military and political affairs in Shandong Province.

Applause erupted again from the audience, and many wealthy businessmen and gentry showed expressions of relief.

Having official status meant that Qingchenggang and the Jiaodong region finally had a legitimate and powerful government to maintain order.

"The second item."

Lin Feng continued:

"I hereby announce the formal establishment of the 'Lu Province Wartime Military Government' in Qingcheng Port."

It has subordinate departments and bureaus, including civil affairs, finance, construction, education, and agriculture.

The military government's primary task was to restore agricultural and industrial production and stabilize public morale.

At the same time, we must concentrate all our forces to resist the Japanese pirates and recover lost territory!

Duan Tiangan was taking notes rapidly in his notebook.

He pushed up his glasses, but inwardly scoffed.

That was a very well said statement.

But what's the reality?

In the chaotic era of the Republic of China, the truth was that political power grew out of the barrel of a gun.

By establishing this wartime military government, Lin Feng essentially created an independent kingdom in Shandong Province.

It seems that government orders from Jiangcheng will no longer be able to leave the headquarters.

Duan Tiangan felt a little uneasy.

He didn't know Lin Feng's true attitude towards the Red Party.

According to the intelligence he gathered, Lin Feng came from a wealthy landowning family in Zhejiang Province and was a direct descendant of a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy.

This background naturally carries an anti-red gene.

If Lin Feng had established a foothold in Jiaodong and then launched a large-scale purge of underground Communist Party members and anti-Japanese guerrillas, it would have been a heavy blow to the overall situation of the War of Resistance in East China.

Just as Duan Tiangan was secretly worried, Lin Feng unveiled his united front strategy.

"I know that there are friends from the business community here, as well as enlightened gentry from all over the world."

Everyone has their concerns.

Lin Feng's gaze swept over the wealthy businessmen in the front row:

"People didn't want to be oppressed by the Japanese, but they were also afraid of being robbed by the chaotic soldiers."

Today, I want to reassure everyone.

During wartime, the military government absolutely protects all legitimate private property.

We encourage the development of industry and commerce, and we encourage everyone to open factories and start businesses.

As long as you don't collude with the Japanese, don't profit from the national crisis, and pay your taxes properly.

I, Lin Feng, guarantee the safety of Qingcheng Port, and all areas under the control of my 33rd Army Corps.

This is the safest place for you to do business!

These words immediately excited the businessmen in the audience, who erupted in thunderous applause.

In this chaotic era of war, a general with a large army publicly promising to protect private property is more effective than anything else.

"To demonstrate the military government's sincerity."

Lin Feng dropped a bombshell:

"We have taken over and confiscated all nine Japanese-owned cotton mills in Qingcheng Port."

These yarn mills are in good working order and can start production at any time.

The military government decided to auction off these nine textile mills at a later date.

We welcome all patriotic businesspeople present to actively participate in the purchase, resume production, and support the War of Resistance!

The auditorium erupted in chaos.

Those were nine major textile factories!

The textile industry accounts for half of Qingcheng Port's economy.

In this era of scarcity, if you can secure one company, it's an incredibly profitable business.

The merchants whispered among themselves, eager to make their move and ready to spend their money right then and there.

Duan Tiangan frowned slightly as he watched this scene.

Winning over the bourgeoisie and local gentry is typical of warlord tactics.

Lin Feng is using interests to bind these wealthy people and provide financial support to his military government.

His methods were very clever, but that also meant that he still represented the interests of the big landowners and big bourgeoisie.

"Next, I'm going to talk about the most important thing."

Lin Feng's voice suddenly rose, silencing the commotion in the auditorium.

Duan Tiangan immediately leaned forward, pricked up his ears, and focused his attention.