Courtyard House: I only wiped out 30,000 Japanese pirates

Someone in the meeting room raised a question. A major in charge of logistics stood up and said that 100 grams a day was too little, only enough to maintain basic survival. If this continued, it would lead to widespread malnutrition and even starvation.

Sasaki didn't refute, but merely glanced at He Dajun and then said something that silenced everyone: "One hundred grams is enough. They're out of strength, and the resistance fighters are out of strength too."

"Moreover, when they are hungry, they will willingly hand over the resistance fighters. This is not food rationing; it's a hunt."

After the meeting, Sasaki kept He Dajun behind.

He sat behind his desk and pushed a newly printed grain rationing implementation plan to He Dajun, saying that the rationing in the upper city was to be handled by the puppet army, and that He Dajun should be the chief executive officer.

He Dajun took the plan with both hands and flipped through a few pages. It was very detailed, from registering every household to setting up distribution points, and then to the penalty clauses for violations. Every clause was accurate to the millimeter.

"He Dajun," Sasaki leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped on the table, his gaze lingering on He Dajun's face for a long while, "this plan was your idea. I need you to implement it properly."

He Dajun bowed, his expression both respectful and solemn.

He said the key to food rationing was not how to distribute it, but how to prevent the people from causing trouble.

As long as the people don't cause trouble, this plan can be implemented.

The best way to prevent them from causing trouble is to make them feel that they are being treated fairly.

He suggested that the rations in the first phase could be slightly higher, so that the people would feel that the Imperial Army was indeed protecting their lives. Once they got used to it, the rations could be gradually reduced, so that there wouldn't be too much of a backlash.

After listening to the translator's retelling, Sasaki pondered for a moment, then nodded and said it was acceptable. He instructed He Dajun to start with 150 grams per day and reduce it to 100 grams after half a month.

He Dajun immediately bowed and said that the Japanese lord was wise. Then he said that there was one more detail he wanted to ask the Japanese lord about: the personnel distributing the supplies at the distribution points should preferably be selected from the puppet army, but each distribution point should be assigned a supervisor from the Imperial Army.

This way, the common people would feel more at ease knowing that the Imperial Army was supervising them, and they would be less likely to cause trouble.

Sasaki smiled.

He knew there was a hidden meaning in He Dajun's suggestion: letting the Imperial Army supervise was tantamount to handing over the most problematic link to the Imperial Army itself. The puppet troops would only be responsible for distributing rations, and if any problems arose, the Imperial Army would have the backing.

This He Dajun's mind works faster than most Imperial Army officers.

He nodded and said that the idea was good, and that they would do as He Dajun suggested.

As He Dajun bowed and left the office, a standard sycophantic smile was on his face, but in his mind he was rapidly calculating every detail of the plan.

He mentally calculated that 150 grams was 50 grams more than Sasaki had ordered, but it was still not enough.

Most of the people in Beijing relied on manual labor for their livelihood. Porters, cart pullers, and bricklayers could not survive on 150 grams of grain a day.

His system allows users to exchange for food, including rice, noodles, and other grains, all at very low prices; one point can be exchanged for a pound of food.

However, a meticulous operational plan is needed to transfer grain from the system into the rationing system without arousing suspicion.

He sat in the wooden shack for a long time, going over the location of the ration points, the distribution process, and the supervision mechanism in his mind.

There are more than ten distribution points in the Shangcheng District, and each distribution point is responsible for several alleys in the vicinity.

He could mix the grain he redeemed through the system with the grain allocated by the Imperial Army and distribute it together. As long as the accounts were kept in order, no one would be able to tell the difference.

If you add a few extra pounds to each bag of rice, each household can get an extra half bowl.

This half bowl of rice might not seem like much under normal circumstances, but after food rationing began, it became the key to survival.

In addition, the resistance fighters hiding in the tunnels had no household registration and were not eligible for rations, so they could only rely on outsiders for assistance.

He planned to exchange for an extra batch of food from the system and distribute it to various tunnel contact points through Lao Yang's underground network to ensure that everyone hiding in the shadows also had food to eat.

Of course, he would also do it himself.

In the afternoon, he summoned all the puppet army squad leaders to the warehouse for a meeting.

Liu Haizhong and Xu Wude sat at the front, while the other squad leaders sat on either side.

He Dajun distributed the food rationing plan, giving each person a copy. Then, leaning on a wooden stick, he stood in front of the table and began assigning tasks: each ration point would have a distribution team, with the team leader being the squad leader, and the team members selected from the puppet army.

The distribution process was strictly carried out in accordance with the plan. Each household received grain according to the number of people registered in the household register. When receiving the grain, they left their fingerprints as a record. The distribution records for the day were reported to him for summarization on the same day.

Anyone who withholds grain, solicits bribes, or tampers with rations will be warned the first time, and sent directly to the Imperial Army's military court the second time.

Furthermore, the food supply costs money; it's not free, and it's much more expensive than usual.

Liu Haizhong held the rationing plan, tapping his fingers lightly on the paper, a smug smile on his lips that he couldn't hide.

He felt this position was perfect for him. He was in charge of the grain supply for the entire upper city, and anyone who wanted an extra pound or half a pound had to defer to him. He could make a fortune just by collecting kickbacks.

He Dajun noticed his expression and suddenly asked him what to do if he found out that a resident was fraudulently claiming grain.

Liu Haizhong said without hesitation that if they found out, they would be severely punished and sent to the Imperial Army for processing.

He Dajun nodded, and then said that an old man named Chen told him today that Liu Haizhong threatened residents with a gun and demanded money during the search, and was fined a month's salary.

The smile on Liu Haizhong's face froze instantly.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he saw He Dajun's silent eyes staring at him, a chill ran down his spine as he recalled what He Dajun had told him before.

Cold sweat began to break out on his back, and the smugness that had been surging in his chest just moments before vanished. He lowered his head and said, "I understand."

He Dajun didn't dwell on the topic and turned around to continue assigning tasks.

After the meeting, He Dajun returned home, leaning on a wooden stick.

It was already dark when he went into the wooden house, sat down, and reviewed the list of ration points and personnel arrangements again. After confirming that there were no mistakes in any aspect, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Bai Ling is still waiting for him.

When he returned home, Bai Ling was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) organizing the intelligence summary that Lao Yang had sent over during the day.

We've also made arrangements with the abandoned kiln site, so it's safe for now.

He Dajun sat on the edge of the kang and briefly recounted what had happened that day. Bai Ling listened quietly without saying much, only saying that she knew he would definitely find a way to help the people survive.

He Dajun leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

He thought about how many families would go hungry because of food rationing, about the resistance fighters hiding in the tunnels without even a registered household, and about Sasaki's words, "This is not food rationing, this is hunting."

This is an alternative form of warfare.

He must win.