Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

The secretary notified me on the third day after the report was submitted.

"Minister Zhao, Brigade Commander, Director Xu, the leaders request your presence."

The three exchanged a glance, then got up and followed.

On the way, the brigade commander muttered to himself, "We got a response so quickly? Usually, wouldn't there be a meeting?"

Old Xu said, "This shows that things are urgent."

Zhao Ping'an didn't speak, but he was thinking to himself.

When they arrived at the conference room, 02 was already waiting. On the table was the plan they had just submitted, marked with some red pen marks.

"sit."

The three of them sat down.

02. Get straight to the point.

"I've reviewed your plan with 01 and 03. It's well-written and thoughtfully considered."

He paused.

"However, the nomination of the candidate is inappropriate."

The brigade commander was taken aback.

02 continued, "The military officers you nominated are all excellent. But Prince Siha needs a more suitable candidate. Also, there's a new development—"

He looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"The Shan State has also asked us for help. Lee Kok Hui and Lee Mi, former subordinates of Chiang Kai-shek, have now gained influence and pose a threat to our border."

Zhao Ping'an's mind raced.

Shan State. Later, a nation known for its telecommunications fraud.

Li Guohui, Li Mi.

Those remnants of Chiang Kai-shek's army.

02 continued, "Li Guohui and Li Mi's troops now occupy most of the northeastern part of Shan State."

The force, including families, has expanded to 16,000 people. The Shan State government forces, unable to defeat them, have requested our assistance.

He paused.

"So now, we have two things going on at the same time:"

First, to assist Prince Siha in establishing an independent kingdom.

Secondly, it addresses the issue of the remaining military forces within Shan State.

The brigade commander scratched his head.

"This is a bit troublesome. There are two directions, so we need two teams."

Fighting is definitely not a problem. With the current combat capabilities of our troops, any brigade could easily take them down.

However, if we want to complete Comrade Ping An's plan...

It's really not easy for us to find suitable cadres in the short term.

Old Xu also said, "The key point is that the situations in these two places are different."

The Khmer forces were helping their allies, while the Shan State forces were mopping up the remaining enemy troops; their tactics were completely different.

02 looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Comrade Ping An, what are your thoughts?"

Zhao Ping'an remained silent for a few seconds.

He remembered something.

Several years ago, he had mentally rehearsed a plan.

At the time, I just thought, what if it comes in handy?

Now, it might actually come in handy.

After all, these remnants of Chiang Kai-shek's forces, as long as they didn't encounter the Republic's army, could still be quite formidable in Southeast Asia.

After all, even without Chiang Kai-shek's micro-management, anyone who could fight back and forth with the Republic's elite team must have some real skills.

And what about these vassal states? Could we learn from Li Chengliang's strategy of "nurturing bandits to enhance our own importance"?

If we wipe them out completely in one go, how can we carry out sustainable economic cooperation and military troop deployment?

So Zhao Ping'an spoke.

"Boss, I have a suggestion."

02 nodded.

"explain."

Zhao Pingan said, "Regarding the selection of personnel, we can divide them into two teams."

He paused.

"The first plan is to go to Shan State. Dealing with Li Guohui and Li Mi's forces requires two conditions:"

First, he needs to be capable of fighting; second, he needs to be able to incorporate troops. As for being capable of fighting, I suggest Zhao Baoguo, the brigade commander of the XXth Mechanized Brigade, is suitable.

As for the candidates who can recruit and persuade the other side to surrender—”

He looked at the people present.

"Wang Zuomin".

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Wang Zuomin. Wang Yaowu.

The one who is still undergoing reformation in Gongdelin.

He was captured by Zhao Ping'an and his men while fleeing to Qingdao.

The brigade commander opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Old Xu was also stunned.

02 was not surprised at all, and just looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Go on."

Zhao Pingan said, "Wang Zuomin has many old subordinates over there and enjoys high prestige."

Both Li Mi and Li Guohui are his juniors. With him involved, many things are easier to discuss.

Those who wish to return will be given a way out; those who do not, Zhao Baoguo will lead his troops to deal with them.

02 nodded.

"What about the second set?"

Zhao Pingan said, "The second option is to go to Cambodia. Liu Dazhu, the brigade commander of the XX Mechanical Brigade, is suitable."

He used to be my bodyguard. Later, he served as company commander, battalion commander, regimental commander, and brigade commander, and he did a good job. He was young, good at fighting, and quick-witted.

They received my training in economic development management from a five-person group and achieved excellent results.

"Take a regiment with you, both to help Prince Siha train his troops and to promote our economic cooperation plan."

Zhao Pingan paused for a moment.

Both units need to be equipped with a large number of political and technical personnel.

Political workers are responsible for ideological work, while technical personnel promote agricultural techniques and cash crops.

02 After listening, he nodded and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he laughed.

"Comrade Ping An, how long have you been thinking about this plan?"

Zhao Ping'an honestly replied, "It's been a few years. I just thought about it casually back then, I never thought it would actually come in handy."

02 nodded and didn't say anything more.

The three of them felt a little uneasy as they walked out of the meeting room.

Nominating someone who is still undergoing reform to carry out a mission is something that has never been done before.

Moreover, although Zhao Ping'an's appointment was supposed to be based on merit without regard to kinship, it had some connotations of nepotism.

The brigade commander said, "Comrade Ping'an, do you think the leadership will approve it?"

Zhao Pingan shook his head: "I don't know."

Old Xu sighed, "If it's not approved, we'll think of another way."

But the news came that very evening.

The secretary brought me a document with only a few lines of text:

Agreed to proceed.

Zhao Dongliang was transferred to serve as the commander of the Yunnan Provincial Column.

Zhao Baoguo and Liu Dazhu are relieved of their original posts.

He was transferred to serve as the commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Independent Regiment of the Yunnan Provincial Volunteer Army.

They volunteered to go to Shan State and Cambodia to carry out their missions.

Political and technical personnel will be allocated according to Comrade Ping An's plan.

The three of them stared at the document, unsure of what to say.

The brigade commander was the first to react.

"Good heavens, Comrade Zhao Dongliang has been transferred to Yunnan Province as commander. This is like providing them with support."

Old Xu understood too.

"Yunnan Province borders Shan State, Annam, and Lan Xang. Although it is separated from Cambodia by Lan Xang, given the strength of the French army, they certainly wouldn't dare to stop them when they pass by. They can take care of things on both sides."

The brigade commander looked at Zhao Ping'an and smiled.

"Comrade Ping An, it seems that in the end, you'll still have to take charge of this task."

Old Xu smiled too.

"The leaders have genuine confidence in Comrade Ping An's planning abilities."

Zhao Ping'an remained silent.

He stared at the document, his mind churning.

Wu Ma had only returned to Beijing at the beginning of the year when he was appointed to positions in the Northeast and Northwest.

The Northeast State Farms Corps already has more than 500,000 people, and the Northwest Corps will soon be established as well.

Now, my eldest brother has been transferred to Yunnan Province as a commander, and Baoguo and Dazhu have also been sent out on missions.

This trust is too heavy a burden.

He took a deep breath, folded the document, and put it in his pocket.

"Alright, let's get to work."

The next morning, the three of them met again.

The brigade commander said, "Now that the personnel are settled, the next question is how to execute the plan."

Old Xu opened his notebook: "We need to work on Wang Zuomin first. He's been in there for several years; we don't know what his attitude is."

Zhao Ping'an said, "I'll have to trouble the brigade commander to come with me on this matter. He's your junior, you can keep him in check."

The brigade commander nodded: "Okay, I'll inform Zhao Baoguo and Liu Dazhu when I get back. Tell them to prepare and be ready to depart at any time."

Old Xu said, "I'll choose the political and technical personnel. I'll pick those who can endure hardship and get things done."

The three had a clear division of labor and quickly got to work.

Before leaving, the brigade commander suddenly asked a question.

"Ping An, do you think Wang Zuomin can really completely incorporate Li Mi's group if he goes?"

Zhao Pingan thought for a moment.

"I don't think so, but..."

The brigade commander smiled.

"Okay, I knew that's what you were thinking. But now that you've said that, I know how to bring it up with Wang Zuomin later."