Chapter 299

When Germany in Europe was preparing for its final attack, the Republic of China faced a huge test. The first was the drought in North China. At the end of 1917, there was little precipitation in the five provinces of Zhizhi, Hot, Sui, Cha, and Shandong. Since 1918, these five provinces have experienced

It is even rarer to see a cloud in the province. At the same time, southwest and east China have been raining continuously since the beginning of spring. The flood control situation in the four provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Guangdong is extremely tense.

At the end of April, heavy rains hit the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and lasted for more than ten days. Flood peaks rolled down the river, and there were many dangers along the Yangtze River Basin.

On April 28, President Sun Baoqi of the Republic of China strictly ordered the provincial governments along the Yangtze River to make every effort to fight the disaster and ensure the safety of people's livelihood and property. On the same day, Prime Minister Tang Hualong urgently allocated 500 million yuan in disaster relief funds for disaster relief in the north and south.

On April 29, Fang Jianxiong, Chairman of the Civil Affairs Commission, issued an emergency mobilization order to the entire National Defense Force and provincial reserve forces, requiring all units to ensure the safety of the Yangtze River Embankment at all costs.

On the 30th, the Shanghai All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce held a meeting of all representatives, calling on industrial and commercial people to respond to the government’s disaster relief. Those with money will contribute money and those with strength will contribute. President Gu Heng, president of Eurasia Group, said at the meeting that Eurasia Group will

donation value

Eighty million yuan in money and materials were used for disaster relief. Zhang Jian's brother Zhang Qi donated 50 million yuan worth of materials and materials on behalf of Nantong Dasheng Group for disaster relief. Sheng Xuanhuai donated 30 million yuan, and shipping giants Yu Qiaqing and Zhang Jingjiang

Each donated NT$10 million.

The actions of these giants triggered a wave of private donations. In just one day, donations and supplies worth more than 330 million were raised. The Zhili Branch of the Federation of Industry and Commerce responded to the call of the Federation of Industry and Commerce in Tianjin and in May

On the 1st, more than 120 million yuan in donations and supplies were raised. Not to be outdone, the Central China Branch raised donations and 150 million yuan in supplies in Wuhan on the same day.

The National Defense Forces garrisoned troops along the Yangtze River, under the command of Fang Jianxiong, have been deployed to various places along the Yangtze River. While the south is fighting floods, the north is also fighting drought. Whether it is flood fighting or drought fighting, local government officials must be on the front line to organize disaster relief and resettle the affected people.

In the spring, the young crops on the earth were struggling with thirst, and there was a long queue at a well beside a field. A couple carried water and carefully walked to the field a hundred meters away to put it down. There were two old men in the field using wooden

The ladle carefully pours water on each wheat seedling. Each seedling has a ladle of water, which is instantly absorbed by the soil, leaving a shallow mark.

The couple went back to carry water. Two children, one big and one small, were walking along the field. The older girl was eleven or twelve years old, and she was holding the younger boy who looked six or seven years old in one hand. They were also carrying two clay pots.

, walked over staggeringly.

"Grandpa, grandma, it's time to eat." The girl shouted, and the old man in the field responded and continued watering.

Fang Jianxiong, who was dressed in casual clothes, was on the road beside the field at the moment. When he saw the scene at the well, he got off his horse, threw the reins to the guard beside him, and strode towards the well. The reel made a creaking sound, and a bucket of water was winched up.

Put it down again.

Fang Jianxiong raised his eyes and looked around. There seemed to be only one well within a radius of two miles, and his face suddenly darkened. When he turned to leave, he suddenly heard an exclamation: "Grandpa, Grandpa." He followed the voice and looked over.

An old man fell on the edge of the field, his clothes were ragged, and he was unconscious.

The couple carrying water dropped their buckets and ran past Fang Jianxiong in a panic. Fang Jianxiong subconsciously followed them. When they walked to the old man, the old man had already woken up. He struggled and said to his son: "I'm fine, take a rest."

That’s fine, don’t delay watering the ground.”

Fang Jianxiong remained silent. After seeing his son in trouble, he still insisted on saying to the old man: "Dad, you'd better go back and rest first. We can do the work in the fields." The old woman next to him interrupted: "Old man.

, go back and rest for a day without delaying things."

"Everyone, I want to ask something." Fang Jianxiong took a step forward and said with a smile.

Seeing that Fang Jianxiong was neatly dressed, the family looked a little scared. The man stood up and spoke cautiously: "Sir, what do you want to know?" Fang Jianxiong pointed to the well: "Why is there only this well in a radius of two or three miles?

Well? Didn’t the town government help you dig a well? "

"Yes, this well was dug by someone from the town who paid for it." The man who answered was so shocked by Fang Jianxiong's strong aura that he subconsciously bent down and answered in a low voice.

"No, there are at least several hundred acres of land in this area, so why is there only one well? Isn't there a well for fifty acres?" Fang Jianxiong asked again. The family stopped talking, closed their mouths, and took a few steps back.

Finally, the old man on the ground struggled to stand up, and with the support of the old woman, he cupped his hands and said, "Is this gentleman a senior official from the county?" Fang Jianxiong smiled and said, "Old man, I'm from the capital, specializing in investigations.

Officials on the drought situation in various places. I would like to know that according to the cabinet decree, during the drought relief period, wherever there is a severe drought, there must be a well for every 50 acres of land. Also, each person, old and young, is given a ration of twenty kilograms per month.

Each young man has a monthly ration of thirty kilograms, have you all received it?"

The old man shook his head blankly, and the smile on Marshal Fang's face froze in an instant. He lowered his head and laughed twice, and said to the guard next to him with a cold air: "Leave a hundred yuan and send out a flare!"

After that, Marshal Fang walked slowly towards the road. A red signal flare flew into the air behind him. Not long after, smoke and dust billowed on the road, and a group of cavalry swept in. The leader was Qi Erzhu.

"These bastards dare to touch disaster relief funds and food. They are so audacious." Fang Jianxiong raised his head and exhaled, sneered and cursed. Qi Erzhu heard this and said angrily: "Commander Fu, I'll take people with you right now."

, took the county magistrate here, just like in the play, scrapping the skin and filling the grass..." Bang, Qi Erzhu was kicked by Marshal Fang on the buttocks, he didn't dare to shout that it hurt, he had to laugh.

"You are a legal illiteracy! Officials are corrupt. There is an ICAC investigation and a court filing a case. Why are the soldiers interfering with it? Pack up the team and return to Beijing." Fang Jianxiong got on his horse and drove away with his whip. In fact, Marshal Fang was not at peace at this moment.

, I did have the impulse just now to rush into the county town and chop up the officials headed by the county magistrate. But it didn't work, because that was illegal, and Marshal Fang couldn't take the lead in breaking the law.

It was already dark the next day after returning to the capital. Fang Jianxiong first went to see Zhang Binglin, the director of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and talked about his experiences in the countryside. After hearing this, Zhang Binglin looked solemn, stood up and bowed to Fang Jianxiong: "Commander, help me.

Zhang was impressed!"

"Why did you say this, sir?" Fang Jianxiong felt a little proud. With his power, squeezing a county magistrate to death was no different than squeezing an ant to death, but he did not overstep his authority. The law is the law, an important symbol of modern civilized society.

Zhang Taiyan is such an annoying person. He doesn't know how to flatter Marshal Fang at all. Faced with Marshal Fang's question, he chuckled and said, "Commander Fang, I know what I want to say. Why bother to say it again? Take your leave!"

He was about to leave with a smile. After walking a few steps, he stopped and turned around and said, "Fushuai, it seems you should be the one leaving. This is my home."

This time it was Fang Jianxiong's turn to laugh, cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Zhang, Fang looks forward to good news." He strode out as he spoke.

Early the next morning, while Fang Jianxiong was still having breakfast in the yard and handling official documents, **** Guan Juzheng came to visit. When he met, he held up his hands and said with a smile: "Fushuai, I came here specially to thank you. Thank you for the things you have given to this world."

Set an example.”

Fang Jianxiong stood up with a smile, and after serving tea, he waved his hand and said: "Brother Juesheng, this is wrong. The state makes laws to abide by them. Otherwise, what is the use of laws? No matter how powerful an individual's power is, it cannot hinder

to the fairness of the law. In our country, there have been too many people with power above the law.

Ugly, now that I have seen it, I will not make the same mistake again. Do you still remember the two major assassinations at the beginning of the Republic of China? Chen Yingshi was the biggest suspect in Tao Huanqing's death, but Sun asked Chen Yingshi to investigate, and you have seen the results. Song

Isn’t it the same with the death of the fisherman? The Chinese people respect power, this bad habit must be corrected now!”

Fang Jianxiong never expected that this case would cause violent repercussions around the world. The case involved nearly a hundred officials from Zhulu County. The Independent Commission Against Corruption was dispatched urgently. After preliminary investigation of the case, it was reported to the media. It was already the end of May. The case involved

The amount of stolen money obtained was as high as more than 8 million yuan, making it the largest fraud case in the Republic of China since the Republican Party came to power.

After the whole process was reported in the newspaper, academic circles in the capital and even across the country launched a vigorous discussion. The core content was that after Fang Jianxiong discovered the fraud, he did not use his power to resolutely take down the county officials.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption investigated and the case was later heard by the court.

When reporting on this case, the Washington Post commented: Through this case, we are pleasantly surprised to see that China is undergoing surprising changes. Their leaders no longer use power to solve judicial problems as before.

problem. I have to admit that under the general environment of this country, this is a leap forward!

The British Times said: China's leaders are using actions to tell the people of this ancient civilized country how they should view the law. I must apologize here, because before this, I once asserted that Fang is a democrat. Now

I retract this statement and solemnly apologize to Chairman Fang.

Compared with the reaction in Western countries, the domestic reaction had a far-reaching impact. The Ministry of Education included the case in the textbook. Years later, the case was frequently cited as a legal basis, mentioned in court countless times, and was repeatedly repeated by reporters.

A sentence recorded during the interview with Marshal Fang: "Since the birth of the Republic of China, any rights should not, no, cannot be above the law! Otherwise, it will be the regression of Chinese civilization!"

On May 25, 1918, the short-lived tranquility in Europe was broken again. The German Army's Baldique Defense Line in the battlefield in eastern France was covered by a thousand large-caliber artillery pieces from the US Army. Such an army of half a million dared to equip thousands of pieces of artillery.
Chapter completed!