People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

Starting from Shanghai, we traveled upstream along the Yangtze River.

Passing through Jinling and Hanyang.

After five days and nights of arduous travel, accompanied by a ship's horn, our 600-ton cargo ship finally docked at the Jiangbei Wharf.

The mountain city at the end of June was unusually hot and humid.

Lin Yi, shirtless and fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, watched as a group of shirtless men surged toward the cargo ship from the dock and couldn't help but shake his head.

Even in Shanghai, one can already sense the poverty of China.

Now that I've arrived in the mountain city, I realize the situation is far more serious than I thought.

It's understandable that dockworkers go shirtless in the heat.

Given the awful weather in this mountain city, it's not surprising that people have a tradition of wearing shorts.

Even a group of grown men's shorts were almost down to their thighs.

However, the sight of such a large group of people, most of whom were barefoot, was somewhat unbearable to look at.

No one is born with invincible feet.

As he was lamenting the hardships of people's lives, he heard someone on the shore shouting, "Mr. Lin! Mr. Lin!"

A quick glance revealed Liu Jing standing behind a group of dockworkers.

She was jumping around and waving at herself.

Liu Jing was in charge of making preparations ahead of this trip to the southwest.

Lin Yi led the large group by cargo ship, while Liu Jing arrived by plane.

Lin Yi had little confidence in the safety performance of aircraft from that era.

However, seeing Liu Jing's lively and energetic appearance, he felt it was necessary to buy an airplane.

I don't usually use it, but it's okay to use it occasionally when I'm in a hurry.

Especially after his industrial layout expands beyond the small circle of Shanghai, it is necessary to make some preparations in advance.

Moreover, once the foundation is solid, building airplanes will be just a matter of time.

Thinking about all this, Lin Yi waved to Liu Jing, who couldn't squeeze through the crowd, took the shirt Ah Sheng handed him, and got off the boat...

"I'd heard that there was fighting every day in Sichuan Province, but I've really witnessed it these past few days."

At a teahouse near the dock, Liu Jing reported the information he had gathered to Lin Yi.

“A major event occurred in the mountain city the day before yesterday. Liu Ziqian, the uncle of Governor Liu, sent someone to assassinate Governor Liu. The two have completely fallen out.”

"Now Liu Ziqian has sent troops to occupy Jiangjin, blocking both land and water transport, and all the grain transported from Pingdu to the mountain city has been intercepted."

"In just two days, the price of grain in the mountain city has increased by 30%."

Lin Yi had some understanding of the situation in Sichuan Province when he came to buy property there.

The "Supervisor Liu" that Liu Jing mentioned was Liu Yuanfu, the most powerful warlord in Sichuan Province.

The official position he was appointed by Nanjing was Commander of the 21st Army and Supervisor of the Post-War Reorganization in Sichuan Province.

The number one position for Sichuan Province in official documents.

Liu Ziqian was his cousin, and his official position was the commander of the 24th Army.

Both of them were representative figures among the countless warlords in Sichuan Province.

In addition, there was Yang Zihui, Li Yuanfu's old classmate from the accelerated training program, the commander of the 20th Army, and the former number one in Sichuan Province.

Liu Jizhi, commander of the 23rd Army; Deng Jinkang, commander of the 28th Army; Tian Guangxiang, commander of the 29th Army; and so on.

It has been 22 years since the first year of the Republic of China.

Sichuan Province has experienced more than 400 wars, large and small, of which more than 20 were large-scale.

As one faction finished its performance, another took its place. Those appointed as army commanders in Nanjing, such as Liu Yuanfu and Yang Zihui, all emerged from the chaos of battle.

These people sometimes form alliances, and sometimes they turn against each other.

In short, it's a mess.

It was only in the last two years, with the support of Jinling, that Liu Yuanfu gradually gained a foothold over the others.

But now an assassination attempt has occurred, and Liu Ziqian has also cut off his nephew's supply lines.

It's likely that a fight will break out in the next day or two.

He shook his head and asked, "What about Yang Zihui?"

"Still holed up in Qu County."

Liu Jing shook his head: "After the defeat in the Sichuan East two years ago, Yang Zihui's 20th Army was nominally still three divisions and six brigades, but I have inquired carefully and found that its total strength is less than 10,000."

"Qu County is a poor place, there's no money to be made there, and he can barely support 10,000 people."

“I heard that he’s recently started growing opium in Qu County, following in the footsteps of his neighbor Luo Dingchen.”

"I guess he wants to try again."

Hearing this, Lin Yi laughed: "Is it that bad?"

Liu Jing chuckled: "It's not bad, at least we have a place to stay."

“If it weren’t for Deng Jinkang protecting him out of consideration for their old classmate, Luo Dingchen, that neighbor, would have eaten him up long ago.”

"The man surnamed Luo is also an ambitious fellow. Over the years, he has led his troops to repeatedly change sides, with his flags changing back and forth."

"This situation is common in Sichuan Province. In other places, they would probably have been sent to the execution ground long ago."

"Old Liu, you've worked hard. The information is very detailed."

As he spoke, Lin Yi picked up the teapot and poured Liu Jing a cup of tea.

Liu Jing was so flustered that he hurriedly got up and said he dared not.

After settling down again, Liu Jing cautiously said, "Mr. Lin, Sichuan Province is too chaotic, and there are countless taxes."

"It's not a good choice for us to do business here."

This time, Lin Yi asked him to try something new, to fly over and pave the way, explicitly stating that he wanted to investigate the market and buy property in Sichuan Province.

After inquiring about the situation, Liu Jing realized that this was not a good choice.

With constant warfare, warlords needed to maintain their armies and buy guns and ammunition.

That requires money.

The only way to make money is through taxes.

The harsher the crackdown, the heavier the taxes.

Under these circumstances, it's truly a dead end for outsiders to buy property in Sichuan Province.

Lin Yi smiled and said, "Old Liu, have you ever heard the saying that the more chaotic things are, the more opportunities there are?"

Liu Jing blinked.

They disagreed in their hearts but dared not say so, so they could only offer emotional support: "Mr. Schelling taught us."

Lin Yi didn't care whether he believed it or not, and instructed: "Take a break at noon, find a way to get a few cars, and set off for Qu County this afternoon."

Lin Yi wants to buy property in Sichuan Province.

In the future, if you want to protect your own industries, you can't just rely on money to pave the way.

Sharing profits and cultivating relationships with powerful figures is one way to succeed.

Unfortunately, it's not suitable for him.

He wanted to invest in a steel mill, and his second plan was to build an arms factory in Sichuan Province.

This is a highly invested and crucial industry.

Even though the Sichuan warlords were xenophobic, they were able to prevent Nanjing from interfering.

But for Lin Yi, it was at most a case of driving away one wolf to devour another.

If we want peace and stability, we must also intimidate these wolves.

He had calculated repeatedly that supporting a minor warlord was definitely the most cost-effective solution.

Some time ago, after the metallurgical plant welcomed the expert group from the Military Commission, he had been thinking about this matter.

Based on the limited information available at the time, Yang Zihui, who had climbed to the top of Sichuan Province several times but was now struggling to make ends meet, was initially selected.

Now, with news from Liu Jing, Yang Zihui is still the most suitable candidate.

This guy has ambition, but his abilities are somewhat lacking.

In addition, he is a grateful person.

Ten years ago, he suffered a crushing defeat and withdrew from Sichuan Province with his remaining troops.

Wu Ziyu, the warlord of Beiyang at the time, helped him out.

When the Beiyang government collapsed in 1928, Wu Ziyu fled to Sichuan Province as a victim of the collapse.

Despite the widespread condemnation and calls for his arrest, Yang Zihui, whose situation was already precarious, still took in Wu Ziyu despite the pressure.

The result was that the warlords of Sichuan Province launched a joint attack.

If it weren't for his old classmate Deng Jinkang helping him at the last minute, he would probably be retired in Nanjing by now.

They are grateful for the kindness shown to them, but now they are in a difficult situation.

Qu County is located at the intersection of plains and mountains and is rich in mineral resources.

These factors allowed Yang Zihui to gain Lin Yi's favor.

If all goes well, he will become Lin Yi's spokesperson in the warlord world.

With the support of capital, it has made a comeback...