The Crocker Plantation is almost the largest plantation in the northern part of Qinggu. The surname Crocker has been passed down here for four generations.
They have always been the owners of the plantation, and gradually developed and expanded, and now they play an important role in the northern part of the Green Valley region.
A few months ago, the old master died of illness, and now it is little Crocker who is in charge.
Young people are more ambitious than their predecessors.
Regardless of whether this ambition is reasonable or not, at least Crocker feels that he is a person with great ambitions.
He is not satisfied with just being a rich man from the Qinggu area. Like his ancestors for generations, he only eats by digging food from one-third of an acre. Although other people are doing the work, he just eats.
But he felt that the Crocker family could go one step further.
The disaster in the Qinggu area and the mutual aid association established with the support of the alliance are the perfect opportunities he values.
He actively responded to the establishment of the Mutual Aid Association, and used his appeal to persuade and influence many plantations to join.
It's not difficult.
First of all, the mutual aid association is inherently beneficial and everyone gets what they need; secondly, Crocker Manor, as the largest plantation, has indeed played a leading role in its positive response to the mutual aid association.
And his goal is actually not complicated. He wants to be the controller of the Mutual Aid Association and truly transform the Mutual Aid Association from a mutual aid organization formed with the assistance of the alliance into an organization spanning the Qinggu area. political entity.
All people sent by the alliance were excluded from the Mutual Aid Committee and were only given the status of observers. The power agencies were under the control of plantation owners and militia leaders. And as long as he firmly sits in the position of chairman and serves as the leader, that will be fine. What follows is the gradual improvement of various government mechanisms so that power can truly be implemented downwards.
Of course he was not so fanciful that after transforming the mutual aid association into a political entity, he would be able to challenge the alliance and the Governor. It's just that the so-called alliance is not a centralized government. Ever since the first generation of governors established the alliance, we have always been a member of the alliance and have never left the alliance.
It is still under the alliance system, but it is a regional power with strong autonomy and maintains a good cooperative and win-win relationship with the alliance center. Isn’t this good?
Of course he You know, with the way the Qinggu area is, it's definitely not possible to be tough with the alliance headquarters. What he wants to fight for is only political interests. In his opinion, the Qinggu area has a population and important food output, which is the basis for negotiations with the alliance headquarters.
Even in the future, it is inevitable that he will be completely swallowed up by the Alliance, but at that time, he must give Crocker a decent explanation. It is not impossible to transform into a high-ranking official in the alliance.
But he did not expect that the alliance would not give him any time.
Little Crocker was a little scared.
Could it be that my littleHis mind was seen through and the alliance was targeting me
He convened a committee meeting of the mutual aid association.
The meeting place is at Crocker Manor, which is also the headquarters of the mutual aid association.
A circular hall, with a lower center and gradually higher surroundings. There are wooden tables and wooden chairs on the surrounding steps as seats for the committee members. The circular platform in the center is the speaking platform.
In the venue, Little Crocker stirred up the thoughts of other plantation owners.
Standing in the center of the conference hall, Little Crocker was giving an impassioned speech.
"I believe many people have received the news that the Central Army Group led by Commander Yan Fangxu is moving south. According to the latest order from the alliance, we need to supply this army."
"Not only food supplies, but also the militia regiments we have worked so hard to build over the past few months must be brought under the command of Commander Yan Fangxu."
"Look Look at what happened in the so-called Central Province two months ago. A large number of settlements were abolished; a large number of survivors were captured by the alliance; those who had tried their best to maintain the existence of the settlements and protect them. The people's men were guillotined and found guilty."
"The Alliance is planning to take everything from us, just like they did to the people of the central province two months ago. "The same thing."
His words really touched the minds of many people.
The Central Army Group suddenly moved south, which indeed caused panic.
The planters were worried that their properties would be confiscated. Under the Union's policy, it seemed that completely independent and private industries did not exist.
However, even if those thoughts are aroused, people are basically keeping silent at the moment.
Worries are worries, but do we have to fight against the alliance because of this?
Let’s not talk about anything else, just look at the attitude of the militia leaders.
Now, the military strength of the mutual aid association is entirely composed of militia groups.
Among the militia leaders, those elected by the manor owners can say that their positions are still consistent with those of the manor owners who elected them.
But those whitewashed plunderers who were recruited were completely different.
Being assigned to the command of Army Group Center does not seem to be a bad thing for them.
The plunderers who can be recruited and cleansed originally did this because they had no choice but to survive. The manor owners showed no kindness to them, and they had no fixed property in the Beiqing Valley area.
They are just making ends meet anyway, and they have been included in the alliance army. Will they still be hungry?
Maybe there will be a chance to become a full-time official in the future. Being a regular army member of the alliance would be awe-inspiring.
If you want to have a military confrontation with the Alliance, you can count on militia groups with a similar mentality to go up and fight for their lives.
Don’t be ridiculous then.
Moreover, let alone a direct military confrontation, even if there is no war, the alliance does not come to force, the mutual aid association cannot stand just a hostile relationship.
With hundreds of thousands of militia groups, who can rely on for arms?
With food alone, the current population of four million people in the Beiqinggu area can survive and a large number of industrial products and daily necessities , also relies on transportation from the Twin Cities, the most important of which is medical assistance.
Without the assistance of the alliance, the mutual aid association itself will collapse.
To put it bluntly, there is no possibility of a head-on confrontation between the two sides.
Little Crocker himself mentioned the Central Bank Province just now, right?
Then the Central Bank Province can at least be completely opposed to the Governor and does not need any assistance. An army of 100,000 people came out. Can the Mutual Aid Association become hostile? I am afraid that the order formed by the Mutual Aid Association in the Beiqinggu area over the past two months will collapse on its own.
What's more, even if they pull out an army, so what
Can they still defeat the alliance's army? The central bank's army of 100,000 has lasted for several days.
It’s true that everyone has resentment against the Alliance military’s sudden move south, but if Little Crocker thinks that he can encourage everyone to follow him and go head-to-head with the Alliance, then just dream.
No one will follow him to this madness.
Of course, little Crocker did not feel crazy, he could encourage people in the mutual aid association to do this. Even if he could do it, he wouldn't do it.
However, after looking at everyone's expressions and guessing their mentality, Little Crocker was still a little disappointed.
But he quickly readjusted his mentality.
He continued, "I know you are all scared in your hearts, wondering if this little Crocker is crazy and dares to say such things, but I want to tell you that it is indeed true now. We are on the verge of life and death, and no one wants to give away the assets we have accumulated over generations for no reason."
"Of course, we are not going to fight against the alliance or the governor, and I will never do that. This means. The Mutual Aid Association was established with the assistance of the Alliance. The Governor has helped us a lot. We Qinggu people will never repay kindness with enmity. We are a member of the Alliance in the past, now and in the future; we will always be loyal. Be loyal to the emperor and loyal to the governor, this will not change."
When he said this, people finally became interested.
In the previous paragraph, we said that the Alliance would take away everything from us, and seemed to encourage everyone to fight. However, in the following paragraph, the tone completely changed, saying that we must be loyal to the Governor and loyal to the Alliance.
What kind of precise statement is this?
What on earth do you want to do?
But even though the words were very confusing, when he mentioned that it was not If you really want to rebel against his mother, everyone will be wary and vigilant.It has dropped a lot.
People began to look forward to whether this little Crocker really had any good way to save everyone's industry without directly confronting the alliance.
"We are loyal to the Governor and the Alliance, but loyalty does not mean stupidity. We must consider the way we are loyal."
"We will use non-violent non-cooperation To express our will to the Governor, we will refuse to resupply the Union troops and we will refuse to hand over the command and organization of the militia to Army Group Center. If there is any direct threat of violence, I will allow you to temporarily agree. Promise to cooperate; but after the threat of violence ends, we propose that we will continue to carry out the protest action"
At this point, Crocker's speech suddenly accelerated and became heavier
"Committee Guys, this is how we fight. We will never engage in any direct confrontation with the alliance's troops. Strikes, protests, and food supply suspensions will not continue indefinitely. We just need to do it in a civilized way. , to express our demands in a bloodless way, and ultimately achieve the goal of resolving the problem through negotiation."
His words shocked people.
Good guy, it took a long time to do it, it’s just non-violent non-cooperation, right?
But looking back, it’s not impossible.
There is nothing you can do about strikes, demonstrations, and non-supply if the gun is pointed at you; but as long as the gun is not pointed at you, nothing will happen.
How many people are there in the alliance army?
They all come to serve as supervisors in various places
Both sides are facing each other. If the consumption continues, the Qinggu area has always been in such a bad state. , how can it continue to suck
But the alliance is different.
The Governor's grand cause can withstand such a delay
Make yourself a united front value, and then strive for as many benefits as possible at the negotiation table
p>
This idea seems to work really well.
But some people have raised questions, "This is a good approach, but if the alliance carries out bloody suppression, arrests or even shoots the leaders of the protests, that is, us people, then how should you respond?"< /p>
Little Crocker took a deep breath, "This is the risk we have to face. First of all, will the alliance do this? Are they not afraid of arousing greater resistance? Secondly, we must also protect ourselves. The Qinggu area is very large, or the whole world is very large. We must hide in the wilderness and hide among the people. We must also find a way to ensure that we can still provide mutual aid and food rationing in this situation. and have enough influence on the labor force."
Just when Crocker was talking about his thoughts and becoming more and more serious, there was a creak and the door of the circular parliament hall was opened.
Little Crocker stopped talking and turned away angrily.
The door of the conference hall is behind the podium where he made an impassioned speech.
Today is not a secret meeting, but it is important enough. He had already given instructions not to allow any interruption during the meeting. Someone should be guarding the door of the conference hall. How could anyone dare to disturb the meeting at this time?
But after seeing the person coming, he suppressed the curse on his lips.
The visitor's name is Jason Morgan. He is a middle-aged man with an unremarkable appearance. He is slightly fat and not tall. He always has a kind smile on his face. There is nothing too special about him. What a strange place.
However, he still made little Crocker, who was planning how to do things, wanted to make a big fortune, and felt full of knowledge, feel a chill in his back.
That’s certainly not the magic of Jason Morgan himself.
That’s because behind Jason Morgan, he symbolizes an invincible force that can only be dealt with secretly.
But now, An Naonao’s plan is exposed under the sun.
Little Crocker tried hard to think of a solution quickly, no matter what, but now his mind was just blank, as if some physiological mechanism had been triggered, causing his brain to freeze.
Jason Morgan still had that kind smile on his face. He took a few steps forward, stood in front of Little Crocker, and said, "It would be inappropriate for the Mutual Aid Committee meeting to have no observers present. Regulations for committee meetings."
Little Crocker reluctantly showed a smile.
He wanted to say harsh words, and even thought about calling someone over to arrest Jason Morgan who broke in, or even kill him on the spot.
However, after mumbling for a moment, he just said, "I haven't had time to inform Mr. Morgan. Aren't you inspecting the disease prevention and control work in the park next door? If I knew you were there, I would definitely have invited you over."
Morgan waved his hand, "So that's it, but it doesn't matter. Now is the time. On the way here, I saw a lot of armed militiamen. I thought I was going to encounter them on the way in. It was a lot of trouble, but no one stopped me, and many militia comrades followed me."
At this point, he waved behind him.
A group of militiamen walked in with guns.
Morgan turned his head again, faced Crocker, and said, "I seemed to have heard something about non-violent non-cooperation outside, and we must consider the method of loyalty."
At this point, Morgan's kind smile seemed quite sinister to Little Crocker.
"This is a coincidence. Although I don't know what non-violent non-cooperation means, I graduated from the advanced training class of Xifeng Zhongsi College and received direct teachings from the Governor-General. I think I am here I am the most qualified to talk about what loyalty means.”
“In my opinion, this issue does not need to be discussed. Even the militia comrades behind me don’t even know a few of them. We also understand this truth deeply."
"The best way to be loyal is to maintain absolute loyalty.Sincerity. And loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyal. "
Jason Morgan held up the red hat on his head, completely suppressed all smiles, and looked at everyone present with a stern face. "I want to know, how many people still want to be here?" Let’s talk more about the way of loyalty.” Please remember to bookmark it, the latest and fastest website without anti-theft and free reading