Leader Liu shook Lin Sanqi's hand vigorously, smiling like an auntie.
"The God of Wealth has arrived, so of course we have to come and greet him. If Yu Siling hadn't had an important meeting, he would have definitely come in person. So, what new instructions does Director Lin have this time? Our Huadu Military Region guarantees that the mission will be completed without fail!"
Lin Sanqi nodded and bowed politely:
"This time, my superiors have given me the task of walking around Bao'an and looking for inspiration. If I succeed, it will be a great benefit to the country and the people. But if I fail, we may all end up digging sand in the northwest."
Leader Liu was stunned for a moment, wondering what kind of risky thing could there be? Was it a good thing or a bad thing? Didn't the notice say they were inspecting a reserve site for a military base?
But soldiers are relatively simple-minded and don't think too much, so he waved his hand heavily:
"Let's investigate first, then we can brainstorm and discuss. Come, let me introduce you to these people."
Lin Sanqi shook hands with Zhong Huachi:
"Commander Zhong, we meet again. Leader Liu, Old Zhong and I are old friends. This is..."
Zhong Huachi is the head of the local border defense in Bao'an, and is naturally most familiar with the smuggler Lin.
"President Lin, long time no see. Come, let me introduce you. This is County Magistrate Xue Ding, the head of Bao'an County."
Lin Sanqi thought, why don’t you call yourself Schrödinger?
But he still had a smile on his face and extended his hand: "Hello, County Magistrate Xue, I'm sorry to trouble you this time."
Xue Ding, whose rank was not as high as Lin Sanqi's, quickly shook hands with him: "President Lin, I've heard a lot about you."
Leader Liu came to his senses at this time and asked with some doubt:
"Comrade Sanqi, what good news is it that has you sending our military district and local government here this time?"
Lin Sanqi then asked, "County Magistrate Xue, did you bring the map of Bao'an County?"
County Magistrate Xue took out a map from his bag and spread it out in front of everyone:
"Dean Lin, I brought it. This is the largest scale map available. Let me give you a brief introduction. Our Bao'an County is now under the jurisdiction of Foshan Prefecture. It has a total area of approximately 1,900 square kilometers and a registered population of approximately 300,000."
In fact, this population data remained the same for 30 years, until 1979 before the reform and opening up. During these 30 years, there was almost no data on newborn births in Bao'an County.
So this data is inflated.
Lin Sanqi clicked his tongue, looked at everyone in the room, and then asked softly:
"Old Xue, there are no outsiders here. I need real data. Tell me honestly, how many people are there in Bao'an County now?"
"This..." County Magistrate Xue looked at the many people in green military uniforms present with some embarrassment.
Leader Liu, the most senior official on the scene, casually said:
"County Magistrate Xue, Dean Lin is not an outsider, and this is probably related to one of his plans. To ensure that Dean Lin's decision is not wrong, we must answer any questions truthfully."
County Magistrate Xue sighed heavily at this time and thought for a long time before speaking:
"Since 1955, Bao'an County has experienced two large-scale waves of people fleeing to Hong Kong. But from 1959 to 1962, the number of people fleeing to Hong Kong has continued.
These people are almost all old, weak, sick and disabled. Not only did ordinary people flee to Hong Kong, but even a large number of local cadres fled.”
Everyone at the scene gasped.
County Magistrate Xue continued to complain:
"Dean Lin, you're far away in Beijing, so you don't know much about the specific conditions in the south. Let me put it this way: from Sha Tau Kok in the east, to Xia Bu Temple in the middle, and to Hongshulin and Shekou in the west, it's almost impossible to find even a Bao'an native right now.
You can't see them during the day, but at night they are crowded. The woods and the foot of the mountain are filled with people who have fled from other places. Their destination is Hong Kong, and Bao'an County is just passing through."
"More and more people are fleeing to Hong Kong, which has created a serious public security problem.
It was very common to see people snatching food on the way from Henggang to Yantian. On the Baohui Highway of the Shuibei Production Team of Fucheng Commune and the Highway from Henggang to Yantian, people fleeing to Hong Kong were found queuing up and forcibly stopping cars.
Along the border railway lines, some villages and shops, fearing disruption from migrant workers, close their doors before nightfall. Some are afraid to work alone and dare not go out at night. Dean Lin, what can we do about this?
For the local government, being close to the Victoria Harbour is a disaster.
But they could never have imagined that decades later, Bao'an County would become the richest region in the country because of the establishment of a special economic zone near Hong Kong.
Those Bao'an people who fled to Hong Kong are still engaged in low-level jobs, but the local people who stayed in Bao'an became landlords. The annual dividends from the village and their own rents made every family a multi-millionaire.
It's really like the world changes over time. Life is full of fun.
County Magistrate Xue pointed to several places on the map and said:
"Take the Luohu Port where we are now, for example. Many villages not far from here, such as Dawangqian, Maliaohe, Enshang, Niujingwo, Luzui, and Dashuikeng, have become deserted. In one village, only a lame man was left after escaping.
The biggest problem in Bao'an County right now is that, as a border area, we cannot develop industry, and because most people in the county have fled, it is difficult to organize agricultural production.
Spring plowing is coming soon, and because there are no people, large tracts of land are left lying idle. This is truly a sin.”
Lin Sanqi nodded after hearing this, thinking that this was consistent with the information he had found.
Bao'an County was really miserable before it became a special economic zone.
There was no money, no food, and even fishing was not allowed.
Because as long as a ship goes out to sea, it will definitely go directly to the Hong Kong River. In order to prevent people from escaping to Hong Kong, all fishing boats in the county have been destroyed, so there is no fish to eat.
But precisely because it was so tragic, because there was no one living within a hundred miles, was the result Lin Sanqi wanted.
"Old Xue, can you take me to Shekou, Sha Tau Kok, and Dapeng?"
Leader Liu, Brigade Commander Zhong, and County Magistrate Xue had no idea what kind of medicine Lin Sanqi had hidden in his gourd. With a lot of questions in their minds, they followed Lin Sanqi into the car.
When they got in the car, Lin Sanqi asked without thinking:
"Brigade Commander Zhong, let me give you an example. Do you have the ability to encircle Bao'an County and prevent outsiders from entering?"
According to the information Lin Sanqi has read, after the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was established in August 1980, there was a "second-line customs" with the mainland.
The route is paved with granite slabs and separated by wire mesh up to 3 meters high.
The "Second Line Customs" divides Shenzhen into the inner and outer areas. The inner area is within the original special economic zone and is 84.6 kilometers long.
If ordinary people want to enter the special economic zone through the second-line customs, they need a letter of introduction from their unit and then go to the Public Security Bureau to apply for a border pass.
Among those who entered the Special Administrative Region back then, there were many successful people who were stopped by a "second-line checkpoint" or had difficulty with a border pass.
For example, when real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi went south to Shenzhen, he could not enter the city without a border pass. He gritted his teeth, spent 50 yuan, and under the guidance of a snakehead, he sneaked into the special economic zone through a hole under the barbed wire fence on the border.
Lin Sanqi found inspiration from this story and wanted to see if he could surround Bao'an County with a "second-line checkpoint" wall and barbed wire in advance to prohibit people from entering and leaving at will.
After hearing this, Brigade Commander Zhong shook his head like a rattle:
"Director Lin, this is probably difficult. Currently, our brigade has a total of 6,000 people stationed in Foshan and Huizhou. Bao'an County has the largest number of soldiers, reaching 3,000. Our focus is on guarding the Xiangjiang side.
However, the border between Bao'an County and Dongguan and Huiyang counties stretches for hundreds of kilometers. It would be impossible to blockade Bao'an County with only a few thousand people. Of course, if you want to blockade a town or a commune, we can still do it.
Lin Sanqi nodded, feeling relieved.
The group first arrived at Shekou Commune. The road was almost bumpy and there was not a single intact road. Lin Sanqi felt like his bones were about to be shaken apart.
Of the five jeeps, three broke down immediately. (End of this chapter)
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