Everyone nodded in unison.

Jiang Dong touched his chin.

"That being the case, then the theme of our meeting today is to recover East China!"

The officers waved their fists and looked excited.

Wang Xueqin acted calmly. After the army generals calmed down, he looked at Jiangdong and said seriously:

"Director, the situation in East China is no better than that in Northeast and North China. Before we can talk about recovery, we must solve two problems."

"The first is to coordinate with Chongqing on the issue of ownership after the recovery of East China."

"The second is the disaster in the Central Plains region, mainly in the Yellow River Flood Area. The people are already suffering a lot, and they will definitely be implicated in the war, and the disaster relief work will be delayed as a result."

Jiang Dong nodded to Wang Xueqin, appreciating his calmness and clear thinking.

"I only heard that there was no rain in the Central Plains area throughout the spring, and the specific damage situation is unclear." Wang Liang looked at Wang Xueqin and said.

Wang Xueqin's face became solemn.

"Director, colleagues, the situation in the Central Plains region is worse than previously expected by the Administrative Committee, and there is a trend of getting worse."

Jiangdong was deeply impressed by the Great Famine in Henan in 1942, saying:

"Old Wang, can you tell me in detail how bad it is?"

Jiangdong had made an announcement a long time ago, and Wang Xueqin has been paying attention to the situation in Henan and other places. He raised his eyes, did not read any documents, and said in a low voice:

"The yellow flood zone covers Henan, Anhui, and Shandong. These places were first hit by floods. In recent years, people's lives have been in dire straits."

"Since the beginning of spring, there has been no rain in the Central Plains, and large tracts of wheat seedlings have withered. Many people are unable to secure even the most basic food and have begun to eat tree bark."

"The drought was followed by the locust plague. The two went hand in hand and have been tormenting the people in the Central Plains for thousands of years."

"According to reports from investigators sent by the Administrative Committee to Henan and other places, large numbers of locusts passed through some towns and villages, covering the sky and gnawing cleanly of all green things on the ground."

"The locust plague has not spread to the entire Central Plains region, but the situation is not optimistic. It is only a matter of time before it spreads."

"No longer counting on the mid-term wheat harvest, the common people are planting spring wheat on the dry and cracked land, pinning all their hopes on the autumn harvest."

"But without rain, it is difficult for wheat to survive. If the disaster develops into autumn, I am afraid it will be more serious."

Everyone in the conference room looked solemn.

The army generals were smoking cigarettes. They knew nothing about disaster relief matters and could not express their opinions.

Ding Beifeng narrowed his one eye and asked:

"Have you made an estimate of how many people will be affected by the disaster?"

Wang Xueqin swallowed.

"Disasters have occurred not only in the Yellow River Flood Area, but also in Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and other places. If I had to give a number, I estimate that the number of people affected by the disaster is at least 30 million!"

The most irresistible thing for agricultural societies is natural disasters. If the disasters are allowed to develop, 30 million people will be affected, and at least 3 million people will die.

Everyone was shocked by this number. They looked at Wang Xueqin and then at Jiang Dong.

Wang Xueqin hesitated for a moment and continued:

"If it is just a natural disaster, timely allocation of food relief can effectively alleviate the disaster. But the bad conditions in the Central Plains are not all caused by natural disasters!"

"There are four disasters that people in the Central Plains fear most, namely floods, droughts and locust soup!"

"The soup here refers to Tang Enbo, who is one of the four pests in the Central Plains!"

Wang Xueqin glanced at Jiang Dong, gritted her teeth and told everything about the situation.

"Bureaucratic corruption, inflation, heavy taxes!"

"Inflation has caused food prices to skyrocket, and landowners are exploiting them endlessly. Many people have worked hard for a whole year and cannot even get enough food to pay rent, so they have no choice but to give up their land and flee with their families."

"In the face of the catastrophic disaster, Tang Enbo and others not only failed to actively provide disaster relief, but also failed to reduce the number of military ration requests from Henan and other places. Officials at all levels were corrupt and increased their burdens at every level. These shackles eventually fell on the farmers at the bottom."

"Farmers not only have to deal with natural disasters, but also have to deal with soldiers and officials. Even if they try their best, scrimp on food and clothing, and work hard, they still can't satisfy the appetite of government officials."

"Uncle Tang Enbo has been in power in Henan for many years, and the lives of the people in Henan have become more and more difficult every day. In a disaster year like this, the last grain of food in the hands of the people will be stripped away.
Chapter completed!