Chapter 358 Consumables in Projects
Although North Vietnam has been rich in rice since ancient times and there is no shortage of food, their status as prisoners of war means that they will not have the opportunity to have a full meal. After being captured, they have only been treated with clear soup and wild vegetable porridge. Consuming two meals of rice soup a day is basically just a life-sustaining function, and many people are already skin and bones from hunger. If North Vietnam hadn't still had the intention of handing them over to the Haihan people as debt bonds, these people would have starved to death in the prisoner of war camp.
The two ships of prisoners of war transported from North Vietnam this time totaled 600 people. However, due to their physical weakness caused by long-term detention, more than a dozen died during transportation and were mercilessly thrown into the sea by the crew. During the quarantine after arriving in Hong Kong, a dozen more people were cleared by the medical team for isolation and observation due to poor physical conditions. Finally, there were 566 people left in the hard labor camp. These people are organized into teams of ten when they arrive, and ten teams are organized into one squadron. In addition to the managers assigned by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Ministry of Construction, each squadron will also have a slightly older person. Of course, the function of this foreman is not at the administrative level, but is only responsible for guiding them in their work. Each camp consists of five squadrons, and just on the construction site of Sanya New City, there are four hard labor camps with a total of more than 2,000 people.
According to the plan of the Executive Committee, in the urban areas of the two river basins of Sanya, several miles of inland river terminals will be built along the river banks. The supporting infrastructure projects will be huge. It is far from relying solely on the existing construction teams of the Ministry of Construction. If this is not enough, most of the pure manual labor will be done by hard laborers who currently number more than 4,000 people. Although the bodies of these hard laborers are still very weak, the construction department does not have time for them to slowly recuperate. The superiors are pressing the construction deadlines of various projects very tightly. If they cannot complete the expected construction goals on time, everyone's life will be ruined. Better off. The most direct and effective solution is to make full use of these hard laborers as much as possible. If they can do a little work, at least the cost of paying off the debts of these people must be recovered.
"You are paralyzed while you sleep, get up! You lazy idiots, this place is not for you to retire. Gather outside the house immediately. If you haven't left the house after I count to ten, you don't have to eat dinner!" Li Maozi took it He used a tin trumpet and shouted at the maximum volume at the hard laborers lying on the floor in the shack. He didn't know what the first sentence meant, but he once saw cadre Haihan use this sentence to scold the hard laborers who slept in, and he felt it was very powerful, so he started to imitate it without permission.
During the siege of Lijiazhuang in May, Li Maozai was lucky to save his life on the battlefield. Although he became a prisoner of the militia, he accidentally avoided the liquidation of the Li family clan. After the war, He was directly escorted to Dawanshan Island to work as a coolie. Being able to escape from a certain death situation twice was a rare feat of luck. Of course, this is also thanks to the fact that the bandit leader Liao Dabi died in the rebellion. Otherwise, once he instigated Liao Dabi to attack Lijiazhuang was exposed, even ten lives would not be enough to die, and there is no need to expect the Haihan people to need labor force. This is the reason to save his life.
While working as a coolie in Wanshan Port, Li Maozai continued to use his acting talent, trying to please his boss while squeezing other people who were also hard laborers. I have to say that his tricks worked to a certain extent. After staying in Wanshan Port for a month, Li Maozi was promoted to squad leader because of his evaluation of "a good attitude towards reform and a positive attitude towards work". Later he was promoted to squadron leader. In August, because the main project of Wanshan Port came to an end, and the confidentiality of the remaining defense fortifications needed to be considered, people from the hard labor camp were not eligible to participate, so Li Maozi and a group of others fought in Lijiazhuang. The captured personnel were transported to the construction site of Sanya New Port to continue working.
Although Li Maozi tried his best to express himself, it is difficult for today's hard labor camp to have an outlier like Takahashi Nan who successfully counterattacked in a very short period of time. The Ministry of Justice clearly stipulates that, except for a few special talents clearly listed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs who can perform labor outside prison, all ordinary and medium-sized personnel in hard labor camps must serve their sentences according to the judgment. Even if their sentences can be commuted for meritorious service, the minimum period The sentence cannot be less than two-thirds of the original sentence. All prisoners of war from North Vietnam were serving three-year sentences, which meant that even if some of them could get a commutation, their sentences would not be shorter than two years. The batch of hard laborers shipped from the mainland received slightly preferential treatment. They were all sentenced to two years in prison. If Li Maozi could do well enough, he would be free in a little more than a year.
After working as a foreman at the Sanya New Port construction site for more than a month, Li Maozi was assigned a new task - to lead new people in the new camp area. This task is not an easy job to get. Basically, squadron leaders with better performance from each hard labor camp are assigned to do it, and the labor points that can be obtained are higher than those in the original position.
The labor grade and individual labor points system originally proposed by Ren Liang are also implemented in today's hard labor camps, but the point rules and rewards are different from ordinary naturalized laborers. The labor intensity baseline for earning points for hard laborers is much higher than that for naturalized citizens, and the deductions are more severe. As long as they do not show up for work, the existing points will be deducted on a daily basis regardless of the reason, instead of just being treated as absenteeism like naturalized citizens. . The biggest use of hard labor points is to exchange for a reduction in the sentence. One week of ordinary hard labor points can reduce the sentence by one day. After one year of hard labor, the points can be used to reduce the sentence by up to 52 days. This rule is undoubtedly beneficial to hard laborers who long for freedom. A ray of sunshine in hell can also prompt them to maximize their efforts.
The points that Li Maozai can earn in his current position are almost double that of ordinary hard labor. He will naturally be able to shorten his sentence faster by relying on the accumulation of points. Needless to say, how hard he works at work .
Li Maozai's yelling had some effect. The hard laborers inside the house hurriedly got up and rushed outside to line up. However, these people obviously did not adapt to the habit of lining up at any time under the Haihan system, and they could not stand in order for a long time. Li Maozi looked impatient, so he went over and kicked a few people who were not in good positions. In this environment, fists and kicks are the best way to educate. Li Maozi also knows this very well - when he first arrived at Wanshan Port, he was beaten by the foreman.
"When I call you to assemble in the future, stand up for me like this right away! Whoever can't stand well will not be given food!" Li Maozi began to lecture loudly to the row of hard laborers who looked like vegetables: "You guys remember Come on, you don’t live and eat for free here, you have to work hard for Mr. Haihan! We don’t support useless people here. If anyone thinks he can’t do it, he can hang himself with his belt now to avoid it. Wasted food! ”
"Now I'll take you to work. Remember to follow the command in all your actions. Don't move without permission. Anyone who violates the rules... won't be fed!" Li Maozi put down the speaker and pointed at the leader of the team. : "You follow me, and the people behind me follow each other. You are not allowed to go out at will. You have to call a report in advance!"
When he reached the gate of the camp, Li Maozi stopped intentionally, pointed to the right side of the gate of the camp and said, "Did you see the guys hanging over there? Those are all people who want to escape. People with this idea, It’s best to give up the idea now. Those who escape will all have their legs broken and hung on that shelf for public display!”
Due to the poor physical condition of these newcomers, they were not suitable for heavy manual labor, so their working place was arranged near the train station next to the inland port. Their job was to knock the stones needed to build the railway embankment. Although the railway section from Sanya Xingang to Tiandu is now fully open to traffic, there is still a large amount of work to achieve the double-track construction plan that the Executive Committee is trying to achieve. Moreover, according to the planning of Sanya City, a railway will be built from the inland port. The railway along the banks of the Sanya River leads to the northern coastal plain area to provide transportation capacity for the subsequent large-scale agricultural development in the area.
Li Maozi brought the new members of the squadron to the construction site, and then received small hammers, each of whom had one. After a simple demonstration, the slave laborers sat on the ground and started knocking stones. They have to knock stones here for at least four hours today to get food for the evening meal.
Li Maozi ran to the awning of the station and reported to the cadres who came to inspect: "Yu Tou, the work has been arranged." "I understand, keep an eye on these newcomers. Just find those who are sneaky and sneaky and send them to the construction site of Pier 3. Someone will naturally teach them the rules." Yu Dashan sat on the bench waiting for the bus, fanning himself with a straw hat, and responded calmly.
As one of the first batch of naturalized citizens from Conglong, Yu Dashan has gradually been consciously established as a representative figure of naturalized cadres by relevant departments because of his good performance. During the anniversary celebration six months ago, Yu Dashan had been promoted from the foreman of the Shengli Port Freight Terminal to the assistant director of the Port Management Committee, specifically responsible for assisting Ren Liang in handling immigration matters. Soon after the Sanya New Port project started, Yu Dashan was transferred to the New Port and returned to his old job as a foreman. However, this foreman is no longer the original foreman. Yu Dashan now does not manage specific affairs. Instead, he is responsible for the coordination between the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Construction in the New Port Project. The main target of his work is the hard labor camp. The four hard labor camps are all within the scope of Yu Dashan's authority. Therefore, in the eyes of grassroots foremen like Li Maozai, Yu Dashan can already be regarded as a high-level big shot.
"Pier 3?" Li Maozai's expression changed slightly after hearing this.
Pier 3 is one of the inland river terminals currently under construction. According to the current construction methods, the renovation of the river bank and the construction of trestles require a large number of workers to go into the water to cooperate with the construction, and this hard work is naturally handed over to the Ministry of Construction. It can be done in a hard labor camp with the lowest operating costs. This job requires soaking in water for several hours every day, which not only consumes a lot of physical strength, but also causes certain harm to the body. The lower body may even be soaked until it becomes rotten. Therefore, it has always been used as a punishment to punish some people with hard labor. to do the job.
"The leaders have said that the main project of the Sanya Inland River Port must be completed before the end of the year. If we want to rush the work, we have to hire people to fill it in." Yu Dashan raised his finger and pointed at the hard laborers sitting in the open knocking stones and said: "Everyone should be clear about the attitude of the leaders towards these South Vietnamese prisoners of war. Is there anything else you don't understand?"
"I understand, I understand, the villain completely understands." Li Maozi quickly responded: "The villain will definitely keep an eye on them. If there is anyone who is disobedient, the villain will do what he wants."
Li Maozai had been at the construction site of Sanya New Port for some time, and he naturally saw that South Vietnamese prisoners of war were treated differently from other people in the hard labor camp. In addition to South Vietnamese prisoners of war, the current hard labor camps also include prisoners from Yacheng, naturalized citizens who have committed crimes, and a few prisoners of war from the mainland like Li Maozai. Among these personnel, the treatment of South Vietnamese prisoners of war was undoubtedly the lowest. These people are basically used as consumables. Almost all the most painful and tiring positions are occupied by South Vietnamese. The number of work-related injuries and overwork deaths that occur during this process is also based on the number of South Vietnamese. most.
The main reason for this situation is that the attitude of the Executive Committee has a certain influence. These South Vietnamese are somewhat different from North Vietnamese in terms of race, language, and living habits. To transform these people requires relatively greater resources. Moreover, there are a large number of naturalized North Vietnamese in the local area. The feud formed by years of civil war It is difficult to resolve easily. Even if these South Vietnamese can complete the transformation, it will still be difficult for them to integrate into local life. Therefore, although the Executive Committee did not say it in words, in actual operation, the South Vietnamese hard labor was regarded as consumables, and the results were effective. After reaching the grassroots level, this situation will naturally become more serious. Although under strict supervision, intentional torture of prisoners did not occur, there is no doubt that all managers have no sympathy for these South Vietnamese slave laborers.
In other words, the best time for these South Vietnamese hard laborers after arriving in Hong Kong is now. After they have adapted to the local environment and their physical condition has recovered, they will no longer be sitting on the ground knocking stones. "Easy" work was done for them. There will definitely be people who can resist until the end of their sentence and regain their freedom, but this number must account for an alarmingly small proportion of the total number of hard laborers in South Vietnam.
The current situation of Chuanchuan Group is that the speed of construction and development cannot keep up with the needs of development, and has even caused serious delays in various plans to a certain extent. However, infrastructure projects require a large investment of manpower. In order to achieve faster outward expansion, the Executive Committee has to put forward almost stringent requirements on the construction periods of various projects. If there were not a large number of free hard labor now available, it would be difficult for the Ministry of Construction to fulfill the requirements of the Executive Committee on its own. The executive committee members all know that there will definitely be a lot of personnel losses in this process, but no one will raise it publicly. Even Gu Kai, who likes to defend human rights the most, smartly shuts up and acts as a bystander at this time - Gu Kai knows very well which side to choose between political correctness and safeguarding human rights.
This harsh squeeze on hard labor is not a big problem in the eyes of the local people. These people are either criminals or war criminals. If they are not hanged by the Haihan leaders, it is considered a mercy. Now, isn't it natural to feed them with food and let them work? As for the labor intensity being too high and the treatment being too poor, this is not an issue worthy of debate - if everyone's treatment is equally good, then who would be willing to try their best to obtain a naturalized place of origin for themselves and their families?
As the strength of the Cross-Travel Group expands, the benefits of naturalization for naturalized citizens are also growing. Nowadays, it is not just about food and clothing, but also corresponding social benefits such as education, medical care and housing are also gradually improving.
Ordinary families of naturalized citizens can send their children to local schools. As long as they are naturalized citizens, tuition will be free of charge. Adults can also sign up for various forms of literacy classes, night schools, skills training classes, etc. for free. Education and training institutions. Since the requirement for literacy rate is now included in the labor promotion conditions for naturalized citizens, the enthusiasm of naturalized citizens to actively participate in various literacy classes is much higher than last year.
The down-and-out literati recruited by the Ministry of Civil Affairs through various channels also played a big role in this field. Although their ability to recite poetry and write eight-part essays was of no use in Shengli Port, even if they only taught people to read and read, Income has also been far higher than before. Although there are no Four Books and Five Classics in the various textbooks issued by the Haihan people, they are all self-compiled content, which seems a bit deviant. However, after living in Victory Port for a period of time and fully enjoying the Haihan-style sugar-coated bullets, the down-and-out literati It was difficult for them to stick to their ideals, so they all chose to stay here and work as teachers or clerks.
In terms of medical care, in addition to the continuous training of barefoot doctors by relevant units, there are also various other supporting management systems to keep the local medical and health conditions at a high level. The quarantine system for immigrants, the popularization of various local basic sanitation facilities, and strict regulations on garbage dumping and feces disposal have all played a great role in promoting the development. The only ones who are dissatisfied about this are probably the two foreign doctors, because their work is too heavy. They see patients in the morning and teach in the afternoon, almost completely losing their free time. Old Morgan, in particular, was deeply dissatisfied with the recent missed opportunities to participate in military operations due to medical work arrangements, and even planned to submit a report to transfer his establishment from the medical department to the Military Commission - of course, even if he typed this report, It was impossible to pass. After all, he was the only cardiovascular disease expert in the entire time-traveling group. In a few years, everyone might have to rely on his medical skills to protect their own health. How could he tolerate him being so unprofessional.
(End of chapter)