Chapter 429: Soldier Transfer and Currency Question
When the two were finally out of the shower, it was still eight o'clock in the morning.
Much to Xiaoyun's disappointment, he was forced to end it early after Leyan was completely exhausted.
"Babe, why are you cooking the breakfast today?" Yuqi curiously asked as she walked into the kitchen with Lianrong.
"Leyan is still a little sleepy today," Xiaoyun responded as she sat down by the table.
"Yeah, just a 'little sleepy.' Totally not because someone decided to force her to get up."
Xiaoyun didn't flinch a single bit a little as he carried the bowl of noodles to the table before sitting down himself.
"You jealous?" Xiaoyun asked.
"Really? When did you become so greasy like this?" Yuqi questioned as she began eating the noodles.
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"Me? Greasy? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind."
As Xiaoyun got back up to get himself a bow of noodles, other girls began to come out of their rooms as well.
"Where's Leyan?" Anna curiously asked.
"Sleeping because of this idiot decided to give her a morning exercise."
"No wonder why there was so much noise this morning," Kate murmured as she sat down next to Anna.
This time, Xiaoyun's face blushed a little after being exposed, despite the fact that he was about to be married to the two of them.
---
After breakfast, Xiaoyun headed over to the office alone today rather than being with Yuqi.
Most people in the office seemed a little surprised to see her missing, but they soon learned that it was due to her daughter's birthday.
"Governor, the experts are waiting outside right now." The receptionist's voice appeared as Xiaoyun picked up the phone.
"I'll be right there."
As Xiaoyun headed downstairs, he could see a crowd of people all standing before the entrance.
All of them were in their soldier uniform, with their gears still fully equipped.
The moment he stepped out, they all saluted at him.
"Good morning, Commander!" The soldiers yelled, causing people walking by to all turn towards them in curiosity.
"Good morning! Are you all ready for your top-secret mission?" Xiaoyun asked out loud, not wanting to waste any time.
"Yes, sir!"
"Good. Follow me."
As the soldiers followed Xiaoyun into the administrative office, everyone was shocked.
For a second, the office workers thought the soldiers were storming them until they saw Xiaoyun leading in the front.
After bringing them to the biggest meeting room, Xiaoyun didn't make them sit as he took out a stack of paper he had printed this morning.
"Please pass it out."
As a soldier took the stack and began passing it, Xiaoyun turned on the projector.
"You all might be wondering why I called you all back from the front line. I'm going to be straight with you all.
I need all of you to retire from the front line... Before you ask why, let me show you all this graph."
As Xiaoyun took out his laptop from his briefcase and connected to the projector, a PowerPoint appeared.
"This is the food production we have, and this is the food we are consuming every week."
All of the soldiers seemed a little shocked as they realized the massive deficit Luoping was facing.
"You might wonder why I picked all of you to retire rather than just having someone to go farming...
Here's a statistic that might help you guys understand why... I——No, the country needs your help."
The next slide showed that the number of farmers was already at a normal percentage relative to the population, yet food production remained low.
"You probably know what I'm trying to imply. Yes, you all have an agriculture major.
I don't need more farmers. I need more engineers and scientists who can improve the food production."
As Xiaoyun finished his short PowerPoint presentation, the soldier finally finished passing out the paper.
"Before you is a contract that will temporarily discharge you from the army to join the agriculture department.
All you have to do is sign it, and you can join later when food production has finally caught up."
A few of the soldiers hesitated for a second, then signed the paper before handing it back to Xiaoyun.
But most of the soldiers remained still, looking down at the paper in their hands.
The choice to leave the army to join a civilian job would have been fine if they hadn't already worked hard for their high position.
"Remember, this war isn't just fighting the zombies. All the food you eat needs someone to grow it.
No one can fight with an empty stomach, so why not use your skill to maximize your contribution to the war effort?
A single one of you going to the agriculture department can feed hundreds of soldiers.
Think about that. I really hope you all make the right decision... Please, the country needs you."
After Xiaoyun's speech, more and more soldiers finally began signing the paper.
Eventually, all of them signed the paper as a stack rested on top of the table.
"Thank you all... Follow me. I'll bring you all to your new job destination."
---
When Xiaoyun arrived at the agricultural department, hundreds of people were already standing outside.
"Huayi, you know where to put these people, right?" Xiaoyun asked, as Yuqi had already called her about it yesterday.
"Of course. I know exactly where to put them to help those struggling to farm."
Xiaoyun turned back to the soldiers as they looked a little intrigued by the building before them.
"Everyone, please follow Huayi's order... The country will remember all of your brave actions."
As Xiaoyun saluted at the soldiers one last time, they all saluted back at him.
Turning back, Xiaoyun look back to Huayi before patting her on the shoulder.
"If you need more funding or help, just tell me... Their life is in your hands."
"Okay... Geez, you didn't have to make it so sad. It's not like they are going to die or something."
Huayi murmured the last part as Xiaoyun turned around and left the scene, leaving the department without going into it once.
As Xiaoyun walked down the streets, a heavy weight was off his shoulders as the food insecurity was now dealt with.
When he arrived back at the administrative building, he was now facing a problem he made himself.
"How am I going to pay this back?" Xiaoyun murmured as he stared at the war bond number.
There were still two and a half months before he had to pay a ludicrous amount of food stamps that seemed almost impossible to obtain.
However, with the plan to phase out food stamps with artificial money he had created, it was still doable.
Yuqi had even already started leaking it to the press, trying to stir support for it.
Even though he could already tell there would be a lot of pushback, it was a needed move.
Aside from the massive war bond payment, food stamps were becoming increasingly hard to use.
Especially as the value didn't have any decimals and there were too many one-dollar food stamps in circulation.
Yuqi had already implemented twenty and hundreds-dollar food stamps, but they haven't been widely adopted due to their high value.
Most importantly, the name food stamps just doesn't sound like what a settlement's currency should be.
"I probably should check the designs."
As Xiaoyun looked at Yuqi's computer, there were already hundreds of internal submissions from the office workers.
Some were scenic pictures with monetary value attached, while others were more sophisticated landmarks like the Canton Tower.
Some even decided to put his face and Yuqi's face as a submission, which he instantly rejected.
But when he saw a submission that drew the soldier's mausoleum, he immediately accepted the idea.
After looking through a few of them, he froze for a second as he ran into one that looked extremely similar.
It wasn't just similar. Rather, it was a photocopy of the country's currency, with the only difference being the color.
Inside Xiaoyun's heart, he was conflicted. But in the end, he chose not to use it out of respect.
He felt he didn't have earned the right to do so, not to mention the confusion and mixup that it might cause.
It was safer to avoid getting too close to the touchy subject when a much stronger force was still in the North.
After selecting which picture goes to which value, he finally sent emails to both the financial department and the central bank.
They could finally begin the printing process, stockpiling them until it was time to replace the food stamps.
With everything settled and dusted, it was already the evening as he forgot to eat lunch.
"Time to go back home... I wonder what Yuqi did for her daughter's birthday."
After locking the office door, Xiaoyun headed towards the stairs and then left the administrative building.
As he walked down the streets, people were all around him, all heading back home from work.