The postponement of Operation Dawn was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for Handong’s gray industries. Over the nearly two years since the operation began, social order had improved significantly. In particular, the efforts to align with Handong’s structural economic adjustments and provide new employment opportunities had sent the social happiness index steadily upward. With the addition of the Jingzhou agricultural pilot program, which facilitated the transition toward agricultural cooperatives, the future had begun to look increasingly bright.
Yet, as the saying goes, where there is light, there must be shadows. This was especially true for those who made their living in the gray and black markets. The luckier ones could barely maintain their lives of luxury and debauchery, but the others were reduced to eating thin gruel, forced to pawn the gold necklaces and watches they once wore just to survive.
Poverty breeds the desire for change. Open confrontation was impossible—they couldn't win the fight, and they couldn't find a way to make peace with the authorities—so the only choice was to find a new base of operations. Those who received word of the crackdown cursed and packed their bags, fleeing Handong for neighboring provinces. This, ironically, pushed law and order across Handong to new heights, while leaving the neighboring provinces to contend with worsening decay.
Chapter 837