Zhou Yingcong had just finished praising Long Yun's good idea, and his smile was full of bitterness: "Don't hide it from Chairman Long, now the power of the plane is getting bigger and faster, and the speed is getting faster and faster." Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info 400 kilometers per hour planes are still in use, but faster planes have come out, and in another year or two, maybe the planes will break the speed of sound. The better the performance, the more expensive it is, and the Navy has a budget of more than $50,000 per aircraft. This is an airplane, the price of pilot training is not lower than the price of an airplane, this air fleet ......"

Now that the words have been said, Long Yun has nothing to worry about, and besides, he has just finished smoking a bubble of cigarettes and is in good spirits. He smiled and said, "Brother Shuchun, although I have never dealt with each other, I am not a person who takes advantage. Let's just get it straight, how much does it cost to have two destroyer squadrons, an air squadron of bombers? ”

"This ......" Zhou Yingcong didn't dare to say what the Navy's budget for training pilots was, so he could only roughly say: "Chairman Long, according to the Navy's standards, a squadron of 24 aircraft will cost almost $3 million to do this......

As soon as the three million US dollars were exported, Long Yun and the others took a breath of cool air, but according to the price that Zhou Yingcong said just now, it really cost so much money. Zhou Yingcong was worried that Long Yun would knock on the bamboo pole of the navy, and said: "The air force has always been a costly service, and you can look at the national government for this." The planes of the national government are cheap, and the pilots are first trained by the provinces, and finally concentrated in the central government, but the air force has not spent tens of millions of dollars over the years. The requirements for naval pilots to take off at sea are more than twice as high as those for air force pilots taking off at land airfields, and in addition, the planes are of the latest type, so naturally the money spent will not be less. ”

With Zhou Yingcong's explanation, Long Yun and the others had different faces, and after a while, Long Yun said: "Brother Shuchun, eat vegetables, eat vegetables, if you don't eat vegetables, this dish will be cold." "And then there was no talk of the air force.

Zhou Yingcong was nervous about eating a meal, and returned to the room until the evening when firecrackers rang out in the city, and Yang Zhuan came to invite him to dinner. Although this person is only Long Yun's adjutant general, he is also the leading figure in Yunnan. Zhou Yingcong, who felt that things had changed again, couldn't help but ask: "Brother Zhu'an, what does Chairman Long mean ......"

"Brother Shuchun, the chairman wants to ask the Navy to help run the air force, but the air force is so expensive, I'm afraid we can't afford it." Yang Zhuan also wanted to have a good relationship with Zhou Yingcong, so he sat down to talk. "Not to mention last year, even if it is the best year of the people's 25 years, the province's fiscal revenue is only 10,000 old Yunnan dollars. [63]"

"Ten thousand...... Old Dian coins? "Since the beginning of the Republic of China, Yunnan's currency has been Yunnan currency except for silver dollars, and the central legal tender cannot enter at all. And this Yunnan currency is also divided into old and new, the old Yunnan currency that Yang Zhu'an said, five yuan of old Yunnan currency for one dollar of new Yunnan currency.

"That's 10 million dollars." Yang Zhu'an said about Yunnan's financial revenue in 1936. "The year before last, when we fought the war, our income was less than 10 million national dollars, and last year it was only 8.76 million national dollars. It seems that this air fleet will not be able to do it. ”

"Brother Zhu'an, the air force is too expensive, not only is it expensive to run, but it is also expensive to raise. For such an air force, the central government spent tens of millions of dollars, let alone a better air force? If not, it would be possible to prevaricate with a pilot who is a first-class plane and will graduate in dozens of hours. What Zhou Yingcong said was heart-to-heart, so that Yang Zhu'an had to nod, Yunnan has run an aviation team, and it is still the earliest batch among all provinces in the country.

"In fact, then again, if something happens, twenty or thirty planes can't affect the situation of the war. Since Chairman Long wants to run an air force, why not reduce the size of the air force, just set up a squadron of 12 planes, bombers are also available, and the navy can provide the latest attack planes, eight fighters and four attack planes, so that the price will come down? ”

"Then this has to be... Lots of money. Yang Zhu'an thought that it was better than nothing, and immediately asked.

"One and a half million dollars, too." Zhou Yingcong looked at Yang Zhuan and said, "The Navy guarantees that this is the top aviation team, and it is by no means comparable to the Central Air Force." ”

The words 'Central Air Force' made Yang Zhuan smile knowingly. In his opinion, the Min system is different from the Gui family, and it will definitely not be an enemy, let alone a navy, and this is the basis for him to suggest that Long Yun meet Zhou Yingcong. He smiled and said: "Brother Shuchun, you navy is really capable, you can actually make a comeback from scratch, which really makes Yang admire." ”

"It's still Yunnan's geographical advantage, Chairman Long is even more wise, and the Yunnan-Burma Highway is opened, which can really be described as a source of money." Zhou Yingcong also complimented.

"Haha......" Zhou Yingcong said that the Yunnan-Burma Highway just scratched the itch of Yangzhu'an, and the construction of the Yunnan-Burma Highway was actually a high-level decision of the entire Yunnan, which was not only conducive to the War of Resistance against Japan, but also beneficial to the locality. I will discuss the matter of the air force with the chairman again. One and a half million dollars is almost 20 million Yunnan coins, which is too expensive. ”

"Brother Zhu'an's words are wrong, the price of Yunnan currency and national currency is not two to one now, this is nothing more than nine million Yunnan coins. If it is divided into two years, it will only be 4.5 million a year. "After going abroad several times, Zhou Yingcong, who understood the exchange rate of the national currency, corrected Yang Zhu'an's exchange rate error, and the fiat currency was constantly depreciating, but the Yunnan currency did not depreciate.

As if discussing business, it took a while for the two of them to go to the living room to eat, and during the banquet, Long Yun no longer asked about the air force, but only said that the current situation of the Anti-Japanese War. Obviously, Long Yun also has to weigh whether it is worth spending 9 million Yunnan coins to build another aviation team, and this aviation team will cost a lot of money to maintain every year. And Zhou Yingcong sent a telegram to New York on the same day - it was his private idea to ask Long Yun for help, and now that things have come to this point, he used to want to ask everyone's opinions. Soon, Li Kongrong, who had always been slow to reply to letters, replied to the telegram on the first day of the new year. Zhou Yingcong, who got the telegram, was extremely surprised, but he still asked to see Long Yun as soon as possible.

"Chairman Long, I asked the ministry in the next telegram, and the ministry meant that as long as the Yunnan Air Force could fight with the navy during the Anti-Japanese War, the navy would guarantee that Yunnan would have an air force of 24 combat aircraft after the war."

"How much does it cost?" Long Yun was obviously intimidated by the high price, and when he saw that what Zhou Yingcong said at this time was different from what he said yesterday, his eyebrows were raised.

"The meaning of the ministry is that Yunnan can provide qualified personnel." Zhou Yingcong was sure that he had read the telegram correctly.

"So you don't want us to pay?" Long Yun was amazed, he didn't believe that there was such a good thing.

"Yes. That's what the ministry meant, but the pilots and ground crews should be sent by Yunnan itself, and the personnel must be qualified. In addition, this air force must obey the orders of the navy to fight during the Anti-Japanese War, and if there are losses in the battle, the navy will make up for them, and after the war, it will be transferred to Yunnan and will no longer be controlled by the navy. Zhou Yingcong said. There is also a proposal from the ministry......"

"Well, please." Long Yun glasses helped and helped, and he became more and more interested in the proposal of the navy.

"That is, ......, if Chairman Long agrees, the navy can work with Yunnan to defend the Yunnan-Burma Highway." Zhou Yingcong said.

"What do you mean by that?" Long Yun really didn't understand what the Yunnan-Burma Highway had to do with the navy, you must know that the highway was not close to the sea.

"Now that Guangzhou has been lost, the only external access to the outside world is the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, the Yunnan-Burma Highway and the Gansu-Xin Highway. The Gansu-Xin Highway involves Soviet Russia, and there are too many variables, and only Yunnan-Vietnam and Yunnan-Burma can really be relied on. However, Yunnan was too close to the Japanese, and at the same time, the French forbade the transportation of weapons on this road, so the only ones who could really defend and deserve to defend were Yunnan and Burma. Japan has tried its best to blockade our country, and one day they will go down to the South Seas to fight to the South Seas. The navy hopes that Yunnan will take the initiative to send troops into Myanmar to defend Yangon in the worst-case scenario. ”

Zhou Yingcong said the contents of the telegram, and he was sure that this was Li Kongrong's plan and not Chen Jiliang's. Long Yun was still happy because the navy helped him run an air force for free, but as soon as he said this, he became cautious again, and Yang Zhu'an on the side said: "Brother Shuchun, Burma is the territory of the British, and the British agree to send troops to us?" ”

"Burma is indeed British territory, so he would rather Burma be lost to Japan than handed over to us." Zhou Yingcong said the original text of the telegram, "He lost Burma and India in Asia, but we can't lose Burma, especially the port of Yangon." The government is hindered by international influence. The army cannot enter Burma without permission, but the Dian army can. ”

"What if we get into a fight?" Yang Zhu'an glanced at Long Yun and asked again.

"The Japanese must have come from Siam, and at this time the British troops were all deployed on the Siam-Burma border, and even if there would be an exchange of fire, there would be only sporadic fierce fighting." Zhou Yingcong looked at Long Yun after speaking: "When the country is at stake, the Navy earnestly hopes that Chairman Long can take into account the overall situation and send troops to defend Yangon. In addition, as long as the Dian army holds Rangoon and gives priority to obtaining armaments, the strength of the army will definitely be greatly improved. ”

"I'm not afraid of offending Britain by sending troops to Burma for the Anti-Japanese War, but afterwards, what should I do if the government slaps down in the face in order to give an explanation to Britain?" Long Yun finally spoke up, and his words were very practical. After speaking, he said: "In the past ten years, the Standing Chairman has turned the clouds and rains and used every opportunity to eradicate dissidents. ”

"Of course the navy is afraid, but in order to resist Japan, it is worth the sacrifice." Zhou Yingcong said righteously. "If Japan attacks Britain, it will definitely attack the Philippines, the United States is the largest industrial country in the world, and if the United States enters the war, countless military aid materials will be transported into our country through the Yunnan-Burma Road. If the Dian army can hold Rangoon and then get along with the Americans, it may not be able to expand in a big way. But if you don't seize this opportunity, the Dian army will still be the Dian army, and there will be no way to deal with the government in the future. ”

"This matter is still far away, shall we talk about it then?" What Zhou Yingcong said is not unreasonable, but things obviously haven't come to that far. "Brother Shuchun, isn't this a condition for the air team?"

"Of course not." Zhou Yingcong said with a smile, "The navy just hopes that even if Chairman Long does not send troops, it will try to provide some help to defend Yangon." ”

"Well said, well said." Long Yun solemnly promised: "As long as the navy needs it, Long will do his best to help." ”

"Then it's settled." Zhou Yingcong breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he feel that what Li Kongrong said in New York that he was sending troops to Nanyang was not a joke, and this guy really wanted to hold Yangon, Myanmar. It's just that if Long Yun doesn't send troops, what does the navy rely on to fight a land war?

Zhou Yingcong had a very pleasant conversation with Long Yun in Kunming, and in the dark office of the Berlin Military Intelligence Bureau, General Canaris, the director of the bureau, put a telegram from Moscow in front of Li Kongrong, and his face was extremely grim: "Li, the plan has failed, and the people we sent are dead. ”

"That is, there is a problem with the defector Ryushikov, and he is likely to be a dead man." Li Kongrong glanced at the telegram and remained silent.

"Dead?" Canaris didn't understand what it meant to be a 'dead spy'.

"It is a spy who is deliberately sent to the enemy and misleads the enemy at the cost of his own life." Li Kongrong said, "The origin of Ryushikov is unknown, and the assassination plan was designed by him alone, and we must rely on him to sneak into the hot spring, maybe the hot spring assassination itself is a trap, and he just took advantage of it to get out." ”

"Why didn't you say it earlier?" Canaris looked at Li Kongrong with complicated eyes, and to be honest, it was difficult for him to understand why the Chinese in front of him knew so many secrets, especially about the Soviet Union.

"I have already reminded you that you can't fully trust Ryushikov, you don't listen, you think that it is enough to replace the other Russians, the methods of the KGB of the Soviet Union are really not what you can imagine." Li Kongrong argued, with some disdain.

"Alright, you can go back." Canaris retracted the telegram, seemingly disappointed by the failure of the assassination attempt. "I hope to receive another message from you next month." He concluded.

"There may not be any information next month." Li Kongrong got up and said, "There are a lot of things to try your luck. ”

"You've got to give me something, Lee. Don't forget our promise. Canaris didn't care if Li Kongrong cooperated or not, he had a handle to hold in his hand. He was so confident that Li Kongrong had to withdraw from this somewhat dark office with a wry smile. When he returned to his apartment, he found Lin Zhun waiting outside the snowy door.

"I won't see you in the New Year." Lin Zhun said with concern, he was not alone, Jiang Jing on the side was carrying a bag. "This is a New Year's gift sent from home, I just took some and sent it over."

"Didn't you come if you were fine?" Li Kongrong did not appreciate it, and since he promised to provide Soviet intelligence to the German military intelligence, he moved out of the naval dormitory - he did not want the naval cadets to be watched by the Germans with him.

"The submarine is about to be launched and outfitted, what are we going to do?" Lin Zhun remembered some of the principles explained by Li Kongrong, and did not enter the conversation inside, but reported the news at the door of the apartment.

"When's it?" glanced around vigilantly, and saw that no one Li Kongrong lit a cigarette.

"It's going to be in the water this month, but I don't know when it's going to be outfitted." Lin Zhun also lit a cigarette, and he said in a low voice. "Hansheng, will the Germans deliver the ship?"

"Absolutely not." Li Kongrong took a few deep puffs of cigarette, "How is the guy preparing?" ”

"Five short ones, and the others are still figuring out a way." The cold wind outside the apartment door was blowing tightly, and Lin Zhun shrank his neck.

"Don't come to me directly in the future." After saying a few more words, Li Kongrong threw away the cigarette butt, "Also, let Lao Chen quickly find a way to get the guy, the shipyard should keep an eye on it in the past two months, and start it as soon as the outfitting is ready." ”

"But what if the British don't help anymore?" The word "hands-on" made Lin Zhun suddenly nervous, and he stammered and asked again.

"We can only rely on ourselves!" After Li Kongrong finished speaking, he took the bag in Jiang Jing's hand and entered the door without looking back. (To be continued.) )