418 in the shadow of the war

Tokyo, Kasumigaseki. Inside the Japanese Prime Minister's Office, the atmosphere was as depressed as if he had just lost a war. In fact, it was much the same, except that they lost a war with money and money as a weapon. Now it's a matter of whether to fight a real war in order to get the lost money back

"I beg Your Excellency to send the invincible army and navy of the Japanese Empire to seek justice for us."

Several representatives of the chaebol hurried to the prime minister's residence before dinner, and in the conference room, they repeatedly pleaded loudly. It is to ask the prime minister to send troops to capture Shanghai and help them get back the lost money

Prime Minister Yuyuki Hamaguchi sat in the seat in front of the center of the conference table, his face gloomy and terrifying, and his beautifully trimmed mustache trembled slightly. I don't know if I feel sorry for the billions of yen, or if I am angry with a few shameless chaebols in front of me. These bastards also swore last night that they could win back all the Chinese's money for the empire. Outcome...... Hmph, let the family be stripped naked and lose the net worth. Now he ran to the Prime Minister's Mansion to cry and ask the empire to send troops to help them get it back, how could he be so shameless? How can the soldiers of the "Imperial Army" risk their lives to grab what they have robbed to fill the shortfall? It all belongs to His Majesty the Emperor

With a snap, the Minister of War Ugaki Kazunari, who was attending the meeting, slammed the table, stood up and roared: "Bage, you country's moths, casually take the hard-earned money of the people to gamble with the Chinese people, and if you lose it all, you will have to ask our imperial army for help." What if you win? After winning money, do you think of the impoverished imperial officers and soldiers? We, the Imperial Japanese Army, are the samurai of His Majesty the Emperor, not the retainers of you merchants, you bastards who have lost the hard-earned money of the people, all of you should be seppuku, why don't you go for seppuku? ”

How painful is seppuku? Iwasaki Koyata shrunk his neck and glanced at the group beside him. Busy hanging his fat head deeply, he didn't dare to say a word.

"Bihara-kun, how is the negotiation going?" Hamaguchi Yuyuki slowly turned his face, no longer looking at the disgusting faces of these "moths", but discussing the matter of negotiations with Foreign Minister Kishigero Bihara.

Kishigero Bihara glanced at Iwasaki, who was hanging his head, and he didn't have a taste in his heart. That fat fool, but if his brother-in-law really let Ugaki's martial artist force him to cut his belly, how would he explain it to his wife? Besides, if the Iwasaki family really collapses, I'm afraid that his political career will come to an end, and he will have to be pulled no matter what.

"Your Excellency, the current situation is ...... all the powers They all sympathized with our plight. Bihara lifted his round glasses, twisted his bitter gourd face, and considered the words: "But...... They all said that it was inconvenient to interfere in this matter, and that they ...... I don't want this to affect peace and stability in Asia, so I hope that the empire will remain calm. ”

A trace of disappointment flashed on Hamaguchi's face, and he sighed heavily: "It seems that you can't count on Yingmei in this matter." ”

"Your Excellency." Kishigero Bihara hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the brother-in-law who was secretly wiping his tears on the side, gritted his teeth and began to make suggestions: "The current situation...... Britain and the United States could not count on it. They themselves are big creditors of the National Government of China, and if the National Government of China goes bankrupt, they will also suffer heavy losses. So they won't help the Empire, and now it's up to the Empire to find a way to save itself. ”

"Self-help?" Hamaguchi Yuyuki took a deep breath: "Is it a war?" Ugaki-kun, Caibu-kun, what do you say? Can...... Occupy Shanghai in a short period of time and force the Nationalist Government of China to compensate us for our losses? ”

The Ministry of Finance squinted his triangular eyes, and had been calculating the chances of starting a war in his heart, and when he heard the question, he hurriedly stood up, shook his head with a wry smile: "Your Excellency, the navy does not have enough oil reserves at present, and ...... For more than three years, the Nationalist Government of China has been building coastal defense fortresses around Shanghai. According to intelligence, forty twelve- or fourteen-inch cannons have now been placed in these forts. In the event of a strong attack, the Navy's battleships would probably suffer heavy losses unless the Army was sure to capture these fortifications from behind. ”

As soon as his words fell, War Minister Ugaki Kazunari also sighed: "May I ask the Ministry of Finance, how many army divisions and regiments can your navy transport to land on the coast of the southern branch at one time?" I'm referring to the division that includes all the heavy weapons and baggage, how much can the navy carry it? You must know that the army of the southern branch is not as vulnerable as the army of the northern branch. They have also defeated the Soviet Red Army, according to the analysis of our army, they have a large number of combat vehicles and heavy artillery, and they also have quite good aircraft, and they have twenty-one divisions with equipment and numbers equivalent to the full number of divisions of the Imperial Army, if the navy can only transport one division at a time...... Our army doesn't have three heads and six arms. ”

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, in fact, we don't need to land in Shanghai, it will not be easy to succeed, and it will stimulate the nerves of Britain and the United States." The chief of staff of the army, General Suzuki Shoro, stood up to speak: "The southeast coast of the southern branch has always been the sphere of influence of Britain and the United States, and now it is managed by the army as firmly as an iron bucket. We're asking ourselves to attack there...... However, the defense of the northern branch was relatively lax, and the armies of the Feng and Anhui systems were vulnerable. We can completely set up a battlefield and fight with the army in the North Branch."

"The North Branch? Manchuria? Hamaguchi became vigilant all of a sudden. Although he also wants to "seek justice" this time, it does not mean that he wants to have a life-and-death contest with China. In his opinion, once Manchuria is moved, the war will not end

A hint of disappointment flashed on Suzuki's face, but then he returned to normal: "We can fight in Shandong and the Southern Branch, and now we have our garrisons along the Qingdao and Jiaoji Railway. And...... The combat effectiveness of the Duan Qirui Anhui army, which ruled there, was very weak, and the troops were also deployed at the junction of Henan and Jiangsu, so they did not guard against the imperial ** team at all. We can take Jinan by surprise, and then meet the army going north there and turn the area around Jinan into a military graveyard."

Hamaguchi's face became a little heavier, and now there was an Asian peace treaty that bound Japan's hands and feet. In the event of war, with the current relationship between Britain and the United States and the Nationalist Government, an embargo on Japan would almost certainly be imposed. Although the Soviet Union is now supplying oil, it is also possible that the Bong system will continue to raise iron ore and coal. However, in the end, it could not make up for the resources provided by Britain and the United States. If the war were to continue for a long time, I am afraid that it would be quite unfavorable to Japan

Seeing that Hamaguchi Yuyuki was silent, Suzuki Shoroku quickly gave Lu Xiangyuki a look. Ugaki Kazunari hurriedly echoed: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, Suzuki-kun's suggestion is the only feasible at the moment. And...... This war was not a full-scale war between China and Japan, and the Empire had no intention of occupying Shandong, but only wanted the Nationalist Government of China to compensate for the losses of the Empire in Shanghai, and as long as they were willing to compensate, we would withdraw our troops immediately. Presumably, the powers will not interfere anymore, right? ”

Hamaguchi Yuyuki touched his beard and hesitated again and again before he sighed deeply: "This matter is very important, and we are not good at being arbitrary for our courtiers, so it is better to jointly play His Majesty the Emperor...... What should be the size of the army? ”

Suzuki Soroku and Ugaki Kazunari glanced at each other, both of them had unconcealable smiles on their faces, Suzuki thought for a while, and then replied, "The size of the army should be two or three divisions." According to his analysis, although the Southern Nationalist Army had 21 divisions, the coastline they had to defend was very long. And there are powerful factions like Feng and Zhong G to defend, so ...... The maximum number of troops that can be mobilized is six to nine divisions, and it is not a problem for our Imperial Japanese Army to have one enemy and three divisions, so three divisions are sufficient. ”

Hamaguchi Yuyuki frowned and nodded slowly: "Okay, just three divisions, no more, what troops are going to be dispatched...... Your army ministry and general staff will come up with a plan as soon as possible, and we will play it together at that time. ”

……

Wuhan East Lake, Ministry of Armaments Building.

In the minister's office, the two sat opposite each other, chatting with the sea and the sky while sipping fragrant tea. These two are Luo Yaoguo, who has just stepped down, and Sun Ke, the eldest prince who has just taken office.

Although the new position is vice chairman, vice chairman of the Military Commission, and chief of the General Staff, Luo Yaoguo was slightly reluctant in his heart at this time. To tell the truth, the Ministry of Armaments is now the most powerful ministry in the entire Nationalist Government system, even compared to the General Staff under the leadership of Xu Chongzhi. Of course, after the general staff tribe of the first department of the army came into the hands of Luo Yaoguo, the natural power was also greatly expanded. What's more, there is also a vice chairman of one of the "Big Five" who can do it, and this time it is indeed a stage to give full play to Luo Yaoguo's talents. And Sun Dagongzi, who succeeded him as Minister of Armaments, also seems to be quite reliable......

Luo Yaoguo smiled and glanced at the prince, who looked a little honest and honest, and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhesheng, at present, all the work of the Armaments Department has been put on track, and with Mr. to lead, we will definitely be able to go to the next level." There is only one project that Mr. must pay attention to, that is, the oil shale development and petrochemical engineering in Maoming. The investment in this project is huge, and it is one of the most important projects for which the Ministry of Armaments is currently responsible, but it is also extraordinary."

Hearing Luo Yaoguo talk about business, Sun Ke immediately put down the teacup in his hand and listened attentively. He didn't think that the other party was interfering beyond his authority, in fact, Luo Yaoguo had such power. He is now the vice chairman of the Military Commission, which is a little bit younger, and he has the right to intervene in the affairs of the Military Commission.

“…… The total investment in the entire oil shale development and Maoming petrochemical project is expected to exceed one billion legal currency, which will take eight years to build an annual mining of 100 million tons of oil shale ore, 5 million tons of rock shale oil using dry distillation, and then refine and process important fuel products such as gasoline, diesel, heavy oil, lubricating oil, and kerosene. In addition, there are by-products such as oil sheet gas, fertilizers, and ash (cement). At the same time, it is necessary to build supporting oil pipelines, oil storage tanks, ports, coastal defense fortresses and other facilities. As long as this project is completed, we will be able to obtain sufficient fuel supplies in the event that the import channels are cut off in wartime. Therefore it is particularly important."

Sun Ke lifted his glasses and said with a smile: "Fuwen, who is in charge of this Maoming oil shale and petrochemical project now?" ”

"It's Vice Minister Ma Houshan (Ma Junwu), he studied chemical engineering, so he is in charge of the Ministry of Armaments and chemical industry." Luo Yaoguo smiled slightly, and said: "Airplanes, cars, tanks and everything are in charge of Director Yang Xianyi, he is an overseas Chinese in the United States to learn machinery, and we are all familiar with it." Yang Junsheng was in charge of shipbuilding, and Lu Ziyan (Lu Ming) was in charge of steel and arms trade. In addition, there is a mining bureau, responsible for non-ferrous metals, coal mines, iron mines and other important mines, the original director was Chen Lifu, now the director of the bureau is vacant, by the deputy director Xu Enzeng. Finally, there is also a secretary general, Madame Chiang, the wife of Chairman Chiang. ”

"Oh, got it." Hearing the name, a trace of unhappiness flashed on Sun Dagongzi's face, and he calmed down in a blink of an eye. Picked up the teacup and took a sip, and said with a smile: "When my father ordered me to take charge of the armaments department, he repeatedly told me to discuss more with Brother Fuwen in case of trouble, especially on armaments, I must ask for the opinion of your top boss." ”

Luo Yaoguo smiled faintly and arched his hand: "Don't dare to ask for instructions, just help Mr. Zhesheng come up with ideas." ”

That being said, don't the powers of the vice chairman of the Military Commission and the chief of the general staff include the department in charge of armaments? Luo Yaoguo will not be like Xu Chongzhi to be a shopkeeper.

"Mr. Tetsusen." Luo Yaoguo leaned forward slightly, and said in a low voice: "If China and Japan don't do well this time, there will be a war, and the burden of the Ministry of Armaments will not be light at that time, if you don't understand anything, just ask Vice Minister Ma, he was in charge of the daily affairs of the Ministry of Armaments in the past." ”

Sun Dagongzi's face changed slightly, and he raised his head and looked at Luo Yaoguo: "My father thinks so too, and you see it too...... It seems that this battle is really inevitable. I don't know where they will start, our military industrial towns are not far from the sea. ”

Luo Yaoguo also sighed: "This is our sea defense, Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu have to put a few divisions, and leave a few divisions to guard their hometowns, and the remaining troops will be stretched." ”

……

The night gradually shrouded, and Luo Yaoguo, who had been busy outside for two days and one night, finally had time to return to his Beilu. After dinner, I went into the small building that belonged to the Polish beauty Natalie, leaned on the soft sofa in the living room, and enjoyed the service of the two beauties. The big beauty Natalie and the little beauty Qu Ying served Qu Xiaomei together for the past two days, living in Natalie's small building, enjoying the decadent life of the bourgeoisie to open their mouths and stretch their hands. And I also saw a lot of very seductive LV bags, Gucci perfumes, and French fashion. When I think of my salary of only forty yuan...... Let her have a deeper understanding of the theory of Grandpa Marx.

"Is the account settled?" Luo Yaoguo squinted very much, lying on Qu Ying's lap, with his mouth open, waiting for the little beauty to stuff the apple cut into small pieces into his mouth.

Natalie was on the side, wearing a silk nightgown, pouting and holding the ledger to report to him the benefits of slaughtering the Japanese in Shanghai: "This time, our nine major banks and the central bank have joined forces to make a total of 1.5 billion fiat currency. The central bank received 600 million, but 300 million of them had to be taken to pick up the plates of the southern branches of the Bank of Communications, which had just collapsed; Another 300 million yuan will be allocated to the Land Reform Commission for land reform in Henan Province. The remaining 900 million fiat currency will be divided equally by the nine major banks, and our China International Commercial Bank also has 100 million fiat currency...... Our family's wood company also has a profit of 5 million, and our sisters also have a little private money to Chen Guangfu to help run it, and they made a small profit, probably millions. ”

Hearing the number of millions, Qu Ying's careful liver trembled slightly unconsciously, and she secretly glanced at Natalie, who was full of smugness. Xin said: "If I knew this, I wouldn't have been tense, and let this pervert eat it early, and I will ...... Uh, how can I think that? No, I can't fall. ”

Luo Yaoguo sighed softly, not because five million was too little, but because he thought that the money this time was really not easy to make. Seeing that a war was about to come to the door, if he had a choice, he would rather not make this money than fight the Japanese at this moment. To be honest, the preparation is too inadequate. Battleships and aircraft carriers have just been laid, and tank factories have just begun to build. Only airplanes and artillery can make do. If we really want to have an all-out war with the Japanese, I am afraid that it will be another situation in which both sides will lose. Thinking of this, Luo Yaoguo opened his eyes and looked straight at Qu Ying's picturesque, pretty face with snowy skin.

"What's wrong?" Qu Ying was stared at by Luo Yaoguo's eyes, and she suddenly became a little flustered, and the deer in her heart collided, for fear that the other party would make some rude requests, and she didn't know whether to agree or not.

Luo Yaoguo yawned and smiled bitterly: "What else?" World War I was inevitable. The Japanese let us be ruthless in Shanghai this time, can they give up? Aren't you going to send troops to the door? And can we in China cope with it now? ”

It turned out that she didn't want to eat herself, but the little beauty was somehow slightly disappointed, pouted, and threw a few more winks by the way: "Let's fight." Didn't you build a lot of forts in Shanghai, they wouldn't all be tofu scum projects, right? ”

Luo Yaoguo glanced at Qu Ying with a smile: "I'm afraid that the Japanese won't start in Shanghai, maybe it's Shandong or Manchuria." Hehe, I wonder if those people are ready to take a handful? ”

"Who?" Qu Ying frowned, as if she felt that there was something in the other party's words.