The return of the Kunming to the southwest is one of the things that Zhang Shusheng has focused on the most in recent years, except for the war against Britain and France. In order to break the zero record, in order to establish a de facto navy, it is almost a matter of smashing the pot and selling iron.

For the Kunming and the official formation of the navy, he took too many precautions. First, the Jiangnan Shipyard, which was relatively mature in all aspects, was secretly arranged, and then, in the name of Westerners, an American company registered in Hong Kong purchased important parts from capitalists in the United States, and imported them back like a rat.

The construction of the Horseshoe Bay Naval Base also provided the necessary place for the final outfitting of the Kunming, and it only took half a year for the first medium-sized aircraft carrier in the southwest to join the active service of the navy. The Horseshoe Bay base will also become the most important shipbuilding base in the southwest for a long time, and the manufacture of warships and submarines will develop step by step after successive large-scale investment.

The navy is not like the army and air force, an airplane, a tank, can be produced by starting a production line, nothing more than money and skilled workers, supplemented by well-trained soldiers. As for the navy, the construction period alone is beyond the reach of airplanes and tanks, and as a combat weapon in the global armed forces period that will inevitably come in the future, the navy is an indispensable link. Only by attacking the global sea power can we ensure the progress of the great war and ensure that after the war, we will have enough say in the division of interests.

Although the Kunming suffers from a loss in displacement, because it is completely different from the design concept of large warships such as traditional battleships, the new upper configuration of warships, new landing auxiliary equipment, and even small and medium-sized steam catapults for propeller fighters in research and development, these seemingly non-ultra-high-tech new technologies have come into being, so that Kunming's combat effectiveness has risen sharply. Destroyers with both anti-submarine and air defense combat missions, and even light cruisers as escort ships, will have a perfect interpretation when facing an aircraft carrier group of the same size in the West with a small number of submarines on board.

Fortunately, it was the construction of aircraft carriers, which seemed to be difficult to build in this period, but when there were detailed drawings and design ideas, and enough skilled workers, it was relatively easier than the construction of battleships. Only those battleships with tens of thousands of tons at every turn are the most complicated.

It all looks wonderful, except for one thing: money!

The southwest is really out of money!!

When Zhang Shusheng got the news from the new Finance Minister Liu Dengke, he almost didn't jump up, money, how could there be no money?

I have worked hard in the past ten years, but I have not wasted my time. Focusing on the Huize Industrial Center, the emerging Kunming Industrial Belt and Guilin Industrial Belt are the key construction goals in recent years. Of course, these modern factories and enterprises are indeed very competitive, with high-end precision instruments, high-end automobiles, high-end consumer electronics, small household appliances, advanced modern pharmaceutical factories, modern chemical supplies as the representative of high-tech factories; Medium-tech factories represented by modern chemicals, machining, instrument manufacturing, bicycle and motorcycle manufacturing, etc.; The general industries represented by clothing, cigarettes, food, and beverages have all contributed a lot of wealth to the southwest.

This is not counting the invisible profits paid by Pan American International and Pan Eurasian Trading Companies, the heavy taxes of Shusheng Company in extraordinary times, and the dividends of Xinhe Industry and Lu's Industry, Zhang Shusheng has all been caught in the southwest political axe.

It can even be said that without these huge profits, Zhang Shusheng would definitely not be able to arm this modern armed force, including one guard division, three elite divisions, eight garrison divisions, and reserve and police forces. Not to mention rural reform, land reform, and education reform.

“…… In terms of product competitiveness and profit margins, most of our products are extremely competitive even if they are exported to Europe and the United States. We are a de facto seller's market. Even for this reason, it has led to several incidents of foreign political axes intervening in tariffs. We have since taken a number of roundabout measures that have made the concerns of the trading countries much less.

At present, the main problem is that there is a very large gap between the industrial scale and the developed countries in Europe and the United States. Let me give you an example, several advanced drugs represented by penicillin, which have always been our flagship products, but the output of the pharmaceutical factory located in Dongchuan District has been difficult to meet the global demand, and many countries have even seen a drug more expensive than gold. The same problem exists in the automotive industry and home appliance industries. However, this problem will be fundamentally improved after the completion of the third five-year plan of the southwest political axe in the Kunming Industrial Belt and the Guilin Industrial Belt.

In other industries, many of our products have become international high-end. Let me give you two examples. High-end clothing and chemical products, clothing designed by the old garment factory in Huizawa, new fabrics, eye-catching design style, almost always become the trend of Europe and the United States, the most docked ships outside Fangcheng Port, not to pull cars and medicines, but to wait for the transport of clothing, transport of chemical products. They're just so popular. For example, the chemical products, a new model in half a year, European and American countries have not had time to imitate this area of chemical products, and the next generation of makeover products are on the market again.

On the whole, we only participate in a part of the world's most profitable industries, but compared to other countries, they are extremely profitable. ”

As the finance minister, the 30-year-old Liu Dengke is under unprecedented pressure, and he knows best the financial tension in the southwest. In the face of Zhang Shusheng, the supreme governor, Sun Changqing, the prime minister of the political axe, and Sun Laixi, the deputy general manager of the Shusheng Company, he could only say bluntly, if no solution can be found, many investment plans in the southwest will be greatly affected.

Zhang Shusheng frowned, he said that he had no money, it can be said that in the past twelve years, this is the first time he has encountered it, in the past, the family had a small business, and it was enough to make up the situation, but now it is good, it is often a shortage of millions or even tens of millions, and it is measured in silver dollars.

"How difficult our finances are, Dengko, tell me about it." Usually Sun Changqing is in charge of these things, but Sun Changqing is not a professional economic talent after all, and only when he can't hold on can he let Zhang Shusheng think of a way. I have to say that Liu Dengke is indeed a talent, which can be regarded as a rare modern economic talent in China, and even the German economics professors at Southwest University are full of praise. Call him an expert in macroeconomics.

"I'll start with the income part. Because we have abolished a total of 163 kinds of exorbitant taxes in the southwest, and at the same time have not collected taxes from farmers, so to put it plainly, our taxes are mainly customs duties, industrial taxes and commercial taxes, as well as personal income tax for high-income groups. Although the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guizhou were very large, the preliminary statistics showed that the annual GDP in 1926 reached 12.66 billion, which was roughly equivalent to one-tenth of the total GDP of Britain and France in the same period, and the GDP growth rate also reached 21% of the historical surname. First of all, we have only occupied the three southwestern provinces for a few years, and the impact of the huge scale of agriculture here is very large, unlike that of Britain and France. In 1926, in 1926, we had accumulated an industrial scale of 10 years, and in the three provinces, the total amount of our taxes was 296 million. The additional income handed over, including Shusheng Company, was 130 million yuan. Our total revenue is 426 million.

Expenditure Component:

The total expenditure on military spending is 84 million! It is about one percent of the level of Britain and France during the same period.

In 1926, a total of 260 million yuan was invested in science and technology and industrial construction, including five small and medium-sized oil fields and supporting refineries, 127 large, medium, and small mines, and 215 large, medium, and small factories with various direct investments, and 65 scientific research units.

In the rural areas, the main input was seeds and fertilizers, and although the method of paying public grain to compensate for the price of seeds and fertilizers was adopted, in 1926 the special agricultural subsidies in the three provinces reached 24 million yuan.

There are also two major contributors to public utilities. In addition to medical and health undertakings, the Kunhui Highway, Kungui Highway, and Guiguang Highway, as well as the Kunfang Railway, a key project in the third five-year construction plan, hydropower stations in various places, and the laying of power transmission lines in key cities, were currently under construction, and the annual investment in 1926 alone reached 62 million yuan. In terms of education, because we adopted a six-year compulsory education system and a 16-year free education system, a total of 56 million yuan was spent on education, including the construction of school buildings, subsidies for students' meals, teachers' salaries, equipment purchases, etc. In addition, there are other expenditures of $24 million.

All expenditures totaled 510 million!! ”

"If we spend more than we earn, doesn't that mean that our political axe is bankrupt?" Zhang Shusheng really doesn't know much about the economy, as a ruler, he only needs to manage people, but he didn't expect so much money to be spent.

"Shu Sheng, the missing part is your own personal money." Sun Changqing interjected beside him.

Over the years, whether it was Sun Changqing or Sun Laixi who was in charge of Shusheng Company, they only needed to give Zhang Shusheng an extremely complex financial statistics table every year. After Zhang Shusheng got it, he wouldn't count it one by one at all, but would only hand it over to the little kid of the dream machine and let him do it, just pick out the mistakes and check the gaps. After having a considerable amount of wealth, he rarely cares about how much wealth he has.

According to his instructions, the profits of Shusheng Company, a super group, will be stored in July every year. 12 years have passed, especially in the past few years, relying on the rapid development of the three provinces, Shusheng Company has grown to nearly 100 various large, medium and small subordinate companies, and the net profit in 1926 has reached a staggering 250 million. Zhang Shusheng didn't know how much money he had now, so he exchanged it for gold and put it in the strategic reserve of Shusheng Company.

Speaking of which, Shusheng's business covers all kinds of luxury goods, medicines, automobiles, department stores, home appliances, and machinery. This profit is very normal. Especially in recent years, relying on the advantages of the three provinces, the development has been more rapid. Zhang Shusheng's modern industry, armed with high technology, began to burst out fierce sparks after 12 years of lying on the salary, and it was expected that in 1928, the net profit would reach 300 million. Although it still needs to be improved compared to the giant trust enterprises in the West, in China, it is already a well-deserved giant modern group.

It can be said that unconsciously, through the efforts of several Western trading companies controlled by Zhang Shusheng, almost the entire West has begun to buy products from the Southwest, with endless designs, novel styles, easy-to-use surnames, etc., and the products of the Southwest are not necessarily the most sophisticated, but they must be the most attractive to consumers. In 1927, Fangchenggang had expanded its port for the third time, and before you knew it, it was on the verge of becoming one of the busiest ports in Asia.

And this strategic reserve of Shusheng Company, coupled with the secret reserves of Pan American Ken's International and Pan Eurasia Trading Company, Zhang Shusheng's 100% controlled capital has reached the height of a hidden capital king after 12 years.

Although Zhang Shusheng has other uses for this terrifyingly large strategic reserve, it does not mean that he is reluctant to spend it.

So, whenever Liu Dengke said that he had no money, Zhang Shusheng waved his pen, and Sun Laixi would take away a huge payment amount from Zhang Shusheng from a Shusheng company. A large amount of money went from Zhang Shusheng's private pocket, and went into the southwest political axe in a circle. It's not that Zhang Shusheng is reluctant to invest all the income of Shusheng Company, it's just that thinking of the upcoming world financial crisis, he has to prepare enough gold reserves like ants moving, and he can't use them at will. The construction of the southwest is indeed short of money, but that does not mean that it needs to be thrown in without limits.

For example, when water conservancy construction was carried out in various localities, the political axe adopted the method of mobilizing the peasants to contribute to the work, which was originally a project for the benefit of the peasants, and the peasants themselves were involved, and the enthusiasm for the construction was extremely high. Countless reservoirs, small hydropower stations, and flood control projects along the river have been built in this way. At the same time, for example, in the renovation of dilapidated houses in rural areas, the political axe always contributes a small part of the money, and then organizes the whole village to work together, and every household helps together, burns bricks and tiles by itself, and builds it by itself. Chop wood and build it yourself. In many places, because of the encouragement of political axes, people have moved from thatched huts to bright earthen tile houses or brick houses.

All kinds of investment are necessary, and Zhang Shusheng is very clear about this truth.

For example, if the army does not invest a lot of money, what will the plane be built for? It seems that there are less than 100,000 fighters, but hundreds of them are tens of millions. Tanks are not expensive, but nearly 200 tanks equipped with the Guards Division and the Main Division cost tens of millions, and as for guns, ammunition, artillery, etc., it is even more difficult to count.

It is inevitable that there will be a large investment in science and technology, and although Zhang Shusheng can take the existing science and technology, it must be converted into practical technology, and dozens of scientific research institutes will be sprinkled with dozens of categories every year. Factory construction is also, the third five-year plan, the southwest focus is on strengthening the heavy industry base. Just imagine, it is already so far behind the West, and if it does not even invest this little money, the heavy industry in the southwest will never come out. Don't talk about hundreds of millions, billions will be smashed into it in a few years.

It is also unavoidable to invest heavily in transportation. From Kunming to the coast of Guangxi, there is no decent high-level high-level highway, how to repair it without spending money? Even if you spend money to build a gravel road, it's better than nothing. Thousands of miles away, wartime mobilization can never be walked on two feet, or go around, like the Battle of Guilin in the past. And the railway is a must for a country, not only every year, but all the time. If you don't build the road today, you will regret it tomorrow, and you will have to wait a few years before it can be opened to traffic. Zhang Shusheng did not have many other requirements, but hoped that the railway from Kunming to Fangchenggang, even if it was a detour, would be built within 5 years. This means that a lot of money is spent like flowing water.

Spending on social medical care and epidemic prevention is also a must. In this era, even smallpox has to kill a large number of people, who would dare to wait for ten or twenty years later, when the war is won, in order to save that little money? Zhang Shusheng was unwilling to look at this generation of Chinese people who were born and suffer from various preventable diseases again, so the establishment of large urban hospitals, small township hospitals, and rural village infirmaries was a must. Of course, we also call on the broad masses of the people, who do not understand what is going on, to take their children to the medical station for vaccination...... The same is true for agricultural inputs. Farmers have no money to buy seeds and fertilizers, so they can't afford to continue their old lives without even food. And with seeds and fertilizers, no water, no technology, then, at this time, the formation of the political axe mobile irrigation team and agricultural technology station has become inevitable, of course, if they still have to collect taxes, then Zhang Shusheng would rather die headlong. The peasants can't survive anymore, so what do they take to pay taxes? Take heads?

There are also a lot of things in terms of culture, not to mention anything else, it is necessary to install radio stations in the countryside and show a few movies in the countryside, and occasionally go to the countryside to engage in literary and artistic propaganda, otherwise the vast number of uneducated people may not even know that the current leaders of the southwest are water. The propaganda team is together, okay, don't talk about Zhang Shusheng, even a series of benefits such as seeds and fertilizers are given, they are all clear. At this time, the rural people who are suffering so much that it is difficult to survive are most grateful, and the propaganda effect is excellent.

As for education, it's a century-old plan!!

How can a student child go to school if he has no money? Not to mention tuition, many families can't even afford a notebook and a pencil, do you want them to come to school? You might as well just force someone to die. It is also absolutely wrong to carry out elite education on a small scale, so it is correct to increase investment in education and rather subsidize it with political axes than to carry out education for all. Of course, the small problem here is that I can't afford to eat when I come to study, so I can't eat pickles and chaff every day.

If we blindly wait for social and economic development to reach a certain stage just by nature, and when the peasants, who account for 90% or more of the number of people in society, no longer eat bran and drink dilution every day, can realize the importance of education, and prefer to bear the cost of tuition and living expenses and take the initiative to send their children and grandchildren to school, the Second World War is probably over...... The six-year compulsory education is only a preliminary solution to the problem of illiteracy. Encouraging 15 or even 16 years of free education for surnames is quite in line with China's national conditions. As long as you are talented and can pass the exam, then you can go from junior high school to high school to university, all the way to study without hindrance. As long as you can pass the Board of Education's approval of family property, you don't have to pay a penny. Twelve years have passed, and the elementary school students of that year have now reached college age. The huge scale of the education base will inevitably lead to a sharp increase in the number of secondary and higher education. Zhang Shusheng was not only afraid, but hoped that the more the better, and he would run a school when he had to pay for it.

I'm not afraid of spending too much money, I'm afraid that I won't be able to learn if I take money to invite people to school, and I don't even want to go to ......school." Zhang Shusheng thought about it, it seems that there is only this way.

"The source of the bank margin ......"

Liu Dengke remembered that the report that was rejected a few days ago was prepared by him painstakingly in order to temporarily solve the current financial difficulties.

"The bank's margin is issued by Shusheng Company, how much gold or foreign exchange is needed, you and Sun Laixi discuss it specifically, and report it to me for approval."

Zhang Shusheng is not a god, when this kind of mountain and water are exhausted, most people choose to cut on the poor people who are covered with patches, eat chaff and drink thin chaff, but he can't do it anyway. Otherwise, what is the difference with other politicians?

As the head of the political axe in the southwest, Zhang Shusheng is powerful. Although he also loves money, there must always be a trade-off, at least a balance, between money and the future of the nation. This is also the reason why he took the initiative to ask Shusheng Company to pay heavy taxes to the southwest political axe, resulting in a sharp decline in after-tax profits. However, some of the more secret things need secret funds, not to mention the super financial storm is coming, the financial crisis plan, the Southeast Asia plan, Africa and South America, etc., are some strategic scientific research investments, such as the project that Mr. Einstein is responsible for, and the several pre-research projects that Truss is responsible for require almost astronomical amounts. These shady financial needs are definitely not something that the southwest political axe can afford.

Therefore, Zhang Shusheng needs a lot of money, and only by having enough money for him to sway freely can he get back more hope for this nation that has been poor for too long. Even if it is a shady income, it will not affect it, and the weapons made can also kill. The students can also become the pillars of the nation. What I need to do is to do my best to contribute to the restoration of this tragic nation.

The establishment of the bank is also to establish a new economic order in the southwest, after all, the southwest is now developing too fast, even he himself can not believe it. If nothing else, tax revenue alone has increased several times in recent years. Compared with the period when the militia occupied Guangxi, it was many times stronger. The integration and utilization of resources and the further expansion of the scale of factories and mines have made the third five-year plan of the southwest political axe far surpass the first and second, and in the first few years, it has made almost dazzling achievements.

"Shu Sheng, isn't this not good, in case the bank goes bankrupt...... Sun Changqing said with some concern. At present, China is not Zhang Shusheng's, and in Sun Changqing's view, as the head of one party, Zhang Shusheng's own interests must be absolutely guaranteed.

"No, I've already decided."

Zhang Shusheng is not a person who suffers losses, it seems that he suffers losses, but in fact, he is very willing to give the rejuvenation of the nation more opportunities. Money is not brought to life or death, and their biggest role is to let people spend and find a channel to use them. Otherwise, they are waste paper.

"Come to Xi, you come to my house tomorrow, you prepare, Ning Zhi means to take out a sum of money as a supplementary fund for the political axe to help the poor, the scale is relatively large, and the reserves must be used."

This is also what I agreed with the two women before I came. When He Ning and Lu Yunyan roughly knew the profit of Shusheng Company for a year, they asked Zhang Shusheng to think of a way to spend money to solve the problem of extreme poverty in society. Although the new agricultural transformation is already underway, many people are still near the absolute poverty line. Although a lot has been invested in the political axe, there is still some power to be missed. Zhang Shusheng thought about it, and he used to take out a part of the profits of Shusheng Company every year to do similar things, and this time it happened to be a big blood.

No matter how big and wide the territory is, if the people can't even eat, it will only be a situation where the dynasty is changing and the people are suffering. This is also one of the reasons why Zhang Shusheng suspended his expansion, first developed the southwest area, and then tried to do more after consolidating his power.

Three months later, when Chiang Kai-shek was complacent in the south, the three southwestern provinces jointly announced the official establishment of the Southwest People's Bank in a low-key manner.

As the most important component of the establishment of the bank, a new currency reform is about to take place.

In order to stabilize the people's sentiments, the Southwest Political Axe strictly ordered the political axes at all levels to cooperate with the Southwest People's Bank of China's new currency issuance task and publicize the policy to every village in a clear and incomparable manner.

In this strict order, Zhang Shusheng personally ordered that the political axes at all levels must be supervised at all levels, and once there is a problem at any level, the upper and second levels of the political axes shall be jointly and severally responsible.

Zhang Shusheng is very aware of the possible pettiness and labor pains in the currency reform, and what he has to do is to eliminate this labor pain.

At the same time as the news was published in the newspapers and broadcast propaganda, under the guidance of village cadres, one by one township and town cadres and even county-level cadres came to the rural areas in person, gathered the peasants, and explained the currency reform in great detail. Make sure that the money in the hands of farmers can be exchanged for the equivalent value of Singapore dollars.

"Comrade, you just returned to your hometown, right? Sorry, but the price of this iron pot is S$2, and you can pay with old money. ”

Even the owner of the haberdashery knew that all the banknotes or silver dollars originally issued within the three provinces could continue to be collected, and the People's Bank of Southwest China gave a five-month final redemption period. If someone comes back from other places with silver dollars, they can only go to the business hall of the branch of the People's Bank of Southwest to exchange new dollars.

The dark tide that was originally set off by the currency reform has gradually subsided, because the southwest political axe has ensured the purchasing power of the new currency, and the few runs have also made it easy for the southwest political axe to deal with it. And a few chaotic people who intend to take advantage of the reform of the currency system, and the merchants who hoard Juqi, also eat the gun.

Eventually, even some wealthy families with tens of thousands of silver dollars hidden in their homes began to go into the bank to exchange new currency, or store it at an equivalent price.

In the ups and downs of half a year, because of the mature currency reform plan for reference, as well as advanced banknote printing technology, the southwest finally completed the currency reform within the three provinces with an absolutely strong attitude, absolutely sufficient funds, and absolute credit.

The only thing that makes people a little excited is that the Great Wall and Guilin landscapes are printed on the new southwest currency for the first time, and the workmanship is exquisite, so that many people who are skeptical are convinced just when they see the banknote.

Of course, on this beautiful new coin, there is also a copperplate portrait of Zhang Shusheng!! ――

(To be continued)