Since Chen Qiang decided to participate in the Olympics, he immediately resumed his daily training.

As Chen Qiang had expected, he was a little unaccustomed to the hard physical training, and for Chen Qiang, who was accustomed to a comfortable life, the constant repetition of training day after day was more like a painful ordeal.

Chen Qiang could only forcibly persist and force himself to get used to it. There is no shortcut to training, and even the most talented athletes need to go through a lot of training to gain enough strength.

In this way, Chen Qiang spent most of the year in boring training.

……

Nanjing, Ministry of Finance.

"Minister Wang, this Olympic Games is a grand event in the world, and all countries will send representatives to participate, so how can we in China not participate in it!" Dong Shouyi said.

"Professor Dong, I understand what you said, although I have never stayed abroad, but I also served in the Ministry of Education back then, so I naturally know what this Olympic Games is about. It's just that this sports matter should be managed by the Ministry of Education. Supposedly, the participation funds should be paid by the Ministry of Education, right? How did you find my Ministry of Finance? Minister Wang of the Ministry of Finance said.

"The Ministry of Education said that this year's budget has already been overrun, and now even the salaries of professors at national universities cannot be paid, let alone the money to participate in the Olympics. So I can only come here to beg you, and I hope that the Ministry of Finance can give you some allocation. Dong Shouyi said.

Minister Wang smiled slightly and said, "Professor Dong, it's really not a secret, our Ministry of Finance doesn't have any money!" ”

"The Ministry of Finance is in charge of the country's financial power, how can it be that there is no money?" Dong Shouyi asked.

"We are such a big country, all kinds of expenses are already large, the front-line war is tight, the soldiers have to spend money on food and clothing, not long ago we bought a lot of weapons and ammunition from the United States, and now where is the surplus money in our Ministry of Finance! No matter who comes here to ask for money, the Ministry of Finance has nothing, and I am waiting for the United States to provide assistance as soon as possible, so that my Ministry of Finance can have money to turnover! Minister Wang replied.

Dong Shouyi said that he still didn't get a penny of the competition funds, and finally left the Ministry of Finance in disgrace.

Dong Shouyi is the director general of the Chinese delegation to the London Olympics, so he naturally has to run around for the participation funds, but it is a pity that in this year, whether it is the Ministry of Sports Education in charge or the Ministry of Finance, which holds financial power, they are all at a dime.

In desperation, Dong Shouyi had to go to Wang Zhengting, although Wang Zhengting had no real power, but after all, he had deep qualifications and was a member of the International Olympic Committee, so he might be able to think of a way.

……

"Prince, I'm really cornered! The opening day of the London Olympics is approaching, but our participation funds have not yet been settled, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance, I have begged, but I have not asked for a penny, do we really want to give up this Olympic Games? Dong Shouyi said anxiously.

"Hey......" Wang Zhengting also sighed, and he said: "This result, I expected, the Ministry of Education should really have no money, the salaries of teachers in state schools have begun to be in arrears, and there have even been teacher strikes recently." As for the Ministry of Finance, it is estimated that it is really tight, the war on the front line is tense, and this money is like flowing water, if there is no war, tighten the belt and maybe it will be able to hold out until the end of the year, but as soon as the cannon goes off, the gold is ten thousand taels, and it has not been half a year, and the treasury has bottomed out. ”

"I heard Minister Wang of the Ministry of Finance say that the aid from the Americans is coming soon, and maybe when the aid from the Americans arrives, the Ministry of Finance will be able to allocate money to us." Dong Shouyi said.

Wang Zhengting shook his head: "The money that the Americans aided, even if it really came, would not fall on our heads, not to mention that this is still a matter of eight words!" ”

"So what are we going to do? Maharaja, I really have no other way. Dong Shouyi's face was demoralized.

"It's a pity, I'm just an idle person now, although I have a few false positions, but I don't have real power, otherwise, I can also maneuver around it, at least to settle the cost of the journey to London." Wang Zhengting also looked helpless, obviously he didn't have a good way.

"It looks like we're going to have to give up on this year's Olympics. It's a pity that I contacted Chen Qiang last year, and he promised to participate in the London Olympics, and originally hoped that Chen Qiang could win a gold medal in the Olympics to boost the morale of our people, but now I am afraid that it will be in vain. Dong Shouyi said.

"Now there is only one last way to go." Wang Zhengting said helplessly.

"Is there a good way for the prince?" Dong Shouyi asked eagerly.

"I can only beg that person, he is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, so it is reasonable to do something for this." Wang Zhengting replied.

Dong Shouyi naturally knows who "that person" Wang Zhengting is talking about, there are three IOC members in China, in addition to Wang Zhengting and Dong Shouyi, there is also the old man of the Kong family.

"Prince, although Mr. Kong once served as the Minister of Finance, but that was many years ago, the so-called son of heaven and a courtier, not to mention that he has also resigned now, can it still affect the Ministry of Finance?" Dong Shouyi asked.

"It's normal for people to go to tea and cool, after he resigned, he really didn't have much influence, but don't forget, how much money has he been greedy for ink over the years? And how much did he use his power for personal gain, and how much people's fat and ointment did he loot? I'm not asking him to go to the Ministry of Finance to allocate funds for us, I'm asking him to pay directly for our participation funds! Wang Zhengting replied.

……

At this time, Master Kong had resigned from all his official positions, but he was still seeking a chance to make a comeback. After a few days, Master Kong felt that the situation on the front line was unfavorable and he had no hope of making a comeback, so he would go to the United States to settle down, stay away from politics from then on, and become a rich man with peace of mind.

In the Confucian Mansion, after Wang Zhengting and Dong Shouyi saw Master Kong, they exchanged a few words of greeting each other, and then mentioned the matter of asking for funds to participate in the Olympic Games.

"Brother Yong, you are a member of our Chinese International Olympic Committee, and you can't ignore China's participation in the Olympic Games!" Wang Zhengting said earnestly.

Master Kong was scolding his mother in his heart at this time, if he had known that there was such a thing, he would never have promised Wang Zhengting to be a member of the International Olympic Committee!

But things have come to this point, Wang Zhengting has come to the door, if Master Kong is not plucked, it must be unreasonable, after all, Master Kong has the identity of a member of the International Olympic Committee, and he still has to do enough things in terms of face, otherwise it is not good to be gossiped and lose face.

"That's it, let's just spend money to eliminate the disaster!" When Master Kong thought of this, as long as he reluctantly agreed: "Brother Confucianism, since this is the case, I should be a great helper." ”

"Then on behalf of the athletes of the country participating in the Olympic Games, I would like to thank Brother Yong for his generosity." Wang Zhengting hurriedly wrote.

"Brother Confucianism doesn't have to be here every day, he is all serving the country." Master Kong paused in his voice, and then said: "In the twenty-fifth year of the Republic of China, we sent a delegation to participate in the Berlin Olympic Games, which cost a total of about 200,000 yuan, right?" And at that time, in addition to the participating athletes, there was also a visiting group to visit and learn about the development of sports in European countries. ”

"It is true." Wang Zhengting nodded.

"Berlin in Germany and London in the United Kingdom are both in Europe, and the distance is not too far away, since it cost 200,000 yuan that year, now I will donate 200,000 yuan in legal currency as the participation fund, this time after all, there is no visiting group, I think it should be more than enough!" Master Kong spoke.

Hearing this, Wang Zhengting's face suddenly became embarrassed.

At the time of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, fiat currency had just been issued, and at that time, one fiat dollar was exchanged for one silver dollar, and 200,000 fiat currency was 200,000 oceans. By 1948, however, fiat money had long since become waste paper.

At the beginning of 1947, rice was sold for 60,000 yuan a load, but by the end of 1947, rice was sold for 1.1 million yuan a load, a 19-fold increase. In order to cope with the financial pressure, Nanjing had to issue three kinds of bills at the end of 1947: 1,000 yuan, 3,500 yuan and 4,450 yuan.

This kind of indiscriminate issuance of money has caused prices to collapse even more, and in the past, prices rose once every few days, but then they simply rose once a day, and then they rose several times a day. With a purchasing power of 100 fiat, you could buy two cows in 1937, but in 1948, you could only buy one fiftieth of a pancake. Stores all over the country have refused to accept "small bills" of less than 450 yuan, and there is no need to count the money when buying vegetables.

On the Qingming Festival in 1948, people who went to the graves of their ancestors did not have to burn the paper, but burned the thousand-yuan banknote directly, because a thousand-yuan banknote could not buy a piece of paper of the dead, and it was of course more cost-effective to burn cash directly. At that time, the diner ate in a restaurant, and the rice was 20,000 yuan a bowl, and when he finished the first bowl of rice and wanted the second bowl, the rice had risen to 25,000 yuan a bowl.

Therefore, the 200,000 fiat currency proposed by Master Kong can't even buy ten bowls of rice, which is clearly deliberately humiliating Wang Zhengting.

Obviously, Wang Zhengting came to ask Master Kong for money, which made Master Kong very unhappy, so before really paying the money, he had to deliberately embarrass Wang Zhengting, and also broke Wang Zhengting's idea of asking for money in the future.

Wang Zhengting knew that Master Kong was deliberately humiliating himself, although he was angry in his heart, but for the Chinese athletes to be able to participate in the London Olympics, he could only endure it.

So Wang Zhengting laughed and said: "Brother Yong, I'm afraid he's joking, now that prices are soaring, with 200,000 fiat currency, you can't buy a pack of dim sum when you go to Confucius Temple." ”

Master Kong immediately made a look of surprise: "Have the prices of goods risen to such a point now?" After I resigned, I was an idle cloud and wild crane, and I rarely went out on weekdays, but I heard that prices had risen, but I didn't know that they had risen to such a point! ”

Master Kong has made so much money, of course he knows what the price of goods outside is, and at this time he is just possessed by a drama spirit.

I only listened to Master Kong continue; "In this case, the 200,000 fiat currency is definitely not enough, I don't know how much fiat currency is needed to go to London to participate in the Olympics this time?"

"At least 15 billion fiat currency!" Dong Shouyi said from the side.

15 billion, sounds like a very exaggerated number, many people are afraid that the number "0" will have to count for half a day, but in that era of serious inflation, 15 billion fiat currency can also be exchanged for a few big yellow croaker.

In 1948, the currency depreciated so quickly that on June 25, the price of gold in Shanghai was 200 million yuan per tael, and a week later, on July 3, it rose to 300 million yuan per tael of gold. In those days, if you buy any piece of gold and silver jewelry, the transaction volume is hundreds of millions of dollars.

After the end of World War II, the international adoption of the U.S. dollar-centered Brinton Woods system, at that time the U.S. dollar was also directly linked to gold, and 1 ounce of gold was exchanged for 35 U.S. dollars. At this rate, the fixed price of a tael of gold is about $56.2. If it is 200 million yuan per tael of gold, 15 billion is just buying 75 taels of gold, about 4,215 US dollars.

There are dozens of Chinese delegations, and only more than $4,000 is needed to participate in the competition, which is very economical. Spending that little money to play in London is definitely going on the worst boat, eating the worst things, and staying in the worst place.

Hearing the figure of "15 billion", Master Kong smiled and nodded, but did not agree immediately.

However, Wang Zhengting on the other side had an extra heart, and he hurriedly said: "To go to the UK to participate in the Olympic Games, of course, you can't use fiat currency, you have to use US dollars, so I also asked Brother Yong to donate generously and sponsor 5,000 US dollars." ”

Wang Zhengting knew about the depreciation of the domestic currency, and now he asked Master Kong for 15 billion fiat currency, maybe it could be worth more than 4,000 US dollars, but when the delegation departed, the 15 billion legal currency would be worth 2,000 US dollars. Therefore, Wang Zhengting resolutely said that he did not want fiat currency, only US dollars.

The two sides bargained again, and finally Mr. Kong agreed to sponsor $3,000 as the participation fund of the Chinese delegation, which may also be Mr. Kong's only contribution to Chinese sports after becoming a member of the International Olympic Committee.

……

"Maharaja, $3,000 is far from enough to race in London!" Dong Shouyi didn't seem to be satisfied with this result.

"It's nice to have $3,000 this time." Wang Zhengting let out a long sigh and continued: "Let's think of other ways to streamline the staff as much as possible, but it is really not possible to just let the athletes go, and the coaches will not go, which can save a lot of money." ”

"Even if it's just for athletes, $3,000 isn't enough." Dong Shouyi said.

"Then let's streamline the athletes and try to pick some people with the best quality to go to London." Wang Zhengting opened his mouth and said.

Dong Shouyi wanted to say and stopped, he wanted to say that even if the athletes were streamlined, 3,000 US dollars would still not be enough, but seeing that Wang Zhengting had already broken his heart for the matter of funding, Dong Shouyi really couldn't bear to say anything, so he had to get up and leave.

Although 3,000 US dollars was settled, the funds were still insufficient, and Dong Shouyi returned to the office of the National Sports Association with a depressed mood.

Several letters appeared on Dong Shouyi's desk, which should have been sent from the mailroom.

Dong Shouyi picked up the letter casually, did not open it, first looked at the sender's payment, and suddenly, a mailing address from Nankai University attracted Dong Shouyi's attention.

"Nankai University, it's Mr. Zhang Boling!" Dong Shouyi hurriedly tore open the letter.

Dong Shouyi quickly browsed the contents of the letter, and his expression suddenly became excited.

"Great, Chen Qiang is willing to bear the expenses of the delegation during the Olympic Games and the travel expenses back to China, if you just count the ticket money to London, 3,000 US dollars is definitely enough!"

——————

If you have a recommendation ticket, give me a few, thank you!