"Yo Xi!"

Tokyo.

Prime Minister's Office.

Upon hearing the news that the United States had agreed to buy the Empire's 50 million silver dollars, but demanded all the American goods, Mitsumasa Minei jumped almost on the spot.

50,000,000 silver dollars,

Half of them were collected from North China by the Imperial Military and the Economic Division, and some were collected from the southeastern coastal areas, where the economy was most developed.

At the current purchase price of 65 cents an ounce of silver from the U.S. Treasury, this is equivalent to about $25 million.

It is equivalent to about 125 million imperial coins.

This fund is also a large amount of money for the Great Japanese Empire, and it can greatly alleviate the pressure of the current tight military spending.

And more importantly,

According to the agreement, the United States will also buy it at a price of 65 cents per ounce.

Today, in North China, the Imperial Military is still collecting a steady stream of silver dollars, according to the estimated report of the head of the North China Economic Division, Suzuki Fanji.

If the military cooperates, he will be able to provide the empire with 50 million silver dollars in cash every three months.

plus other revenues collected from North China,

In North China, the empire is no longer beyond its means.

In this way, he will also be able to further suppress the factions going south, so as to completely solve the problem of the strategic differences of the empire, and thus realize his strategic plan - in this world war, the empire will not take the initiative to form alliances first, but wait for the world situation to become clear before deciding on the camp.

During this period, the empire made every effort to solve the problem of the Republic of China.

"What is the current situation in North China?"

Mitsumasa Yonechi asked suddenly.

Every three months, 50 million silver dollars, 25 million US dollars.

Or the lowest!

This is an interest that the Empire must not give up.

However, such interests must be obtained with the cooperation of the military, and the military must occupy a dominant position in North China and control the main communication routes, important cities, and important population towns.

Recently, the situation in North China has been very bad.

The Eighth Route Army launched the so-called Battle of the Hundred Regiments, showing amazing strength, and the results of the cage tactics that Tada Jun had been operating for more than a year were wiped out, and a large number of cities were captured by the Eighth Route Army.

Although they are all marginal counties,

The population is not large,

economic underdevelopment,

But the impact on the situation is very serious.

If we cannot stabilize the situation in North China, it will only be a flash in the pan if it is difficult to enter and get out of North China.

The southbound faction may also make a comeback.

"According to the report of Chief of Staff Watanabe, the current security of the railway line, as well as the important cities around the railway, has gradually stabilized, and the repair of the railway is being accelerated to strive for the opening of traffic as soon as possible."

"But the highway line is still very serious, and the locust strongholds, the county seats, are being lost one after another."

Hearing the secretary's return, Mitsumasa Yonechi frowned.

He knew that the Eighth Route Army had received a lot of foreign aid recently, and he also knew that the forces that assisted the Eighth Route Army had provided strong weapons and equipment.

I also know that this attack on the earth eight roads was very sudden and unexpected to everyone.

But the 300,000 North China Front Army can't hold just one North China region?

Can't deal with it, just a few hundred thousand dirt and eight roads?

More than a month has passed, and still haven't reacted?

Then he ordered:

"Tell Tada Jun and Watanabe to fully cooperate with Suzuki Fanji and carry out the economic battle plan."

At present, the most important task is to ensure that the incoming and outgoing areas of northern China can be met.

Every three months, twenty-five million dollars, more than 100 million dollars a year, is not necessary for the Empire.

But for him to suppress the southbound faction, it is necessary.

Among the great powers, the strength of the empire is the last, and all forces must be concentrated in order to have a chance of victory.

Now that America is regressing, it is a good opportunity to resolve the strategic divisions within the empire.

America is not a good thing either, it's just to see that the empire is losing and balancing it out.

For this reason, the military situation in North China needs to be appropriately retreated, and it is even possible to deliberately suffer losses and even suffer losses, and it is worth it in exchange for the United States to retreat and loosen its resources, compared with the losses in North China.

There will be a war between the Empire and the United States!

Even Mitsumasa Yonei, who is pro-Anglo-American, knows it.

Unless the empire abandons the Pacific, conflict with the United States is inevitable.

"Hey!"

The secretary immediately went to convey it.

"Also."

Before the secretary left, Mitsumasa Minai said again:

"Tell Gangmura Ningji that he doesn't need to be in a hurry."

The emergence of the Battle of the Hundred Regiments proved that Tada's strategy was a complete failure, and the base camp immediately removed Tadajun from the position of commander and let Okamura Ninji come to power.

"Hey."

The secretary bows and should be.

···

Ze County.

"This is the Republic of China?"

Ishihara, who was dressed in disguise, looked at Zexian in front of him.

After the Battle of the Hundred Regiments, North China was in chaos, Tada Jun was furious, and Ishihara Waner no longer went to find himself uncomfortable, but left Beiping, dressed up, and came all the way to the Eighth Route Army base area for inspection.

He wanted to see what was going on here.

At this time, Ishihara's eyes widened.

As a famous Republic of China pass,

Ishihara has traveled throughout the entire North China region of the Republic of China, and has a thorough understanding of the customs and customs of the whole country, not to mention the empire, and even within the Republic of China, there are few people who can stand out.

Zexian,

He came a few years ago.

It is a backward county town, and it is not as good as the eighteenth-tier small county town of the empire.

But the Zexian County in front of him, or everything he saw since he entered the southern Hebei region, was unfamiliar to him.

If you describe it specifically, it is still backward, but full of vitality and vitality.

There are new houses everywhere, new roads everywhere, a large number of water conservancy facilities, and factories that have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.

There are also food stalls and snack bars everywhere.

People have a lot of new clothes on them.

Everything here is changing at a breakneck pace.

Ishihara had seen a similar scene before.

It was during the First European War, and in the years that followed, the Empire grew at its fastest, and it was also the era when the Empire's economy was at its most dynamic and economically developed before the economic crisis.

Unfortunately, everything came to an abrupt end in the 29-year economic crisis, and then the empire had to speed up the process of militarization and expand the market by force.

Although it came out of the economic crisis, the empire was kidnapped by the military from then on.

And this scene of rapid economic development actually appeared in the base area of the Eighth Route Army, which was blocked by the locust army layer by layer.

Although, in theory, the lack of infrastructure, the lack of technology and equipment, the lack of talent, it is almost impossible to develop the industrial capacity to support an army.

But there is outside aid on the dirt eight roads.

It is not difficult to think that the forces that provide advanced weapons and equipment will provide some machinery and equipment and provide some personnel support.

Of course, this is not the most important thing.

However, the rapid economic development here can not only enrich the finances of the Eighth Route Army and improve the strength of the Eighth Route Army, but more troublesomely, it can greatly improve the morale of the local people.

The determination to support the Eighth Route Army.

The determination to fight the Imperial Locust Army.

The latter two, for the Empire, are the trickiest.

A force full of perseverance and strong external support, even if the empire can be wiped out with all its might, it will inevitably be broken in the head.

"Where did all this machinery come from?"

When I came to an official wood processing factory, I chatted with the workers for a while, and then successfully entered the vicinity of the factory, looking at the small factory in front of me, even in the empire.

Looking inside, it is obvious that it is imported from abroad, coal generators, wood cutting equipment and other machines.

Ishihara sensed something was wrong.

This is the southern Hebei region.

Although it is a plain, it is also under the layers of blockade of the locust army.

Although it is difficult to completely block because of the huge area and complex communication lines, scattered materials can be carried by a single mule and horse, or those that can be carried by manpower can enter the southern Hebei region.

But these machines?

Coal generators, wood cutting equipment, and at least double horse-drawn carts are required to transport.

And the origin is the United States.

The quality is brand new.

In other words, these machines and equipment were recently imported from the United States.

How did these get in?

Ishihara was puzzled.

Such equipment, which was strictly forbidden to enter the enemy-occupied zone, theoretically impossible to pass through the imperial blockade.

But where did these machines come from?

Ishihara tried to inquire about the source of the machine, but in the end he was unsuccessful, and even caused an investigation by the alarm and guards, but the old fox finally managed to escape.

···

Meanwhile.

Stone Gate.

"It's an enemy."

The former head of the section of the Northern Commentary, Naoto Matsuzaki, looked at Suzuki Fanji with angry eyes, and his tone was hysterical:

"You've allowed these machine-embargoed equipment to enter the Tubalu base area."

"You're treason."

He's been weird.

Why is there a large number of machinery and equipment, and it is prohibited by the military, entering the southern Hebei region of Tuba Road and reselling it to Tuba Road.

It turned out to be an order from Fan Suzuki.

"Rivals?"

Suzuki Fan Ji sneered, and his tone was disdainful:

"I'm doing this for the good of the Empire."

"Besides, this is an order from the Dispatch Army Headquarters, and if you think I'm the enemy, you can apply to General Shunroku Hata to arrest me."

Who doesn't know that the sale of machinery and equipment to the Tuba Road Transport in the southern Hebei region is an enemy?

However, machinery and equipment were still continuously transported to the base of the Eighth Route Army, and even most of them were merchants of the empire, and even the big conglomerates of the empire came to an end.

Even, the military is directly involved.

Why?

It's not because the profits are too big.

A coal-fired generator produced in the United States, including tariffs, freight, costs, etc., can be sold for 50,000 silver dollars in the southern Hebei region.

Even at the price of 25 cents a silver dollar traded in Shanghai and other silver exchanges, the actual selling price in US dollars is 12,500 US dollars.

Net $7,500!

If calculated at the price of American silver, the profit is directly doubled.

He had a complete set of equipment for a timber processing plant imported from the United States for $150,000.

In the southern Hebei region, he received the equivalent of 600,000 US dollars in silver dollars, making a net profit of three times.

This is a rare tacit agreement between the military and even the navy and the army in the base camp, the navy is responsible for sending transport ships to import equipment from the United States, and the army is responsible for selling it, and even taking out military expenses as capital.

The profits are too great!

Because of this credit, he is about to be promoted to major general, and Naoto Matsuzaki is jealous.

"As for the equipment that Dirt Eight Road obtained?"

Fanji Suzuki knew what Naoto Matsuzaki was worried about.

It's just that I'm worried that Dirt Eight Road will be strong by this.

But...

"It's not easy to transfer these equipment, and when the Imperial Army arrives, it can all be destroyed, it's easy."

Suzuki's tone was confident.

"Idiot!"

Naoto Matsuzaki couldn't help but scold again:

"A bunch of dumb fools."

He investigated for more than half a year, but still hasn't found out how the forces behind Tubalu transported materials to the Taiyue Mountains.

But only one thing is certain.

These materials are all newly manufactured and newly transported.

On the surface, this secret deal, the empire is more profitable.

But Eight Ways is an idiot?

Since he dares to allow the empire to obtain a large number of benefits, he must be uneasy and good-willed, and he must have some schemes, but he has no evidence. (End of chapter)