On the first day of the first lunar month in the 32nd year of the Republic of China (1943), when the whole of Myanmar was still immersed in the joy of the Spring Festival, Nanyang Daily suddenly disclosed a shocking news on the front page. According to Professor Zhu Kezhen, Dean of the School of Meteorology at Nanyang United University
According to the latest research results, in the next six months, several provinces in southwestern China will suffer a once-in-a-century drought!
Once the news was revealed, the more than seven million indigenous people in Myanmar and the more than eight million Chinese refugees who had immigrated to Myanmar had no reaction. However, businessmen from various countries in Myanmar sniffed out business opportunities. Once China's southwest suffers a severe drought, then
The demand for food is bound to surge, and there will naturally be huge profits to be made.
Soon, businessmen from various countries in Myanmar began to purchase grain from all over the country, preparing to make a fortune.
However, all the grain in Myanmar had already been bought up. Businessmen from various countries quickly thought of the expeditionary army, thinking that Professor Zhu must have disclosed the news to the expeditionary army in advance, and then the expeditionary army secretly bought up the food in Myanmar.
of surplus grain, which also confirms the news that China will suffer from drought.
The rush to buy soon led to a rapid rise in food prices.
In just a few days, a large number of transoceanic telegrams were sent from Burma to India, Australia and even the Americas. Even the Japanese businessmen entrenched in the Indochina Peninsula were alarmed. After all, businessmen are all profit-seeking. History
During the Japanese invasion of China, there was also a large number of Japanese businessmen smuggling arms to the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army.
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Rangoon, Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
Mr. Deng and Yue Weihan had just finished discussing the political commissar candidates for each group army and field division. Mr. Rong Desheng and Mr. Tan Kah Kee suddenly arrived hand in hand. When Mr. Deng was about to stand up and leave, he was stopped by Yue Weihan. Yue Weihan knew that Mr. Deng admired
The market economy is under government intervention. Besides, Mr. Deng is also the political commissar of the expeditionary army, so he has the right to know.
Seeing that Yue Weihan had left Mr. Deng behind, Mr. Rong and Mr. Chen knew his intentions.
At that moment, Mr. Rong took out a document from the briefcase he carried and placed it on Yue Weihan's desk. He immediately said excitedly: "General Yue, the preliminary preparations have basically been completed. After more than a month of secret acquisition,
, we have stockpiled nearly 2 billion kilograms of grain."
"Two billion catties?" Yue Weihan frowned and asked, "What's the price?"
Two billion kilograms of grain seems like a lot. When piled in piles, it almost becomes a small mountain. But once it is divided among the 200 million compatriots, it will only be ten kilograms per person. It is not even enough for seven days of rations. What can it do?
?
Mr. Rong said: "The price of food in Myanmar has also increased nearly ten times!"
Mr. Chen also said: "The plates in Myanmar are too small, there is not much surplus grain, and those grain merchants are very smart, so we only made a little move, and the price went up."
"The price has increased nearly ten times?" Yue Weihan said solemnly, "Has it not affected the compatriots who have immigrated?"
"That's not true." Mr. Chen shook his head and said, "Because most of the compatriots who immigrated from the country have been incorporated into various production and construction corps. Within the corps, all living materials are rationed, and each corps is now
Basically, they can be self-sufficient, but the impact on Myanmar’s indigenous people, especially urban residents, is relatively large.”
Urban residents are no better than rural residents. It’s good to have a few months’ surplus of food at home. In normal times, this doesn’t matter. Once the food is gone, you can go to the grain store to buy it. But once food prices soar, the problem becomes serious.
At worst, they may lose their entire family, or at worst, they may sell off their assets, rack up debts, or even live in a foreign country begging for a living.
It is foreseeable that the indigenous people of Myanmar are about to suffer a man-made "famine".
"Alas, our expeditionary force is also in great difficulty now. We can only leave the Burmese people to overcome their difficulties." Yue Weihan said this with a regretful expression on his face, but Deng Gong next to him could clearly hear it. Yue Weihan
The implication is simply not to care about the life and death of Myanmar's indigenous people.
Mr. Rong added: "The soaring food prices have attracted the attention of businessmen from various countries in Myanmar. According to conservative estimates, at least more than 500 food businessmen have telegraphed back home and are trying to get goods from India, Siam, Indo-China,
Australia and other places are urgently transporting grain, and if it’s not unexpected, the first batch of grain will be imported from Siam into Myanmar in half a month!”
Yue Weihan pondered for a moment and then asked: "Approximately how much grain will be imported from Siam in half a month?"
Mr. Rong said: "Siam's population is nearly three times that of Myanmar, so there is more grain surplus. However, considering the limitations of transportation capacity, the first batch of grain imported will not exceed 1 billion kilograms! But then Indo-Chinese and Japanese businessmen
The amount of imported grain will definitely increase to tens of billions of kilograms, because Japanese businessmen can rent large transport ships from the Japanese military."
Mr. Chen also said: "Then there will be American and British businessmen, and the grain transported from India and Australia will not be less than 10 billion jins." Ten billion jins of grain may sound like a lot, but in fact it is only 5 million tons, divided
When it comes to more than 500 grain merchants, each person only has a share of 10,000 tons, and they hire a 10,000-ton cargo ship to deliver it in one trip.
Yue Weihan thought for a while and asked Mr. Rong: "Mr. Rong, do you think we can put grain out now?"
Mr. Rong said: "It will take at least half a month for the first batch of grain from Siam to be imported. This is enough time. I thought that I could continue to raise the price of grain, and then start releasing grain from a high of twenty times the price.
At this time, in order to keep food prices high, grain merchants from various countries will definitely spare no effort to eat the grain we release, and we will be able to get the funds back!"
"Okay!" Yue Weihan said happily, "Just do what Mr. Rong said, continue to eat food now, raise the price of food, and then start releasing food at a price that is twenty times higher!"
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Saigon, Japanese Southern Army Headquarters.
Lieutenant General Anda 23, Chief of Staff of the Southern Army, excitedly walked into Juichi's office in the temple. He immediately put his feet back and stood at attention and said: "Your Excellency, Commander, the news has been verified. Professor Zhu Kezhen of the Nanyang Alliance is indeed a person, and he is there."
He has a good reputation in the international meteorological community, and the news of an imminent drought in southwestern China is indeed the result of his research."
"Oh?" Temple Shouyi frowned, "No wonder Burma's demand for food suddenly increased sharply. It turns out that Yue Weihan was planning for this year's famine."
Anda twenty-three said: "Your Excellency, Commander, grain merchants from various countries are urgently transporting grain from India, Australia and Africa to Myanmar. Moreover, it is unrealistic to prevent the Chinese Expeditionary Force from purchasing grain on a large scale, but we can definitely divide it.
A piece of the pie to alleviate our economic difficulties."
At this time, Japan's national economy has been seriously deformed due to years of war. Due to limitations in industrial scale, the government has reduced the production of daily necessities to a minimum in order to produce as many warships, aircraft, cannons and firearms as possible.
This has led to the unfavorable situation of soaring domestic prices.
At the same time, Western countries have closed their trade doors with Japan, but supplies from Axis allies such as Germany and Italy cannot be transported across the ocean. The only good thing is that smuggling between the Japanese-occupied areas and neighboring countries and regions
Trade was not completely eliminated, so the Japanese army could obtain urgently needed living supplies from the Allies.
However, the Allied forces' living supplies need to be settled in U.S. dollars, and Japan's U.S. dollar reserves have long been exhausted. That's why Anda 23 said this. If the Southern Army can profit from this food crisis,
By exchanging cheap Indo-China grain for a large amount of U.S. dollars, you can exchange a large amount of urgently needed supplies from the Allied smugglers.
Therefore, before Anda Twenty-Three could finish speaking, Shouichi in the temple nodded happily and said: "Yoshi, Mr. Anda will be solely responsible for this matter. We will strive to collect all the surplus grain in Indo-China within three days, and then arrange it."
The merchants urgently shipped to Burma, and in order not to arouse suspicion on the Allied side, it was best to go through Siamese merchants."
"Hai." Anda Twenty-three suddenly lowered his head and immediately took the order.
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Nanjing, Japanese Central China Front Army Headquarters.
Lieutenant General Nemoto Hiroshi, the new Chief of Staff of the Central China Front, strode into Okamura Neiji's office. He immediately stopped his feet and stood at attention and said: "Your Excellency, Commander, the news has been verified. The news of an imminent drought in Southwest China is true. This is indeed the Nanyang United Nations General Assembly."
The latest research results of Mr. Zhu Kezhen, a meteorology expert."
"Yo Xi." Okamura Neji nodded happily, "The opportunity for the Imperial Army has finally come!"
"What do you mean, Commander..." Nemoto said solemnly, "take the initiative to attack?"
The Japanese army is currently on the defensive in three battlefields in the Far East, North China and Southeast Asia. Although the Central China battlefield is still on the offensive for the time being, compared with the Communist Party and the New Fourth Army in the occupied areas, the advantages of the Japanese and puppet troops are no longer very obvious.
Genbo simply does not believe that the Central China Front Army currently has the strength to take the initiative to attack.
Okamura Neiji smiled and said: "Nemoto-kun, don't you think this is a great opportunity to capture southwest China and force the Chongqing government to surrender?"
"But the strength of the Central China Front Army is only 500,000." Nemotobo frowned and said, "The Chinese government troops stationed in the southwest have at least more than 2 million, not to mention there are more than 500,000 New Fourth Army troops entrenched in the occupied area. This situation
It seems a little inappropriate to rashly gather the main force to take the initiative to attack. Once we fail, the consequences will be disastrous."
Among the five major strategic fronts of the Japanese army, Okamura Neiji's Central China Front is the weakest.
"You are simply overthinking." Okamura Neiji waved his hand and said calmly, "Yes, the Japanese troops stationed in the southwest still have nearly two million troops, but what kind of army is this?
With neither food rations nor sources of ammunition, how could such an army be a match for the Imperial Japanese Army?"
Speaking of this, Okamura Neiji said confidently: "What's more, the severe drought in the first half of this year will intensify the food shortage in the southwest. By then, whether the National Government's regular army can still maintain the scale of 2 million is still a question.
It’s unknown, but when the imperial army takes advantage of the situation and attacks, they will surely achieve a complete victory!”
It must be said that Neji Okamura's strategic vision is still very vicious.
This old devil could see at a glance that the current National Government was just a hollow structure. Commander Chiang Kai-shek's two million army seemed huge, but the soldiers had not been paid for several months, and they had not been paid for several months.
After eating enough, the ammunition reserves were even pitifully small. After a big battle, the whole army would basically have to fight with bayonets.
What's the point of having more people in an army that is short of ammunition and food? How much combat effectiveness can it have?
The most important thing is that the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Nanyang and the Eighth Route Army north of the Yangtze River are currently fledgling. Before the Southern Army and the North China Front Army are dealt with, it is impossible to mobilize troops to reinforce the southwest battlefield. Objectively speaking, this year is the year when the Japanese army occupied China.
Southwest, the last chance to destroy the National Government, if you miss this village, you won’t have this store!
At the moment, Japan is in urgent need of a decent record to boost morale and popular support.
Once the Central China Front troops occupy the southwest, even if the Nationalist Government moves to the northwest, it will at least cause the legal demise of the Chinese government. This will undoubtedly be a great encouragement to the currently demoralized Japanese soldiers and tired Japanese citizens.
At the same time, in the eyes of Germany, Italy and other Axis Allies, Japan's international status will also be greatly improved.
In turn, the legal demise of the Nationalist Government can also greatly suppress the arrogance of the expeditionary force and the Eighth Route Army.
As long as the Japanese army can survive this most difficult period, and when Manchuria and Central China are completely integrated into Japan, Japan will once again have a large number of reserve troops, coupled with the large amount of Soviet-style ordnance produced in the Far East industrial base, and the Japanese government's
With the adjustment of the focus of military construction, it is not difficult to defeat the Expeditionary Force and the Eighth Route Army.
After pondering for a moment, Nemotobo said: "Your Excellency, Commander, I'm afraid the base camp will not agree."
"Headquarters?" Okamura Neji curled his lips with a look of disdain on his face. From the beginning, he was not prepared to ask for the consent of the base camp. At that moment, Okamura Neji patted Nemotohiro on the shoulder and said, "Nemoto-kun
, the ammunition reserves of the Central China Front Army are sufficient for the Southwest Battle, and this battle does not require the support of the base camp, we can do it on our own!"
"Hai." Nemotobo was finally convinced and immediately lowered his head and said, "Your Excellency, Commander, I will go back to the staff headquarters and immediately summon the combat staff to formulate a detailed combat plan."
"Yoshi." Okamura Neji nodded happily, "Nemoto-kun, you will soon become a hero of the empire."
Nemoto Hiroshi quickly entered the state, and then bowed to Neji Okamura again, then turned around and walked away.
That night, Ben Bo urgently summoned dozens of senior staff members from the headquarters to formulate a detailed battle plan for the Great Southwest Battle overnight. For this battle, the Central China Front Army will mobilize all 16 field divisions, plus 9 independent mixed brigades.
As well as 12 Imperial Army Divisions, the troops were divided into two groups to attack the southwest. The left was commanded by Naosaburo Okabe and attacked Guizhou and Yunnan from Hunan. The right was personally commanded by the old Japanese warrior Okamura Neiji and attacked Sichuan and Shaanxi from Hubei.
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***: I live in my hometown and don’t have broadband, so I took the time to go to the Internet cafe in the town to complete a chapter.