Two months later, an astonishing news came from the north. The exploration team discovered two oil fields and several large metal mines in the Far East. They were only a hundred or two hundred kilometers away from the Kwantung Army's station. As long as the troops were dispatched, it would take one day.
You can take it.
Facing the oil fields in front of them, which made Xiao Ben drool with envy, the Kwantung Army began to prepare for action and wished to directly send troops to occupy it. Da Mao also became nervous and sent troops to the area where oil fields and metal mines were discovered.
For a time, the domestic war was in a state of anxiety and stagnation. On the contrary, in the Manchurian region, the border between Da Mao and Xiao Benzi Chen Bing was tense, and the smell of gunpowder was getting stronger and stronger.
This situation is exactly what Li Mu is happy to see, otherwise why would he bother to expose these oil fields and metal mines!
Domestically, during this period, Li Mu still flew fighter jets out at night from time to time, bombing any small airports and aircraft that appeared within the combat radius.
Not only airplanes, but any exposed artillery and armored units in Xiaoben are within his strike range. In just the past few months, hundreds of artillery pieces and armored vehicles have been blown up.
There are countless kinds of military supplies.
As a result, the small books in North China and Central China became more and more cautious. As long as it was not an important battle, the artillery units and armored units were tightly hidden, for fear of being exposed and being bombed one day.
Without air power, coupled with the lack of heavy firepower, the offensive became increasingly weak, and the domestic battlefield could only remain in a stalemate.
After the confrontation in northern Manchuria, Li Mu considered reducing the frequency of bombings. As long as he could ensure that there were no longer complete airports and aircraft in North and Central China, that would be fine.
Try to let Xiao Benzi focus on the north and concentrate on having a big fight with Da Mao.
Li Mu began to accumulate energy and use the huge funds generated from selling medicines to purchase various foreign machines and equipment on a large scale, trying to build a complete basic industrial system in Nanyang as much as possible.
In northern Shaanxi, as the oil production and refining equipment was transported, Li Mu also hired a group of technicians in this field to go to the Yanchang Oil Mine to carry out large-scale development work on the oil field.
Not only oil mines, but according to memory, large-scale high-quality coal mines and iron ores in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region... and other high-quality minerals are also his goals in the future, and he is currently cooperating with the North to conduct surveys.
The results were naturally gratifying. Good news came and large-scale mineral deposits were discovered one after another.
As a result, in addition to supporting a large number of weapons, a large amount of materials and equipment also flooded to the north. The talent base in the north was already extremely strong, especially in the military field. It was only the lack of materials and weapons that prevented it from developing and growing.
The arrival of so many weapons, supplies and equipment has quickly unleashed the potential of the north. Both economic and military strength have made great progress.
Now that I have the strength, the smell of gunpowder in the Manbei area is strong at this time, and it is not easy to tease the little book, so as not to attract their attention.
As a result, I had no choice but to target another target.
In the northwest region, there is no one other than the Ma family who has the biggest rivalry with the north. If they want to develop these oil fields, coal fields, and metal mines in a stable manner... there are hurdles that the Ma family cannot get around. Maybe one day they will be jealous of these mines.
, they sent troops to occupy it.
Ever since, I quickly found the target for testing the knife.
Li Mu is very supportive of this. After the Ma family has been eradicated, the north has the final say in the northwest region. The various resource mines built there are also guaranteed, and Nanyang also has a large rear area.
Li Mu once again sent 1,500 grenade launchers, and the Sten submachine gun, which had just been mass-produced for a few months, also sent 2,000.
In addition, hundreds of light trucks and dozens of tanks, including sugar, compressed biscuits and other military supplies, were also sent over in large quantities.
Coupled with the 100,000 Mauser 98k, various light and heavy machine guns, and mortars that were supported some time ago... the war potential in the north is gradually beginning to be released.
As long as it is equipped with suitable weapons, this is one of the most powerful armies in the world. Especially in terms of fighting will and spirit, it is unparalleled in the world.
As a result, the seemingly powerful Ma family, the so-called King of the Northwest, truly armed themselves in the north, dispatching 70,000 to 80,000 troops at once to carry out a large-scale encirclement and suppression.
In just two or three months, the Ma family, which had been in the northwest for many years, disappeared.
All the territory fell into the hands of the North, which made the North's strength stronger and stronger. The development of various oil fields, coal fields, and metal mines could finally be carried out.
As a large number of equipment and machines purchased by Li Mu arrived in the north, the mining work of several large oil fields, coal fields, and metal mines was officially on track.
With a large supply of raw materials and energy, factories in Nanyang have finally achieved mass production and self-sufficiency of some industrial products.
It has complementary advantages with the north.
In addition, in the eastern Henan region, the scale of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces has also expanded rapidly with the support of Li Mu's large sums of logistics and weapons. Today, the total strength has exceeded 150,000.
A large number of enthusiastic young people and propaganda personnel have also been sent to the north. A complete grassroots organization has been basically established in the entire eastern Henan region. By surrounding the cities with rural areas, they have fully controlled the entire eastern Henan region. Guofu's rule here can
Said to have been dismantled.
However, the entire eastern Henan region is a large plain with a large population. Coupled with some natural and man-made disasters, there will often be famines here, and many commodities and materials are also very expensive.
Although the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces tried their best to maintain the local people's livelihood and manage this place as a solid revolutionary base, they still seemed to be somewhat unable to do so.
Li Mu often transports some materials and food, but it is impossible to develop the local area and maintain a good people's livelihood just by relying on these.
The Anti-Japanese Allied Forces now occupy a very large territory, including not only eastern Henan, parts of Xinyang near the Huaihe River in southern Henan, parts of Xinxiang along the Yellow River in northern Henan, parts of Heze in southern Shandong, and Bozhou in northern Anhui
, parts of Fuyang... span three provinces, with a total population of more than 20 million.
With such a large territory and such a large population, many of which are still classified as yellow flood areas, it is not easy to improve the economy and people's livelihood.
Li Mu did have some ideas. In the past year, since the opening of private routes, he had made a lot of money through penicillin, and he had also transported a large amount of supplies and food back to the country.
The weapons and various types of machinery and equipment needed to build factories are for personal use, needless to say. So much food, various domestically-demanded commodities, and various military supplies flowed out through Muwu Trading Company and various channels.
The market earned him a huge amount of money.
Now, he has this huge amount of funds in his hands, and as he continues to transport various materials back to the country, more and more funds are gathering in his hands. It can really be said that the more he spends, the more he spends.
Although Li Mu only accepts gold and foreign exchange for some in-demand military supplies, the domestic military supply market is limited after all. After the route is opened, the round trip time is greatly shortened, and one or two trips per month can meet the domestic market demand.
On the contrary, it is the civilian market, including grain, medicine, oil, sugar, meat...all kinds of commodities and supplies that are in short supply. The market is very large.
And these, like military supplies, cannot be forcefully required to be traded in foreign exchange and gold. Domestic foreign exchange and gold are also abundant, and ordinary people do not have these in their hands. What they hold in their hands is mostly silver dollars and gold.
Fiat currency.
As a result, these materials were exchanged for Li Mu for a huge amount of silver dollars and legal tenders, especially legal tenders. Li Mu had tried his best to use and collect legal tenders as little as possible, and still accumulated more than 50 million legal tenders on hand.
This was when he was exchanging legal currency from other places into silver dollars, gold and foreign currencies through Muwu Trading Company.
Otherwise, not only the more than 50 million, but also the legal currency he holds in his hands will be even more.
If such a large amount of legal currency is not spent as soon as possible, it will only depreciate in value. It is already 1939, and the depreciation of legal currency has begun to accelerate. It is not cost-effective to hold it in your hands.
It would be better to spend it, even if it means doing something meaningful.
In view of the increasing amount of money in his hands, wealth is valuable only when it circulates. Li Mu has begun to improve the treatment of his subordinates. For example, in the security army, even ordinary soldiers receive eight oceans of military pay per month. There are more officers and senior officers.
, you can live a relatively prosperous life just by relying on military pay.
In the major factories under his name, as well as the various major projects launched, the wages of the workers employed have also begun to improve across the board. Not only has the salary increased by about 50%, but various welfare benefits have also gradually begun to keep up.
Nowadays, compared to various private companies in Nanyang, being able to enter a factory under Li Mu's name is absolutely enviable.
Not only are the benefits of various factories and construction sites increasing, but the major universities that have moved to Nanyang have also seen a significant increase in their school funding.
Li Mu's allocation to them this year is 50% higher than last year, which can be said to be sufficient funding.
These universities also often communicate with universities in China that have moved westward. Now they have become the envy of all universities. Many universities have even been communicating with Nanyang recently to see if they can move their schools here...
After all, the small air force has been destroyed, and the offensive in various battlefields in China is obviously weak. The Nanyang area is unlikely to be caught in the flames of war. It has good public security, low prices, prosperous commerce, and is extremely livable. It is indeed very attractive.
Even the Southwest Associated University in Kunming was moved. The conditions there were really hard. Not only were the funds for running the school getting less and less, but the conditions were also extremely poor. The dormitories for students were basically thatched huts, and the classrooms were also poor.
It's just an iron sheet on top.
Currently, we are actively communicating with them. After all, Kunming is also the territory of the warlord Yunlong. With limited financial resources, support for them is also very limited. Changing to a place with better conditions is also a normal option.
Li Mu certainly welcomes it. Nanyang will build a large number of factories in the future and try to improve various types of industrial systems, which will require a large number of talents, especially places like universities that cultivate high-end talents.
Including Zhejiang University, which is still on the way to move west, is also in contact with Nanyang. Zhejiang University has been moving west since the fall of Hangzhou the year before last, stopping and running along the way, running schools at the same time.
Finally, it traveled 2,600 kilometers through six provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, and arrived in Zunyi, Meitan, and Yongxing, Guizhou in 1940. It persisted in running schools and only moved back to Hangzhou after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War.
Nowadays, they are still running a school while moving westward. They are also moved when they hear that Nanyang has such good conditions and is far away from the war. They also strongly support the university.
Actively communicating with Nanyang...
In order to support them in running schools and to show sincerity, Li Mu has donated one million French currency to these two universities to alleviate their plight.
On the other side, there were more than 50 million French currency in his hand. As various supplies were sold, even though less French currency was collected and most of them only accepted silver dollars, there was still a steady flow of French currency pouring into his hands.
Through Muwu Commercial Bank, the exchange of legal currency for gold, foreign exchange and silver dollars has become increasingly unsmooth. Everyone is aware of the depreciation of legal currency and is unwilling to charge more.
On the other hand, the situation in Nanyang is better. Last year, Li Mu began to promote silver dollars and gradually reduced the use of legal tender. For example, when issuing military pay and wages, silver dollars and food stamps were used instead of legal tender.
What goes up has taken effect. In today's Nanyang area, the market for fiat currencies has been shrinking again and again, and everyone has basically begun to use silver dollars to combat the inflation and depreciation of fiat currencies.
All kinds of items sold in the Nanyang area are basically recovered in silver dollars. Merchants from other places who come here to purchase goods often use legal currency. Next, we will limit this and enter into a comprehensive de-legalization process.
Li Mu also thought of how to use these more than 50 million French currency. He would do more to benefit people's livelihood, preserve the vitality of the country, lay a solid foundation for future comprehensive industrialization, cultivate more talents, and do something within his ability.
Coincidentally, the large area controlled by the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, mainly in eastern Henan, is an excellent target. The people's livelihood here is difficult, but the population is large, and it is easier to accept ideas, so this area can be turned into a revolutionary demonstration area.
As for the security issues in this area, there is no need to worry. Not to mention that the current combat effectiveness of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces is extremely strong. In addition, Li Mu is taking action from behind. Even if Xiaobenzi attacks eastern Henan again, it will not have any effect, and may even
The battle was defeated and a large area of occupied territory was lost.
Next, after communicating with the north, they were naturally overjoyed. This is indeed a good thing that is beneficial to the country and the nation.
The universal basic compulsory education implemented by Li Mu in Nanyang only has primary schools and is a four-year system. The purpose is also to enable the people at the bottom to read and write, so as not to become illiterate.
Through screening, a small number of outstanding students will advance to middle schools and further their studies. After selecting the best among the best, the best batch will go to college.
There is no way, these days, with the current conditions, even if Li Mu had the money to open a large middle school and recruit more students, there would not be that many qualified teachers.
In primary school, it is much simpler. It is easy to find a large number of suitable primary school teachers.
Compared with Nanyang, the area with eastern Henan as its core under the control of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces is larger and has a larger population of more than 20 million.
Nearly seven to eight thousand primary schools are needed to meet the needs of universal basic education.
Labor is cheap these days, especially in eastern Henan. It costs three to four hundred silver dollars to build a simple primary school, plus supporting tables, chairs and benches.
The construction cost of seven to eight thousand primary schools would cost about three million silver dollars.
Although legal currency has depreciated sharply, it is still commonly used in the country. The purchasing power of one hundred legal currency is still equivalent to twenty or thirty silver dollars.
Therefore, for this area, Li Mu directly allocated 15 million French currency. Not only did he have the construction costs of 7,000 to 8,000 primary schools, he could also build a batch of middle schools, and the school preparation costs were also available.
As this money is allocated, the area with eastern Henan as the core will blossom more and start the construction of all school buildings in an all-round way.
It is expected that all primary schools will be completed within six months.
In addition, in response to people's livelihood issues, Li Mu mobilized a large amount of food and daily necessities from Nanyang, and allocated another 20 million French currency.
All the 20 million French currency will be used to improve local people's livelihood and carry out large-scale infrastructure construction, such as building roads, repairing rivers, digging ditches to irrigate farmland, and building a number of basic factories.
For example, cement factories, brick factories, flour mills, etc. are a number of basic projects that consume huge amounts of money and are related to local people's livelihood.
It can create a large number of jobs and increase local tax revenue and industry.
This is not only done in eastern Henan, but also in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. However, although the border area is large enough, its population is not large. Two to three thousand primary schools are enough.
Li Mu supported 5 million French currency for the construction of primary schools in the border areas. Regarding local people's livelihood and infrastructure, Li Mu once again supported 8 million French currency for repairing roads, dredging rivers, irrigating farmland, and building a number of basic factories.
I hope that spending so much money can cultivate a group of industrial talents to support comprehensive industrialization for this country.
Later, Li Mu made a targeted donation of 7 to 8 million French currency in response to the various plights of people's livelihood currently exposed in the country. It would be good to save some people.
In this way, more than 50 million French currency was quickly squandered.