Chongqing really saw the opportunity and added insult to injury.
In fact, Okamura Neiji chose to take action at this time because he grasped Chongqing's fear of the Eighth Route Army, which became more and more serious as the Eighth Route Army grew.
The timing was so perfect that Okamura Neji and Chongqing had common interests and reached a certain tacit understanding.
First, Chongqing ordered a complete blockade of the Eighth Route Army. No supplies could be transported to the Eighth Route Army base areas. Anyone found smuggling supplies would be shot on the spot for smuggling.
This is real killing. In history, many soldiers and civilians who smuggled supplies in order to break through the blockade fell to the enemy's gun.
Sometimes what makes people even more angry are these "own people".
The Japs are enemies to begin with, and we do not fight on our own. No matter how ruthless you are, we will fight with you to the end. We can fight you tooth for tooth, eye for eye, one life for another.
But it's now, when the country is ruined and the family is in ruins, when it's still difficult for the two brothers to fight against the Japanese together, why do they want to fight against their own people like this, why don't they put the Japanese down first, why do they have to kill them all?
However, there is nothing that can be done about it. Not only can people do it, but they can also do it even more cruelly.
In addition to the blockade, Chongqing also did three things:
First, the military pay for the Eighth Route Army was completely suspended (suspension in December 1940).
Second, a large amount of money was printed to participate in the competition for supplies... This made the Eighth Route Army unable to deal with it, because what Chongqing printed was real money.
Third, they used their right to speak overseas to spread the word that the Eighth Route Army would only develop and not resist the war, and withheld donations from overseas Chinese to the Eighth Route Army.
The Eighth Route Army’s financial sources mainly come from three aspects:
The first is military pay.
The second is overseas Chinese and donations.
Third, the people pay public food.
The military pay was cut off, donations were intercepted, the people in the guerrilla zones were divided into base areas, and the food in the hands of the people was plundered in various ways. When the time comes, how can the people pay the public food when they themselves cannot make ends meet?
As a result, the Eighth Route Army's fiscal revenue was almost completely cut off at this moment.
Wang Xuexin did not expect that such a situation would arise. He only knew that the Japanese had a military blockade against the Eighth Route Army, but he did not expect that there would be such an economic and material blockade.
Thinking about it later, Wang Xuexin realized that this was due to his incomplete knowledge of history.
Didn’t “mass production” happen in this era?
"You can make enough food and clothing by yourself" is also said now!
When I was a child, I sang the song "Nanniwan" every day!
This song talks about the Eighth Route Army taking matters into their own hands to open up wasteland and cultivate land during this period of economic blockade, turning Beidahuang into Beidacang!
It's really ironic that I have been chanting words and singing songs every day, but at this moment, I haven't connected them at all!
But then again, what if I think of it?
It seems that I can only watch this happen!
The situation in the border area continued to deteriorate, and the chief immediately reported the situation and held an emergency meeting to discuss response plans.
Li Yunlong, Ding Wei and other regiment leaders also came. The reason is that the troops near Zhaojiayu are crucial. At least for now, the only way to break through the blockade and obtain urgently needed supplies is the passage in this direction!
The leader briefly summarized the problem, and then frowned and said: "This is the situation. We should be grateful that we won a battle before and saved most of the base areas. Otherwise, we would have just allowed the Japanese to draw blood without fighting back.
The power!"
This is true, but it is not true.
If the root land near the mountainous area was also lost, it would have been burned, killed, and robbed by the Japanese. There would be no need to use fake money to secretly rob it.
"We have set up checkpoints and posts at various traffic arteries." The chief continued: "No matter how much trouble the traitors make in the border area, at least we must ensure that they cannot transport food and supplies out!"
This solves part of the problem, but obviously not all.
Because there are many bandits inside who have been bribed by the Japanese, they will work with traitor merchants to hide the food, so there is no need to transport it out.
Li Yunlong then started scolding: "If you ask me, if you want to catch anyone who robs grain at a high price, let's see who is more powerful, the fake money in his hand or the guns in our hands! Beat us all!
Even if they call me, I'm still afraid of them..."
"Li Yunlong!" The chief tapped the table with his fingers: "The problem is that most of the people who robbed grain at high prices are fellow villagers. If we arrest them all, what is the difference between them and the Japanese? Will we still have to fight in the future?
?”
When the chief said this, Li Yunlong became silent.
The Eighth Route Army is an army that comes from the people, and the people are the foundation of the army. They cannot aim their guns at their own people at any time, even though they know clearly that their behavior of driving up prices is wrong.
In fact, fellow villagers can't help it. If so much fake money is thrown into the base area, prices will definitely skyrocket.
At this time, there is only one wise choice, and that is to hold on to what you have in hand and not sell it.
But how many people are rational?
"The only good thing now!" said the chief: "The superiors have decided to issue their own currency to drive out legal tender and stabilize prices!"
Wang Xuexin nodded secretly.
This is correct, otherwise we would just tie our hands and let the enemy beat us. Although we cannot talk about fighting back, we should take precautions, right?
"In addition!" the chief continued: "The superiors believe that we should be prepared to fight the enemy for a long time and solve our own problems by ourselves. Only in this way can we not be afraid of the enemy's blockade. What do you think, comrades?"
All the cadres present at the meeting were silent. What they were good at was fighting, and when they suddenly had to engage in production and economic development, they had no clue.
Seeing that everyone was silent, the leader turned to Wang Xuexin and asked: "Comrade Wang Xuexin, come and take the lead!"
"Chief!" Wang Xuexin said: "I think we can consider both internal and external aspects. Internally, what we want to think about is food, clothing, housing and transportation, of which clothing and food are the key points, such as spinning and weaving... This has been blocked since then.
, we can’t even buy clothes, we can’t just fight the Japanese naked!”
Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere in the venue relaxed a little.
The chief of staff interjected: "But we don't grow much cotton in northwestern Shanxi, so we don't have enough to spin yarn!"
"This is the problem!" Wang Xuexin said: "So we know what we are going to do! We need to weave clothes, but there is no cotton. If there is no cotton, we must encourage fellow villagers to grow it. When the cotton grows, the problem will be solved!"
Li Yunlong asked back: "It's easy for you to say. If my fellow villagers grow cotton instead of crops, what will they eat?"
"We can grow crops!" Wang Xuexin replied: "When the time comes, can't we trade the grain we grow with the fellow villagers for cotton?"
These words made the chief nod repeatedly, secretly thinking that this small northeastern country actually has two skills in production!