Jiang Cheng returned to the office, picked up the account book and asked, "Chen Nan, how are our penicillin sales recently?"
Chen Nan quickly said, "It has been very good, and there has been no decline."
Jiang Cheng nodded and said, "This penicillin business will not last long. Germany has mastered the industrial manufacturing method of penicillin. Although it will take some time before large-scale production, it will happen sooner or later."
Chen Nan couldn't help but asked worriedly, "Then, what should we do?"
Jiang Cheng put down the account book and said, "When the soldiers come, we will cover up the water and the earth. We are ready to transform. The smell of gunpowder in Europe is getting louder and louder. It is only a matter of time before the war breaks out. By then, countless people will fall into the pain of the war. Reduce the pain reasonably."
Something will be the next best-selling thing, let me think about it. By the way, has the president of Czechoslovakia made an appointment?"
Chen Nan touched his head and said, "Mr. Edward Benes would like to see you. The agreed time is dinner two days later."
Jiang Cheng nodded and said, "Okay, let's get ready and go."
--Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia is an extremely young country. It took advantage of the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I to become an independent country. During the independence process, Benes overturned the proposal of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson to allow the Sudetenland to undergo ethnic development.
Proposal for self-determination. The Sudetenland became part of the Czech Republic.
Movements within the Sudetenland that attempted to annex Germany or Austria were brutally suppressed. The Sudetenland is adjacent to Austria to the south, and to the north and west are the mountainous areas between Germany and the Czech Republic. Britain and France did not want to see this region annexed to Germany.
Or Austria, so it supports Beneš’s suggestion. This is one of the reasons why so many countries were silent when Hitler proposed that the Sudetenland should be returned to Germany. It is also why Beneš pinned his hopes on the United Kingdom and France. After all, they had previously promised to protect
of Czechoslovakia.
Edvard Beneš was the president of Czechoslovakia at this time. He had a premonition that Germany would attack Czechoslovakia after Hitler came to power. At that time, the workers' movement swept Czechoslovakia. Beneš mistakenly believed that easing the Soviet policy could
Germany was so frightened that it not only recognized the Soviet Union, but also signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union.
However, such behavior made Britain and France suspicious of Czechoslovakia, and also caused Britain and France to not strongly oppose Germany's request.
Benes was filled with hatred of being deceived by Britain and France, but he had no choice but to do so. When he heard that the leader of Weihua Company who had good relations with German senior officials wanted to meet with him, he immediately agreed to see if it was
It’s not like Germany has any new ideas.
But when he saw that it was a young man with yellow skin, he couldn't help but be a little disappointed.
"What's wrong? Mr. Benes, do I have any questions?" Jiang Cheng asked in English with a smile.
"Oh, I thought he would be a more mature gentleman, but I didn't expect that, well, Mr. Jiang is so young and promising. Come on, please take a seat." Benes waved and said.
Jiang Cheng smiled and clinked a glass of wine with Benes and said, "Mr. Benes seems to have a question?"
Benes nodded and said, "I wonder what Mr. Jiang wants to see me for?"
Jiang Cheng wiped his mouth with a towel and said, "I don't know what Benes thinks about the Sudetenland."
Is that really the case? Benes sighed and said, "You are sent by the Germans. I still say the same thing. I can give up part of the Sudetenland, but I can't give up all of it. I can't give up 15% at most."
, In addition, I can let people who are willing to go to Germany go to Germany. You have to know that there are two-thirds of our Czechoslovak industry. If we give up all, it will be no different from the subjugation of the country."
Jiang Cheng nodded and said, "I can tell you directly that Germany will not give up the Sudetenland, and Germany's ambitions don't stop there. Their goal is the entire Czechoslovakia."
"What? How is it possible?" Benes shouted loudly.
Jiang Cheng took a big bite of a piece of beef and asked, "Why is it impossible? Do you think Britain and France will help you? It seems that everyone now thinks that you and the Soviet Union are on the same side."
Benes lowered his head and said, "What is your purpose of coming to me?"
Jiang Cheng bared his teeth and said, "It's very simple. In exchange of interests, the countdown to the demise of Czechoslovakia has entered. As the leader of the country, of course you can try your best to stop it, but we in China have a saying that calculates defeat first, then calculates victory. After the country is destroyed, it must be restored."
The country needs a lot of manpower and financial resources. I can convince Germany that once it annexes you, it will allow those who are unwilling to join Germany to leave Germany freely. At that time, I hope you will agree to those who are willing to go to China to go to China with me."
Benes laughed and said, "China? You can't even protect yourself, and you still want to save us?"
Jiang Cheng shrugged and said, "I'm not saving you, I'm just letting you work for us. In addition, I hope to buy your large inventory of weapons, production lines and manufacturing processes in Czechoslovakia."
"Impossible. This can never be given to you." Benes immediately flatly refused.
"Then are you planning to leave it to Germany?" Jiang Cheng said nonchalantly, "If that's the case, just pretend I didn't say it."
Benes slowly calmed down and asked, "Why do you think I will agree to you?"
Jiang Cheng shook his head and said, "It's very simple. I will only give this money to Czechoslovakia. Once Germany annexes you, I will transfer the money to your account. You can use this fund to make the Czechs independent again. After all, the pursuit of
Independence requires a lot of money. If you think about it, with the help of countless people who are willing to leave their homes and break away from Germany, coupled with a large amount of money, your hope of restoration will be great."
Benes fell silent.
Jiang Cheng poured him a glass of wine and said, "Don't hesitate, Mr. Benes, what you get is the future of the Czech Republic, and if Germany does not annex you, our agreement will naturally not stand, and it will just be a simple arms sale. This is just
It’s just a plan, no matter how you calculate it, you won’t suffer any loss.”
Benes drank the wine suddenly and said, "Okay, I agree!!"
Jiang Cheng also took a sip of wine and said, "It's a pleasure to cooperate."
——The time and space border area of the Republic of China
A motorcade was slowly driving towards the Yan'an border area. There were a few old people in the car and a few young guards under the car.
"The Yan'an Border Area is ahead. Master, have you been here before?" A middle-aged man asked the old man next to him as a convoy slowly walked north.
"I've only been here once, what was the predecessor of this place?" the old man asked.
"Oh, this is a checkpoint. After all, it is during the war. People in their border area are afraid that Japanese spies will sneak in, so the inspection is a little stricter." The middle-aged man said.
"Comrade, here are our passes and letter of introduction." The middle-aged man handed the things to the staff at the checkpoint.
I only saw that the people at the checkpoint were wearing shabby uniforms. Only the military cap showed that he was not an ordinary citizen. He was very young. There were more than a dozen people at the entire checkpoint, but only three of them had guns. The others
The red tassel gun and broadsword were used.
As soon as the person at the checkpoint opened it, he immediately saluted and said, "Hello, Chief."
The middle-aged man quickly waved his hand and said, "I'm not really a leader, comrade. These old comrades are new to Yan'an and need documents. They are all businessmen and are here to inspect our Yan'an."
The young soldier came down first to check the personnel, vehicles and supplies, nodded and said, "Okay, we will give you a note. You can go to the civil affairs department to apply for it when you get to the city. You have a total of two carts, seven horses, and private
There is no tax on property, and the carriage and horse cost only forty cents."
Jinshan quickly handed the four-cent legal currency to the young soldier. The young soldier nodded and said, "Okay, let's go. By the way, this carriage tax is paid once a year. Please take the receipt we gave you. This was paid in the 20th century of the Republic of China."
There is no need to pay taxes in the border areas for seven years, and outside the border areas, as long as it is a guerrilla zone controlled by our Red Party, there is no need to pay taxes."
Jinshan nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."
The old man said to the middle-aged man, "Jinshan, show me your ID."
Jinshan hurriedly handed over the certificate. When the old man took a look, it looked ordinary on the outside. But as soon as he opened it, he felt something unusual. He only saw a small photo inside the certificate. It was actually a color photo, and it was very clear.
A steel seal is stamped on the photo, which is quite beautiful.
"This is a certificate issued by the Red Party. You see, mine is red, if you are a businessman, it is blue, if you are a worker or scholar, it is black, and if you are a farmer, it is green," Jinshan explained.
said.
The old man was Yu Qiaqing. Yu Qiaqing asked, "What? The border area now divides people into three, six or nine grades?"
Jinshan quickly explained, "No, no. This is mainly to deal with spies. If you are a farmer from Lvben, and we suspect you have a problem, we will first let you praise your skills on the spot, such as plowing and weeding. Of course, real farmers will have no problem."
, but if they are Japanese, they will often show their flaws. Of course, senior spies cannot be screened by this method, but there is a winner and a loser."
Yu Qiaqing handed the ID to another old man and said, "Mr. Chen, take a look, how is this thing doing?"
Another old man took it, looked at it, and couldn't help but said in surprise, "This book is really exquisitely made, especially this photo. I don't think many people can fake it. The color one is so clear, it's really magical."
.”
Jin Shan smiled and said, "This is high technology. I don't understand it either. Mr. Jiageng, look, Fuxian County is ahead. We need to go there to get documents."
Tan Kah Kee nodded and said, "Okay, let's go into the city."
The convoy went through another inspection before entering the city. Sure enough, after seeing the tax bill issued by the previous checkpoint, the convoy was allowed to go directly without asking for money.
Tan Kah Kee couldn't help but said, "At first, I heard the guy at the checkpoint said that he was bragging, but I didn't expect that he would actually stop collecting taxes."
Yu Qiaqing next to him said hehe, "I told you, this place in the border area is different from what you heard, so it's right to come with me."
Tan Kah Kee nodded and looked at the shops in the city. He found that there were all kinds of shops, including cloth stores, food stores, furniture stores, restaurants, and pharmacies. If he hadn't seen a group of people in military uniforms walking past the city from time to time, Tan Kah Kee would have seen them.
It almost feels like I have returned to the peaceful times.
Tan Kah Kee couldn't help but said, "Wait a minute, let's go for a walk."
Jin Shan quickly said, "Mr. Chen, don't worry, we'll get the documents first. We'll be in trouble soon. If the police interrogate us later, we don't have the documents and we'll get into trouble for no reason."
Tan Kah Kee then nodded and said, "Okay then. Let's get the documents first. Jinshan, is the document check very strict here?"
Jinshan nodded and said, "Didn't we get the customs clearance book just now? It's okay if you don't have the certificate within seven days after getting this book. If you don't have it after seven days, you will be arrested. After all, you have to crawl to the city in seven days."
Already."
Yu Qiaqing shook his head and said, "I wasn't in such a hurry last time."
Jinshan smiled and said, "Okay, we're here."
Tan Kah Kee took a look and saw that it was an ordinary private house with a sign from the Civil Affairs Bureau hanging outside. When Tan Kah Kee walked in, he found that there were already many people lining up inside. It was divided into three windows. In front of one window were several young men and women.
, very intimate, but shy. In front of one window was a couple holding a child, and in front of the other window there was no one.
Jinshan explained, "This is the registration office, which is for marriage registration, birth registration and ID card registration. Let's go and register."
Tan Kah Kee stepped forward and answered a few questions. They were just about where he came from and what he did. Then he looked at the man who wrote a few words and said, "Turn right when you go out and take pictures."
Tan Kah Kee quickly asked, "How much does this photo shoot cost?"
The man smiled and said, "We don't have to pay to register and take photos. Don't be afraid, just go ahead."
Tan Kah Kee then took the form and said to Jin Shan, "The Red Party is very rich, and there is no charge for taking photos."
Jinshan smiled and said, "Is this also to make people more willing to register? Come on, let's go register and get certificates."
The photo studio is the most mysterious place in the entire Civil Affairs Bureau. There are actually four or five armed guards guarding it, which makes Tan Kah Kee feel a little strange. But when he thinks about the color photos taken, he understands that they are to protect the camera.
, this machine must be very expensive, it’s colorful, tsk tsk, it’s really rare.
On the street, Jin Shan and another guard were walking on the street with Chen Kah Kee and Yu Qia Qing. Chen Kah Kee looked at his ID and couldn't help but admire it. He looked up and saw a large store with the name "Guanghua Store" written on it.
Tan Kah Kee pointed to the signboard and asked, "Which big businessman opened this? It's amazing. A store is so big. What's in it?"
Jinshan smiled and said, "This is called a store, but it is actually a bank in the border area. However, according to the agreement between the Red Party and the White Party, banks are not allowed in the border area, so it is called a store. How about Mr. Chen go in and take a look?"
When Tan Kah Kee heard this, he immediately became interested. As a business leader in Nanyang, he certainly knew the importance of finance to the economy.
Tan Kah Kee went in and took a look and found that many people were queuing up, exchanging silver dollar legal tender for a new currency. On the other side, they were exchanging the new currency for silver dollar legal tender. Some people were buying directly in the store.
Tan Kah Kee was confused about how this bank operates.
Yu Qiaqing first asked, "Jinshan, what's going on? Is this bank still buying and selling things?"
Jinshan first took out a few banknotes from his pocket and handed them to the two of them and said, "Let me talk about this first. This is the Guanghua store coupon circulating in Yan'an Border Area. Except for Guanghua Store, almost all stores in Yan'an will not accept legal tender. At most,
Cashier dollars, these Chinese store coupons can be exchanged for legal currency, but legal currency has been depreciating now, unless they want to go out of the border area to buy things, ordinary people will not want legal currency."
As he spoke, Jinshan pointed to the team and said, "Look, there are several times more people exchanging Guanghua coupons than fiat currency, right?"
Tan Kah Kee took a look at it, nodded and said, "As expected."
Jinshan continued, "Look, since the Guanghua Store has this name, of course it also functions as a store. Almost everything is sold here, such as grain, chemical products, matches, cement, cloth, and quilts. Here
There are all kinds of sales, but there are many types here, but few styles, and large items still need to be bought in outside stores. Therefore, more people still buy things in outside shops, and this is a place to solve the problem of having to buy things.
The problem is, some people only come to buy things if they live nearby.”
Tan Kah Kee then began to look at the banknotes in his hand. He only saw that the banknotes were delicate to the touch. Tan Kah Kee tugged on them and made a bouncing sound. At a glance, he knew that it was not ordinary paper. There was a red pattern printed on it. It was a woman weaving cloth.
It looked like there were many sheep next to it, with five cents written in the middle and a code in the upper right corner. The whole pattern was extremely exquisite, and Tan Kah Kee also discovered that there was a five-cornered pattern in the lower right corner of the banknote, which was shiny and glowed colorfully against the sun.
light.
Tan Kah Kee asked in surprise, "What is this? Is it metal?"
Jinshan scratched his head and said, "This must be some kind of high technology, I don't know."
Tan Kah Kee nodded and said, "Just this, it will be difficult for others to imitate it. How much reserve does this Guanghua store have?"
Jinshan smiled bitterly and said, "Speaking of it, you may not believe it. This Guanghua store basically has no reserves. This is a completely credit currency."
Tan Kah Kee asked in disbelief, "There is no reserve? Can such a currency merchant admit it?"
Jinshan said, "Look, don't they all recognize this? No one exchanges this for gold or anything. The common people believe in the Red Party, and over the past year, Guanghua coupons have become much stronger than legal currency."
Tan Kah Kee shook his head, unable to understand how this was done, which completely violated the principles of finance.
Yu Qiaqing pulled Tan Kah Kee and said, "Can't we find out if we go to the shops outside? By the way, Jinshan, are there more communist or private shops now?"
Jin Shan walked out of Guanghua Store with the two of them and walked into a nearby department store and said, "There are many public, collective and joint ventures, but things like catering are basically private. You see, this store is jointly owned. In
The border area is very famous. This shop specializes in ceramics. The technology and masters are all from Jiangnan. The workers are from several villages. Those villages also contributed some capital. After making money, according to the shares
Come and share the dividends.”
Tan Kah Kee nodded, first took out the French currency and asked, "Boss, I want this plate of yours and I'll give you the money."
The boss quickly turned around and said, "Welcome, welcome, oh, this is a dime. Well, comrade, the French currency is not a dime. It's a dime and seven cents. Do you have a Guanghua coupon? I want that."
Tan Kah Kee asked strangely, "Why isn't legal currency easy to use?"
The boss said helplessly, "There is nothing we can do about it. The legal currency continues to depreciate, but Guanghua coupons are strong. What's more, there are so many people's stores that accept them. We also believe him. More and more people accept legal currency now."
not enough."
Tan Kah Kee nodded and said, "Okay, then Guanghua Voucher!!"
