After the Rong brothers left, Chen Yi said with some worry, "I also know the Rong family. Back then they claimed to control half of China in terms of food and clothing. Why are they now leaving Chongqing and coming to Northern Jiangsu?"
Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "Because the Rong family is not an official."
Chen Yi hummed, "Since ancient times, these corrupt officials have been the most abominable. From the Yellow Turban Uprising to the uprising, why can't they be eradicated after so many years? I think it's because they are officials for themselves, not for the people."
Speaking of official governance, Liu Dake also nodded and said, "How long has our northern Jiangsu base been established? We have already dealt with several cases of violations of laws and disciplines by officials from various places. Although those cases are not big, most of them are to get more grain and rice, but we can
See, this issue of officialdom cannot be stopped for a moment."
Jiang Cheng thought about the practices of later generations and said, "We are starting now. Most of our comrades have the ideals of their family and country. But when there is peace in the future, there will definitely be many who will join us for their own interests. Think about the past dynasties, which one is not the same?"
What if it starts out as clear as water, but later becomes as turbid as mud? I think this kind of management cannot be done on a just-in-time basis, and a long-term solution must be developed.”
Jiang Cheng and others were talking here, but thousands of miles away in Tokyo, at the imperial meeting, Hirohito was listening to a report that made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Your Majesty, the statistics just calculated are that the total public debt has reached 25.3 billion yen now, while in the 11th year of Showa (1936) it was only 1 billion yen, and the guaranteed deposits of our major banks have also increased from
800 million yen has increased to 4.7 billion yen, currency circulation has increased from 2.6 billion yen to 7.9 billion yen, and prices have more than doubled."
The speaker was the newly appointed Finance Minister Yukio Sakurauchi. He bent down and glanced at the newly appointed Prime Minister Mitsumasa Yoneuchi and said, "Since the beginning of the war, our country's economy has been deteriorating. Now not only rice and other grains have problems, but also the industry.
The required coal and iron are also insufficient, not to mention oil and rubber."
Mitsumasa Yonauchi was the original Prime Minister of the Sea. Due to the bad news such as the fall of Lianyungang and the complete loss of Mongolia, Hirohito finally couldn't bear it and kicked Hiranuma Kiichiro out. And because Germany was at war in Europe, Ishihara went to Germany to inspect and came back to vigorously advocate
The strong military strength of Germany made the Army, which already had a good impression of Germany, want to form an alliance with Germany. After Hirohito asked Ishihara, he learned that this was not a good time for an alliance. The Navy did not support an alliance with Germany, so
Hirohito chose Mitsumasa Yoneuchi, who had a naval background.
At that time, Mitsumasa Yoneuchi was not ready to become the prime minister of the cabinet. When the emperor loudly announced to him, "I am ordering my beloved to form a cabinet," Mitsumasa Yoneuchi felt as if his whole body had been shocked by electricity, and he had no feeling of excitement at all.
This is also the reason why Yamamoto Isoroku dared to retreat after only fighting for one day. But also because Mitsumasa Yoneuchi was born in the navy, the army has always been dissatisfied. Especially after the fall of Lianyungang, conflicts between the navy and the army continued every day.
After watching the performance, Hirohito felt like his head had grown a few times. Mitsumasa Yoneuchi also felt physically and mentally tired. He believed that the reason for this was because the Chinese battlefield was really a quagmire and had to be resolved quickly. The economy was also extremely exhausted due to the war and had to find a new solution.
method, so together with Yukio Sakurauchi, prepare to tell everyone the details of the empire at today's meeting.
Hirohito rubbed his head and asked, "The economic problem is no longer a day or two. Is it okay to issue bonds again?"
Sakurauchi Yukio lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, people need to buy bonds. There is a war in Europe right now, and only the United States can still buy it. But because we have been at war for a long time, the sales situation is not good, so we can only encourage the people to buy... .But this will not have much effect on our country.”
Tojo asked, "What about taxes? Can they be increased?"
Ishihara glanced at Tojo Hideki sideways and said, "The corporate income tax has increased by 80%, the personal income tax has increased by 30%, and the inheritance tax has increased by 10%. We have also abolished the rule that stock income can be deducted from 40% of the tax, and established New taxes such as property tax, tobacco and alcohol tax were introduced. After the outbreak of the China War in the 11th year, a temporary tax increase was implemented and the "North China Incident Special Tax" was created. In the 13th year, a "China Incident Special Tax" was created. Do we still need to increase taxes? How to add it? Increase it to 100%?”
Tojo Hideki said with an expression of agreement, "Why not? The people of the Empire should serve the Empire, and I think there are still many people in the Empire who do not have this awareness. I went to look up some in Tokyo a few days ago. I found food in the trash cans in residential areas, which shows that the people of the empire are still living well and there is still food to waste."
After speaking, Tojo Hideki stood up and bowed to Hirohito and said, "Your Majesty, I propose to increase the tax rate again, and at the same time call on the people to share the joys and sorrows. In the past Meiji period, it was His Majesty the Emperor who took the lead in reducing expenditures and building warships, which made the Nissin War a great success. win."
Hirohito couldn't help but feel a headache when he heard this, but he followed the example of his grandfather, Emperor Meiji, so he could only say, "Starting from tomorrow, let's cut one-third of the royal family's expenses again... As for increasing tax rates , let’s take another look.”
Yukio Sakurauchi said, "Due to the high tax rate in our country, the impact of issuing multiple currencies will not immediately appear. However, the exchange rate of our country's yen continues to fall. Due to the loss of Shanxi and Mongolia, the empire's coal has lost an important place, and About half of the empire's resources now come from overseas. Among them, 52.3% are iron ore, 100% bauxite, 100% rubber, 80% petroleum, 63% salt, 99.9% cotton and wool, 67% scrap steel, and copper. Aluminum, lead, zinc, etc. are all about half or more. Most of them come from the United States, Britain and France."
When Tojo heard this, he suddenly understood the meaning of Yoneuchi and Sakurauchi Yukio this time. He said excitedly, "In that case, let's go south. There are a lot of resources in Nanyang that can be used by our empire."
Although Ishihara also supported going south at this time, he did not want Tojo to come forward. He hummed, "Going south? We will fight extremely hard if we only have China, and then we will fight Britain, the United States and France? Have you really attended a military academy?"
Tojo touched his waist angrily and said, "Ishihara! If you have the ability, go out and fight me. We will solve the problem using samurai methods."
Ishihara rolled his eyes and said, "I am a general, you should be a private, my samurai."
Seeing that the two were about to fight, Hirohito angrily banged his jade on the table and shouted, "Silence!! Yukio Sakurauchi, tell me your opinion."
Yukio Sakurauchi nodded and said, "The way to the economy is nothing more than to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. Let's talk about revenue first. Women must be encouraged to enter factories, and teenagers must be allowed to enter factories to work voluntarily. At the same time, the tax system must be reformed. I suggest that no matter which country citizens make money, Everyone should pay personal income tax, instead of only domestic ones needing to pay it like now.
Secondly, we must increase the expropriation of the areas occupied by China, especially precious metals. China is vast and rich in resources, and there are many minerals, which we urgently need. Our country has begun to use strategic reserve materials, but those supplies will not last long.... So We still need to increase exports... In addition, our women are more popular in Europe and the United States, and women from China and North Korea can also be exported to European and American countries."
As he spoke, Yukio Sakurauchi looked at Hirohito and the others, and found that everyone had normal expressions on their faces. He felt relieved. He was really afraid that someone with an abnormal mind would come out and talk about international conventions.
Yukio Sakurauchi continued, "We must use a rationing system to reduce expenditures and stop the production and sales of all luxury goods, including electric fans, radios, etc. Second, control food, because China's military use, from Manchuria, Korea There is less and less food shipped from other places. In addition to continuing to prohibit ordinary restaurants and restaurants from selling rice, they also vigorously promote alternative foods. For example, it is stipulated that breakfast cannot exceed 1 yen, lunch 2.5 yen, and dinner 5 yen. , but even so, after calculation, I found that there is still a gap, so I can only import it from Thailand and other places.
In addition, we need to increase trade with Europe and the United States. Britain, France, and Germany have declared war. Although there has not been any fighting, the three countries are vigorously producing armaments. This will inevitably increase the prices of various resources, so we must sign long-term agreements with European and American countries. The contract ensures that our resources are sufficient, which we are already doing."
Saying that, Yukio Sakurauchi looked at everyone and said, "But the most important cost reduction...is military spending!"
When talking about military expenditure, everyone sat up straight. Yukio Sakurauchi lowered his head and said, "The proportion of our country's military expenditure is too high. In three years, our country's military expenditure has exceeded 26 billion yen, and it is still running at 20 million yen per day." The rate is increasing rapidly...20 million yen...it is too high and must be reduced."
Ishihara first said, "I can understand that military expenditures are too high and need to be reduced, but first of all, military expenditures for developing new technologies cannot be reduced. The empire's weapons have lagged behind Europe. If investment is not increased, the empire will definitely be defeated in future wars with Europe and the United States. This point There is absolutely no way to retreat.”
Shunroku Hata said on behalf of the Army, "The Army is fighting in China with millions of Chinese troops. Do we need to reduce their military expenditures? Should we reduce their weapons or their medicines or rations, or their pensions? If that is the case, I’m afraid something unspeakable will happen.”
Minai and Hirohito both frowned. They both remembered what happened on 226. These lunatics really didn't know what they would do.
Zengo Yoshida was the Prime Minister of the Navy. He pointed to the sky and said, "The empire can lose its army, but it must not lose its navy. The navy is the guarantee of the empire's security. What's more, the navy has just lost a lot of warships and is preparing to submit an application for an increase in military spending. We The maximum reduction is the increase, which is the Navy's biggest concession."
Yes, I didn't want to reduce it. Sakurauchi Yuki rolled his eyes and looked at Hirohito, his eyes full of "Your Majesty, you can do whatever you want. Anyway, the treasury is running out of money."
Hirohito looked at Yukio Sakurauchi, sighed and asked, "Military expenditure is indeed too high... But what the army and navy said makes sense. I think the key is still in the battlefield of China, Ishihara... I ask you, to treat us If there are favorable conditions to end the war, how long do you think it will take? Is it possible?"
Shi Yuan shook his head and said, "We have communicated with Chiang Kai-shek many times, but since the Chinese Red Party captured Shanxi and Suiyuan, he has become a lot colder. I know this is because he is afraid that he will be exposed by the Red Party after the news of his contact with us spreads." Taking advantage of... But I think Jiang Jie has now discovered that the Chinese Red Party has a big tail. In his heart, we have slowly changed from the first enemy to the second enemy, so it is still possible, but at this time... I It is expected that it will take another two years, or the Chinese Red Party may occupy some more places."
In fact, in Ishihara's mind, the best way now is to simply withdraw from China and only occupy Manchukuo. By then, there will be a civil war in China, and Japan can recuperate and sit back and watch the storm. But for Japan, It is unimaginable, not only because Japan has suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties... and has spent tens of billions of dollars in military expenditures, but it will also completely erupt the financial crisis covered up by the war, leading to economic collapse. This can be understood from the data of Yukio Sakurauchi. Unless... Japan fights a new war.
A map of Southeast Asia appeared in Ishihara's mind, but it only flashed by, after all, the time was not yet ripe.
When Hirohito heard that it would take another two years, he snorted, thinking that Konoe had told him before that the battle would be over in just three months, and he felt even more resentful. He asked, "If our army wins the Battle of Changsha, can we use this to our advantage?" How about more favorable conditions to end the battle?"
Ishihara thought for a while and said, "There is a certain possibility."
Hirohito immediately said, "Then order Nishio to increase the intensity of the attack on Changsha. The Marine and Land Ministers must cooperate with each other and give them whatever they want. First capture Changsha and then discuss the issue of military expenditures after seeing Chongqing's reaction." "
——Bun Ning
Jiang Cheng, Liu Dake and others were watching the mechanical equipment being installed one after another. After Liu Dake saw a machine tool working successfully, he happily clapped with everyone, and Jiang Cheng also nodded with a smile. , it won’t be long before the industry in Northern Jiangsu will really take shape.
Li Qian's ears twitched slightly at this time and she said to Jiang Cheng, "My boss, there is an urgent telegram. I'll go out for a while."
Liu Dake looked at Li Qian curiously, wondering how Li Qian knew. Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "Don't be curious, it's just a small earphone, just in case, but the distance can't be too far. Wait for it later. After improvement, the troops will naturally be deployed, at least to the platoon."
Chen Yi asked excitedly, "Does this mean that each platoon will have its own radio station? It will definitely be much more convenient to command operations then than it is now."
Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "This is similar to a telephone, but more convenient than a radio station."
Chen Yi was imagining how such a force could maximize its combat effectiveness. Li Qian walked in again and handed Jiang Cheng a telegram saying, "There is a problem in Changsha and it may be lost."
Jiang Cheng and others were shocked when they heard this. Jiang Cheng looked up and cursed, "What time has it been? Are the Kong family really seeking death?"
