Wang Husheng said: "Okay, let's build a fine chemical plant. Is there anything else?"
"What else?" Xu Rui thought for a while and then said, "I'm afraid we need to reserve a batch of food, clothing and medicine."
"Food, clothing, and medicine?" Wang Husheng said disapprovingly, "Old Xu, this is probably unnecessary, right? We are guarding the public concession, are we still worried about not being able to buy food, clothing, and medicine?"
Liu Mei, Jiang Nan and Wu Han who attended the meeting also agreed.
As long as the Japanese army did not block the concessions and as long as they had money, what supplies could not be purchased from foreign companies?
In their view, although the Japanese navy is powerful, it would never dare to blockade the Shanghai Concession, because blocking the Shanghai Concession would mean formally declaring war with Western powers such as the United States, Britain, and France. Such a situation is something the Japanese army cannot afford. In the final analysis,
Or Liu Mei and others have limited international vision and cannot see the overall situation clearly.
But Xu Rui has a strategic vision, and he is also a time traveler.
Xu Rui knows better than any strategist in the world the future direction of the world structure.
In more than two years, the Japanese navy will attack Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War will break out. By then, the little Japanese will not blockade the Shanghai Concession, but directly occupy the Shanghai Concession.
At the moment, it is true that the Japanese army will not block the concession, let alone occupy it, but this is based on the premise that the Shanghai concession and the Japanese-occupied area are in peace. If the Shanghai concession becomes the territory of the Communist Party, it is difficult to say that the Japanese government will not
They would risk a full-scale war with the United States, Britain, and France, blockade or even occupy the entire concession.
Therefore, while the situation is still relatively calm, it is necessary to prepare for a rainy day and reserve as much supplies as possible.
Therefore, Xu Ruiqiangang said arbitrarily: "You should listen to me on this matter. Food, clothing, and medicine must be reserved, and the larger the quantity, the better. The reserve standard is to ensure the basic living needs of 500,000 people for five years!"
"
The figure of half a million was estimated by Xu Rui based on his experience in the defense of Leningrad.
At present, the total population of the entire concession in Shanghai is more than four million, but when street fighting breaks out, not only the Chinese community, but also the entire concession will become a battlefield. At that time, the residents of the concession will definitely flee in large numbers, but as they enter the urban area of Shanghai
As the number of Japanese troops increases, the roads from the urban area to the outside world will gradually be blocked.
Therefore, even according to the most conservative estimate, there will be more than 500,000 people stranded in the city. Xu Rui will never watch these 500,000 citizens starve to death, not only because they are his own compatriots, but also because they are his own compatriots.
Because these 500,000 citizens are the biggest supporter of the Songhu District, if the Songhu District wants to resist the war in Shanghai for a long time, it must have the full support of the people.
According to the experience of the Leningrad Defense War, if there are 500,000 people, it can almost support the Songhu Division's protracted resistance war in the urban area of Shanghai. It will not be a problem to support it for at least five years, because during the Leningrad Defense War
, the besieged population was almost half a million. In the end, the Soviet Red Army not only persisted for nearly three years, but also ushered in a major counterattack.
The combat effectiveness of the Japs cannot be compared with that of the German army. Therefore, as long as the population of the concession remains above 500,000, Xu Rui is confident that he will hold on in Shanghai for at least five years. In five years, a major strategic counterattack will almost be ushered in.
At that time, Xu Rui could completely regain Shanghai before the Kuomintang.
Moreover, after five years of brutal street fighting, the Songhu Division has definitely developed an elite division with very strong combat effectiveness. Coupled with the troops from the Dameishan Division, the New Fourth Army has every chance to seize the opportunity to regain the entire country before the Kuomintang.
In the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, at that time, the balance of strength between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party will undergo a subversive reversal!
Because the New Fourth Army, the Eighth Route Army, and the Northeast, the Communist Party will control China's most densely populated North China, the richest coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the Northeast with the strongest industrial base, while the Kuomintang only controls the barren Southwest, and at that time
The combat effectiveness of the two armies is completely incomparable.
In this way, the civil war may really be avoided. Even if it cannot be avoided, the civil war will not last for three years. It may end within three months. If this is the case, the CCP will successfully replace the Kuomintang as the new leader.
As a party to the Yalta Agreement and the Potsdam Declaration, its international status will be greatly enhanced.
In this way, the CCP will undoubtedly become the victorious country. Not only can it station troops in Ryukyu and Japan as a matter of course, but it will also not have to give up its claim for war reparations from Japan in order to improve the international environment.
Historically, the reason why New China gave up its claim for war reparations from Japan was because the Chinese government was under economic blockade from around the world at that time. The government had no choice but to give up for the sake of national welfare and national prosperity, and in order to obtain economic and technical assistance from Japan.
demanded war reparations from Japan.
Now, all this finally has a chance to change.
However, this is just a strategic idea at the moment.
However, Wang Husheng and the others were shocked by what Xu Rui said. My dear, can we guarantee the basic living needs of 500,000 people for five years? How much food will we need?
Liu Mei, Jiang Nan and Wang Husheng looked at each other in shock when they heard this.
Xu Rui said in a deep voice: "Old Wang, you must listen to me on this matter."
After a slight pause, Xu Rui continued: "Guaranteeing the basic living needs of 500,000 people for five years may sound very scary, but in fact, if you break it down, you will find that you don't actually need much food and clothing.
Let’s talk about rice first. To meet the basic needs of an adult, you need about half a kilogram of rice a day.”
Wang Husheng nodded and said: "Fifty million people is 250,000 catties!"
Liu Mei calculated and said: "Five years is 456,250,000 catties."
After calculating again, Liu Mei continued: "It's about 2.85 million shi. The price of rice is ten silver dollars per stone. According to legal currency, the price is one per day, so just use silver dollars, 2.85 million shi. Then
That’s 28.5 million silver dollars. The current exchange rate of silver dollars to U.S. dollars is four to one, which means that seven million U.S. dollars are needed!”
"But this is just an ideal state." Wang Husheng said immediately, "The reality is that there is not so much food in Shanghai. If we buy it in large quantities, the price of rice will definitely rise crazily, reaching one stone, twenty silver dollars or even three dollars."
Ten silver dollars is entirely possible, so the actual consumption is far more than seven million US dollars."
"The problem is, I never planned to buy grain in Shanghai." Xu Rui smiled slightly and added, "My plan is to entrust a shipping company to buy rice in Southeast Asia. Rice is harvested four times a year in Southeast Asia and the price is very cheap.
"The price of rice in Shanghai is US$2.5 per stone, while the price of rice in Southeast Asia is less than half a dollar."
"I know this." Jiang Nan immediately nodded and said, "Yu Qiaqing has just established a joint venture with an Italian businessman to form a Sino-Italian shipping company, specializing in the purchase and sale of rice from Southeast Asia to Shanghai. It is estimated that after all expenses are taken into account, there will be more than twice the profit.
In terms of profit, rice prices in Southeast Asia are indeed very cheap.”
Xu Rui smiled and said: "So, in fact, three to four million US dollars is almost enough."
"If that's the case, you can consider it." Wang Husheng was a little moved when he heard this. The price of rice in Southeast Asia is cheap, and there is nothing wrong with buying more food to prepare, because in the war years, the most scarce thing is food! At the moment, their New Fourth Army
Of all the anti-Japanese base areas, only Dameishan was having an easier time, while all the other base areas were starving.
Therefore, even if the Songhu partition cannot finish it, it can still be used to support the brother partitions.
"Okay, I have no objection to this matter." Wang Husheng nodded and said, "But how to do it specifically?"
Xu Rui pondered and said, "I'm going to take some time to meet Yu Qiaqing and talk to him."
"Yu Qiaqing?" Wang Husheng's expression condensed when he heard this, and he said, "This person is a die-hard supporter of Chairman Chiang Kai-shek. If you want to cooperate with him, wouldn't you be seeking the skin of a tiger?"
"But if we don't cooperate with Yu Qiaqing, even if we can buy rice from Southeast Asia, we won't be able to transport the rice back to Shanghai from Southeast Asia." Xu Rui said, "But if Yu Qiaqing is willing to cooperate with us, it will be different, because he cooperates with Italian businessmen
They jointly opened a Sino-Italian shipping company with dozens of merchant ships."
Wang Husheng said: "I am worried that he is unwilling to cooperate with us."
"Then don't reveal your identity first." Xu Rui said, "come forward in the name of the patrol battalion."
Wang Husheng added: "But the quantity purchased is too large, and Yu Qiaqing will definitely become suspicious."
"This is easy to handle." Liu Mei suddenly said, "There are now more than two million refugees pouring into the concession. Feeding these refugees has already been a big problem. Hundreds of refugees starve to death almost every day. By then, it will be completely possible.
Tell Yu Qiaqing that these grains are for the refugees in Shanghai."
Jiang Nan also added: "When I was in Shanghai, I had contact with Yu Qiaqing. This man was still patriotic. Before Fu Xiao'an, the Japanese were originally planning to invite him to serve as the pseudo-mayor of Shanghai, but he was rejected.
He refused, and then the Japanese took the next best step and found Fu Xiaoan."
"Okay, let's try to make contact first." Wang Husheng nodded and said, "Now there is only one last question left, how do you plan to explain to Yingzuo Zhenzhao? This old devil said that he would split the account with us on June 4th.
Yes, we have been busy for so long and plundered so many underground industries, so we can’t not give him any benefit, right?”
Xu Rui said: "I have already thought about this, so I will send him opium."
During the more than ten days of looting, Broadway Building not only kidnapped a large number of meat tickets, but also seized a lot of opium. The actual cash stolen was not much. The ransom for these meat tickets has been transferred to the patrol camp, but the opium was
There is no way to move it, so it has been stacked in the warehouse of the Broadway Building.
