"Really?" Xu Rui was surprised, "Chairman Chiang actually changed his gender?"
Wang Husheng chuckled and said, "At least that's what the telegram said. It said that we would be given five hundred thousand French currency, plus weapons and equipment for a regiment." After a pause, Wang Husheng added, "But it will be implemented in the end.
How much, it depends on Commander Gu, after all, we have to go through the third war zone."
"Five hundred thousand legal tender?" Xu Rui said with a smile, "Chairman Chiang is really generous."
Not long ago, due to a malicious run on the legal currency, the foreign exchange reserves stored in various Western banks were soon to be exhausted. The Nationalist Government was forced to announce that the exchange rate of the legal currency would be decoupled from the US dollar. Since then, the exchange rate of the legal currency has plummeted.
, the current black market exchange rate of legal currency against the US dollar has dropped to one US dollar to two hundred legal currencies.
However, the exchange rate of the silver dollar against the US dollar is very strong, still maintaining a ratio of four to one.
This means that the bonus awarded by Chairman Chiang was actually only 10,000 yuan.
For a national leader like Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, it was indeed a bit shabby to reward the Songhu Military Division with only 10,000 yuan. In any case, the Songhu Military Division recovered the largest city in China - Shanghai! Moreover, the Songhu Military Division
It even did something that the Nationalist government wanted to do but did not dare to do, and took back the governance power of the Shanghai Concession!
"Five million French currency is not much, but mosquitoes are still meat no matter how small they are, right?" Wang Husheng chuckled and added, "But what I'm very worried about is that Chairman Chiang's move may have a deeper meaning."
"There is another deeper meaning." Xu Rui said with a smile, "I'm afraid you are overthinking."
(Dividing line)
Wang Husheng really didn't think much about it. Chairman Chiang really had other intentions.
While Xu Rui was chatting with Wang Husheng, Finance Minister Song Ziwen was settling financial accounts with Chairman Chiang.
Minister Song clapped his fingers and said: "Shanghai was originally the most important source of fiscal and tax revenue for the National Government. Taking the twenty-sixth year of the Republic of China before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War as an example, 600 million of the national fiscal and tax revenue of one billion was generated by Shanghai Municipal Government.
Contribution, even though Shanghai's foreign trade has shrunk severely and its industry has suffered a devastating blow, the two concessions are still intact, so the business and trade related to the concessions are still maintained at a very high level. Therefore, even the most
A conservative estimate is that Shanghai’s annual fiscal and tax revenue is now more than 200 million yuan! And the 200 million yuan I’m talking about is the 200 million yuan before the devaluation of the legal currency. When converted into U.S. dollars, that’s 40 million U.S. dollars! 40 million!
"
At the end of the sentence, Minister Song specifically emphasized 40 million.
"That's not right." As soon as Minister Song finished speaking, Minister of Industry Kong Xiangxi said, "Before the war, Shanghai's fiscal and tax revenue was mainly divided into two parts, one was tax revenue from industry, and the other was tax revenue from service trade. After the war started, Shanghai and surrounding areas
Most of the industries have moved inland, so the tax revenue from the industry has disappeared.”
Although Minister Kong is Minister Song’s eldest brother-in-law, the relationship between the two has never been good.
This also corresponds to the proverb that peers are enemies. In fact, it is also due to interests.
Minister Kong is a big comprador, and Minister Song is also a big comprador. However, the purchasing power of the National Government is only so big, and the cake is only so big in total. Minister Kong wants to take one more bite, and Minister Song also wants to take one more bite. It is inevitable that the two sides will have conflicts.
The teeth and tongues fight, fighting for a little more profit, while secretly disgusting the other party.
Chairman Chiang also enjoys fighting between the two sides, and he likes to play the middle and profit from it.
After a pause, Minister Kong continued, "The remaining service trade is actually the opium industry to put it bluntly. Isn't there a saying at that time that 60% of China's tax revenue is contributed by Shanghai, and 60% of Shanghai's tax revenue
Opium contributed to it, but now that Xu Rui is vigorously cracking down on the opium industry in Shanghai, this area is no longer what it used to be."
Minister Song said: "Even if Xu Rui vigorously cracks down on the opium industry, Shanghai is still Shanghai. It is the largest international metropolis in the Far East after all, and its fiscal and tax revenue will definitely far exceed that of any big city in China! Therefore, the National Government will not do it anyway.
We must take Shanghai’s administrative and taxation powers into our hands.”
Minister Kong said: "I personally completely agree with this, but I'm afraid Xu Rui is not that easy to talk to."
After finishing speaking, Minister Kong gave Minister Song a thoughtful look, as if to say, Xu Rui, even a great uncle like you, dares to suppress you. If others go to Shanghai, aren't they asking for trouble? So,
If the Nationalist Government really sent someone to Shanghai to serve as mayor of Shanghai, Xu Rui might directly fire him out.
Minister Song said: "He, Xu Rui, cannot have the final say on this matter."
"Well, Ziwen is right, this matter cannot be left to Xu Rui." Chairman Jiang made the final decision, "No matter what, Shanghai is China's Shanghai, and the New Fourth Army is still an organization of the National Revolutionary Army, so it is controlled by the National Government.
Shanghai’s appointment of a mayor is completely reasonable and legal, and no one may obstruct it for any reason.”
In the past, the territories controlled by the Communist Party were all poor ravines, and Chairman Chiang Kai-shek could ignore them. Even the largest Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region was only the most barren land in Shaanxi, so even if it was given to the Communist Party Chairman Chiang Kai-shek, he would not feel bad.
But Shanghai is different. Shanghai is the largest city in China!
How could Chairman Chiang be willing to hand over such a huge city to the Communist Party for governance? He would not be at ease! Therefore, it is certain to appoint a mayor to Shanghai, and the candidate for the mayor is also ready.
However, this was not what Chairman Chiang really cared about.
Chairman Jiang is really concerned about another thing, and that is to bribe Xu Rui's subordinates!
At that moment, Chairman Chiang said to Minister Song: "Ziwen, do you still have an impression of the officers you sent to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point?"
"Why not?" Minister Song nodded and said, "I personally sent them to the United States. One by one, I can not only call them by name, but I can even remember their appearance!"
Chairman Jiang nodded happily and then said: "So, do you still remember Liang Gang?"
Chairman Chiang is very sensitive to armed forces. Not to mention the Central Army, even the Communist Party, and even all the officers above the regiment under various local warlords, he basically has an impression and can name them. Senior generals above the brigade commander can even name people.
Combined with noodles, this is really a good skill.
However, there is one troop that is an exception.
It can be said that Chairman Chiang is very unfamiliar with this army.
This force is the Eight-Country Bank Tax Police Corps created by Minister Song.
Chairman Chiang could not even remember the names of the officers above the battalion commander of the Tax Police Corps. Dai Li had told him the name Liang Gang, otherwise, Chairman Chiang would not have been able to remember that there was such a person in the Tax Police Corps.
But Minister Song is basically familiar with all the officers above the platoon in the Tax Police Corps.
"Liang Gang? Of course you remember!" Minister Song said, "This guy is amazing. Among the officers who studied in the United States, his scores in all subjects were the best, and he was even worse than him in serving the people! He graduated from West Point Military Academy
After that, I originally wanted him to be the commander of the regiment, but Lao Wen refused, and in the end he only became the commander of the special agent battalion."
Chairman Chiang suddenly said: "No wonder, this makes sense."
Minister Song didn’t know what Chairman Chiang meant by these words, so he went on to say: “Unfortunately, during the Songhu Battle, the secret service battalion was responsible for escorting the batch of gold stocks to Nanjing. As a result, they were attacked one after another on the way.
The Japanese army blocked the attack, and the spy camp fought fiercely. The entire army was wiped out, and Liang Gang also died for the country."
Chairman Chiang suddenly said: "But, as far as I know, Liang Gang is not dead."
"What?" Minister Song said in surprise, "Liang Gang is not dead? How is this possible?"
Chairman Chiang said with certainty: "Liang Gang is indeed not dead, he is indeed still alive."
"Liang Gang is still alive?" Minister Song murmured a few times, and then his expression changed drastically, "So you're talking about that batch of gold?"
"The whereabouts of that batch of gold are unknown." Chairman Chiang shook his head and continued, "Maybe it has fallen into the hands of the Japanese, maybe it has fallen into the hands of the Communist Party, or maybe it is still hidden in some secret place.
In short, you need to ask Liang Gang face to face to know."
"Of course I have to ask!" Minister Song said excitedly, "Where is Liang Gang now?"
"He is in Shanghai!" Chairman Jiang stared at Minister Song and said word by word, "However, his name is no longer Liang Gang, but Leng Tiefeng!"
"Leng Tiefeng?!" Minister Song shouted, "Captain Langya?!"
"That's right, the captain of the Langya Brigade." Chairman Jiang said, "Xu Rui's number one confidant!"
"How could this happen?" Minister Song said in a daze after hearing this, "Why did Liang Gang change his name? How could he become Xu Rui's number one confidant? What on earth is going on?"
"I'm afraid you have to ask him face to face to know this." Chairman Chiang said, "Ziwen, the central government has decided that you will also serve as the mayor of Shanghai. You will immediately transfer to Hong Kong to Shanghai. After arriving in Shanghai, the first priority is
Even if we find and contact Liang Gang, we must return Battalion Commander Liang to the order of battle of the national army at all costs!"
"I'm not going!" As soon as he heard that he was going to Shanghai, Minister Song immediately shuddered, shook his head and said, "I'm not going to Shanghai!"
At this time, Minister Kong next to him said quietly: "Ziwen, don't you want to get back that batch of gold?"
Minister Song's face immediately showed a tangled look. Chairman Chiang was more concerned about Liang Gang and the Wolf Fang Brigade in Liang Gang's hands, but Minister Song was more concerned about the batch of gold, which was a total of one million taels.
Gold! This is the balance of salt tax returns from the eight Western countries in the past ten years. It is the Song family’s greatest wealth!
How many times in the middle of the night did Minister Song wake up with tears in his eyes?
But now, with the news about this batch of gold, can Minister Song not be tempted?
After hesitating for a long time, Minister Song gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll go to Shanghai!"