Chapter 1661 The enemy's life is worth two pieces of bread
Captain Larin has eaten in this canteen many times, and he boasts that he has a good relationship with this group of chefs. However, these people are determined to collect huge sums of money today.
He asked for six kilograms of bread and a bucket of beetroot soup. The canteen also provided some pickles, which cost up to 51 rubles.
This price is really weird. Bread is now a strategic commodity. The price of bread in state-owned canteens has increased to fifty times, while the price of pickles has only tripled.
"Your conscience is all given to pickles."
The staff was not angry. 51 rubles was a huge amount of money in peacetime. As for now? No matter how much money there is, food is still enough.
Although there were still some cans in the car, Larin really didn't want to eat cans today. Besides, if he neglected Lieutenant General Berekov, it would be terrible if he complained to the leader about it.
Captain Larin shook his teeth, took out his wallet, counted it carefully and gave seven 50-ruble rubles to the canteen. He looked carefully at the wallet and saw that there were some kopeck coins in it.
After snapping his fingers, all the soldiers who were waiting for their meals gathered around. Such a battle shocked the canteen workers at the counter that they thought they were going to cause trouble.
The captain signaled to his subordinates: "I'm basically treating you to this meal. You touch your pockets and take out the change."
In this way, the captain collected more than 20 kopeck coins of various denominations in total.
He was very happy when paying the banknotes. Now he took a stack of camp and handed it to the employees very solemnly: "The coins are equivalent to one ruble. You are very lucky. If we all use kopecks to pay for this meal, the money will be more than the bread."
Heavy!"
The cafeteria knows that the guys from the Ministry of Internal Affairs are deliberately disgusting them, so what does it matter? They come and go in a hurry, and life goes on as usual.
However, no one has come here to pay for a meal in the past month. Even if the visitor is Captain Larin, whom he is slightly familiar with, he still has to collect money.
They keep saying that high prices are regulations imposed by superiors to prevent people from rushing to grab "strategic grain", which leads to the destruction of the principle of rationing. In fact, who doesn't have some Xiaojiujiu?
The reason why the guys from the Ministry of Internal Affairs spend so much money is probably those four strange people.
Yang Mingzhi's coat covered his military uniform. Only the military cap was completely different from that of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The military cap also had no special symbol. As long as he was not deliberately exposed, there was nothing on him that could reveal his identity as a lieutenant general.
His clothes were even very rudimentary, especially the old Soviet boots on his feet.
The situation of the other three was also very bad. Even Natasha's military uniform was full of patches, while Kostya was in civilian clothes.
Obviously, more than a dozen soldiers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and four strange people drove directly to the old infantry school building for dinner. It was really a strange thing.
The school cafeteria was not relocated, and all employees continued to cook to feed the huge appetites of thousands of workers.
Besides, working in the cafeteria is a bad job. Everyone knows that the current rationing system is strict. If you change units, can you still enjoy the special treatment of stealing a full meal?
They ignored the strange black-haired Tatar and the three other children. People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs were on errands, and they paid a huge sum of money for meals in accordance with the canteen regulations.
In this way, the canteen has an explanation to the superiors, and can even conceal some information. As a large group of Ministry of Internal Affairs soldiers are doing errands, there are many of them and they eat a lot of bread. In this way, the canteen can secretly deduct a portion so that all employees can have a reasonable meal.
Captain Larin didn't understand their tricks. Even if supplies were tight now, how could there be 50 rubles for a kilogram of bread?
The captain struggled lazily. He just wanted to complete the mission as soon as possible. As long as he did well, God knows how much the bonus from his superiors would be.
Of course, he has the rank of captain in the Internal Guard, and his salary is nearly 400 rubles. He also has a position bonus, which is nearly 100 rubles every month. This is the current income, and the current status can basically guarantee a monthly income.
rise.
The captain often went on business trips, and each time he was on business trips, he was given different amounts of bonuses. He did not disclose to Yang Mingzhi that if the lieutenant general was sent to the outer gate of the Kremlin after completing the mission, he would receive a bonus of 1,000 rupees. Of course, there are additional bonuses.
As long as Stalin is happy, that is an incredible expectation.
Compared with the soldiers on the front line and his comrades from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who are fighting on the front line, Captain Larin is really happy. He doesn’t have to work hard on the front line, so naturally he won’t enjoy the 500 bonus for destroying tanks, but it’s not the best if his life is not threatened.
Of?
Besides, if the soldiers were promised a reward of 100 for each enemy they killed, what would be the use of the money if it came into the hands of the soldiers during the battle? They would not be able to spend it at all.
Now that a new policy has been implemented, soldiers' salary bonuses can be distributed to their families, so what? It will not increase the food rations of their families. 50 rubles buys a piece of bread, and killing an enemy is equal to two kilograms of bread.
The enemy's life is worth two pieces of bread? How ironic.
As a result, everyone had a sumptuous meal. When Yang Mingzhi came back from going to the toilet, he saw a stack of sliced bread cubes and a bowl of hot soup placed in front of his seat. As a Chinese, this meal seemed to him
It was indeed ordinary. Lao Maozi didn't have so many gorgeous cooking skills. Yang Mingzhi didn't think much about it. The alluring aroma floating in the air seduced his greed.
He also deliberately looked at the expression of Captain Larin who was sitting across from him. The man greeted him warmly, but he gave people a very awkward feeling - Is this guy smiling bitterly?!
When the bread went into my stomach, it tasted a little weird.
Suddenly, Yang Mingzhi realized that what he was eating was made in Podolsk, not a product of the Partisan Republic. It tasted very good, as if some weird stuff had been added to it.
No, they just add toppings to the bread!
Suddenly, many bad situations appeared in his mind, such as Leningrad, which was still under siege, and the soldiers and civilians were still eating bread with sawdust.
Adding sawdust to bread is not a last resort during the war. Russia lacks spices. In order to add a bit of aroma to the bread, it is a reasonable method to use sawdust from special trees as filler. During the war, the amount of such filler can be increased.
Just doing this, the taste is really awkward.
It is bread after all, isn't it? Since this meal was served by Captain Lalin, Yang Mingzhi was very sensible and said nothing. He knew that he had to keep a low profile.
Eating a few bites of bread and a sip of vegetable soup was a treat for his stomach, which had been hungry for more than ten hours. He also ate some Moscow-style pickles, which were slightly different from those in Belarus, and even had a little weirdness to them.
Taste.
Who knows how long these pickles have been stored!
Yang Mingzhi ate his meal cleanly like a storm. He looked at the others. His wife was still chewing slowly, while Natasha and Kostya were eating more elegantly.
Not to mention that most of the soldiers were strong and powerful, and their posture when eating was like a pack of wolves. Only their leader, Captain Larin, who paid for the entire meal, looked a little unhappy.
"Hey, Comrade Captain."
"Comrade General, you have orders."
"Let me ask you one thing. How much did you spend on these sumptuous breakfasts? It seems like a lot."
"A lot?" These words spoke directly to the captain's heart. He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Yes, it is indeed a lot. It cost 51 rubles in total. Can you imagine what this concept is? These guys who have been to the state-owned canteen are so plausible.
It's all nonsense."
"Did I hear that right?! It's a huge sum of money."
Yang Mingzhi was indeed very surprised, and said that he first entered Belarus with the military more than a year ago. At that time, in April, he served as the commander of the special anti-tank battalion, with the rank of lieutenant. At that time, his monthly allowance was not enough
100 rubles, in 1940, this subsidy was equivalent to the monthly income of two industrial workers.
It seems that the subsidy is very limited, but in fact the purchasing power of the ruble is very strong. Moreover, the ruble in this period is not a credit currency. It is directly linked to the international gold price, which is the so-called gold ruble. He still remembers that he used to take the subsidy to travel around Yekaterinburg.
One day, I ran out of some daily necessities, especially buying some necessary clothing for my wife, which cost me only thirty rubles. I even took a bus during this period, and the total cost was 0 kopecks.
"The situation is different now. Many supplies are in short supply now, and many goods in department stores are priced but not available. Bread is still clearly priced at one ruble per kilogram, provided it is available. The store is like that, I never imagined it would be the same here.
"
"When supply exceeds demand, raising prices is also an adjustment mechanism."
The captain shook his head regretfully: "At least it has curbed most of the potential speculators. Did you know that some people take advantage of this opportunity to dump food? For such people, they will be sentenced as soon as they are found. I don't understand economics, I am very
I hate those guys who risk their lives to destroy the country's economy. They can claim to have real needs, but those actions are undoubtedly accomplices of the enemy,"
The captain did not explain the problem thoroughly, but Yang Mingzhi listened carefully and could basically analyze it. The Soviet Union's comprehensive planned economic system also required currency, because in this era, currency was still a medium for measuring citizens' labor remuneration, and besides, it was not related to gold.
The peg is equivalent to gold in the Soviet Union, which is known as a natural currency, to measure citizens' labor income.
No matter how much gold there is, when famine occurs, its value is not as good as a full meal.
Obviously, the Ministry of the Interior must have executed a group of speculators. Simply relying on brutal methods such as killing people to maintain order is of course not enough. The alliance implemented a wartime rationing system and deliberately ordered all state-run institutions to raise food prices in order to strengthen internal affairs management. The speculators
The channels for obtaining food are extremely limited, and the costs of various types of food must remain high. The final price is too high for citizens to accept.
In other words, in a state of total war, the authorities deliberately make citizens unable to afford commercial grain, so they can safely exchange food stamps for rations. As for some people being willing to pay high prices to buy, there is nothing to say.
The exchange rate of the 198 ruble currently in circulation is linked to the international gold price. Stalin did not intend to change the exchange rate. Its currency value is very strong externally because it is made of "golden rubles". Internally, the excessive issuance of banknotes is equivalent to the wealth in the hands of the people.
Depreciation. And this depreciation is the financial source of the alliance's ability to sustain the war.
Spending huge sums of money to buy a little grain means that the state treasury can get more money, which is very beneficial to the Soviet Union's stretched financial situation during the war.
However, there will definitely be some fishiness in this. For example, now, how could Yang Mingzhi believe that Captain Larin would be very happy to take out the 51 rubles.
Based on some of my own experience, when these guys from the Ministry of Internal Affairs are running errands, their superiors will definitely allocate some operational funds, even a relatively large amount of funds.
Yang Mingzhi continued to ask: "Thank you for the invitation. You paid a huge sum of money, maybe you won't have any losses in the end?"
Captain Larin was stunned: "What do you mean?"
"If your superiors ask us to have breakfast again, your task is to take me to Moscow. This is business. Will your superiors let you spend the money alone? This is unreasonable."
"Haha..." Captain Larin's old face showed an interesting smile: "Of course, after we finish eating, I will ask the cafeteria to write a note, and we will reimburse the expenses according to this when we return."
"Reimbursement?" Suddenly a familiar feeling came to my mind, "What if they don't write it?"
"Then they are crazy!"
Yang Mingzhi looked around, then stretched his neck and asked softly with a smile: "There is no 51 rubles expense written on the note, right?"
The captain didn't say anything, he just nodded with laughter. His attitude said everything.
"I understand everything." Yang Mingzhi sat upright: "You are no worse than those people, you are even very strategic. It seems that I really had a very expensive meal. We are really surprised in the front.
It's so tight from behind that it makes me feel a little ashamed."
"No!" the captain corrected him: "Anyway, the prices of those commodities that are on the strategic material list have increased dozens of times. No matter how much money you spend, they will be of limited use."
"Indeed, the wages given to the people are currently not as valuable as a sack of potatoes."
"But you are different. You have a very high status, and you still received excellent treatment during the war. The only thing we have in common is that we all go to the cafeteria to eat. The difference is that you eat very well. If it is just about eating, you don't have to worry at all.
, your position is much higher than mine, and your allowance is also extremely high."
"How high?"
"Maybe one thousand rubles a month, or two thousand, or more. After all, you are not an ordinary general. You should have other subsidies, even bonuses in science and technology. You have won many battles, and your bonuses have increased.
Together they are worth a huge amount of money."
"Haha, listening to your explanations, what's the use of today's huge sums of money." Yang Mingzhi smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I want to buy beef every day, but I can buy it?"
"No, your status allows you to enjoy steak every day."
"I'm just making an analogy. Never mind, I've adapted to a frugal life in the swamp, and it's good to eat some potatoes every day. Anyway, thank you, the Moscow-style bread slices comfort my stomach."
Yang Mingzhi understood that the current economic problem in the Soviet Union was actually severe deflation. Most of the basic materials related to the national economy and people's livelihood were shipped to the front line, supplying 10 million soldiers, or shipped to factories to manufacture weapons and ammunition.
If you want to improve people's living conditions, there is only one way to increase productivity. However, most of the available labor force in the Soviet Union has become soldiers, and women in logistics production have become the main force. The productivity of the Soviet Union is about to reach its limit, unless the army continues to win the war and recover through the
The people in the occupied areas who lost their land and liberated them gained new labor force, so their productivity could increase.
Especially for food supply, almost all U.S. aid is for the military. Only after liberating the entire territory of Ukraine, the largest granary, can the lives of people across the alliance begin to improve.
Yang Mingzhi does not admire these methods, but any reliable country is very skilled in operating wartime rationing. Besides, the Soviet Union did something even more extreme during the civil war at the beginning of its establishment. At that time, the currency was directly abolished. Now, the war
Consumption is unprecedented, but at least citizens can still spend big bucks on something.
On the contrary, in the years when the Soviet Union was about to disintegrate, citizens could not buy goods even if they had money. What caused that situation was not the war, but excessive subsidies, and the oil economy becoming increasingly expensive in the face of sluggish international oil prices. The entire alliance's
Commodity markets also fell into chaos.
The current planned economy of the Soviet Union is relatively normal, not to mention that the war period is more suitable for the operation of the planned economy. Stalin and his close comrades are very efficient in their actions. Although signs of changes are beginning to appear, a large privileged class that can affect the country's destiny has not yet emerged. The Soviet Union's
Everyone is fighting this national defense war for survival. Although there is corruption, it has always been suppressed to a very low level. Even the corrupt are not idiots. If the country is over, everything for them will be over.
After all, from Stalin down to the common people, the enemy's purpose in waging war is to destroy the Soviet Union and physically destroy the Slavic nation.
The people indeed share the same hatred of the enemy. Faced with the extremely high prices of important supplies, they choose to endure. The cause of the extreme economic state caused by the war is the absolute lack of supplies. Unless Germany surrenders, this chaos will gradually ease. (To be continued)