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Text Chapter 728 Arms Race (5)

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    The Shanghai World Expo with the theme of "Asia's Future" kicked off with ambassadors' wives rushing to buy stockings. The three-month exhibition brought together tens of thousands of products and technologies from all over the world, which also aroused the public's interest in science and technology throughout the Republic of China.  , the pursuit and longing for a better future and a better home.

    In the three months of the exhibition, the total amount of various commercial trade achieved using the World Expo as a platform reached 3.5 billion yuan, and exports were 2.5 billion yuan, accounting for one-fifth of the total exports for the year. Among them, the export of industrial products accounted for 1% of all exports for the first time.  Forty-three percent.  In addition, Beijing also took advantage of new technologies to formulate national standards for 17 major categories and 181 minor categories of industrial and agricultural products, including "Radio Access Standards" and "Civil Aviation Standards" for the first time.  This was the first standard certificate promoted by the Republic of China. Although there was little response from Europe and the United States, no one could deny that the threshold for listed goods to enter the Republic of China market had increased significantly.

    To put it simply, if you want to sell your aircraft to China, then you must install wear-resistant and run-proof tires. Currently, this technology is only mastered by Chinese companies, so you must purchase Chinese tires and install them before selling, otherwise you cannot  enter the market.  Restrictions such as these are equivalent to adding a layer of technical barriers before the tariff barriers are broken down, which directly leads to countries that have just recovered from the economic crisis to follow suit again, and the economy and international trade gradually turn cold again.

    In addition to the economy, various countries have a general understanding of China's strength in aviation, engines and new technologies demonstrated at this World Expo.  Although technology does not mean final victory, it also pours hot oil on the arms race.  Japan, which was overall weak in aviation, hurriedly invested heavily in targeted research, and the four-tracked monster only appeared for one day.  This makes Moscow, which has a long land border, panic. It is unknown how many slow IS and KV the Soviet Union will produce.

    The months before the new year.  Yang Qiu focused on armaments and the last round of domestic economic construction, but the external situation became increasingly tense.

    On the fifth day after the opening of the World Expo, Italy took the lead and sent its troops to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) to kick off the competition in North Africa.

    Similarly, after Japan experienced the May 10th coup three years ago, its economy was finally driven by military demand. The resources accumulated for ten years were quickly consumed, and various taxes and public bonds made ordinary Japanese breathless.  But the military turned a blind eye.  They blindly expanded their troops and purchased weapons, and the political atmosphere also turned conservative.  All news about external developments disappeared. All newspapers praised Japan for overcoming the economic crisis. China, Europe and the United States began to be demonized. Cartoons and slogans that ridiculed and vilified the outside world were posted all over the streets. Students were asked  Strengthen training, and a large number of idle young people join the army to serve.

    In Moscow.  The political atmosphere became increasingly tense. After purging the Security Bureau and the internal security forces around him, Stalin barely breathed a sigh of relief. He first awarded Tukhachevsky and other five people the rank of marshal. After stabilizing the army, he began to launch a more serious campaign.  During the counter-movement, Yezhov, the lackey, finally showed his ruthless face.  The cult of personality became widespread.  Stalin's position became more and more secure and all opposition was completely eradicated.

    However, the continuous defections, the embargo against the Soviet Union, and the proximity of China and Germany made Stalin feel that the noose around his neck was getting tighter and tighter, and he began to seriously consider the consequences of a two-front war.  Under this idea, the Soviet Union began a frantic military expansion campaign.  By the Lunar New Year in 1936, the Soviet Red Army had increased from less than one million in 1930 to 2.3 million!  The number of tanks increased to 16,000.  In the past three years, a total of 11,000 aircraft of various types, 57,000 artillery pieces of various types, and more than 20,000 machine guns have been manufactured, and the entire national machine has begun to serve the military.

    "2.3 million?"

    In the small conference room of the Ministry of National Defense, Qin Zhangshu, who had just returned from the New Year holiday for a meeting, almost stared out of his eyes.  He was not frightened by this number, because even if the Soviet army increased to five million or even ten million, only about 100 Dingtian divisions could be sent to the east.  Because there are only two railways from Moscow to the East, one is the rebuilt Siberian First, and the other is the southern line to Turkmenistan, so any more railways will not be able to support logistics.  The same is true in the Republic of China. Including the Zhongguan Line currently under construction, the three railways leading to the northwest, Longhai and the Northern Ring of China Railway, plus two inter-provincial highways, can only support the consumption of about 140 divisions.

    He was surprised at the speed of the Soviet Union¡¯s military expansion. You must know that the Soviet army only had about 1.7 million soldiers at the beginning of the year.  "What's so strange about this?" Yue Peng glared at him: "The Soviet Union's system is a wartime system. Everything is planned. If we enter a wartime system, this small amount of troops will be effortless."

    "That's true. Forget it, don't mention it." Qin Zhangshu nodded.  Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he took the initiative to make tea for Yue Peng and even took out a cigarette and lit it enthusiastically, which made the latter think he was asking for military funds: "If you show your courtesy for nothing, you are either raping or stealing! I can tell you, there is no money."

    "Boss Yue, am I that kind of person?" Both of them were comrades who came out together from the year of 1911.Not so formal.  Qin Zhangshu's eyes widened as if he had been framed, but when he saw Yue Peng ignoring him, his aura suddenly weakened and he came closer to please him: "Um do you have any stockings there? My store asked me to buy them, but  I¡¯ve been looking for a long time and haven¡¯t seen any department stores selling it.¡±

    Yue Peng puffed out all the tea he just drank and sprayed it onto the ground.  There is a military meeting coming soon, and this guy actually wants to buy stockings from me!  But having said that, these stockings are really good, um, not bad.  "No. My family still wants to buy it."

    "HahaOld Qin, I didn't see it, you are so good at it." Before Qin Zhangshu could continue to ask where to buy it, the laughter of Chen Shaokuan and Song Ziqing suddenly came from the door.

    Chen Shaokuan is in a good mood recently. The construction of four aircraft carriers named Liaoning class has officially started. Four additional Xiangjiang class light cruisers built under the guise of North Korea have also laid down their keels in Qinzhou and Mawei. They are waiting for the first Shandong class battleship at the end of March.  Construction is about to start in Jiangnan, and the largest single order in naval history, the first four of the 60 Qinling-class fleet destroyers modified from the Taishan class to reduce the cost, has been launched.  So even when he spoke, his voice was much louder: "Chief of Staff, if you want it, I'll get some pairs later."

    "Stop flattering me."

    Qin Zhangshu didn't give him a good look: "I don't have money to give you the navy."

    Song Ziqing was shaking his head in a funny way. These stockings are really popular recently.  Unfortunately, priority is given to exports.  It has not yet been launched in China, so those wealthy people can only stare.  Anyway, everyone hadn't arrived yet. Seeing his suspicious smile, Qin Zhangshu stopped him and asked, "Minister Song, you must know that they are sold here."

    "Deyang (Zhang Shuzi of Qin), you really have to ask for help this time. Now you can't even be president except him."

    "How is that possible?" Qin Zhangshu didn't believe it, and was furious when he saw the proud Chen Shaokuan.  He asked: "Bah, I definitely won't beg him. At worst, I can go back and let my mother-in-law buy it herself."

    "Haha" Yue Peng and the other three laughed so hard that tears came out.  The new deputy chief of staff was good at everything, but he was a little henpecked. His colleagues couldn't bear to tease him and said, "Come on, two cruisers of the Navy are conducting circumnavigation training in the Atlantic Ocean. I'll ask them to bring you a few pairs back."

    "What? Isn't it produced by us? Why do you have to go to the United States to buy it?" Qin Zhangshu looked at Song Ziqing in confusion, and the latter smiled and said: "Isn't this the recent increase in military expenditures? I first want to make up for it from outside, so the president  Let the factory invest all the first batch of 3 million pairs in Europe and the United States."

    "You are bullying your own people by cooperating."

    "You know shit." Chen Shaokuan couldn't help scolding: "Do you know how much a pair of stockings costs in the United States now? Two months' salary for an ordinary worker is 150 US dollars! How much do you know the cost? It's only 89 yuan including shipping, or  Our Minyuan! You can earn 347 yuan from selling a pair. Three million is more than 600 million! I'm back with a battleship and a half!"

    "What!" Even Yue Peng jumped up.

    ?We all know that stockings can make money.  After all, even people like them can't resist the charm, but they didn't expect to make so much money!  Song Ziqing, who was the only one who knew the details, said: "The president asked people to install the assembly line and production equipment at the beginning of last year, and the female textile workers are also ready. If it were not for the recent rush to work on 50,000 sets of nylon parachutes and 30,000 sets of bulletproof vests, the output would be even higher.  The big price is lower. But don¡¯t worry. The side of Hanjiang River has already cooperated with several other chemical plants through patent shares. Gu Yuwen said that it will be one year at the latest. The annual output of 200,000 tons will not be a big problem. By then, the domestic side will  All markets will be liberalized."

    "Wait, is this thing bulletproof?" Yue Peng's eyes lit up.  At present, all countries use steel bulletproof armor, which is not only heavy but also inflexible when worn. Therefore, except for special forces, the National Defense Force has not included it in standard equipment.  Seeing that he had misunderstood, Song Ziqing quickly shook his head: "Nylon is tougher than silk, and when combined with other materials, it has high elasticity and strength. So the president asked Qiu Heng to find someone to use multi-layer dense weaving to make it look like a thick vest, which is 17  Each layer is very tight, so that steel plates can be stuffed into the front and rear mezzanines. There is also a magazine pocket in the front of the vest. After inserting the steel plates, the weight is much lighter than bulletproof steel armor, and the waist can also dissipate heat. I went to the shooting range last time to see  However, it is more difficult to protect against rifles, but long-range stray bullets and pistol bullets are still effective.¡±

    "What a good thing! Why are there only 30,000 sets?" Qin Zhangshu was the most anxious and even threw the stockings out of the sky.  He didn't expect to be able to guard against rifle bullets, but stray bullets and fragments alone could save many lives!

    Song Ziqing waved his hand: "It's not that simple as you think. This kind of knitting machine is specially made and is still in the experimental stage. Besides, the material used for one vest can be used to make thousands of pairs of stockings, and the current output of nylon is small.  , the vest is not urgently needed, and since there are no similar products in Europe and America, I have to make more money first."

    "That's true." The three nodded.  3 million pairs of stockings is 600 million, if sold in a yearTen million, that¡¯s 2 billion!  The four Beijing-class ships are only 1.6 billion.  Why don't we try to get more funds next time we meet the president?  What's more, the sales of metal base tubes are also very popular, and Europe and the United States have placed large orders for the production of smaller military radios.  Taking advantage of the gap before similar products in Europe and the United States are released, it will not be a problem to make five or six billion from it.  Adding the two together, it would be a profit of at least 2.5 billion.

    "Stop making up your mind." Seeing his eyes flickering, Song Ziqing decisively put an end to the idea: "Hanjiang Chemical only has half of the state-owned shares, so we can only take half of the money. Besides, the situation outside is tense now, and there might be a fight at some point.  , so the president has decided to spend the sales money on the spot, buying whatever he can, hoarding nickel, chromium and other scarce ores as much as possible, buying ships and other things, and also taking the last chance to hoard a batch of machine tools, so as not to really hit the net.  The road is interrupted.¡±

    Hearing something in his words, Yue Peng asked: "What happened?"

    "Two things." Song Ziqing's face became serious: "Japan can hardly hold on any longer! Dai Yunong got the information that three days ago the Japanese army and navy had a big quarrel. The navy wanted four battleships, but now it only got two  The budget of the ship. The Army firmly disagrees with the increase this time, and has recently planned to build up the Air Force. Now Japan has serious air consumption and food shortages. Stalin is busy preparing for war and cannot control them. It will take at most one year. If we don¡¯t take action, there may be a coup!"

    "Wouldn't it be better to do it again, preferably with a battleship?" Chen Shaokuan's eyebrows were beaming. How many years has it been?  Finally, the four Shandong-class ships this time were able to hold down the Japanese Navy.

    Song Ziqing immediately interrupted him: "What a beautiful idea! There is also news from Yan Baohang that the two factions in Spain are about to break up, and they will probably start fighting soon. Now it depends on the attitude of the UK. If the UK doesn't care, there will definitely be a fight.  Get up. Spain is concerned about the security of Gibraltar, and Italy is making trouble in North Africa. I guess they will deploy the Far East Fleet to strengthen the Mediterranean."

    "Taking away the British Far East Fleet is tantamount to opening a window, and Japan will definitely not let this opportunity go.  Once the Japanese army entered Nanyang, the peaceful days were really over.  So Song Ziqing continued: "July 7th is the day when Hong Kong was taken back in the Shanghai Communique. The president has decided to personally visit Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Germany after attending the executive handover ceremony, and attend the opening ceremony of the Berlin Olympics on August 1st.  In addition, the president has asked me to prepare a list to form 15 armies."

    Yue Peng nodded. He knew that Yang Qiu's trip was probably the last time to persuade Hitler to attack the Soviet Union first.  As long as we can attack the Soviet Union first, we can avoid a lot of troubles on our side, and we don't have to risk a deadly confrontation with Britain and France.  As for the military establishment, the National Defense Force has never adopted it. As the number of troops increases, military-level command must be put on the agenda as soon as possible.  It can also be seen that time is already very urgent.

    Just as he was about to speak, Xu Shuzheng suddenly ran in in a hurry. After putting the telegram on the table, he grabbed someone's cup and drank it in one gulp before speaking.

    "Big news! Last night, the German army entered the Rhineland!"
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