Chapter 293 The inevitable shadow of World War II

The outbreak of the economic crisis has forced all economies to move towards closed trade protection policies, making the depression of the economic crisis more severe globally.

However, in the second half of 1929, China's economic data showed signs of recovery, the total imports and exports increased significantly, and the second round of large-scale basic investment in the colonial system that began in 1923 finally paid off.

In 1930, in China's colonial economy and the Asia-Europe alliance, the overall economy recovered.

During this period, with the efforts of the German Labor Party, the German economy began to gradually emerge from the shadows, and the domestic economic environment began to improve. During this period, Britain, France, the United States and Russia were still in crisis.

Taking advantage of this critical moment, under the control of Hu Chuyuan, China, Britain and France reached a debt transfer agreement. China paid 2.53 billion pounds to Britain and France to buy Germany's 2.7 billion pounds of debt to Britain and France. China, Britain, France and Germany reached a new compensation agreement, reducing the remaining total amount of German compensation to 3.5 billion pounds. .

Taking advantage of its wealth leverage, China continues to borrow in exchange for the expansion of the Asia-Europe alliance. Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Czechoslovakia chose to withdraw from the continental European camp established by France and joined the China-led Asia-Europe alliance camp in exchange for China's loans to the four countries.

After becoming Germany's first creditor, China continued to lend 3.5 billion yuan to Germany in the same period to support its internal construction of new national infrastructure and expand the domestic demand market.

A large amount of loans are made to the Eurasian allies to support the infrastructure construction of these countries. At the same time, these countries also import the machinery, equipment, motors, generator sets, transformers, trains, vehicles, tractors needed for infrastructure to China...

After urgently obtaining 1.7 billion pounds from China, Britain and France also got rid of the impact of the financial crisis in 1931. As the U.S. political axe also began to implement centrist economic policies, and with the collective recovery of the world economy, the U.S. economy finally stopped the long-term depression.

However, in the year of the end of the world economic crisis, the whole world was completely divided into two large camps.

On the one hand, there is the Eurasian alliance led by China and Germany, and on the other hand, there is the international alliance led by Britain, France and the United States. The two sides are roughly the same in terms of total GDP and military strength.

The Eurasian alliance is led by China and Germany. The rest of the Ottoman Empire, Persia, Ukraine, Greece and Poland are also relatively strong in economy, while Romania, North Korea, the Philippines, Seville and Bulgaria are generally average.

The International Union is dominated by Britain, France and the United States. In addition, there are Belgium and Italy. Among the potential partners are Russia and Japan, which are gradually recovering their strength.

Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and other countries continue to remain neutral. Belgium can only choose to join the International Union for its own security, and also to retake Congo.

In 1932, Kurt von Schleicher, with a more expansionist and military background, became the German Prime Minister and with the support of the Eurasian League, he merged with the Kingdom of Austria to form a new German Empire.

The war is finally about to break out.

The question now will only be when it will break out!!!

... Hu Chuyuan's three presidential terms are coming to an end. At this time, he is already an old man.

At the age of 73, he also wants to return to a peaceful life, but he understands that in his life, tranquility is the most luxurious requirement.

In the office of the presidential palace in Yingtai, he calmly listened to Hu Weitang's report on the development and production of the top-secret plan for domestic military industry.

Such a huge country is often beyond the control of anyone. In fact, China is also very dangerous. It is on the road of accelerating expansion. The huge national machine has begun to operate again, working hard for new victories and new expansion.

Since 1923, China has officially started to build aircraft carriers. So far, China has built six aircraft carriers of different models and classes, each of which has been constantly changing and improving its technology.

After full demonstration and testing, the design displacement of the Yabinsk class, a new generation of aircraft carrier being built in China, is 34,500 tons, mainly equipped with FEI-5 series fighters and HF-103 series light bombers.

Because the radar system still cannot be reduced, there is no room for installation on the fighter. However, the EF-21 early warning aircraft improved on the basis of HF-20 can still play a very good auxiliary role. The EF-155, which is improved on the basis of KF-155, is a large early warning aircraft with the aircraft carrier formation. .

The research of jet aircraft has achieved good results. It has a number of test models. The problem is that the acceleration and sliding distance is too long. Unless there is a turbojet engine with greater power, it cannot be used as a carrier aircraft. Even if it is used as a carrier aircraft, the runway length of the aircraft carrier must be at least 300 meters, and it must Use a more powerful steam ejection device.

Jet fighters are a very confidential research and development plan. At present, some German experts in this field have also been invited to carry out secret research and development at the Air Force Engineering Research Institute in Xi'an.

Hu Chuyuan or Hu Chuyuan.

After Hu Weitang finished the report on the aircraft carrier and fighter, Hu Chuyuan thought silently for a moment, and finally made a new approval on the report: let the ship administration develop a 70,000-ton aircraft carrier, and carry out research on jet fighters and carrier aircraft at the same time, which can be launched together. It is appropriate to solve the above questions within two years. And do a good job in the collaborative plan of large-scale production and deployment in China.

After the approval, he returned the report to Hu Weitang and said, "Call Li Kaiye and tell him that he will have lunch with me at noon."

Hu Weitang nodded silently and was about to turn around and leave with the newly approved report.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart that time passed so fast. His father was already 73 years old, he was also in his forties, and his eldest brother was almost fifty years old.

Sometimes, he really envies Xiaoba, who is always so young.

Hu Weitang wanted to go back to the National Military Industry Research Institute to deploy something, so he left in a hurry.

When he left, Hu Chuyuan sat in the office in silence, looking at the scenery of Yingtai through the window.

For the first time in his life, he began to feel unconfident in the upcoming war. Cooperation with Germany was the best choice he could make, for which he also paid too much.

In order to get Germany out of the debt restrictions of Britain, France and the United States, China exchanged Germany's freedom at all costs, but also gave Britain, France and the United States 2.53 billion pounds. Now, Germany owes a huge debt of 29.7 billion yuan to China, which will be repaid in installments for 70 years.

With the 2.53 billion pounds directly allocated by China, the economies of Britain, France and the United States have recovered rapidly and have basically returned to the level before the outbreak of the crisis.

For China, the only good news is that Germany is stronger than expected, the speed of military recovery is also significantly accelerated, military schools at all levels are reopening, new officer corps are speeding training, and the army has been expanded to 550,000 people.

It is very difficult for the German navy to recover as soon as possible.

At this point, the new commander-in-chief of the German navy, Erich Riedel, has secretly arrived in Yanjing and is currently in a secret talks with the General Staff of the Chinese Navy. Hu Chuyuan is not clear how the specific discussion is.

Hu Chuyuan only knows one thing... If China wants to win the war, it must spend a lot of money.

A lot of money!

Throughout the world, China has more than 87.3 billion yuan (10.5 billion pounds... very high) international debt, with national sovereign debt accounting for 33.4 billion, and the rest is the result of the export of national capital. More than 70% of these claims are concentrated in the Chinese colonial system and the Asia-Europe Alliance, Northern Europe and South. The proportion of the United States has also reached 20%, which is the main reason for the collective neutrality of Nordic countries and South American countries.

In the world economic crisis of 1928-1931, the old world monetary system has collapsed, and all major world currencies have depreciated by 10% to 30%. After 1930, each central yen can only exchange 0.097 grams of gold, while the US dollar has fallen even more sharply, only 0.073 grams. The pound fell to 0.805 grams.

The United States has basically lost most of the world's claims in this economic crisis, and the status of the U.S. yuan has been replaced by the pound, followed by the Chinese yen.

At present, China's National Gold Reserve Bureau reserves 21284.3 tons of gold (which can maintain the gold standard exchange of 278.6 billion yuan, accounting for about 7.3% of the total issuance of the Central Yuan), 225,800 tons of silver (about 6 billion taels of silver, accounting for 27.5% of the existing world silver reserves, Fukang consortium Another holding is 25.3%, which is why the world silver price against gold remains at 15.7:1).

The central bank holds a total of about 13.53 billion yuan of foreign exchange and 21.2 billion yuan of reserves for international trade settlement, and another 72.75 billion yuan of foreign treasury bonds.

The total market value of national assets held by SASAC in China is about 99.445 billion yuan, and the total market value of national investment assets held in colonies, protectorates, allies and other countries is about 237.3 billion yuan.

These numbers have become Hu Chuyuan's only confidence.

Sitting in a chair and silently thinking about the data he kept in mind, he couldn't help sighing: It's really pitiful. Is he so old that he has lost his ambition to enterprising and can only rely on numbers and money to support his courage.

What a pity!

He continued to sigh in his heart and couldn't help thinking of his courage when he was young.

Because I am old and lose the courage to work hard, can I only rely on money and experience?

In his fifteen years as president, in his fifteen years as prime minister, he added 20,000 tons of gold, 220,000 tons of silver, and many other national assets to China's central government.

These are his last confidence.

Fortunately, sometimes experience is also a good asset. At least he has special ability and experience in investment and financial management!

In the turbulent period of the economic crisis, under the control of Hu Chuyuan, national assets continued to buy assets at low prices in the international market, paying 2.53 billion pounds to Britain, France and the United States, which made the three largest rivals out of the economic crisis, while national assets were also extremely fast. Soaring.

All this, he has done very secretly. Many of the investments of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission are completed by the National Intelligence Agency and the Fukang Foundation.

Therefore, not only the international community does not know how much money the political axe of the Central Committee of China, but also only a few people in China know it.

The central political axe has not yet been cashed out. As the international economy continues to prosper, the total market value of national assets held by the central political axe will continue to rise.

This money and assets are the valuable wealth he left to his successor.

And he... He is no longer worthy to be the president of the most powerful country in the world, because he has already lost his enterprising spirit and courage and ambition. Because he is too old, he is afraid of losing it.

Looking at the snow scenery outside the Yingtai, in the silver-white snowy sea, the spring flowers in the corner have quietly bulged clusters of apricot yellow flower bones.

Spring is finally coming.

Hu Chuyuan sighed calmly in his heart, thinking, yes, spring is better, or young people are better.

It won't be long before he will leave the throne of Chinese president. In this position, he has been in this position for too long, just like a world football player who has lost his desire for honor and championship, just like Li Hongzhang gradually just wants to stabilize the power in his hand, just like Zuo Zongtang just wants to keep the job of the Xiang army, just Just like Zeng Guofan just wanted to keep the power of the whole Hunan system for a while.

It's all the same.

Because they are just too old and have lost their enterprising spirit.

If Zeng Guofan calmed down the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom at the age of 30, what would be the situation?

Will he also abolish the Hunan army and just want to be the governor of Liangjiang?

Old.

It's old.

Learn to admit that for the sake of the world's number one power and himself, Hu Chuyuan knows that he must give up the virtuous. China is about to usher in a new war, an unprecedented and unprecedented war.

He is too old, and China needs a new mentor who is based on war and can lead China to continue to grow after the war.

Who will that person be?

This is a question that even Hu Chuyuan himself is not clear about.

Of course, this person may be in front of his eyes.

He has been thinking about this issue these days, even over the years.

There may be many answers.

For the time being, Hu Chuyuan chose Li Kaiye.

Li Kaiye is also old, but he still has stronger ambitions and demands. Moreover, he can control the army and knows how to win a war.

What about after Li Kaiye?

This is another problem, a more complex one.

The noon time will come soon.

Hu Chuyuan's lunch is very simple. There are usually only four dishes and one soup, and the portion is very small. It is only enough for him to eat alone, and he usually eats it up.

The people around her have changed batch after batch, and the female secretary is still Niu Shuxian.

When the time came, Niu Shuxian asked people to bring both lunches into the office. At this time, Li Kaiye seemed to check the time and walked in quickly and happily.

Like Hu Chuyuan, he is also the only few old people left during the Far East War. Lu Guangxuan, Yang Zong Li, Ye Boyu... have all left.

Now, Li Kaiye is one of the only two people in China with the rank of marshal.

However, he is also 69 years old.

Fortunately, he is still in good health and looks good. His many years of military career not only did not destroy him, but also made him harder, waiting for more challenges at any time.

He walked in and smiled. He saw that Hu Chuyuan treated him with four dishes and one soup again. Although his weight was more, it was not enough.

He smiled and said, "My President, you continue to treat your Chief of General Staff in such a humble way. For so many years, I have no credit and hard work. Change it and give me a plate of braised pork!"

With this, he grabbed Niu Shuxian and insisted that Niu Shuxian change a plate of braised pork for him.

Niu Shuxian is not that little girl anymore. She smiled, ignored him at all, and left in a hurry.

Hu Chuyuan said, "Didn't the doctor say that you can't eat these high-fat foods now. I'm very thoughtful of you. Wuchang fish with protein braised is also a good dish."

"That's actually to say!"

Li Kaiye smiled and said, "I'm paying attention to it. If there is braised pork, no matter how delicious it is... then I will only eat one piece and taste it."

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly and asked him to sit down and eat together first.

Chewing slowly, Hu Chuyuan slowly talked about the presidential election with his plate of rice and dishes.

Listening to this, before Hu Chuyuan finished speaking, he said, "Duan Qirui's voice is very high. Listening to what he said, it seems that he also wants to do it, but he prefers the chairman to continue to do it."

Hu Chuyuan waved his hand and said, "First of the Constitution, I will not be president again, and I can't set this precedent. In fact, I want to recommend you to the party.

"Me?"

Li Kaiye was a little surprised.

He has always felt that he is the most suitable for the position of Chief of Staff. He can't go to war, and it's okay to make a strategic plan.

Hu Chuyuan said seriously, "Yes, it's you. I think that in the current situation, there will be a large-scale war in the world sooner or later. If you are the president and chairman of the national military commissioner, you can do a good job in preparing for the war and planning in advance.

Li Kaiye thought silently.

After waiting for a while, he asked Hu Chuyuan, "What do you think of Weizhong? In fact, I think I can elect him in the party. Duan Qirui and I have also talked about this matter. He said that if the adult is elected, he will have no objection!"

Hu Chuyuan said, "Wei Zhong can't do it. As a prime minister, his ability is enough. The president is completely two concepts... Let him exercise for a while!"

Listening to this, Li Kaiye seemed to understand something.

He thought for a time and said, "What if I can't do it?"

Hu Chuyuan said, "Cai E will be a suitable candidate. The problem is that his merit and reputation are not enough. If you want to become a president, there are basically two conditions. First, he has two prime ministers with excellent political achievements. Second, he is a marshal of the third army. He is very qualified, and he has neither of them.

Li Kaiye sighed silently and paused. He said, "That's good. In fact, this time... If I want to fight Russia again, I plan to use Cai E as the commander-in-chief of the main attack on Russia. If I go to Europe, then Yang Zhenlin, Li Jishen, Zhang Xiaozhun, Cai Tingkai, Chen Mingshu, Jiang Guangqi and Bai Chongxi are all very good candidates. At present, this group of people have just finished their study from the Central Military University and have returned to each division to prepare for the war.

Hu Chuyuan didn't say anything.

It has been 16 years since the end of the First World War. Although there are still many old legion commanders, they are basically old, and the youngest ones are also 60 years old.

It would be terrible to wait another six years for the war to start and expect these 70-year-old veterans to serve as the commander of the army.

To this end, the Central Military University has accelerated the selection and training of excellent army commanders since 1923. At present, the division commanders of 84 domestic army divisions have been replaced. In the Army General Staff, more than a dozen major generals have been promoted exceptionally, with an average age between 40 and 50 years old. The regiment serves as the commander of the regiment and rotates to exercise.

Hu Chuyuan didn't worry too much about this problem.

There are military colleges in all provinces in China. In addition to the three highest military institutions of the Central Army University, the Naval University and the National Defense University, there are also the Central Military University dedicated to training first-class front-line senior commanders and high-level staff officers.

These military schools train 17,000 lieutenants to join the army every year. At present, the domestic army has not expanded its military readiness. The average officer of the Chinese National Defense Force: non-commissioned officer: soldier ratio is 1:2:3.5, and the army can be expanded ten times on a large scale at any time.

[***] The quality education level of the college is also very high. For so many years, the army still maintains the style of "the army is a military academy". Within the army, it is also constantly cultivating talents. Most of the lieutenants are high school graduates and enter the army, from which qualified talents are selected and then recommended to the military academy. Make it.

Therefore, China must have many of the best generals. Only when they enter the battlefield can they prove their true talents.

Even if it relies on the quality of the basic officer corps and soldiers, as well as the traditional glory and confidence, it is difficult for the Chinese team to be defeated with the same equipment.

On the other hand, during the period when Germany was extremely restricted, Sino-German military exchanges were further increased, but they were all hidden under the water. China was studying the new trends cultivated within the German army. The German army also learned from the idea that the [***] team was a military academy, as well as mechanized operations and overall warfare. System theory.

At present, China and Germany are at least too similar in the army. Both are actively promoting the theory of mechanized large-scale operations and rapid operations, and constantly improving the theory and training of large-scale air force operations.

However, in terms of the navy, the German army has always been in a weak direction, and the German army can only secretly train naval officers in China.

In terms of naval warfare theory, the differences between China and Germany are relatively large due to the completely different situation. After all, China has the largest navy in the world, which is still 30% higher than the second place, the United Kingdom and the United States.

At present, Germany cannot even build battleships of more than 10,000 tons.

Of course, this is the past tense.

Germany is building 22,000 tons of battleships and begins to rebuild a new naval system. From the day it joined the Eurasian Alliance, the military restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles have finally come to an end.

If Germany is now responsible for the breach of contract and attack Germany, it is equivalent to directly provoking World War II.

So, under the protection of China, Germany quickly began to restore its military strength.

Although the battleship has not been built for 16 years, relying on the technology transfer exported by China, Germany directly built its own Saxon-class battleship from the design drawings of the heroic-class battleships.

China is a country that attaches great importance to the wartime production capacity of the military industry. At present, it has established a completed shipbuilding industry system in 14 cities in Vladivostok, Dalian, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan, Tianjin, Weihai, Qingdao, Shanghai, Yangtze River (Maanshan, Chaohu area), Fuzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Haiphong and Kundian. There are a total of 17 shipyards with a 30,000-ton battleship construction capacity.

Within the scope of the Asia-Europe Alliance, except for Germany and Ukraine, which have warship production capacity second only to China, Poland, Persia, Ottoman, Greece and Maputo, Mata and Libreville in the African Autonomous Region all have good shipbuilding capabilities.

According to Hu Chuyuan's plan, it only takes one year for China to help Germany's naval strength recover to the top ten in the world and reach the top five in two years.

Before the outbreak of the war and the British began to blockade the strait, it was necessary to restore the German navy to the point where it could contain the main force of the British navy, so as to create conditions for the decisive battle between the Chinese navy in the Pacific and the United States.

This is an unprecedented war. Even if all the warships in the United States are destroyed, it is difficult to win the landing in the United States.

So, this is destined to be an extremely tragic but long world war.

Even if the only remaining opponents in the end are Americans, it will take a long time to completely defeat the United States, and the loss of long-term combat in the United States is even more amazing.

Even if China and Germany work together, Hu Chuyuan is not really sure.

Moreover, there are not many secret weapons in his hand.

(to be continued)