At the Presidential Palace in Nanjing, after the battle between the National Defense Forces and the Soviet Far East Red Army began, Chiang Kai-shek began to dream of defeating the National Defense Forces and successfully seizing all the areas occupied by the National Defense Forces.
However, this spring and autumn dream that kept Chiang Kai-shek smiling all the time was shattered by the arrival of his beloved general Dai Li, leaving Chiang Kai-shek with no time to breathe.
Looking at the information in his hands and Dai Yunong, who was silent in front of him, Lao Jiang asked with great disappointment: "Yunong, did your intelligence department make a mistake Li Guosheng actually used 350,000 new editors to defeat the Sixth Army?" There are more than 100,000 Soviet Far East Red Army troops, and the Chief of General Staff of the Soviet Red Army was captured. How is this possible? Could it be that these 350,000 new divisions are all heavenly soldiers and generals, invulnerable"
"Also, according to the report, it has been ten days since the battle ended. Faced with such a huge result, why didn't Li Guosheng publicize it? You know, once he publicized this result, his national defense forces in the country would The prestige will definitely surpass that of our Central Army and become a veritable Chinese National Defense Force"
Seeing Chiang Kai-shek in front of him who would get furious whenever the National Defense Forces were mentioned, Dai Yunong replied in a deep voice.
"Principal, the intelligence content was sent by one of our intelligence personnel hidden in the National Defense Forces Headquarters. There is absolutely no problem. In addition, during the entire battle, the losses of the National Defense Forces were also very heavy 350,000 new soldiers participated in the battle. Editor, in the end, less than half were left.¡±
"As for why the National Defense Forces did not take advantage of the situation to publicize the results of the war and increase their prestige at home and in the world, I suspect that the defeated Soviet government gave the National Defense Forces some benefits. The National Defense Forces were asked not to disclose the results of the war to the outside world"
Hearing this, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly closed his mouth as if he had aged several years.
After slumping down on the seat, all weak. He said to himself: "Niang Xipi Is the National Defense Force an enemy prepared by God for me"
"Originally, we planned to use the help of the Soviets to significantly weaken the strength of the National Defense Forces. Now it seems that not only did it not weaken the strength of the National Defense Forces itself, but through this battle, it helped the National Defense Forces train hundreds of thousands of iron-blooded elites who have experienced life and death"
"Am I destined not to be Li Guosheng's opponent? The central government in Nanjing is destined to be replaced by the National Defense Forces"
"I am not convinced, I am absolutely not convinced. I must not lose to Li Guosheng or lose to the National Defense Force"
Facing Lao Jiang who was about to lose his mind because of his anger. Dai Yunong quickly comforted him.
"Please calm down the principal"
"After the students return, they should immediately mobilize all intelligence forces to find out the reasons why the National Defense Forces won on the battlefield. At that time, our Central Army can conduct targeted training. We will never be defeated by the National Defense Forces like the Soviet Red Army."
"In addition, the orthodoxy of the Republic of China is us now and will always be us in the futureSo. Principal, please take care of yourself. Sooner or later, the Central Army will surpass the National Defense Force"
After Dai Yunong repeatedly comforted him, it took five minutes for Lao Jiang's solemn facial expression to relax.
Facing Dai Yunong, he said with a pleased expression: "Yunong, you are very good Among all my students, although you are not the best, you must be the most loyal to me. I believe that the party-state is more important than you." With the joint efforts of the students, they will continue to grow and expand, and eventually surpass the National Defense Forces. Defeat them"
"Thank you principal for the compliment. These are what students should do'Swear allegiance to the principal'. This is a sentence that students will keep in mind after entering Huangpu Military Academy and will never forget it" Dai Yunong said to him without hesitation. Chiang Kai-shek continued to express his loyalty, as long as Chiang Kai-shek could calm down in front of him and not get angry.
Although Lao Jiang was very satisfied in his heart, he still glared at Dai Yunong on the surface and pretended to be dissatisfied and said: "Nonsense, why are you loyal to me alone You are loyal to the party and the state. As a student of Huangpu Military Academy, everyone must be loyal. Party state.¡±
"Yes, principalloyal to the party and the country, loyal to the principal" Dai Yunong replied loudly.
Seeing that the anger on Lao Jiang's face finally dissipated, his nervous heart immediately relaxed. Just when I was about to leave after taking a long breath, an accident happened
The closed door of Chiang Kai-shek's office was suddenly pushed open, and then Finance Minister Kong Xiangxi walked in with an unfriendly expression.
Seeing that the expression on Chiang Kai-shek's face was not strange, he did not go into depth and asked angrily: "Chairman, I want to know how many central departments and ministries of finance there are in the Republic of China"
"Chiang Kai-shek replied with a puzzled look on his face: "Minister Kong, are you confused? Of course the Republic of China has only one central government and one Ministry of Finance, and the Minister of Finance is you, Kong Xiangxi"
The expression on Kong Xiangxi¡¯s faceAlthough there is a lot less resentment, the anger is stronger than when he first entered the office.
After handing the document in his hand to Lao Jiang, he retorted without mercy: "Since the Republic of China has only one Minister of Finance, then why does He Lian go to the Northeast This is an appointment and dismissal document just issued by the Northeast United Government, formerly Tianjin He Lian, dean of the Nankai University Business School, was officially appointed as the Minister of Finance by the Northeastern Coalition Government"
Seeing the sudden change in Jiang's face in front of him, Kong Xiangxi ignored Dai Yunong's constant calls and continued to shout: "Chairman, the National Defense Forces have even appointed their own finance minister. This has clearly told us that the National Defense Forces no longer recognize The orthodox status of our central government in Nanjing intends to part ways with us"
"Everyone else is like this, how can we, the central government, just ignore it and let the National Defense Forces ride on our necks"
"My idea is to take advantage of the opportunity when the main force of the National Defense Force is attracted by the Soviet Far East Red Army, and immediately attack Shandong and Shanxi provinces, and teach the arrogant National Defense Force a lesson"
"That's enough" Lao Jiang, whose face was once again enveloped in anger, roared loudly at Kong Xiangxi, who was still unfinished and wanted to continue shouting.
I saw Kong Xiangxi curled his lips, with an unconvinced expression on his face.
The angry old Jiang threw the intelligence just sent by Dai Yunong directly in front of Kong Xiangxi and cursed loudly.
"You take a look at this information first. After reading it, tell me whether you still want the Central Army to start a war with the National Defense Forces immediately"
Kong Xiangxi, who gradually realized something was wrong, immediately picked up the information and started browsing. One minute later. The facial expression that was still unconvinced just now turned pale.
After taking a look at Lao Jiang, who was still full of anger in front of him, he said with a guilty look: "Chairman, I didn't know that the war between the Wehrmacht and the Soviet Union was over. If I knew, I would never have made this proposal. Please calm down, Chairman." .¡±
Lao Jiang¡¯s facial expression, stiff with anger, finally changed slightly.
After taking a deep breath, he calmed down the pent-up anger in his heart. Lao Jiang said in as calm a tone as possible: "It's not that I don't want to break with the National Defense Forces and engage in a decisive battle with the National Defense Forces, but our Central Army has not yet eliminated the strength of the National Defense Forces At least one thing. On an economic basis, we have Far inferior to the National Defense Forces.¡±
"Without strong economic support, how could you allow millions of Central Army officers and soldiers to work for us on the battlefield Therefore, if we want to have a decisive battle with the National Defense Forces as soon as possible, it will become a joke for the National Defense Forces to appoint the Minister of Finance. The economy must be developed as soon as possible so that the central government no longer has to worry about money."
At this moment, Kong Xiangxi¡¯s first thought was that he was unlucky. Why did we encounter such a time? Without thinking, he assured Lao Jiang: "Please rest assured, Chairman, I will organize economic experts to find ways to solve economic problems after I return."
After saying that, without waiting for Chiang Kai-shek's reaction, he fled Chiang Kai-shek's office.
After returning to his office, Kong Xiangxi¡¯s nervous heart calmed down. Then, he began to think about what he had just seen in Lao Jiang's office.
"With only 350,000 new recruits, the National Defense Forces defeated the Soviet Far East Red Army's 600,000-strong army. It also captured Tukhachevsky, Chief of General Staff of the Soviet Red Army"
Three hundred and fifty thousand new recruits can defeat the Soviet Red Army that is twice its size, not to mention the millions of field troops that the Wehrmacht has been reorganizing for a year.
For a time, Kong Xiangxi, who was high in the National Government, also felt a sense of fear towards the powerful National Defense Force.
And at this moment, an idea that startled him suddenly appeared in Kong Xiangxi's mind.
Since the 350,000 new recruits of the Wehrmacht can defeat the Soviet Red Army that is twice its size, then once the main force of the Wehrmacht goes south with all its strength. Will the Central Army, which has less than two million troops and not many technical arms, be the same as the Soviet Far East Red Army? Facing the end of annihilation of the entire army
The two million central government troops were completely destroyed, and the Nanjing central government came to an end. Under such circumstances, what will happen to me as the Minister of Finance of the Nanjing National Government?
Thinking of this, beads of sweat quickly poured out of Kong Xiangxi¡¯s forehead.
"No, you must not wait to die here, you must take the initiative, your future must be in your own hands" Kong Xiangxi thought to himself.
After calling his confidants, he ordered: "I don't care what method you use, at all costs, to find out the true strength of the National Defense Forces in the shortest possible time, as soon as possible"
Under the money offensive, the two intelligence agencies under the National Government mastered all information about national defense.All the information was sent to Kong Xiangxi¡¯s office.
Faced with the information about the National Defense Forces that far exceeded his imagination, Kong Xiangxi finally understood why Chiang Kai-shek showed a heartfelt expression of helplessness when he talked about the National Defense Forces
I always thought that after Chiang Kai-shek took the position of chairman, he gradually lost his enterprising spirit. Now it seems that it is not that Chiang Kai-shek has lost his enterprising spirit, but that the enemy he faces is too powerful.
Facing the overwhelming superiority of the National Defense Forces, Chiang Kai-shek could only pin his hopes on the two great powers, the Soviet Union and Japan. If these two great powers have nothing to do with the National Defense Forces, then Chiang Kai-shek will have no choice but to maintain good relations with the National Defense Forces and avoid a war between the two armies. Otherwise, what awaits the Central Army will be disaster
"Now it seems that the trend of the National Defense Forces to unify the country is no longer reliable. The only uncertainty is the issue of time" Kong Xiangxi secretly analyzed in his heart after reading the telegram.
Since the Nanjing Central Government has no hope, I feel that I cannot be stupid enough to be buried with the Nanjing Central Government, but I must find another way out for myself.
At this moment, because Chiang Kai-shek had just taken power not long ago, the "four major families" in history have not yet truly developed. That is to say. Currently, Kong Xiangxi does not have many assets except that he serves as the Minister of Finance of the Nanjing National Government.
And in this troubled world. Not having enough assets means that you don¡¯t have many options.
So, a bold conspiracy slowly formed in Kong Xiangxi¡¯s mind.
??Use the final stage of the Nanjing central government and use your current status to make a good fortune in the Ministry of Finance. Only in this way can you have enough capital to find another way out for yourself.
¡°Corruption will never work
With the Nanjing central government¡¯s economy in such a sluggish state, corruption will not only fail to help them obtain enough wealth, but may also send them into an abyss. There is no turning around. Therefore, as soon as this idea appeared in his mind, he was rejected by the rational Kong Xiangxi.
After locking himself in the office for half a day, Kong Xiangxi finally walked out of the office.
¡°On the surface, Kong Xiangxi¡¯s face looked exhausted. However, if you look carefully, you will find that underneath the tired expression. Kong Xiangxi's eyes were radiating two sharp glances.
After a good day¡¯s rest at home, Kong Xiangxi appeared in Chiang Kai-shek¡¯s office again.
Facing Lao Jiang's confused look at him, Kong Xiangxi reported bluntly: "Chairman, I have a way to solve the government's economic crisis and allow the army to obtain a large amount of military expenditures in a short period of time However, this method can only It can be used in the short term. It will also have a certain impact on the future of the country¡¯s economy¡¡±
"Lao Jiang's eyes lit up and he spoke eagerly: "As long as we can solve the military expenditure problem of the troops, the impact will be"
After finishing speaking, Lao Jiang realized that he had just lost his composure because he was too excited.
Explaining to the astonished Kong Xiangxi: "Minister Song, you have also seen Dai Yunong's intelligence. Since the National Defense Forces have defeated the Soviet Far East Red Army, it is not too late for them to continue moving south. Under such circumstances, we must Heavy troops are deployed on the front lines in Henan and Anhui to block possible attacks by the National Defense Forces on us."
"However, if you want to mobilize troops and fight a war, sufficient military expenditures are necessary. If there are no sufficient military expenditures, the soldiers will not work for us. You don't know, in the past two days, I have been worried about military expenditures. My hair is almost turning gray"
"So, as long as it can solve the current military expenditure problem, any method can be used. As for the possible impact and problems on the future economy, we will find ways to solve it in the future"
Hearing the veteran¡¯s answer, Kong Xiangxi was certain that under such circumstances, his proposal would definitely be supported by Chiang Kai-shek.
After quickly sorting out the thoughts in his mind, he reported to Lao Jiang: "Chairman, my idea is to increase the issuance of legal tender. In two years, we have issued approximately 1.3 billion yuan in legal tender across the country. As of now. Look, the strength of legal currency is completely beyond our imagination. Under such circumstances, we can completely issue an additional 200 million yuan of legal currency to use as military expenditure"
"Is this a good way to increase the issuance of legal currency" Lao Jiang asked with a hint of doubt.
Kong Xiangxi explained: "Chairman, this is the problem I just mentionedissuance of an additional 200 million French currency means that the 1.3 billion French currency circulating in the hands of the Chinese people will depreciate by 15%. There is no other If there is no solution, we can only use this method to obtain military expenditures from the Chinese people in disguise"
"A 15% depreciation is still within the tolerable range" After hearing that there were no other problems except currency depreciation, Lao Jiang couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and said to Kong Xiangxi.?I comforted.
Then, he decisively ordered: "Minister Kong, military expenditure is important, so we will do as you say. We will issue an additional 200 million legal tender this year, and all the additional legal tender will be used for war and military expenses As for the harm caused by the additional currency issuance to the economic and financial markets, After blocking the possible attack by the National Defense Forces, we will find a solution"
"Please rest assured, Chairman, I will never let the Chairman down. I will send 200 million French currency to the Chairman within half a month." Kong Xiangxi, who had accomplished the plot, assured loudly.
When Kong Xiangxi left Chiang Kai-shek's office with satisfaction, a strange smile quickly flashed across Kong Xiangxi's face.
You must know that the so-called issuance of an additional 200 million French currency is just a trap set by Kong Xiangxi to Chiang Kai-shek. It is a trap full of temptations, and as long as you step in with one foot, you will go further and further away.
By issuing an additional 200 million French currency, Kong Xiangxi could use the price difference after the depreciation of the French currency to use his position as Minister of Finance to obtain gold and silver worth 2 million French currency from banks and the black market. However, Kong Xiangxi's appetite is far more than just two million French currency, but tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions.
In Kong Xiangxi¡¯s eyes, the additional 200 million legal tender issued looks like a lot on the surface, but when it is actually used in the war, it will be discovered that the 200 million legal tender that gradually begins to depreciate will not last long at all.
When the 200 million legal currency is exhausted and Chiang Kai-shek starts to worry about military expenditures again, he has already had an empty hand once, and Chiang Kai-shek, who has directly issued an additional 200 million legal currency, will definitely turn his thoughts on himself again. At that time, the additional currency issued will not only be 200 million, but hundreds of millions, or even one billion
As long as the war continues, Chiang Kai-shek will fall into the dead end of constantly issuing more currency.
¡°And I, by virtue of my status as Minister of Finance, can use the price difference before and after the currency devaluation to resell the currency, earn enough silver and gold from the central bank, and ship it abroad, leaving myself a way to escape and live abroad.
For this good wish, just after returning to his office, the governor of the only central bank under the National Government that can issue currency was called to Kong Xiangxi¡¯s office.
After showing Chiang Kai-shek's order to the bank president, the legal currency printing factory affiliated to the Nanjing Central Bank immediately opened up at full capacity, just like a production line, and began to produce the military expenses that Chiang Kai-shek urgently needed.
Minister of Finance Kong Xiangxi used the price difference before and after the devaluation of the legal currency to continuously withdraw gold and silver from the central bank in his capacity as Minister of Finance