afterglow

Chapter 382 Generals and handsome men; get ready to crack the hard nut.

Since last year, Zhu Lingjing has often been obsessed with Zhou's future development, which is somewhat similar to a boss' cultivation and paving the way for his subordinates.

At first, since he didn't seem to like socializing, Zhu Lingjing thought of simply developing him as a general and simply focusing on military affairs.

But things have changed now. After his own reminders and suggestions, he has indeed begun to socialize with powerful businessmen one after another, and his popularity is quite good.

In this case, he seems to have the necessary abilities to be handsome.

In the classical sense, a marshal is higher than a general. For example, Di Renjie once served as the marching marshal of Hebei Province. That is to say, "Those who can lead troops are called generals; those who can lead generals are called commanders."

At this point, it is impossible to stay out of politics.

The position of marshal is not just the top of glory on the surface, because the person who becomes the marshal must have the qualifications and ability to serve the masses. Otherwise, how can he lead the generals?

At the same time, you must also be able to establish good relationships with big shots in the political and business circles, otherwise they will hinder and hold you back in all aspects.

However, Zhu Shiyan was not optimistic about his daughter's idea. He felt that someone like Zhou was not easy to control and not reliable enough. He said that Zhou "should be the choice of the general", which meant that he did not recommend that he go there. Marshal development.

His words were a bit cryptic, maybe because he thought he might have made a mistake.

Maybe Zhu Lingjing didn't realize it, or maybe she ignored it on purpose.

"Okay, Your Majesty, the General Staff Office of the Governor's Office is here at any time. As for the General Staff University...I don't know yet, but as usual, most of the last semester has passed."

"it is good."

Cheng Han didn't put down the phone until the other end of the phone hung up first.

His eyes fell on the table motionlessly, but his mind had already drifted far away.

Zhou's path to promotion seems to be changing, but... different paths lead to the same destination.

That night, Zhou Changfeng dragged his tired body back home. Today he was busy all afternoon, and his voice was hoarse because he talked too much.

However, as soon as he got home, he learned some not-so-good news from his wife.

"Sir, there was a call from the palace earlier, relaying that His Majesty ordered you to report to the Staff College as soon as possible." Xia Xiaoshi's expression was a little strange, and she obviously didn't know why.

"Staff University?" Zhou Changfeng was sipping Coca-Cola from the glass bottle at this time. The cold touch and the stimulation of the bubbles were actually too enjoyable.

Unlike the four major military academies that train junior officers, the Ming Army Staff University is a place responsible for cultivating and educating senior military personnel. The minimum "student" enrolled is a major.

Generally speaking, majors and lieutenant colonels will study majors such as campaign research, military training, logistics management, staff business, etc., and they will become mid-to-high-level professional officers.

But colonels and brigadiers are different. They come here to learn to command large corps in combat, and their training direction is combat command.

"..." Zhou Changfeng explained to his wife the matters related to the Staff College, and then complained helplessly: "I didn't expect that I still have to study at this point!"

It's a great thing. This guy can stay in Beijing and won't have to go to a foreign country thousands of miles away for the time being.

Xia Xiaoshi, who was in a very good mood, joked: "Hey, Zhou Kexing, didn't you pride yourself on your academic excellence in the past? Why are you tired of studying now?"

"Just because I'm good at reading doesn't mean I like reading." After saying that, Zhou Changfeng reached out and pinched her waist.

"Hey, but I'm different. I love the days when I went to school."

After a few nonsensical quarrels, the two of them immediately returned to business.

"I plan to send Jian Jian to my parents when she is older. It is too boring to stay at home like this. Sir~" Xia Xiaoshi came to Zhou Changfeng's side, her words were a bit coquettish.

The latter hesitated: "They usually have to work, so it's inconvenient."

"That's right. Then... let's hire someone to help take care of him. I will go back to teach then."

"Okay, it's up to you." Zhou Changfeng laughed dumbly.

No wonder Xia's father and mother expressed a sense of relief when they went to Xia's house.

When he first met Xia Xiaoshi, he made a keen and accurate judgment from the beginning - it would be difficult for a girl like her to get married.

Being highly educated means having "more" ideas. As the saying goes, it means being more thoughtful and particular.

This is obviously not in line with traditional values. Well-matched men will immediately exclude her - Oh, why would I find a wife who doesn't worry about her?

Fortunately, Zhou, as a time traveler, has witnessed the chaos of demons washed away by the post-modern ideological trend of the 21st century. In his eyes, Xia Xiaoshi's character is simply not worth mentioning compared to the women of later generations.

From this perspective, the two of them are truly a match made in heaven.

We must know that in this era, most married women in various countries around the world are housewives. There are not many positions for women, and the corresponding rights are also few.

Historically, Britain, the United States and Germany granted women the right to vote in the 20s, while France did not ratify it until the 40s.

During the war, as many men enlisted in the army, vacant labor positions had to be filled by women. For example, in the United States, approximately 1200 million women were recruited to work in factories, including arsenals, shipyards, automobile manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, etc.

In Britain, which was facing the threat directly, women who basically only worked in light industry positions before the war gradually entered heavy industry positions. In order to meet the needs of the war, many factories had to work two shifts. Factories in Glasgow and Manchester often had to work 12 hours a day. After work, they have to go home, queue up to buy daily necessities, do laundry and cook. Some people can only sleep for 4 hours a day.

Unlike those hypocritical guys who want to get something for nothing, these women in the war gained respect and rights through their own hard work.

However, the situation in the West in history can only be used as a reference, and the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty today are completely different.

Even if we calculate based on the 9000 million population compiled by local government statistics, and put the Ming Dynasty's mobilization efficiency as low as 400:[-], there are still as many as [-] million soldiers.

The huge and inexhaustible human resources have spoiled the imperial court and private enterprises in a sense. A typical example is "if you don't do it, there will be people doing it." This subtly lowers the value of "people" and triggers a series of negative consequences. Influence.

The Ming army in peacetime was also very picky, because there were only so many soldiers to recruit every year, but on the contrary, far more people came to apply than needed.

Don’t want anyone who is too tall, don’t want someone who is too short, don’t want someone who is too thin, don’t want anyone who is too fat, don’t want anyone who is too stupid, or don’t want anyone who is too smart.

What is more outrageous is that some units of the Ming Navy are even picky about their appearance. They are really spoiled.

The situation has changed in the past two years. Due to the accelerated implementation of the policy of public land redemption, more and more tenant farmers in Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces have been liberated from personal dependence.There are many people in Shanhaiguan but little land. The acres of land allocated by the government to each household are actually very small. One family only has a few or more than ten acres of land. Two laborers can handle it. But nowadays, each household often has more than [-] acres of land. As children, these people often choose to work in the city.

In this way, although Ming Dynasty has been vigorously expanding its army, the labor force has not decreased but increased, and there is no labor shortage at all.

The next day, dawn.

The gentle breeze in late spring feels particularly refreshing on the face, and the bright sunshine makes people feel a little better involuntarily.

The Bell and Drum Tower area is the commercial district in Beicheng District of Beijing. Although it is far inferior to Nancheng District, it occupies a unique position in finance. The southern section of Gulouwai Avenue is home to many group corporate headquarters, and the Yingtian Stock Exchange is also located. Here it is.

In order to know the opening price from the beginning, the door of the stock exchange was already crowded with citizens watching the market.

They came here specially early, planning to wait until they saw the opening price and analyze the stock market trend before going to their respective workplaces.

People were talking while eating breakfast. There was a different kind of "vibrantness" here.

"Brother, listen to my advice. Rongyang Cable must have potential and will take off soon. You must seize this dark horse stock." A middle-aged man who looks very knowledgeable is persuading the young people around him.

At this time, someone nearby shouted breathlessly: "That's nonsense! This stock has been falling for almost a year. Before the war, it was said that it would rise as soon as the war started, but as a result, it faltered and then fell. Then someone else advocated that When good news comes, it will rise sharply, but it is still half-dead as usual!"

"Indeed, in my opinion, it's better to be more conservative and just focus on those white horse stocks. Don't expect to get rich instantly." An elegant young man said while wiping his glasses.

Zhou Changfeng also came here with Lin Xi. He made a special trip to review the stock market to observe the economic situation of Ming Dynasty.

The two of them went out in casual clothes and were inconspicuous in the huge crowd.

Looking at the stock display board hanging outside the Yingtian Stock Exchange, Zhou Changfeng meditated a dozen times in succession and couldn't help but sigh that this was a proper bull market.

Although only a few stocks rose sharply, many other stocks rose steadily and slightly, which is considered a relatively healthy state.

Yes, at least so far, this war has had both advantages and disadvantages, and can almost be described as perfect.

Facing this situation, Lin Xi's mind suddenly flew to the sky.

She quietly left her hometown and came to Daming to pursue a new life. She thought she was great, but now she suddenly felt homesick.

The faces of my family, the smiles of my friends, the streets of my hometown, the pedestrians coming and going, the shops I often visit... the appearances of all the people and objects flashed before my eyes like a slideshow.

After this war, Lanfang has no external threats. People have been working hard to build national defense for decades. Now they can breathe a sigh of relief, right?
Zhou Changfeng on the side was thinking about the future situation and did not notice that Lin Xi's expression and eyes were different from usual.

"I'm going to the imperial city, please go back."

"Yes."

Since the Ming Dynasty launched its war against the Netherlands, the relationship between the United States and Australia has rapidly become closer.

Maritime transportation became more and more frequent, and the American merchant fleet sailing from San Francisco could be seen on the route every now and then.

They are fully loaded with machine tools and weapons and equipment ordered by Australia to expand the arsenal and army.

仅仅是最近半个月，在悉尼靠港的商船就卸下了大约3万支步枪、4000支汤姆逊冲锋枪、1200支勃朗宁自动步枪、80门75㎜野战炮、54辆M2A4轻型坦克、32架P-36A战斗机。

It is foreseeable that Australia will inevitably be deeply influenced by the United States in the next few years because the mother country is beyond its reach.

On the other hand, it will become an increasingly difficult strategic base to crack, and the national defense strength is increasing day by day. If it cannot be controlled as soon as possible, the consequences will be disastrous.

This is not only a bad thing for Ming Dynasty, but also a bad result for Britain.

If Australia and New Zealand both fall to the United States, wouldn't the British Empire completely lose its sphere of influence in Oceania?
"Have you heard? The British are also in a mess now and want to negotiate sincerely."

"Australia is such a huge treasure land that no one would be willing to part with it."

Hearing his voice before seeing him, Zhou Changfeng sensed the relaxed and contented atmosphere as soon as he walked into the governor's staff office.

Considering Australia's important strategic position, some people in the military and political circles who originally opposed it have also wavered.

Today, they finally relented, abandoned their original firm refusal, and reluctantly agreed to the plan to invade Australia with preconditions.

Most of their opinions can be summarized as requiring a strategic advantage in the war against the United States. If they can ensure a strategic advantage over the United States, they can consider mobilizing large armies to attack Luzon and Australia.

However, the United States has unparalleled industrial capabilities and two major fleets, the Pacific and Atlantic fleets. It is likely that it will avoid fighting with the Ming Navy in the early stages of the war and wait until it has an overwhelming military advantage before taking the initiative.

Therefore, everyone agreed that Pearl Harbor should be used to make a fuss.

"It's hard to chew. It's really impossible to deal with those heavy shore guns." An army colonel shook his head helplessly.

"Battleships can't defeat shore guns, and everyone installs shore guns in fortresses. The Navy's prototype carrier-based bombers that are going to be mass-produced can at most carry a thousand kilograms of armor-piercing aerial bombs, but they can only penetrate one meter. What a thickness of reinforced concrete.”

As the base of the Pacific Fleet, the strategically important island of Oahu has a considerable garrison.

The Americans, who do not have many standing troops in the country, have deployed an infantry division and an armored cavalry regiment on Oahu. Although they are both under-staffed, after several months of replenishment, they are almost fully equipped. It's full.

Excluding coastal defense artillery and militia, there are nearly 2 mobile troops and hundreds of tanks.

In addition, thanks to the naval treaty, old battleships were dismantled, and the main guns of the unfinished Lexington-class battlecruisers were also idle. The Americans deployed these spare guns as coastal defense guns. Oahu.

小小的瓦胡岛上拥有24门305㎜岸防炮、2门356㎜岸防炮、4门406㎜岸防炮、32门203㎜岸防炮，它们有的被布置在坚固的钢筋混凝土堡垒中，有的被安装在开放式环形炮台上。

This is only the current situation. Historically, with the outbreak of war, Oahu's defense strength has been strengthened every year.

[picture]

Zhou Changfeng stared at Oahu on the sand table and said calmly: "It is impossible to win easily all the time. You have to chew hard bones. Be mentally prepared for tens of thousands of casualties."

Someone smiled bitterly and said: "It's not a question of how many casualties there are, it's a question of whether we can capture it after the casualties."

(End of this chapter)