afterglow

Chapter 545: A series of problems and constraints; the emergence of imitations
Luo Fu tried his best to dissuade Mr. Zhou from causing trouble. Why should a matter that can be solved with a phone call end badly after returning home?

"Indeed, that would work, but the effect would definitely not be good."

"Hey, I have to make a big show of it..."

Zhou Changfeng refused to go back, and the two came to two black cars parked at the corner of the street.

Several attendants and soldiers saluted cooperatively, and then opened the car door.

Then, the two cars started to turn and drove to the gate of Yingtian Mansion. They slowed down slightly and rushed in regardless.

The sudden arrival of the uninvited guest shocked everyone. Zhou Changfeng asked Fu Yin to come over by name. He had something to ask.

However, a busy person like the top leader in the capital is not something you can just meet. He is not in the official office now, and only Tong Zhicheng Duan was the last one to come.

"It has been three or four days since the insurance fraud incident broke out. How are the following counties handling it? Don't tell me that you are still discussing it."

Cheng Zhengduan was baffled by Zhou's instigation of an investigation - not to mention three or four days, the official process took more than that, not to mention that Yingtian Mansion had not received any official documents from Shangyuan County and Jiangning County.

"I wanted to get angry, but suddenly I lost my temper." Zhou Changfeng sighed, "It's just ambiguous nonsense! The old cunning bureaucrat is really frustrating."

"Zhou Taizhao actually came here specifically for this matter. I'm sorry for neglecting it. Can we go to the house to discuss it in detail?" He made a gesture of invitation.

Another direct influence on today's major wars is the lack of experience in large-scale warfare.

"No, I'm back home now. Madam can smell it."

"Hey, Zhou Dizhao, the army has military laws, and the government also has rules and regulations. There are procedures and procedures to follow, otherwise wouldn't it be chaos?" Cheng Zhengduan was also worried that it would cause some trouble, so he explained in a good voice. With.

"Suddenly you feel how the former emperor felt, right?"

"No, what can we talk about in a few words?"

I'm just asking, but I don't know if it can be done.

"I said you should stop worrying about these things and focus on the military." Luo Fu handed him a cigarette.

Officials like Cheng Zhengduan speak in an airtight manner and can't find any faults.

"If everyone cooperates, it will generally be possible."

"It seems that work efficiency needs to be improved." Zhou Changfeng smiled and said pleasantly: "What's the use of having a good attitude but no action?"

Zhou Changfeng didn't bother to talk to him anymore, so he got in the car and left.

"Uh..." Cheng Zhengduan's expression remained unchanged, "I have also heard about this matter. Why should you worry? Don't worry, I will definitely give an explanation. It's just that communication between superiors and subordinates cannot be completed overnight."

"It's scary. I thought you were going to make a scene here." Luo Fu said in confusion.

The implication is that I already know this, so don’t push me.

Luo Fu was afraid that someone Zhou would get angry in public here, so he hurriedly said: "With Cheng Tongzhi watching, this matter can be resolved properly."

"Cut them all!"

As a late-developing industrial country, Ming Dynasty missed the first industrial revolution and finally caught the last train at the end of the second industrial revolution. Although it was basically on par with the West on the surface, there were still gaps in the disciplinary system and technological foundation.

The lack of ideological attention is obviously not something that can be solved with a few sermons. Some of the hidden problems of Ming Dynasty are gradually being exposed.

"In this way, today and tomorrow, we will first complete the basic investigation."

When it comes to classical warfare, China's mobilization efficiency and level are undoubtedly far ahead, but that is ultimately the glory of the past. How to more thoroughly explore national power in modern wars is easier said than done.

It is true that the Ming Dynasty took advantage of the European War to strengthen itself and gained a lot of first-hand war experience for nothing, but it did not pay heavy casualties and laid the root of mutual disaster.

It was only after the Battle of the Marne and the Battle of the Somme that Britain and France suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties that they began to improvise reforms and improve the messy military pension and disability benefits systems.

How to accurately complete the aftermath affairs that match the war? How to take care of the tens of thousands of pensions and dependents of disabled soldiers? This can be directly related to military morale.

Zhou Changfeng had noticed the shortcomings of his country in this regard as early as the end of the Battle of Demaji. Unfortunately, the sound he made was like a pebble thrown into Xuanwu Lake, causing a few ripples and then disappearing.

Sometimes I feel that the world seems to be a huge grass-roots team, with constraints everywhere and endless negligence. It will never take the initiative to change unless it suffers a big loss.

Zhou Changfeng gave up his plan to make a fuss in public - to be honest, he was a little tired.

Therefore, Zhu Lingjing felt incredible - the sun was out in the west, but this guy didn't do anything on the spot?
What happened to Pingjiang Bo's second son a few months ago was still vivid in her mind. She felt that Mr. Zhou had made some progress and was becoming more measured.

"Looking at their posture, they will definitely not be able to figure out the reason for ten days and a half." Zhou Changfeng sighed: "It's so careless."

"It's not like you. People only care about their own affairs. If you do more in the officialdom, you will make more mistakes." Zhu Lingjing, with a relaxed expression, gently shook the folding fan, "You can't deal with those slick guys, do your job well." That’s it. These problems will be solved, but not overnight.”

"There are many similar things. Previously, the 1st Marine Brigade and the 38th Division reported to me that among the letters they received before departing from Meaux (Molesby), there were a lot of breakup letters, which was serious. It affects morale, and supervision in this area must be strengthened quickly." Zhou Changfeng expressed concern about this.

Zhu Lingjing frowned slightly and said thoughtfully: "I have heard that this is a difficult problem that cannot be solved except by temporarily detaining or persuading."

Many seemingly insignificant things can significantly damage morale, especially when they add up to a greater impact.

Prior to this, the Ming army's expedition to Nanyang was generally relatively smooth, with few casualties. However, as the target was adjusted to the distant Hawaii, public opinion changed.

Alarmist remarks about Hawaii being easy to defend and difficult to attack were circulated among the people. Some newspapers and radio programs discussed it with displeasure, and even estimated that 100,000 casualties would be needed to succeed.

This has led many girlfriends or fiancées of officers and soldiers to choose to write breakup letters. The most typical rhetoric is this:
"It's okay if you die for your country, but if you are injured and disabled, but you are still alive, missing legs, arms, and blind eyes, what will you do in the future? I am really scared and can't imagine..." Fortunately, we captured Wa The follow-up battle on Hu Island went relatively smoothly, and the rumors that were popular among the people did not come true.

Similar breakup letters before war are a common phenomenon around the world. Historically, the same situation also existed in the United States during the same period. Such breakup letters sent from the mainland often started with "Dear John". Because of their large number and wide influence, they even became Synonymous with breakup letters and breakup letters.

"If you have a girl, you have to marry your neighbor, but if you give birth to a boy, you have to marry the other side." Zhu Lingjing recited a famous line from "The Troops and Chariots".

Zhou Changfeng looked at her and said seriously: "Your Majesty, I think it is necessary to legislate and promulgate new express laws to reduce this situation, especially to prevent young people from taking advantage of the situation. Only in this way can the frontline soldiers fight with peace of mind and stabilize the situation. morale.”

"Yes, that's right." Zhu Lingjing, thoughtful, waved and smiled: "Go to the Consultative Council, it's your chance to shine, see if you can convince the public."

Legislative power rests in the hands of the Consultative Council. Although those who are appointed will definitely vote in accordance with the emperor's wishes, some elected members and special members must be represented to ensure the passage of legislative proposals.

What also alarmed Zhou Changfeng was the issue of military spending. There were rumors that some people proposed to moderately reduce the military budget and invest more funds in economic construction.

This is undoubtedly very funny. Now that the overall situation has turned into a stage of strategic stalemate, the possibility of the enemy bending the knee and seeking peace is very slim. What our side should do is to do everything possible to accumulate strength. How can there be any reason to abandon martial arts?

Zhou Changfeng really wanted to see who could come up with such an unrealistic and ridiculous proposal.

At the emperor's place, he also saw the completed reports for the first half of the year, which were quite good in terms of data alone.

In the six months from January to June, a total of 739.5 million tons of steel, 4.1 tons of aluminum and 104 million tons of sulfuric acid were produced.

It can be said that war mobilization is effective, but some groups want to stop it as soon as it starts to take off. No wonder it is said that the enemy is not outside but inside.

The Ming Dynasty's iron and steel industry was limited by the supply of raw materials, which was limited by the inherent shortcomings of China's iron ore resources—more poor ores and less rich ores, which significantly affected the production efficiency of iron and steelmaking.

Unlike later generations, which were able to import large quantities of high-grade iron ore, Australia's large iron ore mines have not yet been developed. Daming's access to high-quality raw materials is very single, either by importing scrap steel from the United States or iron ore from Brazil.

Because of this, in fact, Daming's steel industry still mainly relies on low-grade iron ore mined locally. Otherwise, if high-quality raw materials can be supplied in sufficient quantities, steel production can be much higher.

The performance of the electrolytic aluminum industry is very stable. Within half a year, 4.1 tons of finished aluminum materials were produced, only a part of which is enough to meet the needs of aircraft manufacturing.

During this period, the number of aircraft of various types shipped from the factory reached 4220. Except for supplementary losses, the expansion of the naval aviation and air force was not large. Nearly a quarter of these thousands of aircraft were orders from various vassal countries.

The Annan Royal Air Force alone ordered 230 fighter jets, 54 dive bombers, 72 light bombers, and 25 transport aircraft to supplement the losses in a series of battles in the South Asian subcontinent.

"Your Majesty, these data look very good and should be maintained." Zhou Changfeng took another look and put the report back in the imperial cabinet.

A manager who was present at the meeting said in a deep voice: "It's hard to say. We also want to get the best of both worlds, but such discovery and mobilization will inevitably slow down economic construction. The focus of the debate in the Consultative Council in August and September was whether to cut the budget. Or print more money.”

"They are very cautious."

"After all, this is a major event for the country, and it's the first time. You can't be cautious."

Excessive military spending is a heavy burden and will affect normal economic construction and social operations.

In the thirty-seventh year of the Ming Dynasty, the fiscal expenditure budget of the Ming Dynasty was 248 billion yuan, including 69 billion yuan for military expenditure.

In the thirty-eighth year of Emperor Chang's reign, the fiscal expenditure plan was 255 billion yuan, including 96 billion yuan for military expenditure and an additional 31 billion yuan for the pacification of Japan.

In the 282th year of Zhichang's reign, the fiscal expenditure plan was 188 billion yuan. Due to the outbreak of war, military expenditure soared to billion yuan.

The imperial court has so many expenses to do every year. In addition to education and research funds, there are also construction of roads, railways, bridges, factories, etc. If funds are limited, it will have to cut spending on basic economic construction to avoid deficits.

But if you want to continue construction, you will have to make ends meet and run into a deficit. The common countermeasures are to issue public bonds and print more money.

Due to the historical lessons of the excessive issuance of Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes and Ming Dynasty official bills, the imperial court was neurotic about the countermeasure of printing more banknotes and tried its best to avoid it, for fear that it would get out of hand and lead to hyperinflation, even though it was actually one of the feasible methods.

Proposing a large amount of additional banknotes has even become a taboo in the court, and will attract various criticisms.

Last year, the Ming court and local governments issued a total of 90.4 billion yuan in various public bonds. Due to repeated victories and strong public confidence, all the public bonds issued were subscribed. However, in the same year, only 1.3 million yuan of additional banknotes were issued, which can be said to be quite cautious.

In the past six months of this year, 61 billion yuan of various public bonds have been issued, but not all of them have been subscribed. There is still about 7 million yuan that has not been subscribed. Although victories continue to emerge and the people are rejoicing, everyone really does not have much money left on hand.

Judging from the paper data, Zhou Changfeng feels that Daming's current situation is good, but if you look deeper, you will find many flaws and hidden dangers.

It is necessary to ensure both military strength and economic construction, but due to various constraints and restrictions, it is unable to let go and appears to be constrained.

The more truths he knew, the more worrying he became. Zhou Changfeng felt that he might be worried too, and he couldn't help but wonder how Zhu Lingjing managed to deal with it calmly.

"Just get used to it." She waved her hand and closed the folding fan, and said lightly: "Do your job, you are not the only sensible person in the world who is worried about this."

After returning to his usual office and checking in, Zhou Changfeng was depressed for a while, then had two drinks and began to review the two stacks of files piled up in front of his desk.

Regarding the subsequent dispatch of missions and study groups to Europe, all departments responded positively and listed items one by one that needed to be purchased or learned from.

A report submitted by the Metropolitan Government Intelligence Office is also worthy of vigilance - in the fighting that broke out on the Iberian Peninsula, the Americans were suspected of using a new type of infantry anti-tank weapon.

The source of the information is the Germans. It is said that many of their tanks have been destroyed as a result. The German Socialist War Council issued an emergency order instructing frontline troops to add additional protection to the tanks in response.

The seemingly vague description is actually easy to guess the truth.

Zhou Changfeng closed his eyes and thought for a while, then said to himself: "Three months...half a year, it seems about the same. The time is right."

Ming-made 37-type rocket launchers and their imitations have appeared on so many battlefields around the world. Although it is not known where the Americans obtained the actual objects, a few months of work is enough to mass-produce such a simple thing. .

It seems that countermeasures are being implemented.

(End of this chapter)