69novels Chapter 272 A Bright Future for Money
Chapter 272 A Bright Future for Money
At the Jining military camp, the autumn night wind was exceptionally cold, like a fine knife scraping across the ground.
However, the office on the second floor of the command post was warm and inviting. Steam rose from the white enamel mug on the mahogany desk. Chen Zijun sat upright in his chair, his eyes slightly closed as he rubbed his temples.
"Young Marshal, after this battle, the entire Shandong Plain will finally be at peace."
Shen Li placed a stack of military reports on the table, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"The Battle of Xuzhou wiped out 150,000 Fengtian troops. We captured 70,000 to 80,000 prisoners, enough to reorganize three or four more divisions. And with the fall of Jining, the Fengtian clique's resources within the Great Wall are completely gone. Now, northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong have become the defense zones of our Chen family army."
"Fengtian outside the Great Wall was bombed to pieces by the Japanese, and the north will not be peaceful for long."
Chen Zijun smiled faintly, not looking at the report, but instead casting his gaze into the void in front of him.
With a slight thought, a pale blue illusory light curtain unfolded in mid-air.
[Unlimited Pay-to-Win System Panel]
Current funds: £6,543,876
[Daily Increase in Funds]: £1.5 per second (continuously soaring)
[Current troop strength]: Five fully-equipped German-trained infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht, four reorganized divisions of the Central Army, three reorganized independent mixed brigades of the Central Army, two heavy artillery brigades, the First Destroyer Fleet, a submarine fleet, two armored divisions, the First Motorized Infantry Division, etc.
[System Notification]: The achievement of "East China Overlord" has been achieved, with daily income increasing by 100% and daily funds increasing to 1.5 pounds * 2 = 3 pounds per second! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the "Military Industry Engine"!! Unlocking the "Naval and Air Force Basic Technology Tree" and the "Heavy Industry Production Line Template".
"More than thirty million pounds..."
Chen Zijun looked at the constantly changing numbers, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.
Although the Chen family army consumed a large amount of ammunition and fuel in the battles of Xuzhou and Jining, the system funds they received made up for it many times over. The "East China Overlord" achievement determined by the system not only unlocked the basic technology trees of the navy and air force, but also directly obtained the "heavy industry assembly line template" that he had been dreaming of.
In this era of cannons, warships, and naval and air dominance, without a true navy and air force and the ability to manufacture self-sufficient industries, one is nothing more than a fat sheep in the eyes of the great powers.
"Shen Li, you can go now. Have the guard regiment impose a one-kilometer radius lockdown on me." Chen Zijun composed himself. "I need to make a top-secret phone call with Shanghai."
"Yes, young marshal!" Shen Li stood at attention crisply, saluted, and turned to leave the office.
Click.
The moment the door lock clicked shut, Chen Zijun reached out and grasped the black, top-secret military telephone on his desk, gently shaking the dialer.
"Connect me to Shanghai, to the Southeast Central Bank headquarters, and ask for President Mo Huixin." Chen Zijun's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable authority.
After a few minutes of connection work, a gentle and clear female voice finally came through the receiver, tinged with weariness, yet brightening the moment Chen Zijun's voice was heard:
"Young Master? Is that you?"
"Sister Huixin, it's me." Upon hearing Mo Huixin's voice, that icy, stern demeanor instantly transformed into a warm current, causing Mo Huixin's heart to tremble.
The coldness in Chen Zijun's eyes melted, and his tone softened, "It's so late, haven't you rested yet?"
"The Southeast Central Bank has just been established, and the liquidation of assets transferred from the French Concession has reached its most critical stage. How can anyone sleep at night?"
Mo Huixin sighed softly on the other end of the phone, then her tone became extremely serious, "But I have good news for you. Through Lily Kurrag's dark smuggling routes in Europe, the tax settlement of our five provinces this month, and the conversion of the gold seized from Sassoon and opium merchants, the accounts at headquarters are now completely in order."
Mo Huixin paused slightly, then lowered her voice and continued her report: "Currently, the reserves and special funds of the Southeast Central Bank have been converted into 51.8 million pounds in physical wealth. This amount is more than enough to support thirty fully-equipped German-trained divisions in a year of high-intensity combat. I have already transferred the resettlement allowances and special allowances for the first batch of German submarine veterans going to Mawei, Fujian, through secret channels."
"Sister Huixin, thank you for your hard work. Southeast University owes its success to you." Chen Zijun said sincerely.
"Why are you being so polite with me?"
Mo Huixin chuckled softly, then asked with some concern, "I heard that you scared the special envoy sent by Principal Chang so much in Jining today that he wet his pants? And you even forcibly drew a red line for the defense zone?"
"Chang Guangtou doesn't have the guts to confront the Japanese, but he's always thinking about coming to my defense zone to freeload. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll really think he's the master of the world."
Chen Zijun sneered, "However, the situation in the north is now completely chaotic, and the Japanese Kwantung Army could enter the pass at any time. We must get our industrial engines running as fast as possible."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I need to immediately expand the Ma'anshan Arsenal at three times the speed. In addition, the Mawei Shipyard and Jiangnan Shipyard also need to speed up their operations. I just received a batch of very important blueprints, including advanced submarines for the Navy, and... aircraft manufacturing technology for the Air Force."
Mo Huixin was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone. She naturally knew what Chen Zijun meant by "getting the blueprints". Over the past six months, the endless stream of amazing weapons and equipment produced by the Chen family army had made her accustomed to Chen Zijun's almost miraculous "golden touch".
"Okay, as long as the blueprints and technology are in place, you don't need to worry about funding. The engineers and senior technicians that Lily brought back from Western Europe have been settled and are ready to start production at any time," Mo Huixin replied decisively.
"Okay, also keep an eye on the movements of the people in Nanjing and Japan. We've expanded too much, so there's bound to be more rats. Take care of yourself. I'll go back to Shanghai after I've finished dealing with things in Jining."
"I know, young master. Take care in the north."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Zijun's eyes became fervent again.
He stared at the exchange shop on the system panel, and with a wave of his hand, transferred out the accumulated system points and funds!
[System Notification]: You have successfully redeemed [High-Precision German-Made Heavy Industrial Machine Tool Blueprints and Alloy Smelting Processes] by spending £150 million and corresponding points!
[System Notification]: You have spent £3.5 million to successfully redeem [Complete set of production blueprints and core engine parameters for the Italian S.55 twin-engine seaplane bomber/American Curtiss P-6E Hawk fighter jet]!
[System Notification]: You have spent £400 million to successfully redeem the [Complete Version of U-VII Submarine Production and Manufacturing Process and Diesel Engine Heavy Industry Blueprints]!
[System Notification]: You have spent £400 million to successfully redeem [a complete set of German-made heavy armored vehicle production blueprints and engine core parameters]!
As stacks of top-secret blueprints, shimmering with blue light, appeared out of thin air in the briefcase beside his desk, Chen Zijun took a deep breath.
With these, Chen Jiajun's military manufacturing will completely break free from its dependence on the great powers' "imported parts assembly" and enter a true era of "independent and self-reliant production"!
He immediately beckoned Shen Li and handed him six thick briefcases.
"Shen Li, use a guard battalion to deliver these important blueprints and technical documents to Sister Huixin in Shanghai. She can then distribute them to Ma'anshan Iron and Steel Plant, Jiangnan Heavy Industry Group, Jiangnan Shipyard, and Fujian Mawei Shipyard, so they can immediately assimilate the technology by comparing it with the German engineering team that Lili brought back! By the way, I heard that President Yuan also built an arsenal in southwestern Shandong back then? What was it called again?"