Chapter 352: Public hatred and private friendship
At Huangpu Port in Guangzhou, the sun shines across the sky and the water surface is slightly undulating. Several ocean ferries are docking in the dock area. These ships are all passenger ships heading to Yokohama Port in Japan.
The civil exchanges between Hualian and Japan have never been cut off, and the matter of sending international students is often there, but trade transactions are really very rare. This is not only because of trade barriers between each other, but also because of increasingly fierce military and political conflicts.
There are crowds of people in the dock, but under the guidance of the staff, it is orderly. Although it is a little noisy because of the large number of passengers, it is not chaotic. Each dock has its own waiting area, and the seat distribution is clear at a glance, and the concept of uniformity and standardization is revealed everywhere.
There are also uniformed policemen at the door who are responsible for maintaining public order and some trivial matters, such as guiding the direction for tourists from other places, and their work is not leisurely.
From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, with the increase of modern water transportation vehicles, Guangzhou Inner Port Wharf was spread all over the front and rear waterways. The "Guangzhou Port Map" compiled and painted by Hualian in 1934 marked the docks and commercial ports opened by the government and private capital, and more than 50 navigation beacons were set up in Baietan alone.
A long time ago, Guangzhou Port was divided into outer ports and inner ports. During the Southern Dynasties, when Buddhism invaded the east, the bald Bodhidharma arrived in the west at the place where Guangzhou landed in the first place, and the Datong Ancient Port at the exit of Huadi River during the Song Dynasty, was a little far from the city at that time and also had the nature of an outer port.
The most important outer port in Guangzhou is Fuxu Port near the Nanhai Temple. After the Ming Dynasty, silt and silt caused the port to move out of Huangpu Village in Pazhou again, and it was named Huangpu Port.
Two years ago, the "Huangpu New Port", which is the so-called Huangpu Port, was built six thousand meters above the Sea Cucumber Temple.
In the Pier 11 of Huangpu Port, two handsome young men were making their final farewell. Zhou Mingyu looked at Keikitaro who was boarding the boat from the pontoon bridge, and felt sad in his heart.
Because they learned similarly and had gentle and steady personalities, they were also considered close friends. However, when they recalled the tense atmosphere between China and Japan and the deepening hatred of the people towards Japan, Zhou Mingyu sighed in his heart.
He was still recalling what Qingji said when he left: "Mr. Zhou, I am really happy to hear that you did not join the army. Maybe one day, the two countries will be able to reconcile, but no matter what, I don't want to lose you as a friend."
"So too, Keiki-kun, say hello to me like Mr. Kitajima."
“I will”
At this moment, the melodious whistle sounded alarmed, interrupting Zhou Mingyu's thoughts. Keiyoshi Taro stood in front of the boat, holding the handrail tightly with his arms, and his eyes could see a faint light.
"I'm finally leaving here. I've been spending four years. I really miss you." Thinking of this in my heart, Keiki Taro's mood also became melancholy and reluctant, but when he thought of his intention to come and go, he couldn't let go.
As a spy who was highly anticipated by the empire, even if he was just a part-time job, it was not an easy job for Keiyoshi Taro. This is not only the danger, but also the huge pressure he suffered in his heart. After all, he is just a civilian, and his guilt and guilt surpass his loyalty to the emperor.
The more knowledgeable a person is, the less likely he is to be brainwashed, and he will not be easily influenced by fanatical thoughts.
Looking at his former friends saying goodbye to his recruitment on the shore of the dock, Qingji also struggled in his heart: "Farewell, Mr. Zhou, I hope we can all survive this war."
The friendship between private people seems too trivial in the collision between the two countries.
The huge figure of the cruise ship gradually drifted away and eventually disappeared at the distance between the water and the sky. I just don’t know if this parting is a temporary parting or a permanent success.
In the headquarters building of the Longteng Foundation, Song Ziwen and Gu Yuejun were arguing with something. It turned out that they were discussing the implementation of the fiat currency in the China Federation of China. There are only three places in China that cannot be extended by the fiat currency, namely the Principality of Outer Mongolia, the Puppet Manchukuo, and the China Federation.
In the spacious and comfortable meeting room, an oval conference table is very eye-catching, with thick wooden floors and warm-toned decorative views, making people feel happy.
Even in the hot summer, air conditioners provide a cool breeze.
However, the foreign trade delegation led by Song Ziwen was not addicted to it at all. Wearing a straight suit and thick black-framed glasses, we were not allowed to give in to the issue of currency dominance.
"Chairman Gu, I hope you can seriously consider our suggestions. Although Hualian is outside the government, it is not publicly recognized by the international community. Now it is incorporated into the integrated monetary system and in line with the international community, it is also a great opportunity for you."
Song Ziwen is still very polite to the chairman of the Gu Yue Army, but not because of the Gu Yue Army's talent, but because of the power he represents.
The two major foundations of Longteng and Zhongtian control the monetary dominance within the entire Hualian and are the main management agency of Huayuan. At this point, Song Ziwen believes that Gu Yuejun's words are much more useful in Bi Li Wansheng.
"Minister Song, this issue cannot be discussed. Currency is the lifeline of a country's economy. Let's not talk about the historical issues between the ** government and Hualian. Just talking about economic reforms lightly, we don't agree with your actions. Finance is higher than industry, which is not a good measure. I hope you can accept our economic planning suggestions."
Gu Yuejun did not compromise at all. Hualian has now carried out planned economic system reform, abolished the scattered model of the liberal market economy, and concentrated manpower and material resources to explore key technologies that are crucial to national development.
"Chairman Gu, as a businessman, you should also know the importance of a free economy to the development of the country. The chaos in the monetary system is not a good thing for trade between the two sides. We are not without sincerity, but we still hope that you can put forward more constructive opinions."
Seeing that the negotiations were about to fall into a deadlock, Song Ziwen no longer had any concerns and directly began to threaten with trade interests. After all, the ** government is currently the main purchaser of Hualian's industrial products and the supplier of various basic resources.
In other words, the central government is both a product market and an advantageous place of origin for raw materials. For Hualian, which is at the upstream of the production system, it can still show a certain degree of tough attitude if it can unify the internal situation.
However, Gu Yuejun was not fooled. He knew that the other party was just bluffing and was not in a hurry at the moment: "Minister Song, there is no room for negotiation on this matter. There is no doubt about Huayuan's monetary dominance in Hualian. However, the purchasing power of the legal currency can still be discussed, but it must be passed through the Industrial and Economic Union and the Trade Association. These matters cannot be decided by me."
**The main demand of the military for Hualian is the procurement of arms supplies, grain and food, as well as bulk fertilizers and feed, etc., all of which are rigid demand and will not be affected by changes in market supply and demand.
As for threatening these things, Hualian is not afraid at all, because the ** Party is now in a weak position in the trade field, and even if the conditions are negotiated, it is still lacking confidence.
The main model of the two sides in the past was to use Huayuan as the settlement standard. The central government obtained Huayuan by selling various resources to Hualian, and then used these Huayuan as the main body of funds to purchase the products and materials needed by the Party within Hualian.
This naturally means that in fact recognizes Huayuan's dominant position in China, but since 1933, this situation has been changing continuously. First, Hualian carried out planned economic system reforms, and foreign trade was unified planning by the Federation of Industry and Economics. The Trade Association is just a small department under the guidance of the Federation of Industry and Economics.
On the other hand, the Party Central Committee has begun to pay attention to the financial dominance of fiat currency and constantly emphasizes the liquidity and authority of fiat currency.
Zhong Yang was also happy that Huayuan temporarily lost its position as a mainstream currency in the ruling areas outside Hualian. Although it could not use this to plunder other regions, it also made Hualian's internal finance safer and more controllable.
Wealth is not just money, but the final interpretation of productivity and a direct reflection of the total value of products. The industrial production system is more important than finance, and the planned economic system is also more meaningful than the free economic system.
The negotiations ended up in disagreement. Song Ziwen came this time but failed to reach any useful agreement. He was becoming increasingly confused about Hualian's economic system.
According to the information collected by the ** Party at the beginning, both Chen Ze and Liu Haoran were from businessmen. Moreover, the main structure of Hualian was also chaebol politics, and civil servants and politicians were just vassals in political power.
But because of this, Song Ziwen was secretly suspicious. After many aspects of investigation and understanding, the status of the merchants within Hualian was not high. Moreover, financial transactions were also restricted, which was very different from the Western free market economic system.
If it weren't for Hualian's high-profile anti-Soviet and anti-Red, Song Ziwen almost believed that Hualian was developing a red system. However, the status of scholars, technical personnel and practitioners in the cultural field of Hualian was very high, far higher than that of businessmen, especially those engaged in financial speculation, there was no way out here.
A force that started with industry and commerce is not a mercantilist development model, which is simply beyond ordinary people's expectations.
With these confusions and concerns, Song Ziwen embarked on the way home and was unable to reach an agreement on the monetary system with Hualian, which had a huge impact on the further development plan of the ** Party.
It took only one day to return to Jinling from Guangzhou to Guangzhou. Song Ziwen went to Guangzhou this time and found nothing. With his pragmatic and capable personality, he really could not accept this result. He also studied economics and understood Gu Yuejun's position.
After all, which monetary system is the main thing that concerns life and death. In the Western world, wars that take place for currency dominance are no longer uncommon.
On the second day after returning to the Jinling imperial capital, Jiang Ruiyuan, who had just returned to Nanjing from Sichuan, urgently summoned Song Ziwen to discuss issues regarding the exchange of fiat currency and Huayuan.
"The other party's tone was unexpectedly tough."
Jiang Ruiyuan, who was tired due to the fatigue of the journey, stood in the simple study and sighed quietly. The state was difficult, and he was helpless because of this. He has been struggling on the domestic battlefield for a long time, with his powerful generals under his command and his advisers as rain.
Stand out of various warlords, achieve their current status, and join the ancient times. This is the fate of the true dragon emperor, and no one can stop him in the world.
It’s a pity that the world has changed. China is no longer the China of the past. The earth is closely connected by technology. The fortunes of various countries and ethnic groups are connected, and one moves the whole body.
In order to gain a foothold in China, Jiang Ruiyuan paid a lot, including making China a vassal in the Western world. But this was not a deliberate treason. At least in terms of culture and politics, the ** Party maintained a certain degree of autonomy, which was completely different from the Soviet Union, a loyal Soviet dog like Hongmen.
"I have asked for advice, the Gu Yue Army will not let go. I have consulted the rest of Liu Haoran, Chen Ze and others, and their attitude is exactly the same as that of the Gu Yue Army."
"Hualian is also very deep. This mysterious force has made many people unable to understand it."
When Jiang Ruiyuan and Song Ziwen were talking, Yang Yongtai also stood beside him and expressed his own opinions on the matter: "Commissioner, according to the analysis of economists from Britain and the United States, Hualian is not able to compete with our army in a comprehensive manner. He cannot compete with Japan. Even if he is ahead in some technical equipment, his comprehensive strength cannot be promoted. As long as we solve Japan's problem first, Hualian can be soldier without bloodshed."
"Commissioner, Mr. Chang Qing said it is true, but I am still worried that Hualian is completely different from other forces." Song Ziwen was born in economics. Western economy reached its peak in finance, but its foundation lies in industrial production capacity.
In the industrial age, all wealth comes from the real economy, that is, industrial production capacity. Currency is just a symbol and a carrier, corresponding to the total product volume of the entire society. No matter how complex the economic model is, it must be based on industry.
Hualian has strong industrial production capacity and technical strength, and its high internal unity also allows the Chinese army to gather this comprehensive strength and use it in a concentrated manner.
Perhaps the total amount of wealth cannot be compared with the ** government, but the strength and weakness of the two are completely opposite. Jiang Ruiyuan believes that he needs time to prepare for internal affairs and military affairs, but he is also worried that the Hualian will become stronger because of this.
"What Ziwen said is exactly what I am worried about. I could have slowly penetrated the Hualian through large-scale trade exchanges, but now trade barriers are high, and because of the reform of the economic system, foreign trade is almost handled by the Industrial and Economic Union. It is becoming increasingly difficult to understand the Hualian situation."
Jiang Ruiyuan lowered his head and thought, the information he received from Dai Li made him feel uneasy, and the other party was too calm and too deep.
Having a complete industrial system and implementing a planned economic system is like the current Soviet Union. Even if it is united by other countries to implement economic blockade, it will not shake the foundation of the China Alliance.
In June, although it is summer, the atmosphere in Guangzhou is very cold and grey and emotional tones are everywhere. The major first-tier cities under Hualian rule, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Foshan, Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Xiamen and Ganzhou, are filled with sadness.
On June 17, Zhang Taiyan, the master of Chinese studies, passed away. This wise man who was knowledgeable about ancient Chinese culture was ultimately unable to resist the destiny of heaven and his soul returned to the earth and mountains.
As the head of the Hualian League, Li Wansheng personally issued a public memorial statement on this, and the official also held a large-scale memorial service. Hualian is a quasi-national organization that respects the ancient Chinese Taoist tradition and highly praised the status of cultural people.
He was just a little famous during his lifetime, but after his death, he had such honor in Hualian, which attracted many literati and scholars from all over the country who studied traditional culture to look at Hualian.
The memorial service was held in the main hall of Tianyu International Hotel, and there were endless visitors. Many people admired Zhang Taiyan's knowledge and character, but many came because of the general public opinion to avoid being disconnected from the ideology of mainstream society.
In front of the mourning hall, there were thick coffins, huge portraits blocking the front, and wreaths of sent goods were placed around it, like the ocean.
Zhong Yang was inconspicuous in a corner near the front row, but he was clear at a glance about the scene in the mourning hall. Because he was determined to revive the ancient Chinese holy Taoist heritage, he and Zhang Taiyan were also friends, but unfortunately the old friend had gone, and this was impermanence of life and death.
Whenever Zhong Yang thinks of this, he can't help but feel sad. The transformation of the biological body is not universal. The failure rate of the person being transformed is not low, and once he fails, the end will be even more miserable.
Moreover, according to the results of the research of the group of Taoist monks found by Zhong Yang, it is shown that except for Zhong Yang himself, other transformed individuals have different degrees of problems. Among them, the major reduction in life span is the main problem. After optimization, the body is a considerable burden on the human soul.
This is also the reason why Zhong Yang dared not take the risk of letting his wife Zhang Yinyin undergo biological transformation. Even Chen Ze and Liu Haoran mostly knew about this and were also unwilling to take the risk to try it.
The path of the immortal is not a smooth road, but it is also a concern for people.
Zhang Taiyan's death made Zhong Yang feel sorry for him. Such an extraordinary man was unable to fight death in the end. He felt even more moved by the fragility of life in all things, birth, old age, sickness and death, and all kinds of impermanence.
Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, this is an inevitable process of life, but for extraordinary people with higher pursuits, immortality is the beginning of a new journey. Although lonely, it may not necessarily lead to loneliness and sadness. There are some roads that only a long life is qualified to pursue.
Kneeling on the straw mat, Zhong Yang stared at Zhang Taiyan's portrait in a daze and was slightly stunned. The crowds of people were rolling in the mourning hall, but they were surprisingly solemn and quiet. Everyone was unwilling to disturb the peaceful sleeping posture of the deceased, which was also the last respect for this master of Chinese studies.
Then Zhang Taiyan's family will take the body back to their hometown for burial. This is the obsession of many Chinese people. They also hope that the fallen leaves will return to their roots and give their souls a home.
Chapter completed!