I said that I spent tens of millions of dollars a day, about five million US dollars, and I really couldn't afford it for a long time. If it weren't for the fact that he had scavenged a large amount of land from China with war, it would have been unable to support its collapse a long time ago. But at this time, the appearance of the vanguard army blocked the plundering path of the devils in North China. Even if most of Shanxi is still in the hands of devils, it is useless if coal cannot be transported.

At this time, he said that he had to wage war with the Central Army and the newly rising vanguard army, and he had already dragged on to a deficit. At this time, with the addition of the Navy, the consumption intensified. Historically, the navy was only a sporadic fleet in China, and when the main force fought in the Pacific, it was a lot of money.

At this time, his navy joined the battle against the vanguard army, and the military expenditure of the army immediately rose sharply. The cost of fuel, supplies, maintenance, personnel and other expenses is a headache for the political axe.

The cost of building and repairing ships is extremely high. On February 15, the Vanguard Army sank two battleships, the Michinoku and Hiei, the heavy cruiser Kaohsiung and ten destroyers of various types, and damaged the Nagato and Haruna; Wounded the Myoko and three destroyers, these would require a loss of two or three hundred million yuan. And the more than 3,000 officers and men of the Navy who died were also a big blow to Yue himself.

And the vanguard paid no more than the price of the destruction of three huge cannons and a 380-mm shore artillery fortress. There was no one in the giant artillery fortress, and more than sixty people were sacrificed in the 380-mm shore artillery fortress. Together with the more than 20 people who died in the other damaged fortresses, there were only eighty-six people in total.

The Zero's first appearance in battle did not become a super advanced weapon as he imagined. Although the Zero fighter had an absolute advantage over other fighters such as the Type 96 carrier-based fighter, it was still a little worse against the Thunderbolt N type of the vanguard army. In the first battle of Weihai and Yantai, 9 Zero fighters were shot down, while the Pioneer Army was only shot down 5, which not only disappointed Yue himself.

None of the Army's Zeros have yet to show their chances.

The air battle on the Yellow River in the direction of Zhengzhou also ended. Originally, he planned to ambush the vanguard army with the zero type, but with the help of radar, the vanguard army swallowed 13 of the more than 20 decoys bit by bit, and the devil felt that something was wrong and immediately withdrew those planes.

The planes of the Vanguard Army did not catch up either. Their fighters are dominated by Thunderbolt B, and they don't have much advantage against the Zero. The outstanding pilots of the vanguard army were all concentrated in the area of Weihai in Yantai to participate in the battle against the Hainan Airlines. With the remaining ordinary pilots against the Zero fighters piloted by the excellent pilots in the Devil's Army Aviation, it is a little dangerous. So the pilots of the Vanguard Army did not take the initiative.

He still had the idea of a surprise attack by the Zero, but the ambush failed, and they did not take the initiative to attack, and continued to wait for better fighters.

Compared with the three divisions that feinted in the Zhengzhou area, the 116th Division, which attacked in Jiaozuo, suffered heavy losses, killing more than 14,000 people and annihilating all the heavy artillery units. And the rocket artillery unit of the Vanguard Army, under heavy artillery attack, lost eight rocket artillery pieces and sacrificed more than seventy people. It was out of anger at the devil's heavy artillery that the two giant cannons kept driving the 116th Division into the fortifications under Jiaozuo City, leaving only the 120th Wing alone guarding two small dirt slopes.

For the devils who feinted to cross the river on the bank of the Yellow River, Meng Xiang did not dare to bombard with a huge cannon, and accidentally blew down the river embankment, just afraid of another flood. However, the giant artillery could bombard even farther, directly bombarding several devil barracks in Zhengzhou City within 55 kilometers. But other weapons depots and other places, the devils are built very close to the people in Zhengzhou City. The giant cannon is also a rat bogey, and it does not dare to bombard.

But no matter what, the devils suffered heavy losses during the day, and the personnel needed to be replenished, and weapons and equipment also needed to be replenished, especially the navy. The damage to the main battleship made the coastal defense of the mainland of Japan tight, and the Pacific Fleet of Soviet Russia had two Nagato-class ships eyeing it. Whether it is the Kongo-class or the Fuso and Ise-class battleships, none of these can compete with the Nagato-class.

And he said that he has many coastal ports, and he does not have so many perverted cannons and shore guns like the vanguard army, if the Soviet Russian ships come south for the winter, what will it be? In the event of a big war, Soviet Russia may not be, but those Soviet Russians who take the opportunity to provoke and make a small fuss will definitely do it.

"Send someone to contact the umbrella company, whether their Nagato-class battleship is in stock, the price is negotiable!" Admiral Minister Yoshida Zengo admonished the adjutant.

"It's going to fight against the shore artillery, and Koga Mine is rusty? Many new cadets in the naval academy know that warships should not easily compete with large-caliber shore guns. Was he the first day in the Navy? After the lieutenant left, Yoshida scolded as he walked back and forth in his office. But he also knew in his heart that this time Koga Fengichi was also unlucky, not because he underestimated the enemy, but because everyone didn't expect that the vanguard army would have so many large-caliber shore guns. Even if he knew that the vanguard army had so many shore guns, he would never let the Nagato play prestige.

The defeat of the Navy this time had a great impact. For so many years, there was no news of the sinking of a battleship in the world. Just last year, a battleship Kirishima was sunk, and the predecessor Mitsumasa Yonechi stepped down directly. He was put in the position of Minister of the Navy. At this time, the empire lost again, and the Mutsu, one of the symbols of the navy in the hearts of the people, sank, and he naturally could not avoid the end of his resignation.

"Step down, step down, and get a little more funding for the Navy before!" Yoshida muttered.

Now it is said that there are five aircraft carriers under construction in the country, namely the Flying Dragon, which was built in July 36, which is an improved version of the Canglong; the aircraft carrier Xianghe, built in December 37; the aircraft carrier Zuizuru, built in May 38; the Punching Eagle, built in May '38; The Cloud Eagle was built in December 38. And this year it is also planned to build four new aircraft carriers.

Two other Yamato-class battleships are also under construction, and the third and fourth ships of the improved Yamato-class are also scheduled to start construction soon. But because of the cost, it has not been passed. The Yamato-class battleships were even more powerful than the Nagato-class, and they would eventually become the new symbol of the Yamato-class navy. It's a pity that there are only two ships, each of which costs nearly 200 million yuan, and even the emperor of this book does not dare to easily open his mouth to build more.

"The empire needs money the most at this time, how can the imperial navy dominate the Pacific without money?" Yoshida sighed as he looked at the place below Huaxia on the map.

"Money! To fight a war is to fight for money! At this time, Meng Xiang was also sighing.

After he was defeated in the navy, the pace of the attack slowed down suddenly. The next day, there were no further large-scale attacks, and only sporadic local skirmishes were going on at the places where the two sides met.

But in just one day's battle between the vanguard army and Yue himself, millions went out.

Rockets and shore artillery shells, neither of them is cheap. Fuel consumption, equipment loss, and other military material consumption also fired out nearly 10,000 rounds of large and small artillery shells on the front line of Shanhaiguan, Xuzhou, and Zhengzhou, and there were few ground contact battles, with only more than 1 million rounds of ammunition consumed. Even if you don't count the military salaries of the personnel, you can't beat the total of 3 million. This is still on the basis of base bargains.

At this time, the military expenditure of the central government began to be more than one billion a year. This is still a situation where the number of bullets is less than ten for the soldiers. Squandering bullets like this in the vanguard is like rain, and even if there is a cheap base, it can't be low.

Counting the personnel expenses, the costs are even higher, and the more than 500,000 public service personnel such as the vanguard army, political axe workers, and teachers will receive tens of millions of dollars in military salaries every month.

However, this part does not require much money from Meng Xiang. After the last currency war, the Vanguard's metal stamps have become the main currency in the war zone. After the people went through that turmoil, they also recognized it extraordinarily. Even the common people outside the war zone liked to use the metal tickets of the vanguard army. Especially copper round.

After all, the appreciation of copper yuan is the trend of the times, and under the monitoring of Taiping Bank, the price of copper yuan and small silver dollars has slowly climbed to more than 1:8. For this reason, at the suggestion of Ma Yin's primary monetary experts, Meng Xiang decoupled the 1:2 ratio of the small silver dollar from Yuan Datou Dayang, and repositioned the ratio of the copper yuan to the small silver dollar as 1:10.

Even though the small silver dollar has more credit currency components, it still becomes the mainstream of use. At this time, the yuan that people in the war zone called when they bought things was also replaced by the vanguard yuan of metal military tickets. The Pioneer Silver Dollar was much more convenient than the Copper Dollar on some occasions because it contained more credit and was actually worth a little less than the international price of silver, so no one would smuggle them to the United States. At the same time, the price is controlled not to deviate too much from the reality, which greatly reduces the space for private minting of pioneer silver coins.

The phenomenon of counterfeit money cannot be eradicated, and the key is to control it within a certain range. The people also have their own set of identification of silver dollars, and inferior counterfeit money cannot deceive the vast majority of people. In addition, the middle and lower classes of the people used copper dollars more, and with the supervision within the war zone and the interception of external smuggling, the counterfeit silver dollars forged by himself and other forces did not cause much impact.

With the increase in foreign exchange and gold and silver on hand in Meng Xiang, the vanguard army's ability to resist the impact has become even stronger. The most important thing is that the economy in the theater has begun to recover steadily, and the great battle on the 15th, especially the battle in which the shore artillery forced back and sank the battleship, made people more confident in the protection of the territory of the vanguard army.

"I heard that no, the vanguard army has won another great victory! The biggest battleship that sank the little devils. "As soon as we met early in the morning, the people on the road began to talk.

"I heard it this morning, it's already broadcast on Pioneer Radio!" Pioneer Radio's news is much more time-sensitive than that of newspapers. At this time, there were more and more shops that accepted loans from the Taiping Bank or bought radios outright, and through these radios, more people heard the voice of the pioneers.

"The little devil dispatched more than 20 ironclad ships yesterday, but none of them broke through the coastal defense of the vanguard army. The coastal defense of this vanguard army is really impregnable. Zhu Chongming, the owner of a hardware store in Yucheng, sighed. He ran from Nanjing to Yucheng, and lost most of his factories and belongings. Fortunately, there is still a sum of money in Citibank, and a small store is opened in Yucheng. Since Yucheng became the accompanying capital, business from all over the world has poured in, and it has been much more lively. Coupled with the distance from the war, there is no war at all. The popular styles on the streets of Yucheng are almost on the shelves at the same time as Shanghai, and as soon as the new things in the Pioneer Army turf market appear, they will be available here.

He also took out a loan to buy a radio, and hung two loudspeakers in his shop, which attracted many people to come over often.

"Not only is the coastal defense powerful, but the army is also powerful. On the first line of the Yellow River, the devil didn't rush a step! Bai Tongxin, who was holding a teapot, replied, idleness all day long, he was poor before, and almost sold his ancestors to him in Yucheng City, which had passed down a large ancestral house. The business of Yucheng is prosperous, and with the rent income, he is much more relaxed in front of the apartment, and he still hangs out every day. At this time, he raised his thumb as if he were a member of the vanguard army participating in the battle.

"That's a feint!" Gao Rui, who took advantage of the school vacation to work in Zhu Chongming's shop, couldn't help but say. His hometown is in the city of Suzhou, and I heard that the devils killed many people in Suzhou at that time, but fortunately, the family ran out in advance, but the family's belongings were nothing. The original sophomore had to climb out of the ivory tower of European history and learn to work to support himself. For more than a year, I have also tasted the ups and downs of the world.

"Feints, what feints? Didn't that little devil's division die more than 10,000 people at once? Yesterday, I listened to the live broadcast for most of the day, and I was nervous at the time...... "Bai Tongxin's gesture is very imposing, and while gesturing, he described the battle broadcast on the radio yesterday. The Pioneer Radio also uses the form of live broadcast of some things when it encounters, which can resonate more with the listeners and make them closer to the fate of the Pioneer Army.

Everyone also knew that his tone was a little exaggerated, but it was certain that there would be this result in less than a day, and they didn't interrupt Bai Tongxin's exaggeration, and they cheered every time they went to the highlights.

"If only the Central Army could stop the little devils and not flinch." Someone couldn't help but sigh when they heard it.

"When I was in Songhu the year before last, the Central Army was also very tenacious. He hasn't returned for three consecutive months, and he is also a good man. It's just that there weren't so many advanced weapons at that time, and in the end the sacrifice was too great, and it was helpless to retreat. Someone explained. He was quoted as part of the Pioneer Radio commentary.

The Pioneer radio station often invites well-known personalities to comment on various events. Analyze some events and problems from different angles to teach people some ways to think about problems. It can be regarded as opening up the wisdom of the people, and it can be regarded as a subtle influence. Regarding the Battle of Songhu, the Vanguard Army Radio Station evaluated it very objectively, first affirming its positive significance, shattering the wild talk that he would destroy China in three months, and slapping himself in the face. At the same time, it bought more time for the evacuation of various factories in Shanghai and Nanjing.

As for those shortcomings, then the well-known people are also unceremoniously criticized. But overall, the praise is still greater than the disapproval. Especially for those soldiers who bravely sacrificed their lives, he praised them many times.

The people have heard a lot and are more familiar with it, and it is often discussed in the countryside.

"Weapons are one thing, and the role of this person is also crucial. Now in a war, the officials at the top have run away, and who is still working with the soldiers below? Someone said disdainfully.

"What are you selling? We are working hard for the country, there is no emperor in this world for a long time, it is not a family world for a long time, this country belongs to all of us. Shouldn't you die for the country? "There are people who affirm the righteousness of the way.

"What country is ours? Aren't those old men above still doing the same thing? ”

"That's not right. Didn't it say on the radio, the biggest one in the law is called the Constitution, and it is very clear that the country belongs to our people, and the state has declared that the right to elect officials is ours, and if you don't fight for your own rights, you can't always expect the top officials to appear in the sky. Similar remarks were often promoted on Pioneer Radio, and Bai Tongxin came as soon as he opened his mouth.

"The radio said a few days ago that it was necessary to ...... Rights. That's right, it's rights protection. Defend our rights! Bai Tongxin is already a loyal listener of Pioneer Radio.

"Where is it so easy? Which of those big men is willing to wronged himself. If you want to defend your rights, who do you think those yamen are open to? Just look at the soldiers and policemen standing guard at the door. Gao Rui couldn't help but ridicule that in more than a year, he had seen a lot of people in the world. When I heard it at this time, I couldn't hold back the anger in my heart, and directly interjected.

"Then how can the people in the Seventh War Zone have their own rights protection?" Bai Tongxin's neck was thick and red.

"If there is no machine gun and cannon of the vanguard army, can the original officials shrink their hands? When the popular suffrage and universal suffrage mentioned by the vanguard army are promoted, it may be better to protect their rights. Gao Rui also sighed that the territory of the vanguard army heard that the people's cooking was implemented very well. I don't know if it's true or not, but I really have to look at it when I have time.

"Alright, alright!" Zhu Chongming saw that Bai Tongxin was about to refute, so he hurriedly persuaded him, "Didn't you say on the radio that defending rights is a long road." Do your job within the scope of your own ability, and try your best to fight for your rights. Everyone is like this, and the rights of the people themselves are maintained. Don't watch the excitement, if you look at other people's liveliness, others will also watch yours. You have to do something in your life, don't wait. ”

"That's right! People have to do something in this life. Bai Tongxin was suddenly touched, threw the teapot out of the door, and said loudly, "I have decided, I will go to the vanguard army today." ”

The sound of the teapot hitting the ground alarmed many people, and a person next to him smiled: "Bai Dashao, what can you do with this body?" You haven't found a mother-in-law to leave an heir to your family's ancestral home, if you get shot in the army, won't you have nothing? ”

"Phew, you crow's mouth. Lao Tzu decided, and I went to join the vanguard army. Maybe one day, I will become a general and lead thousands of troops and horses to this Chongqing city! Bai Tongxin waved his hand as an officer in the Vanguard Army's movie. In the movies shot by the Pioneer Army, he liked the Battle of Xuzhou the most, I heard that it was all true, look at the movements of those Pioneer Army officers in the movie are really handsome, those straight military uniforms and military boots are much more beautiful than those of the Central Army.

"Young Master Bai, don't say it. Still bring troops back? This is the world of the central political axe! Zhu Chongming hurriedly smiled bitterly, although the people's speech was relatively free at this time, what Bai Tongxin said was also easy to provoke right and wrong.

"What's the big deal about that? In a few years, maybe the vanguard will be in charge. When the time comes, the common people will all choose the vanguard army, and it will not be Meng Dashuai as president. Bai Tongxin said disapprenously, "I'll go to the vanguard army now, and when Meng Dashuai becomes president one day, then don't I have the merit of being a dragon?" ”

"Perhaps, I heard that the Pioneer Army's subsistence allowance system is really a free food distribution for every ordinary person. Another day, if the vanguard comes, I will choose them. Someone whispered.

"They are coming, what should the Central Army do?" Some people are worried that at this time, the prestige of the vanguard army is getting higher and higher, and it has vaguely overwhelmed the central army.

"Needless to say, there must be a fight. Didn't those big men fight in the past? If they don't fight, how can they obediently put down their guns and give them hands? Someone sneered, for so many years, which of the central government is not the best in the world, even Lao Jiang fought all the way from the Northern Expedition.

"That's not necessarily, there's always a way!" Gao Rui retorted. The history of Europe kept flashing in his mind, and every change of regime was not altered with blood. The high end of the Throne of Bones is far from what ordinary people think is a natural civilization. In the end, the balance of power finally sets the scales of God.

"As long as the strength of the Central Army and the Vanguard Army are balanced, they can coexist peacefully." He couldn't help but say.

"How do you balance? There are always high and low, big and small. There are always people who are stronger, where can they always be balanced? There must always be a distinction between the superior and the inferior. Zhu Chongming sighed, and then muttered, "Actually, it's not bad to go to the territory of the vanguard army." If I hadn't felt safe, I might have been there. ”

"Then if the disparity between the two sides is huge, will they be divided again?" Such a thought suddenly popped into Gao Rui's mind.

"I'm going to join the Vanguard Army too!" He said resolutely.