Li Yanping smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Your brother is not at home, and he doesn't know that firewood and rice are expensive. You're only focusing on the big things now, and you're basically not involved in other things. There are some things that you still don't know and grasp too much. Especially in the area of local economic construction, you only value the industrial and military industries, and the light industry that has a bearing on the people's livelihood, basically you don't ask about it. ”

"Judging from the current development trend of our development, it can be said that our original rural self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy in the base areas has been gradually broken. Last year, the output of homespun cloth in the base areas dropped by more than 60 percent compared with the period during the Puppet Manchurian period. It can be said that the needs of the rural masses alone are a large amount. ”

"At present, the masses are more and more dependent on market supply, and if we cannot meet the basic needs of the masses for clothing, something will happen. And even the self-sufficient homespun cloth in the countryside needs cotton to weave. The biggest difficulty at the moment is that the amount of cotton is far from meeting the demand. ”

"If we can't guarantee that we will find a new source in a short time, we will barely have enough for this thousand tons of cotton. Even if the quantity of subsequent imports is added, it can only ensure the rearmament of the troops in the spring of next year and the needs of the people's livelihood after the spring of next year in the base area. ”

"We can't build even the most basic reserves. Lao Yang, the common people not only want to eat well, but also to wear clothes. It is said that the national economy and people's livelihood and the national economy and people's livelihood are in second place in addition to the national economy. If the people's hearts are unstable, can the army's hearts be stable? ”

"Actually, we made an analysis based on the population and the weather conditions over there. This year's lint output of 1 million catties in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region can basically meet the needs of the people's livelihood and the needs of the organs and troops in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region. There will be a certain lack of the rest, and the number will not be too much. ”

"After all, for the common people and the institutions and schools that march and fight all day, the loss of cotton clothes and quilts will not be too large. For a field army that marches and fights all day, cotton clothes and quilts will be in high demand. But for institutions and schools, a cotton coat can be worn for two years. ”

"As long as the winter clothes of cotton clothes do not rot due to poor storage, they will not be completely unusable after a year. For the people of northern Shaanxi, who are already relatively poor, it is impossible to make a set of cotton clothes or a quilt a year. ”

"Therefore, we believe that the lint output of one million catties in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border region this year should meet at least 60 percent or even more. This is also the result of us pushing down part of the budget, and if we compress some water appropriately, I want to meet the proportion higher. ”

"As for the troops in North China, according to our assumptions, even if the Japanese army is tightly blockaded, they can still raise some of their own troops. In fact, we estimate that if the rest of the troops in North China except for the Shandong troops have 300,000 catties of lint, it will be about the same. In my opinion, it is completely okay to ask the central government to reduce some of it. The missing part, can we fund it. ”

"The Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region is close to the main cotton producing areas in the northwest such as the Guanzhong Plain and the Longdong region. In fact, the various base areas in North China, except for the Beiyue District of Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei, are not far from the production areas of cotton. Even if the blockade of Chongqing and the Japanese army is tight, it is not without loopholes that can be exploited. As long as we meet our needs as financially as possible, I think they still have a solution. ”

Regarding Li Yanping's answer, Yang Zhen did not answer, he still hoped that the central government could reduce some needs. Instead, he said neatly: "If we can't find a sufficient amount of wool, then we will make some thin cotton clothes as a substitute for sweaters." In a word, it is necessary to do everything possible to meet the needs of the central authorities and ensure that the troops receive winter clothes on time and in full. ”

"And it can't affect the people's livelihood in the base area, so that the people have no clothes to wear. Whether the people's hearts are stable or not is one of the most critical factors for us to stabilize the dìng in the rear. At the same time, whether or not they can meet the most basic production and living needs of the masses in wartime will test the ability of the party committees and the government to govern. Someday, we'll go nationwide. This incident should be regarded as a test of our local party committees and governments' ability to govern and adapt. ”

"However, I still can't hang myself from a tree, and I still walk on multiple legs. Patten also had to say hello there. Let him do his best to communicate and coordinate with the Americans to deliver the cotton we ordered for the second batch of cotton. And with the Soviets, since they don't spit out, we won't force it. ”

"Lao Li, this is not a matter of materials, it is a matter of attitude. At present, all of our cotton needs to be provided by the outside world, and this situation cannot be changed for the time being due to other reasons such as climate. With the development of light industry in the base areas and the need for the troops to change their equipment, our demand for cotton can only increase in quantity. "In the case of not being able to change the source of cotton, it has become an inevitable choice for us to find some substitutes and reduce our dependence on cotton as much as possible. This time was forced, but it was also an opportunity to find a replacement. ”

"There are many things that are not pushed by the outside world, and it is difficult for us to take the initiative to change them ourselves. Although I don't pay attention to doing everything by myself and having enough food and clothing, we must not develop excessive dependence on the outside world. Once a habit is formed, it can be difficult to change it. ”

"Lao Li, you just said that what we need is not only winter clothes, but also quilts and other materials that use a lot of cotton and products. Doesn't the central government also have a large number of similar needs? We want to dress here, and the people over there don't wear clothes? We need cotton here, but they don't need cotton over there? ”

"A million pounds of lint, it looks like a lot. But it can't all be used to make zuò winter clothes, and the average score in all aspects, do you think it's enough? There is also the North China base area, which is also needed. We import cotton here, but we need to pay money and time. And if they want to get cotton, they need blood and life. ”

"Lao Li, it's not that I, Yang Zhenzhen, went online without moving, regardless of the actual situation in my troops and surroundings. There are some things that I can't tell you right now. But there is one thing, whether we understand it or not, you must do it. That is what the central government needs, as long as it opens its mouth, it will do its best to meet them. ”

"Don't give the central government the impression of Northeast mountaineering and standardism. We have already formed a tacit understanding in the team, and I don't want to be disrupted by the transfer of personnel. And in fact, it is not easy to open the mouth in the center once, and it is even more deliberate. It is also difficult for the center to open this mouth. As long as he can solve the problem himself, the chairman will not open this mouth. ”

Yang Zhen's words made Li Yanping hesitate for a moment, but finally nodded. Since the matter had been discussed, Li Yanping, who was in a hurry to rush back to continue negotiations with the Soviet side, did not delay. Other problems can be postponed. The priority now is to deal with the consignment of supplies that were seized in Vladivostok.

This matter cannot be solved, not to mention exceeding the needs of the central government, even if the Anti-Japanese Federation itself may not even be able to meet the needs of a pair of cotton pants. After saying a simple goodbye to Yang Zhen and Guo Bingxun, Li Yanping grabbed his military hat and hurriedly left. It's really a hurry to come and go.

In fact, Li Yanping's judgment was still accurate, although it was repeatedly negotiated by Peng Dingjie. However, if the original procurement plan is changed in a short period of time, a series of problems such as capital, transportation, and even delivery and export procedures need to be re-solved and the plan drawn up.

Especially at a time when the United States is fully committed to providing assistance to the British forces in North Africa, and when aid to the Soviet Union is seizing transportation capacity and transportation channels within the Soviet Union, the means of transportation are even more difficult to solve. Although the Americans were willing to provide free capacity, the plan would have to wait until early December when aid to the Soviet Union was launched.

It's just that the Americans don't have to worry, but the Anti-Union can't wait. In desperation, the Anti-Union could only spend some foreign exchange and hired a Dutch cargo ship to ship the cotton from the United States. But when the Soviet Union entered the country, there were a lot of troubles. For the Dutch cargo ship, the Soviets denied it access to Vladivostok.

Despite Patten's best efforts, due to capacity constraints and other reasons. By the time the second batch of cotton ordered by the Anti-Japanese Federation arrived, it was already early November. If we really wait until that time to prepare winter clothes for the whole army, according to the climate of snow in the northeast, especially in the north of Manchuria, at the end of October, I am afraid that people will freeze to death.

However, although the Americans' cotton did not arrive in time, the sheep raised in large quantities in the base area in order to solve the problem of meat consumption by the troops were short-lived, and the sheep that did not need special fine feed were in the process of changing clothes, which can be said to have solved a considerable problem in the situation that the amount of cotton has always been insufficient.

When the troops were redressed this year, except for the second-line local troops and aviation ground crews, each of them received all the Japanese winter clothes, some of the old cotton clothes recovered last year, and some of the old army coats transferred by the Soviet army. In addition to each of the troops, everyone was issued a short sheepskin coat with a shearle and smooth surface for the Siberian troops of the Soviet Army, which replaced the original Chinese-style cotton shirt tied by the troops.

About a third of the troops also received the first sweater that most of the soldiers wore in their lives. Although the sweater is a little too rough because of the wool, it is much lighter than the padded jacket. The troops stationed in the northernmost and alpine areas of the Heihe Territory were each given a thickened sheepskin coat.

It's just that just as Li Yanping said, you can't shave a sheep and peel it for two purposes. After the sheepskins in the base areas were made into overcoats, and the wool transported from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo and Jinsui border areas was far from meeting the needs. The sweater can only be replaced by a thin cotton jacket with reduced material, and it can be used as a second layer of warmth.

However, the use of sheepskin as a substitute partially solves the problem of winter clothing for the troops. But another consequence of the killing of nearly a million sheep is that the supply of mutton in the base area throughout the winter far exceeds that of other meats. And the troops, who were the first victims, ate mutton for a whole winter after being withdrawn to the station to rest and replenish.

To meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of troops, the sheep killed will definitely not be a minority. Making a suede coat, even if it's a short coat, is not just a sheepskin. In addition, the need for cotton shoes to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of military winter clothes must be slaughtered at least about one million to meet the needs.

In order to meet the demand for sheepskins, the more than 100,000 sheepskins exchanged or purchased from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo border region were not counted, and all the sheep raised by the entire production and construction corps were killed, except for the lambs that were too small and some of the breeding sheep left behind. At the same time, in the Mongol settlement area of West Manchuria, more than 100,000 sheepskins were also purchased.