On the eve of the European War more than 20 years ago, a newspaper in Ming Dynasty reported this:
"In recent years, the Thai and Western industries have been constantly inventing new uses for tung oil... Tung oil is often used in electrical appliances and wires. High-quality paints in the United States used to use linseed oil, but now they are mostly formulated with rosin oil and tung oil..."
As a major manufacturing country, the United States imports tung oil every year, accounting for more than 60% of Ming Dynasty's total exports, or more than 60,000 tons. However, no one likes to be stuck. They tried planting in Florida, but with little success. Until last year, there were only 700,000 plants. Compared with their huge consumption, it is better than nothing.
For the United Kingdom, an old industrial country, its tung oil consumption ranks first in Europe, with an average annual import of 5,000 to 6,000 tons. London, Liverpool, and Glasgow, one of the world's shipbuilding bases, are the three largest tung oil consuming cities in the UK.
Secondly, in addition to tung oil, the humble pig bristles are also very important strategic materials.
Pig bristles are mainly used to make various kinds of brushes - daily brushes, paint brushes, mechanical brushes, etc. They are inconspicuous but indispensable things.
Before the breakthrough of synthetic chemical fiber technology decades later, no material could replace the role of bristle brushes, which have excellent toughness and elasticity, as well as heat resistance, acid resistance, and wear resistance.
Putting aside the conventional role of painting, in the military, mechanical products such as firearms, artillery, fighter planes, cars, and tanks are indispensable for cleaning and maintenance, and a bristle brush is the best tool to use.
The problem is that although countries around the world also produce bristle, they are not competitors of Chinese bristles in terms of quality. They are not on the same level in terms of toughness, length, output, etc.
You know he doesn't have the ability, right?
Nowadays, the annual demand for high-quality bristles in the world is about 6,000 tons, and Ming Dynasty exports about 5,000 tons every year, accounting for 80%.
Finally, if tung oil and bristle are relatively inconspicuous, then tungsten is the most troublesome thing.
Needless to say, the use of tungsten in the military is much higher than that of ordinary steel-core armor-piercing bullets.
Take the Pak40 75mm anti-tank gun as an example. The ordinary Pzgr39 armor-piercing projectile fired by it can penetrate 90mm of vertical armor at 500m, while the Pzgr40 tungsten core armor-piercing projectile can penetrate 120mm of vertical armor at the same distance.
All along, except for a certain country that can squander it as it pleases, precious tungsten resources have to be used sparingly by most countries.
All in all, although the shortage of tung oil, bristle, and tungsten sand cannot paralyze an industrial country, it is enough to disgust people.
As for the export restrictions on strategic materials, the Ming Dynasty had been very slippery hundreds of years ago - for example, it strictly controlled the sale of large iron pots to Mongolia.
As for the League of Nations, its full name is the League of Nations. It was established with the Treaty of Versailles to maintain world stability and peacefully resolve international disputes. Its main institutions are the General Assembly, the Council, the Secretariat, and some committees.
The General Assembly is composed of representatives of each member state, with each country having one vote. Today, the five countries of the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and Italy are permanent members; the General Assembly is held in Geneva every September.
It seems that although the two sides are fighting fiercely in the eastern foothills of the Himalayas, they are surprisingly harmonious in other areas. Apart from diplomatic condemnation, economic and trade between the two sides are still proceeding normally.
The decision-makers of the Ming Dynasty unanimously believed that the British would not show a substantive tough attitude on this matter, and would only use a war of words to show their disobedience.
Although both monarchs and ministers are relatively optimistic, it is still necessary to be fully prepared.
Therefore, on the next day, July 9, the Nanyang Fleet Admiral's Office received a telegram from the Metropolitan Governor's Office to upgrade the combat readiness from Level D to Level C. The submarine combat units that were about to go to sea in shifts must leave the base with full ammunition.
At the same time, the "Taiweiyuan" aircraft carrier, which was preparing for routine maintenance in Guangzhou, suspended its maintenance work. All officers and soldiers of the ship and the carrier-based air wing stopped taking vacations and immediately returned to the Zhanjiang base to stand by.
Early morning of the same day, Nanjing.
A heavy rain that started in the early morning washed away the ground, adding a bit of heat to the midsummer weather.
In the special prison of the foreign police station, two agents followed a medium-sized chief officer in.
After walking down the dark corridor to the end and turning a corner, the four of them finally stopped outside a cell.
When the door is opened, the door shaft, which is deliberately not oiled, makes a sharp "squeaking" sound, which makes people feel nervous.
In the cell, Liu Wanyun sat beside the bed with distracted eyes. Her black hair was hastily tied into a bun with a wooden chopstick, her head lowered, and she looked listless.
According to the rules, when the guards came in, the prisoner must stand up straight. Seeing that she was still sitting on the bed and wandering around, one of the guards shouted sternly: "Stand up!"
"Is it time?" Liu Wanyun, who was preparing to face death, raised her eyes and immediately noticed something abnormal.
If she was to be taken away for execution, just two people could take her away, but a mid-level chief appeared in front of her, with two followers following him.
Is this a turning point?
"I've told you everything I know, what else do you want to do..."
"My mind is quite fast, yes, very smart." The chief officer looked her up and down with great interest, "Do you want to survive?"
Hearing this, Liu Wanyun, who was extremely happy, stared at the tall and thin young manager in front of her and nodded without thinking, "What do you need me to do?"
"My name is Shen Yu." The manager said calmly with a faint smile on his face: "We want you to return to England."
Double agent?
Liu Wanyun, everyone is dumbfounded, are you kidding me? Treat MI6 as a fool?
Who would believe it when she goes back now? Everyone in the two teams is dead, but she is the only one who returns safely?
What's more, she had been asked to send back false information before, saying that there were no reinforcements from the Ming army going to Demaji. What was the result?
"State your stance." Shen Yu spat out two words.
"Wait for me……"
As soon as Liu Wanyun said a few words, Shen Yu, who was expressionless, waved her hand. Then the two agents accompanying him rushed forward, stuffed a ball of cloth into her mouth, and then forcibly She dragged him out.
Liu Wanyun, who was sobbing non-stop, was taken out of the prison to a small open space at the back, and was immediately forced to kneel on the ground.
Shen Yu, who looked leisurely, lit a cigarette for himself, took out his pistol, and walked slowly behind Liu Wanyun.
He blew out the smoke and loaded the pistol with a click.
I just want to ask a few questions first? ! This is not allowed? !
Liu Wanyun was trembling with fear. Her sixth sense seemed to be particularly sharp at this moment, and she could feel the pistol being pressed a few inches away from the back of her head.
The strong desire to survive made her burst out with far beyond ordinary strength, and she struggled as hard as she could while whimpering.
The two agents on her left and right who were escorting her almost broke free from her, and they quickly restrained her with force.
"That's enough." Shen Yu waved his hand.
The two immediately let go of their hands and took out the ball of cloth from Liu Wanyun's mouth.
"Do you agree now?" Shen Yu asked casually, looking at the pistol.
"I agree..." Liu Wanyun's face was as white as paper due to the fear before, and now it was flushed due to the violent struggle just now. She felt that her heart was beating wildly.
