This specific weapon selection issue is not something the commander-in-chief should consider, so Wu Weihuan just replied casually: "There is no need to worry about it. The Ordnance Bureau will weigh the pros and cons."
Everyone is most efficient when they perform their own duties. It is their duty to discover omissions and raise them, but what to do specifically is the task of the military industry department.
Wu Weihuan came to visit in person this time mainly because of the incident involving Pingjiang Bo's second son some time ago. To be honest, as the head of the noble family, it is really difficult to coordinate the relationship between the big guys.
"The imperial court has dealt with this matter very harshly... It has already been exposed, otherwise we will not be able to convince the public." He looked at Zhou Changfeng and said meaningfully: "If there is a similar situation in the future, just handle it yourself, like this It wouldn’t be appropriate to cause an uproar in the outside world.”
"Yes." Zhou Changfeng nodded, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, senior, for your warning."
Pang Lingqi, the Marquis of Nan'an, had praised Mr. Zhou in private three years ago and believed that he would have great potential in the future - whether it was military quality or temperament, he had no obvious shortcomings, his talent was quite good and his future was bright.
Wu Weihuan, who had just recovered from a serious illness at the time, took some time to pay attention, and he could be regarded as secretly watching his growth from a budding major to a newly promoted brigadier general.
Wu Weihuan is now worried that Zhou will have a stalemate with many nobles in the future, which is not good for both parties, and Ming Dynasty may also suffer additional losses.
As the top leader of the Ming Dynasty's highest military command organization, Wu Weihuan was busy with military affairs, and then prepared to leave after chatting for a few words.
Zhou Changfeng adhered to the principle of not letting go of any opportunity. Before he left, he repeatedly emphasized his suggestions. He must pay attention to the quality improvement of regiment-level officers and seize the time to start the research and development of the next generation of tanks.
A few minutes later.
"By the way, what does Duke Wei Guo just say, 'Just take care of it yourself', what does it mean? It's a bit ambiguous." Zhou Changfeng turned around and asked.
"It's really vague." Luo Fu thought for a while and said hesitantly: "Maybe I want you to deal with it privately? Why don't you ask him by the way when you go to report to His Majesty later."
So after Zhou Changfeng took over and handled some affairs, he went to Zhaoren Hall as before.
After waiting idlely in the hall for half a quarter of an hour, several managers with worried expressions waited for the edict to come out.
They said hello and then walked around talking about the quarterly summary of the mining and metallurgical industries——
Yumen Oilfield has experienced a decline in oil production since the beginning of this year. The existing oil wells seem to be running out and there is an urgent need to explore for new oil production points.
A serious coal gas explosion occurred in a mine in Shuangyashan, and work may be suspended for some time.
The Qiongyashilu Iron Mine was hit by a typhoon, and some machinery and equipment in the mining area were destroyed. It is expected that it will take half a month to a month to recover.
"Every walk of life is not easy." Zhou Changfeng sighed, and then knocked on the door.
"Enter."
"I have met His Majesty."
Zhu Lingjing was stamping several documents without raising her head, "How have you been resting these days?"
"Ahem, thanks to His Majesty's love, I had a good rest and feel rejuvenated."
"Glib. Talk about business."
"Well... since yesterday, the elite intervention force dispatched by Germany has entered the border of Lithuania. The route is suspected to be pointing to St. Petersburg. It is not clear yet."
"The 41st Division of the US Army has arrived in Hawaii by boat for transit. The fleet is being prepared and maintained. This unit is expected to land in Australia in the middle of this month."
"The conflict between Hungary and Romania that broke out two days ago is still continuing, and both sides are increasing their troops. According to reliable intelligence, two Romanian divisions are rushing to the western border by train."
"France……"
Zhu Lingjing interrupted him, "No need to talk about the French side, I have received the news before."
The region of Southern Europe is known to be chaotic, with complex ethnic groups and countless historical conflicts. There have been more than a dozen border conflicts between the Republic of Hungary and the Kingdom of Romania in the past two decades.
But it seems different this time? Because it is said that reconnaissance planes of the Hungarian Air Force appeared in the skies over the Ploiesti oil fields in Romania. Whether this is a strong deterrent or a pre-war preparation is unknown.
After the routine report, Zhou Changfeng tentatively asked her about Wu Weihuan's ambiguous words before.
"Is this difficult to understand?" Zhu Lingjing was a little speechless. She was silent for nearly ten seconds before continuing: "They will naturally not be happy if the family scandal is exposed. Don't make a fuss about matters related to the honorable nobles. They want to lose face."
"Oh, it turns out that I was afraid of seeing people after doing bad things."
"Of course, many things can easily arouse public outrage, and it is not difficult to stir up people's emotions. If things get too big, it will not end well. No one wants to be roasted on the fire."
"But then..." Zhou Changfeng said with some surprise: "As long as it doesn't spread out, you can do whatever you want?"
Okay, okay, you understand that, right?
Zhu Lingjing couldn't hold it back anymore and rolled her eyes, "Just go with it and don't lose your sense."
"I'm so sorry," Zhou Zhangfeng said regretfully. "I really should have picked up a gun and beat that guy into a sieve at that time."
"With a big family and a big business, it's not uncommon for a few scoundrels to appear. If you really have nothing to do, it would be good to go and destroy the prestige of those guys. At least you can calm down for a while."
Zhu Lingjing also said it casually, but felt that it was inappropriate when she said it, so she quickly denied it and said: "Forget it, it's inappropriate. You have no sense. If there is a similar situation, please inform the Consultative Council. Stop doing Si Chen's business." …”
ah! Awkward!
She originally wanted to say "cheating", but somehow she used the wrong word.
Zhou Changfeng, who was standing by the side, had a hard time holding back his laughter, and then she glared at him.
Zhu Lingjing changed the subject nonchalantly and said, "Speaking of the Consultative Council, let me show you something."
She searched among the pile of memorials next to her, pulled out one and handed it over.
Zhou Changfeng took it and browsed it at a glance.
This question was originally submitted jointly by an elected member of the Consultative Yuan and an official of the Ministry of War. It can be seen that the two have a good personal relationship.
They proposed a plan that was full of imperialism - to form an expeditionary force, go west across the Ural Mountains via Yekaterinburg, and seize the local area!
Just like the Russian warlords, many people in the Ming Dynasty coveted the machinery and equipment in the many factories in the Ural Industrial Zone.
For example, in Izhevsk, as early as the early 19th century, Tsar Alexander I ordered the establishment of an arsenal there. On the eve of the European War, Tsarist Russia, which smelled the smell of gunpowder, began to vigorously expand its military industry and imported a large number of machinery and equipment from Britain, France, and Switzerland, turning it into a modern military industry center.
In addition to factories, precious metals are also valued. As a huge empire with a vast territory and rich resources, Tsarist Russia has often owed large debts for hundreds of years, but its gold reserves are still considerable.
Even during the costly European War, Tsarist Russia's gold reserves were 1,233 tons. At the end of the war, they dropped to 705 tons. As of today, they have risen to nearly 1,000 tons.
This memorial attaches great importance to gold and proposes to plunder and collect local precious metals by any means, including using paratroopers to raid the historical city of Kazan - the local financial industry is quite developed, and several banks have considerable gold reserves.
Because the paratroopers of the Ming Dynasty Air Force performed outstandingly in the Nanyang Campaign, they are a well-deserved meritorious force. Now they have been praised by people from all over the country. There are many dramas, comics, and comic books, and even related movies are being prepared for filming.
For a time, both the government and the public were somewhat superstitious about these elite and swift units that descended from the sky and attacked Huanglong.
In addition, the memorial also emphasized the need to gain control of the Tyumen oil field when supporting the Siberian puppet state.
"The method of calling for gold collection a few days ago was effective. It was counted that there were nearly 210,000 jins." Zhu Lingjing said.
The policy of handing over gold in exchange for coupons or treasury bonds has been well received. The glorious victory in the Nanyang Campaign greatly boosted the morale of the military and civilians. As of today, the imperial court has raised a full 102 tons of gold.
Coupled with the hundreds of tons collected from various places in Southeast Asia, the Ming Dynasty's official gold reserves also increased from 1922 tons to 2118 tons.
"It's a bit too risky to land in Kazan. It's thousands of miles deep into the hinterland. I probably need to analyze it carefully before considering it..."
Zhou Changfeng pondered: "However, it is feasible to cross the Urals to Yicheng. If we rely on the railway line to fight, it is impossible for the enemy's military leaders, large and small, to work together to defend the enemy, and cannot organize a strong resistance."
"If we actually take action, how many troops do you think we will need to send?" Zhu Lingjing turned around and pointed at the map hanging behind her, and asked calmly: "We will not consider Kazan for now, only as far as Yicheng."
“The local military leaders who have strong self-respect are relatively powerful. They originally had an infantry division, a cavalry brigade, and a tank regiment. Now they have expanded to include an infantry division and three militia brigades, with a total strength of 40,000 people. "Zhou Changfeng briefly calculated and replied cautiously: "Be safer and send 30,000 people."
"That's not bad...it's worth a try." Zhu Lingjing nodded slightly, "I ordered the governor to evaluate it."
To maintain the daily consumption of two infantry divisions, nearly two hundred tons of military supplies must be replenished every day. If they are in combat mode, the consumption will double.
After all, the Trans-Siberian Railway, which crosses the vast wasteland, is only a one-way railway. To be on the safe side, it is more appropriate to send tens of thousands of people across it.
Zhou Changfeng's initial assumption of the composition of the expeditionary force should be two medium tank battalions, an infantry division, a motorized infantry brigade, two field heavy artillery battalions, and some support units, with a total strength of about 25,000 people.
Such an expeditionary force can independently fight three to four Tsarist Russian infantry divisions, and it can also bring along some servants to assist in the battle.
Previously, when Mr. Zhou was leisurely enjoying his unique vacation time in Qixia Prison, the war in Europe was developing in an increasingly complicated direction.
As the Mannheim Army Group approached the city of Paris, the citizens of Paris could not wait, and neither could the senior leaders of the Renault government.
On the last day of May, the Prime Minister's Office had been under siege for six days.
Because they have not received a positive answer from the ministers for a long time, the patience of the armed citizens has completely exhausted.
Led by the French ▇▇▇, they issued a unique ultimatum to the Reno government - they must accept their demands immediately, otherwise they will capture the Prime Minister's Office by force and seize power!
The senior officials who were in a dilemma and were forced to a dead end had to reluctantly agree. At this moment, the leading troops of the Mannheim Army Group had arrived more than 20 kilometers east of the suburbs of Paris.
The outer French army collapsed at the first touch, with only two infantry divisions offering limited resistance.
The distance was so close that German officers and soldiers claimed they could see the Eiffel Tower through their telescopes.
In this urgent situation, the Reno government began to pretend to appoint negotiators and appointed government commissioners to negotiate with citizen representatives.
That night, dozens of ministers and key officials took separate cars and hurriedly fled to the airport under the cover of darkness, taking off on a special plane that had been prepared.
They fled Paris and headed to Bordeaux in the southwest.
Bordeaux is the most important industrial and commercial center city in southwest France. France has always had a tradition of moving its capital to Bordeaux. It can even be said that Bordeaux is the default companion capital.
During the Franco-Prussian War, the Prussian army approached Paris, and the French government moved the capital to Bordeaux for the first time. Not long after the outbreak of the European War, the German army approached Paris, and the French government moved the capital to Bordeaux for the second time.
After arriving in Bordeaux, the Reno government issued a public statement stating that the French Republic would stand on the same front as Britain, persist in resistance, and would never surrender to the communist invaders.
Realizing that the top leaders of Reno's government had deceived them, the citizens of Paris were furious and immediately executed the commissioner sent to negotiate with them.
Subsequently, they announced the establishment of the provisional government of the French Democratic Commune and issued the "Message to the French People", calling on French troops from all over the country to get rid of the British troops, stop resistance, and unite in Paris to assemble.
Immediately afterwards, they sent a message to the French navy in Brest and Toulon, calling on them to return to port immediately and remain on alert.
"...The cowardly, passive and reactionary Third Republic has come to an end. They indulged the far-right legal elements and abandoned France and the French people in order to protect the interests of big bankers and big business owners..."
"...We sincerely advise all French people, whether you are poor or rich, please stop being deceived by the crooks of the Reno government. We should take our rights and destiny into our own hands. Long live France!"
June 9, Malbue.
The sky is clear, and the blue sky is dotted with a few snow-white clouds.
A convoy was parked beside the road on the outskirts of the city, waiting for oil tankers to arrive to resupply them. Everyone looked nervous and alert.
Only a small number of officials fled Paris by plane that night. Many people did not actually have the opportunity to board the three special planes, so they could only look for opportunities to escape quietly by car later.
Although they successfully traveled hundreds of kilometers, their luck finally ran out - the convoy, which did not dare to approach the city, was quickly noticed by the local militia.
Marbue militiamen and guerrillas have been fighting the local garrison and police for a week, and are gradually gaining the upper hand - because the deserters of those garrison troops are increasing and their morale is getting lower and lower.
Faced with the siege of hundreds of people, the two dozen military police and security personnel escorting the convoy were unable to resist, and were defeated after a brief exchange of fire.
The four officials were subsequently captured and immediately declared guilty by the radical Malbue militiamen as enemies of the French people. They were executed on the same day for treason after a public trial in front of a large number of people.
(End of chapter)
