Rise From Eight Hundred

Chapter 1383 Major events are initially decided

 It is really easy to do things if you have money.

 It’s not because Tang Tuanzuo gave orders worth tens of millions, but because Tang Tuanzuo gave gifts.

After two years of experience, several students from a trading company in the United States have long faded away from their youth. Under the recommendation of the top management of Rockefeller Company, they got acquainted with a think tank around the famous president.

 No one dislikes money, including Westerners. Tang Dao himself has never seen how much cash 200,000 U.S. dollars is, but this fund is shown as activity expenses in the trading company's account books.

"The Chinese have an old saying to prepare for a rainy day. We must be wary of the Japanese's little moves." Under the advice of the think tank, the president not only approved this huge order that made Grumman happy, but also made substantial progress. military deployment in Southeast Asia.

The Far East Army Command was established in the Philippines one year earlier than before. The commander was the famous five-star general MacArthur. Major General Stilwell no longer had to return to China to serve as the commander of the 7th Division, so he rushed to the Philippines to serve as the chief of staff of the Far East Army.

This position can only be held by the lieutenant general level. This can be regarded as the recognition of Stilwell's warning by the U.S. Federal Military Department, and it is a disguised form of giving him high-level treatment.

However, the US government still maintains its arrogance towards the Far East after all. In their eyes, Japan has never been regarded as an opponent. This cannot be changed by any intelligence.

 Tang Dao did not take any further precautions. He knew very well that it would be difficult for the Americans to unleash their huge military potential without being beaten painfully.

Tang Dao also knows better that in this era, if the United States does not participate in the war, the war in China will last far longer than eight years. He needs to obtain the arms of the United States, but he also needs to drag the giant beast of the United States into the whirlpool of the war.

This behavior of the US government will undoubtedly stimulate and threaten the Japanese, but they will never stop their madness.

 All reasons come from one thing - oil!

History has determined the fate of this unlucky child of the Japanese. The poor guy thought that by conquering the three northeastern provinces, which are rich in mineral resources, he would be able to dig out oil, but nature just played a big joke on the Japanese.

The three fertile northeastern provinces have too many resources, and oil is no exception. The future Daqing Oilfield will produce a total of 2.5 billion tons of crude oil when Tang Dao crosses over. After entering the 21st century, the annual oil and gas production will exceed 40 million. tons, but unfortunately the Japanese lack a bit of luck.

 After exploration in the late 1950s, Chinese oil workers, with the help of the Bear Country, used imported drilling rigs to drill the first exploratory well in Daqing, reaching a depth of 1,100 meters, just touching the oil level.

 The technology that the unlucky Japanese children had in the 1930s and 1940s could only drill to a maximum of 1,000 meters. Only 100 meters away, they could discover this large oil field that would no longer be an oil-poor country.

 100 meters is China's good fortune, but it is the Japanese's misfortune. They have no source of oil. Once the United States cuts off oil exports, whether it is aircraft carriers, aircraft, or tanks, they will all turn into smokeless iron lumps.

At that time, if the American father tells them to kneel down, they will not dare to lie down. Anyone with a normal mind will not be willing to accept this result.

So, they can only fight hard, even if they know that there is more than 90% chance that the outcome will be catastrophic.

Even when the US government announced the establishment of the Far East Army Command in the Philippines, Tang Dao could feel the resentment of the Japanese rising into the sky on that small island in the East China Sea.

 Bullying people, it’s really bullying. They didn’t even think about it, but these big noses were already aiming their guns at them.

The 100 F4F-3 Army Wildcat fighter jets are all in stock and can be shipped to Asan at any time as soon as the order is approved.

Originally, Tang Dao proposed not to ship the goods temporarily, but to modify 100 fighter aircraft according to the modification plan he formulated, especially the aircraft engines, which need to be replaced with 1,700-horsepower 14-cylinder air-cooled Wright R2600 engines, which can obtain stronger thrust and speed. At the same time, the cockpit can also be re-armored according to Tang Dao's idea.

But the reply from Grumman engineers is that if all 100 fighters are modified as required, the delivery time will be extended to the end of the year. It’s not that they don’t want to earn the modification fee of up to 2 million U.S. dollars, but this The plan is not cost effective.

 Because there are also smart people in Grumman. They actually saw the shadow of the XF6F-1 that the company is testing in the modification plan submitted by the Chinese.

This test aircraft has not yet flown, mainly because the Navy has not yet determined the aircraft model to be selected. However, if the Chinese customer places a large enough order, they can invest in building a production line for this fighter now.

 When the news came, Tang Dao was overjoyed.

The XF6F-1 is not well-known, but its mass-produced aircraft was the famous ‘Hellcat’ F6F two years later. The Big Brother-class Hellcat carrier-based aircraft that gradually replaced the Wildcat fighter was a nightmare for the Zero fighter.

 Grumman's deputy general manager, who was an engineer, fully understood Tang Dao's intentions. Eighty percent of Tang Dao's modification plan actually came from the Hellcat fighter jet.

The reason why Tang Dao chose this fighter is very simple. The F6F can be said to be an air superiority weapon developed entirely for the Zero fighter.

 The wing loading of typical fighter aircraft in World War II was between 150 and 220 kg/m2, of which the Zero only had 107.5 kg/m2. The Zero engine is not very powerful, but the fuselage is light, the wing load is low, and the maneuverability is very good.

The Americans also introduced this concept in the design of the F6F. Its wing area reaches 31 square meters. The increase in the wing area will inevitably increase the drag, so Grumman installed a high-power engine for the F6F.

 At the same time, the F6F's engine has a large residual power, and the energy loss is small after violent maneuvers. Although the Zero fighter has extremely low wing load, the engine horsepower is too small, which limits the further performance.

Compared with the Zero, the F6F has advantages in speed, firepower, and vertical maneuverability, but disadvantages in endurance and circling performance. The Zero's advantage lies in small-radius turning and circling. The Zero often uses a small-radius bucket to escape after being rear-ended by an F6F. , and sometimes it can bite back the F6F.

 The Zero has a slight advantage below 3,000 meters, but above 5,000 meters, the Zero's movements become stiff and will become a living target for the F6F.

This can only be called an equal match at best, but it cannot be called a defeat of the Zero fighter that is about to make its debut.

 U.S. Navy pilots call the F6F fighter jet an "aluminum tank." When its six 12.7mm Browning M-2 machine guns launched a stormy attack, no Japanese aircraft could escape the fate of being destroyed. After the war, when Japanese pilots talked about their wartime fears and despair, they would always mention the Hellcat.

On the other hand, the F6F's own cockpit armor and self-sealing fuel tanks allow it to withstand fire from Zero 7.7mm machine gun projectiles, survive severe attacks and still bring the pilot back to the aircraft carrier.

A common refrain among U.S. Navy pilots is "It's a porous aircraft" and "More air passes through the holes than around the aircraft." There was once an F6F that burned hundreds of miles before landing on an aircraft carrier.

David McCampbell, the first ace pilot of the U.S. Navy, once saw that a "Hellcat" with the pistons and linkages in the engine flying everywhere was still able to fly back to the aircraft carrier. Therefore, Grumman is often called "Grumman Steel" factory".

Although it does not have a crushing effect, for the Chinese Air Force, which is currently only equipped with I-15, I-16 and Hawker III, it is a good idea to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.

“We need 1,000 fighter jets of this type!” The order placed by Tang Dao was almost crazy, even though Grumman offered a sky-high price of US$60,000 for a fighter jet and its supporting accessories.

However, Tang Dao did not pay cash for this order, but a credit note issued by Rockefeller's parent company in Ohio. If the Chinese company in the United States was unable to pay this huge amount of money, Rockefeller would fill the shortfall.

That was 60 million, until Stilwell looked at Tang Dao and Laura from the inside and his eyes were obviously different.

I'm afraid this is far beyond what a confidante can afford. Maybe this foreign man and woman already have one affair, no, maybe many.    American old men are really wretched. Perhaps only young foreign girls and the top executives of Rockefeller Company know Tang Dao’s current net worth.

It is not that Tang Dao cannot afford the money at the beginning. The Chinese company authorized by Tang Dao has invested tens of millions in a large number of new companies in the United States in the past two years, and has made considerable profits in the capital market. As long as it sells stocks , 60 million will be given to you every minute.

Penicillin, a cash cow, has an even more terrifying ability to attract money. In less than two years, Tang Dao, who has a 40% share right, received 200 million in cash. For ordinary people, 60 million U.S. dollars is astronomical. It's a number, but to Tang, who will continue to divide money, it's just a number.

Endorsing Tang Dao is just a smooth favor for Little Foreign Girl and Rockefeller's parent company, and it is not enough to make Tang Tuanzuo sell his body.

 It's just that Stilwell, who didn't know the inside story, was overthinking it, but this undoubtedly made the future cooperation between the two parties smoother.

The future heir of the Rockefeller family can almost influence the votes of a state, and even the president will treat him with great courtesy.

The United States got it done, and China responded very positively, especially when Stilwell and the American ambassador personally went to that man's official residence and told them that the U.S. government was about to establish the Far East Army Command in the Philippines and that a Chinese company would donate 100 yuan to China. After setting up Wildcat fighter jets and 200 40mm anti-aircraft guns, it is said that the man burst into tears on the spot.

It has to be said that the man who has all the talents as a politician, after impressing two ambassador-level officials in the United States, immediately and resolutely promoted the "Chunlei Aircraft Manufacturing Factory" and two large-scale war preparations in the two major agencies of the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Military Affairs. Airport job.

The joint-stock plan for the aircraft manufacturer went through six drafts. The Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Military Affairs originally did not agree to let a trading company in the United States hold 30% of the shares, even if the other party was Chinese and invested US$30 million. .

They are even more willing to let Rockefeller Company take the controlling stake, which Laura, who is still familiar with Chinese culture, cannot understand.

Perhaps only Tang Dao understands the thoughts of those people. They always guard against their own people. Because only the Chinese can take away the power that once belonged to them. Anything that is not within their control is a factor of instability.

 However, the assistance of 100 fighter planes and 200 anti-aircraft guns destroyed all obstacles!

Rockefeller Company also helped a lot, introducing new shareholders, the famous Grayman Company, to participate in 10% of the shares, and will send 50 engineers and 300 skilled workers to China. The first 'Hellcat' production line is not in the United States, but in the United States. It will be born in China and will have an annual manufacturing capacity of 100 aircraft in one year.

Under such favorable conditions, the man who ordered his attendants to personally supervise the process completed all the procedures in just one day. Tang Dao, who proposed this idea, even got the privilege of selecting a site for the aircraft manufacturing plant.

Why is there any hesitation about this? Tang Dao chose his hometown almost without thinking.

It is a mountainous area and is easy to hide. A large aircraft manufacturing factory is located there. Although it will occupy some land, the immigration of a large number of people, especially those Westerners with sufficient spending power, will definitely provide local farmers with Bring new revenue.

Of course, what’s more important is that Tang Dao knows that behind this privilege is actually a test.

Only by locating the aircraft manufacturing plant there, can at least one regular infantry regiment of guards be stationed in the county. While responsible for protecting the security of the county, it may also mean that someone's family members will be used as hostages.

It is true that the Four Elements Regiment under Tang's command is too strong, and even has heavy artillery, and Tang is a typical thorn in the side. If he can disobey military orders twice, there will naturally be a third time. If that person doesn't take How can I sleep peacefully if I light Tang Tuan Zuo’s pigtails?

Tang Dao believed that even if he pretended not to know and randomly chose a mountain valley in Sichuan Province, the final result would be that the aircraft manufacturing factory would be located in his hometown. In that case, he would just stay alone.

Tang Dao's choice really satisfied that person, and the Ministry of Military Affairs granted Tang Dao a 10-day family leave, allowing him to go home to visit his parents and select a location for the manufacturing plant in his hometown.

The two backup airports were purely an unexpected blessing. As the chief of staff of the U.S. Army's Far East Command, Stilwell also took precautions.

If one day the United States declares war on Japan, China will definitely become an ally, and then material transportation and the parking of large bombers will become inevitable. However, China's current small airports cannot accommodate large aircraft taking off and landing.

If you wait until the war breaks out to build, the day lilies will be cold, so why not start building now.

The U.S. Army will provide the money and China will provide the personnel. The proposal to build two large airports in Sichuan Province is naturally a dream come true.

This means more than just having two airports, it also means that the United States’ embrace is getting tighter and tighter.

However, Stilwell made a request to that person: the US military has the highest management authority from construction to completion and use, and neither airport must be affiliated with the Chinese military.

This kind of almost unreasonable request is intolerable for any sovereign country, but that man is indeed a politician. After a brief thought, he actually agreed. He only asked that after the victory of the war, the US military needs to hand over these two airports to China.

"Dear Tang, I don't understand why you sacrificed the interests of your country. This is not like the way I know you." Stilwell was actually quite puzzled after Tang Dao solemnly made this request to him.

"General Stilwell, although you have been in my motherland for several years, you still don't have enough understanding of the officials in our country. In the face of the devil of money, they will choose to forget their humanity." Tang Dao sighed.

Constructing an airport is a big project in any era, but for China now, it is even more difficult to build an airport. The manpower invested is not tens of thousands, but hundreds of thousands.

Historical records show that in early 1939, the Lingchuan Provincial Government expanded Xinjin Airport for the first time and recruited more than 100,000 migrant workers from 16 counties including Xinjin, Guanxian, Wenjiang, Pixian, Xinfan, Qionglai, Pujiang, and Shuangliu. 3,292 acres of private land were used to build runways and hangars.

Due to the huge project, the airport runway needed to be paved with cobblestones. After the excavation and transportation within a hundred miles of the west bank of the Minjiang River were still not enough, they were dug to the other bank, all with manual shoulder trucks. At the farthest distance, migrant workers set out in the morning and can only pick up a load the next day. A large number of stones still need to be crushed, and the migrant workers are working day and night, preparing for the hardships.

By 1943, Xinjin Airport was expanded. The expanded Xinjin Airport required an area of ​​9,035 acres. The main runway was 2,600 meters long, 60 meters wide, and the reinforced concrete foundation was 1 meter thick. It is necessary to expand a main runway, two auxiliary runways, three large oil depots, two radio stations, six ammunition depots, a large hangar to accommodate 35 B-29s, more than ten stealth hangars, a machinery factory, two The power plant, six guest houses, and Xinjin Airport cover an area of ​​10,000 acres.

Since the project was huge and time was tight, the national government required that “all projects in Sichuan Province should start in mid-January of the 33rd year (1944), Xinjin and Qionglai should be completed by the end of March of the same year, and the rest should be completed by the end of April of the same year.”

 Historical data records that more than 300,000 migrant workers from 29 counties were actually recruited this time. During the implementation of the project, some migrant workers were dismissed due to illness or injury, and more were added one after another. According to previous statistics, a total of 500,000 migrant workers were recruited.

Hundreds of thousands of Sichuan migrant workers built the airport, relying only on primitive tools, carrying them on their shoulders and pulling them with their hands, sweating and sweating. What an arduous and magnificent scene it was!

That great project is also made of flesh and blood.

"Qingchengshan Taiping Township Chronicles" records: "Taiping Township dispatched more than 400 migrant workers to build Xinjin and Pengshan Airports, and 50 people died due to work-related illnesses."

"Daguan Township Chronicles" records: "In the 32nd year of the Republic of China, about 800 migrant workers from Daguan Township went to Xinjin and Pengshan to build airports, and they went to work in two rounds. The first round of Xinjin Airport expansion. Daoguan and Lianghe jointly bear an airport circle On the first day of the project, one person was killed while digging the turf. Later, they fought with other villagers to use iron rollers and worked late at night to dig up the turf, killing three migrant workers. They had little food, no warmth, and lived in grass. Shed, there is no medicine to treat illness, and people will be buried by themselves after death.”

“So, I need your army to obtain management rights. At that time, our company personnel will assist in personnel management, material distribution, salary payment and other tasks to reduce the losses of our migrant workers. They are all the strength of our country’s war of resistance.” Tang Dao said seriously.

"Dear Tang, I take back what I just said. You are the most special Chinese I have ever met. If our country is really involved in the war, I hope to have a friend like you." Stilwell sincerely said to Tang Dao stretched out his hand.

This is the first time that Stilwell took the initiative to shake hands with Tang Dao in the past 20 days since the two met. It was not because of Tang Dao's accurate analysis of the battle situation, nor because of Tang Dao's huge wealth that he could mobilize, but because of Tang Dao's influence on ordinary people. care of fate.

No matter whether you are in the East or the West, only kindness can understand kindness!