Dreaming back to 1949, the great powers were there to deceive us

"Before I answer your question, let me ask you a question: What caused the two world wars to break out?"

Zhang Jiashu answered without hesitation,

"To fight for colonies, of course!"

"Your answer is just superficial and doesn't get to the heart of the matter!"

Hu Zhenhua paused and continued,

"Starting in the 18s, with Watt's improvement of the steam engine as a significant milestone, machine power replaced human and animal power, large-scale factories were established, and humanity entered the 'Steam Age.' From that time on, human productivity advanced by leaps and bounds. During this period, countries around the world were creating wealth around the steam engine. War was not in the interests of capitalists, so the world was generally peaceful. We call this the First Industrial Revolution. By around the 60s, the First Industrial Revolution had largely concluded, having lasted approximately 19 years."

During the First Industrial Revolution, wealth was derived from coal, steel, and steam engines. To compete for these resources, the West aggressively expanded its colonies. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the great powers would have launched a world war. Fortunately, the Second Industrial Revolution erupted, providing capitalists with new avenues for increasing their wealth. This revolution, which lasted for about half a century, began in the second half of the 19th century and ended in the early 20th. It was marked by the widespread use of electricity, the invention and use of the internal combustion engine, the rise of heavy industries like steel and chemicals, and the advent of modern transportation like automobiles and airplanes. Human society thus entered the 'Electrical Age.'

Hu Zhenhua knocked on the table and shouted,

"Since the beginning of the 20th century, the momentum behind technologically driven wealth growth has essentially vanished, and humanity has entered a zero-sum game. In other words, if I want wealth, I can only steal it from you. Against this backdrop, two world wars broke out one after another!"

"This is the root cause of the war!"

"Now, the Third Industrial Revolution has begun. Humanity can gain wealth through technology, so they won't think about starting wars. Therefore, in the next few decades, there will be local wars, but no world war will break out. When development becomes the main theme, the economy will surely grow. So, go for it boldly!"

Zhang Jiashu began to be dazed again. Hu Zhenhua's statement seemed to make sense and hit the essence of war directly.

Of course, this is the profound knowledge gained by scholars of later generations after decades of research. I can't fool you, right?

The third industrial revolution began roughly in the mid-to-late 20th century and lasted until the end of the 20th century or the beginning of the 21st century, spanning several decades. This revolution was primarily marked by the development of atomic energy, computer technology, space technology, and bioengineering technology. The rapid development of information technology fueled globalization and ushered in the "Information Age."

We are currently experiencing the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by digitalization, networking, and intelligentization. This revolution is characterized by breakthroughs in many fields, including artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, 3D printing, new materials, new energy, quantum information technology, and biotechnology. However, it is currently impossible to accurately predict how long this industrial revolution will last.

The fourth industrial revolution has one core thing: chips.

At present, the chip manufacturing process has reached a relatively bottleneck state, which means that the fourth industrial revolution may be coming to an end.

When it comes to information processing, humanity urgently needs a breakthrough.

But this is easier said than done.

In the energy field, after fossil energy and atomic energy, the most promising technology is controlled nuclear fusion technology. If a breakthrough can be made, humans will gain more powerful power, break free from the shackles of the earth's gravity, and migrate to space on a large scale. By that time, the endless resources in the universe will add wings to human development.

Historical experience tells us that once wealth enters a zero-sum game, war is bound to break out. Nuclear weapons can only deter, but cannot prevent the outbreak of war.

Fortunately, we can still enjoy the dividends of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and mankind still has time.

Some people also believe that the fourth industrial revolution is a continuation of the third industrial revolution and cannot be regarded as an industrial revolution in its own right.

Whether it's three times or four times, it doesn't matter.

Zhang Jiashu spoke again and asked,

"Chairman, how do you know that the third industrial revolution has begun?"

Hu Zhenhua waved his hand and said with a smile,

"Manager Zhang, I hope that one day you can join the group's board of directors!"

Zhang Jiashu's face froze. He suddenly realized that his level was not enough for Hu Zhenhua to tell him everything he knew.

"Chairman, I will work hard!"

Everyone talked for more than two hours, and then Zhang Jiashu and Sikong Xiao left. They were about to set off for Europe, so they had to make sufficient preparations and recruit employees nearby.

After seeing them off, Hu Zhenhua immediately started to think in his mind.

The Americans are about to leave. In order to prevent them from taking desperate measures and asking their company to move out of the industrial zone, we have to lay the next bait.

Fishing is an art. If you want to keep the fish from running away, you have to keep it seeing hope, but not let it eat the bait.

On August 8, Hu Zhenhua received an urgent telegram from Carter, saying that Ambassador Stuart was about to return home in disgrace. He was worried about the fate of the industrial zone and hoped that Hu Zhenhua could return to Chongming to take charge.

History rolls forward according to its original inertia.

The conflict in fundamental interests between the two sides is doomed to prevent them from coming together.

Americans are conflicted at this time. It is like a person who is speculating in stocks. He has a heavy position in stock A. Even if stock A is declining and causes him to suffer heavy losses, he still has illusions and does not want to give up, but has doubts about the rising stock B.

A change in thinking takes time.

Ultimately, he will miss his chance.

On August 8, in Shanghai, Jimla received a letter. It was a piece of white paper with a picture of a bear on it. The bear's right palm was stretched out, and above it was a mushroom cloud.

On the white bear's left palm was a number: 10 Mi Yuan.

Jimla frowned deeply. Suddenly, the phone on the table rang. Jimla picked up the receiver and put it to his ear. A voice without any emotion came out.

"10 Mi Yuan, you can't afford to lose, you can't afford to be cheated. Please put the money in the second trash can to the north of No. 16 Hexi Road. After that, I will give you a piece of information."

Jimla was about to say something when the other party hung up the phone.

"baffling!"

Jimla thought it was just a prank, but the mushroom cloud on the white bear's right paw made him think of something else.

After a long time, Jimla decided to trust the other party once, because a lot of important information was obtained inadvertently.

It’s only 10 yuan, the Intelligence Bureau can afford the loss.

Jimla was worried that this was a bait because the relationship between the two parties was very unpleasant.

In early July, the deputy consul of Shanghai was detained for three days due to a traffic accident. This is unimaginable in any country because diplomats have diplomatic immunity.

Given that the two sides have no diplomatic relations, the other side's handling of the matter in this way is barely understandable, but it also indirectly confirms that the relationship between the two sides is not harmonious.

In this case, it is completely understandable that the other party put obstacles in the way and expelled the consulate's intelligence personnel.

Fortunately, this time it was just a money transfer and no intelligence transactions were involved, so the risk was very small.

The person responsible for delivering the money was James. This guy was not stupid. Instead of putting the money himself, he hired a newsboy and gave him a dollar to have the newsboy put the money on his behalf.

The newsboy blew hard on the silver dollar, then put it to his ear and listened.

The crisp echo made him smile.

Although the RMB has been in circulation for nearly two months, ordinary people still prefer currencies such as silver dollars and rice dollars.

Here, we have to mention the financial war in Shanghai.

Immediately after Shanghai was liberated, the Military Control Commission issued a proclamation explicitly declaring the renminbi (RMB) the legal tender for unified circulation. The commission also issued "Financial Order No. 1949," declaring the RMB the sole legal tender and stipulating the complete abolition of gold yuan coupons by June 6, 5, adopting an unrestricted and indiscriminate redemption policy. The People's Bank of China's East China Branch was established in Shanghai, with 369 exchange points set up.

However, the circulation of the RMB in Shanghai was not always smooth. Initially, the exchange for gold yuan was relatively smooth, but various market problems subsequently emerged. Citizens rushed to buy physical goods or exchanged their RMB for silver dollars on the black market, causing RMB to be released into the market early in the morning and returned to bank vaults by evening. The black market price of silver dollars soared, and the RMB depreciated. Through a series of economic measures (such as the release of silver dollars and the establishment of discounted savings) and crackdowns on speculation (such as the closure of the Shanghai Stock Exchange), the RMB gradually gained a firm foothold in Shanghai.

However, a lot of work needs to be done to achieve the sole liquidity of the RMB, so at this time, there are still multiple currencies coexisting in the market, among which the three most circulated currencies are: RMB, silver dollars, and rice dollars.

What the common people like most is the silver dollar, which is white and looks festive.

James saw with his own eyes that the newspaper boy put the bag containing rice and dollars into the trash can and then left quickly.

He also wanted to see who would come to pick it up, but that was unrealistic.

At the consulate, Jimla was waiting by the phone anxiously.

If it was any other information, Jimla might not care, but when it came to the polar bear firecrackers, any information was extremely important.

Suddenly, the phone on the table rang.

Jimla took a deep breath, and after the phone rang three times, he picked up the phone and said calmly,

"Hello, this is the U.S. Consulate."

The voice on the other end still contained no emotion.

"One hundred thousand dollars is just a deposit. I plan to sell this information for 1000 million. You can pay the remaining amount after verifying the authenticity of the information. Please listen carefully. I will only say this once. There is a rat in the Manhattan Project. This person has two characteristics: one, British and German, and two, he is familiar with the structure of 'Thin Man' and has access to relevant information about hydrogen bombs."

Just when Jimla was about to say something, the other party decisively hung up the phone.

……