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

Hu Zhenhua was happily piling up soil in the suburbs, preparing to build the Shouguang greenhouse.

Since there is no film, glass is used instead. Although the cost is a bit higher, this is an experiment and the investment is acceptable.

The Shouguang greenhouse is built facing south, with a 1-meter-thick earth wall on the north and glass on the south, forming an arc shape.

During the day, the earth walls absorb heat from the sun and release it at night.

With the help of ventilation and heating equipment, the normal growth of vegetables can be guaranteed even in the cold winter.

Compared with Western steel structure greenhouses, the biggest feature of Shouguang greenhouses is their low cost.

Hu Zhenhua had just started the work when Guo Dachong came to find him.

"Hua Zi!"

Hu Zhenhua knew something had happened again from the look in his eyes. He greeted Yu Haiping and quickly walked to the side.

After simply washing the dirt off his hands, Hu Zhenhua took the newspaper handed to him by Guo Dachong.

"Yihe, you're going too far!"

More than an hour ago, several unknown tabloids were widely circulated with extremely shocking headlines.

The scandalous story of Tongan Chairman Hu Zhenhua!

How a spy turned into a business tycoon!

When the powerful and wealthy bully men and women, who will stand up for the common people?

The protagonist in the tabloids was none other than Boss Hu, who was accused of extorting money, seizing women, eating without paying, prying into widows' homes, and digging up the graves of families with no descendants...

In short, there are countless evil deeds.

What he said is very convincing and has supporting evidence, it doesn't seem like a rumor!

As the saying goes: Don't hit people in the face, and don't expose people's weaknesses.

Now, Lao Hu has been slapped in the face and his shortcomings have been exposed.

Hu Zhenhua tore the newspaper into pieces and cursed,

"Normal business competition has escalated into personal attacks. Jardine Matheson, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Guo Dachong lit a cigarette and started puffing away.

"Huazi, hurry up and think of a solution. It won't be long before we become the rats crossing the street."

After gritting his teeth, Hu Zhenhua regained his composure. Jardine Matheson's use of such despicable tactics showed that they had run out of tricks.

"Brother Guo, don't be nervous. If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up!"

"Who's the tall one?"

Hu Zhenhua laughed heartily.

"I'm just tall!"

Guo Dachong: %...

"It's already this late, and you're still in the mood to tease me!"

He had seen narcissistic people before, but this was the first time he had seen someone narcissistic to this extent!

Hu Zhenhua was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"Brother Guo, tell me the truth, did I really do those bastard things?"

After more than a minute, Guo Dachong spoke again.

"Hua Zi, don't think too much. Everyone makes mistakes when they are young. As long as you change, you are still a good man!"

He said this to Lao Hu and also to encourage himself.

Guo Dachong’s dark history is no less than that of Lao Hu!

A thousand alpaca horses were galloping through Hu Zhenhua's heart.

He began to grit his teeth again: How many traps has that damned guy laid for me!

How come no one paid attention to him even though he did all the bad things in the past?

I intend to be a good person, but I am often embarrassed by others!

In this fucked up world, killing people and setting fires gets you a gold belt, but building bridges and roads leaves no corpses!

Hu Zhenhua also lit a cigarette, lay on the grass, and looked up at the clear water and blue sky.

After a long time, Guo Dachong suddenly spoke,

"Hua Zi, you asked me to investigate the state of the mechanical industry in the Magic City. I've already made some progress. Would you like to take a look?"

Hu Zhenhua was originally lost in thought, but upon hearing this, his soul returned to its place. He sat up and said anxiously,

"Quick, let me see!"

This is a comprehensive industrial survey of Shanghai. I wonder if there are any surprises.

Hu Zhenhua took the statistics handed to him by Guo Dachong, and the first line of words made him frown.

There are about 1200 mechanical factories in Shanghai, with more than 2 employees, 1.4 machines and equipment, and horsepower of power equipment (excluding motors and electrical appliances).

About 10% of the factories are fully operational, about 85% are partially operational, and 5% of the factories have temporarily evacuated their employees.

Overall, Shanghai's machinery industry is in a predicament of shrinking production, depleted funds, and facing collapse.

Hu Zhenhua no longer had the interest to continue watching. He sighed.

"Modu, as the country's economic center, has such a difficult time with its machinery industry. Looking across the country, the situation is probably a mess. We are a great country!"

Guo Dachong personally experienced those unbearable years and said with emotion,

"Eight years of the Anti-Japanese War and three years of the civil war dealt a huge blow to industry."

Hu Zhenhua snorted coldly. He did not agree with Guo Dachong's statement. The destruction of war was indeed terrible, but what was even more serious was the man-made disaster.

Even though TA Company is disguised as a Mi-funded company, it can still be blackmailed by all kinds of monsters, not to mention industrial factories. They do not have the terrifying money-making ability of TA Company, and the meager profits they earn are not enough for corrupt officials to plunder.

"Brother Guo, how are engineers treated in these factories?"

Guo Dachong blew out a puff of smoke and said,

"Last year, when the action team went to the Huachang Electric Motor Factory to investigate communist elements, I had the opportunity to learn more. A worker's monthly salary could only buy eight to one dan of rice. The most skilled workers only earned one and a half to eight dan of rice. The workers worked long hours, and to save time, they ate right next to the machines. Because the machines had no protective devices, serious accidents like broken arms and fingers, and even death from being crushed by the shaft belt pulleys, were common. I personally witnessed a worker accidentally break a toe while eating."

Guo Dachong lit another cigarette and said,

"The life of an apprentice was even more miserable. Among the 80-odd workers, there were over 60 apprentices. The capitalist provided only three coarse meals a day and a monthly stipend for bathing and shaving. They worked twelve hours a day, sometimes even sixteen. Before joining the factory, the apprentices usually had to pay a deposit of two or three dan of rice to the factory and were required to learn for three years and then work for three years."

Hu Zhenhua was silent for a long time before he said angrily,

"Talent is the core competitiveness of an enterprise!"

Capitalists only know how to exploit, so they are naturally unwilling to invest in industrial upgrading, thus forming a vicious cycle and the country's industrial situation is getting worse and worse.

Hu Zhenhua shook his head and looked at the second page of statistics, where it read:

The machinery industry in Shanghai is roughly divided into 11 categories:

1. Textile machinery manufacturing: There are more than 2400 working machines in total. The main products include coarse and fine yarn spun yarns, rollers, spinning frames, large drafting machines, automatic cloth machines, steel rings, wire cloth, etc.

2. Shipbuilding: There are nearly 5 machines and equipment and 1000 docks. They can build ships of about tons, with an annual output of about tons. They can also repair various ships.

3. Machine tool manufacturing: The main products include lathes, planers, drilling machines, grinders, punching machines, gear hobbing machines, etc.

4，内燃机制造类：包括5～100马力柴油机，5～240马力煤气机及240马力以下蒸气机。

5. Automobile parts manufacturing: The main products are pistons, cylinder sleeves, crankshafts and connecting rods, bearings, flywheels, gear rings, etc.

6. Boiler manufacturing: various small steam boilers.

7. Bicycle manufacturing: production of bicycles and parts.

8. Sewing machine manufacturing: household and industrial sewing machines.

9. Clock and instrument manufacturing: The main products are record players, clocks, drawing instruments, analytical balances, measuring instruments, etc.

10. Cast iron: There are 200 iron burning furnaces, 40 drying furnaces, 90 blast furnaces, 30 clamps and cranes.

11. Motors and electrical appliances: The main products include small generators, motors, transformers, switchgear, electric fans, various wires and cables, etc.

Hu Zhenhua's eyes lit up.

The more we survey the industry, the more surprises we find.

He quickly turned to the directory of internal combustion engine factories and found that the three strongest ones were: Xinzhong Machinery Factory, Xietonghe Machinery Factory, and Housheng Machinery Factory.

Hu Zhenhua pointed at the list and said anxiously,

"Immediately place orders with these three factories, each for 100 million taels of silver. Only a 10 tael deposit is required. For the rest, have them apply for loans from British banks. Once they receive the funds, have them stock up immediately!"

The corners of Guo Dachong's mouth curved up.

"Hua Zi, you're trying to make money from the British-owned companies!"

Hu Zhenhua waved his hand.

"Brother Guo, why do you think so badly of me!"

Guo Dachong handed over a cigarette.

"Who doesn't understand who? You've been scheming against foreign companies for a long time!"

He lit a cigarette and continued,

"Huazi, our funds are all for WWA. You're spending money lavishly now. What if..."

Hu Zhenhua interrupted him.

"Brother Guo, we've already paid a deposit of over 1000 million yuan. The rest will be paid upon delivery. Aside from the C47 transport aircraft, the others will take over a month to arrive. With so much time to spare, we must get the funds flowing. Believe it or not, if things go well, we can at least double our capital!"

"Hua Zi, you are so sure!"

"I can't say it's 100 percent, but 70 to 80 percent is still fine."

Guo Dachong looked at Hu Zhenhua's confident expression, and his thoughts seemed to go back to the night when he planned the boat ticket risk. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and shouted,

"Done!"

Hu Zhenhua put his arm around Lao Guo's shoulders. Whenever it was a critical moment, Lao Guo always supported him unreservedly.

What a brother is, this is it!

"Brother Guo, we must not only make the funds in Tongan flow, but also make the funds in the entire Magic City flow."

Lao Hu picked up the industrial list and said,

"Place orders with these machine tool factories for lathes, planers, drill presses, grinders, punching machines, gear hobbing machines, etc. I want them all. Each order is worth 100 million yuan, and each of them will receive a deposit of 10 yuan!"

"Place an order with the shipyard. Start with ten 10-ton fishing boats. Have them research even larger vessels, capable of ocean voyages. 1000-ton, 2000-ton, tons, tons. As long as they develop one, I'll take it! Start with an order of three for each. As for the deposit, give me two million dollars!"

Guo Da Chong opened his mouth and asked,

“Are they all fishing boats?”

"There are half fishing vessels and half transport ships. Fishing vessels require refrigeration capabilities, so please pay special attention to this when designing. Transport ships will primarily transport oil and bulk cargoes. We need to develop step by step and not try to eat the fattest of the bunch all at once!"

Guo Dachong sighed.

"Hua Zi, I suddenly feel a little sad."

"Why?"

"Between 1918 and 1919, the Jiangnan Shipyard accepted an order from the United States to build four 4-ton ocean-going freighters of the same type. These four massive ships were over a hundred meters long, steam-powered cargo ships with fully covered decks. All four were powered by three-cylinder steam engines manufactured by Jiangnan Shipyard."

The old spy Guo Dachong's eyes were actually a little moist. He looked at Hu Zhenhua and his voice trembled.

"Huazi, how come our country is going backwards as time goes by?"

Hu Zhenhua held his hand.

Everyone, regardless of class position, has a dream of a strong country.

"Brother Guo, everything will be fine. Isn't Tongan working hard for technological advancement?"

Guo Dachong smiled, collected himself, and said,

"Hua Zi, you've changed so much. Sometimes I wonder if you've been possessed by some unclean thing. How about we find someone to perform a ritual for you someday?"

Hu Zhenhua grinned, showing his teeth, pretending to be a beast.

"Since you've discovered that I'm possessed by a fox demon, I'll have no choice but to bite you to death!"

Guo Dachong dodged it with a carp roll, and laughed heartily.

"What's a fox demon? My name is Guo Da Chong, and Da Chong means tiger! You little fox demon, die quickly!"

……

The two bickered for a while and then got back to the topic.

"These boiler factories should also place orders of 100 million taels each, with a deposit of 10 taels each. Furthermore, I require them to collaborate with the steam turbine factory and the motor factory to develop large-scale gas turbine generators. For this project, they can pay an advance of 100 million taels as research funding."

Hu Zhenhua thought about it and waved his hand.

"Forget it, I'll discuss this matter myself."

Hu Zhenhua picked up a pen and circled the factory directory. Half an hour later, he said,

"Gather the bosses and technicians of these factories. I want to meet with them tonight. If anyone doesn't come, they won't be able to get the tens of millions of dollars worth of orders!"

Guo Dachong has become numb. In Hu Zhenhua's mouth, money is like water, which can be poured out at any time.

"I feel like you're not spending your own money, but rather like a son selling his grandfather's land without feeling bad."

Hu Zhenhua put his arm around Guo Dachong's shoulders and brainwashed him.

"Brother Guo, money is only money if you spend it. If you keep it at home and don't use it, it's just like waste paper."

"Wrong sense!"

"What do you mean by perverse logic, Brother Guo? Let me explain to you what 'money' means!"

Hu Zhenhua approached Lao Guo and started showing off.

"Money is a commodity that serves as a general equivalent, born for transactions. It has three functions: medium of exchange, measure of value, and means of storage. Brother Guo, not all currencies have a means of storage. Legal tender and gold yuan do not. If you store these two, their value will soon be reduced to zero."

Guo Dachong pushed Lao Hu away and retorted,

"But we have oceans in our bank."

"The ocean is useful now because the people still recognize it. What if one day the people no longer recognize it?"

Guo Da Chong bared his teeth and shouted,

"This is pure silver, how could the common people not recognize it!"

"Let me ask you, can the US dollar circulate in the United States?"

Lao Guo opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer.

The United States has its own currency, so how could it recognize the US dollar?

Hu Zhenhua put his arm on Lao Guo's shoulder again and said with a smile,

"I'm getting off topic, Brother Guo. What I meant was that only by letting the money circulate can we make more money!"

Guo Dachong suddenly realized that he was no match for Hu Zhenhua in terms of talking. He didn't want to argue anymore and waved his hand.

"Okay, let's not talk about this. How are you going to deal with the newspapers smearing us?"

Hu Zhenhua already had a draft in mind.

"Brother Guo, don't worry, I'll take care of this. You should quickly gather those entrepreneurs. It's already noon!"

Guo Dachong pushed Hu Zhenhua away again.

"Okay, you handle it, I'll wait and see!"

Old Guo waved his hand and walked away.