Great Power Army Reclamation
Chapter 2176 The Importance of Sugar
Speaking of which, Mr. Li left the Bayi Sugar Factory many years ago, because before his retirement, he was sent by his superiors to provide technical guidance to several sugar factories and served as the chief engineer.
Sugar, as a daily condiment, seems ordinary to us, but sugar is a very important strategic resource and hard currency during wartime. Especially in Japan during World War II, sugar was much more important than gold.
In 1943, the price of white sugar on the black market in Japan was nearly a hundred times more expensive than in 1933.
By 1946, with Japan's defeat, domestic prices soared, and the price of sugar on the black market increased more than 2,000 times. At that time, sugar in Japan was worth more than gold. Coupled with the shortage of supplies, even if there is gold, it may not be possible to buy it.
In 1945, there was a story about sugar at the Etajima Marine Academy in Japan. At that time, in order to allow his family to eat sugar, a student specially kept the sugar allocated to him by the Japanese government and took it home for his family to eat. .
So why did sugar become hard currency during wartime? Especially in Japan during World War II, sugar was even more important than gold?
First we need to understand what hard currency is. Regarding hard currency, there are three meanings on the Internet: metal currency; currency with stable currency value; certain currencies in the international financial market after World War II that have no foreign exchange controls and can be freely and unrestrictedly exchanged for gold and the currencies of other countries.
For example, dollars, euros, and pounds are all hard currencies. However, although hard currency is highly liquid in the market, it is also relative and will change based on the influence of a country's economic factors.
The above is all under normal world order. If it is during a war, such as World War II, hard currency is not the so-called gold or currency, but weapons, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and food. Sugar is included and can be regarded as a necessity.
On the battlefield, life is the most important, and food, medicine, and weapons are what can save your life. Sugar is indispensable for making these things, so sugar is such an important material during wartime.
1. Sugar can replace medicines when necessary to treat wounds.
Sugar can treat wounds based on the principle of osmosis. High-concentration sugar solutions can cause cells and other microorganisms to lose water and die. During World War II, casualties were very heavy, with the death toll of the Japanese army reaching 1.85 million.
On the battlefield, salt water and medicines are very scarce medical resources, and the combat conditions are difficult, and injuries and bleeding cannot be treated in time.
In an emergency, sugar can be used to simply treat wounds. Sugar water can be sprinkled on the wound instead of salt water, which is helpful to inhibit bacteria, clean and dry the wound.
However, sugar is also a nutrient for bacteria, and careless handling can also cause infection. Sugar water can only be used for simple sterilization and cannot treat wounds, so it is generally not recommended to be used under normal circumstances.
2. Sugar can be made into powerful ammunition.
In many domestic and foreign film and television dramas, sugar is used as ammunition. Many people think it is an exaggeration, but in fact, sugar can really be used to make ammunition.
White sugar is refined sugar made from molasses squeezed from sugar cane and beets. At a high temperature of 186 degrees Celsius, the sugar will turn into caramel and burn to produce carbon dioxide and water after contact with oxygen. If you mix sugar with an oxidant, you can make a very powerful fuel.
During wartime, many fuels, explosives, and grenades were made with white sugar as one of the raw materials. A Syrian opposition group once demonstrated making a bomb using sugar at home, with a range of 12 kilometers!
The "Bomb Master" said that he had no one to rely on in the war and could only rely on his own innovation. Ammunition and weapons are consumables in war and are also scarce supplies. This will be one of the biggest problems they face if military supplies are insufficient during wartime.
The same problem would have been faced for Japan during World War II, but the price of sugar kept doubling as it worked.
In addition, growing sugar crops requires strict natural conditions. Only suitable climate, soil, and rainfall can achieve high yields. This caused the price of sugar to increase several times, making it more valuable than gold.
3. Sugar provides energy to the human body.
During World War II, the battles were difficult. To ensure that soldiers had sufficient physical strength to fight, high-calorie food was essential.
Sugar is one of the main sources of nutrition for the human body. It supplements the heat energy and elements needed by the human body. Each gram of sugar can produce 4 kcal of energy. 70% of the energy of the human body is provided by sugar. In addition, sugar can also protect human tissues and liver.
Sugar is essential in the rations of basically every country's troops during wartime. Compressed biscuits, chocolate and other foods made with high sugar content are not only small in size, easy to transport and easy to carry, but also have high calories and a long shelf life. long.
And white sugar can be quickly absorbed by the body, and a small amount of intake can supplement a large amount of calories.
Sugar was an essential food in the rations provided by Japan to field troops and garrison troops during World War II. At the beginning, the Japanese army stipulated that each soldier's rations were rice, biscuits, dried meat, dried salted fish, compressed biscuits, miso seasoning, dried vegetables, salt, sugar, in addition to canned meat, with a wide variety.
But as the war intensified, food resources were in short supply and sugar was very limited, so the Japanese army reduced its supply. The original rations that were carried for 6 days at a time were reduced to 2-3 days. Sugar has also been increased from 120 grams to 15 grams, but 40 grams of candied foods have also been added.
In addition to Japanese soldiers, American soldiers also carried candy with them; during World War II, 670,000 tons of sugar were included in the food supplies provided by the United States to the Soviet Union. It can be seen how important sugar reserves are during wartime.
4. Sugar can produce alcohol
Many people don’t know that sugar can actually produce alcohol. In 1926, an alcohol manufacturing factory was built in Saipan, the "Kingdom" of sugar production at that time, because alcohol is a natural by-product of the sugar industry.
The importance of alcohol to wartime is self-evident. It can be used to make chemical raw materials and fuel additives, and can also be used for medical purposes.
5. Japan lacks sugar, but loves sugar very much.
The Japanese love desserts very much, and sugar is indispensable in making desserts. However, Japan has a temperate and subarctic climate, which is not suitable for growing sugar crops.
After the Nara period, sugar was introduced to Japan and was initially used as a valuable medicinal ingredient. Later, Japan tried to grow sugarcane, but the yield was very low and the development was bleak.
After its colonial expansion, Japan planted and refined sugar on a large scale in China, the Philippines, and Saipan. For example, Tieling Sugar Factory, Fengtian Sugar Factory, etc. In the 1830s, during the sugar harvest season, 1,200 tons were shipped to Japan.
From the 1860s to the present, Japan has formed a unique dessert style. The popular daifuku, dorayaki, bean paste, kyo confectionery, etc. on the market are all famous sweets in Japan.
However, inflation during World War II caused the price of sugar to increase 400 times, which caused Japan a headache.
At the end of World War II, Japan was under economic blockade, and a large amount of gold and silver was lost to purchase sugar. It was reported at the time that even shipbuilding captains may not be able to afford sugar.
With so many uses for sugar, it is not surprising that sugar, as a strategic commodity, became a hard currency during wartime.
In times of war, if you carry gold, you may be targeted and cause disaster. But if you bring sugar, it is obviously more valuable. No amount of real money can buy something that can save lives at a critical moment.
After Mr. Li entered the workshop, he kept spreading all knowledge about sugar to Liu Junken and others.
Even though Liu Junken graduated from a military academy and was born in the army, he really didn't know much about these things.
He knew that sugar was a strategic material, but he really didn't delve into why it was a strategic material.
Now listening to Mr. Li's words, a group of people's awareness of sugar has invisibly improved a lot. The experts from Junken University added some more, and Liu Junken couldn't help but make up his mind to make this sugar factory come alive at any cost, not for some ideal or belief, but just in case.
Although he is the mayor, he is also a military reclamation warrior. Such an important enterprise must be preserved.
Leaving specific people behind to discuss the renovation plan for the sugar factory, Shi Lei accompanied Liu Junken to the cotton spinning factory and woolen spinning factory.
The difficulties faced by these factories are actually the same. Outdated and outdated equipment, low production capacity, poor product sales, and unsold products.
These things are actually nothing to Junken City. As long as there are drawings, Junken Machinery Factory can produce these simple assembly line equipment.
As for textile machinery, the country is not lagging behind now. Northern Xinjiang is my country's high-quality long-staple cotton base and has a large amount of fur, so production of this area is not a problem at all, and it can be solved by investing some funds.
To help them solve the problem, the most important thing is the sales problem. Basically, once the sales are available, the matter will be completely solved.
Nowadays, Junkencheng products are available to the whole world. How can they afford to sell this little output?
After Liu Junken discussed the details with Shi Lei, he withdrew. After all, when a new official takes office, Junken City also needs him to make decisions.
After the matter was discussed, Shi Lei was a little unhappy, because although Liu Junken agreed to inject capital into these companies to underwrite products, he also put forward a stringent requirement, that is, investors must hold 51% of the shares.
This is equivalent to becoming the actual talker of these factories in disguise.
Shi Lei couldn't object if he didn't like it, and he would ignore it if he didn't agree. Then the company has only one way to go bankrupt.
In fact, this process has been implemented on a large scale in the Mainland in the 1990s. The fact that a few enterprises can maintain it till now is really the result of the long-term efforts of the competent authorities.
However, Shi Lei still misunderstood Liu Junken. The reason why he did this was really for the development of these companies.
You can imagine the advantages and disadvantages of taking the lead here in Junken City compared to letting them take the lead themselves. At least there will no longer be a factory director destroying an enterprise.
The pot-bellied factory director has been invited to tea by comrades from the Discipline Inspection Commission. Wan Haiquan is currently being trained in Wang Chengcheng's office.
However, Wang Lecheng will definitely not let him come back. He will find an employer to work for him. He will retire soon anyway.
The reason why Liu Junken brought so many business CEOs here was to provide targeted assistance. Companies like these really don't need the government's intervention.
Besides, the government is an agency, not an economic entity, and it cannot use financial allocations to help enterprises in other places.
Zeng Rou was the first to raise her hand and said that she was responsible for the assistance of the sugar factory, and that Junken Pharmaceutical’s investment did not need to be repaid, as long as the land was leased to her as a medicinal material base. Shi Lei immediately agreed to this condition. Because there is no shortage of land here.
The equipment drawings of the sugar factory were jointly completed by Mr. Li and Shen Junken and needed to be sent to Warrior Machinery Factory for customization.
Zeng Rou drove an off-road vehicle to Junken City with Shen Junken. Mr. Li was a little worried about what the young people were doing, so he went together.
Zeng Rou opened her mouth and muttered: "How dare you, a grown man, watch a beautiful woman drive?"
Shen Junken scratched his head: "Your car is too high-end, and I can't understand many of its features."
"Isn't it okay if I tell you? Just say you are lazy and don't make excuses for yourself."
Speaking of which, Zeng Rou is only thirty years old. She has been traveling around all these years, which has delayed her marriage.
In fact, it is not considered a delay. Nowadays, there are many unmarried people in their thirties in Junken City, which makes Ma Rong and Zhao Ling'er anxious.
After the team adjustment, Yifei and Ye Qianqian became the secretaries-general of the municipal party committee and the government respectively, and their ranks were also raised. It seems that the headquarters is training these two young people as successors.
"You just sit for her for a while, but you don't have any gentlemanly manners. No wonder you can't find a wife!"
Mr. Li couldn't stand it anymore and started scolding his apprentice.
In fact, Shen Junken joined Mr. Li after Mr. Li was transferred. Since he started working as an engineer, Shen Junken often consulted Mr. Li for advice on some technical issues.
As time passed, Mr. Li liked this young man who was as diligent as his hands and mouth, so he taught him all his skills.
Who is Mr. Li? Having read countless people, he could tell at a glance that Zeng Rou was interested in his close disciple, but his stupid disciple was not up to the mark. I couldn't help but curse.
After being scolded by his master, Shen Junken had to ask Zeng Rou to stop the car and let him drive. Shen Junken was smart and agile, and he could drive several cars in the factory.
It's not that he is lazy, but Zeng Rou is driving the latest model of Warrior off-road. He can't understand many things, especially those instrument panels. He has been observing them for a long time and doesn't know how to set them?
Changing to the driving position, Zeng Rou patiently told him how to operate it. Today's warrior cars have begun to develop towards intelligence.
Such as remote control switches, one-button start, automatic windows and trunks, these are all upgrades to the intelligence of cars after the institute became independent.
Although these small functions were very common in later generations, at the time, they were amazing.
It is precisely because of these advanced configurations that Warrior cars have always been at the forefront and cannot be surpassed.
In fact, technology sounds mysterious, but in fact it is a pile-up of inventions. Whoever is at the front will be a big step ahead and leave behind those behind.
I've been thinking about a new book recently, and I might leave this platform, it's too voluptuous.
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