bookrebus Chapter 715: Draining Japan
Chapter 715: Draining Japan
When talking about the island nation of Japan, people often label it as "resource-scarce".
It seems that this country is highly dependent on imports, has no minerals or energy, and it seems that these four small islands are completely worthless.
However, if we take a closer look at the resource situation of Japan's four islands, the claim of scarcity may be superficial.
Japan is by no means a country waiting to die sitting on four barren islands, but an ambitious country that has thoroughly studied every inch of land.
Li Che was an exploration professional in his previous life. When he had nothing to do, he would study the mineral resources of various countries for fun.
Japan is obviously the best research object. After all, there is no Chinese who has not fantasized about setting foot here as an avenger.
The more Li Che studied in his previous life, the more shocked he was.
This island country is not as poor as imagined, but can be said to be rich and comprehensive.
Let’s talk about forest resources first. Two-thirds of its land is covered by forests, and its coverage rate ranks fourth in the world.
Although timber exports are not a pillar of Japan's GDP, its abundant forest resources have never decreased because they not only cut down trees, but also plant them.
People in daily life are most willing to use double standards.
They are not environmentally unfriendly, but they only protect their own territory, planting trees at home and discharging waste into the high seas.
Looking at marine resources, the total area of Japan's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone is as high as 450 million square kilometers, ranking sixth in the world. Its abundant fish resources are world-famous.
Thousands of fishing ports form a huge seafood industry chain, with fishmongers, sushi restaurants, and cold chain transportation operating efficiently.
The most subversive knowledge is that Japan was once Asia's premier treasure island.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Japan had huge reserves of gold, silver and copper, and was the leading metal exporter in the Asia-Pacific region.
The historical book "Eastern Wo Kao" records:
China can make five times the profit by selling goods to Japan, and can double the profit by purchasing Japanese goods and reselling them, which means a tenfold profit in one round trip!
Between 1648 and 1708, more than 239 million taels of gold and more than 3742 million taels of silver flowed out of Japan, most of which flowed into China.
From the reigns of Emperor Kangxi to Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the import volume of copper from Japan alone reached 3.3 million jin, and it is estimated that it may even be as high as 11.1 billion jin.
Without the support of gold, silver and copper from Japan, the Qing Dynasty's economy would probably be even more difficult to stabilize.
At this point, can we still assert that Japan is inherently resource-poor?
The label of resource scarcity is a sense of crisis created by Japan itself.
Although he has some financial resources, he chooses to package himself as a weak person to gain sympathy internationally.
Of course, not all the Japanese said were lies.
After a century of industrialization, especially after World War II, Japan's resources have been almost exhausted.
However, Japan today has not yet experienced any industrialization, and domestic resource development is still in a barbaric stage.
Li Che naturally would not miss such a treasure. These broken islands were hit by earthquakes and tsunamis every day, and he had no intention of letting people live here.
It would be better to vigorously develop industry and use Japanese resources as nutrients for industrialization. The Japanese are the waste of industrialization, and it doesn't matter even if it destroys the environment and kills all the Japanese.
The war is almost over, and the next step is to let Fengguo have enough food.
Li Che was in charge of Kyoto, and orders were issued from the center of power.
The first step is to consolidate the results:
Li Che ordered a curfew in Kyoto, cleared the streets, and any unauthorized night activities would be killed without mercy.
Although He Conglong's military report showed that Jiuzhou Road was calm, Li Che still sent an additional battalion of elite troops south by speedboat to strengthen deterrence.
At the same time, a group of Japanese captives who had undergone preliminary screening were taken away as the first batch of laborers to be transported to Heilongjiang Province to open up wasteland.
He also sent a message on horseback to Li Lin on Shikoku Island to fight a quick victory. After pacifying the entire area, he would immediately lead his troops to join forces with the main force of the Fengtian Army.
While the main force was resting, Li Che did not sheath all the blades.
He selected several elite infantry divisions of the Chaoyang Army, and assigned some cavalry and light artillery to form a moderately sized but powerful northward detachment, which was under the unified command of Yang Xuan.
"Your targets are the major cities, ports, and transportation hubs in the northern part of the state."
Li Che drew an arrow pointing north on the map and said to Yang Xuan, "The strategy is to force a landing by fighting. If there is organized resistance, we will destroy the city and massacre them as a warning to others!"
"If the enemy surrenders upon hearing the news, we will seize their weapons and armor, identify their civilians, and bring their young and strong men into a concentration camp."
"Notices were posted along the way: anyone who resisted would be killed; anyone who surrendered would be spared."
"We must move quickly and watch carefully. The Japanese have not yet recovered from the shock of the fall of Kyoto. Before that, we must drive their fear of the Fengtian Army into their bones!"
Yang Xuan took the order and left.
Things turned out just as Li Che had expected. After the news of the fall of Kyoto spread, the resistance of the Japanese nobles and the remaining defenders in the north was not worth mentioning.
Or they would be frightened out of their wits by the Fengtian Army's reputation for massacring cities along the way and would open the city and surrender.
They tried to organize resistance, but under the coordinated attack of the Fengtian Army's infantry and artillery, they quickly collapsed and became bloody specimens to warn later generations.
Although the pace of advancing northward is not as devastating as the war of annihilation, it is very stable and efficient.
Wherever they passed, the Fengzi King Flag and the Daqing Army Flag were raised one after another.
At the same time, another action concerning long-term interests is quietly unfolding.
Li Che carefully selected three elite teams from the officials accompanying the army and the soldiers who knew geomancy and mineral exploration.
Each team consisted of no more than ten people, equipped with a surrendered Japanese interpreter who was familiar with the local terrain, and an elite Fengtian Army guard squad.
Their mission was clear: to explore the three major mines of Iwami, Sado, and Ani.
Responsible for surveying the terrain, rocks, and stream sediments, visiting local elderly people to understand the situation, drawing sketches, and collecting samples.
The process went very smoothly. Preliminary exploration reports written in secret language were continuously delivered to Li Che's desk by fast horses across the battlefield that had just subsided.
Li Che carefully read through the dusty reports, and finally a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.
"Where is the Ministry of Works' team?" he asked Qiu Bai who was standing beside him.
Qiu Bai bowed and replied, "We have arrived in Kyoto and are currently resting."
"Yes." Li Che nodded slightly, "Tell them to carry sophisticated tools and explosives, and set off immediately to three locations."
"Tell them that once they arrive at the location, they will follow the instructions of the exploration team."
Li Che paused and continued:
"Order the garrisons in each occupied area to fully cooperate with the construction of the mine and recruit as many young and strong Japanese as possible!"
"Tell those Japanese that working in the mines will earn them porridge and keep them alive. Anyone who dares to slack off or resist will be killed immediately!"
"I want to see these three mines produce their first truckload of ore within two months!"
Qiu Bai bowed his head and accepted the order, feeling awe in his heart: Your Highness is trying to squeeze every inch of wealth out of the bones and blood of Japan.
Just as Qiu Bai thought.
Destroying a country is just the beginning.
The real looting, accompanied by the sound of pickaxes and the crack of whips from overseers, has just begun.
The smell of gunpowder that hangs over Japan is gradually being replaced by dust rising from distant mines.