Chapter 132 Crisis

Yannick, who was discussing matters with several senior executives, received news that the resource exploration department had found a tungsten mine in the Alps.

"That's great!" Everyone present was extremely excited. After all, everyone knows the importance of tungsten ore. But after seeing the location of the tungsten mine marked on the map, everyone's excitement was instantly reduced by half. "This place is too remote, and infrastructure construction alone will cost a lot of manpower and material resources."

"It's easy." Yannick said easily. "Reinhard, send a group of people from the concentration camp to work in the mountains." Ordinary workers need to be paid, and pensions must be paid if there are casualties in accidents; but in these concentration camps, the prisoners only need to take care of food. And so far, Germany's various imports are still unimpeded. This important strategic secret must of course be kept. Once the import channels are blocked during wartime, tungsten ore production there can be started immediately. Just like Libyan oil, it is hidden as a backup and can be used immediately when you want to use it. "I don't want to know the process, I just want the result. All the facilities will be built in one year." This sentence decided the tragic fate of those people.

Reinhard stood up and saluted. "Please rest assured, Your Highness, and promise to complete the mission."

After talking for a while longer, Yannick ended the meeting and called out Economy Minister Walter Fink and Reinhard. "Mr. Walter, it's okay to just say it." Just now, Yannick noticed that the minister hesitated to speak several times. "Is there something wrong with the empire's economy?"

Minister Walter said with a look of shame. "Your Highness, the economic situation of the empire is somewhat pessimistic, and the fiscal deficit is approaching a dangerous level. Moreover, the unemployment rate this year is likely to exceed 5%."

Yannick adopted drastic reforms and launched countless large-scale projects to give every citizen something to do. This not only solved the employment problem, but also enabled the country to develop rapidly. Unfortunately, with the improvement of domestic infrastructure and the crazy development of industry, it is no longer possible to solve employment and stimulate economic growth through normal commodity production and infrastructure investment.

Then we can only expand our armaments and prepare for war, and solve the problem of affluent labor force and industrial overcapacity through the development of military power and military industry. In this way, domestic funds, resources, and labor are tilted crazily towards the military field. This militaristic approach to military expansion and war preparations has stimulated the growth of the German economy. This year, Germany's military expenditure has accounted for half of its fiscal revenue.

Crazy military investment led to a sharp expansion of military power, making Germany quickly rise to become a military power. But when military production capacity reaches a certain level, it reaches a bottleneck again.

In fact, Germany is not alone in encountering this dilemma. Even the United States on the other side of the Atlantic cannot escape this pattern.

Roosevelt's New Deal was intended to prevent the country's economic collapse and alleviate social conflicts, but it did not fundamentally solve the problems of large-scale unemployment and underemployment. Because the national fiscal investment of Roosevelt's New Deal was infrastructure, it did not contribute much to improving the industrial structure and generating new economic growth points. Without new growth points, the economy will develop according to its original model, and of course it will be difficult to get out of the trough. Relying on the market economy to find new growth points on your own will take more time, and it will be faster than the government-led development of new economic growth points. The Second World War that happened to break out at this time forced the governments of developed capitalist countries to take the initiative in developing new economic growth points.

Because the war is related to the honor and disgrace of the participating countries, the life and death of the people of the participating countries, and the personal political future and life safety of the leaders of the participating countries. Therefore, as the governments of the United States, Germany, and Britain, which were leading the world's scientific and technological trends at that time, they all tried their best to apply the most advanced scientific results at that time to the military field.

These scientific achievements that have passed the test in the military field have come into full play after the war and have become emerging growth points in various civilian economic fields.

For example, internal combustion engines and gas turbine technologies have replaced steam engines and become the power source for various mechanical devices. Radar has become an indispensable tool for civil aviation navigation and air control. Penicillin prompted the entire antibiotic family to enter the medical industry and promoted the development of the pharmaceutical industry. The birth of electronic computers made various types of automatic control possible, which promoted the progress of all industries in the world and gave birth to the information industry. In this way, the entire world's macroeconomics is back on the road to prosperity.

It can be said that Roosevelt's greatest contribution was to allow the United States to survive until the outbreak of World War II.

If Germany's area (370,000 square kilometers) was even one-tenth that of the United States (9.37 million square kilometers), or if it had one or two colonies that could be used for blood transfusions, he would have wanted to compete with the United States to see who would collapse first. Unfortunately, The reality is so cruel. "How long can the empire's economy last?"

Minister Walter sighed. "It took a year, but after a year and a half there was nothing we could do."

"..." Yannick nodded slightly. In fact, the German economy in this time and space is much better than that in the original time and space, at least he hasn't come up with things like rice coupons yet. (The so-called Mifu coupons are not currencies or valuables. They are simple printed matter. To put it simply, they are white slips. For businessmen, the Mifu coupons are government credit bonds that support the construction of Germany. They are patriotic. Investors support the rise of their countries in this way, and speculators make unlimited profits in this way.)

Should we get the Mifu coupons now? After thinking for a while, Yannick spoke slowly. "Transfer 10 billion from the account of Zeus to the national treasury. Reinhard, send someone to find Bloom later and ask them to take out 20 billion. Tsk, it sounds like robbery, so just treat it as selling them a message. Tell them that we will sweep across Europe in a year." Compared with killing the goose to get the eggs, he prefers to take the long way.

After speaking, he picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Uncle Bowen, this is Yannick. How are you doing recently?" Yannick still respected the old Bowen who fully supported him from the beginning. After chatting for a while, he talked about business. "I plan to sell 5% of the shares of Zeus, divided into 100 shares, and sold in the form of auction. Please help me spread this news. Of course, I have reserved 5% of the share for you."

After talking to the old Bowen, Yannick connected to the Ministry of Defense. "General Rundstedt, continue to expand the army and recruit... 500,000 more. How many Jews have joined the army so far? More than 80,000? Are they obedient? That's good." Yannick thought to himself that those Jewish elders were really appealing, and they could make those Jewish youths put aside those strict rules and regulations in the army and train seriously.

After hanging up the phone, Yannick looked at Minister Walter. "This money should be enough to last for a while, right?"

Minister Walter showed sincere admiration. "Your Highness is wise!"

What a wise man. Yannick complained in his heart, the empire is his, if the empire collapses, will he be the commander alone?