However, as the war entered a protracted situation, the Japanese dream of a "quick victory" was directly shattered.
So at this time, it is time to compete for endurance between the two sides! Whoever has enough endurance and can withstand enough pressure will win.
Of course, in addition to endurance, what also needs to be competed is the war potential of both sides!
After all, war is always more than just a military confrontation, especially if it enters a stalemate stage, then the war actually becomes a struggle between the two countries' comprehensive national strength.
But Japan is just a narrow island country, so apart from being stronger than China in terms of economic and military strength, it is far inferior to China in other aspects.
Moreover, as the battlefield entered a stalemate stage, the Japanese needed massive amounts of supplies every day. However, due to the lack of local resources and the fact that they were the invading party, although their army was invincible on the battlefield, it was actually already in trouble internally.
There are many difficulties.
For example, the Japanese military ration supply is now completely unable to keep up with demand.
Of course, faced with this dilemma, the Japanese immediately formulated corresponding countermeasures.
For example, they began to plunder rice grains from the occupied areas of China, hoping to use this to "live on the spot" and "fight to support war."
Even in October last year, the Japanese formulated the "Regulations on the Prohibition of the Entry and Exit of General Commodities in the Areas Occupied by the Central China Front Army", and then set up checkpoints at various traffic intersections to strictly restrict the free entry and exit of goods to Shanghai, and the Japanese army issued
Licenses for moving items in and out are basically in the hands of Japanese businessmen.
Among them, rice is one of the most important embargoed items, because for the Japanese, controlling the source of rice is also one of the important means for them to control Shanghai society. After all, people are like iron rice and steel. If you don't eat one meal, you will starve.
If you have food in your hands, you won’t panic!
Then the Japanese designated three companies, including Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation, and Daimaru Industries, as purchasers of rice for the Japanese military. Under the three companies, they also designated several grain merchants to purchase rice in rice-producing areas such as Wuhu, Wuxi, and Suzhou.
Chinese rice merchants can only sell rice after paying a certain fee to the Japanese merchant and obtaining a transportation and sales license in the name of the Japanese merchant.
That is to say, under this situation, because the time and quantity of large quantities of international rice arriving in Shanghai became less and less, the Shanghai market was gradually monopolized by foreign rice, and it often fell into a state of food shortage.
Of course, faced with such a situation, the people in Shanghai would not sit still and wait for death. After all, no one wanted to starve to death, so the black market for rice and grain came into being.
At the beginning of 1938, some villagers transported scattered rice grains collected in Pudong, Huxi and other places to the urban area for sale.
A year has passed, so now the black market for rice and grain is becoming more and more prosperous.
In normal times, you can even see many people using bicycles to load rice from the villages around Shanghai and transport it to the Shanghai Concession.
Naturally, the Japanese turned a blind eye to this. After all, if they really did this, if they aroused opposition from the United States, Britain and other countries, then for Japan, the gains would outweigh the losses.
Besides, compared to the large population in the concession, how many people can the little rice transported by these people satisfy?
It is precisely because of this that the number of people smuggling rice grains has increased. Slowly, some of these people transporting rice grains use bicycles, and some take trains or cars.
It's very tiring, but it's not life-threatening.
Of course, just because the Japanese turned a blind eye does not mean that they are not embarrassment. It has long been commonplace for the Japanese and puppet military and police to extort money from those transporting rice grains.
Therefore, people who transport these rice grains also regard "cigarette money" and "hard work fees" as essential trafficking "costs".
Of course, after transportation, apart from these costs, you can still make some money.
But in early March, something unexpected happened.
Although the Japanese still turned a blind eye to those transporting rice grains as before, the money extorted by the Japanese and puppet soldiers and police in those roads had tripled.
In the words of the Japanese and puppet police, they were strictly prohibited from doing this under orders from above, and several people were severely punished. Therefore, they are still doing this with their heads in the air. Therefore, if they want to continue transporting rice grains, the tolls must be increased.
In response to what the Japanese and puppet police said, those who relied on transporting rice grains to enter Shanghai also seemed very helpless.
Although it is said that the people who did this thing still have some connections behind them, it doesn't matter how hard their relationship is. Otherwise, they wouldn't smuggle such a small amount of things.
Therefore, facing such persecution by the Japanese and puppet police, they also thought about resisting, but their arms could not hold their thighs, and they and others had to survive under the care of these people.
Therefore, when facing these Japanese and puppet military and police, they did not dare to say anything, but if they had to pay according to the amount they said, they would not make much money, and even for some conscientious people, they would not be able to make much money.
A good person may even engage in loss-making trading.
Faced with such a predicament, many people who transport food can only stop delivering food and wait until this period of time has passed.
Of course, for this situation to arise, because people in urban Shanghai would still reserve some food in normal times, so when this incident first started, no one noticed anything was wrong.
But as time went by, people gradually discovered that the price of rice actually started to rise again.
You know, last year, the price of rice in Shanghai was already 14 yuan, but now, it is about to break through the 20 yuan mark.
And looking at the current situation, the price of food is still going up.
At the same time, on some streets or in alleys, you can see people starving to death due to hunger every day.
Suddenly, the people on the beach also began to panic.
Coupled with the death of the taxi driver, the mood of the people became even more intense in an instant.
If the death of the taxi driver only accumulated people's emotions and did not let them explode, then the increase in food prices due to the food problem is like a fire.
Dry wood and a strong fire will light up at a moment's notice!
Suddenly, the entire Shanghai beach was in an uproar.