Chapter 767 The Military Parade of the Century
After the national flag is raised, there is a military parade first.
That is, the troops under review line up, and the parade members pass in front of the formation for review.
A specially modified extended version of the Hongqi sedan drove up Chang'an Street along the Jinshui Bridge with a red carpet, and stopped in front of another car that had been waiting for a long time.
Between heaven and earth, there was silence.
Li Liangxin raised his hand and saluted the old man opposite:
"Comrade commander, the troops under review are ready. Please review, the commander-in-chief of the parade, Li Liangxin!"
"Start!"
"Yes!"
While the military parade march was played again, two red flag vehicles started staggered and slowly drove towards the troops being reviewed who were already ready.
"Hello, comrades!"
"Hello, Chief——"
"Good work, comrades!"
"Serve the people!"
Greetings and answers, coming back and forth, sonorous and powerful, gathering into a huge sound wave, echoing in the sky above the ten-mile long street, like the echo of history.
"Grandpa."
On the viewing platform, a teenage boy wearing a red scarf turned his head and looked at the old man behind him.
The latter was wearing a Type 58 Air Force uniform. His figure was already slightly stooped, but he still looked energetic against the backdrop of the military uniform.
“Why did they answer like this?”
When the voice gradually subsided, the little boy stood on tiptoes and leaned into the old man’s ear to ask.
"Answer what?"
The old man could not understand his grandson's question for a while.
“The grandpa who was sitting in the car just now kept saying that comrades have worked hard, shouldn’t we answer that it’s not hard?”
Obviously, for children in primary school, this kind of logic is only It's relatively straightforward.
This time, the old man understood and showed a cheerful smile.
"How can it not be hard work?"
He replied slowly:
"Being a soldier is hard work. Not only is it hard work, but it is also dangerous... As soon as Grandpa's arm reaches the cloudy sky I can't lift it up when it rains. It's just an injury caused by serving as a soldier when I was young..."
He raised his head slightly, his slightly cloudy eyes shone slightly, as if he saw what he saw when he was young decades ago. Self:
“However, because our army serves the people, whether it is hard work or danger, it is secondary and acceptable.”
"That's why our army is called the People's Liberation Army..."
"In a few years, you should have learned this text."
The old man touched his grandson's head :
“If you struggle, there will be sacrifices. Deaths often happen. But we think of the interests of the people and the suffering of the majority of the people. When we die for the people, we die well..."
……
While the old man and the young man were talking, the review car had returned to the north of Jinshui Bridge.
Although today's celebration is customarily called the "50th Anniversary National Day Military Parade", the real "military parade" actually only occupies a very small part of it.
Firstly, the duration of the military parade was too short. The leaders passed by in cars and it ended in five minutes.
Secondly, for other spectators, there is no sense of participation in the military parade. After all, it is impossible for everyone to go there in a car together, and the almost endless queue in the distance cannot be seen clearly from the viewing platform.
The National Day is a universal celebration.
The person who made the celebration plan also knew very well that it must be enjoyable for everyone.
So, the big head is actually still in a row-
The troops being reviewed pass through the reviewing stand to be reviewed.
The atmosphere at the scene became lively again after the big leader gave his speech.
Li Liangxin may be the commander-in-chief of the military parade with the best Mandarin skills since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
At least the words "distributed, start" are quite clear.
As his words fell, the military band played the split march again.
At the head of all the formations is naturally the honor guard of the three armed forces holding the military flag.
Chang Yuanchao, who was next to Chang Haonan, straightened up a lot almost instinctively.
Comrade Lao Chang worked as a grassroots cadre in the army more than 20 years ago. Later he changed his career and became a policeman, and even went to the front line to fight.
This is how his second-class merit comes from.
The third-class merit award is a routine award after having been stationed in the third and fourth category marginal areas for several years.
Chang Yuanchao's eyes followed the honor guard of the three armies. It was not until they crossed Xihua Biao and returned to the same pace again that he turned back with some reluctance:
"Actually, when I first joined the army, I also applied to join the honor guard, but was rejected because my height did not meet the standards."
Although accompanied by the sound of the marching music, the viewing platform was separated from the opposite side after all. Looking at the entire street and the Jinshui River, it's not like I can't hear the voices.
Chang Haonan glanced at Chang Yuanchao with some suspicion:
"Dad, with these conditions...how dare you go..."
Worried about overly damaging Lao Chang's self-confidence, he I still haven't finished saying this.
"Hey...the standards for selection of honor guards also change with the times. When I was young, I was quite tall among people of the same age. I could have touched the minimum standards for the selection of honor guards."
“In my year, after I had filled in my application, the Ministry of Armed Forces suddenly said that the standard had been raised by 3 centimeters, and I was transferred to the field force...”
Obviously, this matter is very important in Lao Chang's memory, otherwise he would not have forgotten it for so many years...
Chang Yuanchao's height in 1999 would only be considered slightly higher than the average height of northern men. High, but if it were placed more than 20 years ago, it would indeed be more conspicuous as he said.
Old Chang turned his attention again to the subsequent queue passing in front of him.
For Chang Haonan, a reborn person who has watched the documentary of this military parade, the foot formation has not changed much compared to the previous life, so there is not much to watch.
The 1999 military parade focused on highlighting the construction of the military system and personnel training for the new century, so there were an exaggerated 5 formations of college cadets from various branches of the military. So much so that the on-site commentator did not explain one by one, but pinched the three in the middle together.
The only change was that the original two militia formations were reduced to one due to the increase in the number and size of the equipment formations.
However, for someone like Chang Yuanchao who has served as a soldier, it is obvious that there is still something to be desired.
"Dad, are there any of your old troops here?"
Taking advantage of the gap between the foot formation and the vehicle formation, Chang Haonan approached and asked.
"My old troops were all laid off later..."
There was a little nostalgia in Chang Yuanchao's eyes.
But the nostalgic eyes were quickly replaced by excitement and joy.
Because on the street in the distance, a rolling torrent of steel has appeared.
When the first tank of the vehicle formation appeared in everyone's sight, the applause at the scene even drowned out the roar of the diesel engine and the sound of rubber tracks running across the asphalt road.
The military band also played the "Chariot March".
Even the commander on top of the Tiananmen Gate couldn't suppress the smile on his face when waving hello...
Men, who doesn't like armor and cannons?
......
Since it is not Haonan's main area of effort, China's ground equipment is still relatively monotonous at the moment.
Nothing fancy.
Therefore, as in the previous life, three full tank formations were assembled.
Naturally, the commentator would not reveal the equipment model directly. He would just name it after the tank unit X and the new main battle tank, and then enter the routine evaluation process.
But those who are more knowledgeable can still see that the last generation of the six team's road wheels is the "round head", the 88B main battle tank.
Chang Haonan noticed that from a little distance away, the frequency of foreign guests invited to the ceremony raising various cameras or telescopes was obviously much higher than before.
At this time, the degree of openness of the Chinese military is not very high. The military parade is a rare opportunity to directly observe Chinese weapons and equipment at close range.
Whether you regard China as an imaginary enemy or you want to buy some equipment from China, you can't miss it.
“Compared with the model they displayed during the last military parade, do these tanks seem to be enlarged?”
In the front row of the viewing area for foreign envoys, a man wearing a U.S. Air Force uniform The brigadier lowered his voice and said to his companion who was holding a camera to focus.
Ralph J. Jodich II, also known as Zhou Ruifu in China, was an American military attache stationed in China.
Since he is an F15E pilot, his understanding of tanks is basically limited to distinguishing between ourselves and the enemy from an overhead perspective.
Therefore, in his opinion, there is not much difference between the models of these semicircular turrets.
The colonel next to him is the technical counselor of the Military Attaché, and his Chinese name is Bai Lide.
At the beginning of the year, he was still preparing for the Allied Operation in Europe. He was transferred from Europe to China just two months ago.
"Last time... I think you were talking about the model they called the Type 79 tank."
As an army officer, Bai Lidong's specialty is to study armored combat operations. I have read some information before, so I naturally know what Zhou Ruifu is talking about:
"Although they look a bit similar, they are only the first-generation tanks modified with our and British technology, and this... they should be called the Type 88, which is already a more advanced model among the second-generation tanks."
After explaining, perhaps because he was worried that his leader still had no idea, he added:
"It's probably similar to our M60, with firepower, mobility, and protection."
Zhou Ruifu nodded, obviously understanding this time -
A technical level roughly equivalent to the model in the early 1970s.
No need to care too much.
The tank of the second formation is the 96 basic type.
For most people at the scene, this was the first time they had seen a domestic tank without a round head.
Even if you don’t understand weapons and equipment, just from the appearance, the angular turret looks more like those advanced models on TV. The atmosphere at the scene was even more enthusiastic than before.
Zhou Ruifu didn't react at all. In his opinion, since the Chinese would put a model equivalent to the M60 on the military parade, it meant that they probably didn't have any better models.
Is the actual situation...
It’s really about the same.
The performance of the basic model 96 is really not much better than that of 88A/B.
In most of the information at this time, this model actually retains the original name of 88C.
Obviously, this can only be regarded as an in-depth overhaul of the second-generation tank.
This time, even Bradbury only took two photos.
For a knowledgeable person like him, it can be seen at a glance that the tanks of the first two formations use similar chassis.
So just taking some turret details is enough.
Then, Bai Lidui pointed the camera at the third-party team that had not yet arrived.
An important job of the Technical Counselor of the Military Attaché is to track the development of military equipment in the host country.
This is even public.
The latter model of tank can be said to be the only ground equipment he is interested in today.
Looking at Liddy, who was continuously pressing the shutter and showing no hesitation in driving the film, Zhou Ruifu also stuck his head out and looked over.
“Those tanks seem... different?”
In fact, if it is the earliest prototype car plan, then laymen may not be able to immediately tell the difference between it and the previous 96.
But what is now on the military parade is after a round of major changes.
Especially the chassis has undergone earth-shaking changes.
Although the power package is still the 1,200-horsepower version, the overall design has begun to move closer to the later 99A.
A giant leap visible to the blind.
However, the turret retains the oldest version without the wedge-shaped armor.
When combined together, it feels a bit light-headed and heavy-footed.
“We have been tracking this model since the early 1990s.”
Bride did not put down the camera and said while pressing the shutter:
“But the Chinese The confidentiality of it is very strict. We have obtained some pictures and technical information, but many of them are contradictory. At first glance, it is a smoke bomb thrown by them.”
"Two years ago, those losers in the Army Intelligence Department promised that they had obtained the technical solution for China's latest tank, but compared with the actual object today... it is completely different."
The tone was very different. A look of disdain.
As an Air Force Brigadier General, Zhou Ruifu next to him naturally couldn’t follow suit, but he couldn’t help but curl his lips.
Information errors kill people.
He thought for no reason about the B2 bomber that was shot down a few months ago.
No one still knows the full story of how it was shot down.
No one knows how the other party obtains stable detection of stealth aircraft.
In fact, the Army Intelligence Department was completely wronged this time.
The appearance they guessed from a few blurry photos is actually very accurate.
But I couldn’t stand it. In the past two years, the 9910 project has changed to an almost earth-shaking new plan...
Not far away from the two, their Russian counterparts were doing almost the same thing.
"There seems to be no trace of T72 or T80 at all..."
Andrei Lipilin touched his chin and said to himself.
He knew that China had obtained a T80 and more than one T72 through some channels and conducted detailed tests. Therefore, he had always speculated that China's third-generation tanks, even if they were not imitations, should be similar to these two. Models are inextricably linked.
But what I saw today was something completely different.
"The turret still looks a bit like the T72A...especially the size of the seat ring is exactly the same visually. Considering that it is also a three-person crew, I guess the loader should follow our design."
A lieutenant colonel next to him Holding a telescope in his hand, he said after hearing Lipilin's words:
"But the turret and the chassis look completely out of sync. It should be just a temporary fill-in, and will be replaced or added when mass production begins. Additional armor.”
“I just don’t know what the inside of the tank looks like. I wonder if I can find a chance to take a look...”
……
On the Tiananmen Gate Tower, General Zhang leaned out slightly and looked at the neatly arranged phalanx. He couldn't help but think of the scene when he served as the commander of the 127th Division.
Twenty years ago, the troops under his command also lined up for review in this way and then went directly to the battlefield in southern Xinjiang.
The difference is that parked behind these troops at that time were only more than thirty light tanks, a hundred old-fashioned artillery pieces, and trucks that could only undertake transportation tasks.
He won that battle.
He also made great military exploits.
But the process was extremely difficult.
In the absence of advanced technology and equipment, all the army can rely on is experience and will.
But these two items can only be produced by tempering in blood and fire.
The process of hardening is inevitably accompanied by sacrifice.
A lot of sacrifice.
When the country most needs a large number of young people to invest in development and construction, batch after batch of brave, loyal and strong vanguards have fallen on the battlefield.
Later, he rose through the ranks, from division commander to corps commander, to military region chief, and to his current position.
But the scene of commanding operations on the front line in those years always lingers in my mind and cannot be forgotten.
He also thought more than once that if he could have equipment and resources equivalent to those of the US military in the 1960s, without even using more advanced equipment, he didn't know how many young comrades' lives he could save.
And today...
Main battle tanks, self-propelled artillery, tactical missiles...
Things he had expected back then, and even things he didn't dare to expect back then, are all lined up here to be reviewed by the motherland and the people.
As one of the most senior commanders of this army, General Zhang inevitably felt a sense of excitement about getting what he wanted.
However.
This feeling only lasted for a moment, and he suppressed it vigilantly.
"It's not the time to be proud yet..."
Mr. Zhang stretched out his hand to hold his military cap, and secretly warned himself in his heart.
More than three years ago, he was also the one who personally directed the deterrent tri-service joint exercise.
It’s just the final result...
It’s hard to say that it’s satisfactory
A layman looks at the excitement, an expert looks at the door.
Although the scene of the exercise was unprecedented, the organization of the exercise was also smooth.
However, in the second half of the 1990s, the participating troops still used domestic first- and second-generation equipment as the main force, and the exercise format was still the traditional one.
The commentary of "Thousands of troops crossing the strait" is good from a propaganda point of view, but from a military point of view, the beach landing method, which still relies mainly on landing ships and assault boats, is undoubtedly no longer satisfactory. The combat needs of the new era.
In fact, even this traditional form of combat is subject to the dilemma of insufficient resources——
During the Normandy landings in 1945, the Allies still had 13 battleships to provide land fire support. However, three years ago, the People's Liberation Army had insufficient firepower and even had to move army artillery onto landing ships...
That moment just now The complacency and elation were suddenly replaced by a touch of invisible pressure.
Although the country has gradually begun to increase investment in national defense construction after 1996, there is still great pressure to speed up military construction without affecting economic development.
Not only external, but also internal.
“There is a long way to go…”
General Zhang's eyes changed slightly.
......
However, after all, there are only a few people who can think of General Zhang.
Most people at the military parade still have a simple mentality -
These tanks and artillery today are much more beautiful than what they saw on TV before...
Chang Haonan's perspective is obviously the most special among everyone.
As a reborn person, he is more interested in the difference between this military parade and the previous life.
The third-party tank team is the first obvious change.
18 tanks, all Type 99 prototypes.
Although it has not yet been finalized and put into service, at least there is no need to use Type 96 to recharge later.
He turned his head and glanced at Zhu Yusheng next to him.
But found that the latter was also looking at him at this time.
The eyes of the old man and the young man met, and then they nodded to each other at the same time.
Chang Haonan could see that Zhu Yusheng's thin body was trembling slightly.
Obviously due to excitement.
The models designed by myself will be reviewed by the motherland and the people.
For any weapon designer, it is a supreme honor.
Thinking of this, he subconsciously raised his head and looked at the sky to the west.
His home court has not yet begun...
(End of this chapter)