Chapter 497 Third Anniversary
The combat ships currently owned by the Navy are enough to dominate the waters around Qiongzhou Island, and can radiate to the Pearl River Estuary, Beibu Gulf, and parts of the coastal areas of Indochina Peninsula. The Executive Committee believes that such military strength is sufficient to protect the existing coastal base areas. It’s time to free up some of the limited shipbuilding resources to make up for the gap in Haihan’s maritime transportation capabilities.
It only took a very short time for Haihan to evolve from leasing and buying in the early stage to building its own ships. However, since most of the shipyard's resources have been used in the construction of naval warships in the past two years, The construction volume of civilian ships is actually far less than the demand for the development of commercial and freight transportation in the areas under the rule. Therefore, although the Ministry of Shipping has two factories under its name, the Victory Port Shipyard and the Black Earth Port Shipyard, it still needs to purchase two ships from outside every year. Several Chinese-style sailing boats to meet the needs of transportation tasks.
There is a big gap between the carrying capacity, speed and seaworthiness of Chinese-style sailing ships and the sea-going ships built by Haihan. Therefore, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Shipping have been looking forward to the Executive Committee's early order to allow the shipyard to complete its production tasks. Convert the army to civilians and build more cargo ships - once the route south to Malacca is opened, the Ministry of Shipping believes that at least 20 to 30 ships will be needed to use it, and the existing number of cargo ships obviously cannot meet the new demand. route requirements.
Although the naval officers headed by Wang Tom were somewhat dissatisfied with the arrangement of the Executive Committee, they at least got two expensive main warships. In fact, there is nothing to complain about, considering the value of these two ships. There are already more than twenty "exploration-class" civilian merchant ships, and the Ministry of Commerce is very jealous of them. Moreover, since these two ships are equipped with steam power systems, their daily maintenance and use expenses are much greater than those of traditional purely sail-powered ships. After the excitement of the navy getting new toys wears off, I am afraid it will have a headache how to make use of limited resources. Part of the military expenditure was squeezed out to maintain the operation of these two large ships.
Of course, this idea mainly comes from other departments, and the military does not see it that way. On the night of the Navy's handover ceremony for the "Majestic" battleship, senior military officers had already held an internal meeting to discuss Haihan's next combat opponent. If you want to maintain the important position of the military in the entire social system, the best way is not to stop taking military actions abroad. If peace is maintained for too long, there will always be people who question the meaning of spending huge sums of money to maintain the operation of the military. In the eyes of the military, taking some military actions in a timely manner can not only combat external hostile forces but also show muscles to one's own subjects. It is also a very necessary measure.
However, before formulating foreign military plans, the military still has an important task that must be completed during the third anniversary, which is the upgrading of the establishment of various military forces stationed abroad. This is not just a form of adding a company and stationing two more platoons there as in the past few years, but it is also about upgrading the establishment while expanding the scope of authority of the field garrison.
The Executive Committee has agreed in principle to the Military Commission's proposal to establish the three military regions of Hainan, Annan and Guangdong, and is waiting to announce it on the occasion of the third anniversary.
Although the administrative levels of the three major military regions are the same, there are still some differences in the functions they perform. The current functions of the Hainan Military Region are more similar to that of a garrison. Its primary task is to protect the core base area of Sanya and key production units such as Tiandu Industrial Zone, Yinggehai Salt Fields, and Shilu Iron Mine, as well as the number of residents stationed on Hainan Island. The personal safety of hundreds of travelers.
The tasks of the Annan Military Region are relatively simple. It will be mainly responsible for protecting the safety of the Black Tu Port mining area and safeguarding Haihan's interests in various concession ports along the Annan coast. In the future, the areas it may be responsible for will continue to extend southward along the coastline of the Indochina Peninsula. . There is another task worth mentioning, which is to maintain the military cooperation relationship between Haihan and Annan, and to maintain military suppression of Annan.
At present, the military cooperation between Haihan and Annan is still continuing. The Tushan training camp located on the coastline east of Thang Long Province has been expanded several times when it was first built, and the training facilities have been gradually improved in the past two years. The military advisers of the militia have trained more than 20,000 musketeers and artillerymen for the Annan military here, and have conducted various forms of training for hundreds of Annan officers, including many young senior officers with a bright future like Zheng Ting. .
Although Annan's military relied heavily on Haihan in terms of weapons and personnel training, the Military Commission did not relax its necessary vigilance against Annan. As for the best way to prevent Annan from having second thoughts, the Military Commission believes that it is to maintain the combat advantage of the Haihan Militia. In addition to constantly upgrading weapons to improve combat effectiveness, it also requires further expanding the size of the garrison. Only by increasing the freedom of movement of the garrison.
Compared with the Annan Military Region, which is the least likely to break out of war, the area under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong Military Region is undoubtedly the most likely area among the three major military regions to experience some uncontrollable situations. Whether it is to attack the key areas along the Guangdong coast or to continue to expand its power toward the northeastern Fujian coast, the prerequisite is to have a strong enough armed force as a backing. With the construction of a new port on Hong Kong Island, the military has also seen the possibility of building a large military base along the coast of Guangdong.
Panyu, where the immigration transfer base is set up, is too close to the city of Guangzhou. Under the current situation, it is not suitable to station too many troops to avoid irritating the local officials of Guangdong. The area of Dawanshan Island is too small, and the military strength stationed in two or three companies is almost exhausted, and the narrow port is inconvenient to dock the new main warships that the navy has just launched. Hong Kong Island, which covers an area of nearly 80 square kilometers, obviously does not have so many problems. It is large enough for the military to set up a large military base on the island, and the strait between it and the mainland will also become the best defensive barrier.
April 1, 1630, February 19th, the third year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, Sanya, Hainan.
The scale of the celebration of the third anniversary once again surpassed history. The Executive Committee specially arranged a two-day national holiday to express its intention to celebrate with the people. In addition to the customary military parade in the square in front of the gate of Victory Fort, this year there are also many spontaneous celebrations organized by the people. The streets of Shengli Port Business District are decorated with lights and colorful decorations, and the sound of firecrackers can be heard from time to time outdoors. It is even more lively than the Chinese New Year.
In addition to restaurants that seize the opportunity to make huge profits during this period, other businesses are also not idle. They have catered to this opportunity and advertised various discounts, hoping that this wave of holiday consumption will bring them huge profits. income.
"Xiao Ma, move this sign out and put it in a conspicuous place at the door!" Li Qingyang loudly ordered the clerk to move out the advertising board he had just written. On it was written an eye-catching slogan in red paint - Celebrate the third anniversary. , there is no limit to the discount, all high-end tonics in our store are discounted starting from 20%! There is also a line of slightly smaller words at the back: Naturalized citizens can enter the store with proof of identity to receive a free deworming powder.
This advertising slogan was not thought up by Li Qingyang himself, but He Qiang used his personal connections to go to the Ministry of Commerce to find someone from Haihan to write it. Li Qingyang is now not only the accountant of the Shengli Port Branch of "Fuji Pharmacy", but because of his good performance, he now also assumes some of the responsibilities of the second shopkeeper. After staying here for a few months, he has become very familiar with his new position without any sense of disobedience. He stood at the door of the store and directed the new clerks: "Don't put it on the street. The police will come later." You will be punished! Yes, put it under the eaves, facing the landscape avenue!”
Not long after the billboard was put out, some naturalized people began to stop at the door. Li Qingyang was afraid that these people were illiterate, so he asked another waiter to explain it outside the door. Not long after, people began to flock to the door. Fortunately, Li Qingyang had already expected such a result of handing out free things, so he quickly asked other clerks to set up two tables outside the door, and loudly ordered people to line up at the door to avoid the cramped space. Congestion occurred after too many people poured into the store, which prevented those buyers who wanted to spend money from entering. The cost of this insect repellent powder is extremely low, and it uses cheap medicinal materials. "Fuji Pharmacy" prepared 1,200 copies a few days in advance for distribution. The cost is less than a hundred yuan, and there are also Ten yuan was spent on printing the store name on the wrapping paper. Judging from the current publicity effect alone, the money should be well spent.
He Qiang looked at the crowds of people outside and inside the store with a smile. This kind of lively scene was not easy to see in normal times. Since the cooperation has been long enough, He Qiang is very aware of the executive committee's habit of arranging celebrations at this time every year, so he arranged such promotional activities in advance. However, he left all the specific matters to Li Qingyang to handle. Unexpectedly, he handled them in an orderly manner. If it weren't for his special status, He Qiang would actually have the heart to recommend him to the general counter and let him serve as " "Fruifeng" is a candidate for the next local director.
"Xiao Li, come on, come on, just let the guys do their work. Come and drink tea with the old man!" After the activity went on for more than an hour, seeing that the order inside and outside the store was in order, He Qiang invited Li Qingyang to come back and sit in the store. Come down and have tea.
"I just looked at the record at the counter. In just a short time, the medicinal materials in the store were sold for more than 700 yuan. This activity is really effective!" He Qiang said proudly.
Li Qingyang was also a smart man, and he lost no time in flattering him: "This is all because Manager He has unique vision, clever methods, and good leadership!"
He Qiang smiled and said: "Xiao Li, do you know what the Haihan people are celebrating during the two-day holiday?"
"I've heard a little about it, but I don't understand the mystery." Li Qingyang responded: "I only know that three years ago today, the Haihan people came across the sea and landed here, so they celebrate at this time every year, presumably to commemorate them. Come to this great place! ”
"A good place? When the Haihan people landed three years ago, this place was still a deserted beach. There were not even a few living people, let alone a business district at the port. Even pirates didn't frequent this place, so what does it mean? Good place!" He Qiang shook his head and said: "What you said is not unreasonable, but it is not the main reason."
Li Qingyang thought for a while and then added: "I heard that the large iron ships that the Haihan people took when they came are no longer usable, and they can no longer cross the sea to return to their homeland. This celebration may be an expression of their nostalgia for their homeland. ?”
He Qiang shook his head slightly and replied: "Maybe, but it's not all right."
"I'm stupid, please give me some advice from Steward He." Li Qingyang knew that he couldn't figure out the reason, so he gave up decisively. He knew that the Li family behind He Qiang had been dealing with the Haihan people for a very long time, and their degree of cooperation could be said to be the deepest among merchants in the Ming Dynasty. Presumably He Qiang also knew many inside stories about Haihan that the outside world had never heard of. And these inside information were what Li Qingyang was most interested in.
He Qiang looked at the people around him, then lowered his voice and said: "Haihan's move is one of the important measures to solidify people's consciousness, making them gradually forget their original identity and regard themselves as Haihan people."
Li Qingyang was shocked when he heard this, and immediately understood the significance of Haihan people's holding such a large-scale event as if he was enlightened. Except for the hundreds of Haihan people who actually came across the sea, the local naturalized people are all composed of Han, Li, Miao and Annan people. Under the long-term propaganda of the Haihan people, these people may not know their nationality. They no longer care so much, and such a celebration undoubtedly gives them a very clear instruction - this festival is an exclusive festival for Haihan, and you who participate in this festival are Haihan people!
Li Qingyang recalled the faces he had just seen outside the store, and he could indeed see that the smiles on their faces were from the bottom of their hearts. Not only could these people enjoy the peaceful life brought by the Haihan system, but they also had Such festivals influence their thoughts. It is no wonder that the society in the area under Haihan's rule is so stable. We have never heard of large-scale anti-Haihan movements.
Ginger is still spicy! Li Qingyang sighed and thanked He Qiang for his advice.
He Qiang waved his hand and said: "You don't need to thank me. In fact, after you have dealt with the Haihan people a lot, you can figure out how they do things. Their ability to win the hearts and minds of the people is a thousand times better than the imperial court! What the imperial court failed to accomplish in Qiongzhou Island for hundreds of years, the Haihan people have accomplished in just three years. They should really celebrate it!”
Li Qingyang no longer regarded himself as an official of the imperial court at this time. He didn't feel any anger when he heard this, but just felt a little helpless. There were so many talented people in the Ming Dynasty who had governed the country for hundreds of years, but they could not do as well as this group of foreigners who had drifted here from overseas. He Qiang's words were very straightforward, and Li Qingyang could also feel his deep disappointment in the court.
(End of chapter)