Chapter 1213: South and South
There are thousands of Haihan troops stationed in Cam Ranh Bay. The security here is naturally not too bad. Moreover, due to the special nature of the military base, only a small demilitarized zone in the port area is included. Under the rule of the Police Department, the job of a peace officer is relatively easy. However, after Han Zhengshan had a face-to-face chat with the police chief here, he also learned that it was basically impossible to get any meritorious service awards or opportunities to be promoted when working here. He could only slowly gain seniority and improve his position based on years of experience. This means that a relaxed working environment also comes at a price. This place is not suitable for people like Han Zhengshan who hope to get a position by relying on their own abilities. If you want to climb quickly, you still have to work as an errand in the risky first-line areas of the South China Sea. OK.
Han Zhengshan recalled what his boss Tan Juren had talked to him about before, and he could only sigh that wealth was gained through danger. Since the destination was more risky, there must be more opportunities to make meritorious deeds. Besides, now that the distribution direction has been decided, there is no room for him to back down when the trouble comes.
According to the arrangements of the Executive Committee, Cam Ranh Port will probably be the longest stop on the colonial fleet's voyage south. In order to allow the new immigrants to move south with peace of mind, a two-day military exercise was specially arranged here to show the new immigrants the strength of the military.
As a peace officer among the cadres going south, this kind of activity also tests Han Zhengshan's organizational and management abilities. Fortunately, he has some work experience in this area, and he has had some contact with these people in the immigration camp before departure. It is not a very difficult task to direct these immigrants to the designated place on the dock. It's just a little more complicated.
It is said to be a military exercise, but it is actually just a daily exercise at sea. The only special thing is that a few dilapidated old ships are dragged to the sea to serve as target ships, so that the people on the dock can intuitively Feel the power of naval force. Han Zhengshan had already had several opportunities to observe the Haihan Navy from different angles and distances, so he was quite adaptable to watching this kind of exercise. However, it was the first time for a large number of immigrants to see the navy's armed display, and they were all excited. Incessantly, shouting and screaming kept coming and going.
Han Zhengshan felt very calm as he watched the Haihan warship on the distant sea firing cannons at the target ship. If this scene had been placed a few months ago, he would probably have been frightened by it, just like when he saw the Haihan Fleet on the Qiantang River at the top of Hangzhou City. But now that his identity has been changed, he has become a Haihan citizen, and this powerful warship has turned from his opponent into his protector. There is really nothing to be afraid of, and he can safely accept the existence of this powerful weapon.
As for the big shots sitting on the viewing platform, their reactions were even more muted. Han Zhengshan can understand this. After all, the Haihan Navy has fought many naval battles in the South China Sea and has never been defeated. It is probably difficult for these senior officials to have too much enthusiasm for this kind of target practice for new immigrants.
On the second day of the exercise, even the live-fire target practice was cancelled. It was simply a review. Including the warships in the southward fleet, a total of more than 30 combat ships sailed slowly through the port area from north to south. The dock ended the two-day exercise.
After the exercise ended, Han Zhengshan took the immigrants back to the camp and rushed to return his orders to Tan Ju. Only then did he hear from his superiors the reason why the exercise ended in a hurry. It is said that traces of pirate activities were found in nearby waters, so the military temporarily reduced the content of the exercise in order to allow naval ships to leave the port to perform tasks.
"Pirates?" Han Zhengshan was a little surprised when he heard the news: "During the training in Sanya, didn't the instructor say that all pirates in the South China Sea have been cleaned up?"
"It's not that simple." Tan Juren slowly shook his head and explained to him: "There are many countries in the South China Sea, the sea area is vast, and international relations are complex. Moreover, many countries from the West have established colonies in the South China Sea. The armed forces at sea have The conflicts have never stopped. Although we have been eradicating pirate forces in the South China Sea all year round, to be honest, the only ones that are easy to deal with are the civilian armed forces, and the South China Sea is too large to completely eradicate them. . The so-called clean-up actually just means that the waterways we frequently travel through in the South China Sea are relatively safe.”
Han Zhengshan took a moment to digest what Tan Juren said, and then continued to ask: "What the chief means is that there are still piracy activities in the South China Sea. It is just that we are frightened by the power of our navy and do not dare to easily approach the pirates operated by our country." South my country Sea waterways? And the piracy trade may not be limited to civilians? ”
"Your understanding is roughly correct." Tan Juren nodded and said: "It's not that they don't want to come, they just have learned from past mistakes and don't dare to provoke us. But our maritime security does not mean that it can be solved once and for all. We still need to maintain a strong enough deterrent force. That’s it. The purpose of setting up the military base here in Cam Ranh Bay is also this. Regardless of whether we are civilians or otherwise, as long as we are caught in the act, we will never let it go easily.”
Tan Juren didn't speak too thoroughly, but Han Zhengshan basically understood the meaning. Obviously, in addition to private pirates, those causing trouble in the South China Sea may also be privateers organized by official organizations of various countries. Maritime armed forces of this nature are the real threat to Haihan, and they will probably be more troublesome to eliminate. One of the tasks of the fleet deployed by the military in Cam Ranh Bay is to deal with these potential maritime threats. Therefore, after receiving the news, it hurriedly interrupted the exercise and allowed combat ships to go to sea to search for suspicious ships.
"Will the next voyage of the fleet be affected by this?" Han Zhengshan asked. He is now the peace officer responsible for managing this group of immigrants, so he is naturally more concerned about his schedule.
Tan Juren shook his head and said: "There should be no impact. There will be a navy escorting us south, so we don't have to worry too much about safety issues. You go back and prepare. If nothing happens, we will set sail on time tomorrow."
Han Zhengshan understood that this was the boss's intention to end the conversation, so he stood at attention, saluted, and then left. The so-called preparations probably mean to get up early tomorrow morning and urge the immigrants who have been resting in tents on the shore for the past two days to pack their luggage and board the ship.
The next day, the weather was fine, and the fleet did not encounter any delays. After each ship counted the number of people, they successively pulled anchor and set sail out of Cam Ranh Bay. Han Zhengshan stood on the deck, looking at the land gradually receding to the west, and couldn't help feeling a little emotional. He had never thought in his life that one day he would live overseas far away from Ming Dynasty. Moreover, this place was so far away that he could not imagine it in the past. It had been several days since he set off from Sanya, but he had seen Qin Biao's chart in the captain's cabin, and he had only gone about one-third of the way to Jinlan Bay. During the training in Sanya, the instructor once said that the location he was assigned was very far south, but it was not until he embarked on this journey that he understood what "very south" really meant.
Fortunately, we did not encounter any major troubles while sailing from Sanya to here. Once there is bad weather, the fleet will safely sail close to the coastline, or simply find a place to dock and wait for the weather to improve. Moreover, the legendary pirate ships have not appeared in the waters near the fleet. Of course, this may also be because the escorting naval warships are traveling outside the fleet. Even if there are ships with evil intentions that want to get close, they will see the figure of the Haihan battleship. He will naturally escape knowingly. Therefore, compared with those merchant ships operating alone in the South China Sea, the safety factor of Haihan's fleet is much higher.
Of course, in fact, the fleet's route was not far away from the mainland and into the ocean waters at this time, because before leaving the Indochina Peninsula, they had to dock at the last port of Vung Tau. The voyage from Cam Ranh Port to Vung Tau Port is nearly two hundred nautical miles, and the shortest route is along the east coastline of Indochina. Two days later, the fleet successfully arrived at the port of Vung Tau, located at the junction of Annam and Champa.
The southeastern part of the bay where the Vung Tau Port is located originally belonged to the Annan Kingdom, and the northwest part belonged to the Champa Kingdom. However, after the Annan Civil War ended, Haihan had already unceremoniously taken the Vung Tau Peninsula as his own, and this became the One of the four colonial ports occupied by Haihan on the southern coastline of Annam, it is also the southernmost stronghold of Haihan on the Indochina Peninsula.
Vung Tau's chief executive, Chiu Xin, has been staying here for several years, but it seems that he has no intention of moving now. At the reception banquet, Tan Juren found an opportunity to ask him specifically about this matter, and Qiu Xin's answer was also very interesting.
"If I want to be transferred back to Sanya, then my expatriate qualifications are indeed enough. I did think about it in the past two years, but now I have looked away. What benefits will returning to Sanya bring to me personally? The top positions are already occupied. Come on, the most I can do when I go back is to be a director in a certain department, which is basically touching the ceiling..." Qiu Xin, with a red face, drank the wine in the glass and wiped it with unfinished thoughts. The corner of his mouth, and then continued: "Stay here, it is no exaggeration to say that I am the emperor of the earth! Everything I want is available here!"
Tan Juren had almost zero experience working abroad, and he didn't know much about this situation. He asked doubtfully: "Brother Qiu means it's easy to make money here?"
"Making money?" Qiu Xin shook his head with a smile and said, "What use is money to us people? After all, Haihan Kingdom belongs to us. Even if we just lie down, the dividends will be enough to last for several lifetimes. Brother , is power! Power is a good thing! You have the power to take control of life and death. You will understand this feeling when you take office."
Tan Juren did not understand what he heard. Of course he also understood the importance of power. Otherwise, he would not have to take the initiative to apply for this expatriate job and travel thousands of miles by ship to serve in undeveloped overseas colonies. But Tan Juren's goal is to polish his resume through assignments, and his ultimate goal is to be transferred back to Sanya in order to get a higher position for himself. In his view, the appointment as governor of overseas colonies was only a transitional period, not the final goal. This was obviously different from Qiu Xin's idea.
Qiu Xin raised his finger and pointed at the top of his head and said, "Do you think it's okay for me to live in this courtyard?"
Tan Juren responded: "I came all the way from Da Nang. Brother Qiu's house is probably the best-built official residence in these colonies!"
Qiu Xin's courtyard is basically a traditional Chinese courtyard, but the building scale is quite large. Even in the most prosperous Da Nang, the chief executive's residence there is not half as big as his courtyard. If we go by the housing standards in Sanya, Qiu Xin's official residence must be far beyond the standards. To put it bluntly, the executive committee is unlikely to spend money to build such a large official residence for him, so there may be some problems with the construction cost of this official residence - at least this is what Tan Juren thinks.
Qiu Xin nodded and said: "Brother Tan, do you think that I am using political power to deduct public funds to build this courtyard? In fact, the cost of building this courtyard was not paid by our country. Annan paid half and occupied the city half. You must I would ask why they paid to build such a big official residence for me. In fact, the answer is very simple. This Vung Tau port used to be the place where the two countries met... Of course it is now the junction of the three countries, and both countries are worried about our Haihan. They will favor one party and give the port of Vung Tau to that country, so what they can do is try their best to win the favor of our country, at least to ensure that there is no obvious political tendency.”
"Brother Qiu is the only one who can represent Haihan Kingdom here!" Tan Juren suddenly understood after hearing what he said.
"That's right, so officials from both countries are vying to flatter me. Knowing that I want to build an official residence, they rush to provide money and effort to help me build this yard. And what I need to do is to remain neutral and watch their performance... Oh, by the way, I also asked someone to design the construction drawings of this yard in Sanya, that's all." Qiu Xin boasted proudly: "Look, I neither harmed Haihan's interests nor did I do anything to him. The two countries agreed to any conditions and got such a yard. This is the intuitive benefit of power. If I return to Sanya, can I be allocated such a large piece of land to build a house? To put it bluntly, Executive Committee? The places where those people live may not be as spacious as mine.”
Regarding the housing issue, Tan Juren agrees with Qiu Xin's statement. The public housing that the time-travelers first lived in was pigeonhouses with uniform sizes. Later, there were garden houses and villa areas. Later, some people who were willing to bother with the time-travelers went to the executive committee on their own. After approving the land, they organize their own manpower to build a house, and the government will provide a certain amount of building subsidies from the finance department. But after Tan Juren has been in Sanya for so many years, he has never seen anyone carve out such a large yard. And now Sanya has begun to enter a state of land development where every inch of land is at a premium. Even if you spend your own money to build a house, the executive committee may not necessarily approve the designation of a homestead in the city that is larger than a football field.
(End of chapter)