Chapter 1288 Danzhou Military Exercise
Even if Liu Shang is aware of the differences in political systems between the two countries, his extremely limited personal influence cannot change the status quo at all. This is undoubtedly a very desperate thing. The most he can do is to send back the information he learned on Hainan Island. As for the conclusion that the superiors will make, that is not something that a small person like him can influence.
Qiao Zhiya was convinced that Ming Dynasty could not follow Haihan and embark on a similar development path. Such an argument made Liu Shang really uncomfortable, but he could not think of any arguments to refute the other party's point of view. After listening to the lecture for more than an hour, Liu Shang almost fell ill. It wasn't until Qiao Zhiya announced the end of the meeting that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The inspection team's mission in the local area has come to an end, but it is getting late at this time, and Qiao Zhiya will not let them go on the road overnight. Naturally, he will let them eat and stay overnight before leaving. Different from the previous banquet arrangements, the farewell banquet in the evening was held in two places. Qiao Zhiya invited Yu Xiaobao and Zhang Qianzhi, who were close personal friends, to have dinner at home, while the other naturalized cadres of the inspection team were from local Officials accompany me and have dinner here in the county seat.
Liu Shang really wanted to take the initiative to apply to follow Yu Xiaobao to Qiao Zhiya's home. He knew that the three of them would definitely talk about some secrets that could not be disclosed in private. If he could hear a few words during the dinner, he might gain something, but Thinking about Zhang Qianzhi's existence, he silently gave up this unrealistic idea. At this time, the tour around the island was not yet halfway through, and he really didn't want to attract Zhang Qianzhi's attention anymore.
Everyone stayed at the guest house for another night and returned to the dock early the next morning to set off. This time Liu Shang finally saw the whole picture of the Changhua Port cargo terminal. Although he had been mentally prepared, he saw several steam-driven belt conveyors unloading countless coals from cargo ships to the shore cargo yard. The scene still had a huge impact.
This conveyor can transport coal at a speed equivalent to at least dozens of laborers, and it can maintain operation as long as there is water and coal. It does not need to stop to rest or change shifts like people do. Its efficiency is so high that it is amazing. It’s no wonder that Changhua Port has not undergone major expansion in the past few years. In addition to the difficulty of the project, the unloading speed here is fast enough, and the coal fleet will not cause long-term congestion at the port. For The need to expand the port is naturally less urgent.
When the inspection team set off, Qiao Zhiya had already ordered the port to arrange the outbound channel for them in advance, so they no longer encountered channel congestion like when they arrived. After successfully sailing out of Changhua Port, the ship continued to sail north to Danzhou Bay, which is 40 nautical miles away.
Danzhou is currently one of the only three administrative cities in Haihan, but it is said that the executive committee is already re-examining the criteria for dividing administrative district levels. In the next step, overseas colonies may also receive municipal-level treatment, such as those that have been Places such as Black Earth Port and Ambona Island, which are clearly classified as Haihan territory, already have a certain population base and stable and considerable industrial income. It is a bit outdated to use the previous autonomous dominion system for administrative management. Upgrading to administrative The market is a more appropriate way.
Of course, changes in administrative levels in other places will not have a direct impact on Danzhou’s existing administrative city treatment. As an important town in the northwest of Hainan Island, Danzhou City will continue to maintain its status as the political, economic and cultural center of this region. As for the inspection team's trip around the island, it is naturally impossible to skip such an important stop.
However, not long after the ship sailed from Changhua Port, Liu Shang and others received a notice, and Yu Xiaobao asked them to gather in the canteen at the stern of the ship for a meeting. Liu Shang and others did not dare to neglect, and immediately put down what they were doing and rushed over.
It is said to be a canteen, but in fact it is just a cabin about the same size as a single cabin, which is specially used for dining on board distinguished guests like Yu Xiaobao and Zhang Qianzhi. The interior furnishings are also very simple. There is only a table and four chairs fixed on the floor, which cannot accommodate the members of the inspection team. When Liu Shang arrived at the place, he saw that Yu Xiaobao and Zhang Qianzhi were sitting there. The other people who had arrived earlier were standing next to them. They followed suit and took their seats with their backs against the bulkhead.
"I called everyone here for a temporary meeting because I have something to announce before we arrive in Danzhou." Yu Xiaobao saw that everyone was almost here, and then started talking about the business: "There will be something special after we arrive in Danzhou. There are certain requirements for confidentiality, so if anyone plans to visit local relatives and friends, they should mention it now so that people who do not want to go out will be under command and are not allowed to go out at will without permission. ! ”
When Liu Shang heard this arrangement, he immediately became alert. They have visited several stations along the way, but Yu Xiaobao has never made such a request to them. As long as they complete their local work tasks, the team members are free to arrange time to go out or visit local relatives and friends. Before this, Yu Xiaobao had never mentioned in public that they would have special arrangements after arriving in Danzhou. If the matter was announced after leaving Changhua, there were only two possibilities. One was that the inspection team had just received a temporary notice, and the other was that the confidentiality level of the matter was high and it was not appropriate to inform them in advance.
Although it is not certain which possibility is the fact, there is no doubt that the inspection team's arrangements in Danzhou will be somewhat different from the previous stops. Although Yu Xiaobao did not elaborate on what kind of arrangements required confidentiality measures, it was enough for Liu Shang to re-energize and pay attention to the next trends.
Everyone looked at me and I looked at you, and they all shook their heads, indicating that they had no plans to visit relatives and friends. In fact, even if someone was planning to arrange some private itinerary, when Yu Xiaobao said this, he naturally had to show that he puts work first - how long will it take to show off if he doesn't make money at this time?
Yu Xiaobao asked again, and after making sure that everyone had no objections, he revealed the next arrangement to them: "After arriving in Danzhou, we will visit a military exercise held by the garrison. Because this military exercise is very It is of public nature and is subject to confidentiality regulations, so everyone’s movements during their stay in Danzhou need to be restricted.”
Military exercises? Liu Shangxin said that this errand would not be in vain, and he could gain a lot at almost every stop. It would be a worthwhile trip if we could see the battle conditions of the Haihan Army in Danzhou. When he was receiving induction training in Sanya, the training center was next to the base camp of the Haihan Army. He could hear the troops conducting exercises there every day, but he could not see his true appearance through the high wall. The military has no direct connection with his work, so there is no good chance of finding a way to establish a relationship.
Now it's pie in the sky. Suddenly there is such an opportunity to observe the combat methods of the Haihan Army. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Liu Shang. Even if he is driven away now, he will never leave this inspection team.
After Yu Xiaobao announced the news and emphasized the importance of confidentiality, he dismissed and let everyone go back to their cabins to rest. Although there was only forty nautical miles between the two places, Liu Shang was filled with excitement after hearing the news, and he wished that the ship could get wings and fly to Danzhou as soon as possible. Of course it is unrealistic to fly there. Although this ship is a fast ship built in recent years, it will not be able to complete this journey in a short time. It wasn't until the afternoon of that day that news came from the deck that they were about to arrive in Danzhou Bay.
Liu Shang and others came to the deck and saw the Danzhou Bay Strait appearing on the sea ahead. The mouth of this strait is only two miles wide, with the northern and southern peninsulas facing each other and surrounding Danzhou Bay. There are conspicuous coastal defense fortifications built on both peninsulas. Although there are not many gun positions, they are enough to restrict the waterway in and out of Danzhou Bay. However, in recent years, the Haihan Navy has patrolled the waters of the Beibu Gulf over and over. There have long been no piracy activities in the nearby waters, and the maritime security situation is quite good. Therefore, the coastal defenses here are slowly being reduced to decorations.
Although Liu Shang was mostly a layman in the military field, he could still see that the terrain here was indeed conducive to the defenders. If he wanted to attack Danzhou Bay from the sea, he had to first remove the forts on both sides of the peninsula. However, it is conceivable how difficult it is to defeat Haihan in a long-range firefight. The navy in the Guangdong and Guangxi areas will definitely not be able to do it anyway - if all the naval establishments in these places still exist.
Because Danzhou is close to the Beibu Gulf, which is extremely rich in fishery resources, fishing has been one of the main local industries since ancient times. After Haihan took control of this place, this characteristic industry was still maintained. Many fishing boats could be seen busy on the sea inside and outside Danzhou Bay, including some large fishing boats with hundreds of pieces of material. However, Liu Shang saw so many new things in Haihan that he was no longer surprised now. Although he saw a fishing boat as big as a lucky boat, he was relieved when he thought that this was the boundary of Haihan. With the wonderful ideas of Haihan people, what can't be done?
After the ship entered the bay, it turned to the south coast and sailed to Baimajing Wharf, the most important port in Danzhou Bay. Liu Shang glanced at it and saw no fewer than ten Haihan warships docked on the shore, both large and small. After all, this one was the only one with the densely packed gun windows on the side, which was really eye-catching. Liu didn't know yet whether there were so many warships stationed in this place in normal times, but since Yu Xiaobao had already said that there would be military exercises in Danzhou, these warships might also join them.
After the boat was parked, Yu Xiaobao and others walked down the gangplank to the shore. They found that the local chief administrative officer, the current mayor of Danzhou City, Zhang Xin, was waiting for his arrival on the dock. They quickly stepped forward to see him.
"Qiao Zhiya sent a telegram as soon as you came out of Changhua." Zhang Xinyan briefly explained why he appeared here: "I believe you all know the schedule in Danzhou. First, observe the military exercises, and then Handle other matters. So from now on, I will take over your operational arrangements."
"Chief, this military exercise...are you in charge?" Yu Xiaobao hesitated for a moment, then asked the question on his mind. Although he was not very familiar with Zhang Xin, he also knew that this man was mainly in power and did not hold any position in the Ministry of National Defense. It would seem a bit forced if he were to direct a military exercise that required the activation of confidentiality regulations.
Sure enough, Zhang Xin waved his hand and said, "What are you thinking about? I'm not from the military. Mr. Yan is in Danzhou, and he will personally direct this military exercise."
Standing in the back, Liu Shang heard the word "Mr. Yan" and compared it with the information in his mind, thinking that this might refer to Yan Chujie, the Minister of National Defense of Haihan. Among the senior figures in the Haihan military, there is only one senior official who will be called "Mr. Yan".
Since Yan Chujie is going to take command in person, the level of this military exercise can be imagined. Yu Xiaobao understood this in his heart and expressed his obedience to the arrangement and waited for Zhang Xin's dispatch. However, Zhang Qianzhi was relatively free. After greeting Zhang Xin, he left in a carriage with Wang Baisuo, the local head of the Security Department who came to pick him up. He was also the only member of the inspection team with freedom of movement.
Zhang Xin and Zhang Qianzhi are old acquaintances. They had already cooperated during the Danzhou assassination case. He knew Zhang Qianzhi's identity, so naturally he would not stop him from doing anything. After Zhang Qianzhi left, Zhang Xin took everyone on several other carriages prepared in advance and headed to the garrison base outside Danzhou City. Since this military exercise is highly confidential, all those participating in the inspection team will be included in the scope of supervision. Until the end of the military exercise, they can only temporarily live on the military's territory.
Haihan has been stationing troops here since the Qiongbei Operation occupied Danzhou in 1630. Now there is a combined army battalion and a small fleet with four combat ships as the main body stationed here all year round, and it is built outside Danzhou City. This military camp next to the main road is the base camp of the local garrison.
This was the first time Liu Shang entered Haihan Military Camp, and he was still a little uneasy. However, thanks to his current special status, the entire team did not conduct separate inspections when entering the military camp. The guards only confirmed the number of people and directly The carriage was released.
When the carriage drove past the playground, Liu Shang saw a group of gray-clad Haihan soldiers undergoing training here. However, the carriage was moving too fast. Before he could see what was going on, he had already turned into the camp.
The inspection team was assigned to live in two designated barracks. Even Yu Xiaobao did not receive any special treatment this time and had to live with them in the ten-person barracks. However, the barracks are extremely clean, and each person has a single bed. In fact, the conditions are not worse than ordinary hotels outside.
When Liu Shang came here, he felt more relaxed than when he was outside. This may be in compliance with the old saying that the most dangerous place is the safest place. Of course, it may also be because Zhang Qianzhi is no longer here and he no longer has to worry. There was a pair of eyes staring at him from behind.
(End of chapter)