Chapter 1759 Show of Force (1)
In addition to the elite troops who are often mentioned in battle reports published in newspapers all year round, the local people in Sanya have the most intuitive understanding of the Haihan Army from the garrison stationed here. The Navy has a super-organized task force stationed at a base on the east coast of Port Victory all year round, while the Army's organization is relatively complex. In addition to an infantry battalion as a base, there is also an artillery battalion dedicated to local sea defenses. In addition, there are independent establishments such as engineering companies, cavalry companies, communications companies, and central guard companies. Including logistics and civilian personnel, the total strength of the two armies stationed in Sanya is about 3,000. Together with the local militia and the troops that can be transferred back from Danzhou and Haikou within three days, they can defend Sanya. One place is more than enough.
Judging from the current international situation in the South China Sea, there are only a handful of foreign armed forces capable of launching military attacks on Sanya, and there are basically no large-scale hostile forces surviving on Hainan Island. The defense tasks of the garrison are actually not under great pressure. In addition, there are sufficient supplies of various materials while stationed at the base camp, so you can focus more on daily training. When the army and navy select junior officers to enter military academies for further training, most of them will give priority to members of the garrison. In this way, during the rotation between the garrison and the field garrison, more outstanding officers can get the opportunity to receive advanced training in the military academies. .
This kind of advanced training is actually one of the necessary conditions for officers to be promoted in a non-war environment. Today, the naturalized generals who can take charge of the Haihan Army have all received long or short training at the military academy in Sanya. training, so there is actually an unwritten rule in the Haihan Army, that is, whenever a unit stationed abroad receives an order to be transferred back to Sanya for defense, it often means that the chief officer of this unit is about to get a chance to be promoted. Although it is not 100% possible, the probability is so high that it is worth opening a bottle of good wine in advance to celebrate.
In the eyes of the outside world, the garrison stationed in Sanya is not very famous, and its presence is far less than that of elite troops such as the special operations battalion and the cavalry battalion. The only successful record seems to be the heavy defeat of the invading Spanish troops at home in 1635. fleet. There were even many people at the scene who had come to Sanya for the first time and were still asking about the identity of the army whose flag was marked with the towering lighthouse on the Yulin Peninsula. But from another perspective, the various companies that form the garrison by rotating garrison are actually also concentrated in the elites of the Haihan Army, and the overall combat effectiveness is not inferior to those of the front-line troops fighting overseas. However, the stability of Sanya The environment gave them very few opportunities to show their strength.
Originally, the garrison planned to unload two of the largest coastal defense guns from the Yulin Peninsula's coastal defense batteries to participate in this military parade as a demonstration of force. However, this plan was ultimately not approved because many people had not As expected - because these coastal defense guns were too heavy, the municipal administration was worried that the gun trucks would crush the pavement of Landscape Avenue and the floor tiles of Victory Square, so they did not approve the military's proposal.
This is not an unfounded worry of the relevant departments. When these heavy coastal defense guns were transported for installation, the same problem had already occurred. Fortunately, at that time, the Landscape Avenue and Victory Square were still in the planning stage and were pushed out of the ravine. It is not difficult to repair the road. But now there are many problems that need to be solved to repair these arterial roads. In addition to funds, the traffic demand during the National Day must also be taken into consideration, as well as the perception it will bring to many citizens and foreign guests - the face-saving projects that should be done must still be done.
Of course, ordinary people would not expect the heavy coastal defense guns of the Yulin Peninsula to appear in the military parade. As long as they can see soldiers with loaded guns marching in neat lines on the landscape avenue, the people will be quite excited.
At this time, you can see proud locals in the crowd explaining issues such as why the Haihan Army did not wear armor to their rural relatives who came to Sanya for the first time to see the world. Of course, there are also young people who have done their homework before and are relatively familiar with the military. They spitball and explain to the people around them which well-known senior Haihan officers have served in the garrison.
For the people of Haihan, their understanding of their own army comes directly or indirectly from the government's sparing no effort in propaganda. They basically have the impression of "powerful" and "invincible" in their minds. In addition, they often appear in The news about several elite troops in the newspaper formed the image of the Haihan Army in their minds. Ordinary people do not understand the strength, equipment level, and actual combat capabilities of the Haihan Army, but they know that as long as their own army goes to war, it must be invincible and has never let down the people over the years. Most of the existing overseas colonies on the Haihan territory were fought back inch by inch by the army.
More and more people are slowly realizing that Haihan's national strength is gradually increasing with the war dividends received in successive years. The growth of the armed forces is of great significance to the country where they live. Therefore, the attitude of ordinary people towards war is not as fearful as that of other countries. Young people are almost always inclined to use force to expand territory. The military parade held every year during the National Day is probably the best time for ordinary people to experience the country's military power up close.
What appeared in public view immediately after the garrison was the much-anticipated special operations battalion. The colorful camouflage uniforms are obviously different from the gray uniforms of other army units, which immediately made the people who love this heroic unit burst into cheers.
In fact, it is no longer appropriate to call this elite force formed by Qian Tiandun a special operations battalion. To be more precise, it should be renamed an independent special operations regiment. After the Battle of Manila, the Ministry of National Defense approved the long-delayed application for upgrading the special operations battalion, and the force's establishment was finally upgraded from battalion to regiment.
Of course, the actual establishment of the special operations battalion has already reached or even exceeded the standards of an independent regiment. However, this unit has always had outstanding military achievements, and Qian Tiandun has always stayed away from Sanya and has not messed with the officialdom, so there has never been anyone Question the organization of this force. The reason why it took so long to pass was mainly due to military budget constraints, which prevented the Ministry of National Defense from easily expanding this particularly expensive force. The annual cost of establishing a reinforced battalion is almost equivalent to raising a naval fleet. Even if such a force can fight, the Ministry of National Defense still has to control its size.
After the special operations battalion left the South China Sea and went north to Shandong in 1634, it stayed in the north to perform tasks. It also played the main role on the frontal battlefield in the Liaodong Campaign. It did not return to the South China Sea until the end of last year, and then participated non-stop in the Campaign to Conquer the West. During the siege, military exploits were achieved. This unit has made so many contributions that the Ministry of National Defense has actually given Qian Tiandun no reward, and meeting its expansion requirements is actually a reward in disguise. After the military parade is over, the Ministry of National Defense will publicly announce the news, and the commander of the special operations battalion Takahashi Minami will also be successfully promoted, becoming the first naturalized officer in the Haihan Army to be promoted to colonel. At this time, Gao Qiaonan was sitting on a tall horse, being led by the guards and moving forward slowly. This is the second time he has participated in the National Day military parade. The last time was the Haihan founding celebration in 1634, when he was still a major. In the next two years, he has been commanding troops to fight in the north, fighting against the Taiwanese natives, Zhejiang pirates, Shandong bandits, and Hou Jinmanzi. During this period, he also had several small-scale conflicts with the Ming army. Bei fought all the way. He actually lost count of how many battles he fought and how many enemies he killed.
However, Gao Qiaonan knew very well that every inch of land he conquered would benefit Haihan, and Qian Tiandun's trust in him was increasing day by day, and he had basically handed over the combat command of the troops to him for ten years. When he was a down-and-out Japanese pirate, he could never have imagined what he could achieve today.
At this time, almost no one among the people would talk about the origin of this Haihan warrior. Even if some people knew how Takahashi Minami joined Haihan in the first place, they would be wise enough not to mention this period of history. Folk storytellers took the initiative to falsify this period of history for Takahashi Nanmei, saying that he came across the sea from Japan to join the Ming Dynasty, became a disciple of Qian Tiandun, and only then learned his skills.
After returning to Sanya after fighting in Manila, everyone in the special operations battalion got a rare long vacation for several years, and Gao Qiaonan was no exception. However, he has been fighting overseas all year round and has no family business in Sanya. In fact, he does not have a strong sense of belonging to this place, so he has been living in the military camp. If he was allowed to choose, he might be more willing to return to the battlefield and follow Dealing with enemies.
But when a celebrity like Minami Takahashi returns to Sanya, of course he still has to have all kinds of social activities, especially since he is still single and has not started a family. After the news spreads, various people who directly or indirectly want to be matchmakers for him inevitably get involved. People came in droves. Although Takahashi Minami wanted to shirk it, some connections came from the upper echelons of Haihan whom he could not refuse, so he had no choice but to socialize.
With Gao Qiaonan's current conditions, as long as he is willing to let go, it will not be difficult at all to find a wife, and even finding a few more won't be a problem. But he himself has never been very interested in this matter, preferring to put his energy into training troops and studying the art of war. After today's military parade is over, Takahashi Minami plans to retreat for a period of time in the name of further study, put down all social activities, and wait for the next departure order.
Facing the enthusiastic shouts of people on both sides of the street, Takahashi Minami just raised his hand expressionlessly. He didn't like this kind of environment. Even if most of the people around him looked at him with admiration, he didn't want to respond enthusiastically. He just regarded the military parade as a task to complete. However, this kind of indifference is very powerful in the eyes of the people. In their eyes, a general on the battlefield should have such a scornful attitude. If he greets everyone warmly, how can he lead his troops to kill? enemy?
However, Takahashi Minami's men may not be so reserved. Facing the almost fanatical people, many of them showed very proud expressions on their faces. They know very well that the reason why their unit has received such a warm welcome is due to their life-and-death achievements over the years. They are well-deserved for the people's love and admiration for them.
In fact, the proportion of Han Chinese in the special operations camp who are actually from Hainan Island is not very large. When it was first established, there were not only Japanese ronin like Takahashi Minami, but also a considerable proportion of refugees from Annan. Later, it also absorbed many people from all over the Ming Dynasty. Han immigrants, many of whom were war refugees from Shandong and even Liaodong.
Sun Zhen, who was born in Dengzhou, Shandong Province, is one of them. After several years of hard work in the special operations camp, he is now a lieutenant company commander. His battle deeds have been adapted into a book and spread among the people, which is considered a minor celebrity. A famous fighting hero. However, he himself did not have this kind of consciousness that he has become famous for. He grinned and waved to the people around him while riding on horseback. He did not have the reserved style of his boss Minami Takahashi at all.
However, many people like Sun Zhen's people-friendly attitude. At that moment, people began to ask who the big, grinning officer was. However, this was Sun Zhen's second visit to Sanya, and many people knew his name. Few people know him personally, and few people even know his identity. But this may not necessarily be a bad thing. Once a well-known senior officer like him is identified, he will have to deal with an army of matchmakers. By then, his situation may not be better than that of his superior Takahashi. Where can I go?
Onlookers from other countries have a more complicated view of the special operations battalion, with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and hatred. Neighboring countries all know that Haihan has such an elite division that is well-equipped and has rich combat experience. Many countries are also interested in following suit and want to build a similar force. However, due to the huge gap in weapons, equipment and tactics, the actual effect is not good. It's not ideal, and it's even further out of reach to catch up with the Shanghai Han Special Battle Camp in terms of combat effectiveness.
But what makes people feel even more desperate is that Haihan has far more elite troops than this one. In the relevant battle reports released after the Battle of Manila, all countries can roughly understand the composition of the participating troops. Haihan actually mobilized multiple elite troops from various places to act together. Teams like the special operations battalion, Haihan Four or five were dispatched in one breath. It is no wonder that the unlucky Spaniards were beaten to a pulp before they could survive for a month, and even their hometown of Manila was completely lost. It is really difficult for outsiders to imagine how Haihan could form so many powerful troops with its population and land area, but one thing is unquestionable. It is probably no less difficult to imitate Haihan's military system than in Haihan. Defeat the Haihan army on the battlefield.
(End of chapter)