Chapter 1762 Show of Force (4)
The military parade marched from Victory Port via Landscape Avenue to Victory Square for a full hour and a half. The number of troops under review exceeded 4,000, much to the delight of the tens of thousands of people watching along the way. After the grand military parade was held at the founding celebration in 1634, the military parades in the next two years were only slightly formalized in Victory Square. The number of participants was only about a thousand people, which was far less grand than this year's scene.
As for the progress of the military force displayed in this military parade compared to the founding celebration three years ago, ordinary people can't really understand it. After all, they don't have enough professional knowledge, so they can only watch it and enjoy it. .
However, officials like Fei Cexian, Su Keyi, and other civil and military officials from various countries who came specially to watch the military parade had their eyes widened throughout the process, fearing that they would miss any detail. Haihan has previously shown the latest weapons in military parades and military exercises. Although it is impossible to publicly display the performance of weapons in military parades, they also hope to be able to tell whether Haihan's army is equipped with anything else from the appearance of the weapons. New equipment.
It is more difficult for civilian officials who are relatively unfamiliar with the military to perform this task. Fei Cexian and Su Keyi have to exchange a few words in a low voice from time to time to confirm whether a certain weapon they noticed is new or old equipment. It's not like they don't have some knowledgeable military attachés under them, but the only ones who are eligible to be invited to sit on the viewing platform of Victory Square to watch the military parade are official envoys from various countries, so they can only rely on themselves first, and as for their subordinates, they can do it on their own. Went to find a place nearby to watch.
Fei Cexian was quite critical of this arrangement, because the stand built by Haihan for foreign guests had about a hundred seats. The total number of officials from various countries was only more than thirty people, so they could definitely bring one or two An entourage entered the venue, but Haihan gave all the remaining seats to businessmen from various countries and some civilians with official backgrounds.
However, Fei Cexian also knows that these unofficial people are either rich or noble, and most of them have extremely close relations with the Haihan official. Many of them may be more influential than himself, the Ming Dynasty ambassador to Haihan. If he complains publicly, he may not be able to make people. Haihan's official change of arrangements will easily arouse dissatisfaction from other countries.
It is not difficult to identify who is an official in the stands and who is an unofficial person - anyone holding a pair of brass-cased binoculars is an official from various countries. This thing is not available in the market. It is a souvenir given by Haihan to the envoys of various countries at the previous diplomatic dinner. There is only one copy per person, and the non-official people attending the meeting have no share.
Of course, Fei Cexian also held one in his hand. The structure of this pair of binoculars was easier to use than the monocular telescope he got from Haihan in the past, and the structure was also more refined. There was no need to telescope the lens barrel to adjust the focus like before. The same effect can be achieved by turning a small gear in the middle connecting part of the double barrel. This small telescope reflects Haihan's superb industrial manufacturing level. No other country present except Haihan has such capabilities. Fei Cexian felt sour while still having to continue to hold up the telescope to look at the square. The troops assembled above.
According to officials from Haihan, the telescopes presented to officials from various countries are not military versions. The models equipped in the military have better performance than this one, with a farther and clearer field of view. This kind of little thing may seem inconspicuous, but on the battlefield, it may play a greater role than the most experienced reconnaissance cavalry. Haihan deliberately gave it as a gift to officials from various countries, which is not to show off his military strength. .
Fei Cexian had also inquired about the principles and manufacturing process of this tool in the municipal library before, but to be honest, with his knowledge, he really couldn't understand the relevant information published by Haihan, such as convex lenses and secondary imaging. It was a difficult concept for him to understand, and materials like optical glass seemed to be produced only by Haihan, making it extremely difficult for other countries to imitate them.
Of course, this is only for countries in East Asia. Su Keyi is not that rare about this thing. After all, the telescope with historical records was made by the Dutch around 1608, and binoculars were also produced more than 20 years ago. It was there before. But what makes Su Keyi feel uncomfortable is that the binoculars made by Haihan are obviously better than those made in the Netherlands. Not only are the structures more precise, but the images are also clearer. I am afraid that the craftsmen in the Netherlands will not be able to make them for a while. Products of the same level.
After all the troops being reviewed entered Victory Square, the sound of military drums finally stopped, and then Tao Donglai's voice came from several large speakers in front of the viewing platform: "National citizens of Haihan, and guests from all over the world, Welcome everyone to come to Sanya and participate in the Haihan National Day celebration! ”
The voices of tens of thousands of onlookers near the square immediately fell silent. When they heard this voice, they quickly turned their attention from the troops in the middle of the square to the viewing platform. Then after hearing Tao Dong identify himself, the people burst into loud cheers.
Although Haihan Kingdom does not have the position of king and emperor, and state power is controlled by the executive committee, Haihan citizens generally regard Tao Donglai, chairman of the executive committee, as the same as the country's monarch, and have all the previous respect for monarchy. Transferred to Tao Donglai. Citizens who were naturalized early are slightly better off. After all, they are already familiar with this new national system. However, most of the immigrants who have recently arrived in Haihan are not used to living in a country without a monarch, so they will still subconsciously regard the executive committee as It is equivalent to the royal family. Even all kinds of things that they cannot understand will be regarded as miracles brought by the Haihan Executive Committee - such as how to make a person's voice resound throughout Victory Square.
After Tao Donglai waited for a while and saw that the cheers showed no sign of weakening, he raised his hand and tapped the microphone a few times to signal everyone to quiet down.
"Ten years ago today, we traveled across the ocean from our homeland to settle down here and chose to start a new life here. At that time, we didn't know what the future would look like, but we knew what we could do!"
Tao Donglai raised an arm and showed the surroundings, then continued: "When we first came here, there were less than five hundred people. Relying on our own hands, it took ten years to have everyone today." The country of Haihan where we are today!”
"I believe that when many people come to Haihan Country, they don't know what they should do or what they can do, but you can remember one thing. What I can do with these hands, you can do it too! I think so! No matter what kind of person you become and what kind of life you live, this country can provide you with the best opportunities, but ultimately it depends on whether you can use your own hands to strive for it!” “The reason why we must strive for it every day! We arrange a military parade on the National Day in 2018 because we hope that every citizen can remember that Haihan will maintain a strong combat effectiveness at all times. Regardless of defense or offense, our military will always make the citizens feel at ease!"< br>
"These soldiers standing in the square are all meritorious officials of the country. It is precisely because of their bloody battles overseas that the people can enjoy a stable and prosperous life. Each of them is a hero and deserves your best efforts. Cheers!”
Cheers spread from around Victory Square and soon resounded throughout the entire urban area of Sanya. Being able to witness the power of one's country with one's own eyes is indeed a very powerful spiritual encouragement for the people. This martial atmosphere among the people will also give Haihan the confidence to invest more resources in the military field and continue his previous foreign expansion strategy.
This is by no means good news for those countries and forces trying to compete with Haihan for regional control. The leader of Haihan publicly stated at the National Day event that he would continue to adhere to the line of military expansion. This means that Haihan’s overseas military The operation will not end after the Battle of Manila. In the near future, a new war may break out somewhere in East Asia, but it is still difficult to predict who will be the next unlucky guy to hit the muzzle of Haihan's gun.
The diplomats present were all thinking about the direction that Haihan might take military action overseas next, what impact it would have on the current international situation, and how their own camp should make the best choice to maximize advantages and avoid disadvantages. . The merchants have begun to think about how to profit from the wars led by Haihan. They can seek wealth and wealth through danger. Every foreign war fought by Haihan is an opportunity for merchants to make a fortune. It depends on how to seize this opportunity. Opportunity.
A few people have noticed that Tao Donglai specifically emphasized that this is the tenth year since the Haihan people arrived here. The current situation of the Haihan country was created by this group of people within ten years. Nowadays, the Haihan Kingdom is getting more and more powerful, and its foreign attacks are becoming more and more frequent and proactive. In the next ten years, the Haihan Kingdom will certainly not stop here and will continue to expand its territory. Judging from the current situation, Look, no one seems to be able to stop them.
After Tao Donglai's speech, there was an award ceremony led by the Ministry of National Defense. Individuals and groups who have made contributions in wars in various places over the past year will receive awards from the Executive Committee and the Ministry of National Defense in front of the eyes of thousands of people.
Since the official arrangement had been rumored for a long time, the major battles from last year to the present were sorted out in newspapers before the National Day. In March last year, the Haihan Army took the initiative to launch a spring offensive on the Liaodong Peninsula, conquered the Jinzhou Isthmus defense line originally controlled by Houjin, and killed the enemy chief Yangguli. In May, it defeated the counterattack launched by Geng Zhongming's army. After that, Wang Tom led the fleet to Seoul, North Korea, and forced North Korea to sign an alliance with Haihan.
Then at the beginning of this year, the Ministry of National Defense mobilized elite troops from across the country and launched a cross-sea attack on Manila under Spanish control. In less than a month, the Spanish were driven out of the area, thus seizing the first location in Overseas colonies in the Philippine Islands. This war destroyed most of Spain's armed forces in the South China Sea and occupied the city of Manila, where they had been operating for many years. Spain's vitality was severely damaged, and there was no hope of returning to its pre-war strength in a short time.
The significance of these two wars is not only to achieve Haihan's own expansion goals, but also to make various countries in the region realize that Haihan has the ability to launch a thunderous offensive against any coastal area within thousands of miles. Although Haihan's opponents tried their best to resist, no matter whether they resisted the enemy at sea or fought decisively on land, their attempts failed to stop the Haihan Army's attack. In the end, it became the Haihan Army's new record.
In these two battles, Haihan's elite troops who had been fighting on the front line for a long time once again won the most military honors with their extraordinary performance. The special operations battalion, the Marine Corps, and the task force commanded by Wang Tom himself are among the best. Officers such as Gao Qiaonan, Sun Bing, and Wu Sen also stepped forward to receive certificates and banners recording collective military merit on behalf of their respective units.
It is worth mentioning that the engineering unit that performed the demolition mission was specially awarded first-class collective merit in this award because it played a key role in overcoming the Golden State Defense Line and attacking Manila. Although these two blasting operations were not the first time that the Haihan Army used such unconventional means in combat, the results were extremely ideal and provided a successful example for reference for the Haihan Army's future offensive operations.
In terms of personal awards, the commanders of several front-line troops naturally all participated, and the onlookers finally recognized what the legendary "dragon reincarnation" naval general Wu Sen looked like. In addition, more than 30 people who performed bravely in combat were awarded first, second and third-class individual merit and received military medals.
However, after the commendation ceremony, Defense Minister Yan Chujie still did not leave his speaking position. Instead, he announced a collective moment of silence for the 274 soldiers and 66 soldiers and civilians who died in various wars this year. Although this number is not particularly small, if you take into account the huge results Haihan achieved in Northeast Asia and the South China Sea this year, such battle losses can only be described as minimal.
After a brief moment of silence, Yan Chujie announced that all the tablets of the deceased would be enshrined in the Martyrs’ Shrine in the Sanya Martyrs Cemetery, and they would enjoy permanent public worship. In addition to pensions, the families of these deceased people will receive special policy care from the state in terms of work, further education, and employment. Such official measures have a very significant role in rallying people's hearts. The Haihan Army's ability to maintain extremely strong combat effectiveness is not unrelated to the official pension policy. Only with comprehensive protection for their families can the soldiers feel completely at ease. Fight on the battlefield.
But such a number of casualties was very unpleasant to Fei Cexian's ears. In any battle involving more than 5,000 people that the Ming Dynasty experienced last year, more than this number of people died on the battlefield. And those soldiers who died for the Ming Dynasty were not treated as well as Haihan. Many of them could not even recover their bones, let alone officially organize a memorial ceremony.
(End of chapter)