Chapter 2431
After lunch, Tao Donglai followed Shi Diwen to visit the arsenal in the base. Due to Zhoushan's special geographical environment, in order to prevent damage to the buildings on the island caused by various extreme weather conditions at sea, the arsenal was deliberately built on the mountain. To be precise, a row of caves were dug out on the mountain. A warehouse for storing weapons and equipment. On the outside of this row of caves, there are strong high walls and sentry towers built with strips of stone as protection measures. From a distance, it looks like a small castle.
Shi Diwen did not explain Tao Donglai's identity to the managers of the arsenal. He only said that he was an official who came to inspect Zhoushan on behalf of the Executive Committee. However, this was enough to make the relevant people alert and careful. Receive this unknown big shot.
"There is an infantry platoon stationed here all year round responsible for security work. The daily entry and exit registration and inspection procedures for weapons and equipment require the on-duty platoon leader, warehouse management officer and security department representative to verify and sign for approval. As for the consumption and damage of weapons and ammunition, every day I personally review every incident and strive to ensure that weapons and equipment will not be leaked to the greatest extent possible.”
After entering the high-walled compound of the weapons depot, Shi Diwen took Tao Donglai to the archives room where entry and exit records were registered, and asked people to move out the written records in recent years and explain the management measures here to Tao Donglai. The Executive Committee has very strict control over the arms trade. Tao Dong has repeatedly emphasized this point after arriving in Zhoushan. Shi Diwen feels that he has a clear conscience, so naturally he wants to arrange for Tao Dong to come and see the arsenal in person to confirm that the Zhoushan garrison has strict control over the weapons. The management of equipment has never been lax.
Of course, just reading these written records is definitely not enough. This thing can only be used to trace the person responsible when something goes wrong, but it is difficult to find the fault directly from the text. Tao Donglai actually didn't have a clear understanding of how many weapons and ammunition there were in the Zhoushan Arsenal, but what he was good at was observing the reactions of others, and he paid attention not only to Shi Diwen, but also to those standing nearby and listening to orders. Relevant people, etc. If there is something fishy going on in the arsenal, perhaps there are some signs from the looks and expressions of these people.
However, seeing that these people looked normal and were not particularly nervous, I didn't see any problems. Tao Donglai flipped through several records and asked to go to the warehouse to actually check the inventory of weapons and equipment. Shi Diwen agreed immediately and ordered the warehouse management officer to lead the way.
Tao Donglai randomly selected one of the several cave warehouses in this row. The warehouse management officer immediately stepped forward to unlock the door with the key, then opened the heavy door and brought several windproof oil lamps. Then he invited Tao Donglai and Shi Di Text inside.
Open flames should be strictly prohibited in the arsenal, but there are no lights in this cave. The only way to get some natural lighting is through the open door. Once you walk inside, the visibility is extremely low, so auxiliary lighting is still needed. The windproof oil lamp has a glass lampshade outside, which is considered a relatively safe lighting tool.
"The floors and walls in the warehouse have been waterproofed, and a large amount of quicklime has been put in as a desiccant, which is replaced regularly, so although the cave is a bit cool, the air is not humid." Shi Diwen personally took one. A windproof oil lamp led the way, explaining the design of the warehouse to Tao Dong as he walked.
Tao Donglai noticed that the floors and walls inside the cave were hardened with cement. In addition to piles of wooden boxes, packages of quicklime could be seen everywhere in the warehouse. This shows that when these warehouses were originally built, It is indeed quite caring. Zhoushan Island has a special environment. Such measures are naturally to avoid weapons from rusting and ammunition from getting damp as much as possible.
Tao Donglai stopped, pointed to a pile of wooden boxes next to him and said, "Move the top two boxes."
Shi Diwen made a gesture, and several soldiers immediately came forward and moved the boxes on top according to his instructions.
Tao Donglai pointed to the exposed box and said: "Just this box, take it outside and put it away first."
The soldier immediately followed his words and carried the long box out. Judging from its shape, there should be a rifle inside. Tao Donglai did this and randomly designated several boxes of different sizes as the objects for the next inspection. Shi Diwen did not intervene in the command during this process and just let the soldiers do what they were told. In fact, inspection methods like this are not new. Even Shi Diwen himself occasionally conducts random inspections to ensure that the management system of the arsenal is strictly implemented.
Later, when the group returned outside, Tao Donglai began to check the seals on the boxes and the serial number information marked on them against the written records. The weapons and equipment produced by the Sanya Arsenal will be sealed and stamped after being packed, and the serial number information marked on the seal can be traced back to the production batch and production date. When these weapons and equipment are transported to Zhoushan for entry and exit, the serial number information will be registered.
The warehouse officer reported the number on one of the boxes. Tao Donglai checked that the record was correct and asked the soldiers to open the box and inspect it. After breaking the seal and opening the lid of the box, there was a lot of straw inside. After peeling away the filling, five rifles fixed on wooden frames inside the box were revealed.
Tao Donglai leaned over and took out one, looked at it in his hand, and carefully checked that the serial number engraved on the gun was indeed consistent with the one on the box seal, and then he put the rifle back into the box with satisfaction. Then I opened a few more boxes and checked them in the same way, but found no problems. These boxes that are temporarily inspected will have new seals affixed with the date and reason for opening them.
"Well done." Tao Donglai praised lightly after completing the inspection. Keeping weapons and equipment in good condition is the duty of overseas troops stationed abroad, so there is no need for special praise.
The garrison in the Zhoushan area is mainly based on the navy, and operations at sea are fine. However, cross-border military operations on land are relatively sensitive. The garrison rarely enters the mainland area, and rifles are rarely used. So it stands to reason that the number of spare guns and ammunition stored here will not be too many.
However, considering that the distance between several ruling areas in the north and Sanya is too far, Zhoushan, as a major shipping port, also carries the function of warehousing and transshipment. A considerable part of the arms that have been sealed here all year round are for the northern garrison. Be prepared. If the situation in the north becomes turbulent and it is necessary to enter combat status in a short period of time, these stocks in Zhoushan can be immediately transported to the north for emergency response. This is at least ten days and a half faster than organizing transportation from Sanya, which can effectively avoid delays. A fighter plane situation emerged.
Therefore, in addition to guns and ammunition, the arsenal in Zhoushan also has many heavy weapons such as artillery, special weapons such as landmines and grenades, as well as a large number of military supplies such as tents, shoes, clothing and backpacks, and medical equipment. Last year Haihan sent a large number of troops to attack Hirado, Japan, and the year before that Haihan sent troops to Korea to stop the Qing invasion. At that time, a considerable part of the combat supplies were transported from Zhoushan to the front line. With the scale of weapons and material reserves here, coupled with the delivery capabilities of the East China Sea Fleet, the Haihan Army can launch a local war at any time in coastal areas or islands within a thousand miles. Tao Donglai's attitude towards the use of military means overseas is actually relatively conservative, but he was very pleased to see that weapons, equipment and military supplies are all available in Zhoushan. In his opinion, these are not just The supplies hidden in the cave provide Haihan with the confidence to negotiate with other countries.
"Seriously, if the executive committee allows it, I would like to find an opportunity to invite the big shots in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to Zhoushan to visit our fleet and arsenal, so that they can truly understand our strength and knock on the mountain to shake the tiger. Maybe we can Let us encounter less trouble." Seeing that the verification passed smoothly, Shi Diwen felt a little emotional at the moment.
Tao Donglai smiled and said: "I remember there was a large-scale exercise in Hangzhou Bay the year before last, right? Wasn't it said that the effect was quite good?"
Shi Diwen nodded and said: "The effect was indeed good at the time, but as time goes by, some people with poor memories may gradually forget... We still have to find an opportunity to show force at the right time."
The military exercise Tao Donglai mentioned was that in 1637, when North Korea was facing an invasion by the Qing Dynasty, it asked Haihan to send troops to help. At that time, Haihan organized a multinational fleet to go north. After completing supplies at Dinghai Port in Zhoushan, it was organized in Hangzhou Bay. A wave of maritime military exercises was held, and officials from surrounding states were also invited to attend and observe. On the one hand, this military exercise shocked the government in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, and on the other hand, Shi Diwen built momentum for Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, so that the superiors did not dare to easily replace this local official who had a good relationship with Haihan.
The effect of the military exercise at that time was indeed ideal. After observing the huge armed fleet on the spot, many officials who were originally hostile to Haihan lost the courage to continue to oppose him, because as long as their eyes are not blind, they can see clearly. It is clear that the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions simply do not have enough military power to compete with the increasingly powerful Haihan armed fleet. The scene of Haihan troops approaching Hangzhou and blocking the Qiantang River is still vivid in my mind. If there is an armed conflict with Haihan, the coastline stretching thousands of miles, as well as the Qiantang River and Yangtze River basins, may all become targets of the Haihan fleet. .
Although the Haihan Army has frequently taken action overseas in the past two years, places such as Hirado in Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Jinzhou in Liaodong are too far from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, and the glorious achievements of the Haihan Army have not been spread enough here. Therefore, it was inevitable that some situations that made Shi Diwen unhappy would gradually occur. Some newly appointed officials seemed to regard Haihan as a fat sheep who could get whatever they wanted. They had no idea how Haihan had taken Zhoushan by force under the eyes of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang officials.
Considering the close trade between Zhoushan and other parts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Shi Diwen would not hesitate to use force to solve such problems, but of course he is not someone who can swallow his anger even after suffering a loss. Naturally, he will think about how to warn those who don't know. Good or bad guy. Since it is inconvenient to use force, perhaps it would be a good idea to show force through military exercises. After all, it has been used before and it has been quite effective. It can be used for at least two or three years.
However, this kind of large-scale military exercise cannot be decided by him in just one sentence. The plan must be submitted to the executive committee and can only be implemented after it is approved. It happened that Tao Dong came to Zhoushan for inspection this time, and Shi Diwen looked for the opportunity to put forward his plan and test Tao Dong's tone. If the other party has no objection, then if the plan is submitted to the executive committee, it will be more likely to be approved.
Tao Donglai said: "Military exercise? Do you have a corresponding plan? How to prepare for the expenses?"
"Half of the cost will be borne by the Ministry of National Defense, and the other half will be paid by the local government. How about that?" Shi Diwen seemed interested in hearing Tao Donglai's words, and immediately said that the cost could be discussed.
There was no such problem in the military exercise in Hangzhou Bay two years ago. That was because the coalition fleet was originally going north through the waters of Hangzhou Bay, and it was very likely that it would directly participate in the war after going to North Korea. The coalition fleet also needed to be adjusted. , so it is also a very reasonable arrangement to conduct a warm-up military exercise. The relevant expenses are naturally borne by the Ministry of National Defense.
The exercise proposed by Shi Diwen did not have a similar environmental background. Tao Donglai naturally wanted to ask how the expenses incurred during this period would be resolved. If Shi Diwen intends to let the national treasury bear the responsibility, he can only follow the rules and submit his own report to the Ministry of National Defense and the Executive Committee for application. Of course, if local finance is willing to bear the costs themselves, the possibility of approval will naturally be greatly increased.
Tao Donglai said: "The budget of the Ministry of National Defense is also very tight! Do you know how many people file reports every year to apply for exercise budgets? For the military, actual combat exercises are of course essential, but the problem is that even if they are exercises, they consume It will also be close to actual combat... You are leading the troops yourself, so you should know this very well. And naval exercises are more expensive than the army. You can ask Wang Tom how long it has been since the North Sea Fleet he is leading has arranged actual combat exercises. "
Shi Diwen smiled bitterly and said: "Mr. Tao, the situation at Tom's side is different from mine. The North Sea Fleet must sweep the Liaodong Peninsula at least once a year. That is actual combat, so there is no need to conduct special exercises! And I heard that he This winter I took the fleet all the way north to the Soya Strait. Isn't this round trip better than holding several military exercises? Look at my East China Sea Fleet. After the defeat of Hirado last year, there is nothing to do, officers and men. We just guard this three-acre area in Zhoushan. If the sword is not sharpened, it will rust, and if the soldiers are not trained, they will fall behind. If things go on like this, the combat effectiveness of the East China Sea Fleet will definitely decline.”
Tao Donglai said: "Your ability to complain is really no worse than leading troops to fight! In that case, first tell me where the East China Sea Fleet military exercise is going to be carried out and how many troops you plan to invest. What kind of training content is there? I’ll listen to your arrangement to see if it’s suitable.”
"That's right!" Shi Diwen said happily: "Mr. Tao, please listen to me. If you think my arrangement is appropriate, it will not be too late for you to agree."
(End of chapter)