Chapter 2608
Compared with previous dynasties, Haihan undoubtedly attaches more importance to international relations and its own international status, and has maintained the image of a military power externally for many years, making full use of its huge advantages in the military field to deter neighboring countries. So far, this approach has indeed achieved quite good results.
Haihan spent huge sums of money to establish military bases in countries like North Korea and Japan, and maintained a certain scale of military garrisons all year round. Of course, such a large investment was not just for face. The various privileges Haihan enjoys in these countries, the various resources he monopolizes, and the huge economic benefits he obtains are largely due to this visible and tangible deterrence method.
In the early years, the military was mainly responsible for Haihan's diplomatic relations with these countries. Now, although the diplomatic department has taken over some of its functions, Haihan's military still has a very strong influence in these countries. For example, when the military arranges for senior military officers to go to these countries in the name of garrison exchange, the level of reception they receive is no less than that of regular missions sent by the diplomatic department. However, in order to avoid functional conflicts, military envoys today generally no longer perform diplomatic missions outside the military field.
"...Work such as signing diplomatic agreements, handling transnational business, and immigration matters are now the responsibility of other departments. Our tasks are limited to exchanges in the military field, so it is relatively simple." Wang Anguo was very happy. Explain the nature of the mission in detail to everyone.
Bai Letong heard this and asked: "I heard that many of the industries our country invested and developed in North Korea in the early years were actually operated by the military. So what is the situation now? All have been handed over to the Ministry of Commerce?"
Tao Hongfang knew a little about this, and shook his head and explained: "The benefits brought by these industries are not small, especially those monopolized industries. Each one is equivalent to a gold mine with unlimited reserves. The military can It’s not that easy to let go!”
Wang Anguo coughed dryly and said: "There are actually many reasons here. Some industries involve too much interest, and the local environment is relatively complex. If it is left to the Ministry of Commerce to manage, I am afraid that even daily operations will have many problems. Therefore, for the sake of stability, some industries are indeed kept under the control of the military. ”
Wang Anguo said it more implicitly, but the actual situation is actually far more than that. In the early years, Haihan invested in and developed many large-scale industries in North Korea in the name of cooperative development, such as the coal-iron composite industrial base, shipyards, salt fields, wood processing plants, etc. along the Taedong River. Subsequently, large-scale development was carried out on Jeju Island’s livestock industry and Busan’s port facilities. The annual income from these industries to Haihan can reach one million yuan, which is indeed a considerable amount of income.
These industries have been controlled by the military for a long period of time, and a considerable part of the revenue generated by them naturally goes into the pockets of the Ministry of National Defense and local garrisons, which serves as the military expenditure required by Haihan to maintain garrisons in these areas. Afterwards, Haihan created a situation of dividing North and South Korea, and these industries were assigned to the Northern Region and the Donghae Region respectively, but they were still actually controlled by the military. The military's initial investment has actually already paid back, but who is willing to let go of such a cornucopia so easily?
In recent years, the Executive Committee has been gradually regulating the operating conditions of overseas industries, so some cross-border trade channels have been handed over to the more professional Ministry of Commerce. However, most of the large-scale industries that Haihan has a monopoly advantage in, such as mining, smelting, shipbuilding, animal husbandry, etc., are still under the control of the military.
Since the military has already formed a deep-rooted influence in these industries, relevant practitioners and officials in North Korea only recognize the Haihan Army, and its domestic vested interest groups are not so easily shaken by external forces. It will take a long time for Haihan's other functional departments to completely take over. At this stage, they can only assist the military in managing these industries, and then gradually carry out the handover transition when the time is ripe in the future.
As for how long this period will last, it is naturally difficult for Wang Anguo to make a conclusion, so he can only use some official statements to put this issue aside first. However, he is not too worried about Tao Hongfang's views on this. After all, when it comes to overseas, force is the last word. Other yamen are vulnerable groups in front of the military. No matter how powerful the Ministry of Commerce is, its influence in North Korea is still limited. It's hard to outdo the military.
Ha Jianyi was not interested in this information, but he was concerned about another thing: "The largest military base of our Haihan Army in North Korea should be the Datong River Base, right? Nowadays, naval units are also stationed in these places in the south. ?”
Wang Anguo explained: "The Datong River base has been assigned to the Northern Region, so the naval forces stationed there are also affiliated with the Northern Fleet. As for these bases in the south, they are not designed to carry combat missions, and their scale is certainly not as large as that of Datong. Jiang, so the troops stationed are not mainly combat troops. The main purpose is to maintain the presence of our Haihan Army in the local area. ”
To put it simply, even if the surrounding situation is relatively stable, there is no need for Haihan to station a large number of combat troops in North Korea. The garrison at the Datong River base is enough to handle ordinary wars. The garrisons in Ganghwa Island, Jeju Island, Busan Port and other places are mainly engaged in personnel training, warship maintenance, material supply, military horse training, etc. Indeed, not many troops are part of the combat force establishment.
Of course, this does not mean that the Donghai Region does not pay enough attention to overseas garrisoning, but because Shi Diwen considered that the Donghai Region has a very large defense area. Compared with North Korea, which is a vassal state, Haihan needs to be more careful. In fact, Japan is an ambitious country, so the focus of the overseas garrison in the East China Sea Region is still on the Japanese archipelago. With Sasebo Bay, a unique and high-quality military port, the overseas command center of the East China Sea Fleet is located there.
Wang Anguo continued: "On this voyage, we will first visit North Korea and meet with senior North Korean figures on Ganghwa Island. Then we will inspect various stations in the southern part of the peninsula, organize joint exercises with the North Korean navy, and then cross the border. Ma Strait to Sasebo Bay. The trip in Japan will be more complicated. In addition to completing the fleet defense change, we also need to visit several major seaport cities and meet with people from all walks of life to ensure our local influence."
Tao Hongfang asked: "How long will the entire trip take?"
Wang Anguo said: "If everything goes well, it will be completed in about one and a half months. Then we will say goodbye in Japan and you will return to the East China Sea region. I will lead the fleet to continue eastward." (End of Chapter)