1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2427
Shi Diwen has been operating in Zhoushan for several years, and all the big islands are guarded by his cronies, with countless eyes and ears.The local Ministry of Security and the Military Intelligence Bureau are also strong and well-funded, and there are many powerful people working in these two yamen.No matter who wants to make small moves on Shi Diwen's territory, it is impossible to hide it.If this were not the case, there are countless wealthy businessmen and dignitaries in Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Songjiang and other prefectures that are close to Zhoushan, plus the military power of Ming military guards along the coast, wouldn't Zhoushan have been penetrated like a sieve.

When Shi Diwen heard Tao Donglai's rhetorical question, he immediately understood what he meant, nodded and said, "So Xu Xinsu made this request, maybe he was testing our attitude, to see if we can win our approval."

"That's right." Tao Donglai affirmed Shi Diwen's opinion: "If we acquiesced in Xu Xinsu's stationing of troops in Zhoushan, then he might understand it as a statement."

Shi Diwen said: "Then how does Tao always answer him?"

"I did not agree to lease Zhujiajian Island to him." Tao Donglai replied: "Unless Xu Xinsu can assure our country, no more than 200 armed forces will be stationed there."

Shi Diwen sneered and said, "Boss Tao is a good planner! If he agrees, he will not be able to achieve the purpose of stationing troops, and the lease of the island will be meaningless. If he does not agree, it will be tantamount to exposing the truth about stationing troops there." Thoughts! This old fox probably never expected to receive such a reply, right?"

The standard proposed by Tao Donglai actually refers to the previous agreement between the two parties, and the size of the troops stationed in the other party's controlled area should not exceed 200.The offices currently set up by both parties in various places are also following this standard.

Of course, the offices set up by Haihan in Fujian mainly focus on trade, culture, education, finance and other functions, so generally only one platoon of security forces is equipped. to 200 people.However, Xu Jiajun established a lot more various offices in Haihan. Almost every major trading port has a trading house under Xu's name, and of course there are also armed guards stationed there.In war zones like Jinzhou, or when Haihan has large-scale overseas military operations, Xu Xinsu also sent senior military officers to the area as military observers, or followed the Haihan army to act together.

And Tao Donglai's reply to Xu Xinsu was to make full use of this agreement, not only to not offend others, but also to allow Xu Xinsu to retreat in spite of difficulties, which was also a way to get the best of both worlds.

"Xu Xinsu listened to my answer and said that he had to reconsider. If he really became ambitious, then he would definitely not stop there." Tao Donglai replied: "When you deal with the Xu family, there are many Keep an eye on their movements."

When Haihan was stationed in Zhoushan, Xu Xinsu was deployed in advance in Ningbo to provide assistance, saving Haihan a lot of trouble in occupying this place.But now that Haihan controls Zhoushan but doesn't want Xu's army to enter here in large numbers, the Xu family will definitely feel uncomfortable even if they don't say anything.Shi Diwen and Xu's family often met because of various affairs, but there were many opportunities to resolve the conflicts between them.

Shi Diwen's view on this issue is very simple and straightforward: "Mr. Tao, the Xu family has followed our arrangement for many years because they know how strong our military strength is. As long as we can maintain this strong image , so we don’t have to worry about them going against our wishes. Every time someone from the upper echelons of the Xu family comes over, I arrange for them to visit the base of the East China Sea Fleet, or take them out to sea for a round of live ammunition drills, and let them see it up close. Looking at our maritime forces, it will help them keep their heads above water. From a practical standpoint, I think this show of force is working."

"You mean we just need to continue to maintain our military advantage?" Tao Donglai asked.

"Not only must we maintain our advantage, but the point is to make the Xu family realize that the gap with us is an insurmountable gap." Shi Diwen analyzed: "As long as we find opportunities to show our strength every once in a while, I believe the Xu family will always maintain Submissive attitude towards our country."

"What are your plans?" Tao Donglai continued to ask after hearing that what he said made some sense.

"Can you deploy a Warrior-class warship to the East China Sea Fleet?" Shi Diwen didn't go around in circles, and directly expressed his thoughts: "If I can have a Warrior-class warship here, it can be deterrent." It's not just the Xu family... Mr. Tao, you should also know that many powerful and wealthy businessmen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang have sent their children to Zhoushan to receive military training from our country. If they can see our advanced warships up close, it will also help Raise our country's prestige!"

Among the warships currently installed by the Haihan Navy, the Majestic class is the warship model with the largest displacement and the strongest combat capability. It can be said that there is no comparable opponent on the coastline of Daming.But if you don't consider the number that has been delivered to the military for installation, then the most advanced warship model is probably the Warrior class warship.But the problem is that this kind of steam ironclad warship that transcends the times has only built one "Black Shark" as a sample for technical verification. So far, the Ministry of National Defense does not seem to have any arrangements for large-scale installation of this kind of warship.

The main reason why this new type of warship has not been built on a large scale is of course its high cost.Although its displacement is much smaller than that of the majestic class warship, its cost far exceeds the latter.Moreover, because steam engines are used as the main propulsion power, the dependence on logistics supplies has also increased greatly, and its sea endurance is far inferior to these sailing warships currently installed.

In the few combat operations conducted by the Black Shark, although its combat effectiveness was indeed formidable, its combat costs were too high for the military to ignore.Both the shipyard and the military believe that there are still many aspects of this steam warship that need to be improved according to the needs of actual deployment, and it is not suitable for mass production at this stage. Therefore, this kind of warship that looks very advanced to the outside world has always been None of them have been reused by the Haihan Navy.

Of course, not being reused does not mean that the generals of Haihan do not like this new equipment.The problem is that such a test ship cannot be assigned to a specific fleet, so there is no deployment plan at all. So far it is still used as a test platform to verify various new weapons and technologies. The time is only active around Hainan Island.

Tao Donglai said with a smile: "So you were thinking about this... But the problem is that if the Black Shark is handed over to the East China Sea Fleet, what should we do with the various new technologies that need to be verified by this platform in the next few years?"

Shi Diwen said: "As usual! Just do whatever experiment you want, as long as you can pull it out a few times a year to demonstrate its power. The East China Sea Fleet can bear the relevant expenses by itself."

With a cornucopia like Zhoushan Dinghai Port, the East China Sea Fleet is naturally rich and powerful, and will not care about adding an expense.Besides, the deterrence brought by warships like the Black Shark joining the East China Sea Fleet is much more valuable than the military expenses for maintaining its daily operation, and Shi Diwen is also willing to pay for this money.

Tao Donglai said: "The matter is not as simple as you said. You must know that most of the technicians who developed this warship have settled down in Sanya. Their work units and families are all in Hainan Island. How could it be possible? Move as soon as you say? Moreover, the military project we are developing is not limited to the Warrior-class warship, and it is unlikely that these researchers will leave Sanya and move to you to settle here."

Shi Diwen was not so easy to be blocked by Tao Donglai's words, and he immediately proposed another solution: "Mr. Tao, then you can see if this can be done. The East China Sea Fleet and Dinghai Port will jointly invest in the local shipyard. Build another Warrior-class warship. In this way, there is no need to delay the various experiments that the Black Shark should have done, and one more platform is available, and the strength of the East China Sea Fleet has also grown, which can play a greater deterrent effect on the forces of the other side. .”

The idea put forward by Shi Diwen is undoubtedly very feasible, because he solved the most fundamental problem of shipbuilding funds as soon as he came up.Although the cost of the Warrior-class warship is high, considering the financial situation of the Zhoushan area, it is not a big problem to afford the construction cost of a ship.Sanya only needs to provide design drawings, construction plans, technical guidance and steam engine systems, and the technical level of Zhoushan Shipyard is also competent enough to complete the construction and assembly project locally.

A situation like this is not without precedent. The East China Sea Fleet has been continuously expanding in recent years. Most of the new warships built locally every year are commissioned by the East China Sea Fleet, and some of the construction costs of these warships are indeed borne by the local finances. Speaking of which, the method of operation is the same as Shi Diwen's current proposal, but there is only a difference in the warship model and the proportion of local construction costs.

Tao Donglai said: "There are still many defects in the Warrior-class warship. Are you sure you really want to build one locally?"

Shi Diwen nodded and said: "I think building one more ship will be beneficial to the country, and it will help stabilize the situation in the East China Sea. And Mr. Tao, don't forget that I am a semi-professional in terms of shipbuilding and navigation. There are also local experts who are knowledgeable, and this warrior-level R&D and improvement work can be done in Sanya, and I can do the same here.”

Shi Diwen is not bragging about himself. When he participated in the time-traveling operation, he and a few other people from North America drove a sailboat from the European Mediterranean all the way to the east, and sailed almost half of the oceans of the world before arriving at the destination Sanya. , in terms of navigation technology, it must be the top level among the traversers.The technical level of the Zhoushan Shipyard is also one of the best in the overseas colonies. Since even the Majestic-class warships with larger displacements can be built here, the Warrior-class is of course no problem.

Zhoushan has a shipyard, a naval force, and abundant funds. In addition, he is a knowledgeable official in charge, and he indeed has the objective conditions to develop and upgrade the Warrior-class warship.After listening to his analysis, Tao Donglai also felt that this matter is extremely operable. If it can be implemented smoothly, it will indeed have a positive effect on both the international situation and the research and development of military technology. .

But Tao Donglai still has a question in his heart. He hopes that Shi Diwen can give a reasonable explanation: "You have rarely gone out to lead troops to fight in recent years. Many people think that you want to transform into a civil servant. Why are you spending so much effort on new warships now?"

Shi Diwen said frankly: "Then there must be some misunderstanding. I don't run Zhoushan to live a stable life as a civil servant. Only when it develops well can I have more income. If I have money, I can continue to grow. East China Sea Fleet. Although the East China Sea is still relatively peaceful at the moment, it is always right to start preparing for war earlier. One more warship means more combat power... Mr. Tao, don’t you just think about it for a year or two? Shall I kill the donkey, transfer me away from here?"

Tao Donglai quickly waved his hand and said: "Don't think about it, you have to find other candidates who are qualified for your position first! Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer people who are willing to leave Hainan Island to take up positions. How can it be so easy to find someone else?" Someone replaces you!"

Shi Diwen said: "Then my troops can't be adjusted casually... In short, these troops recruited and trained by me personally invested a lot of money. They can only serve here. Don't use the reason of changing defenses to take advantage of them." I am cheap. As for the troops transferred from other places, the Ministry of National Defense will transfer them at will, and I will not intervene."

Shi Diwen's approach is actually very similar to that of warlords, except that the administrative, judicial, and taxation agencies and officials in the Zhoushan area still obey the executive committee.But this is the status quo of Haihan. Almost every senior general who leads troops overseas has a private army of a certain size, and it has even become a customary rule.This also makes it difficult for Haihan to implement the regular change of garrison locations for overseas troops in the early years.

Although the executive committee has already noticed this situation, they can't come up with any good solutions. Of course, these generals are willing to stay overseas all the year round. Of course, it's not as simple as fame and fortune. One of the purposes of their participation in the time-traveling operation was to lead troops to fight , if the executive committee wants to weaken or even deprive them of their privileges, it may cause internal conflicts.Therefore, the current approach is to control the supply chain of weapons, equipment and materials to ensure that these generals stationed overseas and the military forces they control will not be distracted.

Tao Donglai didn't want to argue with Shi Diwen about these issues that he had been deliberately ambiguous, so he brought the conversation back to his previous question: "So what are you preparing for?"

Seeing that this problem could not be solved, Shi Diwen took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Sooner or later, we will replace Daming. The war can be delayed, but it is inevitable after all. However, we can make full preparations and try our best to make the most of it. The impact of the war has been minimized. Especially for these rich coastal areas, if they can be successfully won without fighting a fierce battle, it will be a good thing for us and the people."

(End of this chapter)