1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2608
Compared with previous dynasties, Haihan undoubtedly paid more attention to international relations and its own international status, and has maintained the image of a military power 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 garrisons all year round. Of course, such a large investment is 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 means of deterrence.

In the early years, Haihan's diplomatic relations with these countries were mainly handled by the military. Although the foreign affairs department has taken over some functions, Haihan's military still has a very large influence in these countries.For example, when the military arranges high-level military officers to go to these countries in the name of changing the garrison, the level of reception they receive is no less than that of regular missions sent by the foreign ministry.However, in order to avoid functional conflicts, military mission personnel generally no longer perform diplomatic missions outside the military field.

"...such as signing diplomatic agreements, dealing with transnational business, immigration affairs, etc., are now in the charge of other departments. Our tasks are limited to military exchanges, so it is relatively simple." Wang Anguo is very pleased. Explain to everyone the nature of the mission in detail.

Upon hearing this, Bai Letong asked: "I heard that many of the industries invested and developed by our country in North Korea in the early years were actually operated by the military. What's the situation now? Are they all 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 of which is equivalent to a gold mine with unlimited reserves. It's not that easy to let go!"

Wang Anguo coughed dryly and said: "There are actually many reasons for this. Some industries involve too much interest, and the local environment is relatively complicated. If it is handed over to the Ministry of Commerce to manage, I am afraid that there will be many problems in daily operation. So 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 far more than that.In the early years, in the name of cooperative development, Haihan invested in the development of many large-scale industries in North Korea, such as the coal-iron composite industrial base along the Datong River, shipyards, salt farms, and timber processing plants.In the follow-up, large-scale development was carried out on the animal husbandry of Jeju Island and the port facilities of Busan.These industries can bring Haihan an annual income of up to one million yuan, which is indeed a considerable income.

These industries have been under the control of the military for a long period of time, and a considerable part of the profits they generate have naturally entered the pockets of the Ministry of National Defense and local garrisons, serving as military expenses for Haihan to maintain garrisons in these areas.After that, Haihan created a situation of dividing the north and the south in North Korea. These industries were also assigned to the Northern Region and the East China Sea Region respectively, but they were still controlled by the military.In fact, the original investment of the military has already paid off, but who is willing to let go of such a cornucopia so easily?
In recent years, the Executive Committee has been gradually regulating the operation of overseas industries, so some transnational trade channels have been handed over to the more professional Ministry of Commerce.However, most of Haihan's large-scale industries with monopoly advantages in the local area, such as mining, smelting, shipbuilding, animal husbandry, etc., are still under the control of the military.

Because 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 fully take over. At this stage, they can only assist the military in managing these industries, and then gradually carry out the handover and transition when the time is right 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 prevaricate this issue first.However, he will not be too afraid of Tao Hongfang's views on this. After all, when overseas, force is the last word. Other government offices are vulnerable groups in front of the military. It's hard to overwhelm the military.

Ha Jianyi is not interested in this information, but what he cares about is another matter: "The largest military base of our Haihan Army in North Korea should be the Taedong River Base, right? Nowadays, naval forces 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 part of the Northern Fleet. As for the bases in the South, which are not designed to carry combat missions, their scale is definitely not comparable to 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 when 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 Taedong River base is sufficient for ordinary warfare.The garrisons in Ganghwa Island, Jeju Island, Busan Port and other places are mainly engaged in personnel training, warship maintenance, material supplies, and military horse domestication. It is true that not many troops belong to the establishment of combat troops.

Of course, this does not mean that the East China Sea Region does not pay enough attention to overseas troops, but because Shi Diwen considers that the defense area of ​​the East China Sea Region is extremely large. In fact, Japan is an ambitious country, so the focus of overseas troops stationed in the East China Sea Region is still on the Japanese archipelago. With Sasebo Bay as a unique high-quality military port, the overseas command center of the East China Sea Fleet is located there.

Wang Anguo continued: "We will go to visit North Korea first on our voyage this time, and will meet with high-level figures of North Korea on Jianghua 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 opposite side. Ma Strait to Sasebo Bay. The itinerary in Japan will be more complicated. In addition to completing the fleet defense, we also need to visit several major seaport cities and talk to various people to ensure our local influence. "

Tao Hongfang asked: "How long will it take for the whole trip?"

Wang Anguo said: "If everything goes well, it will be completed in about one and a half months. At that time, we will bid farewell to Japan, and you will return to the East China Sea region. I will lead the fleet to continue eastward."

(End of this chapter)