1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3805

Shi Diwen knew very well that even with the initial approval of the Executive Committee, the special operations division's expansion plan would still encounter various difficulties in the subsequent implementation process.

Recruiting soldiers and building warships cannot be provided to the special warfare division immediately. It is estimated that resources from other places will have to be cut to give priority to the special warfare division. There must be a lot of coordination work involved, and negotiations with various parties in China are required.

However, that is not a problem that Shi Diwen has to follow up and solve. He has an agreement with Qian Tiandun that he is only responsible for solving the Executive Committee link and getting the plan approved. Qian Tiandun will have to work on subsequent issues himself.

Of course, the Ministry of National Defense will definitely stand on Qian Tiandun's side and try to allocate all the necessary resources for him. After all, the more outstanding the special warfare division is, the more confident the military will be, and thus strive for more resources from the Executive Committee.

As for whether the special operations division's occupation of military resources that should have been allocated to other regions would affect the interests of the East China Sea region, Shi Diwen was not particularly worried about it.

There is a saying in the domestic shipbuilding industry that "Zhoushan in the north and Sanya in the south". Today, the technical level and production capacity of Zhoushan Shipyard are almost on par with Sanya Shipyard, and it is Shi Diwen's direct department. Even if the Executive Committee and the Ministry of National Defense want to adjust the production arrangements of Zhoushan Shipyard, they have to get Shi Diwen's approval.

The same goes for drawing troops from the East China Sea region. The chief officers of the conscription offices of various provincial governments and military units at all levels are almost all from Shi Diwen's school, and the orders of the Ministry of National Defense may not be effective even if he says a word.

Of course, Shi Diwen did not intend to resist the possible allocation of resources. This plan was originally proposed by him on behalf of Qian Tiandun, and he also had an agreement with Qian Tiandun. The East China Sea region would send some military personnel to the area where the special operations division was located in the name of training, and form a long-term rotation system.

In this way, the East China Sea Region can take the lead in providing assistance to the Special Operations Division, which will serve as an example for implementing the Executive Committee’s resolutions and leave other regions speechless.

But Shi Diwen's plan does not stop there. Since this topic is being discussed right now, he plans to kill two birds with one stone and incorporate Shi Chengwu's military expansion plan into it.

Shi Diwen said solemnly: "The expansion plan of the Special Warfare Division will definitely require the support of the garrison troops in various regions across the country. I will make a statement here. The East China Sea Region will select some elite soldiers to go to the Indian Ocean to solve the urgent needs of the Special Warfare Division. Both the navy and the army will be included, with a two-year rotation period to support the Special Warfare Division's military operations in the region."

While observing the reactions of the crowd, Shi Diwen continued, "Of course, after withdrawing some troops from the East China Sea Region, the local area will also need to replenish troops and equipment, so I hope that the Executive Committee can approve the East China Sea Region to expand the scale of conscription and establishment next year and equip more new equipment."

As soon as Shi Diwen finished speaking, Ning Qi saw through his trick: "Good old Shi, no wonder you are so active, you are waiting here!"

Shi Diwen was unfazed after being exposed: "Don't you think this is the most efficient solution? The special warfare division has to recruit soldiers from within the country, and it won't be able to form combat effectiveness in a short period of time. I am sending the existing troops over to help out, and it is also out of kindness."

Tao Donglai smiled and said, "It sounds reasonable, but we have worked together for so many years, how can we not understand your style?"

Ning Qi also added: "Lao Shi, I think your support for the special warfare division is fake, and your real intention is to use this opportunity to expand the army in your own area!"

Shi Diwen could not help but feel a little frustrated that his true intentions were seen through by his colleagues so quickly. However, with his shrewdness, he would not show it on his face, let alone admit such an accusation. Shi Diwen said in a deep voice: "To be fair, I did this without any selfish thoughts. It was entirely for the sake of national stability. If you think it is inappropriate, you don't have to agree with my proposal."

Shi Diwen wanted to expand his troops, and there were certainly more reasons than this. He just wanted to take this opportunity to get things done and save some effort. But if the Executive Committee did not approve it, he could only patiently find other ways and not let his colleagues think that he was eager to make this happen.

However, Shi Diwen has only made a verbal proposal and has not gone through the written process. In addition, there are other subsequent issues to be discussed, so the Executive Committee will not immediately arrange a special voting session for this.

After the meeting ended that day, Shi Diwen returned home and informed Shi Chengwu, who had not yet returned to Nanjing, of the content of the meeting.

After hearing this, Shi Chengwu couldn't help but feel anxious: "If the Executive Committee does not agree to the expansion, then the subsequent action plan will also be stalled."

Shi Diwen said: "This kind of thing cannot be rushed. You can only take advantage of the situation and seize the opportunity to go with the flow. If you appear too impatient, it will only have the opposite effect and make the Executive Committee doubt the reason for the expansion of the army, which will be very detrimental to your future development."

Hai Han has grown to its current territorial size without becoming a separatist regime or even falling apart. This is partly because the Executive Committee is extremely careful in its control over military power and will not allow troops at any level to arbitrarily expand their organization or purchase additional weapons and equipment on their own.

Even though Shi Diwen was already a member of the Executive Committee, if he wanted to expand the army in his jurisdiction, he would still need to go through the Executive Committee's review. Moreover, the person leading this matter was actually his son Shi Chengwu. If the Executive Committee believed that Shi Chengwu was expanding the army in order to start a war, it might affect their trust in this young man.

Shi Diwen not only had to pave the way for his son and clear away obstacles in his way, but also had to keep an eye on his surroundings to avoid any complications as much as possible.

After Shi Diwen finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair with his eyes slightly closed. Shi Chengwu knew his father's habit of closing his eyes in deep thought, so he didn't dare to disturb him and could only stand quietly by and wait.

After a while, Shi Diwen opened his eyes and ordered: "If there is nothing else, you should go back to Nanjing first. You can wait for my news on the expansion of the army and recruiting soldiers, but you can start the preparations first."

Shi Chengwu knew that his father had not finished speaking, so he responded and waited for the next words.

Shi Diwen continued, "Go back and have a good talk with Tao Hongfang. Tell him that the East China Sea Region will be pulling troops to be deployed overseas, so the Nanjing local garrison may be short of manpower, and we need to organize a militia as a supplement."

When Shi Chengwu heard this, he understood what he meant and continued, "When the time is right, these militia units can be directly converted into regular troops."

Shi Diwen nodded and said, "Just keep it in mind, but be low-key and don't show off. As for the formation of the Yangtze River Fleet, I still need to think about how to arrange the construction of the necessary ships."