1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3921

Tao Donglai's deduction was actually very close to the objective facts, but even though they knew that the special operations division's plan was not the best way to achieve the goal, it seemed that the people present could hardly express their opposition to it.

For the past thirty years, the Special Operations Division has maintained an undefeated record. This is not only due to the strong fighting will and superb military skills of Qian Tiandun and his soldiers, but more importantly, it is due to the firm support of the Executive Committee.

Whether it's weapons and equipment or money, supplies and personnel, the Executive Committee will do its best to provide whatever the special operations division needs for its combat missions. In many cases, it will even allocate the quotas of other units to the special operations division first.

After each battle, the special operations division soldiers were always given the highest level of compensation, merits and commendations, receiving almost the best treatment in the military.

Even personnel appointments, officer promotions, and veteran resettlement within the special operations division are mostly arranged according to the requirements of the special operations division.

Elite troops enjoy elite treatment, and elite treatment translates into elite combat achievements. Special operations divisions have always been a source of pride for the Executive Committee and a benchmark in the military. They are also willing to serve as the sharpest blade in the Executive Committee's hands.

Although they are in a superior-subordinate relationship, they are more like partners. The sudden change is due to the Executive Committee making some alterations to the original terms of cooperation.

With Tao Donglai's assessment, the high-ranking officials present quickly understood the current situation. The executive committee believed that the special operations division needed two to three years to prepare for the next operation. Therefore, during this period, resources could be allocated to the Southern New World, allowing the special operations division to take a break in the Middle East.

Whether it's training auxiliary troops or engaging in commercial development in the region, the special operations division still has a lot of work to do, so there seems to be no need to rush to seize that key area at the northern end of the Red Sea.

However, the Special Operations Division's ideas were clearly not on the same page as the Executive Committee.

"I don't think it's difficult to get Lao Qian to change his mind and follow our arrangements. We can supplement whatever resources the special operations division needs, and allocate some military funds to put Lao Qian at ease."

Schneider's proposed solution was very simple; according to his consistent view, any problem that can be solved with money is not a big problem.

Tao Donglai shook his head and said, "Since Lao Qian has already made up his mind, it won't be so easy to get him to change his mind."

Schneider said, "But if they can't get domestic support, the special forces division can't fight this war! Are they supposed to fight alone overseas?"

Yan Chujie coughed twice and explained, "Because of the long distance, the special operations division has much more ammunition reserves than the domestic troops. Even if they don't receive replenishment from the domestic forces in the short term, it's enough to complete a medium-sized war. What really restricts them is military spending and the technical support needed to develop local ports and industries."

Schneider said, "So you mean that if the special forces division really wants to fight this war, they can do it independently even without domestic support, but the risks will be greater than if they take action two or three years later?"

Yan Chujie hesitated for a moment before answering: "Actually, with the strength of the special operations division, winning this war shouldn't be too difficult, but to hold that area for a long time and then push forward the canal project, it would be absolutely impossible without domestic support."

Ning Qi said, "But the Special Forces Division should unconditionally execute the decisions made by the Executive Committee. How can they act on their own? Wouldn't that make them disobey orders from the emperor? That's not right!" Yan Chujie retorted, "The situation is far from what you described. The Special Forces Division submitted this operational plan precisely to clarify the Executive Committee's attitude. Since we haven't rejected it yet, there's no question of acting on their own. You can't presuppose the Special Forces Division's attitude after this."

Every time the Executive Committee discusses issues related to military operations, a debate is inevitable, and everyone is used to it.

The discussion also failed to reach a consensus on the operational plan proposed by the Special Operations Division. This was because it involved not only the Special Operations Division but also the Executive Committee's development plan for the Southern New World.

If the Special Operations Division's operational plans are to be supported, the Executive Committee will have to reallocate the resources already allocated to the Southern New World. This is no simple matter; it involves a great deal of complex work from various aspects.

But Qian Tiandun's methods clearly did not stop there. At the same time that the results of the battle in Jiangxi were reported in the newspapers, articles about the development prospects of the special operations division in the Indian Ocean also appeared in several major newspapers and media outlets.

Without exception, the content of these articles was to promote to the public the enormous benefits that opening up the trade route from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean would bring to Haihan.

Besides areas like politics and military affairs that are difficult for ordinary people to access directly, the article also devotes a lot of space to mentioning the specific benefits that can be brought to ordinary citizens.

The most obvious benefit is that opening up this trade route will likely lead to an explosive increase in the volume of trade for Haihan.

Various specialties from the East no longer needed to rely on the limited transport capacity of Western merchants to reach Europe. Haihan's own trading fleet could be escorted by an armed fleet and directly reach the ports of these European countries via the shortest route.

At that time, the number of goods from the East transported across half the globe to Europe each year will not be counted in the hundreds or so ships. The shipping demand in the Mediterranean and Red Sea regions alone will be enough to support dozens of trading fleets.

There must be a market for sales revenue. Even though the New World in the south is rich in natural resources, it is uninhabited. Ordinary merchants can't expect to sell much there. In this respect, it is far inferior to the trade routes to Europe.

The huge trade surplus brought about by the export of goods to the West was no longer a new concept for the people of Haihan. In Hangzhou alone, the number of people engaged in foreign trade-related industries exceeded 100,000, and this group included many powerful and influential figures.

Agriculture, processing, manufacturing, and shipping—these industries, which currently offer relatively high returns, are all closely related to foreign trade.

Today, the capital behind these industries is no longer satisfied with the pace of development in the domestic market, and is rushing to establish a presence overseas. There are quite a few business giants like Guangzhou Furifeng, which have consistently focused on overseas expansion, operating within the Haihan Group.

After Qian Tiandun commissioned someone to write an article that was published in the newspaper, it might just be another topic of conversation for ordinary people, something to discuss with friends and family about whether the country should move south or west next.

However, for some upper-class individuals who possess abundant resources and have a more discerning eye, this could very well be a new business opportunity.