1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3954

The short-term training course for senior officers at the National Defense University came to an end in a flash. Although no opening ceremony was arranged when the students arrived, there was a small graduation ceremony before they left.

Defense Minister and Honorary Principal Yan Chujie attended the ceremony and personally presented graduation certificates to the trainees, demonstrating the importance the military leadership attached to the event.

These officer cadets were all professional soldiers who had served in the military for many years, and this was not their first time participating in such a short training course. Yan Chujie did not need to make any grand promises to them, but simply encouraged them to work hard to master the new military knowledge and skills they had learned and apply them to leading troops in future battles.

Chen Pingliao sat upright in the audience, listening to Yan Chujie's speech while reflecting on the lessons he had taken over the past two weeks.

To be honest, the course didn't offer as much new content as Chen Pingliao had hoped before heading south. The review of the Nanchang siege and the hot air balloon activity in the first few days were already the highlights of this short training course.

Although a few new weapons were subsequently displayed, most of them were improved versions of existing weapons, not groundbreaking new equipment like hot air balloons.

However, Chen Pingliao found the debriefing on the siege battles from the previous days of the course to be very helpful.

Chen Pingliao's temporary group failed to win the debriefing and battle plan formulation competition. The group that ultimately prevailed was the one with local officers like Shi Chengxin and Dai Chengrong. The information they possessed, as well as their understanding of the battlefield environment, was unmatched by the officers from the out-of-town group.

Due to geographical limitations, Chen Pingliao's military operations were mostly concentrated in Shandong, Liaodong, and North China. He was relatively unfamiliar with the battlefield environment in Jiangxi, which has a well-developed water system and complex terrain.

Reviewing the Battle of Nanchang gave him the opportunity to understand the operational thinking of the southern troops and the various tactical applications used in attacking fortified cities.

The only regret is that the troops stationed in the northern region rarely have the opportunity to fight in the south. The combat skills they have learned this time seem a bit like dragon-slaying skills, and it is unknown when they will encounter a similar combat environment.

After the graduation ceremony, Chen Pingliao returned to his dormitory to pack his luggage and prepare to leave. At this moment, Shi Chengxin knocked on the door and came in, saying to him, "My father wants to see you alone. Come with me later, and we'll have dinner at my house tonight."

Chen Pingliao hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

After arriving in Hangzhou, he spent the first few days representing the Northern Region to report to the bigwigs in various departments. Although he had hosted a banquet for Shi Chengxin at his residence, he had not yet had the chance to visit his father, Shi Diwen, who was in charge of the East China Sea Region.

Shi Chengxin's "meeting alone" was not a joke. After Chen Pingliao accompanied him to Shi's residence, he was indeed taken to the study immediately for a private meeting with Shi Diwen.

Following the proper etiquette of a junior, Chen Pingliao stepped forward to greet Shi Diwen.

Shi Diwen said with a smile, "When you were very young, your father often took you to visit Zhoushan. You probably don't remember, right? Now your father lives in the north most of the year and comes to the south less often. Our two families should visit each other more often!"

Chen Pingliao replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Shi! Before I went south this time, my father also told me that I should find time to visit you in Hangzhou."

Back when the Haihan Army marched north from the South China Sea along the coastline to conquer the land, Shi Diwen and Chen Yixin had collaborated on several occasions and were quite close. In the early days when Haihan had just established itself in Shandong, supplies and personnel traveling south and north all had to be transferred through Zhoushan. Chen Yixin would make several trips to Zhoushan every year to handle related matters, and there were indeed many times when he took the young Chen Pingliao south with him.

Today, the Northern Region is the most important mineral-producing area in Haihan, while the East China Sea Region has become a new manufacturing center. Trade between the two regions is growing year by year, which is a perfect match for complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses. Cooperation will benefit both sides, and maintaining good personal relationships among high-level figures will also be conducive to long-term cooperation.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Pingliao took his seat, while Shi Chengxin sat below him, accompanied by the Prime Minister.

When Shi Diwen asked Chen Pingliao about his learning progress in the short training course, Chen Pingliao told him the truth and made no attempt to hide his interest in this new type of equipment, the hot air balloon.

Shi Diwen understood Chen Pingliao's unspoken meaning and explained to him, "Hot air balloons are indeed a good thing, but due to the limitations of the manufacturing process, they cannot be mass-produced on a large scale yet, and the time it takes for them to be deployed to the troops may not be as fast as you expect."

Chen Pingliao, still unwilling to give up, pressed on, "If it's alright this year, then it should be possible next year, right?"

Shi Diwen smiled and said, "Go back and have your dad write a report to the Executive Committee, explaining the actual needs. That way, the Ministry of National Defense can proceed more easily."

Chen Pingliao nodded in understanding and did not dwell on the matter any further.

Since production capacity is limited, whoever applies first will likely receive the equipment first. Currently, troops in various regions know very little about this new equipment, and even if they wanted it, they might not know its function. In this light, the officers participating in this short training course have a certain informational advantage.

Of course, Chen Pingliao would never wait until he returned to the north to follow Shi Diwen's instructions. He had already decided that after returning to his residence today, he would send a telegram back to report on the matter and ask his father to prepare a report and submit it to the Executive Committee as soon as possible.

Shi Diwen changed the subject and brought up another matter: "The special operations division is planning a large-scale military operation. I suppose they've already discussed it with your father?"

Judging from the way he asked the question, Chen Pingliao clearly already knew the inside story. He immediately nodded and replied, "That's right. Commander Qian is planning to launch an offensive in the Red Sea region and has sought support from the Northern Region. It seems that Uncle Shi has also received the news."

Shi Diwen smiled and said, "It's not just that I received the news; I've already agreed to cooperate with the Special Forces Division. As you probably know, the East China Sea Region is preparing to send a group of salt merchants' sons to the Special Forces Division to manage local affairs for them. This is actually to relieve Qian Tiandun's burden, allowing him to concentrate on dealing with the powerful enemy in the Red Sea."

Before entering the National Defense University, Chen Pingliao had met with a group of salt merchants' sons, and he certainly didn't think such a thing could escape Shi Diwen's notice. Shi Diwen's openness in bringing this up now clearly indicated his intention to coordinate with the Northern Region.

Chen Pingliao said, "Uncle Shi has a long-term vision, I admire him!"

Shi Diwen waved his hand and said, "What long-term vision? I'm already several steps behind! Do you know that several years ago, people from the Liangguang region went to work for Qian Tiandun, and last year Fujian also sent a member of the Xu family there. I've already fallen far behind since the very beginning."

(End of this chapter)