1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3973

The fleet under Li Yuande's command, as well as the resources available to him domestically, were almost entirely provided by the Li family of Guangzhou. Although these resources were not debts owed by Li Yuande, the Li family did not provide such favorable conditions without expecting anything in return.

As a leading business in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, economic returns are undoubtedly a primary consideration for any investment project by Fu Ruifeng.

The various businesses operated under the name of Fu Ruifeng within the Special Operations Division's jurisdiction, as well as the ocean trade routes controlled by the fleet, have long been regarded as the Li family's own property. Fu Ruifeng's future profits in the Indian Ocean and even further west will depend on these valuable resources obtained through its first-mover advantage.

For a businessperson to take meat from their own bowl and offer it to someone else is a major taboo. Even if Li Yuande were willing to consider the bigger picture, Chen Pingliao felt that the Li family might not have the courage and determination to do so.

Li Yuande seemed unwilling to discuss the matter further, waving his hand and saying, "In business competition, whoever gains more or less ultimately depends on their own abilities. Besides, the overseas fertile grounds that domestic trading companies are eyeing are not limited to the Special Operations Division's jurisdiction."

Chen Pingliao nodded and said, "I've heard that the Southern New Continent is quite popular these days, but after this exhibition, it's likely that the Southern New Continent will lose its limelight."

Li Yuande said, "If nothing unexpected happens, a new exhibition will be held soon. In recent years, newly established overseas colonies will definitely vie to follow the special forces division's approach and use exhibitions to attract investment. The Southern New World combines the resources of two major regions, and its development prospects are also excellent."

Both the Luzon and Sing Tao regions are now leveraging their geographical advantages to invest resources in the Southern New World, with long-term plans aimed at developing a new world there. Sing Tao has even temporarily reduced supplies and transport capacity to its special operations divisions, prioritizing supplies for its new colonies in the Southern New World.

The Executive Committee has also provided many conveniences to these two regions, but judging from the new policies announced this time, the Executive Committee is currently more focused on the development prospects of the Special Operations Division on the western front, while the Southern New Continent can only take a back seat.

The current situation is naturally due to the continuous lobbying efforts of the special operations division and stakeholders over the past few years, which also reflects the Executive Committee's objective attitude towards the expansion and competition on the western and southern fronts.

Chen Pingliao had heard his father tell some inside stories about the competition on the western and southern fronts, but it was not appropriate to tell Li Yuande in detail in such a crowded place.

Both of these regions are far from Haihan's homeland and cover vast areas. To achieve long-term governance, they will eventually need to be expanded into overseas regions, similar to North America. However, Haihan has limited resources to invest in overseas development, so there will certainly be some focus. Who should receive priority treatment has been a topic of ongoing debate within the Executive Committee in recent years.

The focus on developing the Southern New World in the past two years was actually a way for the Executive Committee to give the Sing Tao and Luzon regions some incentives so that they would voluntarily contribute more resources from their local areas and their own pockets to the colonial construction in the New World. This way, the Executive Committee would not need to draw much resources from the national treasury.

Now the special operations division has come up with a plan to conquer the Suez region, and the executive committee's opinion is gradually becoming unified: it is necessary to support the special operations division in sending troops to occupy strategic locations and achieve lasting merit.

As for the Southern New World, we can simply maintain the current pace of development; there's no need to rush. After all, there are no Western colonists competing with us there, so it's practically Haihan's exclusive domain. The situation is incomparable to the region where the Special Forces Division is located.

Chen Pingliao's westward voyage actually represented the Northern Region's attitude on this matter—to provide full support to the Special Operations Division, both in terms of personnel and funding. The Executive Committee was paying increasing attention to the Special Operations Division, and Li Yuande had certainly noticed this change, but he only knew the surface of it, not the underlying reasons, unlike Chen Pingliao who had some understanding of the high-level decision-making process.

However, Chen Pingliao will probably only reveal these inside stories after he meets Qian Tiandun at Fubo Port.

According to the original plan, the fleet was only to stay in Sanya for five days to complete loading, unloading, and resupply before continuing south. However, a telegram sent from the special operations division before the fleet's departure forced Li Yuande to temporarily revise the plan and stay there for a few more days.

The reason is actually quite simple: a group of Annamese officers from the Special Forces Division had just finished their family visit leave and had already assembled in Thanh Hoa and Hue in Annam. They were preparing to head to Sanya and then take a boat back to their base.

If they missed Li Yuande's fleet, they would have to take a ship to Xingdao Island first, and then transfer there to a ship bound for the Indian Ocean. However, there weren't many ships going from Xingdao Island to the Indian Ocean these days, so it was hard to say how long they would be delayed there.

After they reported their return plan to the division headquarters via the local garrison's radio, Qian Tiandun learned that Li Yuande's fleet was still in Sanya. He then ordered them to immediately go to Sanya to meet up with Li Yuande, which would make their return journey less troublesome.

Upon hearing the situation, Chen Pingliao asked, "Are there still many Annamese officers in the Special Operations Division?"

Li Yuande nodded and said, "There are quite a few of them, and many of them are veterans who have followed Commander Qian for many years. There are a lot of lieutenant colonels and majors in the division headquarters alone, and even the worst ones are at least battalion-level officers."

When Qian Tiandun established the precursor unit of the Special Forces Division, the training base was located on Cat Ba Island, not far from the Annamese Hongji Coal Mine. At that time, Qian Tiandun's vision was to create a force that was adept at fighting in the mountainous jungle environment of Southeast Asia, so he selected many Annamese youths from nearby areas to enlist and train.

Later, Hai Han became deeply involved in the Annamite civil war, and Qian Tiandun's troops also fought in various parts of Annam, during which time many more Annamite soldiers were recruited. In the past thirty years, apart from those who died on the battlefield, most of the surviving Annamite soldiers have gradually retired, but there are still some old officers who are unwilling to leave the military camp and follow Qian Tiandun in his campaigns, remaining in the army to this day.

It is precisely because of the outstanding performance of these Annamese veterans that the Special Operations Division has maintained the tradition of recruiting Annamese new soldiers, who still account for nearly 10% of its ranks. Among the non-Han Chinese soldiers currently serving in the Special Operations Division, Annamese soldiers make up the largest proportion.

Even the youngest of these Annamese officers were in their fifties, and they wouldn't have many more years left in the military. Out of consideration for past relationships, Qian Tiandun naturally gave them special treatment. He not only allowed them to visit their families regularly but also provided them with convenient transportation.

Chen Pingliao continued, "Won't arranging for these Annamese officers to return to their hometowns to visit relatives affect the normal operation of the military?"

Li Yuande solemnly said, "This is actually a special case, because there may not be any family visit leave for the next few years."