Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

The afternoon after Commander Liu left, Zhao Ping'an was preparing to return to Beiping when the phone rang.

It was Commander Xiao's voice.

"Comrade Ping An, are you done on your end?"

Zhao Pingan said, "Just finished, getting ready to return to Beiping."

"Come back quickly." Commander Xiao's voice was a little deep. "I need to talk to you."

Zhao Ping'an asked, "What's the rush?"

Commander Xiao didn't say much, only remarking, "We'll talk about the Marine Corps when we get back."

The phone hangs up.

Zhao Pingan put down the microphone and stood there thinking for a few seconds.

He knew what the Marine Corps was about—the plan to disband it in 1957 had already been circulated within the Military Commission.

That afternoon, Zhao Ping'an boarded the train back to Beiping.

He leaned against the window, flipping through the documents he had brought back from Shenyang, but his mind was still on Commander Xiao's words on the phone.

The Marine Corps, numbering 110,000, can be cut just like that.

He closed the document. Commander Xiao was unhappy, and he could tell from his voice. However, for the sake of his own plan, he had to stop this.

The car arrived in the early hours of the morning, and Commander Xiao arrived early that morning as well.

He walked in without saying hello or having his secretary announce his arrival.

He looked unwell and slammed a document on Zhao Ping'an's desk as soon as he entered the room.

"Take a look at this."

Zhao Pingan picked it up. The cover read: "Preliminary Opinions on the Adjustment of the Marine Corps Organization".

Before opening it, I glanced at Commander Xiao.

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Commander Xiao lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, exhaled, and then spoke.

"In 1953, we formed the 1st Marine Regiment. In 1954, it was expanded into a Marine Division, at its peak there were eight divisions, with 110,000 men."

He flicked off his cigarette ash.

"Some people are now suggesting that the Marine Corps has a long training cycle, requires a large investment in equipment, and has limited effectiveness. They recommend abolishing the Marine Corps and returning its personnel and equipment to the Army."

Zhao Pingan opened the document and glanced at it.

Several reasons are listed:

The need for amphibious operations is not urgent, the existing landing force is sufficient, and the missions of the Marine Corps and the Army overlap.

Commander Xiao continued, "In January of this year, the battle on Jiangshan Island was over, and the Marine Corps performed reasonably well."

But that was close-range landing; even with water only a few dozen meters deep, army soldiers could rush up.

He paused.

"What if it's a long distance? After hours of rough seas, the soldiers are already seasick before they even reach their destination. Can such soldiers fight?"

Zhao Ping'an continued to quietly observe Commander Xiao. If Commander Xiao disagreed,

Even if they can't save the whole thing, it's still possible to save a division or a brigade. Clearly, Commander Xiao had more to say.

Commander Xiao stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and lit another one.

"However, the Navy is currently facing a shortage of personnel."

Especially with the newly arrived batch of warships, the entire army is familiarizing themselves with the equipment, and there are not enough people to go around.

The Marines, numbering 110,000, occupy positions but are largely unused. What some people over there are saying isn't entirely unreasonable.

After speaking, Commander Xiao looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Tell me, should I let them stay?"

Zhao Pingan closed the document and placed it on the table. Clearly, the other party was testing him, and perhaps even hoped to retain the unit through him.

Zhao Ping'an didn't care about this. Both sides had the same goal; as long as things went smoothly in the end, a few harmless little quirks along the way were perfectly normal.

It's like when you're giving a report to your boss and you're trying to sabotage the monkey.

"Commander Xiao, I have a question for you."

"Can the navy forever guard our doorstep?"

Commander Xiao was taken aback.

Zhao Ping'an stood up and walked to the nautical chart hanging on the wall.

The finger first points to the Bohai Bay, then moves south, across the East China Sea, across the South China Sea, and across the Strait of Malacca.

"Once we're strong enough, we'll go global. Or rather, once our navy is strong enough, we'll go global."

The Republic's navy should not be a shallow-water defense force, like the C28A fleet I acquired.

While it can provide near-shore defense, the ultimate goal is to venture into the deep blue sea…

Zhao Pingan turned around and looked at Commander Xiao.

"To go out into the world, we need a force that can stay at sea and fight on land."

In joint operations involving the three armed forces, the toughest challenges have to be tackled by someone.

Zhao Pingan walked back to the table.

"The Marine Corps is what we're preparing for."

Not today, not tomorrow, it could be three years from now, five years from now, or ten years from now.

Laying off employees now and rebuilding later will result in a talent gap and a loss of experience. The loss isn't just money, it's time.

Commander Xiao remained silent for a long time.

He stubbed out his second cigarette.

"You're right."

He looked up at Zhao Ping'an.

"But the reality is, I don't even have anyone who understands these things right now."

The helicopters, amphibious tanks, armored vehicles, and mechanized equipment you mentioned before are no longer available.

There are no training plans or tactical systems. Who's going to develop them? Are you going to have 110,000 troops training to swim every day in the sea and sky?

Zhao Ping'an smiled. Sure enough, Commander Xiao had come to plead poverty.

Is it the end of the year? Coming to me, the Minister of General Armaments, to complain about being broke.

Although the equipment will eventually be provided, the plan is for the whole year. Whether it's given at the beginning of the year or at the end, it's not the same. A lot of the equipment given early lasted a whole year!

"Commander Xiao, don't worry. Look, I went to Shenyang this time precisely to procure equipment, didn't I?"

"What equipment?" Commander Xiao pressed.

Zhao Ping'an walked to the desk, pulled out a few photos from the stack of documents he had brought back from Shenyang, and pushed them in front of Commander Xiao.

"Helicopters. We have both medium and heavy-duty ones."

Commander Xiao picked up the photo, looked at it, and then looked up: "What does this have to do with the anti-submarine helicopters you mentioned before?"

Zhao Pingan pulled out a few more photos. "And this one, the An-12 large transport aircraft, which will also become a member of the navy in the future. But it's too early to talk about that now, let's talk about helicopters first."

Commander Xiao put down the photo and pressed for details.

"I remember you told me before that helicopters were used for anti-submarine warfare."

"Anti-submarine warfare is the Navy's job, what does it have to do with the Marine Corps?"

Zhao Pingan said, "You're right, anti-submarine warfare is the navy's job. But helicopters can do more than just anti-submarine warfare."

He picked up a photo and pointed to the Mi-6 aircraft on it.

"During amphibious operations, it can directly transport small units and equipment to the landing zone, or behind enemy lines to cut off enemy reinforcements, or to launch a surprise attack from the rear to create a breach in the beach. This is not the traditional method of slowly making a landing from the sea; it's like being dropped directly from the sky. It paves the way for our landing forces."

Commander Xiao frowned: "Where are the amphibious armored vehicles? Where are the tanks?"

Zhao Ping'an said, "The development of amphibious armored vehicles and tanks is not a problem; I'm making the arrangements. But now there's a more important question that I need you to answer."

Commander Xiao looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Zhao Pingan asked, "What spirit should we use to preserve this Marine Corps?"

Commander Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "Isn't this because of the needs of war? What's this talk of morale?"

Zhao Pingan shook his head, stood up, and walked to the nautical chart on the wall. He raised his hand and pointed to the location of a certain island.

He turned around and looked at Commander Xiao.

"Commander Xiao, this unit is here."

Commander Xiao's gaze fell on the island, and he nodded. This was indeed the original intention behind the establishment of this unit.

The room fell silent. The sound of the wind outside the window was faint.

Zhao Ping'an said, word by word:

"Therefore, the spirit of this unit should be 'Use me in the first battle, and I will surely win.'"