Chapter 4018
Chapter 4018
Chapter 4018
"Mr. Su, you must have been to many places. Are there cannons this big in other places?"
"Mr. Su, this kind of cannon requires dozens of horses to pull it. How do you think it's made? When can we have cannons made here?"
"Mr. Su, look! Another cannon has been unloaded at the dock over there!"
Su Zhixing smiled as he listened to the children's excited shouts and occasionally responded with a few words.
Su Zhixing couldn't answer all the questions the children asked. For example, how cannons were made was beyond his knowledge. But he would tell the children that cannon making was a very profound subject, and only through continuous learning and study could one access the relevant knowledge.
At the same time, he also realized that the special growth environment here made the children different from their peers in China. They were not afraid of those cold and hard weapons and equipment, but instead seemed very excited.
If it weren't for the armed soldiers maintaining order on site, he had no doubt that the children would have rushed forward to touch those big iron lumps with their own hands.
When he came to his senses, the children around him had already started arguing about how big the coastal defense forts in the capital, Hangzhou, were. Some said they must have stretched for dozens of miles along the Qiantang River outside the city, firmly protecting the capital behind the fort defense line; others added that forts were designed for crossfire, so of course there should have been forts built on both sides of the river.
Clearly, while the children weren't entirely ignorant of the situation in the capital, their knowledge was extremely limited. Unable to reach a consensus, they turned to Su Zhixing for answers. After all, Mr. Su was from the capital, so naturally, he was the most authoritative person to answer their questions about it.
Su Zhixing chuckled after hearing the children's questions. The real Hangzhou was clearly a completely different world from the Hangzhou they had imagined. Although there were indeed troops stationed inside and outside the city of Hangzhou, the government had never built Hangzhou into an impenetrable armed fortress.
On the contrary, important institutions such as the Executive Committee built their offices in open areas near the north bank of West Lake outside the city, while the banks of the Qiantang River were full of docks of all sizes, and naturally there were no forts stretching for miles.
Su Zhixing rubbed the head of the child who asked the question beside him and replied softly, "Hangzhou? There are no such large forts there. You can't even see cannons normally. The Ming Dynasty once deployed some defensive cannons on the city walls, but after our Haihan Dynasty established its capital in Hangzhou, we removed all of them."
The child asked, puzzled, "What if the enemy attacks Hangzhou? If we had cannons, wouldn't we be able to wipe them out from afar?"
Su Zhixing patiently explained, "There are no enemies around Hangzhou that can oppose our country anymore. The world there is more peaceful than in Fubo Port, so there's no need to worry about a sudden war."
Several years ago, the Haihan Army deployed heavy artillery positions outside the city, but now all of them have withdrawn their heavy artillery. The only place around Hangzhou where you can still see heavy artillery is probably the National Defense University at the foot of Baoshi Mountain, and even then, it's just a training tool without the ability to fire live ammunition.
Nearly ten thousand troops were stationed on Zhoushan Island, east of Hangzhou, firmly guarding the sea route into Hangzhou Bay. Anyone wishing to attack the Qiantang River from the east or cross the river from the south to conquer Hangzhou would first have to defeat the strongest fleet in the Haihan Navy, the East China Sea Fleet—a move akin to moths to a flame. Meanwhile, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Songjiang, Zhenjiang, Suzhou, Yangzhou, and other areas north of Hangzhou were all under Haihan's control, and Nanjing served as a bridgehead controlling the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, essentially eliminating the possibility of an enemy force advancing directly from the north.
As for the west, not only southern Anhui, but also the entirety of Jiangxi has now been captured by Haihan. If the Ming Dynasty wants to launch a counterattack against Jiangsu and Zhejiang along the Yangtze River, it must first recapture Jiangxi, which is no easy goal. Even when Haihan took action in Jiangxi, it took more than half a year and several fierce battles to drive the Ming army out of Jiangxi.
In Su Zhixing's view, even if the scope were expanded by another 500 li, let alone Hangzhou, there was no need to worry about war breaking out within the territory ruled by Haihan.
But for these children who have been migrating overseas with the special forces division, the consciousness they have developed from childhood is that the special forces division is born for war, the place where the special forces division is located is the war zone, their fathers, brothers and elders can receive orders to go to war at any time, and everyone's life is to prepare for war.
As a port city, Fubo Port's construction of fortifications and deployment of heavy artillery were perfectly reasonable defensive measures. Weren't the other ports under the Special Forces Division being built according to the same plan?
They found it hard to imagine that a national center like the capital city was not prepared for a war that could break out at any time, and for a moment they could not understand what Su Zhixing was saying.
A child asked timidly, "Mr. Su, why isn't there a war in the capital? Don't the people there have to join the army?"
Su Zhixing remained silent for a moment before slowly replying, "Because outside the capital, there are layers upon layers of defenses set up by the Haihan Army, keeping the enemy thousands of miles away, which is why the capital has been able to maintain its long-term peace. The ports under the jurisdiction of the Special Operations Division are the outermost lines of defense. Every patrol, every exercise, and every battle fought by Commander Qian and his soldiers overseas is for the purpose of making the capital more stable."
The child blinked and said, "After General Qian led us to finish the war, there will be no more fighting in the capital."
Su Zhixing smiled and said, "That's not wrong. When the capital is peaceful, people can settle down to study and produce all kinds of supplies, which are then sent to us from afar. The clothes we wear, the books we read, and all kinds of daily necessities are all made in China. Of course, there's also the most important thing: the weapons equipped by the special forces soldiers are all made in the domestic arsenals."
Another child chimed in, "Mr. Su, when we grow up, can we go to the capital? Will it cost a lot of money for the trip?"
Su Zhixing nodded and said, "Of course you can. As long as you study hard, the government will pay for you to go to the capital for further studies."
This is, of course, just a slightly comforting statement. Even if Fubo Academy has the name of a higher education institution, Su Zhixing is actually not sure how many talents it can cultivate who meet the standards for further study back in China.
One thing Su Zhixing was certain of was that only a very small number of these children would be able to obtain the advanced education opportunities he mentioned through their studies. Most of them would likely enter special forces divisions or work in affiliated institutions after completing their basic education, and only after rising to a certain rank would they have the opportunity to return to China for further studies.
However, some children were clearly more insightful than Su Zhixing, saying casually, "Mr. Su, as long as you make enough military contributions, you can be summoned back to the capital to receive an award and reward! Commander Qian has had this experience many times!"
Su Zhixing smiled and said, "Then I wish you success soon and that you will be summoned by the Executive Committee!"