Chapter 1055
The Return of the Expeditionary Fleet, the Whole Nation Cheers
"understood."
The defense minister responded with a serious expression.
Therefore, the Indian tribal forces did not take any action, thus avoiding armed conflict between the two countries and preventing the country from being destroyed by war.
Time flies, and Zhou Qinglei's expeditionary fleet successfully crossed the Indian Ocean and arrived at the entrance to the Strait of Malacca.
Returning to the Longxia tribe from the Indian Ocean via the Strait of Malacca is the fastest and most convenient route.
However, there are many countries around the Strait of Malacca, and Singapore even has the naval base of the Eagle Tribe, which has a number of warships stationed in the area year-round.
"According to intelligence, Singapore has reached a secret defense cooperation agreement with Malay tribes and the Eagle tribe."
Zhou Qinglei frowned as he looked at the long strait, his heart filled with worry. "At this time, will they suddenly jump out and cause trouble?"
After a moment of silence, Zhou Qinglei still gave the order to proceed through the Strait of Malacca.
"Pass the order down to all ships to remain on high alert in case of any enemy activity," Zhou Qinglei immediately commanded.
"Yes, Captain!"
As the communications officer relayed the relevant orders, each ship strengthened its vigilance.
The long-range early warning radar continuously scans the surrounding airspace and sea area, keeping an eye on any possible changes in the enemy situation. Each fire unit is also ready to fight back, and can deliver a fatal blow to the enemy in the first instance!
Any hostile actions that attempt to harass the formation will inevitably be utterly crushed.
When they reached the middle of the Strait of Malacca, Zhou Qinglei was somewhat surprised. He did not detect any movement from the surrounding countries, as if they were completely unaware that the expeditionary fleet was passing through the strait.
"That's a bit unexpected."
Zhou Qinglei stroked his chin with his right hand, a look of surprise on his face. "Could it be that the sun has risen in the west? Or are these countries all afraid of the overwhelming strength of our navy?"
As for the claim that neighboring countries did not discover the expeditionary fleet, that is absolutely impossible.
There must be a reason why they didn't jump out.
However, he couldn't think of any reason yet.
"Check if any other units have detected any unusual enemy activity?"
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qinglei was still somewhat uneasy and gave an order to the communications soldier.
"Yes."
The communications soldiers immediately sprang into action.
A moment later, he received the relevant intelligence.
"Captain, we have found nothing unusual," the communications officer reported truthfully.
"okay, I get it."
Zhou Qinglei said with a serious expression, "Stay on high alert!"
Since none of the neighboring countries have stepped forward to cause trouble, that's naturally the best outcome, saving us from having to fight a war on our doorstep and delaying our journey.
Once you pass through the Strait of Malacca, you'll reach the waters of the Longxia tribe, and the journey will definitely be smooth sailing from there!
Moreover, he believes the navy has already dispatched relevant warships to provide assistance.
The day quickly arrived at the 8th, at 5:10 PM.
The last of the expeditionary fleet's 10,000-ton destroyers, tasked with covering the rear, has entered the South China Sea.
"Signal soldier, reporting to headquarters: the expeditionary fleet has safely arrived in the waters off our southern coast."
After determining the location, Zhou Qinglei immediately gave the order to the communications soldier.
"Yes, Captain."
The communications soldier immediately reported the relevant information.
The capital city, the naval headquarters military base.
Upon receiving the news, Zhang Zhaoxin immediately rushed to Xu Dongguo and excitedly reported, "Reporting to the commander, we have just received the latest news that the expeditionary fleet led by Zhou Qinglei has safely arrived in our southern waters."
"Currently, everything is going smoothly, and all ships and transport vessels are very safe."
The office immediately fell silent.
"call!"
After a full half minute, Xu Dongguo finally let out a long breath, looking noticeably more relaxed.
"It's good that everything is going well; they've done a fantastic job."
With a serious expression, Xu Dongguo ordered, "Notify the relevant departments and tell them to make preparations for welcoming them! No matter what, there are tens of thousands of people returning home. Make sure they do a good job in receiving them and that nothing goes wrong!"
"Yes, sir."
After receiving the order, Zhang Zhaoxin turned and walked out of the office.
"slow."
After Zhang Zhaoxin stopped, Xu Dongguo said seriously, "Notify the Southern Fleet to dispatch the relevant fleet from the nearest location to meet him. Make sure everything goes smoothly!"
"Yes, sir, I'll take care of it right away."
Zhang Zhaoxin was well aware that even though the navy had won a major victory in the waters off Dongzhou, the surrounding petty countries were still eager to cause trouble. Especially now, with tens of thousands of people involved in the return journey home, extra caution was needed.
If a naval fleet were to go and greet them, it would deter the surrounding troublemakers and prevent them from making any rash moves!
Xu Dongguo felt much more relaxed. Standing by the window, gazing at the distant mountain scenery, he felt exceptionally comfortable.
The expeditionary fleet traveled tens of thousands of kilometers, setting several firsts for the Longxia Navy and successfully bringing back the students who had been stranded in Western countries. The scale of the expedition was unprecedented.
Of course, this was also the last weight on his mind, and now it has finally been lifted off his feet.
Once you've entered your own waters and are supported by warships, there shouldn't be any major problems; there's absolutely no need to worry.
In any case, the return of the expeditionary fleet has undoubtedly greatly enhanced the navy's combat power, more than doubling it!
Even after the expeditionary fleet returned, and despite the Eagle Tribe joining forces with other tribes to launch a sudden attack, Xu Dongguo and the other naval commanders were not worried at all. This was at the southernmost point of the Southern Continent's waters.
That is a blue-green land, the southernmost part of the Longxia tribe.
When the cruise ship entered the South China Sea from other countries' waters, a related announcement was made over the loudspeaker.
"Passengers, I have good news to share. Our ship has entered the southernmost waters of the Longxia tribe. Once we get here, it's like we're coming home."
Lu Xiangdong, Ma Jiancheng, and the others breathed a sigh of relief, and were filled with excitement, feeling a surge of pride and exhilaration.
After such a long and tumultuous journey, they have finally returned to the embrace of the Longxia tribe. How could they not be excited?
"call!"
Lu Xiangdong let out a long sigh of relief. "We have finally set foot on the soil of our motherland. We will be home soon."
"Yes, we'll be home soon."
Ma Jiancheng, standing nearby, chimed in, "We're finally free from the exploitation of other countries! We're free! It's so good to be back home; it feels so good!"
The other students who had studied abroad shared the same sentiment and were all incredibly happy.
At the same time, the Longxia Tribe News Network broadcast a message that had just been received during this time slot.
"Dear viewers, this station has just received news from the relevant departments of our navy that our expeditionary fleet has brought back our compatriots who were stranded in the European waters."
This news caused a huge stir in society and sparked heated discussions.
Because there were far fewer entertainment programs in this era than in later generations, more people chose to sit in front of the television to watch the evening news, and then watch the weather forecast that followed.
It was precisely this factor that drew the largest crowd to the television sets. Upon hearing the news, they were incredibly excited, with many cheering and jumping for joy!
They are proud of their powerful navy and overjoyed that their homeland can provide refuge for people overseas.
The expeditionary fleet snatched those highly skilled personnel back from the European countries without firing a shot, something that had never happened before.
They had rarely even heard of the Longxia Navy having expeditionary fleets.
Now they are using an expeditionary fleet to pick up people, which, to put it more bluntly, is using force to seize people!
When Qian Xuesen returned to China, he paid a very high price. Countless people learned about this from various sources and felt heartbroken. So they gritted their teeth and were determined to make their motherland stronger and stronger!
Now, they have achieved this goal and are able to see with their own eyes that they have brought the person back without paying much of a price.
It can be said that this was a successful display of force, and also a declaration to the Western countries that the powerful Longxia tribe has returned and will once again stand at the center of the world stage!
This feat is in no way inferior to the evacuation of citizens from the Kei tribe, and even surpasses it in scale and influence.
The host began the broadcast with great excitement.
"Our returning personnel are expected to arrive at the disembarkation point in Shanghai around 8:30 AM tomorrow. Our station will send a strong broadcasting team to the scene to provide live coverage!"
"Dear viewers, let us witness this great feat together!"
The news spread quickly, exciting not only offline audiences but also generating a great deal of buzz online.
Numerous netizens are currently gathered on various online forums.
"Holy crap, this is the real big news! It's amazing! Our compatriots have finally returned."
"I have some news for you. My friend is on the ship, and I have to go pick him up tomorrow, even if it means taking time off work."
"What a coincidence! My friend is on the ship too. I'd like to join you upstairs. Let's go together!"
"Since you're all going, wouldn't it be outrageous if I didn't go? That's right, I just want to see those overseas friends who have returned. Why don't I have people like that? I don't care anymore, I'm going with you all. I must witness this great feat with my own eyes."
"Upstairs, you might have been fooled. Maybe they don't even have it. My friend, who made something up out of nothing, I think they just want to see our navy's advanced warships. Their abacus beads are practically bouncing in my face from a distance."
"I've also felt it. Our navy is getting stronger and stronger. We have the Type 054 destroyer, the Type 052D destroyer, and the 10,000-ton destroyer. We must go and visit them in person."
"Oh, it really is true. My girlfriend seems to be on one of those oil tankers. I have to go pick her up tomorrow, I absolutely have to."
"Um, I have a question for you. I'd like to pick myself up. Is that alright?"
"I think it's a good idea!"
"+1"
Seeing this netizen's imaginative idea, many people immediately became interested and eager to go and see for themselves.
The return of overseas students presents a perfect opportunity for them to get up close and personal with the navy's most advanced warships.
Suddenly the style of the story was swayed.
It's more accurate to say they went to observe the warships from a distance rather than to pick someone up.
Not only on ordinary forums, but also on the Tiexue forum, a large number of military enthusiasts were engaged in heated discussions, each speaking eloquently.
"To be fair, the fact that our navy can deploy such a large expeditionary fleet shows how much our country values its people overseas. Brothers, only when our navy is strong can we have such power."
"By the way, aren't you guys planning to go and see for yourselves? You could cheer for our navy, add some excitement, and make up the numbers, that would be great."
"You say you're just trying to make a good impression, but you've really got a lot on your sleeve. I bet you just want to see the warships, and you're even talking about picking people up. You've got some serious schemes going all the way to the Northwest."
"Don't you want to go? Anyway, I just want to go. I'm coming clean, I admit it."
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very rare opportunity. I must go to the scene no matter what. No one can stop me. Even if God comes, I will go."
"Seeing how excited you all are, I'll reluctantly agree to go with you to the event and have a go. I weigh two hundred pounds, so how about a bump?"
"Holy crap, is this sumo wrestling? Bring it on! I weigh 199 pounds, I have to clash with you and see who's tougher..."
Gradually, the style of the art became distorted and increasingly outrageous, until finally some netizens couldn't sit still any longer and stood up to speak out.
"Brothers, aren't you going to take a look? What are you even discussing? This is the Tiexue Forum, a gathering place for military enthusiasts. Shouldn't we be discussing warships? Why are you talking about which ship is heavier and they should clash?"
"This brother makes a good point. We should discuss the navy, warships, and when our air force will produce a stealth fighter comparable to the F-22 Raptor!"
"That's right, that's the real topic we need to discuss. How can we talk about sumo wrestling? That's something from the Eastern Wilderness tribes. We should have something more sophisticated." (End of Chapter)