After listening to Fang Lang's words, General Leta looked at the inland river patrol boat that had started not far away, and said calmly:
“It is said that the Army’s performance in this operation to annihilate the Eddie Brothers rebels made Defense Minister Marshal Moraes and President Dutra very dissatisfied, and they rejected the Army’s military expenditure application.
Maybe the Secretary of the Navy took a fancy to this opportunity. I heard that the Secretary of the Navy told the Secretary of Defense that this kind of landing operation is the specialty of the Navy. From your Marine Corps, the landing in the Fernando de Noronha Islands It can be seen from the combat performance that your Marine Corps is a powerful team.
Therefore, he petitioned Mr. Secretary of Defense on behalf of the Admiralty. "
Fang Lang was stunned when he heard this. Although he himself also had the idea of asking for a battle to eliminate the Eddie brothers, he did not want to do it now! After all, the river patrol boats have not yet been delivered, and the Marine Corps' jungle tactics training has not yet been completed.
At this time, if you launch an attack on the Eddie Brothers rebels, you will definitely win, but you may also pay huge casualties!
"Then the Ministry of National Defense agrees?"
"Of course I don't agree. How could the Army Department allow this to happen? Do they have no face?
The Minister of the Army has already issued a military order in front of the Minister of Defense. In the first month after the end of the rainy season, the Army will definitely be able to end the fighting and completely annihilate the Eddie Brothers rebels. "
For some reason, Fang Lang felt that General Leta was a little gloating when he said this.
However, at this time, Fang Lang had no intention of paying attention to General Leta's psychology. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, at the same time, he could not help but take this matter to heart.
I originally thought that I would find some reason to participate in the operation to encircle and suppress the Eddie brothers' rebels, but I didn't expect that the Navy Minister would be more anxious than him.
However, Fang Lang didn't mind the Minister of the Navy's approach. After all, in his position, he really had to seek benefits for the entire Navy. Now the arrogant Army brother has capsized in the gutter. If the Marines of the Navy can easily solve it, If the enemy is defeated, the Army's face will definitely look very ugly.
This may be the truest thought in the mind of the Minister of the Navy. After all, in World War II, except for Fang Lang's actual military exploits during the escort process, the Navy basically had no other worthy achievements.
However, the Army performed well on the European battlefield. This is also the reason why the Army became so dominant in the country after the war. Military expenditures prioritized the Army's big brother.
Fortunately, the landing operation on the Fernando de Noronha Islands showed the Navy's face severely, which improved the Navy's status in the Ministry of Defense to a certain extent.
It was precisely this situation that led Lieutenant General Frederick Crook, who served as Minister of the Navy, to find a way to improve the status of the Navy, that is, to constantly demonstrate its strength. Now the Army's failure in counterinsurgency has obviously made Lieutenant General Crook saw new hope.
After thinking about this clearly, Fang Lang smiled and touched his chin and said:
"It seems that if the Army cannot complete the battle this time, this job may have to be transferred to my hands.
If this is the case, then I have to prepare early. "
After hearing what Fang Lang said, General Leta said with a smile on his face:
"Oh! So, General Fang is not optimistic about the War Department's action?"
Of course Fang Lang would not say such obviously offending words. He quickly smiled and waved his hands and said:
"The general is joking. What I mean is that I have to prepare for a rainy day. Regardless of whether the Army can completely eliminate Brother Eddie's rebels, I must be prepared to be ordered to join the battle at any time."
General Leta obviously didn't really believe Fang Lang's explanation, but he also understood that it was normal for others not to express their opinions on this kind of thing. After all, if the words reached the ears of the army, there might be very bad consequences. .
He smiled and patted Fang Lang's arm and said:
"Aren't you already preparing? These two patrol boats are what you prepared for fighting in the Amazon River Basin!"
Hearing this, Fang Lang coughed twice, covering up his embarrassment and said:
"I am indeed preparing this for the battle in the Amazon River Basin, but the people participating in the battle are not necessarily from our navy! These patrol boats can also be prepared for the Ministry of War!
I took the initiative to produce these two patrol boats for the sake of business! "
Seeing that Fang Lang was unwilling to admit it, General Leta did not force him. He just smiled and pointed his index finger at Fang Lang and said:
"You're such a slippery boy."
Then his expression changed and he said seriously:
"However, you did a good job in this matter. Our Amazon River Guard really needs to have these two types of equipment.
Next we can talk about the specific purchase quantity. "
Fang Lang was stunned when he heard this. This turn was a bit fast! The testing has not yet ended, and the purchase intention has already been made clear. But this is also the main purpose of Fang Lang coming here in person today.
Once the agreement is reached, he will not get too involved. After all, his current official status is a soldier, and it is not suitable for him to discuss specific procurement negotiations with the military.
So, he smiled and shook his head and said:
"Haha. I came here today just to see if the patrol boat I designed can meet the actual combat requirements.
As for the issue of military procurement, you still have to communicate with Mr. Osman Aragon, the general manager of the shipyard. However, please rest assured that we will still follow the old rules. I will discuss it with Mr. Osman Aragon. Explain clearly. "
Seeing that Fang Lang's last words were meant to indicate to him, General Leta remained calm on the surface, but the slight upturned corners of his mouth still did not escape Fang Lang's eyes.
Obviously, he is very satisfied with the old rules mentioned by Fang Lang.
"Now it seems that these two patrol boats designed by you are definitely urgently needed equipment for our National Guard. I believe they will be able to withstand the test of actual combat.
I hope you can continue your efforts and come up with a design plan for a new destroyer as soon as possible. I will report it to the Minister of Defense to see if we can directly entrust you from the military level to design and build a new destroyer for the navy.
Of course, it would be even better if you could persuade the Secretary of the Navy, General Crook, to apply in person. "
It seems that General Letta has really made up his mind to let the Fangyuan Group Shipyard independently manufacture the next model of brand-new destroyer. Of course Fang Lang wanted this.
Therefore, he said without hesitation:
"No problem, I will push the Navy Ministry to propose an independent shipbuilding plan as soon as possible."
General Leta smiled and stretched out his right hand. Fang Lang smiled and also stretched out his right hand. The two hands were tightly held together. After a private conversation, a huge arms purchase order was reached. .
The next thing became much simpler. The logistics department officials who followed General Letta and others for inspection were clearly arranged by Mr. Osman Aragon, the general manager of the shipyard.
After the inspection, everyone was full of praise for the two patrol boats of Yuan Group and gave them very high praise.
Soon the two sides reached an agreement, and the Logistics Department of the Brazilian Defense Force purchased ten "Amazon-class" inland river patrol boats with a displacement of 500 tons from Fangyuan Shipyard.
and fifty "Flying Fish-class" high-speed patrol boats with a displacement of 7 tons.
This can be regarded as the first warship order received by Fangyuan Shipyard from the military. Soon after, with the promotion of all parties, the Ministry of National Defense commissioned Fangyuan Shipyard to start building on the US military's "Fletcher-class" destroyers. Design your own destroyer.
The Fangyuan Group shipyard that received this order has officially begun its transformation from a civilian shipyard to a dual-use shipyard.
In the early morning, at a construction site in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Chi Yousheng from Guizhou, China, was standing in the open space outside the work shed smoking.
Chi Yousheng, 32 years old, is not tall and has dark skin. He is a lean man from the mountains in the south. Unlike most fellow Chinese who are content with the status quo, he is not satisfied with his work on the construction site. .
As early as the age of 16, Chi Yousheng had not learned any craft except serving as a soldier since he was drafted into the Guangxi army to be paid.
Nearly 16 years of military career have made him accustomed to a life of licking blood with the blade of a knife. Originally thinking that the war was won and he didn't want to continue to earn a living with his head in his belt, he secretly became a deserter. He wanted to go back to his hometown to accompany his parents, marry a wife and live a peaceful life of his own.
But when I returned to my hometown, I found that my hometown had been destroyed in the war, and my old house was burned to the ground. After many inquiries, I found out that my parents had already passed away in the war.
Chi Yousheng, who had lost his direction for a while, was confused and didn't know where to go. He had no land to farm when he returned home. He wanted to find a job in the city, but he encountered military police who were going around arresting deserters.
Fortunately, he was clever and ran out. Now his home was gone, he couldn't find a job, and he had to be hunted by the military and police again. Desperate, he heard that many people are now going to Brazil to seek a life.
He joined in confusedly. After he finally arrived in Brazil, he was assigned to a construction site.
Because if you don’t have skills, you can only start from the most basic small jobs. All you do is heavy physical labor. You have to get up before dawn every day. After work, you have to participate in cultural training organized by the company.
Although, I can learn a lot of knowledge and live a very fulfilling life. But such a job is really not something he wants to pursue for the rest of his life.
I originally thought about learning a new craft in a training class and looking for opportunities to change careers in the future.
But a piece of news two days ago made grass grow in his heart, and he no longer had any worries to stay at the construction site and study while working.
"Yousheng, have you thought about it? If you don't go, the rest of us will leave."
A tall young man stood at the corner of the work shed not far away and shouted loudly, waking Chi Yousheng out of his reverie. Turning his head and taking a look at the tall young man, Chi Yousheng gritted his teeth, threw the cigarette butt to the ground, and crushed it with his feet.
He raised his head and glanced in the direction of his dormitory, with a trace of reluctance in his eyes, but in the end he took a deep breath, turned to the tall young man and responded:
"I'll go with you!"
Hearing this, the tall and strong young man laughed and said:
"Haha. If you win, I know you are also a person who is unwilling to be ordinary. Let's go!"
Hearing the words of the tall and strong young man, Chi Yousheng walked towards the other party and forced a smile:
"Maybe!"
Then, as if he remembered something, he said to the other party:
"Stone, are you sure they really said there is no age limit?"
The tall and strong man known as Shitou nodded, took two quick steps and put his arms around Chi Yousheng's shoulders, pulling him with him and walking outside the construction site.
"Don't worry! I've made it clear that all adult men between the ages of 18 and 40 can participate. Those with military experience will be given priority. You have more military experience than us! You have a greater chance of being selected than us. .”
When Chi Yousheng heard this, he still hesitated and said:
"Is the salary after selection really fifty dollars a month?"
Looking at Chi Yousheng who was still hesitant, Shi Shi smiled and patted the other party's shoulder and said:
"Haha. Brother Yousheng, this is posted on the notice, but we still have to pass the test before we can go there. Others don't necessarily want us!
So, it's a little too early for you to think about this now. "
Hearing this, Chi Yousheng wiped his hands on his trouser legs with some embarrassment and said directly to the stone:
"Then let's talk to the captain and go take a look now."
The so-called captain is actually the foreman responsible for managing these workers on the construction site. After hearing Chi Yousheng's idea, captain Gu Fu looked at Chi Yousheng in surprise.
In his impression, Chi Yousheng was an honest man who listened to orders. As for the other party's previous experience in his hometown, he had a rough understanding of it, but he did not expect that the other party would want to apply for such a dangerous job.
"Yousheng, have you really thought about it?"
Everyone is Chinese, and Gu Fu feels that he still needs to persuade each other.
"Captain Gu, I want to give it a try. After all, the salary there is much higher."
Chi Yousheng had already made a decision in his mind, so he no longer hesitated and directly applied for leave to the captain of the construction site.
Seeing that the other party had indeed made a decision, captain Gu Fu nodded and said:
"Since you have thought about it yourself, I won't say anything more. In this foreign country, you have to remember that no matter where you go, don't embarrass us Chinese people, and don't embarrass Mr. Fang.
Either don’t do it, or do your best if you do it.
When you encounter a problem that you cannot solve yourself, seek help from our Chinese organization as soon as possible. If there are any Chinese compatriots in need of help, please do not sit idly by. "
Chi Yousheng did not expect that captain Gu Fu had no intention of stopping him. Instead, he told him so many things. Obviously, he sincerely wished him well, which made his cold heart feel a little warm.
He smiled and nodded:
"I understand Captain Gu, I will not embarrass the Chinese, nor will I embarrass Mr. Fang."
After bidding farewell to his team leader at the construction site, Chi Yousheng met Shi Shi at the entrance of the construction site, and with another young man who looked a bit stocky, they took the bus and staggered all the way to a confession location near the Sao Paulo Police Station. .
At this moment, there were already three long queues in front of the recruitment point, and there were policemen in police uniforms on the roadside maintaining order. After studying for a while, Chi Yousheng saw a sign with black characters on a white background at the door outside the recruitment point. , with the words God's Scourge Military Contracting Company Recruitment Office written in Chinese and Portuguese.
Chi Yousheng didn't know the specific meaning of the name of this company, but according to what Shitou and others inquired about, it seemed that the people recruited here were all soldiers, but they were not soldiers fighting for any country.
But he would fight for whoever paid him. In his opinion, this was similar to his original job in his hometown. After all, he was also a soldier in his hometown and was paid. As for the specific reason for fighting, he didn't know.
Anyway, if someone pays you, you can beat whoever the superior orders.
I originally thought that I was tired of the days of licking blood with the blade and would never pick up a gun again. But after experiencing the dull life of an ordinary construction worker for a period of time, he still felt that he was more suitable for a life of licking blood with a knife tip.
Especially when he heard that working in this company, as long as he could pass the test and become a regular employee of the company, he could receive a monthly salary of fifty dollars, and when there was a combat mission, he could also receive a combat allowance.
He no longer had any worries and continued to work hard on the construction site.
The guy named Shitou at the construction site is also a very out-of-the-box young man. He has long been tired of the boring daily life at the construction site and has long wished to go outside and see the bigger world.
When he learned that employees of this company might go on missions in any country around the world, he was tempted. As for serving as a soldier and risking his life, it was not within his scope at all.
According to his original words, "If you are not afraid of being poor, are you still afraid of death?"
Looking at the dense crowd of applicants, Chi Yousheng was very worried about whether he could apply for the job. After all, his age made him very nervous.
There are very few Chinese like the three of them in the entire team. Most of them are local Brazilian soldiers, some are black and some white, and the most are locals with brown skin.
Seeing them arriving, a black guy in front of them looked back at them in surprise and asked:
"Hey! Man, which army did you retire from?"
As a young man who likes to run around the most, Shitou has already learned Portuguese. After hearing the black boy's question, he said nonchalantly:
"I am not retired from the army, but this old man Chi is a veteran and has been in the army for sixteen years."
The black boy never expected that this inconspicuous, thin middle-aged man would turn out to be a veteran who had served for sixteen years. According to their Brazilian military positions, this kind of veteran should be at least a sergeant major, so he He quickly saluted Chi Yousheng and said:
"Hello, Mr. Sergeant Major!"
This reaction made Chi Yousheng a little confused. After serving as a top soldier for most of his life, this was the first time someone saluted him. Also calling him sergeant major.
However, his military instinct made him stand at attention and salute.
Others around him were very surprised when they heard that there was a 16-year-old veteran here, and their eyes could not help but glance this way, which made Chi Yousheng feel very uncomfortable.
Shitou, on the other hand, had a feeling of being "crazy" and began to take the initiative to communicate with the people around him. Shitou, who has lived in Brazil for more than a year, is no longer the submissive person he was when he first came here.
Because of Fang Lang's relationship, the number of Chinese in Sao Paulo increased dramatically, and after Hongyi Tang planted its flag in Sao Paulo, there were several frictions with local gangs.
The Chinese brothers of Hung Yi Tong's dare-to-fight style also caused local gangsters to suffer a lot. In addition, the chief of police in St. Paul is one of his own, which makes the people in Hongyitang act even more unscrupulously.
Even the image of the Chinese in Sao Paulo has begun to become tougher. After a period of time, the presence of the Chinese in Sao Paulo has become stronger and stronger.
Local residents did not dare to make enemies with the Chinese easily, which made the Chinese's life in Sao Paulo gradually become more comfortable.
(End of chapter)
