The welcome ceremony organized by the British was high-profile and grand, and its purpose was naturally self-evident. The clues can be seen from the actions of the reporters who kept taking pictures at the scene.
After the welcome ceremony, Governor Grantham invited Fang Lang to hold a brief press conference at the entrance of the Naval Headquarters. Fang Lang understood that the other party wanted to use his fleet's visit to make a political point.
In order to prevent the British from saying inappropriate things on his own behalf without going through him, and causing unnecessary adverse effects by these reporters misinterpreting the purpose of the fleet's visit to the port city, Fang Lang chose to readily agree to the other party's suggestion.
This made Grantham very happy. After some simple preparations, a brief press conference was held on the steps at the entrance of the Admiralty Naval Command Building.
The main participants in the press conference were the Commander of the British Navy in Hong Kong City, the Governor of Hong Kong City and Fang Lang. When everyone stood in front of the reporters and said that a brief press conference would be held here, the reporters present were overjoyed and took the initiative to step forward and surrounded them with cameras and notebooks.
The British naval officers and soldiers at the scene quickly stepped forward to maintain order, and after putting some distance between the three people and the reporters, the scene gradually calmed down.
Fang Lang took a look and found that there was no camera in it, so he had to give a negative review. It's not that Fang Lang wanted to leave any impression.
But if you record it with a pen, there will be some errors, and it can easily be taken out of context. Fang Lang's real purpose of coming here this time is not to support the British, so he doesn't want to be used as a weapon by the British.
But soon he found someone running up to him with something that looked like a recording device, and he was slightly reassured. At least the sound could prove what he said.
As a landowner, Governor Grantham was already accustomed to such small scenes, so he did not show any stage fright and directly began to welcome the reporters on behalf of the British Hong Kong government.
He also solemnly introduced Fang Lang's identity to everyone, and reviewed the friendly alliance between Britain and Brazil and the history of mutual support between the two sides in the Pacific battlefield.
Then he gave a lengthy introduction to the current relationship between Britain and Brazil. Finally, he looked forward to the future of the port city government and Brazil, and expressed a warm welcome to the Brazilian naval fleet's visit to the port city during this special period.
I have to say that these politicians are really good at talking. Although Fang Lang didn't say a word about the purpose of coming here this time, every sentence he said told these reporters that Brazil is a staunch ally of the United Kingdom. This time the Brazilian Navy came to the port city to help the British stabilize the situation in the port city.
Fang Lang couldn't help but frown. Fortunately, he agreed to attend this press conference. If he had waited until these guys returned to hold a press conference, the purpose of his visit would have been directly criticized by the British Hong Kong government. Implemented.
Next, the Commander of the Royal Navy's Far East Fleet stationed in the port city expressed a warm welcome to the arrival of the Brazilian Navy on behalf of the British Royal Navy.
He once again reiterated the long-standing friendship between the British Royal Navy and the Brazilian Navy, and also praised the combat effectiveness of the Brazilian Navy. Finally, he simply stated directly that the current naval strength in the port city is the strongest in the entire Far East. A powerful fleet.
With the existence of such a fleet, the British Empire is confident that it can protect the interests of the British Empire in the port city from being violated.
Finally, it was Fang Lang's turn to speak. He also understood that at this time, he definitely couldn't directly refute the words of the previous two people. Therefore, after thinking for a while, he coughed twice, stood in front of a group of reporters, and slowly He opened his mouth and said:
“I am very happy to meet all the journalist friends in the port city, and I am also very happy that our Brazilian Navy can be invited by the British Royal Navy to visit the port city.
We all know that Hong Kong City is a city with great development potential. Its geographical location determines that it will become the most dazzling economic pearl of Britain in the Far East. At the same time, it will definitely be China's most important foreign trade window.
I know that the situation in Hong Kong City is very tense now. Many people think that Hong Kong City may face an attack from the opposite army at any time. Therefore, just now, Mr. Governor and the Commander of the Navy have been constantly encouraging everyone, telling everyone that the British Hong Kong Government is responsible for guarding Hong Kong. The city has absolute confidence.
In fact, in my opinion, everyone's worries are completely unnecessary. If the other side wanted to fight over, the port city would have already turned into a sea of flames, and there was no need to wait until now.
Since the other side chooses to maintain the status quo, it means that they have not used force against Hong Kong Island. As far as I know, the leaders on the other side have made it clear many years ago that their attitude towards the port city issue is to resolve it through negotiation.
And now their actions have proved that they have not broken their promise. I think at this time, as long as the British government can show its sincerity and be willing to sit down and have cordial and friendly negotiations with the other party, the Hong Kong City issue will definitely be resolved peacefully.
I have absolute confidence in this. If the British government agrees, I can even stand up to mediate. "
Fang Lang's words stunned everyone at the scene, and the Navy Commander didn't know if he should stand up and stop him from continuing.
On the other hand, the Governor of Hong Kong, Grantham, seemed much calmer. He calmly and gently pulled the navy commander's sleeve to signal him not to be impulsive.
Fang Lang, who was talking eloquently, didn't care what these British people were thinking! He continued regardless:
"Of course, this is just my personal opinion and does not represent the position of the Brazilian government. I believe everyone can tell from my appearance that I am a Chinese. Therefore, I hope that the Chinese in Hong Kong can have a safe living environment .
At this point, I believe that the other party should have the same position as me, which is why I dare to stand up and say these words.
As for why I led the fleet here, it was actually not to show force, but because Brazil is too far away from the port city. If you want to cross this thousands of miles of sea territory, of course you need suitable transportation.
And our British allies possess the most powerful naval power in the world. This long-distance voyage will not only exercise our navy's long-distance navigation capabilities, but also take this opportunity to come to the port city to learn from our British allies.
This is the real purpose of our fleet visit to the port city this time.
As for our appearance in Hong Kong City at this special time, it was a complete accident. Brazil is a peace-loving country and will never take the initiative to intervene in conflicts that have nothing to do with us. We will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, so please don’t over-interpret the purpose of our trip.
thank you all! "
After saying that, I didn’t forget to give a military salute to the reporters below!
Fang Lang's statement completely overturned the previous hints of the Governor and the Navy Commander. Fortunately, these two guys were not stupid enough to directly say that the Brazilian Navy fleet led by Fang Lang was here to support the British.
But Fang Lang's words made the Navy Commander's face become very ugly. Although Fang Lang had always praised the strength of the British Navy, Fang Lang said that he would not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, which also embarrassed the Navy Commander, because not far away There is a warship parked in the dock that was injured due to interfering in other people's internal affairs.
If it weren't for the fact that this guy was invited to visit by the Chief of Staff of the Royal Navy, he would have been furious at him.
On the other hand, the Governor of Hong Kong was very interested in Fang Lang's words. His position determined that his main focus would be on the port city. If the port city could be spared from the war, it would be the best news for him.
Moreover, he knew very well that what Fang Lang said might be the truth. Therefore, he decided to find time as soon as possible to have an in-depth meeting with this young man.
As soon as Fang Lang finished speaking, the reporters who reacted the most were the reporters at the scene. They became agitated almost instantly. Everyone started to raise their hands to ask questions. The press conference that seemed orderly for a while suddenly became chaotic.
The naval officers and soldiers responsible for maintaining order were also in a hurry. Seeing this scene, Fang Lang glanced at the governor and the naval commander stationed in the port city beside him. He slowly took a step forward and pressed down with his hands, signaling everyone not to get excited. At the same time, He said directly:
"I know you have a lot of questions to ask, so let's do this! I can answer ten of your questions. After the questions are asked, the press conference will officially end. Do you think it's okay?"
When the reporters below saw this situation, they calmed down a little and answered one after another:
"no problem!"
At the same time, start thinking about what questions to ask.
Seeing Fang Lang's performance, Grantham on the side understood that the other party was also a person who often dealt with the media. At this time, he regretted holding this press conference, because Fang Lang's statement would obviously disrupt their original rhythm.
But the current situation no longer allowed him to refuse. After all, the topic raised by Fang Lang was more impactful than theirs, and the reporters were obviously more interested in it.
Fang Lang didn't care what others thought, and pointed at a middle-aged white man who looked like an elite and said:
"Journalist friend, let you ask the first question! Let's agree first that each person can only ask one question. I hope everyone can seize the opportunity and not ask questions that I am not willing to answer."
The middle-aged man who was pointed at by Fang Lang pointed at himself in disbelief and asked Fang Lang to confirm whether it was really him. After Fang Lang nodded to confirm, he quickly said:
"Your Excellency, General, thank you very much for giving me the first opportunity. The question I want to ask is: You just said that the other party should have the same position as you, so I want to know whether this is your own personal idea, or Have you confirmed it with the other party in advance?"
Hearing this, Fang Lang frowned slightly, then relaxed it quickly, waved his hand carelessly and said:
"This is my personal opinion and I have not confirmed it with the other party yet. However, I believe my judgment is correct."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man quickly spoke again:
"So, you can get in touch with the other party, right?"
Fang Lang glanced at the other reporters present and said maliciously:
"If I remember correctly, our rule is that each person can only ask one question. This gentleman obviously violated the rules, but I am willing to answer this question for you. Regarding your behavior of preempting someone else's question, I hope that your other colleagues will We will forgive you."
After speaking, he paused deliberately to give everyone time to react. When the reporters below heard this, they all showed dissatisfaction and began to accuse this guy of being unruly.
The middle-aged reporter didn't care at all, and still looked at Fang Lang with burning eyes, waiting for his answer.
"As for your question, I think it's a waste of opportunity. We are not in the closed country a hundred years ago, so why can't we get in touch?
If you have the courage, you can go directly and apply for an interview with the other party. I believe that as long as you can pass the review, they will definitely welcome you. "
This answer obviously did not satisfy this journalist friend, and he couldn't help but prepare to ask again. But the colleagues around him were already on guard against him wasting everyone's precious opportunity to ask questions again, and pushed him aside, causing the middle-aged man to almost fall to the ground.
Seeing this, Fang Lang spoke with concern on his face:
"Everyone, please don't crowd, please pay attention to safety, and don't cause stampede accidents. We still have the opportunity to ask eight questions.
Okay, the next opportunity will be given to this female reporter friend. "
A female reporter with burgundy hair who looked very smartly dressed, saw that she was pointed out, and quickly said:
"Hello, General! I am Diana, a reporter from Dechen West News. The question I want to ask is, as a Chinese, who do you support for the two current regimes in China?"
It has to be said that none of these reporters are fuel-efficient lamps at all, and this kind of obvious pitfalls are always coming out of their mouths.
Fortunately, Fang Lang was prepared for this. He nodded to the other party, thought for a moment, and then slowly said:
“Although I am a Chinese, my current status is as a rear admiral of the Brazilian Navy, so I am not qualified to dictate China’s internal affairs.
If you must ask me who I support, I can only tell you that I respect the Chinese people's choice. "
Fang Lang's answer obviously disappointed the beautiful reporter. But fortunately, he did not continue to ask questions like the middle-aged male reporter in front, but quietly retreated.
Seeing this, Fang Lang casually nodded at another middle-aged man who looked a little short and fat, with a piece of Mediterranean Sea on his head and said:
"The next question is for this journalist friend."
The man was overjoyed and hurriedly pushed forward a few steps, getting as close as possible to Fang Lang, and then said impatiently:
"Your Excellency General, as far as I know you are less than twenty-five years old, but you are already a rear admiral of the Brazilian Navy, and you also control Brazil's powerful aircraft carrier battle group.
Generals of this age are unique in the world. I want to know, how did you obtain such a status? Is there any unknown insider trading involved? "
This obviously offensive question made Fang Lang narrow his eyes slightly, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he looked up and down at this bold guy for a while.
Governor Grantham on the side also frowned slightly, but the commander of the navy stationed in Hong Kong glanced at Fang Lang playfully and said nothing.
Fang Lang did not get angry, but said calmly to the Mediterranean man:
"This journalist friend, please introduce yourself first."
The Mediterranean man didn't seem to be afraid of what Fang Lang would do to him, and said directly without caring:
"Your Excellency, this is Jack from the Sunday Herald."
After the other party introduced himself, Fang Lang smiled and nodded:
"It seems that Mr. Jack has some understanding of me. Unfortunately, your understanding is obviously not comprehensive enough. I joined the Brazilian Expeditionary Force as a soldier. I originally served in the Army. After being injured in the European War, I transferred to Navy Logistics. In the army, he served as captain of a transport ship and a destroyer, and sank many German submarines in the Atlantic Ocean, protecting the smooth flow of European logistics supply lines.
After the European War, I led the fleet to join the Pacific battlefield to fight the Japanese. Speaking of which, I also contributed to the liberation of Hong Kong City.
My status today was achieved bit by bit through my military exploits, and now you actually question my military rank and whether there is insider trading.
Then I wonder what you have done for this war? Or what contribution have you made to Hong Kong City? "
(End of chapter)
