De La Torre heard Fang Lang suddenly change the topic to Argentina. Although it felt a little strange, he nodded honestly and said:
"Of course, Argentina has been following us very closely in the past two years and has shown some signs of success in many areas."
Hearing this, Fang Lang picked up the tea cup and took a sip, then nodded with a smile and said:
"Argentina doesn't just want to get away from us. What they really want is to become the dominant player in South America. According to the intelligence I received, their president, Mr. Veron, believes that the United States and the Soviet Union will have a war sooner or later.
Once this war breaks out, it will definitely be World War III. What they want to do is to take advantage of the war between two superpowers, or the two poles of the world, and take advantage of it.
To this end, they have been quietly expanding their armaments. "
This news was obviously something that de la Torre had never heard of. After thinking about it carefully, he couldn't help but frown and said:
"If a war breaks out between the United States and the Soviet Union, it will become World War III. I have no doubt at all. But Argentina wants to take advantage of the opportunity and dominate the situation in South America. Isn't he a little fanciful?"
In response, Fang Lang just smiled slightly. Living in this era, he fully understood people's pessimism about U.S.-Soviet relations.
If he hadn't come from a later generation, he probably wouldn't have imagined that the United States and the Soviet Union would engage in a protracted struggle for hegemony in the form of a Cold War. Until the fall of the Soviet Union, there was no direct war.
Therefore, it was not surprising at all that de la Torre believed that World War III would break out between the United States and the Soviet Union. Even he could see that Argentina's idea was fanciful, which made Fang Lang very pleased.
However, he had seriously thought about why Argentina had such thoughts, so he picked up the teacup, took a sip, and slowly said:
“It’s not surprising that they have such an idea. You must know that we are now a staunch ally of the United States. Once a war breaks out between the United States and the Soviet Union, in their view, the possibility of us being involved is as high as 80%.
What would be the consequences if we were involved in World War III? "
"You mean, they will wait until we are hit hard in World War III and then take the opportunity to attack us?"
At this time, de la Torre could not understand what Fang Lang meant, and said directly with a surprised look on his face.
Seeing that de la Torre understood what he meant, Fang Lang nodded happily.
"According to the intelligence I have received, Argentina is already quietly recruiting troops, and at the same time, it is also deploying elite troops to the border with us.
Their Navy Department has also arranged for people to quietly go to the UK to inspect the situation of the Giant-class aircraft carrier. Do you get me? "
"What do you mean? Argentina wants to start an arms race with us?"
"It's not that I want it, but it's already started."
Fang Lang's words made de la Torre fall into deep thought. After a long while, he raised his head and looked at Fang Lang and said:
"So, are you planning to join the Navy as Deputy Chief of Staff and at the same time build a new aircraft carrier fleet in Rio Grande do Sul to confront Argentina?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Lang couldn't help but be stunned. It was obvious that de la Torre had misunderstood his purpose of letting him succeed him as the commander of the Rio de Janeiro aircraft carrier battle group.
"Don't worry! Even if Argentina wants to provoke an arms race with us, it won't be that easy. With Argentina's strength, it is impossible for the country to truly industrialize in less than ten years.
They are simply seeking death by engaging in an arms race with us by purchasing weapons and equipment.
You must know that national defense cannot be bought. Only with a complete defense industry system can one be qualified to engage in an arms race. Judging from the current situation in Argentina, the so-called arms race is simply a joke. "
Fang Lang was able to say such things because he had his own confidence. First of all, Brazil now has its own production and research and development capabilities for light and heavy weapons with his participation.
At the same time, Brazil has also begun its own development of high-precision equipment such as fighter jets, warships and missiles. These are not comparable to Argentina.
Of course, this does not mean that Argentina is going the wrong way. At least these military-industrial enterprises in Argentina are in the form of state-owned industries, which can easily give them the advantage of concentrating their efforts on big things.
However, the same corruption problems in Argentina and Brazil make it difficult for state-owned capital to achieve the results they expect.
At least, Fang Lang has never heard Argentina's name in the world's military industry market. Even if Argentina later dared to go to war with the British, the weapons and equipment used were purchased from abroad.
For example, the Exocet missiles that achieved results came from France. Later, the British put pressure on France and cut off the source of their missiles, which directly put Argentina to rest.
Of course, under the leadership of Juan Peron, Argentina was not without any achievements. For example, Professor Kurt Tank, who now works for Fang Lang, historically went to Argentina to continue his work on jet aircraft development. .
And successfully developed the Arrow jet fighter. Unfortunately, with the resignation of Juan Peron, all his projects were scrapped. Argentina's military industry also naturally disappeared into the dust.
Although I don't know if there will be any unpredictable changes in Argentina in this life because of Fang Lang's existence, Fang Lang is not panic at all, because because of his joining, Brazil in this life is no longer comparable to the same day in the previous life. .
At least, in the field of military industry, Brazil is now the absolute leader in South America.
What Fang Lang is worried about now is whether the equipment developed by his company can successfully enter the international market. You must know that when arms are circulated internationally, sometimes what matters is not the quality of the products, but the strength of the country behind the arms group. .
When selling arms, what is sold is often not the weapons and equipment themselves, but security, which can ensure that countries or regions that use their equipment will not be threatened by force from other forces.
Among them, the most slippery ones are of course the United States and the Soviet Union. But it is not that there is no room for other people to survive. For example, the Gallic chicken has successfully survived in this gap.
And it is still thriving. Of course, there is the support of the European Union and the fact that it is also a NATO organization. The United States must leave room for its allies to survive.
As for Fang Lang, from the beginning he never thought about becoming an industry leader like the United States and the Soviet Union. His goal has always been to learn from the Gallic Chicken and occupy his own share of the world arms market.
Of course, de la Torre didn't know this. After hearing Fang Lang's words, he was obviously stunned and looked at Fang Lang with some confusion:
"If that's the case, why are you still paying attention to Argentina?"
Seeing de la Torre's confused expression, Fang Lang smiled and added tea to the other person's tea cup and said:
"Although Argentina cannot compete with us, since they have initiated an arms race, we naturally have to respond.
And we have an absolute advantage in this regard. Because we now have a completely independent military industry.
Moreover, I have never said that if they asked me to serve as the deputy chief of staff of the Navy, I would follow their arrangements and become the deputy chief of staff!
If you want to dominate the arms race with Argentina, just relying on the position of deputy chief of staff of the Navy will have no effect.
What I have to do this time is to take advantage of the situation and seek a more influential position. "
Fang Lang came up with this idea after careful consideration. You must know that according to his original plan, he was prepared to stay in Natal and protect his own industry with the fleet in his hands.
However, with the rapid global expansion of Fangyuan Group and Universal Group in recent years, Fang Lang's original plan seemed a bit outdated and obviously too conservative.
Especially this time, Xin Shiliang's office showed a strong influence on the Brazilian presidential election, making him understand that he should step out and further expand his influence in the military.
If the situation continues as it is now, perhaps with his power and that of more than 10 million Chinese, it is possible to change Brazil's original history and prevent the United States from overly influencing its political ecology. There cannot be a military coup to overthrow the democratic government.
At this time, de la Torre knew that Fang Lang was determined and it would be difficult to change his mind no matter how much he tried to persuade him, so he could only sigh. After looking at Fang Lang seriously for a while, he said:
"I understand, the boss wants me to help you keep the Rio de Janeiro aircraft carrier battle group firmly in your hands and prevent them from coming to pick peaches, right?"
Hearing de la Torre's words, Fang Lang understood that the other party had agreed with his idea and was willing to become the fleet commander. This made him smile with satisfaction.
"Yes, the Rio de Janeiro aircraft carrier battle group was established by me. Of course, I cannot let it go back to the old path of other Brazilian armies.
Only you old people can lead our fleet to continue to grow stronger, until one day we, Brazil, can also become the world's naval power.
This is a cause that our generation must work hard to complete. We must not let those bureaucrats and moths ruin the results of our hard work. "
Of course, these words of Fang Lang are somewhat high-profile, but to de la Torre and the others, these are facts, and they are willing to believe everything Fang Lang said.
Because they were not only listening to what Fang Lang said and watching the cakes Fang Lang drew, but actually seeing the results. Many of them were transferred from the original Brazilian army, and they were also familiar with the original style of the Brazilian army. Very understanding.
Since entering this fleet, it has been like entering a big melting pot, slowly being refined. After realizing the honor and responsibility that soldiers should have, they would not want to let them go back to their original chaotic days.
Now that Fang Lang has shown such great righteousness to persuade de la Torre to take over as fleet commander, of course de la Torre can no longer refuse.
De La Torre stood up with a serious expression, stood at attention opposite Fang Lang, and said in a firm tone:
"Thank you boss for your trust. I understand what you are thinking. It is you who made me see what the honor and responsibility of a soldier are. Having experienced the light, I can never accept to continue to endure the darkness!
Since you intend to bring light into the entire Brazilian army, I, de la Torre, am willing to lead your horse and hold your stool, and assist you wholeheartedly in controlling the Brazilian army! "
In fact, de la Torre has already been loyal to Fang Lang, and his loyalty has withstood the test of time in recent years. According to the intelligence from the Second Logistics Department, the de la Torre family has always maintained loyalty to Fang Lang. Grateful, even de la Torre's children knew that everything they had was given by Fang Lang, and they would repay Fang Lang with their lives and loyalty.
In his position as fleet commander, Fang Lang often acted as a hands-off boss, and de la Torre was responsible for the daily management of the fleet. Not only did he not have any complaints, he was also grateful for Fang Lang's trust. Always consider Fang Lang, promote Fang Lang's greatness, and establish Fang Lang's absolute authority in the fleet.
I have never thought about taking the opportunity to win over my subordinates, create my own small circle, and cultivate my own power. This made Fang Lang very satisfied, so he always trusted de la Torre.
I heard de la Torre say that he would assist him and control the entire Brazilian army. Fang Lang couldn't help but be stunned. To be honest, he had really considered this, and everything he was doing now was moving in this direction.
But he had never brought it up before. Now that de la Torre took the initiative to bring it up, he obviously heard his intentions from his words today. This made him wary. Now he indeed has unparalleled influence in Brazil.
But if you say something like controlling the Brazilian army and others hear it, you'll get into big trouble. This kind of thing is obviously something that can only be done but not said, so Fang Lang quickly said:
"Everything we do is to strengthen the Brazilian army, and we have never wanted to turn the entire army into a private force.
Therefore, please do not say these words that are not conducive to unity in the future. Understand? "
De La Torre was an old man who had been with Fang Lang for a long time, so he naturally understood the hidden meaning in Fang Lang's words. This made him couldn't help but slightly raise the corners of his mouth, and after paying a serious military salute to Fang Lang, he He said with a serious face:
"Yes, Your Excellency General, I will definitely promise to be loyal to Brazil, loyal to the army, and loyal to Your Excellency General!"
Among them, the last sentence of "loyalty to His Majesty the General" is obviously more serious, and the meaning to be expressed is also very clear.
Seeing this scene, Fang Lang couldn't help but nodded with a smile and said:
"Very good. We soldiers should be loyal to our country and our commanders."
After speaking, he waved to him again, motioned for him to sit down and said:
"Okay, stop standing, let's sit down and talk while drinking."
Hearing this, de la Torre also saluted a military salute with a smile on his face and said:
"Yes, boss!"
After speaking, the two of them tacitly changed the subject and began to chat about some other interesting things that had happened in the fleet in the past three months.
Regarding the formal work content, the chief officers of each department of the fleet have already given detailed reports to Fang Lang at the meeting. What de la Torre is telling Fang Lang now are mostly gossips or interesting things about the fleet.
In the next few days, Fang Lang's main focus will naturally be on the management of the fleet. The turmoil in the outside world and the noise of the presidential election seem to have nothing to do with him.
Everyone had a tacit understanding and didn't mean to disturb him.
(End of chapter)
