Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

"Boss, the day before yesterday, we discovered three despicable ships that used explosives to damage our islands. Each of them had a displacement of about 200 tons. We sank them all."

"Yesterday, four of those scoundrels' ships were found west of Zhongjian Island, using electric fences to disrupt shipping lanes. They were all sunk."

"This garbage needs to be cleaned up properly!" Wang Yaotang laughed, seemingly very satisfied. "How did these people manage to fish with electricity?"

“We found electrofishing equipment on the boat. It was a homemade device with a power of 40-90 CV, modified from a marine generator. It was used to conduct pulse fishing after descending to about 2 meters below the surface in the reef area, mainly catching reef-dwelling fish such as grouper and snapper,” Wei Jinzhong said in a deep voice. “We arrested two despicable fishermen and interrogated them. They said that the Annam government had policies such as fuel subsidies and tax reductions to specifically encourage them to fish in the Xisha Islands. Fishing boats with a capacity of 40 CV or more could receive a subsidy of 650 million VND per trip, which is about 2000 yuan. They could receive the subsidy a maximum of 4 times a year, so they were very willing to fish here.”

"By the way, there's a subsidy for fishing with explosives, as long as the boat has an electrofishing device. Anyway, there's no way to tell whether it's fish caught with explosives or electrofishing."

"Damn it, what a bastard!" Wang Yaotang cursed angrily.

“Indeed despicable,” Wei Jinzhong said through gritted teeth.

"Aren't there any measures here in my hometown? I remember there's a fisheries administration department, isn't there?" Wang Yaotang asked.

“There’s nothing we can do. The fishery administration in Hainan can’t reach here; it’s too far. There are only a few naval outposts in Sansha, and the ships that transport supplies back and forth aren’t even as big as the fishing boats. We can’t manage them. We can only drive them away when we encounter them on patrol. But as soon as they leave, they come back again. There’s nothing we can do.” Wei Jinzhong sighed.

He knew that life at the sea outpost was too tough; even water had to be transported from Hainan. The little water available on Ganquan Island was just a drop in the ocean.

Wang Yaotang clicked his tongue twice, thought for a moment, and then had someone call the tanker captain over. "I'll get you a bigger gunboat later. It can patrol the Xisha Islands from time to time, and if it sees any of those bastards' ships, it can sink them."

The tanker captain hesitated. “Boss, it’s not that I don’t want to do it, and I hate those Annamese bastards too. It’s just that once or twice doesn’t matter, but if too many people die, Da Nang will definitely find out. If they really send a fleet over, this tanker will definitely not be able to escape.”

"What are you afraid of?" Wang Yaotang slapped him across the face. "If the tanker is lost, it's mine too. I don't even care, so why the hell do you care? So what if they take it? Then a fleet will come and block Da Nang to make trouble for them. Their losses will definitely be greater than mine!"

"Boss, that's still a country after all."

"This is still Chinese waters after all," Wang Yaotang cursed. "I can fight whenever I want, and leave whenever I want. I'll blow up all the fishing boats moored on their shore and see if they dare to come here and act tough. Let's see if they can build ships faster or I can blow them up faster!"

"Just tell me if you can do it!" Wang Yaotang asked sternly.

"Yes!" the captain roared, his face flushed and neck red.

These people were all former members of Shengyi's "sea-going" gang, living a life of danger and risk. They didn't gain any credit during Shengyi's transformation, so Wang Yaotang didn't settle accounts with them afterwards and was still willing to keep them in a 49-level position. But these people couldn't stand the stability after a year or two.

Now, Sheng Yi's internal management is strict, and the other three companies on Hong Kong Island don't dare to provoke them at all. They don't need to fight and kill each other. They are bored every day and can't see any way to get ahead. Later, these people put their heads together and passed the problem on to Wang Yaotang.

Since the 0's operational radius was limited, Wang Yaotang wanted to establish some supply outposts at sea, which gave these people the opportunity.

The oil tankers are all second-hand goods acquired from several shipping magnates, so they are very cheap. Anyway, they mainly stay at sea, and when there is a typhoon, they can just take shelter on nearby islands.

I don't expect them to make any money; I just hope they can break even.

"The daily expenses of the surrounding outposts have also been covered, so we won't charge you any money. Understood."

"clear."

After seeing off the tanker captain and resting for a day, the fleet set off again. On the way, Wei Jinzhong suddenly said to Wang Yaotang, "Boss, have you ever thought about buying land in Sansha?"

"Huh? Buy what? Land?" Wang Yaotang asked, looking surprised.

Wei Jinzhong nodded, "Saying it's buying land isn't accurate, saying it's investing... well, there's not much to invest in here. What I mean is, an oil tanker is ultimately just a ship. Storms, weather, housing, and so on are all big problems. Could we get some land approved to build a port? I know there aren't any large islands in Sansha, and there's almost no fresh water, let alone a good harbor, but there's a port behind the oil tankers..."

Wei Jinzhong's words were incoherent, and he couldn't quite express all his thoughts, but Wang Yaotang understood them.

"Ports, garrison troops, affordable oil, and supplies balance the budget." Wang Yaotang summarized it in just a few simple words.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant!” Wei Jinzhong chuckled. “The boss is the boss, so smart and tough.”

Wang Yaotang chuckled, clearly taking it seriously.

The establishment of Sansha City was 30 years later. By then, China's control over the southern waters can no longer be described as weak; otherwise, Annam and the Philippines would have no opportunity to provoke China.

Given his reputation as a patriotic businessman, if he explains things clearly, buying the land shouldn't be a problem, whether it's designated for commercial or industrial use.

The construction cost of a camp for about a hundred people is not too high. Enclosing a small port that can dock ships will not cost too much money. The only problem is supply. We need to build a seawater desalination plant and transport supplies.

The advantage is that for at least the next 30 years, maritime rescue and navigation will depend solely on him, and everyone on this sea route will have to give him face!
"Let's talk about it later, I'll think about it." Wang Yaotang nodded, knowing he would definitely need to discuss this with his hometown.

To put it bluntly, these are private troops. It's just that Wang Yaotang has never operated within the country's borders before, so people have turned a blind eye. The two conflicts with Rio Tinto were only on the maritime border, so it's hard to say whether they were inside or outside the country. Now they want to set up outposts and station troops...

This is a matter of 'name', for only names and objects are acceptable...

Leaving that topic aside, after drifting at sea for another two days, we arrived at NSQD. With more than half of our fuel burned, we finally made contact with the Xingye. The two ships met up 30 kilometers east of the South China Sea route, within the nine-line area.

Of course, this is Wang Yaotang's opinion.

After the reunification of Vietnam in 1975, Vietnam gradually incorporated the NSQD into its "sovereignty" through legislation. In 77, Vietnam issued the "Declaration on the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf," legally including the Spratly Islands in its maritime area. In 82, Vietnam further delineated its territorial sea baseline, explicitly using the NSQD as the base point for measuring the maritime area.

Based on this, Annan has been supporting its fishermen to fish in the Spratly Islands.

However, they also understood that those so-called statements could not be accepted by the Chinese. All these actions were just to "consolidate" public opinion and win people's hearts. They could not last long. Once the Chinese recovered, they would definitely deal with them. Therefore, they openly supported fishermen to carry out destructive fishing in the Spratly Islands. In addition to various subsidies, they also set up a special fund to support the construction of high-powered iron-hulled fishing boats.

They successively occupied islands and reefs such as Nanwei Island and Nanzi Island, built lighthouses and military facilities, and used them as fishery supply stations, providing fresh water, fuel and medical services.

The fishermen commonly use methods such as blast fishing, electrofishing, and poison fishing. They also use electric trawling nets to catch fish of all sizes. After an area is electrocuted, there are almost no live fish left. This fishing method led to the near depletion of fishery resources in some parts of the Nansha Islands by the end of the 90s.

Because of their support for this blatantly destructive behavior, these fishermen are always ready to turn into pirates and rob passing cargo ships, making them the main group of pirates in the South China Sea.

Southeast Asian devils, they truly deserve the name!
"That's about it," the captain of the Xingye explained.

Knowing they were going to have to contend with the Annamese, they had specifically sought out information from people familiar with the area when they stopped in Singapore for supplies. Now that they had met up, they had the opportunity to prove themselves.

"Are there any freshwater islands in the Spratly Islands?" Wang Yaotang asked in a deep voice.

“Yes.” Wei Jinzhong thought for a moment and said, “There are three, but the fresh water on two of the islands is bitter and cannot be drunk directly. Only the water on Taiping Island, the largest island in NSQD, is drinkable and tastes very good. However, Taiping is not big, with a high-altitude area of ​​only 0.4 square kilometers, and it is too far from here.”

"The conditions here in the Spratly Islands are even worse. There isn't a single island nearby that can withstand typhoons; the nearest one is over 200 kilometers away."

Wang Yaotang clicked his tongue twice. The Xingye was not a professional supply ship. After deducting its own consumption, it only carried 1000 tons of fuel oil, which could not withstand long-term consumption. However, there was another oil tanker owned by Wang Yaotang about 200 kilometers south on the route, which could also replenish fuel.

"Let me think about it." Wang Yaotang rested his head on one hand and thought for a while. Ho Chi Minh City is not the capital of Annam, but it is an important economic center. It has a naval port and a considerable number of warships. A head-on confrontation is impossible, not to mention that it also has an air force.

Fighting guerrilla warfare at sea is not easy. Once you make a move, you will reveal your whereabouts. You can't run as fast as an airplane. If you're not careful, you will be discovered, and that would be terrible.

However, the Annam Air Force's operational radius is such that it can basically guarantee its safety as long as it operates at a range of more than 200 kilometers.

After discussing his considerations with his subordinates, they made a decision: the Xingye would be anchored near the Nansha Islands, 500 kilometers from the coastline, while two 0 ships would be positioned about 200 meters from the coastline to stand by. Small fast gunboats would be used to harass the enemy along a route of about 100 kilometers, striking and running away, which would greatly improve safety.

Of course, it would be best to clear out all the Annamese fishing boats near the Spratly Islands before that. These fishing boats not only damage the environment, but also largely serve as maritime scouts for the Annamese. It would be very troublesome if they discovered our whereabouts and reported it.

Once the action plan was finalized, Wang Yaotang gave the order and everyone immediately sprang into action. First, they all moved to the vicinity of the Spratly Islands. Then, two 0 gunboats set off from the south and north respectively to begin sweeping up Annamite fishing boats in the Spratly Islands.

While the sea may seem vast, their activity ranges are actually relatively fixed. Firstly, not all areas are suitable for fishing, especially since the Annamese fishermen primarily use blast fishing, electrofishing, and poison fishing. Their activity range is usually around various sand reefs, making them relatively easy to locate. Blast fishing, in particular, involves sound waves that can travel up to 100 kilometers underwater, easily revealing them to sonar. This is a major reason why, decades after the significant development of the Chinese and Lao navies, the Annamese fishermen no longer dare to conduct destructive operations in the Spratly Islands.

Of course, the main reasons are also the significant reduction in fishery resources and high costs resulting from long-term destructive fishing.

"An explosion has occurred 50 kilometers to the southeast..."

"Follow me!"

"Boom boom boom——"

"Boom boom boom——"

A wooden fishing boat, more than 20 meters long, had several large holes punched through its waterline. The boat slowly capsized, and the people on board jumped into the sea in terror.

"Target locked..."

"fire……"

"fire……"

This time, Wang Yaotang did not rest on the Xingye. After hearing Wei Jinzhong talk about the despicable behavior of the Annamese people several times, he wanted to kill these bastards with his own hands. So he specially went out to sea with them. Sure enough, he personally bombarded the target fishing boat and watched the fragments of the bomb fly up and down. He watched the fishing boat tilt little by little. A sense of exhilaration from the depths of his soul rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. It was really exhilarating!

As he's become richer and more powerful over the years, he's seen and experienced a wide variety of things, and his threshold for excitement has risen higher and higher. There are very few things that excite him as much as beautiful women of all skin colors. In the end, he still falls for powerful ships and cannons.

This is fucking real manly romance!
Cool!
After drifting at sea for four days, life on the warship was really tough. Even though he was the boss and had the best conditions provided, he still couldn't eat or sleep well. The monotonous sea made him feel nauseous. He looked very slovenly and tired, but his spirits were high.

In just four days, they sank more than 20 fishing boats of various sizes. It was so efficient and exhilarating!
Yeah, someone else exploded.

On the fifth day, they resupplyed on an oil tanker on the southern route. The two fleets then reconciled and reviewed the data, finding that a total of 52 Annamite fishing boats had been sunk.

The number is actually not that large.

Wang Yaotang had previously contacted Hong Kong via satellite phone, and arranged for someone to fly directly to Ho Chi Minh City to gather information. There are more than 800 fishing boats operating in the Spratly Islands area, and the number sunk is less than one-tenth.

Of course, this is because the Spratly Islands are too large. They only searched the southeastern corner of the Spratly Islands, which is closest to Ho Chi Minh City, and basically swept it clean.

"Is there any unusual activity from the navy over there? Are there any news reports of fishing boats being attacked?" After resupplying the oil tanker and rejoining the Xingye, Wang Yaotang immediately contacted the people in Ho Chi Minh City via satellite phone.

"The news didn't report the fishing boat attack. We arranged for a few foreigners to rent houses near the Maritime Base, and there are people watching the base 24 hours a day. No ships have left the port these past few days." The special operations staff at the command center replied in a low voice, "We also rented a yacht to patrol the sea 20 kilometers outside the base port. We can't hide the fact that any ships have left the port."

Large countries can say they keep a close watch on the areas surrounding their military strongholds, but these small countries... they don't have that kind of control over them.

That means there are no drones... otherwise, what secrets could there be?

"What do you mean by 'foreigners'? Once you join our company, you're one of us. Do you understand the importance of uniting all ethnic groups and being inclusive? Those who follow the Chinese way are Chinese. How will you do business abroad with this kind of thinking?" Wang Yaotang reprimanded him. In the past two years, with the improvement of his status and position, his perspective has broadened.

The people on the other side fell silent after being scolded, swallowing their grievances. "It's all because you, as the boss, used to say 'foreigner' all the time, and that's why they started imitating you."

They were all from colonies. In the past, foreigners were always superior. When had they ever dared to call anyone a "foreigner"? It was only after they followed Wang Yaotang that they gained the ability to do so...

"Yes, yes, the boss is right. I was narrow-minded."

"Hmm, watch your words from now on. Keep a close eye on their port. Also, have they set up radios?"

"We booked the top-floor presidential suite of a five-star hotel here. This morning, a shortwave HF-SBB radio was delivered. It's an American product that can easily cover a radius of 500 kilometers. It has a single-sideband SSB and strong anti-jamming capabilities. We also have a medium-wave MF radio as a backup, which can also cover 500 kilometers from the shore."

"Alright, be careful not to get arrested as spies, or I won't acknowledge you as my people."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Don't worry, boss, I didn't move there. I recruited people here. They're willing to do anything for money."

"Very good, that means you've learned something. Spend a lot of money on it, and you're allowed to issue more invoices," Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

"Boss, I didn't, you have to believe me..."

"Just drive as much as I'm told, stop arguing!"

One sentence silenced the other party again. Could this be considered embezzlement under orders?
"Well... thank you, boss."

"Yes, do your job well. I'm entrusting this task to you. You should understand your importance in my heart. I'll guarantee you a life of wealth and honor."

"Thank you, boss!" This time, his voice was filled with excitement.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Yaotang was quite satisfied. He had personally participated this time, so of course he had to ensure his own safety; money was a minor matter.

Although these men under my command have no particular faith, as long as they are paid enough, the results are not much different.

He dialed a new number, still calling Ho Chi Minh City. He had arranged for two groups of people to contact each other without either knowing the other's identity...

"Yes, do your job well. I've entrusted this task to you, so you should understand your importance to me. I'll guarantee you a life of wealth and honor..."

The next day, at 1 a.m., Wang Yaotang's 037 set off first, heading south along the Ho Chi Minh route. This was the first strike, and the Annamese would not be on any guard, making it the safest option.

Around 8 a.m., the exercise took place 100 kilometers south of the Ho Chi Minh City estuary and 50 kilometers east of the coastal district of Hau Giang estuary, a necessary stop on the southbound shipping route.

A 5-ton container ship was sailing automatically at an economical speed. After having breakfast, the first mate leaned back in his chair in the wheelhouse, reached for his pipe and tobacco, and prepared to have a few puffs. He was on night watch and it wasn't time to hand over his shift yet, so he wanted to smoke to stay alert.

People generally don't like smoking filtered cigarettes on ships because the sea breeze is strong, it's a waste of cigarettes, and it's unsafe.

I had just lit a cigarette and taken a few deep breaths when I was half asleep and didn't notice the red dot flashing on the radar. The cockpit is located at the highest point of the ship, so you can see the sea view in 360°. You can see if any ships are approaching with the naked eye.

After dozing off for a few minutes, I tapped my empty pipe on the trash can next to me and was about to put it away when I suddenly felt something approaching on the sea as I bent down.

He knocked twice, straightened up, squinted and looked to the side, and sure enough, there was a boat.

I didn't pay much attention to it. It's normal to encounter ships on the shipping route. Just send a signal to let them know and be careful to avoid them.

As usual, he sent a signal, waited for a while without any response, then frowned slightly and sent another signal, picking up the binoculars next to him to look over.

Hey, it's a warship.

I had just put down the binoculars when I felt something was wrong. I thought about it and looked again, but after searching for a long time, I still couldn't find the national flag.

This discovery sent a chill down his spine: a warship, but no national flag!

After sending several signals, there was still no response from the other side. As the two sides were getting closer and closer, the first mate was sweating and picked up the pager to call the captain.

The warship's cannons seemed to shift slightly, pointing directly at us; the dark muzzles were almost visible through the binoculars.

The flames flickered continuously...

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" (End of Chapter)