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

Releasing them is definitely not an option...

The people below are too ruthless.

Of course, even if the person is still alive, we can't release them now. We just had a transport fleet wiped out, and now we're going to humbly release them? Doesn't Haijun have any pride?
Then it won't just be the airborne bacteria and landborne bacteria that laugh at us; we'll probably be the ones getting yelled at!

Moreover, what will the other Southeast Asian countries think?
Annan prides himself on being the world's third-largest military power and is very concerned about his image. The pressure from the outside world is enough to force General Haijun to resign for doing something that damages the national image.

Things have come to this point, so we have no choice but to grit our teeth and continue fighting.

"Move a Petya from Haiphong and a Tarantula from Da Nang to form a fleet and patrol a 300-mile naval area. No matter what method you use, you must capture the man!"

"Yes!"

A group of people stood up and saluted in unison.

"All right……"

Suddenly, the conference room door was pushed open with a "bang," and everyone looked over.

The man walked quickly to the general with a stern face and whispered a few words, which immediately made the general's expression turn ugly.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if the person who had helped them had caused trouble again.

After a long pause, the general said in a deep voice, "For the time being, do not transfer warships from Haiphong and Da Nang."

"The Lao-Chinese government just announced that they will be conducting a maritime exercise in the Beibu Gulf."

The Beibu Gulf is a sea area between Qionghai and Nan'an, only 100 kilometers from the capital Hanoi. To the north lies Haiphong, and to the south lies Da Nang.

Annam's most formidable weapon was the Petya-class corvettes imported from Russia, which had a displacement of only a thousand tons and a total of only five ships, making them utterly ineffective.

The capital is about to be surrounded, what the hell are you trying to mobilize?

"These damn bastards, this is the brand admitting they're their dogs!" the general cursed.

No one spoke in the meeting room, afraid of drawing attention to themselves. Fortunately, Hu Zhiming still had two Poison Spiders, which, together with other auxiliary ships, gave him a sure chance of a complete victory against 0.

The real fear is that the cunning fellow won't confront them head-on.

Three days later...

Wang Yaotang contacted Luo Wenhua, but An Nanfang did not respond.

“If the person is still alive, even if they don’t intend to release him because of face-saving reasons, they will pretend to be pirates and demand a ransom. At least it will look good on them once the news gets out,” Wang Yaotang said after a brief silence.

"Thank you all for your help, no matter what," Luo Wenhua said gratefully.

"No need for thanks, it's only right."

"I know what happened over there. You took a huge risk and paid a heavy price this time. That's enough, come back now."

“There’s no risk in anything, especially when it comes to money.” Wang Yaotang laughed. “We still have to fight these Annamese bastards here. What if they’re just brainless?”

"You've moved their troops several times; the risks are too great."

“It’s alright. They’re more panicked than I am now. The ships in the port can’t go out to sea. We can’t let this go until they’re forced to beg for mercy.”

"Why don't you come back first?"

"Hey, we won't confront them head-on anymore, it's fine."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Yaotang called everyone over.

"The person was most likely killed by those Annamese bastards. We can't let this go like this. By the way, I remember that the 0 was equipped with ships specifically for laying mines?"

Wei Jinzhong nodded. "Yes, we still have a batch of naval mines."

"Then place them along their shipping routes. They don't need to be too dense; the main thing is to let them know there are mines."

Everyone burst into laughter. Water mines existed as early as the Song Dynasty. They were powerful, highly concealed, low-cost, and easy to deploy.

Setting up the mines is easy, but clearing them is quite difficult...

Most importantly, where can one guard against thieves for a thousand days?

Wang Yaotang's side can persist in mine laying for a month, but Annan cannot persist in mine clearing for a month.

The Xingye was ordered to return to purchase a batch of mines. 0 set off with two 6-meter-long mine-laying boats and laid more than 100 mines along the 80-kilometer-long waterway that very night.

Searching for a sea mine in a vast area of ​​one kilometer radius...

Done, time to go.

……

Annan insisted on maintaining a fleet centered around the Tarantula ship, consisting of a supply ship and 12 gunboats of various types, patrolling along the route. The route was within 200 kilometers of the coastline, supported by land-based missile systems, so security was still guaranteed...

"boom!"

A jet of water shot into the sky, blasting half of the gunboat into the air. After falling back down, it crashed down again, splashing water everywhere. The two pieces of the ship sank quickly with a gurgling sound.

The entire fleet fell silent instantly.

Fish?

missile?

impossible!
Since no ships or aircraft were approaching, it could only be a mine!

The thought of a mine sent chills down everyone's spines. They immediately ordered the engines to shut down and stop. But a ship is not a vehicle and has no brakes. Even after the power was stopped, it would still move forward for a long distance, which made everyone on board extremely nervous.

When you find one landmine, there are definitely hundreds more hidden around it...

"mean!"

"Shameless!"

"asshole!"

"Fuck your mother!"

The men on the fleet were cursing furiously, their faces red and necks bulging, but there was really nothing they could do for the time being. They could only urgently contact the port to send out minesweepers.

Before the minesweeper arrived, the commander on the Poison Spider ordered a bombardment of the waters surrounding the warship to clear the mines.

Who knows if the 'attackers' laid the mines to trap them and then launch an attack?

If you hold back during a fight, things will get really bad.

Running away haphazardly is even worse; getting into a minefield will also mean certain death.

Setting up mines takes half an hour, clearing them takes a whole day...

To prevent attackers from targeting the minesweepers, the entire fleet had to follow behind and escort them, starting minesweeping from Hu Zhiming in the south and north. However, just as the vanguard left, the minesweepers from 0 came out from the sea again and laid down the remaining dozens of mines scattered on the ship.

The mine-laying boat is only a little over 6 meters long, and it would be impossible to find it if it were simply hidden on the coast.

……

"Don't talk to me about mines, you fucking go talk to those shipping companies!" Mayor Hu Zhiming shouted, pointing at the window. "Ten days! A full ten days!"

"Do you know how much loss Hu Zhiming has suffered in these 10 days?"

"Do you know how much damage these 10 days have caused to Annan's international image!"

"Do you know how much money the factories in China will lose in these 10 days?!"

"You fucking know nothing! All you know is ordering your men to rob merchant ships!" the mayor yelled, pointing at General Haijun's nose. "Either you deal with the people protecting you and ensure the safety of the shipping route, or you hand over your idiots. Don't give me that 'we're making arrests' thing; I'm fucking sick of hearing it!"

Throughout the entire incident, no one was under more pressure than Mayor Hu Zhiming; he truly couldn't bear it anymore.

General Haijun's face turned ashen, yet he couldn't refute it. The military and the government were not the same system, and besides, they were the ones who had caused the trouble.

He sat there sulking for a while before finally saying in a low voice, "Have someone contact the people under the umbrella and negotiate with them."

"Okay, General."

……

"Negotiations?" Wang Yaotang chuckled. "Alright, let them come over."

From the moment the mines were laid, Wang Yaotang knew that the Annamese could not hold out any longer, so he boarded the luxury yacht that came to pick him up and returned to Hong Kong Island.

"Where should we talk?" Aji asked.

"The Lisboa Casino".

Two days later, the Annamese arrived and were told they had been moved to a different location.

"Didn't we agree to negotiate here?"

"Are you going to talk or not? If not, get out!" The crew-cut receptionist pointed coldly to the door. The Annamese man's face flushed red, his eyes darted around, he spat fiercely, and glanced at the crew-cut men with contempt, "So cowardly, yet you dare to come out and cause trouble."

Several men with buzz cuts turned serious and were about to attack when the man from Nan'an took two steps back in fright. "I'm here to negotiate!"

With a snort, they put the man in a car and drove him to the pier to board a ship. An hour later, they arrived at the Lisboa Hotel in Macau.

Upstairs in the VIP gambling room, Wang Yaotang was playing cards with Hei Zaihua and a few others. He glanced at them and then looked away, only asking in a deep voice, "Where are the people? Where is the boat? When will it be sent back?"

"Mr. Wang attacked our fleet without provocation. Is he trying to provoke a war?" the Annamese man retorted loudly.

Wang Yaotang glanced at him sideways. "Let him calm down. I don't want to hear any nonsense."

Upon hearing this, Lu Shaotao pulled a dagger from his calf and stabbed the Annan scoundrel in the shoulder with a 'thud'.

"Ah!!" With a scream, the Annamese clutched his shoulder, his head throbbing with pain, large beads of sweat pouring down his forehead.

The sudden scene startled Hei Zai and his friends. They looked around, wondering if they could still play the game.

It wasn't that they were cowardly; after years of playing against each other, this was commonplace for them. It was just that the topics of 'fleet' and 'war' were far beyond their comprehension.

"When will it be sent back?" Wang Yaotang asked again.

"This...I...I'm here to negotiate on behalf of the Annamese military. You can't treat me like this, I..." The Annamese have been doing diplomacy for so many years and have never encountered anything like this before. Isn't it all just empty talk?

A gentleman uses words, not fists; how could you possibly use your fists!

"Still not calm," Wang Yaotang remarked. "But he's got guts."

Lu Shaotao raised his hand to stab again, startling the Annamese man who cried out, "No, I'll talk!"

Oh, he's not a gentleman, he's a warlord, then it's alright...

"I don't know how the person is doing, I'm just here to deliver a message."

"Heh, looks like you've offended someone." Wang Yaotang chuckled. "I'll pretend you really don't know. So, you're the ones who killed him. I'll give you two choices: either hand over the murderer, or I'll turn you into dried fodder. You choose."

"Mr. Wang, the one who started this, will he have no descendants? Aren't you afraid we'll retaliate in kind for your methods!"

“Great! The Annan bacteria can block the port of Hong Kong at any time, I welcome it.”

"you!"

If Wang Yaotang does something like this, those companies will at most hold a grudge and retaliate in business later when they have the chance. It's a private matter.

But if the Annamese military does it, then it becomes a matter between nations, and that's a much bigger problem.

Just like Wang Yaotang can openly criticize the US president without any consequences, what about a country?
"Come on, don't say I didn't give you a chance. Sit down and play a few rounds. If you win, you can go back and have the military hand you over. If you lose, I'll turn you into animal feed."

"You, you, you..." The Annamese realized that Wang Yaotang was unyielding and truly dared to kill him.

Nonsense. In several maritime conflicts, Haijun's side has lost hundreds of people. What's one more?

He came to negotiate in a private capacity, and even if he dies, no one will acknowledge that he was ever here.

The security guard pulled out a chair, and the Annamese man sat down, clutching a wound on his shoulder. The dealer secretly wiped the sweat from his brow before quickly dealing the cards.

Hei Zihua, Jie Shiwei, and the others looked at the Annamese with considerable pity...

It's not that they're trying to cheat; they've seen too much of this in the casinos over the years. The more nervous they are, the more afraid they are of losing, and the faster they lose.

Sure enough, when it was the Annamese's turn to place his bet, his eyes trembled with struggle, and after a long pause, he said, "Call!"

Wang Yaotang didn't even look at it, and gently pushed the chips in front of him.

After two laps, it was his turn again. The Annamese man was covered in sweat and his face was deathly pale, whether from anxiety or pain. "I, I, I give up."

"Ah."

After several rounds, he had lost nearly half of his chips.

Having finally landed a powerful hand, he immediately became so excited that his face turned red and his neck bulged. It wasn't that he didn't know he should hide it, but with life and death at stake, how could he possibly keep it a secret!

Wang Yaotang smiled and looked him up and down, pretending to push his chips forward, but his raised hand finally landed on the cards, picked them up, and gently tossed them away, "Fold."

"You!!!" Annan jumped up from his chair in anger.

Half an hour later...

"No, don't kill me! I don't know anything! I'll cooperate! If you kill me, the military will definitely retaliate! Let me go! Let me go! I surrender! I surrender! No! Wang Yaotang, I'll fuck your mother..."

Wang Yaotang laughed heartily, "To be able to convey so many different psychological states with just one line of dialogue, this acting is absolutely amazing!"

"Alright, you guys keep playing, I'm leaving now." With that, Wang Yaotang got up and walked out.

The door closed, and Hei Zaihua and the others looked at Jie Shiwei.

Everyone knows Wang Yaotang had an affair with his wife, and he just left like that, tsk tsk.

Jie Shiwei kept his eyes straight ahead, as if he felt nothing at all.

No wonder they're doing better than me; they're really willing to go all out!
……

"The agreement was to negotiate yesterday, but there has been no news since they arrived in Hong Kong."

"Hu Zhiming, Chief of Staff of the Haijun Command Center," he said in a low voice.

How long have they been out of contact?

"18 hour."

"That means they're not coming back." The general gritted his teeth. "Bastards, they have no sense of discipline whatsoever, even killing the negotiating envoys!"

The staff officer remained silent.

After venting for a while, the general raised his hand to wipe his face and said somewhat dejectedly, "Have someone announce that we found two cargo ships that had lost power at sea. When we boarded the ships, we found that there was no one on board. There were signs of a struggle and bloodstains on the ships, and we suspect that they were attacked by pirates."

"I understand, I'll contact the Chinese right away." The staff officer replied in a low voice and turned to leave.

That's not entirely wrong; the two cargo ships did indeed encounter 'pirates'.

Even the recent events at Hu Zhiming Port can be attributed to pirates. As for why these pirates are so brave... well, their power has grown, who knows?

We should also give a good scolding to the pirates!

The Chinese should bear primary responsibility for this!

The boat has been returned, and the attitude has been made clear. That's the end of the matter. What else can we do?
As for whether there will be another conflict, that's a matter for the future. In any case, Haijun will definitely find an opportunity to retaliate.

I refuse to believe that you, Wang Yaotang, have no flaws!
After the ship was returned, Luo Wenhua made a special trip to express his gratitude and also helped to pass on a message that the South China Sea wanted to invite Wang Yaotang over for a chat.

“Okay.” Wang Yaotang readily agreed. This sudden announcement of the exercise had solved his biggest problem. With support from this side, things would be much easier for him in the South China Sea in the future!
"I also have some good news to tell you. I've already made arrangements with people in Myanmar, and we can start organizing the trade fair now," Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

"Ha, this is really good news!" Luo Wenhua laughed.

"Here, this is the official import and export commodity list of Myanmar that I obtained. This is the list of goods obtained from several major smugglers, and there is another list that I obtained by having someone conduct a survey in the market. Take a look at all of them and make arrangements for suppliers."

"Great, that's wonderful. I'll contact you right away once it's sorted out."

……

Two months later, in 1986, Yangon…

A month in advance, television and radio stations began to promote the news of the "Laos-Chinese Trade Fair." Even in areas controlled by the rebels, broadcasts were made to Luo, Peng, and Zhang's areas, and vehicles equipped with loudspeakers were used to promote the event on the streets. In the territories of the other three ethnic armies, Wang Yaotang's influence was equally effective, even if it was just for the purpose of purchasing military supplies from Phuket.

The publicity was very effective; all distributors across the country, even those of a moderate size, knew about it.

The Myanmar National Stadium, a project aided by Laos and China, was recently completed and has a large enough space to be used for trade fairs.

Organizing such a large-scale trade fair is extremely troublesome, and this was Wang Yaotang's first time doing it. Even though China Resources had many years of experience with the Canton Fair and sent a lot of professionals to help, they were still somewhat overwhelmed.

Unlike in China, where the city government coordinates everything and arranges everything perfectly, here the trade fair team has to worry about everything.

The samples for the exhibition were delivered by sea half a month ago and are all stored in the warehouse by the respective manufacturers.

The venue had to be divided into different areas to accommodate the exhibitors, and the people sent by the manufacturers had to be arranged for food and accommodation. We also had to worry about their safety, the venue setup, the promotional slogans of each factory, the translation during the talks, the currency exchange, and so on... It was all incredibly hectic!
Transportation will be a big problem once the exhibition starts!

Wang Yaotang has repeatedly cursed Yangon's infrastructure as being utterly terrible.

Representatives from participating manufacturers should arrive a week in advance to set up the venue and inspect goods, especially machinery products, in case of any problems during the exhibition.

After a flurry of activity, the exhibition is finally about to begin. There are 80 manufacturers and thousands of products, ranging from old-fashioned machine tools to semi-automatic two-axis machine tools, from gasoline engines to diesel engines, from hand tractors to forklifts, washing machines, televisions, radios, pots and pans, clothing, shoes and hats, and even various common medicines.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the technology is inferior to Western products and the appearance is somewhat ugly; Myanmar itself can't produce them anyway.

What's more, it's cheap enough!
There's another benefit that can't be publicly mentioned: they accept RMB...

For various reasons, the overwhelming success of the first day left Luo Wenhua ecstatic. (End of Chapter)