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

Before the 70s, countries around the world recognized that the South China Sea belonged to Laos and China, but after 75, the situation changed dramatically.

During the Annam War, in the most difficult period, from 1950 to 1978, China provided North Vietnam with aid totaling RMB 203.6845 billion.

The aid included 5 million tons of grain, 2 million tons of oil, 35,000 vehicles, over 600 ships, 213.8 million guns, over 70,000 artillery pieces, 12.4 billion rounds of ammunition, 1807 million artillery shells, 176 naval vessels, 552 medium and amphibious tanks, 320 armored personnel carriers, over 170 aircraft, 18,240 tons of explosives, 65,000 wired motors, 35,000 wireless motors, and 1117 million sets of military uniforms. The aid comprised 450 projects, including complete sets of equipment for light and heavy industrial plants, hospitals, and research institutes, and provided in US dollars.

Air defense, engineering, railway, and logistics troops were successively dispatched to carry out military missions. By March 1968, a total of more than 320,000 personnel had been deployed. The air defense forces conducted more than 2150 air battles, shooting down 1707 enemy aircraft and damaging 1608 enemy aircraft. They also constructed more than 25,600 meters of tunnels, more than 300 fortifications, 1206 kilometers of new highways, 362 kilometers of railways, 98 kilometers of temporary lines and bridges, one airport, two aircraft hangars, 330 kilometers of land communication lines, and more than 90 kilometers of submarine communication cables.

The Annamese are pure villains; their national characteristics are ingratitude, meanness, and shamelessness. In this respect, they are even more disgusting than the Japanese.

Annam must be eradicated; there is no other way!
In January 1974, the US and Vietnamese authorities launched a naval and air force invasion of the Yongle Islands. Laos and China retaliated and drove out the US and Vietnam. The Annam War entered its final countdown. Seeing that the US and Vietnamese regime was about to fail, North Vietnam immediately turned against Laos and China. In April 1975, Vo Nguyen Giap commanded the North Vietnamese Navy to invade and occupy the Spratly Islands.

The root causes of all this are twofold:
First: The US has run away, so they no longer need the Chinese. They can continue to gain benefits by sucking up to the Russians.

Second: In February 1975, just before the collapse of the South Vietnamese regime, Mobil Oil discovered an oil field about 200 kilometers east of the Mekong Delta, in water about 110 meters deep, within the area claimed by Laos and China as part of the Ninth Line.

110 meters, mining is very simple.

In 81, a joint venture, Vietsovpetro, was established. Russia provided technology and capital, while Annam contributed land rights as equity. The two parties agreed that foreign investors would receive 80% of the profits and enjoy a 20-year tax exemption. In 86, the first offshore platform went into production, accounting for 60% of the country's output, transforming Vietnam from an oil importer to an exporter. In 92, oil and gas revenue from the South China Sea accounted for 30% of Vietnam's GDP and 25% of its tax revenue. Vietsovpetro controlled nearly half of the market value of the Vietnamese stock market.

In short, it all comes down to money!

Nguyen Van Hai was woken up in the middle of the night to learn that Nam Tze Island had been bombed into ruins and that the oil depot on the island had been detonated and was still burning like a torch. He was so angry that he could not sleep again.

Hu Zhiming ordered the navy to temporarily dispatch a fleet of two "Poison Spider" ships to search the sea. The distance from Hu Zhiming's departure to the vicinity of Nanzi Island was a full 800 kilometers, while the Poison Spider could only travel 1500 kilometers at low speed. It only symbolically circled the surrounding sea before having to turn back to Dadao City for resupply.

There was no other way; if he didn't leave now, he might run into Umbrella's fleet and get entangled with them. He might even need to be rescued because he was running out of fuel...

After turning around and sailing more than 100 nautical miles, the fleet commander secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully they didn't run into each other.

This is the problem: without these islands at sea as supply bases, these small ships can only wander around their own doorstep and cannot fight naval battles at all!

As for why the oil depot was detonated, it's because the island is too small and the coral reef strata are not suitable for digging deeper underground bunkers. If it were just a regular bombing, it wouldn't be a big problem, but the thermite incendiary bomb burned through the reinforced concrete above, and that's how it happened.

Unable to find any trace of the protective umbrella, Nguyen Van Hai requested the air force's cooperation, arguing that continuing to occupy the South China Sea was part of Annam's national policy and not just a matter for Nguyen Van Hai alone, so the air force could not shirk its responsibility.

Annam only had two types of reconnaissance aircraft: the MiG-21R and the indigenously designed TL-1 small reconnaissance aircraft.

The MiG-21R with external fuel tanks has a range of 1600 kilometers, while the TL-1 has an even shorter range of only 1200 kilometers, which is not even enough for a round trip. Therefore, the Su-22 has to be deployed, which has a combat radius of at least 1100 kilometers.

But the Umbrella Fleet had long since disappeared into the vast ocean and moved to the vicinity of Mahuan Island in the east, which was 950 kilometers away from Hu Zhiming in a straight line. They couldn't find him at all!

At noon, after receiving the news, Nguyen Van Hai was initially furious, but then fell silent. Damn it, that Wang guy is too cunning. He actually sabotaged Nam Ngum Island first. Without supplies and the airport here, we are immediately put on the defensive.

Ultimately, we still need to repair Nanwei Island first!

……

"Without Nanwei Island, these bastards are like a venomous snake with its vital spot choked, unable to move. Taking this opportunity, I've decided to quickly crush the eggs they've laid in the southern region." On the yacht, Wang Yaotang used a laser pointer to point to the small islands on the map one by one.

Snakes laying eggs—the thought alone is disgusting, but the description is quite apt; that's exactly how the Annamese people do it.

“Boss,” Wei Jinzhong said in a deep voice, “It is indeed necessary to destroy the eggs they lay, but they will definitely rush to repair Nanwei Island during this period. Once they finish, they will be able to gain a foothold at sea again.”

“I know, of course I know. So, we have to harass their supply line and also contain their fleet. If only we had submarines.” Wang Yaotang shook his head with some regret. He had previously thought he wouldn’t need such a thing, but now he was proven wrong.

"0. Xingye, go over there and lay mines on their route. Maybe we can also pop out and fire a few shots, but be careful not to get caught by their air force. Try to move in the evening. As long as we can delay their transport, that's fine."

"Arrange for another 0 to tow all the speedboats back to Yongxing Island. Have Hong Kong send over a batch of gasoline engines to convert all the speedboats into large aircraft. Our speedboats are, after all, military vessels designed and built by a proper research institute. They are semi-enclosed, and after the modification, their speed and stability are incomparable to those of large aircraft. When the time comes, give them full power and let them drift on the sea. Once you get close, use 107mm guns to harass them. It doesn't matter if you hit them or not, just fire and run."

"What we need is the frequency of attacks. Oh, and don't forget to bring the Red Parrot 5; if the Annamese use helicopters, shoot them down!"

"The egg-cracking task will be handled by the enhanced version. It will be paired with a transport ship for you. You will operate independently, but be careful and try to operate at night to avoid being targeted by aircraft."

“老板放心，”陈明磊大声说道：“KS-1、Kh-22、Kh-55、KCP-5（AS-6）、AS-16这几款空射反舰导弹都无法挂载在苏22上，有老板设计的威力加强版，苏22要是敢靠近丢航弹就是靶子，必然给他打下来！”

Wang Yaotang laughed and pointed at Chen Minglei. This guy was a new recruit this time. He was over 40 years old and hadn't changed careers at all. He had left the South China Sea to join because he 'admired' him fighting the Annamese with real swords and spears.

The real reason doesn't matter anymore; he dared to say it, and Wang Yaotang dared to believe it.

Besides, the enhanced firepower was indeed a design concept proposed by myself. With its small body and large caliber, the firepower of its guns alone is in no way inferior to that of a 1500-ton displacement frigate.

Once the mission was assigned, Wang Yaotang had some free time. The 1,000-square-meter space on the Great Han was like a palace on the sea. He could contact Hong Kong by satellite phone without interrupting his work. He was escorted by a missile ship, so he didn't have to worry about any danger. Supplies were transported by dedicated transport ships. He was fighting this battle comfortably!
However, it would be even better if there were a sea base, so that one could travel to and from the sea by plane at any time.

Lying on the big bed with nothing to do, I made a phone call to the Hongxing Factory to ask how the carrier-based Y-5 transport aircraft I requested was coming along.

The research institute was both amused and exasperated after receiving the call. It hadn't been that long; it was a relatively simple task, but not so simple that it could be completed so quickly.

Wang Yaotang asked with a smile if the Y-5 could be improved further, such as improving its aerodynamic shape and speed by using a wind tunnel, adding auxiliary fuel tanks to increase its range, converting the 40mm rocket launcher pod into a proper rocket launcher pod to increase its range and accuracy, or replacing it with a better engine.

No, it's just a retired Y-5, is it really that big of a deal?

Ah!
As for that!
Hongxing couldn't understand why Wang Yaotang was so fond of the Y-5.

Wang Yaotang: Everyone has different goals, but this thing is really useful for dealing with Third World countries!

"The wind tunnel is in high demand and can't be opened on schedule. Besides, if we keep making these changes, is it still the Y-5? What's the difference between that and redesigning the entire aircraft?"

"As long as the new aircraft has such low runway requirements, but has better range, speed, and payload, it's not impossible. I'll provide the funding, and we can share the patents and patents. How about that?"

Red Star was speechless.

Does having money mean you can do whatever you want?
Okay, money really can buy you anything...

The research institutes are practically out of work, if not completely. All they can do all day is experiment with new designs on blueprints. What can they do when they don't have money?

Besides, even if a design is developed, who will pay for the cost of modifying the mass production line?
The Air Force doesn't have the money to make purchases either.

He sighed. At least Wang Yaotang was truly generous and provided money; he had provided nearly half of the funding over the past two years.

What can you do if the God of Wealth, your provider of food and clothing, makes a request?

"Major modifications are unnecessary. Wind tunnel testing and adjustments to the aerodynamic layout are possible, which could easily increase range and speed by 15%. Auxiliary fuel tanks can also be added. The rocket launchers can be replaced with Type 57-1/2 air-to-ground rockets, with a warhead weighing 1.38 kg, a maximum speed of Mach 2, and an effective range of 2-3 km."

"As for replacing the engine with a better one, it seems simple, but it is actually the most troublesome part, requiring redesign and testing."

"Forget about the engine, but let's get everything else we mentioned done. How much do you want?"

The research institute was somewhat hesitant.

The modification to the naval version cost $15, but given the scale of the changes, it should theoretically have cost at least $100 million, considering the Y-5 transport aircraft only costs 50 RMB...

But if I receive even less, I feel a little unwilling to accept it.

“1, 1…” Wang Yaotang also sensed the hesitation on the other end, and laughed and said, “How about this, I’ll give you a number, $150 million, can you handle it?”

"Ah... I can do it." He stammered for a moment, then immediately replied, his accent changing.

"That's settled then, thanks." Wang Yaotang couldn't help but sigh inwardly, the fees back home were really damn low, so low that he felt he was owing them.

"Mr. Wang, rest assured, we will definitely speed up the process and complete the design and production as soon as possible, so that it can be applied to the shipborne version as much as possible."

Wang Yaotang had no opinion on this matter.

Just as he was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered something, "By the way, do any of our aerial bombs have navigation systems?"

"Navigation?" The person on the other end paused for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I don't think so. Our development path is 'power,' 'safety,' and 'low-drag modification.' A few years ago, we imported the 'Durendal' anti-runway bomb from France. Its core technology is a drag chute plus rocket-assisted penetration. It detonates by penetrating the concrete layer of the runway, creating a deep crater to paralyze the airport."

"Navigation? That's just a missile."

“Completely different things. Aerial bombs are so much cheaper.” Wang Yaotang frowned. He didn’t understand this, but he remembered that navigation functions were added to aerial bombs later on.

"I don't know about this. Let me find you an expert in this field."

"Okay, I'll go there in about 5 days."

He's already had all the naval combat missions assigned and he's had his fill of fun, so it wouldn't hurt to go back and check on the manufacturing plant, and see how things are going at the videotape manufacturing plant.

Thinking of the videotape factory, I don't know why, but I suddenly thought of Lao Xie, and the idea of ​​making a quick buck suddenly came to me.

After making a phone call to Lao Xie, who was far away in Siam, and chatting for a few minutes, Wang Yaotang laughed and said, "Lao Xie, guess where I am right now?"

"You're a beauty, why are you making me guess?" After getting to know each other better, they started speaking without any politeness.

"Hey, Aze, let's have a couple of shots fired outside!" Wang Yaotang roared.

A moment later, two loud bangs rang out outside, startling Old Xie.

"What are you doing?" Old Xie felt a little itchy.

"We're in the South China Sea, surrounded by warships." Wang Yaotang laughed. "Have you heard that Annam is fighting with someone again in the South China Sea?"

"Huh?" Old Xie suddenly stood up from his chair, his expression strange. "You got into a fight with the Annamese again? What happened?"

Occupying Cambodia, harassing Siam, and oppressing Laos, no one in Southeast Asia likes Annam, which is known for its aggressive nature.

"They destroyed two fuel-selling outposts I had set up along the route. I dropped more than 800 shells on Nanwei Island, their core island in the South China Sea. The island was chipped away and is now completely paralyzed. After that, I took out eight more of their garrisons. I'm still in the South China Sea, just arranging follow-up offensive missions."

"I fucking..." Old Xie babbled a bunch of incomprehensible words in his excitement. It wasn't that he hated the Annamese, but rather that he envied and was jealous of Wang Yaotang.

Who didn't play horseback riding and war games when they were kids? Picking up a straight stick and killing everything in sight, commanding thousands of troops, and reducing enemy ships to ashes with a wave of the hand—that's what a real man does.

Wang Yaotang burst into laughter, "How about it? Want to have some fun? What's the point of firing blanks? It's so much better to actually fire at the enemy! The feeling of watching the enemy positions get blown into the sky is fucking amazing!"

"Let me tell you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It will be impossible to find a chance to go to the battlefield again. Not to mention the possibility of conflict, your age won't allow it."

"Give yourself a chance to film this, so that when you're old you can show it to your children and grandchildren and show them what a real man looks like, what it means to be proud and dignified!"

These words made Lao Xie's heart race and his head spin. He knew that the kid was going to rip him off again, but what could he do when he was tempted?
“Annam has only occupied 15 strongholds, and I have already taken out 8 of them. Those that are just stilt houses are not very interesting. There are no more than 4 valuable targets in total. I can’t keep my warships floating at sea waiting for you.”

"Wait, wait for me! It's all about money, name your price!" Old Xie said through gritted teeth.

Wang Yaotang burst into laughter, “Two million US dollars.”

"Okay!" Old Xie breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the kid would ask for a high price of over 500 million.

Two million is nothing!

After settling things off with Lao Xie, Wang Yaotang called several close friends in Siam, asking each of them for 200 million, which would amount to 2000 million for ten people—enough to cover his military expenses for the time being.

They are all prominent figures; we are not afraid of them leaking secrets.

Besides, the Annamese all know they did it, so what? In the end, it's all about force.

When they say you threaten their security, you'd better actually threaten them.

……

The next day, we arrived in Ubon Ratchathani, Siam. It's 780 kilometers away from Yongxing Island as the crow flies, and the new Y-5 has a range of 1000 kilometers, which is perfect for dropping people off there.

The three Xie brothers stared wide-eyed at the three Chen brothers and the two Song brothers standing not far away. None of them expected to run into other people.

"Ah Yao didn't invite you guys, did he?" X3
The three families couldn't help but laugh at the same time. Good heavens, the abacus beads had even hit their own faces from across the distance.

Not long after, seven more groups of people arrived, bringing the total number to 35.

In fact, not only did they not expect this, but Wang Yaotang did not expect it either.

Old Xie couldn't resist showing off a little to his brothers at home. Who says that the super-rich don't like to show off? It's just that the audience is different.

When you get old, you can show off your British assets from back then. What will future generations think of us?
So, does that mean we're not real men anymore?

Once men start comparing themselves to others, women have no place in the conversation.

It's only two million dollars, as if nobody can't afford it.

After a heated argument, the four brothers decided that, except for the eldest brother who was unable to due to health reasons, the other three brothers would all have to perform the act themselves.

Old Xie figured he could experience it alone or with someone else, and Wang Yaotang wouldn't refuse him even for that small favor, so he decided to just go ahead and do it first and ask for permission later.

Coincidentally, Old Chen, Old Song, and the others thought the same thing!

The man with the buzz cut who was in charge of picking them up was also stunned by the sight of a group of pampered and wealthy people. He quickly contacted Wang Yaotang and explained the situation.

Wang Yaotang was also numb.

0 is a warship, and the crew members all have a role. It's not that not a single one can be missing, but it's not a problem to squeeze 10 people into two 0s. But 35 people is just too much!
But since we're already here...

Putting aside interpersonal relationships, there's no reason to turn away customers who spend an average of $200 million per person.

Then you'll have to leave on your own, hand over the yacht to someone else to travel with, and transfer to another yacht after you've had your fill of fun.

Having made up his mind, he arranged for the two Y-5 transport planes from Pattaya to go to Ubon Ratchathani to drop off people, and he also quickly arranged for them to set sail for Yongxing Island.

Upon meeting them on Yongxing Island, Wang Yaotang looked at the group with a wry smile, "Trying a surprise attack, huh? All big boys, huh?!" (End of Chapter)