What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 348 Admit it, you did it (8000 monthly votes in April)

"Good evening, everyone. Welcome to today's episode of 'The Flames of War.' We are once again honored to have our regular guest, Mr. Feng Qianjun!"

After the host, Zhu Feng, finished her usual opening remarks, she then asked the most popular question of the past few days on behalf of the audience:
"Professor Feng, the training ship that Gaikin suddenly donated to the Naval Academy is very different from the warships we know. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Of course, my opinion is that this aircraft-carrying cruiser may seem strange, but it is actually not simple at all."

Feng Qianjun spoke casually, but in reality he was cursing incessantly.

When Tang Wen pulled out this Golden Mountain warship, the navy couldn't take back what they had said and could only think of ways to remedy the situation.

This Frankenstein's monster of aviation and artillery was proposed sixty years ago, but in the end, only Big Brother built a few helicopter cruisers, which proved to be completely impractical and went back to building proper aircraft carriers.

Although this ship was given away for free, it's still a ship of over 30,000 tons!
I'll say it twice: this hull is actually equivalent to several destroyers, and it's a solid warship design. If I don't explain it, my international counterparts will really look at me strangely.

The Navy racked its brains and finally decided to force a bunch of "advantages" onto the list:
"Our navy is short of personnel. A large ship like this can accommodate at least 1700 crew members. It can train more crew members, and the top deck can also be used for cadet training. It can be described as a dual-purpose ship that kills two birds with one stone!"

Zhu Feng: "Then why not just turn it into a small aircraft carrier? That way, we can still train sailors."

Feng Qianjun: "Well... as we all know, I have mentioned the prospects of gun-launched missile technology before. This is actually a related experimental ship, which can also help trainees learn the principles of artillery and develop their resilience."

Zhu Feng nodded: "There's another question. What's the purpose of the ship's golden exterior? Tang Wen said it's because it's covered in gold leaf, but what are the practical benefits of that?"

"This...maybe it's to prevent rust? As we all know, gold doesn't rust."

"Does that mean that if touch-up painting requires gold leaf, does that mean..."

"Stop asking, stop asking."

Feng Qianjun waved his hands repeatedly, saying that the questions that followed were beyond the scope of the script.

Zhu Feng just smiled and said that it was just a recording of a program, and it would definitely be cut after editing.

……

Not long after his days as a super-rich man faded, Tang Wen regained media attention with his gold warship.

Not only the media, but also military experts from various countries are discussing it seriously.

The media called it a bizarre cruise ship built by Geiger, but discerning military experts could see that the Hildebrand's hull was actually quite harmonious and its interior layout must have been meticulously designed.

Based on the fact that Japan has obtained the license for the A4 fighter jet, Japanese military experts initially speculated:
This aircraft-carrying cruiser is capable of operating the A4E and has cannons, making it a hybrid warship with considerable combat power.

Launching aircraft can be used as an aircraft carrier; if the aircraft are gone, the carrier can defend itself with cannons and missiles.

The Han experts saw the angular, distinctly Han-style turrets and concluded that the ship was inspired by the Scharnhorst-class, but was actually a copy.

Old Mi? Old Mi doesn't have time to care about that right now. He just glanced at it and watched it for fun. After all, hybrid warships are indeed very rare in history. It's just that the media is hyping up the gold-covered exterior, hoping that the big spenders will come and buy some more, and then they can continue to bury themselves in internal strife.

The Koreans, however, seemed to find it rather strange:
They demanded that Tang Wen come to the Bagua Banner to atone for his sins, but received no response. As a result, they quickly sent a strange warship north. Could it be that they want to do something?

It sounds unreliable for a private company to come seeking revenge, but they have a criminal record!

They clearly saw the fate of more than ten fishing boats in Annam that "disappeared overnight due to wind and waves," as well as what happened in Luzon. This company was really stubborn, and its owner was indeed very powerful.

If an aircraft-carrying cruiser were built to warship specifications, what would happen if a ship of more than 30,000 tons collided with it?

The South Korean navy surveyed their ships. Although in terms of actual combat power, Tang Wen's golden warship couldn't even beat a missile boat, they were actually a bit hesitant if they were to engage in a collision game.

The Hildebrand sailed north, passing through Xiamen and then stopping at Shanghai and Qing Island before finally arriving at Darian.

It's not impossible that after docking at Qingdao Island, they might suddenly head east.

At this point, the Korean media became a little more sober. Tang Wen had many connections both domestically and internationally, and they were actually in the wrong. So they quietly withdrew their previous remarks and stopped mentioning "apology" and "dignity".

After all, the current prevailing trend is one of warming relations across the Pacific, and they must follow in the footsteps of the US, so they revised their demands:

"As long as we receive compensation for the losses and loss of life from the domestic authorities, this matter can be considered settled. I'm even willing to make money off you."

……

Suwon.

"That's right."

After sitting on the sidelines for several days, Zhao Hande nodded in satisfaction upon hearing the changes in the news from outside.

Tang Wen did a great job this time. He didn't act impulsively. He simply handled the situation calmly and used his position and status to exert pressure, which achieved such a good result. He didn't offend too many people in China and also preserved his purchasing trip here. He has really grown.

The others who came with him had been anxiously urging Zhao Hande to put pressure on Tang Wen for days, but now they had nothing to say.

Based on the current situation, the "Cui the Rat Smuggling Case" will probably be handled as a regular case. After all, this incident has given the Koreans a hard slap in the face, and they will just pay the compensation they owe and that will be the end of it.

They estimated that it would take a few more days to restart trade negotiations, so they decided to have a small meal at a restaurant that evening.

The menu here allows you to order in Chinese, and it offers many Chinese dishes. Zhao Hande: "I'd like a serving of sauerkraut fish."

The waiter smiled slightly, then bowed his head and said:
"Excuse me, sir, are you referring to the braised fish in sour soup?"

"Uh, isn't this just pickled fish?"

"No, no, no." The waiter nodded in alarm and quickly explained:

"We added pickled cabbage made with a stick, using a unique stick-making method, a delicacy passed down from generation to generation in every family."

Zhao Hande had nothing to say, so he pointed to another dish:

"I'll have a bowl of this borscht too. It's been so long since I've had Russian vegetables."

The waiter shook his head even more vigorously:

"Sir, this is borscht, one of our traditional dishes, with a unique..."

Zhao Hande refused to believe in superstition:

"One serving of this sweet and sour pork, please."

"This isn't sweet and sour pork, this is..."

"Ah, stop, stop, stop. This is stir-fried shredded potatoes. I know I said shredded potatoes right, right?"

"Sorry, you meant sticky rice..."

The group listened to the introduction numbly, and after finally getting rid of the waiter and waiting for the food to be served, they carefully examined it inside and out.

Someone picked up a piece of fish with their chopsticks and said dejectedly:
"Isn't this just ordinary pickled fish?"

"Sweet and sour pork tastes just like the ones from our hometown!"

Where did the "hot and sour shredded potatoes" become so popular?

Zhao Hande coughed twice:
"Eat up, eat up. I had the same experience last time I came. Luckily, I didn't learn how to make fried noodles."

A group of people were enjoying a "sticky" meal when suddenly there was some commotion outside.

Amidst the shouts of the diners, Cui Jianhao, accompanied by several entourage, pushed open the door to the private room, his expression a mixture of anger, helplessness, and anxiety.

Zhao Hande was picking up a slice of sweet and sour pork and putting it into his mouth under the other person's gritted teeth gaze.

? ?
Could it be because I didn't invite him to dinner?

"Minister Cui, would you like something to eat?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Jianhao became furious and was about to step forward but stopped himself, saying each word slowly and deliberately:

"Sir, if you want an LCD production line or LNG welding equipment, I'll sell them to you. I've brought the contract; let's sign it now!"

Two contracts were placed on the dining table. The person next to them picked one up and saw that it was indeed true, and... the price was very favorable, even lower than they had expected.

Everyone at the table was confused and didn't understand what was going on. Seeing this, Cui Jianhao asked with a dark face:

"Isn't this what you wanted? Now that you've signed these, please stop your underhanded tactics."

"What kind of sneaky tricks are you playing?"

Zhao Hande was even more confused.

"Are you still pretending to be stupid? We've already found out!"

"I do not understand what you are saying."

Zhao Hande had a feeling of déjà vu, but he wasn't sure.

When Cui Jianhao saw that he wouldn't admit it, he directly pulled out a photo, which was a picture taken from a helicopter angle:
On the sea at night, a dozen or so old small cargo ships and fishing boats were crammed together, piled high with...grain? It looked like wheat or corn.

"Admit it, if it wasn't you, who else could it be?!"

Zhao Hande ignored his shouting and stared at the photo for a moment before finally understanding what had happened.

Since it was Cui Jianhao who took it out, it means it was in the surrounding sea area, and it was obviously transporting grain.

If it's not needed domestically, and Cui Jianhao doesn't need it either, then where else can it be shipped?

He suddenly felt his blood rush to his head:

"Tang! Wen!"

(End of this chapter)