What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 683 A Low-Profile Version of Haiyan

Rams didn't believe a word of the claim of a secondary explosion.

At this critical juncture, just when the Empire was about to investigate, he deliberately exploded. Could his intentions be any more obvious?

波斯总共接收了79架F14A，抛去战争和事故损失还有57架，其中约17架状态不佳的都被封存当做备件，剩余40架中也就25架左右状态较好可以执行任务。

They treasured every single screw related to the F-14A, so how could five hangars explode in succession?!

His anger wasn't because Persia and Tokyo University were researching the F14A together; that was actually something they had considered when exporting Tomcats.

What is truly infuriating is the Persian attitude of being so perfunctory, trying to get away with a fire, which is an insult to the intelligence of the IAA!
It's not a big deal for the University of Tokyo to receive a few severely outdated and unflying F-14As. But if the Persians want to confront Prism Tower, then the problem becomes serious; it's a matter of attitude.

Rams already knew the truth about the bombing. Whether or not to investigate was not the point. He just silently noted down the Persian incident in his mind, knowing that the empire would give it a good talking-to when it had some free time.

However, when he returned to Prism Building, he immediately received another piece of bad news.

"check it out."

Kazimirz placed a stack of newspapers in front of him, the cover of which featured a huge photograph of a man holding a loaf of black bread... Millersavich?

The newspaper headline read:
"With the food crisis resolved, Millersavich publicly distributed additional supplies and called on the public to unite."

The text explains that Millersavich appeared during yet another hunger protest, distributed large quantities of 1-kilogram black bread to the crowd, listened to their opinions on the spot, offered to increase food rations, and even promoted this through the radio.

Ramston frowned immediately:
"The grain output of Nanlian has dropped by 60% compared to last year. Their grain reserves are barely enough to keep people from starving and barely above the hunger line. If they open the granaries, the grain will be exhausted in four or five months at most."

Was Millersavich at his breaking point, or was he making a final, desperate attempt? I'd prefer the latter; it would make the coalition's intervention easier.

However, Kazimirz's expression was very serious as he handed him another document:
"Then take a look at this. An inside report says that Millersavich suddenly and secretly left the capital a few days ago, and then two trains departed from the coast carrying a lot of supplies, which are initially suspected to be grain."

The document included a speculative train route map, which, although different from the actual route, confirmed that the cargo was being loaded and unloaded at the seaside.

"The seaside? We've closed the port, it can't be them...?!"

Rams' eyes suddenly widened. The Mediterranean Sea had long been tightly controlled, and the land routes were also under surveillance. Only one force could break through the tight blockade and send food in under impossible circumstances!
Although the Lost Empire mostly used extremely outdated U-boats to annoy people, Prism knew they possessed very advanced submarines and had even clashed with them, taking the Birmingham as bait.

After the Birmingham went missing, the Imperial Navy tried almost everything but failed to find it, and it became an unsolved mystery.

Returning to the Balkan Peninsula issue, even if the Lost Empire doesn't personally send a large amount of food and weapons to Miler Savage, it cannot be ignored. At the very least, it will greatly strengthen the latter's determination to resist and internal unity. As long as the people can eat their fill, they won't have too many complaints.

Upon re-examining Millersavich's actions, Rams was almost certain that the other party had received considerable support!
"First, blockade the Strait of Otranto and have the coalition warships saturate the blockade. There is absolutely no way we can let U-boats through! We also need to strengthen anti-submarine detection in Gibraltar and the Suez Canal!"

Rams adjusted his glasses and made a decision without hesitation.

The Strait of Otranto is the only strait in the Southern Alliance that leads to the Mediterranean Sea. It is no more than 120 kilometers long at its longest, 70 kilometers at its narrowest, and about 1,000 meters deep at its greatest. The Empire can easily deploy a few aircraft to cover the strait with sonar detectors, and with the patrols of the Allied frigates, even nuclear submarines would find it extremely difficult to break through.

Strengthening the controls over the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal would act as another layer of protection, effectively cutting off conventional infiltration routes.

This would certainly incur enormous costs, but one can never be too careful when dealing with a lost empire.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff quickly convened a meeting on this matter, and Johnson proposed further deployments:

"In addition to warships, I also suggest deploying land-based anti-ship missiles along the Mediterranean coast and concentrating some anti-ship air-launched weapons in advance."

"You mean..."

Someone seemed to have thought of something, and Johnson immediately nodded:
"Yes, the Third Fleet's appearance from Greenland was almost entirely unexpected and illogical. What if they use wormhole technology again..."

He paused here, a sudden feeling of absurdity rising in his heart, but he continued:

"If unknown warships or a large number of aircraft appear in the Mediterranean, the threat to Europe will be even more terrifying, and we must take precautions."

"agree!"

Rams immediately agreed:
"We must prepare contingency plans for a decisive fleet battle in the Mediterranean!"

……

"This Millersavich has quite an appetite."

Tang Wen lay half-reclined on the sofa, while Zhen Hai beside him was translating the binary information that Millersavich was transmitting through the ship model.

The 5000 tons of flour that the latter obtained came in very handy. After all, Tang Wen had given them only genuine refined flour. If they were to make bread, they would make white bread. The reason for making black bread was to mix it with wheat bran, beans, potatoes, and so on. Although the taste was not good, it did allow more people to be full.

It turns out that once basic human needs are met, people won't cause too much trouble. Millersavich, having quelled the protests, finally humbled himself, but still tried to negotiate with Tang Wen first:
20万吨面粉、5万吨肉类、1万吨各类食用油脂和糖、3万吨各类燃油、5000发导弹（包含远中近三级），以及需要大量米格战机的配件、弹药，来作为主动出击的筹码。

There is no doubt that the lion has a big mouth.

“I think this is a test, to see how far we can go.”

Zhenhai quickly analyzed the situation without showing any emotional fluctuation:
"The conditions we have proposed are already sufficient. Milersavic himself is not capable of taking the initiative. At most, he can only make a show of it and carry out some small-scale actions in the surrounding areas."

However, flour alone might not be enough to convince others; perhaps adding some meat and fuel as bottom lines in the negotiations could be considered.

Tang Wen nodded, but quickly thought about it:

"You can't tell much after the flour is ground, but the meat might be harder to find if you trace its origin... I almost forgot."

He slapped his forehead hard. Buying meat in China is never as easy as buying it abroad. Those "big fly" sources are the best solution. They have large quantities and cheap prices... you can even get it for free.

Tang Wen actually knew a little about the sources of "Big Fly's" cargo. It mainly came from the Nanmei region, and was then transported by air to ports in Annam and other places. The closest route was Fangcheng Port. Goods passing through Hong Kong were generally valuables such as electronics and CDs. Furthermore, Wang Hu and many former gang members had experience in similar businesses; finding some connections wouldn't be difficult. Just a direct, blatant act of thievery… Justice prevailed!
Millersavich, I'll treat you to braised pork knuckle rice!
Tang Wen thought it was a good idea, and if it weren't for the difficulty of storage, he would have liked to just give Millersavich tens of thousands of tons of meat. Of course, finding that much in a short time would be quite troublesome.

Fifty thousand tons of flour is not his bottom line, but if it's more, he'll have to make a discount. For example, he can exchange flour for old wheat, corn, soybeans, and other grains. He can easily find some from all over the world to gather tens of thousands of tons.

With the issue of negotiating the supplies resolved, the next step was to get Millersavich to honor the agreement once he had the leverage—Tang Wen already had a plan in mind.

……

Compared to inland areas, the rainy season in coastal areas brings not only physical harm but also psychological damage.

As July began, Swan City was hit by torrential rain, and the sky was overcast and dark. By the afternoon, it was as dark as midnight, as if the entire world had been darkened by two shades.

At 17 PM, at Echeng Port Wharf.

Tang Wen's private convoy drove into the port. Tang Feng, in the passenger seat, quickly got out of the car and opened his umbrella, but Tang Wen had already pushed open the door and stepped out, already wearing a thick green rubber raincoat.

"No need for an umbrella, such a big umbrella is useless."

Dense rain pelted the raincoats, dripping from the hoods like beads. Car headlights pierced the rain and illuminated the warehouse gate ahead, revealing a dense wall of people, all of whom had put on raincoats beforehand.

"Lao Gao."

"You've come at the right time. Let me first tell you about the precautions."

Gao Yuliang, with a serious expression, turned to the crowd and picked up the megaphone:
"This is the first time we have launched a special security operation on a large scale with the help of the masses and the Fisheries Association. The goal is to bring all the criminals we have marked on a regular basis to justice and create a bright and clear world for the people of Goose City!"
All zones have been assigned, but we reiterate that enthusiastic participants are not allowed to bring weapons. If you encounter armed assailants, immediately retreat and let the designated personnel handle the situation!

The police officers in the front row nodded in agreement, but the fishermen and sailors in the middle and back rows spoke up:
“Gold’s son has had his allowance stolen. I’ll beat them to death.”

"Exactly, my wife is always wandering around the alleyway buying groceries, but she's too scared to go through. I'll go up there in a bit..."

"Get all these born XX to XX..."

Seeing the crowd's "enthusiasm" growing increasingly high, Gao Yuliang promptly turned around, coughed, and shouted:
"set off!"

First, the well-trained officers boarded the truck, while the experienced first-term sailors and instructors easily climbed onto the ten-wheeled truck.

Because this operation was on a larger scale, Tang Wen brought in a full 200 ten-wheeled trucks, which were the Mad Bull version equipped with B2 tank engines. After they started up one after another at the dock, the ground was vibrating. With a press of the accelerator, they could even drift. They didn't care at all that the road was slippery in the rain and rushed out.

The sailors in Gaikin are particularly enthusiastic about this kind of work, and some even come to work overtime during their vacations, just to experience the sense of accomplishment of "mentoring newcomers" and "helping to re-educate".

In order to better carry out the recruitment operation, each squad was also equipped with walkie-talkies to assist the operation under the aerial reconnaissance of the Zero seaplanes.

These Zero seaplanes are now all piloted by system pilots, whose eagle-like eyes are perfectly suited for reconnaissance.

As Gao Yuliang watched the Fisheries Association mobilize hundreds of trucks and even airplanes for support, and then thought of those beat-up Jeeps and Santanas in Goose City... who was really in charge?

Although it wasn't the first time I'd seen him, I still couldn't help but gasp in amazement when I saw him in person.

"Xiao Tang, this crackdown is effective, but with so many people flocking in every year, we can't just do this to everyone, can we?"

"Is it not possible?"

Gao Yuliang began to think about how to solve the problem once and for all, but Tang Wenxin thought about the territory in Southeast Asia.

The former ignored the answer and continued talking to himself:

"Relying solely on public security control is ultimately only a temporary solution. What you mentioned... the Haiyan surveillance system, could you consider implementing it? It's just installing more cameras; this investment should be necessary."

Tang Wen also became serious:
"The advantage of the 'Haiyan' system is not the number of cameras, but the big data matching, information technology, and facial recognition behind it. It will take at least five years to develop...etc."

He suddenly remembered that when the Greater Bay Area tourist area was established, Gaijin Network helped Goose City set up a networked database of identity information in order to enable online ticket purchases. So... it seems that Goose City already has the foundation?
Facial recognition requires AI algorithms, which is definitely not feasible right now, but what if we lower the requirements and try a different approach?

Tang Wen thought for a while before revealing his idea:
"If we issue an IC card to residents of Goose City and set up security checkpoints and turnstiles near bus stations, train stations, large shopping malls, and important locations, people will have to swipe their cards to enter and exit."

This method is more complicated, but it achieves traceability without taking up too much storage space.

"But it's just a card, it's easy to steal, isn't it?"

Gao Yuliang immediately realized the loophole.

Tang Wen: "The stolen cards will definitely be replaced. Next, we just need to focus on monitoring the stolen cards, which will at least greatly narrow down the scope. At this point, setting up surveillance in high-traffic areas will greatly reduce the difficulty of solving the case."

Furthermore, most crimes are petty theft and part-time burglary, and an IC card can make many risky people give up.

As for cameras... these days, hard drives can only record for 24 hours at most, so it's better to focus on timed snapshots, primarily for a deterrent effect. Then hire a few shills to spread the word, making those with malicious intent afraid.

Besides, there's a naval base nearby, so please ask them to come to the city more often during their routine training exercises.

Gao Yuliang: "One last question, how do we get everyone to accept the cards?"

Tang Wen: "It's simple. Migrants can use a unique card as their residence permit, while locals... can get three free bus rides or two eggs or a carton of milk, a stainless steel basin or something like that each month. This way, both urban and rural residents are taken care of, and they will definitely be willing to accept it."

If you want to save money, just get some slow-moving or substandard goods from state-owned factories out of the market. Anyone who signs up for a membership card can buy them at 5% or 3% off the cost price, and even recoup some of the cost.

Now Gao Yuliang looked at him differently. This series of interconnected steps, while not perfect, could indeed significantly reduce the number of security incidents and greatly alleviate the pressure on public security.

Especially those ideas that get people to sign up for cards, how could they not remind him of Shi Juzhu?
(End of this chapter)