Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 1171 - 40: The Long History of the Rescue Boat Team! (Part 2)

Old Ge has made a contribution to Linghai.

If it weren’t for Old Ge, Secretary Ye wouldn’t have been able to go to the People’s Hall, and Mayor Qian would also not be able to attend the Provincial Committee, Provincial Government, and Provincial Military District Flood Commendation Meeting.

Because of this, on the matter of Old Ge insisting on having a child, Secretary Ye and Mayor Qian supported him to do so despite the pressure.

But it’s not only Old Ge who contributed to Linghai, Salted Fish did too.

Mayor Qian is genuinely worried about Salted Fish’s "second venture" failing, and he softly asks, "Secretary Ye, you mentioned Salted Fish is going to form a Navy Reserve Rescue Boat Brigade. What does the Rescue Boat Brigade do?"

"At first, I didn’t understand either, but after asking Minister Yang, I learned that the Rescue Boat Brigade belongs to the naval logistics unit, primarily responsible for navy ship rescue and recovery work." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Rescue, ah, rescue is good; for Salted Fish, this is right up his alley."

"At first, we thought he would face the challenge of cooking without rice, but we were unnecessarily worried. Director Feng has a lot of clout. When he returned to Binjiang, he got Boss Lu to provide Salted Fish with two hundred thousand in start-up funds, Cosco contributed one hundred thousand, and the Military District gave fifty thousand. President Yu of Shenglong Shipyard is envious that President Wu’s son at Linghai Shipyard can serve as a reserve officer and plans to sponsor two hundred thousand for his son’s officer title."

"Plus ten thousand from the development zone, Salted Fish has six hundred fifty thousand now!"

"But the Navy Reserve Force is different from the Army Reserve Force; naval construction burns much more money. It’s not easy to achieve anything with six hundred fifty thousand."

"Wasn’t it a reserve camp that was to be established? How did it become a brigade?"

"The Navy is different from the Armed Police; the rank of a naval brigade is higher than that of a battalion."

"What rank is a brigade?"

"Regular Army level."

"So, Salted Fish got promoted, now equivalent to a Regular Army level officer!"

"The Reserve Force is different from the Active Force; Salted Fish’s brigade commander role is similar to that of a Civilian Military Leader. The commanders and political commissioners of the Civilian Military Corps are all concurrently held by township officials, which doesn’t match up with the actual administrative level."

...

Meanwhile, Old Ge is in the mountain villa’s living room hosting Director Feng.

Today, two officers about to join Customs and four officially transferred retiring soldiers came to report, and Han Yu, along with Director Xu from the Customs Political Personnel Division, settled the six new colleagues and rushed to the villa to accompany them.

The environment here is really nice.

Old Ge refilled Director Feng’s tea with some embarrassment and sighed, "There are only a few small hills in Binjiang, a few villas in the mountains, and I never thought I, Ge Weidong, could live in a small villa one day!"

Director Feng doesn’t like this villa; otherwise, he would have moved here earlier.

Recalling the past, he lit a cigarette and gravely said, "The money has all been spent here; can the Navy be built well?"

Han Yu instinctively asked, "Director Feng, are you saying it’s too extravagant and wasteful?"

"In ’82, soon after taking office, Commander Liu conducted a year-and-a-half investigation and discovered a bunch of problems."

"What problems?"

"At Shunlu Base, the vegetables supplied to ships by logistics still had roots and mud, not even washed. The sea is different from the shore; fresh water is precious when at sea. How much water does washing vegetables waste? Commander Liu was furious and said it showed a lack of responsibility from minor to major issues."

Director Feng took two deep drags of the cigarette and continued, "During a review with the East Sea Fleet, the East Sea Fleet wanted to build another point on Zhuangming Island, but Commander Liu vetoed it. Later, it was discovered that some tunnels at Zhoushan Base seriously silted up and were facing obsolescence. The water supply problem for the Submarine Brigade soldiers remained unsolved. The mixed residency of military and civilians ashore led to constant disputes. The barracks in the Wenzhou Water Police District were well-built, but the silt accumulation in the waterways was so severe that even small boats couldn’t enter."

In the South Sea Fleet, during investigations, there were also numerous issues related to tunnels, docks, barracks, and water supply. Especially during the investigation in Guangzhou Base and Shangchuan Island, soldiers were scattered around with no proper stance or salute, behaving like villagers watching a show towards Commander Liu and his group. Commander Liu didn’t scold the warriors because it was an issue related to the cadres.

On Xia Chuan Island, the troops used a boat per stove for cooking, needing to go ashore every morning to buy food. Even during the Spring Festival, the entire brigade couldn’t have fish or meat. At the fleet meeting, Commander Liu scolded the logistics officers, saying, "Your conscience should be troubled!"

Director Feng smashed the cigarette and continued, "In the Lin Yu Port waterway, the reefs that should have been blasted weren’t, and the piers that should have been built were delayed, leaving ships crowded. How do you fight a war? Off the South Sea Island, cadres had severe worries about their families, their working spouses who followed the army had no jobs, children had difficulty attending school, and the cost of visiting home was a heavy burden."

The Dongshan Forces, previously like the radar group leader here, enjoyed occupying scenic and valuable locations, with bases mostly in shallow bays that would be blocked in wartime, treating naval forces like a tourism bureau! In Jianfu, on the Taiwan frontline, even telephone communication was very difficult, and the waterway could only operate with the tides."

No wonder even Boss Lu looked down on the Navy, as there were so many issues before.

Han Yu realized this and couldn’t help but ask, "What about now?"

"It’s much better now, but unfortunately, I didn’t catch the good times."

"Director Feng, was it because you couldn’t stand it that you transferred back then?"

"Let’s not talk about this. Salted Fish, since you’re now the brigade commander of this Reserve Rescue Boat Brigade, you must do it well. Not only to show something to your superiors but also to show something to your peers in the Active Force!"

Old Ge realized that Director Feng considered Salted Fish as a continuation of his military career, and he pondered, "A unit cannot be without roots. For example, the Linghai Reserve Camp, although the titles of Heroic Assault Battalion and Red Saber Battalion are controversial, they have roots, context, and tradition. Therefore, the to-be-formed Rescue Boat Brigade must have these too, or else the whole brigade of soldiers will lack pride and even spirit."