"Minister Zhang, I've heard so much about you!"
Xia Yu stepped forward and firmly grasped Minister Zhang's hands; the other man was also a veteran of the navy.
For over a decade, he controlled the development of the military in Koku County, a feat unmatched by those clueless political officials in Europe and America.
This was also the reason he decided to win over Lao Wang and Lao Dai first, instead of confronting Minister Zhang directly. Letting their own people convince each other was more efficient than having an outsider like him do it.
"Mr. Xia, you managed to take away one of our toughest classes without saying a word. You've made a deep impression on me from our very first meeting. I'm truly impressed!"
After shaking hands, Old Zhang gave Xia Yu a thumbs up.
It's not sarcasm, but a genuine feeling that this weasel boss is quite capable, with a very strong ability to integrate resources.
"Everything is for the purpose of combating piracy and ensuring the safety of the Strait of Malacca and the entire Southeast Asian waters."
Xia Yu immediately seized the high ground. The safety of the waterway is the most important thing. What's wrong with taking a second-hand warship from you? It's to protect your business.
"Secondly, Singapore will always be a resilient home, and everything is the same as before."
There's no difference; you're just staying at your parents' house, freeloading!
We're all adults, so of course we wouldn't say such hurtful things, but Old Zhang couldn't help but think those things to himself.
However, this is also a good thing. The official approach can't solve the pirate problem. Let's invest some money and resources and see if private military contractors can solve this problem.
After the leaders from both sides met and finalized the major cooperation directions, all that was left was for Lao Zhao to lead his team to discuss the details with the other party.
These days, Xia Yu has explained a lot to him. For example, during the firepower upgrade of their Endurance-class ship, branch employees will be allowed to board the other three Endurance-class ships for acclimatization training so that they can seamlessly transition to the next phase.
As for which specific ship it is, it's impossible that the lead ship, HMS Resilience (207), is the only one that will be converted into a museum. Although it is the oldest ship, it will be decommissioned in ten or twenty years. The other three sister ships will all be scrapped.
Therefore, the other party offered the 208 "Resolute" vehicle, while the 209 "Persistent" vehicle was responsible for personnel training.
The weapons and radar of the Resolute will be dismantled this month, and it will be officially handed over to its home base for upgrades next month.
However, Xia Yuren was no longer in the country at that time. He left the follow-up work to the employees of the branch office and took the Fisher direct flight to Huaxia Benniu Airport.
Liv, who had already obtained her domestic driver's license, drove to the terminal and successfully picked up her husband, whom she hadn't seen for several months.
"Honey, you've recovered your figure great!"
After circling his wife once, Xia Yu took off his sunglasses and said.
"We can't do this kind of work without good health. I started full-scale rehabilitation training last month after I weaned my daughter, but I don't know how my shooting is now."
Women love to hear others say they have a good figure, and Liv smiled as she patted her now-firm abdomen.
"We'll find out when we get to Oslo. Let's go home now."
Xia Yu said as she got into the passenger seat.
The Dragon Boat Festival has just passed, and my hometown has just entered the plum rain season. He used to hate the hot and humid plum rain season the most, but after spending several rainy seasons in the rainforest of Guo, he found that it was nothing at all.
"Woof woof woof woof"
As the car drove into the courtyard of his old home, Xia Yu had just gotten out when he heard Xiao Huang barking wildly.
The little guy was sent back to China right after being weaned, and has long forgotten his parents who provided for him.
Fortunately, Xia Yu is a professional dog trainer, and he quickly became familiar with Xiao Huang.
Sure enough, someone with this kind of personality is not destined for a stable job and can only make a living by guarding the gate and getting leftovers.
I am vigilant, but only when I don't know anyone. I quickly become familiar with strangers when I'm with acquaintances, and I would be at a loss if I encountered someone I knew committing a crime.
But with the help of modern technology, this is enough for guarding the gate.
Xia Yu squatted down and played with Xiao Huang for a short while before Lin Shuqin came out carrying 7-month-old Xiao Youzi. At this age, the baby can't speak yet, but he can still babble.
She looked at her father with a puzzled expression; he looked quite like the man she often saw in the frame.
The child couldn't understand what a video call was, but at least he could confirm that it was someone he knew.
Xia Yu took her son from her mother's arms. The little rascal neither showed affection nor resistance.
This is the consequence of not being present enough during the parenting process; he has become a familiar stranger. Fortunately, even if he is busy in the next few months, he will be able to bring his wife and children with him.
This year, 2018 can be described as a year of harvest and investment planning. The crackdown was not as frequent as in previous years, allowing Xia Yu, the boss, to take a break from his busy schedule and briefly return to his family.
Next year, the maritime strike operation will officially launch, and he will have to personally oversee it in Southeast Asia, as well as the local operations in Afica. The company will be extremely busy.
So take advantage of this time when you're not too busy and enjoy the peace and tranquility.
When I got home, a light drizzle started to fall, and only a few wisps of smoke could be seen rising from the chimneys in the rain and mist in the modern village.
One of them was Xia Yu's house. Liv, who couldn't handle the stove and big pot, could only tend the fire behind the stove, while Lin Shuqin cooked the dishes in front.
Xia Yu was feeding his son complementary food during the time before dinner. The loach that his grandfather caught while staying up all night was deboned, mashed, and mixed into steamed egg custard, which he fed to Xiao Youzi bite by bite. The nutrition was definitely enough, and he had tasted it himself.
Hmm, I don't really like it. Just like adults can't accept breast milk, this complementary food is a bit lacking.
"Beep beep beep"
The satellite phone on the table rang. Without wearing a tactical vest, Xia Yu didn't really have many pockets to carry a mobile phone. However, when he picked one up, he realized that it was another one that was ringing.
"All! (Hey!)"
"Boss, our Harriers have arrived at the port."
The short-legged Harrier, with its four auxiliary fuel tanks, has a ferry distance of nearly 2,000 nautical miles, but it still can't fly to China, so it was directly loaded onto a ship and sent over.
Alvin, who was evacuated from Maryland, was responsible for piloting the Harriers and training pilots. He boarded a cargo ship with the plane and came to China. Both the people and the cargo were at Yangshan Port in Shanghai.
It's a bit of a stretch to have the old guy fly over directly. The fighter jet has been at sea for more than ten days and can't take off without a full inspection, so Xia Yu has to make the arrangements.
After a few phone calls, the meritorious Harrier jet from Jihuo Defense was assigned to a naval airfield in Shanghai.
The operational radius of the vertical takeoff and landing Harrier is similar to that of the Yak-38 Blacksmith, both around 100 kilometers. But that's enough for fighting pirates, since it doesn't need to engage in air-to-air combat; it can simply clear the pylons on the ground and then withdraw.
To maximize the combat effectiveness of the Endurance-class carrier-based aircraft, the carrier-based aircraft definitely need to be replaced. Replacing them with Yak-141 Freedoms, whose prototypes are all now in museums, would be more suitable.
Whether or not it is needed, this aircraft is one of Xia Yu's targets for this trip to Oslo to purchase goods.
After all, once Xia Yu collects all five types of vertical/short takeoff and landing (VTOL) fighter jets, he will have the opportunity to unlock a comprehensive gift package of VTOL technology reserves.
He already has the ultimate Phantom, and he also wants to try modifying the legendary J-18 Red Eagle.
Whether it's practical or not is another matter, it just looks cool.
However, only four prototypes of the Yak-141 were built, making it less accessible than the Yak-38, which had 143 units produced. Xia Yu had to make a personal trip to see if there was an opportunity.
Upon returning to China, which he had been away from for so long, Alvin settled in immediately.
What was supposed to be a simulated typhoon has now degenerated into a training exercise for sea harriers. Life is so unpredictable.
The plum rain season is over, and the scorching July has arrived as scheduled.
Apart from the still-new Oto Melara 76mm naval gun, which hadn't fired more than 200 rounds in over a decade, the HMS Resolute, with all its weapons and radar removed, also arrived in Shanghai.
This Italian naval gun is known as the AK-47 of naval guns and is used by a large number of countries, including the United States.
The toughness class has enough tonnage, but its business scope is only to fight pirates. Xia Yu resisted the urge to replace it with twin 100mm or single 130mm naval guns.
Yes, let's save the budget and space for the multiple close-in weapon system!
He wanted the 11-barreled high-end close-in weapon system with 2,560 rounds of ammunition, and he also wanted the export-type twin 7-barreled close-in weapon system that shared one target tracking radar and one electro-optical tracker.
With the radar and electro-optical systems separated, a single close-in weapon system can be loaded with two drum magazines containing 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Adding another 7-barrel close-in weapon system would quadruple the capacity. With one on each side, positioned diagonally behind the 76mm naval gun, the firing arc covers the front of the warship.
The maritime search radar will be moved forward from directly behind, freeing up space above the hangar to deploy an 11-tube high-configuration radar, thus achieving 360-degree defense without blind spots.
Of course, the price is also very high. Even if he only pays the cost price, the complete modification will almost be another tough-class ship, but it is still great value for money.
Steel hulls are not as vulnerable to missiles and rockets as aluminum alloys, but even a single hit would be humiliating, not to mention the increasing number of suicide drones in the future.
Upgrade your configuration now so it won't be outdated for the next decade or so.
"Dad, Mom, we have to go."
Before the Resolute Ship could be completely transformed, Xia Yu had to say goodbye to Lin Shuqin and Old Xia. After returning from Oslo, Liv and Xiaoyouzi would go with him to Afica and wouldn't return to China until next year's Chinese New Year.
So this separation lasted for more than half a year, and the once bustling Xia family courtyard was about to return to its former tranquility.
"Come on, come on, have some fun. It's so hot, your dad and I will just stay home."
Lin Shuqin, holding Xiao Huang's hand, said goodbye to her son and his family.
Old Xia drove the family of three to the airport and watched the Fisher take off before returning home.
Next time we meet, Little Yuzu will probably call me Grandpa and Grandma, right?
Yes, she might be pregnant with her second child.
Xia Yu is so rich, why doesn't he have children? Does he expect his poor friends to have them?
As an only child, he has to shoulder his own responsibilities.
After taking off, the Airbus A319 headed north. After leaving China, it did not fly to the bustling cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, but instead landed at Irkutsk Airport in Siberia.
This dual-use military and civilian airport is only 60 kilometers from Lake Baikal, and it was the first stop for Xia Yu's family of three when they entered Oslo.
"Historically, this place was inhabited by the Xiongnu people. There was a diplomat named Su Wu from China who was detained at Lake Baikal to herd sheep. He was only allowed to return to Han territory if the male sheep gave birth to a lamb."
The plane was descending, and Xia Yu, holding his son, was telling his wife the story of Su Wu herding sheep.
The Huns have long since disappeared into the annals of history, and Lake Baikal became the territory of Oslus.
Only the Baikal seals still live here carefree. The couple came to see the lake and the seals, and if they were lucky, they might even see brown bears hunting the seals.
Afica has a lot of wildlife, but no bears. It would be amazing to see wild brown bears in Oslo.
As for hunting brown bears, forget it; Xia Yu isn't superstitious about bear paws and tiger bones.
If he had to hunt animals, he would prefer birds. He would definitely have to go back to Germany to hunt ostriches next year or the year after.
"So, did the ram give birth to a lamb?"
Liv thought that if a hermaphroditic sheep were mixed into the flock of rams, there was a chance that it would produce a lamb, as the probability of birth defects from inbreeding in livestock is very high.
"Of course not, but with the decline of the Xiongnu, Su Wu, who had been herding sheep for 19 years, was released back to China."
Xia Yu is not a medical student, so she doesn't explore this possibility.
After the tires touched the ground, reverse thrust was activated to reduce speed, and Lao Qian, having completed the landing, steered the aircraft toward the taxiway.
Xia Yu, having unbuckled his safety harness, handed his son to Liv and then peered out the porthole at the small airport.
"Boeing 747, Boeing 767, Airbus A320, Airbus A321... why are they all European and American commercial airliners?"
He thought he would see mostly Soviet-made passenger planes like the Tu-204 and Il-96, but Boeing and Airbus dominated the list.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. European and American commercial airliners are both fuel-efficient and comfortable, while the experience of flying on Soviet commercial airliners is just like flying on a military transport plane.
Of course, if you're willing to spend money on modifications, the Il-96 can also become a comfortable presidential aircraft. As for saving fuel, that's impossible; Russia doesn't need that much jet fuel anyway.
The problem is whether Russia's heavy reliance on European and American commercial airlines will be halted due to sanctions in the event of a potential future war.
Xia Yu's success in building such a large business is not entirely due to the system; he also has a keen eye for detail in life.
Just four years ago, Russia captured Crimea and was subsequently subjected to a series of sanctions by the West.
If the scope is expanded in the future, the sanctions will be even more severe.
Leaving aside other aspects, the aviation industry alone is enough to give Russia a hard time. Civil aircraft wear out parts much faster than vehicles.
If it doesn't affect flight, that's fine. But if it does affect flight and you don't replace it, you'll end up facing a series of aviation accidents.
If an emergency landing fails, everyone on board will die, which is a terrifying situation. By then, it will be too late to switch back to Soviet-made passenger planes.
Based on this possibility, if we continue to extrapolate, the Ossians will then acquire large quantities of Boeing and Airbus spare parts on the black market, just as the Persians did everything they could to obtain spare parts for the F-14, whether they are new or used.
This is precisely the business opportunity that Xia Yu saw: the system can print spare parts for military aircraft, and naturally, it can do the same for civilian airliners.
Not to mention that selling spare parts is much more convenient than selling complete aircraft, and if he doesn't sell them, Airbus and Boeing might be selling them secretly!
Imposing sanctions while simultaneously shipping large quantities of goods is their ancestral skill; Xia Yu is simply more eager to learn it.
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