The welcoming ceremony organized by the British was high-profile and grand, and its purpose was naturally self-evident. Clues can be seen from the actions of the reporters who kept taking pictures at the scene.
After the welcoming ceremony, Governor Grantham proposed to invite Fang Lang to hold a brief press conference in front of the naval headquarters. Fang Lang understood that the other party wanted to use his fleet's visit to make political statements.
In order to avoid the British from saying anything inappropriate on his behalf without his permission, which would cause unnecessary adverse effects if the reporters misinterpreted the purpose of the fleet's visit to the port city, Fang Lang chose to readily agree to the other party's suggestion.
This made Grantham very happy. After some simple preparations, a brief press conference was held on the steps at the entrance of the Admiralty Naval Headquarters Building.
Those who participated in the press conference included the British Naval Commander in Hong Kong, the Governor of Hong Kong and Fang Lang. When the group stood in front of the reporters and said that they would hold a brief press conference here, the reporters present were overjoyed and took the initiative to step forward, surrounding the group with cameras and notebooks.
The British naval officers and soldiers at the scene rushed forward to maintain order, and the situation gradually eased after they put some distance between the three people and the group of reporters.
Fang Lang took a look and found that there was no camera in it, so he had to give a bad review for this. It’s not that Fang Lang wanted to leave any impression.
But if he used a pen to record, there would be some errors and it would be easy to be taken out of context. Fang Lang's real purpose of coming here was not to support the British, so he did not want to be used as a gun by the British.
But soon he found someone running up to him with something that looked like a recording device, and he felt slightly relieved, at least the sound could prove what he had said.
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As the landlord, Governor Grantham was already accustomed to such small scenes, so he was not stage-frightened and immediately began to welcome the arrival of the journalists on behalf of the British Hong Kong government.
He also solemnly introduced Fang Lang's identity to everyone, and reviewed the friendly alliance between Britain and Brazil, and the history of mutual support between the two sides in the Pacific battlefield.
He then gave a lengthy introduction to the current relationship between Britain and Brazil. Finally, he looked forward to the future of the Port City government and Brazil, and expressed a warm welcome to the Brazilian naval fleet for visiting the Port City at this special time.
It has to be said that these politicians are really good at talking. Although they didn't say a word about the purpose of Fang Lang's visit this time, every word they said was telling these reporters that Brazil is a staunch ally of Britain, and the Brazilian Navy came to the port city this time to help Britain stabilize the situation in the port city.
Fang Lang couldn't help but frowning when he heard this. Fortunately, he agreed to attend this press conference. If he had waited until these guys went back before holding a press conference, the purpose of his visit would probably have been directly implemented by the British Hong Kong government.
Next, the Commander of the Royal Navy's Far East Fleet in Hong Kong expressed warm welcome to the Brazilian Navy on behalf of the Royal Navy.
He also reiterated the long-standing friendship between the British Royal Navy and the Brazilian Navy, and praised the combat effectiveness of the Brazilian Navy. Finally, he simply stated that the current naval strength in the port city naval port is the most powerful fleet in the entire Far East.
With the existence of such a fleet, the British Empire is confident that it can protect its interests in the port city from being violated.
Finally, it was Fang Lang's turn to speak. He also understood that at this moment, he certainly could not directly refute the words of the two previous speakers, so after a brief thought, he coughed twice, stood in front of the reporters, and slowly spoke:
“I am very happy to meet all my journalist friends in Hong Kong, and I am also very happy that our Brazilian Navy has been invited by the British Royal Navy to visit Hong Kong.
We all know that Hong Kong is a city with great development potential. Its geographical location determines that it will become Britain's most dazzling economic pearl in the Far East. At the same time, it is definitely China's most important foreign trade window.
I know that the situation in the port is very tense now. Many people believe that the port may face an attack from the opposing army at any time. So, the Governor and the Navy Commander have been constantly cheering everyone up and telling everyone that the British Hong Kong government has absolute confidence in defending the port.
In fact, in my opinion, there is absolutely no need for everyone to worry. If the other side wanted to attack, the port city would have turned into a sea of fire long ago, and there would be no need to wait until now.
Since the other side chose to maintain the status quo, it means that they did not use force against Hong Kong Island. As far as I know, the leaders of the other side have made it clear many years ago that their attitude towards the port city issue is to resolve it through negotiations.
And now their actions have proved that they have not broken their promise. I believe that at this time, as long as the British government can show its sincerity and is willing to sit down and have cordial and friendly negotiations with the other side, the port issue will surely be resolved peacefully.
I have absolute confidence in this. If the British government agrees, I can even step forward to mediate. ”
Fang Lang's words stunned everyone at the scene, and the Navy Commander didn't even know whether he should stand up and stop him from continuing.
However, Governor Grantham seemed much calmer. He quietly pulled the sleeve of the naval commander, signaling him not to be impulsive.
Fang Lang, who was talking at the moment, didn't care what these British people were thinking! Still continuing regardless:
"Of course, this is just my personal opinion and does not represent the position of the Brazilian government. I believe everyone can tell from my appearance that I am Chinese. Therefore, I hope that the Chinese in Hong Kong can have a safe living environment.
On this point, I believe that the other side should hold the same position as me, which is why I dare to stand up and say these words.
As for why I brought the fleet here, it was not to show off my military power, but because Brazil is too far away from the port city. If we want to cross this thousands of miles of sea, we need suitable means of transportation.
Our British ally has the most powerful navy in the world. This long-distance voyage will not only exercise our navy's long-distance navigation capabilities, but also allow us to take this opportunity to come to the port city and learn from our British ally.
This is the real purpose of our fleet visiting the port city this time.
As for our appearance in Hong Kong at this special time, it was completely an accident. We in Brazil are a peace-loving country and we will never take the initiative to intervene in conflicts that have nothing to do with us. We will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, so please do not over-interpret the purpose of our visit.
Thank you everyone! ”
After saying this, he did not forget to salute the reporters below!
Fang Lang's statement completely overturned the previous hints of the Governor and the Navy Commander. Fortunately, these two guys were not stupid enough to directly state that the Brazilian Navy fleet led by Fang Lang came here to support the British.
But Fang Lang's words made the Navy Commander's face turn very ugly. Although Fang Lang had always praised the strength of the British Navy, Fang Lang's words that he would not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries also embarrassed the Navy Commander, because there was a warship parked in the dock not far away that was damaged because of interfering in other people's internal affairs.
If this guy had not been invited by the Chief of the Royal Naval General Staff to visit, he would have been furious with him.
The Governor of Hong Kong was very interested in Fang Lang's words. His position determined that his main focus would be on Hong Kong. If Hong Kong could be spared from the war, it would be the best news for him.
Moreover, he knew very well in his heart that what Fang Lang said might be the truth. So, he decided to find time as soon as possible to have an in-depth meeting with the young man.
As soon as Fang Lang finished speaking, the reporters at the scene reacted the most. They became agitated almost instantly, and everyone started raising their hands to ask questions. For a moment, the press conference, which had seemed orderly, suddenly became chaotic.
The naval officers and soldiers responsible for maintaining order were also a little flustered. Seeing this, Fang Lang glanced at the Governor and the Navy Commander stationed in Hong Kong beside him, slowly stepped forward, pressed his hands down, signaling everyone not to get excited, and spoke directly:
"I know you all have a lot of questions to ask, so let me answer ten of your questions. After I finish asking the questions, the press conference will officially end. Is that ok?"
When the reporters below saw this situation, they all calmed down a little and started to answer:
"no problem!"
At the same time, start thinking about what questions are appropriate to ask.
When Grantham, who was standing by, saw Fang Lang's performance, he realized that the other party was also someone who often dealt with the media. At this time, he regretted holding this press conference, because Fang Lang's statement would obviously disrupt their original rhythm.
But the current situation no longer allowed him to refuse. After all, the topic raised by Fang Lang was more impactful than theirs, and the reporters were obviously more interested in it.
Fang Lang didn't care about what others thought, and pointed at a middle-aged white man who looked like an elite and said:
"My dear journalist, you can ask the first question! Let's make it clear that each person can only ask one question. I hope you can seize the opportunity and not ask questions that I am unwilling to answer."
The middle-aged man pointed at by Fang Lang pointed at himself in disbelief and confirmed with Fang Lang whether it was really him. After Fang Lang nodded in confirmation, he quickly spoke:
"General, thank you very much for giving me the first chance. The question I want to ask is: you just said that the other party should have the same position as you, so I want to know if this is your personal idea, or have you confirmed it with the other party in advance?"
Hearing this, Fang Lang frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed his brows, waved his hand nonchalantly and said:
"This is my personal opinion, and I haven't confirmed it with the other party yet. However, I believe my judgment is correct."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man quickly spoke again:
"So, you can get in touch with the other side, right?"
Fang Lang glanced at the other reporters present and said maliciously:
"If I remember correctly, our rule is that each person can only ask one question. This gentleman has obviously violated the rules, but I am willing to answer your question. I hope your colleagues will forgive you for taking up someone else's question."
After saying this, he deliberately paused to give everyone time to react. The reporters below were indeed dissatisfied when they heard this, and began to accuse this guy of breaking the rules.
The middle-aged reporter didn't care at all. He still looked at Fang Lang intently, waiting for his answer.
"I think your question is a waste of opportunity. It's not like we were in the closed-door period a hundred years ago. Why can't we get in touch with them?
If you have the courage, you can go directly and apply for an interview with the other party. I believe that as long as you can pass the review, they will definitely welcome you very much. ”
This answer obviously did not satisfy the journalist friend, and he could not help but prepare to ask again. But his colleagues around him had already been on guard against him wasting everyone's precious opportunity to ask questions again, so they pushed him aside, causing the middle-aged man to almost fall to the ground.
Seeing this, Fang Lang spoke repeatedly with concern on his face:
"Please don't crowd, please be safe and avoid stampedes. We still have eight more questions.
Okay, the next opportunity will be given to this female journalist friend. ”
A female reporter with burgundy hair who looked very capable and dressed very smartly, when she saw that she was called, she quickly spoke up:
"Hello, General! I am Diana, a reporter from the Dechen West Newspaper. The question I want to ask is, as a Chinese, which of the two current regimes in China do you support?"
I have to say that none of these reporters are easy to deal with. They ask questions that are obviously tricky.
Fortunately, Fang Lang was prepared for this. He nodded to the other party, and after a little thought, he slowly spoke:
“Although I am a Chinese, my current identity is a major general officer of the Brazilian Navy, so I am not qualified to make comments on China’s internal affairs.
If you must ask me who I support, I can only tell you that I respect the Chinese people's own choice. ”
Fang Lang's answer obviously disappointed the beautiful reporter. Fortunately, he did not continue to ask questions like the middle-aged male reporter before him, but retreated silently.
Seeing this, Fang Lang casually pointed to another middle-aged man who looked a bit short and fat with a bald spot on his head and said:
"The next question goes to my journalist friend."
The man was overjoyed, and hurriedly took a few steps forward, trying to get closer to Fang Lang, before he spoke impatiently:
“General, as far as I know, you are less than 25 years old, but you are already a rear admiral of the Brazilian Navy and you also command Brazil’s powerful aircraft carrier battle group.
There is only one general of this age in the whole world. I want to know how you have achieved such a status? Is there any unknown insider trading involved? ”
This obviously aggressive question made Fang Lang narrow his eyes slightly. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he looked up and down at this bold guy for a while.
Governor Grantham standing by also frowned slightly, but the Commander of the Navy in Hong Kong glanced at Fang Lang beside him with an amused expression, but did not say anything.
Fang Lang did not get angry, but said to the Mediterranean man in a calm tone:
"My journalist friend, please introduce yourself first."
The Mediterranean man didn't seem to be afraid of what Fang Lang would do to him, and he said nonchalantly:
"General, this is Jack from the Sunday Herald."
After the other party finished introducing himself, Fang Lang smiled and nodded:
"It seems that Mr. Jack has done some research on me. Unfortunately, your understanding is obviously not comprehensive enough. I joined the Brazilian Expeditionary Force as a soldier. I originally served in the army. After being injured in the European war, I transferred to the naval logistics force. I served as the captain of a transport ship and a destroyer. I sank many German submarines in the Atlantic Ocean and protected the smooth flow of Europe's logistics supply lines.
After the end of the European war, I led the fleet to join the Pacific battlefield to fight against the Japanese. Speaking of which, I also contributed to the liberation of the port city.
I have achieved my current position bit by bit through my military achievements. Now you are questioning my military rank and suspecting whether there is insider trading.
What have you done for this war? Or what contributions have you made to Hong Kong City? ”
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