Chapter 1486: Chapter 266: We Have the Linghai Boat!
The return of the Binjiang Ship for a visit is very significant for Binjiang, and Secretary Lu and other leaders attach great importance to it.
The arrival of the 105th Army’s Special Warfare Group in Linghai for training is highly significant for Linghai, with Secretary Qian and Mayor Shen giving it much attention.
On the evening the officers and soldiers of the Special Warfare Group settled into the Linghai Reserve Camp, Secretary Qian and Mayor Shen hosted a welcoming banquet for Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang of the 105th Army, who led the training group.
Today, Secretary Qian led the heads of Linghai’s four leading bodies, bringing three large trucks of relief supplies, to visit the Special Warfare Group soldiers who have been training and are currently resting at the camp.
They had an extra meal at noon and dined with the officers and soldiers in the cafeteria.
In the afternoon, a celebration was held in the camp yard with singers, dancers from the Linghai Art World, and students from the Linghai Experimental Primary School and Linghai Senior High School presenting several programs, with the soldiers from the Special Warfare Group and the Linghai Reserve Camp also performing some acts.
There was singing and dancing, laughter and joy, perfectly showcasing the close relationship between the military and the people.
The officers and soldiers performed well, and as Secretary Qian was applauding, the Director of the City Committee Office returned from a phone call and whispered a few words to him.
Shen Fan noticed his displeasure and whispered, "Secretary Qian, what’s wrong?"
"The Binjiang Ship is set to return to Binjiang for a ’home visit,’ and it will be open to the public during its stay, allowing officials and citizens to come aboard for a tour. The city has allocated 20 quotas to us in Linghai for a visit on the 8th."
"Only 20 quotas, so who gets to go, and who doesn’t?"
"They merely allocated us 20 spots, making even the visit so petty! Moreover, the Binjiang Ship is returning on the 6th, yet they scheduled us to visit on the 8th. What does this mean? Besides, it’s such a long trip just to visit. If I were invited, I wouldn’t bother going."
Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang heard this clearly and couldn’t help but feel that compared to the Navy, Linghai’s city leaders had a deeper bond with the 105th Army, forged through joint flood fighting efforts, when Secretary Qian suddenly turned the conversation: "It’s just a ship, right? Binjiang has one, and Linghai has one, too!"
The Binjiang Ship returns to Binjiang on the 6th, and surely, a welcome ceremony will be held.
We’re not invited to the welcome ceremony, nor allowed to visit the ship firsthand; instead, we’re put off until the 8th and given only 20 quotas—it’s truly unfair!
Shen Fan was somewhat displeased too and mused, "I heard the Binjiang Ship’s return was facilitated by Salted Fish. Later, I’ll have a word with him, see if he can help work things out and get the Linghai Boat to return for a visit too."
"That’s a good idea. We have a dock, berth, and reception capability. By then, we won’t be as petty as the city. We’ll send an invitation to Secretary Lu ahead of time, asking him to attend the welcome ceremony."
"I’ll call Salted Fish later. He’s a Linghai person; he must stand up for us Linghai people!"
So it turns out the two city leaders of Linghai were unhappy because Secretary Lu didn’t invite them to the welcome ceremony, scheduled them to visit on the 8th instead, and only allotted them 20 spots.
Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang couldn’t help but laugh, puzzled about what kind of relationship they had with Binjiang, where subordinates would dare not follow the superior’s lead, even intending to defy them.
Even though Minister Yang of the Armed Forces Department is from elsewhere, he has worked in Linghai long enough to not find such occurrences surprising. He leaned over to whisper to Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang, "Commander, things are different here with us; the economies of different districts and counties are doing quite well, and each enjoys considerable autonomy."
Afraid the Commander might find it hard to understand, Yang Jianbo, who was sitting behind Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang, leaned forward to add, "Towns with prosperous economies don’t submit to county authorities, and counties don’t submit to municipal authorities. Each sings their own tune. For instance, the Linghai locals, when they travel abroad, won’t claim they’re from Binjiang, nor do they consider those from the Binjiang District and other areas as fellow countrymen."
"Isn’t that the case? Aren’t they still fellow townsmen under one city?"
"Not really. Linghai locals typically don’t visit Binjiang; they only go to the East Sea and only recognize East Sea people as fellow townsmen."
Reflecting on the Linghai Reserve Camp’s flood rescue operation in Jingjiang, which prominently avoided using Binjiang’s banner and didn’t even mention Binjiang, Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang realized, chuckling, "This place is indeed interesting."
Secretary Qian, having overheard this, earnestly said, "Commander, don’t believe Old Yang and Jianbo. We have great respect for the Binjiang Municipal Committee. Although there is competition among the districts and counties of Binjiang, overall we remain united."
Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang laughed, "Having competition is good. It’s only through healthy rivalry that economic progress is achieved!"
Bringing up competition, Mayor Shen curiously asked, "Commander, I heard the Marine Corps from Zhuangming came to train with you all again yesterday. How did the battle go?"
"We won, and it was quite an easy win!"
It proved that training by the sea made a substantial difference.
Initially, we used to lag far behind, but now we’re leaving them behind, Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Yang Jianbo, who had been assisting with their training these days, couldn’t help but laugh, "Secretary Qian, Mayor Shen, while the Special Warfare Group’s officers have had an extra meal at noon and are at a celebration, the Marines probably aren’t having it easy. They’re likely getting disciplined by their superiors, since in terms of armed swimming and beach landings, they are supposed to be the professionals."
Before the two city leaders could speak, Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang, full of enthusiasm, said, "What do you mean they are the professionals? We’re the Special Forces; we need to excel not only in armed swimming, and beach landings, but also surpass them. In mountain warfare, we must outmatch the mountain troops in the western regions. In infiltration reconnaissance, we aim to benchmark against the Army’s field reconnaissance troops!"
Special Forces are indeed impressive!
Secretary Qian thought Linghai should indeed make friends with such troops and smiled, "Commander, the city has given us Linghai 20 naval ship tour spots; since we have the Linghai Boat, we can skip the visit to Binjiang, and next time tour the Linghai Boat named after us.
You, however, are different, as your units are stationed inland, and you don’t often see naval ships. These 20 spots should be offered as rewards for outstanding performance during training, motivating the entire group!"
The officers and soldiers would surely be interested in attending a naval ship visit.
After thinking it over, Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang shook his head, "Secretary Qian, those 20 spots are for you from Binjiang."
"It’s okay, we just mentioned we have the Linghai Boat. Every year, our City Committee and Municipal Government visit the entire crew for commendations, so we will have plenty of opportunities to visit."
"It’s not the same."
"There’s no difference. It’s settled."
As Secretary Qian finished speaking, Mayor Shen smiled and said, "Commander, if the spots aren’t enough, you can always approach Salted Fish."
Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang couldn’t help but smile, "Speaking of Salted Fish, I realized I haven’t seen him for several days, nor his other half, Mayor Han. I wonder what they’ve been busy with."
"He’s now the Deputy Director of the Changhang Bureau and has many responsibilities, so he’s certainly occupied. As for what Xiang Ning is busy with, I know a bit. Ge Diao has been steering their efforts externally, even though he could be exerting his influence in Linghai; instead, he went to Changzhou to assist in attracting investment, and he actually helped them bring in a very capable Hong Kong businessman."
"Very capable?"
"Unlike other entrepreneurs who merely invest in building a factory, the Hong Kong businessman Ge Diao helped introduce to Changzhou plans to invest in an industrial park!" Mayor Shen was very envious, though he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy, "The investment agreement was signed yesterday afternoon, with Secretary Lu and Mayor Wang both in attendance. The first phase alone is an investment of 150 million."
The two city leaders held considerable resentment towards Master Ge.
Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang dared not respond further because Master Ge was his good friend, and he couldn’t speak ill of him behind his back.
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