latelenovela Chapter 480: Luo Quezi sells his kidney to aid the Anmin Army?
Chapter 480: Luo Quezi sells his kidney to aid the Anmin Army?
The next morning, the rising sun cast its golden light over Yangon Harbor.
A cruiser with sleek lines and the iconic five triple-mounted 152mm turrets is quietly anchored at the deep-water dock.
That was the 'gold ship' that Zhang Chi exchanged from the 'War Thunder' system, the Brooklyn-class light cruiser 'Helena', which served as the core force of the early Nanyang Navy.
However, the People's Liberation Army Navy currently has a total of 5 "Helena", with hull numbers ranging from 201 to 205, so they are actually 5 Brooklyn-class cruisers.
These five 10,000-ton light cruisers that came out of the system are naturally exactly the same, and are distinguished only by their hull numbers.
The one docked in the port is the cruiser "Jingyuan" with hull number 201, which belongs to the First Fleet of the Anmin Army Navy.
She had just completed the mission of escorting the return of the Overseas Chinese Bank's gold reserves and was now docked in the Port of Yangon for rest and recuperation.
Accompanied by You Hongxuan and Captain Ye Jiashi, Zhang Chi stepped onto the gangway of the giant ship.
Holding the steel railing and looking up at the tall mast and bridge, Zhang Chi couldn't help but sigh that this was the first time he had actually boarded this cruiser that belonged to "him".
After all, after he exchanged the ship from the system, he handed it over to the navy himself.
Soon, Zhang Chi stood on the wide deck, feeling the steady pulse of the steel giant under his feet, the sea breeze blowing on his face, and an indescribable sense of pride surging in his chest.
He exchanged her, gave her a new life, and now he can finally feel her presence in person.
"Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, welcome aboard." On the deck, Captain Ye Jiashi saluted in a loud voice.
"Nice ship." Zhang Chi patted the cold railing of the ship, looking around at the busy and orderly sailors on the deck and the five majestic 152mm triple-mounted turrets. "It looks even more impressive than from the shore. Today, let her show me her skills."
You Hongxuan praised the 'Claw' A-1 surface-to-air fire control radar and the latest electronic fire control director at the meeting, so Zhang Chi naturally wanted to see their effects in person.
A live-fire shooting exercise is obviously the most suitable way to test it.
So Zhang Chi simply invited celebrities from all walks of life in Yangon to board the cruiser "Jingyuan" to watch the shooting exercise.
This is both a show of force and a deterrent.
Later, with the assistance of a tugboat, the "Jingyuan" slowly sailed away from the dock.
A thin black smoke spewed out of the chimney, the huge propeller stirred the sea water, and the bow of the ship split the blue waves and headed towards the designated exercise area.
"His Excellency Zhang Chi, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, has arrived at the bridge. Salute!"
The loud roll call of the sailors on duty on the bridge cut through the din on the deck.
Accompanied by fleet commander Captain You Hongxuan and captain Major Ye Jiashi, Zhang Chi stepped steadily into the core area of the bridge.
The place instantly became quiet, and all officers and sailors stood at attention and saluted with fiery eyes.
"Everyone has worked hard. Don't be nervous. Just treat it as daily training."
Zhang Chi casually raised his hand and returned the military salute.
He glanced at the complex instruments and busy officers and soldiers in the bridge, and then he and You Hongxuan climbed up to the observation platform at the top of the bridge through the small escalator on the side.
The view there is endless, making it an excellent location for watching exercises.
Ye Jiashi stayed on the bridge to take command. As for the guests invited to watch the ceremony, they were politely confined to the viewing area at the rear of the main deck and were "accompanied" by several naval soldiers.
There, waiters shuttled around with silver trays, serving chilled champagne.
The gramophone played soothing music, trying to create a leisurely salon atmosphere, but it was easily torn apart by the roar of the warship's engines and the whistling of the sea breeze.
"Harold! You in the United States must be crazy, completely crazy." Lewis, the foreman of John Chartered Bank, complained to the White Eagle envoy Harold with a little anger, holding champagne in his hand.
He pointed at the bridge, then at the intimidating 152mm triple turrets:
"Brooklyn-class, light cruisers. You actually sold this class of warship to the People's Security Army?! Do you know what this means? This is sowing the seeds of disaster for the future of the Pacific and Sindhu Oceans.
This is a betrayal, a naked betrayal of the common interests of our two countries!"
Due to a well-known "skirmish" between the National Security Forces and Number 10 Downing Street, there is currently no official exchange of diplomats between the two sides.
Therefore, Lewis, who stayed in Yangon and was responsible for cleaning up the mess of John Capital in Southeast Asia, became the de facto diplomat of the United Kingdom in Southeast Asia, responsible for conveying messages directly between the two sides to avoid "conflicts" caused by misunderstandings due to untimely communication.
Harold's figure was rounder than when he first arrived in Nanyang, and his expensive suit was tight on him.
He slowly drank the remaining champagne in the glass, sighed with satisfaction, then raised his eyelids and looked lazily at the furious Lewis.
He wore that infuriatingly calm smile that only politicians have, and even graciously waved to a passing waiter for a refill.
"First of all, my dear Mr. Lewis," Harold's voice drawled.
"I'm not crazy. My personal doctor just gave me a full checkup last week, and other than a slightly elevated cholesterol level, I'm perfectly healthy."
He deliberately patted his slightly protruding belly.
"Secondly," he said, taking the new wine glass from the waiter and gently swirling the golden liquid, "I think you're mistaken. The United States government has never, I repeat, never sold a single Brooklyn-class cruiser to the People's Security Force.
Our official records only show a few legitimate deals for Fletcher-class destroyers and... well... a few escort carriers and submarine monitors still under construction. That's it."
He shrugged, his expression as innocent as a cat licking its paws after stealing some fish.
"Finally." The smile on Harold's face suddenly turned cold. "Given your extremely rude roar just now, I have to remind you that in formal social occasions, especially on an Allied warship, you should at least address me respectfully as 'Sir Harold.'"
After saying this, Harold stopped looking at Lewis's face which was twisted with anger and turned around.
His face was instantly filled with a professional and enthusiastic smile. Holding a glass of champagne, he walked briskly towards the Citibank manager in Yangon and the representative of Texas New World Oil Company, as if the unpleasant conversation had never happened.
His deliberately exaggerated greeting drifted over: "Ah, Mr. Smith, the weather in Yangon has been really pleasant recently. It's very suitable for investment and business, don't you think?"
Lewis was left cursing on the spot, spewing vicious words like "bloody hell", "son of a bitch traitor to the thirteen states", and "liar".
Lewis, who was considered a semi-legal spy, knew very well that the stronger the naval power of the People's Army of Security, the greater the price the United Kingdom would have to pay to return to its Southeast Asian colonies.
The greater the loss that his Standard Chartered Bank may suffer due to its inability to recover the funds.
Who knows how the gold mines in Pegu, which were well-controlled, became "enemy property" just because they were occupied by the Japanese once, and then were directly confiscated and forcibly nationalized?
Did Standard Chartered Bank lose all its investment? How can it settle such a huge amount of bad debt?
As for Harold's claim that the United States did not sell cruisers, Lewis did not believe a word of it.
Everyone in the world knows that only the United States can build this Brooklyn-class artillery cruiser with five triple turrets. Could it be that the ship under his feet was conjured out of thin air by the People's Security Army?
This must be a secret deal between the top management of the DC Special Administrative Region and Zhang Chi, bypassing all the obvious rules!
Lewis decided to send a telegram to mainland as soon as the ship docked.
Be wary of Luo Quezi selling his kidney to support the Anmin Army! They even dared to give away a 10,000-ton cruiser, so what else are they afraid of?!
The Yankees are determined to destroy the United Kingdom! They want to completely drive us out of the Far East!
Zhang Chi on the bridge was unaware of the small conflict taking place on the deck.
The view here is excellent, the sea and sky are one color, which is refreshing.
The sailor behind him handed Zhang Chi a high-magnification telescope at the right time.