.Chapter 69: Come to ask for advice

After staying in Beijing for two days, Mu Haoyang went to Qingdao in the name of handling the fleet's logistics support affairs.

At this time, Teng Yaohui had already received the news that Yi Yuanchao proposed that he would participate in the negotiations on behalf of him, but Huang Zhibo believed that Mu Haoyang should come forward.

Although he is a soldier, Teng Yaohui knows very well why this happened.

Teng Yaohui could not refuse the letter of appointment issued directly by the head of state, but he knew very well that if he accepted the appointment, even if it was reasonable, he was the commander of the Chinese navy. After all, he was the commander of the Chinese navy, and Mu Haoyang was only recruited before the outbreak of the war, he would inevitably become Huang Zhibo's mortal enemy, and would be more likely to cause criticism and offend many powerful soldiers, including Mu Haoyang.

More importantly, like most soldiers, Teng Yaohui never agrees with Yi Yuanda's foreign policy.

In a sense, the Second Korean War, which Fu Xiubo strongly advocated participation, opened a new era. The military reform led by Huang Zhibo subsequently allowed talented soldiers to be valued. As a vested stakeholder, Teng Yaohui knew very well that only proactive expansion policies can promote the country's continued development, promote military construction, and benefit more soldiers.

It is not without reason that Fu Xiubo has received support from the army.

Huang Zhibo's reputation in the army is at its peak, and there is a reason.

Putting aside his personal prejudice, Teng Yaohui admired Huang Zhibo very much and was once a follower of Huang Zhibo. His differences with Huang Zhibo were mainly due to his identity.

No matter what, Teng Yaohui is the commander of the navy, so he should naturally strive for benefits for the navy.

If he changes his position, he will probably not be focused on the Navy and will be more inclined to Huang Zhibo's military construction policy, that is, to build a military force that is both offensive and defensive. The Navy is only one member of the entire military system, and even the most important member cannot replace other military branches.

Now, Yi Yuanchao's appointment has pushed Teng Yaohui to the forefront.

Before receiving Mu Haoyang's call, Teng Yaohui was considering whether to call Huang Zhibo to explain his position and avoid causing misunderstandings.

Since Mu Haoyang has arrived, Teng Yaohui has not called Huang Zhibo.

"Commander Teng, I'm here to thank you."

"Mu, you are too polite." Teng Yaohui was very polite. First, he asked Mu Haoyang to sit down and brought the tea to Mu Haoyang in person. "It should be my congratulations. Even if I command the fleet to go on the expedition, I may not be able to achieve better results. Mr. Huang did not see the wrong person, nor did I see the wrong person."

"Commander Teng..."

"Just make it easy, just call me Lao Teng."

Mu Haoyang smiled and said, "Actually, you have given me a lot of help."

"What help?" Teng Yaohui seemed a little surprised.

"Do you remember that I came to visit you before the expedition?" Mu Haoyang took out a cigarette and said, "At that time, you gave me a piece of advice. When I was fighting with the Indian fleet, I kept remembering what you said. When I hesitated several times, I made quick judgments according to your advice."

"This only means that your judgment is very accurate."

"If you don't have your advice, even if you make accurate judgments, you may not be able to seize the opportunity in time."

"Actually, it's your confidence in yourself."

Mu Haoyang smiled and said, "Faith is faith, but I have no experience. It is your advice that makes me believe that making decisions in time is more important than not."

"No matter what, you did something that others could not do."

Mu Haoyang smiled and shook his head. He knew that it would be endless to pull it off like this, so he changed the topic. "I made a special trip this time. First, thank you, and second, I would like to ask you some questions."

“What’s the problem?”

"We controlled Port Blair, but did not open a strategic route. What methods should be used to exert the strategic value of Port Blair?"

"this……"

"President Huang has made arrangements to ask Yang Yufang to command the fleet to fight. Zhou Yusheng, Pang Yuelong and Ma Mingtao will all go to Port Blair."

"And you?"

"As expected, I will return to the General Staff and continue to be responsible for the naval work."

"It's not that simple, right?"

Mu Haoyang took two puffs of cigarettes and said, "Of course, it is not responsible for naval equipment construction, but is involved in the decision-making of some strategic matters."

Teng Yaohui nodded and said, "Is this the task arranged by Mr. Huang for you?"

"It's not. After all, I've just returned. Mr. Huang hasn't arranged a job for me yet. He just showed me some information to remind me of this problem." Mu Haoyang paused for a moment and said, "After controlling Port Blair, we will at least have to obtain a military port in Sri Lanka to the west, and face the Strait of Malacca, Sunda and Longmu Strait to the east. These three straits are not under our control and are easily blocked during wartime, so I think we need a more secure strategic channel."

“Kra isthmus.”

Mu Haoyang frowned, as if he didn't understand very much.

"To be precise, it was to dig a canal directly from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand in the Isthmus of Kra, and bypass several straits to the south." Teng Yaohui walked to his desk, took out a document from the drawer, and handed it over to Mu Haoyang. "This is a strategic plan submitted to the General Staff when I became the commander of the Navy five years ago. The main content is to invest in the canal in the Isthmus of Kra."

"Why don't I know?"

"It is not a equipment project, and it was immediately rejected by Mr. Huang."

"Why?"

“The investment is too big and the political problems cannot be solved.”

Mu Haoyang opened the document and started to read it carefully.

"There is not much substantial content, mainly from a strategic perspective." Teng Yaohui smiled and said, "I have considered this plan in recent years and understood why Mr. Huang rejected the plan. To put it bluntly, it is economically unworkable. According to the price estimate at that time, at least $150 billion was required to dig a canal, and only 100,000-ton ships could be used. If the maximum pass capacity was to be achieved, the investment would be more than doubled. Such a huge investment had very limited economic benefits. Not to mention, the high pass fee would be enough to make most ships go to

Strait of Malacca. In addition, the canal has only shortened its route by less than a thousand nautical miles. Based on the passage of the Strait of Malacca in 2020, the fuel savings will only be able to meet the canal's excavation costs within about 250 years. Even without considering political factors, such a loss-making transaction cannot be supported by private capital and can only be borne by the state. If you invest US$150 billion in a less stable area just for military needs, it is obviously not as cost-effective as directly enhancing the fleet. With the same funds, at least three aircraft carrier battle groups can be built."

Mu Haoyang nodded, indicating that he understood Teng Yaohui's meaning.

"Of course, time has changed, maybe it's necessary now."

"Why?"

"We have controlled Port Blair, and the United States will definitely strengthen its military presence in Southeast Asia and improve Singapore's strategic position. Perhaps Singapore will not be aligned with the United States, but after we expand our influence, Singapore will definitely rely more on the United States in its defense policy."

“So it is necessary to dig a canal that can bypass Singapore.”

"It's necessary militarily, but economically still doesn't work."

"What if it's for politics?"

"It would be better to directly interfere in Thailand's internal affairs." Teng Yaohui smiled and said, "I mentioned this, just hope to attract your attention. Port Blair is just a bridgehead for us to enter the Indian Ocean. To allow the fleet to sail freely in the Indian Ocean, we must open up the logistics supply line to solve the problems in the rear."

“How to solve it?”

"Use the internal contradictions of ASEAN."

Mu Haoyang frowned and waited for Teng Yaohui to continue talking.

"At the beginning of the year, I don't know if you noticed it."

"What?"

"The freshwater dispute between Malaysia and Singapore." Teng Yaohui paused for a moment and said, "As early as 1961 and 1962, Singapore and Malaysia signed two freshwater supply agreements to provide Singapore with untreated freshwater from Johor, Malaysia at a price of 1927, or 1,000 gallons, and the two agreements are valid for a hundred years."

"That is, it will not expire until 2061 and 2062."

"This is Singapore's understanding, and Malaysia believes that since the price in 1927 is based on the price in 1927, it should expire in 2027. That is to say, by the end of December this year, if Singapore refuses to accept the new pricing standards, Malaysia will terminate the supply of fresh water to Singapore."

"this……"

"Without water resources, Singapore will not survive in a day." Teng Yaohui smiled and said, "Although one-third of Singapore's freshwater comes from its own seawater desalination plants, treated wastewater, and collected rainwater, the other two-thirds still come from Malaysia."

“That is, the contradiction between Singapore and Malaysia is very sharp?”

Teng Yaohui nodded and said, "According to the information I have, Malaysia requires that the domestic price be provided directly with the processed fresh water, and the price will reach 4.8 US dollars per thousand gallon, which is 480 times the current price. If Singapore accepts this price, it will pay Malaysia 900 million US dollars every year."

“Not expensive.”

"The problem is, the impact is very big."

"Why?"

"Let's not talk about residents' domestic water. Singapore's industrial water will inevitably be restricted. You must know that Singapore has not restricted industrial water. More importantly, as long as Singapore makes concessions, Malaysia will become more severe, and the freshwater price may rise next year." Teng Yaohui paused for a moment and said, "More importantly, for Singapore, freshwater is a strategic resource, and letting things related to everyone's survival be in the hands of others, and the price is set at will by others, which is definitely unacceptable."

"Will Singapore go to war with Malaysia for this?"

"The possibility is not high, but this contradiction can be used reasonably."

Mu Haoyang nodded thoughtfully, indicating that he understood Teng Yaohui's meaning...
Chapter completed!