The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 419 Bring the Japanese Ship Over

"Deputy Platoon Leader!" Chen Ming walked over in surprise. "You can still speak? I heard that you have shrapnel in your head and your eyes..."

"Hey!" Li Wenbin raised his hand and waved, "The shrapnel got in, but I have a strong head, so I'm fine."

Li Wenbin downplayed the situation, but in fact some of the shrapnel was too deep and the doctors were not sure they could be removed safely.

"My right eye is probably gone, but the doctor said it's safe to live. What about you, the flag-raising hero? Why don't you just lie back and enjoy yourself?"

Chen Ming pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down, smiling bitterly:

"I didn't expect to come back alive. I just remembered what you said before the battle... I charged forward, thinking that even if I could just hoist the flag for a minute, it would be enough. I never thought I'd become a hero out of nowhere."

Li Wenbin tried to raise his hand to pat Chen Ming's shoulder, but quickly put it down: "You kid, you did a good job, really."

After a moment of silence, Li Wenbin said softly:

"I guess I can't be a platoon leader this time. The military medical department has already assessed that I can no longer lead troops into battle. If I don't remove that thing in my head, I'm going to get headaches and neurasthenia and all that. Surgery to remove it is too risky... Tsk."

He laughed self-deprecatingly and added, "But I've made up my mind. Even if I don't join the army, I won't go home to farm. I've enrolled in the police academy and plan to switch careers and become a police officer."

Chen Ming was stunned. "Really? Your family is from Singapore, right? Aren't you going back to inherit the family business? Besides, you're a soldier, why are you going to be a policeman?"

"Why not? The country is currently rectifying the security in Southeast Asia. The higher-ups said I was meritorious for leading the team to protect the flag, and I was promoted one level for my military merit. I was seriously injured and retired in battle, so I was promoted one level again. Now I am a captain."

After a battle, Second Lieutenant Li Wenbin, acting platoon leader, became Captain Li Wenbin. He could no longer stay in the army, but his rank remained.

"According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' demobilization policy, a retired captain can become a third-class police inspector if transferred to a local police station. In a small city, he can become a deputy chief of the local police station, and in a big city, he can even become a section chief or something like that. The conditions are so good, why wouldn't I go? I just have to go to the police academy first, and then I can start my job after completing that."

Although it was called going to school, Nanyang was in a state of disrepair at the time, and it was nothing more than a few months of quick pre-job training. As for how to be a police officer, Zhang Chi could only let these retired soldiers learn on the spot.

As for retaining those old police and bureaucrats from the colonial era in order to save trouble and maintain stability, Zhang Chi absolutely disagrees. Otherwise, wouldn't everyone's blood be shed in vain?

Chen Ming was stunned when he heard this: "Deputy Platoon Leader, you... really know how to revitalize yourself."

"Hey, who says it's not?" Li Wenbin smiled and coughed twice, then said, "These days, staying alive is the most important thing. What are you going to do?"

"Me?" Chen Ming looked out the window. The wind blew in, carrying the salty smell of the distant ocean tide. "I want to stay on the front lines. We've hoisted our flag, but the Japanese haven't completely surrendered yet. I want to keep fighting until they're completely brought to their knees."

Li Wenbin nodded and whispered, "That's fine. People like you should join the army and get some training. But I heard that you're now one of the two flag-raising heroes, so the higher-ups might not be willing to let you go to the front lines."

Chen Ming scratched his head: "I'm just a communications soldier, where else can I go if not to the front line?"

"If a hero like you gets killed by the Japanese, it would be a huge blow to morale. I'd probably have you work in the military recruiting camp, promoting military bonds, and so on. There are so many places you could go..."

Li Wenbin was born into a wealthy local family in Singapore. Although his speech became vulgar after being in the melting pot of the People's Liberation Army, he was still knowledgeable and quickly spoke the truth.

"No more talking. Just work hard. When we finally win, we'll have a drink."

Chen Ming nodded vigorously: "Okay, it's a deal."

-----

In the conference room, Zhang Guangjun was the first to ask, "Is it possible to salvage those sunken Japanese ships and continue using them?"

The Yahagi cruiser sank outside the Lion City naval port, and the Kitakami heavy torpedo cruiser sank at the end of the waterway leading from the naval port to the open sea.

In addition, there were four Japanese destroyers, some miscellaneous service ships and several cargo ships, all of which sank near the Lion City military port after the air raid.

Because the ground forces of the Anmin Army arrived too quickly, the Japanese in Lion City only rescued the crew members who fell into the water, and ignored the remaining hull that sank in the sea.

Zhang Guangjun estimated that salvaging would be difficult, but not that great, so he asked this question. After all, no naval commander would be dissatisfied with having too many ships under his command.

Zhang Chi, who was attending the meeting, glanced at Zhang Guangjun and said nothing. The War Thunder system was his biggest trump card, so he naturally couldn't tell anyone else. Therefore, he didn't stop the naval commander from finding a way to get the ship himself.

At this time, a staff officer volunteered to report, "According to the confession of the captured Japanese naval colonel, Hara Tameichi, the captain of the Yahagi, and combined with the naval aviation's combat log from that day, the Kitakami sank in two sections after the oxygen torpedo detonated. She is essentially worthless to salvage."

"The Yahagi was simply hit by a torpedo, which caused it to take on water and capsize. Our preliminary assessment suggests that, as long as there's no damage to vital areas like the keel and boilers, the Yahagi can be salvaged and repaired to quickly return to combat effectiveness."

Zhang Chi and Zhang Guangjun nodded at the same time. After all, the Yahagi was a cruiser with a full load of nearly 8000 tons. It would be great if they could seize the Japanese ships and use them themselves!

"Are there any technical difficulties?" Zhang Chi asked at the right moment, "For example, in terms of salvage operations? And maintenance?"

The staff officer gathered his words and replied, "As for repairs, there's a ready-made slipway at the Sembawang Naval Base in Singapore. However, the armor steel and various power components required for repairs may require additional procurement."

The staff officer blushed as he spoke.

There is no way. The shipbuilding capacity of the Anmin Army is still very weak, and even the construction of large civilian ships is still in the exploratory stage. Components such as high-hardness armor steel for warships and large-caliber naval guns cannot be produced by themselves, so they can only place orders with White Eagle.

Zhang Chi waved his hand: "It's not your fault. It all comes down to us being too full. Let's take it slow."

The industrial production line exchange coupons in Zhang Chi's hands are mainly used in future-oriented high-tech industries such as medicine, chemicals, and semiconductors. On the contrary, heavy industries such as metallurgy and steelmaking have always relied on imports from foreign channels such as Baiying and Yidai.

Considering that many Japanese major generals and lieutenant generals were killed in this battle to the south, Zhang Chi, who had ample funds, decided to directly exchange for a full set of production lines in the fields of special steel and other materials after a while.

"By the way, what about the salvage operation?"

"Ahem..." Zhang Guangjun coughed twice and looked at Zhang Chi, "We contacted a company called White Eagle. They are not only willing to help with the salvage, but also willing to transfer the entire set of buoyancy technology and equipment to us..."

Zhang Chi was amused. So, he was asked to attend the meeting just to ask him for money?