Xiao Yu wasn't distracted by learning; he was addicted to computer games!

This isn't a minor issue; his obsession with computer games not only affects his work but also impacts his marital relationship. Han Yu feels that Xiao Yu cannot be allowed to continue his addiction.

As soon as he gets home, he calls Liu Guixiang, Director Zhao, and other individuals, suggesting they adopt a dual approach to investigating theft cases within the river systems.

The investigation onshore should proceed as usual while also organizing forces to patrol onboard the river systems.

The recent spate of thefts, though not as large in monetary terms compared to insider theft cases that were previously resolved, has had a very negative impact.

Moreover, New Year's Day is fast approaching, and shortly after that is the Spring Festival. If the cases aren't solved quickly, how can the numerous crew members enjoy a peaceful and harmonious Spring Festival?

Liu Guixiang and Zhao Hongxing believe the approach is feasible, and Li Jun has arranged for the Border Guards to get involved in the patrols.

Even though Xiao Yu, like Liu Guixiang, is a Deputy Director-level cadre, Liu Guixiang is the Deputy Division Commander of the Criminal Investigation team. The case he is working on is extremely serious, and hence Xiao Yu has been seconded into the "Joint Special Task Force," starting his day and night patrol duties.

Yu Zhen is very pleased and calls Han Yu to express her gratitude.

Just when Han Yu is amused yet feeling helpless about them, Vice Commander Yu from the East Sea Base and Adviser Wu from Navy Headquarters arrive in Binjiang. After visiting the retired veterans at the Navy Retirement Home, they head to the Rescue Boat Team to attend the awards ceremony without missing a beat.

Secretary Lu is at a provincial meeting, Mayor Wang is also not at home, so Vice Mayor Qin and Military District leaders are in attendance.

The awards ceremony, though brief, was solemn. Vice Commander Yu personally read out the merit orders and personally awarded medals and certificates to Han Yu and other officers from the Rescue Boat Team.

Regarding bonuses, they will be distributed on behalf of the Binjiang Navy Retirement House.

Adviser Wu, entrusted by the Navy's Political Department, awarded "Outstanding Reserve Officer" and "Outstanding Reserve Soldier" certificates to eight reserve officers, including Han Yu.

Vice Commander Yu is a Lieutenant General. When a General arrives, the Military District must host.

The banquet was arranged by the Military District and didn't use the Rescue Boat Team's funds.

After dinner, Vice Mayor Qin, Commander Wang, Political Commissioner Chen, accompanied Vice Commander Yu to play cards. Meanwhile, Han Yu went to Adviser Wu's room for a chat.

"Brother, I benefited from you this time."

"Are you kidding? You're a headquarters adviser; it's me who benefited from you!"

"I'm not joking." Adviser Wu touched his forehead, looking a bit embarrassed, and said, "If it weren't for joining your ship for dinner the night of the earthquake, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to earn a Second-class Merit."

"You earned a Second-class Merit!"

"Yes, not just me, Old Wang and Old Liu as well."

"You got lucky; during the earthquake, you were right at the anchorage, and since your rank was among the highest, you naturally had to organize the rescue."

There are so many officers participating in exercises; among them are hundreds of Generals. To stand out in the exercise is really challenging!

Adviser Wu genuinely appreciated Han Yu, seeing him genuinely happy. Still, saying more thanks felt insincere, so he simply laughed and asked, "Salted Fish, are you interested in the Olympics?"

Han Yu was puzzled by the question and said, "Watching our Chinese athletes win gold medals is interesting and exciting, but I'm not very interested in sports events."

"Not interested?"

"Don't laugh at me, but I only saw a ping-pong table when I got to middle school, and until graduation, I hadn't seen anyone play football. I went to elementary school in a rural area, where there was nothing. We were poor back then, and I couldn't afford a paddle. I started school early and was short, and even if basketball was taught, it wouldn't have been my turn."

Han Yu thought for a moment and then smiled, "You're talking about the Olympics, which is next year, right?"

"Yes, next year."

"If I'm not mistaken, next year's Olympics will be in Sydney; how does that relate to us?"

Adviser Wu smiled and said, "If you're interested in the Olympics, you'll have to watch it every day and can't go far or do anything else. But since you're not interested, you can go far away at that time."

Han Yu realized what he meant and happily asked, "Where to, is there a drill again next year?"

"I don't know if there'll be a drill next year, but I know we're going to organize two fleet groups for a visit: one group visiting cities like Seattle in the United States, the other visiting Africa."

"Can you take me to see the world?"

Adviser Wu hesitated for a moment and said with some embarrassment, "It's not taking you to see the world; if you're interested, you can take us to travel far."

"Me taking you, what a joke."

"I'm really not joking." Adviser Wu took a deep breath and asked, "Everyone knows Zengmu Ansha is ours, but do you know when our Navy first went to Zengmu Ansha?"

Han Yu was stumped by the question and slightly shook his head.

Adviser Wu bitterly smiled and said, "In May 1983, our fleet spent 30 nights, covering a journey of 6,720 nautical miles, and first reached Zengmu Ansha. The fleet included the 'Binjiang Ship' named after your Binjiang!"

Since childhood, teachers declared Zengmu Ansha as our territory, yet it wasn't until May 1983 that our naval vessels went there; that's quite disappointing.

Han Yu was unsure of what to say next when Adviser Wu continued, "You understand our situation; we seldom travel far, unfamiliar with routes, ocean currents, and conditions of ports along the route. Facing some unexpected situations, we're unsure how to respond; not well-versed in international conventions, and our English isn't that good. So, every time we go on visits, we ask the Ministry of Transport to arrange a garrison liaison officer, just like Teacher Xia and Instructor Wang, those escort captains."

"You haven't gone to Africa before?"

"No, this is our first time."

"How long will you be gone?"

"We're planning to visit countries like Malaysia along the way, and it should take about two months."

The escort captain generally comes from the maritime system and nautical academies, mainly responsible for communicating with the Ministry of Transport's search and rescue center and maritime and port authorities of various countries along the route. When passing through busy waterways like the Malacca Strait, they coordinate with merchant ships from other nations to ensure navigational safety.

Those qualified to serve as "escort captain" include staff from the maritime system and teachers from nautical academies, primarily from shipping companies like Cosco, and are all experienced captains.

Due to salary and social status reasons, most experienced captains are reluctant to work in the Maritime Bureau or teach at nautical schools. After all, they see limited promotion opportunities in either the maritime system or academia.

In short, there are not many candidates capable of taking on this task.

Thinking about this, Han Yu couldn't help but smile and ask, "Can I go? Am I qualified?"

"Although you are not a First-level captain of an ocean-going vessel, your experience is evident. You've even participated in the transport of Big Shark. As long as you're willing, the superiors will definitely approve." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"How large is the visiting fleet?"

"Not large, consisting of two ships—one missile frigate and one supply ship."

"Are you going?"

"The fleet's ships are drawn from the fleet. Although a temporary visiting fleet command post will be set up, the personnel for the command post mainly come from the fleet, leaving very few spots for headquarters personnel. Originally, I didn't have the chance, but thanks to your influence, I was awarded a Second-class Merit, and the superiors decided to arrange for me to participate in the visit next year."

"Is it to the United States or Africa?"

"There's no chance for me to go to the United States, so it'll be Africa for me."

Having not been abroad for many years, Han Yu felt a bit restless, smiling and asking him, "Do I really have a chance to be an escort captain?"

Adviser Wu smiled and confirmed, "The preparatory work before the visit is under Captain Fang's responsibility, and he asked me to inquire about this matter from you."

"Is Captain Fang going?"

"Yes, he is the Political Commissioner of the visiting fleet."

"Who is the commander?"

"The ships for the African fleet are drawn from the South Sea Fleet. By convention, the visiting fleet commander is the South Sea Fleet's Chief of Staff."

Teacher Xia has served as an escort captain on the Xue Long research vessel.

Instructor Wang served as the escort captain for the navy fleet's first around-the-world voyage.

Han Yu is both an anti-smuggling police officer and a sailor. If he once considered pilots as the captains of captains, now he feels that only by serving as an escort captain for research teams or the navy can one be truly called a captain among captains!

This is the highest pursuit of a sailor, and one might even say it's a dream.

The more Han Yu thought about it, the more excited he became, chuckling, "Count me interested!"

"Then you need to quickly study the routes and the conditions of the ports along the way."

"No problem, Binjiang has a shipping management company, and even our hometown Linghai does. I know many captains and can humbly learn from them."

"Moreover, you can't join the ship as an anti-smuggling police officer or take the mission as a reserve officer. You need to figure out a way quickly, communicate with your alma mater, and see if you can participate in the selection as a practical training teacher from your alma mater."

"Why?"

"We can't bypass the Ministry of Transport. If we find our own people this time, they won't help us the next time."

Every time they travel far, they must have the Ministry of Transport arrange for experienced captains to guide them. Bypassing the Ministry of Transport on this visit is not appropriate.

Han Yu understood and proudly said, "There's no problem on my school's side. I'm actually a special lecturer there and often went to give lectures. The school even paid me lecture fees!"

"You have a side income!"

"Uh-huh."

"You're really something, kid. By the way, what do you teach at school?"

"Initially, it was ship firefighting safety, then how to handle PSC inspections and international conventions."

"Why don't you go and teach now?"

"I don't have time now, but my wife often goes to teach. She just transferred to Changzhou Maritime Office; before the transfer, she was the chief of safety inspection at Binjiang Maritime Bureau, responsible for PSC inspections."

"Living off the water, you two sure are something!" Adviser Wu admired, patting him on the arm, "Brother, it's settled. I'll report to Captain Fang when I get back."

"Settled, it's been years since I've been abroad. This is a good opportunity to broaden my horizons."

"Going on a visit is not like transporting Big Shark. By then, overseas Chinese and representatives of Chinese institutions along the way will give us a warm welcome, and the ambassador will personally receive us at the port. We even plan to host a deck reception on the ship, inviting local Chinese onto the ship for a tour. Just thinking about the scene is exciting, you definitely won't regret it."

"I didn't regret transporting Big Shark either, but you're right, visiting is more interesting than transporting Big Shark."

...

P.S.: For naval fleet visits or long-range missions, the "escort captain" arranged by the transportation system is always onboard.

Initially, experienced old ship captains were genuinely invited to "guide the way." Now, the "escort captain" mainly handles communication and coordination with merchant ships, like the Aden Bay escort mission, which requires professionals to communicate with merchant ships.

From not daring to travel without a guide to taking on major national responsibilities by escorting merchant ships from different countries, it's a huge step forward!