Rise of the Argentine Empire

This time, the City Defense Force, as a quasi-military unit, surpassed the National Defense Force, a first-tier military unit, by half a level, triggering a storm of public opinion among the upper echelons of Ke City, partly due to self-promotion by the City Defense Force.

Although this competition was at the level of a military exercise, and perhaps not even quite a military exercise, the process was full of twists and turns and quite challenging.

Local families and local councilors also gained more confidence in the local City Defense Force, and their hearts leaned towards them, as they naturally trusted locals more than outsiders.

Saint Hesser has officially entered the sights of the upper echelons of Cordoba City, gaining access and receiving some attention. As the most dazzling figure in this military exercise, he used his position as a military instructor to lead soldiers from the poorest background, the Gauchos, to defeat all brother units and become the champion of the military exercise. This was truly remarkable.

The news of the victory also spread throughout the province of Cordoba. Several newspapers with large circulations, such as the Argentina Sun, the Cordoba Honest People's News, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Cordoba Truth News, all reported extensively, calling this victory "A Victory from the Common People," "The Great Victory of Our Cordoba Local Army," and "The Hero of the People of Cordoba Province."

Many newspapers, in pursuit of circulation from this major news event, engaged in extensive boasting, even including a photo of Saint Hesser's back, making him a minor celebrity in the city.

Although they didn't know who Saint Hesser Cohen was, they knew he came from the City Defense Force of our province. The province of Cordoba under the rule of the City Defense Force was doing quite well. Many middle-aged men had served in the City Defense Force and had some affection for it. At the very least, Little Thompson was doing quite well in this regard.

......

The two military bigwigs, Colonel Martin and Colonel Little Thompson, jointly awarded Saint Hesser a medal of honor, which became a popular story for a time.

The results of this military exercise were also reported to the Ministry of Defense and the Military House of Representatives, earning the praise of the councilors and the Minister of Defense. Although the National Defense Force lost to the City Defense Force, akin to a biological son losing to a stepson, it prompted the entire Peron military government to pay more attention to military exercises.

The more than twenty City Defense Forces upgraded from militia units in various regions also received some attention. This quasi-military system of local infantry soldiers numbered about 70,000, accounting for one-third of the national army. The Cordoba City Defense Force was already one of the largest City Defense Forces in the country, on par with the Capital City Defense Army.

The Ministry of Defense increased investment in the local army in next year's military budget, allocating more military spending and distributing some inventory that the National Defense Force was preparing to phase out to the local City Defense Forces, such as military jeeps, rifles, and helmets.

On the day the military exercise ended, Saint Hesser was rapidly promoted from First Sergeant to Warrant Officer, with Commander Little Thompson personally officiating the ceremony. Currently, upgrading from the sergeant level to the warrant officer rank does not require approval from the Ministry of Defense and can be conferred by the regimental military commander, followed by reporting to the Ministry of Defense.

Little Thompson also encouraged Saint Hesser. As the entire City Defense Force applauded, Saint Hesser's eyes momentarily turned red.

"From now on, you are Warrant Officer Saint Hesser. I knew I didn't misjudge you. Work hard in the future, and I hope there will be opportunities for further advancement," Little Thompson said.

Commander Little Thompson also received a commendation telegram from the Ministry of Defense. His mustache twitched with satisfaction as he looked at Saint Hesser. This time was a significant addition to his resume, showcasing his abilities. Perhaps he might have the opportunity to become a Major General in the future. This step had blocked many people.

"Thank you for the Commander's cultivation and the support of the City Defense Force brothers. I couldn't have achieved this result without you. I dare not take the credit. This is the result of the support of all the City Defense Force soldiers. I only made a small contribution," Saint Hesser said earnestly, his voice slightly choked.

"I will definitely continue to work hard in the future, closely following the Commander, learning and progressing more, and contributing my share to the construction of the City Defense Force and building a better future," Saint Hesser said, displaying a well-behaved, diligent, and eager-to-learn attitude, clinging tightly to this influential figure and expressing his loyalty.

"Yes, keep it up," Little Thompson was even more satisfied. This Comrade Little Sai was not arrogant or impetuous and was indeed performing well. He was also getting older, so perhaps he could be a matchmaker or something in the future.

The cheers and applause of the City Defense Force soldiers grew louder. Aragon and others lifted Saint Hesser up and tossed him into the air, experiencing the feeling of being a flying man.

Little Thompson looked at his City Defense Force subordinates and announced that, except for necessary patrol personnel, they would have a day off and ordered the military camp kitchen to purchase some fresh meat and vegetables to prepare some traditional Argentine dishes for a full army celebration.

On this day, Saint Hesser, as the protagonist of the promotion ceremony, also gained more recognition from the soldiers and officers within the City Defense Force.

Including the other nine instructors, they also put aside many prejudices. After all, the people in the army are relatively pure. If you are strong, I will naturally think highly of you.

For example, Second Lieutenant Hahn Krudich was one of them. He had many conversations with Saint Hesser. This Krudich had graduated from the Argentine Military Academy less than a year ago and was already twenty years old this year. He started as a Warrant Officer and would automatically become a Second Lieutenant in half a year.

He used to look down on mud-legged guys like Saint Hesser, thinking that Saint Hesser was just good at flattering. He didn't expect that the team he led was one of the best in the City Defense Force, but it was much worse than Saint Hesser's, only winning seventh place. The first five were all from the National Defense Force, and the seventh place was already the second best in the City Defense Force.

This fellow chatted with Saint Hesser for a long time and was directly convinced. After all, Saint Hesser could be considered experienced and spoke eloquently about these so-called experiences.

"Hey, Saint-Hesse, although your training methods don't quite align with what my teachers taught me when I was at military academy, like folding blankets and marching in formation, does this stuff really work? To defeat the enemy, don't we need better equipment and such...?" Krudich organized his words before speaking.

"Military equipment is indeed important, but the most important thing is the role of people. Even if the equipment is a bit inferior, the combat effectiveness of a united and scientifically trained army is very strong. Don't think that the National Defense Force is already the strongest army in our country. In fact, its combat strength is relatively poor, and many of its military ideas are already outdated," Saint-Hesse paused, looked at Krudich, and continued.

"Currently, the two most powerful armies in the world are the Soviet army and, barely, the American army. But I think there is another army that is also very powerful, but you just don't know it. Its military organization ability and combat effectiveness are truly unparalleled. It is a truly modern army."

"Which country is it? You'll know in a few years. It will rise again and confront the two world superpowers..." Saint-Hesse secretly said to Krudich.

"What you're saying sounds pretty impressive..." Krudich widened his eyes, looking incredulous.

Saint-Hesse wore a mysterious smile on his face, remaining silent for a long time. Krudich also completely abandoned his academic prejudices and began to study these wars and military governance ideas, often consulting Saint-Hesse with questions, which Saint-Hesse answered one by one.

...

This time, the City Defense Army received commendations from the Ministry of Defense.

Those who performed outstandingly within other military camps also received internal promotions. For example, Aragon was promoted from Private First Class to Corporal. Because Saint-Hesse didn't have a university degree, otherwise Saint-Hesse could have been promoted to Second Lieutenant. This was also the first Gaucho to hold the rank of Warrant Officer.

Argentina's military strength before the Falklands War could indeed be considered its peak period, with the navy alone having more than 100,000 people, and the army also having hundreds of thousands.

It is expected that in the near future, the City Defense Army will dominate the political situation in Córdoba Province, with the National Defense Force as the second in command, forming a new political balance.

Of course, this so-called new situation remains to be tested. In addition to Córdoba City, which covers more than 500 square kilometers, the other 160,000 square kilometers of land in Córdoba Province, the areas outside the city can basically be said to be the suburbs of the province.

Some cities outside the province are simply called towns, such as Maria Town, while others are counties, such as San Justo County, the largest lake in Córdoba Province, next to Lake Chiquita. To put it simply, it's just chickens pecking at each other, a slightly lower level.

Of course, the population in these areas is quite dispersed. Córdoba City accounts for one-third of the province's population, while the other dozens of towns account for two-thirds.

According to what Saint-Hesse saw in the Argentine National Gazette of 1950, the population of Córdoba Province was less than 2 million.

What is the concept? The area of this province is about the same size as the later Qilu Province of China, and the climate is similar to that of Qinling Province, or even better. After all, the northern part of Qinling Province is close to the desert grassland area, and there has been soil erosion.

According to this population growth rate, in another seventy years, the population will grow to about 3.5 million.

That's roughly equivalent to one-thirtieth of Qilu Province or one-eleventh of Qinling Province.

If Argentina continues to develop based on its own population growth rate, it is likely to get worse and worse. The so-called industrialization is the best contraceptive. Argentina's population base is too small. Currently, at Saint-Hesse's level, he can only rely on ideas such as foreign immigration.

...

Of course, this is not something Saint-Hesse needs to consider. Now the cannery has encountered some bottlenecks, which is very simple: the market is almost saturated. Except for the capital, where complete victory has not yet been achieved, Meda brand canned goods have basically entered the national market, with only the jewel in Argentina's crown, the city of Buenos Aires, remaining.

Compared to the market scale of later generations, Argentina's market of less than 20 million people is really not enough. Recently, Saint-Hesse has also been worried about this matter, whether to continue to expand production, cultivate the market and export, or expand the category scale and produce other products.

This is also the future development direction of the cannery: how to develop better and faster, accumulate more funds, and later get involved in heavy industries such as steel smelting, coal, mining, cement, petrochemicals, shipbuilding, and even military industries, such as aircraft manufacturing, which is Saint-Hesse's ultimate dream.

Only heavy industry is the foundation of national prosperity and strength. Saint-Hesse's ambition will certainly not be limited to a small food company, but that's all he can do now. Earning money is not easy. Saint-Hesse specifically went to San Martin Square this time, looking at the stone statue of the liberator San Martin, with many flowers offered by people in the city.

Looking at this national hero who liberated South America, Saint-Hesse was momentarily filled with emotion.

"South American Liberator - San Martin," Saint-Hesse stood quietly for more than thirty minutes, without saying another word, just watching quietly.

Finally, because the weather was really a bit cold, Saint-Hesse hurriedly returned to his residence.