Chapter 699 Pre-war Layout
At the beginning of the new year in 1632, Victory Port, Luhuitou Army Base.
"It's so awkward to stand in line! Look at the back of your head in front of you, don't look away! Look away! Look away!" Gu Wei reprimanded the bewildered recruit in a loud voice, spitting on the unfortunate guy's face.
The winter conscription work in Hainan Island in 1631 has ended. In the past few days, young people who signed up to serve from various states and counties have arrived at Victory Port to report to the camp. The objects of Gu Wei's reprimand were the more than 40 recruits who had just arrived here after a day's boat ride from Lingshui.
Most of these young people are not natives of Hainan Island, but immigrants introduced from the mainland in the past year or two. For the people of this era, joining the army is not a good choice. The Ming Dynasty Guard System has long since collapsed to the point where it is unsustainable. For example, in the original Yazhou, the Guards already existed in name only, otherwise the Chuanchuan Group would not have existed. Yulingang was chosen as the landing place without any scruples. However, for the immigrants introduced in the past two years, joining the army is a shortcut to obtain Haihan naturalized citizenship, which is a necessary condition for them to gain a foothold.
Compared with the early days of its inception, the Haihan Civil Affairs Department today has stricter definitions and treatment differences for naturalized citizenship. If immigrants do not have the patience to wait for the inspection period ranging from three months to one year, the fastest way to naturalize is to be naturalized today. soldiers. On the wall of the village committee of every resettlement village, there are uniform recruitment slogans similar to "One person enlists in the army, the whole family is naturalized". This kind of treatment is indeed very attractive to immigrants who are eager to take root in the local area. . Moreover, the pay for soldiers of the Haihan Militia is not low. It is slightly better than traditional occupations such as farming and work. From an economic point of view, it is also a good way to make a living.
In addition, these immigrants had seen the Haihan militia when they came to Hainan Island from the mainland. The neatly dressed, loaded with live ammunition, and strict military discipline militia soldiers left an impression on the young immigrants that was completely different from the Ming Dynasty's army. In addition, Shanghai Han's unique propaganda methods have built the Shanghai Han Militia into a majestic image of the Salvation Army, which is indeed extremely attractive to passionate young people. For example, the current group of recruits from Lingshui all come from the same immigrant village. The current total population of this village is less than 800 people, about half of whom are young men, and the proportion of people who have signed up for the army has exceeded one-tenth. , which is already a pretty good result in the Haihan jurisdiction where the recruitment system is adopted.
Of course, it is not easy to turn these young people who have not received any military training into soldiers who obey orders and are not afraid of sacrifice. They need to complete two months of basic training at the Luhuitou Army Camp before proceeding to the next step of assignment to arms. For example, artillery, snipers, scouts, engineers and other professional arms that have higher requirements for skills must be further selected from those who have completed recruit training, and then undergo professional training. The training cycle is longer than that of recruit training. Much longer.
However, for Gu Wei, who is responsible for training new recruits in the Haihan Army, bringing these new recruits is simply more laborious and laborious than going to the battlefield himself. Many people can't even tell the difference between left and right when they join the army. When standing in line, they need to constantly scold or even take action to make these people understand their instructions.
The reason why these recruits were distracted today was not only because they were not familiar with military training instructions, but also because the regular army of the Haihan Militia that was gathering in front of them made it difficult for them to concentrate on executing the orders of their commanders.
Next to the training ground for new recruits is a standard 400-meter sports field. At this time, three army companies have gathered on this field, as well as mountains of various combat equipment and supplies. Yan Chujie, the top leader of the Haihan military, is They were given pre-departure instructions in front of the soldiers. For the new recruits who had just joined the camp, this was the first time they saw the Haihan Militia forming an organized formation moving out of the camp. This formation indeed made them feel novel and shocked, and at the same time a little bit envious. Because it is said that the destination of this unit is Hong Kong Island at the Pearl River Estuary, and according to military regulations, such units stationed in other places can also enjoy additional allowances and subsidies, which can feed at least one more person every month. .
"Report to the leader, I have a question and ask for advice!" Someone in the team raised their hands and shouted.
Gu Wei looked back and saw a young junior with fair complexion, so he walked over and stood in front of him: "Ask me!"
"When I joined the army, the military commander who recruited me said that I could be stationed in Fujian in the future. I wonder if this is really the arrangement?" the young junior asked.
"Are you from Fujian?" Gu Wei heard that he spoke with an obvious Minnan accent and guessed the purpose of asking this question.
"The villain was born in Putian, Fujian. He joined Haihan alone in order to return to Fujian one day and avenge his family!" The young man responded bitterly.
"Revenge?" Gu Wei shook his head when he heard this and said: "If you join the army because of personal grudges, then I suggest you put away such thoughts as soon as possible. This army will not fulfill your desire to fight bravely. Personal wishes.”
"The villain's family of seventeen were all massacred by the pirate Shiba Zhi last year. Only the villain escaped with his life, and the government was unable to bring the real culprit to justice. The villain heard that the Haihan Militia and Shiba Zhi were at odds with each other, so they came not far away. Those who have come all the way to Qiongzhou Island to surrender to the army should go to the commander for help!" As he spoke, the young man fell to his knees and lay on the ground, which caught Gu Wei off guard.
It is true that many people were killed by Shiba Zhi in the coastal areas of Fujian. Although in the past two years, as the war situation has changed, the number of large-scale attacks by Shiba Zhi on Fujian's major coastal ports has become less and less, but they will still organize small-scale attacks from time to time. of looting operations. On the one hand, they rob people of their property and food. On the other hand, they also rob people and transport them to Penghu and the west coast of Taiwan for reclamation to make up for the lack of grain production in Shibazhi.
When Gu Wei heard such a reason, it was hard for him to rebuke this young man. After all, there were so many new recruits on the scene, and his attitude would probably affect these new recruits' perception of the Haihan Militia as a collective.
Gu Wei thought for a while and said: "Since it is the revenge of the family, it is indeed a different matter. What is your name?"
"The villain's original surname was Gu. After something happened at home, he gave up his original name. Now he uses the word Qiu to remind himself not to forget about revenge!" The young man responded in his mouth, but still lay on the ground without moving.
"Gu Chou?" Gu Wei said in a deep voice: "After two months, if you can successfully complete the recruit training and assessment, I will make the decision and recommend you to serve in Fujian. Maybe you will have the opportunity to avenge your family with your own hands on the battlefield. What do you think?" "Thank you, Chief!" Gu Chou kowtowed three times before getting up and saying, "I can't wait to leave for Fujian tomorrow and fight for the militia!"
"You should be a scholar, right?" Gu Wei looked at the young man's appearance and said, "I will give you two months to learn how to kill the enemy, so that when you go to the battlefield in the future, not only will you not be able to avenge yourself, but you will also die in vain. That’s not a good deal!”
Gu Chou bowed his head and replied: "The lesson learned from the leader is right. I have wasted several years studying and have forgotten this basic principle. From now on, I must train well, and please don't forget to promise the villain. ! ”
Situations like Gu Chou's are not uncommon among the Haihan army. During the chaos in Guangdong two years ago, many of the immigrants Haihan introduced from the mainland were victims of banditry and their families were destroyed. . Among them, many young men chose to join the army to realize their desire to avenge their families. Therefore, Gu Wei still has some experience in dealing with the ideological crux of such people. As long as it is used properly, it can boost morale to a certain extent and increase the cohesion of the army towards new recruits.
"Stand at attention! Turn right!" Gu Wei ordered loudly.
The reactions of the new recruits were still mixed. Gu Wei scolded and used his feet to make two or three of the soldiers who turned in the wrong direction realize their mistakes. After everyone turned in the right direction, Gu Wei also walked to the team and shouted: "Salute!"
The recruits learned this action very quickly, and they all raised their right hands to the side of their heads in a military salute. Opposite them were the militia troops marching out of the camp in four columns. After leaving the camp, they will board the ship directly at the pier of Luhuitou Peninsula and then head to Hong Kong Island.
However, what the new recruits don't know is that the departing militia troops are not going to rotate their colleagues stationed there. Instead, they will be temporarily stationed there for one to two months before heading directly to Fujian to prepare for the next stage of military operations. .
The reason for stationing on Hong Kong Island for a period of time is mainly to prevent large-scale military mobilization from attracting the attention of the Shibazhi. In this way, the participating troops will be transferred to Fujian bit by bit in stages, which can deceive others. , it can also give the troops more time to adapt to the local climate, diet and other environmental conditions in Fujian, and be as fully prepared as possible before going to war.
In addition to the army base on the Luhuitou Peninsula, small-scale troop mobilizations like this are taking place all over Hainan Island. The Military Commission's action plan is to arrange as many troops with combat experience as possible to participate in military operations in Fujian during the year, and some of the recruits who enlisted last year will take on the important task of protecting Hainan Island during the war. As for the new batch of people who have just entered the military camp and reported to the army, they will probably be able to be stationed and serve locally by the time the war starts.
At the same time, Nangang, a town on Hong Kong Island.
The port town that was originally bustling with traffic has now become quiet as the merchants have relocated and evacuated. At present, all merchants have moved their shops to Causeway Bay in the north, where there is a trade zone built under the auspices of the Ministry of Commerce. Its development scale will far exceed that of Zhennan Port, which is narrow in area, and will become the most important port in the Pearl River Estuary in the future. trading port.
Zhennan Port's shops, warehouses, hotels and other facilities belonging to many commercial firms are also undergoing orderly renovation. The militia has requisitioned all local properties. After renovation, these buildings will be used as barracks and warehouses for the troops. use. The size of the garrison at Zhennan Port and Ap Lei Island will soon break the previous record. In the first quarter of 1632, the Military Commission planned to mobilize two reinforced battalions of land forces and a fleet of fifteen ships. The formed fleet is deployed here, and the garrison is estimated to be about 3,000 people.
In order to allow the troops to be stationed smoothly, everyone in the Guangdong office became busy. Except for food that can be transported from Hainan Island, most other daily necessities need to be purchased nearby in the mainland to save costs. Fortunately, Haihan's purchases have always been in bulk, so no one will notice anything special about the recent purchase list issued by the Guangdong Office.
At the Pearl River Wharf outside Guangzhou, several merchant ships under the Haihan Shipping Department transport various purchased materials to Zhennang Port once a week. In addition, there are dozens of partner merchant ships that shuttle between Sanya and Zhennang Port in different batches, secretly transporting combat materials to Zhennang Port that even the crew members do not know the contents of.
February 4, 1632, the fourth day of the first lunar month of the fifth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, was the beginning of spring.
The Haihan Exclusive Pier on the west side of Kinmen Island ushered in a fleet without any flags or identification marks. After the fleet docked, all the people who filed off the boat were young and strong men, and each of them carried a A large canvas marching rucksack. This is the first batch of participating troops to arrive on Kinmen Island. It consists of an amphibious combat company and an artillery company, with a total of more than 400 people. And with the arrival of this force, it symbolizes that Haihan's combat plan against Penghu has officially begun. In the next two to three months, at least two to three reinforced army battalions and more than two naval fleets will arrive here. At that time, after rest and recuperation, the military will find a period with better sea conditions and launch an operation against the old nest of Penghu Shibazhi.
In addition to Haihan's participating troops, the Fujian government also secretly mobilized the province's elite troops to concentrate in Zhangquan Prefecture. Although the combat effectiveness of the Ming Dynasty official army is not as good as that of the Haihan militia, as an allied force acting in coordination, the Fujian government will also send at least 3,000 troops to participate in this battle, and Xu Xinsu will also plan this attack on Shibazhi Seeing it as a rare opportunity, after all, only in such actual combat can our troops learn the essence of the Haihan people's combat thinking to the maximum extent. Xu Xinsu even started to form a military observation group as early as last year, and recruited almost all the young talents in the army. She was waiting to send these young officers to the Haihan Militia Army when the war started to learn the navy up close. How the Han people commanded operations and responded to various situations that occurred on the battlefield. Such a battle would probably be more effective than if they went to Sanya to study abroad for a few months.
(End of chapter)