Chapter 1227 Continue training
Marcus' impassioned statement made Han Zhengshan stunned for a moment, and it took a long time before he responded: "Platoon Leader Ma is really... really... brave!"
Han Zhengshan did not expect that this alien black man had been brainwashed to such an extent. Even the concept of "incense offering" had been deeply ingrained in his heart. His loyalty to Haihan was probably much stronger than that of most citizens. At least new Haihan citizens like Han Zhengshan will never associate the act of "sacrifice for the country" with themselves. However, it can also be seen from this that Marcus is really obsessed with fighting. Even though he knows that the battlefield is extremely risky, he still wants to have the opportunity to complete his mission as a soldier.
Marcus didn't take it seriously and said: "It's your duty, don't dare to slack off! Heroism cannot be called bravery. After all, I have no record yet. It's just that every time I hear news about other troops fighting, I can't help but feel itchy in my heart."
Han Zhengshan was shocked by Marcus' belligerence and couldn't help but ask: "Platoon Leader Ma, before you joined the army... I mean before you came to Haihan, what did you do in your hometown?"< br>
When Han Zhengshan was inspecting Ambona Island, he heard about the deeds of foreign slaves who were trafficked here and were selected into the army because of their good physical condition. Marcus was obviously one of them. But it was obviously difficult to discuss such a background directly, so Han Zhengshan asked the question more tactfully.
"I was a warrior at that time!" Marcus replied seriously: "But my weapons were only spears and daggers, and I couldn't defeat those slave traders with them! Those white people captured my tribal leader, so I only Can surrender in exchange for his safety."
Han Zhengshan thought to himself that it’s no wonder, Marcus has been in this business before, that’s why he is so bellicose. Now that he had opened up the conversation, he continued to ask: "If you have the opportunity to return to your hometown in the future, what would you choose?"
Marcus was silent for a while and then said: "It would be great if I could go back, but no matter where I go, I, Marcus, am a Haihan! This identity will never change again!"
When Han Zhengshan heard this, it seemed that this man was determined to work for Haihan. But it actually makes sense when you think about it. After all, Marcus had been reduced to a commodity for sale when he left his hometown. He only regained his life after arriving in Haihan. Moreover, Marcus now has the status of a junior officer and has learned fluent Haihan Mandarin. This is enough to show that Chief Roger still values him somewhat. Marcus wants to repay this favor of rebirth. It is also a reasonable thing.
"It's getting late. Let's go back and rest. We have to go to work tomorrow morning." Marcus didn't seem to want to continue discussing this difficult topic, so he decisively ended the conversation and urged Han Zhengshan to leave.
Although Han Zhengshan felt physically and mentally tired after training, he didn't get a good rest at night. Marcus, who shared the same room with him, snored loudly and continuously, like rolling thunder. Han Zhengshan didn't know how long he spent rolling around before falling asleep. Anyway, when he woke up, he still felt that he was seriously sleep deprived.
It was naturally not Marcus's snoring that woke him up, but the wake-up call that sounded in the camp in the morning. Fortunately, the immigration camps and training bases he stayed in during his stay in Sanya had similar arrangements, so he would not be thrown into confusion by the sudden sound of the trumpet. After getting up, Han Zhengshan washed up step by step, and then went to the playground to gather with Marcus.
Exercising in the early morning is really torture for people who are sleep deprived. Han Zhengshan had to steel himself to complete the collective task of running circles around the playground. Although considering his specific situation, Marcus only assigned him two laps, and the running length was half that of others, it still made Han Zhengshan sweat profusely.
After the run, they had breakfast together, but Han Zhengshan followed Marcus to eat in the officers' mess, so he didn't have to wait in a long line like ordinary soldiers. One of the biggest benefits of being a soldier in Haihan is that he is well fed and well fed. Therefore, Han Zhengshan can understand why there are many foreigners like Marcus who were born slaves. They will stay in the army and serve in peace and contentment. Their food, clothing, housing and transportation are all the responsibility of the Haihan official. For these people, the military camp may be much better than their previous living environment, so there will naturally be no resistance.
As for abiding by military disciplines and orders, and even loyalty to the country of Haihan, they can be slowly accumulated through daily training, changing from quantitative to qualitative changes. Marcus is undoubtedly a very vivid example in this regard.
Half a day in the morning was still boring queue training. In Marcus' words, this was to "consolidate the results of yesterday's training." In the afternoon, we started to get down to business, teaching some of the most basic tactics and corresponding training items based on the standard weapons equipped by the militia.
In Haihan, the vast majority of militia troops are still equipped with cold weapons based on spears. The production and training costs of such weapons are very low, and the storage of equipment does not require too much thought. Moreover, it is easier for spearmen to cooperate with the regular troops of Haihan Army. After all, before Haihan came to this time and space, the most advanced tactic of this era was the mixed formation of spearmen and musketeers. For example, it was historically known as " The Spanish phalanx "Flower of Infantry" used this combination to dominate the European battlefields in the 16th century, and it maintained Spain's military advantage for hundreds of years.
The spears equipped by Haihan are certainly not as exaggerated as Spanish spears. After all, Haihan has a greater performance advantage in muskets and is relatively less dependent on spearmen. The regular army has even completely abolished the establishment of spearmen. , only the militia continues to retain this arm.
Of course, there are also musketeers in the militia, but the number is relatively small, and in many cases retired soldiers take on this task to reduce training costs and the risks of using musketeers.
As the local peace officer, Han Zhengshan will be the direct commander of the militia forces, so he naturally has to be familiar with these tactics. Marcus had some spears brought over and demonstrated to Han Zhengshan how to train and how these training items were integrated into tactics.
"The militia is not the main force, so it does not need to have strong personal combat capabilities. It only needs to be unified in actions and can cooperate with the main force in fighting according to the command." Marcus said seriously: "But as the commander, you , you must understand the combat methods of the regular army so that you can make correct commands when the militia needs to be dispatched.”
Han Zhengshan agreed repeatedly. Of course he understood this truth, but new recruits had to train for a hundred days before taking the assessment, and he only had a few days of training, so what he could learn was naturally very limited. Later, these skills would be transferred to the militiamen, and Han Zhengshan became increasingly aware of the difficulty of this task.
Taking advantage of a break to drink water, Han Zhengshan asked Marcus: "Didn't Xingdao have a militia before?"
Marcus responded: "The chief had thought about it at first, but the number of immigrants was too small to select a few qualified ones. Moreover, there is a serious shortage of labor here. Even we are often transferred to construction sites for emergencies and organized militia There is no training time. It was only after seeing your group of immigrants that the chief brought this matter up again.”
If Tan Juren were here to hear these words, he would probably refute Marcus's statement. Even if there are more immigrants arriving this time, there will still be a huge gap between the number of local labor forces and the actual demand. We must start from young and strong people. It is not difficult to select dozens of immigrants to join the militia. What is difficult is to take these people off-duty to engage in militia training, which will inevitably affect the progress of local infrastructure projects. Han Zhengshan did not know the local population situation as thoroughly as Tan Juren, but he vaguely felt that if Xingdao had a militia before, the process of taking over might be easier than it is now. There were so many things to learn at the end of the day that Han Zhengshan felt that his head was about to explode. Although the Ming Dynasty also had civilian armed organizations such as militia groups, their tactical requirements were far inferior to those of the Haihan militia. According to Han Zhengshan, after training, this militia would be more powerful than the guardsmen in many places. .
Lying in bed at night, with the chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually calming down, Han Zhengshan suddenly thought of a problem - the leaders were very eager to form a militia, and even he, the commander, only had a few days of training. Time, is this because Xingdao is facing some external threats, and the military believes that it is necessary to organize a reserve force as soon as possible, so it made such an arrangement.
Han Zhengshan heard that Marcus had not started snoring and knew that he was not asleep, so he took the initiative to ask: "Platoon Commander Ma, is there anything wrong around the Star Island recently?"
Marcus responded: "Why did Director Han suddenly think of asking this?"
Han Zhengshan said: "I feel that the organization of the militia seems a little hasty, so I guess there may be foreign enemies coveting it, and the leaders are worried about local security, so they are so anxious to organize the militia."
This time Marcus was silent for a moment before he responded: "Regardless of whether there are foreign enemies or not, it is our duty as soldiers to be prepared for war. Director Han, as the local police chief, naturally has to bear the burden. Take corresponding responsibility.”
Marcus's answer was noncommittal, and Han Zhengshan was a little confused. When he wanted to ask again, Marcus had already said impatiently: "Go to bed early, otherwise you will not be energetic during the day. ”
Han Zhengshan secretly thought that he was wronged. If you weren't snoring so loudly, how could I not have a good rest at night? When I thought about it again, Marcus was a straightforward person, and he didn't seem to be someone who could hide his thoughts. He actually avoided his own question and didn't answer directly, so maybe there was something fishy about him.
I thought it was because of the war between the two countries that I left my hometown. Now that I have traveled thousands of miles south, is it still inevitable to avoid the war? It can't be so unlucky! Han Zhengshan thought secretly in his heart, and after a bunch of messy thoughts went through his mind, he fell asleep.
"Possible war?"
Tan Juren was also discussing the local development plan with Roger at this time. He asked Roger to reduce the frequency of recruiting local labor to build military facilities, because doing so would inevitably delay the progress of other civilian infrastructure projects. However, this time Roger gave gave him a reason that didn't seem easy to refute.
"It's just a possibility." Roger explained: "But even if there is a 100% possibility, we must be 100% prepared first. I think you also know that in wartime or when a war is about to break out, the military's needs are always First in line. So I can’t agree to the request you just made.”
What Roger was talking about was a basic principle established by the executive committee in the early days of time travel, in order to concentrate superior resources during wartime and ensure that Haihan, which was still very weak at the time, would not fall apart due to the war. However, among the top leaders of Haihan, the military has always been strong, so this basic principle has been retained since then. Even if the north and south ends of the Haihan controlled area are thousands of miles apart, it will not prevent the military from using this as a basis. Strive for the greatest benefit for yourself.
Tan Juren calmed down quickly. He did not immediately listen to Roger's words. There was no shortage of precedents for the military to seek benefits for itself in this name. He still had reservations about this until Roger presented evidence.
"I didn't hear anything about this before going south, and I've been to Xingdao for a few days. Why are you telling me about this now?" Tan Juren questioned Roger unhurriedly.
"I also said that there are only some rumors and signs now, and it is impossible to determine when and where the war will start. If I report unsubstantiated news, then if nothing happens in the end, wouldn't I be just trying to catch wind of rumors? Action?" Roger immediately retorted: "But if we really have to wait until it is confirmed before we start preparing for war, it will be too late!"
"Then are you sure this is not a joke?" Tan Juren asked.
"I will not make fun of military and national affairs." Roger said solemnly: "If this is not the case, why should I organize and train the militia in such a hurry? Wouldn't it be good to let them build bridges, pave roads, and reclaim farmland during this time?"
Tan Juren saw that he was speaking seriously, and he couldn't help but become nervous: "Then who is planning to go against us?"
Roger said: "This matter is a bit complicated to say. The most obvious hostile attitude towards us at present is the Johor Sultanate in the north. But I feel that their own strength alone is not enough to challenge us, so there should be something different The forces behind them support them.”
"Johor? I remember when the South China Sea Trade Alliance was established, Johor also sent representatives to Ambuna Island to attend the meeting?" Tan Juren responded while recalling.
"Johor is also an observer state of the South China Sea Trade Alliance." Roger added: "Although they have not directly participated in the alliance, they actually have bilateral agreements with some countries in the alliance. In the past two years, the alliance has held meetings on Ampurna Island , they all sent people to attend.”
(End of chapter)