Chapter 3008
"Normally, this base is not open to outsiders, including people from the Ministry of Defense who come to Star Island to inspect, and I don't let them enter this place."
It wasn't until the carriage drove into the base that Roger mentioned the specialness of today's arrangement to Qian Tiandun.
Qian Tiandun nodded and responded: "As for the mercenary group, it is indeed necessary to maintain a sense of mystery from the outside world. As for the Ministry of National Defense, who is not allowed to keep a hand?"
The two of them smiled knowingly. Senior generals like them who held military power overseas would more or less not want the Ministry of National Defense to intervene in some areas, and Qian Tiandun was no exception.
The foreign mercenary regiment was not included in the establishment of the Star Island garrison. In fact, its nature was equivalent to Roger's private army. Of course, he would not be happy to let the Ministry of National Defense control the detailed status of this army.
The less the outside world knows about this force, the easier it will be for the mercenary group to perform various gray tasks overseas. Even if Qian Tiandun is the one Roger actively seeks cooperation with, Roger will not arrange for him to have access to this special tool as long as it is not necessary to activate the mercenary group.
However, Roger's earlier declaration that the mercenary group was performing a mission outside was not entirely an excuse to prevaricate Qian Tiandun. Among the three battalions under the mercenary regiment, only part of the three battalions are currently stationed in the base, and the other troops are really stationed in other countries.
The troops left behind at the base have been assembled in advance by the base commander, Colonel Dulu, waiting for the arrival of Roger and his party.
Colonel Duru was an old subordinate of Roger. He joined the army on Ambrosia Island in 1633. A few months later, Roger led his troops south to occupy Star Island. In almost every major battle that the Star Island Garrison has participated in over the past twenty years, Dulu has been a witness.
Dulu is an Acehnese from Sumatra, but his more than 20 years of military service in Haihan have long ago turned him into a Haihan native. Whether it is language or living habits, they are no different from Haihan people. .
"Colonel Dulu has fought for the country for many years and made countless meritorious service, but he has too many old injuries and his physical condition no longer allows him to continue to command operations on the front line, so he is arranged to serve as the commander of this base and continue to use his remaining talents." Luo Jay spoke highly of Drew.
Qian Tiandun noticed that Dulu's left hand was holding a walking stick. It seemed that his legs and feet were injured. Such a condition would indeed make it inconvenient to set foot on the battlefield again.
However, Dulu himself was quite optimistic. After hearing Roger's praise, he responded proactively: "If the troops need it, I can return to the battlefield at any time, General."
"Of course." Roger reached out and patted Duru on the shoulder and said, "But I need you to train young people here for the army. Your experience will help them grow into qualified soldiers faster. Now I want to Please give General Qian a detailed introduction to the operations of this base and the mercenary group.”
The group first reviewed the assembled troops. Just like the name of the foreign mercenary group, the most eye-catching thing is the ethnic diversity of its soldiers.
The appearance characteristics of some of the ethnic groups are very easy to distinguish, such as black Africans, Arabs, Indians, etc. However, the ethnic groups in South Asia are all similar to Qian Tiandun. It is difficult to tell at a glance whether they are from Malay. The peninsula is also the nearby island of Sumatra.
There were also a small number of soldiers with East Asian faces in the team, but after Qian Tiandun inquired, he learned that these soldiers were basically from North Korea and Japan, and were not Han Chinese as he thought. "Because of their native place, there are very few Han members in the mercenary group. There are only one or two out of a hundred people, which is about the same proportion as Europeans. The largest number of people here are locals, accounting for about 50% left and right.”
"When we allocate personnel, we will try our best to mix soldiers from various ethnic groups to avoid forming small groups internally that are difficult to manage."
"Only about 30% of the soldiers here join the army as free agents, and the rest are slaves that we import from all over the world every year. We select young men with better physical conditions and let them come here for training. ”
"Every year we recruit about 500 new recruits through various channels, but in the end, only a quarter or even less of those who can complete the training and assessment and stay to join the mercenary group may be able to do so."
"Generally speaking, as long as you serve in the mercenary group for three years, you can regain your freedom. After serving five years of military service, you can apply for retirement, or transfer to serve in the Haihan Army, and obtain Haihan nationality at the same time. Of course. During this period, you will also receive generous rewards based on the combat missions you participate in, so for those who come here as slaves, joining the mercenary group is the best way out.”
Speaking of this, Dulu took the initiative to mention his own experience: "Back when I was on Ambrosia Island, I joined the army as a slave and escaped from slavery by virtue of my military exploits."
For those newcomers who cannot see clearly their development prospects, Dulu's experience is undoubtedly an excellent benchmark, giving them ample motivation to complete their tasks. And Roger may have had this consideration in appointing him as the base commander.
"The origins, experiences, and qualities of mercenaries are all diverse and uneven. The only thing that can restrain them is strict military discipline and law. Therefore, in the mercenary group, we are even stricter than the Haihan Army in dealing with disciplinary violations. Much more.”
"But even so, there is no way to prevent mercenaries from privateering, killing prisoners, disobeying military orders, etc. during the execution of their missions. Therefore, the number of soldiers eliminated due to disciplinary violations is also quite large, sometimes more than the casualties on the battlefield. More.”
Qian Tiandun said: "In this way, it is somewhat similar to the militia armed forces we formed in Annan before. The advantage is that the cost of combat is low, and there is no need to bear relevant responsibilities, but the disadvantages are also obvious, that is, it is easy to lose control. Major tasks are still Don’t dare to leave it to them easily.”
Roger said: "You are right, but this is an upgraded version. The diplomatic value of the mercenary group cannot be compared to the original Annan militia."
To hire this force from Sing Tao to perform military missions overseas, it is definitely not enough to pay the money. At least the employer must maintain a good relationship with the Sing Tao authorities before a deal can be concluded.
This time, it is not just a relationship between hiring and being hired. The Star Island authorities can also rely on the doors opened by the mercenary group to establish cooperative relationships with employers in more fields.
Roger then gave an example. In the early years, the Sing Tao authorities wanted to exploit crude oil in the Dumai area of Sumatra. However, if they directly sent troops to occupy the area, it would inevitably trigger a counterattack from Aceh.
Later, the two sides negotiated terms of exchange. Singdao dispatched a mercenary group to suppress the rebellion in South Sumatra for Aceh, and Aceh leased the Dumai area to Singdao for a long time at a low price. It was only in 1649 that the Dumai Oil Field was put into production.
(End of chapter)