1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 527

As early as when the Shengli Port military training base was first built, the army adopted a large number of orphans while recruiting militiamen, and formed the Scout Battalion, a paramilitary organization for school-age children.

Different from the regular militia army, the students in the scout battalion are more dependent and loyal to Haihan.For these children without roots and families, they can only survive in this social system if they identify with and maintain their Haihan origin from the bottom of their hearts.The difficulty of brainwashing these half-grown children is much easier than that of adults.Although they don't understand what the goal of the executive committee is, it's clear who feeds them, who they should fight for, and things like that.

The executive committee also attaches great importance to the scout battalion. In Tao Donglai's words, these children will probably grow into the backbone of Haihan's army in ten or twenty years.Compared with the militia soldiers who had grown up when they joined the army, the children who grew up from the scout battalion would be more determined, and their reliability was far beyond that of ordinary militia members.Therefore, the military also arranges the best training resources for scout battalions as much as possible, and takes the military quality required by officers as its training goal.While ordinary militiamen were still receiving various basic tactical training, older children in scout battalions were already exposed to military skills such as marching, setting up camp, deploying defenses, and transporting supplies that only army commanders could master.

However, to stand out from the military environment that emphasizes qualifications, it is not enough to rely on background and training level. The most important thing is actual combat experience and good records.Most of the people with slightly longer seniority in the Haihan militia have one or several military medals or seniority badges, and this is also the main basis for ordinary militia soldiers to be promoted in the army.No matter how good the scout battalion's background is, no matter how highly educated they are, without the qualifications of front-line combat, it is difficult to gain a foothold in the army.Therefore, in this military operation to unify the Qiongbei area, the military selected more than [-] older students from the Scout Battalion to follow the troops to the front line to experience the atmosphere of the battlefield.

Of course, these young trainees did not take on actual combat missions. They were sent to Qiongbei to experience life on the battlefield, and at the same time observe how the regular army completed various combat plans during the combat period, and how the command system in the army operated.

Although the process of the militia occupying the Qiongbei area was considered a military operation, there was no actual battle during the period. They played a double spring with the Annan militia army, and easily took down the main city of Qiongbei.However, although there was no combat, the thousands of people who fought, including the navy and army, were still completing their combat missions in strict accordance with the requirements of wartime.No matter whether it is a senior officer who knows the inside story or a grassroots soldier who does not know the truth, no one takes this seemingly easy task lightly, because the Executive Committee and the Military Commission have repeatedly emphasized before the start of the operation that Haihan wants to realize the goal of killing Joan. North's direct rule, military occupation is only the beginning.

If the Executive Committee wants to promote the Haihan system in the Qiongbei area, the resistance it will encounter is bound to be much greater than that of Qiongnan's base area. After all, the population density here is higher, and the social wealth and resources are relatively more abundant. concentrated.To promote the Haihan system in this area, especially the public ownership of land, will inevitably affect a considerable number of vested interests, and there must be some bold and reckless guys who will jump out and openly sing against Haihan, and even resort to armed confrontation. Resistance to the implementation of the New Deal.

What happened in Chengmai County is also an example of this situation.Although Haihan's land system has not yet been formally promoted in Qiongbei, some landowners who have received word of it are preparing to resist Haihan's "invasion".After the headquarters learned that Zhuangzi in Chengmai County had started an armed confrontation, they immediately dispatched three companies to suppress it, and sent more than a dozen students from the Boy Scout Battalion to let Yu Tiezhu, the "veteran" "Give them a field command lesson.

"I believe that you have all learned in the training camp the tactics of suppressing the enemy by using the advantage of range, so I will test you now!" Yu Tiezhu looked at the team of teenagers in front of him with his hands behind his back. Bing said: "According to the combat process you have learned, how should you command the next step?"

Someone immediately responded: "Report sir, after successfully suppressing the enemy, send infantry to climb the city wall, or send engineers to blow up the city gate to seize the passage into the city."

Yu Tiezhu nodded and said: "What you said is correct, but you can't completely copy what is written in the battle. When I first joined the militia, the instructor taught us that the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, so we must keep a clear head , make timely judgments on the battle situation and make corresponding tactical adjustments. Does anyone else have anything else to say?"

"Reporting sir, we just need to continue the shelling. After a gap is created, the infantry will march forward step by step. If there is resistance, you can use the artillery fire to open the way. It will be able to break through its defense." Another student boldly raised his hand and said.

Yu Tiezhu cast an approving look: "Yes, although our combat method is to practice siege warfare, the actual situation in this place will still be quite different from siege warfare. Since we have strong firepower advantage, then we should use this advantage to the extreme in the course of combat! I once heard the chief read two lines of poems, the cannon opened to blast his mother, and Vega Hainei returned home. As long as our cannon is fired, we will Nothing can stop the advance of the militia!"

While Yu Tie Zhu was speaking, the continuous bombardment of several cannons really knocked down a section of Zhuangzi's wall that was about three feet long.After a short period of calm, about a hundred infantrymen marched towards the gap on foot in a neat horizontal formation, holding their rifles.

At a distance of about twenty feet from the gap, the military formation fired a round of gunfire, knocked down several diehards who appeared at the gap, and then continued to move forward to occupy the passage that was forcibly created by artillery fire.

It wasn't until the large forces took control of the place and started to clean up the site that they discovered that the artillery fire and volleys of guns just now also killed and injured about 40 resisters. A few people, but after being buried for a long time, they are probably hopeless.

After the militia army entered Zhuangzi, they quickly captured more than a dozen culprits.However, considering the image of the people's voice, the Military Commission has ordered to reduce the direct execution of personnel after the war as much as possible, so these people probably still have a chance to continue to live and play their residual heat in a mine somewhere.Considering the shadow that this kind of public security war will leave on the hearts of the local people, the residents in this village will inevitably be dismissed after the war, scattered to other states and counties or even overseas to settle down.

When the militiamen pushed the ashen-faced captives out of the village and headed for the county, Yu Tiezhu specially brought the students from the boy soldier battalion to watch by the side of the road and pay attention to the expressions on their faces.Yu Tiezhu secretly remembered the individual students who showed obvious intolerance in their eyes and expressions. No matter how loyal such soft-hearted people are, they are not suitable for commanding operations on the front line.

These students who have just entered the battlefield are just now realizing the cruelty of war. However, compassion for the enemy on the battlefield is cruelty to one's own side. What's more, in many cases, commanders have to send their own troops to the front of the line to sacrifice. , Without a heart of stone, it will be difficult to complete cruel combat missions.In the comprehensive evaluation of these students, this consideration has also been added. Those students who are not suitable for combat field command will probably change their training direction in the future, and develop towards logistics or technical services.

Security battles like this have continued intermittently since Haihan occupied Qiongbei.Although the combat power of the militia is not afraid of the small-scale armed forces in these places, it is quite a headache to keep beating these buzzing mosquitoes.Fortunately, the Li and Miao tribes in Qiongbei did not participate in the dispute between Haihan and Daming, but kept watching with a cold eye.

Of course, this is also one of the achievements of the relevant departments' efforts before the war. Both the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Security sent many naturalized people from Li Miao to work in the Li Miao cottage in Qiongbei.Although this kind of visit can't immediately draw these cottages to Haihan's side, it can at least keep them neutral and not rush to get involved in this conflict of interests.

Of course, Haihan also gave these neutrals certain benefits, such as cheap salt, ironware, medicinal materials, and long-term trade agreements, etc.Even if these mountain people are unwilling to join Haihan, at least they can obtain better external conditions than those under the Ming Dynasty.

These ethnic policies are mature models that have been tested in Qiongnan and Qiongzhong regions, and they are also easy to apply to the Li and Miao cottages in Qiongbei.Although the level of civilization of these mountain people is limited, whoever they follow will benefit more, and the mountain people can still use their simple values ​​to measure and draw correct conclusions.

After completing this two-hour and thirty-minute combat mission, Yu Tiezhu took the group of students back to Chengmai County.After settling this group of people, Yu Tiezhu still had to spend the same amount of time writing today's action report and giving his own conclusions on the performance of the students.

Of course, due to the limited number of literacy, Yu Tiezhu's action report will not be a lengthy speech. The standard format is roughly as follows.

At a certain time on a certain day, a certain unit of the militia was ordered to attack a certain village in Chengmai County, opened the way with artillery, and advanced with infantry, and captured the village at a certain time on the same day. XX enemies were killed and XX were captured. The casualties of our army were X people who were slightly injured. Seriously injured X people, no fatalities.

As for the performance of the students, it is even simpler. The superior specially sent him a prepared form, which has marked the name of each student and the items that need to be scored by him, such as concentration, determination, and action. Wait, just put the fraction below each item using the ten-point scale.If there is additional content that needs to be expressed, it will be attached separately.

After Yu Tie Zhu finished filling out the form, he put it in an envelope and sealed it, signed his name on the outside of the envelope, and then called the orderly to send the letter to the battalion headquarters together with the combat report.The scoring reports from the grassroots officers will be collected at the battalion headquarters, and then sent to the Qiongbei Command Center in Fucheng, where Yan Chujie, who sits in the local area, will personally review them.

At this time, Yan Chujie was in the lobby of the Qiongzhou government office. According to the military's custom, this place has been converted into a command center. Insert flags of different colors.

Among them, the small blue flags represent areas that have been completely controlled by Haihan, such as the main cities in Qiongbei.The area with the yellow flag represents the area that has been occupied but not actually controlled. Such places actually account for the majority, because the vast area outside a few cities almost all meet this definition.The small red flag represents the area where the militia is currently performing combat missions. Although there are not too many such places, there are still four or five places on the entire sand table.

There are three radio stations next to the wall, which are the communication channels between the command center and the garrisons of other states and counties.It is through this contact method that the staff department is constantly adjusting the small flags on the sand table according to the actual situation.For example, the results of the battle that Yu Tiezhu had just participated in had been transmitted here through the radio, and the officer who got the news immediately replaced the local red flag with a blue flag representing safety.

The command center here does not command specific battles, but mainly plays the role of issuing orders, summarizing information, and maintaining communication between superiors and subordinates.And the focus of Yan Chujie's concern is indeed not on the current sporadic security battles, but more on the news blockade of the Qiongbei coastal area.

Although the means of news dissemination in this era are still very primitive and the speed of dissemination is very slow, but the fact that Haihan replaced Daming on Qiongzhou Island will sooner or later spread to the mainland through the mouths of merchants and ordinary people.Haihan made a lot of preparations for this, and even spent a lot of money, borrowing troops from Annan to act, finding a reasonable excuse to send troops to Qiongbei, and replacing the rule of Ming Dynasty, it can only be temporarily used in the name of assisting the government, but it is difficult to find A long-serving excuse.

Although the Guangdong government has temporarily blocked the news, it can't be hidden for a while. What the Haihan military can do now is to block the sea passage and delay the time when the truth is revealed as much as possible, so that other departments can More time to implement the rule of the Qiongbei area.

The document placed in front of Yan Chujie was a report from the navy to apply for additional supplies. It said that in order to complete the task of blocking the Qiongzhou Strait, the navy needed to apply for another [-] tons of clean coal for two hybrid warships, and a ship capable of completing the survey and mapping of the Haikou military port. A team of engineers who design tasks so that the construction tasks of the military port dock can be started as soon as possible.

"Begging for money and people in different ways!" Yan Chujie could only smile wryly as he looked at the report.

(End of this chapter)