Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 695 Abbreviation: NATO
The Jia brothers reunited in Donghua Kingdom, thousands of miles away. They sat together, dismissed their surroundings, raised their cups to drink, and chatted about everyday matters.

Influenced by Jia Lian from a young age, the brothers were full of patriotism and had lofty ambitions.

Jia Quan, who could have inherited the title, cruelly chose to join the navy, causing Feng Jie constant worry. Jia Zhi fared even worse; he was stationed permanently in Donghua Kingdom, and Baochai only received one letter a year.

When gossip came up, both brothers felt guilty for being unfilial. Fortunately, their trip was well-planned, and they weren't labeled as unfilial.

Thanks to Jia Zhi's status, the population of the Northern Province has grown rapidly in recent years, reaching four million. The entire Donghua Kingdom has a population of fifteen million. This doesn't even include the population of the two Mexican provinces that Li Heng acquired, mainly because the population is difficult to count due to a system of indirect rule.

With its large population, the number of professional soldiers in the three provinces of Donghua State is close to 100,000. If a real war breaks out, they are not afraid of the American militia.

Not to mention the equipment advantage, especially since Jia Lian attached great importance to Donghua State, sending a batch of 75mm cannons and mortars to Jia Zhi, equipping two artillery regiments.

The two brothers had just gotten off the train in Kaiyuan Prefecture when they received the latest news from the front.

The established plan was to build a railway eastward to connect the major colonies. Now, the railway construction team has brought back news that a large number of natives are retreating from the east, the specific reasons for which are unknown.

Upon hearing the news, Jia Zhi was anxious and, without even bothering to receive Jia Quan, said he would go to the front immediately to check.

Jia Quan didn't hesitate and decided to go along to take a look.

The two brothers boarded the train again, this time heading east. This train was a special, temporarily attached train; it was originally a train transporting railway sleepers.

The train wasn't going very fast, averaging about fifty kilometers per hour. After an overnight journey, the train stopped, and cavalrymen were waiting at the station ahead to greet us.

Jia Quan glanced at his pocket watch. It had been almost a ten-hour train ride. He had even taken a nap on the train. Feeling quite refreshed, he looked out the window before getting off.

Soldiers in khaki uniforms greeted Jia Zhi at the station, saluted, and introduced Jia Quan. The officers all looked solemn and saluted in return.

Jia Zhi returned the greeting, feeling that they were making a fuss over nothing.

In reality, that's not the case. In those days, which duke, marquis, general, or minister would be willing to let his eldest son join the navy and travel around the world with the fleet? Wouldn't it be better to stay in the capital and be a big shot?

Both involved leaving the capital to seek their fortunes, going to Nanjing or Guangzhou, but can that be compared to a fleet circumnavigating the globe? They're completely different things. Even if we assume Jia Zhi's situation is unique, it's still one of a kind.

After all, Beijing and Kaiyuan Prefecture across the ocean are not even in the same league. One is a bustling metropolis, the other is a rural-urban fringe. It's even less developed than a rural-urban fringe area of ​​Beijing.

After questioning Jia Feng, the chief of staff of the cavalry division, in person, Jia Zhi and Jia Quan finally understood the general situation.

After crossing the Colorado River, the three local indigenous tribes, after a period of development and receiving agricultural training, were able to settle down in the area.

The problem arose after winter began, with a continuous influx of new European immigrants moving to the Great Lakes region, leading to friction between the two sides, which escalated over time.

It should be noted that the natives had previously withdrawn from this land, and now they have returned, so there is already animosity between the two sides.

Initially, it was just a war of words, a way to intimidate each other. But things took a turn for the worse. The Great Lakes region was densely populated with Americans, and immigrants who had fled Europe due to the wars came to seek a living. Compared to the local population, the Native Americans were clearly outmatched in terms of both population and weaponry. Furthermore, the three Native American tribes had poor relations and did not cooperate with each other, fighting independently.

As a result, none of the three tribes stayed on the other side of the river. Before winter was even over, the indigenous tribes, suffering heavy losses from frequent and fierce attacks, all retreated across the Colorado River.

The situation between the American militia and the natives is currently one of standoff across the river. The natives, finding themselves unable to hold out any longer, sent representatives to the Nationalist government for assistance.

Upon further questioning, a new development was discovered: these three tribes were highly wary and did not accept military advisors from the Donghua Kingdom.

These three tribes only accept weapons provided by Donghua State and engage in trade with each other in order to maintain their independence, fearing control or the cunning and ruthlessness of Donghua State, just like the Americans.

Faced with this situation, Donghua could only express its understanding, as it could not abandon its general policy of befriending the indigenous people.

"These natives are tough to deal with!" Jia Quan shook his head with a headache and muttered a complaint.

Jia Zhi sighed, “Of the dozens of local tribes, large and small, in the central region, apart from the eight tribes that chose to submit to Donghua, the rest are fighting their own battles. Those tribes that chose to submit are all small tribes, and it is difficult for them to survive on their own. Of the tribes that did not choose to submit, nearly half of them do not accept military advisors, but only trade and arms aid.”

Jia Quan seemed to understand. The natives naturally didn't have any long-term development plans. Because they had a grudge against the Americans, and had obtained weapons and equipment, they naturally wanted to fight back and take revenge.

Especially the larger tribes.

Objectively speaking, any organization is complex. The larger the tribe, the more difficult it is to organize everyone and ensure their coexistence according to certain rules.

Organization is a problem that every level of human society must face. Organized humans are terrifying upright apes, while unorganized humans are just lunch for large carnivores.

The primitive level of organization of indigenous tribes is, in principle, far inferior to that of immigrants from Europe. Not to mention, Europe has already entered a pre-modern society.

There was no use in Jia Zhi being anxious; he could only settle down first and then have someone invite the native messenger over.

As the two brothers hurriedly prepared a meal, the native messengers arrived, all of them wounded. One had a bandage wrapped around his head, another had a sling on his right arm, and the third was using a cane.

If the three men had a lighter complexion, they would have looked no different from Chinese people. The three messengers continued arguing along the way, seemingly trying to blame each other.

Seeing this, Jia Quan smiled without saying a word, calmly watching their performance. Jia Zhi, however, spoke up decisively: "Speak Chinese!"

It was obvious that all three messengers understood; otherwise, they wouldn't be qualified to be messengers.

Jia Quan thus realized that Donghua Kingdom was quite attentive to the Chinese language education of the indigenous people.

All three stopped, looked at each other, and then started talking at the same time, creating a chaotic scene.

Jia Zhi pulled out his revolver and slammed it on the table. "One at a time!"

Upon seeing the three messengers from the revolver, their eyes immediately cleared. These Donghua people were usually easy to talk to, but once they took advantage of their local status to do something excessive, they could be ruthless.

Over the years, the indigenous people have come to understand the style of the East Asians. They are always willing to speak politely, and even if they can't, or if the other person's expression turns sour, they can still speak politely.

These are lessons learned through years of blood and tears! Those who couldn't understand them have been buried in the fields by the people of Donghua.

For the indigenous people, those white-skinned demons who killed and skinned people were terrifying. The Donghua people, who loved farming and would clear land and cultivate it wherever they went, were just as terrifying as the white-skinned demons.

The former will come knocking on your door to kill and set fires even if you don't provoke them, while the latter never takes the initiative and always appears as businessmen.

However, the goods the latter brought out were so good that the natives couldn't resist trying to take them by force. All the natives who had the idea of ​​forcibly taking them are now being farmed.

The hooded native spoke first: "Respected Chief Donghua, the three tribal chiefs of us had agreed beforehand to help each other and fight the White-skinned Demons together. However, the Fire Tribe and the Snake Tribe betrayed our promise. When our tribe was attacked, they went to attack the White-skinned Demons' stronghold together and suffered a defeat. Our tribe received no reinforcements and was unable to resist the White-skinned Demons, so we were forced to retreat. Yet they accused our tribe of not informing them beforehand. How can you blame our tribe for this? We agreed to fight together; they should have come to our aid."

A messenger with a bandage on his hand stepped forward: "Your Excellency Chief Donghua, I am an envoy from the Snake Tribe. The truth is that the Snake Tribe received a message from the Fire Tribe and, taking advantage of the White Skin's attack on our tribe, attacked the White Skin's poorly defended fortifications. Unexpectedly, after the Snake Tribe launched its attack, the Fire Tribe deliberately lagged behind, leaving the Snake Tribe to fight alone and suffer heavy casualties. We were forced to retreat back to our tribe only to find that our tribe had fled first. The Snake Tribe has been betrayed, and we hope that Your Excellency Chief Donghua will uphold justice."

The messenger, leaning on a cane, stepped forward and said, "Lord Donghua, don't listen to their nonsense. The Fire Tribe's leader studied under you, which is why he suggested using the 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' tactic. But who could have imagined that the Snake Tribe, eager for spoils, would launch a preemptive attack, fail to capture the White-skinned Demons' stronghold, and then leave without a word, leading to the Fire Tribe being ambushed and suffering heavy casualties. Upon retreating to their tribe, they discovered that both our tribe and the Snake Tribe had fled. The Fire Tribe was the one betrayed; we and the Snake Tribe used the Fire Tribe as cannon fodder."

Jia Quan was dumbfounded. So, "my tribe" really did call itself "my tribe." It turned out the natives had even learned tactics, knowing how to use the siege of Wei to rescue Zhao. He really wanted to ask the leader of the Fire Tribe, "Don't you know that American colonies all have outer walls? Without cannons, how do you get in? If you're unlucky, they can at least dig trenches in front of the walls and stick sharp objects inside."

Let me ask you one question: Don't you conduct reconnaissance before battle? Where did you learn your tactics? Thorough pre-battle reconnaissance and meticulous operational plans—isn't that basic military knowledge? It seems like none of you know any of that!
Jia Quan, who came from the natives, had traveled extensively. When he arrived in Henan, he saw the earthen fortifications used for local defense, which were considered quite poor. These kinds of earthen fortifications were difficult to attack without artillery, let alone when the enemy had firearms. Therefore, American settlements must have had walls, right? So, the natives' defeat this time was not unjust!

All I can say is that the idea is good, but the skills are lacking.

As I listened further, I learned that my unit was besieged by over a thousand American soldiers, who also possessed two cannons. They easily blew down the wooden wall, and during the battle, after the wall collapsed, a significant portion of my brave soldiers rushed out of their fortifications to launch a counterattack. As a result, they suffered heavy losses and were forced to flee overnight with buckets.

So, if the Snake Division and the Fire Division hadn't attacked the American settlements, my division probably wouldn't have been able to escape.

It can only be said that none of the three tribes did anything wrong, but their poor organization and command led to their defeat after being defeated one by one.

Instead of learning from their mistakes after losing, they're busy shirking responsibility and blaming each other. You're not the National Revolutionary Army, wake up!

Even the Nationalist Army was the most capable fighting force among the American-backed militias. Keep in mind, the Nationalist Army faced a complete elite force, while the US military in Korea faced only a marshal.

Okay, the above paragraph is the author's rambling thoughts and has nothing to do with Jia Quan.

After Jia Zhi had basically figured out the situation, he told the three envoys to go and rest and recover from their injuries. As for how they got their injuries, Jia Zhi didn't care.

Jia Feng entered as ordered, and Jia Zhi asked him, "How are the preparations for the Third Master going?"

Jia Feng said, "Currently, only one regiment has reached its position, and it is not carrying heavy weapons, only six newly equipped mortars. If we have to fight immediately, the plan is to cross the river upstream and carry out guerrilla warfare. We will make full use of the cavalry's mobility advantage and seize opportunities to attack some small settlements."

"No rush. First, secure the pontoon bridge, and then make your move once the artillery arrives. There's no need to completely turn against the Americans in this battle; a simple blow to their morale will suffice. The key is these three tribes; they've all suffered significant losses. You need to find a way to integrate them and prevent them from fighting independently like before." Jia Zhi was a bit of a headache. These natives were truly stubborn; they wouldn't listen to reason until they hit a brick wall.

Jia Feng smiled wryly, "They're asking me for cannons now! Even if I give them bronze cannons, they won't know how to use them. Besides, if I give cannons to these three tribes, will the other tribes give them to us? Although our bronze cannons are outdated, each county can still be equipped with bronze cannons for defensive warfare. Furthermore, even if we gave them all our bronze cannons, it still wouldn't be enough. There are thirteen tribes in the northern province, and each tribe needs an artillery company with ninety-eight cannons. We can't just dismantle the cannons from the ships; those are all cast iron cannons, heavy and cumbersome, with absolutely no mobility."

Jia Zhi smiled and looked at Jia Quan: "Brother, how about giving me ten new naval guns?"

Jia Quan laughed in exasperation: "These are the cannons of the Imperial Navy, not my personal property."

Jia Zhi smiled without saying a word, continuing to stare at him. Jia Quan shook his head helplessly: "Since you're going to give them away, then give twenty. Ten is too few."

Jia Quan was playing a wishful thinking game; removing two cannons from each warship shouldn't affect its combat effectiveness. Besides, whether they took the North Pacific or South Pacific route on the return voyage, they wouldn't encounter any particularly powerful enemies.

At this point, Jia Zhi clapped his hands and said, "Since we're going to fight, let's give the Americans a good beating. We'll fight all the way to the gates of Chicago, otherwise the Americans won't know fear."

Jia Quan immediately reminded them, "Our royal army cannot march without a just cause."

Jia Zhi laughed and said, "That's easy. Just get all the indigenous tribes in the northern province together and sign a Northern Joint Defense Treaty, or NATO for short!"

(End of this chapter)