The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 85 Cannons and Military Uniforms

Based on the seven Napoleonic cannons originally purchased from Spanish merchants, plus 44 9-pounder and 12-pounder stock Napoleonic cannons resold by British merchants, the Nanyang Company owned a total of 51 field artillery pieces.

To this end, two field artillery battalions were formed. The first artillery battalion, with Hu Huashan as the battalion commander, was equipped with 26 Napoleon cannons and had a total of 335 people. It was planned to garrison the Landa Mountain Fortress.

Another second artillery battalion, commanded by Captain Hummels, who has long since retired from France, is equipped with 25 Napoleon cannons and has a total of 296 people. It is planned to garrison the Seven Stars Coast Fortress.

Captain Hummels was an artillery instructor recommended by the Spanish. He was 63 years old and had served in Napoleon's Royal Artillery Corps in his early years.

Later, due to the pressure of life, he became an old mercenary wandering in West Asia, North Africa, Southeast Asia and other regions. He participated in many colonial wars and even participated in the mercenary army of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies many times. He was simply a mobile colonial War Museum.

This person is addicted to drinking and gambling, and often spends all the money he earns.

As he got older, he could no longer take on mercenary jobs, and he became a member of the lower class of the French community in Saigon.

What Feng Guohui valued most was Captain Hummels' rich war experience. This man was undoubtedly an excellent artillery officer and was familiar with all artillery regulations, which would help standardize the training and construction of artillery battalions.

The so-called second battalion commander is just a gimmick. This person does not understand Chinese. All communications have to be translated by deputy battalion commander Feng Chao, and he has no control over the entire unit.

Similarly, their training schedule is much longer. It takes about 5 months to complete the closed training camp, and the current training process has only reached one-third.

This garment factory is equipped with 25 Singer brand sewing machines with a sewing speed of 600 stitches per minute. It has 177 female employees and is a larger enterprise in the town.

For military education, "loyalty" always comes first at all times.

Not only has military training been strengthened, but loyalty-based brainwashing education has been implemented, professional military theory education has been strengthened, and the level of logistics support is also higher.

The double high salary made the old French man smile. He spent more and more money on teaching, vowing to forge this artillery force into the second French army in the Southeast Asia region and restore its former glory.

"How is the uniform production going?"

The artillery is a complete copy of the training regulations and combat regulations of the French artillery. The French Emperor Napoleon once had the two most powerful iron fists in Europe: cavalry and artillery.

Feng Guohui encouraged the artillery officers in training, and the main message was: "I am quite satisfied with the current training progress, and the spirit is very good. We must continue to maintain it and temper the troops into a loyal, courageous, and highly skilled iron army that will live up to our expectations." The name of the former glorious French Empire" and so on.

French artillery training is standardized and advanced, and its combat effectiveness is also at the forefront of the world's armies.

"Let's go over and have a look."

The only regrettable thing is that their mottled and colorful clothes ruin the scenery.

Feng Guohui copied it word for word, appointed Captain Hummels as the chief artillery instructor, and received an extra generous salary.

"Sir, the garment factory is working overtime. Currently, more than 2,300 sets of military uniforms have been produced, and the remaining parts are planned to be completed within a week."

By the woods not far from Tieshan Town

The 2nd Artillery Battalion also conducted training here, simulating live ammunition firing movements and training gunners' aiming skills. Every move was very standardized.

But from them, Feng Guohui was pleased to see the shadow of some powerful European armies.

Development to date

Nanyang Company has split into a series of enterprises such as Nanyang Daily Necessities Department Store, Nanyang Trading Company, Nanyang Industrial Company, Nanyang Mining Company, and Nanyang Real Estate Leasing Company to achieve professional operations.

The advantage of this is that the originally complex Nanyang Company business can be streamlined one by one, each can be independently accounted for and operated independently, and the year-end income can be seen at a glance.

After leaving the artillery training ground, Feng Guohui quickly came to Tieshan Town, where the garment factory is located.

Feng Guohui regarded these more than 600 artillerymen as the seeds for future artillery development and expansion, and attached great importance to them.

Artillerymen participate in military training every morning, attend study classes in the afternoon, and review their homework in the evening. Their daily schedule is full.

current stage

The First Battalion of the Artillery and the Second Battalion of the Artillery are intensively trained at the Landa Mountain Military Base. Those who can join the artillery are all outstanding Chinese children who are literate and can read and write. Their salary is twice as high as that of ordinary infantrymen, and their food treatment is much better. .

For example, Nanyang Industrial Corporation owns steel plants, seven lumber mills, 11 coal kilns, 26 brick kilns, garment factories, two oil mills, 5 mills, agricultural tool factories, etc.

There are also rice factories, sugar factories, cigarette factories, cement factories, wire and cable factories, sail and cable factories, flour mills, etc. under construction. The scope of expansion in the industrial field is growing rapidly.

The garment factory is a garment factory affiliated to Nanyang Industrial Company. It is also a newly established factory that mainly provides uniform uniforms for the military and employees of Nanyang Company.

In his spare time, he can make commercially available ready-made clothing products and sell them through the channels of Nanyang Daily Necessities Department Store to earn extra income.

When the 25 Singer sewing machines did not arrive, the female workers in the garment factory could only sew clothes by hand. Even if they worked 12 hours a day, the speed would not be much faster.

After receiving this batch of sewing machines and going through the initial proficiency stage, the garment factory's production efficiency increased sharply, and the contrast was extremely obvious.

Before the introduction of sewing machines, garment factories could produce only 250 to 280 sets of military uniforms per week, with an average of one and a half sets per female worker.

接收了25胜家牌缝纫机后，每周制作的成套军服迅猛上涨到550套……723套……1162套……    预计新的一周，产量不低于1500套。

Feng Guohui came here for an inspection and saw busy figures everywhere in the workshop. The "ta-da-da" sounds of the sewing machines running merged into one, like beautiful music.

All the female workers are busy sewing, and their salary is a basic salary of ten pieces. The more clothes they make, the higher the salary they get.

This unique way of paying wages has greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of ordinary workers.

Many female workers volunteered to work overtime for 14 to 15 hours just to rush to produce more military uniforms.

These female workers, most of whom are military families, cherish the precious opportunity to work and earn a salary, something that was simply unimaginable before.

"Not bad, the workers' enthusiasm for work is very high. It seems that there will be no problem in completing the military uniform order on time."

"Please rest assured, sir. The factory is confident that the military uniform production order will be completed ahead of schedule. These girls are not stupid. They work overtime until dark every day and can't drive them away. Will they miss the opportunity to make money?"

"Well, the production environment needs to be improved. The new cloth is dirty on the floor."

"I understand, sir. I will immediately ask them to drop what they are doing, clean the workshop, and organize the place."

"Yes, sharpening the knife will not stop chopping wood."

Feng Guohui said as he walked in the workshop, looking at the military uniforms stacked high on one side with a look of satisfaction.

The foreign white cloth imported from Britain was processed in a dyeing workshop and dyed khaki, which was also the base color of military uniforms.

Java neither produces cotton nor cotton cloth. All cotton cloth is imported from Britain. It is cheap, strong and durable, and is widely welcomed by the locals.

British cloth is also a bulk material in bilateral trade, with tens of thousands of pieces imported each time. Its consumer group is more than 600,000 people in East Java, and the market is extremely broad.

Only in these 8 months

Nanyang Company imported 31 pieces of foreign cloth from various channels, with 2550 shipments (note, each shipment not only contained cloth, but also industrial daily necessities and machinery and equipment), with a total weight of more than tons.

Today, the UK is the world's largest producer of light industrial products. Its textile industry accounts for more than 80% of the output value of light industry, occupying an absolute leading position.

Since the British developed the more efficient Jenny spinning machine, cheap and high-quality British white cloth has poured into the world market like a flood, beating competitors back one after another.

No French, British or American textile industry could compete with it.

In the entire Nanyang region, British cloth is also the largest industrial export product, and no one can match it.

In the southeastern half of the coastal provinces where the Qing dynasty was out of control, foreign cloth had completely destroyed the traditional handmade homespun cloth produced by men farming and weaving by women, from the absolute dominant position in the market to less than 20-30%.

Only in some remote rural areas and mountainous areas, handmade homespun cloth can still be seen.

It can be seen that the power of foreign cloth is unmatched.

In the entire Nanyang region, it has long been the market for British white cloth exports. French cloth and American cloth are all scum, and it is difficult to see their presence.

After inspecting the quality of the military uniforms, Feng Guohui decisively ordered that the entire army change uniforms starting next Saturday, and a grand dressing ceremony will be held.

There are still ten days left, so there is absolutely no time.

Uniform military uniforms are an important step in the formalization of the Nanyang Army and are of extraordinary significance.

at the same time

A further expansion plan for the Nanyang Army will be carried out to adapt to the growing size of the army, streamline the military command system, and establish a warlord system with Feng Guohui as the core.

The khaki military uniforms that the Nanyang Army replaced are not as eye-catching and dazzling as the red uniforms of the British Lobster Soldiers or the blue uniforms of the French Army.

But this is a modern military uniform in the true sense, focusing on being light, simple and cheap.

The British army was called the "Redwood Army." The cochineal insects needed for dyeing and weaving were expensive and difficult for ordinary people to afford.

The production cost of a complete set of red military uniforms for the British Lobster Soldiers, including military jackets, vests, shirts, trousers, shoes, military caps, and button badges, added up to five times that of a Nanyang Army uniform.

Although the price is expensive, the practicality is not high.

The khaki dye is cheap and popular, and is very suitable for mass production. Soldiers can crawl and roll in the mud. It has good concealment effect and strong practicability.

Although it doesn't have the gorgeous bombardment effect of the British soldiers, who wants to be noticed on the battlefield?

(End of this chapter)