Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 144 Second Infantry Battalion

At the end of October, it was already deep autumn, the cool breeze was gradually rising, and the leaves were falling.

Danchu came to Zhaoping for inspection under the escort of a team of personal soldiers.

Zhaoping County has already set up a township government, and recently issued a tax-paying order for tenants. The tenants are busy in the fields, some harvesting late rice, and some rushing to reclaim wasteland.

The newly reclaimed land was called "official land" and nominally belonged to the government. Its nature was very similar to the imperial farms of the Ming Dynasty. Tenants only had to pay 40% of the land rent to be able to cultivate it for generations. Although tenants did not own the land in name, they were the owners of the land.

After the experiment in Yong'an Prefecture, the Zhaoyong Army has accumulated mature experience in the areas of land tenancy and grain tax collection and the establishment of township governments. Starting from this year's autumn harvest, the new policy will be fully implemented in Zhaoping and Wutun.

Danchu's trip to Zhaoping, in addition to inspecting Zhaoping's government affairs, also had another important event: awarding the military flag to the Second Infantry Battalion.

After several months of hard work, the new round of expansion of the Zhaoyong Army has come to an end. The entire army has organized four units: the Royal Guards, the First Infantry, the Second Infantry, and the Auxiliary Infantry. Together with the garrisons from various places, the total number of troops has exceeded 10,000.

According to Danchu's design, the Zhaoyong Army implemented an eight-level organization system consisting of army, town, association, flag, battalion, team, sentry, and squad, and has currently reached the third level - association.

Having personally experienced the Battle of Guilin and the Battle of Quanzhou, Danchu had a deep understanding of the importance of logistics, and specially established a new auxiliary military battalion, which was mainly composed of a baggage battalion, a craftsman battalion, an engineering battalion, and a medical team, with a total number of about two thousand people.

This was also a major reform. In ancient times, when armies marched and fought, they often divided the main force into combat troops and auxiliary troops, to distinguish them from the baggage soldiers and civilians who accompanied the army for support. The definitions of combat troops and auxiliary troops varied from dynasty to dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty stipulated that only soldiers who charged into battle and engaged the enemy in close combat could be called combat soldiers. Other types of soldiers, even archers, musketeers, and artillerymen, could not be considered combat soldiers, but only auxiliary soldiers. Therefore, combat soldiers only accounted for a small number of the Ming army, while auxiliary soldiers accounted for the majority.

Combat soldiers and auxiliary soldiers belonged to the regular army, but combat soldiers were treated better than auxiliary soldiers. According to the military system of the early Ming Dynasty, every hundred households in a garrison were required to provide 23 combat soldiers, and the rest of the military households had to perform labor, production and service around these 23 combat soldiers. Combat soldiers were registered with the Ministry of War, while auxiliary soldiers were assigned by the garrison.

Dan initially tried to combine combat troops and auxiliary troops into one. Battlefield experience shows that archers and musketeers are equally important, and can even be compared with combat troops such as cavalry and spearmen. According to the traditional concept, it is wrong to forcibly divide them into combat troops and auxiliary troops.

Baggage soldiers and civilian laborers move with the army to ensure logistics, but usually they do not go to the front line of the battle, but stay behind the battlefield.

As a result, soldiers had to undertake a lot of miscellaneous tasks while marching and fighting on the front lines, such as building camps, digging trenches, and collecting firewood outside the camp.

Danchu decided to redefine auxiliary soldiers, and classified engineers, baggage soldiers, craftsmen, medical soldiers, etc. These soldiers did not directly participate in the battle, but were necessary for marching and fighting, and accompanied the army to support the combat soldiers in combat.

At the same time, auxiliary troops were deployed at the battalion level. Each combat battalion, regardless of whether it was an infantry battalion, cavalry battalion, or firearms battalion, had an additional auxiliary troop. Each combat battalion had an additional auxiliary battalion.

The Second Infantry Battalion is stationed in Zhaoping and has been established for some time. Its chief officer is Kuang Shi, who comes from the Third Team and is also Danchu's trusted and beloved general.

"Kuang Biaotai, how is the second mark going?" Dan Chu said with a smile, a hint of teasing in his tone.

The chief officer above the rank of battalion is called a commander. Kuang Shi was the chief officer of the second infantry battalion, called a battalion commander, and can be respectfully called a battalion master.

"General, you are too kind to me," Kuang Shi saluted and replied, "The Second Battalion has been fully recruited, with a total of three infantry battalions, a firearms battalion, an auxiliary battalion, a cavalry team, and a reconnaissance post, with a total of 2,926 people." The number of infantry battalions is relatively large, approaching 3,000. In contrast, the personal guard battalion has a central army, a personal guard battalion, a cavalry battalion, a firearms battalion, an auxiliary battalion, and a teaching team, with a similar number of people as the auxiliary guard battalion, just over 2,000.

"How is the camp office? How are the talents?"

Danchu went against all odds and implemented a bureaucratic leadership structure in the Zhaoyong Army. In order to ensure the smooth flow of military and political orders, it was necessary to establish a staff agency in units above the standard.

The Camp Affairs Office was actually the staff agency of the Zhaoyong Army, which was divided into three departments: combat, teaching, and logistics.

The combat department is responsible for commanding the battle, which is the most core and important function of the camp office. The teaching department is responsible for the teaching of troops at all levels, and has the power of selection, reward, punishment, and supervision, which should not be underestimated. The logistics department is responsible for supplying food, fodder, and weapons, and ensuring logistics supply.

The Zhaoyong Military Camp Office was the most complete, with the Operations Bureau, the Instruction Bureau, and the Logistics Bureau, and each bureau had several departments. For example, the Operations Bureau had the Operations Department, the Training Management Department, the Reconnaissance Department, and the Communications Department; the Instruction Bureau had the Personnel Selection Department, the Performance Evaluation Department, the Education Department, the Military Law Department, and the Supervision Department; the Logistics Bureau had the Combat Service Department, the Grain and Grass Department, the Delivery Department, the Ordnance Department, and the Medical Department.

The camp affairs office of a first-level unit consists of the operations department, the teaching department, and the logistics department. There are no departments below it, and one staff officer is responsible for one business.

The Second Infantry Battalion had just expanded, and the Battalion Affairs Office was still in its infancy. Kuang Shi said frankly: "The Second Infantry Battalion Affairs Office is like a makeshift troupe. It can perform, but if it doesn't perform well, it won't be accepted by the mainstream. Talents are in short supply, and many staff officers have to handle multiple duties at the same time."

This was expected. Danchu asked, "The three most important positions are combat staff, selection staff, and combat support staff. Do you have any capable people?"

"Please rest assured, Marshal. These three staff officers are all talented people picked from a hundred, and they are capable of taking on important tasks."

"Yeah, very good." Danchu admired Kuangshi very much. Among the old men in the third team, Kuangshi was the most talented and the most respected by Danchu.

"Where's the grain station?"

"I picked a large community warehouse outside Zhaoping City and requisitioned it as a grain station. The troops are quite experienced in the supply of grain and fodder, and the grain station is in a slightly better condition than the camp office."

The importance of logistics supply is self-evident. In many cases, the quality of logistics supply has a crucial or even decisive impact on the outcome of a war.

The infantry battalion has two leaders, the battalion commander and the deputy battalion commander. There are also a director of the camp affairs office and a director of the grain station, who can be regarded as quasi-leaders.

The battalion commander is the real chief officer, who exercises overall leadership and has unquestionable authority over the entire battalion. He focuses on leading the battalion office and directs the entire battalion through the battalion office. The deputy battalion commander assists the battalion commander in carrying out his work, focuses on leading the grain station, and provides sufficient logistical supplies for the entire battalion through the logistics department of the battalion office and the grain station.

Danchu said earnestly: "The First Infantry Battalion has a better foundation and is stationed in Yong'an, which is convenient for us. Wei Guosong is also very experienced. You and he will be the commanders of the Infantry Battalion and the backbone of our Zhaoyong Army. You must be modest and prudent and build up the Second Infantry Battalion well."

"Yes," Kuang Shi replied, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Marshal. I will do my best to fulfill my mission."

(End of this chapter)