Chapter 896 - Reserve Team

Hu Qingbai thought to himself: So you want to slip out of this! Xiao Zhaochuan was absolutely out of consideration—a rare professionally trained middle school chemistry teacher, far more valuable than a junior high math teacher. Jiang Youzhong might be acceptable; he wasn't professionally trained, merely had some teaching experience. Bai Yu was also a possibility, but Bai Yu taught "Learn Industry"—frequently taking apprentices to various enterprises, deeply familiar with the field and possessing some mechanical knowledge. Dispatching him for so long would cripple the Learn Industry program...

He went through the Elder teachers one by one in his mind, weighing whose absence would have the least impact on courses. Naturally, he couldn't reveal these calculations. At least two Elders would need to be sent as camp teachers—one for Jeju Island, one for Taiwan. He sorted through the regular Elder teachers back and forth several times without settling on specific candidates.

At noon, Fangcaodi's Elder teachers ate together. The school lay far from the Elder Canteen in Bairen City, so they sent Life Secretaries in turn to pick up ingredients daily, then had the secretaries cook on-site. Bai Yu's Life Secretary had once been a kitchen maid in a wealthy household, with excellent culinary skills. After modern culinary retraining, Fangcaodi's small kitchen had become her sole responsibility.

The food wasn't lavish but was prepared with care and changed daily. Yet the group seemed to have little appetite. Hu Qingbai raised the deployment issue again at the table; the Elder teachers fell silent one by one. Those working at Fangcaodi were mostly people who coveted comfort by nature, with little ambition for distinguished service. The Executive Committee and Senate paid special attention to education, investing heavily in Fangcaodi—the facilities were complete and the environment pleasant. Leaving this cozy nest to ride sailing ships through stormy seas before living in sheds on Jeju Island and Taiwan naturally failed to stir enthusiasm.

After some internal struggle, Jiang Youzhong was eventually pressured into agreeing to serve as a camp teacher—though he declared he would only go to Jeju Island, not Taiwan. Taiwan's malaria problem always made Elders blanch at the mention.

Hu Qingbai was about to continue mobilizing when Ji Xin spoke up: "Then I'll go to Taiwan."

Everyone knew this backbone of the Law Society had an eccentric personality—for instance, he was among the few who'd declined a Life Secretary. Besides participating in Fangcaodi's teaching affairs and Law Society activities, he tinkered with his "Indigenous Rights Protection Association." This society had been viewed askance since its establishment. Combined with his reticence and indifferent expression, some thought he had psychological issues.

Hu Qingbai knew his mind was perfectly sound—just different in his pursuits. He immediately offered many flattering words and made considerable promises to both men as appeasement.

Zhu Mingxia stretched out a long, lazy yawn, gazing at the drill ground outside his window. Soldiers swarmed the apparatus field—high bars, parallel bars, single-plank bridges, swinging bridges. Various training equipment was surrounded by men. Occasionally, bursts of cheering rose when someone demonstrated outstanding skill.

For Fubo Army soldiers burdened with combat duties, garrison assignments, and support tasks for agriculture and industry, these training apparatuses served less as training than as sports entertainment.

Some were playing rugby on the newly completed field. This sport, which had originated among Yanchang Village militia, had spread widely to every corner of Lingao. As a highly organized and physical game, it had also proliferated throughout the army.

Ma'niao Fort was like a beehive: bugles, drums, commands, shouts, military songs—the clamor boiled from morning until night.

Zhu Mingxia knew that Elders outside Ma'niao Fort had once raised a tremendous uproar over attacking Dengzhou. Some resolutely opposed; others supported it to the death. Each side had its reasons. Finally, the decision was made to insert themselves into the Dengzhou situation. Hainan's construction needed massive population, and population diversity would also facilitate governance.

After Operation Engine passed, the vigorous shipbuilding plan was implemented. The Army naturally could only continue to "endure." Fortunately, the Executive Committee had promised at the military affairs conference that once Operation Engine concluded, the Army would be expanded by one infantry battalion plus several support units.

"Who knows when we'll actually get a new battalion," Zhu Mingxia sighed. As commander of the 4th Battalion—the entire army's only strategic reserve—he felt the manpower shortage acutely.

As the Army's reserve force, the 4th Battalion had been run off its feet the previous year. While other battalions scattered across Hainan for security operations, his unit, beyond handling Lingao's own garrison duties, had been constantly drafted for miscellaneous assignments: emergency harvesting, stevedore work, road construction—scarcely a single day of rest.

Only after the Northern Qiongzhou security war ended and some battalions began returning to establishment did the 4th Battalion finally get a slight breather. The General Staff then promulgated the "Standardization Construction Outline," requiring the entire army to carry out regularization construction. After months of soliciting opinions, the new Infantry Drill Manual and Training Outline were issued, mandating training according to the new standard.

Zhu Mingxia was relatively satisfied with the new training outline. At last, military training had a proper standard.

This reminded him of the New Army's earliest days, which had also involved fierce debate—not over whether to form it, but over how to train.

At that time, so-called New Style and Old Style factions had clashed. The New Style faction demanded training according to US Military or PLA manuals; the Old Style faction advocated nineteenth-century army training systems. The former consisted mainly of former soldiers; the latter, primarily military enthusiasts.

Zhu Mingxia had served in the Armed Police, which by background placed him in the New Style faction. Yet he had opposed wholesale copying of modern army training systems and manuals. The reason was simple: unit organization, training systems, command methods, even rank structure—all were ultimately determined by the level of military equipment at the time. Without flintlock muskets, line-infantry tactics were impossible; with repeating rifles, line-infantry tactics became obsolete.

"We cannot train the New Army according to modern US or PLA training manuals—absolutely not. We must formulate training plans based on actual soldier sources and weaponry. I also oppose directly copying nineteenth-century European army training models. Any simple copying is unscientific. We must comprehensively consider these indigenous soldiers' physical conditions, cultural conditions, and our actual weapons situation to formulate rational training plans."

The Chief of General Staff at the time was Ma Qianzhu. He agreed with Zhu Mingxia's view but required him to provide a detailed training plan.

Zhu Mingxia worked overtime, formulating a plan based on his experience and ideas, referencing the actual conditions of recruited soldiers.

In this plan, the daily five-kilometer run Ma Qianzhu had established was cut directly. It was changed to once every Friday for recruits in the first month; twice weekly—Monday and Friday—in the second month; three times weekly—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—in the third month. After assignment to units, three times per week. Each week, military training ran Monday through Friday; political education and cultural literacy occupied Saturday and Sunday.

This change drew strong dissatisfaction from the New Style faction. Its members came almost entirely from PLA backgrounds and had been deeply influenced by that tradition. They held a special fondness for foot marching and armed cross-country running. A daily five-kilometer run was the most fundamental training item in their view. Especially in this era without mechanized transport, troop combat and maneuver relied either on boats or on walking.

Zhu Mingxia held firm to his position. The reason was straightforward: compared to modern youths with relatively adequate nutrition, indigenous soldiers were almost universally malnourished. Calcium deficiency was endemic. Lingao also lacked the capacity to drastically improve soldiers' dietary structure. Training intensity therefore had to be moderated.

High-volume training required massive protein and calcium supplementation. Fu Sansi couldn't deny this either. In recruit training, stress fractures were extremely common. Frequent high-intensity exercise and running depleted large amounts of calcium; without timely replenishment, bones broke.

This system had continued to the present. Now that the training outline had been formally compiled, the methods Zhu Mingxia had proposed in the past were officially incorporated. His repeated suggestions to formulate new food standards for soldiers had also finally received a response.

In the past, the Senate's food standard for the Fubo Army had been based primarily on calories—executed on the principle of full staple food and adequate vegetables. Seafood, bean products, meat, and eggs were supplied only during "feast rewards." Later, conditions improved slightly, but only to the extent of allowing modestly improved meals one day per week. Overall protein and fat intake remained severely insufficient, doing little to improve soldiers' physiques. Naturalized soldiers were all hardworking and resilient, but that didn't mean they should be maintained on a minimal supply level.

Under the new food standard, Fubo Army soldiers received more protein than before. Seafood became the primary protein source; additionally, bean product supply was drastically increased.

Fats and oils, formerly available only during "feast rewards," now had a clear daily supply standard—though the allocation remained low, and fat varieties were diverse. Even fish oil was listed as a supply item.

Looking at the new food supply standard, Zhu Mingxia sighed with feeling: "We've finally become a bit richer."

Over these years, Zhu Mingxia had watched the Fubo Army grow step by step. From attacking Baitu, to suppressing bandits in the mountains, to the fierce battle at Maideng—the Fubo Army had constantly exposed various problems. These Elder officers adjusted and adjusted again based on emerging issues, finally shaping something that looked like a proper army. Now the Fubo Army had a soul. Once an army possessed a soul, no matter how its designation changed or its organization was altered, it would become an intangible asset passed down through generations.