Chapter 127: The 4th Infantry Battalion

The various battalions that had been withdrawn from all over Northern Qiongnan and returned to Lin’gao were now undergoing restorative training. Although the ten-month-long pacification war had given the troops a great deal of experience in counter-guerrilla warfare, it was detrimental to the army’s regularization. The prolonged period of dispersed operations and guard duties had led to a slackening of organizational discipline. During the pacification war, many battalions had operated at the platoon level.

The Yuanen military officers, whether from the “New Style” or “Old Style” factions, were well aware of the problems of dispersed operations. It was not advisable for a regular army to be engaged in a pacification war for too long, as it could easily lead to a decline in overall quality. When the Japanese army implemented its “cage policy” in North China, setting up strongholds everywhere—a squad here, four or five men there—it did indeed curb the operations of the Eighth Route Army and strike a blow against the base areas for a time. But the result of such extreme dispersion of troops was a breakdown in discipline and a complete lack of training. By the end of the war, the individual quality and combat effectiveness of the North China Expeditionary Army had dropped significantly.

Pacification wars should primarily be handled by local forces and militias; the regular army was a “heavy weapon.” To solve the problem of local control, the General Staff had entrusted Fu Sansi with setting up a National Army training detachment in Ma Niao. Able-bodied men were conscripted from all the counties in Hainan for collective training. Officers and NCOs were selected from the regular army to serve as instructors. After the training, they would be deployed on the scale of one company per county, with plans to later expand to a three-company battalion.

The 4th Battalion had not received orders for restorative training. Except for a period of serving as a security force in Qiongshan after the Battle of Chengmai, the 4th Battalion had never been deployed in a dispersed manner. It had remained garrisoned in Ma Niao as a consolidated unit and did not require extra restorative training. The training orders Zhu Mingxia received were to “strengthen physical training” and for the “entire battalion to immediately commence naval training.”

From these two orders, Zhu Mingxia knew his battalion was being tapped for Operation Engine.

Although the General Staff had not yet formally issued him the order, the reason for the entire battalion to participate in naval training was crystal clear:

Operation Engine would be conducted entirely in coastal areas. To ensure the smooth plunder of the population, a large-scale deployment of ground troops would be necessary. To adapt to the new operational environment, the army needed to master the skills of rapid beach landings, get accustomed to living on ships for long periods and transferring at sea, and also adapt to the northern climate.

In the past, such amphibious operations were the exclusive domain of the marines. However, the scale and duration of Operation Engine were too large for the marines to handle alone. Zhu Mingxia knew the marines’ manpower was equally strained: their main force had been sent to Southern Qiongnan for pacification duties, one company was in Hong Kong, and another in Vietnam. The force they could spare for Operation Engine was said to be a battalion, but in reality, it was only four companies, half the size of an army infantry battalion. The army would have to play the main role in this operation.

As for “strengthening physical training,” it was not just a simple paper order. Accompanying the order was a “special ration” for the 4th Battalion. Effective immediately, the 4th Infantry Battalion would receive extra rations, including more fats and protein. Unprecedentedly, there was even a daily meat ration: this meat was neither pork nor beef, but chicken. Apart from chicken, the agriculture department was not yet capable of supplying other land animal meat to the naturalized citizens in bulk.

From this, it was clear that the General Staff hoped to make the 4th Battalion “sturdier” to withstand the cold temperatures they would encounter during the northern campaign.

Being able to participate in Operation Engine was a great opportunity for him. Although Yuanen military officers would sooner or later become generals or marshals—last time at the South China Sea Cafe, someone had even proposed adding ranks like Grand General, Vice Marshal, Field Marshal, and Marshal above General, arguing that without many levels, it would be insufficient to display the greatness of the Empire and the mighty prestige of the Fubo Army.

But promotion through military merit was far better than promotion based on Yuanen status. Besides, apart from rank, seniority was also very important in the army. The question “what year did you enlist?” was not a casual inquiry. Whoever was promoted to a higher rank first would have a greater say and decision-making power in many matters. Their influence and factional power within the army would be stronger.

He pondered the military training subjects that were to begin the next day. A few days ago, he had gone to the General Staff office and discussed new subjects for targeted training with several key officers, especially how to implement the naval training curriculum.

Zhu Mingxia himself was not a marine and lacked knowledge and experience in amphibious warfare training. The unique nature of the Fubo Army meant its training could not completely copy the training manuals of the old world. Shi Zhiqi of the Marine Corps was currently the most experienced person in commanding amphibious operations in practice. His firsthand information would be a great help.

The problem was that Shi Zhiqi was currently serving as the garrison commander in Hong Kong. It would be quite troublesome to consult him. After thinking it over, he decided it was more appropriate to consult Xue Ziliang. Although Xue Ziliang did not command the marines in this world, he had been a member of the US Marine Corps in the old world and was considered an experienced professional. Moreover, he was quite familiar with Xue Ziliang. He often went to chat with him and ask for advice on professional matters.

He always paid special attention to communicating with other officers—especially Bei Wei and Xue Ziliang. He spent a lot of his spare time learning military skills from these two. In his view, Bei Wei and Xue Ziliang represented the standards of elite soldiers from China and the United States. Although he himself came from an elite unit, there was still a considerable gap between him and them.

Tactical proficiency, military theory—there were too many areas where he needed to improve. Especially Xue Ziliang, who possessed many training methods, weapon use theories, and combat techniques that were unique in this world, and he had practical combat experience. He felt it was a real waste to leave such a person in the Special Reconnaissance Command. No matter how strong the special reconnaissance team was, it was still just a small unit and could not play a decisive role on the battlefield.

He also borrowed various materials from the “line infantry faction” to study the strategy and tactics of the age of line infantry. Although this was scorned by many from the “Old Style” faction, he saw it as being responsible for the lives of his soldiers. His principle of military training was to fight with the equipment you have, not to get ahead of yourself, and not to indulge in peculiar tastes.

Zhu Mingxia picked up the hand-cranked telephone on his desk and cranked it three times to connect to the operator:

“Connect me to the Special Reconnaissance Command.”

Xue Ziliang’s official position was now Deputy Commander of the Special Reconnaissance Team and concurrently the commander of the direct subordinate detachment. When not on missions or training, he was always at the headquarters by the main gate of Bairen City.

The call connected quickly, but Xue Ziliang was not in the office. His female orderly reported, “Captain Xue has taken a team out for training.”

“Please tell him: Zhu Mingxia has something to discuss with him. Ask him to call me back when he returns.”

After finishing the call, he hung up the phone and cranked the handle twice to signal the line to be disconnected.

“Should I buy myself a female orderly?” Gazing at the soldiers in twos and threes in the camp, Zhu Mingxia began to contemplate his personal matters. Ever since the General Office and the Military Affairs General Directorate jointly issued a notice that the life secretaries of Yuanen military officers could be supplemented as Yuanen orderlies, Zhu Mingxia had been considering this issue while planning his training curriculum.

There were not many unsold maids left in the maid school now, most of them being C-grade or below. The General Office had not yet replenished the supply of new maids. Most of the Yuanen who hadn’t bought a maid had decided to wait: once Operation Engine began, a large number of girls from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong could be brought in, which were more in line with the aesthetic tastes of the Yuanen. Or they could just wait until after the operation to choose one.

At this moment, two soldiers passing by his window caught his attention. The content of their discussion made his brow furrow.

“Have you heard? We’re starting naval training. I heard they’re even sending troops from the navy to train with us—to be our instructors!”

“I really don’t want to train with those salty fish. Do you remember that brawl? Those sailors were too arrogant, they even dared to hit the garrison battalion guys, and they had the nerve to say the army bullies the navy. Pfft! A bunch of lawless pirates. When have we ever bullied them?”

“Exactly. And last time, I heard someone say the marines think we’re unnecessary and should be disbanded. Fine, then they can go climb the mountains and fight bandits.”

“They think we’re country bumpkins. It’s not like they come from good families. A lot of them are either Tanka people or pirates, barefoot on the deck, people who aren’t allowed ashore…”

Hearing this, Zhu Mingxia couldn’t sit still. He stood up and paced around the office a few times. He changed his shoes, then called for the orderly and ordered an emergency assembly.

The urgent drumbeat for emergency assembly echoed throughout the camp. It was a day off, and the cultural and political studies had already ended. After playing sports, many soldiers had showered and were washing their clothes.

Hearing the drums, the soldiers immediately dropped their washbasins, tossed their clothes aside, and sprinted towards the barracks. Soon, soldiers in full uniform began to form up at their company assembly points. For a moment, the air was filled with shouts of “One, two, three, four,” “Twenty-one, twenty-two,” and “All present!” After the companies assembled, the duty officer led them to the battalion assembly point. The orderly stood behind Zhu Mingxia, recording the assembly time of each company.

“Report, Battalion Commander! 6th Line Infantry Company, assembled, awaiting your orders!” The last company arrived after five minutes and six seconds.

“The entire battalion will draw rifles, no ammunition. A five-kilometer run in full gear, time limit twenty-six minutes. 6th Company, you exceeded the time limit by 6 seconds, less than 10 seconds, so you get a one-kilometer penalty. Begin!”

“Light Infantry Company, at the double—march!”

“Grenadier Company, at the double—march!”

“1st Line Infantry Company, at the double—march!”

…

Taking advantage of the interval as the companies departed, Zhu Mingxia turned and instructed the orderly, “Same old rule. Inform the kitchen, the last company to finish gets no meat for dinner tomorrow. Give all their meat to the first company to finish.” After speaking, he adjusted his belt and quickly jogged to catch up with the troops.