Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 171 Layout
ps: Thanks to dkgff for the reward and support!

After killing chickens and pigs and eating and drinking, Sun Bin began to talk about business: "Without rules, there is no order. After you brothers join the National Defense Force, you can no longer be as free as before. The rules and regulations of the army must be followed by everyone. If someone violates the military law, I can't treat them differently."

"Don't worry, Mr. Sun. We were all regular soldiers before we came to Annan. We all understand the rules of the army and will not make things difficult for you."

Chen Zongbai replied.

"To serve as a soldier for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, we must naturally abide by the Crown Prince's rules. We have no objection."...

Several people expressed their willingness to abide by the rules of the National Defense Force, and Sun Bin nodded.

"My brothers are all straightforward people. Since everyone agrees to abide by military regulations, I will arrange the next thing.

Three months later, the fleet from Rio Grande do Sul will arrive in the South Pacific. At that time, I hope that you will send the old and weak under your command to Rio Grande do Sul to settle down, and the young and strong men will select suitable candidates to stay and serve as militia to protect our strongholds and bases in Annan. Do you have any opinions?"

"Annan is in chaos internally, and the Qing government has been trying to wipe out the peasant armed forces externally. The French are eyeing them covetously nearby. Leaving the elderly, the weak, women and children behind not only requires part of the military to protect them, but also consumes a lot of supplies, which is very disadvantageous for the troops' future marches and battles. I agree with Mr. Sun's approach. Transporting them to South America can not only allow them to live a good life, but also save them from the same daily fear, fatigue and suffering as us."

Chen Zongbai was a steady person. After he agreed, Wu Fengdian also nodded in agreement. It would be good for them to arrange the elderly, the weak, women and children in the rear area. As for the National Defense Army sending their families back to South America as hostages to prevent them from betraying, the peasant army leaders present were not stupid. Not to mention that they had only a few dozen young and strong men under their command, what was the benefit of the National Defense Army coming all the way to hold their families hostage? Moreover, they had already joined the National Defense Army, and it was natural for their families to return to the rear area of ​​the National Defense Army. What was there to object to?

The two problems were easily solved, and Sun Bin also wanted to give them a surprise.

"I just told you brothers that after a year of work, the Chinese workers who returned to Rio Grande do Sul from Cuba will be allocated 50 to 100 acres of land according to their performance. Several brothers took the initiative to join the National Defense Force, and their treatment is naturally different from that of the Cuban Chinese workers. Before leaving, the prince instructed that the first batch of Nanyang brothers who joined the National Defense Force will be directly allocated 50 acres of land to each household, without having to wait until the inspection a year later. In addition, if they meet the requirements for joining the army, soldiers who join the Nanyang troops of the National Defense Force can also get an additional 50 acres of land. Of course, if the brothers who are selected to serve in the army do not get married, their land will be kept and distributed immediately after they return to Rio Grande do Sul."

They had heard Sun Bin introduce the vast land and sparse population in South America, but the fact that they were given land right away was beyond their imagination. In the minds of Chen Zongbai, Wu Fengdian and others, it was understandable to give a few peasant army leaders a good treatment, but they had never heard of every soldier having a large amount of good land.

Peasant uprisings and changes of dynasties simply meant changing the ruler. The leaders of the uprising could share the profits with the new emperor, while the lower-level soldiers, apart from receiving a little military pay and some meager land, were not much different from other people.

Seeing the surprised expressions of Chen Zongbai and the others, Sun Bin smiled and explained, "Your Highness is kindhearted and cannot bear to see the brothers who have been bleeding in the war and have to spend most of their lives without a good life, so he especially emphasizes preferential treatment for officers and soldiers. All soldiers who join the National Defense Force will have a considerable amount of land and property, and will be issued a retirement allowance after retirement to ensure that the brothers who have served in the army can live a good life.

His Royal Highness treated his brothers well, so every time there was a battle, the soldiers and officers fought hard, and the enemy was defeated by the National Defense Army. "

The hard-working and tenacious soldiers and the high morale, these two points alone made Chen Zongbai understand how the Prince of Shiwang could carve out a place for himself in South America.

He is a young talent with outstanding military ability. From Sun Bin's words and the more than 70 soldiers who accompanied him, one can vaguely see how powerful the Prince Shiwang is.

"Zong Bai admires the talent of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. When he returns to South America one day, he hopes that Mr. Sun will personally introduce us to the Crown Prince so that we can meet him in person."

"Haha, if you want to meet the prince, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. But now we should select the young and strong men from each tribe to form an army.

Brother Ye, the two brothers Chen, and Brother Wu, please tell us how many young and strong men you have under your command. After checking, we will proceed with the formal selection."

"There are fifty strong men in my village. They are all good men. Mr. Sun, please feel free to choose."

The young and strong men under Ye Chenglin followed Sun Bin and ate full meals for a few more days. Their energy was mostly restored, so they were the most confident.

As soon as Ye Chenglin started talking, the other three also reported the number of young and strong men in each group. Ye Chenglin's group had 50 people, Chen's brothers had 70 people, and Wu Fengdian had 60 people. When they reported the number of people, they patted their chests and guaranteed that their men were strong and brave, but Sun Bin would not completely believe them.

Having survived many battles, the peasant army soldiers had relatively rich battlefield experience, but it would be good if they could have half of them qualified soldiers suitable for frontal combat.

The total number of Han Chinese armed forces in Annan was more than 100,000, and more than 80,000 people were killed or injured in the Chinese Civil War before the outbreak of the Anti-French War. Since there were many Chinese soldiers in Annan, Sun Bin naturally had to raise the standard for selecting soldiers.

Glancing at the several peasant army leaders sitting at the table, Sun Bin said, "The expansion of the National Defense Army's Nanyang troops requires the recruitment of soldiers from all over Annan. The young and strong men under the command of several brothers who are qualified will stay here, and the unqualified ones will be sent back to Nan Rio Grande for arrangements."

"But Mr. Sun has the final say."

"Yes," Sun Bin nodded and said, "There are a total of 300 Dresser rifles on the ship, and another 800 rifles will be delivered from Natuna Island in two days. Before the follow-up weapons arrive, I hope that you brothers will disperse your manpower and recruit more Chinese who have drifted to various parts of Annan to set up the Nanyang troops of the National Defense Army." "Mr. Sun, I'm afraid this matter is not easy to handle now."

As soon as Sun Bin finished speaking, Chen Zongbai poured cold water on him: "Mr. Sun has just arrived in Annan and is not familiar with the situation here. Since Wu Yazhong gathered troops to occupy Cao Bang Province in Annan, Annan has been very strict in supervising the armed forces of the peasant army. It is not too difficult for small armed forces like me and my brother Wu to move in closer to Halong. If multiple armed forces move in at the same time, it will immediately alert the Annan army and trigger their hostility towards us."

After Chen Zongbai finished speaking, Wu Fengdian echoed, "Huang Chongying gathered troops to prepare to encircle and suppress Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army. Wu Yazhong's troops are gathering towards Gaoping. I heard from several other brothers who work under Wu Yazhong that Wu Yazhong is gathering troops and preparing to counterattack back to Guangxi. Therefore, not only was there a lot of panic in Annan during this period, but the Qing army in Guangxi was also always vigilant about the actions of the peasant army in Annan."

The situation is complicated and one move can affect the entire body. Although the conflict between Huang Chongying and Liu Yongfu is a bit tricky, it is not without a solution. Wu Ya's eventual counterattack on Guangxi will have too great an impact.

The peasant army had some advantages against the Annan army, but was no match for the main force of the Qing army.

The elite Qing army that wiped out the main force of the peasant army has not yet left Guangxi. If Wu Yazhong counterattacks, he will certainly face an all-out attack from the Qing army, and Annan will certainly ask the Qing army for help to wipe out the various peasant army forces entrenched in northern Annan.

Wu Yazhong's counterattack would implicate other peasant armed forces in Annan. Historically, in September 1869, the King of Annan invited the Qing army to enter the country to suppress bandits. Feng Zicai's troops from Guangxi entered Annan and successively eliminated several large peasant armed forces. The remnants of Wu Yazhong and others joined Liu Yongfu, Huang Chongying, and Lu Zhiping respectively, and the power of the Black Flag Army began to rise.

Li Mingyuan ordered Sun Bin to recruit Chinese forces in Annan for his own use. Sun Bin subconsciously regarded the peasant armed forces of various tribes in Annan as the sphere of influence of the National Defense Army and would not allow Wu Yazhong to destroy the balance of power in Annan.

Wu Yazhong was the son of Wu Lingyun, the leader of the peasant uprising army in Guangxi. After the uprising, Wu Lingyun called himself King of Yanling and established the Yanling Kingdom in Taiping Prefecture. After Wu Lingyun's death, Wu Yazhong regarded himself as the heir of the Yanling Kingdom. He was ambitious and always wanted to return to Taiping Prefecture to become king.

Wu Yazhong had a rebellious character and would not willingly surrender to the National Defense Army. Sun Bin wanted to integrate the Annan peasant army, and Wu Yazhong was a big obstacle.

Sun Bin tapped the table with his right hand and made a decision after thinking for a moment: "Brother Ye, I heard that Huang Chongying and Liu Yongfu once defected to Wu Yazhong. Is that true?"

"It is true. In 1865, when Wu Yazhong established a separatist regime in the border areas such as Taiping Prefecture, armed forces including Huang Chongying and Liu Yongfu all followed Wu Yazhong. However, a few months later, the Qing army mobilized troops to enter Guangxi, and the peasant armies of all sizes who were under Wu Yazhong's command fled to Annan one after another and no longer obeyed Wu Yazhong's command."

"Well, now it's clear." Sun Bin nodded slightly and said, "The Qing army is strong, and Chief Wu is no match for them in his counterattack on Taiping Prefecture. Brother Ye, I want to send you to meet Chief Wu and ask him to persuade Huang Chongying and Liu Yongfu to stop fighting and make peace. As a gift to thank him, I will give him 100 rifles and 1,000 bullets.

If he agrees to mediate the conflict between the two tribes, you can persuade him to postpone the plan to counterattack Taiping Prefecture. Our army is willing to exchange people with him for rifles. With muskets, the chances of success in counterattacking Taiping Prefecture will be greater. "

"The conflict between Liu Yongfu and Huang Chongying is none of our business. Wouldn't it be a big loss to give Chief Wu 100 rifles?"

The Chen brothers' team had only five or six old muskets. When they heard that Wu Yazhong could get a hundred rifles just by talking, they expressed dissatisfaction.

"Mediating the conflict between Huang and Liu is for the overall interests of the peasant army. Brother Shangfa must consider the overall situation." After saying this to Chen Shangfa, Sun Bin continued to instruct: "The action of recruiting peasant army forces cannot be suspended. I will send people to bribe Annan officials in Guang'an Province and first recruit the scattered peasant army forces from several counties in Guang'an Province."

"Brother Ye is out on business, so the task of recruiting other armed forces and displaced Chinese people will be left to Brother Wu and me."

"Although Guang'an is called a province, it is actually smaller than a prefecture in China. The two Chen brothers and I have stayed near Guang'an for a few years and are familiar with the environment here. You can leave the matter of recruiting other Chinese brothers to us, so Mr. Sun doesn't have to worry."

"I'll trouble you three brothers to recruit Chinese brothers. Brother Ye, please make preparations in advance. Tomorrow I will send fifty brothers to accompany you to meet Chief Wu."

"I obey your command!" Ye Chenglin changed his tone after officially joining the National Defense Force.

"That's all. Everyone go back and prepare, and start working according to the plan tomorrow." After sending the four people out, Sun Bin waved his hand to call over a few of his men, whispered a few words to them, and they quickly disappeared.

Everyone left, leaving Sun Bin alone in the room. Looking at the mountains in the distance, Sun Bin thought to himself, "Wu Yazhong, if you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Sun Bin is fully responsible for military intelligence in the Nanyang region. In order to gather intelligence and carry out missions, there is a group of 20 special forces soldiers in the fleet who directly obey his command.

Among the fifty soldiers accompanying Ye Chenglin on the mission, ten will be special forces soldiers. They will secretly note down the specific location of Wu Yazhong's troops, and after the mission is completed, half of them will stay to monitor secretly to prevent Wu Yazhong's troops from transferring.

(End of this chapter)