Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 546: Construction of the Trans-Andean Railway and Expansion of the Army

"Everyone, the establishment of the war zone, the attendant room, the capital security headquarters and other institutions is not only to reward merit, but also to adapt to the needs of future war development."

After Liu Pu finished reading the list, Li Mingyuan spoke up and explained: "The empire has a vast territory, and faces possible threats from the north, east, and west. At the same time, based on the development of science and technology and changes in the international situation, it is speculated that future wars will change from traditional infantry field battles and offensive and defensive battles to high-intensity, large-scale, coordinated cluster combat modes involving cavalry, artillery, infantry, engineers, and other new arms.

On a single battlefield, the scale of a war may expand from hundreds or thousands of people to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people.

The largest combat unit of the Empire's standing field army is the division. When war breaks out, a battle cluster will be formed according to the needs of the war, consisting of one or several field divisions, garrison troops, militia reserves and other forces. Designated field army generals will serve as commanders of the battle cluster. However, this model has flaws and shortcomings. The core combat power of a battle cluster is generally one to three field divisions.

Although the auxiliary forces such as the assigned garrison, militia reserve, etc. have more than twice the number of troops as the main force, the overall combat effectiveness is greatly reduced due to the lack of sufficient time for running-in and adaptation among the various forces, as well as differences in combat qualities.

When facing indigenous countries in South America such as the Republic of Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, etc., this cluster combat mode does not seem to have any problems. However, if a cluster decisive battle is fought with the main forces of countries such as Britain, France, and the United States, and the previous strategies and tactics are still adopted, it is likely to suffer a heavy loss.

Therefore, the purpose of establishing a war zone is to strengthen the coordination and cooperation between the first-level field troops and the cavalry, artillery, engineering, special forces, infantry and other arms. It is necessary to implement large-scale combat drills and coordination in each unit and make cluster combat training a normal and practical practice to cope with the external war threats in the future. "

Li Mingyuan paused for a moment and continued: "The American forces have expanded to the South American continent. I predict that in eight to ten years, the Empire and the United States will have a decisive war. This war will determine the dominance of the South American continent. This war will most likely not be like the First Paraguayan War, the Argentine Unification War, and the Second Paraguayan War. The outcome will be decided in just a few months or a year. The time may be extended to one year, two years or even longer. The scale and scope of the war may also expand to all parts of the mainland, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the South Pacific region. The war will not only compete with the combat effectiveness of the front-line field troops, but also the all-round strength of industry, economy, logistics, diplomacy, and reserve forces.

We should think about defeat before we think about victory. This war may break out in eight or ten years, or it may not break out at all. However, as the central decision-makers of the empire and as soldiers of the empire, we must always be vigilant and make response plans in advance so that when faced with threats, we can strike hard, thwart the enemy's conspiracy, curb the enemy's invasion, and ensure the interests and security of the empire.

General Liu, during the Second Paraguayan War, Chile was ready to make a move, frequently conducting military exercises and sending additional troops to the Haizhou area. According to the intelligence collected, the contradictions between the pro-British naval faction and the independent army faction in Chile were becoming increasingly acute. After taking office as the commander of the Western Theater Command, I need to closely monitor the movements of Chile. If I detect any drastic changes in the domestic situation in Chile, I will report to the country as soon as possible. "

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Director Huang, the German company Tailai sent us a geological survey report half a month ago. They believe that it is technically feasible to build a railway between Wangcheng City (Salta City) in Zhenzhou in the north of the empire and Antofagasta City in Chile. Your Ministry of Railways should go back and contact several domestic engineering companies as well as companies with rich railway construction experience in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to hold a seminar. If it is confirmed to be feasible, a formal bidding will be held, and we will strive to finalize the plan to build a railway across Taihua Mountain (Andes Mountains) before December this year."

"Your Majesty, the relationship between the Empire and Chile is tense. Should we first inform Chile in advance and then issue a bid for the railway construction after the other party agrees?"

Huang Yurun, Director General of the Ministry of Railways, asked for instructions. "Chile will not agree to build the Taihuashan Railway with the Empire. The construction of the railway is completely led by the Empire. The terminal of the railway is designed to be Antofagasta, Chile. During the actual construction process, the border between the two countries will be used as a temporary handover point, and then the situation will change before deciding whether to proceed with the subsequent construction operations."

Li Mingyuan reminded: "The construction of the cross-Taihuashan railway is difficult and requires high technical levels in site selection, design, and construction. In order to ensure a smooth construction process, it is recommended that domestic and foreign companies that meet the requirements jointly select technical experts to form a construction committee to jointly complete the railway construction work."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Germany's Deutsch-Asiatische Hochsell, the American Railway Company, Britain's Kenshin & Co., the North Sea Railway Company, and France's Callard Railway Company all have the intention to build a railway across Taihua Mountain. After the meeting, I will personally meet with the heads of the foreign companies and companies to discuss the railway construction."

"The construction of the cross-Taihuashan railway is part of the war preparedness work. The renaming of the military academy and the expansion of the enrollment scale of the military academy are also important factors affecting the effectiveness of war preparedness.

Since the founding of the empire, there has been a small war every three to five years and a major war every eight to nine years. As the country's territory and population increase, the scale of war has also expanded, and the size of the army needs to be increased accordingly. In order to meet the strategic needs of national expansion in the next decade, I plan to continue to expand the size of the army and navy.
In the army, the twelve main field divisions, three mixed brigades, independent cavalry divisions, artillery divisions, independent heavy artillery brigades and other units are all fully equipped and staffed, and the number of deputy officers has been tripled on the current basis to ensure that when war breaks out, each field division can be immediately expanded into two main divisions. The grassroots soldiers of the other expanded main division will be drawn from the garrison army, and the number of troops and weapons will be completely based on the original troops.

In addition, 10 framework divisions will be formed, each with a strength of 7000 people. The number and configuration of officers and technical non-commissioned officers will be in full compliance with the standards of the twelve main divisions. The number of grassroots combat units in each framework division will be halved, and the number of infantry regiments will be reduced from 3000 to 1500. The number of soldiers in grassroots combat units such as battalions, companies, and platoons will also be halved. In wartime, garrison and militia reserve personnel will be drawn to fill the vacancies.

The intensity of training for the garrison and militia reserve forces must also be strengthened and improved. The garrison's concentrated training will be increased from three months per year to five months, and the militia reserve's concentrated training will be increased from two months per year to three and a half months.

Due to cultural literacy, age and other reasons, colonel-level, lieutenant-level officers and non-commissioned officers retired from the field army, as long as they are under 50 years old and in good health, will all be transferred to the garrison army and militia reserve forces. When war breaks out, retired officers with actual combat experience who have served in the garrison army and militia reserve forces will be given priority to serve in the expanded field army forces.

In terms of the navy, in the next ten years, it is planned to continue to add 2 to 5 battleships with a displacement of 1 tons or more, and 4 to 10 cruisers with a displacement of 3000 tons or more and less than 1 tons through cooperative construction and overseas procurement. The scale of main battleships will be maintained among the top seven in the world.

By 1900, the field army had grown to 30 men, and the navy, including the Marine Corps, to 4 men.”

After Li Mingyuan finished talking about the military expansion plan, he looked at everyone and said with a smile: "In the Second Paraguayan War, the Imperial Army has an absolute advantage and has few opportunities to make meritorious contributions, but you should not feel regretful. In the next ten years, the battle with the United States will be an opportunity for the Imperial Army to show its strength. The army, navy, and various units will have the opportunity to make meritorious contributions and be rewarded. What we have to do now is to digest the fruits of victory in the Second Paraguayan War, step up military expansion, prepare for war training, and not give the Americans an opportunity to take advantage. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" No one said anything extra. The loud and clear voices in response to these few words directly showed their attitude and determination.