Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 214 Exercise
On the playground
More than 7,000 officers and soldiers lined up and were neatly divided into more than a dozen columns, in uniform order and with great momentum.

Here are elite veterans from the 600st, nd and rd Expeditionary Divisions, as well as a large number of new recruits, as well as more than students from the second term of the Jinling Military Academy and the first term of the Manila Army Academy, all assembled here.

On the reviewing stand

Major General Qian Jiang, commander of the 1st Expeditionary Division, first expressed on behalf of the Army the firm confidence in loyalty to His Majesty and the Kingdom, emphasized the sense of honor of soldiers and the great mission they shoulder, and made an impassioned speech.

Then, Colonel Zheng Jialiang, Vice President of the Academy, stepped forward and repeatedly emphasized that the Great Chu Manila Army Academy is a melting pot for cultivating loyalty to His Majesty, and will surely move from one victory to another under the wise and insightful leadership of His Majesty the King of Chu.

Finally, amid the warm cheers of the audience, King Zheng Guohui of Chu stepped forward and delivered a brief but passionate speech into a large copper loudspeaker.

He said;
The Great Chu Army shoulders a great historical mission, carries the hope and future of the Chinese nation, and will forge a glorious path with sacrifice and honor.

It will surely spread its glory beyond the vast waves and create a glorious and magnificent cause for the Chinese nation and foreign lands.

Although this speech was short, its intention and style far exceeded the previous two.

The voice just fell
This caused thunderous cheers from the officers and soldiers, which swept over in wave after wave, pushing the review to a climax.

As the 12-gun salute sounded, the cheers quickly died down.

At the commander's command, soldiers from each team quickly left the field one after another, leaving the open area in front of the playground and lined up behind it.

The infantry drill began, starting with the usual formation drill.

Infantry columns, each battalion of more than 400 men, armed with guns, marched in neat steps past the reviewing stand to receive the inspection of His Majesty the King of Chu.

When the soldiers changed from "marching in step" to "goose-stepping", the soldiers in the row kicked out in unison, fired their rifles in unison, turned their heads, and shouted in unison;

"Use me in the first battle, and I will win."

"Be loyal to His Majesty and regard honor as your life."

"Invincible in battle, unstoppable in attack, never retreating."

"Loyalty to my king, loyalty to my country."

These thrilling scenes were very effective in the training. All the senior officers on the reviewing stand were deeply shocked. Their expressions were solemn and their eyes were full of pride.

They are proud of this strong elite army.

Watching the neat columns passing in front of the reviewing stand, Zheng Guohui stood in front of the brass loudspeaker, shouting slogans every time the soldiers turned around after laying down their guns.

He would reply in a steady voice: "Thank you for your hard work, my soldiers." "The kingdom is proud of you, and I am proud of you." "The Chinese nation will win! The people will win!"

His words echoed across the large parade grounds, the interaction between the commander and the soldiers.

Even a fool could see that King Zheng Guohui of Chu had absolute control over the army and enjoyed unparalleled prestige among officers and soldiers.

At this moment, Zheng Guohui's eyes
There are faint flashes of memories of the past, memories from a long-ago past life.

At that time, he was still a young college student, and he walked past the reviewing stand of the school leaders shouting like this...

The results of the infantry exercise were extremely shocking. No one knew that it was planned by the King of Chu alone. In today's world, there is absolutely no one better than this.

Then came the artillery and cavalry teams, who entered one after another and marched in an orderly manner past the reviewing stand to receive the inspection of His Majesty the King of Chu.

At the Manila Army Academy

There are different categories such as infantry, artillery, cavalry, logistics, and staff departments, which train soldiers with different development directions. The junior class focuses on training officers below the company level.

The intermediate class includes map work, field map surveying, European war history, Chinese war history, battalion and regiment-level tactics, geography, humanities and history, combat coordination, equipment and logistics and other subjects, mainly to train school-level officers.

Drawing on the strengths of European and American military academies and adding the unique military wisdom of Chinese history, this is a military school that integrates Chinese and Western cultures. It has many instructors from the West and has a high level of training.

The drill was completed quickly, and then company-level attack and defense drills, hand-to-hand combat, grappling sparring and other training subjects were launched one after another.

Zheng Guohui sat on the reviewing stand. In addition to watching the training, he also took the time to chat with several senior military officers around him.

"General Qian, how is the integration of the First Division going?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, the integration of our division is basically complete. The integration of over 1600 new recruits will undoubtedly greatly enhance our division's combat power and mobility."

"Well, it's precisely with this in mind that we've equipped each of your expeditionary divisions with a mule and horse battalion. We don't have that capability yet, but we'll strive to equip each infantry regiment with one in the future."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. We soldiers have no choice but to be loyal to Your Majesty and serve our country faithfully."

"Well, each division and regiment should establish a staff team and regularly organize officers to travel around and practice field mapping skills. A thorough understanding of the terrain and topography surrounding their base is essential for senior commanders."

"We will obey the Holy Order and put your Majesty's instructions into writing and distribute them to the entire army for unified implementation." "Well, more sweat in peacetime and less blood in war. Brother Qiao Nong, don't you agree?" Zheng Guohui said casually.

When the Third Division Commander, Major General Huang Shan, heard His Majesty call out his name, he quickly stood up, snapped his legs to attention, and saluted solemnly. "I am a humble farmer, but I thank Your Majesty for your concern. However, I believe this is a wise saying that must be included in the Army Training Guidelines."

"Well, sit down and answer." Zheng Guohui waved his hand downwards.

This is how those in power are. They like their officers to be respectful, but at the same time act amiable and kind.

Major General Huang Shan saluted again and replied, "I will obey your command."

Then he sat down, his upper body straight, his hands placed neatly on his knees, and his front body slightly tilted to the side.

Once His Majesty has any instructions, he will immediately stand up and salute again.

Zheng Guohui said to Major General Qian Jiang in a relaxed tone, "My dear brother, the woodcutter, is good in every way except that he's too reserved. He's my own son and daughter, and I treat him like a brother."

After all, Major General Qian Jiang is an old friend of King Zheng Guohui of Chu. He was a deputy general during the Tongzhou militia period. He has seniority and many merits, and has been nominated as the director of the Army Department of the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs.

So he could still sit in front of His Majesty the King of Chu, but he also behaved much more politely.

Major General Qian Jiang's hands, which were originally on the table, were now placed on his knees. He leaned forward slightly and answered with a smile on his face;

"In reply to your Majesty, this is the proper etiquette for a subject. All officers and soldiers of the Great Chu Army are ready to respond to your Majesty's call at any time."

There is no way. His Majesty the King of Chu is willing to put on a show, so everyone has no choice but to go along with him.

Even though His Majesty the King of Chu asks everyone to relax, if you really relax, he might find a pretext to punish you, and then you would die unjustly, wouldn't that be?
This is also the reason why King Zheng Guohui of Chu is willing to visit the army frequently. All these senior officers are under his command.

Here, I feel much better.

Watching the hand-to-hand combat drills of the formation below, Zheng Guohui nodded and commented;
"You see, the same hand-to-hand combat moves are more fierce and murderous when performed by veterans than by new recruits.

This is something that no amount of training can replace.

One must experience life and death on the battlefield, and experience unstoppable fighting, in order to be infected with this murderous aura, good, very good..."

Major General Qian Jiang smiled and said, "We are a group of soldiers that were personally trained by Your Majesty. We can be called an ever-victorious army. We are certainly not comparable to those scattered soldiers. New recruits will mature quickly after experiencing the battlefield."

Zheng Guohui said;
"Oh, there's one more thing, and I'm afraid those of you who are well-informed already know it.

The Ministry of Military Affairs is currently formulating a service plan for conscripts, with a main focus on a four-year service period.

Wait until implementation
From now on, old soldiers will retire and new soldiers will join the army every year. It is not the case that a soldier will serve for twenty or thirty years until he is too old to lift a sword or a gun.

In this way, a new situation in which veterans guide the new should be formed in the military, so that the iron-blooded spirit and strong sense of military honor can be passed on to future generations."

"I have indeed heard that. This way, the army can always have new blood. We wholeheartedly support this wise decision."

"That's right. There's no point in opposing the decisions I make. You might as well think about how to do better." Zheng Guohui raised the corners of his mouth and said domineeringly.

Several senior military officers sitting behind him exchanged quick glances, their expressions filled with helplessness.

Around 4 p.m., the infantry drill was nearing its end.

Since the inspection was a spur of the moment decision and the troops were not deployed to the field, it was difficult to conduct live-fire combat exercises.

If you are not careful, stray bullets will fly out and hurt people.

At this point, the inspection came to an end.

Zeng Guohui once again walked onto the reviewing stand and delivered an inspiring speech to the officers and soldiers in neat formation, giving them a lot of inspiration.

His speech aroused waves of cheers, and it could be seen that the officers and soldiers' love for His Majesty came from the bottom of their hearts.

The army of the Great Chu followed the old system, and both officers and soldiers had families. Your Majesty rewarded the soldiers with fields, houses, and women, and they could also receive one and a half silver dollars every month.

To put it bluntly, this army was the private soldiers of the King of Chu, and of course they had to fawn on their master and win his favor.

This is also the usual situation in today's world. This army is first loyal to King Zheng Guohui of Chu, and secondly, loyal to the Kingdom of Chu. The order cannot be messed up at all.

As for the illusory concept of the Chinese nation, the interim government of Da Chu is now repeatedly instilling and reinforcing it among the people. It will probably take many years for it to truly take effect.

During the court's more than 200 years of rule, the concept of the Chinese nation has been weakened and slavery has been strengthened. Such legacy cannot be eliminated in a short period of time.

(End of this chapter)