North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 234 Stirring up the storm
After seeing off Duke Joseph and his family, Azu returned to his usual busy routine.

Under his direction, Huamei Arsenal designed several entirely new firearms.

One of them was a firearm designed based on the Minié rifle. It wasn't particularly advanced, but it was sufficient for the time.

This Minié gun is completely different from any other firearm produced by the Huamei Company, and its purpose is also very special.

These Minié guns were specially supplied to Native Americans in other states.

The purpose was to stir up trouble in the West and give himself the opportunity to interfere in the affairs of other states.

The design and production of this firearm strives for simplicity and practicality, making it easy to manufacture, inexpensive, and capable of mass production.

After being designed a month ago, Huamei Armory immediately began secret production, and so far, a total of 5,000 units have been produced.

Azu handed over all these Minié guns to the Blackfoot tribe, instructing them to secretly distribute them to Native Americans in the surrounding states.

This includes Nevada and Arizona to the east, Oregon to the north, and Mexico to the south, among others.

As the production of Minié guns increases, they can even be supplied to distant western states.

Throughout the decades-long Indian Wars in America, the most resolute and enduring Native American tribes, such as the Sioux, Comanche, and Apache, possessed not only brave and fearless warriors but also a strong determination to unite and fight to the end.

What the Native Americans lacked most was weapons powerful enough to rival the American army.

Now that they have the means to supply advanced weapons in large quantities, Azu is actually quite looking forward to seeing how the future Native American wars will evolve.

……

In addition to the Minié rifle, Huamei Armory also redesigned the revolver.

The original front-loading revolver was cumbersome to load and had limited firepower.

The newly designed breech-loading revolver has seen significant improvements in all aspects, including accuracy, power, and loading speed.

This brand-new revolver was named the HM52 by Azu and was issued as standard issue to the California National Guard and Coast Guard.

Even militia and police forces have begun to gradually switch to these advanced firearms.

By mid-April, the California National Guard's 1st and 2nd Brigades, which had completely stabilized the situation in Panama, and the Independent Artillery Regiment, had all returned to California after leaving behind a battalion of troops to garrison the area.

Ah Zu personally went to Clarke Wharf to welcome the triumphant soldiers back.

At the celebration of the victory, Azu personally promoted Vic, Feng Zicai, and Shi Dakai to brigadier general.

Martinez Sr., Robert E. Lee, Yorma, and others were all officially promoted to colonel.

The other officers, including the colonels, all received promotions of varying degrees.

For example, Xu Lin, the company commander of the first company of the first battalion of the second brigade, was directly promoted to major battalion commander because of his bravery and outstanding military achievements.

Many of the soldiers who were killed or wounded also received generous compensation.

According to complete statistics, more than 1,900 soldiers were killed in action, more than 2,000 were seriously wounded, and countless others were slightly wounded.

Despite the significant casualties, the California National Guard and Coast Guard have been truly tempered by the fires of war after experiencing this real battle, and are constantly transforming into a truly powerful force.

……

Following the celebration, another important meeting was held.

Azu spoke first: "Only after this war with the Republic of New Grenada can our California National Guard and Coast Guard truly be called a qualified army!"

“But this is not enough!”

"Our California forces must continue to develop and transform towards standardization, professionalization, and modernization!"

As he spoke, Azu's gaze fell on Robert Lee: "Colonel Lee, you are now the military academy principal and have personally experienced this war, so you have a deep understanding of our California troops."

"Now, you should have something to say, right?"

Robert E. Lee stood up straight, saluted Azu, and then said, "Yes, Governor!"

Ah Zu waved his hand: "Sit down and talk!"

Robert Lee then sat down.

Ah Zu added, "We're all family here, so feel free to speak your mind!"

“Yes, Governor!” Robert E. Lee coughed twice, gathered his thoughts, and then said, “Based on this war and my daily observations, I can say that the current California forces are not yet a professional, regular, or modern army!”

"Oh...?" Azu asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

Robert E. Lee replied in a deep voice, “That’s right. Our officers and soldiers in the California forces are highly motivated and fearless, and they are generally well-trained in basic infantry tactics!” “However, the reason we were able to win this war was mainly due to the advanced firearms and artillery, as well as our overwhelming firepower advantage.”

"In terms of individual soldier quality and combat effectiveness, we have no advantage over the United States Army or even the New Grenada Army."

“First of all, let’s talk about the officers…!” Robert E. Lee bluntly stated, “Because the organization was established so recently, and most of them had not received formal military academy training, the officers’ command skills were still relatively rudimentary and primitive, and their level was quite limited.”

Upon hearing this, Feng Zicai and Shi Dakai were immediately displeased.

They both raised an eyebrow, about to retort.

Ah Zu smiled and waved to them, suppressing their urge to argue.

Robert E. Lee then said, "That's right. Both Brigade Commander Feng and Brigade Commander Shi were able to adapt to changing circumstances and adopt quite flexible and ingenious tactics, achieving quite good results."

"But in my opinion, it is far from being refined or formal in terms of basic command skills!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Zicai and Shi Dakai immediately fell silent.

Robert E. Lee was right!

Neither of these two brigade commanders, who were entrusted with important responsibilities, had received formal training at military academies; they relied entirely on their intuition and understanding of war to command.

While the results were good, if the scale of the war was larger, and the battles turned into campaigns, and the number of people under command increased from more than 10,000 to hundreds of thousands or even millions, their innate talents would not be enough.

Robert E. Lee then asked, "The first thing to do in war is logistics. Have you two brigade commanders calculated how much food, drinking water, ammunition, and other supplies your respective brigades need each day, both in combat and in daily operations?"

Faced with Robert E. Lee's question, Shi Dakai and Feng Zicai wanted to answer, but couldn't utter a single word.

Robert E. Lee then turned to old Martinez and asked, "Commander Martinez, how many basic loads of ammunition does your independent artillery regiment require per day in combat? And how much supplies does each artilleryman need?"

"This...!" Old Martinez stammered, unable to answer, and could only say, "These are the duties of a staff officer. As the commander of the unit...!"

“As the commanding officer, you must be well aware of the situation…!” Robert E. Lee interrupted without hesitation: “This time, we are fighting in a coastal area, where supplies are readily available, so logistical issues are not a major concern.”

"But in the future, if we go deep inland to fight, in areas with difficult logistical support, and if logistical problems arise, what consequences will that lead to? I think everyone here should be very clear about that!"

At this point, cold sweat began to bead on the foreheads of Shi Dakai and the other two.

Robert E. Lee continued, "Besides logistics, how much do you officers know about the specialized branches such as engineers, artillery, cavalry, reconnaissance, communications, and medics?"

"Are you able to skillfully command and use these specialized military units on the battlefield?"

Faced with Robert E. Lee's question once again, Shi Dakai and his two companions felt a little uneasy!

"Even when it comes to classic infantry tactics, the most basic offense and defense, how many of the officers here have actually studied them in depth?"

Now, Shi Dakai and his two companions were truly on pins and needles!

Robert Lee's sharp gaze swept across the faces of the crowd: "If our California officers could all master classic tactics, skillfully utilize specialized branches of service, and have a thorough understanding of logistics and supplies...!"

"So, in this war, with our overwhelming firepower advantage, our casualties can be reduced by at least half...!"

Robert E. Lee's words silenced the entire conference room so completely that you could hear a pin drop!

The joyful atmosphere of celebration that was just moments ago has vanished!

Only then did Azu calmly speak up: "Did Colonel Robert E. Lee's words awaken us?"

"If we want to become a standardized, professional, and modernized force with excellent combat effectiveness and cohesion, we still have a lot to learn!"

Azu added, "Therefore, I have decided that in the coming year, all officers must enter military academies in batches to study modern military theory and command systems."

"All officers must obtain their military academy graduation certificates before they can return to their posts!"

"From brigadier general down to second lieutenant, no one was an exception!"

As he spoke, Azu took out several thick books from under the table.

Upon closer inspection, these books included "On War," "Military Command," "Infantry Drill Manual," "Cavalry Drill Manual," "Artillery Drill Manual," "Sailor Drill Manual," "Engineering Drill Manual," and so on.

Some of these books are readily available, such as Clausewitz's "On War".

Some of the books were revised and improved by Azu based on his experience and memories from later generations, building upon existing books.

Of course, this also incorporates the wisdom of Robert E. Lee, Edgar Allan Poe, and others, and can be considered a culmination of the military wisdom of the entire California.

Ah Zu pushed the books to the center of the conference table and said solemnly, "For the next year, you all need to study diligently and stay in the military academy to learn!"

"If anyone dares not to study hard and fails to graduate, don't blame me for demoting you all to the lowest ranks and making you all low-level soldiers!"

(End of this chapter)