Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

After selecting the generals to lead the troops and discussing the strategy for the expedition, Li Chengming began to choose the troops to be sent out.

Of the five regiments in Xinzhou City, Li Chengming selected two and will prioritize supplying these two regiments with muskets and cannons from Xinzhou City.

Each regiment consisted of three battalions, one of which was a musketeer battalion with three hundred musketeers. In addition, each of the two regiments was equipped with an artillery company, each with one hundred and twenty men and four cannons!

Li Chengming also assigned ideological instructors to the two regiments in advance. Instructors were assigned to the regiment, company, and battalion levels. The instructors were of the same rank as the military commanders and were responsible for coordination between military units and ideological education of the soldiers.

In peacetime and combat, officers have the authority to make decisions, while instructors have the authority to veto them. Each has their own responsibilities. In case of disagreement, military matters are decided by the officer, while political matters are decided by the instructor.

The biggest problem with this expedition was logistics. Apart from the initial long march from Jingmen to Xinzhou, the restorative army's expeditions were mostly between counties, with the longest distance not exceeding 100 kilometers.

This expedition to Hangzhou is three or four hundred kilometers from Wuyuan. It is impossible for the soldiers to carry all the food, artillery shells, and ammunition, so auxiliary troops must also be prepared to transport the supplies.

Li Chengming decided to conscript two thousand prisoners to transport supplies. He still had more than four thousand prisoners in his hands, mostly prisoners of Zheng's army. At the time, he did not release these prisoners, intending to use them as free labor.

These prisoners of war played a significant role in the subsequent mining, bridge and road construction, and the building of steel mills and copper smelters.

Therefore, Li Chengming plans to select two thousand prisoners to form two auxiliary corps, which will then be responsible for transporting provisions, ammunition, and shells.

Li Chengming said to Liang Zicheng, "Most of the prisoners are at the steel mill and copper smelter. You will be in charge of reorganizing two auxiliary corps. Also, didn't the steel mill produce a batch of steel-framed two-wheeled carts? All of them should be transferred to the auxiliary corps."

Liang Zicheng gave a wry smile: "These two-wheeled carts were originally intended to be transported to the city for sale. I even promised the steelworkers that I would give them bonuses once the carts were sold, but now they're all gone."

With no recent fighting, Li Chengming has turned his attention to the steel mill in terms of revenue generation. Gun and cannon manufacturing is not as urgent as before, so Li Chengming ordered the steel mill to produce a batch of civilian ironware to earn extra money.

A while ago, the steel mill produced a batch of knives and iron pots, which were transported to Xinzhou City for sale. Because the knives were sharp, the iron pots were lightweight, and they were made of high-quality steel, the prices were reasonable, and with the guarantee of the Xingfu Army's reputation, the knives and iron pots were quickly snapped up.

The steel-framed two-wheeled flatbed carts produced later could travel on both mountain roads and flat roads, and were intended for sale. However, since the Xingfu Army needed them, they could only be used by the logistics troops for the time being.

When Liang Zicheng summoned the prisoners and announced that those who joined the Restoration Army as auxiliary soldiers could be freed from their prisoner status and receive one or two taels of silver per month, they all rushed to sign up.

Most of the prisoners captured by Zheng's army were young men, mostly from Fujian and a small number from Jiangxi. Only a small number of volunteers were selected to join the Restoration Army. The other prisoners did not fail to meet the requirements of the Restoration Army, but believed that the Restoration Army was lucky to win one or two battles, and would eventually lose when it encountered an elite enemy.

Most of the prisoners initially hoped that Zheng's army would come to their rescue. As time went on, the Xingfu Army first defeated the 20,000-strong army sent by Zheng, and then inflicted a major defeat on Jin Shenghuan's 50,000-strong army.

Later, the prisoners learned that the Restoration Army had won several great victories in a row, and that the soldiers of the Restoration Army not only had enough to eat every day, but also received their monthly salary of two taels of silver on time. The prisoners finally realized the strength of the Restoration Army and the benefits of joining it, and they all asked to join the Restoration Army.

But you can't just join the Restoration Army whenever you want. You didn't want to join back then, and there's no need to now. Just do your job!

Although the Restoration Army did not mistreat prisoners and even provided them with enough food while they worked, the days were filled with nothing but mining and road construction, and there seemed to be no end in sight. Therefore, they all wanted to escape their prisoner status, and even if they could not join the Restoration Army, being sent back home would be better than nothing.

When they heard that Liang Zicheng was going to organize an auxiliary corps, the prisoner-of-war camp was in an uproar, and everyone eagerly signed up.

With only two thousand slots available, Liang Zicheng selected the strongest and most capable men and reorganized them into two auxiliary regiments.

The commanders and officers of the auxiliary corps were selected from the Restoration Army. Since the prisoners who made up the auxiliary corps were originally soldiers, they only needed to be adapted to the organization of the Restoration Army and given simple military training to be able to transport logistical supplies.

The biggest advantage of the auxiliary troops is that they don't need to be escorted by other troops. Each of you is given a spear, and their combat strength is no less than that of an ordinary army. They have enough strength to protect themselves.

Looking at the auxiliary troops who could march in perfect formation after only five days of training, Li Chengming nodded and said, "After all, they are all able-bodied young men, and they are from the Zheng army. Giving them weapons makes them stronger than many other armies!"

Liang Zicheng, who was standing nearby, also said, "They've gotten rid of their status as prisoners of war, and they're fed every day and given military pay. Other regular armies might not be able to afford such investment. If a real battle breaks out, the auxiliary corps' strength will definitely not be lacking."

Li Chengming said, "Let's treat them as a reserve force. If we can take Fujian in the future, this reserve force will be like those from good families, and their fighting strength will not be inferior to the current Restoration Army!"

The Auxiliary Corps is currently based in Fujian, and its fighting spirit is still insufficient, making it unusable. However, if the Restoration Army can take over Fujian one day, it will be equivalent to taking over the Auxiliary Corps' base of operations. Such an army is the Restoration Army's greatest asset!

The troops and equipment are ready, but the problem of money and food has not yet been solved.

After calculation, Li Chengming concluded that if all the silver and grain for this military expedition came from Xinzhou City, the remaining money and grain would only be enough for the Xingfu Army in Xinzhou City to last for two months, and would not last until the New Year.

The money and grain in Qianshan City and Ehu Town cannot be touched. Firstly, the number of soldiers in these two places has increased significantly compared to before. Secondly, Li Chengming plans to capture Fenshui Pass around the Lunar New Year, so there is no extra money and grain in Qianshan City and Ehu Town.

The same applies to the other counties. Sufficient funds and provisions must be allocated to the local agricultural administration teams and the stationed Xingfu Army. Moreover, the confiscated wealth of landlords has been transported back to Xinzhou City, so other counties do not have any extra funds or provisions to allocate.

Li Chengming set his sights on Huizhou City. Zhang Tianlu, as the Qing general of Huizhou, amassed wealth and recruited soldiers after occupying the city. In just a few months, he expanded his army from less than three thousand men to more than six thousand.

To support such a large army, Zhang Tianlu must have amassed a considerable fortune. Therefore, Li Chengming wondered if he could rob Zhang Tianlu of some of his wealth. If successful, the restoration army would have the funds and provisions to send troops.

Li Chengming instructed Yan Huidong to take Chen Qiliang to Huizhou City to scout and gather information, and to see if they could get some benefits from Zhang Tianlu.

Five days later, Yan Huidong sent back a detailed report via walkie-talkie: Zhang Tianlu doesn't seem to have much money here, but he has plenty of grain, enough to support our troop deployment this time.

Yan Huidong's report also stated: Zhang Tianlu's forces number between six and seven thousand, guarding several key passes leading into Huizhou City. The grain and fodder are stored inside Huizhou City. To seize the grain and fodder, one must be fast and also take them by surprise!