afterglow

Chapter 244

The last month of the 37th year of Zhichang was quite ordinary for Zhou Changfeng, and his daily life was almost boring.

Consistent with the regulations of the Ming Army, the routine training is unshakable, three days off and one day off, but because of the relatively independent nature of the [-]st Marine Regiment, Zhou has some room to play freely.

There is no doubt that the cohesion of the army is an important part of the overall combat power. Whether it is to improve the combat power of his subordinates or to better suit his own wishes, he has racked his brains in this regard.

The adjustments he is currently trying to make are largely inspired by an American unit that has left a deep impression on him in the history of warfare he has studied.

The U.S. Marine Corps established four elite amphibious units called Raider Battalions during the Great War, of which the battle of the [-]nd Raider Battalion in Makin Atoll is widely rumored.

The cause of its creation was a proposal written by Major Carlson, who had been to China for inspection, and he proposed to form a special force similar to the British commando and Chinese guerrillas.

After being approved, several battalions were established one after another, and Major Carlson served as the commander of the second battalion. He was very powerful and boldly adopted a training and organizational model that was completely different from the ordinary US military.

Based on what he had seen and heard, Major Carlson referred to the egalitarian approach to army building and established in the Second Raider Battalion a very different ideological concept from the traditional concept.

Officers should have responsibilities rather than privileges over soldiers, and their leadership should be based on consultation rather than on rank alone.NCOs and officers can thus work together to improve the condition of the unit.

In terms of specific details, Major Carlson was deeply impressed by the political work of the No.18 Army. [-]. Questions about the situation of the troops can speak freely, and anyone can speak their minds.

People think that this is a combination of communism and democracy, which has caused an uproar in the military and political circles.

In addition, Major Carlson also carried out ideological education in the second battalion. He called this move "gaining faith", so that all officers and soldiers in the battalion knew what they were fighting for.

He identified a new word as the slogan—Gung Ho, which was used to promote the idea of ​​"cooperating together".

The example of Carlson’s Second Raider Battalion can be said to be very suitable for Zhou Changfeng’s appetite. This at least proves that even in places with very different ideologies, it is feasible to apply a little bit of the idea of ​​army building.

But only a little.

However, even with just a few attempts, the strict hierarchy of the Ming army and the obvious confrontation between officers and soldiers still added great trouble to Zhou.

The particularity of the army determines that it tends to be conservative as a whole, and the concept of hierarchy is also the most stubborn-everyone has the right to speak, isn't it possible to question and disobey orders at will?
Therefore, even though the idea of ​​equality between scholars, farmers, businessmen, and the people has been accepted by the people for the most part, the Ming army is still largely the same.

Many officers didn't understand the meaning of such a move at all, and they often complained and complained in private, while the soldiers were delighted, but they were not easy to let go because they had long been accustomed to the previous hierarchy of superiority and inferiority.

Seeing the big from the small shows how difficult it is for a rigid group to reform.

"Stop fucking complaining to me about this and that. If you are not willing to be under my command, then leave immediately."

"The world is full of talents, how many people are eager to transfer to the navy, let alone the four of you, even four hundred can be recruited."

"Who wants to leave? Come out, I'll write recommendation letters for you one by one, and write them truthfully, without embellishing them."

This morning, the four officers who were most resentful on weekdays were pulled out. In the open space in front of the duty room, Zhou Changfeng was too lazy to explain, and directly scolded his head and face.

He thinks that he treats any unsuitable people objectively, just like later generations of employees of large companies will often ask their boss for a letter of recommendation before leaving to find the next job, and the boss will generally not make things difficult.

This is the general environment of the Ming army, and the officers have long been accustomed to it.

An officer may not adapt to the new atmosphere of the [-]st Marine Regiment, but he may have his own strengths. Leaving the [-]st Marine Regiment to go to other units can also play a role, and the recommendation letter from the old boss is likely to determine the officer. Ability to take up suitable positions.

However, the four officers were very knowledgeable, they all lowered their heads in silence, and without exception, they all chose to compromise. For no reason, as the son of the Ming Navy, the Marine Corps was treated much better than the Army.

"Habits that have accumulated over the years are not easy to change, so don't force it, and you can leave if you can't bear it." Yao Liangchuan walked over slowly, glanced at Zhou Changfeng and these officers, and said slowly: "But since the four of you If you are not willing to leave, then don’t complain, and next time, you will be served by army sticks.”

"Yes!"

"Let's go, each go back to the team." Zhou Changfeng turned around and waved.

"Order."

Four officers of different heights, fat and thin, clasped their fists and saluted, then quickly ran away.

Yao Liangchuan glanced back, then took off the half-frame square glasses and wiped them with a silk cloth, "You have a good temper, if you change to someone else, I'm afraid you'll drive them away."

"Oh, it's not reassuring."

"This is what you asked for, such a toss... Everyone is uncomfortable."

"This is not looking for trouble." Zhou Changfeng glanced at him, "This is essentially military training."

Although Yao Liangchuan had never heard of his approach and conception, after thinking about it, he felt that it was indeed quite reasonable, and it was a way of training soldiers that could be tried.

It's just the entry point of this method... It's relatively new, and he has some doubts.

"Since ancient times, the management of the army has emphasized rewards and punishments, but rarely think about the level of respect. I have always believed that, in view of human nature, the differences in status and high and low should be repeatedly emphasized."

"Many people's ambitions and abilities are not low. Each person alone is a dragon, and a group of people together becomes a mob. Those who are capable are very proud. They think they are the best in the world, and the rest are old. .”

"So someone must make a decision with one word, restrain the soldiers' nature, and don't think too much, so orders are prohibited. On the contrary, although morale will increase, if they disagree on the battlefield, they will be in chaos."

Hearing this, Zhou Changfeng directly pointed out the mistake, "No, you misunderstood, I never said that the final decision-making power should be dispersed, and orders must still be obeyed unconditionally. Dilute the status level is not completely abandoned, how can it be black or black? white?"

"Well. So, at least from the soldier's point of view, they'll have... er..."

"A sense of participation and respect."

"Yes." Yao Liangchuan nodded slightly, "It's exactly like this, so the morale is bound to be impressive."

Zhou Changfeng with his hips on his hips smiled, stepped over the threshold and walked back to the guard room.

Resistance is inevitable, and his response is to continue to stick to this set of practices, while expanding the proportion of retired veterans and recruits, adding some recruits who are much more malleable than the old fritters.

Just at this time, Zhao Hanfeng, Xie Wancheng, and Zhu Lishuo came together, and Zhao Hanfeng still held a document envelope in his hand.

He smiled and said: "The supervisor is here too, that's great, I just have something to talk about."

So the four of them followed into the value room.

Zhou Changfeng was a little surprised by the arrival of several major military officers. His eyes fell on the seal of the document, and he intuitively guessed that it might be a written military order.

"To put it simply, the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion asked us to go to Fushan to conduct a landing drill after the Lantern Festival. Then there are some attachments." Zhao Hanfeng handed over all the documents inside.

This is not an order that is only allowed to be issued by the chief officer, so it is okay for the chief of staff to open it first.

Zhou Changfeng took it, and after flipping through it roughly, he was immediately attracted by an appendix——"Concise Japanese Language Handbook"?
He raised his head, and the four people in front of him had different expressions, waiting for him to speak.

After a while, he said in a deep voice: "It seems that the court has changed its mind."

Because of the limited information he has, Zhou Changfeng can only use this to conclude that Ming Dynasty may carry out military operations against Japan in the near future, but it is unknown what happened behind the scenes.

There are still many Western forces remaining on the Dongying Islands. Is this going to completely drive them out of Ming Dynasty's sphere of influence before the war?

Or... take the opportunity to start a full-scale fight directly?
But it is obvious that the possibility of the latter is very small, and it will not be so sudden.

Actively kick off the prelude to the war without proper and sufficient preparation?Being so reckless is obviously not the style of the Ming court.

Zhou Changfeng turned around and opened a side cabinet, and took out a small-scale Japanese map of the fourth edition printed by the Military Bureau of the Ministry of War in the 30th year of Zhichang.

He stretched out his index finger and moved it slowly. During this period, the room remained strangely quiet.

Zhu Lishuo broke the silence by speaking suddenly, "To be honest, Xiyi has only a small garrison in Wa Kingdom, so fighting is probably not much more difficult than traveling."

Zhou Changfeng rolled his eyes at him, waved his hands and said, "It's useless to talk about it now. You can't underestimate the enemy strategically, and tactically."

"It's still quite emotional." Xie Wancheng, who looked relaxed, breathed a sigh of relief, "From now on, there will be no Xiyi forces at the door of our house. What you can't see is clear, so comfortable."

This kind of unilateral crushing war is at best a "special military operation", and there is no need to worry at all.

Britain, France, Russia, the United States, Italy and other countries have deployed certain armed forces in the concessions of major cities in Japan. For example, in Tokyo, the American concession has the [-]th Marine Corps Regiment, and the Russian concession has the independent [-]th Dragoons. group.

Not only do these units lack heavy weapons, but they also live a life of feasting and debauchery all year round, weakened by women's charms, lack of training, and lax military discipline.

If there is a fight, these guys have no sense of resistance at all, and thank God if they don't collapse at the touch of a finger.

In Zhou Changfeng's view, the best choice is for them to surrender obediently and hand over the control of the concession honestly, so that both parties are decent, wouldn't it be beautiful?
However, what is unknown is that at this moment, the secret envoy sent by the Ming court has arrived in Tehran, and a group of them are staying at the Espinas Palace Hotel.

The special plane that took off from Jingshi Yingtianfu yesterday morning dropped several liters and arrived at the destination Mehrabad Airport in the middle of the night today.

Not only Daming, Britain and France also sent secret envoys, and the three parties will start secret negotiations here.

This was proposed by Ming Dynasty. In order to show fairness, it is naturally not suitable to meet within the sphere of influence of any of the three parties. Therefore, the location was finally chosen in Iran, which is relatively neutral and under the rule of the Pahlavi Dynasty.

The core of the discussion is also very simple - you have also been dependent on the Dongying Islands for decades, it is time to go.

After a night's rest, the Ming envoy, who had regained his energy, came to the VIP conference room on the eighth floor of the hotel. The French envoy was already waiting inside, and the British envoy was the last to arrive.

After a brief self-introduction and pleasantries, this secret negotiation that was unknown to the outside world quickly unfolded.

The secret envoy of Ming Dynasty is a middle-aged man with ordinary appearance, but his eyes are extremely aggressive, which can make people very uncomfortable.

He raised his hand and looked at his watch, and stated straightforwardly: "For a long time, our country has been committed to ensuring the safety of its own country and its dependent countries, but Japan is the biggest shortcoming. Now it should be returned to our country's rule."

In fact, the Ming court had already made two-handed preparations. If Britain and France agreed to withdraw peacefully, it would be the best, and everyone would be decent.

But if you refuse, or if the conditions offered are not acceptable, then the negotiation will be terminated, and you can fight as you like.

The appearance of the British emissary completely fits people's stereotypes of the British - suits and leather shoes, pretentious demeanor, and leisurely conversation.

He said unhurriedly: "The British Empire has a considerable amount of investment in Japan. As you know, sir, 40 years is not enough to recover the principal of the long-term investment."

"Then what conditions does your country have?" The secret envoy of the Ming Dynasty suddenly showed a playful smile, "The two countries will be reconciled forever and will not invade each other?"

Nowadays, the British are undoubtedly the ones who do not want chaos in the world. After the European War, the glorious British Empire began to decline inevitably, and the colonial system all over the world seems to be faintly shaken.

At the cost of a tasteless Japan, in exchange for Ming to stop its imminent pursuit of Nanyang, this is an absolutely worthwhile deal in the eyes of the British.

It can be delayed for one year, and the huge benefits captured by the Nanyang region are not comparable to the small state of Quer in Japan.

"Peace is the long-cherished wish of every British person. The pain caused by war is too difficult to heal." The British secret envoy paused and continued: "Maybe we have had unpleasant frictions before, but as long as we have the greatest sincerity , then it is entirely possible to reach an agreement.”

The Secret Envoy of Ming Dynasty who mocked inwardly nodded slightly, and said calmly: "Your Majesty the Emperor and the imperial court also think so."

After finishing speaking, he looked at the French secret envoy beside him and asked, "Does your country have any thoughts on this?"

The latter has just been observing the dialogue between the Chinese and British secret envoys, trying to figure out the psychology of the two. Although Britain and France have confessed to each other a few days ago, that does not represent the final attitude.

"The withdrawal and transfer of assets will take time, and we hope to ensure the interests of France as much as possible. In addition, can you reduce...or suspend the trade of tungsten concentrate to the Germans?"

(End of this chapter)