Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 275: Military expansion and preparation for war
After the meeting, Lin Hai specially set up a banquet and invited Wu Guoyi to dinner at the White House. He also sent someone to call Feng Yidao, director of the Security Department.

Wu Guoyi was in a bad mood throughout the entire meeting. He thought that after Zheng Zhilong was defeated, the company's financial expenditure would be appropriately tilted towards the Ministry of Army, but he did not expect this to be the final result.

Since Lin Hai resigned, there were few ships traveling between Jinhe and Daming. It was not until the Battle of Xiamen that Wu Guoyi learned that Liaodong had received another victory report.

The new Khan of the Tartars, who was called the Fourth Prince, followed the old slave's footsteps and was defeated again at the city of Ningyuan. Moreover, this time, not only did they fail to capture Ningyuan, but they also defended Jinzhou, which was reoccupied by the Ming army.

At the same time, the argument that the Jiannu was about to be defeated was also widely sung. The scholars were all talking about the old slave's sons fighting for power and that there was a famine in Liaodong and people were cannibalizing each other. No one knew how much of it was true and how much was false.

In short, the situation in the east seemed very good, as if the Tartars would collapse on their own at any time.

Under such circumstances, Wu Guoyi became more and more eager to go north to attack the slaves, but the current army department had only 3,000 people, most of whom were auxiliary troops. They could not cause any trouble on the Liaodong battlefield.

"Guo Yi, I asked you to come here today mainly to talk about my vision for the future development of the army. I haven't thought it through very well, so I didn't say it at the board meeting. Please come and discuss it first."

The tables and chairs in the White House banquet hall were arranged in a separate dining system. Lin Hai and Zhu Niang sat side by side at the top, while Wu Guoyi and Feng Yidao sat on the east and west sides, each of them having a separate table.

"Please speak, President." Wu Guoyi's spirits were lifted when he heard this. This was the first time that Lin Hai publicly mentioned at the board meeting that the Jiannu would be the company's mortal enemy. This made him quite relieved. After all, he was now increasingly doubting Lin Hai's determination to go north to fight the Jiannu.

Although the Ministry of the Army did not obtain substantial financial resources in the subsequent agenda, there were indeed practical difficulties, which Wu Guoyi could understand.

"After the Battle of Xiamen, I have been thinking about a question. The company currently has relatively few resources to invest in the army. In this case, if the army wants to expand, should we prioritize the quality of the army or the quantity?"

"What the General is saying is that the Army Department could consider reducing the amount of money spent on each soldier in exchange for an increase in the number of troops?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Lin Hai smiled and waved his hand. "A certain number of elite soldiers is definitely necessary. Otherwise, no matter how large the army is, it will just be a mob that can be slaughtered at will. Even Zheng Zhilong has figured this out."

"What the commander-in-chief said is absolutely right." Wu Guoyi thought of Wang Mengxiong's elite pirate troops who had launched a night attack out of the city. They were indeed opponents worthy of fighting for the Army Department.

Lin Hai continued, "What I mean is that although the company cannot focus on developing the army at present, it cannot stand still. If the company can double the budget for the army, would you prefer to double the size of the army department according to the existing standards, or lower the standards and recruit more people?"

"This is indeed a question worth considering." Wu Guoyi fell into deep thought after hearing this.

In fact, the army had already exposed the problem of insufficient manpower during the Battle of Xiamen. When the enemy's numbers are large and their intentions are unclear, even if the army is elite, it is inevitable that it will lose sight of one thing while focusing on another when mobilizing.

Seeing that Wu Guoyi didn't say anything for a long time, Lin Hai asked again: "Let me put it another way. If the company can invest 300 million taels per year in the daily expenses of the army in the future decisive battle with the Jiannu, do you want to support 6 troops according to the current standards of the Ministry of the Army, or spend 100 million taels to support 2 strong troops and use the remaining 200 million taels to support 10 civilians?"

Wu Guoyi said: "General, it depends on whether the Jiannu at that time is still as strong as when I was in power."

Lin Hai said: "Given the corruption of the imperial court, I think the Jian Nu will only become stronger and stronger. At the same time, the various Mongolian tribes will completely submit, and the total number of troops that the Jian Nu can mobilize will increase."

"Boss, forgive me for being blunt, but if the Jian Nu becomes stronger, or if they become the same as when I was in power, the two plans you just mentioned will be hard to defeat them." Wu Guoyi paused and said, "Because you didn't mention cavalry just now, and raising cavalry is even more expensive."

"The cavalry is another matter." Lin Hai naturally did not expect that he could destroy the Jian Nu with 300 million taels of military expenditure every year. He continued, "My premise is that the company has another cavalry with roughly the same strength as the Jian Nu. Putting aside this premise, there is no need to discuss anything."

"If that's the case, both options have their pros and cons." Wu Guoyi thought for a moment and said, "A 6-strong army would be safer. Whether we win or lose, it won't be too complete. If we have a 2-strong army plus 10 civilians, we might be able to cripple the Tartars in one battle, or we might lose everything in one battle."

Wu Guoyi's idea is basically the same as Lin Hai's, and this is exactly what he is struggling with. The Huiyou Company is an organization formed by the drive of overseas interests. Before the war spread to the south of the Yangtze River, there was actually no irreconcilable contradiction between it and the Later Jin.

If there were a major defeat on the Liaodong battlefield at this time, Lin Hai was not sure whether he could still control the direction of the company. If he insisted on doing things based on his own will, he would most likely suffer backlash.

Therefore, if he only considers destroying the Later Jin Dynasty, Lin Hai should be more inclined to choose the former. After all, the population and economic size of the Later Jin Dynasty are there, so there is no need to go all in with it. He can kill it slowly.

For the Jiannu, failure to win continuously means slow death. This problem was exposed in the old slave era, until Huang Taiji started the robbery mission.

But the problem is that Lin Hai's goal is not only to destroy the Later Jin, he also wants to destroy the Ming Dynasty and quell the peasant war. This is a problem that cannot be solved by only taking the elite troops route.

After the Qing army entered the pass, it was mainly relying on traitors to conquer the world. Lin Hai could certainly take this route, but it would mean that he would have to make many compromises and might ultimately fail to establish a new dynasty of his dreams.

Furthermore, this route might be quite long, and Lin Hai hoped to conquer the world faster. After all, it was just a new beginning. To build a different empire, there were still many things to do.

"Guoyi, which option do you personally prefer?" Lin Hai asked again.

"If the company's cavalry can really match the Jiannu, then I will choose 2 strong soldiers plus 10 civilians." Wu Guoyi said, "The Jiannu's main advantage is the cavalry. If they lose this advantage, I think the company has a great chance of winning. Let's just decide the outcome in one go!"

In fact, Wu Guoyi had another reason that he didn't tell. He was afraid that once the war between the company and the Jiannu turned into a stalemate, Lin Hai's determination might gradually be worn away, and he might eventually be satisfied with being a sea overlord.

Actually, Lin Hai was also using the discussion with Wu Guoyi to sort out his thoughts. Actually, he might have already had the answer in his mind. He just clapped his hands and laughed, "What Guoyi said is exactly what I want. The militia route is more suitable for the company at the moment. It can also save expenses on civil affairs." "You mean, the Security Department doesn't need to expand its staff? Use militia to make up the numbers?" Zhu Niang asked when she heard this. She didn't expect the topic to suddenly turn to civil affairs.

"Yes, that's what I mean." Lin Hai said, "As the company's territory grows and more and more immigrants come, the number of people needed by the Security Department will also increase significantly. In addition, a certain number of garrisons must be maintained in various places. On the one hand, it is necessary for internal security, and on the other hand, it is to defend against foreign invasions. This is bound to cause a waste of manpower."

"The advantage of the militia is that they don't have to leave their jobs. They can be recruited locally when there is an emergency, and can farm when there is nothing to do. Of course, regular military training is essential, especially during the winter when there is no farming work. They are mainly responsible for local security and guard work, and can also be mobilized to fight on overseas battlefields when necessary."

Lin Hai's idea of ​​combining militia and police is not actually his own idea. This practice also exists in European history. Jomini, a master of war theory during the Napoleonic War, strongly supported this.

In fact, most of the three shifts of yamen runners in the local government of ancient China were also militiamen. Of course, yamen runners and modern police are not the same thing. China's police system was not established until the late Qing Dynasty.

"I plan to upgrade the Security Department to the Security General Administration, with an administrative level of vice-ministerial level. The original Vanguard Bureau and Household Registration Bureau will be upgraded to the Vanguard Department and Household Registration Department. In addition, a Farm Soldiers Department will be established to be responsible for the selection and training of militiamen..."

In fact, Lin Hai also wanted to add a maritime police chief and transfer the Navy Department's galley unit over, so that the responsibility for homeland defense would fall entirely on the General Security Administration.

In this way, the Navy Department will focus on improving offshore combat capabilities, just like the Army Department is responsible for overseas wars, and the division between fighting and defending will be clearer.

But in the end, after thinking it over, he decided to slow down for a while. After all, the Navy's current offshore combat capabilities are still very average, and they mainly focus on homeland defense and fighting pirates. For the time being, they cannot reach the doorsteps of Western colonists.

What's more, Lin Hai had just decided to transfer all the merchant ships to the Ministry of Communications, and if he wanted to take the galleys away as well, those people in the Navy Department might have some ideas.

So in the end, it was decided to wait until a second colony was established. By then, the Navy Department would face practical difficulties in balancing the maritime police work in both places.

"Yidao, you will be the director of the General Security Administration. Do you know what this means?" Lin Hai asked Feng Yidao with a smile.

"This..." Feng Yidao didn't react for a moment and was really stumped by the question.

"Think about what the general manager said just now. The General Security Administration is at the vice-ministerial level." After Zhu Niang said this, Feng Yidao suddenly woke up. The vice-ministerial level is equivalent to being qualified to join the board of directors.

He was stunned for a moment, and after standing there for a while, he stood up and bowed to Lin Hai, saying, "I thank you for your promotion, and I swear to be loyal to you until death."

Lin Hai nodded to Feng Yidao with a smile: "You played very well in the Xiamen battle. You deserve it."

He then changed the subject and looked at Wu Guoyi: "The Army Department and the General Security Bureau are both part of the company's army system. You two must strengthen communication and contact at ordinary times. Just like in the Battle of Xiamen, when Wang Mengxiong went out of the city for a night attack, the cavalry sentry and the First and Second Bureaus of the Army Department cooperated very well. You must continue to maintain it."

Then he looked at Zhu Niang and said, "Population size is the foundation of the army. The Civil Affairs Bureau should also support the development of the company's army."

Zhu Niang and Wu Guoyi seemed to understand that Lin Hai's words seemed to have a hidden meaning. After thinking about it carefully, they realized that this might be directed at the Navy Department's opposition to recruiting too many immigrants at the board meeting today.

Compared with the Army, the Navy is not as dependent on population size. When it comes to immigration, the Navy is certainly not as enthusiastic as the Civil Affairs Bureau and the Army.

This may have been the reason for bringing Feng Yidao onto the board of directors. The Army system plus the Civil Affairs Institute can form a balance with the Navy Department in terms of seats on the board of directors, thus preventing the Navy from dominating the board.

Of course, Lin Hai is seeing the big picture from the small. The attitude towards immigration can actually be seen as the company's attitude towards sea power and land power. After all, a small country with a small population can also achieve maritime power, but it cannot achieve hegemony on land.

Lin Hai's attitude is to have both. He will never allow the company to be satisfied with just maritime trade hegemony while watching more Han compatriots struggle under the iron hoof of the Qing Dynasty.

The future Ministry of Transportation will also focus on maritime affairs, and Li Guozhu and Ou Zuoji are likely to agree with the Navy on this point. On the contrary, Xu Yilong is likely to support Lin Hai in fighting against the Later Jin, because he is responsible for the affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

It is indeed true that the head follows the butt. Shibi originally thought that the board of directors was just a decoration. As long as he and Zhu Niang listened to Lin Hai, the four votes combined from the three of them would already constitute the majority.

However, things have come to a point where the two siblings have very different opinions on certain things, and they even had an argument at the board meeting today.

"Regarding the militia, I think the monthly salary can be similar to that of the auxiliary soldiers of the Army Department, which is five cents of silver per month, but no monthly food and salt and vegetable money. In terms of equipment, they will be equipped with bird guns and long swords for the time being. The bird guns will be managed by the local garrison offices and issued to individuals during wartime and training."

"Commander, with only muskets and long swords, isn't the close combat capability too weak?" Wu Guoyi was a little surprised when he heard this. The musketeers of the Army Department were equipped with this equipment, and they also had an extra set of armor. It was obviously impossible for the militiamen to be fully armored.

"I'm talking about the moment. We'll talk about the future later. It's hard to train people if the equipment is too complicated. A pure team with muskets and long swords is enough for fighting in Southeast Asia."

Lin Hai was certainly not talking casually. In fact, each member of the VOC army was only given a matchlock rifle, and a few rounds of volleys were enough to deal with most of the natives in Southeast Asia.

If we really encounter some tough guys, don't we still have the Army Department and the Vanguard Department? At this stage, the Agricultural Soldiers Department can only disperse and sweep after the main force wins.

Lin Hai's main preset battlefield is in Cambodia. He wants to occupy the mouth of the Mekong River. This should be the only time in the near future when a large-scale army is needed. The navy will play a major role in dealing with the VOC.

(End of this chapter)