The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 121 Banquet at the Commander’s Mansion
Feng Guohui discussed with several generals for a while, and it was noon before he knew it.

Fan Dali, the head of the personal guard, came in to report that the luncheon had been prepared and invited the commander-in-chief and other officers to come.

Feng Guohui stood up first and said, "Hahaha... people are like iron, and food is like steel. If you don't eat one meal, you will be hungry. Let's go... brothers, go try the skills of the chef of Shuai Mansion."

Major General Hu Huhu immediately complimented him and said, "Commander, everyone knows that your chef here makes the most authentic Huaiyang cuisine. I think it has been a long time since I had this taste. I have caught the opportunity. I have to eat it today."

"Tiger is right, I'm also hungry for this bite." Major General Mai Laowen responded with a smile.

Feng Guohui was in a good mood and led everyone towards the restaurant, saying as he walked;
"As long as you like it, I heard that the chef was thinking about the coconut shell bear paw dish and it only took two days to make it.

After the bear paws are cleaned, put them in a pot and simmer them in stock for 12 hours. Finally, they are placed in coconut shells, filled with coconut meat and steamed for another hour, so that the fragrance of coconuts can fully penetrate into the bear paws.

You are in for a treat today. Do you want to try it? Is it that good? "

"Commander, please stop talking. My mouth is drooling if you say anything else."

"Hahaha... a good-for-nothing guy."

In tropical jungles, pygmy elephants, orangutans, proboscis monkeys, Bornean honey bears, Javan buffalos, Sunda clouded leopards, and Sunda pangolins are all common wild animals and are widely distributed throughout the East Indies.

The native Javanese people generally prohibit drinking because of their religious beliefs, so they have not developed a decent winemaking industry.

Feng Guohui also let go of his drinking capacity today and accepted all comers. In a short time, he had already downed a pound of wine. He was slightly tipsy and a touch of red appeared on his cheeks.

In the banquet, coconut wine is indispensable.

These old brothers of Feng Guohui all had martial arts backgrounds. After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere soon became lively, with large chunks of meat being eaten and large bowls of drinking wine.

This is an improved version of Chinese cuisine in Nanyang, and it tastes unique.

Delicious seafood is indispensable. A steamed red grouper weighs more than 30 kilograms and is two feet long. It is extremely delicious, tender and delicious.

Feng Guohui sat at the top without hesitation, and the others sat down on the left and right sides.

"Commander, I, Wu Siwen, am not willing to be seconded to others, and I will swear allegiance to the commander to the death."

"Commander, I'd like to give you a toast. Just because you have led the brothers to such a big scene in the past two years, the brothers have no worries about food and clothing, and you can also protect the people. I, Mai Laowei, am convinced and willing to do my best to repay you. "Mai Laowen was obviously drunk. He stood up and raised his glass with red hands, and said loudly.

"Commander, there is Hu Huhu who is willing to follow your command, even if he dies a hundred times, he will not regret it."

The bear paw mentioned here is a branch of the sun bear, that is, the Java bear or "honey bear". It is much smaller than the black bear and brown bear, and the adult weight is about 130 catties to 150 catties.

The alcohol content is 36 degrees. There is a refreshing and mellow coconut aroma in the mouth, with a hint of sweetness. It will taste better if chilled with ice cubes.

While talking, beautifully prepared dishes were served one after another.

"Commander..."

Sixi meatballs, tiger skin meat, stewed pork ribs and corn soup, a large basin of coconut crab roe and braised coconut meat, and unshelled coconut crab legs. The meat was white and tender, as long as a palm, and it was piled on a large plate. .

His words aroused everyone's emotions. They all stood up and raised their glasses, expressing their feelings excitedly.

What they drank was coconut wine brewed by local Chinese in Surabaya. This was made according to the traditional Chinese grain wine brewing method by adding coconut meat to ferment.

Everyone chatted and laughed all the way to the restaurant, where flowers, bowls, chopsticks and eight cold dishes had been placed. There were also maids and guards from the handsome manor waiting on the side, waiting for the officer to arrive and start the meal.

Chinese immigrants no longer have such scruples. With the Nanyang Army successively taking control of important towns such as Surabaya, Yanwang, Semarang, and Jepara, and the influx of a large number of Chinese immigrants, tofu workshops, blacksmith shops, bamboo weaving, wine making, and sauce brewing Vinegar and other products have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, greatly enriching people's lives.

Feng Guohui also picked up the cup and stood up, suppressed his smile, and said solemnly;
"Brothers, we are all men of steel with Chinese blood flowing through our veins. Brothers Paoze, who share life and death, must be united as one in this land overseas.

The so-called brothers are of the same mind, and their strength is as strong as metal.

In front of us, there is the army of ghosts who are watching with eagerness, and in the back, there is chaos in the hearts of the indigenous barbarians. We must not mess up our position at any time, leaving others with opportunities to take advantage of us.

Today you and I will drink this glass of wine together. When we go back, we will prepare for the war and prepare to face the ghost colonial army with ulterior motives and win the battle.

Until then, we'll have another celebratory drink. "

"Okay... let's have a celebratory drink when we win."

All the generals raised their glasses and drank it all in one gulp. Feng Guohui also raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, looked around at everyone, and then laughed together.

The atmosphere at the banquet has reached its most intense state.

Feng Guohui knew that not everyone could readily accept the adjustment of senior officers' appointments, so some people complained privately and said strange things.

However, the enemy is now

Feng Guohui could only pretend not to know, and vigorously implemented the rotation system of senior officers. This was to avoid being a leader in the army, engaging in gangsterism, and being beaten to death at the first sign of signs.

In the next step, middle-level officers will also be rotated, especially regimental-level officers, who will be transferred every three or four years.

Feng Guohui is indeed a big warlord, but he does not want small warlords to appear under his command.

In the Nanyang Army

There must and can only be one voice, and that is Feng Guohui's absolute control over the entire military. No one can question it, and there must never be any signs of weakening the military and political voice. Power is an intoxicating drug. It is unrealistic to expect absolute loyalty from your subordinates. It must be restricted by systems.

In Feng Guohui's plan
The Nanyang Army should establish a military investigation department and directly report it to the General's Office to supervise, control and restrict the officer group. This is one of the necessary restrictive means.

However, there was no time to prepare yet.

Feng Guohui looked at the various people on the wine table, smiled and drank until the wine was dry, showing a friendly attitude, trying his best to get along well with these senior officers, and making a few vulgar jokes from time to time.

Nowadays, the territory of the Nanyang Army has become larger, and everyone here is in a high position. They are no longer as precarious as before. It is inevitable to have many small thoughts in the face of glory and wealth.

It's hard to be a boss because you're afraid of being stabbed in the back by a traitor.

Fortunately, the Nanyang Army was only established for more than a year, and the trusted generals who were in charge of the military were born in the rough. Most of them were not highly educated and were not deep-minded people.

If you are dissatisfied with the rotation of military positions, you can only complain privately and give it a proper beating.

This banquet lasted for more than three hours and did not end until about two o'clock in the afternoon.

After all the generals dispersed, the new commander of Yanwang Division, Mai Laowei, immediately set off to take office. Several other generals will also take office early tomorrow morning, so they went to prepare separately.

Feng Guohui returned to the back house. Several pretty maids brought hot towels to clean his face and hands, rinsed his mouth with hot tea, and then changed into light home clothes.

There was a brocade quilt behind him, and he was lying on the couch like an old man, with his eyes narrowed and thinking about the problem.

Two concubines, Zheng Xiang'er and Wen Jun, one on each side, gently tapped his legs and pinched his feet. They placed his big feet between the towering breasts and kneaded them with just the right amount of force.

Xiaotuanzi sat next to Feng Guohui. When he opened his mouth, he stuffed a peeled lychee into his mouth.

Surrounded by fragrant temples, Feng Guohui was thinking about the strategic issue of how to deal with the massive attack by the Dutch colonists.

From the current point of view

Information gathered from various places shows that the Dutch colonists planned to raise a military force of 3.5 to 4 people, including more than 1.2 white troops.

This ratio is not unusual. In all the wars launched by the Dutch colonists, the ratio of whites to natives was 1:3.

If this number is really reached

It will not be until June or July next year at the earliest, that is, after the reinforcements from the Netherlands arrive successfully, they will have to rest for at least a month to adapt to the local tropical climate.

In other words, before the end of the rainy season at the end of February, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies can assemble up to 6 to 7000 white troops, plus more than 2.5 indigenous troops.

By that time, he will have about 1.7 troops available. There is a slight difference in military strength between the two sides, but the difference is not large.

It's enough for defense, but not enough for offense.

It's not that Feng Guohui didn't want to expand the army, but because the new Chinese in the areas occupied by the Nanyang Army, plus early immigrants, the total number was less than 20.

With such a large population, recruiting 1.7 troops is already the limit. Any more would only allow children under 16 years old to carry guns.

from the heart
Feng Guohui was unwilling to recruit too many indigenous cannon fodder. Those indigenous people rushed to the battlefield in a mess and would not be of much use.

If you don't do it well, it will disrupt the position of your own army.

In the colonial army of the Dutch East Indies, the proportion of firearms in the indigenous servant army never exceeded half, and the rest fought with cold weapons.

Moreover, the firearms of the indigenous troops were far less sophisticated than those of the white troops, and the supply of gunpowder was also insufficient.

The Dutch colonists were always on guard against the native servants, fearing that they would bite back at the critical moment. This situation had happened many times.

The Javanese uprising led by Diponegoro broke out in 1825. At that time, many indigenous servants defected in front of the army, causing the Dutch colonists to suffer heavy losses.

Thinking of this, Feng Guohui couldn't help but smile.

He already had a general idea for the possible attack by the Dutch colonists.

That is to "clip its wings through mobile warfare and concentrate its efforts on attacking the white army, preferably severely."

The most fatal weakness of the Dutch colonists was their small population. In particular, the white army could not afford losses and would shrink back as long as the losses exceeded 30%.

If a fighter plane is found, an annihilating strike should be carried out against the white army.

It is better to cut off one of his fingers than to hurt ten of them.

The white Dutch army and the indigenous servant army have always been stationed separately and will not mix together.

During the battle, it is usually the indigenous servant troops who are at the front and consumed. The white troops marched and monitored the troops while reducing their own casualties.

As long as you find the weak point, you can give it a fatal blow.

Before reinforcements from the Netherlands arrive, a heavy military blow to the Dutch army will lay the foundation for victory.

(End of this chapter)