Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1621 Candidates

In winter, the Nanhengshan Mountains are completely silent, except for the snowflakes floating in the mountains, which looks cool and cold.However, Yang Liang, who was leading the horse and walking in the mountains, was very hot inside. There was no other reason. The special commissioner of the Capital Army Department had just arrived in Changqing County on a cargo ship bound for New China, and read out to him the promotion to the army. The order of the major made him and some old subordinates very excited. After so many years, he, Yang, finally became one of the few people in the younger generation who were promoted to major in the army. It was really not easy.

In addition, Yang Liang also heard a piece of news that surprised him slightly, that is, the first-class staff officer of the Ministry of War who came with the ship to read the order to him told Major Yang in private that the affairs on the South African side could be improved. The plan was slowly handed over to the subordinates to deal with. Next, Major Yang had better read more books or materials about the French Army.In addition, the Ministry of War also managed to collect some books or travel notes on the geography and climate of the lowlands, and this time they sent them to South Africa.If Yang Liang is free, it is best to study all these materials carefully, and "may be of great use" later.

With such a blatant hint, Yang Liang is not a fool, so he naturally understands the implication, that he is going to be sent to lead the army in the Netherlands!To put it bluntly, Yang Liang Yang personally led the army on the east coast to fight against the French in the United Provinces. Otherwise, he was full and read these Dutch history, geography, and climate data?

However, Yang Liang, who has worked in South Africa for several years and feels that he has done it very well, also has a great sense of uncertainty about leading troops to fight in South Africa.He always wondered, could this be considered a good thing?And if this is a good thing, then how can it be his turn to be someone who can be called a grandma who doesn't love and an uncle doesn't love, instead of the leader Guo Handong Guo who has made steady progress all the way and has a deep background?This is very puzzling!

After thinking about it, Yang Liang didn't have a clue, so he simply didn't want to.At least, this time he was promoted to Major of the Army for real, which made him very excited. After all, this is a powerful officer in the Army system, and it must not be underestimated. Therefore, Major Yang is quite excited overall.

The old subordinates who had followed Yang Liang in South Africa for many years did not spend as much thought as their superiors, they were simply happy for the senior officer's promotion.As the saying goes, one person ascends to heaven, and the old chief is promoted, so it will be the turn of the people below them in the future?

"The commander mentioned the major this time, so the word 'agent' in front of the battalion commander of the third mixed battalion can be removed?" Lai Weizhong, the cavalry lieutenant, led the horse and approached him, and asked with a smile: "I heard that The United Province is extremely rich, and the officer will definitely take the brothers from the third mixed battalion there this time, that is really a fat job, and everyone will get rich!"

"Send a lot of money!" Lai Weizhong's elder brother Lai Weichang laughed for a while when he heard the words, looked at his younger brother, and said slowly: "Do you think it's a good job to go to the United Province this time? Save yourself, second brother! Think carefully The meaning of lowering the top is that our Chief Yang will lead the army, and a major will lead the army. How many people can there be? One battalion at least, two battalions at most, it can't be more, because it needs a regimental commander like Guo Handong Someone came and brought it."

"Think about it, one or two battalions, with only 2000 people, can go to the United Provinces to do anything? Are they able to fight in the field or defend the fortress? I think they can guard the road in the rear and contain the front line. It is not easy to defeat a soldier." Lai Weichang seemed to be addicted, and continued to teach his younger brother: "If the Dutch forcefully demand that Mr. Yang go up and block the hole of the gun, it will be a chicken-and-egg fight. It is a near-death situation. This broken Do you still think it’s a good thing to do an errand? To make a fortune? You have to survive first!”

"You bastard, you can't stop chattering!" Yang Liang saw that the Lai brothers were discussing the pros and cons of going to the Netherlands in front of him, and he couldn't help being speechless. How low are the EQs of the two idiots, and they even said this in front of their own faces, so they could only cough and interrupt their nonsense, and said, "You guys are talking about these things too? Why don't you just stop!" With such bickering skills, it’s better to think about how to improve the South African ‘piercing’ combat plan.”

The so-called "South Africa Piercing Operation" plan is a tactic developed by Yang Liang together with the South African Garrison Command and the Hezhong District Administrative Office to attack and weaken the black forces in the Karma Kingdom and extend the front of the army to the east coast of South Africa. plan.This plan uses cavalry as the main combat force, supplemented by some elite infantry to escort supplies and combat materials. It does not take the siege of the city as the main strategic purpose, but strikes, destroys the enemy's vital forces, shakes its fighting will, and destroys its war potential. The purpose is to completely destroy the remaining forces of the Karma Kingdom through the cavalry's large-scale penetration, detour, and division, so that it can no longer become a threat.

This plan was very bold and direct, and at the same time caused great controversy within the South African Garrison.Proponents believe that after the people on the east bank gradually digested the western half of the Little Karoo Plateau and the Great Karoo Plateau, the battle line has moved forward greatly, and the starting distance has been greatly shortened.Moreover, after the Kama Kingdom lost a lot of land with rich water and grass, it has been bloodletted by the people of the east coast for several years, and the internal divisions have begun again.

But there are also many opponents. They think this move is still too risky, because sending troops from the starting point of Tianxiong, Lishan and other counties still has to cross a large area of ​​uninhabited desert on the way, and the supplies will easily fail to keep up.This means that if the officers and soldiers of the South African Cavalry Battalion fail to find nomadic or nomadic black tribes, they may fall into the dilemma of insufficient food, water and fodder, which is undoubtedly a disaster for an army.Now that the Karma Kingdom has gone downhill, the People's Congress of the East Bank can fight steadily, and there is no need to be so anxious. After it has developed itself, it can be pushed slowly. Why rush to defeat this indigenous force now?

Both the supporters and the opponents have their own reasons, but as the initiator of the plan, Major Yang Liang still wants to try this way, so he has been looking for someone to perfect the details of the battle plan recently, and plans to wait for the Chinese New Year. After the three counties of Xiong and Lishan had accumulated a certain amount of reserves, they began small-scale tentative actions to see how the effect would be.

By the way, the two counties of Changqing and Lishan mentioned just now were newly established this year, and their combined population seems to be over 6000, which is very rare.Among them, Changqing County is based on the former British South African colony, and has jurisdiction over Changqing Township (near the later Mossel Bay), Charlie Township (formerly British Fort Charles, near the later Swellendam City), Buhe Township (the former British city of Brie, located near the estuary of the Brie River, and the Brie River was also officially named the Boo River), Lishan Township (located near the small town of Riversdale later) and Wangdong Township (located in the later George near the city), a total of five settlements; Lishan County is mainly located on the relatively dry and water-scarce small Karoo Plateau, and has jurisdiction over Lishan Town, Yuancheng Township, Huaiyin Township, and Union Township (located near the small town of Uniondale in later generations) ) The four settlements are almost the front line facing the Karma Kingdom. In recent years, a large number of immigrants and the development of water-saving agriculture and animal husbandry have begun to have a certain amount of savings.

Changqing County and Lishan County are respectively the 97th and 98th county-level administrative units in the country, and they are also the fifth and sixth counties under the jurisdiction of the Hezhong District Administrative Office.Since the development of the River Central region in South Africa, there are six counties with a population of more than [-], and it finally looks a bit like it. It is worthy of the State Development Bureau's continuous talk about bringing it into the overall planning of local construction.

With six counties and a population of more than [-], the Hezhong area is undoubtedly a mountain pressing on the head of the Dutch Cape Town colony, making it a little breathless.But what can be done about this? The Dutch East India Company is first and foremost a businessman. Could it be that they have stopped making money and instead competed with the East Coast government for territory in South Africa for a long time and launched an immigration competition?How is this possible!So, in the long run, the residents of the Dutch Cape Colony will continue to live under the long-term oppression of the East Coasters, unless you join them.

"Whether the 'South African Piercing Operation' plan can be implemented or not, you must be fully prepared. After I leave, the training of the troops must not be relaxed, especially the South African Cavalry Battalion. This is the top priority. Our sharp weapons If the plan is implemented in the future and the South African Cavalry Battalion performs well, I can guarantee that this department will be officially reorganized into the Army's Independent Second Cavalry Battalion, becoming the only two independent cavalry units in the country. Soldiers can also be transferred from reserve to active duty, and this increase in salary is not just a little bit, and it will also be of great benefit to the future." Major Yang Liang looked at the officers and staff officers, including the Lai family brothers, with a serious face. Said: "Even if I go to the United Provinces, it is impossible to stay there for the rest of my life and not come back. In fact, according to my estimate, I will return in about two or three years. At that time, I will apply for transfer to the South African Garrison Sequence. If let I have seen that you have been sneaking, cheating, and not making progress in the past two years, then you should all be ready to pack up and go home, I am not joking."

The crowd listened for a while and said nothing, but continued on their way with their heads covered.They arrived in Lishan County (later Oudtshoorn City) in mid-June 1672, the temporary residence of the Third Mixed Battalion.

It has been almost half a year since the 1450 officers and soldiers of the Third Mixed Battalion were transferred from Hezhong County to Lishan County. The battalion headquarters and two infantry companies were stationed near the county seat, one infantry company was stationed in Yuancheng Township, and the cavalry company was stationed at the front line. Union Township, search for and intercept possible attacks by Xhosa blacks.

It is a little regrettable that after the veteran troops of the [-]rd Mixed Battalion were transferred to Lishan County to stabilize the situation, they have not yet had the opportunity to meet the main forces of the Karma Kingdom to attack, so the officers and soldiers do not have enough Opportunity to build meritorious service, there are quite a lot of complaints.And this is actually one of the reasons why Yang Liang took the lead in organizing manpower to formulate the plan of "Punching Operation in South Africa". The third mixed battalion cannot sit idle in South Africa!

"Sir, my brothers have been saying recently that being a security force for a long time is too boring, so I request that the troops scattered throughout the county be gathered up and go over the mountains to the Great Karoo Plateau in the north. If you don't move for a long time, This body seems to be rusty, sir, you should consider the opinions of the brothers." Just 5 minutes after sitting in the battalion office, the deputy battalion commander and training staff slipped over and suggested to Yang Liang .

"I heard from my classmates serving in the Yicheng area that their Captain Mao Jun Mao recently organized several large-scale mopping operations, breaking down many unruly Swazi, Tonga and Zulu tribes , seized a large amount of livestock, food and slaves. Battalion Commander, those "bad troops" in the Yicheng area, mainly composed of militias and island Eight Banners, have such ambition and courage, what are we waiting for?" The deputy battalion commander continued hoarsely Persuaded: "Seeing that they have cleaned up the natives in the wild, they will start to immigrate vigorously and expand the territory. This achievement is real, and the superiors will not turn a blind eye. Battalion Commander, our third mixed battalion is the only four in the country. One of the battalions, it is time to make meritorious deeds."

"Why are they all in such a hurry?" Yang Liang shook his head when he heard the words, and said with a light smile, "Forget it, the third mixed battalion has been a security force for several months, and it's really boring. Let's see, it's June now. The crops such as sorghum, sesame, and peanuts in the Kama Kingdom have just been put into storage, and the livestock, cattle and sheep are also fattening. If the third mixed battalion is dispatched to harvest grass and grain, the harvest should be good. Cherish this opportunity Well, maybe in a few months, the [-]rd Mixed Battalion will not have such a weak opponent to fight, you must know that the famous French Army is not something that can be manipulated at will."

After finishing speaking, Yang Liang ignored the surprised expression of the deputy battalion commander, got up and left the office, went to a military camp outside the county seat, and checked the training situation of the two Black Eight Banners infantry battalions.Yang Liang had already thought about it when he was on the road. South Africa’s Black Eight Banners have been trained by people from the East Coast for more than 30 years. The minion army cannon fodder troops.If he really leads the army to the United Provinces in the future, he thinks it is still necessary to bring 1-2 Black Eight Banners heavy infantry battalions. At least if they are used to defend the city, it should be better than those unreliable Dutch militiamen. Be stronger.

In addition to the Black Eight Banners Heavy Infantry Battalion, some non-national troops composed of whites and Indians that were led (now disbanded) in the past can also be considered.Although these people don't have the will to fight, they do have some combat experience. Since it is impossible to bring a large number of professional soldiers from the east coast, these people should be good substitutes, Yang Liang thought.

(End of this chapter)