"Your Highness, Master Nanyang Sun has received new news."
On the way back from Xinjing Machinery Manufacturing Factory, Li Mingyuan and his party encountered soldiers who were delivering messages.
"Hurry back to the meeting hall, I want to see what good news Sun Bin brings!"
The South Ocean and the American continent are tens of thousands of miles apart, so news from the South Ocean reaches Rio Grande do Sul only after a delay.
Xinjing Machinery Manufacturing Factory is not far from the headquarters of the National Defense Forces. After receiving the notification from the messenger soldiers, Li Mingyuan and his party accelerated their way and appeared in the conference hall of the National Defense Forces more than ten minutes later.
"Sun Bin accepted the Annan government's offer. The brothers in Annam occupied Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces. Now the number of Chinese in the areas controlled by Sun brothers has reached more than 300,000. The development situation of the National Defense Force in Nanyang is very good."
Affirming Sun Bin's achievements in Nanyang, Li Mingyuan sighed somewhat, "When we sent Brother Sun to Nanyang, the plan we made was just to occupy a small area of land in Nanyang as a transfer station for immigrants. I didn't expect Brother Sun to arrive in Nanyang."
In less than half a year, we have quietly created a huge foundation. Rio Grande do Sul has many talents like Brother Sun, so there is no need for Chinese people to worry about their career in South America!"
"When we first formulated the Nanyang strategy, we all overestimated the strength of the Annan army, and the action strategies we formulated were somewhat conservative. But Brother Sun personally went to the north of Annan to preside over the affairs of the National Defense Forces in the entire Nanyang, and was able to observe the reality of the Annan Kingdom on the ground.
, we have a clearer understanding of the strength of both the enemy and ourselves. In this way, with the support of follow-up troops and weapons sent by His Highness’s fleet to transport, it is both unexpected and reasonable to win the victory against Annan’s troops.”
After reading the contents of the telegram, Liu Pu analyzed rationally.
"Mr. Sun's opening up in Nanyang will give our army access to immigrants from Nanyang and the mainland, and the human resource problems that restrict the development of Rio Grande do Sul can also be greatly alleviated. What Mr. Sun did in Nanyang is of great significance.
The National Defense Forces Headquarters should increase its support for Nanyang.
His Majesty suggested that a field regiment of 1,000 men be once again transferred from the field forces of the National Defense Forces and set off together with the next batch of transport fleets to increase the armed strength of the National Defense Forces in Annan."
Luo Linshan's headquarters has already set off for northern Argentina. Li Sandou's second division is stationed outside. The only division-level generals participating in the meeting in the conference hall are Chen Guozhu and Zhang Ansong.
Although Chen Guozhu served as the commander of the First Division, his strategic knowledge was only average. Therefore, when Chen Guozhu did not speak out, Zhang Ansong put forward his own opinions.
"Although the number of Chinese in Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces is large, the number of soldiers who have received formal military training is too small. It is necessary for the headquarters to send field troops to reinforce Sun Bin."
Li Mingyuan nodded in agreement with Zhang Ansong's suggestion. He glanced at Chen Guozhu, who was standing aside and was not very energetic, and couldn't help but feel a pang of regret in his heart.
Chen Guozhu is the oldest among the remnants of the Taiping Army, and he will reach the age of knowing destiny in two years.
In his early years, Chen Guozhu followed the servant Li Shixian to fight and suffered scars all over his body. After living in South America, he spent several years of hard life in the mines. His body and bones were not in good condition. However, the Chinese founded Rio Grande do Sul for more than a year.
After there was no fighting and the spirit relaxed, a person's health also declined rapidly. Various injuries and illnesses from the past gradually appeared one after another within a year. Compared with a year ago, the whole person looked much older.
"Uncle Chen, you are not in good health, so you don't need to stand to discuss matters.
Guard, bring a chair from the wing."
Li Mingyuan couldn't bear to see Chen Guozhu standing hard and ordered.
"Your Highness, don't worry, I can still hold on." Chen Guozhu stood up and held on.
Although Chen Guozhu had a stronger temper, he couldn't bear the fact that his health was indeed worse than before. Under Li Mingyuan's insistent request, he finally did it.
In the 19th century, those who were nearly fifty years old were considered old. Chen Guozhu, Zhang Ansong, and Li Sandou, who were younger than him, all suffered from weakened health after the Paraguay War. However, Zhang Ansong and Li Sandou
The two of them are in better health than Chen Guozhu, and have not reached the point where they will affect the command of operations.
The identities of the three Chen Guozhu are quite special. They are the subordinates who were left by the servant Li Shixian to protect him. In a sense, they are also Li Mingyuan's uncles. Li Mingyuan does not want to see them unable to survive due to illness and complicated army affairs.
Get a comfortable rest of your life.
As the older generation of soldiers gradually withered away, Li Mingyuan had to start thinking about the replacement of old and new officers in advance, both for their health in the rest of their lives and for the good development of the army.
Among the younger generation of officers, Wang Dashan and Zhao Yongzeng have calm personalities and are suitable to serve as leading military generals. However, Wang Xiaoshan, Li Han, Zhou Daniu and others are temporarily unsuitable to serve as senior officers due to lack of training or personality reasons.
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After reviewing the younger generation of officers of the National Defense Force in his mind, Li Mingyuan found that there are still many difficulties before building an excellent modern army.
Rio Grande do Sul lacked enough reserve senior generals, so Li Mingyuan had to turn his attention to Southeast Asia and the mainland in advance.
Liu Yongfu, Chen Shangfa, Chen Zongbai, Ye Chenglin, and Wu Fengdian are all military generals who have left their names in history, and Sun Bin also appreciated them very much in the telegram.
True heroes always have a chance to stand out in troubled times. Although Liu Yongfu and others changed their original life trajectory due to the rise of the National Defense Force, they still made considerable contributions in the war with Annan. Sun Bin in Annan area
After stabilization, the possibility of large-scale war in the next few years is not high. Taking advantage of the stable development of Nanyang, it is also a good choice to transfer them to Rio Grande do Sul for key training.
After carefully considering the pros and cons of deploying Liu Yongfu and others, Li Mingyuan made some adjustments to Nanyang's follow-up plans.
First, according to Zhang Ansong's suggestions, a regiment of field army soldiers and a batch of weapons and equipment were reinforced to accompany the fleet to support the Nanyang troops. Secondly, a group of strong peasant army soldiers were transferred from Nanyang to return to Rio Grande do Sul with Liu Yongfu and others to implement Nanyang.
Replacement of local troops.
The last step is to strengthen the construction of intelligence work, increase intelligence personnel in Japan, mainland China, Nanyang and other places, and realize the advance layout of intelligence work.
In Nanyang, the implementation of a rotation system for the local troops can ensure the absolute control of the local troops over the Nanyang troops. Liu Pu, Zhang Ansong and others also agreed with Li Mingyuan's approach, but most people did not understand that Li Mingyuan expended great efforts to expand intelligence work in Japan.
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"Your Highness, deploying intelligence personnel on the mainland and Nanyang can expand our army's influence on the local Chinese. However, Japan has nothing to do with our army. Placing precious intelligence personnel in Japan, I don't understand what benefit it will have to our army?"
"Liu Pu, do you think so too?"
After Zhang Ansong finished speaking, Li Mingyuan asked Liu Pu, who was silent.
"His Majesty has the same opinion as Mr. Zhang, but His Highness has long-term thinking. I think His Highness must have considerations that others don't know about."
"You are good at talking." Li Mingyuan joked, and then explained, "It is true that Japan is a small country, but the Japanese do have something worth learning from us in some aspects.
You should all know that Japan carried out the Meiji Restoration last year.
Last October, Japan changed its Yuan Dynasty and implemented the Reform Reform. After the promulgation of the Reform Law, Japan concentrated funds from top to bottom to develop industry. If you have been to Japan, you will definitely see many poor weavers spinning in dilapidated wooden houses in the countryside.
Weaving clothes, Japanese men wearing samurai headgear cut off their hair, which symbolized samurai status, and high-ranking officials and aristocrats set off a craze to learn Western knowledge and etiquette...
It is true that Japan is a small country, and it is also a country that is good at learning. Japan has a population of more than 30 million, which is about the same as that of the United Kingdom and France in Europe. The Japanese have abandoned traditional customs and fully learned from the West. In the past thirty years, Japan has
, can you imagine how far Japan can develop in forty years?
The Chinese population in Rio Grande do Sul is only over 300,000. After the introduction of industrial equipment from Prussia, you can all see how much life has changed from before. Japan has a population of over 30 million, which is the largest population in Rio Grande do Sul.
More than a hundred times that of Rio Grande do Sul. Compared with the development speed of Rio Grande do Sul, shouldn’t we pay attention to Japan?”
Liu Pu has never been to Japan, but if Japan is as Li Mingyuan said, Japan will rise very quickly in a few decades, and the situation on the East Asian continent will also undergo earth-shaking changes because of Japan's rise.
After Japan completed its industrialization reform, it was bound to expand externally. As the traditional suzerainty of the neighboring countries in East Asia, the conflict between the mainland area under the rule of the Manchu Qing and Japan was inevitable. One was an emerging industrial country, and the other was a feudal and backward country ruled by aliens.
country, even if the Manchu Qing had an advantage in military strength, Liu Pu, who was familiar with the strength of the Qing army, was hard-pressed to believe that the Qing army could win the war.
The remnants of the Taiping Army were exiled overseas. After the founding of Rio Grande do Sul, they looked at the Sino-Japanese War decades later with another identity. Liu Pu didn't know how to describe his inner feelings.
"Japan's industrialization is something that is difficult to change. The purpose of sending intelligence personnel to Japan now is to prepare for the future. Therefore, everyone should take a long-term view when looking at the problem, and don't just focus on the immediate gains and losses."
"I'm stupid, thank you for your guidance." Regardless of whether they truly understood Li Mingyuan's true intentions or not, after Liu Pu took the lead in expressing his stance, others also echoed.
"Intelligence work is a major matter. Nanyang, mainland China, Japan and other places need to set up intelligence stations. Sun Bin alone will inevitably be unable to take care of it. Sun Bin proposed in the telegram that the National Defense Forces Headquarters send a group of people to help him share the military and
What do you think about intelligence work and lightening the burden on him?"
After ending the topic of Japan, Li Mingyuan then asked.
"It is indeed inappropriate for Brother Sun to hold multiple positions. It is also appropriate to send a group of people to help him share military and intelligence work."
Liu Pu followed Li Mingyuan's wishes and said, "My subordinates suggested that Brigadier Wang from the First Mixed Brigade be dispatched to take over Sun Bin's military command, and Liang Xing take over the intelligence work in various parts of Nanyang."
"Da Shan has been managing the First Mixed Brigade for more than a year. It is a more appropriate arrangement for him to go to Nanyang to take charge of local military work. As for Liang Xing, he is a businessman and has some connections with Chinese businessmen from various places in Nanyang. He is engaged in intelligence work.
Just right."
The two candidates proposed by Liu Pu were in line with Li Mingyuan's wishes. After asking the others again, they all had no objections. Li Mingyuan decided on the candidate to take over Sun Bin's military command and intelligence.
Then announced the order for the subsequent development of Nanyang. "Telegram: In response to the opinions put forward by your ministry, the following order is hereby issued: Liu Yongfu, Ye Chenglin, Chen Shangfa, and Wu Fengdian are hereby ordered to take up posts at the National Defense Force Headquarters. Chen Zongbai is temporarily in Nanyang to listen to orders and observe.
Further arrangements will be made based on the subsequent development of the situation in Nanyang.
2. Granted the military title of the Nanyang Corps of the National Defense Forces stationed in Annan, appointed Wang Dashan, the former commander of the 1st Mixed Brigade, as the commander of the Nanyang Corps, and reorganized the officers and soldiers into a full mixed brigade with a strength of 5,000 people, including 4,000 from the troops stationed in Annan.
, one thousand people are stationed in the Natuna group, and two thousand militia troops are organized into two militia regiments, one regiment is stationed in the two northern provinces of Annan, and the other is stationed in the Natuna Islands.
3. The Taipinghui organization was established to coordinate and manage overseas intelligence work in Southeast Asia, mainland China, Japan and other countries. Liang Xing was appointed as the chief officer of the Taipinghui.
4. Establish the post of Governor of Nanyang and appoint Sun Bin as Governor of Nanyang, responsible for managing all civil, military and political affairs in the areas occupied by the Nanyang National Defense Force..."
