mtl008 Chapter 144 Officer Training
Chapter 144 Officer Training
Xu Yihang asked, "This military system is easy to understand. The battalion commander is roughly equivalent to a chiliarch or qianzong, the company commander is roughly equivalent to a centurion or baizong, and the platoon leaders and squad leaders below are like zongqi and xiaoqi. But how are these centurions, zongqi, and xiaoqi appointed, and who makes the appointments?"
Liu Ye remained calm and composed, saying, "I certainly won't appoint these junior officers arbitrarily. You can make recommendations, and they can then attend officer training courses. After completing the courses and passing the assessments, they can be officially appointed."
"An officer training course?" None of them knew what this was all about.
"Simply put, it is a special training program for officers at all levels, just like how scholars attend private schools or county schools."
Lin San had a terrible headache. He tentatively asked, "There's going to be an assessment? It can't be like the Han Chinese scholars taking the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai, can it?"
"The exam is mandatory. But you don't need to memorize the Four Books and Five Classics like a scholar. It's all about things that can be used in battle, such as how to operate guns and cannons and how to arrange formations."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"However, literacy is a basic requirement. Everyone must learn commonly used words and phrases. Not only must you recognize them, but you must also be able to write them. If you don't meet the requirements, you cannot be appointed as officers. You few must pass the test. Only when you pass can you command troops."
"Huh?" The group was all dumbfounded.
Lin San muttered under his breath, "I'm just a rough guy, I can't read or write much. Asking me to be literate is like asking me to go to the battlefield..."
Although his voice was soft, Liu Ye heard it and interrupted him: "It's fun to hit people with a big iron rod, isn't it? Learning to read is too hard, isn't it? Heaven has indeed given you a strong physique and immense strength, but if you are only satisfied with making a living by strength, after a few years or a decade, at most you will be the leader of a few hundred people. How much of a future can you have?"
Lin Sanyi was embarrassed: "I..."
“You are the leaders I will rely on in the future. You cannot rely on mere bravery. Otherwise, if the Qiongzhou Camp expands to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people in the future, how can I entrust the troops to you?”
The men were deeply ashamed and immediately expressed their gratitude, saying, "We understand and will certainly live up to the general's expectations."
Under Liu Ye's guidance, the reorganized civil and military systems began to operate officially. The commercial and industrial systems of the Qiongzhou Merchant Guild were doing well; apart from the guild being newly established, the other factories were simply operating according to established practices. The Qiongzhou Camp, however, made rapid progress into a new era, transforming from a simple guard force into a modern army: it not only established a combined arms force integrating infantry and artillery according to the model of modern armies, but also created an officer system different from all other military forces in the East.
According to Liang Xiaoming, the four hallmarks of a modern army are: line infantry tactics, absolute discipline, independent artillery, and professional officers. Among them, line infantry tactics have been used in many actual battles. Now, with the successive deployment of 12-pounder mountain howitzers, M1857 Napoleon cannons, and 10-inch mortars, as well as the arrival of Wu Duowang and others, the independence and specialization of artillery have also entered the right track. With the establishment of officer training courses, the last vacancy will soon be filled, marking that the Qiongzhou Battalion, which originated from the guard, has one foot in the door of a modern army.
Wu Duowang's Portuguese training corps had already tested the performance of mountain and field artillery, obtaining detailed data on the range and required propellant charges for different angles and types of ammunition. They had also produced corresponding rulers and gun gauges and begun training the surrendered soldiers in the artillery battalion, including the former guards' gunners. Even without Liang Xiaoming's almost supernatural presence, Wu Duowang and his team could have trained the gunners to master basic ballistic principles and improve their artillery aiming skills, relying on the geometry, physics, and mathematics developed during the Renaissance.
The officer training courses were divided into two types: Army and Navy. The Army officer training course was held in a military camp, with Liu Ye and Liang Xiaoming serving as instructors. Shi Ying, who had long been in charge of the training of the guards and had participated in almost all the battles, participated as both an instructor and a student. The Navy officer training course was held in Bofu, with Liang Xiaoming as the instructor, responsible for explaining the ship's performance and maintenance knowledge.
The trainees were recommended by Shi Ying, Lin San, Liang Xiaoming and others based on their observations in actual combat. Artillery officers were recommended by Wu Duowang and others based on their performance in exercises and training. The army mainly consisted of company and platoon leaders, while the navy included ship captains, first officers, bosuns, and gunnery officers.
Because of his bravery in battle, Su Da Tui was recommended as a candidate for platoon leader. Amidst the envious gazes of his comrades, he proudly walked towards the training class in the barracks. Accompanying him were some veteran guards and two surrendered soldiers from the Battle of Bofu.
He looked at the two surrendered soldiers with curiosity and whispered to his companion, "How can surrendered soldiers become officials? Our master is really generous."
“You stupid idiot (Hainan dialect for fool), now you’re called a general, stop calling yourself ‘boss’ all the time. If we go to this training course, we can all get an official position, at least a captain when we come out,” said a well-informed person.
Someone nearby corrected, "Our general is a lieutenant general, and we are all battalion soldiers, so we should be sentry officers or battalion commanders. The flag officer is a garrison officer. As for these two," the person said in a low voice, "I heard that they were originally garrison commanders or battalion commanders in the government army's artillery battalion. Because they were good at handling artillery, they were recommended by the barbarian instructors to be artillery company commanders, which is equivalent to battalion commanders. In your eyes, they have had good luck, but in their own eyes, they have been demoted two ranks."
"Tsk tsk, a garrison commander turned into a lieutenant, really..." The group discussed the fate of the two surrendered soldiers in hushed tones, and then, thinking about how they themselves were peasants who had become officials, they were in high spirits.
Li Mo quietly asked Zuo Wuwei, "Sir, are we really going to become captains?"
"Of course. You and I are both captured soldiers who surrendered. Even if you were asked to be a groom, you would have to go. Besides, the fact that the new Sixth Military Commander can make us battalion commanders shows that he treats everyone equally. That's very fair!"
Li Mo rubbed his hands together: "I just feel it's a bit awkward for a garrison commander and a centurion to start from the rank of battalion commander again. Since you don't mind, I certainly won't say anything."
"During this time, the Francois taught us how to operate cannons, as you have witnessed: their cannon-handling skills are indeed superb, and their cannons are of exceptional quality. Our artillery battalion was defeated by these cannons, and it is no wonder! As surrendered soldiers, being able to return to our old profession, and using such handy equipment, what more could we ask for?"
Li Mo was silent for a moment, looked around, and leaned closer to say, "But I heard that although these six military officers have been appeased, the Qiongzhou camp doesn't follow the imperial court's rules at all. The battalion commander has become a company commander, and the centurion has become a battalion commander. I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid he has ulterior motives?" Zuo Wuwei looked around and whispered, "Be careful what you say and do in the military camp! If he has ulterior motives, what does it have to do with changing his official title? If he wants to rebel, he can rebel even without changing it; if he doesn't want to rebel, he won't rebel even if he changes it."
Li Mo nodded quickly: "I was being presumptuous. I will not mention these words again."
"We are now equals. In front of others, you should not mention the word 'subordinate' to avoid arousing suspicion."
"Yes Yes!"