The last month of the thirty-seventh year of Zhichang was quite dull for Zhou Changfeng, and his daily life was almost boring.
In line with the Ming Army's doctrine, routine training is strictly three days and one rest. However, the relatively independent nature of the 1st Marine Regiment gave Zhou some room for free play.
There is no doubt that the cohesion of the army is an important part of the comprehensive combat power. In order to improve the combat power of his subordinates or to better suit his own wishes, he has racked his brains in this regard.
The adjustments he is currently trying are largely inspired by a US military unit. In the war history he has studied, this unit, which was mentioned in just a few words, left a deep impression on him.
The U.S. Marine Corps established four elite amphibious units called Raider Battalions during the war. Among them, the Second Raider Battalion's battle at Makin Atoll is widely remembered.
The reason for its creation was a proposal written by Major Carlson who had visited China for an inspection. He suggested the formation of a special force similar to the British commandos and Chinese guerrillas.
After receiving approval, several battalions were established one after another, and Major Carlson served as the commander of the second battalion. With great power, he boldly adopted a training and organizational model that was completely different from the ordinary US military.
Based on what he saw and heard, Major Carlson established an ideological concept in the 2nd Raid Battalion that was very different from the traditional concept by referring to the egalitarian army building method.
Officers should have responsibilities rather than privileges over soldiers, and their leadership should be based on joint consultation rather than deciding who has the final say based solely on military rank. NCOs and officers can thus work together to improve the condition of the unit.
In terms of specific details, the political work of the Eighteenth Group Army left a deep impression on Major Carlson. He followed it to a certain extent and stipulated that an all-battalion meeting be held on Friday night so that all officers and soldiers could discuss the war situation and current affairs. , talk freely about the situation of the troops, and anyone can express his or her thoughts.
People thought this was a combination of communism and democracy, which caused an uproar in the military and political circles.
In addition, Major Carlson also implemented ideological education in the second battalion. He called this action "gaining belief" so that all officers and soldiers in the battalion knew why they were fighting.
He decided on a new word as a slogan - Gung Ho, to promote the idea of "working together". This word was widely used and eventually went out of the circle and became one of the commonly used slang words of Americans.
The example of Carlson's Second Raid Battalion can be said to be very suitable for Zhou Changfeng. This at least proves that even in places with very different ideologies, it is feasible to apply a little bit of military construction ideas.
But only a little.
However, even with just a few attempts, the strict hierarchy of the Ming army and the obvious opposition between officers and soldiers still caused great trouble for Zhou.
The particularity of the military determines that it tends to be conservative as a whole, and the hierarchy of superiority and inferiority is also the most stubborn - everyone has the right to speak, doesn't it mean that they can question and disobey orders as they please?
Therefore, even though the idea of equality between scholars, farmers, industry and commerce has been largely accepted by the people, the Ming army is still the same to a large extent.
Many officers did not understand the significance of such a move at all, and often complained and complained in private. While the soldiers were happy, they were not too open-minded because they were already accustomed to the previous hierarchy of superiority and inferiority.
Seeing the big from the small shows how difficult it is for a rigid group to reform.
"Don't blame me for this or that. If you don't want to be under my command, then leave immediately."
"There are so many talented people in the world. How many of them are eager to join the navy. Let alone the four of you, we can recruit even four hundred."
"Who wants to leave? Come out and I will write letters of recommendation to you one by one. Write them truthfully without adding any extraneous details."
On this morning, the four officers who were usually the most resentful officers were found out. In the open space in front of the duty room, Zhou Changfeng didn't bother to explain, and directly cursed him.
He considers himself to be very objective in dealing with anyone who doesn't fit in, just like in later generations, employees of large companies would often ask their bosses for a letter of recommendation before resigning to help them find their next job, and their bosses would generally not embarrass themselves.
The general environment of the Ming army was like this, and the officers had long been accustomed to it.
An officer may not adapt to the new atmosphere of the 1st Marine Regiment, but he may still have strengths. Leaving the 1st Marine Regiment and going to other units can also be useful, and the recommendation letter from his old boss may very well determine the officer. Ability to hold suitable positions.
However, the four officers were very sensible, and they all lowered their heads and remained silent. Without exception, they all chose to compromise. For no other reason, as the biological sons of the Ming Dynasty Navy, the Marine Corps' treatment was really much better than that of the Army.
"Habits accumulated over the years are hard to change, so don't force it. If you can't stand it, you can leave." Yao Liangchuan walked over slowly, glanced at Zhou Changfeng and the officers, and said slowly: "But since you four people If you’re not willing to leave, then don’t complain. Next time, I’ll have a military stick at your service.”
"yes!"
"Let's go and return to our teams." Zhou Changfeng turned around and waved.
"It's an order."
Four officers of various heights, short, fat, and thin clasped their fists and saluted, then ran away quickly.
Yao Liangchuan looked back, then took off his half-frame square glasses and wiped them with silk cloth, "You have a good temper. If it were anyone else, I'm afraid you would be kicked out."
"Oh, it doesn't make anyone worry."
"You brought this on yourself. After going through so much trouble... everyone will feel uncomfortable."
"This is not looking for trouble." Zhou Changfeng glanced at him, "This is essentially military training."
Although Yao Liangchuan had never heard of his methods and ideas, after thinking about it, he felt that it did make sense, and it could be regarded as a method of military training that could be tried.
It's just that this method's entry point... is relatively new, and he has some doubts.
"Since ancient times, the army has been run with clear rewards and punishments, but it is rare to think about the hierarchy of superiority and inferiority. I have always believed that due to human nature, status differences and superiority and inferiority should be repeatedly emphasized."
"Many people are very ambitious and capable. Individually, each person is like a dragon, but a group of people together become a mob. Those who are capable are very proud, thinking that they are the best in the world, and the rest are the elders. .”
"Therefore, someone must make a decision, restrain the soldiers' instincts, and stop thinking excessively. This way, orders and prohibitions will be enforced. On the contrary, although morale will be improved, if you disagree on the battlefield, you will be in chaos."
Hearing this, Zhou Changfeng pointed out the mistake directly, "No, you misunderstood. I never said that I wanted to decentralize the final decision-making power. Orders must still be obeyed unconditionally. Downplaying the status level does not mean abandoning it completely. How can it be black and white? white?"
"Okay. So, at least in the eyes of the soldiers, they would have... uh..."
“A sense of participation and respect.”
"Yes." Yao Liangchuan nodded slightly, "That's it, so the morale is bound to be considerable."
Zhou Changfeng, who had his hands on his hips, smiled, crossed the threshold and walked back to the check-in room.
Resistance is inevitable, and his response is to continue to adhere to this set of practices, while expanding the proportion of veterans retiring and recruiting new recruits, and recruiting some recruits who are much more malleable than the veterans.
At just this moment, Zhao Hanfeng, Xie Wancheng, and Zhu Lizhuo came together. Zhao Hanfeng also held a document envelope in his hand.
He smiled and said: "The supervisor is here too. That's great. We just have something to talk about."
So the four of them followed into the check-in room.
Zhou Changfeng was a little surprised by the arrival of several major officers. His eyes fell on the document envelope, and he intuitively guessed that it might be a written military order.
"To put it simply, the Governor's Office asked us to leave for Fushan after the Lantern Festival for a landing drill. And there are some attachments." With that, Zhao Hanfeng handed over all the documents inside.
This is not an order that only allows the chief officer to open it in person, so it is okay for the chief of staff to open it first and take a look.
Zhou Changfeng took it and after flipping through it roughly, his attention was immediately attracted by an attachment - "Concise Japanese Discourse Book"?
He raised his head, and the four people in front of him had different expressions, waiting for him to speak.
After a while, he said in a deep voice: "It seems that the imperial court has changed its mind."
Because of the limited information he had, Zhou Changfeng could only use this to conclude that the Ming Dynasty might launch military operations against Japan in the near future, but what happened behind the scenes was unknown.
There are still many Western forces remaining on the Japanese islands. Is this the plan to completely drive them out of the Ming Dynasty's sphere of influence before the war?
Or... take the opportunity to start a full-scale war?
But it is obvious that the possibility of the latter is very small, and it will not be so sudden.
Taking the initiative to start a war without proper and sufficient preparation? Such recklessness was obviously not the style of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhou Changfeng turned around and opened a cabinet on the side, and took out a fourth edition of the small-scale map of Japan printed by the Ministry of War and the Bureau of Military Production in the 30th year of Zhichang.
He stretched out his index finger and moved it slowly. During this period, the room remained strangely quiet.
Zhu Lixuan suddenly broke the silence, "To be honest, Xiyi only has a small garrison in Japan, so fighting will probably not be much more difficult than traveling."
Zhou Changfeng rolled his eyes at him, waved his hand and said, "It's useless to talk about this now. Strategically, we must look down on the enemy, but tactically we cannot underestimate the enemy."
"It's quite emotional." Xie Wancheng, who looked relaxed, breathed a sigh of relief. "From now on, there will be no Western forces at home. It's so comfortable to be out of sight."
This kind of unilateral crushing war is just a "special military operation" at best, and there is no need to worry at all.
Britain, France, Russia, the United States, Italy and other countries have deployed certain armed forces in the concessions in major cities in Japan. For example, in Tokyo, the American concession has the 4th Marine Regiment, and the Russian concession has the 20th Independent Dragoons. group.
Not only do these units lack heavy weapons, but they also live a life of feasting and feasting all year round, their bones have been softened by the charms of women, and their training is insufficient and their military discipline is lax.
If a fight really breaks out, these guys have absolutely no point in resisting. Thank God if they don't collapse at the first touch.
In Zhou Changfeng's opinion, the best choice would be for them to surrender and hand over control of the concession honestly. Wouldn't it be nice if both parties were decent?
However, what is not known is that at this moment, the emissary sent by the Ming Dynasty has arrived in Tehran, and they are checking into the Espinas Palace Hotel.
The special plane that took off from Yingtianfu in the capital yesterday morning dropped a few liters and arrived at its destination, Mehrabad Airport, in the middle of the night today.
Not only the Ming Dynasty, but Britain and France also sent secret envoys, and the three parties will start secret negotiations here.
This was proposed by the Ming Dynasty. In order to show fairness, it was naturally not suitable to meet within the sphere of influence of any of the three parties, so the venue was ultimately chosen in Iran, which was relatively neutral and under the rule of the Pahlavi Dynasty.
The core of the discussion is also very simple - you have been staying on the Japanese Islands for decades, and it's time to leave.
After a night's rest, the Ming Dynasty's emissary, who had regained his energy, arrived at the VIP conference room on the eighth floor of the hotel. The French emissary was already waiting inside, while the British emissary was the last to arrive.
After a brief self-introduction and pleasantries, this secret negotiation, unknown to the outside world, quickly began.
The Ming Dynasty's emissary is a middle-aged man with a normal appearance, but his eyes are extremely aggressive and can make people very uncomfortable.
He raised his hand to look at his watch and stated straightforwardly: "For a long time, our country has been committed to ensuring the safety of its own country and its dependent countries, but Japan is the biggest shortcoming. Now it should be brought back under our rule."
In fact, the Ming court had already made two preparations. It would be best if Britain and France agreed to withdraw peacefully, and everyone would be decent.
But if you refuse, or the conditions offered are not acceptable, then the negotiation will be suspended and you can fight as hard as you want. If you insist on fighting to the end, you will have no choice but to be driven away in disgrace.
The appearance of the British emissary completely conforms to people's stereotypes of the British - suits, pretentious demeanor, and leisurely conversation.
He said unhurriedly: "The British Empire has a considerable amount of investment in Japan. Sir, you know that forty years is not enough to recover the principal of long-term investment."
"Then what are the conditions for your country?" The Ming envoy suddenly showed a playful smile, "The two countries will always maintain peace and non-aggression?"
Nowadays, the people who least want chaos in the world are undoubtedly the British. After the European War, the glorious British Empire began to inevitably decline, and the colonial system all over the world seems to be showing signs of shaking.
At the expense of useless Japan, in exchange for Ming Dynasty stopping its imminent moves in Southeast Asia, this was an absolutely worthwhile deal in the eyes of the British.
A year's delay is a year, and the huge profits captured by the Nanyang region are not comparable to those of the small countries in Japan.
"Peace is the long-cherished wish of every British person. The pain caused by war is too difficult to heal." The British envoy paused and continued: "Maybe we have had unpleasant frictions before, but as long as we have the greatest sincerity , then it is entirely possible to reach agreement.”
The secret envoy of the Ming Dynasty, who was secretly mocking, nodded slightly and said calmly: "His Majesty the Emperor and the imperial court also think so."
After speaking, he looked at the French envoy beside him and asked, "Does your country have any thoughts on this?"
The latter had just been observing the conversation between the Chinese and British emissaries, trying to figure out the psychology of the two. Although Britain and France had confessed to each other a few days ago, that did not represent the final attitude.
"The withdrawal and transfer of assets takes time, and we hope to protect the interests of France as much as possible. In addition, can you reduce... or suspend the tungsten concentrate trade to the Germans?"
(End of chapter)
