Early the next morning, Guo Kang set off to prepare for the military camp training ground.
Last night, Cao Jian sent someone to deliver a message to him, saying that a group of soldiers had been selected. Perhaps because he knew that Guo Kang would be surprised by this speed, he also specifically explained that the family had actually been preparing for a long time. His group is just one of them.
Four members of the Guo family discussed this. The adoptive father and Guo Ponu only thought it was a bit strange, but they couldn't make any good suggestions. But Mrs. Huang believes that this is most likely an internal effort by the Cao family to gain control of the military.
She believes that an army, whether it is the overall style, or the internal organization and personnel, will be greatly affected by the time when it was first built. It can be said that if there are no special changes, it may continue for a long time after it is completed.
In fact, even if it is deliberately blocked, this influence is very tenacious. At the beginning, in order to weaken the combat effectiveness of the Song army, Qin Hui deliberately selected mediocre and greedy people and corrupted the army's system. But until the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, many of those who were able to achieve good results in the battles with the Jin Kingdom and Mongolia were from Yue Fei's troops. This influence can be seen here.
Therefore, it is normal not only between families, but also within families to fight over this. However, there are traditional rules, and they can only fight within a certain range, and they don't dare to go too far.
Guo Kang really didn't think about it seriously before. Thinking back, Theodora might have seen something, but he didn't think of asking, and the other party didn't tell him directly.
The adoptive mother didn't care much about this. She thinks this is normal.
She told Guo Kang that there are several forces that have joined in cooperation, and there are several forces that are competing with each other - these two relationships are like yin and yang, coexisting and interdependent.
For example, when Guo Kang went to a meeting before, Mrs. Irina said that Ryazan supported her idea, which means that the local forces in Ryazan must also have a competitive relationship with them.
Let’s look at the members of the Cao family: The person who has the closest interpersonal relationship to the Ryazan Principality, apart from the lady herself, is her son-in-law Grigory Pronsky. As a local noble, he had close ties with the Grand Duke's family. But also because of this, when the two parties work closely to promote greater benefits for the Ryazan people, the fiercest competition will definitely occur.
As for Cao Jian, as far as she knew, he lacked foreign aid.
Because of her status, Mrs. Huang often travels between families and has contact with many family members and children. Cao Jian has no blood relationship with the princes of Rus, and his adoptive mother and father also have a bad relationship, so he has only relied on the reputation of his father and grandfather.
Guo Kang didn't know much about Cao Jian's adoptive mother. He only heard a little bit from Li Xuanying and others. He knew that she was a Greek woman who didn't behave very well. She had always had a very good reputation among the princes who claimed to be descendants of the Han family. Oops.
Guo Kang had never paid attention to the specific situation before, and his adoptive mother did not explain it to him in detail. However, she laughed at those two people, saying that based on Cao Zhonglin's romantic temperament, they were a good match for her.
She also suggested that Guo Kang could observe Cao Jian's movements. She believed that the so many people Cao Jian brought out in a short period of time were most likely not supported by Liang Zan. And if this is the case, these people are most likely to be recruited locally by him and belong to his own forces.
He was hurriedly pulled over for Guo Kang to inspect and accept. It should be that Cao Jian, who had no foreign aid, was trying to keep his place in the New Army with the help of the Guo family. As for whether this is actually the case and whether he should help him, his adoptive mother suggested that he see for himself and then draw his own conclusions.
Guo Kang estimates that this is partly because speculation is just speculation after all. The adoptive mother has always been very careful and will not make conclusions easily. On the other hand, I probably want him to practice his skills.
However, his adoptive father still provided him with help.
He felt that it was okay for Guo Kang to exercise. But after all, this was his first time leading an army. To be on the safe side, it was best to send a reliable person as his adjutant to help him manage this new army.
There is no shortage of officers under him who are qualified for this position, but this time the situation is special.
In the Purple Horde Khanate, the distinction between the citizen army and the auxiliary army is very clear, and the identity of these Rus has not yet been officially confirmed. He was worried that letting a regular officer go would send the wrong signal, so he thought of a way.
Guo Kang's fifth uncle, Guo Zhaowen, had just returned from the northwest front. In order to facilitate fighting in the Alemanni region, in addition to regular troops, his men also hired some locals to perform various jobs. Although they are not officially officers, many of them have military experience and have even fought with the legion for a long time, waiting for the opportunity to become regular officers.
From these people, you can find a reliable one and follow Guo Kang to have a look. If it is indeed possible to recruit, keep him as an officer in charge of these people and train them first. If the entire plan of Guo Kang, Cao and others is finally approved, this person, together with the Russian soldiers, will immediately be transferred to the teaching unit to participate in the expedition.
And if during the training process, political problems arise that the foster mother has warned about, or if this part of the plan fails, the plan will be canceled and these people will continue to be used as auxiliary troops, waiting for subsequent arrangements. This person is not a formal officer, and training the Russians is only an arrangement for the auxiliary army. Therefore, there is no need to worry about being accused, saying that Guo Kang and others trained the regular army in advance without authorization, leaving people with excuses.
The whole family thinks this method is good. Therefore, the adoptive father immediately went to the fifth uncle to ask for someone, while Guo Kang prepared several sets of excuses in case of emergency.
The next morning, when he went out after dinner, he saw a tall, strange, middle-aged man waiting at the door.
This man has dark brown hair and a big beard, which makes his face look a bit weathered. He was wearing an old linen-colored armed uniform, and his yellow and white colored trousers were somewhat faded, but the clothes were washed clean and the boots on his feet were clearly polished carefully.
Seeing Guo Kang coming out, he immediately stood up straight and raised his hands in salute.
"Sir!" he shouted, "Lucas Schwarz Eisen salutes you!"
The guards at the entrance of Guo's residence always seemed a bit casual. Suddenly there was such a serious person, and the atmosphere felt completely different.
Guo Kang nodded to him and told him that he was not technically a commander yet - of course, the other party didn't seem to listen.
The adoptive father asked Chen Xiao to lead a group of people to follow him. Everyone got on their horses and walked towards an open space in the city. The area was used as a training ground by the teaching corps, so it has not yet been encroached upon by the expanding residential area.
"Do you know what we are going to do today?" Guo Kang took the initiative to ask Lucas to confirm whether he understood the mission.
"I know, sir. It's to check the new recruits." The other party replied.
"That's good. Let me tell you our specific arrangements." Guo Kang said, telling him his request.
(End of chapter)
