Zamparini, dressed in his brand new army uniform, stood on the deck and waved to the shore. Dark blue khaki military uniform, white canvas armed belt, black brimmed cap, high cowhide military boots, bright red epaulettes, and dazzling brass five-pointed star collar emblem set off his slender figure heroically.

The shaved and haircut Zamparini no longer looks as depressed as he did a few months ago, but instead looks as a male model when he puts on a well-fitting military uniform. With slightly curly black hair, a strong Mediterranean-style face, and a long figure, many big girls and little daughters-in-law who came to see him off on the dock were peeking at him.

But his wife was very fierce, this Tatartan woman from the Crimean Peninsula swept around the big girls and little daughters-in-law with fierce eyes, and then took the little Marati hand and walked quickly to the railing by the pier, and shouted to Zamparini: "Go over there and be honest with me, don't spend the money indiscriminately, save it for me." Marati is going to school at Fort Corps in the second half of the year, and our children will be born at the end of the year, remember, don't die outside! If you die without my permission, will you believe it or not I won't shed a single tear? ”

Hearing his wife's fierce words, Zamparini, who was still scratching his head and making a gesture, suddenly touched his head with some embarrassment. There was a burst of laughter and a faint whistle from all around, it was his comrade-in-arms who had been recruited with him to South Africa.

An Dahai hugged his arms and smirked, this Zamparini was in the same platoon as him, and they were both first-year privates. This time, the South African garrison army was formed, and Ping'an County selected more than 70 recruits, including An Dahai and Zamparini. In order to compete for this precious enlistment spot. Hundreds of young people of school age competed fiercely. In the end, 72 winners were contested. An Dahai and Zamparini were both selected because of their "superb saber stabbing skills" and the other because of their "cohort training standards". became an enviable soldier on the East Coast.

I heard that the newly established South African garrison is a company and belongs to the standing army. In other words, they are also full-time professional soldiers, which is a great thing. It is important to know that there are not many full-time professional soldiers on the East Coast at present.

After the war with the British, the Joint Staff Headquarters set up an establishment committee to reform the country's current chaotic military system. Under the vigorous promotion of the military bigwigs, the existing units have been merged, split, and dismantled. After some rectification, last month the Establishment Committee released the reorganized army system.

Based on the current situation on the east coast, in the new military system, the basic combat unit of the army is defined as a "company". In the case of infantry, each company has 10 platoons of 160 men (9 platoons of riflemen and 1 platoon of grenadiers), plus 180 gunsmiths, military doctors, drummers, standard-bearers, heralds, men, and company officers. During the war, higher-level units were temporarily established in accordance with the theater of operations, campaign objectives, etc., and each company was assigned to these units to receive command and operations.

In late May, the Establishment Committee issued the numbers of the four infantry companies of the Army after the reorganization. Among them, the first company (full number). Company commander Chang Kaisheng and deputy company Jiang Zhiqing are stationed in the Beicheng military camp in Dongfang County; Second Company (four platoons missing). Company Commander Zhu Liang and Deputy Company Commander Wei Aiwen are stationed at the Fort of Zhenhai Naval Base; The third company (tentatively composed of four platoons, integrating the two newly built platoons in Coal River Township), company commander Liao Meng, deputy company commander Bai Shui (and director of Ping'an Coal Mine), stationed in the riverside barracks of Coal River Township; The fourth company (full number), company commander Xie Hansan, deputy company commander Lan Guo, is tentatively stationed at Fort River, South Africa.

In addition to the infantry company, there is also a cavalry company (70 people), an artillery company (33 people), and an experimental engineering company (35 people), which are all the current belongings of the army, with a total strength of about 700 people. Among these units, the first, second, and third companies, as well as skilled soldiers such as cavalry, artillery, and engineers, were all subordinate to the establishment of the East Coast Army on the mainland; The 4th Company was attached to the newly formed South African Garrison.

The army had 700 men, and after the demobilization of some of the gunners, the navy's total strength remained at more than 800, and the two armies together exceeded 1,500 men. With the current male population of more than 12,000 in the East Bank Republic (the vast majority of whom are young and middle-aged men), the ratio of one in eight is definitely not low, or even very high. However, who has let the East Coast Republic of China have been in a state of turmoil since its establishment, everyone has a strong sense of distress, and only by retaining a strong army can everyone have a sense of security. Moreover, with successive victories in wars with foreign countries, the prestige and power of the military department also increased day by day, making any reduction in the size of the army difficult.

This is a later story. At present, An Dahai and Zamparini are joining the 4th Company of the South African Garrison, and their new recruits will take a ship to Vostochny Harbor, where they will meet the company headquarters and the rest of the hundreds of recruits, and then take a transport ship to the South African Fort in the River garrison.

Sergeant Hans, the officer who picked up the recruits, looked at the soldiers who were still saying goodbye to their loved ones, shook his head and smiled: "A group of happy young men. Lao Tzu was forcibly conscripted into the army by the Swedes, and those rough Swedes didn't give me time to say goodbye to my relatives, alas, that unforgettable gray life in Germany is really like yesterday. ”

"Sergeant Hans, be careful about your words and actions." Fabian. Klingerman approached him and said with a sneer: "Blatantly nostalgic for the homeland, a fine of one dollar." ”

Hans Ha Lu laughed, his right fist lightly smashed into Fabian's chest, and scolded with a smile: "It's your business, you're not one of those damn discipline policemen!" But seriously, aren't you depressed when you were transferred to Fort Riverland this time? How could you be willing to leave Hannah and your sweet little daughter? You didn't look for a relationship to stay local? ”

"Find a fart relationship!" Fabian also laughed and scolded, and he had nothing to hide from his friends: "I decided to retire after another year or two." ”

"Are you crazy?" Hans was a little surprised, "You are a sergeant now, although the chances of climbing to the rank of full officer are not very high, but it is not impossible." In the future, once the army is expanded, it is very likely that you will be promoted to sergeant or even second lieutenant. I don't understand why! ”

"Well, that's the case......," Fabian coughed, and then said softly, "My old commander, Lieutenant Chang Kaisheng, had a conversation with me privately the other day, and he asked me if I would like to be the local head of the armed forces. He told me that the current local militia directors and armed forces ministers are under the dual leadership of the government and the military department, and these people are all unreliable and are not their own people. Therefore, he suggested that I take up the post of head of the armed forces of the hometown pioneer brigade in order to better preside over the militia training of the five production teams of the whole brigade, and I agreed. ”

"You're right!" Hans said happily for his friend, "We soldiers should be actively involved in local affairs, and many of those village militia directors and brigade chiefs are incompetent, and their training levels are also uneven, so they should have been rectified a long time ago." But since you are preparing to become the Minister of Armed Forces, why were you transferred to the Fourth Company to be stationed at Fort Hezhong? ”

"The head of the armed forces of the brigade is a cadre at the level of a regular unit, corresponding to the rank of sergeant." Fabian sighed and said, "I'm still one level behind......"

"Oh, I see." Hans finally reacted and said, "You went to the River Fort in South Africa to make meritorious service!" I have long heard that the situation there is not very peaceful, and the natives are still relatively fierce, so it is estimated that there will inevitably be a war with the natives. When the time comes, as long as you make a little merit, the military department will be able to promote you to the rank of one level, so that others will be blameless, and then you will be able to return to your hometown as the head of the armed forces in style. Damn, why are you so lucky? Why doesn't anyone fancy me? Sanqing Dao is on top, this is not fair! Ha Lu Ha! No, you have to ask me for a drink! ”

"No problem!" Fabian snapped his fingers and said happily: "South Africa's Great Song in the River, Haluha, you must not have heard of it. I was also lucky enough to drink that little bit at the governor's house, well, it tasted good. Anyway, it's a little different from the brandy we use to drink, but it has a different flavor that I think you'll love it. ”

"South Africa is actually starting to make wine? Aren't they not enough food to eat, how long have I been gone, and the food problem has been solved all at once? Hans said with some incredulity, "Daqu in the river, the name is the wine brewed in the castle of the river, and it must be made from sorghum." ”

"Naturally, it's made from sorghum." "They're only making a small amount for their own use. I heard that Chief Mo planned to vigorously open up farmland in South Africa, raise livestock, and use animal husbandry, leather processing, and winemaking as the main economic pillars to strive for the economic development of the Fort in River. ”

"What a big spirit." Hans said, "It seems that the positioning of the Fort in the River is only a supply port for the African route, and Chief Mo is obviously going to do a big job, but this seems to be contrary to the original intention of the central government." ”

"Keep your mouth shut, there are some things you can't talk nonsense." Fabian patted Hans on the neck and said, "Alright, the time is up. It's time for us to go, we can't let those recruits say goodbye endlessly, let's go, let's go and get them all into the cabin. ”

On 3 June, 180 officers and men of the 4th Company gathered at the military wharf of Vostochny Port, and then slowly boarded the prepared armed merchant ship "Galician Exocet". They were accompanied by two merchant ships of the South China Sea Transport Company, the "Yingzhou" and the "Abbot," which were loaded with various types of supplies, and the frigates "Eagle on the East Coast" and "Red Trout" of the Navy accompanied them. (To be continued......)