The weather was fine.

Chen Shouxu mounted his war horse and headed to the naval base under the escort of the ruling guard. The ruling guard was a newly established unit, and Chen Shouxu did not make too many honor guards, and the entire guard only had 20 people, half black and half Indian. The commander of the guard was Tichi, and his lieutenant was an Indian who joined the fleet in Argentina, whose name translates into Chinese for Lonely Mountain.

The mount is a maroon Katiawa horse. The homeland of the Katiawama is on the west coast of India, and the horse breed is derived from the Arabian horses brought by the Mongols when they invaded India, and the local Kabini horses and Baluchima in India. This horse has an elegant neck and a relatively narrow physique, and the horse's face is elongated, and the two agile ears are rolled inward in an arc, and the tips of the horse's ears can often touch each other. Compared to European war horses, the Katiawa horse has weaker hind leg strength.

This horse was given to Chen Shouxuan by an Indian businessman, who sold the war horse from Mumbai to Pattani, and originally planned to give it to the previous queen, but Chen Shouxuan was cheaper.

Walter said that Katiawama was strong, hard-working, intelligent, docile, and a very good breed of military horse. Chen Shouxu simply took a test ride and placed an order for 100 horses with an Indian merchant.

Most of the existing horse breeds are temperate and cold horses, adapted to cold and dry environments. In the humid, hot and humid environment of Southeast Asia, it is difficult for most horse breeds to survive.

Indian horses are almost the only horse breed of choice for the Jincheng Army, and the Katiawa horse has adapted to the hot and humid environment in India, where it has adapted to the hot and humid environment, which is the best among Indian horse breeds.

The impact of war horses on the combat effectiveness of the army cannot be overstated. After the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese Army spent a lot of money to improve the horse breeds throughout the country. In the pre-motorized era, the load capacity of the wagon and the speed at which the horses died in wartime determined the distance an army could advance. Even in World War II, most of the troops of Nazi Germany, known as the Blitzkrieg, relied on horse-drawn wagons rather than automobiles to move forward.

The army base that Chen Shouxu was going to was not placed with the navy, but was located in the upper reaches of the Jincheng River, between the two opposite land forts under construction.

Holren assembled all the officers and soldiers on the school grounds, waiting for the review of the ruling party.

After the founding of the Golden Castle, the Army became independent from the Marine Corps. All or part of the original Marine Corps were drawn out of sailors who were more suitable for ground operations, supplemented by soldiers from other nationalities, and the Army was formed. At present, the army has an establishment of 1,500 personnel. The number of people is not large, but compared with Jincheng's current financial and economic capabilities, it can really be called a reckless army.

When Chen Shouxu arrived, the standard-bearer and two flag guards stood at the front of the phalanx.

The marching band played the March of the Grenadiers.

Chen Shouxu received the military flag from the guards and awarded it to the flag bearer. The Bendu Army flag flutters gently in the breeze.

The main color of the army is indigo, which is currently the only dye that can be obtained in large quantities in Jincheng. The military hat is also a common mountain hat in later generations. Today's tricorn hats and bearskin hats, which are popular in Europe, are too wasteful of fabric for Kaneshiro. Naturally, there are bears near Jincheng, but the poor Malay bear skin reserves in the warehouse are only enough to equip Chen Shouxu's ruling guards. And because the weather was hot and humid, the soldiers did not like bearskin hats either.

Chen Shouxu signaled to Holren that he could start.

Cal. Langemann drew his command knife and faced all the soldiers, "All of them, stand up!" ”

The heel of the cowhide boot touches and makes an exciting sound.

Columnar start. Participating in the parade were two battalions under the 1st Brigade of the Army. The brigade has three battalions, but only two battalions in combat formation, and the third battalion is a reserve battalion and is a training unit.

Each battalion has 500 people, and in addition to the battalion headquarters platoon, it has 6 companies under its jurisdiction. Today's Europe is dominated by large battalions and small companies, with 6 to 10 companies under each battalion. In line with the current level of technology and tactical options.

The 1st company of each battalion was a company of chasseurs. The company of chasseurs was armed with light arquebuses, they were lighter equipped and more mobile. During the battle, their task was to pull a skirmish line in front of the battalion phalanx.

The 2nd and 3rd companies were spearmen's companies, and theoretically, spearmen were supposed to be equipped with armor, but Kaneshiro was now understocked and could not equip all hand-to-hand infantry with protective gear. So only a few of the first platoon of spearmen were equipped with cuirasses and helmets, and the others made do with cowhide armor for the time being.

The 4th to 5th companies were battle infantry companies, and their weapons were heavy arquebuses, which were to be mounted on gun mounts and fired.

The 6th company is a company of grenadiers, and the grenadiers are selected and sturdy men, and the light chasseurs are two extremes.

The brigade headquarters directly administers an artillery company, an engineer company, and a baggage company.

The artillery company had 4 4-pounder guns and 2 9-pounder guns. Lindenberg designed a new type of artillery carriage for the artillery, each four-pounder gun required six horses and Indonesian native horses to tow, and each nine-pounder gun required 12 native horses. On the training ground, two columns of towing horses, together with the artillery front vehicle and the artillery itself, can be called majestic. However, Chen Shouxu knew that this was just a good look, and it was useless to fight for the time being. In terms of the 9-pounder gun in front of you, the length of the entire artillery marching system is more than 20 meters, not to mention in Southeast Asia, even in Chinese mainland, and it is difficult for this kind of artillery to maneuver south of the Yangtze River. China does not have sufficiently strong bridges and roads to carry such heavy artillery systems, nor roads that correspond to the turning radius of artillery systems. The split just chose a 4-pounder gun to show what it looked like.

The six-door field artillery company of the army is much larger than the infantry company, and it also has auxiliary personnel such as blacksmith shops and vehicle maintenance shops under its jurisdiction, with a full capacity of more than 200 people, and 150 military horses are all equipped.

Of course, Chen Shouxu agreed to Lindenberg's deployment plan, but he was really unable to make the army artillery on paper. The cannon is easy to get, and the ship can modify the gun carriage with a short canon. Artillery front vehicles and military horses could only take their time.

The engineer company is also a Dalian, and the rivers in Southeast Asia are criss-crossed, and in addition to the combat engineer part that has been there before, it has also been incorporated into the Zhouqiao unit.

The strength of the baggage company is also very large, mainly because of the ammunition and food that the brigade carries when it fights independently.

There should have also been a cavalry company. As early as South America, Chen Shouxu had already set up a cavalry team on an experimental basis. However, he couldn't take the war horse across the Pacific Ocean, so he was only staffed. It was only recently that the cavalry had its first fixed formation of war horses. But the state of these war horses is not good, and this review did not come out to go out of the column.

Chen Shouxuan couldn't help but be stunned when he saw the army formation plan presented by Holrenn for the first time. Now although there are only brigades, the planning of divisional units has already been made. The battalion establishment is above the block system. Two battalions per brigade and two brigades per division. In addition to infantry, there are also larger composite units at the division level.

Of course, Chen Shouxu signed and agreed to the plan, but it would not take a day or two to implement it. Artillery, sappers and baggage men are now close to fullness.

After reviewing the army parade, Chen Shouxu then visited the barracks and kitchen, and had lunch with the soldiers. The barracks are rows of Yata houses, this kind of stilted wooden houses are really easy to use in Southeast Asia, and the ventilation and light in the houses are good, Chen Shouxu expressed his satisfaction. The food in the kitchen was naturally far worse than in the navy, mainly rice, vegetables and fish.

After lunch, Chen Shouxu called a meeting of the main army officers.

Army Commander Heinz. Feng. Holren, Chief of Staff Jolsch. Westheim, Cavalry Director Walter. Feng. Angelis, Artillery Superintendent Herman. Lindenberg, 1st Battalion Commander Karl. Langemann, commander of the 2nd Battalion, Ludwig. Filhoff.

As soon as Chen Shouxu sat down, he couldn't wait to say: "I was very pleased to see that our army has taken shape. On behalf of the Senate of Kinjo, I would like to thank you for your hard work over the past four months, and for being able to form a combat-ready unit with soldiers from different nationalities under such limited conditions. ”

The conditions are indeed very limited, as far as training shoes are concerned, the army's shoes are consumable materials, and now soldiers usually wear straw sandals for training. Cowhide boots are only used on formal occasions such as today's inspections.

Holrenne stood up, "Thank you to the Senate and Your Excellency for their concern for the Army, which will remain steadfast in defending the Senate and the country." ”

Chen Shouxu waved his hand, "Sit down and say, sit down and say." General Holrain, in addition to reviewing the results of your work on behalf of the Senate, I would also like to consult with you that if we send troops now, the Army will be able to undertake multiple combat missions. ”

Hearing Chen Shouxu ask, several officers of the army, you look at me, I look at you, all of them have a look of embarrassment.

Hallren pondered his words, "Your Excellency. The Army has recruited a lot of new recruits, and now the infantry has only completed basic platoon and shooting training, and I'm not sure the soldiers are ready for offensive operations. ”

Lindenberg hesitated and said, "The artillery can master the basic shooting essentials, but now the equipment is not neat, and the artillery does not have the ability to follow the infantry to maneuver." ”

Holren nodded, "There are also sappers and baggage soldiers, our strength is still very insufficient, I am confident that we can undertake a defensive battle, but for the attack, I suggest that it be slow." ”

Chen Shouxu also knew that it was very difficult at the moment, but Jincheng was not in difficulty now. Everyone can find a whole bunch of objective problems with their work. He took a sip of tea and said, "General Holren, the army has consumed a lot of military spending during this time. As you all know, the finances of Jincheng are in a difficult situation at the moment, and we must do something to ease the burden on other sectors. Compared with other departments, our army has a greater comparative advantage. ”

Walter was the chief of cavalry and a personal friend of Chen Shouxu. With the current state of the cavalry, Walter naturally would not have the possibility of going on the expedition. Seeing that the atmosphere of the meeting was a little stiff, he wanted to make a round, "Your Excellency, how difficult are the finances of Jincheng?" ”

Chen Shouxu glanced at Walter, "Colonel Angelis, Jincheng naturally still has some silver reserves. But you've probably heard about how big the manpower and funding gap is in the medical, educational, industrial, and scientific research sectors. We are building a modern state at a very low level. Our army is strong in the neighboring countries, but the army needs to spend most of the country's financial expenditure. As you should know, the current state of affairs is not sustainable. If we want to maintain a strong army, it is not enough to rely on entrepot trade alone, we must develop industry and bring enough added value to the country. Industry, on the other hand, requires manpower. ”

If we make a simple comparison of Portugal's colonial policy with Britain, we can find that Portugal, because of its monopoly on shipping routes, they are only obsessed with the trade and re-export of goods, while Britain appears as a competitor wherever it is. The British would try their best to develop some industries in the colonies in order to obtain higher profits.

Chen Shouxu's words were very vague, but the army officers present still understood that the state was not sustainable. The problems faced by the Army are smaller than those of other departments, and in this difficult situation, it is necessary to stand up. To put it bluntly, it is to rely on the military superiority of the surrounding countries, especially those small countries of the Heavenly Sect, to go out and rob. The army cannot just be a tool to spend money, he also has to make money.

Walter: "I get what it means to be in power. After four months of hard work, the biggest difficulty for the Army at present is not equipment, weapons, and training, but disease. ”

According to the Army's report to the Ministry of Defence, the Army's sick population currently exceeds 10 per cent of the establishment. And that's just the state of the country, and if you go on a campaign, illness can quickly reduce the number of troops. Not long ago, the Dutch besieged Malacca for four months, sending a total of 2,063 troops, more than 700 people fell ill at the worst time, and less than 1,300 people maintained their combat effectiveness. When besieging Malacca, the Dutch did not need the dubious fighters provided by the Johoreans, they needed some kind of home advantage provided by the Sultan of Johor. The soldiers of Johor can play a good auxiliary role, digging pits and setting up camps to pull cannons, which can reduce the physical exertion of the soldiers of the East India Company.

The Dutch laid siege to Malacca, and in just 4 months they fell ill and died of illness two commanders-in-chief and two army commanders. This is still the case for high-ranking officers, and the mortality rate of ordinary soldiers can be imagined, with 300 people already dying of illness halfway through the siege.

Chen Shouxu knew that the two cases of the siege of Batavia by Mataran and the siege of Malacca by the Dutch are now the subject of detailed study by the Army Academy. One is defensive, the other is offensive, both classics. According to the materials collected, the military academy dissected and crumpled the battle of Malacca for research and deduction. The Battle of Malacca was too representative, and the Dutch had the strength to expedition to Ceylon to fight the Portuguese, while concentrating more than 2,000 troops to besiege the city of Malacca for a long time. And this is not the capacity of the Dutch to mobilize to the limit.

The study of the Malacca case study details the extent of the four guns that the Dutch placed between the church and the castle of Santo Domingo in Malacca, and how many shells were fired every day. The diseases and consequent effects of the Dutch army during the battle were naturally also inescapable of being a subject.

Chen Shouxu has always attached great importance to diseases. He is now in charge of not many departments, except for the army, there are only three departments under the ruling government: health care, scientific research, and industry.

Jincheng Hospital, like other departments, currently has to undertake certain teaching tasks in addition to heavy medical work. Hospital Director Giovanni. Tornatore is also the head of the Department of Health Care at Kanjo College. Jincheng College, like Jincheng Hospital, has set up a shelf first, and is filling it with personnel, including various traditional medical methods in Europe, China, and Southeast Asia, supplemented by those modern medical things that Chen Shouxu knows.

In addition to improving the surgical process, collecting and stockpiling herbal varieties such as willow bark, dandelion, artemisia annua, poppy fruit, etc., the work is more focused on epidemic prevention.

Chen Shouxu: "As you know, we brought some plants from the Americas. Now the seeds have been planted, and some of these varieties are effective in curing diseases. But it will take several years for these plants to fully grow. We can't wait until we have enough medicine to go to war. At present, the army's medicine reserves can meet the consumption of officers for a certain period of time. ”

Walter knew that Chen Shouxuan had made up his mind. "We know the current state of the stockpile. But when the army fights a war, prevention is more important than cure. The Army is currently working with Director Tornatore on the Health Service Regulations. Can we wait for the regulations to be perfected before sending troops? ”

Chen Shouxu, of course, knew that the health regulations were currently being prepared, and that was what he asked Tornatore to do. In fact, not only the army, but also the city's sanitation regulations are also being prepared. It's just that the situation in the city is more complex, and the army's health service regulations are a higher priority and progress is faster.

Chen Shouxu knew that he couldn't ask for more, "Okay, how much time do you say it will take." ”

Westheim weighed, "Two months." In two months, the army can dispatch two battalions of 1,200 people. At that time, the combat effectiveness will be greatly improved compared to the current one. It's just that there aren't enough horses and artillery to carry with us, and we can't get too far out of the fleet. ”

This is also something that cannot be helped, because of the lack of military horses, the army in Jincheng cannot now act alone from the navy, and they have no ability to supply themselves.

Chen Shouxu looked at the calendar and said, "50 days at most, it can't be delayed any longer." It's August 9th, and 50 days later it's the end of September. The southwest monsoon will end in October, and we will catch up with the end of the monsoon season. ”

The army officers exchanged glances with each other, and Hall Lane said, "Well, the army will be ready in 50 days, where is the goal?" We need to do some research ahead of time. ”

Seeing that the army agreed, Chen Shouxu breathed a sigh of relief, "The target is still in the process of choosing, and at present, I am inclined to the Chenladong Le Sap Lake area. You have to be careful of secrecy, at this stage, place names must not appear in any records. ”

Westheim was a little surprised: "The Tonle Sap Lake is located inland. ”

Chen Shouxu: "If you choose Tonle Sap Lake in the end, I will figure out a way to deal with the baggage of the carriages and horses." ”