Monday, 25 August 1642, Viceroyalty of South Africa. A mountain plain fifty kilometers northwest of Sulan Harbor, on the south bank of the Umsunduji River.

Thousands of officers and soldiers of the Gray Wolf Brigade of the Huamei Foreign Legion were scattered on the battlefield on the riverbank filled with shell smoke and blood-red, combing the seriously wounded enemy in the sea of corpses and blood with rifles and bayonets in their hands.

The corpses of the Nguni people scattered across the fields were almost as far as the eye could see, the tumbling river was covered with crimson foam, and the severed limbs and severed arms rose and fell in the river like rotten logs. The smell of blood attracts flocks of African vultures to hover the sky.

On a small slope on the east side of the battlefield, in a circle of sandbag makeshift fortifications, hundreds of officers and soldiers of the Foreign Legion are making the final evacuation work. After the victory, tens of thousands of rolls of copper bullet casings were carelessly trampled under the feet of the soldiers, and some of the remaining war materials were being carried onto trailers. The breakout and counter-breakout battles that lasted several hours made the officers and men in charge of blocking the attack very tired, and a considerable number of soldiers sat on the grass, silently wiping their blood-red bayonets, or unloading their backpacks to change their military uniforms soaked in sweat and blood.

"Sir...... There will be a plague in the future, right? ”

Sitting on the grass at the top of the small slope, Shi Xiaosan, an orderly and herald, still had a pale face, while Lieutenant Ren Xingzhong, the company commander beside him, had been sitting quietly since the end of the battle.

The rolling river seemed to bring back thoughts to two hours ago.

Machine-gun bullets swept across the battlefield, and the Nguni who shouted unknown slogans and charged with spears were swept down in rows. Each explosion of the mortar shells kicked up blood-red smoke and dust, and the battle was fought from a distance of several hundred meters to the defensive positions on the side of the small slope, and the corpses were spread from the end of the line of sight to the feet.

More than 5,000 Nguni were killed in the north-south attack, probably the most slaughter of an opponent in a single battlefield since the establishment of the Foreign Legion. At the height of the battle, the Ngunis, desperately breaking through despite the casualties, even charged to a distance of only a dozen meters from the Foreign Legion's position. The infantry on the front line had to all take up their bayonets, and the domestic reporters accompanying the army were even more frightened and peed their pants.

But the flesh and blood still couldn't resist the torture of the steel bullets and iron rain, and when most of the retaining machine guns were about to run out of the last base ammunition, there were few Nguni people standing on the battlefield who would rather die than give in.

"Hey, I've heard about it, there's a gold mine in the east, tsk, gold......"

"You mean, maybe later we can retire here? It's not a good idea, I swear to God. I will never come here again! ”

In Ren Xingzhong's sight, in the smoke of burning corpses, several groups of officers and soldiers of other battalions were retreating along the crooked river bank towards the south. Tired officers and men carried their weapons weakly, and there were occasional strings of black prisoners of war in the ranks, while a few small detachments of cavalry of the National Guard stood guard around them.

"Lieutenant, Your Excellency General invites you to the General Headquarters." A non-commissioned officer on horseback came running from afar and directly conveyed a verbal order to Ren Xingzhong.

"General? Am I alone? ”

When Ren Xingzhong was at home, he had not seen many dignitaries and dignitaries from all walks of life in this country, but this was the first time that he had directly received an order to meet with a senior army general as a small company commander on an independent occasion. I can't help but be nervous.

"This is an unprecedented victory, Mr. Lieutenant, maybe you will receive a medal!" Sergeant Major Esku came from the side, smiling and pointing to the more than 200 black captives tied up on one side of the line. With a smug look in his eyes, "If you can block the retreat of these crazy natives, your battle report may become the focus of the Army Command." ”

"Sir, do you need to change into a clean set of clothes?" Shi Xiaosan hurriedly untied his backpack. took out a new military uniform for Ren Xingzhong, and his slightly tanned face also showed a trace of joy.

……

The temporary headquarters of the Gray Wolf Brigade was set up on a hill in the middle of the march, in several large field tents. The radio was ticking continuously, and staff officers were coming in and out, while Xu Hongyun, who was sitting in the tent of the general headquarters, closed his eyes a little tiredly.

Xu Hongyun hasn't closed his eyes since yesterday, and now he can finally relax for a while.

This adventurous battle, deep into the heart of the Ngunis, the once-powerful Xhosa servant army stopped advancing halfway. Although the operation of the Gray Wolf Brigade of the Foreign Legion deep into the interior was successful, the losses of the troops were not small. In the past month, in order to attack the hostile Nguni tribe, which is five times larger than himself and is good at fighting in the mountains and forests, not only have the officers and men of the Gray Wolf Brigade suffered hundreds of casualties, but more than half of the pack horses and baggage convoys have also been tossed and lost in the mountains, and almost all of them have been consumed in terms of food and ammunition.

This military operation against the western inland of Sulan Port was the same as the commander-in-chief, Brigadier General Xu Hongyun, had guessed before the war, and it was actually carried out in a hurry, and although many results were achieved on the surface, Xu Hongyun knew that this was only the beginning of an endless confrontation.

On the whole, due to logistical pressures, the operation was abandoned halfway, and the results achieved were at best only a resentful retreat for some of the Nguni tribes. In addition to getting hold of the tiny gold mine, the plan to fully occupy the south bank of the Um Sunduzi River had to be delayed.

The Nguni people of eastern South Africa were so powerful and belligerent that the defeat of one or two of these tribes would cause a chain reaction of hatred on a larger scale, and a few weak tribes that could cling to the colonial rule of Port Suran could turn their backs at any time.

This game of elephants stepping on rats is extremely unreasonable in terms of input and output, and it is even more thankless to trap the elite troops of the formed Foreign Legion in the primeval mountains and forests of the inland west of Sulan Harbor. For this reason, the Army Command once again rejected the follow-up troop increase plan proposed by Zhou Yi, the governor of South Africa, and also made the Guoxing Group, the instigator behind the war, unhappy.

It is estimated that in a few days, this war of purging the Viceroyalty of South Africa will be widely publicized in the country. On the face of it, the Chinese and American armies continued their undefeated and proud record. However, reporting good news and not bad news is probably the high-profile posture that the Chinese and US military have to keep in public now.

"The third company of the third battalion, Ren Xingzhong came to report!"

A young lieutenant officer walked into the tent, stood upright, and gave a military salute to Brigadier General Xu Hong in an extremely standard military posture.

When he was just a military cadet, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Foreign Legion and the commander of the Gray Wolf Brigade in front of him showed up at a cocktail party at his house. Meet now individually. Seeing the other party's stern expression, he couldn't match the image of the middle-aged man who was happily talking to his parents.

"Well, Xingzhong is here? Sit down and talk. ”

Xu Hongyun is the latest group of people to get married in Zhongli, and now the eldest daughter Xu Jingjing is only 16 years old, but according to some agreements in Zhongli, when Xu Jingjing first came out of her mother's womb, she was already the fiancée of Ren Changle's biological son Ren Xingde, and the latter was only one month older than Xu Jingjing. In a sense, Xu Hongyun can also be regarded as Ren Xingzhong's elder who is close to him, so his attitude at this time is very kind.

"The battle report is being sorted out, right? Your table this time is very good. However, your tenure in the Gray Wolf Brigade will end. Go home early for leave. This is an order from the Army Command, you see. Xu Hongyun didn't go around the corner, and put the two telegrams in front of Ren Xingzhong with a smile on his face, "In addition, there is another happy event to tell you, your wife Anne has given birth a week ago, it is a son, and now the mother and child are safe." Your younger brother Ren Xingyi is also getting married today, and your parents sent me a telegram directly. What a gratifying congratulations, haha! ”

"Thank you, General!" Ren Xingzhong endured the excitement and put the telegram from the family in his pocket, and then first opened the order book from the army headquarters.

The term of the Foreign Legion ends early and he returns home for leave. And then go to the newly formed Army Far East Regional Command in the spring of next year? After reading a few simple lines of orders, Ren Xingzhong showed a trace of doubt.

"Yes, the Congress has approved a plan for the expansion of the army, and the Ministry of Defense and the Army Command are preparing to establish a standing brigade of the Wehrmacht in the Far East next year. The training base was set at the overseas ...... of Wolsan Island Because of the location, the unit will be called the 'Eastern Brigade', and a group of outstanding soldiers will be selected from various Foreign Legion brigades to be naturalized in advance and transferred to the Far East. Xu Hongyun stood up with a smile. Walking around in the tent, "The formation of the Eastern Brigade requires a group of excellent seed officers, so I recommended you, this is a rare opportunity to exercise, the term of office is three years, I explained the specific situation to your father, and he also expressed his support. ”

Go to gilding? Ren Xingzhong pondered the hint in the words of the brigadier general in front of him, and probably understood what the other party meant.

Because it is located on the border of the country, the officers and soldiers in the Far East have been away from home for a long time, and it is the place where the cost of building the country's military strength is the highest. As compensation, the resumes of officers and men who served in the Far East were also very high. Normally, the period of promotion of an officer of the rank of lieutenant to the next rank is four years, but the limit is reduced by at least one year after a period of deployment in the Far East.

"Originally, I planned to wait for all the troops to withdraw to Sulan Port before suing you, but now the Guoxing Group happens to have a ship in Sulan Port. You'll go through the handover procedures later, so don't miss the ship. Have a good vacation at home and spend more time with your parents and children. After Xu Hongyun finished speaking, he took out a small box from his pocket, and when he opened it, he saw a crystal clear blood ruby lying in a piece of silk shining, "I don't have anything to give, this South African ruby will be a birthday gift for your newborn child." ”

"Thank you, General......" Ren Xingzhong took the box, and hurriedly stood up and saluted, then put the order book into his pocket and turned to leave.

"The mountain rain is coming, and the wind is full of buildings...... Probably even if his parents don't agree, this child will take the initiative to apply to go to the Far East, right? Lao Ren is really willing to do enough for the plate in the Far East, and he is really willing to do it......" Looking at the young back in the distance, Xu Hongyun couldn't help muttering softly.

……

In a large villa in the north of Manchester City, almost more palatial than the Ren family's estate in the south end, a lavish wedding banquet is underway.

In order to complete the major event of starting a family for their second son Ren Xingyi, Ren Changle and Yang Wenwen can be regarded as a bloody investment, not only spent tens of thousands of dollars to buy and renovate the most expensive villa estate in the north of Manchester City as a residence for the newlyweds after marriage, but also transferred half of the shares of the cosmetics company under Yang Wenwen Life Art Group directly to their son and daughter-in-law.

Ren Xingyi is the third in the Ren family, and he is also one of the five children adopted that year. After graduating from an Ivy League university with a major in business administration, Ren Xingyi worked in Yang Wenwen's Life Art Group, and then married Mi Ling, the adopted daughter of Homeland Security Secretary Mi Gu, and continued to extend the nepotism of the Ren family to the depths.

At the climax of the wedding banquet, not only did all the guests raise their glasses at the same time, but even Anne, who was still in confinement, appeared in the banquet hall with Ren's grandchildren in her arms. Then under Yang Wenwen's deliberate arrangement, she showed off everywhere, and there was a great posture for the baby to immediately set a doll kiss.

"Don't you think the bride's dress is too gorgeous? If you want me to say, she should change to a lighter sapphire or diamond necklace pendant, like the South African diamond Sasha bought. Adelaide's youngest daughter, Angelia, also held Su Zining's eldest daughter Su Fangqi's arm at this time, standing in the corner of the banquet hall, looking at the much-anticipated bride with a little blush.

"When it comes to fashion and aesthetics, Aunt Yang is the one who has the most right to speak. It may not be long before new dresses and jewelry will be marketed in specialty stores. Su Fangqi's mind was not on the wedding, but staring intently at a corner. I saw a lonely girl sitting alone on the sofa in a daze.

"It's Senior Sister Qi Zuping from the Department of Business Administration, her father should be chatting with your father in the back hall...... Poor senior sister, I heard that she was divorced by the Lu family, this should be the most shameful thing in the Senate Speaker's family......" Angelia followed her best friend's gaze and recognized the mixed-race girl.

"Maybe it's more complicated than we think, and now we should go and comfort her instead of saying cool things." Su Fangqi glanced at Yan Shuming and his younger brother Su Fangwei, who were giggling in the boys' pile, and decisively took Angelia towards Qi Zuping in the distance.

……

In the gazebo in the backyard, the men of the wedding families are sitting together. Topics that are more important than a bunch of wedding receptions are discussed.

“…… In addition to the formation of a special Eastern Brigade, there is another important issue that must also be resolved, that is, the strategic grain reserves of the Far East. At present, the state grain reserves in the Far East are divided into three parts. Part I. It is a national local grain depot in Mingzhu City directly under the Food Security Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the current grain storage has reached the upper limit of storage, about 15,000 tons; The second part is the Far East Grain Trading Center on Hong Kong Island. Belonging to the Oriental Union Group, the first phase of the storage project was completed when An Shaoqing went to inspect, with a maximum design reserve of 30,000 tons. At present, the actual reserve is less than one-fifth; The third part is the supply station of the immigration transit center set up on Liu Xiang's Lanfang Free Territory, which belongs to the Ministry of Immigration, and is very small, with a maximum reserve of only 1,000 tons. ”

Yan Xiaosong pinched the wine glass and looked at the many friends present with a little sternness, as if he was very dissatisfied with the Far East-related numbers that he had sorted out in the past few days.

"Yan Xiaosong, the climate of Pearl Island is hot and humid, which is not suitable for the establishment of a large-scale strategic grain reserve base." Ren Changle glanced at a letter of intent handed to him by Yan Xiaosong a few minutes ago, and frowned slightly, "The Hong Kong Island Grain Trading Center is still a warehouse warehouse, and the bulk grain flows quickly, so it is not a long-term reserve in itself. If we want to reach 150,000 tons of strategic grain reserves within two years, we will not be able to do it by relying on the Oriental Union Group alone. Not to mention that there is no such capacity, just purchasing 150,000 tons of grain, the whole of Southeast Asia will not be able to make up this number! So the plan you envisioned, I'm afraid it won't be realized. ”

150,000 tons of grain, Dunton Wotou porridge can theoretically supply the consumption of 700,000 people for a year, and then reduce the supply level to cope with 800,000 people a year. But in the early 17th century, Siam, the largest rice-producing country in Southeast Asia, exported only 30,000 to 50,000 tonnes per year.

The implication is that OUCC is not a lot of money. It is certainly an obligation to contribute to the country, but there must also be a limit to bearing, which does not mean that the OUCC should spend its precious funds on a strategic grain reserve project without asking for anything in return.

Ren Changle's meaning is very clear to everyone, these massive grain reserves in the future are not market flow transactions at all, but to deal with the oriental frenzy in the next few years. In other words, the funds thrown in by the Oriental Union Group cannot produce any economic benefits at all, and it is purely a contribution.

"Wu Linyun, what do you think?" Seeing that Ren Changle and Yan Xiaosong fell into a confrontation as soon as they came, Su Zining hurriedly threw an inquiry to Wu Linyun, the former minister of agriculture of the cabinet on the side.

"It is indeed impossible to hoard such a large amount of strategic grain reserves in the Far East, relying only on the local grain trade and circulation in Southeast Asia. The entire procurement chain must continue to be extended outward, but this will lead to a much higher cost of grain transportation and storage than in the mainland. Don't count on India, which is now a market for grain imports, with thousands of tonnes of grain exported from Southeast Asia to India every year. In other words, the closest grain producing areas to Southeast Asia should be our Nanshan Overseas Territory and the Viceroyalty of South Africa. At present, the combined annual output of the two places is about 70,000 tons, but 70% is supplied to the domestic market. The rest is exported to Europe or Central and South America, West Africa. ”

"Now that the domestic population is growing rapidly, coupled with the local climate in recent years, the average yield per mu has been slowly declining, in order to ensure the local food strategic security, large-scale grain exports will not last long."

After Wu Linyun withdrew from the cabinet a few years ago, he set up his own agricultural company and the Atlantic grain and oil import and export trade, and he can be regarded as the person who has the best knowledge of grain production and price changes at home and abroad.

With just a cursory calculation, Wu Linyun gave the minimum funding requirements for the Far East Grain Reserve Program. On average, the average ton of grain reserves in the Far East, if shipped from South Africa, from procurement, transportation to storage. The total cost over two years will be more than $28, of which freight accounts for nearly half. The 150,000-ton strategic reserve plan will have to pay a direct cost of at least $4.2 million, and it will take more than 150 ocean-going ships to complete the transportation.

"Didn't I hear that the second phase of Guoxing Group's agricultural reclamation project in South Africa is almost completed, with a designed annual output of 20,000 tons of wheat, and their cost should be lower than that of Nanshan Overseas Collar." Yan Xiaosong looked at Qi Jianjun with a bad face, hoping to get an ideal answer from the other party.

"That's just a theoretical value, and it will take at least one to two years to actually reach the design yield. Even so. They have just recovered their costs and are unlikely to be shipped to the Far East at a low price. Qi Jianjun knew that this "young junior" was anxious, but he was helpless, "It's better to find time for Xiao Su to be the middleman." Please sit down and talk about it to see if the Oriental Union Group and Guoxing Group can work together. Also, is it possible to pre-purchase rice for the next two years on Hainan Island? ”

Hoarding such a huge figure in the Far East would be tantamount to scraping off and shutting down most of the grain exports from South Africa to Southeast Asia for two years in a row. It doesn't matter if you can do it or not. This is not intended to lead to a sharp rise in the price of grain trade in Southeast Asia, which will lead to a rise in the prices of other commodities, and an unprecedented mutation in the economic and ecological chain. It's your own set for yourself. If the source of funds can still be obtained by some financial means, but once such a huge ocean shipping capacity is occupied, the two major overseas groups of Huamei basically do not have to do anything else, and it feels terrifying to think about it.

"Xiao Yan, this is a plan that affects the whole body, and after An Shaoqing returned from the Far East, the Congress also discussed this issue. At present, even if the state makes a move, the strategic grain reserves that can be maintained in the Far East for a long time will not exceed 50,000 tons. The situation in the Ming Dynasty was like a tsunami, and we simply did not have the strength to bear the burden of food supply for millions of people at that time. ”

As the oldest qualified Qi Jianjun present, his concluding speech at this time was regarded as pouring another bucket of the largest bucket of cold water on Yan Xiaosong's mention. As soon as Qi Jianjun's words came out, Yan Xiaosong stopped talking, and Su Zining could only gently pat his friend's shoulder on the side to comfort him.

"Mr. Ren, it's time for the second young master to toast you and your wife, and Madame invites you to go back." Just when everyone was at a loss, a housekeeper of the Ren family came to the pavilion.

……

A few days later, the Ministry of National Defense officially announced the plan for the formation of the Eastern Brigade of the National Defense Army.

As for the country's interests and security in the East, in fact, ordinary citizens only have a vague idea, only knowing that the latest issue of the Oriental Union Group's listed stock trading price has climbed to $8, much higher than the Guoxing Group's $3 stock price.

The share dividend plan announced by OUCC this year reached 20 cents per share, with an extremely high return. Whether it is the rich and powerful, or a small family, all the large and small shareholders have already recouped the initial investment cost in the dividends of these years, and now they are purely sitting on the ground and sharing the money every year.

In this context, the plan for the formation of the Eastern Brigade is naturally good news, and everyone hopes that the country can continue to strengthen the protection measures for the interests of the East, but few people know that this plan may mean that the country will jump into a big hole in the future.

According to the plan of the Army Command, like the Foreign Legion, the Wehrmacht Eastern Brigade would become a standing establishment and would be the size of one brigade headquarters plus four infantry battalions. In addition to the transfer of officers at all levels, a total of 500 elite soldiers with a service period of more than two years will be selected from the three existing Foreign Legion brigades to serve as the first seed battalion of the Wehrmacht's Eastern Brigade by 1 January next year. These foreign soldiers will complete the naturalization procedures for Chinese and American citizens ahead of schedule and will be transferred to the National Defense Force. In order to take care of the officers and men who have been deployed in the Far East for a long time, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will fund the resettlement of the families of the officers and soldiers in the Nanshan Overseas Consulate, the Yueshan Island Overseas Consulate, or the Pearl Island Overseas Consulate as long as their families are willing.

In addition to the increase in the number of recruits in the mainland, the remaining three battalions will be mainly recruited by the overseas consulates of Nanshan, Yueshan Island, and Mingzhu Island. At present, the total official population of the three places plus Hong Kong Island is close to 80,000, and although the proportion of minors exceeds 30 percent, it is not a big problem to recruit thousands of young and strong men to enlist in the army, and it has little impact on the occupation of local labor, and it is also the most cost-effective plan in the army's current plan to expand its military deployment in the Far East. (To be continued......)