The last month of the thirty-seventh year of Zhichang was quite dull for Zhou Changfeng, and his daily life was almost boring.

Consistent with the regulations of the Ming army, routine training is a thunderous practice of three days off and one rest, but because of the relatively independent nature of the 1st Marine Regiment, Zhou has some room to play freely.

There is no doubt that the cohesion of the army is an important part of the comprehensive combat strength, and in order to improve the combat strength of his subordinates and to better conform to his own wishes, he can be said to rack his brains in this regard.

The adjustments he is trying to make are largely inspired by a unit of the American army, which has left a deep impression on him in the history of the war he has studied.

The U.S. Marine Corps formed four elite amphibious units called Raid Battalions during the Great War, with the 2nd Raid Battalion being widely known for its battle at Makin Atoll.

It was created because of a proposal written by Major Carlson, who had visited China, to form a special force similar to the British commandos and the Chinese guerrillas.

After this was approved, several battalions were established, and Major Carlson became the commander of the second battalion, and he was very bold in adopting a very different training and organization model than the average American army.

Major Carlson, based on what he had seen and heard, and with reference to the egalitarian approach to army building, established a concept of thought in the 2nd Raid Battalion that was radically different from the traditional one.

Officers should have responsibilities rather than privileges over soldiers, and their leadership should be consultative rather than based on rank alone. Non-commissioned officers and officers can thus work together to improve the condition of the troops.

Major Carlson was impressed by the political work of the Eighteenth Army, and he followed suit to a certain extent by stipulating that a battalion-wide assembly should be organized on Friday evening, in which all officers and men could speak freely on the problems of the war situation, current affairs, and the situation of the troops, and that anyone could express his or her own thoughts.

People believe that this is a combination of Marxism and democracy, which has caused an uproar in military and political circles.

In addition to this, Major Carlson also promoted ideological education in the 2nd Battalion, which he called "gaining faith" so that the officers and men of the battalion knew what they were fighting for.

He settled on a new word as a slogan, Gung Ho, to promote the idea of "working together," and the phrase was widely used and eventually became one of the usual slang expressions in the United States.

The example of Carlson's 2nd Raid Battalion is arguably to the liking of the perimeter wind, and at least proves that even in places with very different ideologies, it is feasible to apply a little of that army-building idea.

But that's just a little bit.

However, even if it was only a few attempts, the strict hierarchy of the Ming army and the obvious antagonism between officers and soldiers still added great trouble to Zhou.

The particularity of the army determines that it tends to be conservative on the whole, and the concept of hierarchy of respect and inferiority is also the most stubborn - everyone has the right to speak, so can they question and disobey orders as they please?

Therefore, even though the idea of equality between the four people, Shinong, industry and commerce has been 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, and often complained and complained in private, while the soldiers, while the soldiers were overjoyed, but they were too relaxed because they had long been accustomed to the old hierarchy of dignity and inferiority.

From the small to the big, we can see how difficult it is for a rigid group to reform.

"Don't fucking complain about Lao Tzu and that, if you don't want to be under my command, then leave immediately."

"There are many talents in the world, how many people are eager to transfer to the navy, let alone the four of you, even four hundred can be recruited."

"Who wants to go? Out of the ranks, I will write letters of recommendation to you one by one, write them truthfully, and do not add oil and vinegar. ”

On the morning of this day, the four officers who were the most disgruntled on weekdays were found out, and in the open space in front of the duty room, Zhou Changfeng was too lazy to explain, and directly scolded him.

He thinks he is very objective about anyone who does not fit in, just like in later generations, employees of large companies often ask their boss for a letter of recommendation before leaving to find the next job, and the boss is generally not embarrassed.

This is the general environment of the Ming army, and the officers have long been accustomed to it.

An officer may not be comfortable with the new atmosphere of the 1st Marine Regiment, but he may still have strengths, leaving the 1st Marine Regiment to work in other units, and a letter of recommendation from an old boss may well determine whether the officer is in a suitable position.

However, the four officers knew each other very well, and they all bowed their heads and remained silent, all of them chose to compromise without exception - for no other reason, as the own son of the Ming Navy, the treatment of the Marine Corps is really much better than that of the Army.

"It's hard to change the habits that have accumulated over the years, so if you don't force it, you can leave if you can't stand it." Yao Liangchuan walked over slowly, glanced at Zhou Changfeng and these officers, and said slowly: "But since the four of you are not happy to go, then don't complain, there will be a next time, the military stick will be waiting." ”

"Yes!"

"Let's go, each of us will return to the team." Zhou Changfeng waved his hand as he turned.

"Order."

The four officers, who were tall, short, fat and thin, clasped their fists and saluted, and then quickly ran away.

Yao Liangchuan glanced back, then took off the half-rimmed square glasses and wiped them with a silk cloth, "You have a good temper, if you change to someone else, I'm afraid you will drive people out directly." ”

"Alas, it's not worry-free."

"You brought it on yourself, such a toss... Everybody is uncomfortable. ”

"It's not like it's a no-brainer." 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 was indeed quite reasonable, and it could be regarded as a way to train troops that could be tried.

Just the entry point for this way... It's relatively new, and he has some doubts.

"Since ancient times, the army has been governed by clear rewards and punishments, but it is very rare to think about the rank of respect and inferiority. I have always believed that for the sake of human nature, the difference in status, dignity and inferiority should be repeatedly emphasized. ”

"Many people's morale and ability are not low, everyone is a dragon alone, a group of people together have become a rabble, capable people are very proud, they think they are the first in the world, and the rest are old."

"Therefore someone must make a decision to restrain the nature of the soldiers, and not to think superfluously, so that the order is forbidden. On the contrary, although morale will be raised, if you disagree on the battlefield, you will be in chaos. ”

Hearing this, Zhou Changfeng directly pointed out the mistake, "No, you misunderstood, I didn't say that I want to disperse the final decision, and the order still has to be unconditionally obeyed." Diluting the status hierarchy is not completely abandoned, how can it be black and white? ”

"Okay. So, at least in the eyes of the soldiers, they will have... Uh......"

"A sense of participation and respect."

"Yes." Yao Liangchuan bowed slightly, "That's exactly what, so the morale is bound to be considerable." ”

Zhou Changfeng, who crossed his waist, smiled and walked back to the duty room over the threshold.

Resistance is inevitable, and his response is to continue to stick to this approach, while expanding the proportion of veterans retiring and the proportion of recruits replenished, and adding some recruits who are much more malleable than the old fritters.

At this time, Zhao Hanfeng, Xie Wancheng, and Zhu Lixuan came together, and Zhao Hanfeng was still holding a document cover in his hand.

He smiled and said, "The prison army is also here, that's great, I just have something to talk about." ”

So the four of them followed into the duty room.

The arrival of several major officers surprised Zhou Changfeng, and his gaze fell on the document cover, and he intuitively guessed that it might be a written military order.

"To put it simply, the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion asked us to go to Fushan for a landing drill after the Lantern Festival. And then there are some attachments. As he spoke, Zhao Hanfeng handed over all the documents inside.

This is not an order that only allows the chief officer to personally open it, so it is okay for the chief of staff to open it first.

Zhou Changfeng took it, and after a cursory flip through it, he was immediately attracted by an attachment - "Concise Words"?

He looked up, and the four people in front of him looked different, 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 available, Zhou Changfeng can only conclude that the Ming Dynasty may be going to carry out military operations against Japan in the near future, but it is unknown what happened behind the scenes.

There are still many Western forces left on the Dongying Islands, and this is to completely drive them out of the Ming Dynasty's sphere of influence before the Great War?

Or... Take the opportunity to go straight to the full-scale fight?

But what is clear is that the latter is unlikely to be so sudden.

Taking the initiative to kick off a big war without proper and adequate preparations? is so reckless, obviously not the style of the Ming court.

Zhou Changfeng turned around and opened the cabinet on the side, and took out a fourth-edition small-scale map of Japan printed by the Military Department in the 30th year of Zhichang by the Military Bureau.

He stretched out his index finger and moved slowly over it, all the while the room remained strangely quiet.

Zhu Lixuan suddenly opened his mouth to break the silence, "To be honest, Xiyi has only a small garrison in the Wa Kingdom, and it may not be much more difficult to fight than to travel." ”

Zhou Changfeng glanced at him, waved his hand and said: "It's useless to talk about this now, you can't despise the enemy strategically and tactically." ”

"It's still quite emotional." Xie Wancheng, who looked relaxed, breathed a sigh of relief, "From now on, there will be no Xiyi forces at the door of the house, out of sight is clean, comfortable." ”

This kind of unilateral crushing war is at best a "special military operation" and there is absolutely no need to worry about it.

Britain, France, Russia, the United States, Italy, and other countries have deployed certain armed forces in the concessions of major Japanese cities, such as the 4th Marine Regiment in the American Concession and the 20th Independent Dragoon Regiment in the Russian Concession.

These units not only lack heavy weapons, but also live a prosperous life all year round, and are blown soft by women's charms, lack of training, and lack of military discipline.

If there is a fight, these guys will have no point in resisting at all, and then they will be thankful that they will not collapse at the first touch.

In Zhou Changfeng's opinion, it is the best choice for them to obediently disarm and surrender and honestly transfer control of the concession, so that both sides are decent, isn't it beautiful?

However, what is not known is that at this moment, the secret envoy sent by the Ming court has arrived in Tehran, and they are staying at the Espinas Palace Hotel.

The special plane that took off from Beijing Yingtianfu yesterday morning dropped a few liters and arrived at its destination, Mehrabad Airport, in the second half of the night today.

Not only the Ming Dynasty, but also Britain and France also sent secret envoys, and the three parties will carry out secret negotiations here.

This was proposed by the Ming side, and in order to show fairness, it was naturally not suitable for meeting in the sphere of influence of any of the three parties, so the location was finally 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 also been in the Dongying Islands for decades, and it is time to go.

After a night's rest, the rejuvenated envoy arrived in the VIP conference room on the eighth floor of the hotel, where the French envoy was already waiting, and the British envoy was the last.

After a brief self-introduction and greetings, this secret negotiation that was unknown to the outside world quickly began.

The envoy of the Great Ming is a middle-aged man who is often good-looking, but his gaze is extremely aggressive and can make people very uncomfortable.

He raised his hand and looked at his watch, and stated bluntly: "For a long time, Japan has been committed to ensuring the safety of its own country and its subjects, but Japan is the biggest shortcoming. It is time to put it back under our rule. ”

In fact, the Ming court was already prepared with both hands, and 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 will be beaten as you want, and if you have to fight to the end, you can only be driven away in disgrace.

The appearance of the British envoy is completely in line with the stereotype of the British - suits and leather shoes, pretentiousness, and casual conversation.

He said unhurriedly: "The British Empire has invested a considerable amount in Japan, and as you know, sir, forty years is not enough time to recover the principal of a long-term investment. ”

"So what are your country's conditions?" The envoy of the Great Ming Dynasty suddenly showed a playful smile, "The two countries will always be reconciled and will not invade each other?" ”

After the European War, the glorious British Empire began to inevitably decline, and the colonial system all over the world seemed to be faintly shaking.

At the expense of Japan, in exchange for the Ming Dynasty to stop its impatience in the South Seas, this is an absolutely worthwhile deal in the eyes of the British.

It can be postponed for a year, and the huge profits seized by the Nanyang region are not comparable to the small states of Dongying.

"Peace is the long-cherished wish of every British, and the wounds of war are too difficult to heal." The British envoy paused and continued: "Perhaps we have had unpleasant frictions before, but as long as we have the utmost sincerity, then it is entirely possible to reach an agreement. ”

The Great Ming Secret Envoy who was secretly mocking in his heart bowed his head slightly, and said calmly: "His Majesty the Emperor and the imperial court also think the same way. ”

After speaking, he looked at the French envoy on the side and asked, "Do you have any thoughts on this?" ”

The latter has just been observing the dialogue between the Chinese and British envoys, trying to figure out the psychology of the two, although Britain and France have already confessed to each other a few days ago, but that does not represent the final attitude.

"The withdrawal and transfer of assets takes time, and we want to protect the interests of France as much as possible. In addition, can you guys cut... Or to suspend the trade in tungsten concentrate to the Germans? ”

(End of chapter)