Chapter 529: Officers

When they walked out of the Pingdu Prefecture training base, a large crowd of youths was gathered at the gate. The Company Commander on gate duty was loudly explaining to them, "This batch of young soldiers wasn't recruited in Pingdu — mainly in Wendeng and Laiyang."

One of the leading youths shouted, "I see there's only about a thousand men. A battalion is still short by two or three thousand. Why won't you recruit us? Our Pingdu garrison school isn't inferior to theirs."

The youths all clamored at once, and the Company Commander's voice was instantly drowned out. Soon a Squad Commander came out from inside the gate. This man was burly and stout, and one bellow from him silenced those youths.

"What the hell are you all squawking about? Where to recruit soldiers isn't for our base to decide — that's set by the Dengzhou Mobilization Department. Even if I agreed to take you, it wouldn't count. If you've got the guts, go make a fuss in Dengzhou."

The youths quieted down a little, but the leading youth actually started discussing with those around him, ready to go to Dengzhou to find the Mobilization Department. Li Donghua, the department head, was right here, and Chen Xin was beside him — they certainly couldn't pretend not to have seen this.

Li Donghua walked out and said to the youths, "Young brothers, this time we're only recruiting a bit over a thousand men — just to fill the original shortfall of one Company Commander's unit in the Second Guards Battalion, plus to replenish some losses from the spring offensive. So the troop quota is already full. If you really want to be soldiers, wait for the next Third Guards Battalion..."

"No, we want to join the Second Battalion. I want to join the Second Guards Battalion and follow Commander Zhong and Zhu Feng to kill Tatars."

"Exactly. We'll only join the Second Guards Battalion. We won't go to any other battalion."

The Second Guards Battalion's victory at Caohe had made them famous throughout the entire army. Even the previously most elite First Guards Battalion now regarded them with new respect. Zhu Feng was still recovering from his injuries but had already been promoted to Vice Battalion Commander; reassignment as a new battalion commander was only a matter of time. If not for Chen Xin deliberately keeping him in the Guards Army as a banner for the young soldiers, he would have been transferred to command the Ninth Battalion in this expansion.

As documentary-style articles were published in the military newspaper, the Second Guards Battalion's fame spread throughout Denglai, and along the trade routes to the Grand Canal region. The Dengzhou Military News already had wide circulation. Since Dengzhou Garrison still maintained a surface relationship with the imperial court, the newspaper did not use the Second Guards Battalion designation, instead continuing with "Dengzhou Main Battalion" to reinforce the image of Denglai's invincible military might. But in Denglai's internal propaganda, most people knew it was the Second Guards Battalion.

Li Donghua gave a loud shout. "All of you shut your mouths! Do you think the Dengzhou Garrison is some inn or food shop where you can pick and choose as you please? If you want to be soldiers, the first rule is to obey orders. You go wherever you're assigned."

Li Donghua's helmet was painted with a red star. These student soldiers had all undergone preparatory training and knew it marked someone of battalion commander rank. Though they didn't know the exact position, it was certainly a senior officer. The whole group of students fell silent at once.

Chen Xin walked over, raised a hand to the students, and said, "All you talented young men wish to join the army and enter our Dengzhou Garrison — we welcome you most warmly. But the Mobilization Department must recruit according to plan. I assure you all, when we have sufficient troop quotas to call you up in the future, we will certainly not let your great enthusiasm go to waste."

That group of student soldiers had never seen Chen Xin before. Seeing no markings at all on his soft military cap, they had no idea who this personage might be. But since he could speak directly over the head of a battalion commander, he was surely a senior officer as well.

The student who had led them at the start said respectfully, "My lord, we have all been trained. We've used both firelocks and pikes. After reading the military newspaper's account of the Caohe Fort battle, we truly could not hold back any longer — we want to go to Liaodong and kill Tatars, to recover our Han rivers and mountains. I beg you, my lord, to speak on our behalf and urge the Mobilization Department to begin conscripting the next batch of preparatory soldiers soon. If it's too late, the Tatars will all be wiped out."

The group of students below all nodded, their faces full of expectation. Chen Xin said to them gently, "This official understands all of your sentiments. Conscription will certainly come. It's no matter if the Tatars are wiped out — we must still exterminate the roving bandits, restore peace to our Huaxia land, and let all our compatriots live good days like those in Dengzhou."

The students below all applauded and cheered. Chen Xin, carried away by the moment, waved his hand and said loudly, "But it is not only that. You have all come from garrison schools and vocational schools. You ought to know that this world is vast, and there are boundless lands and oceans waiting for you to conquer. Thank you for being willing to become soldiers. The military is an honorable profession. Soldiers are no longer the lowly, degraded military households of old. Any government that slights the honor of the military will be cast aside by history. Today this official will say: the Dengzhou Garrison will always need hot-blooded youths and brave warriors, and China also needs passion like yours."

That leading student shouted with excitement, "For the Dengzhou Garrison!"

"Long live the Dengzhou Garrison!"

"Long live the Dengzhou Garrison! Long live Grand Commander Chen!"

Waves of fervent responses erupted from among the students — all of them utterly treasonous slogans. Li Donghua and Liu Pojun listened with expressionless faces, only occasionally stealing glances at Chen Xin's expression. In the past, someone at the Dengzhou Military Academy had shouted similar slogans and was later visited individually by people sent from the Training and Guidance Department for a private talk. Huang Side would not suppress such thinking; the only explanation was that it was Chen Xin's intent. So although the two men knew something of Chen Xin's ambitions, they had never spoken of it openly. But judging by Chen Xin's current attitude, he was no longer suppressing this current of thought in Denglai.

After the fervent atmosphere subsided, Chen Xin spoke briefly with the students in the front row, then left with Li Donghua and Liu Pojun. Those students still lingered at the base gate without dispersing.

After the three had walked a stretch, Chen Xin finally said to Li Donghua, "With them here, why worry that the Dengzhou Garrison won't grow strong? After we finish fighting the Tatars this year, we must continue expanding the Guards Battalions."

"Understood," Li Donghua replied in a low voice. "Judging from the feedback from each battalion, the quality of recruits conscripted last year is indeed far better than when we were in Weihai. The training time for the First Syllabus can be shortened by thirty percent. The Military Affairs Department is preparing to adjust the training syllabus."

Chen Xin laughed heartily a few times. Liu Pojun beside him also said, "It's true. Before I came back, I spoke with both Zhong Caisheng and Zhu Feng. They both think the Second Guards Battalion has the best recruits — whether in skills, physical fitness, or discipline, they're incomparable to the old garrison-household recruits. Especially Zhong Caisheng. He's been in the army since we first built it in Weihai, so he feels the changes most deeply. He believes our Dengzhou Garrison has already surpassed Lord Qi's Qi Family Army, though he couldn't quite articulate the reason."

Chen Xin gave an "mm," stopped walking, and stood quietly for a moment, as if lost in thought. "Actually, it's only natural that Zhong Laosi can't articulate it clearly. If this official were to say it: many of Dengzhou's troop-training methods were in fact learned from Lord Qi. It is not that this official is superior to Lord Qi. The reason the Dengzhou Garrison can surpass the Qi Family Army is that the Qi Family Army was merely an army, relying on Lord Qi's individual genius. Once Lord Qi lost power, it was never the same again. But our Dengzhou Garrison relies on a complete system. This is not something that can be altered by any one person's ability. The reasons cannot be explained clearly in just a word or two. But one point that can be confirmed is that Minyou's civil affairs system has rendered indispensable service. Without sound civil administration and education, there would be no Dengzhou Garrison of today, and absolutely no Second Guards Battalion of the Caohe battle."

Liu Pojun and the other man said in unison, "We are humbled by your instruction."

Chen Xin smiled and said, "Speaking of this Second Guards Battalion, what has Zhong Laosi been up to lately?"

Li Donghua quickly said, "The Military Academy has opened a branch campus in Jinzhou. Zhong Laosi went to the accelerated course there to strengthen the newly promoted mid-level officers, mainly lecturing on some recently supplemented Military Academy curriculum."

"Oh?" Chen Xin said curiously. "Zhong Laosi can train troops, but is he any good at lecturing?"

Liu Pojun said, "I attended one of his lectures. It was on the campaign-level deployment written by Your Excellency. Though his language was crude, his understanding was quite accurate, and he could even give some examples. His ability is not bad at all."

Chen Xin smiled and said, "Then I must go listen sometime in the future. And you must remember: military thought at the Academy must not be suppressed. Even the strangest ideas can be discussed and experimented with. What I write may not all be correct. Letting front-line officers like Zhong Laosi continually refine and improve it — that is the foundation of our Dengzhou Garrison's eternal invincibility."

"What we just discussed was the importance of logistics in a campaign. It is so for our side, and equally so for the enemy. In the specific deployment of a campaign, our front must effectively cover the communication lines to our supply depots. The deployment of our flanks should, as much as possible, threaten the routes from the enemy's front to their rear areas. This will cause unexpected wavering in what had been a stable enemy line. The method is simple. Sometimes merely angling the flank direction slightly can achieve this goal. For example, in the Caohe battle against Huang Taiji, Fenghuang City can be seen as the left wing of our opposing lines. He could have sent troops early to attack the flank in the direction of the Caohe river valley. Once the Jianzhou bandits appeared at Fenghuang City, under conditions of unclear intelligence, it might have caused me to waver in my decision. Then perhaps his later great defeat would not have happened. Here, everyone remember one saying of Lord Chen: victory or defeat on the battlefield is composed of countless small matters. You never know which one will be decisive, so you cannot afford to slight any single matter."

In the classroom of the First Branch Campus of the Military Academy in Jinzhou, Zhong Laosi stood at the podium, using his gander-like voice to lecture a group of newly promoted officers of Squad Commander rank and above. Because of his killing of Manggūltai and the battle of Caohe Fort, he had become a figure known to everyone in the Dengzhou army. Even Zhu Guobin sometimes had to consult him.

Zhong Laosi flipped through the materials in his hand. This course had been written by Chen Xin. When Zhong Laosi first saw it, he thought it was the work of a heavenly genius. Now he felt some parts could be revised further. "Having spoken of the flanks, let's talk about direction in combat. Any theater of war can be divided into three parts: left, center, and right — what we commonly call the left wing, right wing, and center army. For everyone sitting here, we are not the overall army commander. What we manage may be just a small section of the battle line. But every small section can also be further divided into left, center, and right wings. Lord Chen says the simplest is the best. When I fight, I've always kept it simple. Don't go thinking about the brocade-bag stratagems from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Put your mind on this left, center, and right. The simplest thought on the battlefield is this: among these three directions, there is bound to be one that is advantageous to us and disadvantageous to the enemy. Find this direction, and use tactical maneuver to reinforce our forces in that direction. This is what you, as commanders on the battlefield, need to be thinking about..."

Zhong Laosi's voice carried from afar. Guan Dadi, holding a broom, stood dazed beneath the flagpole outside the classroom. He somewhat envied those who could go in and listen to the lectures. Although Zhong Laosi was his battalion commander and they were on very good terms, it was impossible for Zhong Laosi to give him private lessons. Zhong Laosi didn't have the time or patience, and besides, the accelerated course had other officers lecturing as well.

"Sergeant Major, you've already learned over three hundred characters. Learn a bit more, and there's hope of making officer." Tang Wei's voice came from beside him. They had come to this temporary Military Academy today for duty and cleaning.

Guan Dadi turned his head to look at this chubby soldier and laughed. "Tell me, why didn't you come earlier? Two years ago, two hundred characters would have been enough to pass."

"Back then, wasn't I looking after Guan Xiaomei? I told her then, I'd go help Big Brother learn to read. But Xiaomei said, 'That big brother of mine is a combat hero, a true brave man. What would you count as, going there?'" Tang Wei stood up and patted his chest. "I told her right then, I'm a brave man too. I'm not afraid of battle. She just wouldn't believe it. So later I came to be a combat soldier. You see, Dadi Bro, ain't I a brave man after all?"

Guan Dadi gave a silly grin. He didn't really think Tang Wei was particularly brave — just quite ordinary — but he couldn't very well embarrass Tang Wei to his face.

"Dadi Bro, we've finished all the cleaning. How about I urgently help you learn some characters?"

Guan Dadi quickly said, "Alright. What character are we learning today?"

"Bro, this character is the most complicated one, but we've got to learn it. Actually, it's useless anywhere else — only useful for fighting Tatars."

Guan Dadi nodded with a look of absolute determination, as if charging into battle. Tang Wei picked up a twig and began writing on the ground. The strokes grew more and more numerous. Guan Dadi's mouth gaped wider and wider. When Tang Wei finally finished writing, he said, "It's this character 'Xiang.' We absolutely have to use it, because the Tatars have four banners with the 'Xiang' character."

Guan Dadi wiped the sweat from his forehead. This character actually had over twenty strokes.

"Look, Guan Dage, here is the 'metal' radical — it means that red border on the Jianzhou bandits' flag is sewn on with needles. And this part here, 'Xiang' — this 'Xiang' I don't know about, but it's useful anyway. Xiangyang is written with this character. I've been there. It'll be useful when we fight roving bandits later too."

Guan Dadi rubbed the back of his head. "Why didn't we learn 'Xiangyang' when we were promoted to sergeant?"

"Sergeants don't learn this character. Officers definitely have to learn it. Otherwise, when a superior sometimes issues a written order, how would you understand it? Or when we're serving as forward scouts, how would we write military intelligence reports to our superiors?" Tang Wei urged. "Look, Dage, sergeants only go two more ranks before hitting the ceiling. The officer track is long, and the retirement pension ratio is much higher. I hear that in the future you can take your profit shares with you — far better than farmland. Dage, you're so formidable in battle. As an officer, you'd reach at least battalion commander. The money would be huge. Right now, we're not just learning to write — we're earning gleaming silver taels."

Guan Dadi gritted his teeth and said, "Yeah, I'll learn it. I won't sleep tonight if I have to, but I'll memorize it."

After struggling for nearly a full two-hour period, Guan Dadi could basically write this "Xiang" character in full. Though crooked and twisted, it was at least recognizable. In an ordinary army literacy class, no one would have the patience to teach him this.

Tang Wei tirelessly used the twig to write on the ground together with Guan Dadi. Guan Dadi was drenched in sweat, as if he'd fought a great pike battle.

When Guan Dadi finally produced a slightly neater "Xiang" character, Tang Wei excitedly threw his arms around Guan Dadi and laughed. Guan Dadi joined in with a happy, silly grin. He was one step closer to his officer's dream.

After their joy subsided, Guan Dadi turned his head again to look at the classroom. They had taken one break in the middle, and the lecture still wasn't over. Guan Dadi said to Tang Wei, "Let's go listen by the door. Think of some way?"

Tang Wei grabbed the broom in one hand. "We'll sweep the cloister."

The two immediately hoisted their brooms and walked over, hiding outside the door to listen to Zhong Laosi lecturing inside. Zhong Laosi's gander-like voice was still squawking.

"... Whether a campaign reserve or a strategic reserve, their role is not to prop up the entire battle line after the main force is defeated. Nor is there any reserve force that can, on its own, resist the enemy's triumphant assault after the main force fails. If there truly were such a reserve force, we should have committed them to the main engagement earlier — then the main force wouldn't have been defeated. Therefore, the use of reserves is to coordinate with the main force's operations, to accomplish offensive or defensive tasks in the decisive direction — not to prepare for the main force's defeat. Unless the commander is a fool of a civil official."

A low ripple of laughter came from below. Looking down on civil officials leading troops was a long-standing tradition in the Dengzhou Garrison, and Zhong Laosi was not the only one. Liu Pojun was the same way when he lectured at the Military Academy.

Hearing this, Guan Dadi also gave a silly grin. "Right. I want to be an officer, not a fool civil official."

Tang Wei, listening beside him, murmured in a low voice, "I don't want to be an officer, and I don't want to be a civil official. I just want to marry Guan Xiaomei." (To be continued...)