Chapter 2150 - The First Mission
Bright pine torches blazed across drill ground, and men assembled by company.
The blackboards were improvised locally—wooden planks coated with black ink, or else tabletops of painting desks or Eight Immortals tables from wealthy households. Only chalk had been shipped from Lingao—transporting such "non-combat" supplies as wooden basins and chalk made Director Hong grumble constantly about how these items greatly complicated logistics and transshipment work.
Instructors were naturalized cadres and officers stationed in Wuzhou, all holders of at least Class B diplomas. Primary content was literacy education.
Literacy rates in this era were inherently low, and ordinary soldiers mostly came from society's bottom rungs, with extremely high illiteracy rates. According to preliminary surveys conducted at enlistment, vast majority of soldiers' educational level extended only to recognizing their own names—and even those names usually consisted of something simple like "Chen Da" or "Wang Shiwu."
In the "Cultural Education Directive" that Wei Aiwen of General Staff Political Department had issued to entire military, he made clear that "cultural education" and "political education" were inseparable. Political education was to be subtly woven into cultural instruction. To this end, Truth Office and Political Department had jointly compiled a special Military Cultural Education Textbook, updated annually based on current circumstances.
Latest edition of the Textbook included material specially added for Mainland Campaign, such as model sentences like: "We must rescue our suffering compatriots," "The oppressed masses rise up to welcome the Council of Elders," "Overthrow the tyranny of the Pseudo-Ming," "When the Council arrives, there will be food to eat"—which soldiers could learn then paint directly on walls as slogans. Reportedly this idea had originated from Chief Xie, who was particularly fond of discussing "the role of propaganda." Consequently he'd specifically instructed Qian Duo to tighten cultural and political education of National Army.
Initial education was literacy training, starting with simple basic characters and gradually introducing military and political vocabulary and short phrases. It was progressive.
However, for National Army recruits who'd drilled all day and just finished eating, Cultural Study session was nothing short of lullaby. Within minutes, some were nodding off—and were promptly jolted awake by military truncheons, then made to stand at attention while listening to lessons.
Thus entire drill ground echoed with screams of soldiers being beaten and instructors' rebukes, mingled with chorus of stifled yawns.
After thirty-minute class period, most soldiers hadn't learned a single character, yet they'd taken plenty more beatings.
The command "Dismissed!" made drowsy rank-and-file feel as if they'd received heavenly pardon. They hurried back to sleep.
Yang Erdong, having been caught dozing, was made to stand for half an hour—which meant half an hour of yawning, tears and snot streaming down his face. His whole body ached and tingled; everything before eyes was blurry. The "teacher's" silhouette swayed before desk, and he couldn't make out or understand what the man was doing. He didn't even hear "Dismissed"—it took Li Pudun tugging his arm before he snapped back to awareness and went inside to sleep.
After all this torment, everyone was so exhausted they fell asleep moment touching pallets. Then, while still dark next morning, reveille sounded through camp. Most soldiers, still unfamiliar with bugle calls, didn't react in time. Not until "assembly drum" thundered did men scramble from bunks.
And so three companies stood at attention on drill ground all morning again, enduring agony of leg cramps along with merciless blows of military truncheon—anyone who cried out earned extra kick and comment of "like a woman" from instructors.
To be a soldier like this made these newly enlisted men miserable beyond words. True, officers in Great Ming also beat people—beat them harder, even—but daily drills had been rare, and if you stayed from officers' sight, you naturally had fewer chances being beaten. Australian army officers stood before you all day long, issuing orders constantly; if you didn't understand and stood there dazed, you got beaten.
Human potential is limitless. Very quickly, problem of not understanding instructors' accent no longer remained a problem.
Every day was endless formation drill: wake on bugle, straighten quarters, fall in and form up, physical training, eat breakfast, formation drill, eat lunch, formation drill, eat supper, Cultural Study, then back to drill ground to fall in and run a few laps, and finally march in formation back to barracks for sleep. Days were monotonous and hard to bear.
"We've become donkeys turning millstone!" Li Pudun muttered among soldiers. Every day, apart from eating and sleeping, they marched endlessly on drill ground. Annoy instructors and they'd add "night drill" or "emergency night assembly" or some other torment.
Worst of all were "tests"—starting from simplest task of writing one's own name, then spot checks reciting the Beiwei Army Discipline Regulations, the Battle Formation Orders, the Soldier's Handbook... then memorizing three key theoretical essays published by Truth Office: The Sacred Ship and the Dawn, The Council of Elders Is the Only Hope of the Chinese People, and The Council of Elders Is the Revolutionary Morning Star.
These three essays weren't terribly long, yet they were written entirely in "New Speech" and stuffed with all manner of new terminology. Even traditional scholars who'd studied over a decade and held xiucai degrees would find them neither easy reading nor easy understanding, never mind these illiterate soldiers. Consequently every company adopted primary-school style: instructor read a line, soldiers repeated it. Never mind if you understood; memorize it first. Those who couldn't memorize it were treated, as usual, to military truncheons and standing at attention.
Reorganization training became soldiers' nightmare, so much so that duty assignments during breaks from training became things everyone looked forward to most. Sentry duty, patrol, and construction labor weren't exactly pleasant duties, yet they proved far better than trembling on drill ground. In old Ming army days, what they'd dreaded most was "marching out"; now, all of them felt strange longing for "deploying on a mission" or "going to war"—fighting, however dangerous, at least offered swift resolution of life or death. This endless daily drilling truly resembled years dragging by.
Finally, deployment day arrived. Qian Duo received orders from Zhu Quanxing: he was to dispatch one company immediately to area around Fengchuan County seat to escort transport convoy overland.
From Wuzhou downstream to Fengchuan County seat, there was a West River stretch marked by shoals—not only treacherous but shallow. Even river squadron's shallow-draft gunboats couldn't cross. Only gunboats with draft less than one meter could pass.
Previously, though situation had proved tense and sporadic attacks had occurred along banks, little danger to transports on West River channel itself existed. Convoys traveling from Sanshui to Wuzhou mostly used towboat tandem formations, and vessels seldom ran aground on sandbars due to currents. Escorting motorized gunboats possessed powerful armaments, enough to drive off scattered attacks from shore. Moreover, West River was quite broad, and in most sections, ranged weapons available to bandits or rebellious Yao could not threaten transport ships.
Yet on most recent escort run, convoy had been attacked on a shoal in West River channel shortly after passing Fengchuan County seat.
West River channel had multiple shoals, and to navigate safely, each voyage required hiring seasoned local boatmen piloting passage. Garrison Navy had also established numerous navigation markers at each shoal.
Yet this time, when convoy reached Jieshou Shoal—about nineteen kilometers from Wuzhou City—naval officers discovered that all channel markers had been destroyed, and parts of channel showed signs of deliberate sabotage by sunken ships. Just as they struggled clearing obstruction, an unidentified armed force suddenly attacked from shoal.
Though escort party was small, gunboats' firepower was formidable, and they quickly drove off attackers. Escort suffered only a few wounded and no further casualties. Yet incident set alarm bells ringing at both Logistics Command and First Brigade headquarters in Zhaoqing—West River channel could no longer be navigated in easy complacency.
As emergency countermeasure, under First Brigade's direction, counties along West River began organizing convoy escort operations. Escorts were to be provided by National Army companies stationed in each county, relaying convoys section by section. While underway, National Army troops would patrol aboard motor launches. At narrow channel stretches, high ground, and shoals, they would land and establish security perimeters. If attacked, they would go ashore and drive off enemy. This type of patrol also served maintaining order on both West River banks, suppressing bandits and Yao militants.
Qian Duo in Wuzhou received identical orders. Because Wuzhou's National Army had largest establishment, their area of responsibility was also largest—from downstream of Wuzhou all the way to Xintan Shoal.
This channel stretch included Xilongzhou, Jieshou, Panlong, and Xintan shoals. Water depths varied—deepest reached three meters, shallowest barely one. River was wide, crisscrossed with sandbars; though gradient was gentle and current steady, sandbars were dense and multiple reefs existed. Upstream navigation for convoys remained quite difficult. It took great time crossing shoals, and boat speed dropped slower than walking. This was prime ground for enemy land attacks.
Qian Duo and Zhu Si studied the map. Mission was considerable. From below Wuzhou City to Xintan, channel stretched about fifty kilometers. Patrol squad, even with smooth sailing, would need two full days completing round trip.
"Xilongzhou isn't problematic," Zhu Si said. "It's merely three and half kilometers from Wuzhou City—within garrison's patrol zone. Major Zhu's troops patrol there regularly. Concern is shoals further downstream."
"For safety's sake, each patrol should consist of at least one full company," Qian Duo stated. "Escort ships must move along both banks simultaneously to guarantee fastest reaction time."
"Four companies would suffice, except they're still mid-reorganization training..." Zhu Si started scratching his head.
"We'll have to train while fighting," Qian Duo said. "It might even prove beneficial—at least it'll temper troops. As for your concern regarding unit combat effectiveness, for now let's adopt temporary integrated company system: each time we deploy, we mix veterans and new recruits into composite company."
(Chapter End)