Chapter 2832 Military Exercise (Part 1)

"Comrade, these new shells you're describing—what's the significance of developing them?" Sun Shangxiang spoke up again. "A certain Senator once recited two lines of poetry: 'If we can repel invaders, why need excessive slaughter?' What are your thoughts on this?"

"Does the comrade reporter truly believe that slaughtering those life-cherishing Ming officers and their beggar-like soldiers justifies developing forged steel high-explosive shells?" Qi Kelong stiffened her neck again. "You've got it wrong. They don't deserve such treatment at all. These fine weapons are reserved for entertaining the Manchurian Tartars in the future."

Their subsequent conversation—Mai Ruibao couldn't recall it now. Ming, Manchurian Tartars, military threat—these words leapt into his mind and kept circling there. Ruibao set down his chopsticks. When his fingers brushed against the camera he never let leave his side, that feeling intensified: something momentous was about to happen, and he, perhaps his entire family, would inevitably be swept up in it.

Director Dingding had a catchphrase he kept on his lips: "Good news is run out." Mai Ruibao didn't know whether the interview photographs he'd taken this time qualified as good journalism, but in terms of running—this Danzhou trip had certainly involved plenty of it. Though called a "zone," Danzhou Industrial Zone actually encompassed nearly a third of the entire county. Though construction remained in its early stages, the various enterprises and supporting facilities already in operation were truly eye-opening. However, the subsequent tours of Danzhou Building Materials Factory, the Cement Factory, the Seafood Processing Factory, and other enterprises—even though Mayor Liu Yixiao extolled his "local industrial construction achievements" to the heavens—left the inspection team visibly uninterested. These small factories were common throughout Lingao. Even Mai Ruibao realized they were essentially supporting facilities serving the Industrial Zone. The Senators showed considerably more interest in the National Army Training Center that Lü Zeyang was establishing at Eman Market.

South China's largest National Army training center was currently located on Hong Kong Island. But Hong Kong Island was ultimately too small. As institutions and facilities multiplied there, space had grown constrained. The training center was planning to relocate to Lantau Island.

The Lantau camp handled National Army induction training—primarily reorganizing and reforming the various old-style armed forces that had submitted to the Senate. In a sense, political training exceeded military training in importance. But Lü Zeyang had struck out on a different path, establishing a "National Army Instructor Corps" in Danzhou for "advanced tactical training." Its primary purpose was training officers and non-commissioned officers for the National Army, while also handling instruction for certain special units.

The site Lü Zeyang had selected lay near Danzhou's northern coast—a region lacking rivers and streams. Apart from scattered salt-making villages along the shore, it was sparsely populated, with no need to worry about trampling farmland. Mai Ruibao observed the brand-new barracks, fences, and training equipment—their wooden components not yet painted. Numerous National Army recruits and foreign soldiers from every corner of the world, speaking in strange and varied accents, shouted New Speech commands completely off-key while their formations lurched crookedly across the grounds. Several military Senators watching their awkward drilling actually nodded approvingly, exchanging comments among themselves while busily pulling Senator Lü Zeyang aside to pepper him with questions.

Mai Ruibao used a wooden stick he'd picked up in the industrial park to fashion a simple tripod, attempting to mount his camera and capture the Senators' heroic figures. A string of giggles made his hands slow—strange. Since finishing yesterday's factory tour, Miss Sun had been constantly grumbling under her breath about too much walking and uncomfortable feet. This morning, her expression had been sourer still. Why was she smiling again now? Mai Ruibao followed her gaze toward a corner of the drill ground where a squad of recruits was practicing the most basic formation maneuvers. Apparently unable to understand the New Speech commands, a few unlucky souls slammed face-to-face into each other every time the order to turn was given. This made the instructor curse a blue streak, periodically dragging out some poor soul to deliver a flurry of blows with his military cane. The instructor's Cantonese native build was already quite slight, but the recruits before him stood nearly a head shorter still. The National Army uniforms hung on them like yellow sacks. They were just a bunch of children—no, wait. Looking at their dark skin, they were practically a troop of little monkeys.

"These are all Annamese?" A familiar voice came from nearby. Chairman Wang wore a white pith helmet, hands clasped behind his back. "How many in total?"

"Vice Minister Zhou brought them. About five hundred altogether." Lü Zeyang wore the same style of helmet, its brim pressed low so shadows concealed his expression. "I hear the Vice Minister has practically become regent over at the Nguyens'. Heaven knows how many men he extorted from Lord Nguyen. He even plans to establish some armed security force for the Nanyang Company. I spoke with him once, explained that since the South Vietnam colony remains Senate territory, defense must rely on the Fubo Army and National Army. Only then did he hand over these five hundred-odd recruits—he's definitely still holding some back. According to the Vice Minister, they're all children from military households of the Nguyen dynasty. Tsk tsk—seems if I don't train them into crack troops, I'll be letting down both the Vice Minister and the Senate!"

"I think it's quite promising. Train them well—Annam monkeys can become excellent light infantry." Chairman Wang nodded slightly. "This is essentially a blood tax. Discuss it in a meeting later—best to institutionalize it. All Senate colonies and overseas territories could adopt this practice."

After a hasty lunch in the training center's simple but clean canteen, the inspection team hurried to nearby Eman Ridge to observe a field exercise. Eman Ridge rose only 208 meters in elevation, but it was an important commanding height on Hainan's western coast. The Fubo Army had carved a mountain path and established an observation post on the ridge. Unexpectedly, this was when Miss Sun reached her limit. She slumped against a boulder, unable to take another step. Her small face had flushed crimson, her eyes brimming with tears—she truly could not go on.

"Young reporter comrade, please escort your female colleague back to rest." Chairman Wang told Mai Ruibao, then added in a half-joking tone: "Do seize this opportunity."

The Chairman's instruction had the complete opposite effect on Mai Ruibao. He rushed Sun Shangxiang back to the guesthouse in the town center, then flew back by carriage—Senators observing a live military exercise was major news. He absolutely had to seize the interview opportunity. The improvised tripod had to be abandoned.

Reporter Mai held his breath, lugging his heavy camera and film pack as he sprinted up the mountain. Before his eyes appeared the aftermath of a volcanic eruption millions of years past: terraced plateaus and rocky beaches stretching along the coastline. The black boulder beaches were fragmented by clusters of dense silver grass and yellow hibiscus flowers, appearing and disappearing through drifting musket smoke. The exercise had been underway for some time. Between gasps, he could still hear the Senators chattering: "Where did Red side get so many men?"

"The extra ones are village militia from the joint defense. See—they're all carrying standard spears."

"What's the point of bringing this rabble to pad numbers?" Old Di muttered, binoculars raised. "Hey, White side is fighting rather well."

On the hilltop, Senators held binoculars and watched intently. Though this was only a battalion-level exercise, it served as a test of whether the advanced tactical training curriculum that newly appointed National Army Commander Lü Zeyang was implementing would prove effective.

The National Army had always been positioned as "second-tier forces"—at one point even becoming a dumping ground for Fubo Army personnel being punished. Lü Zeyang believed this practice seriously undermined unit combat effectiveness. In terms of cost, a National Army soldier's equipment and maintenance expenses, though lower than the Fubo Army's, still reached over sixty percent of the latter. Their potential deserved to be fully realized. So upon taking office, he had begun improving their training.

White side—National Army soldiers wearing white pith helmets with white towels wrapped around their arms for identification—had deployed a thin, winding formation at the combat front. As Fangcaodi students also underwent military training, Mai Ruibao gradually recognized that this irregular line was actually pairs alternating fire in quite methodical fashion. Red side's commander attempted to leverage his numerical advantage, ordering the militia to charge frontally while a National Army company tried to flank White side's position. His plan quickly ran into trouble: the continuous skirmisher fire intimidated the inexperienced militia. Their charge faltered, becoming hesitant and halting. The already disorderly militia bunched together in confusion, wavering and unable to advance. Meanwhile, the flanking company was stopped by White side's reserve, which rapidly deployed in line and delivered two fierce volleys that inflicted "heavy casualties." Finally, bayonets chased them back.

"Good—solid and steady." Chairman Wang praised. Having eliminated the flank threat, White side didn't rashly pursue. Still in skirmish formation, covering each other's fire, they advanced steadily step by step toward Red side's position. The militia facing them carried nothing but bamboo spears and standard spears. Helpless to retaliate under fire, panic spread among their ranks. First two or three slipped away, dropping their weapons. Fear proved contagious. Facing the approaching muzzles and rolling smoke, more and more militia turned and fled. Red side's National Army soldiers behind them tried desperately to halt the rout but to no avail—within moments, the militia had scattered completely.

Xi Yazhou suddenly lowered his binoculars. "What have I always said? If auxiliary troops are low-quality and poorly commanded, they become nothing but a liability in combat."

"Not too bad—at least these militia didn't run directly backward. That would have dragged the National Army along with them." Fu Sansi observed. "Militia can only be used for fortified positions. Whose bright idea was it to bring them out for a field battle?"

The two went back and forth, drawing all of Mai Ruibao's attention. Suddenly, he noticed that Mayor Liu Yixiao, standing nearby, wore an ugly expression on his face.

After losing their militia support, Red side's National Army soldiers also formed into line, countering with fierce volley fire. White smoke clouds rolled everywhere, nearly obscuring the black stone beach and brush between the two forces. Xi Yazhou watched, shaking his head continuously. "Red side's tactics are very disadvantageous in a firepower competition. In real combat, they'd already be suffering heavy casualties—one charge would finish them."

(End of Chapter)