Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1915 Influence ([-])

"Lieutenant Colonel Mao, this way please." On November 1684, 11, in an army training ground outside the Zhenhai Port Naval Base, Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun, who had returned to the mainland from the Yicheng area for a while, finally unloaded the transitional army. He came to Zhenhai County as a senior counselor of the Ministry, and immediately took up the post of the detachment leader of an army task force.

The establishment of this task force is not large, it is just larger than the general mixed battalion, with a total strength of about 1770 people.In fact, the Ministry is indeed built with a mixed battalion (the seventh mixed battalion, the current battalion commander is Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun), plus two cavalry companies and a field artillery company as technical arms directly under the detachment team headquarters. To say that it is a small and capable team, not everyone can be insulted.

"Lieutenant Colonel Mao, this is the latest letter of appointment from the military department, please take it away." The first-class staff officer from the army department said politely to Mr. Mao: "In addition, what the department means is that you can also be stationed in Portugal. The number of mercenaries recruited in the name of the army should not exceed four integrated infantry companies to enrich the strength of the troops."

Mao Jun smiled and nodded, expressing his understanding.He already knew that with the approval of the executive committee a few months ago, the military department had established a new institution, the Portuguese garrison, and appointed Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun as the first commander of the garrison.According to the agreement with the Portuguese, the size of this force should not exceed 3000 people. Therefore, after repeated research, the principle of forming a task force with the theme of the Army's Seventh Mixed Battalion supplemented by a certain number of technical arms was established.

The number of this detachment is about 1770. After arriving in Portugal, the commander of the garrison army also has the right to recruit four companies of infantry (960 people) as another part of the Portuguese garrison army (expenditures are borne by the Chinese East Coast Republic. EU Plenipotentiary Envoy to resolve).

There will also be an initial fee of about 10 yuan for the garrison troops, which will be additionally allocated by the Ministry of Finance.However, there is only half of the cash, and the remaining half is offset by goods, and the Portuguese garrison needs to find a way to realize it.This part of the money is mainly used to buy land locally, build military camps and training grounds, and to pay for the settlement expenses of the recruited mercenaries. After all, the special envoy to Europe is only responsible for the maintenance expenses, and the recruitment expenses are not paid.

Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun has been working hard in the Yicheng area before, and his roots are basically there. He has never served as the battalion commander of the Seventh Mixed Battalion before, and he has no connection with him. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that he took the post alone, although he It is true that he brought three or five cronies to serve in the army.

However, Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun has never regretted working here. This is not only the reason why the military rank can be promoted to a higher level, but also has something to do with the relatively bright future in the future.You must know that in the current military system on the east coast, the primary emphasis is on combat achievements and actual combat experience, followed by the resumes of overseas troops.Mr. Mao has served in South Africa for many years. He has no shortage of actual combat experience and military achievements. What is lacking now is some impressive resumes, and the experience of the Portuguese garrison can just make up for this to a large extent. And this is why he tried everything possible to get this position.

"Thank you, Staff Officer, I already know what the military department means. It's just that I have another question, that is, how much autonomy our department has, which doesn't seem to be clearly stated in the instruction." Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun asked suddenly.At this time, they had already reached the center of the training ground. The officers and soldiers of the Seventh Mixed Battalion were receiving equipment and supplies, and the technical units of the strengthened companies were also packing their bags. They were about to board the ship and set off. The destination was Huaiyuan Island in the Caribbean Sea.

"Lieutenant Colonel Mao, you can't ask me this question. In fact, I can't give you an affirmative answer, because the superior has not discussed this matter with me. My personal opinion is based on the order. Mr. Gao Wengang, China's special envoy to Europe. His current office is located in Cadiz, Spain, not too far from Viana do Castelo. You can easily communicate with him. If Special Envoy Gao insists on his opinion If you disagree with your military actions, you'd better exercise restraint and don't act without authorization." Having said that, Staff Officer Xie lowered his voice and said, "This is the best condition that the Ministry of the Army has strived for. You know, there were some People intend to allow special envoy Gao to directly command your troops, but the Ministry firmly opposes it, which dispels some delusions of white shirts, but also makes some compromises, that is, we do not have complete autonomy and self-determination , We must discuss it with them. Lieutenant Colonel Mao, these are all rumors I found in the Ministry, and they may not be accurate, I can only say it as a reference for you."

In fact, Staff Officer Xie said this quite clearly. Mr. Mao is not a fool, so it is natural to understand.Therefore, he cupped his fists to thank the captain and staff officer, and then discussed some other matters with his subordinate officers.In fact, although the instructions of the military department are rather vague, the meaning is almost to the point. Mr. Mao just wanted to confirm it again.To be honest, their army of two to 3000 people may be able to play an unexpected role in small-scale local battles, but it is not enough in large-scale field battles of tens of thousands of people, so Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun originally also They didn't plan to put their army into any meat grinder-like battlefield.The establishment of the Portuguese garrison is actually far more symbolic than practical. It is more about declaring its own strength and existence to Europeans in order to increase the influence of the East China Republic.

Of course, under special circumstances, their troops can also be dispatched.For example, if the Crimean Khanate, which is related to the overall situation of the Black Sea trade, is attacked by an enemy that is difficult to resist, then the Portuguese garrison may be dispatched with the entire army, and by the way, the [-] volunteer soldiers promised by the Kingdom of Portugal will be fully invested. Go to the Black Sea battlefield.In addition, if the maritime trade line on the east coast is attacked by some unscrupulous pirates or small country privateers, then this army may decide to attack or not depending on the situation.

All in all, the existence of the Portuguese garrison is a good start, and it has increased the intervention of the East Coast Republic of China in Europe.Although this kind of strength seems to be relatively small at present, it is difficult to say that if the situation develops further in the future, the number of its garrisons will increase significantly.

"The navy will send three troop carriers to transport our people, in addition to three water supply ships, two ammunition supply ships and a medical ship to follow to fully guarantee the safety of our department." A logistics staff officer in his 30s Reported to Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun: "These ships are almost enough to transport our [-] people and all our luggage. The horses of the cavalry are more troublesome. They are not suitable for transportation and the tonnage is not enough. Therefore, I am afraid it will have to wait After Portugal, spend money to purchase locally.”

In fact, as far as long-distance sea transportation is concerned, transporting horses is much more troublesome than transporting people.First of all, this horse is more delicate, impatient with storms, and is prone to illness and death; second, a horse needs more space, and the same space can carry several people; Cranky and very troublesome to manage.Therefore, for the cavalry, transporting horses across the ocean is always very troublesome, so the Ministry of the War decided to add up to three cavalry companies (one cavalry company of the [-]th mixed battalion plus two independent cavalry companies directly under the detachment headquarters). All purchases are made in Portugal.Anyway, the local Lusitano horse is also very famous, and it is an excellent cavalry horse. I believe the Portuguese will not be so stupid as to refuse to sell war horses to the east bank army.

"Let's purchase cavalry from the Portuguese. If the quantity is insufficient, go to the market in Cadiz or Seville to see that the supply from the Spaniards should be very sufficient." Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun responded: "Guns, artillery and accessory equipment must be clearly counted, the quantity can only be more or less. After arriving in Europe, it will be much more expensive to replenish it, so it must be brought in at once. Of course, each firearm must also be strictly managed and must be There is a number, and if it is lost, someone will take responsibility, which cannot be sloppy."

"Repairers, translators and other special talents who accompany the army are arranged to live in the officer's dormitory. Make a backup copy of all maps, and the medicines should be more than 30% more than the base. If it is not enough, ask the local government to borrow it. I believe this is a bit of face. They will still give it. That's it, everyone cancels their vacations and stays in the training base honestly, waiting for the arrival of the naval escort ship." Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun finally ordered.

This time they are dispatched, the voyage is long, and there will be many unpredictable situations on the way.Therefore, in addition to the above-mentioned ships responsible for transporting them, the Navy also arranged for a number of additional warships to escort them.Among them, the famous three-deck battleship "Executive Committee" is also on the list, in addition to two "Jiqi" class escort gunboats, four "Star" class light cruisers, a total of seven battleships.

These seven warships could not be regarded as an insignificant force in the Old Continent.Especially the mighty and majestic "Executive Committee" class warship, even in Europe, which is currently at the peak of shipbuilding, it can be regarded as a very powerful warship. If it is taken out, one can shock those weak naval countries .

After the seven warships escorting the nine auxiliary ships arrive in Portugal, they will make a "friendly visit" to the Mediterranean, and then they will all return.However, not all the returning ships are destined for the mainland, only the few troop carriers, water supply ships, and ammunition supply ships will return to the Zhenhai Port Naval Base, and the medical ship and all seven battle fleets will go to the Eastern Region The Cape Verde Islands finally joined the battle order of the Cape Verde Squadron.

There is no doubt that this move will greatly strengthen the strength of the Cape Verde Squadron of the First Fleet.If you take into account the critical geographic location of this squadron—whether it is ships returning to Europe from the Caribbean Sea, or merchant ships traveling between Europe and Asia, they are all within the deterrent range of this squadron— —Then the impact on the future situation will be extremely profound.Maybe they can't see anything now, but if anyone breaks out with the east coast in the future, the Cape Verde Squadron will make them experience unforgettable pain.

In addition to the Cape Verde Squadron, the Caribbean Squadron of the First Fleet, whose home port is on Huaiyuan Island, will also be partially strengthened.According to almost, at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, the Admiralty will also dispatch a three-deck battleship ("Liberator"), two "Jieqi"-class escort gunboats and multiple "Star"-class light cruisers to the north. Join the squadron's order of battle.In this way, the strength of the people on the east coast in the rich Caribbean Sea will be greatly enhanced, and if supplemented by the Spanish Windward Fleet, the influence and deterrence of the surrounding forces will also be greatly enhanced.

In fact, we can see from the deployment of these navy and army that the foreign policy of the East China Republic has indeed undergone fundamental changes.The difference from the so-called keeping a low profile in the past is that now because of the strengthening of national power, they are more willing to intervene in the outside world to fully protect their own interests.

Of these external worlds, their first concern was undoubtedly still the Mediterranean, especially the Eastern Mediterranean.In this sea area, the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate are two major fulcrums, and Venice is half a fulcrum, supporting the interest network of people on the east coast that has lasted for decades here.In addition, people on the east coast are also very concerned about the situation in Western Europe, and they are very concerned about the messy things between Spain, France, the United Provinces, England, Italy, and Austria.

They did not want Spain to be annexed by the French, nor did they want the commercial capital of the United Provinces to merge with the industrial capital of England, nor did they want the balance on the Italian peninsula to be disturbed.And all of this needs to be backed by strength!Otherwise, it is estimated that few people would listen to the special envoy of the people from the east coast, let alone use their outstanding influence to change the situation, which is simply impossible.

So, now you can see that the army began to quietly enter the north of Portugal, and the navy began to join two key nodes.If conditions permit in the future, the strength of these places may be further enhanced, and the influence will naturally be further enhanced.

On November 1684, 11, after waiting for two or three days, the naval escort ship finally arrived at the town harbor military base.The officers and soldiers of the Portuguese task force of the army began to board the ship one after another, and the navy also began to load a large amount of supplies, and set off as soon as everything was ready.The East Coast Republic of China, a ferocious beast that has been developing for more than 13 years, gradually began to show its sharp fangs.

(End of this chapter)