Chapter 7: Recruiting Soldiers and Purchasing Weapons

Regarding weaponry, Lin Zhe, having modeled after purely Western-style troops, commonly referred to as the "foreign gun squad," naturally considered firearms to be the most important weapon.

He immediately asked Andre in detail about it

Training a group of farmers who cannot even distinguish left from right to line up and follow commands to advance or squat, and to shoot, posed a difficulty that made Lin Zhe want to curse.

Although Lin Zhe in later generations does not have a deep understanding of modern military technology, after arriving in this era, especially during the recent plan to expand the scale of the guard, he specifically instructed the Lin family business to gather a considerable amount of information on foreign firearms from various foreign trading companies due to the need to purchase guns.

Every individual who enlists in the military must be guaranteed by the local village chief or similar authorities, and must also have family members residing there

The speed of recruitment was much faster than Lin Zhe had anticipated. Upon hearing that the monthly salary was four taels of silver and the settlement allowance was ten taels, many who could not make ends meet at home, as well as younger sons who had not inherited family land, came to enlist.

Huang Peizhi enthusiastically expressed that he could use his connections to help Lin Zhe quickly handle the donation matters. Although Lin Zhe could manage the donation affairs himself, he naturally felt no need to do so personally since Huang Peizhi volunteered to assist.

Lin Zhe concluded that a soldier who has never been beaten is not a good soldier

When Lin Zhe heard these few keywords, he was already moved. Regardless of any detailed specifications, as long as the range is greater than that of the old smoothbore gun, then everything else is unimportant

As for the officers, Lin Zhe carefully selected a few individuals from the guards he trained last month to serve as deputy company commanders. As for the higher-ranking company commander, Lin Zhe decided to leave that position vacant for the time being, reserving it for truly capable talents to be appointed later. The commander of the personal guard will be Wang Jiaotou, Wang Luyun.

If this group training is conducted well, it is quite possible that he could become a figure akin to Li Hongzhang or Zeng Guofan

In this initial training and book exercises, there is not much to say about physical training; as long as one is well-fed and adequately nourished, it is possible to develop individuals. The key lies in discipline and the most fundamental aspect of formation.

After all, it is all about using money to buy official positions, and the Lin family is not short of money. Instead of purchasing a low-level deputy county magistrate or similar positions and then facing difficulties from other officials, it would be better to go straight to the top and directly donate for the highest-ranking official position that can be bought with money: a deputy circuit intendant, fourth rank!

Immediately, a steward from the Lin residence and two guards skilled in the use of firearms were dispatched to accompany Anders to Ningpo. As long as the batch of Mini rifles is indeed as good as Anders claimed, he would consider purchasing them, even if the price is somewhat high

In order to recruit a large number of high-quality soldiers, Lin Zhe established a high salary. The initial monthly salary for soldiers was set at 4 taels of silver. Although this amount was slightly less than that of the Xiang Army, it was at least double that of the Green Camp and other local military units. Additionally, a settlement allowance of 10 taels of silver was provided.

In order to gather the required six hundred personnel, Lin Zhe directly withdrew fifty guards originally intended for recruitment and then recruited over five hundred new soldiers.

However, in order to prevent the recruitment of vagrants and mercenaries, and especially to avoid the situation where these new soldiers take their settlement allowances and first month's salary only to desert, Lin Zhe set high standards for the sources of new recruits. He first selected from the children of the well-to-do families in his own estate, and then from other rural areas in Yuyao.

However, when it was heard that Lin Zhe intended to purchase a large number of firearms, the rather inept French instructor Anders came knocking at the door, and then proceeded to speak at length in French, leaving the translator beside him overwhelmed.

When the achievement granted Huang Peizhi a silver note worth ten thousand taels, over nine thousand four hundred taels of that amount was the official price set by the court for purchasing an official position

Being beaten always enables them to quickly learn their lessons; after a few instances, these soldiers naturally distinguish between left and right, as well as front and back.

Compared to the easy accessibility of firearms, artillery is much more difficult to obtain. Due to the small scale of Lin Zhe's brave battalion, it is not feasible to specifically purchase and allocate a large number of advanced artillery pieces. Therefore, they decided to dismantle three of the small muzzle-loading bronze cannons from the city walls of Yuyao County for temporary use. For this, Lin Zhe also paid Huang Peizhi a considerable sum for the purchase of 'scrap copper'.

Lin Zhe did not know how those foreign firms managed to obtain and sell the British Army's most advanced standard rifles, but since there was merchandise available for purchase, he naturally would not refuse it

In the present era of the Far East, not to mention the absence of Prussian rear-loading rifles, even the Minié rifles have not been reported to be available for sale by anyone.

Including the personnel from various agencies at the headquarters, the total number should be around 600 people

With guarantees in place and family members present, the disbursement of soldiers' salaries is also relatively convenient. According to the salary system established by Lin Zhe, the soldiers' salaries will be divided into three parts: one part is deducted for food and clothing expenses, another part is directly paid to the soldiers, and the last part is directly disbursed by the military to the soldiers' families. The portion for food expenses is only deducted during peacetime; during combat, no deductions will be made, and the military will be responsible for food and clothing expenses.

Because even the worst muzzle-loading smoothbore rifle purchased is far superior to the numerous inferior shotguns available domestically now

The recruits selected in this manner may not have exceptional physical fitness, but since they are all from farming families, while they may not be entirely naive, they are certainly easier to manage and more obedient to orders compared to the petty citizens and vagrants found in urban areas

After listening to the translation, Lin Zhe pondered slightly, "Mini rifle?"

And now, this era is the final glorious age of the era of execution by firing squad, marked by the heartbreaking Battle of Baliqiao for countless Chinese. The cavalry of the Qing army was defeated under the firing squad of the British.

Lin Zhe did not send any letters; he merely asked them to try helping with training for a few days and with the materials. It was discovered that although these two individuals had limited abilities, they still possessed the most basic tactical qualities. Therefore, they were initially given the title of instructors to assist in training the fundamental military skills, such as loading and aiming.

In order to address this issue, Lin Zhe specifically established extremely strict military regulations. If there is a deviation in direction, a whip will be struck immediately. If you are instructed to take three steps but only take two, a whip will be struck immediately. If you are told to load ammunition but fire instead, there is no need for further discussion; continue firing

Before the Mini rifle was in place, Lin Zhe conducted preliminary physical and disciplinary training for the recruited soldiers. After all, the soldiers had already been recruited, and it was not feasible to delay training until the firearms were available.

It must be said, General, that continuing to purchase such old-fashioned muzzle-loading rifles is a grave mistake. As a responsible instructor, I feel it is my duty to inform you that the world has changed. Those old smoothbore guns are now outdated, and only the Minié rifle represents the most advanced firearm of this era

Last month, Lin Zhe sent someone to purchase dozens of smoothbore rifles from a familiar foreign trading company. This time, he similarly prepared to send someone to find the trading company to acquire foreign guns

Contemporary Western-style armies are widely equipped with muzzle-loading smoothbore rifles, which generally weigh between 4.5 and 5.2 kilograms, with calibers ranging from 17.5 millimeters to 20 millimeters

It has been proven that Andre was not speaking recklessly, nor was it due to his sense of responsibility, but rather because there was a batch of British Minié rifles at the trading company he worked for, and he aimed to sell them in order to gain a promotion

Only two employees from foreign firms that have business dealings with the Lin family were found. According to their own statements, they are former soldiers of the French army who have participated in numerous battles.

According to the standard infantry regiment structure of the British Army, each infantry regiment is composed of six infantry companies, with each company consisting of eighty privates in addition to the officers. Furthermore, Lin Zhe also plans to establish a guard unit, which is expected to be entirely composed of cavalry, equipped with warhorses and cold weapons, tasked with duties of protection and even close combat.

There is also a rather unique example, which is the Dreyse needle gun equipped by the Prussian army. This is a "rear-loading rifled needle gun," which had been regarded as a military secret by Prussia for a long time, only being disclosed a few years ago. However, after its disclosure, there was considerable debate among military experts worldwide regarding rear-loading firearms. Prussia attempted to market this rifle to other countries, but despite its significant reputation in later years, the sales of this rear-loading gun were not good.

A comparison reveals that the effective range of other breech-loading rifles is approximately over 100 yards, while the Minié rifle significantly increases the effective range to more than four times that.

The most critical point is that he stated this rifle has a maximum range of 900 yards, with an effective range of 500 yards. The maximum range holds no practical significance and can be disregarded. But what does that limited effective range of 500 yards actually mean

Therefore, a very detailed explanation of the performance of this rifle was provided. Unfortunately, the French translation from the Lin family is adequate for everyday conversation, but it falls short when it comes to specialized vocabulary related to weapons. After a long time, Lin Zhe only heard a few key terms from the translator's mouth

This requires money, and it will take some time for Huang Peizhi to secure an official position for Lin Zhe. Although Lin Zhe cannot officially assume the role of Supervisor of the newly established Yongying Battalion in Yuyao County before his appointment is finalized, preparations for the official work can now begin.

As for the threat that if you dare to take Lin Zhe's money and then become a deserter, Lin Zhe will immediately have your parents arrested without a second thought

In fact, Lin Zhe does not have any specific preferences or aversions towards these Western countries' smoothbore guns, Minié rifles, or breech-loading guns. His thinking is very simple: buy whatever is available now!

The translator, who originally worked at the Lin family's Ningbo warehouse, was taking notes while speaking. He not only had to translate the words of *Tu* Shu Anders, but also those of Lin Zhe.

In a military, having personnel alone is insufficient; there must also be weapons

However, now hearing Anders say that the Mini rifle can be found, regardless of how awkward its historical status may be, and without debating the unrealistic question of whether the Mini rifle is better than the Dreyse rifle, as long as there is stock available in the trading company, he will buy it

As for the officers at the level of company commander and deputy company commander, to be honest, Lin Zhe is currently unable to find any. Originally, he intended to send someone to the concessions in Ningbo, Shanghai, and other places to recruit foreigners to serve as instructors or even directly as officers, but due to the limited time, it has proven quite difficult to find them.

The organization of the brave camp is the simplest among various formations, directly referencing the British army in the Shanghai concession. This is not an attempt to flatter foreign powers; rather, it reflects the reality that during this period, everyone was engaged in the practice of standing in line to be executed. In fact, until the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, both the Yankees and the slave owners were still employing this method of execution. It was only after the conclusion of the American Civil War, with countries around the world massively phasing out muzzle-loading firearms and gradually equipping themselves with breech-loading rifles, that the practice of standing in line to be executed exited the stage of global warfare.

Of course, Huang Peizhi would not run in vain. The remaining five hundred taels from the ten thousand taels of silver, along with an additional one-thousand-tael silver note given by Lin Zhe, would serve as Huang Peizhi's remuneration. As for how to leverage personal connections, that is not Lin Zhe's concern. After all, the more than one thousand taels of silver that Huang Peizhi received were not given for free.

In less than half a month, Lin Zhe had already recruited nearly four hundred new soldiers. At this point, he integrated the original fifty guards, who had undergone over a month of training, as the backbone, selecting a portion of them to serve as squad leaders.

The rapid recruitment of soldiers is, on one hand, related to the substantial financial support provided by Lin Zhe, and on the other hand, it is also connected to the fact that the Lin family is one of the most prominent wealthy families in Yuyao. The Lin family is indeed a significant local power in Yuyao, and many people believe that following Lin Zhe in establishing a brave battalion to protect the territory and ensure the safety of the people holds great promise.