Chapter 9: Training and Retraining

Will this lead to impeachment? To be honest, it really doesn't matter. In this day and age, civil officials losing their positions and territories are certainly impeached one after another. But what good does it do to impeach a military general? If they are truly pushed to the limit, those military generals might just rebel and join the Taiping Army with their troops.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the fact that Lin Zhe's county militia must be capable. Regardless of the method employed to generate funds, Lin Zhe must possess a military force that allows him to speak with authority.

Since capturing Zhenjiang and the surrounding towns, although the Taiping Army has halted its large-scale advance eastward, small-scale infiltration attacks have continued unabated

"General, please take a look. Are these young men not more spirited than before?" Hant pointed to a row of soldiers standing in formation ahead and said, "With the rifles in their hands, they are capable of forming the most concentrated firepower network of this era"

How many towns were conquered by the Taiping Army during their campaign against the Qing forces? While there are reports of numerous civil officials committing suicide or being killed, there are few accounts of generals taking their own lives or being executed by the emperor

Han Te said to Lin Zhe with a beaming face: "Give me another month, and I guarantee that I will show you a well-trained modern army, General."

Moreover, the expenditure on weapons is substantial. Each purchased Minié rifle costs approximately 15 taels of silver. The total cost for 600 Minié rifles, along with accompanying ammunition, bayonets, and other accessories, amounts to as much as 10,000 taels of silver. Additionally, the purchase of handguns and sidearms will also incur nearly 1,000 taels of silver.

In order to provide soldiers with the necessary nutrition to support their high-intensity physical training and to transform them from simple farmers into robust soldiers as quickly as possible, Lin Zhe once again allocated additional food subsidies for the soldiers, amounting to nearly 500 taels of silver.

He Lin Zhe would certainly not foolishly rely on his own wealth for support. In the initial stages, he had no choice but to invest his own money, but once the army is established, he will not need to continuously pour in large sums of money.

If you dare not take it, when the Taiping Army comes, do not blame me, Lin Zhe, for raising my troops and selling you all to the Taiping Army. As for losing the city and territory, Lin Zhe truly does not care; he is not a civil official. It is the civil officials who say that losing a city will result in losing their heads, but for military generals, losing a city is just losing a city.

In summary, once there is an army, there are numerous ways to make money. Others engage in militia training to become wealthy. Among the senior generals of the Xiang Army, after fighting for several years, who is not immensely rich

Hant William, under the title of private military advisor to Lin Zhe and with Lin Zhe's authorization, directly moved into the camp headquarters and took charge of the training affairs of the entire camp

However, at this time, although the Qing army had a large number of troops in the entire southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang regions, their quality was very poor. They often suffered more defeats than victories against the elite forces of the Taiping army. This situation has left Huang Zonghan, the Governor of Zhejiang, in a state of great distress over the past two months, as he has nearly exhausted all available troops to intercept the eastward advance of the Taiping army

In this era, soldiers' salaries included allowances for food and clothing; however, the food purchased with the deducted meal allowance was insufficient to meet the needs of soldiers during their initial intensive training

In the following half month, under the direct supervision of Lin Zhe, the training schedule of the Yongying in Yuyao County was extremely tight, and Hante also exerted every effort to strive for Lin Zhe's satisfaction

In addition to training the troops, Lin Zhe did not forget to manage his family's business, as it is fundamentally important to him. If the Lin family's business does not perform well, he would not be able to allocate sufficient funds to support the military. Relying on local fundraising or government allocations is simply too unreliable.

Do not be misled by the simplicity of merely marching in formation, turning left and right, or advancing and retreating. However, formation is the most fundamental and core element of modern firearm troops. Only when the ranks are orderly can a complete formation be deployed during combat, allowing for the most concentrated volley of fire.

The domestic situation over the past two months has little to do with Lin Zhe; what is more closely related to Lin Zhe is the ongoing small-scale harassment attacks by the Taiping Army in the northern Zhejiang region

At the same time, the Taiping Army's northern expedition successfully captured the important city of Guide in Henan. The advance of this northern expedition can be described as unstoppable, shocking the Qing court, which hurriedly redeployed troops from the north to prepare to intercept this northern army

However, it cannot be delayed any longer; the pressure from Huang Zonghan's side is indeed overwhelming. The desire for reinforcements has reached a point where every soldier is needed, and the tone of the dispatches sent has become increasingly severe.

At this moment, Hant displayed a satisfied expression and said: "If no miracle occurs, the enemy forces will have already fallen into complete collapse by now, and the upcoming charge will be sufficient for us to achieve victory"

Now that Hunter William is here, Lin Zhesuo simply let him handle the detailed infantry tactics and regulations.

The Governor of Zhejiang naturally cannot neglect the military salaries for Lin Zhe's troops, but Huang Zonghan only allocated funds according to the standards of the Green Battalion, providing less than 1,000 taels per month. The remaining shortfall of nearly 3,000 taels must be filled by Lin Zhe himself.

It is not very realistic to request funds from higher authorities; we can only rely on self-funding

Zhejiang Governor Huang Zonghan, in order to prevent the Taiping Army from entering Zhejiang, scoured everywhere for all available military forces to station troops in the northern region of Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, thereby ensuring the safety of the northern Zhejiang region

Currently, Lin Zhe has already spent several tens of thousands of taels of silver on the Yuyao County Yongying. Just for the relocation expenses, at least nearly 5,000 taels have been disbursed, in addition to over 3,000 taels for the first month's salary. Furthermore, various miscellaneous expenses such as training facilities and barracks have also cost around 1,000 taels.

Thus, he personally established a regulation, which is "to ensure full meals"; as long as the soldiers can eat their fill, they are free to have three meals a day, all consisting of white rice and fine noodles. Additionally, due to the high cost of meat, it cannot be supplied daily, but efforts are made to provide it every three days.

Accompanied by the translation, Hant William not only began training Lin Zhe's soldiers, but also documented through oral accounts and written translations all the infantry tactics and regimental regulations he knew

However, the Yongying of Yuyao County also received multiple orders from Huang Zonghan, but Lin Zhe declined them on the grounds that "the soldiers have just been recruited and their skills are not yet proficient"

For example, leg bindings are simple and practical. They not only facilitate marching but can also serve as bandages when necessary. While the latter is not worth discussing, the former is extremely important for long-distance marches.

In the same month, still in Fujian, the Red Money Society led by Lin Jun initiated the Yongchun Uprising, subsequently capturing Dehua, Datian, Longxi, and other areas.

With adequate nutrition, soldiers can endure high-intensity physical training, and with a strong physique, they can undergo various high-intensity tactical training

However, Lin Zhe did not solely rely on Hunter William's ideas to shape his county militia; he also incorporated many elements that belonged to him or, one might say, to future generations.

Therefore, Lin Zhe is not considering too many things at the moment; what he needs to do now is to train the army well. To this end, he goes to the training grounds every day, and sometimes he even stays directly at the camp headquarters, frequently discussing training matters with Hunter William

The total expenses for personnel salaries, relocation fees, and weapon costs amount to approximately 20,000 taels of silver that Lin Zhe has already invested in this small county militia. Subsequently, at least an additional 3,000 taels of silver will need to be allocated each month.

With Hunter William adhering to the various regulations and tactics established by the British Army, along with the foresight of Lin Zhe and future generations, it was destined that the starting point of this brave battalion from Yuyao County would surpass that of other contemporary domestic armies from the very beginning

Fujian fell into complete chaos within just one month

If this method proves ineffective, then Lin Zhe will emulate Zeng Guofan and the warlords of the Republic of China, directly establishing tax checkpoints on the spot. Who would dare to refuse payment? Those who do not pay will be shot on the spot

How to raise funds independently

In response to this, Lin Zhexin has already formulated several contingency plans. The simplest one is to demand military funds from the local government and gentry upon arriving at each location. I, Lin Zhexin, bring my troops to ensure the safety and security of your region; will the local government and gentry not provide the necessary funds?

Then, the urgent sound of drums began to resonate, and the company commander riding ahead pointed his command sword straight ahead. In the next moment, the soldiers erupted in shouts and charged forward.

As Hante's words fell, a company commander in front shouted the command and waved his command knife. The entire company of soldiers swiftly transitioned from a marching column to a line formation, which consisted of two ranks. Immediately, the adjacent troops advanced step by step to the sound of drums. After taking several dozen steps, at the officer's command, the infantry halted in unison and began to load their weapons

While Lin Zhe was immersed in training at the Yongying Camp in Yuyao County, the domestic situation continued to change. On the 10th day of the 4th month in the 3rd year of the Xianfeng era, the Small Knife Society in Fujian initiated an uprising in Haideng, subsequently capturing places such as Zhangzhou, Tong'an, and Xiamen.

Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang were formidable figures primarily because they commanded a powerful army

The conflict between the Taiping Army and the Qing Army continued to erupt. On April 12, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom launched a naval assault with a thousand warships, capturing Hezhou in Anhui and initiating the western expedition

Previously, the infantry manual in the Brave Camp was compiled by Lin Zhe, an outsider, and could only be based on hearsay information available in this era, combined with his own perspectives from later times. Much of the content was ambiguous, and many aspects were overly advanced.

Upon seeing this, Lin Zhe displayed a look of confusion: "Isn't it necessary to use multiple-barreled artillery?"

After observing a full camp drill, Lin Zhe, feeling quite satisfied, generously told Hante that his probation period would be ended early, and at the same time, his salary would be increased from 100 taels of silver to 150 taels of silver

Teaching the mud-legged individuals of this era, who cannot even distinguish left from right, to form an orderly queue is no easy task. At least at the beginning, Lin Zhe found this to be quite a headache.

During the same period, Wu Jianzhang, the Shanghai official of the Qing army, hired foreign ships in an attempt to launch a counterattack on Zhenjiang, but returned without success

As a typical southern infantry unit, the Youyang County Brave Battalion cannot be assigned too many horses, which means that the marching speed will be very limited. In order to enhance the mobility of the troops, Lin Zhe believes that the use of leg bindings is essential

As the army was beginning to take shape, Lin Zhe thought that after another half month of intensive training, it would be time to lead them north.

Unfortunately, Lin Zhe could no longer grant Hant William an additional month for training, as his desk was already piled high with up to three letters from the Governor of Zhejiang, Huang Zonghan, urging him to lead his troops northward.

In this era, the Qing army and the Taiping army have seen a considerable number of mutual surrenders. When pressed to the limit, instances of rebellion to the opposing side occur from time to time. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the higher authorities generally do not excessively pressure the military commanders.

It is unclear whether he has gone mad with the desire for money or if he is genuinely quick and reliable in his work. In less than a week since his employment, he has trained all the soldiers in the camp to a commendable standard; at the very least, they have successfully learned to march and turn left and right.

Among all these expenses, how much is funded by the government? The initial amount was five thousand taels of silver allocated by Yuyao County. Subsequently, when Lin Zhe leads the troops to depart, the Shaoxing Prefecture will allocate approximately three thousand taels of funding. After that, the localities of Shaoxing and Yuyao will no longer be responsible for the expenses of this county militia.

Overall, the funding officially supported only accounts for a small portion of the expenses incurred by the county's militia. The majority still relies on Lin Zhe to find ways to cover the costs. However, Lin Zhe does not intend to rely solely on his own finances, as the Lin family, despite being wealthy, cannot continuously support an army. As for how to secure future military funds, it will be a combination of requesting financial support from higher authorities and local self-funding.

Moreover, Lin Zhe places great emphasis on the physical fitness of the soldiers, as he believes that regardless of the tactics employed by the army, the soldiers' physical condition must be adequate. He does not wish to see his soldiers resembling the Taiping soldiers or other Qing soldiers, who are merely skin and bones and unable to even carry their rifles.

In early May, the Taiping Army's western expedition had conquered most of Anhui Province, including Anqing, the provincial capital of Anhui.

On April 21, the Taiping Army, led by Lin Kaifang and Lin Fengxiang, captured Fengyang in Anhui Province

In fact, Hant is not a military expert; he is merely a former lieutenant of the British Army. What he knows is entirely based on his experience in the British Army, and thus, the concepts he developed are merely reproductions of existing British Army practices, ranging from regimental regulations to infantry tactics, all of which are replicas of the British colonial forces.

After waiting for several minutes, with the officer's command, the soldiers in the front row crouched down, and together with those standing in the back row, they all pulled the trigger simultaneously. Immediately, a series of orderly gunshots rang out, and a cloud of white mist rose in front of the formation