Wild North America 1846

Chapter 394 Arrangement

"The majesty of the Tang Empire cannot be provoked, and the military must make a resolute and powerful response. Immediately prepare an expeditionary strike fleet to carry out punitive strikes against the Japanese pirates." Richard made a decisive decision, and then said; "By the way... don't forget

Let's get the British to join us and see if the French are interested. There are so many people here!"

His Majesty the Emperor's words made all the ministers under the throne smile knowingly.

Marshal Pan Hengchen, Chief of Naval Staff, stood up from the queue, clasped his hands and saluted and said;

"Your Majesty, the Admiralty will unconditionally obey your orders.

An expeditionary strike fleet will be prepared immediately, which is expected to be led by the two new ships "Tornado" and "Badwind", and will be accompanied by a number of "Akiyue" class iron-clad destroyers with better ocean navigation performance to form an expeditionary strike formation.

After making the appropriate preparations, you can set off in two weeks.

It's just that the navy has undertaken the desert expedition mission after the beginning of spring. If we send more marine troops to the Japanese islands, I am afraid that the strength will be tight for a while and it will be difficult to cope with the simultaneous use of troops by two parties.

With the current strength of the Royal Navy

We can only send one Marine Corps to the Japanese Islands, with a total strength of no more than 2,200. Any more troops may not be able to handle it."

The Royal Navy is different from the Army. Although the Marine Corps under its command has now expanded to more than 26,000 troops, one of the Royal Navy Expeditionary Marine Divisions (formerly the 104th Red Rock Valley Division) has a strength of 15,000 people. If you exclude the Panama Coast Guard Regiment, Los Angeles and San Francisco

, Hawaii, New York, Hampton, New Orleans and other important ports and naval bases garrison strength, in fact, can be used for mobile combat no more than 2,500 people.

To be able to scrape together 2,200 people, I really tried my best.

After hearing this, Emperor Richard felt that it made sense, so he turned to look at the Chief of Army Staff, Marshal Dai Changfu, and Duke Harry Fletcher. He saw these two old guys looking at their noses and their noses, lowering their heads and saying nothing as if nothing happened.

, obviously pretending to be stupid.

Today, the Royal Army General Staff Headquarters is very strong, with a total of five Dukes in charge. In addition to the two big bosses mentioned above,

General Chen Chuan, the deputy chief of staff of the Army and commander-in-chief of the Northern Military Region, has been based in Chicago for a long time and is responsible for the garrison tasks in the vast areas of 13 northern provinces. He is not allowed to leave without orders.

General Tian Mantun, the deputy chief of staff of the Army and commander-in-chief of the Southern Military Region, has been based in Mexico City for a long time and is responsible for the garrison tasks in the vast areas of 16 southern provinces. He is not allowed to leave without orders.

General Fan Pengju, deputy chief of staff of the Army and commander of the U.S. Command, has been based in New York for a long time and is responsible for fulfilling the obligations of the victorious nation. Before the United States of America fulfills its war compensation responsibilities, it will be militarily occupied by the United Kingdom.

outside of this

General Harry Fletcher, deputy chief of staff of the Army, also serves as commander-in-chief of the Central Military Region, which includes Northern Province, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and Tijuana.

There are nine provinces in total, with the headquarters in Chang'an City.

Therefore, the Central Military Region Headquarters and the Army Staff Headquarters are not far apart. They are both on Danfengmen Street, and they also participated in the court meetings held by the palace.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Overseas Military Region is Lieutenant General Lei Juashen, who is based in Panama City and covers the provinces of Panama, Costa Rica, Paradise Island, the direct territory of the royal family, and Alaska Province.

After the end of the North American War in early 1861, the Army carried out a large-scale drawdown and decommissioning. The total strength was cut in half from the peak of 830,000. Today, there are only more than 440,000 left, of which the number of troops under the command of the Commander in the United States is

Occupy half.

According to the plan

This year, 80,000 to 82,000 people will retire, and the total force will drop to more than 360,000 people (excluding 100,000 Royal Guards). There will be further reductions next year.

The Royal Government has drastically reduced its military strength and budget, but instead increased the allocation to the Royal Navy. This has made the senior generals in charge of the Army Staff Headquarters extremely unhappy. They have been holding a resentment in their chests for a long time, but they have been suppressed by His Majesty.

That’s all.

The armaments budget is very tight. If the Royal Navy builds one less main ironclad ship, the Army can retain one more Class A field division.

Seeing that they did not continue, Emperor Richard could only name them and said, "My dear Fritsch, which of the divisions that the War Department plans to reduce in the near future is suitable for allocation to the Royal Navy?"

After being called by His Majesty, Duke Harry Fletcher could no longer pretend to be stupid. He glanced at Marshal Dai Changfu next to him. Seeing that he was motionless and showed no expression, he stood up bravely, clasped his fists and saluted and said;

“Reply to His Majesty’s inquiry;

Wei Chen believes that the 206th Division under the Central Military Region is acceptable. This division has experienced 10 major and minor battles in the North American War, including the Kansas Siege and the Battle of Baltimore. It has made many meritorious deeds and is a Class A field division that is accustomed to fighting.

The regiment has always been famous for its tenacious style and its courage to fight hard battles.

The 206th Division was a Class B frame division originally belonging to the Central Military Region. It was supplemented during the North American War and the entire division performed outstandingly.

If the Royal Navy's organizational structure is allocated as a whole, this division is more suitable."

General Harry Fletcher also had selfish motives for recommending the troops affiliated to the Central Military Region. Seeing that cutting down armaments is the general trend, each of these field divisions is a hard-working heart and soul. They fight for the empire through rain and wind. Who should give up?

Neither can bear to part with it.

Rather than losing it, it is better to leave a lasting legacy to the Royal Navy.

Emperor Richard is naturally indispensable. He stands at the highest peak of the entire empire. Naturally, he cannot look at the problem from the same perspective as the commanders of the Army General Staff Headquarters. Even if he is transferred to the Royal Navy, it is still the military power of the Tang Empire.

The palms and backs of the hands are all flesh, no different.

"Yes, then the Ministry of War will complete the overall handover procedures with the Ministry of Navy as soon as possible. Pan Aiqing, how will the Navy plan to use this unit after it is obtained?" Emperor Richard made a decision directly, then turned around and asked again.

Marshal Pan Hengchen could not conceal his joy at this moment, and replied with a smile;

"I am reporting to Your Majesty;

After the division is transferred to the Royal Navy, it will be officially established as the Second Royal Marine Division. The headquarters and the first regiment of the Second Division will be stationed in Oak Bay Port to strengthen the defense force in the area.

The 2nd Regiment of the 2nd Division is stationed in Seattle. As an important northern military port for the Royal Navy, the defense here has always been weak. After the recent construction of the coastal defense fort, it is necessary to strengthen armaments. It is suitable for the 2nd Regiment to be placed here.

The Third Regiment of the Second Division is stationed in Tijuana. As an important barrier to the Port of Los Angeles, there was no Royal Navy garrison stationed here. Now it can fill this gap.

As joint mobile combat forces, the Fourth and Fifth Regiments of the Second Division and the Artillery Regiment can join the expeditionary strike formation. In this way, the number of troops we can use reaches 8,000, which is enough to carry out severe punishment on the Fuso Islands and promote the military power of our empire.

Weichen plan;

After this battle of the expeditionary strike formation, the 4th and 5th regiments of the 2nd Division and the artillery regiment can be stationed on Amami Oshima and Naha Port for a long time, using force to deter the Japanese slaves on the Fuso Islands and not rashly infringe on the territorial integrity of the Ryukyu Kingdom."

Richard thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Yes, this is a very appropriate move."

Generally speaking

Cross-oceanic expeditions are costly military operations, so it is not appropriate to use force to punish the Fuso Islands. It is more appropriate to control the total number of troops to less than 10,000 people, which not only demonstrates the national prestige but also controls costs.

The same is true for the southward expedition to the Kingdom of Patagonia. The Tang Empire sent a total of about 30,000 troops, which could keep the cost of the war at a low level and not burden the kingdom's finances.

The mobilization of the volunteer militia to participate in the southward conquest was also based on the consideration of controlling total military expenditures. Because the conquest war plus the subsequent establishment of settlements and towns, settlements, colonization, defense and other activities will be a long-term

Invest and mobilize the private sector to participate to save time, effort, and costs.

It is certainly a good deal to give out some land rights, because these new colonists always have to pay taxes and consume, which is equivalent to opening up another overseas financial source for the Tang Empire, and they will not suffer any loss no matter what.

At this imperial meeting

The discussion focuses on several major issues of the desert expedition, one is the issue of setting up ports and towns, the other is the issue of civilian army arrangements, the other is the issue of responding to the concerns of the Argentine and Chilean governments, and the third is the issue of dispatching civil affairs officials.

Regarding the issue of port and town setup, this is related to the success or failure of this desert expedition.

It is planned to gradually set up more than 10 coastal port towns over three years, which will serve as springboards and attack bases for the military and armed forces to go deep into the interior. They will also serve as logistical staging areas, which will have a significant impact on the results of the desert expedition.

Such big things can only be done with the power of the empire. The Colonial Office has rich experience in this field. The colonization of Paradise Island is a typical case of building a city and a prosperous society from scratch, which is worth learning from.

The relevant town site selection work has come to an end. The advance team sent earlier has inspected the coast of South America and selected sites suitable for building ports and towns. It only needs to transport a large amount of construction materials and start a vigorous construction boom.

.

It goes without saying that labor is sourced from local sources.

The establishment of the Tang Empire was a history of bloody oppression of indigenous ethnic groups. They had extremely rich experience in this area, and almost every qualified colonial official knew what to do.

Nothing but familiar hands and ears.

However, the empire was very cautious in controlling public opinion. It did not allow the publication of relevant articles and books, nor was it allowed to record content related to colonial suppression. It also prohibited the leakage of the situation in hard labor camps, mines and other places, and did not allow any related materials.

To be honest, many mines where indigenous convicts are concentrated do not even have rosters.

No one can tell clearly how many people come in and how many people die every year due to the hard life of hard labor. It is a completely unclear account.

these past few years

Due to the sharp reduction of the hard labor force in the mines, the output of major mines has been seriously affected, and they have to go to great lengths to introduce rail mining cars and mechanical equipment to enhance labor efficiency and save labor.

It has been 17 years since the founding of the empire, and there are only a handful of indigenous slave laborers who are still active in the railway construction lines and mines. The total number is less than 75,000 to 80,000, and many of them are still criminal prisoners.

, half of them are indigenous Indians.

In a few years, I'm afraid it will become extinct.

"Haha... Argentina still has time to express its anxiety. Has the Paraguay problem they are facing been solved?" Richard asked with a faint smile on his lips.

1860s

Argentina has a total population of about 1.5 million, Brazil has a population of over 10 million, and Paraguay has a population of only over 400,000. Compared with the former two, they are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of territory and population.

With a total area of ​​8.51 million square kilometers, Brazil is the largest country in South America. However, due to the corruption of the upper-class aristocracy, deep internal conflicts, weak national cohesion, and weak military strength.

Argentina, which is dominated by the descendants of Spanish white immigrants, is slightly better, but the internal conflicts between Buenos Aires and other provinces are sharp. One side hopes to establish a central power state, and the other side hopes to establish a federated province in which each province has great autonomy.

The battle between the two sides has been fierce in order to avoid losing dominance to the province of Buenos Aires.

Paraguay is the richest and most powerful country in South America. It not only has developed agriculture, but also introduced technology from Europe and the Tang Dynasty to build many factories and arm its army. Its citizens are generally wealthy and have strong cohesion, and its military strength cannot be underestimated.

What's important

Paraguay has very tense relations with Brazil and Argentina. As a landlocked country, Paraguay has always hoped to have access to the sea in order to become independent. This desire has been suppressed by Brazil and Argentina, and the three parties have continued disputes.

Speaking of Argentina's troubles, all the ministers present laughed.

Everyone knows

Argentina does not have a good relationship with its neighbors. It just fought a war with Venezuela a few years ago. Fortunately, it won the war and cut a large piece of land from Venezuela.

Nowadays, we have hostile relations with Paraguay in the north and the Mapuche people in the south. We also have tense relations with our neighbor Chile to the west. The surrounding situation is a mess.

In particular, the Mapuche people are not weak. If Argentina had not possessed more advanced weapons and its overall combat effectiveness was much higher, they would have been worried about the invasion of the Kingdom of Patagonia.

in the original history

After the Argentines solved the troubles of their surrounding neighbors, it was not until they launched the second desert expedition 15 years later that they completely eliminated the enemy of the Kingdom of Patagonia and expanded their southern territory to Tierra del Fuego.

Nowadays, there is definitely no such opportunity.

The Tang Empire will not care about the voice of a weak person, oh... By the way, even if two weak people, Argentina and Chile, join forces to speak out, it will be useless.

The rise of the Tang Empire was based on the suppression and destruction of more than a dozen countries. On the empire's journey towards greatness, all stumbling blocks will be kicked away.

If Argentina or Chile can clearly realize this, then there is still hope.

Otherwise, only after suffering severe beatings over and over again can we understand the ironclad truth that the Tang Empire is majestic and cannot be challenged.

For example, the United States of America is very well-behaved now, which shows that this method is very effective and worthy of further promotion.

(End of chapter)