Chapter 2 Elite Troops

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  Remington Company, after a week of discussion, all thought that setting up a factory in China was a good decision. Not only is labor cheap and raw materials inexpensive, but more importantly, trade supplies to China, Russia, and Western Asia will greatly reduce transportation costs. In the end, Wood and several high officials decided to set up an overseas branch and a large factory in China as soon as possible, which would be responsible for Asian trade orders.

  Before long, a year had passed. Mid-January 1915 was an eventful autumn. Under domestic public opinion pressure, Yuan Shikai convened formal notes from Britain and Japan, requesting the cancellation of the First World War combat zone in Shandong, China, and ordering other countries' troops fighting in Shandong to withdraw immediately.

  Germany quickly responded to this matter, willing to withdraw in accordance with China's request. However, although the Germans said so on the surface, they never kept their promise and withdrew the troops stationed in Shandong. The Japanese were even more arrogant, completely ignoring Yuan Shikai's order, continuing to dispatch troops, and confronting German forces in Shandong.

  The British government, on the other hand, took an attitude of "I'm busy, I don't have time" and didn't take Shandong's affairs seriously at all. At the same time, however, they secretly supported Japan's aggression against Shandong even more.

  On January 18, Japan formally presented the "Twenty-One Demands" to Yuan Shikai. However, Yuan knew that this document was absolutely unacceptable and had been delaying it without giving a positive response. His hope for Britain, France, the United States, and other foreign powers to intervene also fell through, as these countries were focused on the European battlefield and had no time to deal with this matter.

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  By the end of January, the first batch of new recruits from Xu Shaozhen's 115th Division and 75th Brigade had completed their training, while the third batch of new recruits had just been incorporated into the recruit camp. The number of the third batch of new recruits was 2,700, which exceeded the full strength of a brigade, but he didn't care about the extra 1,000 people at all and didn't report to the Shanghai Garrison Command.

  Prior to this, the firearms used by the soldiers of the 75th Regiment were all made in Hanyang. However, Xu Shaozhen soon ordered 5,000 Enfield rifles and 4,000 M1916 automatic rifles from Remington Company. In addition, 8,000 M1917 American-style helmets and 10,000 sets of silk steel plate bulletproof vests were also purchased.

  The Enfield rifle is the current standard equipment of the US military, far surpassing the Hanyang-made rifle in terms of power, safety, magazine capacity, and performance. Its characteristics are its immense power, fast reloading speed, and excellent advantages in trench warfare.

  As for the M1916 automatic rifle, it was designed by the Russians and produced by Remington. The M1916 is recognized as the ancestor of all automatic rifles, with a magazine capacity of up to 20 rounds, although its power is not as good as the Enfield rifle, but also stronger than the Han Yang rifle. The Russians equipped no more than 3,000 M1916s because all military households determined that the M1916 was a rifle and since it was a rifle, the range had to be at least 1,200 meters. Unfortunately, after the M1916 had advantages such as high performance, automatic firing, long life, and light recoil, its range could only reach 800-900 meters.

  The real silk steel plate bulletproof vest was a combat uniform that had just emerged during World War I, but the silk would easily deteriorate in the trenches, affecting its bulletproof ability, and it did not receive favor on the battlefield. Xu Shaowen still wanted to buy these bulletproof vests because he felt that his economic power was strong enough and it was necessary to guarantee the safety of his subordinates' lives as much as possible.

  Even if the silk steel plate bulletproof vest has poor bulletproof effect, it is still better than no bulletproof effect at all. Moreover, wearing it on their bodies can boost soldiers' combat confidence.

  Xu Shao-wen equipped his entire brigade with Enfield rifles and M1916 rifles, making it an elite force that had already reached international standards at the time. With the addition of 500 armored vehicles and motorcycles, his brigade was a perfectly organized division.

  In early February, the domestic opposition to the "Twenty-One Demands" grew more intense. Xushaowen also knew that in May, Yuan Shikai would succumb to Japan's military threats and sign this agreement. He was unwilling to see this happen and was secretly plotting a plan to change this humiliating history.

  On the eighth day of February, Xu Shao-wen came to the Military Command Office from his own official residence. Li Zhen-ning had been diligently staying in the new barracks for these days, directing the training of new soldiers and arranging cultural supplementary lessons for the soldiers. Therefore, during this period, there was only one person in charge at the Military Command Office, Xu Shao-wen.

  After nearly half a year, the number of civil servants in the Supervisory Office has increased significantly. The Secretariat also reported that a new Health Department has been added to provide health guarantees for all 75 brigade soldiers under the Supervisory Office. In this warlord era, there are only a handful of troops with good health conditions nationwide, and most medical treatments are specifically provided to officers. It can be said that it is a luxury for soldiers to enjoy such services.

  The Military Officer Department has recently accepted many new military officers who graduated from various Martial Halls. After being assigned to the Logistics Department, New Soldier Camp and other units, at least seven officers are still waiting for their appointments. Xu Shaowen temporarily assigned these waiting officers to serve as deputy officers in the Supervising Army Staff Office, now the only imperfect department in the entire Supervising Army Headquarters is the Supervising Army Staff Office.

  The Military Advisory Office now only has Hao Shaoguang and three lieutenant colonel-level officers, and even the deputy chief of staff and senior staff officer positions are still vacant. After all, this is a place where high-level military talents can play a role, and high-level military talents are in short supply everywhere.

  "Vice Officer Chen, take a look at today's schedule." Xu Shao Wen said to his deputy officer Chen Ling Xian after entering the military commander's office. During this period of time, regarding the new recruit training camp, Chen Ling Xian had actually come up with many strategies, after all, he was a seasoned military officer arranged by his uncle, and he did have abilities.

  "Sir, at 11 o'clock this morning, Admiral Li Dingxin, Commander of the Shanghai First Fleet, will come to see you." Chen Lingshen said after looking at his schedule.

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