Chapter 64

A battalion's arsenal was not something Yang Yuanzhao was overly concerned about. Feng Yuxiang, as the deputy battalion commander, had been in this position for several years. Previously, when he was in Zhengzhou, there were no rumors of him going to Northeast China, a harsh and cold region, but it was a good place for training troops. Clearly, Feng Yuxiang was preparing to take on a formal military command. In such a sparsely populated area, there was potential for independent development.

The current Yang Yuanzhao was no longer the one who knew nothing about anything. Yuan Shikai had begun his strategic deployment in Northeast China, sending his trusted subordinate Xu Shichang there last year. Feng Yuxiang's move there would certainly strengthen the Beiyang Army's forces, and he would definitely be promoted, perhaps to battalion commander. Northeast China was far from the emperor's reach, not too far from Baotou, and just a crossing of the Inner Mongolian grasslands away. It seemed like a good choice, and perhaps they could coordinate with each other. With this thought, he blurted out, "It's just a battalion's equipment, I'll give it to you."

A Beiyang Army battalion was roughly 500 men, with a full set of equipment for each person, costing at least 150-200 yuan per person, totaling around 100,000 yuan. Feng Yuxiang was well aware of this, and so was Yang Yuanzhao. After the opening of the German-American company, he had sold at least three or four such full battalion sets. With plenty of money, his generosity increased, and he was more than willing to invest in a future celebrity.

"Can't do it?" Feng Yuxiang was anxious and said.

"It's nothing, just a battalion's equipment, it's not a big deal!" Yang Yuanzhao said nonchalantly. In a sense, the current Yang Yuanzhao was much stronger than before. Habig was indeed a good businessman, selling nearly 20,000 rifles in less than a week, generating over 1.5 million yuan. This sum was enough for many purposes, and he had a large amount of gold and silver, sufficient for initial capital. Taking out a batch of 500 sets was no big deal, just a bit of overtime for the production line.

Zhang Jingjiang had been observing Yang Yuanzhao since he entered. Honestly, he was very curious. There was nothing special about Yang Yuanzhao, clearly not a member or supporter of the Tongmenghui. He had only exchanged a few pleasantries with him, yet he had shown great favor to Feng Yuxiang, a minor figure in the Tongmenghui, supporting him with 100,000 yuan. While the Tongmenghui had received over 100,000 yuan several times, those were all famous figures. A little-known minor figure receiving such generosity was unusual.

"Alright, don't argue with me. Brother Yun, please call Habig in, I'll settle this immediately!" Yang Yuanzhao said decisively.

"Okay!" Shi Congyun immediately went out, while Feng Yuxiang felt a bit uncomfortable. Honestly, meeting this young brother, he had received benefits from him, from revolvers to rifles, and now a full battalion's equipment. He felt a bit guilty, but such an opportunity seemed worth seizing, perhaps it would be his foundation in Northeast China.

Habig soon entered and walked up to Yang Yuanzhao. Yang Yuanzhao didn't put on airs and said, "This is the head of the German-American company. I'm not very familiar with military matters, so let him list the items. Mr. Habig, please list the equipment for a full battalion."

The equipment for a full battalion was something Habig had done many times. Seeing Yang Yuanzhao's intention, he thought for a moment and said, "For a battalion of 809 men, we need 800..."

"Wait, Mr. Habig, what kind of battalion are you talking about?" Feng Yuxiang asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course, a regular infantry battalion!"

Feng Yuxiang smiled bitterly. A battalion of 809 men was the编制 of the Third Division, and even in the model Third Division, not every regiment had such a battalion. His old unit, the Wuwei Army, typically had a battalion of 500 combat troops, and even that was hard to fill. Most battalions had only three to five hundred men, and some even included civilian laborers!

Yang Yuanzhao, not very familiar with military organization, thought a battalion was just 800 men and smiled, "What, do you want to pad the payroll, Brother Huanzhang?"

"How could I!"

"Then that's settled. Don't worry, Brother Huanzhang. I'll take care of the weapons, and you can let Habig handle the arrangements." Yang Yuanzhao said calmly, nodding for Habig to continue.

Feng Yuxiang had no choice, while Zhang Jingjiang observed silently. Habig looked at Yang Yuanzhao and began listing the items. Indeed, Habig's arrangement included rifles even for the civilian laborers, with the total number of rifles in the battalion reaching 1,200. This included a elite infantry battalion of 809 men and about 500 civilian laborers, all equipped with rifles. The infantry battalion had the new Mauser 1898, while the civilian laborers had the Commission 1888. They were fully armed.

In addition to the rifles, there were 12 Maxim machine guns. This number was impressive, even to Zhang Jingjiang, a high-ranking member of the Tongmenghui who understood the importance of the Maxim. Even in the Beiyang Army, each division had only 24 Maxim machine guns, and the Third Division had a few more, but not by much. This battalion, in terms of firepower, was almost on par with a Beiyang Army brigade.

Finally, the weapons included 120 revolvers and 180 Mauser 1904s for the battalion headquarters, the latest Mauser model, of which there were only a few in all of Shanghai. With these, the total number of guns exceeded 1,500!

Feng Yuxiang was stunned. As a military commander, he knew what such firepower meant for a battalion. It was only missing artillery. If they had artillery, it wouldn't be a battalion anymore; with a slight expansion, it would be a regiment.

"Habig, why no artillery? How about 10 75mm mountain guns?" Yang Yuanzhao said nonchalantly. The mountain and field guns he had produced had not sold much yet. The New Army in Nanjing had bought a few, but most were just interested, not willing to pay.

Habig opened his mouth to speak, but Feng Yuxiang couldn't sit still and said, "Brother Yuanzhao, spare me, I can't take the artillery!"

Yang Yuanzhao was puzzled, looking at Feng Yuxiang, not knowing what to say. Shi Congyun, the boldest and most opportunistic, stood up and said, "A battalion with 1,500 guns can be concealed, but artillery is different. A division has only a few dozen guns, and 10 would be impossible to hide. Besides, where would we get the gunners?"

Shi Congyun's explanation made Yang Yuanzhao realize that in the Beiyang Army, artillerymen were treated almost like officers, the elite of the force. Moving a battalion commander would be less noticeable than moving an artilleryman, and the regimental and brigade commanders would know immediately.

"Is that so!" Yang Yuanzhao thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll give you 10 Maxim machine guns. That should be easier to hide."

"This!" Feng Yuxiang hesitated.

"Alright, Feng, take them. 10 Maxims, but the ammunition consumption is high," Shi Congyun quickly added.

"That's no problem. Habig, prepare 30 basic loads of ammunition."

Shi Congyun was speechless, and Habig was stunned, unable to speak. Thirty basic loads were a lot. Generally, a basic load for a rifle was 40 rounds, so 1,200 rounds per rifle. For a Maxim, a basic load was 1,000 rounds, so 30,000 rounds per gun, 22 guns, totaling 660,000 machine gun rounds. This was a huge number, enough for one or two brigades to fight a war.

"Yuanzhao, that's too much!" Feng Yuxiang said, somewhat embarrassed. He knew that purchasing equipment was a one-time cost, but continuous training and maintaining combat readiness required ongoing ammunition consumption, especially for machine guns. This was why armies in East Asia, including Japan, had few automatic weapons.

"Not too much. If it weren't the first time, I'd prepare 100 basic loads. But Brother Huanzhang, rest assured, I'll take care of your battalion's ammunition. A few million rounds, I'll provide them. But I have one request, and I hope you'll agree."