Chapter 13

Wearing an old German Imperial Army uniform, with the First-Class Iron Cross, Second-Class Iron Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Marne and Verdun Campaign Commemorative Medals hanging on his chest, former Colonel Weix stood at attention before Gao Yang and saluted.

After Gao Yang returned the salute, his gaze swept over the medals on Weix's chest and finally stopped at his collar. There, hanging from it, was a Grand Cross Medal. Gao Yang was truly surprised; this medal was only awarded to senior army officers. Would such an officer come to work as a mercenary?

After they both sat down, Gao Yang, speaking in fluent Berlin-accented German, said to Weix, "Colonel, I am very curious. Why would a senior officer like you come to me to work as a mercenary?"

Weix took off his hat and placed it aside, then said in a deep voice, "Mr. Gao, I joined the army at the age of eighteen and served for over thirty years until my retirement. I know nothing but war." His eyes filled with sorrow as he continued, "Both of my sons, one died in battle, and the other is disabled at home. The remaining family members are either women or children who have not yet come of age."

Controlling his emotions, Weix said, "Germany's economy is completely in ruins. All the marks I have can't even buy a meal for the whole family. I can't let my grandchildren steal potatoes every day. My colleagues introduced me to this place because I can receive three years' salary in advance, and it's in pounds. So I came."

"I now have 20,000 men, and the weapons and equipment are all complete. If we follow the German army's organization to form an infantry division, can you do it? How long will it take?" Gao Yang asked.

"I need all the personnel and equipment details. Additionally, among the mercenaries who came with me, there are some who were staff officers before retirement. I want to recruit them to help write the plan. It can be completed in three days," Weix replied.

"Alright, I will arrange for people to assist you. I look forward to your good news," Gao Yang said, signaling for Weix to leave.

Weix saluted and left.

Time flew by, and by the end of June, the Jiang-Zhe War had entered its final deployment phase. The Governor, following President Cao's orders, had dispatched a division and three brigades from Anhui to the Songhu front. Because Marshal Yu had always pursued a policy of unification by force, warlords across the country were plotting to overthrow the Zhili clique. A new large-scale reshuffling was about to begin. Gao Yang had to act quickly; this was the best time to take advantage of the chaos.

The Governor was not unaware of Gao Yang's actions, but according to the prevailing norms of the time, a county could not support tens of thousands of troops. Each soldier received 10 yuan in regular pay and 3 yuan for food allowance per month, totaling hundreds of thousands of yuan! This did not include the costs of weapons, ammunition, uniforms, and other equipment. In those days, everyone, except for the Third Division of Marshal Yu, deducted soldiers' pay and pocketed the money. Could Gao Yang really pay out of his own pocket?

Even if Gao Yang had some money, it would be drained in a few months. Without pay, who would still follow him? The Governor had already planned to take over everything in Feng County once Gao Yang collapsed, from the armaments to the factories!

Gao Yang did not know about the Governor's plans and did not want to know. Gao Yang had his own plans. In a few days, he first returned to the capital of the original timeline and ordered a large amount of sulfonamide online, had dinner with his parents, then flew to Europe to sell the remaining gold in his hands. Next, he flew to Africa to recruit locals to build a road from Libreville to the mining area.

Gao Yang received good news and arrived at the mining area. In a villa in the town, he met with Dr. Wells, the leader of the geological exploration team who had come to report.

Dr. Wells, excited, said to Gao Yang, "Boss, last month, when we were drilling in a valley about 70 kilometers from the riverbank towards the edge of the mountains, we discovered an oil field between 1,200 and 1,500 meters underground. Preliminary exploration confirms that it has commercial value, but the exact reserves need further investigation."

"Good, very good. You have done well. Give the exploration team a 1 million dollar bonus, and you distribute it," Gao Yang said, pleased. Oil is money.

"It's really hot here. I'll have a big sip of cold drink. Now, start arranging the extraction, purchasing equipment, recruiting workers, and building pipelines. You can handle these with Manager Hanson. If the reserves satisfy me, I will give you another bonus," Gao Yang continued.

Dr. Wells left, and Gao Yang said to the mercenary captain who had come to take over, "Recruit a batch of security personnel from the local tribes. Let's start with 200 people. Keep a close eye on the mining area. If anyone tries to sabotage my operations, deal with them."

"Yes, boss," the captain replied loudly.

Without lingering, Gao Yang quickly returned to Bern, gave the servants a day off, and then traveled to Feng County in 1924.

Three days had passed, and Colonel Weix had completed the reorganization plan. He came to Gao Yang's office and handed it over for Gao Yang to review.

"This plan is based on the German standard for an infantry division, but it has been adjusted according to the habits of your country's army and the specific conditions of the existing personnel and equipment," Weix explained to Gao Yang.

Gao Yang carefully read the plan, which was as follows: The division headquarters includes a communications battalion (35 people, including 12 telegraph operators, all equipped with Luger pistols), a field hospital (200 people, including a 32-person guard unit equipped with MP18 submachine guns), a reconnaissance battalion (120 reconnaissance cavalry with 260 horses), a guard battalion (120 people equipped with MP18 submachine guns), a staff office (22 people, including cartographers, communications, and intelligence officers), and a kitchen company (46 people with 8 field kitchens).

The logistics department (122 people) and the division's artillery regiment are organized into 9 105mm howitzer companies with 36 guns, a munitions transport battalion (170 horse-drawn wagons with 720 horses), and a guard force of 4 battalions with 680 people.

The division has 3 infantry regiments, each organized as follows:

- Regimental communications office, field hospital, reconnaissance battalion, regimental guard battalion, regimental staff office, and regimental kitchen company.

- Regimental artillery battalion with 12 75mm field guns (36 horse-drawn wagons with 160 horses) and a guard force of 170 people.

- 3 infantry battalions, each organized as follows:

- Battalion headquarters (guard platoon, first aid station, reconnaissance platoon, communications office, kitchen squad).

- Battalion support company with 3 75mm field guns (12 horse-drawn wagons with 60 horses) and a guard force of 36 people.

- 3 infantry companies, each organized as follows:

- Company headquarters (communications, medical officer, kitchen squad).

- Company support platoon with 4 76mm mortars (6 horse-drawn wagons with 28 horses).

- 3 infantry platoons, each organized as follows:

- Platoon leader, deputy platoon leader, and 3 squads, each with a heavy machine gun team (2 gunners, 2 ammunition carriers), and 6 riflemen led by the platoon leader and deputy platoon leader.

- A reserve regiment for wartime replacements.

- A transportation regiment for wartime ammunition supply.

The entire division consists of 691 officers, 2,822 non-commissioned officers, and 15,531 soldiers, totaling 19,044 personnel. The army is severely short of officers and non-commissioned officers, and all remaining personnel should be sent to a new recruit training camp for 90 days of military training. Those who still fail should be dismissed from the army.

The weapons and equipment include 3,882 pistols, 14,137 rifles, 772 submachine guns, 266 heavy machine guns, 114 76mm mortars, 58 75mm field guns, 36 105mm howitzers, and 536 horse-drawn wagons.

All types of artillery are sufficient with spare parts, and rifles are also sufficient with spare parts. All other weapons are insufficient. There is no fixed supply source for ammunition, and large amounts are needed for daily training. Additionally, there are no radio transmitters, code machines, signal guns, individual equipment, field kitchens, medicines, horse-drawn wagons, horses, or standard uniforms.

After reading the plan, Gao Yang lit a cigarette and thought for a moment before saying to Weix, "I now appoint you as the Chief of Staff of the Anhui Provincial Security Division with the rank of colonel, fully responsible for the reorganization of the troops. You can allocate the existing personnel and equipment. For the items we lack, write a list in five copies. Oh, and forget the horse-drawn wagons; I want to use cars instead."

As for the Governor, who had only given him the organization of a security brigade, Gao Yang ignored it. Gao Yang planned to take control of the entire province during the Zhili-Fengtian War, and the Governor would have to leave.

Before dinner, Gao Yang announced the reorganization and Weix's appointment in the parade ground and issued the necessary documents. After dinner, he hurriedly traveled to Shanghai.

Gao Yang discussed procurement matters at Manager Hanson's home. Hanson placed a cup of coffee in front of Gao Yang and said, "Many people are watching me. They traced the car you left at the Paramount to me. Aren't you worried?"

"Unless a comet hits the earth, I'm not worried about anything," Gao Yang said casually, sipping his coffee.

"I will take care of it. As a thank you, this is a new order for your firm." Gao Yang took a stack of documents from his briefcase and handed them to Hanson.

Hanson pushed his glasses up and began to read. After Gao Yang finished his coffee, Hanson had also finished reading the documents. Closing the file, Hanson said, "We can provide everything, but the bullet production line..."

"I want the complete set, including the rolling mill, copper rolling machine, and primer machine. I also want all the equipment for the powder factory. If anything is missing, I'll burn your firm to the ground," Gao Yang said, staring into Hanson's eyes.

"Mr. Gao, please rest assured. The reputation of our firm is guaranteed," Hanson said awkwardly. He dared not play any tricks with Gao Yang, who had already shown his willingness to use force in the French Concession. Besides, the price Gao Yang offered was very tempting.

"For the second batch of mercenaries, recruit more non-commissioned officers, and also recruit some skilled workers for the bullet production line," Gao Yang said, placing a check on the table and leaving.

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