Chapter 80

Thanks to the branches of the Pearl River, the water transport on the Longchuan River was well-developed and mature, and every step of the journey could be said to have been meticulously calculated. Although most of the passengers were regulars, the arrangements were still made to be neither too rushed nor too slow, ensuring that no one would feel exhausted from a cursory tour, nor would anyone feel that the schedule was too sluggish and miss the boat.

Thus, sailing downstream to Guangfu would take only about three to four days.

Basking in the gentle river breeze, I was reading a few booklets. After showing some interest in the army at the hospital, I easily obtained the drill regulations and orders issued to the lower-ranking military officers and non-commissioned officers by the Southeast Recruitment Office, which were semi-public printed materials.

From these, I could combine my existing memories and impressions to deduce the military preparations of the Southern Dynasty.

The military system of the Southern Dynasty was not as chaotic and changeable as that of the Northern regions, so it basically followed the defense zone system of armies, cities, towns, and garrisons, and the basic units of camps, regiments, companies, squads, and tens, established since the middle and early Tang Dynasty. However, the specific titles and positions had changed, such as the transformation of the regimental commander to the battalion head, the replacement of the deputy commander with the command, and the retention of the titles of senior military officers like the battalion commander and the general.

A squad of ten was composed of nine members, led by a squad leader with eight subordinates; the infantry and crossbow units were composed of fifty members in a squad, while the cavalry units were composed of thirty members in a squad, plus flag bearers, squad assistants, and support personnel, led by a squad leader. Three squads formed a company, led by a company commander; two companies and one squad formed a regiment, led by a regimental commander; a large camp had four regiments, a medium camp had three regiments, and a small camp had two regiments and two companies, led by a battalion commander or a regimental commander.

The camp was the most basic military unit of the Southern Dynasty.

At the same time, it inherited some of the achievements of the Taixing reforms, and below the regimental level, there were three assistants and one material officer, namely the deputy battalion commander as the flag bearer and command reserve, the military inspector responsible for military law and discipline, the camp advisor responsible for daily training and planning during wartime, and the material officer responsible for the maintenance and management of military equipment.

The ranks were also separated, with the hierarchy in peacetime based on the position, and the hierarchy in wartime based on the military rank, supplemented by titles, names, and honorary ranks, forming a complex military command and rank system.

For example, Feng Juanqi, with the rank of light cavalry deputy commander, held the position of a camp advisor, so he could also be called a camp commander.

The units and types above the camp level were much more flexible, capable of forming independent reserve units at the military command level, as well as regular units of various guards and armies, and local defense forces between the two, plus the recruitment and conscription of the vassal troops and militia by the vassal lords according to their needs, either as full-time or part-time forces, making the sources diverse and complex.

Therefore, in the face of enemies or in preparation for campaigns, a separate governor or defense commissioner would often be established at the level of major and minor military commanders to manage the large and small war zones and integrate these armed forces.

Thus, the regular and reserve forces of the Southern Dynasty were not small, but they could not fully commit to the northern campaign. On one hand, it was due to the upper limit of logistics support, and on the other hand, it was due to the need for a large number of garrisons to maintain control over the vast overseas vassal territories, as well as the equally important naval forces to maintain and ensure the economic arteries and maritime routes between the major overseas territories.

The numerous overseas vassal territories and the population and resources they provided were a double-edged sword for the Southern Dynasty, which could only adopt a long-term strategy of gradual infiltration and attack.

Along with these booklets,

There was also a large stack of old newspaper clippings collected along the way, used as practice paper for calligraphy in old bookshops, which cost only fifty coins per bundle, but had been cut up by me. After removing the meaningless official jargon and pompous official articles, I could still gather information about the major events and corresponding timelines of the Southern Dynasty over the years from these newspaper-like materials.

In addition to various speculations and guesses by so-called insiders, the annual newspaper clippings also published important political news and personnel changes, such as the main officials of the Five Recruitment Offices. Except for the Western Sichuan Recruitment Office, which had not changed for over twenty years, the other four offices had been replaced one after another in the past ten years.

As the latest commander, Ning, who was the husband of Lady Chen, took office in the second year of Taiping, and spent five to six years reforming the troops, accumulating grain and weapons, and controlling the region, subduing the periphery, and regaining a powerful offensive force, and then there was no further news for several years.

Now it is the seventh year of Baoying in the Southern Dynasty, which is 1964 in the Gregorian calendar, and I seem to have a sense of something.

Could it be that the Southern Dynasty is internally planning to break the status quo and make significant moves in various regions, and as a supporting move, Lady Chen has become a target in the Southeast region?

For example, by offending the established interest groups that have benefited from the status quo for a long time?

Unfortunately, this speculation has not yet provided any clear direction for my future development and layout.

Just then, I heard the sound of the sails being lowered, and the slight vibration of the boat as it turned and slowed down, indicating that we were about to dock. This time, we were stopping at Zhenyang, a bustling town on the banks of the Dong River, the second largest city in the Longchuan region of the seven regions of Lingnan.

As an inland area that had not seen war for a long time, it had only a symbolic earthen wall, which was so low compared to the size of the city that it was almost laughable. The wall was also encroached upon by various illegal buildings, and even the top of the wall was covered with animal droppings, giving it a peaceful and carefree atmosphere.

I disembarked as usual, taking the two attendants assigned to me by Feng Juanqi to buy supplies and stroll around. After aimlessly buying many fruits, snacks, and other miscellaneous items, I suddenly saw a familiar sign in a small street.

Lecture Society?

Seeing this name, I felt a mix of emotions, not knowing what to say, because I had finally encountered something closely related to my previous life.

This Lecture Society was a well-known gathering place for literature and history enthusiasts in certain circles in Guangfu, with a long history, dating back to the early days of the Guangfu University, which was a branch of the two academies in the capital.

However, its daily operations relied entirely on voluntary donations and self-help from its members, and due to its loose and lax management, it often had to close for a period of time due to poor management. It was not until my predecessor took over and invested in it, discovering a certain opportunity, that it transformed into a professional group dedicated to uncovering the truth in the vast sea of history.

Of course, this "truth" was relative, such as deducing multiple new possibilities from conflicting records. Therefore, the Lecture Society also engaged in the business of selling and analyzing intelligence, earning the funds needed for daily operations and even making a profit. However, this information was not real-time but rather filtered from historical records accumulated over the years.

Due to the relative stability of the Southern Dynasty and the regions outside the ridge over the past few hundred years, a large number of documents and historical records have been preserved, along with the cultural and academic traditions brought by the people from the north.

In most cases, one could find what they wanted from public libraries and open official and private collections for a small fee, which was set to prevent deliberate mischief.

Although this information might be of little value in military and political terms, it was quite useful in civilian areas, such as commercial activities related to people's livelihoods or the management of overseas territories. A climate and hydrological analysis of a certain place, for example, had a market.

Therefore, it did not offend the sensitive nerves of the authorities. At the same time, it employed a large number of students, lecturers, and teachers, who, under the guise of part-time work, used their professional and positional advantages to complete part of a research project, thus adding a certain degree of openness.

In this era, although the aristocracy and the powerful had a natural instinct to monopolize knowledge, the widespread education and the existence of schools naturally challenged and resisted this.

This was one of the few legacies left by the predecessor Liang Gong, a time traveler, because the ruling council of the Southern Dynasty also relied on these professional schools to provide the necessary personnel to balance the potential growth of the vassal forces and the opposition of the aristocracy.

I could also use these peripheral businesses as a cover to cultivate core members and do some personal work, such as sponsoring and supporting promising poor students and developing them into candidates for my personal team. This was one of the capital I had when I arrived in Guangfu.

Finally, the Lecture Society grew to have a large number of ordinary members who came and went freely, part-time and part-study; regular activities and exchanges, and multiple fixed venues for senior members who were grouped by interests and hobbies; and a few dedicated members and management personnel who participated in the daily operations of the organization.

It even developed a group of influential honorary members and regular sponsors. However, things eventually got out of my control because some children of the nobility joined out of a passing fancy, a sense of fashion, or other reasons, which naturally drew the attention of some high-ranking officials.

My predecessor was thus noticed by the legendary Four Seas Guard and, through some exchange and compromise, participated in the periphery of a certain plan. Of course, what I valued more was the opportunity to further my studies at the capital's university and fill in the gaps in my knowledge.

After leaving this dilapidated branch, I had a different feeling.

At least I was no longer isolated and had regained an important information channel and the resources that came with it, although I did not know how much remained.

When I returned, I found that many local militiamen, wearing straw shoes and rain hats, and dressed in cloth or paper armor, were gathering at the ferry.

The mounted guards on the ship were already fully armed, with swords and crossbows in hand, standing on the deck in a formation that was conducive to both advance and retreat, escorting Lady Chen and her entourage off the ship.

"We must change our route and disembark here."

Feng Juanqi, dressed in civilian clothes, was anxiously standing at the entrance of the market, leading his men to surround me, and whispered,

"There has been an incident with the Qingyuan Army downstream. It is not advisable to continue the journey by boat."

My first reaction was, this is the heart of Lingnan. What the hell? Could it be that the shadow of the elementary school death god and the middle school ponytail boy has not left me?