Chapter 3008

"Normally, this base is not open to outsiders, including people from the Ministry of National Defense who come to inspect Star Island, and I don't let them enter this place."

It wasn't until the carriage drove into the base that Roger mentioned the specialness of today's arrangement to Qian Tiandun.

Qian Tiandun nodded and responded: "As for the mercenary group, it is indeed necessary to maintain a sense of mystery from the outside world. As for the Ministry of National Defense, who is not allowed to keep a hand?"

The two of them smiled knowingly. Senior generals like them who held military power overseas would more or less not want the Ministry of National Defense to intervene in some areas, and Qian Tiandun was no exception.

The foreign mercenary regiment was not included in the establishment of the Star Island garrison. In fact, its nature was equivalent to Roger's private army. Of course, he would not be happy to let the Ministry of National Defense control the detailed status of this army.

The less the outside world knows about this unit, the easier it will be for the mercenary group to perform various gray tasks overseas. Even if Qian Tiandun is the one Roger actively seeks cooperation with, as long as it is not necessary to activate the mercenary group, Roger will

He will not be arranged to have access to this special tool.

However, Roger's earlier claim that the mercenary regiment was performing tasks outside was not entirely an excuse to prevaricate Qian Tiandun. Among the three battalions under the mercenary regiment, only part of the three battalions are currently stationed in the base. The other troops are really

Just stationed in another country.

The troops remaining at the base have been assembled in advance by the base commander, Colonel Dulu, waiting for the arrival of Roger and his party.

Colonel Dulu was an old subordinate of Roger. He joined the army on Ambrosia Island in 1633. A few months later, Roger led his troops south to occupy Star Island. In the past twenty years, every battle that the Star Island garrison has participated in

Dulu was almost always a witness to large-scale wars.

Dulu is an Acehnese from Sumatra, but his more than 20 years of military service in Haihan have long ago turned him into a Haihan person. Whether it is language or living habits, they are no different from Haihan people.

.

"Colonel Dulu has fought for the country for many years and made countless meritorious service, but he has too many old injuries and his physical condition no longer allows him to continue to command operations on the front line, so he is arranged to serve as the commander of this base and continue to exert his remaining talents." Luo

Jay spoke highly of Drew.

Qian Tiandun noticed that Dulu's left hand was holding a walking stick. It looked like his legs and feet were injured. Such a situation would indeed make it inconvenient to set foot on the battlefield again.

However, Dulu himself was quite optimistic. After hearing Roger's praise, he responded proactively: "If the troops need it, I can return to the battlefield at any time, General."

"Of course." Roger reached out and patted Duru on the shoulder and said, "But I need you to train young people here for the army. Your experience will help them grow into qualified soldiers faster. Now I want to

Please give General Qian a detailed introduction to the operations of this base and the mercenary group."

The group first reviewed the assembled troops. Just like the name of the foreign mercenary group, the most eye-catching thing is the ethnic diversity of its soldiers.

The appearance characteristics of some of the ethnic groups are very easy to distinguish, such as black Africans, Arabs, Indians, etc. However, the ethnic groups in South Asia are all similar to Qian Tiandun. It is difficult to tell at a glance whether they are from Malay.

The peninsula is also the nearby island of Sumatra.

There were also a small number of soldiers with East Asian faces in the team, but after Qian Tiandun inquired, he learned that these soldiers were basically from North Korea and Japan, and were not Han Chinese as he thought.

"Because of their native place, there are very few Han members in the mercenary group. There are only one or two out of a hundred people, which is about the same proportion as Europeans. The largest number of people here are locals, accounting for about 50%

about."

"When we allocate personnel, we will try our best to mix soldiers from various ethnic groups to avoid forming small groups internally that are difficult to manage."

"Only about 30% of the soldiers here join the army as free agents, and the rest are slaves that we import from all over the world every year. We select the young and strong ones with better physical condition and let them come here for training.

"

"Every year we recruit about 500 new recruits through various channels, but in the end, only a quarter or even less of those who can complete the training and assessment and stay to join the mercenary group."

"Generally speaking, as long as you have completed three years of military service in the mercenary group, you can return to freedom. After five years of military service, you can apply for retirement, or transfer to serve in the Haihan Army, and obtain Haihan nationality at the same time. Of course.

During this period, you will also receive generous rewards based on the combat missions you participate in. So for those who came here as slaves, joining a mercenary group is the best way out."

At this point, Dulu took the initiative to mention his own experience: "Back when I was on Ambon Island, I joined the army as a slave and escaped from slavery by virtue of my military exploits."

For those newcomers who can't see clearly their development prospects, Dulu's experience is undoubtedly an excellent benchmark, giving them sufficient motivation to complete their tasks. Roger appointed him as the base commander, which may also be due to this aspect.

Consider.

"The origins, experiences, and qualities of mercenaries are all diverse and uneven. The only thing that can restrain them is strict military discipline and law. Therefore, in the mercenary group, we are even stricter than the Haihan Army in dealing with disciplinary violations.

Much more.”

"But even so, there is no way to prevent mercenaries from privateering, killing prisoners, disobeying military orders, etc. during the execution of their missions. Therefore, the number of soldiers eliminated due to disciplinary violations is also quite large, sometimes more than the casualties on the battlefield.

More."

Qian Tiandun said: "In this way, it is somewhat similar to the militia we formed in Annan before. The advantage is that the combat cost is low and there is no need to bear relevant responsibilities, but the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, it is easy to lose control, and major tasks are still

I dare not leave it to them easily."

Roger said: "You are right, but this is an upgraded version. The diplomatic value of the mercenary group cannot be compared to the original Annan militia group."

To hire this troop from Sing Tao to perform military missions overseas, just paying money is certainly not enough. At least the employer must maintain a relatively good relationship with the Sing Tao authorities before a deal can be concluded.

This time and again, it is not just a relationship between hiring and being hired. The Star Island authorities can also rely on the doors opened by the mercenary group to establish cooperative relationships with employers in more fields.

Roger then gave an example. In the early years, the Sing Tao authorities wanted to exploit crude oil in the Dumai area of ​​Sumatra. However, if they directly sent troops to occupy the area, it would inevitably trigger a counterattack from Aceh.

Later, the two sides negotiated terms of exchange. Sing Tao dispatched a mercenary group to suppress a rebellion in South Sumatra for Aceh, and Aceh leased the Dumai area to Sing Tao for a long time at a low price.

It was only in 1649 that the Dumai oil field was put into production.
Chapter completed!