Chapter 876 Major Disarmament

Dalian.

A beautiful coastal city, because today's emperor has attracted much attention. It is not only known as the land of Longxing, but also regarded as the fastest developing speed of Xinhua. Recently, it has the elegant name of "Little Shanghai".

This is not a derogatory, but a real boast, because Shanghai has now become a veritable world economic capital. The Shanghai Securities and Futures Exchange has surpassed London and Wall Street in one fell swoop, becoming the largest financial center in the pan-Pacific region and the largest financial center in the world.

In the southeast of this emerging city, it has witnessed the bitterness and blood of the Beiyang people. Although the Lushun Port in the exciting era is no longer as good as the new port, it is still one of the main northern bases of the navy.

Around Lushun Port, there are wide one-in-one tents. Tens of thousands of soldiers returning from various war zones are gathered here. To this day, ships full of soldiers still arrive here every day.

There is a new road outside the port that is not long. The road is covered with all kinds of pubs and restaurants on both sides. Even when the epidemic is at its worst, the energetic soldiers do not forget to come here to spend a night that may be beautiful or bruised.

With the first release of the lanterns, women from Japan, North Korea, and even many difficulties have to start a meat business. The blonde and blue-eyed women began to get excited, because night means money.

But soon everyone was disappointed. Those soldiers who should have covered the street, flirted with themselves with beer bottles, and then decided the winner with their fists. The soldiers who hugged them to the hidden restaurant behind them disappeared, and the whole street was empty.

What happened?!

The barracks, which had reached the time of turning off the lights, were still shining brightly. Under the light, a soldier sat quietly on the edge of the bed and pinched the discharge notice received in the morning. Everyone's eyes were red.

Ma Jun clenches the notice and looks down at the three medals neatly hanging on his chest.

The first one was obtained when he participated in the battle of Western Siberia against Russia. At that time, he only joined the army for a year. In the ice and snow, he defeated the vulnerable Russian army with his comrades-in-arms, captured a major general, drove Russia out of Western Siberia, and expanded the empire for thousands of miles.

At the second time, he had come to Australia, which was always hot and short of water. In the large-scale Augusta decisive battle, he not only saw the spectacular scene of the cannonballs falling like a rainstorm after the army's artillery cluster opened fire, but also was shot and injured for the first time, but before that, he rushed into the dre with the squad leader. The trench caught the British colonel who tried to escape.

So far, there is still a British medal from the British colonel's pocket under the pillow.

Missed the vast North American landing battle, missed the flash battle, which is said to be the classic of the army, and even missed the spectacular scene of entering Phoenix to capture millions of U.S. troops. After saying goodbye to the often blushing little nurse, he arrived in New Mexico, and then entered Texas non-stop and saw The air force dominated the battlefield and also saw the destroyed cities after the terrible strategic bombing.

Although with the help of the air force and the morale of the U.S. military has been low, the ground battle is still very difficult. He even forgot how many battles he fought in the following months. He only knew that he kept attacking and then attacking every day, until one day the U.S. troops opposite suddenly put down their weapons and surrendered out of the trenches.

The war was over, and the heaviest national medal of honor was hung on the chest.

Then he returned to China, followed by the outbreak of the plague. He wore masks and gloves every day and patrolled the Liaodong Peninsula with his comrades-in-arms to help the sick and cooperate with the police to maintain public order.

Finally, there is the retirement notice!

Tears unconsciously slipped from Ma Jun's cheeks. At this moment, he had been waiting for a long time. People living in peace did not understand how homesick a soldier who was in a foreign country and hid in the trenches all year round. A few bullets flew over his head every day, and even the soldiers who would be killed by staggers at any time were homesick.

How much I miss my relatives and my mother's cooking.

However, when the notice came down, Ma Jun was somehow very sad. Looking at the barracks that had lived for several years, looking at a familiar comrade-in-arms around him who went to life and death together, tears couldn't help flowing down.

Several years of service experience allowed him, a child who grew up in a remote countryside, to see the outside world, bringing back three medals and a retirement fund that was heavy enough for his parents to leisurely live for several years. There were even many strange little things seized from the battlefield under the bed, but he was still sad.

Here he learned to fight with bayonets, how to shout to charge, understand what comrades-in-arms are, and give his back to them.

From the moment of victory, everyone knew that they were going to break up, so many people indulged to their heart's content, but when it was time to leave, they couldn't help but want to continue to wear this military uniform full of blood and friendship.

Ma Jun stood up slowly. Under the attention of his roommates, he slowly took off the epaulettes and flowers on the military uniform. Because the army allowed the soldiers to leave an unmarked military uniform as a souvenir, he could exchange it for a new one, but he still decided to take the old military uniform that had accompanied him for several years.

Ma Jun's speed is very slow, and his fingers are as soft as never before. He will take off all the exterior decorations representing the military rank and troop number, and then put them neatly on the clean sheets like a devout believer.

After picking up the canvas bag and stuffing all his personal belongings into it, he still walked firmly to the door, but just as he was about to go out, he suddenly thought of something, turned around and suddenly hugged the nearest comrade-in-arms.

One after another.

In the end, the whole dormitory's comrades-in-arms hugged together and cried.

Tears are vented at this moment, and no one can stop it!

The night was getting deeper and deeper. Ma Jun suddenly gritted his teeth and put the canvas bag on his shoulders again. His feet were together, and his waist bones were as straight as never before. He slowly raised his right arm to make the last salute.

"Good care, we'll see you at the end of the world!"

"Regone!"

"Imperial Royal Army, 2nd Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Company, 72nd Infantry Division."

"Goodbye, see you at the end of the world!"

I don't know how much friendship Ma Jun and the first batch of soldiers who received the retirement notice boarded the army line that had been waiting for a long time with canvas bags on their backs, they exploded, and the smoke of gunpowder and the loud charge seemed to still echo in their ears.

On September 1, 1919, according to the order of the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff of Xinhua, millions of soldiers said goodbye to the barracks with tears after saying goodbye to the world.

Only on the third day, that is, on September 4, the General Staff of Xinhua once again issued a document on the streamlining and transformation of the post-war army. According to the discussion by hundreds of generals, combined with the opinions of the Prime Minister's Office and the Parliament, a huge military change came. Pro.

According to this order, hundreds of generals and thousands of school-level officers have been adjusted, the biggest of which was blamed for not being warned of the U.S. Navy's bombardment of Mexico in July in the Caribbean, known as the one-armed general Sa's ice.

Although he was still promoted to admiral, he handed over the position of commander-in-chief of the Fifth Fleet, led by Admiral Fang Jin, and he himself was transferred to the Naval University as the president. Many people were against him, especially in the navy, but Sa Zhenbing himself was very open-minded. In fact, as early as he got the news that day, he knew that he was wrong. Doing so was nothing more than giving an explanation to his allies.

In addition to Sa Zhenbing, the commander-in-chief of the three armies has also changed. Long Guozhang, Zhao Long and Xue Muhua are respectively marshals, which means that they will no longer hold any position in the army.

The commander-in-chief of the navy will be taken over by General Ji Rushan, and General Le Fei will be the deputy commander-in-chief. The chief of staff is still Lieutenant General Cheng Biguang, and the commander of the Marine Corps will continue to be taken over by Zhang Shun.

After Xue Muhua of the Air Force took office, he was taken over by the former commander of the First Division of the Air Force and a special pilot. Gen. Tian Yun, the North African eagle that year, and Lieutenant General Jin Ning of the First Bomber Brigade, took over as the Chief of Staff.

It was not surprising that General Sun Jiugong took over as the commander-in-chief of the army, but it was a little unexpected that Lieutenant General Huang Fuqi, the former commander of the Australian station, took over as the deputy commander-in-chief, and the chief of staff was Lieutenant General Shoushan.

The most unexpected thing is the position of Chief of General Staff. Chen Ping, known as the Dinghai Needle of the Xinhua Three Armies, did not promote the position of Chief of General Staff when Long Guozhang and others were promoted to marshal one after another. Many people think that it is because he is responsible for the transformation of the three armed forces to continue to stay, and it is only a matter of time before he is promoted to marshal. .

After solving the personnel, the new General Staff was so bold that it even began to disarm beyond the world's expectations.

Naturally, the most abolished is the army. According to the order of the General Staff, in order to save money and build a new army with strong combat and rapid response capabilities, the army retains 52 infantry divisions, 10 mixed divisions, 5 armored divisions, 6 infantry divisions, 8 armored brigades, 2 mountain divisions and a number of readings. The total strength of the force brigade was reduced to 1.6 million.

Among them, there are 200,000 in Australia, 500,000 in the northwest (Western Siberia, Xinjiang, Lake Balkhash, Kashmir, Central Siberia and other places), 160,000 in the Southern Ocean (Singapore, Luzon, Southeast Peninsula, Brunei, Borneo, Sulawesi and other regions), 50,000 in Eastern and Eastern Siberia and New Alaska, inland 500,000, 50,000 in North Korea and Japan, 50,000 in Persia and the Indian Ocean, and 60,000 in North America and Panama.

For a country whose territory is almost certain to span two continents, 1.6 million troops are indeed a little insufficient. For this reason, the General Staff specially added two more on the basis of the four before the war, making the number of Marine Divisions reach six, and referring to the standard of the largest infantry division of the army after the war, each division is full of 22. There are 1,000 people, but in order to reduce the number of troops and reduce expenses, it usually only maintains the size of 18,000.

The Marine Corps Command continues to be located in Taiwan. It is mainly responsible for overseas island bases and cooperating with the army's garrison [***] bases. The main stations are in Taiwan, Hawaii, Australia (including Nume and New Guinea) and Guam (including new non-representation). Tinto Island, Solomon Islands, Micronesia), Singapore (including Indian Ocean Reunion, Chagos Islands, Ceylon, etc.), Sinai Peninsula (including Kuwait, Oman, Djibouti, Malta, etc.).

In this huge disarmament, everyone thought that the navy that would be merciful was hit hard. According to the order, not only was the naval headquarters moved to the southeast, but also the Zhoushan Islands, which are geographically more suitable for the two oceans. All the old ships in the fleet that have served for 10 years will also be retired, and the fleet size will continue to be maintained. 5 pieces.

Among them, the First Fleet (commonly known as the Pacific Fleet) will take the Northeast Pacific (from Alaska to Chile) as the main combat area. The main base is still located in Hawaii. Other bases include the Dutch Port (Berning Sea), Ryukyu, Yokosuka, Vladivostok, etc.

The Second Fleet (also known as the Southwest Fleet) will take the entire Southwest Pacific Ocean, including Australia, and the Indian Ocean as the combat area. The main base is set up in Guam, as well as Subic, Noumea, Sydney, Rabaul, etc.

The Third Fleet (also known as the Indian Ocean Fleet) takes the Indian Ocean and the Persian region as the main combat area. The main base is changed to Singapore. Other bases include the Chagos Islands, Reunion, Mumbai, Socotra Island, etc.

The battle area of the Fifth Fleet (commonly known as the Atlantic Fleet) is from the Falkland Islands in Argentina to the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The main bases are located in Panama. The other main bases are Guantanamo, Cuba, Bermuda and the Falkland Islands.

The Seventh Fleet (commonly known as the Mediterranean and Persian Fleet) takes the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Persian Gulf as the combat area. The main base is unexpectedly selected in Oman, and other major bases include Kuwait, Djibouti, Malta, etc.

In this way, the first, second and third fleets in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean have become the core force guarding the imperial sea gate, and the fifth and seventh fleets have become the two iron fists for foreign warfare and interference.

In addition to the organization and combat area, there have been great changes in the equipment of the Imperial Royal Navy. First of all, the eight Hebei-class aircraft carriers in the year of fighting have been sealed, and the two Yinshang-class aircraft carriers will be handed over to the reserve for training.

It may not be a big surprise to seal up eight Hebei-level ships, but it is too unexpected to put two ships in Europe and the United States as the main force, and even hand over the Yinshang-class aircraft carriers as treasures to the naval reserve for training. Not to mention the navy, even the other two armies think it's too much.

However, the general council still gritted his teeth and clenched on the abolition plan. However, after discussing with the parliament and the Prime Minister's office, he also promised to build the last Xiqin-class aircraft carrier, two Honolulu-class light cruisers and six Chongming Island-class destroyers. As for other naval ships under construction or have been unloaded, they were all dismantled on the spot.

According to the plan, two years later, the main force of the Imperial Royal Navy will be composed of 11 Western Qin-class heavy aircraft carriers (1700 combat aircraft, including reconnaissance, transportation and special aircraft), 4 Taiwan-class fast battleships, 6 Guam-class fast battleships, 6 Xi'an-class and 4 Yanjing-class fast battleships.

In view of the irreplaceable role of light cruisers, the navy will retain 16 Yangtze River-class and 8 (2 under construction) Honolulu-class light cruisers, as well as 32 Tiger Shark-class and 4 Killer Whale-class submarines.

The biggest controversy appeared on the destroyer. According to the ocean calculation that Xinhua needs to control, the navy should retain at least 120 destroyers, but in the end, the General Staff only retained 22 Chongming Island class and 48 Weiqing class, and the remaining 82 Weiqing class and guard class were all abolished!

This plan, not to mention the navy, even the Prime Minister's Office frowned a little, but a new procurement tender from the General Staff answered everyone's doubts.

Originally, after research by the Ministry of the Navy and the Ship Design Institute, it was found that although the destroyer was the most frequently used warship in the navy, the efficiency ratio was not high in patrolling the sea and dealing with low-intensity conflicts, so it was decided to purchase a new large ocean frigate with a displacement of about 2,000 tons.

In this procurement, the Ministry of National Defense adopted the mode of public bidding for the first time. Although Northern Heavy Industry is strong in military products, it was unexpectedly the rising star Southern Heavy Industry, which is composed of Jiangnan and Guangzhou Shipyards, who finally got the contract.

The reason is very simple. Jiangnan Heavy Industries has thoroughly grasped the navy's mind, that is, it must not only be equipped with post-war expenditure and savings, but also have to afford it.

The plan taken out by Jiangnan Heavy Industries is very simple, with a displacement of 2,300 tons. It adopts technologies such as floating and square sterns used by destroyers, but the hull is wider, enhancing the ocean-going airworthiness surname. In addition, it also adopts a large number of civil standards. In terms of speed, it gives up the pursuit of high speed at all costs, with a maximum of 26 knots. The endurance has reached 5,500 nautical miles. On the military equipment, only a double 130mm rapid-fire gun was installed in the bow, but it was strengthened on the secondary gun. The torpedoes and mines were detachable, that is to say, they were only installed when they were used.

This is only half the cost of a Weiqing-class destroyer. The ocean frigate, tailored for daily patrols and low-intensity conflicts, not only moved the navy, but even joined the coast guard, and finally purchased a total of 36 ships.

The reduction of the main equipment also affected the huge naval logistics department, but in the end, after repeated consideration, the navy not only retained all six Dongting Lake-class, but also retained two Kunlunshan-class large-scale supply ships. In addition, it also retained six Qinshan-class rapid support ships and 20 oil-water supply ships, and finally left There were 16 Tianshan-class tank landing ships and 41 other transport ships. As for hundreds of modular Xinhua ships and various types of transport ships urgently manufactured in wartime, they were all sold to domestic transporters.

Whether it is the army or the navy, the scale of disarmament is unprecedented, so when it is predicted that the air force will also be streamlined, the opposite conclusion is obtained.

According to the plan, the Air Force will maintain the scale of the current 10 pilot divisions and 2 airborne divisions, with a total of 1,500 fighters, 1,200 dive/tactical attack aircraft, and 800 bombers (of which a total of 1,800 Kunpeng will only retain 200, and 370 Raytheon bombers will be in service. 230 orders continue to be maintained), 600 transport aircraft, and about 300 special aircraft.

Not only did not reduce a few aircraft, but the general ginseng also almost eliminated all the first-generation single-wing fighters, especially the hybrid fighters made of light wood and aluminum, retaining all pure metal fighters, and also required all aircraft to be equipped with higher-power engines, so the combat effectiveness only increased but not decreased.

Because the Constitution stipulates that the task of the main army is only to protect the royal family and national security, and will not participate in the usual tasks such as guarding the customs, this time a major adjustment has been made to the National Guard, canceling the division, and adopting a smaller and more flexible brigade-level establishment. The country has a total of 51 brigades, with a total of 200,000 people. It has nearly 200 Kunpeng reconnaissance aircraft, 570 frigates and smuggler boats, and has set up a special National Guard headquarters to coordinate and dispatch the scattered troops stationed in the 10,000-mile frontier.

According to the concept of the General Staff, the total strength of the Xinhua army will be controlled at 2.7 million in three years, including 1.6 million in the army, 530,000 in the navy, 370,000 in the air force, and 200,000 in the National Guard.

In order to enhance the combat effectiveness of the army and retain elite personnel as much as possible, the General Staff also began to amend the Conscripts Act for the first time, allowing the army to retain some professional soldiers, and strive to increase the proportion of professional soldiers from less than one thousand to 40% in the next 10 years.

On September 15, the General Staff officially issued a revised disarmament order and announced that a victory parade would be held in Yanjing on the National Day!

On the same day, the parliament approved the inclusion of 76 islands far away from the mainland, including Reunion Island, Digo Garcia Islands, Chagos Islands, Prince Edwards Islands, Croze Islands, Kelgai Islands and Hurd Island in the Indian Ocean; Pacific Wick Island and Iwo Jima into Xinhua Land, becoming the first uninite territory. .

At the same time, the parliament also passed the merger of the purchase and cession of Alaska and the Yukon River into New Alaska Province, and the administrative division of Western Siberia, reconfirming the land area of Xinhua, and the non-stop adoption of the draft to modify the territorial scope of the Constitution...

(to be continued)