Chapter 378: What Is the Name
Borneo Island, which is what later generations called Kalimantan Island.
With so many forces crowded on a small island, it is destined to be an uneasy place.
Since the 18th century, there have been constant conflicts on the island.
There are conflicts between different chieftains on the island, conflicts between Chinese and chieftains, and conflicts between Chinese company gangs of different interest groups.
After the expansion of the Dutch East India Company, at the instruction of the Batavia colonial government, the Dutch East India Company occupied the trading bases along the coast of Borneo Island.
After the Dutch East India Company got involved in Borneo Island, it was very afraid of the strength of the local Chinese company gangs.
The Dutch East India Company was worried that these Chinese groups would be too powerful and threaten its rule in the East Indies.
However, the paradox is that the Dutch want to grab more wealth in the East Indies, but they have to rely on the local Chinese to create more wealth to provide taxes for the Dutch East India Company.
After all, the local natives can't create much wealth. Most of the wealth in Southeast Asia is not in the hands of the local chiefdoms, but in the hands of the Chinese who have immigrated and settled in various parts of Southeast Asia since Zheng He's voyages to the West.
This rule has not changed in the 21st century. Half of the modern history of Southeast Asia is the history of the development and blood and tears of Chinese immigrants.
It's just that after experiencing countless anti-Chinese riots, the Chinese in Southeast Asia have intentionally or unintentionally diluted their Chinese identity and sought to localize themselves.
Hoping to integrate into the local culture to avoid being poisoned again.
Even Singapore, where Chinese immigrants account for more than 75%, is obviously the majority group in the local area, but has always been vague about its Chinese identity.
The attitude towards the Chinese in Southeast Asia, whether it is the Spanish colonial government, the Dutch colonial government or the British colonial government, is consistent, that is, use and suppress.
Use the Chinese to create wealth for their colonial government. Once the Chinese have signs of becoming powerful.
The colonial government instigated the local chiefdom to suppress the Chinese, but these chiefdoms are often not very useful.
Finally, these colonial companies still had to take advantage of the conflicts between different Chinese gangs to provoke infighting between different interest groups of the Chinese.
If they still couldn't suppress the increasingly powerful Chinese forces, or if the conspiracy failed, they would take action directly.
In 1850, the Dutch East India Company government directly dispatched troops from Batavia to support the Dutch East India Company's colonization forces on the island of Borneo to attack the Heshun General Hall in Talao (the Chinese company gang alliance headed by the Dagang Company).
The two sides have since started a four-year company war.
This is also the first time that the Chinese forces on the island of Borneo have united to fight against Western colonial forces.
In the year of the war, the Lan Fang Company in Dongwanlu and the San Tiaogou Company, the two largest local Chinese forces, chose to stand on the same front with their compatriots to fight against the Dutch.
The Chinese Alliance had a good record at the beginning of the war, and even took back Bangga, which was occupied by the Dutch East India Company in the northwest of Pontianak.
However, after three years of war, the Chinese have gradually become unable to cope with it.
The Dutch East India Company had a steady supply of blood transfusions from the mainland, but these Chinese did not.
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[1850 American Gold Tycoon]
Since the Qianlong period, Robert Fang of the Lanfang Company has submitted a petition to Emperor Qianlong, hoping that the Qing Dynasty can send officials and troops to directly govern the Pontianak area in western Borneo controlled by the Chinese, as the gateway to the Wanli Shitang (Spratly Islands) of the Qing Dynasty.
It can deter the natives and Westerners in Southeast Asia and protect the safety of the Chinese in Southeast Asia, and it can protect the southern sea borders of the Qing Dynasty.
However, with the short-sightedness of the Qing rulers, Robert Fang's request was naturally rejected, and they were even unwilling to accept the Lanfang Republic as a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty.
In the eyes of the Qing rulers, the Qing Dynasty is so good, and you unruly people still emigrate overseas. Aren't you slapping the Qing Dynasty in the face?
The Manchu rulers had always had a bad attitude towards overseas Chinese, believing that all overseas Chinese were either pirates or remnants of the former Ming Dynasty who wanted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty like the Ming Zheng and Tiandihui forces.
Although the Manchu Qing Dynasty rejected the request of the Lanfang Republic to become a vassal state, Robert Fang and others still claimed to be a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty.
This did indeed scare many forces on the island of Borneo in the early days, and even the Dutch East India Company was a little bit afraid.
But with the Qing Dynasty's disastrous defeat in the Opium War, the colonists of the Dutch East India Company became more active.
"They have so many people and they still want us to provide protection? And they are bullied like this by the red hair?"
Deng Wenqi, who was stubborn, couldn't figure out the connection.
There are only about 400,000 or 500,000 Chinese in California, which is not much more than the Chinese on the island of Borneo.
"They are different from us. We have a strong army, our own arsenal and industry, but they don't." Liang Yao smiled bitterly.
Fremont saw Liang Yao's thoughts: "Do you want to provide protection for your local compatriots and then grow rubber on Borneo?"
"If there is a place suitable for growing rubber in the United States, I would like to grow it directly on the mainland." Liang Yao said.
"Although the territory of the United States is large, it's a pity that there is no place suitable for growing tropical crops." Fremont smiled, "Rubber is very commercially valuable. I also want to build a few plantations in Southeast Asia, count me in."
"Aren't you a staunch abolitionist? Why do you want to run a plantation?" Liang Yao teased Fremont.
"For the dollar." Fremont was frank, he said bluntly, "I just oppose those Dixie guys who own slaves and run plantations in the United States."
"The workers in the Yankee factory don't necessarily live any better than the black slaves of the Dixie guys." Liang Yao laughed.
"But at least they are free people and have freedom." Fremont said.
"What are you going to do to get involved in Borneo Island? Last time you went on an expedition to Japan, Japan was a regime not recognized by the United States, and the country could give you a great degree of support, but this time, you are going to get involved in the sphere of influence of the Dutch East India Company.
The Dutch East India Company is backed by the Netherlands, which is a country on the European continent. Even if the federal government wants overseas colonies, I know those congressmen in Congress very well. They dare not tear their faces with the countries on the European continent in public.
I am afraid that this time, the support you can get from the federal government will be very limited, at least the navy will not come forward directly."
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[1850 American Gold Tycoon]
Fremont himself is a senator from California, and he knows what kind of people those senators and congressmen in Congress are.
"In the name of the colonization company, I have Umbrella Company. It just so happens that I am going to carry out military reforms and reorganize the troops recently. Retired personnel can reorganize an armed force as mercenaries of Umbrella Company." Liang Yao said.
The California Infantry Regiment was established in the early days of the gold rush. In the early days of the gold rush, California's gold was not as valuable as it is now. In order to win people's hearts, Liang Yao paid these soldiers very high salaries.
Although Liang Yao has adjusted the salaries of the California Infantry Regiment under various names in the past four years, the salaries of the soldiers of the California Infantry Regiment are still very high.
The monthly salary of an ordinary soldier in the California Infantry Regiment is 70 US dollars.
This is higher than the salary of a lieutenant officer in an ordinary American infantry regiment.
Liang Yao could not afford such a high cost. Although this army is nominally an American army.
However, the War Department paid the California Infantry Regiment at the salary of a normal American infantry regiment, which is 8 US dollars per month.
The remaining gap of 62 US dollars will naturally be filled by Liang Yao himself, which means that Liang Yao will pay about 750,000 US dollars to the big soldiers of the California Infantry Regiment next year.
This is just the salary. The miscellaneous expenses such as clothing, weapons and ammunition, food, drink, defecation, daily training, etc. are added together. The annual expenditure must be more than one million US dollars.
Even the weapons were solved by Liang Yao himself.
He didn't like the old Springfield M1842 provided by the War Department, not to mention that he had to queue up to get these weapons approved by the War Department.
If he only had one California Infantry Regiment, it would be fine. The key is that Liang Yao now has four regiments in his hands, and he also wants to form special artillery, cavalry, and engineering units.
If the soldiers of each infantry regiment were paid such high salaries, he couldn't stand it.
The Arizona Infantry Regiment also expressed its dissatisfaction when it learned that the salary of the California Infantry Regiment was much higher than theirs.
Although the current price level in California is still higher than that in the eastern United States, it is much more normal than in 1850.
If Liang Yao wants to form a western brigade, the problem of excessive treatment of the California Infantry Regiment must be solved.
The salary level of ordinary soldiers of the Arizona Infantry Regiment of $25 a month is a more appropriate salary for California soldiers.
The original team of the California Infantry Regiment is now divided into two parts.
Five companies became the troops stationed in Nagasaki, and five companies were stationed in San Francisco.
Moreover, the employment contracts that Liang Yao had signed with these soldiers were about to expire, and the Arizona Infantry Regiment had also formed combat power. Now was a good opportunity to solve this problem.
Liang Yao had also considered how to place these people. Liang Yao would naturally keep the excellent non-commissioned officers. These people, the skeleton of their California Infantry Regiment, could not be moved.
Liang Yao wanted to lay off ordinary soldiers.
After all, they had been with him for so long, and Liang Yao still had feelings for these soldiers. He did not want to simply dismiss them. He still hoped to give them a good arrangement and destination.
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[1850 American Gold Tycoon]
These retired soldiers wanted to work locally.
Liang Yao planned to arrange them to police stations in various places. At present, California’s police force is still relatively scarce.
California’s current police system is relatively rough, with three levels of police stations established in towns, cities, and states.
The salaries of police officers in each police station are all borne by the local finances.
As for those who still want to join the army and do their old job, Liang Yao plans to let them join Umbrella Company in the name of Umbrella Company's hired forces and become Umbrella Company's mercenaries.
Of course, Liang Yao is not simply cutting down the California Infantry Regiment and reducing their wages in this military reform.
Liang Yao also has to make some adjustments in the organization.
The California Infantry Regiment follows the organization of the US Army.
In the early and mid-19th century, the organization of the US Army was relatively simple, adopting a four-level organization of squad, company, regiment, and brigade.
This organization was decided by American generals in the era of line infantry to be the most suitable organization for the U.S. Army.
All of Liang Yao's troops have been equipped with more advanced, more efficient single-shot rifled rifles.
The organization of the line infantry era may not be suitable for his current weapons and equipment.
Seeing Liang Yao's waste, even the Prussian instructors he hired from Prussia to assist in training the army could not stand it.
Kruger once told him directly that the money he used to support the California Infantry Regiment was more than enough to support a standing brigade or even a standing division in Prussia.
Kruger suggested that Liang Yao could refer to the Prussian military system and set up a battalion-level organization between the company and the regiment.
Moreover, there is no need to maintain a 100% full staffing rate in peacetime. It is enough to maintain a staffing rate of 50% to 60% like the Prussian army.
This not only saves money, but also allows soldiers to maintain good combat effectiveness during wartime. It is a very cost-effective choice.
Kruger only saw the current situation in California. As a Prussian, he did not understand the current situation in the United States. The judgment and suggestions he made based on his own experience were relatively reasonable.
In fact, among the 19 infantry regiments of the U.S. Army, only Liang Yao's California Infantry Regiment and Arizona Infantry Regiment have been fully staffed all year round.
Although the American mobilization system is not as perfect as that of Prussia, which is always preparing for war, it still has the mobilization capabilities of a modern country. After the outbreak of the civil war, both the North and the South quickly mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops.
However, the quality of the U.S. military mobilized soldiers is definitely not as good as that of Prussia at the same time.
The national conditions of the United States and Prussia are different. The suggestions of these Prussian instructors can be used as a reference, but they cannot be copied blindly.
Liang Yao is not sure whether the civil war will quickly spread to California after it breaks out.
However, one thing is certain, that is, he will definitely not be able to compete with either side of the North or the South in terms of manpower.
He is unable to organize a large-scale army in a small corner of the west coast. The elite force strategy is more suitable for him.
Liang Yao's idea is to make his battalion-level troops comparable to other US regiments, or even capable of defeating one of the other regiments.
In this way, one of his regiments can be competent for the combat mission of the remaining US brigades.
Now that he has the rank of brigadier general and the organization of four regiments, he can legitimately slowly explore a set of military organization that suits him.
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[1850 American Gold Tycoon]
"It's a good idea to enter Borneo Island in the name of hired armed forces by the colonial company. The two colonial companies have torn their faces, and the government still has room for maneuver." Fremont agreed with Liang Yao's approach, but he still had doubts.
"Can your mercenaries deal with the army of the Dutch East India Company?"