250 Recruit Camp (1/2)
In order to form a special force, other than the need for candidate selection and a training base, there was still one more requirement they needed to meet—the innovation of weaponries.
They would equip the troops with accessories such as canteens1, backpacks, marching boots, first aid kits, and engineering shovels, in addition to the Shanhai City metal-laceration medicines, military grain pills, and military tents. While the main weaponry would consist of armors, Tang Swords, god arm crossbows, and Qingfu horses. There were also plans for the future development of a military knife.
Hence, the formation of a special forces was a comprehensive project. If they succeeded, it would result in an overall enhancement of the Shanhai City military. It would push the military on the fast path of becoming elites.
The idea of an elite route had long lurked in Ouyang Shuo’s mind, but he didn’t implement it before. Now, with the military forces taking up one-tenth of the population, it brought an immense financial burden to the territory.
At the same time, if they had too many manpower join the military, the industry and economy of the territory would stagnate. Ouyang Shuo’s planned to regulate the number of military forces to 1/15 or even 1/20 of the total population.
Gaia, 1st year October, 12th, Western suburb of Shanhai City.
In four days time, the Construction Division had established a temporary military camp for the 3,250 candidates and the instructors.
With Viper as the leader and Cobra as vice leader, the instructor team would commence the first round of screening tests.
The foundation of the special forces was physical fitness. In modern military screening, the basic physical fitness test included five-kilometers weight-bearing runs, single parallel bars, 400-meters barrier run, push-ups, and many other exercises.
Currently, all these tests were unfamiliar to the soldiers.
Therefore, the instructor team did not commence the screening immediately. Instead, they started a round of adaptive training. They took this opportunity to also get familiar with the physical fitness of the candidates and draft the training programs accordingly.
According to Ouyang Shuo’s request, other than adaptive training, the instructor team would also provide basic foundation training such as military drill formation, emergency assembly, housekeeping, and the other recruit training.
In truth, the temporary military camp actually acted as a recruitment camp.
Ouyang Shuo did not only want to form a group of special forces. He also wanted to inject the ways of modern military into the marrows of the bones of the Shanhai military. He aimed to enhance and discipline them and also teach them to use more logical scientific knowledge to solve problems.
For this reason, Ouyang Shuo had laid down the military behavior code of conduct long ago. Unfortunately, Ouyang Shuo was only a layman regarding this matter. He couldn’t even practice it himself, so how could he implement it within the military?
The arrival of the instructors acted as an opportunity.
Even if they disqualified the candidates from the list of special forces, these disqualified candidates could still bring along what they had learned in the camp back to their respective units and popularize it.
Under Ouyang Shuo’s command, every regiment needed to at least send a major and five captains to join the training. The training would mainly focus on them, and they would also become the backbone that spread the training across the Shanhai military.
Due to the candidates being the best of the soldiers, a small discussion between Ouyang Shuo and the instructors took place. They decided that they would set the training period to one month. After one month, the candidates would go through the first round of screening selection.
The day they formed the recruitment camp, Ouyang Shuo personally went to the camp and gave a speech. He emphasized the importance of discipline and requested the soldiers to strictly follow the commands of the instructors. Otherwise, he would see to their punishment according to the military law.
After he settled all these matters, Ouyang Shuo would pour all of his focus into the upcoming Moon Island naval battle.
In between these events, a little interesting incident took place.
Song Jia suddenly returned to the manor to look for Ouyang Shuo. She said, “Wuyi, I want to recommend you a person.”
“Who is it? What person can make our Dongli Sword Sect Leader, Song Jia, personally come down from the mountain?” Ouyang Shuo teased.
Song Jia hammered him and coquettishly said, “Brat Woodsy, I am trying to help you, and you dare to tease me!”
“Alright, alright, alright! Say, who is it?” Ouyang Shuo raised both of his hands in surrender.
“Didn’t Tan Xiaoli and Meng Feifei come the past few days? I took them into the Dongli Sword Sect. After they settled down, they also brought their families into the territory. Guess what? The father of Meng Feifei, Meng Zhida, is not an ordinary man at all. He was part of the senior management team of the Bank of Jiao State. I think he can fill in your urgent need of finance professionals. That’s why I purposely came down the mountain to tell you this,” Song Jia explained.
As the Four Seas Bank expanded from day to day, Ouyang Shuo sought real-world talents to take charge of Four Seas Bank. He wanted to put an end to the rough and primitive operating mode and change toward a more systematic and fine form of management.
The professionals stationed in Shanhai City were all talents in theoretical research and science. None of them were financial experts, and they had no experience in any bank or financial institution.
The Song Family had these sorts of talents, but in order to avoid arousing suspicion, both Song Jia and Ouyang Shuo consciously avoided the topic. They did not think of asking the Song Family to help.
However, as time went by, this matter had become a troubling issue for Ouyang Shuo. Song Jia knew of it very well. Therefore, after she learned of the background of Meng Feifei’s father, she rushed down the mountain without a second delay.