Compensation for used supplies could be made to the farmers at market prices. This method, even including the payment, would often cost much less than transporting supplies thousands of miles, while the compensation for the farmers would be much greater.
As for waging war abroad, the army’s expenses might be even less.
Of course, this model sounds simple, but implementing it still requires a whole set of scientific operational modes.
For example, procurement officers need to have considerable professional knowledge, knowing where to find supplies and how to communicate with the farmers.
Ahead of the army’s advance, people should be sent to notify the villages they would pass through to prepare supplies. This requires a very scientific calculation of the consumption of supplies.
How the collected supplies are to be quickly distributed to the units must also be considered.
And how to reallocate food via local administration in the villages that had their food requisitioned, to prevent situations where the farmers themselves don’t have enough to eat.
Joseph only knew the basic principles from documentaries he had watched in his previous life; the specific rules for supply still needed officers to continuously perfect them through practice.
However, this logistical mechanism also had significant limitations. For example, Napoleon suffered greatly in Russia, which was barren and hostile, because he relied on local replenishment. Nevertheless, Joseph, as someone from a later era, naturally would also take proactive measures to avoid similar situations.
Andre had no choice but to let the police academy instructors go and gathered his officers, starting to contemplate if he should also adopt this local procurement logistics model for his own army.
This was one of the reasons Joseph had the Mulan Regiment come and conduct exercises with the police academy students. As a military force he could trust, he also hoped Andre could learn some advanced concepts from the police academy students to improve his troops’ combat effectiveness.
Five days after leaving Tutsi Town, the police academy regiment arrived in Paris, swiftly “occupying” the high ground predetermined for the exercise, and then conducted detailed topographical mapping of the nearby terrain.
On the other hand, it took Andre a full four more days to pantingly catch up. The sight that greeted him was a defense position that had been firmly established by the “enemy” forces.
Still, Andre was an experienced veteran of battles and, facing an extremely disadvantaged situation, remained calm, gathering his officers to discuss tactics against the enemy.
At dawn the next day, the Murat’s Corps assembled in front of the police academy’s positions, forming three lines of infantry.
Bertier, watching from afar, put away his telescope and sighed somewhat regretfully to Dibowa beside him, “The students missed the best opportunity to attack.”
The latter nodded, “Yes, Murat’s Army had just made a forced march yesterday afternoon; they were at their most exhausted. If an assault had been launched then, they very well might have secured victory in one fell swoop.”
Bertier said, “They still can’t bear to give up the favorable terrain they hold. Although these young people are full of energy, they still lack real combat experience.”
Soon, Andre ordered the frontline infantry to launch a strong assault. At the same time, three six-pound cannons from Murat’s Corps roared from a slightly higher hill on the west side, covering the infantry’s charge. Experience new tales on empire
However, the police academy was well-prepared, and their artillery immediately returned fire. Because the police academy’s cannons were positioned higher and included an eight-pound cannon, their range was greater, quickly suppressing the opposing artillery.
The distance between the two sides’ infantry closed to within 100 paces, and the police academy’s formation fired first in volleys—they held the high ground and their caplock guns had longer range, so taking the first shot was not a problem.
Both sides’ soldiers used rounds made of pine, which disintegrated upon the impact of the gunpowder and did not cause any harm, but the piercing explosive sounds and the smoke-filled sky still sent all the soldiers’ adrenaline soaring as if they were on a real battlefield.
After advancing further, Murat’s Corps also began to return fire. The gunshots became more intense, and person after person was judged “killed in action” and left the battlefield.
What surprised Andre greatly was that the young police academy students’ shooting skills were no worse than his veterans’ and, with the aid of the caplock gun, their firing rate was consistently two beats faster than his side.
As Murat’s Corps continued to lose men, the frontline commanding officers finally could not hold out and issued the order to retreat.
In the police academy’s positions, a blue flag bearing the Crown Prince’s emblem immediately rose. Then the drummers and flag bearers of each company stepped forward three paces, and the urgent sound of the attack drums started up.
The military academy students’ infantry immediately advanced.
The collapsing Mulan Army’s speed of disintegration quickened. Before long, their second defensive line was exposed to the adversary.
The academy students promptly changed formation — the first line of infantry transformed into columns, and the second line took on the task of frontal firing.
As several squads of infantry charged within twenty paces of the Mulan Army, the latter could no longer hold and began to flee in disorder.
The drumbeat on the academy side quickened as well, and the second line of infantry, raising a battle cry, fixed bayonets and charged at the enemy.
The Mulan Army’s last line of infantry had started retreating early and had already withdrawn to the flat lands below the high ground. Mere minutes later, as many as seven companies of the academy students reached them.
Curiously, the Mulan Army did not seem panicked but, led by their officers, routed the soldiers to both sides, while the last line of infantry delivered fierce fire.
Meanwhile, three cannons appeared on the flank of the Mulan Army, beginning to bombard the approaching academy students.
Clearly, these cannons had only feigned the inability to withstand the enemy’s firepower and had stealthily moved to this position.
Andre smiled and gave a knowing glance to the orderly officer.
The latter immediately ran to the flag bearer and loudly conveyed the orders.
Minutes later, a squadron of Mulan Army cavalry emerged from behind the mounds on the eastern side of the battlefield, cutting directly into the academy students’ infantry line that had pursued too deeply.
The Mulan Army’s first two collapsed lines of infantry quickly reorganized and closed in from both sides.
It was then that the academy instructors realized it was a trap to lure the enemy in deep. Seeing a large group of infantry about to be encircled, they immediately committed the reserves and cavalry to the battlefield, preparing to use hand-to-hand combat to rescue the infantry.
Once the melee broke out, the exercise judges found it very difficult to carry out effective casualty assessments.
In the end, Colonel Bertier, concerned about the risk of accidents during close-combat, halted the skirmish between the two sides after half an hour.
By then, Murat’s Corps had “lost” over 200 men. Although the academy students had been outmaneuvered, their prior shooting engagement had been to their advantage, and with their bravery in close combat not yielding an inch to the enemy, their “casualties” were actually slightly fewer.
After a day’s rest, Bertier’s Corps also arrived to join in the exercises. The practical drills, now with three parties, proceeded vigorously and would continue until the end of the month.
…
In the office of the Industrial Planning Bureau.
Joseph looked at the practical exercise report sent by Bertier and others, and nodded with a smile, “The cadets’ military accomplishments are indeed commendable, but they still need more combat experience.”
He then turned to Frient and said, “For the students who have performed outstandingly in the exercises, you can allow them to graduate early and join Bertier’s Army, taking on the role of junior officers.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Colonel Bertier and I also believe that some of them are in no way inferior to the officers of the nobility,” the other replied.
As they were speaking, Eman knocked and entered, bowing to Joseph, “Your Highness, we just received news from Marseille. The King of Spain has sent you three ships’ worth of grain. They docked at the port ten days ago.”
[Note 1] In reality, in Napoleon’s army, the personal belongings of officers were always the bane of the supply camp, and the problem was never fully resolved. Even Napoleon himself would bring a bathtub to the battlefield. However, compared to other traditional armies, Napoleon’s officers were quite restrained.
[Note 2] Napoleon anticipated the difficulties of supply in Russia and had prepared much more logistics support than before. Nonetheless, he partially hoped for supplies from Russia itself. Unfortunately, the food and fodder gathered by the French Army in Russia were very limited, worsening the French Army’s situation.