Chương 492: 474 is unimaginably large

Chu Country, the border.

Below a simple watchtower was a cluster of buildings constructed from wood, resembling a military camp.

A wooden fence surrounded it and within were barrack-like structures built of wood. This was a typical border garrison spot, typically housing a battalion of 500 men.

Under normal circumstances, this border camp should be equipped with at least 10 Shireck muzzle-loading field cannons; however, the border soldiers often had incomplete rosters, so it was likely that such camps would only deploy 5 cannons.

Similarly, the battalion's number of combat soldiers would not be at full strength, as commanders would habitually embezzle part of the soldiers' pay, which was a practice seen with amusement by the higher-ups.

This was a flaw within the old system; if border commanders wanted to enrich themselves, they naturally had to bleed the soldiers, hence the persistent issue of understaffing.