The military force consisted of two battalions: one was made up of soldiers of chindai (garrison in the Meiji era) and the other was formed by the former shizoku in Kyushu regions who had been recruited on the condition that they be granted permanent residence of occupied lands.
兵力は二個大隊であり、うち鎮台兵は一個大隊で残りは「植民兵」として薩摩など九州各地の士族で占領地永住を前提に募集・編成されたものであった。