Chapter 135: My victory over His Highness is like slaughtering a chicken but a dog! (Updated with 10,000 words starting tomorrow)
Seeing Xia Zhibai glance at the fire gun, Zhu Di couldn't help showing a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He waved his hand and said: "Since you want to see it, it doesn't hurt to show it to you."
"This thing is called a three-eyed gun."
"It is the most sophisticated one in my Ming Dynasty. One of the firearms.”
Zhu Di raised his chin slightly, with a bit of pride in his eyes.
Firearms first appeared in the Song Dynasty, but they were later copied by the Jin people and created the ‘Flying Fire Gun’.
The Southern Song Dynasty took it back and improved it, turning it into a 'fire gun'. However, the range of the gun at this time was only a few meters, and the main spray was flames and iron sand.
Thus extremely unstable.
Since the Yuan Dynasty, single-eyed guns and three-eyed guns have appeared in the world.
The firecrackers at this time were obviously different from the past. They were no longer filled with iron sand, but gunpowder and projectiles. The method also changed to lighting them with a match rope or burning incense, followed by a wooden stick for holding, and firing the projectiles. After that, the three-eyed gun is heavy enough and can be used as a blunt weapon.
After discovering the great power of firearms, Zhu Yuanzhang also attached great importance to firearms.
In today's Ming Dynasty, firearms are handled by specialized arms bureaus and war warfare bureaus, and standardized production is also implemented.
On some blunderbuss bodies, there are also inscriptions such as the time and place of casting, the weight of the blunderbuss body, the name of the blunderbuss maker, and the place of use to ensure the quality of production and the institutionalization of use.
In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang also ordered: One hundred households of ordinary soldiers, ten blunderbuss, twenty swords, thirty bows and arrows, and forty spears.
All this is enough to prove that the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to firearms.
Xia Zhibai nodded.
Of course he recognized it as a firecracker.
He reached out to take it, looked at the match rope on it, looked at it for a few times, then returned it, and asked: "How far can this fire blunderbuss shoot? How lethal is it?"
Zhu Di frowned.
He was a little confused as to why Xia Zhibai asked these questions.
However, Zhu Di did not stop him and asked the soldier who was questioned to return.
The soldier's face was a little nervous. He looked at the fire gun in Xia Zhibai's hand and said, "Sir, this fire gun weighs six kilograms. It costs three coins of medicine and two coins of lead bullets. Its range is from ten steps to two hundred paces. But the real damage is within forty steps."
"But the fire cannon will make a lot of noise and a lot of smoke, so even if it is forty steps away, it can still hit the enemy. Cause an impact."
Xia Zhibai stared at the soldier and said: "That means the effective range is only forty steps, so how accurate can it be with one hit? Is it easy to load the gun ammunition? Will it explode during use, or will it be troublesome to operate? ”
Xia Zhibai asked a lot of questions in succession.
The soldier's face changed slightly. He glanced at Zhu Di nervously and was afraid to speak.
Zhu Di squinted, looked at Xia Zhibai suspiciously, and said proactively: "Why do you ask these questions?"
"Fire guns are more complicated than you think, and the types are also more diverse than you think. "More."
"The fire cannons used by individual soldiers are called hand cannons, and the ones used by warships and pass guards are called bowl-kou cannons, zhankou cannons, and multi-barrelled cannons. But fire cannons, after all, It is related to gunpowder and has certain dangers, so it is naturally time-consuming to load and the accuracy is not very good, but it is enough for use on the battlefield.”
"The most important thing is to be able to scare the horses!"
"The Mongols are good at riding. Once the horses are frightened, they will not be able to form an effective impact on our Ming army."
Zhu Di rides the horse with one hand. , filled with great pride.
He actually values fire blunderbuss very much and has been studying it in private.
Based on his research on firearms, he has indeed figured out something. The muskets are in the front and the cavalry are in the back. The forwards should be sparse and the rear troops should be dense. The fronts are sparse and strong, and the formations are dense and strong. When the battle begins, After that, first use the blunderbuss to destroy its front, and then use the cavalry to attack its stronghold.
Because of this.
He is so confident.
I think I can show great power in the subsequent Northern Expedition.
Xia Zhibai shook his head and said: "What I want is the specific situation of the fire gun."
"How many steps can it kill with one blow, and how many steps can it cause effective damage to the enemy? Fire gun Will the barrel explode? There may be a number of people who have been injured or killed due to the use of firecrackers in the past years due to errors in the operation of firecrackers, problems with the maintenance of firecrackers, or the overall number of people who have been injured or killed by the use of firecrackers.”
Zhu Di was silent.
Xia Zhibai withdrew his gaze and looked at the soldier again, looking for the answer.
The soldier hesitated for a moment and said slowly: "Within ten steps, the possibility of killing with one strike is very high, but it is not absolute. Effective damage can be caused within fifty steps. Otherwise, you can only harass the enemy."
"The fire gun will explode!"
"And it will explode a lot."
"As for the three hundred gunmen in the army, half of them have encountered it."
"It's just that the specific circumstances are different."
"Loading is very troublesome. Many times, volley fire After one round, there is no chance to reload. Therefore, the army prefers to use three-eyed blunderbuss compared to single-eyed blunderbuss, because the three-eyed blunderbuss can be released continuously and can be used as a weapon after use, so that the Mongolian cavalry will not be forced to hold it. If you rush forward, you will have no backhand ability."
Xia Zhibai frowned and said: "That means that fire guns are not very practical in the military, and they are more of a deterrent."
"At the same time, the current use of firecrackers in the army is to place them in front of the formation. When facing the enemy's vanguard, fire a round to penetrate the enemy's army, and then withdraw to the back. Generally speaking, the firecrackers only play a supporting role. Not so ‘powerful’?”
The soldier hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Zhu Di frowned.
He didn't understand what Xia Zhibai did.
Isn’t this enough?
The Mongols are good at riding, and as long as the enemy's horses are frightened, they will rarely retreat without defeat.
Even if the enemy dares to forcefully approach, the infantry units attached to the vehicles will form a military formation in order, with the cane players in the front, the palladium players in the front, the spearmen in the second, and the gunmen in the second to fight with the enemy. When the enemy's formation collapses, the rear troops will The cavalry gathered densely, and then attacked the enemy's main unit with an overwhelming momentum, chasing down and annihilating the fleeing enemy.
This is Zhu Di's ideal way of using troops.
Xia Zhibai smiled.
He walked away from the soldier.
Went to another place where a cannon was placed.
Xia Zhibai reached out and patted it. It was very heavy. When he patted it with his hand, he almost made no sound. Xia Zhibai looked forward and said to the soldiers below: "How many gunners are there in the army?"
Zhu Di raised his eyebrows.
He became more and more confused.
Isn’t Xia Zhibai a scholar? Why are you just staring at these firearms?
What does he know about firearms?
At this time, Yuan Gong took the initiative and said: "This is artillery."
"In the army, there are one cannon for every five hundred households."
"There are currently twenty cannons in the army and one hundred gunners. People."
"Compared with the firecrackers Xia Jinshi saw earlier, the artillery is obviously larger and heavier, and more difficult to carry. Therefore, it is mostly used for city defense or siege, as for field battles and water battles. , or naval battles, although it will work, but the effect will be reduced."
"In addition, the artillery barrels are mostly filled with stones, lead, iron, etc., and of course, sometimes explosive pellets are also filled." br>
"The range of artillery is generally from a few hundred steps to two or three miles."
"It can be said to be a magic weapon for attacking fortresses."
"Although firearms are powerful, they are also unstable."
“However, the artillery has a much smaller chance of exploding the barrel than the gun, but sometimes it is easy to fail to fire and jam the barrel. If it fires explosive pellets, there is a certain chance of the barrel exploding. In the past, the military This situation has happened before." Xia Zhibai glanced at Yuan Gong.
Yao Guangxiao smiled and said: "This is Yuan Gong from eastern Zhejiang, the best in the world."
"Currently working for His Highness King Yan."
Xia Zhibai looked Yuan Gong up and down. After a few glances, it seems that I have heard of it, but I don’t have much impression.
He bowed his hands in salute.
Xia Zhibai didn't seem to care much about Zhu Di's manpower, but was more concerned about the condition of these artillery. He put his hand on the artillery and asked again: "Are there any accurate artillerymen in the army who can do this? Where to fight? ”
Zhu Di and others looked at each other.
This is artillery.
It’s not like children playing house, how can it be so easy to point out where to play?
The size of the artillery projectiles is different, and different projectiles are different. It is difficult to control accurately. If it can be guaranteed within twenty steps, it can be considered accurate.
Zhu Di said coldly: "You really don't understand firearms. Firearms are related to gunpowder and are inherently difficult to control. If you can launch them stably and cause a certain amount of damage, it would be very impressive. If you can If you hit wherever you point, the Mongolian cavalry will have already surrendered.”
Xia Zhibai said: "There should be someone in the army who can fight relatively accurately, right?"
"Of course there is." Zhu Di said with a proud face: "I, Zhu Di, attach great importance to the military, and to firearms They also attach great importance to it and specially select suitable artillerymen from thousands of soldiers. Each of them is an elite. "But not all of them can shoot accurately," Xia Zhibai said. .
Xia Zhibai walked back slowly, looked at Zhu Di with his eyes, and said with a smile: "Does your Highness have craftsmen who make or maintain firearms?"
Zhu Di nodded.
Xia Zhibai said: "Then I can clearly say that His Highness does not care much about military affairs. If His Highness really cares about military affairs, and the firearms and artillery in his army have exploded one after another, and have not been improved for several years, he should These craftsmen are accountable."
"If only a few people can't hit it accurately, it may be a human problem."
"But with so many people, only a few can. If you are right, then it means that it is a problem with firearms. The problem of firearms can actually cause the army that His Highness is proud of to reduce its personnel in a non-war state, but His Highness not only does not notice it, but even does not take it seriously. This fully shows that His Highness has a deep concern for the army. The real situation doesn’t really matter.”
“Your Highness only cares about his own military achievements.”
"As a general, in terms of tactics and strategies, there is not much progress, and I rely entirely on others to arrange troops. In terms of running the army, the military discipline is not strict, the top and bottom are relaxed and lax, and they are completely indifferent to the casualties of the soldiers. The army in your hands is Therefore, the reason why they can win the battle is not because they are strong, but because Mongolia is too weak now."
"In addition, these soldiers of the Ming Dynasty are not afraid of death."
"But Na. Is it really worth fighting the war with the blood of so many soldiers?"
"I don't think it is worth it"
"Because your highness could have done better."
"Deduce the follow-up of the war in advance, make sufficient preparations for the war, at least have a basis for advance and retreat, and have a clear plan for the specific formation of troops, so that the soldiers can be familiar with it. Wouldn't it be possible to reduce the number of troops to a greater extent? Military casualties? Planning and then acting has always been the way for a military leader to lead troops, but His Highness seems to have no idea at all."
Xia Zhibai shook his head lightly.
He stood with his hands behind his back, staring at Zhu Di, and said with a smile: "Although I am not talented, if I can lead the army for five years, and rely on the method of forming a stronghold to fight the war, I only need to command the army for five years. Years ago, the same army would only slaughter chickens and dogs when facing His Highness's army."
"Because I am deducing every move of Your Highness."
"Xia Zhi. Bai!" Hearing Xia Zhibai's words, Zhu Di was completely angry. With a clang sound, Zhu Di pulled out his sword and said proudly: "Since you are so dissatisfied with me, I will help you. I will fight with real swords and guns on the battlefield.”
"I want to see how you can defeat me like slaughtering chickens and dogs!"
Zhu Di was also annoyed.
He has always looked down on others, when will it be others' turn to look down on him?
It is still the military aspect that he is most proud of.
Xia Zhibai laughed, with a hint of contempt in his eyes: "If Your Highness is only competitive, it means that His Highness is not suitable to stay in the army, and is more suitable to stay in the countryside and fight with the ruffians among the people. Rogue, wouldn’t it be more enjoyable to do something like a cockfight?”
"You" Zhu Di glared at him.
Xia Zhibai sneered: "Your Highness has no strategy and tactics, has not done anything related to intelligence, does not know the big aspects, and does not pay attention to the small aspects. Even the most basic military discipline is not strict in leading the troops. This How can people be convinced that His Highness is an excellent commander?”
“I dare to ask where His Highness usually manages the army.”
“Is it not the same as when he came today? When winning a battle and shouting, or taking the soldiers out for hunting every now and then, or going to fight with Mongolian spies, and then coming back swaggering, or simply training some troops and shouting slogans? "
"If that's all."
"The combat effectiveness of the Ming army is really worrying."
"It has only been eighteen years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and the army has already declined to this point. Now that Mongolia is in decline and internal conflicts continue, this has given the Ming army the opportunity to pursue victory. It's possible, but what about in the future? The prosperity of the Ming Dynasty is all in vain. If this layer of window paper is pierced in the future, wouldn't it become a massacre? "
"Who will be pierced at that time? Can anyone come to defend the Ming Dynasty? "
"Rely on the soldiers below?"
Xia Zhibai sighed softly, his eyes becoming serious.
His eyes swept over Zhu Di, Yao Guangxiao and others one by one, and said calmly: "Your Highness, you have led the army for so long, but have you ever asked the soldiers below if they know who they are fighting for and why? "
"What does the war mean to them?"
"Has His Highness asked?"
One word fell.
The originally lively camp suddenly became quiet.
The whole place was silent.
The soldiers below all looked confused.
Who are you fighting for? Why fight? What's the point of fighting?
Do they know?
Don’t know.
They are military households. In the past, they followed the orders of the court. They did whatever the court asked them to do. They had no choice.
But do they really like fighting?
Don’t like it.
They don’t seem to know the meaning of fighting. What’s the point of winning and what’s the point of losing?
In the early years, the Tartars were expelled, but now the Mongols have fled north.
Then why continue the Northern Expedition?
Making great achievements?
They are just a small pawn, what achievements can they accomplish? What business do you want to establish?
Zhu Di, Yao Guangxiao and others were also stunned.
They naturally know what fighting means to them. It is military merit, it is merit, it is a great honor, and it is also an opportunity for them to prove themselves, but this is limited to a few of them, and for most soldiers There is no point in fighting a war.
So why are they still actively fighting for their own lives?
Think of this.
There was a solemn look in Zhu Di's eyes.
Xia Zhibai withdrew his gaze. He stood in front of the army again and said calmly: "Many of you don't know who you are fighting for and why, but I can tell you why you are here. , why do you want to participate in the war with Bei Yuan, why must this war be fought? "
I have been numbed by things in real life recently, and I only sleep a few hours a day. I will resume normal updates tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)