Chapter 597 Actual Battle Situation
Although Haihan has relatively close military cooperation with Fujian, control over arms exports has never been relaxed. From artillery and battleships to rifles and bullets, all arms orders must first pass the double review of the Military Commission and the Executive Committee before "Haihan Ordnance Industry" can sign a sales agreement with Fujian. Among the relevant control measures, the control over ammunition and gun spare parts is undoubtedly the most stringent. This is also Haihan's main means of controlling the situation in Fujian.
Although Fujian is also trying to imitate manufacturing, some key craftsmanship cannot be mastered by the craftsmen of this era. Therefore, whether it is the accuracy and durability of spare parts or the quality of gunpowder, the local products in Fujian are the same as those of the original factory. There is a relatively obvious gap between the products, and this gap will also be intuitively reflected in the performance of the weapon, affecting the accuracy, range and maintenance of the weapon. Although the equipment level of the troops under Xu Xinsu was quite good, their ability to continue fighting was extremely limited, and this inevitably affected their daily training. In order to save ammunition and reduce weapon losses, the army here rarely conducts live ammunition training. The combat effectiveness and combat experience are indeed incomparable with the Haihan Militia.
If we want to discuss this issue in depth, embarrassment will inevitably arise on both sides, so Shi Diwen did not continue to ask this question, but took the initiative to change the topic: "Now, are the troops under your command based on the Ming army's establishment, or... According to our Haihan establishment? ”
"In order to facilitate command, they have all been converted into Haihan formations." Xu Yuzhuo answered honestly: "All the Haihan weapons are installed in the Zhongzuo Institute, and almost all the officers leading troops in the Zhongzuo Institute have gone to Victory Port. I have studied abroad and am familiar with the Haihan military system. If we follow the previous organization, some combat tactics will be difficult to implement.”
The current registered strength of Zhongzuo City is 1,240 people, but the actual garrison size is slightly larger than the data on paper. According to Haihan's establishment, there are two battalions of the army stationed on the island, plus logistics personnel, the total strength is about 1,500 people. During the war, two more battalions will be transferred from Zhangzhou to supplement the force, bringing the combat strength here to more than 2,000.
With all the guns and cannons and a strong city to defend, it is really difficult for the army of this time and space to capture this place. Like a pirate-level armed force, Shi Diwen estimated that it would need four to five times the strength to break through the defense line and invade the city.
In order to confirm his guess, Shi Diwen asked: "When Shibazhi came to attack here, how many troops did they use at most? What was the result?"
Xu Yuzhuo responded: "The largest number was at the beginning of last year. It was estimated that five or six thousand enemies attacked from the sea. At that time, the enemies had already attacked the west city wall, but in the end our army fought back with all their strength. That battle lasted two In one day, our army killed more than 1,400 people and sank and damaged more than ten enemy ships. This was the most successful battle since the battle with Shibazhi. "
Shi Diwen nodded and continued to ask: "What is the equipment and combat level of the army under Shiba Zhi?"
"If we take the ordinary guard army as the standard, the elites under Shibazhi are slightly stronger." Xu Yuzhuo said seriously: "Shibazhi is also a master who is willing to spend money, but most of the firearms they equip are not purchased uniformly. There are Western-style firearms purchased from the red-haired people and the Folangji people, some of which flowed out from the guard army, and there are also some privately made firearms, the models of which are difficult to unify.”
"If the firearm models cannot be unified, then the logistics pressure will be great during the war." As an important member of the military, Shi Diwen naturally understands the importance of equipping the military with standard weapons.
For armies like the Haihan Militia, the standard ammunition used in battles can be used between weapons of the same type, which is extremely important for improving the combat efficiency of the troops. Otherwise, the logistics department would drive the quartermaster crazy just by providing ammunition of various sizes and calibers.
Even if the firearms equipment ratio of the Shibazhi is higher than that of the ordinary Ming Dynasty Guard Army, it is definitely still far behind the troops of the Zhongzuo Institute who are uniformly equipped with Haihan weapons. Even if they are all the same matchlock guns, the Ming army with the same model will obviously gain an advantage in the battle. As for the performance gap of the artillery, the performance gap is even greater. If there is a slight difference in the caliber of each artillery, the artillery shells will not be universal, and it will definitely become a big trouble for the gunners during combat.
Xu Yuzhuo nodded in agreement, and then continued: "As for the combat level, students think it is uneven. Although there are some small groups of elites among them, most of them have not received professional military training. When fighting, they just follow orders and swarm It’s just rushing forward, without the various tactical coordination that Haihan’s instructors have emphasized before. In our opinion, it’s just a mess.”
The situation mentioned by Xu Yuzhuo is basically consistent with the situation in Haihan's hands. Shibazhi did have a large-scale armed force, but its strength was not commensurate with its size. Although there are as many as 20,000 to 30,000 personnel who can participate in the battle, only about one-tenth of the number of troops that can truly take the stage and be called combat-effective. The vast majority of armed personnel are just ordinary people issued with weapons, and can only be used as cannon fodder in the face of modern armies that use firearms on a large scale.
Of course, the most terrifying thing about Shibazhi is not their influence on land, but their control at sea. Even a large merchant like Xu Xinsu who controlled many ports along the Fujian coast would find it difficult to compete head-on with Shiba Zhi, who had thousands of ships at sea, and had to choose a strategy of sticking to the coastal areas to fight, and this also This was one of the important reasons why Xu Xinsu had wanted to order a warship from Haihan two or three years ago. After all, if you want to turn passivity into initiative, you must add armed forces at sea, and warships built locally in Fujian have no advantage in terms of quantity or quality.
Shi Diwen asked: "What is the strength of the navy stationed locally?"
Xu Yuzhuo smiled bitterly and said: "It is roughly the same as the navy in Guangdong. There are ships, but the combat power is limited. And in order to avoid unnecessary losses, most of the time can only stay in the port." "There are also dangers in naval warships going to sea. ?" Shi Diwen couldn't believe his ears. Before coming here, he thought that even if Fujian's navy couldn't defeat Shiba Zhi on the frontal battlefield, it could at least conduct some harassment operations, set up ambushes at sea, and attack those scattered pirate ships. It shouldn't be a big problem. Unexpectedly, Xu Yuzhuo would say such depressing words.
"The current strategy of Shibazhi has changed from the previous two years. They knew that they could not defeat us on land, so they moved the battlefield to the sea. Since the second half of last year, the routes from Zhangzhou, Quanzhou to Ryukyu and Japan have almost Being banned by them, few ships can arrive safely." Xu Yuzhuo's tone was full of obvious helplessness and unwillingness: "When the Navy's ship goes out, it doesn't dare to go too far from the coast, otherwise it will be attacked by Shiba Zhi's ship. If intercepted, it will be difficult to escape. We have lost three ships and nearly a hundred sailors this year.”
When Shi Diwen heard this, he probably understood why Fujian was willing to negotiate peace with Shibazhi, who seemed to be at a disadvantage. The Shibazhi did suffer heavy losses in the battles in the past few years, but when they finally realized the importance of battlefield selection, the situation began to change. The change from land to sea has caused the strength of the Fujian Ming Army to change from strong to weak. The Fujian Navy, which lacks powerful warships, has even begun to become passive. A large part of Xu Xinsu's wealth comes from maritime trade. The Northeast Asia route was blocked by Shibazhi, which was indeed a very heavy blow to Xu Xinsu and the interest groups behind him.
The Fujian Ming Army alone was unable to break through the blockade of Shibazhi at sea. The help Haihan could provide in this regard was extremely limited. Customized warships were handed over one after another. , but it will take a period of adaptation to form useful combat effectiveness. At present, several officers of the Fujian Navy are undergoing training in Sanya, but it is estimated that it will take until the end of the year to form a fleet and form a certain combat effectiveness. And these precious six months would mean a loss of hundreds of thousands, or even millions of taels of silver, to the maritime trade under Xu Xinsu's name.
Of course, understanding is understanding, but Shi Diwen did not have any thoughts of sympathy. He was very clear about the attitude of the executive committee towards the situation in Fujian - whether it was Shiba Zhi or Xu Xinsu, they were all in the process of Haihan's external expansion. piece. Shibazhi is an unstable factor on the southeastern coast of the mainland and will be eliminated sooner or later. The outcome of the Fujian military forces will largely depend on whether they can cooperate with Haihan's various plans in the future. . If Xu Xinsu insists on going his own way, the executive committee will probably terminate the cooperative relationship between the two parties at the appropriate time, and add the other party to the list of hostile forces, and then find another person in Fujian who can be supported to replace Xu Xinsu's role. .
"If I remember correctly, the Port of Victory Shipyard has handed over two 'Exploration-class' warships to you in the first half of this year, right?" Shi Diwen asked: "Are these two ships in use now? ”
Xu Yuzhuo nodded and said: "The two ships are nearby at this time. The warships you built are indeed powerful, and they also damaged several pirate ships during the voyage. However, the number is too small to form an effective strike force. If you encounter more ships on the sea, you still have to retreat. However, the speed is fast enough, so you don’t have to worry about being caught up and intercepted by the opponent.”
However, it took Fujian a long time and many activities in Victory Port to get the sales agreement from the executive committee for these two "Exploration-class" warships, and it cost a lot of money. The ship and cannon cost more than thirty thousand taels of silver. Of course, this pitfall was not for nothing. Haihan still provided free training services for sailors in Fujian, and also gave training quotas to eight naval officers to teach them how to use this Haihan-style warship at sea. Combat skills.
As Xu Yuzhuo said, although Haihan's warships are powerful, it is indeed difficult for the two ships to change the current maritime situation. Even if these two ships have outstanding combat performance, the Fujian Navy still has no choice but to retreat when faced with double-digit numbers of rival ships at sea. This is not entirely due to cowardice, but considering the cost-effectiveness of the battle losses on both sides. It can be said that the death of a ship of pirates in Shibazhi does not cost much, but even if a few sailors die in the Navy, it will be a big loss. After all, these sailors are sent all the way to Sanya to receive training before they can control it. These two advanced warships. How much money is spent is secondary. The key is that the personnel reserves are limited and the training period is long. If the battle damage is too great, it will be difficult to replenish enough crew members in a short period of time, which will directly affect the navy's combat capabilities.
Of course, Xu Xinsu is not satisfied with buying a few warships with the smallest tonnage in the Haihan Navy. He has long been interested in the larger "exploration-class" warships. However, the current Haihan Executive Committee There is no intention to liberalize the foreign military sales of "exploration-class" warships. They just give a so-called "theoretical price" like fishing - the export price of one "exploration-class" warship is probably equivalent to nearly two "Exploration-class" warship.
Even a rich man like Xu Xinsu, who is not short of money, was a little frightened after seeing this price. If he wanted to combine these two warships into a large-scale fleet, the initial investment would be a huge amount for the Fujian military. The figures are astronomical, and it is definitely not feasible to expect the court to allocate funds. The best situation is that the Ministry of War will take the small part, and Xu Xinsu will subsidize the big part from her own pocket. Of course, even if Haihan immediately relaxed the sales ban, Xu Xinsu immediately paid for the order. It will take until the fleet's ships are all delivered and then they can form combat effectiveness. It is estimated that it will not be until the second half of next year at the earliest, or even Even later.
As for the "Dignity-class" warship that appeared in Fujian waters this time, no one in the Fujian military has dared to inquire about the price. Because everyone knows very well that even if you ask for the price, there will probably be no actual results. Don't say that the Haihan people can't sell this kind of warship. Even if they can, the price will probably be too high to accept.
Shi Diwen continued to ask: "How many ships have you placed an order for?"
Xu Yuzhuo said: "There are eight in total, and at least six of them will be handed over to us within this year. After the eight ships are gathered together, and a few supply ships and communication ships will be equipped, it will probably be enough to form a combat fleet."
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Shi Diwen said that it may not be possible to deliver six ships this year. In addition to orders from Fujian, Shengli Port Shipyard also received shipbuilding orders from Annan, and the first batch of ships is also eight. Class" warship. At the same time, the shipyard has to continue building ships for the Haihan Military and Shipping Department. Based on Shi Diwen's understanding of the production capacity, it is estimated that it will be difficult to take care of so many orders.
(End of chapter)