Chapter 1426 is on the verge of breaking out
During the series of raids launched by Haihan on the Liaodong coast last year, Shen Zhixiang had cooperated with Gao Qiaonan several times, and the two parties were considered old acquaintances, so this time the headquarters arranged for the Ming troops to be stationed here. We also want to minimize the gap between the two armies so that they can cooperate well in the subsequent battles.
Shen Zhixiang is a smart man, and he has seen Takahashi Nan's abilities in past cooperation, so he always keeps a very low profile in front of Takahashi Nan, and is very willing to learn something from this Japanese-born Haihan general. The skill of leading troops in war.
In addition, Shen Zhixiang has another reason that is not humane to outsiders, and that is to observe the weapons and equipment of the special operations battalion. Having been dealing with the special operations battalion for a long time, he also knew the special status of this unit in the Haihan Army. Almost all new weapons of the army would first be installed in small batches in the special operations camp for trial use. The active weapons of the special operations battalion, whether they are seven-shot rifles, revolvers, light field guns, or even the snow camouflage uniforms worn by the soldiers, are enough to make him salivate. It's a pity that these equipment are not on Haihan's arms sales list, and they can't be bought even if they have money.
Of course, after establishing a good relationship with Gao Qiaonan, Shen Zhixiang was able to go to the shooting range as a military observer while the Haihan soldiers were training with live ammunition. This somewhat made up for the inability to equip these advanced equipment. The regret of weapons.
Putting down the rifle without hesitation, Shen Zhixiang stood up and patted the dust on his body. He was not very accustomed to this prone shooting method, but since it was a new thing advocated by the Haihan Army, it must have its reason. At least when he was shooting at the target just now, he did feel that his body was much more stable than standing and squatting, and the number of hits on the target had also increased. This was probably what Minami Takahashi said about "improving shooting accuracy." A unique skill.
But Shen Zhixiang still had doubts about this, so after he stood up, he said to Takahashi Nan: "Brother Takahashi, this method can certainly improve the hit rate, but when fighting in the prone position, the momentum is much weaker, and the formation change is inconvenient. The previous tactics no longer work.”
Takahashi Minami explained: "The momentum of combat? Isn't our army's invincible history not enough momentum? For our army, ensuring our own survival rate and maximizing the efficiency of killing the enemy is the ultimate goal of all tactics." As for the changes in shooting posture and tactics, this has a lot to do with the weapons we use. The new rifles no longer need to load ammunition from the front chamber, so there is no need to stand the gun body up to operate, so that the firepower output of the repeating rifle can be increased. The number has reached several times that of the past, and the shooting accuracy of rifled guns is far better than that of smoothbore guns. There is no need to use the queuing volley tactics with lower attack efficiency."
Takahashi Minami said a lot of words, and Shen Zhixiang couldn't fully understand them for a while, but he still accurately grasped what Takahashi Minami wanted to express, that is, this new tactic will help improve Haihan The combat effectiveness of the army.
Takahashi Minami continued: "Of course, whether to adopt such a shooting posture and corresponding tactics ultimately depends on the battlefield environment and situation. The leader often reminds us that tactics are dead, but people are alive. Learn and apply them. Only by adapting measures to local conditions can we maximize our combat effectiveness.”
Shen Zhixiang silently understood Gao Qiaonan's words and felt something in his heart. The equipment level of the Ming army is really not the same as that of Haihan, but Shen Zhixiang has always believed that the strength gap between the two sides is not only in weapons, but also in tactics and strategic thinking. There is a relatively large gap with Haihan. . If he could truly understand Haihan's advanced military ideas, Shen Zhixiang believed that his ability to lead troops in war would definitely improve.
This time he brought troops to Liaodong to help out. Shen Zhixiang did not expect his troops to achieve any great results, but he hoped to have the opportunity to watch the Haihan Army's combat methods at close range and see how they dealt with Hou Jin. Iron cavalry. Even if Pi Dao really wants to leave the Ming Dynasty and join Haihan in the future, he must have enough skills to make Haihan willing to recruit him.
Taking advantage of the period before the war, Shen Zhixiang also focused his main energy on observing the Haihan Army's pre-war preparations. Takahashi Nan did not deliberately hide this. After all, even if Shen Zhixiang understood these things, he could not copy them home. Instead, he could use this to show force and make Pi Dao less worried about other things.
However, Shen Zhixiang was slightly disappointed with the arrangements made by the headquarters, because Haihan did not intend to let his troops serve as the main force in the front line, but only as auxiliary troops. This was not ideal for Shen Zhixiang, who wanted to train troops. arrange. He knew that Haihan had some distrust in the combat effectiveness of the Pidao Army, but the more so, the more he wanted to prove himself through combat operations. So after finishing the target shooting, he enthusiastically invited Takahashi Nan to visit the drill of his troops at the Pidao Army station.
The Pidao Army's station is adjacent to the Haihan Camp from the east to the west, and the area is larger than the Haihan Camp that was started earlier. A relatively flat open space in the middle was specially set aside as a temporary school ground. This Pidao elite has been equipped with a matchlock gun that was half sold and half given away by Haihan. Although this is an old weapon that has been eliminated by the Haihan army, for the Pidao army it is far better than the knives they used in the past. The bow is even better than the bird blunderbuss and Lumi blunderbuss equipped by the Ming Army's gun battalion.
However, due to Haihan's conscious control, the ammunition supplied to the Pidao Army is relatively limited, so they do not have many opportunities for live-fire training. The main content of daily training is the change of shooting formations and queues. Nowadays, the queuing and shooting tactic, which is rarely used by the Haihan Army, is still an advanced tactic that requires continuous practice for the Pidao Army. Based on Haihan's past battles, they knew that once they became proficient in this tactic to a certain extent, it would not be difficult to fight against cavalry on foot - of course, as long as the troop strength was not much different.
"Brother Gaoqiao, I believe you have seen many Ming armies in the south who have learned Haihan tactics like our Pidao Army. I wonder what Brother Gaoqiao would say about my troops?" After watching the drill for a while, Shen Zhixiang asked Take the initiative to ask questions that concern you.
Gao Qiaonan considered it and said: "Brother Shen's troops are well drilled. Judging from what we can see in front of us, they are no worse than the Ming army in the south. However, the combat effectiveness of an army must be tested in actual combat on the battlefield. It can only be confirmed, so it’s hard to make a conclusion.”
Shen Zhixiang nodded and said: "Brother Gaoqiao's words are reasonable. I also want to arrange for more opportunities for my subordinates to fight. However, since this joint dispatch of troops is based on Haihan, I should obey the command of the command. I just hope that if If there is a chance to go into battle and kill the enemy, I hope Brother Gaoqiao can take care of me and let Pidao soldiers and horses prove themselves on the battlefield.”
Gao Qiaonan's eyes lit up slightly. He didn't expect that Shen Zhixiang invited him to watch the Pidao Army's drill, and there was actually such a meaning hidden in it. However, as a soldier and a senior general who leads troops in war, Takahashi Nan has always admired his brave colleagues, and Shen Zhixiang's initiative to fight naturally won his favor.
"But if your troops confront the Houjin Army head-on, they may not be able to gain much advantage. Although they can't defeat us, they are not weak." Takahashi Minami decided to remind the opponent that the Houjin Army is not a weakling who will collapse at the first touch. In particular, the target of the attack this time was a strategic location like the Jinzhou Isthmus. He was convinced that Hou Jin's resistance would be unprecedentedly strong, and the Pidao Army did not have much combat experience after replacing new equipment and might not be able to fight on the battlefield. It was able to withstand the impact of the Hou Jin Cavalry troops.
Shen Zhixiang responded in a deep voice: "At that time, I will personally supervise the battle on the front line. If the Pidao Army loses an inch of territory, I am willing to be dealt with by military law!"
When Gao Qiaonan saw Shen Zhixiang issuing a military order, he knew that he was determined. After pondering for a moment, he said: "I will report the matter to the headquarters and ask for orders for the Pidao Army." "Thank you, brother Gao Qiao!" Shen Zhixiang bowed deeply. road. He knew that if he directly asked people like Qian Tiandun and Wang Tom for a fight, the other party might not be willing to agree, and if they refused, there would be no room for maneuver. But if Minami Takahashi can be asked to come forward and speak out, no matter whether it succeeds or not, at least there will be some flexibility left for both parties. Moreover, he believed that Takahashi Minami, a straight-tempered person, would not use words to deceive him. Now that the words had been spoken, he would definitely do it.
"If you kill more enemies on the battlefield, you can thank me." Takahashi Minami continued: "But the ugly words are ahead. If the headquarters really sends the Pi Island Army to the front line, don't expect us to cover it. If you want military success, you have to fight for it yourself!”
"I will remember Brother Gaoqiao's advice." Shen Zhixiang responded solemnly. He knew that this was Takahashi Minami reminding him not to rely too much on the Haihan Army on the battlefield. If he wanted to gain the recognition and respect of his allies, he would eventually have to fight for it on his own.
"I heard that your cavalry are all veterans who fought in Liaodong?" Takahashi Nan suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant question.
Shen Zhixiang didn't know what he meant, but he answered honestly: "The one hundred and forty cavalry brought from Pidao this time are indeed veterans who have been in the army for more than five years. Some of them have longer military service than me. They are very important to Liaodong." The surrounding environment is also relatively familiar, and I think it will definitely play a role in the battle.”
Gao Qiaonan nodded and said: "Then I will give you an errand. The Houjin cavalry in the north of the camp have been staring at us for two or three days. See if you can drive away these flies. Of course, it would be best if you can kill them." OK.”
Shen Zhixiang said: "It's not a problem to take action, but our whereabouts have already been exposed. Is it a little late to take action now?"
"Driving them away or killing them is not to hide their tracks." Takahashi Minami explained: "It's just to show our attitude."
"Attitude?" Shen Zhixiang still couldn't understand what Gao Qiaonan meant.
"Where our army is located is the land of Haihan. How can we allow outsiders to peep in? This is our attitude." Gao Qiaonan looked at Shen Zhixiang and said: "If they are unwilling to leave voluntarily, then don't leave."
Shen Zhixiang's heart tightened when he heard this. Although he had long understood that Haihan's march into Liaodong was not to seize the land from Hou Jin and give it back to the Ming Dynasty, but when he heard that Gao Qiaonan had so grandly occupied all the land occupied by Haihan After entering the Haihan territory, he was still a little frightened. He knew that Gao Qiaonan would not care about Hou Jinjun's prying eyes, but he suddenly gave this task to himself, probably to clarify his position and to see his attitude towards it.
Shen Zhixiang did not make any comment on Takahashi Nan's words. He just took a deep breath and said, "I will deal with this matter right now."
Gao Qiaonan looked at Shen Zhixiang's hurried away figure and thought that he was indeed a smart man, and nowadays there are fewer and fewer smart people like him who know how to talk less and do more.
Shen Zhixiang gathered the cavalry under his command and gave them orders. In order not to be noticed by the peepers from the north, these Ming army cavalry came out of camp from the south, went around in a big circle, and then fought out from behind.
The strength of the Ming cavalry was four to five times that of the opponent's outposts. It was not difficult to suppress the opponent in a confrontation. However, the Hou Jin cavalry also had rich combat experience. When they saw that their own troops were at a clear disadvantage, they did not try at all. Instead of fighting the Ming army, they fled in all directions, trying to escape from the Ming army's pursuit by splitting up.
On such plain terrain, it is not easy to intercept the fleeing enemy troops. This not only tests the running speed and endurance of the horses, but also tests the cavalry's combat experience. Shen Zhixiang did not attack with his cavalry. He just stood on the lookout tower with Gao Qiaonan, silently watching the fighting in the fields in the distance.
Although the Houjin cavalry tried to get rid of the Ming army's pursuit at the first opportunity, many people were still blocked by the front and back interceptions, and then the two sides fought desperately. These Ming army cavalry are not equipped with advanced long-range attack weapons like the Haihan cavalry, so both warring parties can only rely on the swords and bows in their hands to kill the enemy. Even the Hou Jin army, which is at an obvious disadvantage in terms of strength, still has the opportunity to defeat the opponent. Create trouble.
The battle between the cavalry lasted for about half an hour. The Houjin cavalry outside the camp finally escaped about one-third. The Ming army received the order before going into battle and did not pursue it too far. The victorious Ming army left no one alive and cut off all the enemy's heads and brought them back. These heads will be collected in the camp and pickled with lime. After the war, they will be sent back to the mainland to ask for credit from the Shandong Dusi and the Ministry of War.
The battle damage situation of the Ming army's cavalry was relatively good. One person was killed and five others and three horses were injured, which was still at an acceptable level. After the cavalry returned, Shen Zhixiang's expression became obviously more relaxed. Although the scale of the battle just now was not large, it was a battle for face in front of General Haihan. He secretly decided to give some personal gifts to the cavalry who killed the most enemies later. award.
Takahashi Minami also gave a positive evaluation of the performance of the Pidao Army: "If Brother Shen's troops have such combat capabilities, then I will look forward to your performance on the battlefield."
(End of chapter)