Chapter 1611 Visiting the Military Camp
Before Fei Cexian came to Haihan, officials from the Ministry of War naturally provided him with military knowledge about Haihan. He also knew a little about the advanced weapons that made Haihan Army famous all over the world. In fact, the Ministry of War also has some Haihan weapons collected through various channels, from the matchlock guns manufactured in the early years to the fixed-loaded flintlock guns currently installed in large numbers in the Haihan Army, and even the large-caliber coastal defense weapons that were previously sold to Fujian. There are guns.
If only a small amount of imitation is carried out, then the skilled craftsmen of Ming Dynasty can make weapons with almost identical performance through complete manual work, but the cost is high and the construction period is long, and it is impossible to achieve stable mass production like Haihan. Haihan's weapon manufacturing technology has always been a mystery to the outside world. Apart from knowing that Haihan used a lot of mechanical processing in the manufacturing process, nothing else is known, and no one knows how the Haihan people designed these advanced weapons. weapons.
As for the tactics commonly used by the Haihan Army, the Ministry of War has also made great efforts to study many battle cases. But sadly, Haihan's tactics cannot be imitated at all, because these tactics are designed around a large number of troops equipped with advanced weapons. Even the musketry battalion, which the Ming army was proud of, would be difficult to copy Haihan's tactics due to the limitations of the musketeers' organization and equipment. Therefore, like many Ming Dynasty officials, Fei Cexian wanted to see with his own eyes how strong the Haihan Army was.
When Fei Cexian saw that the soldiers gathered on the playground were all wearing civilian clothes, he asked Qiu Yuan: "Since it is a drill, why are these soldiers not wearing armor?"
Qiu Yuan made a gesture and said: "Ruan Qianqian, please explain the truth to Mr. Fei."
A soldier next to him immediately took a step forward and saluted Fei Cexian: "I have a humble position, Ruan Qianqian, commander of the 7th Battalion of the Haihan Army. I have met Master Fei. Sir, the reason why I wear cloth clothes is to maintain the mobility of soldiers in combat." Ability. As long as we maintain a sufficient combat distance from the enemy, it will be more beneficial to fight without armor."
Ruan Xiangqian was a naturalized citizen from Annan, and he joined the army very early. Haihan built two Annan camps with Annan immigrants as his team, and Ruan Xiangqian served as the commander of the second battalion of them. Ruan Xiangqian once participated in the Battle of Ambona Island and the action to quell the Shilu riot, and made many military exploits. The 7th Battalion of the Army where he currently serves has the same establishment as the Annan Battalion, but as the real main combat force, its status is higher than that of the Annan Battalion, which specializes in providing naturalization opportunities for immigrants, and they can obtain Haihan nationality by enlisting in the army. specially organized troops.
Fei Cexian then asked: "What if the enemy kills them with bows and arrows?"
Ruan Xiangqian responded: "The guns and cannons equipped by our army have a far greater range than bows and arrows. If the strength advantage does not reach a certain level, it is unlikely that the archers will advance to fight within their range. Our army's battle cases over the years have also proved this. At one point, the opponent can be defeated in battle just by virtue of the range advantage.”
Fei Cexian asked again: "What if we use cavalry to charge into the formation?"
Ruan pointed forward to a pile of rejected horses piled beside the playground and said: "Judged horses, deer villages, barbed wire fences, trenches, and intensive gunfire are all powerful weapons that can prevent the cavalry from charging into the formation. If we have enough time to deploy our positions, then Even if the enemy has thousands of troops, it is difficult for them to break through our defense line. Our army has faced cavalry ten times our own on the battlefield many times, and we have been able to kill the opponent and retreat."
Fei Cexian said: "So what if it's an encounter in the wild?"
Ruan Qianqian responded confidently: "If it is a field battle, our army also has elite scouts operating several miles away from the army. With the help of telescopes and other special tools, they can detect large-scale moving enemy cavalry from a long distance. Sufficient time to warn our own side. Mr. Fei, even if we are in the field, our battalion will definitely not be able to trap them without 18,000 cavalry. And with so many cavalry operating in the field, the formation is not large at all. May hide traces. ”
Fei Cexian said: "In this case, the Haihan Army has no flaws at all?"
Ruan Xiangqian responded: "Of course there are flaws, but the opponent may not be able to catch them." Regarding this issue, Ruan Xiangqian was very alert and said nothing more.
However, Fei Cexian actually knew Haihanjun's flaws and just asked this question on purpose. The biggest problem of the Haihan Army is its dependence on logistical supplies. The ammunition required for a combat method with guns as the main weapons is not a small amount, and the further away from the base camp, the more difficult it is to supply. For example, the ammunition needed for Haihan's garrison in Liaodong still had to be shipped from Hainan Island and transported thousands of miles to Liaodong by sea. If something unexpected happens along the way, the combat time that the ammunition reserves of the Liaodong garrison can support will actually be greatly limited.
As long as Haihan's opponents can cut off the supply line, the Haihan Army's combat capabilities will decline significantly as the war progresses. Without the bonus of guns and other weapons, the Haihan Army is actually not much better than ordinary infantry. It's just that the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Army is too abnormal. Most opponents collapse at the first touch, and very few can truly threaten the Haihan supply line. Moreover, the Haihan Army is well aware of its shortcomings, so most operations are conducted in coastal areas and try to avoid going deep into the inland. This is to facilitate the delivery of troops and supplies by sea, and secondly, if the war goes unfavorably, it can also send troops as soon as possible. Withdraw from the sea.
The advantage of Haihan's naval force is even greater than that of the army. So far, I have not heard of any country taking advantage of Haihan in a naval battle. To completely cut off Haihan's maritime supply line, it may be more difficult than defeating Haihan. The military goal is even more difficult. So this so-called shortcoming became an elusive goal. All opponents knew the weaknesses of the Haihan Army, but they still could only feel despair when facing the Haihan Army.
Fei Cexian's question naturally did not faze Ruan Xiangqian. After asking, he felt a little sad. He also knew that this Haihan officer was not bragging. For many years, the Haihan Army has appeared in the world with an image of being victorious and undefeated. In the face of this, this kind of deep-rooted self-confidence can only be slowly cultivated based on the invincible record. It is almost impossible to undermine the other person's self-confidence through words.
Qiu Yuan saw these questions and answers in his eyes and naturally understood Fei Cexian's intention. However, since he dared to arrange this matter for Ruan Xiangqian, he naturally had full confidence in him. As expected, Ruan Xiangqian did not disappoint him and fought back cleanly. This also made Qiu Yuan have a great impression of this Annan-born officer. increase.
The drill prepared by the Seventh Battalion of the Army for the Ming Dynasty envoys was divided into two parts. One was formation training, and the other was gunnery target practice. It could be described as simple and crude. Although Fei Cexian is not a military expert, he can still see the hard work the Haihan Army has put into queue training. In addition to requiring soldiers to strictly follow orders and prohibitions, the infantry tactics of the Haihan Army are also closely related to queues. Most of the troops equipped with flintlocks still need to use dense queue formations to ensure firepower density. Usually, queue tactics are used. How well you practice is directly related to the level of combat effectiveness you can exert in combat. Watching guns and artillery practice is undoubtedly an extremely exciting experience for Fei Cexian, a literary man. He had never thought that there could be such a powerful weapon in the world, which could easily penetrate iron armor from a hundred feet away. His accuracy and lethality were astounding to him. The firing of the artillery made Fei Cexian speechless. He didn't even need Ruan Xiangqian to explain any more. The intuitive feeling made Fei Cexian realize how terrifying this powerful weapon would be when fired on the battlefield.
"What do you think of Master Fei?" Qiu Yuan asked Fei Cexian as if he deliberately chose this moment.
Fei Cexian responded in a deep voice: "When I was in the capital, I heard that the Haihan Army had extremely powerful weapons. Today, when I saw it, it was indeed well-deserved. These muskets and artillery are extremely powerful. They are indeed much stronger than swords and guns. No wonder they are so expensive." The army can have an undefeated record. However, this thing is so violent that your army should use it carefully to avoid innocent killings."
Qiu Yuandao: "Weapons are made to serve war, and war is to serve politics. If all problems can be solved through negotiation, then there will be no need to launch a war, and there will be no need to use weapons."
< br>
Fei Cexian felt that Qiu Yuan's words seemed to mean something. He came to Haihan State this time to discuss a series of diplomatic issues with the high-level officials of Haihan State. However, hearing the hint of threat in Qiu Yuan's tone, it was hard to believe that If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, then Haihan will use military means against Ming Dynasty?
But having said that, Haihan used force against the Ming Dynasty not once or twice. Hainan Island will change from Qiongzhou Island, which the Ming Dynasty belongs to, to the territory of Haihan. During this period, there were several battles. After that, the areas occupied by Haihan along the coast of the Ming Dynasty were all accompanied by wars. However, the coastal defense of the Ming Dynasty was weak and it was almost impossible to resist Haihan's armed invasion from the sea. It was also unable to open a third battlefield outside the Central Plains and Liaodong. So I can only pretend to be deaf and dumb to Haihan's actions.
Then I heard Qiu Yuan continue to say: "Our country has always hoped to achieve normal diplomatic relations with Ming Dynasty. The signing of the Liaodong Agreement is a good start for the diplomacy between our two countries, but there are still many specific things later that need to be negotiated and resolved slowly. . Although our country has a strong military, we do not want to use military means to deal with Ming Dynasty. We want cooperation, not confrontation. ”
Fei Cexian responded quickly: "I will keep what Mr. Qiu said in mind. Since the two countries have established diplomatic relations, peace should be our top priority."
After watching the drill, Qiu Yuan accompanied Fei Cexian to visit the barracks and supporting facilities in the camp area. Fei Cexian could only express his envy for the Haihan Military Camp, which was equipped with canteens, bathhouses, clinics and other facilities. The financial resources required to support such an army were huge. I am afraid that only a handful of elite troops in the Ming Dynasty could barely meet such conditions. .
The cleanliness of the entire camp also left a deep impression on Fei Cexian. If this was not the result of the surprise cleaning, then the quality of the Haihan Army can also be seen from this aspect.
After seeing the army camp, Qiu Yuan then took Fei Cexian to the navy camp. Although the navy stationed at the Haikou military port only has the combat strength of half a fleet, for a layman like Fei Cexian, it is actually impossible to tell the truth from the truth. Besides, the flagship of this fleet deployed in the Qiongzhou Strait was anchored at Haikou Military Port. This eye-catching large warship had already attracted Fei Cexian's attention, and he had no time to think about other things.
The "Dignity" class warship is definitely considered a big one in this era. There is no sailing ship close to its tonnage in the Far East. The largest model of warship currently installed by the Ming Navy has It is more than half smaller than the "Dignity" class. Although Fei Cexian didn't understand naval warfare, he couldn't help but take a breath when he saw the size of the flagship and the densely packed gun emplacements on the ship's side. When such a large warship goes to war at sea, its appearance alone is enough to scare people, and the powerful firepower configuration of more than twenty artillery pieces on both sides will make the opponent feel desperate.
According to the information Fei Cexian knew, there was some unknown special device on a large battleship like Haihan that could increase the speed to an extremely high level. He soon got verification from Qiu Yuan.
"Our warship has a special propulsion device, which means that even if the sails and masts are damaged and cannot be used, the warship can still sail at high speed on the sea." Qiu Yuan proudly showed off to Fei Cexian his "majesty." "class battleship performance.
Fei Cexian really couldn't imagine what it was like to be able to maintain high speed on the sea without using wind power or manpower. This reminded him of the rumors that the Haihan people used witchcraft, but if he thought about it carefully, using witchcraft in a naval battle sounded ridiculous. The Haihan people can build such a powerful warship. Even without any so-called special propulsion device, it is already almost invincible on the sea. There is no need to rely on ethereal witchcraft to strengthen it.
However, Qiu Yuan soon took the initiative to clarify the issue: "There are rumors from the outside that we will use witchcraft in battle. How ignorant people must have such an idea. This is the most advanced shipbuilding and navigation technology in the world." A combination of magic and advanced weapons! If Mr. Fei is interested, we can go to the ship to have a look.”
Fei Cexian was of course disrespectful to this, and immediately led by Qiu Yuan, boarded the "Dignity" class flagship. However, Qiu Yuan still followed the military rules and did not let Fei Cexian enter the ship to visit, but just took a quick look on the deck. Even so, this ship still left a deep impression on Fei Cexian. As he looked at it, he was also wondering how long it would take for the Ming Dynasty to build a warship of the same level.
As if he had seen through Fei Cexian's mind, Qiu Yuan said proudly: "As long as we don't transfer manufacturing technology, the Ming Dynasty will not be able to build such an advanced warship for another hundred years."
There was an emergency at home, so this chapter was updated late, sorry!
(End of chapter)