Chapter 1765: I can’t accept it
Tom Wang looked relaxed and happy on the surface, but in fact he still felt a little painful in his heart. Live-fire exercises like today are not always possible even for the navy with deep pockets. The shells for the two naval guns on the Black Shark are all custom-made. Not only are the unit prices high but the output is small, they will be destroyed in this military exercise. The number of shells is almost the same as the ammunition consumption during the Battle of Manila, which is almost enough for the Black Shark's live-fire training needs for more than half a year.
The new field artillery used by the Marine Corps is also a money burner. After improving the artillery structure, the rate of fire is faster, but the cost has also risen sharply. In the past, it was enough to arm an artillery battalion, but now it is probably It's enough for a field artillery company, but you have to save a little. If the military expenditures destroyed by a rapid fire after landing were announced, it would probably be enough to quench the desire of many spectators for this new type of artillery.
However, the purpose of today's military exercise is to tell all viewers in the simplest and most direct way how much firepower they will suffer if they want to confront the Haihan Army in a coastal environment. In order to achieve the best deterrence effect, the Ministry of National Defense arranged for the navy to use full firepower in this exercise and launch artillery strikes on the shore at all costs. In fact, a style of play similar to this has never really appeared in actual combat. The only Port of Manila with a similar coastal defense system was bypassed by the Haihan Army.
Of course, just watching the excitement on the ship is far from exciting enough. After the smoke on the coast gradually dissipated, the Navy arranged for the guests to dock on the island to test the results of the exercise at close range. The guests really wanted to take a closer look at what it would be like to experience a fortification that suffered what Haihan called a "saturation strike."
The result did not disappoint them. The fortifications supported by wooden structures on the shore were almost completely destroyed by the artillery fire. The sentry towers, battlements, gates, and gates made of logs as thick as an adult's thigh were all bombarded into pieces. It was crumbled and collapsed to the point where its original appearance could no longer be seen. If the defenders relied on such fortifications to resist the Haihan Army's offensive, they would probably have to be bombed into rubbish along with these fortifications.
The masonry structure defenses were obviously much better at resisting strikes, but they were still inevitably destroyed by intensive artillery fire in many places. The special preparations are several coastal defense forts that have been hit by concentrated fire. Within a few feet, there are rubble exploded by the shells inside and outside. Even if someone can stick to it during the war, it is difficult to escape from this. An indirect attack.
Fei Cexian leaned over and picked up a piece of gravel as big as an egg from the ground, and weighed it in his hand. Even ordinary armor might not be able to block the impact of such a stone being blown away, let alone according to him. As we know, artillerymen do not wear armor during combat to avoid hindering their operations. If he were to receive such a blow at close range, he would probably be half disabled if not dead.
He couldn't imagine how strong the coastal fortifications built by the Spanish in Manila would be to make the Haihan people worry about avoiding fighting, but one thing was certain - there was nothing like Mani on the Ming Dynasty's coastline. The existence of such shore defenses makes Haihan people fearful. However, if you think about it from another angle, this is not necessarily a bad thing. If such a nail really existed, I am afraid that it would have attracted attacks from the Haihan people.
Su Keyi's face was even uglier than Fei Cexian's. Ming Dynasty at least had a long coastline as a buffer zone, but what did the East India Company have? Batavia's defenses were completely destroyed in the battle with the Matalan Kingdom a few years ago. The defenses at the port today are not even comparable to the temporary buildings on Ximao Island. If the sea comes one day, Han had his mind set on Batavia. The coastal defense line might not be able to hold out for even half a day.
"Saturation strike... is really powerful!" The bitterness on Su Keyi's face could not be concealed at all. He once again realized that no matter how hard he tried diplomatically, no matter how hard he tried, in the face of absolute crushing by force, In the end, you will still appear passive and helpless. He even began to doubt whether what he did in Sanya had any practical significance. If diplomatic work could not change the balance of strength between the two sides in the military field, then what had he gained after working here for several years?
Su Keyi's current mentality is actually exactly what the Haihan military wants to achieve by holding this military exercise, which is to defeat the enemy without fighting. If the performance in the military exercise can be used to deter those countries and forces that have ulterior motives for Haihan, then even if the cost of this military exercise is ten to eight times higher, it will still be cost-effective in the end. Although Haihan frequently engages in foreign wars, after all, its national strength and military scale are limited, and it cannot spread all over the map. Therefore, in addition to sending troops to attack hostile forces, Haihan must also handle international relations as safely as possible to avoid unnecessary conflicts occur.
However, the audience's opinions differed from each other. Some people were sad to see it, while others were very excited. Annan's young prince Zheng Zhu was so excited that he immediately found Yan Chujie and asked if the field guns equipped by the Marine Corps could be sold to Annan.
The answer to this question is of course no. Only the elite troops of the Haihan Army are equipped with a small amount of this kind of artillery, and the Haihan Army itself is far from enough. Moreover, the structural principles of the new artillery are all military secrets, and Haihan Ordnance Industry does not plan to export them at this stage. Having said that, when old artillery can still be in short supply on the market, how can Haihan possibly seize his own business and take the initiative to launch new munitions with updated technology.
Xu Yuzhuo was relatively low-key. Seeing that Zheng Zha had hit a soft nail, he did not publicly go to Yan Chujie to find out whether this artillery was for sale. He just silently remembered its appearance in his mind and planned to return to the station at night. Let the artist draw it according to his own description. Of course, it is impossible to copy this kind of weapon based on its appearance alone, but with the appearance as a reference, Xu Yuzhuo believes that Fujian craftsmen may be inspired by it to make improvements to existing artillery.
The Haihan military is not afraid of the imitation intentions of outsiders. The manufacturing process of new artillery is very different from that of old artillery. Both the materials and the processing process are very different. If you want to imitate Haihan's new artillery by relying on the past cannon-making methods, it will be difficult. It is no less than inventing a new artillery on your own, and the final result will probably be nothing more than nothing.
After watching this military exercise, most people's biggest emotions were similar to Su Keyi's. On the one hand, they were shocked by this unreasonable fire suppression attack method, and on the other hand, they were also aware of the difference between their own side and Haihan. The gap between them cannot be narrowed, and a deep sense of powerlessness emerges from the bottom of my heart.
But people who are a little calmer soon think of another layer. If countries are ranked based on the difference in combat effectiveness, then Haihan will undoubtedly be ranked first, and other countries, including Ming Dynasty, will probably be classified as to the same level. The reason is very simple. Haihan has now relaxed restrictions on the sale of weapons to various countries to a certain extent. So which country is equipped with more Haihan weapons, the corresponding combat effectiveness will be higher.
This truth is not necessarily absolutely correct. After all, national wars are about national strength. If a small country in the South China Sea faced an opponent of the size of the Ming Dynasty, it would be difficult to win the final victory even with some advanced weapons. But if it is a small-scale conflict on a local battlefield, Haihan weapons may play a decisive role in the outcome. For example, if the Ming Dynasty had to fight against the Annan army, which was already equipped with a large number of Haihan weapons, the result would probably be much worse than the last time it conquered Annan. And small countries like Champa, which have always been suppressed by neighboring countries, can now participate in international affairs in the South China Sea in a meaningful way after receiving help from Haihan in the military field.
If you want to quickly increase the strength of your own army in a short period of time, you can only rely on large-scale conscription in the past. But now there is another way for various countries, and that is to purchase large quantities of Haihan weapons and use them provided by Haihan New tactics to train troops. It does not even take a month for a new recruit to become proficient in using muskets from joining the army, but it takes at least one or two years to train an archer who is also good at long-distance killing. Although Haihan weapons are expensive, the effect on improving the combat effectiveness of the army is obvious. Therefore, many countries insist on purchasing weapons from Haihan even if they tighten their belts. If you can't compete with Haihan and you can't be the first, then you have to at least hold on to the second position. Many people have a similar mentality, and after watching this military exercise today, this idea has been strengthened in their hearts. The Haihan military stated that the weapons used in this military exercise would not be sold to the outside world. This actually put a big stone in the hearts of many people who were originally worried. Otherwise, if those wealthy buyers were to take the lead in equipping the troops, wouldn't it be a situation where they could beat whoever they wanted? No one can buy it, which means that the current strategic balance can continue to be maintained.
Although this mentality is a bit cowardly, this is the current international environment. Haihan's leading advantage in the military field has made it impossible for other countries to catch up. Therefore, the best strategy is not to continue to catch up with Haihan, but to maintain military cooperation with other countries. They are equal in strength, so don't let the gap open up too much.
North Korean envoy Li Xi had only one thought in his mind at this time: "If our country had such a strong army..." Of course he also heard Yan Chujie's reply to Zheng Zha and knew that Haihan did not intend to sell these weapons, but he had no other envoys With so many ideas, his consideration was more practical - since Haihan wouldn't sell it, he could just settle for the next best thing and ask for Haihan's military asylum.
Li Xi didn't think there was anything wrong with this. After all, North Korea had always been attached to the Central Plains Dynasty in history. Although there were some back and forth in the process, as long as the Central Plains Dynasty was strong, North Korea would take the initiative to play the role of a vassal state. I remember that when Japan invaded North Korea, it also sent reinforcements to the Ming Dynasty, and finally was able to save the country. Now that Ming Dynasty is weakening day by day, and Jin Dynasty is in full swing, who can provide military asylum to North Korea? Li Xi felt that he no longer thought of anyone except Haihan.
If the Haihan Army drops these weapons on the Liaodong battlefield, how long can those Jurchen barbarians be rampant in the face of artillery fire? If the Haihan Army could be stationed in North Korea, how many Japanese pirates would have the guts to come and die? Even the Ming Dynasty, which has always regarded itself as the kingdom of heaven, will probably no longer be able to look at people with its nostrils in the future, right?
The more Li Xi thought about it, the more it made sense. Looking at Fei Cexian's frustrated look, the more he felt that he should persuade the king and ministers to choose a clear path as soon as possible - as long as he hugged Haihan's thigh, the future of North Korea would be The trend is bound to be good.
Seeing envoys from several countries surrounding the senior officials of Haihan and flattering him, Li Xi secretly spat, then hurriedly walked to the side of Navy Commander Wang Tom, saying that he had something important to report.
Tom Wang nodded towards him, and after chatting with several foreign officials around him, he asked kindly: "Do you have any advice, Mr. Li?"
Li Xidao: "Please give Chief Wang a chance to speak."
Seeing that he was mysterious, Wang Tom thought that he might be asking about buying weapons again, so at that moment, he agreed to his request and went aside to talk with him alone. Before Li Xi could speak, Wang Tom took the initiative and said: "If Mr. Li wants to inquire about buying weapons, then I can only say sorry."
"Please rest assured, chief, what I want to say is not this matter." Li Xi responded very humbly: "What I want to say is, can your army... be divided into troops and stationed in North Korea in the future?"
"Huh?" Wang Tom didn't react for a moment. Although he led a fleet to visit Seoul last year, he used both soft and hard tactics to force the North Korean royal family to sign an alliance with Haehan, and asked the other party to contribute money and efforts in the Liaodong War to provide logistical support for Haehan. But even so, he has not yet considered sending troops to North Korea, and the Executive Committee has no plans in this regard, so he never expected that the North Korean envoy would take the initiative to mention this matter.
"What the official means is that if the Haihan Army can enter North Korea at the right time, it will be able to deter the Japanese and Houjin thieves and provide effective security cover for our country." Li Xi also couldn't figure out what Wang Tom's response was. Meaning, he explained two more sentences immediately.
"Garrison? Provide shelter?" Wang Tom finally confirmed what the other party meant, and responded with a smile: "Master Li has a lot of ideas... Is this what Master Li means, or is it the intention of His Majesty the King of North Korea?"
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Li Xi quickly responded: "At present, this is just an immature idea of the official, but if your country also has this plan, then the official will prepare a letter to persuade the king to do this. This matter will be beneficial to the country, and I believe that His Majesty the King will do the same. I will agree with the official’s idea.”
Tom Wang thought to himself that these Koreans are really weird. No wonder in the era before time travel, they would spend their own money to beg Americans to station their troops on their own land. This practice of relying on the strong has been a tradition that has continued for hundreds of years. Such weird ideas are really unacceptable.
(End of chapter)