Chapter 1863 The Prince’s Interest
For North Korean soldiers, being able to get the opportunity to study abroad in Haihan means that they can make a bright mark on their resume, and the chance of being assigned to the new army when they return to the country in the future will also increase. Big increase. However, among the 2,000 new army trainees, including officers, only about 20 were finally selected. The intensity of competition can be said to be the cream of the crop. Considering that these two thousand people have already gone through an internal selection by the North Korean military, the selected candidates are indeed considered the elite of the North Korean military.
Of course, the so-called elites are not just soldiers with outstanding individual military qualities like Andao Shi. Those "escort personnel" with outstanding identities and backgrounds are also considered elites. After all, their families are also the targets that the Haihan Society is trying to win over. However, the overseas students with the most background proposed by Haihan have not yet made a final decision on whether they will accept this arrangement.
During the high-level consultations between the two countries in August, the Haihan Army made a proposal to the North Korean king to send one or more princes to study in Haihan. In order to prevent the North Koreans from taking this suggestion as asking for hostages, they also emphasized to them that this was an independent choice and not a coercive measure. Although North Korea has not refused at the moment, it has not made further statements on this issue.
The third of the three North Korean princes is still young and theoretically should not be selected to study abroad. Therefore, the main targets of Haihan's move are the eldest Li Shu and the second eldest Li Hao. Given that these two people are the first and second heirs to the North Korean throne respectively, it is unlikely that the king will send them abroad at the same time, so this is a multiple-choice question.
Both Wang Tom and Qian Tiandun are optimistic about promoting this matter. They believe that the North Korean prince studying in Haihan will have an excellent role in promoting the development of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This will be an excellent example for those who are currently interested in strengthening political exchanges between the two countries. It can also be considered an effective method for North Korea. However, I don’t know what Li Xiang considered, but this candidate has not been chosen yet. Although Haihan also asked Kim Sang-heon and Cui Mingji for relevant information, these two people were old officials and chose to keep silent about the matter and did not let any news to Haihan.
However, this time, taking advantage of the opportunity to hold a military skills competition at the Datong River base, Haihan specially sent an invitation letter to North Korean officials and invited the crown prince Li Bo and Fenglin Maharaja Li Hao to attend by name.
The invitation letter from Haihan Military stated very straightforwardly. He hoped that the future successors of the Kingdom of Korea would be exposed to the military field as soon as possible so that one day they could calmly deal with war. By the way, they could also take this opportunity to get to know the young talents in the Korean military circles. , lay a solid foundation for future rule in advance.
Perhaps moved by Haihan's words, Li Zhuang did not find any excuses this time, and indeed sent the two princes from Seoul to the Datong River base to attend the military skills competition organized by Haihan.
Perhaps Li Zhu didn't want to just let the two princes have casual contact with the Haihan people, so he asked Kim Sang-hyun and Cui Ming-gil to accompany them. So including Shen Jingzhen, the Bing Cao judge who had arrived here earlier, and the six Cao Cao judges from the Li, Li, and Bing families were present in person, plus the two princes, this guest lineup really gave Haihan a lot of face.
Nobles of Li Pu and Li Hao's status would basically not lead armies to fight in person, so the military skills they mastered were limited to only superficial archery and sword skills, basic riding skills, and armchair command skills. But this does not hinder their interest in advanced weapons and equipment and powerful force. They also want to see with their own eyes what the Korean soldiers who have defeated the evil neighbor in the north will do if they are so powerful. changes.
Out of respect for these two heirs to the throne, Wang Tom and Qian Tiandun accompanied them throughout the two-day event, personally acting as commentators, explaining to them the details of each competition event, and practicing what the event can do in actual combat. play a role. This is indeed a very novel experience for the two princes who usually live in the palace and rarely have direct contact with the army.
Through this competition, the two North Korean princes will be more interested in Haihan, which is one of the main purposes of Wang Qian and others in making this arrangement. As long as these two young people are sufficiently curious and then introduced to them about the study abroad program, it will be easier to persuade them to accept Haihan's arrangement.
Although North Korea's military strength is limited and it has been bullied by neighboring countries all year round, it is precisely because of this that North Koreans more or less hope to one day strengthen their country's armed forces, and the higher the level, the more obsessed they are with this. Although these two princes are still young and have never had the experience of commanding troops on the battlefield, under the deliberate arrangement of the Haihan military, they felt the strength of the iron horse in the training camp on the Datong River. momentum.
After watching the shooting competition of trainees from his country, Wang Tom took the initiative and asked: "Do you two princes want to try this new type of musket that will be installed in your country's army?"
"Is this... okay?"
The second oldest brother, Li Hao, subconsciously looked at his elder brother, while his elder brother, Li Hao, looked at Jin Sangxian. Tom Wang saw this detail in his eyes and had a better understanding of the relationship between these people.
However, the first person to speak was Cui Mingji, who seemed to be ignored by no one: "Then why don't we invite the Crown Prince and Lord Fenglin to test fire and set an example for our soldiers."
"Master Cui, the Crown Prince and Lord Fenglin have never used this kind of musket. If they fail to hit the target in front of everyone, wouldn't it be counterproductive?" Kim Sangxian raised objections to the invitation and did not want the brothers to test fire. Musket.
Cui Mingji said: "That's easy to do. It's just a test firing of the musket. There is no need to shoot at the target. The two princes are not competing with these sergeants. They can use this to show their support for the formation of a new army."< br>
"Master Cui is right." Wang Tom quickly took over and said: "These students have been training here for more than a month. Those who can participate in the shooting competition are relatively talented. There is really no big comparison. But if the two princes are interested in this, we can also arrange for instructors to give them special training, which will be effective within ten days.”
Upon seeing this, Jin Sangxian stopped insisting on opposing it and reluctantly approved the method proposed by Cui Mingji. In fact, his objection was not really to stop the two princes from testing the muskets, but he just didn't want Cui Mingji to achieve his goal so smoothly and steal his limelight. The competition with political opponents is going on every moment. He will not relax just because this is the territory of the Haihan people, and he is sure that the same is true for his opponents, so he has to fight tit for tat everywhere. Li Pu and Li Hao are both young people. After watching the sergeant's drill just now, they naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity. Under the leadership of Wang Tom and Qian Tiandun, they left the stands and went to the shooting position to try this new weapon. arms.
In fact, the muskets Haihan provided to the Korean army were not advanced models. What these students used here were the Type 29 matchlocks that had been produced many years ago. Now, all Allied forces such as Annan have replaced them with flintlock muskets. , this kind of old matchlock gun is usually delegated to local garrison troops for use. However, for North Korea, this kind of matchlock gun is much easier to use than the blunderbuss that they originally equipped in small quantities in the army. It has obvious performance advantages in terms of firing rate, accuracy and range.
Of course, this is also related to the backwardness of the weapons and equipment in the North Korean army. More than half of the less than 2,000 muskets in the army were purchased from the Ming Dynasty, but the earliest manufacturing time of these muskets can even be traced back to the last century. During the Wanli period, it has been almost half a century, and the situation can be imagined. In recent years, the Ming Dynasty has been experiencing constant internal and external wars, and the weapons and equipment it manufactured have no surplus for export, which makes it difficult to replace North Korea's guns and artillery on a large scale. Although North Korea also tried to manufacture some guns on its own, the performance was still lagging behind those made in the Ming Dynasty, so in the end it did not carry out large-scale production and equipment.
Due to the lack of powerful weapons and equipment, North Korea cannot help but appear unable to cope with the military threat from its powerful neighbor in the north. Almost all the weapons purchased from Haihan last year were deployed to the north. However, because the military cooperation between the two countries was too short, the North Korean army lacked an organized firearms unit and corresponding tactics, and was still unable to fully exert its due strength when facing the Qing army independently. As the Qing army advanced from the Yalu River to the Datong River, it had already wiped out the few Korean troops equipped with firearms.
In this way, if North Korea wants to build a new army that imitates Haihan's military system after the war, it will naturally have to purchase weapons and equipment from Haihan again. Due to its current financial situation, North Korea is unable to purchase large quantities of new weapons with relatively high unit prices, so it can only focus on cheaper old weapons - of course, Haihan's old weapons are still better than those antiques equipped by the North Korean army in the past. Much more advanced.
Wang Tom and Qian Tiandun were each responsible for teaching the two princes how to hold a gun and shoot on the spot. On a whim, Li Bo said to Jin Sangxian and others: "Why don't all the judges come and try it too!"
Several high-ranking North Korean officials looked at me and I looked at you. In the end, the military judge Shen Jingzhen took the lead: "Then let me give it a try!"
Although Shin Kyung-jin is the top leader of the North Korean military, like Kim Sang-heon and Cui Ming-gil, he is an out-and-out civilian official, and wielding swords and guns is not his strong point. Fortunately, the two colleagues had no intention of watching him make a fool of himself, so they rolled up their sleeves and went off together.
The series of operations of cleaning, filling, loading, igniting, and shooting the matchlock gun are actually quite complicated. Wang Qian and Wang Qian did not expect to be able to teach these North Korean dignitaries in a short time, so they finally asked soldiers to load the ammunition for them. , it is only up to them to complete the last step of shooting.
After cautiously firing a shot at the open space in the distance, the two princes were very excited and immediately asked for another round. The three judges gave up their plans to continue playing with guns. This thing had a choking smell of fireworks, the sound was quite scary, and the butt of the gun even hurt their shoulders. It was really no fun.
Wang Tom saw that the two princes were very interested in weapons, and his confidence greatly increased. What he was most worried about was that these two people had no interest in the military. Inviting these two people to the Datongjiang base would be a waste of time.
Since you like shooting, it's easy. The Datongjiang base has a full range of rifle models, ranging from the oldest matchlock guns to seven-shot rifles equipped by elites such as independent regiments and marines. These two can be arranged to play with them. If the gun play is not enough, you can also pull out the cannon and fire a few rounds to let them experience the feeling of being on the battlefield.
Although Wang Tom does not expect the two brothers to have the idea of joining the army, since they are interested in weapons and equipment, many topics can be extended from this, not only in the military field, but also in Haihan's industrial manufacturing capabilities. and international politics and so on. If it can arouse the two brothers' interest in exploring the unknown world, it may be able to promote the progress of inviting them to study in Haihan.
Sure enough, the two brothers showed unfinished expressions after playing with the matchlocks for a while. Wang Tom asked at the right time: "If the two princes like to shoot guns, then I will make arrangements later and have someone prepare more kinds of muskets. You two can do it." Try it slowly.”
Li Ming said: "Then General Lao Wang will arrange it! I have something unclear, and I hope General Wang can clarify my doubts. Since your country can make sharp weapons, why don't you use them to conquer the world, but sell them to other countries? Aren't you afraid? After other countries equip themselves with these weapons, will they one day threaten Haihan? ”
Questions like this have actually been raised by the Annan people many years ago. Wang Tom is no stranger to this. He responded with a smile: "Your Majesty, this is a good question. The main purpose of selling weapons is naturally to make money." . As for the problem that the prince is worried about, of course we are also prepared for it. In fact, the solution is very simple, that is, the most advanced weapons are only equipped with our own army and not sold to the outside world. ”
After that, Wang Tom stretched out his hand, took a rifle from the guard, and showed it to Li Bo: "Your Majesty, please see, this rifle does not need to be lit with a match rope to fire, and the gun has been loaded with seven bullets. , one shot can be fired by pulling the bolt, and the shooting speed is more than ten times faster than the gun that the prince tested before. The accuracy, range, and lethality are also even better. The prince can imagine from this. What is the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Army?”
Li Pu suddenly said: "So this kind of musket will not be sold to foreign countries?"
"That's right." Wang Tom nodded and said: "Before our country produces more advanced weapons and equipment and sends them to the army, we will definitely not sell the weapons currently in service. Guns, cannons, warships, and other weapons and equipment , all follow this system, which is enough to ensure that our country can maintain its absolute advantage in force while selling weapons.”
(End of chapter)