Chapter 2347
The Haihan Army's northern defense line is only ten miles wide, and there is no need to worry about the opponent launching an offensive from the sea. In this way, at least 3,000 troops are stationed year-round to prevent the opponent from launching an offensive suddenly.
The Ming Dynasty had a vast territory and the northern defense line stretched for thousands of miles. It was impossible to adopt the defense strategy of deploying heavy troops along the entire defense line like Haihan's in Jinzhou. It could only disperse the troops to guard various military towns along the border. For the Qing army with strong mobility, this kind of defense method undoubtedly has loopholes everywhere. As long as the troops are concentrated in one place, they can basically penetrate it in one hit.
Today's Ming Dynasty can only deal with the nearly routine raids by the Qing army every year, and has no effective means of resistance. Under such circumstances, if the Qing army's weapons and equipment were improved to another level, then Ming Dynasty would be completely out of luck.
Of course, the threshold for producing advanced weapons such as muskets and artillery is not just technology. With Haihan's industrial capabilities, it is far from reaching the level of one musket in the army, and there are only a few high-end weapons with outstanding performance. Only elite troops are eligible to be equipped. Considering the level of social productivity and resource output of the Qing Dynasty, even if they mastered some weapons manufacturing technologies originated from the West, it would probably be difficult to truly form large-scale production capacity in the short term.
From the prisoners' mouths, we learned that the Qing army still had three impressive musketeers on the Daheishan front line. These covert troops should have a strength of nearly a thousand. This is also very likely to be the upper limit of the new muskets they can install. Maybe there are still some among them. Mixed in are many old-fashioned matchlocks brought to Liaodong by the Ming rebels.
The Qing army hid these musketeers, probably because they learned the lesson from last year. They knew that exposure would lead to targeted attacks from Haihan, so they had to save this secret weapon for the most critical moment before using it. For example, this feint attack in the direction of Jinzhou finally turned into a real attack. Then maybe the Qing army would have to pull out its own musketeers to fight. If the Haihan army was unprepared for this, it might actually have a miraculous effect. .
However, compared to the size of the Qing army's musketeers, Chen Yixin was more concerned about whether they had mastered the corresponding tactics and had actual combat capabilities. If it is just equipped with some muskets, it does not actually mean that it has formed a real combat effectiveness.
But regarding this issue, Welin was unable to get more detailed information from the prisoners. He could only confirm that Spanish and Japanese served as instructors in the Qing army last year, and this news was no longer relevant to Haihan. It’s new. When the Marine Corps went deep behind enemy lines last year, they already discovered that Westerners were instructing the training of musketeers in the military.
Due to the limitations of weapon performance, almost all musketeers in this era use array tactics. The training is not complicated. Even ordinary people with no military foundation can be trained into musketeers with qualified combat skills in a few months. The speed of forming combat effectiveness is very fast.
"It seems that we need to say hello to the Ming Dynasty. We can't just watch them suffer!" Chen Yixin quickly made a decision. Even though the scale and actual combat effectiveness of the Qing army's training of musketeers is still uncertain, the opponent The first target that must be dealt with after possessing such advanced arms is obviously the Ming Dynasty.
The reason is simple. The Qing army is unlikely to use its hard-won musketeers to fight Haihan, and will only use them to deal with relatively weaker targets. After losing thousands of people in Jinzhou one after another, the Qing army has realized that it is difficult to expel the Haihan Army from Jinzhou through military means. Continuing to invest troops in the frontal battlefield is just to gain military exploits for the Haihan Army in vain. As it is now It is already an ideal situation to block the Haihan Army in Jinzhou.
On the North Korean side, Haihan's elite troops are stationed, and there is the natural chasm of the Yalu River on the border. If they attack and are cut off by the Haihan navy, it will be troublesome. In comparison, the Ming Dynasty is the best target to deal with. You can enter the Ming Dynasty from Xuanfu, Datong, Jizhou and other places. Breaking through the defenses in these places is much easier than the Jinzhou Isthmus defense line and the Yalu River natural moat. .
Although a considerable number of combat troops were restrained north of Jinzhou by Haihan all year round, the Qing army often found ways to mobilize some troops to participate in the attack on the Ming Dynasty. This time, the Military Intelligence Bureau found out the recent troop mobilization status of the Qing army. It is very likely that the mobilized soldiers and horses participated in the attack on the Ming Dynasty.
In the past, the Qing army could break through the Ming Dynasty's border defenses only by relying on the winding cavalry. If more musketeers joined, I am afraid that the Ming Dynasty's situation would be even more unbearable. As a nominal ally, Haihan indeed had an obligation to warn Ming.
Wei Lin responded: "How about you, humble minister, go and inform the envoy?"
Chen Yixin thought for a while before responding: "You go and inform him to come, and I will tell him in person. This is more serious."
The formal official contact between Ming Dynasty and Haihan began in Jinzhou. In 1636, Mei Shengchuan, the Minister of War, secretly came to Jinzhou to discuss military cooperation and the ownership of Jinzhou with Haihan, which later led to the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. After that, Ming Dynasty also sent official personnel to Jinzhou to serve as a communication channel between the two parties.
This kind of stationed organization is actually very leisurely. The Ming envoy only needs to write a memorial to the court every month based on the battle report provided by Haihan. If the imperial court issued a decree, it would also be conveyed to Haihan by the envoy stationed in the institution. The rest of the time can be spent cultivating flowers, fishing, reading and playing chess. There are no places for consumption and entertainment in Jinzhou, but it is very suitable for a life of self-cultivation.
The Ming Dynasty envoy currently stationed in Jinzhou is a close associate of Mei Shilang of the Ministry of War, named Yue Yongshou. Although he was only a small chief executive in the Ministry of War, he was able to get such a good job with the support of Mei Shengchuan. In addition to the monthly memorials submitted to the court to create a sense of existence, Yue Yongshou can also receive a certain amount of money from Haihan on a monthly basis, which is euphemistically called "office expenses." This unaccountable income Naturally, everything goes into his own pocket, which is quite a considerable amount after one year.
He is soft-spoken when he eats people, but he is short-handed when taking advantage of others. Yue Yongshou often took advantage of Haihan when he was stationed in Jinzhou. Naturally, he always cooperated, not going where he was not allowed to go, and not asking about things he was not allowed to ask.
After receiving the communication, Yue Yongshou quickly came to meet Chen Yixin. He was very aware of his role in Jinzhou. When Chen Yixin summoned him, he must have something to convey to the court.
Chen Yixin went straight to the point and explained to Yue Yongshou why he was anxious to summon him. It was because he found that the Qing army was most likely forming and training musketry units, and these special units might appear in the Ming Dynasty sometime in the near future. On the border, Ming Dynasty will face the Qing army whose weapons performance has surpassed its own.
Yue Yongshou was shocked after hearing this. He knew that the Ming army had a firearms battalion, but the weapons used were mostly primitive matchlocks or very old-fashioned flintlock guns, which were far inferior to those of the Haihan Army. Equipped with repeating rifles and artillery of various calibers. If the Qing army had similar arms and equipped them with weapons with better performance, then the Ming Dynasty's border defense would have to bear greater pressure.
Yue Yongshou said: "Since even Mr. Chen feels it is very dangerous, I will definitely report the matter to the court as soon as possible. I just wonder if Mr. Chen has any solution to this problem?"
Chen Yixin said: "For now, we have not been able to confirm the true strength and deployment status of the Qing army's artillery troops, so it is difficult to assess their specific combat effectiveness. If these troops were delivered to the northern border of the Ming Dynasty, I think the Ming army would It is difficult to have the power to fight with them. To solve this problem, unless the Ming army is equipped with a large number of weapons of the same level, Mr. Chen means to ask me to make suggestions to the imperial court and purchase large quantities of weapons produced by your country. Weapons and equipment?”
Chen Yixin nodded without hesitation and said: "That's right. Only if your country takes the initiative to improve its military strength can the Qing army be blocked from the country."
Yue Yongshou hesitated: "But the imperial court does not seem to agree with the purchase of weapons from your country. The price is high, there are too few types of weapons to choose from, and the delivery cycle is long. Many adults think this kind of transaction is too disadvantageous."
What Yue Yongshou said is indeed true. Although Haihan also wants to sell weapons and equipment to Ming Dynasty, there are many restrictions. Moreover, the performance of the weapons sold to Ming Dynasty is not even as good as those sold to Fujian Xu Xinsu. As a buyer, if you still have to pay for it, the transaction will naturally not be comfortable.
Chen Yixin said: "There is only one reason for these problems, and that is that we are the only one on the market who can sell these weapons and equipment to your country. If your country wants to continue fighting with the Qing army, then only by obtaining enough weapons from our country can we Ensure that your country will not be defeated by the Manchus in the future.”
Yue Yongshou smiled bitterly and said: "I personally saw your army fighting the Qing army on the front line of Jinzhou, so I naturally believe what Mr. Chen said. But the adults in the court did not know the difference between these weapons, and they may not understand what Mr. Chen said. It makes sense. There are many things that cannot be understood by looking at the memorial.”
"After all, it's because there are too few officials who are knowledgeable about practical matters like Mr. Yue!" Chen Yixin sighed deliberately, and flattered Yue Yongshou by the way.
Yue Yongshou said: "Master Chen is ridiculous. I can only do my best and try to make the matter more clear in the memorial. As for whether this thing can be done, I dare not give a guarantee to Master Chen."
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Chen Yixin emphasized: "Buying weapons is just a suggestion. What your country really needs to pay attention to is the situation of the Qing army. If the Qing army has an established musketeer unit appearing on your border, it is most likely because the Manchus have mastered the manufacturing of these weapons." This weapon technology, your country must be more careful.”
After sending Yue Yongshou away, Chen Yixin still felt a little uneasy. He really had no confidence in whether the warning he raised could have its due effect.
However, in fact, Chen Yixin's warning was already a step too late. During Operation Treading Snow, the Qing army, led by Prince Dorgon and Beile Yuetuo, divided into left and right armies and invaded the Ming Dynasty. The Qing army successively captured Qian'an, Fengrun, Nengzhou and other places, all the way to the capital.
The capital of the Ming Dynasty was shaken. Supervisor Lu Xiangsheng personally led his troops to meet the enemy, but he still could not stop the Qing army's offensive. The Qing army conquered forty-three cities in the Ming Dynasty, and all the large and small towns in the Gyeonggi region were conquered. The Ming army guarding these places either cowered or fled, and did not play any role in blocking the Qing army.
In this series of battles in the Gyeonggi region, the Ming army suddenly discovered that in addition to the usual sword and bow cavalry, organic musketeers began to appear in the Qing army's formation. Moreover, these musketeers used uniform weapons and knew how to fight in formations. The Ming troops who fought with them were quickly defeated.
The two firearms battalions stationed by the Ming army in the Gyeonggi area suffered small losses after fighting with them. They found that the weapons they used were not even as good as the Qing army. If it were not for long-term training and rich practical experience, they would probably be directly defeated by the opponent.
This discovery is definitely bad news for the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty has gradually become a passive party in military confrontations. It can only parry but has no power to fight back. Now that the strength of the Qing army has been further enhanced, even advanced arms such as musketeers have appeared on the battlefield. Over time, the Ming army's disadvantages due to backward weapons will further expand, and the Qing army's ambition to go south will not be affected. Control begins to swell.
At almost the same time that Chen Yixin was interviewing Yue Yongshou, the Ming court was already in a quarrel because of the recent decline on the battlefield.
Some people think that Lu Xiangsheng's inability to supervise the war was the reason why the Qing army was in a deserted situation in the Gyeonggi area. At this time, other generals with real ability should be replaced to take Lu Xiangsheng's position.
Some people also believe that the fact that the Qing army has musketeers just shows that the Ming army should further expand the establishment of firearms battalions. However, this statement was refuted after it was thrown out. The Ming army is currently struggling to even maintain the current size of the army, and there is no room left to expand the size of a money-burning unit such as the firearms battalion.
Some people have suggested that since military expenditures are tight, we should try to collect Liao pay domestically and use taxes to subsidize the military's combat expenses. However, such opinions have also encountered opposition. They believe that the crux of the Ming army is not insufficient military expenditure, but that they simply do not know how to fight opponents like the Qing army.
Since the rise of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty has been in a state of passive defense, with more defeats and fewer wins, and even repeated defeats. How to defeat the Qing army has become a problem that troubled the Ming Dynasty and the public. After the evolution of time, this problem seems to have become how not to be defeated by the Qing army.
Even if there were no musketeers in the Qing army's formation, the Ming army's decline was slowly becoming apparent, and the musketeers only accelerated the process. But even though the situation was so urgent, no one in the court took the initiative to ask Haihan for help. Compared with the ferocious Qing army, it seems that the "Hai Han" is the existence that the big shots are so afraid of that they don't want to mention it.
(End of chapter)