Chapter 2844
As everyone walked on the tall city wall, it was not difficult to find that the construction time of the city wall was inconsistent. Some areas were obviously built during the Ming Dynasty or the Manchu occupation period. The walls were made of earthen walls covered with masonry or made of large stones weighing hundreds of kilograms; while some areas were made of concrete cast in entire sections. This is Haihan’s unique architectural craftsmanship.
The protrusions on the defense line are all large and small fortresses, but even the smaller fortresses have outer walls that are more than three feet high, which is much higher than the city walls connecting them.
These small fortresses are often less than a hundred feet apart and can provide effective fire cover for each other. The north-facing wall is full of densely packed but well-proportioned shooting ports, forming a three-dimensional fire network that combines high and low levels.
The main roads connecting the inside and outside of the defense line are all located in large fortresses. These fortresses are often divided into upper and lower layers in a stepped manner. Each layer is equipped with several forts, and the strike range can cover several miles.
There is an urn city built on the outside of the passage that runs through the fortress. The urn city gate is opened in a direction parallel to the defense line, and is low on the outside and high on the inside. Even if the enemy attacks the urn city, they cannot directly attack the city gate. Breaking hammers and the like Large siege equipment is also difficult to use under the city.
Chen Yixin proudly introduced to everyone that relying on a complete defense system, this large fortress built around the main traffic road had never been breached by the enemy during the more than ten years of fighting. Even though the Qing army organized several targeted offensives during this period, they eventually retreated on their own after suffering heavy casualties.
Bai Letong asked: "I have a layman's question. If the Qing army concentrates the artillery on hand to attack the weakly defended walls between the fortresses, how will they defend it?"
Chen Yixin explained: "The Qing army has not tried the tactics you mentioned. However, it is useless if there are fewer guns. Even if three or five guns are fired for several days, they may not be able to destroy the defense walls. They can only build large-scale Artillery position. But that is not a task that can be completed in a short time. It takes at least a day or two from the construction of the artillery position to the deployment of the artillery. The range of the artillery they have is limited, and the artillery position they build must be very easy for us. Within the observation distance, once we discover the combat intention, it will be simple, just open fire on their position."
Chen Yixin pointed to the back of the city wall and said: "In addition to the fixed firepower points deployed in the defense line fortress, our army also has a large number of field artillery that can be deployed mobilely. If there is a shooting blind spot in the fixed firepower point, the mobile firepower can come in handy. . These small-caliber field artillery are towed by mules and horses and can be mobilized to preset artillery positions outside the city in a very short time, and can enter the battle much faster than their opponents."
Bai Letong nodded and said: "So this is because the Qing army cannot build long-range and powerful artillery, and cannot use long-range firepower to attack the isthmus defense line fortifications."
Chen Yixin said: "The Manchu ordnance technology can only produce cast muzzle-loading guns. If you want a large caliber and a long range, it means that the gun body will be very large, and the corresponding manufacturing difficulty will be high. Not only is the cost high, but the maneuverability and The combat efficiency was also very low. Around 1645, they tried to transport a new type of heavy artillery to the front line for combat, but the heavy artillery that was said to be able to hit two or three miles required ten mules to fire one shot. The reloading time was also horribly long, and after only firing a few shots on the front line, it was called out by our army's artillery. Since then, the Manchus have stopped making such unnecessary attempts."
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Haihan's advantages in weapon performance destined that the offensive methods available to opponents are very limited, and Haihan can disrupt the opponent's offensive simply by making targeted deployments.
Even if the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were able to build heavy artillery, their combat performance was still far behind that of the Haihan artillery. In the specific battlefield environment of the Isthmus Defense Line, it was still difficult to pose a real threat. To this day, there are no enemy positions on the other side of the isthmus defense line, and most of the forts on the defense line have removed their artillery. Although the main fortifications of the defense line still remain, its functions have become a training facility for the army and a patriotic education base that is regularly open to the public.
Ning Zijing raised an economic-related question: "Then have we carefully calculated how many resources have been invested in this line of defense and what is their value?"
Chen Yixin said solemnly: "Even if we only calculate the cost of building and maintaining this line of defense over the years, as well as the military expenses and combat material consumption of the garrison, it is at least more than 10 million yuan. If you want to calculate the details, all kinds of logistics costs are also included. , that number may have to be doubled again.”
Ning Zijing was speechless after hearing this: "I didn't expect the cost to be so high!"
Chen Yixin shook his head slightly and said: "Although the cost of maintaining this line of defense is high, the results are also very significant. Without this line of defense, it would be difficult for us to hold back the Qing Dynasty in Jinzhou for more than ten years. If they were allowed to let go If we attack the Ming Dynasty and North Korea, the cost of sending troops to help will only be higher. You should all know about the war to aid Korea in 1637, right? Although that war lasted only about four months, the amount of money our troops spent in Korea would be higher. The military expenditure is equivalent to the expenditure of the Isthmus Defense Line for several years.”
Ning Zijing said: "Our army has been winning battles, and the Qing army has been losing battles. One is declining and the other is increasing. I think the Qing army's military expenditure must be greater than ours."
Chen Yixin paused and continued: "The Manchu Qing's economic structure is simple. In addition to agricultural taxes in the ruled areas, it mainly relies on waging wars abroad and obtaining wealth through plunder. The Qing army has a lower proportion of professional soldiers. Many Eight Banners soldiers are herdsmen and farmers in normal times, and they only change their status during the war, and their military expenditures are actually smaller than ours. However, the Qing Dynasty's economic aggregate is not comparable to that of our country. , we can afford to fight this kind of long-term war of attrition.”
Haihan's strategy against the enemy was determined from the beginning to fight a war of attrition with the Qing Dynasty. However, this consumption does not refer to combat strength, but to drag down the opponent economically. Even if the Manchu Qing's combat costs were lower, they could not withstand the losses of years of war.
Moreover, for more than ten years, Haihan continued to send troops from Jinzhou and launched raids on the coastal plains of Liaodong from the sea, causing great pain to the Manchus. Unable to capture Jinzhou and unable to defend its own territory, giving up these areas will leave Haihan more room for movement, but if he does not let go, these places will continue to be slowly tortured by bloodletting.
Haihan only occupied a small area at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula for a long period of time, and was on the defensive most of the time, but strategically it took the initiative and brought down the Manchu economy.
(End of chapter)