I want to be emperor

Chapter 354 The first snow in Jinling (two chapters in one)

Among the additional funds for the army and navy, these are still relatively small, and the more important thing is the funds for expanding the main force.

That is to say, it was officially confirmed that the tentative fifth mixed battalion would be expanded to the tenth division.

Some troops were drawn from the Second Guards Division to form the No.11 Division.

And these two divisions, like the Second Guards Division, will be a new type of army equipped with sudden-firing rifles and adopting new tactics.

Since the Sui-firing pistol was developed at the beginning of the year, the plan of the Great Chu Empire to train new troops equipped with Sui-firing rifles has also entered the agenda.

In the first half of the year, Luo Zhixue ordered the establishment of the temporary fifth mixed battalion. This battalion was a very typical experimental unit. They successively obtained hundreds of hand-made quick-fire rifles for various preliminary tests.

It is mainly to test the quick-fire rifle, in order to find out some problems of the quick-fire rifle in practice, and then solve them.

Formulate the operation manual for the sudden-firing rifle to standardize tactical actions.

Then there is more important to experiment with various new tactics after adopting the sudden-fire rifle.

Putting a new weapon into use does not mean that soldiers can use the new weapon.

Because the performance characteristics of weapons are different, the tactical advantages and disadvantages they bring will be different. If you want to truly play out the performance of new weapons, you need to match the corresponding new book tactics.

For example, after the light short-barreled and large-caliber matchlock guns produced by the Great Chu Empire on the basis of the bird guns, the initial tactics used are actually the same as the original bird guns, and when fighting the enemy, it is easy to use them. Breaking through the formation by the enemy, the musketeers often have to face close-range melee.

Therefore, the musketeers of the early Chu army needed to be equipped with an additional waist knife and undergo strict training in order to continue fighting after falling into close-range melee.

But when the Great Chu Empire added a sleeve spear to the Yuannian matchlock gun, it was completely different.

In addition to shooting, the musketeer can also be temporarily transformed into a light-armed short spearman through the sleeve gun.

Since then, although the musketeers of the Great Chu Empire continued to be equipped with waist knives, they have changed from the heavier and longer traditional knives used by the shield hand to lighter and shorter short waist knives.

The waist knife is no longer used as the main weapon in the melee, but has evolved into an auxiliary weapon.

Tactically, the matchlock gunners of the Chu army would also be more inclined to fire at close range and intensively, that is, two rows of soldiers fired together, and all six rows of musketeers fired within three rounds.

And after firing the fire rope, the six rows of soldiers changed into three rows, and the distance between soldiers changed from more than one meter to shoulder to shoulder.

That is to say, a dense formation in the traditional sense, and a matchlock gun with a spear barbed is used for combat.

The change of weapons requires corresponding new tactics to match.

This is even more so with today's instant-fire guns.

Several cavalry units equipped with quick-fire pistols are currently undergoing intensive adaptive training. What are they training for?
The main training is to use the quick-fire pistol in close quarters melee tactics.

In addition, semi-rotary tactics similar to cavalry and shooting will be trained to replace the lack of cavalry and shooting capabilities of these half-baked cavalry.

The pistol half-round tactic developed by the cavalry of the Chu Army is actually similar to the traditional cavalry and shooting tactic.

How is traditional riding and archery combat done?

It does not mean that it is enough to ride on a horse and then stop to shoot arrows, but to divide the waves. After the cavalry rushes up, it makes a large-radius turn, and during the turn, it directly bends the bow and shoots arrows on the high-speed galloping horse, and shoots at the enemy infantry formation. Throw a large number of bows and arrows.

At the same time, if the enemy's infantry array collapses, they will directly draw their swords and carry out cavalry charges to expand the results of the battle.

Well, the premise of riding and shooting into the formation is that the enemy's formation has collapsed.

And there are also restrictions on riding and shooting. For example, if there are a large number of infantry archers in the opposite infantry formation, they will be shot into hedgehogs by the enemy infantry archers...

Therefore, most of the time, even the elite cavalry who are good at riding and archery will not do anything to rush up and shoot arrows. They rely more on the short-distance mobility brought by the horse itself to contain the enemy through frequent and rapid maneuvers. Force the enemy to make changes in formation and create opportunities for the main infantry.

Or wait for a loophole in the enemy's formation before rushing up to fight.

As for this set of things, the most slippery ones are not the cavalry of the nomads, but the cavalry of the Central Plains Dynasty.

To be precise, it was the cavalry of the Ming army in the early Ming Dynasty, but it was really slipping away. What kind of Mongolian cavalry was hanged and beaten in front of the cavalry in the early Ming Dynasty...

What did Zhu Yuanzhang rely on to seize the world: riding, shooting and firearms!

Later, the Mingbian Army in the period of the Qi Family Army was basically the same, and it was still very easy to use.

While sweeping the formation with elite cavalry, they used the vehicle formation equipped with a large number of light artillery as the core to continuously approach the enemy, fighting the Mongolian cavalry who still remained in the tactical thinking of hundreds of years ago...

When it comes to the current Eastern captivity, although they are different in details, they are similar.

When fighting, the cavalry stayed on the sidelines, or maneuvered to force the Ming army to change formation.

The heavy armored infantry of the Chinese army rushed to fight under the cover of shielded chariots. In this way, the chariot formation of the Ming army was basically out of control.

After the formation of chariots and infantry of the Ming army collapsed, the cavalry of the Dongcap will go out to expand the results of the battle.

It can also be seen from this that the traditional oriental cavalry seldom charge directly, and more of them strive for the advantage of their own main infantry.

Even in the Mongol and Yuan Dynasties...

People's Mengyuan iron wares went all the way to the Danube, not only relying on cavalry and shooting light infantry, they also have a large number of heavy cavalry, as well as a large number of armored infantry and artillery.

In wars, since ancient times, multiple arms cooperate with each other, and it is impossible for a single arm to sweep the entire battlefield.

No matter how powerful a single unit is, it will be targeted and restrained.

On the side of the Great Chu Empire, because of the lack of horses and well-trained cavalry, there were not many cavalry, and even fewer elite cavalry.

Under such circumstances, the Great Chu Empire tried every means, and finally found the Suifa pistol, trying to engage pistol cavalry to strengthen the strength of its own cavalry.

It's just that it's not easy to get the pistol cavalry out, and it takes a long time to try and train.

In a short period of time, it is basically impossible to see the pistol cavalry of the Chu army appearing on the battlefield on a large scale. ,

The pistol cavalry of the Chu army have not even practiced the tactic of making better use of the pistol in the melee.

After the Suifa pistol was equipped with cavalry, there were so many problems.

And after the Suifa rifle is equipped with infantry, there will also be many problems.

In this way, the establishment of the temporary fifth mixed camp was established.

After nearly half a year of various experiments, the Great Chu Empire Army, through the provisional formation of the Fifth Mixed Battalion, finally managed to figure out a new tactic of using sudden-fire rifles.

It can't even be simply described in terms of tactics, but a whole new set of tactical concepts, involving not only the infantry itself, but also the tactics of infantry, cavalry, and even baggage.

Even the logistics have changed.

After all, the infantry of the new rifles will be equipped with flintlock guns, which means that the consumption of ammunition used by muskets will increase exponentially.

At the same time, the equipment of a large number of flintlock guns will also greatly increase the number of musket damage, which requires an increase in the number of gun repair craftsmen accompanying the army.

The equipment of the flintlock resulted in a series of changes.

This is also the reason why in the provisional fifth mixed battalion, besides infantry, there are other kinds of arms in disorder, such as field artillery, mortar artillery, cavalry, heavy soldiers, engineers, etc.

Even in order to better command the troops to advance and retreat, a military band was set up.

Because the Fifth Mixed Battalion found out that after the troops used flintlock guns, if the infantry fired many times and there was no wind on the battlefield, it would be easy for the soldiers to be filled with gunpowder smoke and make it difficult for the soldiers to see the commanders directly under them. It is not very reliable for people to shout and command.

Finally, referring to the original way of beating drums and gongs to command the army, a special drummer was directly set up, and the sound of drums with good sound penetration was used as a way to guide the infantry to move forward and back.

The above small details are just a small part of the temporary fifth mixed battalion in the process of exploring new tactics.

According to the many tests conducted by the temporary fifth mixed battalion, the staff department has compiled more than 20 manuals for the new troops formulated by the Tactical Division, covering the training and tactics of each arm under the new tactical system, as well as the more important Interaction between various arms and so on.

The core of which is the infantry drill, which covers the training and combat of the new type of sudden-fire rifleman, including some basic tactical applications and so on.

Through the efforts of temporarily organizing the Fifth Mixed Battalion, the Great Chu Empire has initially explored a whole new tactical system.

And this set of things was first applied in the Second Guards Division.

The Second Guards Division was established completely according to the needs of the new-style troops, and even the establishment was different from the original main division, let alone the garrison divisions.

The Second Guards Division mainly consists of three infantry regiments, one artillery regiment, one cavalry regiment, one logistics regiment, one engineer battalion, and other auxiliary troops such as military police, military music, and military doctors.

Compared with the previous main force, the brigade-level organization has been cancelled. This is mainly because if another brigade-level organization is added, it will become a four-regiment organization. Such an infantry division with a new organization will have too many troops. It will reach more than 2 people.

After the cancellation of the infantry brigade, the infantry regiment will replace the previous brigade and become the basic combat unit. During wartime, it will be equipped with artillery, cavalry, and luggage to form a mixed regiment to fight alone.

Therefore, an infantry regiment will govern three infantry battalions and one artillery battalion (a four-chamber [-]-jin field artillery, and a four-chamber [-]-jin mortar gun.)
In each infantry battalion, there are six posts, five of which are line infantry posts, governing 120 line infantry, and one is a grenadier post, also with 120 troops.

This is also the first time that grenadiers, as a new type of arms, have formally appeared in the Chu army. In the past, the grenadiers of the Chu army were all incorporated into the sword and shield teams of each battalion on weekdays, and they were incorporated into the commando team during wartime. .

Together with other people in the battalion headquarters, the strength of the entire infantry battalion will reach about 900 people.

The substantial increase in battalion-level troops is also the reason for the substantial increase in the number of infantry regiments in the new type of troops, which in turn led to the cancellation of the brigade-level organization.

Because such a new infantry regiment will have a strength of more than 3000 people. If the division headquarters supports some five-pound field artillery and cavalry, then it can become a mixed regiment with a scale of more than 4000 people in minutes.

Just looking at the number of people, in fact, there are not many fewer people than the previous mixed brigade.

If such two infantry regiments are organized into a brigade, then a brigade will have more than 7000 people, and then match the corresponding artillery and cavalry to form a mixed brigade model, then it will reach a huge 9000 people.

Under such circumstances, it is naturally not suitable, so when the Chu army formulated a new organization, it simply abolished the brigade-level organization and adopted the organization of three large-scale infantry regiments directly under the division.

Three large-scale infantry regiments, plus a divisional cavalry regiment with a size of 2000 cavalry; a supply regiment with a size of 24 people; 48 nine-jin field guns, 2000 five-jin field guns, and twelve There are [-] catties of mortars, and the total number of division artillery regiments reaches nearly [-].

Then there are other messy troops directly under the division headquarters, so the strength of the entire Second Guards Division will reach about 5000 when it is at full combat readiness.

Compared with the previous main division with more than 4000 people, although there is still an increase, it is acceptable.

In fact, Luo Zhixue had thought about reducing the strength of the newly established infantry regiment many times before, and wanted to continue to organize the division and brigade regiment.

However, after discussing with some of the generals in charge of the formation of the new army in the army, they gave up this plan.

Because the core of the new organization is not a regiment, nor a brigade, nor a division.

But an infantry battalion.

The core of the new tactics is to create an infantry battalion that can perfectly utilize the performance of the flintlock. Multiple infantry posts cooperate with each other to form a line and gather intensive firepower to attack the enemy.

As for whether you call such a 900-man army an infantry battalion or an infantry regiment, it doesn't really matter. It's nothing more than a question of matching the name and rank.

Similarly, whether an infantry regiment governs three battalions or two battalions does not make much difference. If you govern two battalions, the combat effectiveness will be lower. If you govern three battalions, then the combat effectiveness will be stronger, and the essential impact will not be too great.

Because the basic tactical unit of the new army is the battalion.

As long as there is a battalion with corresponding artillery and cavalry to cooperate, then it can fight alone.

In the end, this new weaving division with a scale of 6000 people was created.

However, in the new organization, the brigade organization has not disappeared, because under the new tactical system, there are not only infantry divisions, but also independent cavalry and artillery units. In the independent artillery units, there are directly artillery brigades and cavalry brigades. The establishment also retains the establishment of the mixed brigade.

Before the Eastward Campaign, Luo Zhixue had already finalized the training of the Second Guards Division. In the past six months, the Second Guards Division had successively recruited nearly ten thousand recruits for training.

Of course, their training naturally couldn't have any quick-fire rifles, but simulated training with model guns.

After all, the Sui-Fa rifle has not been put into mass production so far, not even a small-scale trial production. They temporarily compiled the Sui-Fa rifle used by the Fifth Mixed Battalion, but the military paid a high price to let the Ministry of Industry While mobilizing a large number of senior craftsmen, it is purely handmade.

Not to mention expensive, and because it is only an early experimental model, many are not perfect...

But to put it bluntly, the Second Guards Division has begun to organize and practice.

At the same time, according to the report of the Ministry of Industry, the production line of the Suifa rifle has been preliminarily constructed, and it is expected to start trial production next month, and it will be officially mass-produced around December.

According to the estimated production capacity of the Suifa rifle production line of Hantian Arsenal, the annual output is about [-] pieces, and the monthly output is about [-] pieces.

According to this production capacity, the first batch of troops equipped with mass-produced quick-fire rifles, that is, the Second Guards Division, will successively obtain quick-fire muskets next month. After a month of final adaptive training, the army will initially form at the end of March and early April next year.

The preparations for the Second Guards Division were almost done, so Luo Zhixue naturally set his sights on the formation and training of the new batch of troops.

After all, it is impossible for the Second Guards Division to complete training and then rush to train new troops. It is necessary to prepare personnel in advance and conduct training. Once the equipment arrives, it will form initial combat effectiveness after adaptive training.

Therefore, Luo Zhixue ordered that the experimental troops be temporarily reorganized into the Fifth Mixed Battalion, and directly expanded into the Tenth Division, and that they be organized and trained strictly in accordance with the new tactics, that is, the same as the Second Guards Division.

Because the predecessor of the [-]th Division was the temporary Fifth Mixed Battalion, it has all kinds of frameworks, so it is easy to prepare. After the expansion, it will be able to obtain flintlock guns next year, and it is expected to initially form an army before July.

Therefore, Luo Zhixue also planned to prepare for the preparation and training of the third main force one step ahead, which is the No.11 division.

The division will not recruit recruits on a large scale for the time being, but will first set up a framework and train a group of backbones, and then recruit and train recruits on a large scale in the first half of next year, so that the army can be successfully formed in the second half of the year.

After Luo Zhixue set up the Tenth Division and the No.11 Division for the expansion of the main force next year, it also attracted the attention of a group of middle and senior generals in the army.

The position of a senior general in the main division of the Chu army is already very important, and it is far from being comparable to the positions in the garrison.

As for the Tenth Division and the No.11 Division, these two divisions will be new troops that use flintlock guns.

Nowadays, many high-ranking generals know more or less, and have even seen with their own eyes the huge power of the new-style troops using flintlock guns after adopting the new book tactics.

The new army with the flintlock is the future of the Army.

Everyone wants to get on board one step ahead in this era of tactical change, so as not to fall behind the times and be squeezed out of the power core of the future army.

However, their competition didn't last long, because in order to avoid the vacancies in the new army, the contention caused by the competition caused internal turmoil in the army, and he directly cut the mess with a sharp knife.

Zhang Malin, the commander of the Sixth Division who performed quite well in the Eastern Expedition, was directly transferred as the new commander of the Tenth Division.

This seems to be a flat tone, but being transferred to control a new unit like the Tenth Division is enough to prove Luo Zhixue's trust in him.

Lieutenant Colonel Ji Baolin, the former provisional battalion commander of the Fifth Mixed Battalion, was promoted two ranks in a row and was awarded the rank of Brigadier General to serve as the deputy division commander of the newly formed Tenth Division.

In fact, this talent is the core backbone of the Tenth Division's follow-up training into an army.

Zhang Malin, that's just here to sit in town.

On the No.11 Division side, although there is only one new framework in a short period of time, the main person in charge has been finalized early.

The commander of No.11 Division was transferred by Brigadier General Cai Siyuan, brigade commander of the Second Guards Brigade of the First Guards Division, and promoted to major general. The deputy division commander was Brigadier General Lin Feibai, deputy director of the Organization Department.

After some mobilization, many people quickly dispelled their thoughts, but continued to focus on the Eastward Campaign.

Although the Chu army has now captured Jinling City, it does not mean that they have captured the entire Jiangnan.

Jiangnan is so big, and most of the other places are still under the control of the Ming army. What the Chu army has to do now is to attack the city as much as possible before the heavy snow blows.

Just when Luo Zhixue wanted to let the army under his command continue to launch an offensive to conquer the city before the snow fell, on October 23, the Yuhua Terrace in Jinling City ushered in the first snow of the year.

And it was Blizzard!
Looking at the goose feather snowflakes still falling in the sky, Luo Zhixue sighed:

Well, it is impossible to quickly win other parts of Jiangnan now.

Not to mention the continuation of large-scale military operations in this kind of weather, I am afraid that it will have a considerable impact on civilian production.

(End of this chapter)