I want to be emperor

Chapter 571 Transformation
At the estuary of Qingdao River in Laizhou Prefecture, Shandong Province, many places along the harbor are under construction. There are many ships moored in the harbor, and quite a few of them are warships equipped with artillery.

This place is the Qingdao Naval Base that the Great Chu Empire Navy has started to build in the last two years.

In the past, the main naval base of the Great Chu Empire in the north was Penglai Port, but the harbor here was not good, and it lacked a deep-water sheltered harbor, so it was transferred to Weihaiwei Port.

The Great Chu Empire Navy launched a large-scale landing operation against the Liaodong Peninsula in the sixth year of Chengshun at Weihaiwei Port. At that time, Weihaiwei Port also ushered in its peak, and there were a large number of military ships in the harbor every day. in and out.

It's just that after the capture of Lushun Port on the opposite side of the Liaodong Peninsula, because Lushun Port has an excellent deep-water sheltered port, the empire's naval fleet fighting in the northern seas gradually moved to Lushun Port as the main base to support the nearby Liaodong region. Combat, including a series of in-depth Liaohe, Yalu River operations and material transportation operations.

In this way, Weihaiwei has gradually become an ordinary transit port.

After the victory of the Liaodong Campaign last year, the navy was no longer of much use in the northern waters, so a large number of warships began to withdraw from this sea area, some stayed in Lushun Port, and some stayed in Weihaiwei Port.

Another part was transferred to Busan Port at the southernmost tip of the Koryo Peninsula to control the coastal defense security of the Koryo Peninsula, fight against Japanese pirates, deter the Fusang people on the opposite side, and cover the safety of merchant ships of the Great Chu Empire traveling eastward.

The last part was transferred to Qingdao on the south coast of Shandong.

Qingdao itself is a natural deep-water port, which is very suitable for use as a naval base. At the same time, there are no other good large ports that can be used as large military bases for hundreds of miles from the south to the north. Therefore, the navy is planning to focus on the development of Qingdao Port. up.

In this way, the Great Chu Empire Navy has three main naval bases in the waters north of the Yangtze River, each responsible for different directions.

Qingdao, mainly facing the Yellow Sea, belongs to a relatively typical ocean-going fleet. It is responsible for guarding most of the vast northern waters of the Great Chu Empire, protecting the coastal safety of Jiangbei and Shandong, and can also support the coastal areas of Jiangnan.

Lushun is responsible for operations in the Bohai Sea and part of the Yellow Sea, and is responsible for protecting the coastlines of the northern coast of Shandong, the coast of Hebei, and the coast of Liaodong.

Busan is responsible for part of the Yellow Sea, Tsushima Strait, Whale Sea (Sea of ​​Japan) and other sea areas, responsible for protecting the coastal security of the East China Sea (south of the Koryo Peninsula) and Liaobei Province (Jilin + northeast of the Koryo Peninsula), and is directly responsible for Fusang Maritime Operations.

In addition to these three major naval bases, there are several small and medium naval bases, such as Haizhou, Weihaiwei, Penglai, Tianjin, Shanhaiguan, Liaohekou, Zhenjiang (Dandong at the mouth of the Yalu River), Jianghua Island (Seoul), etc.

These small and medium-sized naval bases are either supply ports for naval warships, or the outlets of nearby protected rivers, and important coastal cities.

For example, Haizhou Port is a typical supply port.

For example, the Ganghwado Naval Base, a small island where the Lee Dynasty used to go on vacation and escape from disasters, was directly turned into a military base, where not only the army but also naval warships were stationed. The naval fleet was to protect Seoul, and at the same time Block the Han River to prevent potential enemies and even pirate ships from going directly along the river to the inland.

There are quite a lot of naval bases in the Great Chu Empire, and apart from a few special large naval bases, most of these bases are not pure naval bases, and are often shared by the military and civilians.

Take Tianjin Port as an example. This port is currently the largest civilian port of the Great Chu Empire in the northern region, covering the entire northern region. The Navy’s so-called naval base in Tianjin Port is actually a pier to moor warships and build a Just a few barracks and warehouses.

The same is true of the Liaohe Estuary.

However, the two major ports of Qingdao and Lushun are relatively pure naval bases at present, because there are no commercial contacts in these places. If the navy does not come to build large bases, Qingdao Port will still be deserted, with only a few small fishing villages.

In the future, as the navy develops here, more people will be attracted here, and resources on land will naturally gather in these places. By then, these two ports may become a large-scale military-civilian complex like Wusong Port. Port up.

It's just that these things are many years later.

Today, Qingdao Port, which is under development and construction, has ushered in several large sea ships. Naturally, most of the ships that can come to this port at this time are navy ships, and private ships rarely come here. This large sea ship The ship was flying the flag of the Great Chu Empire Navy.

There are two navy frigates and eight transport ships in this fleet. At first glance, they seem to think they are the fleet of the Great Chu Empire Navy.

But after the ship docked, it was not the navy soldiers who walked down the pier, but a large number of army soldiers in gray uniforms.

Major General Xu Delin watched a large number of soldiers under his command land one after another, his face was a little pale, and he looked good.

"I finally made it through. I will never take a boat again. The boat is so swaying that I almost spit out all the food I ate last month!"

After boarding the boat at Liaohe Estuary, Xu Delin was quite excited and even curious on the first day. After all, this was the first time he led his troops to conduct long-distance maneuvers on a sea boat, and he had never had this kind of experience before.

But after boarding the boat, Xu Delin regretted it!

It's not that he has never been on a boat, but he has never been on such an uncomfortable boat!

When Xu Delin led troops to fight in the past, he often took boats to cross rivers, and also took inland boats to and from the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

But... After actually boarding a large ship and going out to sea, Xu Delin realized that his previous experience of sailing on a ship was just child's play!
In just one day, Xu Delin vomited uncontrollably, and by the next day, his whole face was pale.

If it weren't for the military order, Xu Delin would have disembarked and set foot on the land again, but he had no choice but to transfer his No.15 division to move to Shandong. Even if he couldn't get up, he had to be carried over.

Military orders are like mountains, this is no joke.

This trip was definitely the most uncomfortable for Xu Delin in the ten years since he joined the army.
But now it's finally here. From the moment Xu Delin got off the boat and landed on the shore, he felt extremely at ease, and his face looked a little better.

Immediately ordered the adjutant next to him: "Hurry up, let the soldiers get off the ship early, there are really no people on the ship!"

"Also make a good handover with the navy, so that the soldiers can enter the camp to rest as soon as possible!"

The adjutant immediately took the order to urge.

And Bao Gaofei, chief of staff of the No.15 Division, also had a look of fear on his face: "I heard that the 23rd Division boasted that they can directly launch a large-scale attack after crossing the sea by boat, and their combat power will not decrease. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but after a while, I finally understand why the superiors like to deploy the 23rd Division to carry out cross-sea landing operations so much!"

"It's not that I like it, it's that I have no choice. Those who can land across the sea and still maintain combat effectiveness, our army now only has a 23rd division. This seasickness is too uncomfortable!"

"If it's our division, we'll launch a landing operation after a few days on the ship. I'm afraid most of the soldiers won't even be able to stand firmly!"

Xu Delin on the side said: "That's natural, I don't have any skills, otherwise, how could the 23rd division become the treasure of the superiors, and transfer them there if they have military exploits!"

"During the Northern Expedition earlier, they were transferred to fight against Shandong, and when they were fought against Liaodong, they were transferred to fight against the Liaodong Peninsula. This year when they fought against Liaobei, they were transported to the Yalu River to play landing operations. Hold on!"

"In the future, if there is any sea-crossing and landing operation, the 23rd Division will still be the first choice!"

At this time, Chief of Staff Bao Gaofei said: "My lord, I heard that the higher up also intends to let us train the landing tactics?"

At this time Xu Delin showed a hopeful and helpless look and said: "I don't know too well, but it's hard to say about it, and the superiors don't have an accurate word."

Xu Delin wanted his own troops to also train for landing operations. After all, the Northeast side was almost done fighting, and the rest was Mobei, Moxi and other places, and the main forces in those places would not be unexpected. It will be cavalry, infantry, etc. It is difficult to have any eye-catching performance.

Besides, there are also many first-class infantry divisions in the Northwest and even the Central Plains, and their No. 15 Division will not be able to fight any battles.

After all, their No.15 Division and other troops have already had a full meal in the Northeast Campaign, and the generals and generals have gained a lot of military exploits...

If the Northwest is to be attacked in the future, the garrison on the west side must go first, and then some troops from the Central Plains. As for those troops who attacked the Northeast first, even if they are transferred to the Northwest to participate in the war, they can only be honest. Watch the show behind, do some things to maintain logistics and serve as a strategic reserve team.

If they want to go directly to the front line to grab meat to eat, the generals of those first-class divisions and even second-class divisions on the northwest front can tear Xu Delin's mouth.

Even if the bigwigs of the Military Academy would not do this, they had to be as fair as possible.

The Army still needs to maintain a certain level of fairness in this pot of food, and the credit should be properly distributed. Otherwise, if you fight every day to get credit, people can only watch the show on the sidelines, and no one will accept it...

Therefore, it will not be easy for Xu Delin's No.15 division to get credit later on.

The follow-up in the Northeast is just a small fight, and no matter how hard it is, it will not get any credit.

There is too much competition in the Northwest to squeeze in at all.

As for the southwest and other places, they are all bad places, and the top management of the empire has no idea of ​​attacking those shabby places in the south.

After thinking about it, Xu Delin felt that if he wanted to fight some battles in the future and move up his military rank, he could only hope that Fusang would not have eyes or the empire would expand in Nanyang.

The expansion of these places requires cross-sea operations. Therefore, if the No. 15 division can conduct cross-sea landing combat training and transform itself into an amphibious combat force, then it will have a bright future.

It's just... this seasickness is too uncomfortable!
Xu Delin has a very complicated psychological feeling about this. On the one hand, he wants to transform into amphibious warfare, and even started to contact and learn amphibious warfare in advance for this purpose, and wrote to the 23rd Division to ask for various experiences.

But on the other hand, he rejects taking a boat.

But these little thoughts in his heart can't stop his desire to be promoted!

The people sent by the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs talked to him about amphibious landings, asked him if he would like to do amphibious landings, and when he was asked if he was confident, he yelled slogans loudly on the spot, looking like no one else!

"The 23rd division used to be assigned from my No.15 division. If this son can do it, we, the fathers, can naturally do it too!"

"Amphibious warfare, you must have confidence!"

"Isn't it just seasickness? It's a simple matter. Let's practice and soak in the sea all day long. If you soak too much, you won't get dizzy!"

During this transition and subsequent promotion, seasickness is a fart. Xu Delin has already made up his mind, and he will stay on the boat later. As for seasickness and vomiting, it is just like what the 23rd Division said, and he gets used to it .

People can get used to it, there's no reason why Xu Delin can't get used to it.

After getting Xu Delin's affirmative answer, the inspectors of the Military and Political Department left satisfied. It didn't take long for the staff to issue a formal order to let Xu Delin lead the No.15 division to train amphibious landing operations and master the amphibious tactics.

The Third Army Command also allocated a large number of various training equipment, and began to change the weapons and equipment of the No.15 Division.

For example, the flintlock is changed from the ordinary infantry model, the two-year type A, to the two-year type B used by the Marine Corps.

The two-year-style flintlock gun used by the Marine Corps is similar in appearance to the infantry model, but the barrel quality is better, the rust resistance is better, and it is more suitable for the needs of coastal landing operations.

At the same time, the barrel is also shorter to facilitate loading on board to increase the rate of fire, and it is also convenient to carry and operate on small ships.

Of course, the range and accuracy are slightly reduced.

After years of development, there are already many models of the two-year-style flintlock guns of the Great Chu Empire.

The first is the original two-year model, which is quite satisfactory and nothing special.

Later, in the third year of Chengshun, the barrel and bayonet were lengthened, making the rifle longer with the bayonet attached, which was conducive to fighting and stabbing. Type II, this type of rifle is generally only equipped with ordinary line infantry, and it is also the main model of the two-year rifle.

Because in the third year of Chengshun, the length of Type A was further lengthened, which was not suitable for naval soldiers and cavalry. Therefore, Type B for the Navy and Type C for cavalry were developed, both of which were shorter in length.

Among them, there is also an ultra-short model in the cavalry model, which is specially used for horseback loading and shooting, but it is not very successful. The Chu army cavalry does not like to use muskets on horseback...the pistols in the past did not like it, but the current cavalry is super Short rifles don't like it either.

The new cavalry in the Chu army, that is, heavy cavalry and light cavalry, either directly charged forward on horseback... or dismounted and used conventional cavalry flintlock guns to play in line, treating themselves as line infantry, and rarely playing with muskets on horseback of.

There are still a large number of traditional cavalry cavalry who are still playing horseback cavalry, but these cavalry cavalry are also gradually reorganizing, abandoning cavalry and switching to muskets and sabers.

Mounted shooting, which has been popular in East Asia for hundreds of years, has fallen behind and cannot keep up with the times in the age of guns.

Not to mention now, even the vehicle formation tactics of the Qi family army with bird guns and light artillery decades ago can beat the traditional cavalry and archery to death.

Of course, war is a thing, weapons and tactics are only part of the impact on combat effectiveness, and people themselves are actually more important.

Therefore, the Eastern captives in the late Qing Dynasty, when they first rose in the early days, used the most primitive cold weapons to overthrow the Ming army with complete guns.

However, under normal circumstances, the better the equipment and the more advanced tactics, the greater the combat effectiveness.

The Great Chu Empire is no exception. In recent years, it has been sparing no effort to promote the research and development, production and equipment of new equipment.

There have been seven or eight improved models of the two-year-old flintlock gun alone.

The No. 15 division is going to change its equipment with the latest two-year-style navy flintlock. This is also the second army unit equipped with the navy flintlock besides the No. 20 third division in the army.

In addition to the flintlock gun being replaced with a naval model, the artillery has also been replaced accordingly, mainly with a lighter field gun.

Although there are only a few large models of the Chu army's field artillery, in fact, there are many subdivision signals for each major category.

For example, the most widely used two-and-a-half-pound field artillery can be divided into two categories: army field artillery and cavalry artillery.

Among them, the two-and-a-half catty army field guns are also divided into several types, which are mainly based on different arsenals. For example, the two-and-a-half catty field guns produced by Hantian Arsenal have slightly longer barrels, greater power, and correspondingly heavier weights. Some, and this is also the most widely used two-and-a-half-pound field gun, used as a regimental artillery on non-complicated terrain such as plains.

The two-and-a-half-pound field gun produced by Dangtu Arsenal pays more attention to lightweight. From the barrel to the gun mount, it is mainly lightweight, and it can also be disassembled and carried separately. It is mainly attached to some Troops fighting in complex terrain are used as regimental artillery.

The two-and-a-half-pound field gun produced by the Guangzhou Arsenal takes into account the needs of coastal and island landing operations. In addition to its light weight, it also has an obvious feature, that is, its wheels should be wider. Avoid mobility difficulties when maneuvering in wet and muddy areas, especially when landing in the mud and sand. The two-and-a-half-pound field guns of the factory are mainly assigned to the Marine Corps, some coastal garrison troops, and the No.20 Third Division .

The No.15 Division's two-and-a-half-pound regiment, which is going to be refitted, is a field gun, which is the product of the Guangzhou Arsenal.

The same situation also appeared in artillery such as five catties field guns and nine catties field guns.

The land area of ​​the Great Chu Empire is too large, and the army's combat range ranges from the ice and snow in the north to the sweltering and humid rainforest in the south, from the Gobi desert to the water network in the south of the Yangtze River and even the muddy coastal areas.

This also makes it difficult to equip all troops with highly unified weapons. This requires too high material performance. It is not at all still in the era of hydropower industry, and the level of basic materials is still in the country where even steel cannot be mass-produced industrially. able to satisfy.

Therefore, in order to meet the equipment requirements of different regions for combat and different mission requirements, the various weapons and equipment of the Great Chu Empire are often of one type.

Even the formation of troops is different. For example, the first-class divisions fighting in the northern region have different artillery configurations than the first-class divisions fighting in the southern region.

They are all first-class divisions and have the same number of artillery, but the artillery they are equipped with is very different.

For troops fighting in the north, such as the former No.15 Division, its artillery regiment has two five-pound field artillery battalions, one nine-pound field artillery battalion, and one eighteen-pound light howitzer battalion.

The fifth division fighting in Yunnan, which belongs to the artillery regiment, has two five-pound field artillery battalions, two eighteen-pound light howitzer battalions, and no nine-pound field artillery at all...

Because the nine-pound field artillery is too heavy, it is extremely difficult to maneuver in the complex mountaintops in the southwest. Although there are also nine-pound field artillery in the local area, they are only equipped at the military level, and field divisions are not equipped with this thing.

The regimental artillery is also different. The regimental artillery assigned to the fifth division has a two and a half catty field artillery that can be disassembled. Thomas can directly carry it across mountains and ridges, while the two and a half catties of the No.15 division The half-pound field artillery can't be disassembled and transported, so it can only be carried by mules and horses. Well, it's okay to use a lot of manpower to carry it. After all, this thing only weighs a few hundred catties...

In order to meet the combat needs of different troops, and to supply all kinds of equipment nearby, the major arsenals affiliated to the Ministry of Industry have also differentiated their positions.

For example, the Guangzhou Arsenal develops and produces weapons mainly for combat in the southern region. Navy flintlock guns and amphibious field guns are their forte.

The Tianjin Armory and the follow-up Liaoyang Arsenal are all geared towards the needs of combat in the north and the plains. They are good at infantry flintlock guns and plain field guns. In addition, the weapons and equipment of the Liaoyang Arsenal will also consider drought resistance in the future. The problem of antifreeze.

Steel, for example, becomes more brittle at extreme low temperatures, requiring specialized adaptations.

There are other things, even the military uniforms. The winter clothes of the soldiers in the northern combat area were all produced in the clothing factories directly under the Ministry of Industry in the Central Plains and even the southern area.

But normal use is fine. However, after the Chu army arrived in Liaodong last winter, they were faced with the severe cold of tens of degrees below zero at every turn. The winter clothes that seemed to be very warm were a little unreliable...

For this reason, a newly established military quilt factory in Tianjin began to specialize in the issue of winter clothing, trying to produce new winter clothing that is more warm, and at the same time not too heavy, too bloated to affect combat, and the cost is not too high.

Because as the Chu army continues to go north, the soldiers of the Chu army have already penetrated into the Heilongjiang River Basin. It is summer now, but when winter comes, if you still use the current winter clothes, it will be very inconvenient. Even if the most basic problem of keeping out the cold can be solved by wearing more clothes, it will also affect the convenience of soldiers and the cost will be higher.

These circumstances have also led to the many defense factories of the Ministry of Industry of the Great Chu Empire beginning to focus on products in different fields according to demand.

And this, in fact, is also good for some small and medium-sized defense factories, at least they can maintain their own competitiveness through differentiated competition.

As the saying goes, large defense arsenals, such as Hantian arsenal and Dangtu arsenal, eat meat, and their small and medium arsenals, such as Guangzhou, Tianjin, Xi'an and other arsenals, can also eat soup.

(End of this chapter)