Chapter three hundred and thirty the breath of gunpowder
Zhou Mengxiong, the commander of Wuchang Camp (but in Changde Prefecture), made a secret report and requested troops to be used in Changsha and other places. The first reason was to open up rich areas for money and food supplies, and the second reason was to enable the new army to gain real combat effectiveness in actual combat.
At that time, the Suzaku Army, including the newly-built Navy Army, had a total of four battalions, with the number of troops and some logistics personnel exceeding 30,000. In addition to obtaining resources from the newly occupied Yuezhou and Wuchang, the rear replenishment of the army relied entirely on Changde Prefecture. As for Chenzhou Prefecture, almost
It is a negative income. After a famine breaks out, Changde Mansion must be relied on to deliver food. Moreover, the strength of the Suzaku Army is very expensive.
The infantry is mainly a firearms unit. In order to meet the logistics of the soldiers, the number of people engaged in drill and grinding of matchlock barrels, artillery manufacturing, maintenance supervision, mining, stacking saltpeter, and transportation of equipment and ammunition is several times that of the army. Yuezhou newly established firearms
The factory manufactures large-caliber field artillery. Although they use copper-core iron-clad hollow cooling casting technology, which is very advanced in this era, they still cannot make long-barreled artillery using only iron. They still need a large amount of copper; it happens that Huguang does not
There was a shortage of food but also a severe shortage of copper. To obtain these metal supplies not only required a lot of effort but also wasted gold and silver.
The revenue and expenditure of the budget of the Council of Ministers was just to make up for the western wall, and it had already been reluctantly supporting it. Zhang Ning was very tempted when he heard that Zhou Mengxiong's new army could go into battle.
At this time, a staff member in the Senate warned in a subtle way that Zhou Mengxiong had too much power in the south, and now he was solely responsible for siege of cities and territories, so he feared that he would not be able to lose... However, the problem of the Suzaku Army's generals having too much power has always existed, and it did not just happen in a day or two.
thing.
Zhang Ning had no choice but to say this in front of everyone: "Don't be suspicious of those you employ. Now that our Suzaku Army has just started to gain momentum, and foreign enemies are looking around, it's time to unite as one and defeat the powerful enemy." Soon he replied to Zhou Mengxiong's letter,
I support him in expanding his territory when the time is right.
Zhu Heng wrote a letter suggesting that it is time to expand and reorganize the Senate Department. The current Senate Department is not only responsible for strategizing and pre-battle planning during war, but also managing military affairs and logistics. The previous method adopted was the individual responsibility method, with the Senate Department responsible for
A set of regulations is negotiated, and after confirmation, an individual is designated to be responsible for each specific matter. However, as the territory expands and the number of people increases, this approach often results in a confusing pattern of unclear responsibilities and unequal priorities.
Zhu Heng proposed to imitate the imperial government and divide it into six departments to expand the civil service system. In this way, the financial, political, logistical supply, personnel and other authority of the military generals could be taken back. On the one hand, the generals could be dedicated to leading troops to fight, and on the other hand, they could also be divided.
The power system can nip problems in the bud. In the future, we can further subdivide power, separate military management and military power, improve the rules and regulations, and completely prevent military commanders from supporting their own troops. This set of things has been relatively sophisticated for hundreds of years since the Song Dynasty.
Zhang Ning was not in favor of creating a situation where the soldiers did not know the generals and the generals did not know the soldiers before they had gained an advantage on the main battlefield, but Zhu Heng's suggestion of six divisions was now urgently necessary.
... But at this moment, new news came from Wuchang. The first unit of the Beijing Shenji Battalion had arrived in Huangzhou Prefecture. The original report from the scout battalion's secret agents was that the sky was covered with banners, thousands of people and horses, and the march was continuous.
There is no end to the situation. However, there is no precise information on the number of troops, not even a rough idea. The atmosphere of war has become strong again, so Zhu Heng's letter proposing the reorganization of the Senate can only be shelved.
Another message from the Jianwen Party contains more detailed information about the imperial mobilization. It is said that the troops from the Beijing camp who came from Yangzhou are the Shenjiying Chinese Army and the Zuoye Second Army. From this, the tongguo intelligence can be
Estimated troop strength: The Shenji Battalion is composed of five armies: the Central Army, the Left Lie, the Right Lie, the Left Guard, and the Right Guard. The Central Army is in charge of four divisions, and each of the other armies is in charge of three divisions. According to intelligence, the second army heading west is the Seventh Division.
; The Shenji Battalion has a total of about 60,000 soldiers (excluding the 5,000 Lower Camp Horse Corps), and a rough estimate of the proportion should be more than 25,000 troops.
However, the reliability of the intelligence from the Jianwen Party is unknown, and our spies can only rely on their eyes to see things without confirming the intelligence. What is certain at present is that the Beijing camp has mobilized troops towards Huguang and arrived at Huangzhou Prefecture.
Whether they will cross the river in Huangzhou to attack the relatively weak Jiujiang Prefecture, or continue to march westward to Jingzhou to deal with the Suzaku Army, it is unclear for the time being. The men and horses of the three major battalions of the capital have already approached Huguang, so Zhang Ning has to pay special attention to it.
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The three major battalions of the Ming Dynasty were first established in the Hongwu period and perfected in the Yongle period. The current army is the elite among the elite left behind by Emperor Yongle's southern and northern campaigns. The Beijing camp at this time is completely different from the later period.
The border troops still need to have combat effectiveness, and even the Mongolian cavalry can only be intimidated. It can be said that they are the most combat-savvy and elite troops in the entire Ming Empire. I am afraid that they are invincible in field battles around the world, because no kingdom in the world today can
Afford an army with 200,000 soldiers, well-equipped, battle-hardened, and sufficient logistics.
The Jingying camp actually includes the three major battalions of the Jingshi and the Nanjing Jingying, but the Nanjing Jingying has already revolted in response to the King of Han. Its combat effectiveness is far inferior to the three major battalions of the Jingshi, so people as brave as the King of Han will lose the Jianghuai and rely on the Yangtze River.
Dare to go out.
Zhang Ning decided to leave Yuezhou as soon as possible and went to Wuchang in person to watch the situation develop while preparing for a hard fight. Yuezhou currently has the First Battalion of the Navy and the Changde Battalion, which mainly train the Navy on Dongting Lake. The commander of the First Battalion of the Navy, Monk Yao,
Changde Camp Commander Yao Erlang and his son were here. As soon as Zhang Ning left, it was obvious that this place was the Yao family's father and son.
Not long ago, some staff members ridiculed Zhou Mengxiong for having too much power. Now the power of the Yao family and his son in Yuezhou is even greater. Zhang Ning can't come up with any solution at this juncture. This is the only thing he can do.
He just told the Yao family and his son to manage Yuezhou properly and beware of the imperial army using Jingzhou as its base to cross south in the future; other than that, they did not care about the distribution of power at all. Instead of waiting to be wiped out by the imperial army, it would be better to take advantage of their own family.
A few days later, Zhang Ning arrived at Wuchang from Yuezhou. A group of cavalry rushed in from the city gate. There was no etiquette and no one greeted them. Because they were still nearly a hundred miles away from Wuchang City in the morning, and they arrived at Wuchang City in the afternoon.
Give people time to prepare.
I met Zhu Heng and others at the Council Office and got some new information. Xizuo approached the Shenji Camp at night and lurked until dawn to observe closely. He saw that the Shenji Camp was equipped with a large number of newly made firearms, which were much different from the firearms of the Ming Army in the past.
Because of the difference, the individual firecracker is suspected to be a matchlock gun.
More than half a year ago, part of the secrets of the Suzaku Army Ordnance Bureau were leaked because someone in the Ordnance Bureau defected. With the Ming Dynasty's national strength and established arms manufacturing system, more than half a year was enough to mass-produce it. Moreover, the Shenji Camp itself was
The troops who specialize in firearms have tactics inherited from Wang Muying of Zhennan, Yunnan. The training is also quite simple. They only need to be familiar with how to use the newly equipped firearms. It would be better if they don't resist using the heavy and low-performance firearms after getting used to them.
Weapons of soldiers.
Therefore, Zhang Ning and others felt that this report was more credible. He knew that Emperor Zhu Zhanji was not a fool, and the ministers below were not stupid people. After getting the matchlock gun, why didn't they imitate the equipment? The rulers of the Ming Dynasty
They are not people who believe in being invincible in archery, horseback riding, and archery. They can even quickly accept things like "Geometry" introduced to Middle-earth.
"When this group of troops was dispatched from Yangzhou, their original intention was to rescue Wuchang City, but the city was destroyed too quickly and the rescue could not come in time." Zhu Heng analyzed, "The number of people is estimated to be 25,000, which is not a small number, but the same
They are also alone. I don’t think they will go straight across the river to fight alone.”
Zhang Ning nodded and said: "I agree with Zhu Butang's view, but it has been a while since Wuchang was captured. Its reinforcement Shenji Battalion did not withdraw eastward after the fall of Wuchang, but still entered Huangzhou. It must have its own intentions."
As he spoke, he walked to the wall of the temporary official office of the Council of Ministers and looked at a large picture hanging on it. He wrote: Map of the Situation of the Ming Empire. The title is a bit weird, because the Chinese court generally does not call itself what country it is.
There is no need to have the concept of a country, except that within the known scope of the Central Plains dynasty, they are all "subjects". The only difference lies in whether others are willing or not. There is only one emperor, so it does not matter how many countries there are, there is only the concept of how many foreign countries come to the dynasty.
The three cities on the map have determined the strategy of the Consultation Department, Lizhou, Yuezhou, and Wuchang. Yuezhou and Wuchang are both Zhang Ning's key business areas. Lizhou on the west bank of the lake is handed over to Zhou Mengxiong, who is currently working there.
Preparing to lead the main force south to Changsha, Zhang Ning's eyes stayed at Lizhou, thinking about something.
Zhu Heng said from the side: "For now, we can only hold our troops still and let's see what the army's plans are. If there are troops and horses that are transferred westward after the Shenji Camp, it means that the imperial court's strategy has moved westward, and unfortunately we will be the first to bear the brunt.
The target is easy for the King of Han; if only the Shenji Battalion comes, it should choose a place to deploy and fight. To attack, a large number of ships must be hidden from us; to defend, we should go to Jingzhou, where we are most likely to counterattack."
Zhang Ning turned around and said: "It's best to look for an opportunity as early as possible to have a small-scale encounter. Once you have a try, you can know the combat effectiveness of the Shenji Battalion, and you can also test out what kind of firearms they are equipped with, so that you can know yourself and the enemy."
In contrast, Zhu Heng focused on potential, but Zhang Ning paid more attention to weapons and equipment.
"Looking across the river, it is not easy to encounter a small battle." Zhu Heng said, "It is better to try to send out detailed detective horses to find out the details first. If you can't find out, then go to the battle formation to test."
"Zhu Butang's words make sense." Zhang Ning quickly agreed with him, thinking of Yao Ji's newly adapted "Internal Service Department". In the past, those who were in the anti-evil sect had nothing to do, so maybe they should be asked to do some research.
It's a matter of military intelligence. It's useless to just collect money.
Zhu Heng's sharp eyes saw that Zhang Ning's eyes were always lingering on Lizhou, so he asked: "Zhou Mengxiong has transferred his heavy troops south to attack Changsha. The west of Huxi is empty and cannot defend Jingzhou. Does the lord have any intention of withdrawing his fate?"
Zhang Ning said: "The Shenji Battalion has just arrived in Huangzhou. I don't know whether to go to Jingzhou yet. I think what General Zhou said is somewhat reasonable. Let the new army go to the battlefield to fight first. It will be more effective than training on the school field."