Chapter 405 Promoting the Spirit of the New Martial Arts Hall
Li Guolou stood up and said with great sadness: "Just now, Mr. Fu Xiang told the crux of the shortcomings of the Qing army, that is, to tell the truth, an army that is fake and empty is like a paper tiger, which can be broken with just one poke. I
No matter how other armies train, everything in Xinwutang is based on actual combat, and they must master the necessary knowledge of a modern army, including infantry, cavalry, artillery,
Troops, engineers, all are top-notch talents, not just one or two, but high-quality products like industrial assembly lines. They graduate from Xinwu Hall in batches. Those who fail to pass should get out. We don’t care about cuteness here, regardless of family status or nationality.
.As long as you are a son of a good family, willing to give, use your brain, study, endure hardship, be loyal to the emperor and love the country, you will have a good future. Please work hard."
"Yes!" the school official and the students stood upright and replied loudly. Even Liu Mingchuan and the adjutant Geshiha next to Li Hongzhang were infected by Li Guolou and stood up to salute Li Guolou.
A tall and handsome student named Su Yuanchun with a shaved head and a green and ignorant face asked: "Excuse me, Chief Li, why did our Qing army become like this?"
"Classmate Su, since you asked me, let me tell you the truth. Nowadays, the officers of the Qing Dynasty are corrupt, indolent, merchants are prevalent, and smuggling and trafficking in drugs are common problems in our Qing army today." Li Guolou said straightforwardly.
, since we educate students to tell the truth, we must set an example. Don't look at Li Hongzhang's face. At worst, we can go do business and no longer get involved in military power.
Su Yuanchun said loudly: "Sir Li, how can we change it?"
Li Guolou still didn't listen to Li Hongzhang's cough, and said loudly: "Start from me. Only by being clean and self-sufficient can I be worthy of being a student of Mr. Fu Xiang. Leaders must also kill hard, remove black sheep from the army, and tolerate traitors."
The bad consequences will be rotten to the roots. At the worst possible outcome, we will build a new army and eliminate all the ruffians with old habits."
This sentence was addressed to Li Hongzhang. He was the governor of Zhili and the founder of the Beiyang Navy. He was also one of the five military ministers. He had a say in the restructuring of the army.
The Military Machinery Department was the central authority of the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty. In the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, due to the military deployment in the northwest, the cabinet was located outside the Taihe Gate, fearing that secrets would be leaked. Therefore, a military machine room was set up inside the Longzong Gate, and those who kept secrets in the cabinet were selected to be on duty.
, for the purpose of handling emergency military affairs and assisting the emperor in handling government affairs. In the tenth year of Yongzheng's reign, it was renamed the "Military Aircraft Management Department", referred to as the "Military Aircraft Department".
The establishment of the Military Aircraft Department was a major change in the central organization of the Qing Dynasty, marking the peak of the development of monarchical centralization in the Qing Dynasty. The Military Aircraft Department was originally established to handle military affairs, but because it facilitated the monarch's dictatorship, once it appeared, it was
emperor
The officials of the Military Aircraft Department include the Minister of Military Aircraft, commonly known as the "Big Military Aircraft", and the Military Aircraft Zhangjing, commonly known as the "Little Military Aircraft". The Minister of Military Aircraft is appointed by the emperor from Manchuria.
, Bachelor of Han University, Shangshu, Attendant
Lang and other officials were selected, and some were also promoted by the military aircraft Zhang Jing. The appointment of the military aircraft minister was titled "Military Aircraft Department Walking". There was no quota for the military aircraft minister. The military aircraft department was initially established with three people, and later increased to four or five.
Up to eight or nine people, up to
Eleven people. At the beginning of the military aircraft Zhangjing, there was no quota. In the early years of Jiaqing, it was set to be full. Han Zhangjing had sixteen people each, a total of thirty-two people. When full, Han Zhangjing was divided into two shifts, with eight people in each shift.
The appointment of military aircraft Zhang Jing is called "military aircraft Zhang Jing's walk on the road".
It was the first time that Li Hongzhang saw the "straight-backed" Li Guolou, and the heroic spirit he exuded should not be underestimated. Looking at the outspoken and domineering Li Guolou, Li Hongzhang regarded him as a qualified school officer for the first time in his life.
"Li Wei, you don't have a sword yet. Don't talk so much. You are the biggest corrupt official in the world." Li Hongzhang suddenly exposed Li Guolou's true face, making the originally tense and serious atmosphere weird. Everyone wanted to laugh but didn't dare. Laughing, staring blankly at Li Guolou.
Li Guolou solemnly said: "Master Fu Xiang, Li Guolou is not a corrupt official, but a capable official. With a courage that ordinary people don't have, he amassed wealth for the country, proposed to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and was appointed by the emperor as a new science detective."
"Oh! A person who is clean and self-sufficient wants to be a military minister. Do you have the ability?" Li Hongzhang sneered, looking down on others.
"Yes! Seize the day and follow the example of Mr. Fu Xiang!" Li Guolou said without hesitation, holding his head high.
Li Hongzhang said: "Li Guolou, everyone can talk big words, but I don't want to listen. Just take the battle of Baliqiao just now and analyze for me the shortcomings of the Qing army and how to reform it."
"Yes!" Li Guolou collected his thoughts and said, "The school official Shi Caicheng said it very well, so I will add something more.
The commander of the Battle of Baliqiao, Prince Horqin Senggelinqin, was a national hero of the Qing Dynasty and an excellent commander. There is no doubt about this. I will not talk about his achievements here. Since the commander is a good general, both the enemy and us Our weapons and equipment are not much more advanced than ours. We have no fewer cannons than our enemies, and they have long-range attack capabilities, but they are a bit cumbersome. But our army arrived on the battlefield first and can completely arrange the cannons properly. The range of the guns in the hands of the soldiers is almost the same. , that is, the rate of fire is a little slower than the enemy. We have an absolute advantage in the number of troops, and we have advantages in local operations, soldiers, supplies, and geography. The main land combat arms are not comparable to the infantry of Britain and France. What is even more ridiculous is that Using 20,000 cavalry to fight 6,000 infantry, they actually lost 3,000 people and fled in defeat. This is definitely a big joke in the eyes of Europeans.
Whether the cavalry is in the East or the West, one is worth ten. The cavalry in the East is theoretically better than the musket cavalry in Europe. It should have achieved greater results, but why was it defeated so miserably? The main points that can be summarized are: Three points: Incompetent weapons, wrong tactics, and incompetent commanders. The above three points are all, but they are not the main ones. How to say? Even if the above three points are true, if 2 cavalry fights 6,000 infantry with primitive muskets, it will be considered There is no need for bows, arrows or muskets. Each person has a saber. Even people and horses can rush over and trample them all to death.
As for the cavalry, even if the first row is stabbed to death, the second row will still knock away the previous row and continue to attack, but the spears behind your infantry are difficult to use. Therefore, the infantry square composed of spears at that time was only among the infantry. The best defensive formation against cavalry is not a victorious offensive formation. If the heavy cavalry attacks it regardless of cost, it can be broken through. The problem is that cavalry is so expensive, and the cavalry commander does not bother to use such tactics. .
Why was it defeated? It was because the 900,000 royal troops of the Qing army at that time had lost the ability to fight in close combat. This is the truth of history. The standard tactics of the cavalry of the Qing army were basically to use bows and arrows from a distance and draw sabers from near. To kill the enemy, most of the Qing troops in the Battle of Baliqiao only used bows and arrows until the end. They rarely drew their sabers to kill in close combat. What they lost was their courage. Even if they drew their bows, they would not shoot. Dejin. Of the nearly a thousand coalition troops who were hit by arrows, only more than 40 people died. If it were the time of Taizu and Taizong, how could there be any reason why people would not die if they were hit by arrows? Even if they were wearing armor, they would die, and the pull force of nearly 90 pounds was full. A bow can kill an armored soldier in 75 steps, and an armor-piercing arrow can penetrate uniform iron armor in 50 steps.
The bows and arrows of the Qing army have reached their peak. They can shoot 400 meters at a 45-degree angle and 150 meters flatly. Normal shooters are accurate within 50 meters and the rate of fire is 10 to 12 rounds per minute. The maximum range of the smoothbore gun does not exceed 400 meters. During the Patriotic War, The accuracy is only one-third of 70 meters. What does that mean? Let’s talk about a flintlock gun. If you fire three shots within 70 meters, the chance of hitting is only one shot. That is very normal. So at that time, bows and arrows were better than muskets. , the advantage in the battle formation is obvious. However, it takes 3 years for an archer to become a man, and the bow and arrow manufacturing cycle is one year. The compound bow of the Qing Dynasty is expensive. However, it only takes a month for a musketeer to get together or go into battle, and muskets and ammunition are manufactured in batches. It takes less than half a month, the cost is low, and it is just the difference between the elite and the grassroots.
The cavalry of the Qing army only consisted of the gun battalion attached to the Eight Banners Han Army's Xiaoqi Battalion, the firearms battalion of the Manchu and Mongolian Army, half of the Forward Battalion of the Imperial Guard, the shotgun guards in the guard camp, the Shangsan Banner Qinjun Camp, and the Tiger Spear Battalion. Some of the cavalry, as well as a small number of knights of the green camp officers, are equipped with muskets, and most of the rest of the cavalry are equipped with bows and arrows according to regulations. Among the infantry, the infantry, which are mainly used to supervise the battle team, are equipped with fewer infantrymen. They also need to account for 30% according to the regulations, but they are very good at pulling bows. It is a hard job. It is difficult to pull an 80-pound standard military bow without super physical strength. It is not as easy as shooting a shotgun.
Soldiers from both the Eight Banners and the Green Camp like to use muskets. Regardless of whether they are infantry or cavalry, the proportion of muskets in the Qing army is getting higher and higher, while the proportion of bows and arrows is getting smaller and smaller. This also reflects the serious loss of blood and armament of the Qing soldiers. It also tells us something. The truth is, on the battlefield, being beaten passively and being restrained at every turn, no matter how brave a general is, can't stand it.
Hey! Let me tell you another secret, Mr. Fu, you have never heard of it. The French army lost less than 10 people in this battle. After returning home, the French general Montauban was named the 'Count of Baliqiao' by the French Emperor Napoleon III. , but when they continued to give a reward of 50,000 gold francs, they were opposed by most parliamentarians. The battle of Baliqiao was basically a very relaxed and even funny battle, and we only lost a few people. This one-sided battle cannot reflect the general's command and military capabilities at all. It can only be said that the opponent is too weak, so it is not worthy of such a high reward."
Liu Mingchuan deliberately shouted: "It seems that Li Xuezheng is suitable to be a spy. Where is the undercover hiding?"
Li Guolou rolled his eyes and said: "Only when you understand yourself can you understand the truth. Those who are arrogant are frogs in the well. This is how Seng Gelinqin failed. Defeating the long-haired man is not enough to be proud."
"Am I proud? Am I arrogant? I am telling the truth. I tell the truth in the classroom. Is Li Xuezheng suitable to be a spy?" Liu Mingchuan spoke with great reason and a loud voice.
Li Guolou ignored Liu Mingchuan and continued: "The combat methods and effects of the Qing army's cavalry these past few times show that the Qing army's cavalry combat thinking is extremely backward. It is still stuck in the 17th century, facing backward equipment performance and cutting corners, resulting in poor quality. The Ming army had poor matchlock guns and even Mongolian cavalry tactics in the 13th century. Therefore, these battles were more of a one-sided killing. Although Seng Gelinqin's cavalry fought one after another with commendable courage, they were praised by the court as the "Southern Monk and Northern Monk" Senggelinqin's military capabilities are limited and he will not change his tactics when the enemy changes and we change. Because he has already suffered a loss in the past and has tasted the power of the British and French three-stage muskets, Senggelinqin still adopted the tactics in the Battle of Baliqiao. The same tactics allowed two thousand heroic Mongolian cavalry to die heroically. Conservative thinking is a cancer in the construction and development of the army.
The Battle of Baliqiao changed many preferences of our Qing army. The warriors used to be superstitious about cavalry, bows and arrows, and bravery. Now the army has changed to superstitious about guns, despise cavalry, despise bows and arrows, and despise bravery. They believe that good guns As for guns, good ships are enough. This is going from one misunderstanding to another. Military spirit is the key to the longevity of an army. An army without a sense of honor also has a hundred cannons. It’s useless. They are timid and afraid of death, leaving their backs to the enemy, not daring to fight hard, fighting to the death, and losing are engraved on the face of this kind of army. Therefore, our Xinwu Tang Tichang is vigorously developing military technology, improving weapons and equipment, and mastering modern In terms of weapons, we still vigorously develop cavalry and the spirit of bravery. The soul of the army is there! An army has hope, and you represent the soul of the new generation of Qing soldiers. The spirit of the New Wutang is to fight without stopping and defend the integrity of the Qing territory to the death. Kill all the intruders."
"The spirit of the New Wutang is to fight without stopping, to defend the integrity of the Qing Dynasty's territorial sovereignty to the death, and to wipe out all the invaders." The school officials and the students shouted at the top of their lungs together, and the students listening outside the door also burst into shouts.
Li Hongzhang stood up tall and looked up at Li Guolou, who looked a bit like a general. He looked around at the school officials and students with expressions of approval. The tactics class at the New Martial Arts Hall shocked him and gave him a sense of crisis.