"There will be a siege drill in a while. In every drill, several people are always injured. The head of Dongmen asked the health workers to come in and join in."
"There's a drill I want to see."
"Come with me." Xie Shu said, taking He Ping to the hill where the bandaging was, and fetched him a telescope. This was just a small mound. There were already many officers standing on it. He Ping saw
He Ming was also there, looking at something with a telescope. Behind him stood a group of army officers. He Ping saw Wei Aiwen, Ying Yu, Zhang Bolin and others there, wearing gray uniforms, leggings, and hanging on their chests.
They were wearing telescopes and carrying leather map bags, and some of them were holding map clips and pencils in their hands. Several staff officers were busy laying out maps on folding tables.
Behind them stood a dozen orderlies and guards, carrying short-barreled mini rifles or Lingao version of revolvers. Each one stood with bated breath, waiting for orders.
What was incongruous in this typical nineteenth-century war scene was a radio station with several female operators calling by code numbers.
Seeing He Ping coming over, He Ming nodded slightly to him but said nothing.
He Ping stood silently in a place out of the way and looked in the direction they were looking.
About two or three kilometers away from the mountain, there is a temporarily built earth city. This earth city is extremely small, and the distance between the two opposite city gates is only 150 meters. Although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs.
There are also cross streets in the city, with shops and houses on both sides of the streets. In the center of the cross streets is a bell and drum tower. The common fortification measures of a city in the Ming Dynasty are all available. The outside is surrounded by trenches. There are also deer villages outside the trenches, which are very tightly defended.
"This was built by the third battalion in three days with the cooperation of the engineering company," Xie Shu said. "The outside of the city wall was not covered with bricks and tiles, and the gate was made of branches." Xie Shu said.
About one kilometer away from Tucheng, He Ping could see through the mist that a team had been lined up. It was about the size of an infantry battalion. There were twelve artillery pieces lined up behind the fort, and the artillerymen were
Rushing back and forth.
He knew that this was about to launch an siege exercise. He looked out through the telescope and could vaguely see figures moving on the city wall, probably soldiers playing the role of defender. There was a wave flying on the bell and drum tower in the center of the city.
There is a flag, but I can’t see clearly what is written on it.
Suddenly, a green rocket flew into the sky first, and five minutes later three red signal rockets took off. The 12 artillery pieces deployed at the front opened fire one by one, and thick white smoke spurted out from the muzzles. He Ping
This is the first time I have seen such intensive artillery fire. The trajectory of the 12-pound cannon and 24-pound howitzer shells drew white smoke in the air. The spherical shells hit the earth city, and the soil and tree trunks were flying in the air. 12-pound
He Ping was stunned by the power of the solid bullets. Some of the shells directly flew away the masonry battlements and parapets. A fake cannon used as a target was hit by the shells and was directly cut into two pieces and flew out. The 24-pound grenade cleared it.
Looking at the human-shaped targets on the city wall that served as stand-ins for the defenders, the city was filled with black smoke and debris flew everywhere.
A watchtower on a city wall received concentrated fire from a 12-pounder cannon and quickly collapsed.
A red signal rocket flew in the air, and amidst the rapid sound of military drums, the offensive troops began to attack in company column formation. In front of the column were grenadiers forming a skirmish line. The soldiers ran forward and charged forward. Many people carried bundles of firewood, and some carried light ladders.
The artillery began to fire extended shots to suppress the reinforcements of the defending troops heading towards the city gate. The grenades flew over the city wall and landed on the streets and houses near the city gate, causing rubble and wood to fly randomly.
At this time, the war drums were beating in unison, shaking the sky and the earth. The soldiers shouted "kill" loudly. The attacking soldiers had their bayonets fixed, and white lights flashed. At this time, the sound of cannons was also heard on the city walls, and clouds of gunpowder smoke were flying.
The grenadiers rushed under the city wall and opened fire at the city head to suppress the firepower at the city head. Some of the infantry quickly used axes to cut open the deer village, and some used poles with hooks to open the deer village and open a gap for advancement. When they destroyed it When Luzhai opened a gap, other people shouted and fired fiercely at the top of the city. Above and below the city, the sound of killings was deafening, the sound of gunfire was deafening, and the smoke enveloped everything. A gust of wind blew, and the smoke dispersed slightly, only to see In the blink of an eye, the three company columns opened the gap, bundles of firewood were thrown into the trench, and ladders were quickly set up. The grenadiers who were originally responsible for suppressing shooting began to climb the city, and at the same time they continued to throw grenades on the city. .
In the blink of an eye, the grenadiers had eliminated the "enemies" at the top of the city. Some riflemen continued to climb the city to expand the breakthrough, and some began to attack the city tower, preparing to open the city gate. The "enemies" defending the city took advantage of the tower's condescending advantage to use their firearms. There was fierce resistance. The grenadiers fired and dropped bombs, and quickly advanced to the bottom of the city tower to clear out the defenders. After a while, the city gate was opened wide, the drawbridge was lowered, and all the infantry who were suppressing shooting outside the city rushed in. .An official and military flag flying on the Bell and Drum Tower was pulled down. Three red signal rockets flew into the sky, announcing the end of the attack.
"Awesome!" He Ping couldn't help but sigh. He looked at his watch and saw that the whole process from firing the first shot to the end of the battle only took 34 minutes. Not only was the firepower fast and fierce, but the soldiers' offensive actions were also coordinated very well. It was indeed a training exercise. A solid troop.
The officers around He Ming were commenting:
"At the beginning, artillery fire should be concentrated on the tower. The enemy cannot rely on the tower to suppress the troops seizing the gate."
"The grenadiers still have a few grenades. Some of them were gone after they attacked the tower."
"Artillery should accompany the infantry. We have lightweight 12-pound mountain howitzers that can move forward with the assault column. If the enemy has assembled a large number of reserves near the city gate, as soon as we open the city gate, the enemy will counterattack, which will probably crowd out the siege troops. go out."
"With suppressive fire from howitzers, it is impossible for the enemy to mass their forces behind the city wall."
"If we have cavalry, we can wait outside the enemy's range and wait for the city gate to open before charging. We don't have to brave artillery fire to assemble near the city gate."
…
He Ming did not express his opinion. He waited for everyone's comments to come to an end before saying: "The third battalion fought well. All departments cooperated very well." He then asked: "Who commanded the grenadiers?"
"Huang Ande, commander of the 1st platoon of the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Company."
"It's great to be able to command a whole battalion of grenadiers for the first time." He said, "When the assault on the city gate was blocked, we were very decisive in handling it."
"This Huang Ande seems to be from the Ming Army."
"Yes," Wei Aiwen said quickly, "He is a soldier from Shandong and is a member of Huang Xiong's clan. The two of them are cousins who have not been out of the fifth server."
"Huang Xiong," He Ming quickly thought of this person. This person was the earliest army member and an officer of the Ming Army, so he had some impressions. "This person is very brave. He seems to be one of the first to be promoted to second lieutenant. Now.
Where?"
"Ore protection platoon in Jiazi coal mine belt."
He Ming nodded. He remembered the security issues of several foreign strongholds besides Lingao.
The safety of Jiazi Coal Mine will not be a problem for a while. There are mine protection platoons and hundreds of miners who have received military training, and the place is remote.
As for the sugar factory in Leizhou, although its combat power is weaker, it still has a few hundred workers - the sky is high in Leizhou and the emperor is far away, the government's ruling power is not strong, and the sugar factory is strong enough to protect itself. If something unexpected happens, Xu Wen
Opposite Lingao, it is very convenient to carry out rescue. There is no need to dispatch the army, just the navy reinforcement is enough.
However, it is not enough to just issue instructions asking them to "pay attention to precautions". They will definitely be criticized during the post-war review meeting. At least the label of "disregard for the safety of the elders" will definitely be slapped on them.
Everyone didn't know what he was thinking about. They thought he was going to see Huang Ande, but they didn't expect that he only said:
"What else do you think about this exercise?"
Panda said: "The artillery fire was so powerful that my assault engineers were of no use at all." In the battle plan, if the operation to seize the city gate failed, Panda's engineers would drop explosives to blast the city gate.
"This city is not big. If you want to attack a big city, you will need your assault engineers." He Ming said, "After all, it is an act. It can only partially test the combat effectiveness. If we want to attack a big city, our firepower is basically useless."
It’s not enough to look at.”
Lin Shenhe said: "If you are attacking a heavily fortified big city and the enemy is very resolute in fighting, you can follow a regular siege battle. Dig zigzag trenches to approach, and then use siege guns to approach the city gates and bombard them directly.
, just break in through the door.”
"The Armstrong rifled gun is not a large-caliber smoothbore gun, so there is no need for close-in bombardment with zig-zag trenches. Even if it is not accurate from a distance, it is enough to fire from a kilometer away." Ying Yu said, "Use zig-zag trenches to approach the enemy city and let the infantry
Impact is still a very useful tactic. Then use mortars to cover it."
The city wall is a major task for the Fubo Army. The Ming Dynasty was a dynasty that focused on city building. Even the city walls in the county were very strong. Not to mention the level of artillery in the 19th century, it was the Anti-Japanese War and the Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the 20th century. Modernization
The high-explosive grenades fired by the artillery also defeated many county walls. Sometimes the artillery had already riddled the city walls with holes, but rarely could the entire wall collapse.
"If you can launch rockets on a large scale, you can further disrupt the movement of troops in the city and reduce the enemy's morale. It will also cause too much damage to the buildings and people in the city."
...He Ping was not interested in listening anymore. He saw another team heading towards Tucheng, carrying carts, various tools and building materials. Xie Shu told him that they were going to repair the city. The Tucheng was repaired.
It will continue to be used as a training facility.
"Take me to the dressing room to have a look."
"Yes, chief." Xie Shu led him down the hillside.
"What did you remember during the drill?"
He Ping saw that he was concentrating on watching the exercise and even wrote something in his notebook.
Xie Shu said: "I am recording the process of the exercise and have some of my own opinions."
"Really? Are you very attentive to tactics and the art of war?" He Ping said, "Why do you want to be a logistics staff officer? Why not be a combat or training staff officer?"
"Because you are fighting for logistics. The system of the Fubo Army is far inferior to that of the officers and soldiers. Even in the military books of the past dynasties, no one has written about it." He said, "Everyone knows that the army moves forward before using food and grass, but
This is just a general statement. Fu Bojun is different. Everything must be done with ten points of consideration."
"This is modern warfare."
"What did you say? Chief."
"It's nothing," He Ping said, "Being a logistics consultant is very trivial, so you don't mind the trouble."
"It's not too troublesome. Although being a 'grain and grass officer' is indeed very trivial, everything is organized and there is a set of rules. There are special rules and regulations." Xie Shu said, "I heard that there are certain rules for handling food, pay, clothing, weapons, and weapons in the army.
and various thresholds, but the master who handled them regarded it as a family secret and kept it secret from others, and there was no detailed record in the military book."
He Ping felt more and more strange that this man's eyes were shining when he talked about these things, a bit like a military enthusiast from the old time and space. He thought to himself, is this man reliable? How could the Army accept such a person?
"How did you come up with the idea of becoming a soldier? I think you look pretty good. Besides, the Ming Dynasty has always valued civility over military affairs."
Xie Shu was a little embarrassed, and nodded: "Our family actually had some money when we came to Lingao, and my father did quite well in Lingao. I joined the army because I saw the Fubo Army's training, and I felt that the Australians besides firearms
In addition, the art of war is equally mysterious. I have read countless Chinese military books, but I don’t understand the Australian art of war. I just joined the army when there was a recruitment."
"That's it?" He Ping felt incredible.
"That's it." Xie Shu nodded solemnly.
"What is your father doing in Lingao?"
Xie Shu gave him a strange look: "He works as a doctor under the Ministry of Health..."
He Ping suddenly remembered that the Ministry of Health had indeed recruited many doctors of traditional Chinese medicine from immigrants and local aborigines. There were about twenty people with varying degrees of quality, and among them there was indeed one named Xie.
"Are you Xie Yao's son?"
"It's my father."
He Ping laughed. Xie Yao is a very interesting person. His family indeed came to Lingao on their own initiative and settled in Calais Commune. He is not actually a doctor. He has only read a lot of medical books and is good at treating people. In fact, his medical skills are not
Not clever. When the Ministry of Health was searching for doctors among immigrants, he insisted on applying, saying that Australians had a wonderful medical skill and wanted to get a glimpse of it. Not only did he insist on becoming a doctor, he also insisted on studying surgery.
The father and son are very similar. They both have a strong thirst for knowledge and are able to practice it.
He Ping went to the bandaging station and took a look around. There were already a dozen wounded here. They were all injured during the exercise. Most of the injuries were not serious. The most serious one was shot away by a shell during the exercise because he could not avoid it.
He was injured by a piece of wood and seemed to have broken a bone. A doctor from the trauma department was setting his bones. Others had bruises or burns, and the hygienists would just treat them with dressings and bandages.
He Ping took a look at the dressing room, including the instruments and equipment inside - all kinds of medicines and equipment were fully prepared. This dressing room is at the battalion level and is mainly responsible for admission and preliminary treatment. In addition to two or three Chinese medicine doctors, there are also health workers.
He Ping looked at the casualty admission register and saw that each wounded soldier's military registration number, name, and unit were clearly registered. Everyone also had their own medical records. The management was very standardized, and he couldn't help but nodded.
, express approval.
He Ping also looked at other health and epidemic prevention measures and pointed out many deficiencies, and Xie Shu recorded them all.
After the inspection, it was already evening. Dongmen Chuiyu sent a messenger to invite him to have dinner with him. He Ping went happily. On the way, he met Wu Shimang and Yang He. The three of them went to the officers' mess together.
He Ping had already visited the Officers' Mess once when he was inspecting the hygiene in the afternoon. This is a shed built with bamboo poles and reed mats. It is used for officers above second lieutenant to eat. In fact, officers of each unit eat in their own companies. There is only the headquarters here.
Dining with the officers of the direct team. It was very empty inside.
In accordance with the policy of the General Office, He Ping and others received meal stamps before going out. This is Yifan's several specific measures to build a clean government, which completely cuts off the expenditure on official entertainment. Business travelers receive meal stamps on a daily basis before going on business.
With the ticket, you can receive a standard meal from each unit, or you can eat and distribute meals in the village offices in the villages along the line. Afterwards, the reception unit will settle the bill with the Ministry of Finance, so that it can be reviewed at any time.
"It's amazing, there is luncheon meat today." Dongmen Chuiyu, who came back from getting food, raised his eyebrows, "This thing is becoming more and more rare now."
On the dinner plate was fried luncheon meat with bitter melon. The luncheon meat was cut into domino-sized pieces. Although it was small, there was a lot of portion in the dish. At least one-third of it was luncheon meat.
"Of course, if you don't eat it, it will expire." He Ping thought of the last time he checked the food from the old time and space in the warehouse directly under the Planning Institute. There were still many unused cans that were approaching the expiration date. They were all stored for the best time.
They are used in critical moments, so I probably took them all out this time.
The food provided in the officers' canteen is simple but nutritious. Because of the war, even kvass containing trace amounts of alcohol is not provided, so everyone uses tea instead of wine.
"After the prisoner of war camp is built, our church will build a small chapel to guide these lost lambs." Wu Shimang ate the fried luncheon meat with bitter melon.
"The army doesn't like you training future soldiers to be religious."
"Future soldiers?" Wu Shimang shook his head, "How can professional soldiers like this from the Ming Dynasty be soldiers? All of them are bastards. The Army has no interest in recruiting a large number of them. At least they have to undergo labor reform for a few years.
Let’s change our temper and habits. At best, the Army should not recruit believers. I think nine out of ten of them will be sent to Sanya or Vietnam.”
"It would be great if we develop Taiwan and send it to Taiwan."
"I think it would be a good idea to send it to Southeast Asia. Let's set up a colony to mine and grow rubber or something. Since we want to go south, these ruffians are not necessarily very capable. They are only good at harming the people. Let them go to Southeast Asia for military garrison.