Section 72 Exercises

"There will be a siege drill in a moment. There are always a few people injured in each exercise. The head of the east gate took care of the hygienist, and the attendants also entered the hall to participate together. ”

"There's a drill, I'm going to see it."

"Come with me." Xie Shu said and took He Ping to the mountain bag where the bandaging was located, and brought him a telescope. It's just a small mound. There were already quite a few officers standing on it. He Ping saw that He Ming was also there, and he was looking at something with a telescope. Behind him stood a group of army officers, and He Ping saw that Wei Aiwen, Ying Yu, Zhang Bolin and other cadres were all there, wearing gray uniforms, leggings, binoculars and leather map bags on their chests, and some people were holding map clips and pencils in their hands. Several staff officers were laying out maps on folding tables and were busy.

Behind them stood a dozen heralds and guards, carrying short-barreled Minnie rifles or Lingao revolvers. One by one, they stood with bated breath, waiting for orders.

In this typical nineteenth-century war scene, there is also a radio station, where several female operators are calling under code names.

Seeing He Ping coming, He Ming nodded slightly to him and did not speak.

He Ping stood silently in an unobstructed place and followed the direction they were looking.

About two or three kilometers away from Shanbao, there is a makeshift earthen city. The scale of this earthen city is extremely small, and the distance between the two opposing gates is only one hundred and fifty meters. Although the sparrows are small, there are also cross streets in the city, with shops and houses on both sides of the streets, and in the center of the cross street is a bell and drum tower. The common fortification measures of the Ming Dynasty city are readily available. The outside is surrounded by a ditch. There are also deer barricades outside the trench, and the defense is very tight.

"It took three days for the 3rd Battalion to build with the cooperation of the engineer company," Xie Shu said, "and there were no bricks on the outside of the city wall, and the gate was made of tree branches." Xie Shu said.

About a kilometer away from Tucheng, through the mist, He Ping could see that the queue had been lined up. Look at the scale about the number of an infantry battalion. Twelve guns were lined up behind the barret, and the artillerymen were busy in front and back.

He knew it was time to start a siege exercise. He could see through the binoculars that there were also figures moving on the city walls, probably soldiers on the defensive side. There was a flag fluttering on the bell and drum tower in the center of the city, but it was not clear what it was written.

Suddenly, a green rocket flew in the sky, and after five minutes, three red signal rockets rose into the air, and the 12 artillery pieces arranged in the front line opened fire one by one, and white smoke sprayed out of the muzzle, and He Ping saw such dense artillery fire for the first time. The trajectory of the shells of the 12-pounder cannon and the 24-pounder howitzer streaked white smoke in the air, spherical shells smashed on the earthen city, and dirt and tree trunks flew in the air. He Ping was stunned by the power of the 12-pound solid bullets, and some of the shells directly flew the masonry battlements and women's walls. A dummy cannon used as a target was hit by a cannonball, and it was directly broken into two and flew out. A 24-pounder grenade swept away the humanoid targets on the city walls as stand-ins for the defenders, and black smoke filled the city heads, and debris flew everywhere.

An enemy tower on a walled city, which was subjected to concentrated fire from a 12-pounder cannon, quickly fell apart

A red signal rocket flew in the air, and to the rapid sound of the snare drum, the attacking troops began to charge in a company column. In front of the column were grenadiers lined up in a skirmish. Soldiers ran forward, many carrying bundles of firewood, others carrying light ladders.

The artillery began to extend its fire, suppressing the reinforcements of the defending troops to the city gates. Grenades flew over the city walls and landed on the streets and houses near the city gates, and rubble and wood flew everywhere.

At this time, the war drums sounded in unison, shaking the heavens and the earth, and the soldiers shouted loudly "kill", and the soldiers who were impacting were all loaded with bayonets, and the white light was shining. At this time, there was also an endless sound of cannons on the city wall, and the smoke of gunpowder was billowing in balls.

The grenadiers rushed under the walls and opened fire on the head of the city, suppressing the fire, and the infantry quickly cut the deer with axes, and partly with poles with hooks, opening up a gap in the advance. As they broke the deer barricade to open a gap, the others shouted and shot fiercely at the city. Above and below the city, the sound of killing was deafening, the sound of guns and cannons was deafening, and the smoke of gunpowder enveloped everything. A gust of wind blew, the smoke cleared slightly, and in the blink of an eye, the three columns of the three companies opened the gap, bundles of firewood were thrown into the trench, and the ladder was quickly erected. The grenadiers, who had been in charge of suppressing the shooting, began to enter the city, and at the same time continued to drop grenades on the city.

In the blink of an eye, the grenadiers had cleared the "enemy" at the head of the city, and some of the riflemen continued to climb the city to expand the breakthrough, and some of them began to attack the tower, preparing to open the city gates. The "enemy" defending the city relied on the tower's condescending superiority to put fire weapons into fierce resistance. The grenadiers shot and threw bombs, and quickly advanced to the bottom of the castle tower to clear the defenders. After another moment, the gates were wide open, the drawbridge was lowered, and all the infantry who had suppressed fire outside the city rushed in. Flying on the bell and drum tower, an official and military flag was pulled out. Three red signal rockets then took off into the air, announcing the end of the attack.

"Awesome" He Ping couldn't help sighing, he looked at his watch, from the first shot to the end of the battle, the whole process took only 34 minutes. Not only is the firepower swift, but the soldiers' offensive actions are extremely tacitly coordinated. It deserves to be a well-trained unit.

The officers around He Ming were commenting:

"At the beginning, we should concentrate artillery fire on the castle tower, and the enemy will not be able to rely on the castle tower to suppress the troops who have seized the gate."

"The grenadiers still have fewer grenades. Some of them attacked the tower and it was gone. ”

"Artillery should accompany the infantry. We have lightweight 12-pounder mountain howitzers that can fully follow the shock column. If the enemy has assembled a large number of reserves near the city gates, as soon as we open the city gates, the enemy will counterattack and may well squeeze the besieging troops out. ”

"There are howitzers to suppress the fire, and it is impossible for the enemy to gather forces behind the walls."

"If we have cavalry, we can wait for the city gate to open outside the enemy's range before charging, and 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. The parts work well together. He asked: "Who commanded the grenadiers?" ”

"Huang Ande, platoon commander of the 1st platoon of the grenadier company of the third battalion."

"It's nice to be able to do this for the first time with a grenadier in command of a battalion." He said, "When the assault gate was blocked, it was very decisive. ”

"This Huang Ande seems to be from the Ming Army."

"Yes," Wei Aiwen said quickly, "he is from the battalion of Shandong, and he is still of the same clan as Huang Xiong." The two are cousins who didn't come out of five suits. ”

"Huang Xiong," He Ming quickly thought about this person, this person was the earliest army personnel and an officer of the Ming Army, so he was a little impressed. "This man is very brave, and he seems to be the first to mention a second lieutenant. Where are you now? ”

"In the Jiazi Coal Mine, the ore protection platoon is carried out."

He Ming nodded. He remembered that in addition to Lingao, there were several security issues at the expatriate base.

The safety of the Jiazi Coal Mine will not be a problem for a while. There are hundreds of miners with military training, and the place is remote.

As for the sugar factory in Leizhou, although its combat strength is weaker, there are still a few hundred workers -- the emperor in Leizhou is far away, and the ruling power of the government is not strong, and the liliang of the sugar factory is enough to protect itself. In case something happens, Xu Wen is opposite Lingao, and it is very convenient to rescue, and there is no need to even dispatch the army, just the navy reinforcement is enough.

However, it was not enough to give them instructions to "take precautions", and they would certainly be provoked during the post-war review. At least one hat of "disregard for the safety of the patriarch" must be buttoned up.

Everyone didn't know what he was thinking, and thought he wanted to see Huang Ande, but they didn't expect him to only say:

"What do you think about this exercise?"

Panda said: "The artillery fire is so powerful that my assault sappers are of no use at all. "In Jihua, if the operation to capture the city gate did not go well, Panda's sappers dropped explosives to blast the city gate.

"This city is small, and if you want to fight a big city, you will need your assault sappers." He Ming said, "After all, it's acting. Combat effectiveness can only be partially tested. If we want to fight a big city, our little firepower is simply not enough. ”

Lin Shenhe said: "If you attack a heavily fortified big city and the enemy's will to fight is very resolute, then it will be carried out in accordance with the regular siege battle, digging a zigzag trench and approaching, and then using siege artillery to reach the city gate and directly attack and bombard, and directly break the gate and enter." ”

"The Armstrong rifled gun is not a large-caliber smoothbore gun, and there is no need for a zigzag bombardment. Even if you can't hit it at a distance, firing from a kilometer away is enough. Ying Yue said, "It is still a very good tactic to use a zigzag trench to approach the enemy city and let the infantry charge." Then cover with mortars. ”

The city wall was one of the main fortified areas of the Fubo army. The Ming Dynasty is a dynasty that pays attention to building cities, even the city walls of the county town are built very strongly, not to mention the level of artillery in the 19th century, that is, the War of Resistance against Japan and the Civil War of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the 20th century, and the high-explosive grenades fired by modern artillery are also useless to take many county city walls. Sometimes artillery has smashed the walls to the ground, but rarely they have been able to collapse the entire section of the wall.

"If you can fire rockets on a large scale, you can further disrupt the movement of troops in the city and reduce the morale of the enemy. It is too damaging to the buildings and people in the city. ”

…… He Ping was not interested in listening any more, and he saw another team heading in the direction of Tucheng, carrying carts, various tools, and building materials. Xie Shu told him that he was going to repair the city. After the restoration, the earthen castle will continue to be used as a facility for exercises.

"Take me to the bandaging facility."

"Yes, Chief." Xie Shu led him down the hill.

"What did you remember during the drill?"

He Ping watched him pay full attention while watching the drill, and wrote something in his notebook.

Xie Shu said: "I am recording the process of the exercise, and I have my own opinions. ”

"Really? Do you care about tactics and the art of war? He Ping said, "Weishenme as a logistics staff officer? Don't go to combat or training staff officers? ”

"Because when you fight a war, you fight logistics. The system of the Fubo Army, not to mention that the official army is far inferior, even in the military books of the past dynasties, no one has written about it. He said, "Everyone knows that the army goes ahead before the grain and grass are moved, but this is only a general statement." The Fubo Army is different. Everything you do has to be calculated to ten ten. ”

"This is modern warfare."

"What do you say? Heads. ”

"It's nothing," He Ping said, "It's very trivial to be a logistics staff officer, and you don't have to be troublesome." ”

"It's not too much trouble. Although being this 'grain and grass officer' is indeed very trivial. But everything is organized, and there is a set of rules. It is particularly disciplined. Xie Shu said, "I heard that there are certain rules and various thresholds for handling food and salaries and weapons in the official army, but the master who handles it is regarded as a family secret, and the secret is not revealed, and there is no detailed record in the military book." ”

He Ping felt more and more strange, this person's eyes lit up when he talked about these things, a bit like a military enthusiast in the old time and space. I wondered if this man was reliable. How did the army accept such a figure

"How did you come up with the idea of being a soldier? I think you look very passable. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty has always emphasized literature over military force. ”

Xie Shu was a little embarrassed, he nodded: "Our family actually has a little silver when they go to Lingao, and my father is doing well in Lingao." I joined the army because I watched the drills of the Fubo army, and felt that the Australians had endless mysteries in the art of war in addition to firearms, and I thought that I had read countless Chinese military books, but the Australians did not understand the art of war. ”

"That's it?" He Ping thought it was incredible.

"That's it." Xie Shu nodded solemnly.

"What is your dad 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 TCM doctors from immigrants and local aborigines. There are about 20 people, with varying levels of good and bad, and one of them is indeed surnamed Xie.

"Are you Xie Yao's son?"

"It's my father."

He Ping laughed. Xie Yao is a very interesting person, his family did take the initiative to defect to Lingao and settled in Calais Commune. He is actually not a doctor, he has only read a lot of medical books, so he is a doctor. In fact, the medical skills are not very good. When the Ministry of Health was looking for doctors among immigrants, he also insisted on applying, saying that Australians should have a glimpse of the mysteries of medical skills. Not only did he become a doctor, but he also had to study surgery.

The father and son are very similar, both have a strong desire for knowledge, and can practice it.

He Ping went to the bandaging center and took a turn, and there were already more than a dozen wounded here, all of whom had been injured in the exercise just now, most of them were not serious, and the most serious one was injured by the wood sent by the shells during the exercise, and it seemed that he had broken bones. One of the doctors in the trauma department was grafting his bones, and the others were mostly bruised or burned, and the hygienist was treated with medicine and bandaging.

He Ping looked at the bandaging room, including the instruments and equipment inside—all kinds of medicines and equipment were well prepared. This bandaging center is at the battalion level, mainly responsible for shelter and initial treatment, except for two or three Chinese medicine doctors, who are health workers. He Ping looked at the registration book of the wounded and saw that the military registration number, name, and unit to which each wounded belonged were clearly registered. Each person also has their own medical records. The management is very standardized, and I can't help but nod my head and express my approval.

He Ping also looked at other health and epidemic prevention measures, and pointed out many deficiencies, which Xie Shu recorded one by one.

After the inspection, it was already evening. Dongmen Fuyu sent a herald to invite him to dinner. He Ping happily went. On the way, I met Wu Shimang and Yanghe. The three of them went to the officers' cafeteria together.

He Ping, the officer's canteen, had already come once in the afternoon to inspect the hygiene, and it was a shed built with bamboo poles and reed mats. In fact, the officers of each unit eat in their own companies, and only the officers of the headquarters and the directly subordinate units eat here. It's empty inside.

According to the policy of the General Office, He Ping and others received meal tickets before going out. These are several specific measures taken by Yi Fan to build a clean and honest government, and they have completely cut off the expenditure on official entertainment. Business travelers receive meal tickets on a daily basis before business trips. You can also eat a pie meal in the village office of the village along the line, and the entertainment unit will settle with the Ministry of Finance afterwards, so that it can be easily reviewed at any time.

"Amazing, there was luncheon meat today." Fuyu, who came back from going to the east gate to get food, raised his eyebrows, "This thing is getting rarer and rarer now." ”

On the plate, there is fried luncheon meat with bitter gourd. Luncheon meat is cut into domino sizes, although small, but there is a lot of portions in the dish, at least one-third of which is luncheon meat.

"Of course, if you don't eat it, it will expire." He Ping thought of the last time he went to inspect the food from the old time and space in the warehouse directly under the planning institute, and there were still many unused canned foods, which were approaching their expiration date. At the beginning, the reserves were all for the most critical moments, but this time they were probably taken out in one go.

The meals served in the officers' canteen are simple, but nutritious. Because of the war, even kvass with trace amounts of alcohol was not supplied, and everyone replaced the wine with tea.

"After the prisoner of war camp is built, our church will build a small chapel to guide these lost lambs." Wu Shimang gulped bitter gourd fried luncheon meat.

"The army doesn't like you to train future soldiers as cultists."

"Soldier of the future?" Wu Shimang shook his head, "How can this kind of professional soldier of the Ming Dynasty be a soldier, all of them are bastards." The army is not interested in absorbing a large amount. At least you have to be a laborer for a few years to change your temper and habits. At most, the army does not recruit cultists. I think the top ten will be sent to Sanya or Vietnam. ”

"It would be good if Taiwan was developed and sent to Taiwan."

"I think it's good to send Southeast Asia, and it's good to get a colony to mine rubber or something. Since they are going south, these soldiers and ruffians are not necessarily very capable, and harming the people is a first-class effort, so let them go to the military camp in Southeast Asia. ”