Section 60 Combat Jihua

"So he's going to clean up Liu Xiang soon."

"Fortunately, we have Liu Xiang as a buffer, otherwise it would be a bit tricky for us to deal with this behemoth like Zheng Zhilong."

But in this way, it can basically be confirmed that Zheng Zhilong will not provide assistance for Wang Zunde's offensive operation. The Guangdong side could only rely on its own headquarters to act, and the military pressure on Lingao was greatly reduced.

"Here are several military intelligence reference booklets compiled by the Foreign Intelligence Agency on the basis of available information for your reference."

Wang Ding then distributed these pamphlets. They are "Guangdong Ming Army Number and Garrison Distribution", "Guangdong Ming Army General and above Officer Directory", "Ming Army Weapons and Equipment Atlas and Main Performance? Army (Navy) Army Fascicles", "Concise Establishment of the Ming Army" and "Tactical Characteristics of the Ming Army".

These pamphlets are partly compiled from historical records and historical research, and partly from sporadic information gathered from various sources after D-Day. The latter comes from a wide range of sources, including the collection of military intelligence from Guangzhou and Leizhou stations; There are extracts from the daily reports of the Kick Dart Bureau. Among them, the most valuable are the records of the Ming army's surrender, the interrogation records of the county government office and the archives of the county government cabinet, among which there are many formal first-hand information.

Wang Ding and others also worked tirelessly to visit Lin Shenhe. In the warehouse of the Weapons Research Institute, there are various samples of hot and cold weapons used by the Ming army and pirates. From the beginning, Lin Shenhe consciously rescued a lot of captured Ming Dynasty weapons from the steel mill. Wash and oil and store it. He also wrote a special letter to the executive committee and set up a shiyan field to test the power of captured weapons of the Ming Dynasty.

This test of power tests not only firearms, but also cold weapons such as spears, bows and swords. It also tests for the lethality of people under armor and unprotected conditions.

Lin Shenhe's only regret is that there is no ballistic gel, and as for using livestock as a target canteen, he definitely can't agree to it, and no one likes meat that has been made to a pulp and has a rusty taste. I had to use something like cement instead.

Without these field-tested materials, and relying solely on contradictory and even completely unscientific narratives in historical books, a pamphlet on the performance of the Ming army's weapons would not have been compiled at all.

Everyone felt that it was very convenient after getting their hands on it. In particular, officers who served in the PLA are no strangers to such pamphlets. It's a simple and effective way to get to know the enemy.

"It's good that you did a good job." He Ming nodded in affirmation.

Seeing the smiles on the faces of He Ming, Chen Haiyang and others, Wang Ding knew that the all-night work of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau in the recent days was not in vain. At least the military has a certain recognition of their intelligence work.

"Okay, let's speculate on the specific military operations of the Ming army." He Ming said, "Make a few more plans." ”

The east gate stood up with a rainy face and a spring breeze. After he was transferred to the General Staff Headquarters, he soon became secretary general and was responsible for presiding over the day-to-day work of the General Staff -- the post of chief of the General Staff was too heavy and it was not good to appoint anyone, so he was now simply not appointed.

Dongmen Fuyu was originally the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but this position was too respectful, so he became the secretary general and presided over the joint meeting. It is also the de facto position of staff officer.

"Ladies and gentlemen. If the Ming army wants to launch a military attack on Lingao, it is most likely to adopt the operational mode of attacking simultaneously by sea and land. He opened the map curtain behind him, revealing a large-scale map of northern Hainan.

Judging from the level of training and equipment of the Ming army, if tens of thousands of troops were to be dispatched, they had to carry a large number of weapons and baggage -- not to mention that in the 17th century, even in the 20th century, it was still a very difficult and risky matter for a large number of troops to carry baggage and land in front of the enemy. In terms of the organizational level and fighting will of the Ming army, such a thing as the whole army breaking into Bopu and making a strong landing would definitely not happen.

All walks of life crossed the sea in batches to Qiongshan County to gather troops, and waited until the soldiers were assembled and rested, and then launched the main force to advance along the coast. Sailors sailing along the coast, advancing on land and water, and supporting each other are the safest and most likely ways to be adopted. Whoever directs the attack this time is largely the same routine.

The concentration of the Ming army's troops must have been in Qiongshan County, which not only had a large port convenient for the army to cross, but also served as the main garrison base and administrative center of the Ming government in Hainan, and it was more convenient to coordinate in all aspects.

"Will the enemy come from the direction of Danzhou? Da Ming likes to play the split-way attack. ”

"It's a possibility." Dongmen Fuyu said, "An official warehouse of the Danzhou Ming government in Hainan, if you send troops from here, you can reduce the amount of grain stored and reduce the logistical pressure." ”

Ancient armies often engaged in the tactics of dividing troops and attacking together, and advancing in multiple directions. This was not only due to strategic and tactical considerations, but also to a large extent to reduce the difficulty of organizing and supplying the march.

"In addition, more than 2,000 stones are paid to Danzhou every year, which shows that Danzhou's guards still have a considerable number of military households, and they have a certain combat effectiveness." Wang Ding reminded everyone, "We can't help but consider that the Ming army may carry out a certain mobilization of the guards in Danzhou to expand the scale of the people along the Danzhou Road." ”

"Well, so we still have to deal with the enemy in the direction of Danzhou. There is only one garrison company and one fortress artillery company in the Gaoshan Ridge area," He Ming flipped through his notebook, "How many people can the enemy in the Danzhou direction dispatch?" ”

Dongmen Blowing Rain said: "It depends on how many Guangdong troops the Ming government plans to sail to Danzhou." If only military households are recruited locally, the maximum number is 500 people. ”

"If the Ming generals have the idea of eating, then there will not be too few troops sailing to Danzhou." He Ming said, "According to the intelligence department, the Ming Dynasty will dispatch 20,000 or 30,000 people, and at least 3,000 or 4,000 will sail to Danzhou." ”

Combined with the locally mobilized guard troops, it is calculated at 5,000 people. This road of centaurs (3) Z is enough to make chickens and dogs jump along the way. The crossing group has to take on a posture of facing the battle in two directions, and the troops are a little stretched.

Dongmen Fuyu said: "I propose that the navy establish a blockade line to directly intercept this part of the men." If the Guangdong army wants to sail to Danzhou, it will inevitably pass through the Qiongzhou Strait, and we can intercept it in the waters of Lantern Point without even going out of the high realm. Directly capture all of these troops. ”

"This matter is carried out by the Navy." He Ming recorded a little in his notebook and asked Chen Haiyang, "Is there any difficulty in the navy?" ”

"No, but the Navy cannot guarantee that all the enemy will be captured. If the enemy did not obey, he would have to sink a few demonstrators. ”

"Where is the blockade?"

"Located on the ocean from the west of the Leizhou Peninsula to Danzhou, it is necessary to dispatch two squadrons of special service boats to conduct day and night patrols. A squadron of clipper patrols is on standby in the harbor at any time for reinforcements. Chen Haiyang said, "You can't just cruise near Lantern Point, the Ming army may also use land to march to Leizhou and board ships in Leizhou - so you need to use more ships." He carefully studied the map, "It would be much easier if Leizhou could provide shipping information - we will block the port directly."

"I think there's no problem with that, our local system in Leizhou should be able to do it." Li Yan said.

Bei Wei said: "Leave this matter to the special investigation team -- this is originally a military reconnaissance mission, our business." The Special Reconnaissance Team guarantees the completion of the mission. ”

"The enemy of Danzhou can only be said to be possible." He Ming said, "This threat will be handed over to the navy and the special reconnaissance team." ”

The following is a discussion of a topic that has been hotly discussed in the Senate, whether to take the initiative to attack abroad or to play defensive counterattacks in the preset positions.

On this issue, there are not only clear differences within the Senate, but also different opinions within the military.

Most advocated defensive operations on preset positions. Their main reasons are:

The highest-ranking officer in the army was only a company commander of the PLA. No one has ever faced a war of this scale, and there will inevitably be many problems in command and dispatch, and defense is easier than offense.

Secondly, soldiers have more training, but less real combat experience. It needs to be tested by the flames of war. In the face of an enemy with a numerical advantage, the defending side is more relaxed in organizing the battle, and the soldiers are much less psychologically stressed. More importantly, use the victory with defense to boost the confidence of the soldiers.

After the victory of the defense, the pursuit begins, and the order in the rear is easily maintained - the victory of the defense will greatly encourage the people who are biased in favor of the crossers, deter the hostile elements, and make the part of the people who are watching take the side of the crossers.

Zuihou's strategy of defending first and then counterattacking is very much in line with the Celestial Empire's consistent thinking pattern of "not firing the first shot", "not letting me provoke", and "not tolerating it". Crossing the Congregation will gain a moral advantage. In terms of propaganda, it can be vigorously publicized that what the people do in Lingao is not like those pirates who harm one side, but instead cracks down on pirates and inferior gentry, develops production, and accepts displaced people to stabilize society, which can be said to be a model for the gentry. It is unreasonable to be surrounded and suppressed in this way. In this way, it paves the way for expanding your shili in the future.

"With the size and organization of the Ming army and the road conditions in Hainan, the enemy's advance route can only be along the post road county by county. This makes it easier for them to get supplies along the way. It was also more convenient to march - after all, the Ming army had to carry a large number of heavy firearms, and there were certain requirements for roads. Dongmen Fuyu pointed to the large map, "We have the advantage of being able to choose the battlefield at will." As long as we choose the terrain that has an advantage over our weapons at any point in the Qiongshan-Lingao post road, we can even build the battlefield in advance, dig trenches, build fortresses, and even transport heavier artillery to the position. The advantages are very clear. ”

Unexpectedly, the lofty argument of blowing rain at the east gate was immediately refuted by Bai Yu, the director of the armored forces. not only refuted it, but also gave Dongmen a capitulationist hat first.

"We know the route of the Ming army's attack, as well as the advantages of radio and maps, and we should give full play to the advantage of mobility and concentrate our forces to break the enemy individually. Some can even defeat them at the mouth of the Pearl River, fully demonstrating the superiority of our army in Jishu; It is true that our army has no experience in battle, but our soldiers are well-trained, well-fed, and have the command of modern military talents; Defensive warfare may not be easy, the enemy is more than five times ours, and blindly defending will only reduce the morale of our own side. Zuihou "cracked down on pirates and gentry, developed production, and accepted displaced people to stabilize society", this is evidence of the rebellion -- this is called 'buying people's hearts', and it is more hateful to the Ming government than burning and killing traitors.

His argument was that the side in which the crossing group was in absolute superiority would definitely take the initiative to attack in order to seize the initiative on the battlefield. In the situation where there is a serious disparity between the forces of the enemy and us, it is more important to grasp the initiative; Defensive operations are actually passive operations on the weaker side, which are more demanding and stressful for soldiers than offensive operations.

Not taking the initiative to attack and waiting for the enemy to attack is not a moral advantage but a weakness, and the high side can take care of the interests of the vast majority of the people under its rule, and this is the greatest moral advantage. The Crossing Group must show its toughness and the ability and determination to defend the people under its rule in order to pave the way for future development.

Zuihou, he strongly demanded that the city of Guangzhou be shelled after the total annihilation of the Ming army, and if the explosives were sufficient, it was better to blow up a city wall to give the officials and gentry enough shock.

The two sides held a series of debates on this issue, ranging from military tactics to political and economic construction.

Those who are in favor of leaving the country to defend against the enemy also have a concern: although it is safe to defend and counterattack, what about the infrastructure facilities that have been built in Lingao? Farmland, water conservancy, roads, and utility poles are unfortunate. If the officers and troops had carried out large-scale destruction of various infrastructure facilities on the way forward, not to mention the loss of facilities and materials, I am afraid that the people's hearts would be unstable, and it would have been extremely unfavorable to post-war reconstruction.

Chen Haiyang is also not enthusiastic about overseas decisive battles. He said:

"I am skeptical about the ability of our military to conduct decisive battles beyond its borders: the Navy lacks enough large ships to carry out long-range attacks and launch them. If the Ming army's assembly point on the mainland is in the Pearl River Delta area, instead of the Leizhou Peninsula or Hainan Island, although the troops we send can kill and wound a large number of enemies, unless we send troops to loot the surrounding areas, our personnel will be captured and the material capture will be relatively limited. That's the first question.

"Secondly, fighting on the mainland is more demanding on our intelligence, logistics and army organization. This was our first large-scale operation. It is not impossible to be a little more conservative and let them land in Hainan, and then completely destroy the invading enemy. ”

He pointed to the board:

"I think that the Ming army, considering all aspects, will set the assembly site in the area around the capital city of Qiongzhou -- this is also what the General Staff has just speculated in the operational forecast. In this case, we do not have to let the enemy enter Lingao, but take the opportunity of their assembly in Qiongshan to attack the navy and army at the same time and annihilate them in one go. As for whether to take the initiative to attack the city, or to set up a position outside Qiongshan County to lure the enemy to attack, this is easy to do.

"The Ming army assembled in Qiongshan County will inevitably harass the local people very badly, but they are still officers and soldiers, so they will not do anything to burn and kill traitors. The damage to the local area will not be too great, and our subsequent takeover will not require a large-scale clean-up work, and it will still be able to score a point in terms of public opinion. In addition," he said, "I personally prefer to take the initiative to attack rather than fortify and wait for the enemy -- when the Ming army comes to the city, the pressure on the soldiers will be even greater if they see that the overwhelming army has no way to retreat." If you let him take the initiative to attack, the pressure is much less, as long as you fight a hand-to-hand battle and see that the opponent is a chicken, the pressure will naturally be gone. ”

Chen Haiyang's proposal was approved by the majority. The naval force set up a blockade line in the Qiongzhou Strait to prevent the enemy from entering the sea surface of Lingao and prevent it from directly landing troops in Lingao to carry out raid and harassment operations.

The army sent a small force and a special reconnaissance team to carry out interdiction operations in the direction of Qiongshan. Do not allow enemy scouts and small units to enter the area near Lingao.

After the enemy's main force was assembled and left Qiongzhou, the navy first eliminated the Ming naval division and cut off the connection between the Qiongzhou Strait and the mainland. making it impossible to retreat from the sea. The army is looking for opportunities in the field to fight a decisive battle with the enemy's main force, and when necessary, it can use the navy's warships to maneuver. After destroying the enemy army, take advantage of the victory to take the capital city of Qiongzhou.

Wei Aiwen stood up and spoke at this time: "I don't have any opinion on the battle plan itself. But I expect the battle in Jihua to be a dignified battle: a beautiful battle at a time and place of our choosing—and the whole thing is to be filmed and played over and over again in the future—and it is a political battle to make our might clear to all. Especially for our fighters, many of whom do not yet recognize the meaning of the weapons in their hands. Thousands of years of habits will make them think that the people are not able to fight the officials, and even if the weapons are powerful, if they really practice it, they will have a great change in their consciousness. ”

After the operational plan was drawn up, the General Staff and the Foreign Intelligence Service held some consultations, and the two sides decided to send two joint military reconnaissance teams on a staff trip. The focus was on carrying out a comprehensive inventory of the topography and landforms, key passes, towns, and garrisons along the Qiongshan-Lingao line. This information has been collected in the past, and this is a review.

In addition, the reconnaissance team will conduct a comprehensive survey and assessment of the possible assembly sites of the Ming army and the places where the battle may be conducted. Make relevant plans. At the same time, in order to find out how many ports along the Qiongshan-Lingao line can dock and to measure the hydrological conditions, naval intelligence officers are allowed to lead another reconnaissance team to conduct surveys.

"In addition, we need to carry out a rearmament of the existing troops." He Ming said: "At present, there are quite a lot of shortages in the army, many auxiliary units are not satisfied, and artillery is even more shortage, so it is necessary to temporarily recruit personnel to supplement it. However, there is a mobilization issue involved and it must be coordinated with the Council. ”