One conductor, five capitals, five hundred people, three columns in front and back lined horizontally.

There was also a slightly larger banner directly behind, with more than thirty cavalrymen below. On the two wings, there are more than a dozen people clustered around a cannon, which is in the shape of a standard field gun.

The width of the queue is only 100 steps, the front and back are only 10 steps, the flags are scattered but five or six, and the array looks very thin, as if it is about to break through as soon as it rushes.

But this queue is as neat and straight as an axe and a chopping knife, and even a layman can see that they have undergone a lot of training to be such a perfect queue.

Han Gang and Wang Sunsin were already standing on the high platform to watch the battle, and in front of the two of them, they each set up a pair of binoculars more than two feet long.

Through the binoculars, I observed the drill team in front of me. Wang Sunsin smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth, like an adult seeing the smile of a child playing with urine and mud at home.

The commander of this Shenji Battalion, who has never been on the battlefield, is a group of yellow-haired chicks in the eyes of veterans who have experienced a hundred battles.

His army in the Western Regions could not arrange such a perfect array. But after the test of blood and fire, it is the thorn that can make the beasts far away.

The army of the Beijing Division, from the class to the school parade army, each of them is extremely good at parade drills, no matter how meritorious the team, whether it is the Western Army or the Hedong Army, it is far inferior to her.

It's like a swordsman who is good at sword dancing in the workshop, practicing specifically for performance, and a swordsman who can really kill people can't perform such a good sword dance.

But does it work? An army that does not see blood is like a sword that has not been sharpened, and it is useless.

"Let's get started."

On the side, Han Gang had already issued an order.

A chic, brass horn with a short, loud sound.

Wang Sunchen looked at the brass horn curiously, it was more characteristic and penetrating than the sound of the bull's horn, and it seemed to be able to transmit the order more effectively on the battlefield.

'That's a lot of good stuff. ’

Wang Sunchen thought that in the Western Regions over the years, he had been using the leftovers that had been eliminated, and there were more than 100 eight-ox crossbows alone, countless bows and crossbows, and tens of thousands of armors. With the dry and rainless situation in the Western Regions, I am afraid that it will not be bad for a hundred years.

These eliminated goods equipped a large number of naturalized Hu people, and then drove them to fight with the Black Khan. It is precisely because of such wealth that Hu in the Western Regions will be so desperate.

But everyone in the know knows that there must be something better in the interior, such as artillery fire. guns, only to eliminate these weapons and equipment. Wang Sunchen came back this time, and he also wanted to see more fire. How capable are guns and artillery, so that the imperial court can abandon all the bows and crossbows so simply.

But he didn't expect anything other than artillery fire. In addition to the gun, some auxiliary equipment has also undergone a large number of updates. For example, the binoculars in front of me now, and the brass horn that has just sounded.

There are still more good things that have not been seen, and there must be more good things.

Wang Sunsin was very sure of this, and he made up his mind, "You must scrape a little more when you go." ’

But soon he laughed to himself again.

This time I came to Beijing, I am afraid that I will not be able to return to the Western Regions for a while, and it is even very likely that I will never be able to go back.

Third Brother Han needs his brother to suppress the Jingshi, and the positions of the Sanya Guanjun may be ready, how can he still let himself go back to the Western Regions?

Just as he was thinking about it, there was also the sound of a horn from below.

It is also a brass trumpet, but the sound of the horn in response, the order is the same as the command that is common in the army.

"Order." Wang Sunchen habitually muttered in response.

No one heard him, and as soon as he exited, he was silenced by the roar of artillery.

There were only two cannons, and the roar of the cannons and the rising smoke of gunpowder were the first to strike.

"Well, it's the first to open the way with artillery fire."

Wang Sunsin nodded with some appreciation. He, a fairly young veteran, had seen the artillery with his own eyes, and he began to deduce in his mind how to incorporate it into his tactical system.

The first thought that came to his mind was to bombard the enemy's array during the confrontation.

Even the cavalry must form a formation first when charging, otherwise it will be scattered and will not be able to attack the rock-solid infantry formation.

The distance that the war horse can charge at high speed is not long, if the distance of charging into the formation is not included, the general cavalry assembly is placed a hundred paces away from the enemy's formation, and should not exceed one hundred and fifty paces at most.

Generally speaking, in the past Song-Liao battles, when the Khitan cavalry attacked the Song army that had already formed a formation, they would get stuck at the edge of the effective range of the bow and crossbow to assemble, and then start charging.

The Liao people swaggered and gathered outside the range, although it was a bone in the throat for the Song people, but it was difficult to reach and could only bear it.

As soon as the rush did not move, a second wave would follow, constantly consuming the bodies of the Song army's crossbowmen until they were no longer able to stop them. Of course, if there are too many casualties in the process of impact, the Liao army will rush away and give up this battle. Therefore, although the Song army is small, as long as it fails once, it will be a catastrophe, and even if the Liao army is defeated and retreated, it will not hurt its vitality.

But with artillery, the situation immediately changed dramatically.

The field artillery of the army can reach up to three miles, and it can reach one and a half miles normally, as long as there is a cannon, it can disrupt the assembly of the cavalry before the charge, if the cavalry of the Liao people is forced to a mile and a half away to assemble and charge, to say the least, they will have to lose half of the impact power.

As long as you are not too stupid generals, you can think of using the advantage of artillery to completely defeat the enemy who is good at cavalry.

"This is artillery preparation." Han Gang introduced.

"Oh." Wang Sunsin knew that this was what he meant, "After the artillery is prepared, the attack will begin?" Isn't it too thin to have only artillery to protect the flanks? ”

"If there are cavalry to attack the flanks, the formation will change. No matter which commander the Shenji Battalion commands, the corresponding changes are all memorized and practiced. ”

"Memorized, practiced? Is it a formation diagram? ”

"It's kind of a formation." Hangang Road.

Emperor Taizong had a hobby of giving the general to give the formation map, and how to arrange the troops after receiving the enemy must follow the formation map. And Emperor Xizong also has this hobby, but the generals who lead the army are all in front of the face and behind the back. At that time, whether it was in Longxi or Guangxi, they were all pointed at.

But the formation map is not only a formation, but also different response plans according to the different reactions of the enemy army. That is, there is a relatively fixed set of tactics against the enemy.

Han Gang has also had an in-depth understanding over the years, abandoning his past prejudices, if this set of strains in the formation diagram is from the hands of experts, and he follows it when facing the enemy, it will indeed have its effect.

In Han Gang's view, relatively speaking, Emperor Taizong should be quite professional, after all, he is an emperor who came out of the troubled times of the fifth generation, and Xizong Zhao Ji is probably at the level of ticket holders, but he thinks he is a famous actor who overwhelms the crowd. Because of this, the reputation of the formation map was ruined a lot during the frequent war-torn Xifeng years, and many people regarded it as a joke.

Therefore, Wang Sunchen did not think so, "How can there be a reason to act according to the plan when facing the enemy." ”

"Soldiers are impermanent, water is impermanent. The use of soldiers must be like water, how can they be restrained by words and pictures? Han Gang was more specific than Wang Sunchen, "But if you can do this, you can already be described as a famous general." But how many famous generals are there in the world? Most of them are mediocre talents who follow suit. Teaching this method is to make mediocre talents come in handy. Even if it doesn't lead to a big victory, it can also reduce the chance of a big defeat. ”

"If it was really the northern captives they encountered, they wouldn't rush up the military formation. They also have artillery, and how to deal with the artillery of the officers and soldiers should have been practiced a long time ago. What's more, there are too few times when the Liao people will really come hard, and I am afraid that they will run away as soon as they see the array. ”

Most of the time, the Liao army was a bandit, and rarely attacked the army directly, and there was no need to worry about the Song army catching up when they made a detour, and they would maximize the benefits by giving full play to the mobility of the cavalry. How to encircle and intercept this kind of Liao army, we can only look at the means of the commander in charge of the theater, Guo Kui did it very well back then, and if he changed to a worse general, it is estimated that he can only do the four words of gift to leave the country.

"Of course." Han Gang didn't argue with Wang Sunchen either, and said with a smile, "When the time comes, the most important place is still indispensable for the famous generals to press the formation." ”

"When the time comes, don't forget me, third brother. Second Brother Li is in charge of all the way, I can also take care of the whole way, Zhao Long let him take care of the way, and when the time comes, let the Liao thieves come and go. ”

Wang Sunchen laughed loudly, and after a little dispute with Han Gang, it seemed to return to the time when he was under Wang Shao's command and discussed the art of war. The rustiness that has been rare for many years has disappeared for a while.

Glancing around again, Wang Sunsin became even more proud.

Ordinary military generals, it is a great honor to be praised by the prime minister, even Di Qing, who is a privy envoy, has to tremble in front of the prime minister. And Wang Sunchen can talk and laugh with the prime minister.

It's not just any military general who can become friends with the future prime minister when he is young, nor is it any prime minister who can still take care of the old feelings when he is in a high position.

Wang Sunsin could clearly feel that the eyes from the left and right were full of envy and jealousy.

It's just a command-level exercise, why does the prime minister, who has a lot of opportunities, take the time to come over? It's not just to help him grow face.

With this in mind, Wang Sunchen became even more determined.

If anyone dares to brush the beard of the third brother, he, a red guy, is not a vegetarian who recites Buddha.

While the two were talking, three horizontal formations had begun to advance, and each of them stood at the front of everyone, holding steel swords, leading the way.

Five leaders led the brigade, and four hundred soldiers were on fire. The gun rests on the right shoulder, and behind the queue is a five-sided drum, which the drummer beats on the drum and steps to the beat of the drum.

There was a gap between the queues of each capital, and the Tiger squat cannons were mounted on two-wheeled carts and followed the infantry.

When the queue stopped, it began to shoot continuously to the changing sound of drums.

First the whole team fired a salvo, and within seconds, the fire. The guns rang out continuously, almost in unison, and a dragon snake made of white gunpowder smoke snaked above the queue. This is especially loud than artillery.

After that, three columns of horizontal columns fired in turn, although not as good as the previous volley, but the gunshots rang out every ten seconds, and it was completely a wall made of bullets.

The soldiers loaded, fired, loaded, fired, and acted with great skill, apparently as a result of years of training.

It's an offensive formation, not just for defense.

"How?"

Wang Sunchen stared at the bottom intently and responded, "It's not simple. ”

It's an oppressive attack, maybe not fast, but full of tension. It even made Wang Sunchen feel a hint of the taste of the battlefield.

"I used to see them as showmanship, but I underestimated them." Wang Sunchen said sincerely, "If the commanders in the Shenji Battalion are all at this level, as long as the generals are not confused, and they encounter a considerable number of leather rooms and palaces, at least they can suffer a big loss." ”

"It's a pity that the artillery and infantry can't be coordinated, otherwise the artillery will be placed behind the array and fired directly across the military formation. This allows for better protection of artillery positions. The army formation can also follow the artillery fire all the way forward, and let the shells open the way for the army. ”

Han Gang actually only knows some nouns, but as the name suggests, it is not difficult, but knowing the meaning and doing it are another thing.

How to get the infantry to follow the barrage is not a simple training subject. First, we must control the infantry battle column, and second, we must also have that technology in the artillery, otherwise we will stab our own family members in the back.

"It doesn't matter if the cavalry is there or not, they will definitely run. If you are against the infantry, you will win without artillery, and if you have artillery, you will have to fight artillery. ”

In Wang Sunsin's view, in field warfare, the first role of artillery is not to attack the enemy's array, but to suppress the opponent's artillery. Only by completing this objective first can you attack the enemy's military formation.

"Of course, it's good to be able to do it, but it's okay if you can't do it." Wang Sunchen thought for a while, "It's best to do it, practice often, and be much more courageous." ”

Just practicing guts? Han Gang smiled.

However, the thought of a few artillery guns firing behind me makes normal people's hearts a little hairy, but after getting used to it, they can indeed be much bolder.

After a few rounds of firing, the front restarted.

At this time, more than a dozen foot soldiers came out of the queue and broke away from the large army, with a premise of nearly ten steps. While moving forward, he shot and loaded, and he was skillful in all of his skills, and he didn't even have to stop when he reloaded.

Han Gang began to understand again, "In the front, it was a simulation of encountering cavalry, and now it is a simulation of encountering fire. Guns of the infantry. Prominent in front of those are the hunters. ”

"It's better to use a ranger."

The purpose of riding a horse is to speed up, come suddenly, go away suddenly, wander around the periphery of the military formation, and can save the flaws in the military formation at any time.

"No!" Wang Sunsin denied it again, "The goal is too big." ”

If you are playing against a cavalry-based enemy, it will be a disadvantage to use the Ranger to protect the perimeter. The gap between the cavalry of the Great Song Dynasty and the cavalry of the Liao State was too big, and they were killed like chopping vegetables and melons, and their morale was long gone.

is the level of the Black Khan cavalry, and the cavalry brought by Wang Sunchen is far from comparable, especially the elite soldiers around the Khan, and they are chasing the palace army and the leather room army of the Liao. Wang Sunchen was still able to win in battle, relying on excellent foot soldiers.

In the confrontation with the infantry, the rangers also suffered losses, and the work of reconnaissance and blocking the enemy was in their hands. After adding the war horse, the target immediately changed from one person high to one and a half people, and all those who couldn't hit turned into sharpshooters. It's better to use elite infantry directly.

"Jing Sheng, you can think again, with the same equipment fire. What to do when the enemy of the gun is facing off? ”

"It's a good thing to have a hunter." Wang Sunchen naturally used this new word, "The officer standing in front is a live target." Protect your family and take out your enemies along the way. ”

"It's more important to attract the enemy to shoot first." Han Gang added, "Once you get the opponent to shoot a volley first, it is equivalent to ten to fifteen more steps. ”

And for each step of the shooting distance, the hit rate will increase a little, and it is possible to reduce ten steps, and increase by three or four percent. The bow and crossbow are so, and the fire is fire. Guns will not be an exception.

"Whoever shoots first loses half of the first?" Wang Sunsin said.

"Almost." Han Gang nodded.

The premise of this point is that both sides must possess a similar level of fire. Gun. In case one side has a high level of guns, there is no need to take risks and directly use the technical advantage to crush the opponent. But Han Gang didn't bother to mention this. It is not a good thing to hope for the weakness of the opponent.

"Fire. What is the rate of fire of the gun? ”

"If you are proficient, you can shoot two times a minute, and the best can be three shots."

"Much slower than a bow. Not as good as a crossbow. It's only two shots a minute, and then it's only one shot on the battlefield. Wang Sunchen sneered, "When I was in the Western Regions, after going into battle, I mostly forgot how to give a crossbow. Bow on the string fool. ”

"I hope not." Hangang Road.

Wang Sunchen said: "Who can say for sure? If you encounter such a situation, you can only go in front of you and shoot again. ”

The closer the firing weapon is to the enemy, the higher its hit rate.

The range of the heavy crossbow was as far as two or three hundred paces, but the crossbowmen would only start firing after the enemy had entered a hundred paces.

When fighting in a column, an experienced general would never give an order to shoot within fifty paces of the enemy's formation.

Different types of fire. The range of the guns varied. At present, there are only a few rifled guns, and the bullet can achieve the so-called spin, and the one with the best workmanship can accurately hit the target at a distance of 150 steps. And the pistol carried by the cavalry, that is, ten paces.

Now the Yuanyou three-year flint that has been installed in the Shenji Camp is on fire. Gun - this fire. The model name of the gun, which best reflects the motto of 'getting newer' in aerology, is in the middle, with less range than rifled guns, but much farther than pistols.

Bullets can fly 100 paces, and soldiers who have undergone 100 days of training can be guaranteed to hit a humanoid target within 50 paces.

If you can shoot it against your chest, no matter how poor the quality of the gun is, you don't have to worry about missing the target.

"Jing Sheng, when you fight against the Black Khan Army, how many casualties will you have before you are defeated?"

"I haven't played against each other a few times in total." Scratched on the itch, Wang Sunchen said proudly, "But every time, I killed all the people who rushed to the front and lost." ”

Wang Sunchen opened up the Western Regions for ten years, and with only a maximum of 20,000 troops, he defeated the Black Khanate, which had an army of at least 300,000, to the brink. Although it is said that the Black Khanate is already divided, for Wang Sunsin, who is always short of people in his opponent, he must win more with less in every battle, and he is a famous general.

"Third brother, is it okay?"

The drill was over, and after sitting down on the other side of the pergola, Wang Sunsin suddenly asked softly.

"What's the problem?" Han Gang asked rhetorically, and gave a firm answer, "There is no problem." ”

……………………

"Han Gang accompanied Wang Sunsin to watch the exercise, and Zhang Dian also went to the iron field."

"They are all away from the imperial city, they are really relieved."

"No, what they're looking at today is what they really care about."