Not taking risks, not adventurously, and winning the victory with the most certain battle has always been Zhu Yongxing's way of employing troops. In times of adversity, the Ming army could not afford to lose; After the good times, he tried to reduce the number of deaths and injuries.

For Zhu Yongxing, the concept of cherishing people's destiny is deep-rooted and difficult to change. Or rather, in some ways he is not comfortable with a cold-blooded emperor or politician who sees casualties as only written words. But on the other hand, this expression of generosity and compassion was more conducive to the unification of the various departments of the Ming army. After all, there are too many historical problems in the Ming army, and Zhu Yongxing's character and handling can make them put down their burdens and unite sincerely.

As for the Shandong and Liaodong joint theaters, Zhu Yongxing also had high hopes and dispatched two elite troops -- the Suppression Army and the Breaking Shuo Army. The predecessor of the Shuo Army was the First Division of the Shuo Army, led by Wei Junzhong, which was the earliest in the Ming Army, the earliest in terms of tactics and equipment replacement, and the most combat; The Poshuo army was led by Ma Zide, first to Chongming Island, fought repeatedly in Jianghuai, developed and expanded, and participated in the battle to recover Jiangnan, which is also experienced.

In the entire operational situation of the great counteroffensive, if the Ming army can make a breakthrough in Shandong, it will not only be able to occupy the key points of the canal, but also threaten Zhili and even the Beijing division. At the same time, Shandong is also the base and backup for the Liaodong operation, and will be a powerful mixed corps equipped with elite troops on land and water, as well as cavalry that is being trained and reorganized on Jeju Island.

Zhu Yongxing paid more attention to the stability of operations, the training and treatment of soldiers, and the weapons than others. Although he did not reach the point of weaponism, he also tried to perfect it under the condition that he could improve and equip it.

Kuang Guogong Pixiong and others were not playing at the beach, but wanted to see the newly formed artillery unit -- the rocket troops, which were first transferred to the Shandong Theater.

The rate of fire is fast, the firing range is long, and the maneuverability is flexible. Rockets equipped with three warheads: explosion, incendiary, and toxic smoke can finally equip troops. Although it did not reach the best indicators of the Conglev rocket, the tail has been improved, the range has exceeded two kilometers, and the stability has been greatly enhanced, making it a sharp weapon against cavalry units.

With China's traditional rocket foundation, it can be said that it will get twice the result with half the effort in rocket development and improvement. After the success of the experiment, the arsenal began to work overtime, and the Ming army began to transfer officers, recruit artillerymen, and conduct relative training. In particular, after successfully raising funds and salaries, the arsenal changed some munitions and materials from self-production to outsourcing, and used all the freed up manpower and material resources for the production and manufacture of rockets.

…………….

Chen Daobo and Zhang Nan, as veteran artillery officers, were standing on the deck of the ship at this time, looking out over the sea and sky. Right now. They are already high-ranking officers in artillery units, and their military rank is already major.

Compared with the previous titles of dukes and earls, there is now a trend in the Ming army, that is, respect for military ranks. Officers from the martial arts hall will wear new-style military uniforms and new-style rank symbols, and school-level officers will also be given short swords by the emperor, and that kind of pride and pride is extremely enviable.

"The Northland is good for cavalry. And whether the rocket can effectively restrain the cavalry is not very sure! Chen Daobo is very fond of rockets, which are not a new weapon. But they also understand their shortcomings, which is why they are worried.

"Although rockets are good, they are also auxiliary weapons, and long live is not to say, don't rely too much, but exert their power. Does it add to our army's victory? Zhang Nan smiled and said: "The rocket starts first, then the artillery, then the Franc machine, and finally the musket and curved artillery." Other words. Rockets give our troops another level of strike, and can disrupt the horses of the enemy's cavalry with incendiary or explosive bombs, as well as disrupt their formation. ”

"Not only land warfare, but also sailors will be equipped with rockets in the future." Chen added: "If we can't solve the problem of accuracy, it will cost a lot, and I am afraid that if the effect is not good, the rocket will be removed from the army." ”

Zhang Nan pondered for a long time, shook his head, and said uncertainly: "You and I both know that the arsenal is vigorously producing rockets, so it can be seen that the favor of Banzai should not be the case, right?" If it is said to be costly, with the current financial and material resources of the imperial court, it should be enough to support it. ”

"The finances of the imperial court are not very rich, and the granting of the lord to the people is not also an expedient measure for fundraising?" Chen Daobo frowned slightly, and said in a low voice: "When I met Banzai, you and I have seen Banzai's frugality and the shortcomings of the palace, but you don't dare to spend it indiscriminately, making Banzai embarrassed!" ”

Zhang Nanshen sighed softly sympatheticly, if you talk about the grandeur of the palace and the number of palace people, Zhu Yongxing is indeed frugal and simple enough. Well, the palace is just a medium-sized garden, there are only two concubines, there is only one table, and the palace people are less than 100, and even the Yongli of the year is not comparable.

"If you want me to say, this rocket should not be used lightly, as long as it is not the Qing cavalry of the brigade, the infantry of our army and the current weapons are enough to deal with it." Chen Daobo paused and continued: "Only when it is suddenly used at a critical time can it receive particularly good results, show the power of the rocket, and prevent it from being criticized in the future. ”

The rocket's long range, easy launch, and fast rate of fire are naturally incomparable advantages of breech artillery. However, its accuracy is not flattering, and it is naturally not necessary to think too much about it in the face of a wide and dense enemy formation, and it is not very suitable for dealing with small groups of enemies. Zhu Yongxing's insistence on producing equipment rockets was because he had read in a book about the example of defeating the Mongol cavalry during the Opium War, which was naturally not wrong. And Chen Daobo's worries are not unreasonable, that is, the cost of rockets, and more launches are needed to ensure more hits.

In fact, Chen Daobo and Zhang Nan's worries are unnecessary, maybe others will give up equipping rockets because of too much consumption, but Zhu Yongxing knows that this weapon will be in the limelight before the emergence of new artillery, and it will last for hundreds of years, and it is called "the soul of artillery without a cannon body".

Moreover, Zhu Yongxing is more optimistic than others about financial issues. Although there is some tension now, and there are a lot of debts in debt, as long as the national war is won, foreign plundering will make up for it, and it will be a big surplus. Thinking about the wealth of the Spaniards in the Philippines, and thinking about the easier targets of aggression, such as Champong, Annam, Burma, and Chenla, Zhu Yongxing is not worried.

Internally, gentleness and humility cannot be abandoned, and it is indispensable for the construction of spiritual civilization of the Chinese people; Externally, expansion is a must. Zhu Yongxing had already begun such a strategy, and in this national war, the materials of overseas occupied territories could be said to be very important. (To be continued......)