"It was a promising force, they were well trained, they had a high level of knowledge, and more importantly, they were loyal to their Tsar and hated the Germans. I think it's much better to spend the same money on them than on the decaying and backward armies of Russia. But they lack heavy weapons, they don't have the right vehicles, and I think we need to help them make up for that. On the first page of the report, Xia Fei wrote this paragraph.

After Dunkini and Kolchak returned, Xiafei had a lengthy exchange with the two senior Russian officers, during which Dunkini complained about the treatment and small size of his troops. "We're in the second-class army here, and the guys in the Navy next door are at least twice as much paid and subsidized as us! I think we need fair treatment. And when communicating with Kolchak, I have to say that the naval officer is still very well-educated, at least he did not complain about the financial problems, (maybe they have enough money?) However, he pointed out some shortcomings in his army.

"If this training program can continue, our soldiers will definitely be no less skilled than any other army. We have technical skills and experience, and as long as we can adapt to the environment of land warfare, we will be the most powerful artillery. Kolchak paused and didn't dare to speak too slowly, because the vast majority of the people he brought were technical personnel, and it was still okay to repair and engage in artillery, but if you want to charge, it is not impossible, but in Kolchak's opinion, it is obviously a waste to let the technical arms charge. In fact, he wanted to say that we need cheap cannon fodder. And the army on the opposite side looks good!

"The naval guns were too heavy, and no motor vehicle could accommodate them, and the 4.7-inch guns weighed more than 4 tons. And the 6-inch cannon has already exceeded the limits of the huge part of the chassis. Moreover, the firing range that is too long is more practical and expensive. The Chinese Republic has a lot of good things, but they still lack some in heavy industry, so we hope that our French friends can provide us with suitable equipment, such as larger caliber artillery and a more loadable and practical chassis. Kolchak said euphemistically.

For the request made by the two, Xia Fei understood it. Isn't it just that the army wants money and people, and the navy needs good equipment? For these two requirements, Xia Fei believes that the French government can still meet them. The former was merely to persuade the Tsar to expand his size, while the latter meant unlimited business opportunities for the French. There is no shortage of techniques in France. The French military industry of the same era could come up with heavy weapons that were comparable to those of any country. Especially in terms of artillery, the French were definitely not inferior to German artillery, and in addition to the size, Schneider was no worse than Krupp.

For example, the American M1 long-legged Tom, which was famous during the 2nd World War, originated from the French Schneider cannon. AND THE FRENCHMAN'S M1932 TYPE 155MM CANNON IS EVEN MORE POWERFUL. IT CAN SHOOT A CANNONBALL 27.5KM! This firing range has exceeded most of the suppressed artillery in World War II, and the famous German 15cm K39 heavy gun is only 25.4KM range, and only the 17cm K17 heavy gun can suppress Schneider artillery at the maximum range, with a maximum range of 29.6KM. The Russian M1935 is not bad, the range is long enough, but the weight is too large, and the towing weight is 3 tons heavier than the Schneider gun! As for America's long-legged Tom, the weight is down. But the range also came down. THE WEIGHT IS CLEARED BY MORE THAN 3 TONS, BUT THE RANGE IS DOWN BY 4KM! As for the Japanese Type 96 heavy artillery? The range is about the same. But the weight is almost 8 tons higher! It's not as good as Maozi goods! All in all, Schneider's 6-inch gun can definitely be regarded as one of the best suppressed guns in World War 2.

As for the First World War? THE FRENCH ALSO HAD 340 HEAVY TRAIN GUNS, WHICH COULD SHOOT 432KG SHELLS AT A DISTANCE OF MORE THAN 44 KM. This range and power were quite strong at the time. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE GERMANS USED THE 420MM BIG BESHAT, THE FRENCH ALSO HAD A SUPER HEAVY GUN THAT COULD SHOOT 1400 TO 1600KG SHELLS OUT OF 17 KM, AND ITS NAME WAS SCHNEIDER 1916 530MM HEAVY TRAIN GUN! So the French are quite powerful in rebuilding artillery!

What the Chinese can't do, what the Germans can't do, not necessarily the French can't do it, and don't say it, the French really have several artillery pieces that are being developed that are more suitable for the use of this Russian army. FOR EXAMPLE, IN HISTORY, THE FRENCH M1913 105MM HOWITZER IS VERY SUITABLE FOR THE CURRENT RUSSIAN MILITARY, THE TOWING WEIGHT OF THIS ARTILLERY IS 2650KG, AND THE COMBAT WEIGHT IS ONLY 2300KG, AND A THREE-TON TRACTOR CAN WALK UP COMPLETELY! THIS GUN CAN SHOOT A 15.74KG GRENADE FOR 12KM. It is suitable for use as a towed gun.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS THE FAMOUS SCHNEIDER 1917 155MM HOWITZER. With a weight of only 3.3 tons, a grenade of more than 40 kilograms can be fired 11.3KM away. Although it does not have much advantage in range compared with the M1913 howitzer, the firepower is very strong! The shell weighed almost 3 times heavier! (Because of the emphasis on artillery, some large and medium-caliber artillery guns in history began to be developed in advance, although they have not yet been produced, but preliminary work has begun.) These guns also had a certain performance advantage over German artillery.

"If the artillery of this Russian army could be equipped with the new French artillery, it would be an absolute nightmare for the Germans. Our artillery can at least ensure that the Russians are not inferior in artillery performance below the corps level, and on the vast Eastern Front, the length of the battle line may be three times that of the Western Front, but the strength of the German-Austrian army may be only 60% of that of the Western Front. If such an elite army exists, I can guarantee that the Germans will shed a lot of blood! What happened to Napoleon the Great in Russia is likely to be replicated in the Germans, but the protagonist is Wilhelm II. Xia Fei wrote.

"I propose to invest more than half of our resources in the assistance of the Russian Army to this force. His size needs to be expanded, and more troops and equipment need to be available. Although most of the generals of the Russian Army were rotten bureaucrats. But there is also no shortage of elites among the middle and lower ranks, and we need to promote these people so that they can play a greater role in future battles. Of course, we must guarantee their loyalty to the current Russian government. ”

The Chinese Army also helped the Russians to form a special unit composed of skilled men who were more like assassins hiding in the shadows than knights fighting on the battlefield. Some of them are marksmen who can hit the enemy's head from 400 meters away, and some are professional intelligence experts who can find clues from the opponent's coded telegrams. Some are blasters, who can make powerful explosives and gas blast equipment from extremely simple raw materials. Some are good at incitement and rumor-mongering. They were better suited to fight behind enemy lines, and of course could also be used against dissidents in the Tsarist government. ”

In short, Xia Fei's report is full of praise for this Russian army, which can only be truly called an army compared to other Russian troops he has seen. As for the shortcomings, there must be, but these are small aspects, and there are many things that may cause some dissatisfaction if they are written, for example, for the problem of land and sea confrontation in the Russian army, this France also has it, but it is not as fierce as the Russians! However, in Xia Fei's view, it was largely because Russia had just experienced a defeat, and the sea and land did not want to admit their mistakes, of course, there was also a part of the original confrontation caused by the treatment of the navy and army, compared to the senior officials of the Russian army, Essen was really worthy of his subordinates.

But it didn't matter, Xia Fei thought that with the arrival of French funds and the passage of time, this contradiction would gradually fade, so he didn't mention it much, and then brought it over in a rather tactful way. The details are as follows: "The navy is good at technical and artillery skills, and the army is good at charging, but because of the lack of coordination between the two armies, they have not been able to form a force with sufficient combat power." ”

If this question is easy to get mixed up, the next one is more troublesome. That is, the weapons that the French intend to sell, and for the time being look bleak. The Shosha light machine gun had already made the Russians decisive, and the Russian machine gunner who test-fired the Shosha cursed the Shosha machine gun while pointing it in his face! The heavy machine gun Xia Fei didn't even dare to take it out, it was enough to lose people once, do you have to lose it again? LIGHT ARTILLERY SEEMS TO BE DOING WELL, AT LEAST THE HUAXIA ARMY HAS GIVEN A FAIRLY HIGH EVALUATION TO THE 105MM AND 155MM HOWITZERS, BUT ONE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS THING IS STILL A DRAWING, AND IT CAN'T EQUIP THE TROOPS IN A SHORT TIME! Moreover, the Huaxia side said that it "hopes" that the howitzer part of this Russian army unit can also get some benefits. Otherwise, it will affect the speed of "troop training"! Isn't this blackmail?

However, this problem is not something that Xia Fei can decide, so he just relayed this problem and threw it to the Parisian boss to solve it himself. AS FOR THE IDEA THAT THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT WANTS TO EQUIP THIS ARMY WITH THE 155MM CANNON IT IS DEVELOPING, XIA FEI DIRECTLY DENIED IT. It's not about the influence of Huaxia, but because after Xia Fei went to Russia, he finally realized how backward Russia's transportation network is and how bad the entire logistics support system is!

At the very beginning of the 1st World War, the entire Russian Army field unit had only 40 heavy guns! The standard of this heavy artillery is more than 6 inches of artillery, which is the standard of a great power, and his enemy Germany is equipped with more than 7 times the number of heavy artillery that he has! It's not that the Russians can't afford to buy more heavy artillery, but because the Russians like light artillery, and there are really some problems with the maneuverability and passability of heavy artillery.

The French 155MML38 cannon weighed at least 12 tons. This towing weight is really difficult for a Russian truck, and it is normal to fall into a pit if you are maneuvering in the Russian wilderness or on a poor road. The French artillery is indeed powerful, but the weight and logistical maneuver pressure, one vote veto!

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the tip ~~~~~. (To be continued......)