(Updated the night before, it’s really not worth the loss. I have a bad cold and have been feeling dizzy for the past two days. I’m sorry everyone)
In late March, Fan Wenlan of Beiyan was ordered to patrol Dengzhou to inspect military equipment; and on March 28, led by a majestic Linzhengjun-class battleship and three Jinhai-class battleships, including ten
The first new task force of the Jinghai Division with two frigates sailed into Haizhou Port for the first time and was displayed in front of the world.[]
The newly formed task force, in addition to the twelve new warships in the central formation, has an old warship fleet on both wings to guard the flanks. The entire fleet has a total of thirty-two new and old warships, large and small, and supply ships. Soldiers, auxiliaries and
The sailors are full of 8,000 men.
Although new warships have been parked in Haizhou Port many times before, when the new warships enter the port, their gun ports are closed with protective plates. The overall look is like a merchant ship with one or two extra cabins; they cannot get close, and they are actually not able to get close.
It is difficult to arouse enough vigilance between Yan and Hu.
At this time, the new warships sailed into Haizhou Port in a formation and were displayed in front of the world. The new warships were still at the core of the entire warship formation. Anyone with a little care could see that they were actually the main warships of the Huaidong Army.
In the past, the main fleet of the Jinghai Navy rarely sailed into the main port of Haizhou in an organized manner. Most of them were stationed at the East and West Island military ports more than ten miles away.
On March 28th, the Jinghai naval fleet sailed into the main port of Haizhou in order to be inspected. Anyone with a little bit of vision could guess that it was about to leave the harbor for a big fight, not to mention that there were still people ahead.
A new type of warship that had never been seen before; for a time, countless people flocked to the dock to watch the grand scene of the Jinghai Navy reorganizing and leaving the harbor.
On the core wharf of Haizhou's main port, there are many armored soldiers, blocking the crowd of onlookers from the periphery.
Yang Shi, deputy commander of the Jinghai Division and leader of the newly formed special mixed town division force, will personally lead the first new fleet to fight the first battle. At this time, he is wearing a military uniform, holding a command knife in his hand, and leading the staff generals.
Standing in front of the pier, waiting for the fleet to enter the port.
Lin Fu, Song Fu, Gao Zongting, Sun Jingtang and others were sitting on a high platform later, watching the entire fleet enter the harbor and conduct a final review of the first new task force fleet as it left the harbor for the battlefield.
The fleet's entry into the port is orderly and slow, requiring everyone to wait patiently.
Lin Fu was impatient and looked sideways at Shi Fengtai, the supervisor of Liandao Crossbow Field, who was standing behind him, and asked: "Yan Lu used Wu Mancheng to make a flame-breathing crossbow, and it only broke the outer leather armor twenty steps; the Ordnance Supervisor initially controlled the fire."
When a crossbow is fired, can it also break through twenty-step armor?"
Detailed news about Beiyan's trial to subdue the fire crossbow was also quickly spread to Haizhou from Yanjing's internal lines earlier, becoming a new topic in Haizhou in the past two days.
"Song scholars led us to make bronze crossbows for the first time, but they could only kill enemies who were twenty or thirty steps away," Shi Fengtai said. "In his early years, Wu Mancheng, Fan Wenlan, and Chen Fu were jointly known as the three young masters of Liaodong. They could know the hidden fire from a few words.
The secret of the crossbow, using the power of three months to test the fire-subduing crossbow, is indeed worthy of its reputation..."
Gao Zongting, Wu Qi, Ge Cunxin and others were not very nervous after learning about Beiyan's trial production of flame-breathing crossbows.
The flame-breathing crossbow with a range of 20 to 30 steps and the shotgun crossbow with a scattershot range of 400 to 600 meters, and the fire-breathing crossbow with a solid bullet range of 1,000 to 3,000 meters. The gap to be crossed between them is too big——
The Ordnance Superintendent's earliest prototype of the Fire Crossbow, which was trial-produced seven years ago, had a shooting range of thirty steps.
In addition to playing some roles in defending city forts, the fire-fighting crossbow, which can shoot at only thirty paces, is far from being able to replace the infantry bow and arm crossbow, which can shoot at a hundred paces on the battlefield.
, the Chuangzhang crossbow that shoots at one hundred and fifty steps, and the bed crossbow that shoots from two hundred and fifty to four hundred steps.
It can be said that the flame-breathing show passed down in the palace of the previous dynasty almost explained the principle of the Fuhuo Crossbow. The prototype of the Fuhuo Crossbow was successfully trial-produced seven or eight years ago.
However, even after the successful trial production of the Fuhuo Crossbow, the resources invested by the military supervision and control over the years were no less than fighting a Jingxiang Battle. They were nothing more than developing more powerful gunpowder and creating a barrel that could withstand stronger explosion pressure.
, constantly improving the processing accuracy of bore tubes and projectiles, and developing supporting aiming and field marching technologies - the development of this series of technologies all depends on the overall development of Huaidong's technical system, which took tens of thousands of people and more than ten years
How could it be possible for Yanlu to surpass the past in just three to five months if it was piled up?
The Huaidong Army even initially developed the tactics of ambush, fire, crossbow and naval forces during the early high-intensity and high-density exercises, and trained the first batch of artillery commanders and qualified gunners.
The telescopes were equipped to the brigade and camp in advance, which can be said to be preparations for the installation of fire-fighting crossbows; the firing device alone has been updated with three generations of technology in just six or seven years, from the early fire rods, fire doors, and match ropes to
At this time, the equipment using flint to strike fire was barely satisfactory.
There were even disagreements within the Huaidong Army regarding the priority development of single-person ambushed crossbows (muskets) and heavy-duty ambushed crossbows (artillery). In the end, Lin Fu made a big wave of his hand and decided to prioritize the development of artillery.
The four-pound Fuhuo Crossbow weighs only 400 kilograms. It is equipped with a tractor and dragged by mules and horses. It can well accompany the infantry brigade into battlefields with complex terrain. The Four-pound Fuhuo Crossbow can fire sixty missiles at a time.
The barrage formed by lead pellets can effectively kill people and horses three hundred meters away. At least in the early days when resources are limited, the development of artillery can significantly improve the combat effectiveness of the Huaidong Army.
Today, the Ordnance Supervision and Artillery Factory can cast up to 80 light and heavy artillery pieces per month. In the past year, including the early production of artillery, the Huaidong Navy and Army have installed 1,200 light and heavy artillery pieces.
More than a hundred guns; two of them were newly formed task forces, each equipped with 480 light and heavy artillery pieces.
In comparison, the Denghai Town Division is equipped with only three crossbow battalions and less than 200 light and heavy artillery pieces, which is already considered to have small firepower; while the Fengli and Huaiyang armies have seven town divisions, and are currently equipped with a total of only 200 guns.
Artillery still mainly relies on traditional weapons for combat.
At this time, they heard that Yan Lu had successfully trial-produced a flame-breathing crossbow that could kill twenty steps of troops. How could Gao Zongting and others be moved?
"There are hundreds of millions of people in the Central Plains. Even if we choose only one in a thousand, we can still select thousands of talents. The key is that we must be able to open our minds and not stick to the old ways and be stubborn." Lin Fu smiled faintly and added
He said to Shi Fengtai, "With the Northern Expedition imminent, the Fuhuo Crossbow should be able to show off its power, but you can't slack off. Try to make the Fuhuo Crossbows available in the army before the Western Expedition..." At this point, Lin Fu frowned.
, with the memory of later generations, he felt that the terms Fuhuo Crossbow and Fuhuo gun were awkward. He discussed with Gao Zongting and others: "This Fuhuo gun sounds awkward. Should we just call it a musket? Fuhuo Crossbow
Can it also be called artillery?”
At that time, "cannon" was interpreted as "fire". Song Fu, Gao Zongting and others felt even more awkward when they heard Lin Fu say the word "cannon". However, there is really nothing to argue about such trivial matters.
It's just a matter of setting a standard so that people can call him a good name. Lin Fu said this, and everyone praised him.
Lin Fu and Shi Fengtai said again: "We must pay close attention to the muskets, otherwise the logistics of the Western Expedition will be very stressful."
After recapturing Yanjing, it is not unforeseen that the remnants of Yanhu troops will flee to the northwest. They may not even be able to annihilate Chen Zhihu's troops on the Wei River Plain. The military must consider continuing to suppress the remnants of the enemy in the vast grasslands and deserts to the west and north.
, then you will face severe logistical challenges.
Only after the muskets are installed can the armor of the infantry brigade be made lighter, which can greatly reduce the pressure on logistics. For thousands of years, except for a few prosperous dynasties in the Central Plains, most regimes have been unable to effectively control the vast northwest.
Severe logistical issues are definitely one of the most critical factors.
At this time, Yang Shi led the staff generals to the review stand in unison, and loudly asked for orders: "The Jinghai Navy has newly formed the first task force fleet, which has entered the port in complete formation. Please review, my lord, and give instructions for the military order to leave the port for operations."
…”
Lin Fu replied with a vibrating voice: "I am ordering the Jinghai Navy's newly-organized First Task Force to leave port and fight in front of the enemy. I hope all the officers and men will fight bravely and serve the country..."
Yang Shi turned towards the staff generals, pulled out his command sword, and shouted in a deep voice: "Fight bravely and serve the country!" The staff generals and the surrounding soldiers all shouted in unison, and soon the warships outside the port also responded.
Loud whistle sound.
The crowd watching outside the pier heard the announcement of the battle order. Although they did not know exactly where the fleet would go, it was undoubtedly the beginning of the war. People with clear eyes immediately cheered: "The King's Northern Expedition"
Now, the King’s army is on the Northern Expedition..."
The pre-war review was very brief. Lin Fu signed the battle order on the spot. After Yang Shi led the staff and generals to board the flagship in a small boat, they issued a flag requesting to leave the port and set sail. Lin Fu breathed a sigh of relief and laughed with everyone around him.
Said: "The Northern Expedition has just begun. Isn't it a little deserted?"
Song Fu, Gao Zongting and others all smiled.
In order to carry out the Northern Expedition, Lin Fu only summoned Song Fu, Sun Jingtang and others from Jiangning to Haizhou, and temporarily incorporated them into the Northern Command. There was no general mobilization for the Northern Expedition. How could anyone believe that the newly appointed special forces
Did the departure of the First Fleet actually kick off the Northern Expedition?
In the past, the military continued to strengthen the Changhuai Army, which only made the situation on the Hehuai defense line tense. However, the Jianghuai hinterland still found it difficult to feel the tense atmosphere of the impending war. Of course, after the newly-organized first task force fleet left Haizhou, Lin Fu quickly signed
The martial law order, starting from April 1st, imposed indefinite curfews on Jiangning, Haizhou, Xuzhou, Shouzhou and other cities, which really made the situation in the mainland suddenly tense.
At the same time, many of the mobilizations signed by Lin Fu earlier also officially came into effect on April 1st. The soldiers from Haizhou, Luzhou, Shouzhou, Suizhou and other places will formally form sixteen new groups starting from April 1st.
Organized brigades and sent them to Nanyang, Xuzhou, Yizhou, Haizhou and other close enemy defense lines to assist the main force in the battle; at the same time, they also sent troops to Yijiang, Huangzhou, Jiangzhou, Yuanzhou, Shangrao, Chongzhou, Mingzhou and Jin'an.
, Quanzhou, Yizhou and other places formally established twenty-four reserve brigades on April 1st, which opened the prelude to the Northern Expedition as if they were uprooted from the ground.
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Shaocheng County of Goryeo is located at the south mouth of the Han River, less than a hundred miles away from Hanyang City, the capital of Goryeo, and guarding the mouth of the Han River to the north. It is a veritable gateway to Hanyang.
Shaocheng is located in the heart of Hanjiang Bay, which is actually the Incheon City of South Korea in later generations. Although it is close to the sea, it is surrounded by Hejin Islands. The sea area between the islands and the mainland has intricate reefs, shallow water and large differences. 1.
At low tide, a large area of beach is exposed, and the navigable waterway is in the low-tide area, making the water draft deep and ships unfamiliar with the waterway often run aground.
Although the Haedong Marching Army had the advantage of warships and was invincible in the East China Sea, the complex hydrological conditions along the coast of Goryeo were not conducive to it in the early stage. It was repeatedly defeated by the Goryeo Navy in the offshore seas and suffered a lot. As a result, the Haedong Marching Army was invincible in the later period.
They mainly blocked the coast of Goryeo and rarely entered the island and reef areas to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Goryeo Navy. Landing raids were even less likely to occur.
Therefore, due to its unique hydrological and geographical conditions and gateway situation, Shaocheng became the main port of the Goryeo Navy in the west of Hanyang City, protecting Hanyang and the Hanjiang River estuary from attacks by the Huaidong Navy.
In the seventh year of Tianming, Ye Ji Baishi led his troops to support Goryeo and mainly stationed in Shaocheng.
In addition to shielding Hanyang from the west flank from the Haiyang Army and the Haidong Camp belonging to Huaidong, Ye Jibaishi also intended to further control the Goryeo Navy in his own hands. Even if something happened to Yanjing in the future, he would never
Shaocheng's return to Yanjing by boat was much faster than taking the land route.
On April 2, Shaocheng, Goryeo, had not yet felt the tense atmosphere of the impending war.
General Yanjing's envoy and engineer came to Shaocheng with a flaming crossbow. Ye Ji Baishi and Goryeo's general Huaihe River urged the officials to go to the school grounds in the west of the city to watch the flaming crossbow demonstration.
Ye Jier sent General Ye Jier as a work officer to the armies to practice the flame-throwing crossbow. He wanted the armies to be alert to the Huaidong Army's new weapon, the fire-throwing crossbow, which might be newly equipped by the generals. He watched the flame-throwing crossbow in twenty or thirty steps.
Inside, he fired shotguns and beat several men and horses beyond recognition. The Goryeo generals including the urging ministers clucked their lips and exclaimed: "This crossbow does not seem to have a far range, but it must be used to defend the city or in water battles, and it will have miraculous effects..."
Ji Quanchen was a famous general in Goryeo, and the Haedong camp army suffered many losses in the offshore battles with the Goryeo Navy, which was at the hands of Ji Quanchen - Ji Quanchen realized that the Goryeo Navy and Huaidong were on the warship.
Therefore, they tried their best to avoid fighting in the open sea. Instead, they took advantage of the complex terrain of offshore islands and reefs to lure the warships of the Huaidong Navy to engage in boarding operations, and they succeeded every time.
The several large warships that Huaidong had captured for the Goryeo Navy in the early battlefields of Goryeo were also lost in the hands of the urging ministers, which also supported the reputation of the urging ministers as famous naval generals in Goryeo.
Ye Ji Baishi thought that he was still capable of urging the powerful ministers. The flame-throwing crossbow did not seem to have a far range, but it fired dozens or twenty-some particles at a time. The deck of the warship was relatively narrow, and seven or eight flame-throwing crossbows were fired at the same time.
It can cover the entire deck of the enemy ship when docking, which is much more efficient than a team of crossbowmen shooting arrows at close range. After all, on a warship, even if there are more crossbowmen, they cannot be lined up.
Thinking of this, Ye Ji Baishi felt a little regretful. The principle of the flame-breathing crossbow was very simple. If the Korean people were to learn from it and the Korean navy could use it to grow its power, it would probably be difficult to restrict it in the future.
Of course, Ye Ji Baishi didn't care much about the use of flame-breathing crossbows in infantry combat. The shooting range of twenty or thirty steps was too short. Although the projectiles had a certain penetration power into leather armor, they could not penetrate iron armor and could not shoot through it.
Through the big shield, at a distance of twenty or thirty steps, the armored soldiers rushed up with the big shield, and the flaming crossbowmen were bound to be defeated.
"With a flame-breathing crossbow, you must first occupy the favorable terrain," Ye Ji Baishi did not want to call out his powerful officials, so he also commented, "Therefore, fighting with a city and water is useful, but fighting on foot is clumsy. Here in Shao City
Be vigilant and don't lure the enemy out, even if you do, they won't be able to play any role..."
The minister of urging power frowned slightly. Goryeo regarded Beiyan as its suzerain state, and Ye Jibaishi was the eldest son of the emperor of Beiyan. He led an infantry of 20,000 horses to come to the rescue. Goryeo Prime Minister Zuo Jing quickly appointed him to take charge of the military affairs of Goryeo's western front, urging the ministers of power and others to do so.
All the generals of Goryeo were under his control.
Ye Ji Baishi was known as having a bad temper in Yanjing. He would not always have a good temper towards Ye Ji Luorong, Ye Ji Duodi and other princes and important ministers. How could he have a good temper towards officials who were in charge of power and other ministers who belonged to the country?
However, Ye Ji Baishi held great power, especially since the 20,000 horse infantry troops in Shaocheng were all elites of the Juqu tribe who were loyal to Ye Ji Baishi, so the ministers and others could only bear with him.
It took Beiyan three months to trial-produce the flame-breathing crossbow, while it took Huaidong at least three years to control the flame-breathing crossbow. Naturally, the level of the flame-breathing crossbow and the flame-breathing crossbow are not the same. Ye Ji Baishi said that this kind of crossbow "steps
"Fighting leads to clumsiness" is somewhat frivolous.
The urging minister was thinking about how the flame-breathing crossbow could be used in water battles. However, he was preoccupied with the situation of boarding battles, but he did not know that the emergence of artillery would completely revolutionize naval battle tactics. At this time, the alarm bell rang suddenly and quickly.
The alarm bell sounded at Yeji Baishi, urging the powerful ministers, and they were frightened. However, they saw smoke rising from the direction of Hejin Island in the west, indicating that a large number of enemy ships were approaching from the west flank of the sea.
The urging minister and Ye Ji Baishi looked at each other in shock: There was no big movement from the Haidong navy in Yashan. Where did the large number of enemy ships come from? Could it be the main fleet of the Jinghai navy in Haizhou?