Chapter 436 Cheers! The Tang Navy was established!
Colonels in the New Army of the Tang Dynasty are serious middle- and senior-level officers. In the New Army of the Tang Dynasty, they usually hold the position of battalion commander, deputy regimental commander, regimental commander, deputy brigade commander, brigade chief of staff, etc.
.
There is rarely an opportunity to fight in person. As long as it is not a large-scale rout, if a school officer is injured or killed, he will basically be hit by the enemy's bows, arrows, and artillery shells.
It is a small probability event when one's character is unlucky!
However, in a very victorious battle, this was the first time that someone like Cai Erhu was stabbed with a knife!
So it was normal for Cai Erhu to be embarrassed when he heard that he was one of the two injured school officers!
This time, the casualties of both officers and ordinary soldiers were higher than those in the Battle of the Bronze Drum Acropolis a few days ago. This was mainly because the Battle of the Bronze Drum Acropolis was a purely regular field battle, and this kind of battle
This was what the New Army of the Tang Dynasty was best at, so it was naturally easy to fight with relatively few casualties.
The Battle of Liping Fucheng, whether it was the interception battle on the first day or the siege battle on the second day, was relatively difficult.
On the first day of the interception operation, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, which had only 2,000 people, single-handedly delayed the 30,000-strong Ming Army for several hours.
Although the several battles with the Ming army at that time were consecutive battles and victories, they themselves also suffered relatively heavy casualties. The Third Infantry Regiment alone suffered more than 600 casualties. Before the war, the Third Infantry Regiment had a total of
There were only more than 2,500 people, and the casualty rate reached 24%!
This casualty ratio is extremely high even for the Third Infantry Regiment, the main infantry regiment in the New Army of the Tang Dynasty.
This is also why in the subsequent siege battles, the 3rd Infantry Regiment did not participate in the main battle, but served as a strategic reserve. It was because the casualties were too heavy and it was no longer able to bear the siege.
In addition, the three temporarily formed assault battalions also suffered heavy casualties. The assault force of more than 1,600 people suffered more than 400 casualties, and the casualty ratio exceeded 25%!
This is also a huge casualty ratio!
At that time, if the first brigade had not quickly joined the battle to climb the city, I am afraid that if the three assault battalions continued to fight, they would completely collapse and then be completely annihilated by the Ming army.
The casualties of several other main forces were less. The overall casualties of the first brigade were not large, only two to three hundred people. However, the 7th Infantry Regiment and the 8th Infantry Regiment, the two Ming army surrender troops, were regarded as early stage.
Cannon fodder troops are used to deal more casualties.
Adding up all these, the New Army of the Tang Dynasty killed more than 800 people and injured more than 2,000 people. For the New Army of the Tang Dynasty, which had a total strength of only more than 16,000 people, the casualties were huge.
Fortunately, although the casualties were relatively large, the losses in equipment were not large, especially the guns and guns that were difficult to replenish!
Because a soldier is killed or wounded, it does not mean that his guns are lost. When cleaning the battlefield after the war, these equipment will be recycled and reused.
Especially for muskets, because it is a smoothbore gun, you don’t have to worry about the rifling being polished out. As long as the chamber is not blown up, you can basically continue to use it!
All added up, the number of muskets lost did not exceed a hundred, and many of them had broken bayonets, especially the bayonet holder. This thing is easier to bend and break when the musketeers launch a bayonet melee charge. After all, in this era,
The metallurgical level is just that, we cannot expect these bayonet holders, which are small but need to withstand great force, to last forever.
If the bayonet holder is broken, just replace it. For this easily damaged accessory, every unit in the New Army of the Tang Dynasty will carry many spare parts for replacement.
Not a single artillery piece was lost. These huge bronze cannons weighing hundreds of kilograms, unless the barrels exploded due to operating errors, it would be really difficult to wear them out.
The losses of armor, swords, spears, etc. among cold weapons are relatively large. In fierce battles, it is very common for soldiers' sabers to be chipped or even broken, and the same is true for spears.
It is also common for armor to become damaged after experiencing fierce battles.
Most of the damaged swords and spears cannot be repaired, and they basically need to be replaced directly with new ones. The armor can also be repaired, and it can continue to be used after a few repairs.
If the Tang Dynasty relied solely on its own weapons production and repair capabilities, it would be extremely difficult to replenish the gap in cold weapons after the war.
But the cold weapons used by the New Army of the Tang Dynasty never relied on their own production, but on capture!
The Battle of Tonggu Acropolis and the Battle of Liping Fucheng. In these two battles, the New Army of the Tang Dynasty defeated the Ming Army, which totaled more than 50,000 people, and captured a large number of cold weapons. Although many Ming troops escaped, even these escaped Ming troops
, in fact, many of them fled after throwing away their weapons, especially armor.
After all, no one would be stupid enough to run away wearing armor weighing dozens of kilograms!
Compared with the cold weapons of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty and the cold weapons they captured, they are not worth mentioning at all!
Not only can these captured cold weapons be selected with the best quality to be replaced by the main force of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty, but they can also be distributed in large quantities to the garrison.
The Ordnance Department of the Privy Council has not even been organized, but is already being organized. All kinds of cold weapons and equipment required for the new wave of Ming troops to descend are already prepared in advance.
After the victory in the Battle of Liping Fucheng, nearly 20,000 prisoners were captured. Naturally, these prisoners could not be let go, and they could not be sent back to Xingquan Prefecture to work as coolies in the workshops. Most of them would become big
A member of Tang Xinjun, whether voluntarily or forced.
These new Ming troops who joined the new army of the Tang Dynasty were also treated differently when they surrendered!
Soldiers with special skills, such as archers, cavalry, gunners, and heavy-armored sword-and-shield bearers with superb martial arts skills, will generally be persuaded to surrender, because if they surrender voluntarily and pass the basic quality, they will have the opportunity to join the regular army!
If you are unwilling to take the initiative to surrender, or if your physical fitness is slightly poor, you will be arranged to enter the garrison camp!
Similarly, for those who are unwilling to surrender voluntarily, the New Army of the Tang Dynasty will use swords and guns to force them to join the New Army of the Tang Dynasty!
The usual method is this, with a bayonet pointed at you: Are you willing to join my glorious and great new army of the Tang Dynasty and work hard for the eternal sage Li Xuan?
willing?
Good! Excellent! From now on, you will be our glorious and great new army soldier of the Tang Dynasty!
What? Not willing? Are you sure you didn't say the wrong thing?
At this time, the bayonet came forward and was pressed against the chest of the Ming soldier, and then he asked again: "Are you really unwilling?"
At this time, most Ming army prisoners would be happy to change their answers and become glorious and great soldiers of the Tang Dynasty's new army. However, there are also a very small number of stubborn soldiers who are unwilling to sacrifice their lives for the Tang Dynasty!
A small number of people in this group will be regarded as the chicken that kills the chicken to scare the monkeys!
However, not all those who refuse to join the army will be killed. In fact, only a few will be killed. Those who are unwilling to join the army will continue to be tied up and sent back to the rear to serve as coolies. They will no longer be in the workshops of the Ministry of Works in the future.
Working day and night, day after day!
Moreover, he was short of food and clothing, so he died quietly while doing this!
Bai Yunqi was still responsible for recruiting soldiers from prisoners. He was already experienced in doing this kind of thing. Basically, all the prisoners captured by the New Army of the Tang Dynasty were surrendered by him, and his recruitment work was excellent and effective.
With Bai Yunqi's efforts, among the nearly 20,000 prisoners, a total of 16,000 people expressed their intention to join the New Army of the Tang Dynasty on the spot!
Among them, more than a thousand people with special skills and willingness to surrender on their own initiative, and with better quality, were recruited into the regular army!
The regular army of the five infantry regiments of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty was not full to begin with. In addition, they suffered a lot of casualties in two consecutive battles. Now with such a group of people to supplement, the five main infantry regiments can recover more.
of combat effectiveness.
Because there is such a batch of Ming army soldiers who use cold weapons to supplement, those soldiers who come from the new barracks can be directly supplemented to the musketeers!
However, these Ming army surrendered soldiers who have been added to the regular army still need to enter the new barracks for short-term training. When they enter the new barracks, it is not training in tactical skills, but mainly training in discipline and adaptability, so as to prevent them from losing their temper.
The habits of the previous Ming army were brought to the new army of the Tang Dynasty.
This would not only affect the morale of the regular army of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty, but most importantly, it would harm themselves.
The regular army in the New Army of the Tang Dynasty had extremely strict military discipline. These Ming soldiers who surrendered would violate military discipline if they were not careful, and they would be beheaded casually!
Wouldn’t this be an unjust death?
Most of the remaining Ming army surrender troops will be centralized into garrison troops, some will be replenished into the three existing garrison infantry regiments that have suffered relatively heavy losses, and the rest will be organized into brand-new garrison infantry regiments.
In view of the fact that the number of garrison troops in the New Army of the Tang Dynasty far exceeds that of the regular army, and in terms of organization and combat methods, it is not suitable to use the number and organization of the main infantry regiment. It is necessary to establish a new numbering system for these garrison troops.
And preparation!
In addition, the name of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty is not suitable for the general name of the existing armies. The name of the New Army at that time was because the Tang Dynasty also had a standing army, a guard army, etc., and the New Army was only one of these three armies.
Just one.
Later, after the standing army and the Guards were abolished, the New Army of the Tang Dynasty became the only one!
After some simple thinking, Li Xuan officially issued an imperial edict, officially revoking the name of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty, and formally preparing to establish the 'Army of the Tang Dynasty'. At the same time, he also made preparations for the establishment of the 'Navy of the Tang Dynasty'.
Of course, the navy of the Tang Dynasty was just an empty frame. There were only a few officers in the Privy Council and more than a hundred people, mainly small boats on the rivers.
But even though it was just an empty show, no matter what, the Navy of the Tang Dynasty had officially set up a show. From now on, when we talk about the establishment time of the Datang Navy, it will be today!