War is a violent act that forces the enemy to submit to our will. It is a continuation of politics. The key lies in whether intelligence and logistics are in place, followed by the quality of the specific combat strategy, and then the quality of weapons and equipment.
"Soldiers are important matters of the country, the place of life and death, and the path to survival. We must pay attention to them."
The emperors and ministers of the Ming Dynasty were obviously well versed in the principles explained by their ancestors, so every aspect of the upcoming military action was very clear.
In terms of behavior, it is to expel Western forces and support pro-Ming forces;
In terms of purpose, it is to eliminate the military presence of Western countries in Asia, reduce their influence, and use the archipelago as a solid defense line to protect the Ming Dynasty in the East;
From a long-term strategic perspective, the current fragmented situation should be maintained to eliminate possible threats after unification;
In terms of campaign planning, one or two divisions should be sent to each vassal town supported by Western countries to force them to take over, and two divisions should be sent to Tokyo to occupy it.
From last year to the beginning of this year, the Military Department had been planning to adopt the "A/No. 407/No. 1/Change to Five" plan. However, due to the smooth progress of secret negotiations and the optimistic judgment of the current situation, the Military Department switched to a new plan. The "A word/four one four/one number/change three" plan was used.
This is why the 1st Marine Regiment originally went to Fushanfu to prepare for the landing drill, but now it has to change direction and head to Haizhou.
Like the 1st Marine Regiment, four divisions and one brigade also received the same order halfway through the march.
The other three infantry divisions in the north were originally going to Jinzhou, but now they went directly to Ulsan County, North Korea.
February 27th, at dawn.
The white fish belly exposed in the east is getting bigger and bigger, and as the fiery red sun slowly emerges from the horizon, it projects thousands of rays of light onto the earth.
Zhou Changfeng, who was covered with a blanket, sat on the seat and dozed off, his head tilted against the car window that was fogged up due to the temperature difference between inside and outside. Because the curtains were not drawn, the late winter and early spring sunshine shone on his face, bringing only a hint of warmth.
"Woooooooo-" The whistle of the military train as it entered the station woke up the officers and soldiers on board.
Zhou Changfeng, who woke up in a daze, was stunned for a few seconds before his eyes regained their clarity.
It is naturally uncomfortable to spend the night like this, and the body is a little stiff. He rubbed his eyes, took the aluminum tea cup and drank two large gulps of hot strong tea, then stood up and moved around, finally feeling that his body and mind had recovered.
"Report, the headquarters has arrived in Haizhou." Zhao Hanfeng raised his hand and looked at his watch and continued: "It is now 6:30 in the morning."
"Every unit unloads its trucks and prepares breakfast. Dinner will be served after assembly."
"It's an order."
Considering that Haizhou is an important port for the Ming Dynasty's navy, the railway transportation here is quite good. There are several two-way railways. In addition to three passenger platforms for people to get on and off, there are also two freight platforms.
The supporting equipment of the train station is very complete, and there are several types of cranes of different tonnages. After all, some of the components and equipment required for battleships often weigh hundreds of tons.
The 1st Marine Regiment was not the first to arrive. The 5th Army Division had already arrived at noon yesterday and was already stationed at this moment.
Compared to a mixed brigade or an infantry division, the 1st Marine Regiment had far fewer vehicles and heavy weapons, so the unloading speed was very fast. In less than two quarters of an hour, everyone had already assembled at the edge of the train station.
The entire team is arranged in a square shape, which looks like a dozen blue-green squares from a distance.
The officers in charge of food knew that it would be too late to make fresh breakfast, so they had already sent people to nearby vendors and shops to purchase steamed buns.
Now when everyone gathers, a truck full of steamed buns will just arrive.
When the thick white cloth covering the bamboo basket is lifted, the rising heat can be seen with the naked eye, and the big, white steamed buns are filled with fragrance.
As for the cooking units of each battalion and team, although they didn't have time to make breakfast, they still had time to boil water to make soup. They boiled several large pots of water, cracked dozens of eggs, sprinkled with a few spoons of salt, and the simple egg drop soup was ready.
The officers at the regiment headquarters had nothing to do at the moment, so they gathered together to eat, drink, and smoke a few cigarettes.
Yao Liangchuan, who was holding the "Collected Records of Wanli Memorials-Volume 83", came over and pointed at one of the pages and said: "I heard someone said that the proposal to conquer Japan was mentioned hundreds of years ago. I borrowed the book to check it out. I checked and found it, I just found it today."
"Didn't they aid Korea during the Wanli period?" Xie Wancheng, who was chewing a steamed bun, asked vaguely: "Is there a mistake?"
"How can the theoretical plan be the same as the actual measures?" Yao Liangchuan waved his hand and glanced at the people present. "Let me put it this way, the strategy of conquering Japan was quite heroic back then. He planned to send 100,000 troops to cross the sea."
Zhu Yijun lived a long life and reigned for forty-eight years. One can imagine the large number of memorials accumulated by the Ming Empire in half a century.
Yao Liangchuan had nothing to do during the Chinese New Year, so he went to the Yingtianfu Library and borrowed the thirty-five volumes of "Wanli Memorial Collection". After reading it for a month, he actually found out what was rumored.
Due to the rule of not conquering the country established in the "Emperor Ming Ancestor Instructions", later generations often believed that it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to send troops to Japan.
But the so-called ancestral rules have always been unbreakable. It just needs to be considered whether it is in the interests of the majority of people.
In fact, during the Wanli period, there was a wave of discussion among the Ming Dynasty and the public about the Eastern Expedition. The plan to send troops to Japan was approved by the court, and was once put into preliminary preparations, but in the end it was abandoned because the actual situation did not allow it.
The earliest idea emerged as early as the 19th year of Wanli. Liu Jiwen, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, suggested that the Portuguese could be used to fight the Japanese, so-called "razing the Japanese with borrowed money." This year, the Ming army had not even entered the DPRK.
But as North Korea was beaten to a pulp and in a state of disarray, the Ming Dynasty focused its energy on first solving the Japanese invaders. The following year, Zhang Wenxi, the young minister of Taipu Temple, proposed that the four provinces of Zhejiang, Nanzhili, Min, and Guangdong send 15,000 troops each, for a total of 60,000 troops to land in Japan to solve the Japanese pirates once and for all.
In the following years, as the war entered an intense stage, the idea of an expedition to Japan was not put into action, but it has been continuously improved. For example, in the 22nd year of Wanli, Xu Fu, the governor of Fujian, went to Shangshu to refute the central government's statement that "the Yuan Dynasty was defeated in the expedition" and opposed the dispatch of troops. He carefully estimated military expenditures and troops, built 2,000 ships, and trained 200,000 troops. Although it is exaggerated, the general framework has been determined.
In the twenty-sixth year of Wanli, Xu Zhaokui, the censor, also proposed to conquer the Japanese invaders. The Ministry of War improved the plan on the basis of his memorial, and decided to focus on Zhejiang, Min, and Guangdong. After Zhu Yijun's announcement, the deployment of troops and generals began immediately - the general army of Guangxi took over Zhejiang and took charge of the expedition; the right minister of the Ministry of War organized the recruitment of troops and shipbuilding; several coastal provinces organized spies and agents to go to Japan to explore.
However, as the invading Japanese pirates suffered repeated defeats, their defeat was certain. Toyotomi Hideyoshi died of illness, and the Ming emperors and ministers lost interest in the expedition across the sea. Because at that time, the Ming Dynasty had already spent more than 20 million taels of silver in the six-year war to aid Korea. At the same time, Yang Yinglong's rebellion in Bozhou became more and more rampant, so the plan to conquer Japan was terminated.
Zhao Hanfeng shook his head slightly and sighed: "It can be considered bad luck. In the Wanli year, there were three consecutive conquests, and the national strength was difficult to support."
"Today is not what it used to be. The strategic situation is different." Zhou Changfeng took an enamel cup filled with egg drop soup, took a big sip, and said casually: "It was useless to conquer Japan in ancient times. If you want copper, just trade directly."
After having breakfast and getting ready, the 1st Marine Regiment left the train station and headed for the scheduled garrison location.
There are two school grounds in the suburbs of Haizhou, one large and one small, for the use of the 11th Engineer Brigade of the Army and the 6th Battalion of the Marine Corps stationed in Haizhou.
With the implementation of the plan, it is logical to expand the garrison area here, because sooner or later, Haizhou will become an important starting point for troop projection.
And there happens to be an engineering brigade right here, so it would be even more convenient to expand it.
The land is flattened and compacted, and a layer of Panax notoginseng soil is spread over it. This is a building material made of a mixture of slaked lime and clay that has been widely used throughout the ages.
The living barracks, dry latrines, bathhouses, canteens, and recreational areas are all built of strong nine-layer plywood, while the ammunition and supplies warehouse, kitchen, officer quarters, and medical center are built of red bricks.
The recently expanded camp looks brand new, with all facilities available, and is planned to accommodate 50,000 people.
It's really beautiful to check in with your bags.
Two rows of houses on the top of the mountain are the residences of the officers. They are all single rooms. In addition to wooden beds and wooden chairs, electric lights and electric fans are also standard.
"The Seventh Division will arrive tonight, the Thirteenth Division will probably arrive tomorrow night, and the Fourth Division will be the slowest, probably the day after tomorrow."
"You have nothing else to do these days?"
"No, but we must promptly count the supplies and check the equipment as ordered. There must be no omissions."
"Where's the war report? It's time for this to be issued, right?"
"Okay, I'll send someone to deliver it later."
After explaining some things, the liaison officer from the General Military Department left.
The so-called General Military Office is the military-level headquarters, which is a temporary organization. The basic strategic units of the Ming Army are "divisions" and "brigades." The "army" is temporarily organized into an indefinite number of divisions and brigades depending on the situation.
In many cases, it is okay for the headquarters to directly command several divisions and brigades. For example, in the border war, the Uzbeg Governorate directly commanded the second division and one brigade participating in the war. However, this cannot be done when the scale is further expanded.
This time, the Ming Dynasty established two military-level units, namely the Second Army and the Third Army, in order to pacify Japan.
The Second Army was assembled in Kaishu, consisting of the Fourth Division, the Seventh Division, the Thirteenth Division, and the First Marine Regiment. It was responsible for the Kanto region, Nagano, Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Chiba, which was the British sphere of influence.
The Third Army was assembled in Ulsan County, North Korea. It was composed of the 2nd Division, the 10th Division, the 11th Division, and the 2nd Marine Regiment. It was responsible for the northeastern part of Honshu Island, Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, and Hokkaido, where the French and Russians A person’s sphere of influence.
To this day, the Ming Dynasty has not formed several armies. Before that, it was only used during large-scale exercises.
But since the European War can have millions of troops, the Ming army naturally took this situation into consideration. An army can only have four or five divisions and brigades at most, with a maximum of 100,000 people. But if we want to invest a million troops in one direction, wouldn't we have to form more than a dozen armies? It is not convenient to command, so larger units have to be formed.
This unit equivalent to a group army is called a corps, and its commander is called a supervisor. During the Chongzhen period, this was the highest-level military official position, and even had an additional official title of Minister of War to set off his high status.
However, "corps" and "supervisor" have only existed in doctrine and regulations for more than 30 years and have never been officially used.
Not long after, a bound war report was delivered by the messenger.
Zhu Lizhuo let out a "tsk" sound, "The Americans are still refusing to leave. Are they really at odds?"
"They have no worries about Britain and France. They are safe and sound. Moreover, the Kansai region is quite prosperous and profitable. Naturally, they are not willing to leave." Yao Liangchuan replied.
"Okay, let's take a look." Zhou Changfeng, who looked normal, pointed to the large-scale map hanging on the wall and said: "First of all, we must land directly in Tokyo Bay. As far as intelligence is concerned, the Japanese themselves are also very noisy. So we are not sure whether there will be organized resistance. We are definitely considering the worst case scenario, which is that both the Guards Division and the 1st Division will defend with full strength."
Zhao Hanfeng took over his words and said: "Due to financial reasons, these two divisions have now been reorganized. Although the main body is the establishment of the second brigade and the fourth regiment, the number of people has been reduced. Each detachment is now There are only eleven people, and the total strength is about 34,000. They are all trained by the British. The specific methods...you should be familiar with them."
Xie Wancheng asked: "How many cannons do they have?"
"How can a poor man play with cannons?" Zhu Lizhuo waved his hand with disdain, "Of course they are not good, they are all old seventy-five millimeter mountain cannons, and some British four-and-a-half-inch cannons. "
Japan has few resources, and its disintegration has further exacerbated the poverty situation. The cost of maintaining a standing army is enough to put great pressure on each vassal. It is really powerless to build a modern army.
The Guards Division and the 1st Division, which are in slightly better financial condition, use self-made Type 41 rifles, namely 38-type rifles, and some Lee-Enfields; light machine guns use Lewis; heavy machine guns use It's Vickers; the steel helmet also uses a Tommy helmet that looks like an iron pot.
Because it was under the control of the British, it was easier to purchase weapons and equipment from British commercial houses, and it naturally became British.
If we look back on history, the Meiji government, which pursued "rich country and strong military" after the Restoration, tried its best to build the army, imitated the military system of Western countries, issued the "Conscription Order" to implement the conscription system, and established a new type of army.
By the time the bet on the fate of the country was attempted, the army had seven divisions and 250,000 reserves. After the failure, these seven divisions still exist today, but except for the Guards Division and the First Division, the other five divisions are under orders from other vassal towns.
In addition, various vassal towns have also established their own armed forces - warlords are divided and have the biggest guns.
However, due to lack of funds and industrial system, these local armies have poor training, old equipment, lack of heavy weapons, and the overall combat effectiveness is very worrying.
"I can't think of any other words to describe him other than a chicken or a dog. In a head-on battle, it's no problem to beat one to ten." Zhu Lizhuo showed extremely confident and arrogant.
"Then... what if we don't fight head-on?" Zhou Changfeng said leisurely on the side.
(End of chapter)
