This ultra-long range is almost one-third farther than the 6 kilometers of the French Schneider infantry gun equipped by the mercenary regiment.
Of course, this does not mean that the Schneider artillery purchased by Zhou Wen was not good, but it depends on the purpose and target.
The independent brigade not only has an artillery battalion, but also a heavy machine gun battalion directly under the brigade headquarters. It can be seen that its primary function is strike distance.
In other words, the primary function of artillery battalions and heavy machine gun battalions is to block the Yangtze River Estuary in a short period of time to guard against river threats from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
Moreover, although this independent brigade is nominally affiliated with the Third Division, it is directly under the dispatch and command of the Nanjing Garrison Command, so the word "independent" is used.
Since it has such an important function of guarding the capital and is so well-equipped, its military chief must naturally be a disciple of the principal, Gen Hongmiaozheng.
The commander of this independent brigade was named Zhao Huaiyi. He was a fourth-generation student from Huangpu and a native of Zhejiang. He was a typical disciple of the Emperor. He participated in the Northern Expedition right after graduation. He fought bravely and made many military exploits. By the time of the Central Plains War, he was already the colonel commander of the 18th Regiment of the Second Division of the National Army.
At this point, everyone knows that Brigadier Zhao Huaiyi first had a conflict with the mercenary group over the spoils of war, and later they became acquainted with each other. He led his troops to cooperate with the mercenary group as the vanguard of the entire army, and broke into the depths of the enemy's army. Commander Zhao of the 18th Regiment that captured Xuchang.
Of course, Commander Zhao back then is now a National Army major general and brigade commander with a golden triangle on his collar badge.
On August 11th, the sky was overcast and a heavy downpour was about to fall. However, Brigadier Zhao, who was usually busy with his official duties, stood at the door of the barracks in a military uniform with a group of neatly dressed officers. As if waiting for some distinguished guest to come.
A guest who could have a brigade leader with thousands of troops go out in the rain to greet him must be a high-ranking figure.
No, several officers under Brigadier Zhao were whispering behind the scenes, speculating on the identity of the visitor.
"Old Wang, you are the chief of the intelligence section. You are the most well-informed. You must know who the person is. Why are you still looking down on your brothers now? Isn't this unreasonable?"
The intelligence section chief surnamed Wang immediately called up the Sky Clock, and said softly with a bitter look on his face: "Speaking of Lao Liu, what is our relationship? As long as it is not a secret that needs to be kept secret, I will not be the first to tell you anything. Are you ventilating? Even my little brother doesn’t know this time!”
"Isn't it possible? Not to mention it's a telegram, the host should have at least received some kind of phone call, right?"
"I said, Lao Liu, you can get over it now. How many calls will there be from Nanjing to the brigade headquarters all day long? How can I know who the call is from? Besides, you can just lend me a few more calls. How dare you, I don’t even dare to eavesdrop on the host’s phone!”
At this time, another officer who had been listening to their discussion quietly interjected: "Do you think that besides the brigade, Director Zhou also knows?"
As soon as he asked this question, a young colonel in his thirties who was standing not far in front of them suddenly turned his head and glared at him fiercely.
The officer who interrupted immediately fell silent and stuck out his tongue before daring to speak.
This colonel officer is Zhou Jinbao, director of the Logistics Department of the Independent Brigade.
Yes, you read that right, this man was Zhou Wen who had a close relationship with Zhou Wen in Henan, and later led an uprising and sacrificed Zhou Jinbao from Xuchang City.
Some people may ask, wasn’t Zhou Jinbao already named colonel by the National Army after the uprising? Why is he still a colonel now, and he no longer even leads soldiers? He has become a director of something.
However, anyone who knows the inside story of the National Army knows that this colonel is no longer that colonel.
You must know that at that time, the Central Plains War was a major war involving the life and death of the Republic of China government. In order to break up and win over the other party's generals to surrender, the Republic of China government used all possible means. As long as an officer surrenders, not only will he be given monetary and material rewards, but his official position will also be promoted immediately.
At that time, in order to defeat political opponents such as Marshal Yan and Marshal Feng, the principal used various inducements and inducements to attack the opponent's camp at the risk of his life. However, the effect was also very significant, which directly caused Marshal Feng's hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers to fall apart in an instant. .
After the war was over, the principal listed hundreds of military ranks above lieutenant general. For example, Liu Guitang, a bandit leader who brought disaster to the country and the people, actually had the rank of lieutenant general on his body. It's a bit child's play.
So after the war, the Military Commission issued a series of policies that explained and stipulated the numerous senior military ranks.
That is to say, the military rank that was awarded before is called the posted rank, that is, you can hang this military rank, but the actual registered military rank needs to be re-examined, which is called the actual awarded military rank.
Therefore, officers like Zhou Jinbao who surrendered were given the rank of colonel, but after verification, the actual rank was only that of major.
And in the eyes of the principal, there are only two types of military generals who are trustworthy, and both of them are related to Whampoa Military Academy.
A type of old subordinates called the Huangpu Clan, which included the earliest group of senior officers, or like-minded colleagues, who served as instructors at the Huangpu Military Academy and held other important positions, but who supported him very much. Such as Minister He, General Chen, Chief Qian and Gu Zhilun and other senior generals.
There is also a kind of student called Huangpu student, that is, a student who graduated from Huangpu and is loyal to him. This group of people all regard themselves as disciples of the Emperor, and have now formed the basis of the three levels of officers of the Central Army: high, middle and low.
In this case, the no-name troops like Zhou Jinbao who surrendered would either be reorganized or disbanded, and the low-level officers would be sent away with a settlement allowance. As for mid-level officers like Zhou Jinbao, it is very likely that they will be assigned to some inconspicuous department. After a few years of work, they will be lost to the public, and there will be no future or development at all.
Zhou Jinbao, on the other hand, benefited from his relationship with Zhou Wen, and his later development could be described as smooth.
You know, as early as when the Central Plains War had just come to an end, Zhou Wen mentioned him many times in front of Chief Qian, Chief Zhang and Chief Gu, asking for their care. Only then did Zhou Jinbao get a special reward. of care.
He was first recommended by several big shots to enter the Central Army Officers School's Intermediate Officer Training Course and studied for a year, which was regarded as a vest of the Huangpu Department.
After coming out, he served as a genuine deputy commander of the Central Army Lieutenant Colonel under Chief Gu.
In other words, he is already a mid-level officer of the Central Army with actual rank of lieutenant colonel. He has entered the ranks of direct lineage, which is more than a few steps higher than the previous colonel who did not stand aside.
