Only higher-level or more specialized units will have radio stations. In addition to relying on the legs of the signalmen and the traditional bugle communication, troop communication uses light signals at night and semaphores during the day. Later, the Ministry of Science and Technology developed a kind of mirror reflective equipment based on historical data. It used reflection to write Morse code in Baidu, which could transmit about two or three sets of signals per minute. The speed is much faster than semaphore, but the disadvantage is self-evident. In bad weather, the transmission distance will be greatly reduced.
Whether it is a semaphore or an optical signal, it is not very convenient to transmit signals in combat, especially in the field. Unless the battle is carried out on a preset position, it is difficult to arrange a communication network calmly. In most cases, it is still necessary to rely on Traditional bugle and human communications.
However, the siege battle is a slow-moving battle, and the troops are dispersed and relatively far apart. This is the best occasion for the use of this kind of visual communication.
The visual signal communication troops of the 1st Brigade Communication Battalion are divided into six teams, which are deployed on the northern slope of Bangshan Mountain, the top of Zhushan Mountain, the south of Wuzhou City, the southeast of Wuzhou City, the top of Beishan City, and the north of Wuzhou City. Each team is composed of signalers, observers, It is composed of one decoder, one messenger and one alternate. In order to have a wider field of vision and to ensure that the signal is not blocked, each unit is equipped with a high platform similar to the lifeguard chair that a swimming pool lifeguard sits on. It is composed of steel pipes and connectors and can be disassembled into parts and reassembled at the station. The high platform is fixed on the surrounding ground with cables and spikes. There is only room for two people at the top. The signalman and observer wear safety belts and sit on the high platform. When it is necessary to send and receive signals, the signalman and observer move to a suitable position and stand up. Observers are equipped with high-powered telescopes. Once they find out which direction is sending the signal preparation signal, the signalman will respond with corresponding actions or light signals, and then start receiving the message. General universal flags are divided into 30 actions, representing 26 letters or 10 numbers respectively. The signals a to i also represent 1 to 9 in sequence, the signal k also represents 0, and the remaining four actions represent standby or space respectively. , The following signals have four meanings: numbers, errors, and cancellations. j also represents the following signals, which mean letters. Light signals are directly in Morse code format.
When daytime observation conditions are good, semaphores are simpler than light signals based on Morse code, and can convey simple information more quickly. But now that it's night time, only light signals are used. The observer uses a telescope to observe the sender's signal and loudly announces the corresponding letters, numbers or corresponding meanings, and then the decoder records it and quickly makes a reasonable interpretation, and then the messenger passes the decoded information to the corresponding receiver. In the hands of the signaler; on the contrary, the decoder will compile the information to be sent into the corresponding code, loudly report it to the signalman, and let the signalman send it; if the message is to be passed to the next station, the decoder will complete the decoding and send it out. Continue to pass the instruction, and then the flag bearer will send the signal according to the code reported by the decoder after receiving the preparatory action of sending the signal at the next station.
The positions of a team are not fixed. Four people are on duty and one person is resting at all times. The positions rotate with each other, so as to ensure the timeliness of sending and receiving information.
When the sentry on Bangshan observed an abnormal phenomenon outside Jiangmen in the west of Wuzhou City with a telescope, he paid attention to the dynamics and reported the situation to the top commander on Bangshan, the artillery company commander stationed on Bangshan. The artillery company commander did not dare to neglect. After carefully observing one side with his binoculars, he asked the signal corps to send out the message.
The information is as follows: On the 1st, more than 10,000 refugees poured out of Xijiangmen.
No. 1 refers to the signal corps in the south of Wuzhou City. The signal corps on Zhushan Mountain immediately passed on the message after receiving it. Then, No. 3, the Bangshan Signal Corps, received the following message: No. 3, step up observation and continue reporting.
Then reply: On the 1st, the Ming army shot arrows at the refugees.
Then he replied: On the 1st, the refugees went north.
Next: On the 1st, the refugees approached the position in the north of the city.
Zhu Mingxia couldn't figure out for a while what kind of medicine the Wuzhou defenders were selling in the gourd, but with such a large group of refugees pouring out all of a sudden, it was hard to guarantee whether Ming troops were mixed in. If they were not careful, they would suffer big losses. So Zhu Mingxia made a prompt decision and the command team issued an order to Zhu Quanxing: On the 4th, intercept the refugees leaving the city.
Tactically, intercepting refugees is not a good idea. There are many refugees and there may be Ming troops inside. If we use a small number of troops to intercept them, the thin front line will be disrupted by the refugees if we are not careful. If we are more cautious, it seems more appropriate to open up the front line and let them find their own way out.
However, Zhu Mingxia considered that if there were Ming troops mixed in the crowd, it would be enough to escape a few "big fish". If the officers and soldiers crossed the battle line and "returned", it would not be good to attack the logistics supply points behind the troops.
After receiving the order, Zhu Quanxing ordered them to the mountains northeast of the city through a light signal, asking them to form an encirclement with the two companies from the north of the city before the refugees tried to cross the Beishan position, so as to prevent the refugees from dispersing on a large scale.
Although Yi Haoran complained that Chang Qingyun could run faster than a rabbit, in fact Chang Qingyun was not as calm and composed as he showed that "a mountain man has his own tricks". He fled before the order in the city completely collapsed.
Chang Qingyun was not "left" in the city. To be sure, he took the initiative to serve as the orderer of arson. At that time, he was quite tragic and had a "whispering wind" mood. Until Yi Haoran broke in to question him, he was still quite "calm and composed".
However, as the order in the city began to become disordered and the people sent to deliver orders never returned, Chang Qingyun's courage began to disappear little by little. When he realized that the situation was completely out of control, he couldn't help but start to panic. When I got up, my original determination to "sacrifice generously" became less firm. He no longer cared about whether to set fire or not, and immediately asked his servant to bring him a change of clothes.
He had secretly prepared several sets of common people's clothes in the yamen. At this moment, he and his three personal servants had all put on brown shirts and hats, dressing up like ordinary citizens. He hurried out of the gate and mixed in with the group of refugees who were expelled from the city, preparing to escape.
The streets were in chaos, crowded with people, and the cries and howls of the crowd were everywhere. Chang Qingyun looked up and saw that there were already flames in the Beicheng area, and secretly thought that arson had already begun.
The crowd in the street was stunned for a moment, then all looked up at the red light beside them. Suddenly, a man shouted in a different tone from the crowd, "No, there's a fire!" Everyone jumped up as if they had been whipped, and rushed towards Dayunmen together. The fleeing crowd rolled along the streets, and people continued to join the ranks. Some people were knocked to the ground and swallowed up by the wave of people because they hesitated for a few seconds.
Among the turbulent crowds fleeing for their lives were civilians and soldiers. Some rich families were protected by several domestic slaves and ran away with a box; some people ran away with half-eaten dinner, holding a broken bowl in their hands; disheveled scholars, and female relatives whose skirts were stepped on also They all ran with their lives in the crowd. The rebels first tried to break away from the crowd with their scabbards, and then directly pulled out their knives and chopped down those in the way.
Chang Qingyun was anxious: It was too early to start the fire!
However, he could no longer think about these things at this moment. The three masters and servants were carried forward by the crowd, knocking down the charity shed on the side of the road, and the stove where the porridge was simmering was also pushed over. The sparks rolled under the eaves, where there were several pottery urns. When they were touched by the sparks, a fire broke out. The flames quickly licked the straw on the eaves, and suddenly the whole house was on fire.
"The city is burning, run!" The already panicked crowd suddenly became crazy. People near the fire source squeezed to the other side of the road, while people on the other side pushed the people in front of them with all their might. A large piece fell down. Before they could stand up, the people further behind had already stepped forward. The dozens of people in front felt their feet were weak, while those behind them could no longer feel anything on the ground.
The fire burned from one house to another, from one neighborhood to another. Chang Qingyun secretly felt that something was wrong, threw his arms away and threw them to the left and right, struggling hard to get out of the crowd. But it didn't work at all. A more powerful elbow hit his right ear. He only felt a "" and his mind went blank.
Chang Qingyun staggered to the left, but was blocked back by the person on the left. He could not control the direction, could not stop, and could only be pushed forward by the crowd. In a daze, he seemed to see the North Gate in front of him, and in a daze, he seemed to have already left the city.
His servant Changshan was still clever. When he saw a stone tablet on the roadside, he pulled Chang Qingyun and jumped behind the stone tablet, finally avoiding the crowd. When Chang Qingyun woke up, he found himself sitting in the mud on the side of the road. The crowd that had originally gathered around him had dispersed outside the city.
Chang Shan was the only one left with the three servants.
After all, after experiencing the great defeat in Chengmai, Chang Qingyun quickly calmed down. He looked back at Wuzhou City and found that the fire was not big, and the choking smoke dispersed with the wind. Feeling a little disappointed, he remembered that the last news he received before leaving the city was that the guards and commanders of each city had begun to resist the officers and soldiers - it seemed that this time they were destroyed at the hands of "traitors" !
At this moment, he only felt pain all over his body. Looking at his body, he was already in a state of disgrace. There were holes in his knees and his hands were worn out. He probably fell countless times when he was leaving the city. Looking at Chang Shan, he also looked embarrassed. He probably relied on him to pull hard all the way to prevent himself from falling and never getting up again.
"Changshan, thanks to you this time!"
"Master, don't be like this," Chang Shan was a little frightened, "It's just that Chang Wei and the others are gone. The dry food and money are all with them."
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 323
