"So, have you finished eating?" Li Dong smiled and asked.
"Report to the squadron leader, we've all eaten!" the sergeant major who was in charge of acting command reported.
Li Dong ordered: "Now use the team as a unit to conduct a post-war summary!"
"yes!"
The post-war summary meeting is stipulated in the "Combat Doctrine" of the General Staff Regulations. As long as there are no urgent tasks after the war, a comprehensive summary of today's battle must be conducted, conducted in squad units, and compiled into a report in the company and submitted to the battalion commander.
This kind of summary first summarizes the experience and lessons learned in combat and discovers the shortcomings in unit operations and training. Secondly, it improves soldiers' awareness of participation and cultivates soldiers with more independent combat awareness.
Li Dong sat down next to Yang Erdong's fire. Yang Erdong and others stood up reflexively.
This is not only their habit from the old army, but even in the Fubo Army system, the hierarchy between officers and soldiers is still the absolute authority that is emphasized.
"Don't be formal, everyone, please sit down." Li Dong waved his hand, "Everyone has been playing for a day today, and you should have learned a lot. Let's talk about it."
Luo Mao was a veteran. When he saw that Li Pu and others were all shy and did not dare to speak, he smiled and said, "Let me tell you something. Your command was very subtle today, squadron leader..."
"You don't need to summarize this," Li Dong smiled and kicked him, "Save the flattery for later. Let's talk about our direct feelings."
"The biggest feeling is that the equipment is not good." As a corporal squad leader, Luo Mao used a Nanyang rifle, but he saw the embarrassing performance of the spear all day today.
"When it comes to spears, it's really not a disadvantage if you stab and fight hand-to-hand in the open. But on today's terrain, there are many hills and trees, so spears are difficult to use - it's better to use a machete."
This statement immediately resonated with the soldiers:
"I always get caught when I'm crossing the woods."
"It feels very cumbersome to hold it during a long march."
"It's especially difficult to carry when climbing mountains and crossing rivers. The rifle can be carried on your back."
…
Yang Erdong saw everyone talking enthusiastically and wanted to talk about the rifle, but he hesitated for a while and did not speak. Instead, Li Pu hesitated and said:
"...I also have an idea, that is, can you give us a few more of these guns - Nanyang rifles? This gun is really easy to use, but now there are only more than 20 guns, and sometimes I feel anxious when shooting. …”
Having said this, everyone's emotions have also risen. In fact, many people have already had an idea in their minds as to why the National Army should not be equipped with rifles. In fact, many of these soldiers had served in the Ming army, and they didn't originally like firearms very much - the original firearms were weak in power, in poor condition, and often caused accidents. So I'm not very interested in the fact that I'm not equipped with a rifle, and I think the spear is more reliable. But once on the battlefield and fighting with real swords and guns, you can immediately realize the advantages of the Nanyang rifles equipped by the National Army in terms of combat performance. Especially every volley fired by a rifleman can instantly overwhelm the enemy's offensive momentum and destroy the enemy's formation. The effect is much stronger than that of bow and spear assassination. Especially when fighting together with Mi Longtao's troops, the firepower output and combat effectiveness of the Fubo Army were several times stronger than theirs, making these big soldiers secretly envious - this is what fighting looks like! I originally thought I could avoid dangerous things like firearms, but now I feel that carrying a spear makes me inferior.
"...The Fubo Army has rifles, that's not mentioned, but other Nationalist troops also have rifles - we are the only ones among the hundreds of people in Xugang who don't have them!"
"Even Li Manzi has a group of guns, but we are worse than them!"
…
Seeing that everyone was talking about this, Yang Erdong became more courageous. After thinking about it, he raised his hand and said, "Why don't you give me a musket? If there were muskets, I wouldn't have been able to fight on the riverside in the morning." They all saw the enemy, but they didn't have muskets in their hands, and they couldn't shoot with spears. They could only watch helplessly as the enemy shot arrows first. If they had muskets, they could kill the enemy archers first, and several brothers wouldn't be hit by arrows. "
"That's nice. Can you use a gun?" A soldier nearby asked deliberately, and everyone laughed.
Yang Erdong frowned and said, "Of course I can use it! I gave it to Supervisor Xiong... No, Xiong Wencan used it when he was a servant, and I practiced it many times."
Li Dong was a little surprised: "You know how to use a Nanyang rifle?"
"Yes!" Yang Erdong was a little proud, "I learned it in Xiong Wencan's servant team. During the assessment, three of the five shots hit the target. I also learned some Australian footwork from Master Yi."
"So you were once a servant!"
"My dear, you are Xiong Wencan's servant!"
"Isn't Xiong Wencan a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty? How come there are Australian rifles?"
Li Dong waved his hand to stop everyone's discussion and said: "I know everyone's opinions. I will report it to my superiors. But the rifle matter has to be taken slowly - the Senate will not be able to come up with so many Nanyang rifles for a while. . How long has it been since our army was established? There are tens of thousands of national troops in Guangdong. Even if the Senate gives 20 guns to a squadron, the total is tens of thousands."
Then everyone talked about various ideas. In the old army, not to mention the soldiers, even the middle and lower-level generals rarely discussed the gains and losses of battle tactics in front of the generals - "strategy" was something that the managers of the divisions considered. . Therefore, this approach not only made the soldiers curious, but also aroused their interest in discussion. From the issue of muskets to the equipment they carry with them - many soldiers think it is best to have an armor.
"We all used spears, and we didn't have bows and arrows. We were shot at randomly by the enemy's arrows, and several people were injured at once. It would be much better if we had an iron armor or a cotton armor with us, at least we would not be hit by arrows. Just die." said the soldier who was a soldier.
"That's right. Brothers who have been in battle all know that as the old saying goes, three arrows are worth a sword. With armor to protect you, as long as it misses the vital point, you can continue to fight even if you are hit by seven or eight arrows on the battlefield. Now just wearing a uniform, you can still fight if you are hit by seven or eight arrows. One arrow and he's half dead."
Regarding armor, Li Dong had heard soldiers complain more than once. He himself had been a soldier for several years and participated in many battles. He never thought armor was very important. However, when he was a soldier, each soldier had a rifle and no spears were used. Once it enters a battle, it can suppress the enemy with strong firepower from a long distance. In contrast, the National Army had to directly attack the enemy formation without fully suppressing the enemy, and it was inevitable that they would be killed by weapons such as bows and arrows.
However, he did not refute or explain, but allowed the soldiers to express their opinions freely. Most discussions are completely worthless, but Li Dong has been there and knows that the soldier's summary is to dig out gold from a bunch of messy words. Luo Mao didn't talk much. He took a notebook and pencil and jotted down a few strokes from time to time, and made a few comments.
When the summary meeting was held, a military meeting was being held in the Xu family ancestral hall.
Among the participants, in addition to Mi Longtao, were Zhu Si and Lieutenant Li Shenggang, the detachment commander who had just arrived.
Li Shenggang and Mi Longtao were contemporaries of the training team, and they were both officers who were promoted unexpectedly during the Guangdong Campaign. Most of them are veterans who have served in the army for a long time. They have served as sergeants and have experience in both fighting and leading troops.
Li Shenggang's troops were originally going to Lianzhou, but shortly after setting off from Sanshui, they received an order: "Intelligence shows that the enemy will have major operations in Fengchuan and Yunan counties. The original mission should be suspended immediately and go to Yunan County is on standby."
Similar orders were also conveyed from Fengchuan County by the Signal Corps. Apparently the command received some important information.
"Comrades," said Mi Longtao, who was the oldest among the officers present and therefore temporarily served as the former enemy commander of the mixed force, "you have all seen the order from the South China Army's front commander. There is intelligence that the enemy will launch an attack in Yunan County. A large-scale combat operation is planned to capture Yunan County in one fell swoop. To this end, the former commander has ordered the Yunan County Guards to prepare for battle and stick to the county and surrounding important strongholds. As a mobile force, we will try to capture and eliminate this enemy. "
There was a commotion immediately at the venue. Since the start of the Yao Rebellion, many counties around the Yao District have fallen. However, most of these counties had just surrendered to the Senate, and the officers and soldiers were not determined to fight, so they fell easily. However, Yunan County is a county seat along the Xijiang River. It is an important guarantee for the smooth flow of the Xijiang waterway and is a key guarded support point along the transportation line. Each of these counties is equipped with at least one National Army squadron garrison, equipped with a number of work teams composed of naturalized civilian cadres, with sufficient ammunition and food. Recently, due to the tense situation, a second emergency reinforcement was carried out, and a new batch of Replenishment squadrons were given priority to counties along the Xijiang, Beijiang and Dongjiang rivers. Yunan County also received a supplementary squadron.
Although the county does not have the Fubo Army as its core, the strength of the two National Army squadrons is sufficient to protect itself. There is a constant flow of patrol fleets on the river, and troops from upstream and downstream can be mobilized for reinforcement at any time.
Under this situation, the bandits, who are basically a ragtag group of bandits, actually want to besiege the county seat of Yunan County? Is this too overestimating one's capabilities?
Li Shenggang coughed: "I think this information is suspicious. The upper reaches of Yunan County is Fengchuan County, one of our largest strongholds in the Xijiang River. Not only is it stationed with heavy troops, but also the navy's river fleet is stationed, and reinforcements can be sent down the river at any time. . There is not much time left for the enemy to attack the city. Even if the enemy takes Yunan County, they will not be able to hold on for a long time, let alone cut off the Xijiang waterway."
"Yes, I think so too," Mi Longtao said, "But the command said the intelligence is reliable. Then their motive may be to attack in the east and in the west..."
"Founding in the east and attacking in the west?" Zhu Si asked in confusion.
"In other words, their real goal is not in Yunan County, but they have other plans?"
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 369
