Chapter 193 Li Hongzhang discusses coastal defense (2)
In the first month of the 10th year of Tongzhi, former governor Zeng Guofan responded to the report and prepared for the coastal defense zone, which included the three coastal provinces of Zhili, Fengtian and Shandong, the two provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the two provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, and the three provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Hubei along the river. Merge and fortify. The seven coastal provinces have trained a total of 90,000 troops, and the three provinces along the Yangtze River have trained a total of 30,000 land troops. According to statistics, eight million taels of salary are needed every year. Since there is no money to raise, the discussion is suspended.
The Prime Minister's Yamen hereby plans to use the previously victorious foreign gun team to practice water warfare, and Ding Richang plans to practice the army. Unite the world to obtain 100,000 elite soldiers, which has the same purpose as Zeng Guofan's prelude. However, the army and the navy have different usages and training methods. The navy can still go ashore to attack thieves, but the army cannot force the boat to be maneuvered. It seems that it is not suitable to use it both ways, resulting in two mistakes.
I foolishly believe that although the existing training gun corps in the provinces along the coast and rivers is not as large as the more than 100,000 planned by Zeng Guofan and Ding Richang, it is better to be fewer and more refined than to be too numerous and useless. For the gunnery team, if the green battalion's front troops are weak and brave, they will be reduced at the discretion, and their pay will be added to the newly trained team; the coastal defense battalion will be replaced with back-door guns, and strong troops will be stationed near important ports. When nothing happens, They are specially invited to drill and build fortresses. They are specially prepared for guerrilla attacks in case of emergency. They are not allowed to be deployed.
Each seaport built sand and earth forts in imitation of the Western style, with the terrain being wide, elliptical and thick. It is advisable to use artillery positions with a caliber of eight to more than ten inches. Select generals and troops to practice them. The farther you go, the better. You must be able to hit it. If you don't hit it, it will not fire. This is the so-called medicine that can treat the disease and be prepared. That’s it.
2. A simplified version of the original music. The weapons used in Western land and water warfare were mainly guns, cannons and mines. Cannons are divided into front and rear doors, raw and cooked iron and pure steel. Guns are divided into front and rear doors, smooth bore, and rifle. Mines are divided into contact objects, grinding objects, and electrical ignition. I can get a rough idea by studying the pictures and utensils.
For foreign guns, countries use backdoors instead. With his nimbleness and speed, he can reach far. His old-made front door guns are sold in China at a low price and are often underestimated by outsiders. Britain, Russia, Germany, France and the United States are the five great powers. Their back-door spears make their eyesight clear. The most proficient in the British is Henry's horse, followed by Schnaide; the Russian is called Bier's crossbow; the German is called Neergan; the French are called Shashibo; My name is Lin Mingdeng. Comparing the advantages of slowness and speed, the English will be better than the Russians, and the Russians will be better than the beautiful. The beautiful Lin Mingdeng and the talented scholar Nai De and De Fa are also good at spears.
Two species, Lin Ming Deng and Shi Naide, have been imported into China in recent years. Both Chen Baozhen and Shen Baozhen purchased and kept thousands of Lin Mingden. Shanghai Machinery Bureau can also imitate. But there are many soldiers who are brave and careless. The Shinaide machine spring is simpler, the purchase price is cheaper, and it is easier to modify. We are now planning to order each battalion to replace the Shinaide gun with the Shinaide gun, and use Lin Mingdeng to practice it carefully, from simplicity to refinement.
He also ordered the bureaus in Tianjin and Shanghai to first purchase Lin Mingdeng's sub-making machines and imitate copper rolls of sub-medicines in order to provide relief. He still purchased several British Henry horse ladder guns from the Prime Minister's Yamen, and ordered thousands of Bier crossbow guns from the Russian consul for the soldiers to choose the best.
As for the artillery positions, the new models of Britain and Germany were the most sophisticated. The German Krupp rear-door steel cannon was particularly famous for defeating the French soldiers. The minister purchased more than 50 Krupp cannons, large and small, year by year, which were divided into Daku Fort and Tianjin Defense Camp. The two largest ones are eight inches in diameter. It is enough to match the power of a gun with a caliber of 11 or 2 inches at the front door. However, the price of each statue is about NT$20,000, and I am unable to afford more.
It may be said that the steel cannon is too large and the power of the medicine is too strong, and it may be damaged and cracked after being used for a long time. Therefore, the British often use front-door wrought iron long-bucket cannons, especially Armstrong's. The larger ones have a caliber of 11 to 15 inches and weigh more than 80,000 kilograms. The bullet weighs 600 pounds and can penetrate more than 20 inches of iron armor. However, it is difficult to operate and is extremely expensive. There are no buyers in China.
The small artillery used for land battles is the German Krupp four-pound rear door steel cannon and the American Gatling gun. The ministers also ordered dozens of statues each to prepare for guerrilla needs.
At present, the various bureaus in Shanghai and Ningbo can only imitate copper and iron bombs with round bullets ranging from 12 to 68 pounds. The Huai army has been using them for a long time. They are far superior to the old Chinese ones and not as good as the new Western ones. It is still planned to imitate Armstrong's style and clamp wrought iron, but the machine is not prepared.
Foreign forged guns and machines cost hundreds of thousands of gold, which is extremely expensive. It is hoped that China will be able to use foreign methods to mine coal, iron and other mines on its own, and then purchase large furnaces, steam hammers, pressure water tanks and other machines, so that the imitation can be successful. If Krupp's steel cannon is made of raw steel and pig iron, the factory has its own secret method, which cannot be passed down to others.
When it comes to water buds, bombing ships and destroying enemies is the most powerful. In the past, during the battle between the North and the South, the southern soldiers gained the majority of water power. In the battle between Germany and France, the French warships were ten times the number of German warships, but the French warships did not dare to penetrate deep into the Baltic Sea, all because of the power of water buds.
These buds are divided into two categories. One is a water bud that is fixed and immovable, either connected between wooden rafts, or used to anchor its position so that it can be submerged in the water, or placed in the gap and key road when the land castle is attacked. This special purpose Designed for self-defense. One is a movable water bud, which may float on the water surface and float with the wind, or may be driven by a machine, or may be placed with a long pole stretched out from the bow of an iron ship, or a ship specially designed to tow water buds, which may be used to attack the enemy.
Recently, Gezhi's studies have become more and more refined, and his method of water buds has also become more and more refined. With only fifty or sixty pounds of medicine, he can blast through the bottom of any kind of warship. I heard that all countries pay attention to this thing and make and keep it in large quantities. When they are used, they must be arranged in several rows in the water, with dozens of them placed in each mouth, so that enemy ships are afraid to enter.
The bureaus in Shanghai and Tianjin can only imitate the coarser ones, while motors, copper wires, iron ropes, rubber and other parts are still purchased from overseas. It is necessary to recruit people from various countries who have mastered the art of water buds to come to China to teach and perform, so that people can improve easily.
Two items of firearms are also needed. Tianjin Bureau has four sets of medicine-making machines, with more than 2,000 pounds a day, ready for use. But there are many guns and few bullets. The Shanghai Bureau only has one medicine-making machine. There is not much sunrise. It is advisable to purchase machines and promote manufacturing in Suning.
Every province that needs foreign guns and ammunition to defend rivers and seas should set up a bureau to imitate them in the mainland. Otherwise, everything will be purchased from foreign merchants and there will be no way to prepare for emergencies. Moreover, the machine bureaus of Fujian, Shanghai and Tianjin are approaching Haikou. For the sake of convenience, the reason is based on overseas information. If there is a police coup, it must be heavily guarded first. It is not stable.
Later, when provinces wanted to add manufacturing machinery, they had to set up operations in the hinterland where there was access to water. If there was a war at Haikou, they could make their own reserves in the back roads, so that they could have a steady flow of money.
