The clouds in the stream are beginning to rise, the sun is sinking into the pavilion, and the mountain rain is about to come, and the wind is filling the building.
In the ninth year of Chongzhen, on the first day of the first lunar month, Hanzhong.
The first day of the first lunar month should be a festive day, but there is no trace of festive joy either inside or outside Hanzhong City.
The city of Hanzhong is very deserted, with few pedestrians on the streets.
There was a tense atmosphere outside Hanzhong City. All the houses and temples outside the city had been emptied, and no one was around.
The two camps in the east of the city stand in the shape of horns on the north and south sides of Hanzhong City.
The two camps in the north and south are the camps of the Ming army. In the south is the camp of the Hanzhong Guards, and in the north is the camp led by Chen Wang.
Further to the east, there are a number of chaotic military tents and camps. It is difficult to see the edge of the continuous tents at a glance.
Zhang Yuan and Jin Chipeng have already arrived at Hanzhong City, and are now stationed only ten miles away from Hanzhong City.
Chen Wang was sitting in the tent, while Tang Shiping stood aside and reported to him the information in the army.
"After the integration of the First Cavalry Division, there are a total of nine hundred men."
It turned out that the First Cavalry Division could not have exactly 900 men. The extra men were made into personal guards by Chen Wang.
"The nine hundred cavalry have been equipped with two horses each according to the general's military order. They are also issued with three layers of heavy armor according to the white-armored soldiers of the Jin Kingdom."
"Only 300 heavy bows have been distributed, and the rest have been requested from the Hanzhong government. According to the general's requirements, few of Hanzhongwei's bows and arrows meet the requirements. The Hanzhongwei Ordnance Bureau is currently rushing to produce them."
Chen Wang nodded slightly, indicating that he knew.
When reliable flintlock muskets had not been developed and qualified bayonets could not be fielded, the Qing army's tactics were actually the most reasonable tactics.
Without the corresponding weapons, there is no way to implement the tactics and organization of later generations. Forcibly implementing them will only worsen the situation.
In history, the Qing army relied on heavy armor and heavy artillery and shield vehicles to gradually develop and grow, and finally successfully occupied the Central Plains.
The Ming army had a large number of firearms, ranging from red cannons, general cannons, to light and heavy French guns, squatting tiger cannons, and various types of muskets.
However, the Qing army was invincible with its heavy armor and heavy artillery shield vehicles.
There are human factors, but there are also factors of tactics and weapons.
Now Chen Wang does not have an ordnance factory directly affiliated with him, and there are no craftsmen who can improve firearms. There is no way to replace the matchlock gun with a flintlock gun, and the tactic of queuing to kill cannot be used.
Reform of the military system and training of the military should be tailored to current conditions.
The last experiment in the Battle of Three Mountains in Gongchang Mansion had proved that the Qing army's tactics did have merit.
Later, in the Battle of Lueyang and the Battle of Ningqiang against Li Guo, Li Yangchun and other troops, the final word was that the Liao cavalry dismounted and put on heavy armor and then defeated the rogue formation in one fell swoop.
In this era, firearms in various countries around the world are constantly exploding, and the quality of firearms is extremely worrying.
The quality of the firearms produced by the Ministry of Industry of the Ming Dynasty was at the forefront of the world, but it could not withstand the corruption in the officialdom.
Chen Wang still dared to use the three-eyed gun, but he really didn't dare to use the matchlock gun. Even the Folang machine and the tiger squatting gun had to be carefully inspected, because they had exploded during use before. precedent.
"Except for the first infantry department, which is still equipped with bird cannons, all the infantry departments have been equipped with three-eyed cannons."
There are all kinds of firearms in the Ming army, such as lifting guns, thunder guns, Lumi guns, and Five Thunder God Machines. It is quite difficult to replace or repair them, which greatly increases the pressure on logistics.
In fact, for many things on the battlefield, the simpler, the better. For example, ordnance should be unified in shape. It doesn’t need too much, just enough.
Military orders and flags should also be concise and easy to understand, and should not be complicated.
In order to reduce the pressure on logistics, Chen Wang ordered that except for the first infantry department, which was still equipped with matchlock guns, all other infantry departments were uniformly equipped with three-eyed muskets.
Although the three-eyed gun is not as powerful as the bird gun in range, the enemies they have to face are rogue bandits who basically do not wear armor and stomach. The three-eyed gun is the most suitable firearm for the current situation.
Moreover, three-eyed muskets generally have extremely thick walls and are not easy to explode. They can also be used as melee weapons in emergencies.
Apart from the firecrackers, the only remaining firearms are the tiger crouching cannon, the Fran machine, and the firing cannon.
The Tiger Crouching Cannon and Fran Machine are used to supplement the firepower at medium and short range, while the Explosive Cannon is used as a long-range firepower output.
As for Hundreds of Tigers Running Together and Swarm of Bees, it was not reliable enough, difficult to replenish, and had many consumables. Chen Wang did not want to use it at all.
After the original ones were used up, Chen Wang did not ask for replenishment, and there was naturally no need to allocate ordnance later.
"The First Infantry Department and the Second Infantry Department have been reorganized. The two armies have a total of 1,798 full-strength soldiers. Those with superior military merits and ratings have been selected and equipped. Layers of heavy armor, equipped with shield chariots, as the main force."
Tang Shiping saw that Chen Wang had no other reaction and just nodded, so he continued to report.
"The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh infantry units have also been equipped with armored stomachs according to ordinary specifications as support units."
The first and second infantry departments are elite battalions, and the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh infantry departments are supplementary support battalions.
Chen Wang originally set up an evaluation system in the army to examine the skills of sergeants through tests. They were divided into four grades: upper, middle, lower and unqualified.
Those with the best abilities were assigned to the 1st and 2nd Infantry Departments, while the rest were assigned to the other five departments.
"After Mian County has replenished its troops, our army now has a total of 4,275 people."
"The army now has a total of 130 large and small shield vehicles, 72 small-sized Folan machines, 28 medium-sized Folan machines, and 36 squatting tiger cannons."
"The Hanzhong Guards were ordered to mobilize 127 men in iron armor, 230 men in cotton armor, 500 spears and 20,000 arrows, all of which have been inspected and passed the inspection."
Tang Shiping closed the book in his hand, bowed his head in response, and then stepped back a little to make room for the people waiting beside him.
But at this moment, as if he suddenly remembered something, Tang Shiping took a step forward again and said.
"His Royal Highness King Rui ordered someone to send four thousand taels of silver, one hundred dolphins, one hundred sheep, one hundred jars of wine, and three hundred shi of grain and rice as a reward to the army at noon today."
"His Royal Highness King Rui?"
Chen Wang's eyes narrowed slightly. After all, he was related to King Rui.
Although he had been mentally prepared for it, when it came time to face it, Chen Wang still didn't know how to deal with it.
After Zhu Di seized the throne, the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty were basically treated like pigs and had no real power at all.
However, there is no real power, but there is wealth. Almost every vassal king will receive a large amount of money and land to support his life.
King Rui Zhu Changhao was the fifth son of Wanli. After the decree of enfeoffment was issued, Zhu Changhao frequently asked for money from the Ministry of Household Affairs. He got a total of 180,000 taels of silver and hid it in the palace. However, he still said that the money was very little, and he even It’s not enough to buy crown clothes.
However, King Rui Zhu Changhao is not actually a very greedy person, nor is he greedy for pleasure.
After he was granted the title of king, his clothes and etiquette were of a lower level, and most of the money he received was used to build Buddhist temples and do good deeds.
In addition to building Buddhist temples, King Rui Zhu Changhao also donated money to renovate the horse drinking pool in Hanzhong City and improve the drainage channels in the city, eliminating the suffering of waterlogging in Hanzhong City.
King Rui had a fairly good reputation in Hanzhong, and he was not a vassal king who expropriated and plundered places.
There were many famines during Tianqi's reign. When he saw that the people were short of food, he took the initiative to lower his food and clothing standards and donated money and food to help local people.
Even the description of him in the history books is that he is "indifferent to others, clean himself and loves others, and is known as a virtuous king."
The vassal kings in the late Ming Dynasty had a noble status, but it could be said that they had no authority and great restrictions.
Tang Wang Zhu Yujian recruited troops to serve the king, but Chongzhen not only deposed him as a commoner, but also imprisoned him in Fengyang.
To be honest, Chen Wang didn't want to have too much to do with King Rui.
Anyone who has read the history of the Ming Dynasty will know how serious Chongzhen's suspicions were.
But King Rui sent all the money, food and grass to the camp...
Chen Wang raised his head, regained his composure, and said calmly.
"Since His Highness Prince Rui has such good intentions, we can't refuse. We will report back to His Highness Prince Rui. His Highness has a serious intention this time. We can only do our best to protect the safety of Hanzhong, and we must isolate the bandits from Nanzheng!"
After spending a lot of time among Cao Wenzhao and Hong Chengchou, Chen Wang has learned a lot of clichés and empty talk from the officialdom.
The main reason why Hong Chengchou sent an order so quickly to let him stay in Hanzhong Mansion was to protect King Rui.
If there was no vassal king in Hanzhong, Hong Chengchou might have ordered him to transfer directly to Fengxiang Mansion and go to Xi'an.
"The commander of Hanzhong Guard..."
Chen Wang glanced around the tent. He had agreed to discuss the matter before, but the commander of the Hanzhong Guard had not yet arrived. Chen Wang couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.
】
Just when Chen Wang was about to send someone to deliver the message, a soldier rolled into the tent before the guards outside the tent could pass the message.
Before the words were spoken, Chen Wang's eyes were already looking outside the tent.
At this time, a deafening cry of death suddenly sounded outside the tent!
"The Hanzhongwei barracks suddenly burst into flames, causing chaos!"
…
"History of the Ming Dynasty·Volume 120·Biography 8"
King Rui, Chang Hao, the fifth son of the Shenzong... During the Chongzhen period, there was a drama of rogue bandits, and the fiefdom was invaded by thieves. Seven years ago he wrote:
"I entrusted the flesh and blood of the late emperor and was given a gift of Xilu. However, the bandits arrived before the end of the year."
"The Bixi thieves crossed the river again and entered Hanxing. They defeated Xunyang and forced Xing'an. Ziyang, Pingli and Baihe fell one after another."
"The governor Hong Chengchou rode alone in armor and entered and exited Wanshan, and the thieves began to escape."
"I donated more than 7,000 taels of silver to feed the army and support the army. At this time, I moved to Bingshang and Luo to practice state affairs. I followed my minister Fan Fucui and rushed to Hanzhong. The nearby area is a little peaceful."
"Now that Feng County fell again, Shu thieves entered Qinzhou. In June, they invaded the county boundary. Fortunately, the generals relied on the river to resist, and the thieves retreated slightly."
"I am in the mountains and valleys, and thieves are coming from all directions. I will not be destroyed for a long time. I am close to my heart, and I am in the most remote place. However, when the bandits are approaching, your majesty feels pity for me."
