Although Guo Kang has been thinking and trying to summarize the theory of military development over the years, as time went by, he gradually gave up. Because he felt that there seemed to be no point in forcibly summarizing.
In reality, the military system is not so much "advanced" or "backward", but more "suitable" or "unsuitable". There are too many factors that affect the results of combat operations. It is meaningless to forcefully draw an "advanced" scale, and it may even lead to ridiculous conclusions.
For example, the same officer selection system was at the same time as the contracting system, but the rules of the Qing Dynasty were much more "advanced". The main sources of officers in the Qing army were promotions between ranks and military examinations. Among them, military background and promotion through military exploits were regarded as the "right path" for military service. Ordinary soldiers can really become generals if they perform well. This was almost unimaginable in most parts of Europe at the same time.
Although noble disciples exist, they are far less numerous than these two. Compared to the British army, which had an average of 100,000 official posts per capita and nearly all of its members were nobles, the Qing army should be more "advanced" no matter how you look at it.
Moreover, even if the Qing army is corrupt and there may be problems with the promotion system, it is still corruption under the bureaucratic system. The British don't need to consider the concept of corruption at all - paying for officials is already legal, and the entire military is outsourced, so the concepts of corruption and bribery have lost their meaning.
Therefore, if we divide it this way, the organization of the Qing army is obviously more advanced. Logically speaking, it should be the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty who were inspired by the advanced system, fought actively, and drove the British barbarians into the sea in one fell swoop. But everyone knows the actual result...
Moreover, the Qing army was not only so vulnerable when facing foreigners. This is an old problem.
During the Qianlong period, Wang Lun, the leader of Qingshui Sect in Shandong, led an uprising. Near Linqing County, the Qing army encountered the rebel army. The Qing army included 250 Dezhou Eight Banners and 250 Green Camp soldiers, while the rebel army consisted of 600 to 700 people, mainly local farmers.
When the battle began, the Qing army tried to spread out two wings to outflank the rebels. The rebels divided into three teams and launched a charge, cutting the Qing army into two sections in one fell swoop. The Qing army then collapsed and the battle ended.
Afterwards, the Qing government conducted an investigation and found that among the 250 bannermen, 46 were killed in the battle, more than 80 people fled back after the war, and the remaining 120 or so disappeared, presumably taking advantage of the chaos to flee; 250 people in the Green Camp, 9 people were killed in the battle , seven or eight people fled back after the war, and the remaining more than 230 people disappeared. According to the confessions of the rebel prisoners who were arrested afterwards, they believed that more than ten people were killed and fifty or sixty officers and soldiers were killed. The data on both sides can be matched.
And this was during the Qianlong period, when the Qing Dynasty was still at its peak.
By the 19th century, even if the Zulus came to fight the Qing Dynasty, if they had the mobility of the British fleet, winning a few battles would not be a problem. Of course, you have to leave quickly after the fight. After all, these people had special looks and might have been mistaken for wild monsters by the villagers and were exterminated...
There are many archival records in the Qing Dynasty, and the preserved data is very rich. It happened to be a special era, which led to the emergence of many "magic" phenomena, which can be called a stereotype buster. It is not difficult to see from here how rich the factors that influence war will be.
Therefore, it is not a reliable method to set up a concept of "modernity" or "modernity", then simply find a few definitions, and label those that meet the definitions as "advanced". Forcibly adding to these "advanced qualities" may not be reliable, and may even have negative effects.
This example is easier to find.
For example, in the view of military strategist Serris, restraining soldiers, maintaining a strict military camp environment, and prohibiting prostitutes from entering and exiting are one of the signs of strict discipline and can be regarded as "advanced".
However, when the French army eliminated prostitutes from the army, there were many voices of concern and opposition. Because for the French army, this does not enforce strict discipline. Instead, it only allows the soldiers to have fun outside the military camp. Not only does it increase the risk of disease, but it also undermines discipline and even causes conflicts with locals because it disturbs resident women. From this point of view, it is obvious that the gain outweighs the loss.
Therefore, which one is more advanced depends on the specific situation.
"The situation of armies of different civilizations is very different." Guo Kang could only say in the end: "I have always felt that the characteristics of civilization determine the political system, and the political system determines the military system. And on top of the existing military system, those Components such as military training and formations. These components should also be subject to more basic characteristics and systems, including local conditions and technical levels, in order to achieve better results."
"Civilization and politics, those are too complicated. Let's start from the most obvious place." He gave an example: "Since you have read the book of war, you should know that Epaminondas and Iphicrates , Philip II and Alexander, do they understand the development and changes of the early army?"
Joanna hesitated and had to admit: "I only know about Alexander and his son. Oh, I also know about Hannibal and Caesar and so on..."
"Very good. Your understanding of military theory has surpassed that of most European soldiers." Guo Kang scratched his head and encouraged: "Then we can continue."
"The armies of the classical era were all arranged horizontally. Compared with their depth, their fronts were much wider. The Greeks were particularly typical in this regard, and Macedonia and Rome also improved on this basis. Even the Persians were Similar formation methods." Guo Kang gave a brief introduction and compared: "But in Seris, the military formations of the same period were often vertical. Do you know why there is this difference?"
Joanna shook her head and said frankly: "I don't know much about Siris' situation."
"To put it simply, weapons and tactical ideas have affected formations and training methods." Guo Kang did not let her continue guessing and said directly: "The army over there also used large horizontal formations to fight in older times. .For example, in the Shang Dynasty, there were no chariots at the beginning. This formation was the most common, and it was similar to other civilizations."
"When was the Shang Dynasty?" Joanna asked.
"It roughly corresponds to the early New Kingdom of Egypt, that is, the era of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties." Guo Kang told her.
"Oh..." Joanna showed a clear expression.
"The businessman himself calls this combat method 'pace'." Guo Kang continued: "Compared to car combat, this is the more mainstream combat method."
"What does this word mean?" Joanna's understanding of Chinese did not seem to be at this level.
"Bu means walking, and cutting means cutting people. Of course, this meaning is no longer used." Guo Kang explained: "In the late Shang Dynasty, chariots gradually increased in number. Before, fighting on foot was mainly based on foot combat. "
"The army organization at that time was also adapted to this structure. Their army was very simple in decimal system, up to a thousand-man brigade, called a 'line'. Then three thousand-man brigade formed a 'brigade'."
"The ancient word '行' probably means road or procession. 'Brigade' means there are two people under the flag, which means the troops assembled according to the military flag. Looking at this meaning, you can roughly understand the situation at that time. Since it is basically The infantry was stacked up to form a formation, so there was no more complicated organization at that time."
"It's really amazing that these meanings can be understood from a single word. No wonder Damiano likes these things." Joanna said with emotion: "But why do these commonly used Chinese characters all mean slashing and war? I still I thought 'travel' in Chinese meant just going out for fun."
"No, that's an overgeneralization and only takes part of the meaning." Guo Kang immediately denied: "Central Plains people have not liked war since ancient times, and do not respect hegemony and expansion."
"People from the Shang Dynasty often took 'steps' and 'traveled' around, communicating eagerly with the locals. Sometimes they even invited them back to their hometowns to visit their elders. Obviously, they were all very friendly and peaceful. people."
"Huh? Is that so?" Joanna asked innocently: "Then why do everyone say that the Seris people have the most combat experience?"
"Those are all internal fights." Guo Kang waved his hand and replied: "Internal fights cannot be considered a war of expansion! Internal fights...can the affairs of the Seris people be considered a war?"
"Serris is not a feudal country like Europe, but a universal empire similar to Rome. Within it, there are many regions and many ethnic groups. Although there will be conflicts, they are all temporary. After the conflicts are resolved, everyone will quickly will be united again.”
"Don't look at the fierce fight between the Ming Dynasty and those remnants of the Yuan Dynasty. They actually share the same identity and compete for the same legitimacy, so they fight to the death every day. Moreover, this universal concept is compatible with each other. If in the future As everyone develops, sooner or later we, Rome, and them will become one."
"That's it..." Joanna thought for a while and then said: "But the last time I met businessmen from Siam, they complained that the Seris people fought on their side every day. The Javanese people The Yuan Dynasty regime went to them every day and confiscated their strategic supplies. From my point of view, they didn’t seem to want to unite with the Seris people."
"Who is so bold and dares not to unite with us?" Guo Kang muttered in confusion.
Joanna didn't know how to answer for a moment.
"Hey, I accidentally went too far." Guo Kang said quickly: "Anyway, just remember this conclusion. The Romans at that time had recorded it, saying, 'The Seris people lived in peace and did not hold weapons. War. His temperament is quiet and silent, and he does not disturb neighboring countries.’ This is not what I am bragging about.”
"Really?" Joanna was a little doubtful: "They are not deliberately bragging to each other and deceiving other simple and ignorant people, are they?"
"Rome is so far away from Seris, and there was little contact at that time. How can we join forces to deceive the barbarians?" Guo Kang pointed out: "You people don't even understand ancient allusions, how can you know more than Roman scholars?"
At this time, Joanna was completely speechless.
"Of course, these have nothing to do with the battle itself." Guo Kang said: "In fact, because of his excessive love for peace, Seris's weapon development is relatively partial. Weapons such as swords and chariots are said to be foreign products. "
"But after they learned to use tanks, they quickly formed their own way of fighting, and eventually the entire military system also changed."
"The Seris chariot is much larger than its counterparts in the Middle East, and its positioning is very clear. "Six Taoists" says that the chariot has eight ways to win, and the combat method of each is to 'trap', that is, Charge directly into the enemy formation."
"The impact of the chariot on the plain is amazing. You know the battle of Gaugamela, right?" he asked Joanna.
"I know that." She nodded.
"Darius only invested 200 chariots in Gaugamela, and the quality of the Persian chariot soldiers was extremely poor. When Xenophon went to Persia to fight, he said that these people had almost no training, so that half of them People who are unable to stand firmly on the chariot will fall directly when the chariot is running. They are also easily frightened, and many people will directly choose to jump out of the chariot and flee, causing the chariot to lose control." Guo Kang said: "The battle of Darius So it was with the chariots. The Macedonians struck the shields with their spears and threatened the Persians, and the charioteers fled in fear."
"But even so, the surviving chariots still launched an attack. On the Macedonian left wing, the remaining 50 chariots successfully opened a gap. Diodorus recorded that the oncoming Macedonian soldiers were immediately torn apart by the chariots , and the others began to flee. The Persian cavalry on the right took this opportunity to break through the formation and came to the rear of the column."
"This example is obvious. The training of the Macedonian infantry is not excellent, but most of those who participated in the battle were veterans who had gone through several wars. The depth of the heavy infantry was 16 rows, and there was an equally thick reserve team in the rear ready to support .Their spears can also be used to resist the opponent's attacks."
"In various battles before and even after that, this formation was almost impossible to break from the front. Even when the Romans later faced the weakened heavy infantry, they were helpless. But in front of the chariot, it still seemed too fragile. "
"Moreover, there are only fifty vehicles in this round of attack, and there is a lack of cooperation from other arms." Guo Kang shook his head: "This obviously cannot show its true capabilities."
"In the war in Seris, the scale of the chariots was much larger. Around 600 years ago in Brother Tian's era, two medium-sized countries, Zheng and Song, fought in Daji. The number of chariots captured by the Song State at one time was 460. Around 400 BC, the great power Qi fought with the Three Jin Dynasties. After the defeat, two thousand chariots were captured at one time. By Alexander's time, the major vassal states in the Central Plains often invested thousands of chariots in one battle. .”
"If they were replaced, the Macedonian left wing would have to face about a thousand tanks instead of fifty. In the first round of shock waves, there would not be only a few single Persian tanks that were not abandoned or went astray. Chariots, but the impact of at least 300 to 500 Central Plains chariots and thousands of soldiers running with the chariots. Think about it, in this case, can the heavy infantry still play the role of maintaining the battle line? "
"In this case... it should be impossible to block it." Joanna thought for a while and said, "But how did the Seris people block it themselves?"
"With this kind of pure infantry and thin troops, don't worry, the Seris people themselves can't stop it." Guo Kang spread his hands: "Their response method is to use chariots to resist chariots, and then pull the military formation closer and closer. The thicker. By the time chariots became popular, the military formation was no longer a horizontal line, but a huge deep checkerboard formation with infantry and chariots arranged staggered."
"Because over there, any military formation must first face a question: Can you block the charge of a thousand tanks? If you can't block it, then there is no point in being fancy. Because no matter how advanced it is in theory, If you can't withstand a hard push, you can only be directly rejected by one vote."
"You see, at least here, the entire combat styles of Seris and the Mediterranean world have begun to differ." He finally concluded: "But can we use this to say who is more advanced and worthy of imitation? I I don’t think so.”
"If we want to learn other people's tactics, we must first clarify the environment and background. Otherwise, this kind of blind comparison is meaningless. I think you must first clarify this point."
(End of chapter)
