Suzhou is located on the bank of the Bian River. It is a transportation hub and a battleground for military strategists. The artillery that Xu Wen snatched back was transported here.
Wan Yanchang was originally stationed in Suqian, the southernmost site on Shandong Road. During the war, he went to Surabaya, captured Chuzhou, and entered the canal. With the help of the canal, we can reach Yangzhou and face the Yangtze River. If Runzhou is captured, continue southward along the canal and attack Lin'an Prefecture. It is the most convenient way to attack the Song Dynasty from the north of the Yangtze River and penetrates directly into the vital points.
But artillery is a powerful weapon in land warfare, and it cannot be used on waterways in this era. However, Huaidong is densely covered with water networks, and horse-drawn cannons are inconvenient to maneuver, which will affect the attack speed of the entire army. Wanyanchang came east from Suqian and settled in Suzhou. During the war, he took Haozhou to attack Luzhou and went south by land.
In the school yard, a soldier peeled a pear and handed it to Wan Yanchang.
Wan Yanchang took the pear and took a bite. It was crispy and juicy. He couldn't help but praise: "It is said that Dangshan has good crisp pears, and it is indeed well-deserved! Eating one of these pears often is a human pleasure! Hebei also produces pears, but they are not as juicy."
The soldier said: "Now is the season for eating pears, so Dangshan County sent several loads."
Wan Yanchang said: "The local officials there are really good at getting things done."
At this time, Dangshan County belonged to Shanzhou and was under the rule of Shandong Road. It was the fundamental place of Wanyanchang.
The division of states and counties in this area was very awkward for later generations, and was very different from the later prefectures and cities. The most typical one is Xuzhou, which belonged to Henan Road when the world was divided in the Tang Dynasty, to Jingdong Road in the Song Dynasty, to Shandong Road during the Puppet Qi Dynasty, and to Shandong Road in the Jin Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was changed to the Jiangbei Province of Henan, and in the Ming Dynasty it belonged to the Southern Zhili Province. The Qing Dynasty divided Jiangnan Province into two provinces, Jiangsu and Anhui, and belonged to Jiangsu Province. When the People's Republic of China was first founded, Xuzhou was under the administration of Shandong Province for a few years and then under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province. It is wrong for people in Xuzhou to say that Xuzhou is originally the territory of Jiangsu. Not to mention that Jiangsu Province emerged later, for a long time in history, the division of Xuzhou changed with Shandong Province.
When talking about the division of administrative divisions in China, in addition to population and economic factors, there are two other factors that must be mentioned, namely, the mountains and rivers, the shapes and the interlacing of the canines. It must be noted that the Han Dynasty before the Yuan Dynasty was mainly based on the shape of mountains and rivers. For example, the Jiangnan area is divided into Huainan Road, Jiangnan Road and Liangzhe Road. Hanzhong is one of the four roads in Sichuan and is basically divided according to geography. When the Mongols took over the Central Plains, in order to prevent the Han people from becoming independent, they used canines on a large scale. Hanzhong was assigned to Shaanxi. During the Qing Dynasty, when Jiangnan was divided into two provinces, it was deliberately separated from east to west instead of from north to south. The famous Thirteen Taibos in Jiangsu were created because the Qing Dynasty deliberately divided them in this way, not because the Chinese regime has always been like this.
After everything was ready, Xu Wen and He Ning went to Wan Yanchang to report.
Wan Yanchang looked at He Ning sideways and said: "Xu Wenbojin went to Huangzhou and easily brought the cannon, craftsmen and drawings together. But you were useless and killed all the craftsmen on the way. If not for this, today Why bother!"
He Ning just crossed her hands and didn't dare to talk.
What can I say? Xu Wen was on the road in a hurry and the army was on the verge of collapse. With a good life and death left in their own hands, this army massacred the village and even killed the craftsmen. The situation at that time, don’t say that you were not there, what would you do if you were? Wanyanchang was a veteran in the military, would he not know about this situation? It's just that Xu Wen was sent by Wan Yanchang, and now he wants to take away He Ning's credit. He Ning has the trouble to say it.
Xu Wendao: "Lang Jun, although all the craftsmen have been killed, fortunately there are still a few artillerymen from the Song Army who can guide us in how to use the artillery. They say that artillery is very powerful. Let's test-fire a cannon today to see how it goes. The Song Army tried it Most of the cannons were made of wood for test firing. We didn't have time, so we found some big wood to replace them."
Wan Yanchang said: "Some people say that an artillery can destroy several miles with one shot, but I don't believe it! Let's see today. How powerful is it?"
Xu Wen nodded, took out a whistle, and raised a small flag. He said to Wan Yanchang: "Wang Xiao's hunting army is different from other armies. In addition to the golden drum flag, this kind of flag and whistle are also widely used. I am far away from the artillery, but with just a wave of the small flag, the gunner knows to fire .”
Wan Yanchang said: "Artillery is a new thing, so it naturally has new flags and drums. Just wave the flag and fire off a cannon to see."
Xu Wen said. He picked up the small flag and placed it above his head, shaking it a few times.
When the artilleryman over there saw it, he also picked up a small flag and waved it three times.
Xu Wen saw it and waved the small flag in his hand suddenly. The artillery flag was placed on the chest, seemingly saluting Xu Wen.
The gunner on the side picked up the red-hot fire stick and moved it to the fuse. The fuze was seen smoking and burning forward quickly.
With an earth-shattering sound, smoke rose and an iron bullet flew forward. It doesn't look fast, but it actually arrives quickly.
Although Wan Yanchang was old in the military, it was the first time he heard such a loud sound and he couldn't help but be stunned. I watched the iron bullet fly to the wood a mile away, breaking five or six large trees before hitting the ground.
Looking ahead blankly, after a long while, Wanyanchang said: "This cannon passed, it hit accurately, and the military formation of dozens of people was destroyed! How can the enemy form an array on the battlefield with such a magical weapon? ? It’s indeed a divine weapon!”
Xu Wendao: "To tell you the truth, we were in a hurry along the way, and this was the first time we saw a cannon fired. I didn't expect it to be so powerful!"
Wan Yanchang stood up, walked quickly to the big tree, and carefully inspected the broken wood. After reading it again, he said: "The military formations on the battlefield are usually three to five rows, and no more than ten rows at most. This cannon shot just penetrated a military formation. Straight mother-in-law, if you encounter such a murderous person on the battlefield, A sharp weapon, if you pull it out, you will die unjustly!"
Historically, it took hundreds of years from the emergence of practical artillery to the development of artillery to what it is now in Wang Xiao's hunting army. Over hundreds of years, attackers and defenders adapted to each other, still causing huge vibrations by the time of Napoleon. If the geographical conditions are right now, there is basically no way for Wang Xiaolie's army to survive if they encounter it. It's just that China's territory is large and its geography is complex. Artillery often cannot keep up with the army's maneuvering speed, which limits the use of artillery.
However, the use of this kind of artillery also places high demands on the army. The gunner is not only able to load gunpowder and ignite, but also knows how to aim and shoot accurately. The aiming of artillery requires certain mathematical knowledge.
The command of the army is more delicate, and the previous golden drum is far from enough. Just like the flag, Wang Xiao's hunting army actually has a special semaphore for artillery. On the battlefield, it only takes a short time to pass the order from the commander to the gunner's position, without the need for a messenger to pass on the order.
In three or four years, Wang Xiaolie's reform of the army has been basically completed, and the army has been completely transformed. The biggest change is in the command below the battalion level. The handsome flag no longer simply commands attack, stop, and retreat, but has a semaphore. The bugle is no longer just a signal for attack, it has become a bugle, and there are more changes. There are also more whistles in the army for command at night.
As a commander, he can accurately command everyone on the battlefield, and most of the time there is no need for messengers to pass orders. Basically, having the controller direct everything on the spot allows everyone to play their part. The actual effect is equivalent to two or three times more people.
Wang Xiaolie carefully studied the battle cases of the Song Army. In addition to frequent crashes, there is another common problem. On the battlefield, most people often do not participate in the battle, but just watch from the side. The participating armies failed and they fled. Only when the participating troops are victorious will they rush forward.
In addition to the lack of determination of the middle and lower-level generals in fighting, there is another important reason: backward command methods.
The Song Dynasty repeatedly emphasized that it would be dictatorial. Whether it is defending or fighting, there must be orders from the commander. But on the real battlefield, if command methods are not available, it will become a battle to the death, with most of the troops watching. The general had an accident and either died or fled, and the whole army fled.
From the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, China often organized wars involving hundreds of thousands of people. Such a battle requires delicate command, which is much more complicated than the armies of later generations after the Song Dynasty. Since the late Tang Dynasty, this ability has gradually disappeared.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the great powers attacked and began to train a new type of army. All systems and command methods were learned from the West. And China’s thousands of years of tradition, as well as the experience and lessons summed up from it, were all abandoned. It's not that tradition has no value, but because the Qing army abandoned it before.
Military affairs are science and must use scientific methods. Scientifically mobilize, scientifically train, scientifically manage, scientifically command, and use scientific methods to handle military affairs. Instead of saying "use culture to control military power", I thought I knew the secret of the Song Dynasty's military incompetence. To discuss it this way is to insult people's intelligence.
