Limited by the production of long-barreled field guns, the two-and-a-half kilogram field guns, as the main equipment of the Chu Empire Army, have always been only equipped with the main forces.
Even if there is a six-gun two-and-a-half-pound field artillery post attached to the West Route Army Headquarters and the East Sichuan Headquarters, these two artillery posts are directly under the direct jurisdiction of these two headquarters and belong to the front-line combat force sequence. , and the garrison are not the same thing.
But now, the Da Chu Empire Army has decided to directly allocate a certain number of two-and-a-half kilogram field guns to each garrison division to strengthen the combat effectiveness of each garrison division.
It was very simple for Luo Zhixue to make this decision. The two-and-a-half-pound field cannon seemed inferior, and its power was far inferior to the five-pound field cannon and the nine-pound field cannon. However, it was still a long-range weapon that could shoot hundreds of meters away. , after being assigned to each garrison division, even if the number is smaller, each garrison division can still obtain a certain amount of long-range firepower.
This improvement in the combat effectiveness of each garrison division is even more obvious than directly adding thousands of men and hundreds of armors to them.
Early on, many generals, especially a group of garrison division generals represented by Huang Guangmao, wrote many times requesting that the garrison division be equipped with field artillery.
They don't expect five- and nine-pound field cannons, but they can get some two-and-a-half-pound field cannons.
However, it has been delayed and has not been formed. Only two two-and-a-half-pound artillery posts were separately organized on the Western Front where there is no large number of main troops. They are under the jurisdiction of the Western Front Command and the Eastern Sichuan Command respectively, and are used to distribute and coordinate with the Second Front. The 2nd Garrison Division and the 4th Garrison Division fought.
And now, there are a lot of two-and-a-half kilogram field artillery. Among the main divisions, the First Division and the Guards Division have all been equipped, and even many have been transferred to other units for use.
Several other main divisions are also gradually equipped with five-pound and nine-pound field guns. In the future, the two-and-a-half-pound field guns in each main division will gradually be converted into artillery for each regiment, with each division equipped with about thirty pieces.
Although the two and a half kilogram field guns in the main force are still not full, and due to production constraints, it will take several months before full strength.
However, this does not prevent Luo Zhixue from moving some two-and-a-half-pound field guns and assigning a small number of two-and-a-half-pound field guns to each garrison division to strengthen the long-range firepower of the garrison divisions.
According to the location of each garrison division and the strength of the Ming army on the opposite side, each garrison division will receive a varying number of two and a half kilograms of field artillery in the first batch.
The Sixth Garrison Division, the Seventh Garrison Division, and the Eighth Garrison Division, the three garrison divisions on the front line of Wuchang Prefecture, which directly cooperated with the First Division and the Guards Division, only received one field artillery post, that is, four guns. A quota of two and a half pounds of field artillery.
This is because the firepower of the First Division and the Guards Division is strong enough. If necessary during battle, the artillery units of the First Division or the Guards Division can be directly mobilized to support the operations of these three garrison divisions.
The First Garrison Division, a garrison division in Nanyang Prefecture, is located in the hinterland and performs strategic defense tasks in the north. The actual effect of typical field artillery such as the two-and-a-half-pound field gun must be discounted. At the same time, the There is also the Second Division, the main force second only to the First Division, in the direction.
Therefore, this garrison division only received a quota of one sentry and four two-and-a-half-pound field guns.
The two and a half pounds of field artillery obtained by the above four garrison divisions is said to be used for combat, but in fact it is more used to cultivate artillery strength and prepare for the subsequent equipment of more field artillery.
The remaining four garrison divisions are equipped with more two-and-a-half pound field artillery.
The Third Garrison Division located on the front line of Jingzhou Prefecture and the Fifth Garrison Division located on the front lines of De'an Prefecture and Huangzhou Prefecture all need to face the Ming army directly, so these two garrison divisions have more field artillery establishments of two and a half kilograms. One sentry, each with eight gates.
The Second Garrison Division operating on the front line in Hanzhong Prefecture and the Fourth Garrison Division operating in Kuizhou Prefecture in eastern Sichuan are more special. They will have a field artillery battalion with twelve two-and-a-half-pound field artillery.
In addition, more than 20 or 30 general guns ranging from 300 kilograms to 500 kilograms and Franco machine guns formed the divisional artillery regiment of the Second Garrison Division.
The reason why these two garrison divisions are equipped with more two-and-a-half-pound field artillery is because the strategic tasks of these two garrison divisions are relatively intense.
The Second Garrison Division of Hanzhong Prefecture faced the main force of the Ming Army under Hong Chengchou of Shaanxi. Many of these Shaanxi Ming Army were border troops, and their combat effectiveness was not weak. They fought hard with the Second Garrison Division in the Hanzhong Prefecture area. Back then, even more often the Second Defense Division was still on the defensive.
The Fourth Garrison Division of Kuizhou Prefecture faced the Sichuan soldiers led by Qin Liangyu. Qin Liangyu was quite famous in the late Ming Dynasty, and the white-pole soldiers under his command were not weak either. Don't think that this is just a girl. She was bullied. In fact, this woman was more powerful than most of the Ming army generals at the same time, and she was very good at leading troops in war.
Facing the Second and Fourth Defense Divisions of the two enemies mentioned above, the pressure is actually quite high.
After all, the war in this direction mainly relies on themselves, because the western front is not the main direction of the Chu Empire for the time being, and the strategy implemented is mainly defensive operations, so it is impossible to deploy too many main troops to garrison there.
The only troops stationed were stationed in the rear as a precaution.
The Army of the Dachu Empire only stationed one mixed battalion in Yunyang City in Hanzhong Prefecture and Yunyang City, which was the temporary first mixed battalion. It had an infantry battalion, an artillery sentry, a baggage sentry, and a cavalry sentry. The total strength is in the range of a thousand people.
In the early days, the mixed battalion was transferred from the Third Division to garrison Yunyang. However, the main strategic mission of the Third Division was on the eastern front. The main force was stationed in the eastern part of Xiangyang Prefecture and the front lines of De'an Prefecture and Huangzhou Prefecture. The division headquarters were transferred from Xiangyang to Yingshan County, De'an Prefecture.
A reinforced battalion previously transferred from the Third Division simply broke away from the Third Division's establishment and became an independent temporary first mixed battalion, under the command of the West Route Army Headquarters.
The same is true for the eastern Sichuan front line. In this direction, there is also only one mixed battalion stationed in Badongli, which is the temporary second mixed battalion.
The battalion was previously formed by drawing part of the troops from the Fourth Division and the First Division. When the battalion was transferred to Badong for garrison, they were all new recruits. Even the recruit training was completed only after garrison in Badong. of.
These two temporary mixed battalions are also an attempt by the Baoxiang Army to downsize the main force. After all, the Baoxiang Army's establishment scale is relatively large now. During regular operations, they often prefer to use a mixed brigade directly. Fight in a mixed group mode.
But for many places, it is not necessary to have a mixed group of two to three thousand people. A mixed camp of a thousand people is enough.
That’s why the mixed camp model emerged.
As for the two mixed camps, one is in Yunyang and the other is in Badong, and both of these places belong to the rear.
Their mission is not to siege the city, but to perform strategic defense tasks. Once the Ming army attacks, they will defend the Yunyang and Sichuan front lines.
On the western front, regardless of whether it was the Hanzhong Prefecture line or the Sichuan East line, the strategic scale of the Chu Empire had not changed, and it still focused on strategic defense.
As for the attack, that is a matter for the garrison division.
This garrison division can fight as long as it can. It doesn't matter if it can't be defeated. If the whole army is accidentally wiped out, there is also a mixed battalion of the main force behind it to guard the two strategic locations of Yunyang City and Badong and wait for the rear. Source of troops.
Without these two mixed battalions at the back, the Second and Fourth Defense Divisions at the front would not dare to be so promiscuous.
Because the battle on the front line is mainly fought by these two garrison divisions, and the Chu Empire also needs to continue to create pressure on the Ming court in these two directions, so as to avoid the Ming court thinking of transferring Sichuan troops and Shaanxi troops.
Therefore, with a wave of his hand, Luo Zhixue assigned an additional twelve-gun field artillery battalion to each of the two garrison divisions.
After these artillery pieces arrive one after another and are in the hands of each garrison division, they will play a very obvious role in improving the combat effectiveness of each garrison division.
Luo Zhixue is looking forward to this.
————
Time gradually passed while sorting out internal affairs and expanding and reorganizing the army. December soon ended and the new year ushered in.
During the New Year, Luo Zhixue also hosted a banquet for all ministers and gave rewards to some of them.
Not only Luo Zhixue, but also the mother of a country, Queen Wang, who had just become queen, also invited the female relatives of important civil and military officials in the Chu Empire to the palace to watch the show, and at the same time arranged for people to send New Year's gifts to each family.
During this period, Luo Zhixue also personally arranged an engagement for Xu Zhixian, the chief of staff under him, so that the old bachelor could find a wife.
After a few days of excitement during the New Year, and after a few days of relaxation, the Da Chu Empire was in high gear again.
As the driver of the war machine of the Chu Empire, His Majesty Luo Zhixue started working full-time on the third day of the new year, and he also worked overtime every day, which caused many concubines in the harem to have objections.
This Chinese New Year guy, why can't he even see a single person? The noodles are almost burnt and he won't even take a bite!
Since the end of the year, Luo Zhixue has been busy with all kinds of things, mainly because there are many kinds of ceremonies during the New Year, including worshiping ancestors, summoning ministers, banquets, etc. He is busier than all the ministers.
After all the New Year activities were over, there were a lot of things waiting for him to get busy.
Because after the Spring Festival, it can be regarded as spring. Even though it is still freezing and snowy, spring is approaching.
When the ice and snow melt and the temperature gets warmer, it will be time for the Chu Empire to launch a new round of offensive.
Now, Luo Zhixue will lead a group of civil and military ministers to prepare for the subsequent spring offensive.
Various military forces must be mobilized in advance, materials must be reserved in advance, and each unit must conduct relevant adaptive training in advance.
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Luo Zhixue officially established the South Route Army Headquarters, with Major General Han Ziping, commander of the Fifth Division, serving as concurrent commander.
The Southern Route Army will have jurisdiction over the 5th Division, the 3rd Garrison Division, the 8th Garrison Division, the 2nd Mortar Regiment, the 1st Cavalry Brigade and several transport regiments of the Logistics Department.
The strategic task of the South Route Army is to launch an offensive against Yuezhou Prefecture, Changsha Prefecture, Changde Prefecture, Jingzhou Prefecture, Hengyang Prefecture, Baoqing Prefecture on the south bank of the Yangtze River and other places in southern Chu after the weather gets warmer, in order to seize most of the southern Chu region. .
At the same time, the Hanshui Fleet of the Navy and part of the Yangtze River Fleet were combined into the Xiangjiang Fleet to fight with the army.
In order to prepare for the Chunan offensive, Luo Zhixue did not hesitate to temporarily transfer some backbones and artillery units from the Fourth Division, Sixth Division and Guards Division to supplement and strengthen the Fifth Division.
The fifth division must be fully equipped before the Chunan offensive is launched, and this will be the second truly fully equipped main division in the Great Chu Empire Army after the first division.
