Among the additional funds given to the army and navy, these are still a small portion. What is more important is the funds used to expand the main force.
That is to say, it was officially confirmed that the temporary fifth mixed battalion would be expanded into the tenth division.
Some troops were transferred from the 2nd Guards Division to form the 11th Division.
These two divisions, like the Second Guards Division, will be new armies equipped with rifles and adopting new tactics.
Since the Suifa pistol was developed at the beginning of the year, the Dachu Empire's plan to train new troops equipped with Suifa rifles has been on the agenda.
In the first half of the year, Luo Zhixue ordered the establishment of the temporary fifth mixed battalion. This battalion is a very typical experimental unit. They have successively received hundreds of hand-produced Suifa rifles for various preliminary tests.
The main purpose is to test the Suifa rifle in order to find out some problems with the Suifa rifle in actual practice and then solve them.
Develop an operation manual for the Suifa rifle and standardize tactical actions.
What is even more important is to experiment with various new tactics using the Suifa rifle.
When a new weapon is put into use, it does not mean that soldiers can get the new weapon.
Because the performance characteristics of weapons are different, the tactical advantages and flaws they bring will be different. If you want to truly bring out the performance of new weapons, you need to match them with corresponding new tactics.
For example, after the Chu Empire developed a lightweight short-barreled large-caliber matchlock gun based on the bird gun, the initial tactics used were actually no different from the original bird gun, and when fighting the enemy, it was easy to Being broken out of formation by the enemy, the Musketeers often had to face close-range melee combat.
Therefore, the musketeers of the early Chu army needed to be equipped with an additional waist knife and undergo strict training in order to continue fighting after falling into a close-range melee.
But when the Da Chu Empire added a sleeve spear to the Yuan Nian matchlock gun, it was completely different.
In addition to shooting, the musketeer can also be temporarily transformed into a lightly armored spearman by stabbing the gun through the sleeve.
Since then, although the musketeers of the Dachu Empire continued to be equipped with waist knives, they had changed from the heavier and longer traditional waist knives used by shield-hands to lighter and shorter short waist knives.
The waist knife is no longer the main weapon in melee, but has evolved into a secondary weapon.
Tactically, the Chu army's arquebusiers will also be more inclined to fire intensively at close range, that is, two rows of soldiers fire together, and all six rows of musketeers fire within three rounds.
And after firing the match, the six rows of soldiers changed into three rows, and the distance between the soldiers changed from more than one meter to shoulder to shoulder.
That is to say, a dense formation in the traditional sense, and the use of spiked matchlocks for combat.
Changes in weapons require corresponding new tactics to match.
This is even more true with today's Suifa guns.
Several cavalry units equipped with Suifa pistols are currently undergoing intense adaptive training. What are they training for?
The main training is on the use of Suifa pistols in close-range melee tactics.
In addition, half-turn tactics similar to mounted archery will be trained to replace the lack of mounted archery ability of these half-hearted cavalry.
The pistol half-turn tactic developed by the Chu army's cavalry is actually similar to the traditional mounted shooting tactic.
How is traditional mounted archery combat conducted?
This does not mean just riding up and then stopping to shoot arrows. Instead, it is divided into waves. The cavalry rushes up and then turns in a large radius. During the turning process, it directly bends its bow and shoots arrows on the high-speed horse to attack the enemy infantry array. Throws a lot of arrows.
At the same time, if the enemy infantry array collapses, they will directly draw their swords and carry out a cavalry charge to expand the results.
Well, the prerequisite for riding and shooting into the formation is that the enemy formation has collapsed.
And there are also restrictions on mounted shooting. For example, if the infantry array on the opposite side has a large number of infantry archers, it will be shot into hedgehogs by the enemy's infantry archers...
Therefore, most of the time, even elite cavalry who are good at mounted archery will not do anything to rush forward and shoot arrows. They rely more on the short-distance mobility brought by the war horses themselves to contain the enemy through frequent and fast maneuvers. Force the enemy to change their formation and create opportunities for the main infantry.
Or you can wait for a hole in the enemy's formation and then charge forward to fight.
As for this set of things, the most slippery ones are not the cavalry of the nomadic tribes, but the cavalry of the Central Plains Dynasty.
To be precise, it was the Ming Army cavalry in the early Ming Dynasty. They were really slippery. The Mongolian cavalry would have been beaten to death in front of the cavalry in the early Ming Dynasty...
What did Zhu Yuanzhang rely on to conquer the world: riding archery and firearms!
Later, during the Qi Jiajun period, the Mingbian Army basically still had this set of rules, and it was still very easy to use.
While they were using elite cavalry to raid the formation, they were using a vehicle formation equipped with a large number of light artillery as the core to continuously approach the enemy. They were fighting against the Mongolian cavalry who still had the tactical thinking of hundreds of years ago...
When it comes to Dongdu now, although they are different in details, they are similar.
When fighting, the cavalry stayed on the side or maneuvered to force the Ming army to change formations.
The heavy armored infantry of the Chinese army charged into the formation and fought under the cover of shield vehicles. In this way, the Ming army's vehicle formation was basically in vain.
After the Ming army's chariot formation and infantry formation collapsed, the Dongniu cavalry would rush out to expand the results.
It can be seen from this that traditional Eastern cavalry rarely directly rushes into battle, but more often strives for advantages for one's own main infantry unit.
This was true even during the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties...
To bring the Mongolian and Yuan iron weapons all the way to the Danube, they relied not only on cavalry and light infantry, but also a large number of heavy armored cavalry, as well as a large number of armored infantry and artillery.
War has involved multiple arms cooperating with each other since ancient times. It is impossible for a single arm to sweep the entire battlefield.
No matter how powerful a single unit is, it will be targeted and restrained.
As for the Chu Empire, due to the lack of war horses and the lack of well-trained cavalry, the number of cavalry was not large, and there were even fewer elite cavalry.
Under this situation, the Dachu Empire tried its best to find the Suifa pistol, and tried to recruit pistol cavalry to strengthen its own cavalry.
It's not easy to get the Pistol Cavalry out. It takes a long time to try and train.
In a short period of time, it is basically impossible to see the Chu army's pistol cavalry appearing on the battlefield in large numbers. ,
The Chu army's pistol cavalry have not even mastered the tactics of firing pistols in melee.
After the cavalry was equipped with pistols, there were so many problems.
After the rifles are issued and equipped with infantry, there will also be many problems.
In this way, the temporary fifth mixed battalion was established.
After nearly half a year of various experiments, the Dachu Imperial Army finally managed to figure out a new tactic using the Suifa rifle through the temporary fifth mixed battalion.
It can't even be simply described by tactics, but a whole new set of tactical concepts, which involves not only the infantry itself, but also the tactics of infantry, cavalry and even baggage units.
Even the logistics have changed.
After all, the infantrymen with new rifles will all be equipped with flintlock muskets, which means that the consumption of ammunition used by muskets will increase exponentially.
At the same time, a large number of flintlock musket equipment will also greatly increase the number of damaged muskets, which requires an increase in the number of gun repair craftsmen accompanying the army.
The equipment of flintlock muskets led to a series of changes.
This is also the reason why in addition to infantry, the temporary fifth mixed battalion also has a variety of other arms, including field artillery, mortar artillery, cavalry, baggage troops, engineering troops, etc.
A military band was even set up in order to better command the troops to advance and retreat in formation.
Because after the Fifth Mixed Battalion discovered that the troops used flintlock rifles and the infantry fired many times, if there was no wind on the battlefield, it would be easy for the smoke to fill up, making it difficult for the soldiers to see their immediate commanders, and the sound on the battlefield would be relatively loud. It’s not very reliable for people to shout commands.
Finally, referring to the original way of commanding the army by beating drums and gongs, special drummers were directly set up to use drums with good sound penetration as a way to guide the infantry forward and backward.
The above small details are only a small part of the temporary fifth mixed battalion's exploration of new tactics.
Based on many tests of the temporary fifth mixed battalion, the General Staff prepared more than 20 manuals for the new unit developed by the Tactical Division, covering the training and tactics of each arm under the new tactical system, and more importantly The mutual cooperation between the various arms and so on.
The most core one is the Infantry Drill Code, which covers the training and combat of new riflemen, including basic tactical applications, etc.
Through the efforts of the temporary fifth mixed battalion, the Da Chu Empire has initially figured out a whole new tactical system.
The first application of this set of tools was in the Second Guards Division.
The Second Guards Division was established entirely in accordance with the needs of the new army. Even its organization was different from the original main division, not to mention the garrison divisions.
The Second Guards Division mainly consists of three infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, a cavalry regiment, a baggage regiment, an engineering battalion, and other auxiliary units such as military police, military music, and military medicine.
Compared with the previous main force, the brigade-level organization has been cancelled. This is mainly because if another brigade-level organization is added, it will become a four-regiment organization. Such an infantry division with a new organization will have too many troops. It will reach more than 20,000 people.
After the infantry brigade establishment is abolished, the infantry regiment will replace the previous brigades and become the basic combat unit. During wartime, it will be combined with artillery, cavalry, and baggage to form a mixed regiment to fight alone.
Therefore, an infantry regiment will have three infantry battalions and one artillery battalion (a four-gun two-and-a-half-pound field gun and a four-gun eighteen-pound mortar.)
Each infantry battalion has six sentries, five of which are line infantry sentries, with one hundred and twenty line infantrymen, and one is a grenadier sentry, with a strength of one hundred and twenty men.
This is also the first time that the grenadiers, as a new unit, have officially appeared in the Chu army's establishment. In the past, the grenadiers of the Chu army were incorporated into the sword and shield teams of each battalion on weekdays and into the commandos during wartime. .
Together with other people in the battalion headquarters, the strength of the entire infantry battalion will reach about 900 people.
The substantial increase in battalion-level strength also led to a substantial increase in the number of infantry regiments in the new units, which also led to the cancellation of the brigade-level establishment.
Because such a new infantry regiment will have a strength of more than 3,000 people, if the division headquarters supports some five-pound field artillery and cavalry, it can become a mixed regiment of more than 4,000 people in minutes.
Just looking at the number of people, it is actually not much less than the previous mixed brigade.
If these two infantry regiments are organized into a brigade, then a brigade will reach more than 7,000 people. If paired with corresponding artillery and cavalry to form a mixed brigade model, it will reach a huge number of 8,000 or 9,000 people.
Under such circumstances, it was naturally not suitable. Therefore, when the Chu army formulated a new organization, it simply canceled the brigade-level organization and adopted an organization of three large-scale infantry regiments under the direct jurisdiction of the division.
Three large infantry regiments, plus a divisional cavalry regiment of 600 cavalry; a full baggage regiment of 2,000 men; and 12 nine-pound field cannons and twenty-four five-pound field cannons. , twelve 48-pound mortar cannons, and the total number of division artillery regiments reached nearly 2,000.
Then there are other messy troops directly under the division headquarters, so the strength of the entire Second Guards Division, when fully combat-ready, will reach about 15,000.
Compared with the previous main division of more than 14,000 people, although it is still an increase, it is acceptable.
In fact, Luo Zhixue had repeatedly considered reducing the strength of the newly formed infantry regiment, and wanted to continue to formulate divisions and brigade regiments.
However, after discussing with some of the army generals responsible for the formation of new troops, this plan was abandoned.
Because the core of the new organization is actually not a regiment, a brigade, or a division.
But an infantry battalion.
The core of the new tactics is to create an infantry battalion that can perfectly utilize the performance of the flintlock rifle. Multiple infantry posts cooperate with each other to form a line to gather intensive firepower to attack the enemy.
As for whether you call such a 900-man unit an infantry battalion or an infantry regiment, it actually doesn't matter. It's just a question of matching the title and military rank.
Similarly, there is actually not much difference whether an infantry regiment has three battalions or two battalions. If you have two battalions, the combat effectiveness will be slightly worse. If you have three battalions, the combat effectiveness will be stronger, and the essential impact will not be too great.
Because the basic tactical unit of the new army is the battalion.
As long as there is a battalion with corresponding artillery and cavalry to cooperate, it can fight alone.
In the end, this new organization of 16,000 people was created.
However, in the new organization, the brigade-level organization has not disappeared, because under the new tactical system, there are not only infantry divisions, but also independent cavalry and artillery units. In the independent artillery unit, there are artillery brigades and cavalry brigades. The organization also retains the organization of the mixed brigade.
Before the Eastward Campaign, Luo Zhixue had already finalized the training of the Second Guards Division. In the past six months, the Second Guards Division has successively recruited nearly 10,000 new soldiers for training.
Of course, their training would not include any rifles. Instead, they would conduct simulated training with model guns.
After all, the Suifa rifle has not been put into mass production so far, not even a small-scale trial production. They have temporarily compiled the Suifa rifle for use by the Fifth Mixed Battalion, but the military spent a high price to let the Ministry of Industry Bian mobilized a large number of senior craftsmen to make it purely by hand.
Not to mention expensive, and because it is only an early experimental model, many of it is imperfect...
But at any rate, the Second Guards Division has begun training.
At the same time, according to a report from the Ministry of Industry, the production line for the Suifa rifle has been initially completed, and trial production is expected to begin next month, followed by formal mass production around December.
According to the estimated production capacity of the Suifa rifle production line at Hantian Arsenal, the annual output is about 50,000 pieces, and the monthly output is about 4,000 pieces.
According to this production capacity, the first batch of troops equipped with mass-produced Suifa rifles, that is, the Second Guards Division, will gradually obtain Suifa muskets next month. It is expected that they will be able to obtain all Suifa rifle quotas by March next year. After a month of final adaptive training, the army will be initially formed at the end of March or early April next year.
The preparations for the Second Guards Division were almost complete, so Luo Zhixue naturally set his sights on the training of a new batch of troops.
After all, it is impossible to hurriedly organize and train new units when the Second Guards Division is completed. It is necessary to prepare personnel in advance and conduct training. Once the equipment arrives, initial combat effectiveness will be formed after adaptive training.
Therefore, Luo Zhixue ordered that the experimental unit be temporarily organized into the fifth mixed battalion, directly expanded into the 10th division, and trained in strict accordance with the new tactics, which is the same as the 2nd Guards Division.
Because the predecessor of the 10th Division was the temporary fifth mixed battalion, various frameworks were already in place, so it was easy to prepare. After the establishment was expanded, flintlock rifles could be obtained one after another next year, and it is expected to be initially formed into an army before July.
Therefore, Luo Zhixue also plans to prepare for the training of the third main force, the 11th Division, one step ahead.
The division will not recruit new recruits on a large scale for the time being. Instead, it will first set up a framework and train a group of backbones. It will then replenish and train new recruits on a large scale in the first half of next year, so that it can successfully form an army in the second half of the year.
After Luo Zhixue established the 10th Division and the 11th Division in order to expand the main force next year, it attracted the attention of a group of mid-level and senior generals in the army.
The position of senior general in the Chu army's main division is inherently very important, far beyond the positions in the garrison.
As for the 10th Division and the 11th Division, these two divisions will be new units using flintlock rifles.
Nowadays, many senior generals are more or less aware of, and have even seen with their own eyes the huge power of the new troops using flintlock guns and the new tactics.
New troops using flintlock muskets are the future of the Army.
Everyone wants to get on board one step ahead in this era of tactical changes, so as not to fall behind the times and be squeezed out of the core of power of the future army.
However, their competition did not last long, because in order to avoid the vacancies in the new army, Luo Zhixue caused internal turmoil in the army and cut off the chaos quickly.
Directly transfer Zhang Malin, the commander of the Sixth Division who performed very well in the Eastern Expedition, as the new commander of the Tenth Division.
This may seem like a smooth transfer, but being transferred to take control of a new unit like the 10th Division is enough to prove Luo Zhixue's trust in him.
Lieutenant Colonel Ji Baolin, the original temporary commander of the fifth mixed battalion, was promoted two levels in a row, was awarded the rank of brigadier general, and served as deputy commander of the newly formed 10th Division.
In fact, this person was the core figure in the subsequent formation and training of the 10th Division into an army.
Zhang Malin, that's just here to take charge.
For the 11th Division, although there was only a new framework in a short period of time, the main person in charge was finalized early.
The commander of the 11th Division was transferred from Brigadier General Cai Siyuan, commander of the 2nd Guards Brigade of the 1st Guards Division, and promoted to major general. The deputy division commander was Brigadier General Lin Feibai, deputy director of the Establishment Department.
After some mobilization, many people quickly gave up their thoughts and continued to focus on the eastward campaign.
Although the Chu army has now captured Jinling City, it does not mean that it has captured the entire Jiangnan.
Jiangnan is so big, but most other places are still under the control of the Ming army. What the Chu army has to do now is to capture as many cities as possible before the heavy snow falls.
Just when Luo Zhixue wanted to let his army continue to launch an offensive to seize the city before it snowed, on October 23, Jinling City Yuhuatai ushered in the first snow of the year.
And when it comes, it’s a blizzard!
Looking at the goose feather snowflakes still falling in the sky, Luo Zhixue sighed:
Yes, it is impossible to quickly conquer other places in Jiangnan now.
This kind of weather will probably have a big impact on civilian production, let alone continue large-scale military operations.
