At the mouth of the Qingdao River in Laizhou, Shandong Province, construction work is going on in many places along the harbor. Many ships are moored in the harbor, and many of them are warships equipped with artillery.
This is the Qingdao Naval Base that the Dachu Empire Navy has started constructing in the past two years.
Previously, the main naval base of the Chu Empire in the north was Penglai Port. However, the harbor here was not good and lacked a deep-water shelter, so it was moved to Weihaiwei Port.
Starting from Weihaiwei Port, the Da Chu Empire Navy launched a large-scale landing operation against the Liaodong Peninsula in the sixth year of Chengshun. At that time, Weihaiwei Port was also at its peak, and there were a large number of military ships in the harbor every day. In and out.
However, after capturing the Port of Port Arthur on the opposite Liaodong Peninsula, because Port Arthur has an excellent deep-water sheltered port, the empire's naval fleet operating in the northern seas gradually moved to Port Arthur as its main base to support the Liaodong region. The operation included a series of operations deep into the Liaohe and Yalu Rivers as well as material transportation operations.
In this way, Weihaiwei gradually became an ordinary transit port.
After the victory of the Liaodong Battle last year, the navy no longer played a big role in the northern seas. Therefore, a large number of warships began to withdraw from this sea area, with some staying at Lushun Port and some at Weihaiwei Port.
Some of them were transferred to the Port of Busan at the southernmost tip of the Koryo Peninsula to control the coastal defense security of the Koryo Peninsula, combat Japanese pirates, deter the Fusang people on the opposite side, and protect the safety of the merchant ships of the Dachu Empire heading east for trade.
The last part was transferred to Qingdao on the southeast coast of Shandong.
Qingdao itself is a natural deep-water port, which is very suitable for use as a naval base. At the same time, there are no other good large-scale ports hundreds of miles north that can be used as a large-scale military base. Therefore, the navy is preparing to focus on the development of Qingdao Port. .
As a result, the Da Chu Empire Navy has three main naval bases in the waters north of the Yangtze River, each responsible for different directions.
Qingdao, mainly facing the Yellow Sea, is a relatively typical ocean-going fleet. It is responsible for controlling and guarding most of the vast northern seas of the Chu Empire, protecting the coastal security of Jiangbei and Shandong, and can also provide close support to the coastal areas south of the Yangtze River.
Lushun is responsible for operations in the Bohai Sea and parts of the Yellow Sea, and is responsible for protecting the coastline security along the northern coast of Shandong, Hebei, and Liaodong.
Busan is responsible for parts of the Yellow Sea, Tsushima Strait, Whale Sea (Sea of Japan) and other sea areas. It is responsible for protecting the coastal security of the East China Sea (southern Koryo Peninsula) and Liaobei Province (Jilin + northeast Koryo Peninsula). It is also directly responsible for Fuso's Maritime combat affairs.
In addition to these three major naval bases, there are also a number of small and medium-sized naval bases, such as Haizhou, Weihaiwei, Penglai, Tianjin, Shanhaiguan, Liaohekou, Zhenjiang (Dandong at the mouth of the Yalu River), Ganghwa Island (Seoul), etc.
These small and medium-sized naval bases are either supply ports for naval warships, or are nearby to protect the estuaries of rivers and important coastal cities.
For example, Haizhou Port is a typical supply port.
For example, the Ganghwa Island Naval Base, which used to be the island where the Lee Dynasty used to vacation and escape disasters, was directly transformed into a military base. It not only stationed the army, but also stationed the navy's warships. The naval fleet was to protect Seoul and at the same time Blockade the Han River to prevent potential enemies and even pirate ships from traveling directly along the river and into the interior.
There are quite a lot of naval bases in the Da Chu Empire, and apart from a few special large naval bases, most of these bases are not purely naval bases, but are often shared by the military and civilians.
For example, Tianjin Port is currently the largest civilian port of the Chu Empire in the northern region, covering the entire northern region. The so-called naval base of the Navy in Tianjin Port is actually a dock built to park warships. Just a few barracks and warehouses.
The same situation exists at the mouth of Liaohe River.
However, the two major ports of Qingdao and Lushun are currently relatively pure naval bases, because there is no commercial activity in these places. If the navy does not build large-scale bases, Qingdao Port will still be deserted, with only a few small fishing villages.
As the navy develops here and attracts more people, land resources will naturally gradually gather in these places. By then, these two ports may become a large-scale military-civilian complex like Wusong Port. Port.
But, these things will happen many years later.
Today, Qingdao Port, which is under development and construction, has welcomed several large-scale sea-going ships. Naturally, most of the ships that can come to this port at this time are navy ships, and private ships rarely come. This large-scale sea-going ship The ship was flying the flag of the Chu Empire Navy.
There are two navy frigates and eight transport ships in this fleet. At first glance, it seems that it is a fleet of the Dachu Empire Navy.
But when the ship docked, the people who walked off the pier were not navy officers, but a large number of army soldiers wearing gray military uniforms.
Major General Xu Delin looked at the large number of soldiers under his command who were landing one after another. His face was a little pale and he looked better.
"I finally got over it. I will never take a boat again. This boat was so rocking that I almost vomited out all the food I had eaten last month!"
Xu Delin was quite excited and even curious on the first day after boarding the ship at the mouth of the Liaohe River. After all, this was the first time he led his troops to conduct long-distance maneuvers on a sea-going ship. This kind of experience had never been experienced before.
But Xu Delin regretted it after actually getting on the boat!
It's not that he has never been on a boat, but he has never been on such an uncomfortable boat!
When Xu Delin led troops to fight in the past, he often took boats to cross rivers, and also took inland river boats to and from the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
But... only after he actually got on a big ship and went out to sea did Xu Delin realize that his previous ship ride experience was child's play!
In just one day, Xu Delin could not stop vomiting, and by the next day, his whole face was pale.
If it weren't for the military orders, Xu Delin would have disembarked from the ship and set foot on the earth again, but there was no way. His superiors ordered his 15th Division to move to Shandong. Even if he vomited and couldn't get up, he had to be carried there.
Military orders are like mountains, this is no joke.
This journey was definitely the most uncomfortable one for Xu Delin in his more than ten years in the army.
But now it's finally here. When Xu Delin got off the boat and landed on the shore, he felt extremely at ease and his face looked a little better.
He immediately ordered the adjutant beside him: "Hurry up and get the soldiers off the boat as soon as possible. There is really no place for people on the boat!"
"Also make arrangements with the Navy to allow the soldiers to enter the camp and rest as soon as possible!"
The adjutant immediately took orders to urge him.
Bao Gaofei, chief of staff of the 15th Division, also looked scared: "I heard from the 23rd Division before that they could directly launch a large-scale attack after crossing the sea by boat, and their combat power would not be reduced. I didn’t think it was anything at first, but after a while, I finally understood why the superiors like to deploy the 23rd Division to carry out cross-sea landing operations so much!”
"It's not that I like it, but that I have no choice. Those who can land across the sea and still maintain combat effectiveness. There is only one 23rd Division in our army now. This seasickness is too uncomfortable!"
"If it were our division, and we would launch a landing operation after taking a boat for several days, I'm afraid most of the soldiers wouldn't even be able to stand firmly!"
Xu Delin on the side said: "That's natural. I don't have any skills. Otherwise, how could the 23rd Division become the treasure of the superiors? Wherever they have military exploits, just transfer them there!"
"Earlier during the Northern Expedition, they were transferred to Shandong. When they were attacking Liaodong, they were transferred to the Liaodong Peninsula. This year, during the northern Liaoning campaign, they were shipped to the Yalu River for landing operations. This time they were all eaten. Hold on!"
"If there is any cross-sea landing operation in the future, this 23rd Division will still be the first choice!"
At this time, Chief of Staff Bao Gaofei said: "Sir, I heard that the superiors also want us to train landing tactics?"
Xu Delin looked hopeful and helpless at this time and said: "I don't know very well, but it's hard to say, and the boss can't say anything for sure."
Xu Delin wanted his troops to also train for landing operations. After all, the battle in the Northeast was almost done, and the only places left were Mobei, Moxi and other places, and the main forces in those places would not be surprised. It will be cavalry, infantry, etc. It is difficult to have any eye-catching performance.
Besides, there are also many first-class infantry divisions in the northwest and even the Central Plains. If any war happens, it will not be their 15th division's turn.
After all, their 15th Division and other troops had already had a feast in the Northeast Campaign, and the generals and generals had gained a lot of military exploits...
If we attack the northwest in the future, it will definitely be the garrison from the west first, and then some troops from the Central Plains. As for their troops who are the first to attack the northeast, even if they are transferred to the northwest to participate in the war, they can only do so honestly. Watch the show in the back, do some maintenance, and serve as a strategic reserve.
If they want to go directly to the front line to grab meat, the generals of the first-class divisions on the northwest front and even the second-class divisions in preparation can tear Xu Delin's mouth out.
Even if the elders of the Military Academy would not do this, they still have to be as fair as possible.
The army still needs to maintain a certain degree of fairness, and the credit must be properly divided. Otherwise, if you fight every day to gain credit, people can only watch the show on the side, and no one will accept it...
Therefore, it will not be easy for Xu Delin's 15th Division to take credit later.
The follow-up in the Northeast is just a small fuss, and no matter how hard it is, it won't get much credit.
There is too much competition in the northwest, and it is impossible to squeeze in.
As for the southwest and other places, they are all bad places, and the empire's senior officials have no idea of attacking those bad places in the south.
Xu Delin thought about it and thought that if he wanted to fight some wars in the future and move his military rank up, he could only hope that Fuso would not be short-sighted or the empire would expand in Southeast Asia.
The expansion of these places requires cross-sea operations. Therefore, if the 15th Division can conduct cross-sea landing operations training and transform itself into an amphibious combat force, it has a bright future.
It's just... seasickness is so uncomfortable!
Xu Delin had complicated psychological feelings about this. On the one hand, he wanted to transform into amphibious warfare. For this reason, he even started to contact and learn amphibious warfare methods in advance, and even wrote to the 23rd Division to ask for various experiences.
But on the other hand, he disliked taking a boat.
However, these few inner thoughts cannot stop his desire to be promoted!
When people sent by the Ministry of Military Affairs talked to him about amphibious landings and asked him if he was willing to carry out amphibious landings and whether he had confidence, he shouted slogans loudly on the spot, as if he would give it to me!
"The 23rd Division used to be a branch of my 15th Division. If my son can do it, we fathers can do it too!"
"You must have confidence in amphibious warfare!"
"Isn't it just seasick? It's easy. Let's practice and just soak in the sea all day long. If we soak too much, we won't feel dizzy!"
During this transformation and subsequent promotion, Xu Delin had already made up his mind to just get seasick. He would stay on the ship when he returned. As for seasickness and vomiting, it was just like what the people in the 23rd Division said, vomiting would be enough. got used to.
People can get used to it, but there's no reason why Xu Delin can't get used to it.
After receiving Xu Delin's affirmative answer, the inspectors from the Ministry of Military Affairs left with satisfaction. It didn't take long for the staff department to issue a formal order for Xu Delin to lead the 15th Division to train amphibious landing operations and become proficient in amphibious warfare.
The Third Army Headquarters also allocated a large amount of various training equipment and began to replace the weapons and equipment of the 15th Division.
For example, the flintlock gun was changed from the ordinary infantry model, the 2-year Type A, to the 2-year Type B used by the Marine Corps.
The 2-year-old flintlock used by the Marine Corps is similar in appearance to the infantry model, but the barrel quality is better, the rust resistance is better, and it is more suitable for coastal landing operations.
At the same time, the barrel is also shorter to facilitate loading on the ship to increase the rate of fire, and to facilitate portability on small ships.
Of course, the range and accuracy are slightly reduced.
After years of development, the Da Chu Empire's second-year-old flintlock gun already has many models.
The first one was the original 2-year-old model, which was pretty average and nothing special.
Later, in the third year of Chengshun's reign, the barrel and bayonet were lengthened, making the rifle longer after the bayonet was attached, which was conducive to stabbing combat. This was the 2-year-old Type A-1. In the sixth year of Chengshun, it was improved and developed into the Type-A Type 2, this Type A rifle, is generally only equipped with ordinary line infantry, and is also the main model of the 2-year-old rifle.
Because in the third year of Chengshun, the length of Type A was further lengthened and was not suitable for use by naval soldiers and cavalry, so Type B for use by the navy and Type C for cavalry were developed, both of which were shorter in length.
Among them, there is an ultra-short model in the cavalry model, which is specially used for loading and shooting on horseback, but it is not very successful. The Chu army cavalry does not like to use muskets on horseback... I didn’t like the pistols in the past, but now the cavalry is super I don't like short rifles either.
The new cavalry in the Chu army, that is, heavy cavalry and light cavalry, either charge directly on horseback to kill...or dismount and use regular cavalry flintlocks to play in line, treating themselves as line infantry, and rarely play with muskets on horseback. of.
There are still a large number of traditional mounted archers who are still practicing riding and shooting on horseback, but these mounted archers are also gradually reorganizing, abandoning mounted archery and using muskets and sabers instead.
Mounted archery, which has been popular in East Asia for hundreds of years, has become outdated and cannot keep up with the times in the age of guns.
Not to mention now, even a few decades ago, the Qi Army's blunderbuss and light artillery vehicle formation tactics could beat the traditional cavalry to death.
Of course, in war, weapons, equipment and tactics are only part of the impact on combat effectiveness. The people themselves are actually more important.
Therefore, the Dongji people in the late Qing Dynasty, when they first emerged in the early days, were able to overwhelm the Ming army with complete guns and artillery using the most primitive cold weapons.
However, under normal circumstances, better equipment and more advanced tactics will naturally produce greater combat effectiveness.
The Dachu Empire is no exception. In recent years, it has been sparing no effort to promote the research and development, production and equipment of new equipment.
Just the second-year-old flintlock gun has had seven or eight improved models.
The Fifteenth Division is preparing to change its equipment to the latest 2000-2012 Navy-type flintlock rifles. This is also the second army unit besides the 23rd Division to be equipped with Navy-type flintlock rifles.
In addition to the flintlock guns being replaced with naval models, the artillery has also been replaced accordingly, mainly with lighter field guns.
Although the Chu army's field artillery only has a few large models, there are actually many subdivided signals for each major category.
For example, the most commonly used two-and-a-half-pound field artillery can be divided into two categories: army field artillery and cavalry artillery.
Among them, the two and a half kilogram army field guns are also divided into several types, mainly from different arsenals. For example, the two and a half kilogram field guns produced by Hantian Arsenal have a slightly longer barrel, greater power, and corresponding weight. Some, and this is also the most widely used two-and-a-half-pound field gun, used as regimental artillery on non-complex terrain such as plains.
The two-and-a-half pound field gun produced by Dangtu Arsenal pays more attention to lightweight. From the barrel to the gun mount, it is mainly lightweight, and it can also be disassembled and used separately for piggyback transportation. It is mainly attached to some Troops fighting in complex terrain are used as regimental artillery.
The two-and-a-half pound field gun produced by the Guangzhou Arsenal takes into account the needs of coastal and island landing operations. In addition to being lightweight, it also has an obvious feature, that is, its wheels should be wider. This is for To avoid maneuvering in wet and muddy areas, especially during landing operations, it is difficult to maneuver in the mud and sand. The factory's two-and-a-half-pound field guns are mainly assigned to the Marine Corps, some coastal garrison troops, and the 23rd Division. .
The two-and-a-half-pound regimental field artillery that the 15th Division is planning to replace is a product of the Guangzhou Arsenal.
The same situation also occurs with artillery such as the five-pound field gun and the nine-pound field gun.
The territory of the Chu Empire was too large, and the army's combat range ranged from the ice and snow in the north to the sultry and humid rainforests in the south, from the Gobi desert to the Jiangnan water network and even the muddy coastal areas.
This also makes it difficult to equip all troops with highly unified weapons. This requires too high material performance. This is not the case in a country that is still in the age of hydrodynamic industry and the level of basic materials is still at the level where even steel cannot be industrially produced in batches. Can be satisfied.
Therefore, in order to meet the equipment needs of troops with different regional operations and different mission requirements, the various weapons and equipment of the Dachu Empire are often of one type.
Even the organization of the troops is different. For example, the artillery distribution of the first-class divisions fighting in the northern region is different from that of the first-class divisions fighting in the southern region.
They are both Class A divisions and have the same number of artillery pieces, but the artillery pieces attached to them are very different.
The troops fighting in the north, such as the previous 15th Division, had an artillery regiment with two five-pound field artillery battalions, one nine-pound field artillery battalion, and one eighteen-pound light howitzer battalion.
As for the Fifth Division fighting in Yunnan, its artillery regiment has two five-pound field artillery battalions, two eighteen-pound light howitzer battalions, and no nine-pound field artillery at all...
Because the Nine-Pin Field Cannon is too heavy, it is extremely difficult to maneuver in the complex mountaintops in the southwest. Although there are Nine-Pin Field Cannons in the local area, they are only deployed at the corps level and not in field divisions.
The regiment-affiliated artillery is also different. The regiment-affiliated artillery of the 5th Division, its two-and-a-half-pound field gun is a lightweight artillery that can be disassembled and can be directly carried over mountains and ridges by Thomas, while the two-and-a-half-pound field gun of the 15th Division The half-pound field artillery cannot be dismantled and transported, so it can only be pulled by mules and horses. Well, it can barely be carried with a lot of manpower. After all, this thing only weighs a few hundred kilograms...
In order to meet the combat needs of different troops and to supply various types of equipment nearby, the major arsenals affiliated to the Ministry of Industry have also been positioned and differentiated.
For example, the weapons developed and produced by Guangzhou Arsenal are mainly for combat in the southern region. Navy flintlock guns and amphibious field guns are their specialties.
The Tianjin Arsenal and even the subsequent Liaoyang Arsenal are all oriented to the needs of combat in the north and plains. Infantry version flintlocks and plain field artillery are what they are good at. In addition, the weapons and equipment at the Liaoyang Arsenal will also be considered for drought relief in the future. Antifreeze issue.
For example, under extreme low temperatures, steel becomes more brittle, which requires specialized adaptive design.
There are other issues, even regarding military uniforms. In the past, the winter clothes of soldiers in the northern combat area were produced by quilt factories directly under the Ministry of Industry in the Central Plains and even the southern region.
But it was fine for normal use. However, after the Chu army reached Liaodong last winter, they were faced with severe cold temperatures of dozens of degrees below zero. The winter clothes that originally seemed to be very warm became a bit unreliable...
For this reason, a newly established military quilt factory in Tianjin began to specialize in the issue of winter clothing, trying to come up with new winter clothing that is more warm, but not too heavy or too bulky to affect combat, and the cost is not too high.
Because as the Chu army continues to move north, the soldiers of the Chu army have already penetrated deep into the Heilongjiang River Basin. It is summer and there is nothing to do, but when winter comes, if you still use the current winter clothes, there will be a lot of inconvenience. Yes, even if the most basic problem of keeping out the cold can be solved by wearing more clothes, it will also affect the convenience of the soldiers and the cost will be higher.
These circumstances also led many defense factories in the Industrial Department of the Dachu Empire to start focusing on products in different fields according to demand.
And this is actually good for some small and medium-sized defense factories, which can at least maintain their competitiveness through differentiated competition.
As the saying goes, large national defense arsenals, such as Hantian Arsenal and Dangtu Arsenal, eat meat, and small and medium-sized arsenals such as Guangzhou, Tianjin, Xi'an and other arsenals can also drink soup.
