Chapter 1611 Visiting the Military Camp

Before Fei Cexian came to Haihan, officials from the Ministry of War naturally provided him with military knowledge about Haihan. He also knew a little about the advanced weapons that made Haihan Army famous all over the world. In fact, the Ministry of War also had some approvals

Haihan weapons collected from various channels range from matchlock guns manufactured in the early years to fixed-loading flintlock guns currently in large numbers in the Haihan army, and even large-caliber coastal defense guns previously sold to Fujian.

If only a small amount of imitation is carried out, the skilled craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty can make weapons with almost the same performance through complete manual work, but the cost is high and the construction period is long, and it is impossible to achieve stable mass production like Haihan. And Haihan's weapons

Manufacturing technology has always been a mystery to the outside world. Apart from knowing that Haihan used extensive mechanical processing in the manufacturing process, nothing else is known, and no one knows how the Haihan people designed these advanced weapons.

As for the tactics commonly used by the Haihan Army, the Ministry of War has also made great efforts to study many battle cases. But sadly, Haihan's tactics cannot be imitated at all, because these tactics are designed around a large number of troops equipped with advanced weapons.

Even the musketry battalion that the Ming army was proud of could hardly copy Haihan's tactics due to the limitations of the musketeers' organization and equipment. Therefore, like many Ming officials, Fei Cexian wanted to see the Haihan army with his own eyes.

How strong is it?

When Fei Cexian saw that the soldiers gathered on the playground were all wearing civilian clothes, he asked Qiu Yuan: "Since it is a drill, why are these soldiers not wearing armor?"

Qiu Yuan made a gesture and said: "Ruan Qianqian, please explain to Mr. Fei the truth behind this."

A soldier next to him immediately took a step forward and saluted Fei Cexian: "I have a humble position as Ruan Qianqian, commander of the 7th Battalion of the Haihan Army. I have met Mr. Fei. Sir, the reason why I wear cloth clothes is to maintain the mobility of soldiers in combat."

Ability. As long as we maintain a sufficient fighting distance from the enemy, then not wearing armor will be more conducive to combat."

Ruan Xiangqian was a naturalized citizen from Annan. He joined the army very early. Haihan built two Annan battalions with Annan immigrants as his team. Ruan Xiangqian served as the commander of the second battalion. Ruan Xiangqian once participated in the Battle of Amborna Island.

, and the action to quell the Shilu riots, and made many military exploits. The 7th Battalion of the Army where he currently serves has the same establishment as the Annan Battalion, but as the real main force in combat, its status is higher than that of the Annan Battalion.

This is a special force that provides immigrants with naturalization opportunities and obtains Haihan nationality by enlisting in the army.

Fei Cexian then asked: "What if the enemy kills them with bows and arrows?"

Ruan Qianqian responded: "The guns and cannons equipped by our army have a far greater range than bows and arrows. If the strength advantage does not reach a certain level, it is unlikely that the archers will advance to fight within their range. Our army's battle cases over the years have also proved this.

At one point, in battle, the opponent can be defeated just by relying on the range advantage."

Fei Cexian asked again: "What if we use cavalry to charge into the formation?"

Ruan pointed forward to a pile of resisting horses piled beside the playground and said: "Rejecting horses, deer villages, barbed wire fences, trenches, and intensive gunfire are all powerful weapons that can prevent the cavalry from charging into the formation. If we have enough time to deploy our positions, then

Even if the enemy has thousands of troops, it will be difficult for them to break through our defense line. Our army has faced cavalry ten times our own on the battlefield many times, and we have been able to kill and injure the opponent and retreat unscathed."

Fei Cexian said: "What if it's an encounter in the wild?"

Ruan Qianqian responded confidently: "If it is a field battle, our army also has elite scouts operating several miles away from the army. With the help of telescopes and other special tools, they can detect large-scale moving enemy cavalry from a long distance.

Sufficient time to warn our own side. Mr. Fei, even if my battalion is in the wild, there will definitely be no way to trap them without 18,000 cavalry. And with so many cavalry operating in the wild, the formation is not large enough.

Maybe he can hide his tracks."

Fei Cexian said: "So, doesn't the Haihan Army have no flaws at all?"

Ruan Xiangqian responded: "Of course there are flaws, but the opponent may not be able to catch them." Regarding this issue, Ruan Xiangqian was very alert and did not say more.

However, Fei Cexian actually knew the flaw of the Haihan Army and just asked this question on purpose. The biggest problem of the Haihan Army is its dependence on logistical supplies. The ammunition required for the combat method with guns as the main weapons is not a small amount, and

The further away from the base camp, the more difficult it is to supply. For example, for Haihan's garrison in Liaodong, the ammunition it needs still has to be shipped from Hainan Island and transported thousands of miles by sea to Liaodong. If something unexpected happens on the way, then Liaodong

The combat time that the garrison's ammunition reserves can support is actually greatly limited.

As long as Haihan's opponents can cut off the supply line, the Haihan Army's combat capabilities will decline significantly as the war progresses. Without the bonus of guns and other weapons, the Haihan Army is actually not much stronger than ordinary infantry. It's just that

The combat effectiveness of the Haihan Army is too abnormal. Most opponents collapse at the first touch, and very few can truly threaten the Haihan supply line. Moreover, the Haihan Army is well aware of its own shortcomings, so most of its operations are carried out in coastal areas.

Avoid going deep inland. This will not only facilitate the delivery of troops and supplies by sea, but also allow troops to be withdrawn from the sea as soon as possible if the war goes unfavorably.

The advantage of Haihan's naval force is even greater than that of the army. So far, I have not heard of any country taking advantage of Haihan in a naval battle. To completely cut off Haihan's maritime supply line, it may be more difficult than defeating Haihan.

The goal of the Haihan Army is even more difficult. Therefore, this so-called shortcoming has become an elusive goal. All opponents are aware of the weaknesses of the Haihan Army, but they still can only feel it when facing the Haihan Army.

despair.

Fei Cexian's question naturally did not faze Ruan Xiangqian. After asking, he felt a little sad. He also knew that this Haihan officer was not bragging. For many years, the Haihan Army has appeared in the world with an image of being victorious and undefeated.

In front of you, this kind of deep-rooted self-confidence can only be slowly cultivated based on an invincible record. It is almost impossible to attack the opponent's self-confidence through words.

Qiu Yuan saw these questions and answers in his eyes and naturally understood Fei Cexian's intention. However, since he dared to arrange this matter for Ruan Xiangqian, he naturally had full confidence in him. As expected, Ruan Xiangqian did not disappoint him and responded cleanly.

After returning home, Qiu Yuan became even more fond of this Annan-born officer.

The exercise prepared by the Seventh Army Battalion for the Ming Dynasty envoys was divided into two parts, one was formation training, and the other was gunnery target shooting, which could be described as simple and crude. Although Fei Cexian was not a military expert, he could see that the Haihan Army was very good at formation training.

In addition to requiring soldiers to strictly follow orders and prohibitions, the Haihan Army's infantry tactics are also closely related to formations. Most of the troops equipped with flintlock muskets still need to use dense formations to ensure firepower density.

, how familiar you are with queue tactics is directly related to the level of combat effectiveness you can exert in combat.

Watching guns and artillery target shooting is undoubtedly an extremely exciting experience for Fei Cexian, a literary man. He has never thought that there are such powerful weapons in the world, which can easily penetrate iron armor from a hundred feet away, with accurate head and lethality.

They all amazed him. And the firing of the artillery made Fei Cexian speechless. He didn't even need Ruan Xiangqian to explain more. The intuitive feeling made Fei Cexian realize that when this powerful weapon is fired on the battlefield, there will be

How terrible.

"How do you feel about Master Fei?" Qiu Yuan asked Fei Cexian as if he had deliberately chosen this moment.

Fei Cexian responded in a deep voice: "When I was in the capital, I heard that the Haihan Army had extremely powerful weapons. Today, when I saw it, it was indeed well-deserved. The power of these muskets and artillery is huge. They are indeed much stronger than swords and guns. No wonder they are so expensive."

The army can have a record of victory and undefeated. However, this thing is so violent, so your army should use it with caution to avoid innocent killings."

Qiu Yuandao: "Weapons are made to serve war, and war is to serve politics. If all problems can be solved through negotiation, then there will be no need to launch a war and there will be no need to use weapons."

Fei Cexian felt that Qiu Yuan's words seemed to mean something. He came to Haihan State this time to discuss a series of diplomatic issues with Haihan's senior officials. However, hearing that there was a hint of threat in Qiu Yuan's tone, it was hard to believe that

If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, then Haihan will use military means against Ming Dynasty?

But having said that, Haihan used force against the Ming Dynasty not once or twice. Hainan Island will change from Qiongzhou Island, which the Ming Dynasty belongs to, to the territory of Haihan. During this period, there were several battles. After that, Haihan occupied the areas along the coast of the Ming Dynasty.

The region is also accompanied by wars, but the Ming Dynasty's coastal defense is weak and it is almost impossible to resist Haihan's armed invasion from the sea. It is also unable to open a third battlefield outside the Central Plains and Liaodong, so it can only pretend to be Haihan's actions.

Became deaf and dumb.

Then I heard Qiu Yuan continue to say: "Our country has always hoped to achieve normal diplomatic relations with Ming Dynasty. The signing of the Liaodong Agreement is a good start for the diplomacy of our two countries, but there are still many specific things later that need to be negotiated and resolved slowly.

.Although our country has a strong military, we do not want to use military means to deal with Ming Dynasty. We want cooperation, not confrontation."

Fei Cexian responded quickly: "I will keep what Mr. Qiu said in mind. Since the two countries have established diplomatic relations, peace should be our top priority."

After watching the drill, Qiu Yuan accompanied Fei Cexian to visit the barracks and supporting facilities in the camp. Fei Cexian could only express envy for the Haihan Military Camp, which is equipped with canteens, bathhouses, clinics and other facilities. It is necessary to support such an army.

The financial resources required are very huge, and Ming Dynasty may only have a very small number of elite troops that can barely meet such conditions.

The cleanliness of the entire camp also left a deep impression on Fei Cexian. If this was not the result of the surprise cleaning, then the quality of the Haihan Army can also be seen from this aspect.

After seeing the army camp, Qiu Yuan then took Fei Cexian to the navy camp. Although the navy stationed at Haikou Military Port only had the combat establishment of half a fleet, for a layman like Fei Cexian, it was actually difficult to see.

It's not true. Besides, the fleet deployed in the Qiongzhou Strait has its flagship anchored in Haikou Military Port. This eye-catching large warship has already attracted Fei Cexian's attention, and he has no time to think about other things.

.

The "Dignity" class warship is definitely considered a big one in this era. There is no sailing ship close to its tonnage in the Far East. The largest model of warship currently installed by the Ming Navy is

It is more than half smaller than the "Mighty" class. Although Fei Cexian doesn't understand naval warfare, he couldn't help but take a breath when he saw the size of this flagship and the densely packed gun emplacements on the ship's side. Such a big warship is at sea.

When going into battle, this head alone is enough to scare people, and the powerful firepower configuration of more than twenty artillery pieces on both sides will make the opponent feel desperate.

According to the information Fei Cexian knew, there was some unknown special device on a large battleship like Haihan that could increase the speed to an extremely high level. He soon got verification from Qiu Yuan.

"Our warship has a special propulsion device, which means that even if the sails and masts are damaged and cannot be used, the warship can still maintain high speed and sail on the sea." Qiu Yuan proudly showed off to Fei Cexian his "majesty."

"class battleship performance.

Fei Cexian really couldn't imagine what kind of existence it was like to be able to maintain high speeds on the sea without using wind power or manpower. This reminded him of the rumored saying that the Haihan people used witchcraft, but if he thought about it carefully, in

The use of witchcraft in naval battles sounds like a very ridiculous thing. The Haihan people can build such a powerful warship. Even without any so-called special propulsion device, they are already nearly invincible on the sea. What is the need?

Rely on some ethereal witchcraft to strengthen.

However, Qiu Yuan soon took the initiative to clarify the issue: "There are rumors from the outside that we will use witchcraft in battle. How ignorant people must have such an idea. This is the most advanced shipbuilding technology and navigation technology in the world."

A combination of magic and advanced weapons! If Mr. Fei is interested, we can go to the ship and have a look."

Fei Cexian was of course disrespectful to this, and Qiu Yuan led the way aboard the "Dignity" class flagship. However, Qiu Yuan still followed military rules and did not allow Fei Cexian to enter the ship for a visit.

I took a quick look at it on the deck. But even so, the ship still left a deep impression on Fei Cexian. While looking at it, he was also thinking about how long it would take the Ming Dynasty to build it.

Battleships of the same level.

As if he had seen through Fei Cexian's mind, Qiu Yuan said proudly: "As long as we don't transfer manufacturing technology, the Ming Dynasty will not be able to build such an advanced warship in another hundred years."

There was an emergency at home, so this chapter was updated late, sorry!
Chapter completed!