New Shun 1730

"Shou Chang has completed the training of the troops, which is a cause for celebration. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, how could I believe that there would be such a formation in the world? It is said that when Wu Hou trained his troops, changing the formation was the best, and they must be well-trained. This is probably what Wu Hou meant by 'a well-regulated army with an incompetent general cannot be defeated, and an unregulated army with a competent general cannot be defeated.'"

Looking at the rows of military formations, Li Jiusi was quite impressed, thinking that such an army could be called a strong army.

Liu Yu said, "The training of the soldiers by the Marquis of Wu is not even a fraction of what I can do. In the time of the Marquis of Wu, there were various types of soldiers, such as cavalry, bows, crossbows, spears, swords, and armor. The formations were varied and complex, which was beyond the ability of later generations to train. I just took a shortcut. The soldiers I organized only had one kind of weapon, which could be used at any distance. If the Marquis of Wu could get it, the soldiers he trained and the formation he organized would be a hundred times stronger than this."

The military tactics are all interlinked. Although Liu Yu has been complaining about the weird things learned in the Wude Palace, what he complained about was that the military tactics learned in the Wude Palace were learned by the marshal.

At Li Jiusi's level, his understanding of the military tactics has reached a certain level, so he naturally agreed with Liu Yu's words.

Indeed, Zhuge Wu was good at using formations, and at that time there were many types of soldiers. How difficult was it to train different types of soldiers into formations?

When Dashun conquered the world, Emperor Taizong once said that what Dashun was good at was nothing more than simplifying the complex, eliminating all kinds of messy ideas and integrating them into a military system of matchlock guns and spear formations.

Now Liu Yu has simplified it even further, even throwing away the coordination of matchlock guns and hand-to-hand combat soldiers, and the formation is easier.

The formation is easier, and the formation is faster and easier.

In the Wuhou era, it took at least three to five years of training for various types of soldiers to form formations. But now, it may only take three to five months, because there are only a few formations to learn.

Liu Yu has his own set of views on combat.

"In combat, of course, we must talk about formations, but the formations must keep pace with the times. For example, this hollow formation, is it better to form a large formation? Or a small formation?"

He pointed his finger at the roaring waves on the sea, comparing the waves to the enemy's cavalry.

"If we form a large formation, it will be like a beach, and the enemy's cavalry will definitely crash into it."

"If we form a small formation, it will be like a reef, and the enemy's horses will naturally bypass the square formation and pass through the gaps. Even if a small formation is broken, it will not harm the overall situation."

"Of course, the large hollow formation at the legion level has its advantages, and the small hollow formation at the battalion level as a chessboard formation also has its disadvantages."

"If Zhuge Wuhou trains his troops, he will definitely be able to train them to combine large and small, such as a bastion. The large formation is the base and the small formation is the corner. The square formation can also be quickly disassembled and arranged in a horizontal line."

"I don't have such a skill, I can only say that it is an inspiration. Perhaps in the future there will be people like Qi Wuyi who can practice the formation under the new firearms to perfection."

Li Jiusi looked at the waves and thought about Liu Yu's words. After a long while, he nodded and said, "What Shouchang said makes a lot of sense. The formation is not constant and keeps pace with the times. I read the military books compiled by Shouchang, and they teach the reasons, not the reasons. As for the other military books, they only teach you how to form a formation, but not why to form a formation in this way."

Liu Yu smiled and said, "This is the same as learning the seven martial arts books in Wude Palace. Although you are only a lieutenant, you hope to be a general in the future. Knowing how to form a formation is a lieutenant; knowing why to form a formation in this way in order to improve it is a general. Your Majesty ordered me to train soldiers, not a Liu family army, but a Beijing camp army. In the future, everyone else must be able to train."

Li Jiusi saw that Liu Yu knew how to advance and retreat and spoke clearly. He wanted to remind Liu Yu a word or two, but it seemed unnecessary at this time.

Amid the roar of the waves, Li Jiusi looked worried again.

"Shou Chang, simplifying the complex and turning the flowery team into a pure team is what every dynasty has dreamed of. If Wu Hou had this self-propelled musket with a bayonet, he would not have trained such a complicated military formation. But... could it be that the Westerners' current formations have reached this level?"

Experts can tell the depth of things by what they see.

Hearing the fear and worry in Li Jiusi's tone, he thought that he had been scared once in the navy, so he didn't need to be scared this time, so it was better to let him rest assured.

"Don't worry, Duke. The so-called integration of China and the West in order to achieve superiority. The soldiers I trained are at least better than the Westerners in understanding the formation."

He was not talking nonsense, nor was he arrogant, but the context of the transformation of the tactical system.

Prussia, which was known as the most capable fighter in the Seven Years' War, was also defeated by the Russian cavalry. Before returning to the east, some Torghut people also went around Königsberg in East Prussia, which was also the last pride of the Mongols.

If Hannibal's sister had not died suddenly, and a Prussian idiot had come to power, Frederick II would have hanged himself.

One of the reasons is that the era emphasized the horizontal shooting too much, and the speed of changing formations was too slow. There were too many Russian cavalry such as the Torghuts and Cossacks.

It was not until the new tactical system of the People's Security Committee after the French Revolution that emphasized the speed of changing formations, which raised the lower limit of infantry. In the face of fast-attack cavalry and more complex battlefield environments, they had the ability to protect themselves.

We cannot expect any line of soldiers to be able to produce such a terrifying combat power as the thin red line. Considering the lower limit, it is natural to rely on formations and speed of changing formations.

For Dashun, with such a population and such a size, there is no need to consider the upper limit, only the lower limit.

The column is afraid of artillery.

However, Liu Yu looked around a large circle and found that there was no one with more artillery.

According to local conditions, it is natural to adopt this tactical system.

Anyway, in a short period of time, they will attack Junggar and the Dutch East India Company.

The former relies on the speed of formation changes, while the latter...the latter can probably only manage three to two thousand people in Nanyang. As long as the navy is capable, it will be a weakling.

Vietnam, Myanmar, etc. in the south are all covered with dense jungles. If a horizontal team battle can occur, the horizontal team will naturally have the upper hand, but in the jungle, mobility and rapid formation changes should be even better.

A new era has just arrived, and the War of Spanish Succession fought more than ten years ago only provided a case study for various military theorists.

Just like the development of firearms in the previous dynasties, there are endless ideas and novel ideas. However, after actual combat testing, it is found that most of them are "useful in theory but garbage in actual combat."

The same goes for the tactical system of the new era.

For example, some people in Europe believe that when the first row of soldiers shoots, the soldiers in the back reload, and the loaded guns are passed to the front, and the empty guns of the first row are loaded.

In theory, the rate of fire can indeed be increased in this way.

In reality, people in the back row are not willing to hand over their life-saving guns to others. Soldiers in the front row are often hit by the people behind them and suffer shoulder pain or even dislocation.

For example, regarding the square array, some theorists believe that it is best for the hollow square array to be a single layer. At this time, the first layer is three rows, because only three rows can shoot. Maintain maximum firepower output with fewer manpower.

In theory, this is true.

In reality, a single-layer, three-row square formation can easily be broken open, and the firepower that can be used efficiently in theory is not effective.

In such a changing era, when the theory still needs tens of thousands of corpses to verify whether it is correct, and hundreds of thousands of disabled veterans need to be used as arguments to revise, we can only find a formation that suits local conditions and national conditions.

Of course, everything remains unchanged.

If you can form a horizontal formation, you can still use the horizontal formation to take advantage of your firepower advantage to the greatest efficiency. But this requires officers to make their own decisions and make trade-offs.

Everyone knows that a slightly looser light infantry fire is more efficient than a horizontal line. However, considering the threat of cavalry and disciplinary constraints, we can only choose a dense horizontal formation.

A famous general is one who can adapt to local conditions.

With the size of Dashun and the surrounding situation, they don't need famous generals. What they need is a large number of dull soldiers and dull officers. Just ensure the lower limit.

Liu Yu is still confident about this.

After comforting Li Jiusi for a while, Li Jiusi felt relieved and said with a wry smile: "I was already very worried when I saw that battleship firing a salvo before. If you told me that all Western armies today can change formations like you, I'm afraid I'll break out in a cold sweat and be seriously ill for several days."

Liu Yu said: "Don't worry, my lord. However, this soldier only seems to be useful at this moment. It will take at least half a year of training before it can be used."

The emperor was impatient, and Liu Yu didn't want Duke E to blow the whistle when he returned. If the emperor's head got hot, he would really transfer the Qingzhou soldiers away now.

Li Jiusi also knew Liu Yu's worries and said with a smile: "Your Majesty can afford to wait for five years of military training. Don't think that His Majesty doesn't trust him anymore. There is actually something going on here that you don't know."

With a wink at Liu Yu, the two of them shook off their entourage and rode to a secluded place by the seaside.

"His Majesty sent me here this time, firstly to see how Shouchang is training, secondly to see the recovery from the disaster in Jiaodong, and thirdly... this matter is confidential, but I won't do it without telling you. Thirdly, His Majesty wants to conquer Junggar. , and I want to fight in person. Although I am not on the front line, I still want to be on the front line. I want to follow the story of the Tang Dynasty's destruction of the Western Turks, all the way out of the Hexi Corridor, and all the way out of the Altai Mountains. I will be the commander of the northern line this time. Familiar."

This is also within Liu Yu's expectation.

The front line of the Hexi Corridor must be the main force. On the northern front, there are surprise troops.

Even if they are a surprise force, they cannot rely solely on the Qingzhou Army, but will mobilize elite soldiers and horses from all over to cooperate.

Liu Yu was too young to hold down the position, and Li Jiusi, Duke of E, was the right candidate.

After Li Jiusi finished talking about this confidential matter, he added: "This time, His Majesty asked me to come and see how your Qingzhou Army is doing. To say that money is spent in war is like running water, that is an understatement. The food in the Hetao will be transported to Along the Irtysh River, one stone of grain costs twenty or thirty taels of silver. It is nine thousand miles from the capital to the Irtysh River. Even if the northern front is full of surprises, one more person must be able to defend it. , not counting military pay, it costs three to five kilograms of rice per year, which is one hundred and ten taels of silver."

"Your Majesty's intention is that the northern front will be mainly composed of Qingzhou soldiers, with two thousand light cavalry soldiers from Songhuajiang Prefecture, plus some border troops, to make up a total of 20,000 soldiers. Khalkha Mongolia is a new annex and cannot be used lightly, so it is ordered to be Just auxiliary troops. We can’t have more troops. We really can’t afford the money.”

"Twenty thousand combat troops, twenty thousand auxiliary troops, food transportation consumption, military salary rewards, and five years of food storage are enough to fight for more than half a year. Once the war starts, not counting the main force in the Hexi Corridor, just the surprise troops on the northern front. It costs seven to eight million taels per year to eat horse chews, which is really too much to bear.”

"If we gather all the troops that are ready to fight, there will only be thirty or forty thousand people on the battlefield. After all, we still have to suppress the Kazakhs, Yarkands, etc. Can you give me a solid answer, can you withstand it?"

Liu Yu also knew that fighting was expensive, so he thought about it and said: "The Junggar tribe can only assemble field troops of thirty to fifty thousand. The northern front has enough troops, so there is no problem. The key is to advance troops from the Altai Mountains. What's the map?"

"Don't worry, we have already sent people to do fake caravan surveying. The key is that this time, His Majesty is really anxious. You may not know that Duke Qi is in Rakshasa, sending people thousands of miles to deliver messages."

Speaking of the Rakshasa Kingdom, Li Jiusi looked at Liu Yu and said with approval: "I really made you guess. There was indeed civil strife in the Rakshasa Kingdom. The young tsar died, and the Duke of Qi was going to attend the coronation ceremony. As a result, after arriving, what happened was the funeral. A foreign woman came to power, and she was also a martial artist. When she came to power, the Privy Council of Rakshasa was abolished, and the Duke of Qi caught up with the coronation ceremony of Anna. , I have to go to France again, so I can only send someone to send the letter back. "

"The Kingdom of Rakshasa should not be underestimated. The sooner the Western Regions are restored, the sooner they will be stable. In the future, there will be a battle between our country and Rakshasa in the Western Regions. Thanks to your review of the Western countries, the Duke of Qi praised you very much. , you can see clearly what you see and hear in the Rakshasa Kingdom.”

"Big things are going to happen in Poland, so His Majesty hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to take back the Western Regions as soon as possible. Revive the thousand-year grudge of Anxi in the Tang Dynasty. Only by seizing Heilongjiang and taking back the Anxi Protectorate will our country be able to compare with Li Tang, otherwise It’s just a joke.”

"Now we have informed the Rakshasa Kingdom that they will build a fort on the Irtysh River. Rakshasa has also promised not to have any support for Junggar. However, Rakshasa has many troops stationed in the north of Junggar, so your Majesty hopes to take advantage of the opportunity. If Poland is in trouble, we should seize the Western Region to avoid long nights and nightmares. We are also worried that after the Rakshasa Kingdom resolves Poland, it will reach out to the Western Region. We cannot really think that the enemy will always comply. "

"This matter cannot be delayed any longer. Therefore, we will march next summer and spend the winter in the military city north of the Altai Mountains. When spring comes, we will fight."

Not many people in the court knew about this matter. Tianyou Palace knew about it, a few veteran generals who were going to follow the emperor on the expedition knew about it, and then the generals on the western and northern fronts knew about it.

The emperor trusted Liu Yu and wanted the Qingzhou Army to be the main force on the northern front.

General Li Jiusi came here to see how the Qingzhou Army was training, so that he could have an idea of ​​what was going on.

After reading too many military books, the imperial court was originally preparing to train a chariot force. According to "Tang Li Wen Dui", the regular soldiers who conquered the Turks were chariot soldiers, who could not only carry supplies, but also rely on chariot formations to fight.

However, Liu Yu said that he could train an infantry force to resist the Junggar cavalry. If the chariots and soldiers were not trained, the Qingzhou Army would naturally be the main force.

Don't be suspicious when you employ people, don't use people when you are suspicious.

Now, a lot of food has been hoarded in the past few years. It is time to solve the problem of the Western Region as soon as possible. Li Jiusi told Liu Yu that Liu Yu should make preparations as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty knows that you look down upon the Junggar tribe. But although the strength of the Junggar tribe is far inferior to that of our dynasty, a day's delay will cost an extra day. The northwest army spends tens of thousands a day. Your Majesty also clearly asked me to tell you that the northwest army If the Qingzhou Army cannot prove that it can fight one against three, the navy will have no support from the DPRK and China. "

Liu Yu thought that this method of motivation was also strange. It only pacified Junggar, and the DPRK might not have money.

Immigration, border guarding, counterinsurgency... at least within a few decades, it will all be a bottomless pit for throwing money.

But he also understood this matter clearly. Even if he couldn't get much money, the treasury would only pay for it. The navy was too money-consuming.

The key is, while I am going to the northwest, who will be in charge of the navy's affairs?