I want to be emperor

In battle, sending cavalry to attack enemy artillery positions was very common in the musket era, and it was also a very effective tactical choice if used well.

And when at a disadvantage, send cavalry to attack the enemy's artillery troops, disrupt the enemy's artillery deployment, or even destroy the enemy's artillery deployment, giving your own infantry a breathing space and even a chance to win. This is what many military generals will do. s Choice.

During the Unification War of the Chu Empire, the generals of the Ming Army were involved in many battles. Because their own artillery fell behind, their own infantry squares were attacked by the Chu Army's artillery and suffered heavy losses. In order to reverse the situation, they sent cavalry to attack the Chu Army. artillery positions.

Of course, their attacks failed without exception, especially in medium and large-scale wars. There was no successful example, but they did win some battles in small-scale battles. As for why few people know, it is naturally because These small-scale battles will not affect the outcome, and the Chu army will naturally not publicize the defeat, so not much is known to the world.

In the battle between the Chu army and the indigenous people, because the Chu army's artillery advantage was more obvious, the indigenous generals in many countries would invariably want to send highly mobile cavalry units and think of various ways to attack the Chu army's artillery positions... This kind of thing is actually very frequent... because this is one of the few ways that the indigenous army can reverse the situation on the battlefield.

Even from a practical perspective, the chance of success of the indigenous army is very small, and the number of successes is very few, but there are always successful examples.

In the many years of overseas campaigns, the Chu army actually had many cases of capsizing in ditches. There were examples of being ambushed or other circumstances in a battle, resulting in the loss of hundreds or even thousands of people... The combat effectiveness of the Chu army is very powerful. , but it does not mean invincibility. Mistakes often occur, and once mistakes occur in war, the results will be disastrous.

War is a very complicated matter, and the advantages of weapons and equipment are only one aspect. In many cases, weapons and equipment are not the only factors that determine the outcome of a war. There are many other factors.

When the Chu army was in the Burma Campaign, they seemed to have a lot of advanced weapons, including the epoch-making Type 32 breech-loading rifle and the 75-year-old [-]mm field gun, but they still fought in actual combat. It was more difficult...the overly complex terrain, difficult logistics, and difficult maneuvers all made it difficult for the Chu army to fight in the Indochina Peninsula.

Naturally, there were no large-scale defeats, but there were actually many small-scale tactical failures, and the sporadic attacks they suffered caused a headache for the top brass of the Chu Army, which eventually forced the Chu Army to develop more lightweight artillery internally.

Such as the 34-year-old 75mm howitzer (mountain gun) and the 34-year-old 70mm infantry gun.

At the same time, innovations were also carried out in infantry tactics. From a simple focus on large-scale battles to a focus on small- and medium-sized battles, grassroots combat units were further decentralized from the previous platoon level to class levels, forming squad tactics.

In the past, grassroots operations emphasized platoon-level battles of dozens of people, to emphasize team battles of more than ten people, and more detailed tactics such as fire cover, support, and detours were proposed at the team level.

Skirmishing tactics have been further improved.

It can be said that the series of battles in the Indochina Peninsula that year had a profound impact on the military development of the Chu Empire!

It's just that these tactical small and medium-sized defeats back then did not greatly affect the Chu army's strategic victory!

In other words, these defeats were overshadowed by more victories, and the people at home didn't even know much about them.

If the Chu army was really invincible overseas and could win even if they lay down, there would be no need to go to great lengths to continue to develop advanced weapons, study newer tactics, and just continue to play line tactics with the enemy with flintlock guns...

Not to mention that in order to avoid casualties, several servant armies were specially created to serve as cannon fodder.

The Chu army is not 100% invincible!
Many indigenous people have examples of defeating the Chu army, but they were just small battles with a small scale.

As for medium and large-scale battles, especially large-scale battles that have already been launched... I'm sorry. Simple strategies in this kind of battle are no longer useful. What the two sides are competing for is weapons and logistics.

The competition is national strength!
In this regard, the Chu army has an overwhelming advantage.

This is why the Chu army likes to wait for the enemy to assemble on a large scale, and then engage in a strategic battle with the enemy at once to determine the outcome in one battle.

Because if they fight like this, the Chu army will have an overwhelming advantage.

On the contrary, the enemy spread out and fought various small-scale sporadic battles with the Chu army. Especially if they carried out various sporadic ambushes, the Chu army would often feel uncomfortable... Many casualties in overseas operations often occur at this stage.

It's funny to say that when the Chu army fought a regular large-scale battle, the casualties were very small. Sometimes, if the battle went particularly smoothly, thousands of natives on the opposite side could be killed, and the casualties on one's own side would still be single digits...

But if it were to be fought in scattered battles, many of the advantages of the Chu army would be difficult to use... so the casualties would be relatively large.

The natives were sneaking and hiding on the roadside with muskets or bows and arrows, and then they fired cold arrows at small Chu army patrols and even lone soldiers, and then they ran away!
It is also difficult for the Chu army to conduct an effective pursuit... After all, the local indigenous people are more familiar with the terrain and so on, and they often arrange ambushes carefully. They have arranged the retreat route in advance. If they pursue rashly, they may fall into an ambush circle. inside!

If one person dies today and a few die tomorrow, many people will be killed or injured in a month, which will be very uncomfortable in the long run.

The Chu army's response to this was that since it was difficult to deal with it tactically, it would start from other aspects.

For example, the eviction and clearing of villages within a dozen kilometers around the location of the ambush was the same path that Americans in the original time and space took to advance westward.

If I can’t cure the symptoms, I can’t cure the root cause?
I'll leave you alone, let's see how you can still fight guerrillas...

Another example would be to establish the Indian Legion of the Servant Army, and let the Servant Army undertake these scattered patrols and garrison tasks to divert damage.

But none of this can cover up. In comparison, the Chu army is better at fighting large-scale battles!
Of course, this does not mean that the Chu army is not good at fighting scattered battles. In fact, it is also very good at it. It can also beat the world's invincible opponents... but it still cannot avoid frequent sporadic casualties... This is very uncomfortable.

The current battle between the French and the Chu army is a serious, large-scale battle. The surrounding terrain is simple and uncomplicated. Both sides have a large number of troops. The French army has 200 troops. It is estimated that there are various long-barreled smoothbore artillery. There are also more than [-] doors.

The Chu army gathered more than 2 troops, and the army had dozens of rifled artillery (each artillery of the third army division, the artillery company of the Guards, and the artillery battalion of the 27th Army), and there were also several smoothbore field artillery that were significantly ahead of the indigenous artillery. Ten (artillery under the jurisdiction of the [-]th Division of the Indian Army Corps).

With so many people gathered in the small area of ​​Paris and its surrounding suburbs, the troops were actually very dense, making it difficult to have any large-scale tactical detour space or space for concealed advance.

It can even be said that the actions of both sides are actually exposed to the eyes of the other side and cannot be hidden at all... With so many troops gathering in such a clear place, anyone can see it just by climbing up and looking far away.

Not to mention that the Chu army also launched a hot air balloon hundreds of meters high for observation.

Therefore, when the French cavalry troops were actually gathering in the rear, let alone launching an attack, they caused a lot of noise due to their relatively large scale, and were discovered by the hot-air balloon lookouts six or seven kilometers away.

Soon the commanders of the Chu army learned that a French cavalry was gathering. The number of cavalry that had been assembled was about [-], and the number was still increasing.

Based on the observations of the lookout soldiers and some rudimentary intelligence collection before the war, as well as the torture information of many prisoners during the war, the Chu army's staff officers comprehensively concluded that the final gathering size of the enemy's cavalry may reach more than [-] cavalry!
If nothing else, this will be the largest enemy cavalry the Chu army has encountered in a single battle since the Central Asian War. Even in the Indian region where there are also many cavalry, when facing the Mughal Empire , In fact, we have never encountered so many cavalry in a single actual battle.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Chu Empire never went to full-scale war with the Mughal Empire. It only carried out a few medium-sized battles, but more often it used various methods, such as weapon support, to provoke the Mughal Empire. Civil unrest.

The reason why the Mughal Empire in India collapsed directly within a few years after the Chu army entered the Indian Peninsula was not that the Chu army directly defeated the Mughal Empire, but that it provoked civil strife in the Mughal Empire through various means. , leading to the internal collapse of the Mughal Empire.

So in today's India, the Mughal Empire still exists, and even nominally controls a large number of areas. But in fact, the only territory that the Mughal Empire can directly control is the northwest region of India... and many others. Some places were directly annexed by the Chu State as directly administered territories, such as southern India and the Mumbai area, and some were controlled by the Chu State and became colonies, mainly a large number of coastal areas.

The large number of hinterland areas in the interior are ruled by hundreds of scattered princes, many of which are affiliated areas that have signed various agreements with the Chu State, and of course some still retain their independence.

Under this circumstance, in fact, the Chu army's battles in the Indian region were mainly small and medium-sized battles. The actions of tens of thousands of people were relatively small, and they were mainly battalion-level battles.

Because the enemies are relatively scattered, it is difficult to encounter large-scale enemies, let alone tens of thousands of cavalry.

This is the case in India, let alone in Africa. The indigenous people do not have the strength to organize tens of thousands of cavalry. In the same way, the indigenous people in the Americas are not very strong either.

Persia and the Ottomans in West Asia do have this strength, but the relationship between Chu and these two countries is pretty good, and they have no plans to invade these places on a large scale for the time being, so they haven't encountered them yet.

Russia... If the Russians could assemble and maintain tens of thousands of cavalry in Siberia, they would not be driven all the way to the Ural Mountains by the Chu army. They would not be able to send troops to that terrible place. After all, logistics is a big problem.

Therefore, when the Chu army expanded overseas for many years and encountered large-scale cavalry, it was only during the campaign in Jungar and Kazakhstan. These two areas also have a common feature, that is, they are all nomadic people, so they can Stop such a large-scale cavalry.

When fighting Spain before, because the Chu army had just arrived, and European countries generally did not expect that the Chu army would directly forcibly land in a battle to destroy the country, the pre-war preparations, including Spain's, were seriously inadequate.

By the time the Chu people landed in Cadiz, Spain had not even started mobilizing for the war... Later, the Chu army advanced faster, and Spain could only mobilize and recruit troops while resisting, and then resorted to a refueling tactic. In the end, the Chu army advanced faster. By the time the Chu army reached Madrid, the tens of thousands of field troops that Spain could recruit in time had actually been defeated.Therefore, the Spanish were actually unable to assemble a large number of troops to fight a large-scale battle with the Chu army from beginning to end, let alone gather tens of thousands of cavalry to launch a charge.

On the contrary, it was the French, because after the Chu State captured Spain, it caused a great panic in Europe. The French actually started to be wary of the Chu army and prepare for war when Spain was just defeated.

In the middle, the Chu people also held several negotiations with the French. The aggressiveness displayed by the Chu people during the negotiations made the French deeply uneasy, so they negotiated and prepared for war.

This is also the reason why the French mobilized 10,000+ standing troops before the Chu people officially invaded. However, the French made some mistakes in their strategic judgment, thinking that the Chu people would launch an attack in Spain, and then sent a considerable part of their troops All deployed on the southern border of France.

However, they did not expect that the Chu people would not take the usual path at all, and directly engage in cross-sea landing operations in the hinterland of France, directly dispatching [-] troops to fight all the way along the Seine River to Paris.

Fortunately, they left some strategic reserves in Paris, otherwise the [-] troops would not be able to assemble and then the capital would be captured.

The French were well prepared, which was a key factor in their ability to gather tens of thousands or even more cavalry in Paris.

This also led to the reason why the French army was able to assemble tens of thousands of cavalry to launch a counterattack when Chu State attacked Paris.

After realizing that the French wanted to use cavalry to make a fuss, the Chu army commanders quickly made tactical arrangements.

The first is to assemble our own cavalry units, mainly the cavalry regiment of the third division and the cavalry battalion of the fourth division of the Indian Army.

Although the 53rd Cavalry Regiment has a B-class organization name, it was actually allocated according to an A-class organization during the war. It has four cavalry companies, a cavalry artillery company, and a regiment-affiliated rapid baggage company, with a total strength of one. There are more than a thousand people, and the cavalry is equipped with two horses as standard.

The contemporary standard configuration of the first-class cavalry regiment of the Chu Army includes cavalry, artillery and baggage, and has independent combat capabilities.

This is also the difference between the Chu cavalry and contemporary European cavalry. That is, the Chu cavalry continued the tradition of cavalry in East Asia. They like to equip the main cavalry, that is, the first-class cavalry units with two or even three horses to enhance their mobility. At the same time, it is more inclined to allow the first-class cavalry to have independent combat capabilities, rather than just a technical arm that cooperates with the infantry.

The Chu cavalry force that has developed to the present is different from the traditional cavalry to some extent, but has evolved into a 'fast mobile force'. In terms of some strategic requirements, what is required is not the local ability to rush into the formation, but the strategy. Roundabout, long-distance raid/interception combat capability.

As for the charging ability of the traditional cavalry... The Chu cavalry general said that I have cannons and guns, so why should I stupidly attack the enemy?

I can hit you with cavalry cannons from a distance, and I can easily hit you with breech-loading rifles. There is no need to take the risk of charging.

Cavalry charge is already a tactic of a backward era within the Chu army. The Chu army even gave up on the follow-up construction of heavy cavalry. Heavy cavalry has gradually become a symbolic unit in the Chu army. Even cuirassiers are only Only a few are retained, and there is only one fully armored cavalry.

That is the flag of the heavy cavalry, the famous [-]st Cavalry Regiment of the Guards.

But their plate armor and spears have been left in the warehouse for many years... When they are occasionally rotated and deployed overseas for duty, the [-]st Heavy Cavalry Regiment of the Guards never wears their plate armor, let alone uses their cavalry. Spears... but wear breastplates, carry breech-loading rifles, carry breech-loading rifled cavalry cannons, and fight with sabers.

In the past two years, they have even wanted to give up their breastplates... But because of the reputation of the world's number one heavy cavalry, they feel that if they don't even have a breastplate, can they still be considered a heavy cavalry?How is it different from other light cavalry?

However, in actual combat, the First Cavalry Regiment of the Guards, which claims to be a heavy cavalry, has an overall combat style that is no different from other first-class light cavalry. They are all fast mobile troops.

Of course, charging with a cavalry sword or even a spear is still a routine training item for cavalry troops. Just because it is rarely used does not mean that it is not used or not used...

When necessary, the Chu army will also launch a cavalry charge, but it is relatively infrequent. After all, in most cases they can kill the enemy with guns and win, so there is no need to launch a cavalry charge!
On the other hand, the cavalry regiment of the Fourth Division of the Indian Army still retains the ability to charge into formations and is a standard light cavalry regiment of the line era.

However, in their daily lives, they actually mainly perform reconnaissance missions and cover battlefields, and will not rush into battle unless necessary.

The Fourth Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army, except for officers, is composed of Indian untouchables. However, although the Indian Army is a servant army, its various equipment and tactics adopt the second-class standards of the Chu Army Line Era in the 20s... After all, these servant armies All the officers are all Chu people, and they learn and use the Chu people's own tactics. If you ask them to use the tactical standards of other indigenous countries, they will not know how.

Therefore, the cavalry organization and tactics of the Fourth Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army are actually a replica of the conventional light cavalry units of the Chu State in the 20s. There are four cavalry companies, each riding a single horse, with a total of more than [-] cavalrymen.

During the expedition to France and even Europe, the Chu army actually did not deploy many cavalry units. There was no independent cavalry unit, only two divisions of light cavalry.

But this does not affect the Chu army's continuous victory in Europe. There is no way, the Chu army's firepower is too fierce...

However, the Chu army is now gradually moving towards a fast mobile force in the construction of cavalry and abandoning some of the tactics of traditional cavalry units. This does not mean that the cavalry units of other countries are like this...or can be like this.

The substantial change in the tactics of the Chu Army's cavalry units was based on the premise of large-scale service equipment equipped with rear-mounted rifled weapons. If the firepower density is insufficient, it would be fatal to imitate the Chu Army's cavalry in rapid motorization or even give up armor. Very miserable...

After all, in the previous era of smoothbore weapons, the intensive charge of the Chu cavalry was the signature style of the Chu cavalry, which was very powerful.

Whether it is the French, Spain or even other European countries, their cavalry still retains traditional tactics, and charging on the battlefield is still one of their main responsibilities.

They even retain a considerable number of heavily armored cavalry, wearing armor and fighting with spears or pistols!
This time the French wanted to use traditional cavalry charge to crush the huge threat of the Chu army's artillery.

But it is a pity that their intentions suffered a devastating blow when they first emerged and even before they were implemented.

When they discovered that the French cavalry not only refused to surrender, but wanted to fight back, the artillery unit of the Chu army immediately gave them a rapid fire gift package!
First it was the navy's naval guns, and then the army's field artillery. The continuous intensive bombardment made the French cavalry, which had just assembled and advanced in the open area, far from reaching the scheduled battlefield, and had not even mounted their horses to launch a charge. At that time, he suffered a devastating blow!

The overwhelming cannonballs made the French cavalry, who were still immersed in the cavalry tactics of the Thirty Years War, realize for the first time what modern warfare is.

The cavalry that assembles in the open area and moves forward in a dense formation are the living targets of the Chu army's expeditionary artillery. When being bombarded, the survival rate is much lower than that of the infantry relying on fortifications on the front line.

A random cannonball hit can easily take away the lives of a bunch of French cavalry.

The explosions caused by the continuous shells also made those war horses who had not experienced explosion scenes or received professional training become restless and even led the cavalry around.

When the Chu army's shelling continued, the French cavalry could no longer maintain a dense formation. In order to avoid the shelling, they had to actively disperse. This formed a scene that at first glance seemed to be almost full of mountains and plains. It was scary, but in fact A fragmented formation with a serious lack of thickness.

And that's not all yet... When the French cavalry braved intensive artillery fire and led their horses forward on foot, the two cavalry regiments of the Chu army also approached.

The Chu cavalry did not step forward, but used cavalry cannons to bombard them from a distance. Occasionally, French cavalry could not help but rush over, and fired intensively with breech-loading rifles within a few hundred meters to intercept them.

If the French cavalry charges forward on a large scale, the Chu cavalry will directly mount their horses and retreat.

With this back and forth, the French cavalry became even more uncomfortable!

Soon some French cavalry generals could not accept this situation and began to order the cavalry to mount their horses and accelerate forward. They did not hesitate to consume the physical strength of the horses in advance, but also reached the scheduled starting position as soon as possible, and then launched a charge.

But in the end they still failed to complete this intention!
When they were about a thousand meters away, the Chu army infantry in front had been waiting for a long time...

What followed was a more violent and intensive artillery bombardment. Even the Chu army's 70mm infantry cannon and even the Indian Army's smoothbore artillery joined the bombardment.

The infantry of the Chu army also fired intensive firepower that far exceeded the imagination of the French cavalry!
Just a few minutes later, the more than a thousand French forward cavalrymen, who were the bravest and most determined, and braved the heavy shelling and rifle fire of the Chu army, still charged tenaciously, suffered all casualties.

The next moment, the French cavalry who completely realized that there was nothing they could do turned around and ran away in large numbers, trying to evacuate the battlefield. However, at this time, the Chu cavalry chased after them and beat the drowned dogs!

A cavalry counterattack directly resulted in the death of more than 3000 French cavalrymen and countless injuries. However, the result was only the consumption of a large number of Chu army artillery shells, causing the death and injury of about a hundred Indian legionnaires.

Not to mention destroying the Chu army's artillery positions, they actually failed to even get within 500 meters of the Chu army's artillery positions...

In the face of the intensive firepower of the Chu army, the traditional cavalry was seriously out of date!