Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2416: The Duke is not an assistant, but a regent (VII) Military Review

The next morning, just after the Yin hour, the Imperial Guards' parade ground outside Anding Gate was already filled with a murderous atmosphere. The north wind swept the remaining snow across the parade ground, making the three-meter-high dragon flag rustle. The morning sun jumped up from the Yongding River and shattered into thousands of cold stars on the bayonet tips of the Wanli Type 3 flintlock rifles.

The smoke from the bronze crane incense burner on the viewing platform rose up, interweaving with the white mist exhaled by 30,000 imperial guardsmen to form frost. Gao Youshi's fingertips stroked the walnut stock of the Wanli Type 3 rifle in front of him, and the rifling on the long barrel glowed with a cold blue light in the morning sun. More than 60,000 imperial guardsmen lined up like a black iron wall, and the ice spikes on their armor reflected a cold light.

Hanaji's leather boots broke the ice and shook off the snow: "Anda, your momentum is even more majestic than when my ancestor Altan Khan attended the alliance." The Mongolian scabbard at his waist knocked against the railing, making a crisp sound.

Gao Youshi nodded slightly and glanced across the parade ground: "Prince Shunyi, look, this is the first full military parade of the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Guard." He raised his hand and waved lightly, and the big generals on both sides of the viewing platform sang "The Grand Parade Song" in unison. The majestic singing startled the crows on the city wall.

After the song, Ma Gui, the commander of the Imperial Guards, who was standing beside Gao Youshi and Ba Hannaji, asked for instructions: "All Imperial Guards, assemble, no one is absent, please give instructions, Yuan Fu!"

"The military parade begins." Gao Youshi nodded and gave instructions.

"I have received your order!" Ma Gui responded loudly, facing the command desk on the other side, and suddenly raised a vermilion triangular dragon flag.

"Raise the flag!"

Following a shout from Li Rumei, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard and the commander-in-chief of today's military parade and drill, seventy-two sun and moon flags broke through the morning mist. Three rows of black-armored infantrymen appeared behind the flag formation, and every step they took caused ice to splash. The morning sun outlined the jagged bayonets on their shoulders - the sleeves made of fine steel fit the barrels perfectly, not hindering the operation of the flintlock mechanism, but also allowing the two-foot-three-inch fine steel bayonets to be quickly inserted.

This was a secret technique that Jinghua Military Industry had spent several years developing. It looked simple, but it combined a variety of techniques and considerations. It was impossible to replicate without sufficient technology and production capacity. The five thousand infantrymen who were participating in the military parade, with five thousand flintlock rifles on their shoulders, stabbed like a forest, causing the Mongolian chieftains on the viewing platform to narrow their eyes.

As the first cannon roared, the infantry square entered the training ground. The Wanli Type 3 flintlock rifles glowed with a cold blue light in the sun, and the bayonets pointed to the sky like a forest. In the cowhide ammunition box slung across the waist of each soldier, fifty rounds of fixed paper shell bullets were neatly stacked - this was half of the base number of infantry ammunition.

According to the Royal Guards drill manual, infantrymen carry half of their basic ammunition before going into battle, and the other half is issued at the commanding general's discretion based on the battle situation. When the order for reissue is issued, the baggage soldiers distribute it, and the infantrymen go to the designated location to receive it in turn.

"This is a recently developed Wanli Type 3 flintlock rifle, which is currently only equipped to the Imperial Guards," Gao Youshi explained to Shunyi Wang Ba Hannaji beside him. "There are six rifling grooves engraved inside the barrel. The maximum range is 300 steps, and the effective range is 200 steps." He emphasized, "Unlike the matchlock guns of other countries that your department has seen in the past, this gun does not require a matchlock and can be used regardless of wind or rain."

Hannaji narrowed his eyes and noticed the word "Jing" engraved on the soldiers' ammunition boxes: "Xiao Wang heard a little bit, I heard that this batch of new rifles has improved the firing mechanism, and the firing rate has reached more than 80%?"

"That's right." Gao Youshi didn't ask how he knew that. The Ming Dynasty and the Tumed had been in harmony for more than 30 years. Some things that were not highly confidential could not be kept completely secret. So he nodded and said, "Not only the firing device, but almost the entire gun has been improved, including the rifling, gunpowder, and gun body strength. Now each bullet weighs three cents. Although the effective range has improved only slightly, the penetration is much stronger than before."

Hannaji's expression was stern: "If that's the case, it can break heavy armor... Such weapon-making skills are truly amazing."

Gao Fusi smiled but did not answer. He was the only one who knew how hard it was to make these advances. The progress of industry or handicrafts is not something that can be infinitely improved just by breaking through a certain window paper. As the "window paper technology dividend" of the early days of time travel has been almost eaten up, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to improve.

To apply the barrel theory, the advancement of a certain technology now often results from the combined efforts of multiple technological breakthroughs. Only by lengthening all the shortcomings can more water be held.

This is the case with the Wanli Type 3 rifle. For example, if you want to shoot more accurately, you need more and more precise rifling, but too many rifling may cause the strength of the gun body to decrease, so better metal manufacturing and processing technology is needed.

With a good barrel, you want to shoot farther, which requires improving gunpowder. Improving gunpowder is not just about remembering the gunpowder ratio, but also about how to produce a specific material, controlling production costs, and even how to store it after production. None of these requires technological breakthroughs.

Of course, Gao Youshi did not need to, nor would he, explain these in detail to Hannaji. The necessary mystery would ensure that they could integrate into the Ming Dynasty with peace of mind, and accelerate the advancement of the "hexagonal all-powerful Chinese nation" in Gao Youshi's mind.

After the infantry phalanx passed the viewing platform, the cavalry phalanx surged into view like a black torrent. The armor of the armored cavalry reflected a cold light in the sun, and the iron face guards on the horses' heads were engraved with ferocious gluttonous patterns. However, due to the characteristics of the essence of fine steel, the "light armor" of these cavalry was actually more like "ghost light armor." As for the semi-armored cavalry, they wore the same color of Shanwen armor, holding short Wanli three-style carbines, and the fine steel sabers on their waists were wrapped with Liaodong tussah black silk.

"Wan Sheng!"

The roar of the mountains startled the jackdaws, and the iron stream suddenly split into two wings. In the east, the sound of hooves was like thunder, and eight hundred rare fully-armored iron cavalrymen came stepping on the snow. The cold armor covering both the men and horses was glowing, and even the warhorse's face curtain was covered with star-shaped armor plates. Only the barrel of the Wanli three-style short-barreled flintlock musket was left protruding from between the armor leaves.

The horses for these cavalrymen were the first batch of heavy cavalry horses that Gao Youshi had started searching for many years ago and were only bred in recent years. They were a mix of Nordic heavy horses imported from the Spanish and Portuguese empires at high prices and Mongolian and Arabian horses. The current stock does not exceed 3,000, so the Imperial Guards can only be equipped with 800 cavalrymen (one person rides two horses in wartime, and only one person and one horse is needed for a military parade).

The light cavalry in the west were like rolling black clouds. The half-armored brave cavalrymen controlled the Ili horses (named by Gao Youshi, not exactly the same as the modern Ili horses) which were bred from Arabian horses and Mongolian horses. The newly-fitted imitation Mongolian sabers on their waists pointed diagonally to the sky - the blade forged with Jinghua fine steel did not even show a single frost in the cold air, which caused Shunyi King Ba Hannaji to unconsciously touch the ancestral Uzbek steel knife on his waist.

"On the left are the heavily armored cavalry," Gao Youshi pointed at the queue, "both the men and horses are wearing triple armor, and can charge into any formation head-on. They can be considered the elite for charging into the formation." He turned and pointed to the right, "On the right are the light cavalry, equipped with short guns and fine steel sabers. They can fight and run, and are the main force of the Imperial Guards cavalry."

As the Great Khan of Tumed, Hannaji naturally had a keen eye. He could see at a glance that the horses of the two light and heavy cavalry were taller than the Mongolian horses. He couldn't help but ask: "How many times can these heavy cavalry charge? How far can the light cavalry run with armor? How much feed does it cost per day?"

Unfortunately, before Gao Youshi could answer, he saw the cavalry suddenly speed up, and the sound of horse hooves shook the earth like thunder. The knights on horseback drew out their scimitars and held them horizontally to the side like the Mongolian cavalry.

"This saber is made of fine steel from Jinghua," Gao Youshi deliberately ignored his brother's question and explained, "The blade is thin but very tough, and can break through thirty layers of armor on horseback without bending." As soon as Han Naji said this, his pupils suddenly shrank, and he subconsciously glanced at Gao Youshi, wanting to say something but stopping. Gao Youshi smiled slightly and said, "King Shunyi doesn't need to ask. After the surrender, the First Naturalized Cavalry Army will naturally be equipped with this saber."

Just the First Army? Bahanaji seemed to understand Gao Youshi's intention, but he didn't mind - the First Naturalized Cavalry Army was formed mainly by his Chechen Khan's tribe, and he would lead it himself. As for the other Taiji's tribes, they would naturally form the Second Naturalized Cavalry Army... Anda was helping him.

Bahanaji immediately cast a look of gratitude towards Gao Youshi, and Gao Youshi just smiled and took it as a response.

Suddenly, a copper whistle sounded in the air, and the torrent of armored personnel suddenly froze. A low cry was heard from the viewing platform. It turned out that everyone was only focused on looking at the well-equipped and powerful cavalry, but did not notice that three rows of artillery vehicles had been lined up in front of them without knowing when.

Forty-eight No. 3 Army guns held up their muzzles with six-jin bullets, and twenty-four No. 2 guns carried eleven-jin iron bullets. Under such heavy loads, even the two-wheeled gun carriages improved by Jinghua could still leave a half-inch shallow mark on the frozen soil.

When the gunners lifted the rainproof tarpaulin and revealed the bronze quadrant with a dial, not only Hanaji, but also the Tumed leaders behind him held their breath and dared not even breathe!

Compared with the two long and short muskets of the Wanli three styles, these two types of army artillery were the weapons that they envied but dared not even dream of. Many of them had followed Gao Youshi in various expeditions, so they naturally had a lot of experience, especially in the Korean battlefield. The Japanese army's mountain fortress was built with great mystery. After suffering two small losses, the Tumed people did not dare to approach at all. It was all thanks to the Ming army dragging these two types of artillery to break the city.

The saying "force can defeat skill" was engraved into their minds through the Ming army's artillery.

While the Mongolian leaders were in a trance, three artillery columns were dragged by their own draft horses and passed in front of them. The barrels of the Jinghua No. 2 Army Cannon shone coldly in the sun. When passing the reviewing stand, the gunners moved skillfully and quickly pushed the huge solid bullets into the barrels.

The projectile weighs about nine pounds, which is equivalent to the European 12-pound heavy cannon - that is, the large red cannon that the Ming army rarely possessed in history (in addition to the large ones, there are also medium and small ones. Of course, the technology of the Jinghua cannon is more advanced.).

"This is a Type 2 Army Cannon, which can fire solid bullets weighing nine pounds," Gao Youshi explained. "The effective range is up to one and a half miles. If you shoot at the maximum barrel elevation angle, the range can reach three miles - but then there will be no accuracy at all, and you can only win by relying on large volume and coverage."

He then pointed to the smaller No. 6 gun, "This is the No. Army Gun, firing a four-and-a-half-pound projectile (roughly equivalent to the European -pound gun), with an effective range of one mile and a maximum elevation range of nearly two miles. Compared to the No. gun, this gun is lighter and has a faster firing rate, so it has become the main force of our Ming army's land warfare artillery."

Hannaji tried his best to control his expression and nodded, "I have heard them report that the No. 2 gun is used to destroy the city, and the No. 3 gun is used to destroy the battle array. Seeing it today, it is indeed magnificent."

Gao Fusi smiled and said, "There will be a live-fire drill in a while, and Prince Shunyi can watch its power."

As they were talking, the engineering phalanx had already followed the artillery array. The multifunctional engineering shovels carried by the engineers shone in the sun. This shovel could not only be used to quickly dig trenches, but also as a weapon and even for cooking.

Various folding metal pontoon bridge components are hung around their waists, which makes it convenient for them to quickly build bridges at any time during field marches - as long as they cut down trees on the spot, they can use these components to temporarily fix various parts.

"This is a special engineer shovel made by Jinghua," Gao Youshi introduced. "It is made of fine steel and can be used to dig frozen soil or for close combat." He pointed to the floating bridge components on the soldiers' waists and said, "There are 17 types of metal parts, and each person carries a different one. After preparing the wood, a temporary bridge with a load of more than 2,000 kilograms can be built within an incense stick."

Bahannaji stroked his beard and murmured, "This is much more useful than our sheepskin raft..."

The last to enter were the baggage soldiers. The improved transport carriages were equipped with Jinghua's unique spring chassis, and the carriages were padded with thick wool felt to protect the transported materials - such as palm mines, which could not withstand heavy collisions. Various shock-absorbing devices were designed to ensure smooth driving even on rugged terrain.

"These carriages are equipped with Jinghua's spring chassis, which can reduce the bumps of the goods and are suitable for long-distance transportation." Gao Fusi said, "The bearing structure is also a masterpiece of Jinghua's precision work, which can greatly reduce horsepower loss, so that each carriage can carry 2,000 kilograms and travel 80 miles a day."

The last sentence shocked Hannaji, and he exclaimed: "Anda, your guards have such excellent baggage soldiers. It really opened my eyes."

Of course, after all, baggage transportation has always been a difficult problem for the Han army which is mainly composed of infantry. Once the speed of baggage transportation is improved, the infantry, most of whom are not armed with armor when marching, will greatly increase their marching speed, and can even compete with some cavalry in long-distance marches.

Of course, the elite Mongolian cavalry was an exception. After all, they not only had three horses per person, but they could also march without supplies to a certain extent, which meant they could run as fast as the horses could, and Mongolian horses were the best at endurance. On this issue, the Eastern European countries that were beaten to a pulp by the Mongols must have a say.

Gao Youshi heard Hannaji's exclamation and smiled, "Prince Shunyi, this is only part of the Royal Guards' weapons display. You will see their actual combat power during the live-fire drill in the afternoon."

After the phalanxes of representatives from each branch of the military marched through the field, the towns of the Imperial Guards made a simple display of formation changes. More than 60,000 pairs of combat boots went back and forth, melting the ice surface formed by the accumulated snow in the large parade ground.

Finally, the guards turned around in unison, saluted towards the viewing platform, and shouted "Victory!" Gao Youshi led the officers to return the salute, and then smiled at Han Naji: "Let's go have lunch. There will be more exciting live-fire drills in the afternoon... Your department should be ready, right?"

"Don't worry, Anda. Yesterday, Grand Tutor Ma, Grand Tutor Li and others have already explained the performance items to us in detail. The elite cavalry I brought with me this time are just to demonstrate daily combat tactics. You only need to give the order and there is no need to make too much preparation."

Gao Fusi smiled, but reminded: "Prince Shunyi, from now on, you must change your way of addressing me as 'Grand Master'."

Hannaji's smile froze for a moment, but he immediately smiled and said, "What the lord said is true. From now on, my tribe will be completely annexed by the imperial court. Naturally, we must change our careless habits and act in accordance with the rules of the imperial court."
-

Thanks to book friends "Lu Sen Ah", "Book Friend 20190427223157510", and "Robert Guilliman" for their monthly ticket support, thank you!