Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 231 Donkey Guard Comes to Surrender

Lu Jin led a group of officers from the Imperial Guard to conduct experiments for two days and finally decided on the future training subjects.

Conventional tactics include "three-row battle line attack", "two-row battle line fire assault", "squad shooting while marching", and "company-level rotation shooting tactics within the battalion while marching".

As for standing still and shooting in three rows, that is a defensive tactic that is considered when forming a formation with other non-firearms troops. This tactic is not needed when attacking.

There are also phalanx defense tactics at the battalion and company levels, and phalanx defense tactics at the brigade level. These mainly train the speed of changing formations of each unit, focusing on practicing formations.

As for loading and shooting, those are the basic skills of musketeers, and they require hard training in normal times.

In addition, considering that the range of the musket is not short, everyone discussed and decided to start organizing shooting on the move after the enemy enters 300 meters. In the first round, the muzzle should be raised a little higher to hit the enemy's formation with a parabola. In the second round of company-level shooting, the muzzle can be lowered to aim and shoot.

At a distance of 300 meters, after all four battalions of the army have fired twice, they should be almost in front of the enemy's formation. Then they can organize another round of battalion-level volleys to defeat the enemy in front of them. Then it will be close combat, capturing prisoners and pursuing the enemy.

In addition, there are some squad-level musket tactical training. The squad is divided into three combat groups of four, which take turns shooting. This is mainly used in the final stage of pursuing and annihilating the enemy's fleeing soldiers and in street fighting in the city.

A musketeer squad of four people can just block a street. The front and rear groups guard the front and back directions respectively, and the third group loads ammunition in the middle and rotates with the front and back groups to carry out tasks.

After determining the tactics, you can start formal training.

In Luzhou, the training of the Imperial Guards was in full swing. Although the number of muskets in each unit was still far short of that, the training had not fallen behind. If there were not enough guns, they would just think of some local solutions.

Zhu Shou had been training musketeers for two or three months, but his brigade did not have enough muskets, so he came up with an idea. He got some bamboo poles that were about the same thickness as gun barrels as training equipment, wrapped sand in yellow paper as gunpowder, and used mud balls as bullets to train the soldiers on how to load the bullets. He even made a fake flintlock out of bamboo so that he could pull the trigger to simulate firing.

This method was naturally also extended to Zhang Wen's Second Brigade. Now that they didn't have muskets, they practiced more on formations, loading and tactics. If that didn't work, they would borrow muskets from the First Brigade and let the soldiers of the Second Brigade fire a few rounds every month to help them maintain the feel of live ammunition shooting.

Of course, the most important thing is to increase production as quickly as possible. The military training has also started a competition mode, with companies as units. The company with the most orderly marching, fast formation changes, and good command execution will be the first to be equipped.

In this way, soldiers from all units will have motivation to train.

While the musketeers were training very hard, the trap camp was also not idle. These were all close combat experts selected from the original first and sixth regiments through martial arts competitions. Some were good at using swords, some were using spears, and some were good at bows and arrows. They were all considered "martial arts experts". Only the remaining ones were assigned to the musket battalion. After all, the musket battalion only needed to know how to fire, and the physical fitness requirements for the soldiers were not high.

The most elite melee soldiers were selected and equipped with the best weapons. They were evaluated on what weapons they were good at. Weekly competitions were held within the camp, and the top three in the special weapons competitions could get a chance to have customized weapons. This greatly stimulated the training enthusiasm of the soldiers in the Xianzhen Camp.

And their armor is the thickest in the entire army.

The standard armor of the Shengwu Army is a cloth armor designed by Lu Jin based on the restoration of armor in later generations. It can be regarded as a cloth armor from the late Ming Dynasty. Its most typical features are the straight armor with a front opening, which is easy to put on and take off, and the iron arms that look like lobster arms. In addition, the helmet comes with an integrated throat guard, instead of the extra throat guard of the early Ming Dynasty. After being fully dressed, only the eyes and nose are exposed on the whole body, and even the mouth can be covered by the integrated throat guard, which can greatly protect the face from harm.

Others may not know history, but Lu Jin is still terrified by it. There were too many people who died from arrows in the face on the battlefield at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, such as Chen Youliang, who was shot through the eye, Ming Yuzhen of the Mingxia regime, who was shot blind in one eye, and Fu Youde, who was shot through the cheek, etc. Therefore, facial protection was strengthened.
Historically, the armor of the Ming army was distributed in five colors, with one color each for the front, back, left, right and center armies. The Shengwu Army's armor was distributed according to the type of soldiers. Ordinary main regiment combat soldiers used bright red, the auxiliary chariot battalion used indigo blue, the cavalry used white, and the internal guards in various places used cyan blue, a light color between green and blue.

The musketeers of the Imperial Guards used yellow, the grenadiers and chariot drivers used royal blue, the trap camp used black, and the cavalry used yellow and blue.

Since the artillerymen did not need to engage in direct close combat with the enemy, they only wore red clothes and yellow half-body iron cotton armor, and they did not have iron arms, just a yellow vest with two red sleeves exposed.

However, there are some differences between the standard armor of the Xianzhen Camp and other types of troops. The full set of armor of an ordinary soldier weighs only 40 kilograms. Although it is not light, it is definitely not comparable to the infantry armor of the Song and Jin Dynasties.

Because the Xianzhen Camp had to fight in close combat with the enemy, Lu Jin made their armor heavier, increasing the weight to 60 kilograms. Although it still couldn't compare with the heavy lamellae armor of or kilograms, with the laminated cotton cloth cover and rivets, its overall defensive effect was not weaker than those heavy lamellae armors, and it could be put on and taken off by one person, making it more convenient to use and very popular among soldiers.

Especially now that it is only March and the weather in early spring is still relatively cold, some soldiers wear armor in the barracks for a long time. One reason is to exercise their endurance and martial arts. After all, the physical difference between wearing armor and not wearing armor is quite large. After all, armor sacrifices some flexibility. The movements that you can do normally will definitely be affected and restricted by wearing armor, so you need to become proficient in them normally.

Secondly, it is also to keep warm and protect against the cold, so the armor is worn as a military coat.
At noon that day, Lu Jin was inspecting the military camp in Luzhou and discussing some things with the generals. He was followed by two boys, Yang Huan and Qin Zhao, who were discussing the issue of artillery camp equipment with Lu Jin.

"Marshal, during the actual combat in Anqing this time, I felt that the three types of cannons were all very useful. The eight-jin cannon is the main force of our army's field artillery. It weighs only about 900 jin and is a model with a very balanced power, weight, and passability. It is also the limit of what four horses can pull. This has been decided and there is no objection.

"But there are two types of howitzers left. The 14-jin short-barreled field howitzer weighs only 600 jin. Although its range for firing solid bullets is only 1300 meters, its range for firing flower shells can easily exceed meters. The range is still sufficient. The most important thing is that this gun is light, weighing only jin. Moreover, when firing shotgun shells at close range, its effect is better than that of the -jin gun. It is also cheaper. I suggest equipping some.

"There is also a 23-jin heavy howitzer. Although this cannon weighs jin and requires six to eight horses to pull it, I also suggest equipping some. You don't need too many. Even if a brigade only has four to six, this cannon is very suitable for attacking cities and key points. After all, the caliber and power are there, which cannot be compared with small-caliber artillery."

Yang Huan followed beside Lu Jin and gave him suggestions eloquently. Although Qin Zhao next to him was older than him, he could only listen. After all, this guy was the best artillery officer in the entire army, and he had fought in actual combat with Lu Jin and made contributions. His suggestions were definitely more pertinent.

Lu Jin stopped at this time, looked at a familiar figure in the camp, and then asked Yang Huan.

"Then how do you think the three types of guns should be divided among the 64 guns of the artillery battalion?"

Yang Huan was clearly confident and said, "There are four companies in a battalion, and each company has 16 guns. I suggest that two of the companies be equipped with 32-jin guns, for a total of 14 guns. One company should be equipped with 16-jin short-barreled howitzers, which can be used to open flower shells or fire shotguns at close range for defense. The last company's 14 guns can be divided into two groups, eight 23-jin guns and eight -jin heavy guns.

"That's a total of 32 24-jin cannons, 14 8-jin short howitzers, and 23 -jin heavy cannons. If we attack the city this way, each city gate can be assigned two heavy cannons. What do you think, Marshal?"

Lu Jin couldn't help but smile when he heard this, and then he commented, "That's a good idea, but not every city has four gates. There are many cities with five or six gates, or seven or eight gates. Besides, even if there are only four gates, you still have to surround three gates and leave one. How can you divide it so perfectly? There is something wrong with your combat thinking as an artillery commander.

"For a weapon as powerful as artillery, it is best to concentrate it as much as possible to exert its maximum power. Even if it can't hit anything, it can still scare the enemy to death."

Yang Huan scratched his head when he heard this, and then he realized that he seemed to have made a joke, but he still asked, "Then what do you think the commander should do?"

"Let's set the configuration as you said. 32 8-jin cannons, 24 14-jin short howitzers, and 8 heavy howitzers. There is really nothing wrong with this configuration. The key is the issue of command and use. Both of you should think about it carefully."

"Yes, we know. Should we confirm the number immediately and notify the iron factory?" Qin Zhao nodded and asked. "Go and notify the iron factory. Also, you can discuss with Yu Tongyuan. Their navy also needs to be equipped with artillery, but the needs of your army are not quite the same. Moreover, his navy has a large number of rear-loading submachine guns. You should pay attention to this when teaching the navy soldiers." Lu Jin reminded the two.

"Yes, I understand. Then the two of us will take our leave first."

"Well, let's go."

Lu Jin watched the two of them leave together. Just at this moment, a young officer from the Xianzhen Camp, wearing black cloth armor, came over from the opposite side with a book in his hand. It was Zhu Chongba, the monk from Huangjue Temple who was recruited into the army by Lu Jin himself.

"I am honored to meet you, Marshal!" Zhu Yuanzhang came in front of Lu Jin and immediately saluted with his fists.

Lu Jin nodded, "Zhu Chongba of Haozhou, am I remembering correctly? Why are you not training at this time and coming to me with a book? Are you going to study with me?"

Zhu Chongba immediately pointed to the distance and explained, "Marshal, I am not lazy. I just finished training with the team at noon, and the training officer is teaching the brothers to read. Because I knew how to read before, the training officer allowed me to study on my own."

Lu Jin immediately understood and asked, "Are you really here to study with me?"

Zhu Chongba then explained his purpose, holding the book in his hand and said, "This is the 'Quick Military Strategy' that the commander-in-chief distributed to the officers of each battalion. I saw that the officers were reading it, so I borrowed it to have a look. I suddenly felt that the commander-in-chief's book was very useful. It is all plain language, without any mysterious words. It is all practical knowledge for commanding the army and fighting. I like it very much, so I borrowed it and copied a copy by hand. I read it often and gain a lot from it."

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang secretly glanced at Lu Jin. After all, this was a book that Lu Jin had distributed to battalion-level officers for study, and he did not say that it would be distributed to lower-level officers. He was just a squad leader now, and he didn't know whether Lu Jin would blame him for copying the book privately.

However, Lu Jin just had a blank expression on his face, neither happy nor angry, and he didn't know what Lu Jin meant.

Lu Jin then pointed at the book and said, "This book was originally written to teach people how to be a general of 10,000 people. Giving it to the battalion officers is to let them learn in advance so that they can be competent when they are promoted in the future and not be at a loss when leading 10,000 people. You are eager to learn. You are just a squad leader and you are already reading this kind of book.

"Officers at different levels have different duties. The squad leaders should work hard to train their combat skills and think about how to defeat the enemy in front of them. The company and battalion commanders need to consider what tactics to use. This book teaches regimental-level officers how to make decisions and act. It's too early for you to read such a book now.

"But it's not wrong to love reading and learn more. You can study more about the tactics in this book. It will be very useful when you are promoted to battalion officer and regiment commander. You came to me, but is there anything you don't understand?"

Zhu Yuanzhang heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He was glad that Lu Jin did not blame him, so he asked for advice.

"That's exactly what I want to ask you, Marshal. This book you wrote is excellent. We can understand a lot of things in it, but the chapter on determination is vague. It says that you can go to war when you have 60% chance of winning, or you can go to war when you have 70% chance of winning. The other chapters are about what should be done and what should be done, but this chapter is vague. I wonder what you mean by this?

"Also, I can't figure it out. They say that the commander is good at strategizing. Those who plan more will win, and those who plan less will lose. If that's the case, why not fight again when you have a better chance? Isn't it better to fight when you have 80% to 90% chance of winning?"

"Hahahaha." Lu Jin laughed immediately after hearing that, "So this is what you're confused about."

Zhu Chongba was stunned for a moment before he asked, "Is there anything wrong?"

Lu Jin shook his head and explained, "There is no fixed number here, because everyone has different temperaments and personalities. When it comes to leading troops to fight, the generals have different fighting styles.

“When two armies are at war, some generals are brave but reckless, while others are resourceful but indecisive. Therefore, different generals have different times to make up their minds. As long as they can win, it’s fine. There is no exact number.

"Specifically speaking, what does the book mean by a 50% chance of winning? 50% means you may win or lose, and 50% means you are not sure of winning, that is, you have no chance of winning.

"What does 70% mean? It means there is a high probability of winning. The chances of winning are very high. You can play cautiously and with determination.

"Then why can't we fight when you have an 80% to 90% chance of winning? Because the enemy generals opposite you are not fools. An 80% to 90% chance of winning means that you have an absolute advantage and the enemy has an absolute disadvantage. Only fools would fight you at this time. When they see that the situation is not right, they would have already run away or simply surrendered. What battle do you have to fight?"

Zhu Chongba suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. So which is better, 60% or 70%?"

Lu Jin still shook his head and said, "I said, there is no fixed number. If there are conditions, then 70% is the best. But this is also the most difficult time to grasp. The opportunity is fleeting. Maybe if you hesitate for a moment, the enemy will run away."

"So that's how it is." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded upon hearing this and fell into deep thought again, apparently trying to figure out the trick here.

Seeing this, Lu Jin simply found a place to sit down nearby and started chatting with Zhu Chongba.

"Zhongba, did you receive any news from your family the last time you wrote to them?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was immediately brought back to his senses when he heard this and shook his head with a bitter face.

"During the disaster a few years ago, some of my family members died, some fled famine, and we have been separated from our families for several years. Who knows if they are still alive? If there is no news, I still have hope. If there is news, I am afraid that it is to announce our death."

Lu Jin patted him on the shoulder and said, "It will be fine. You can survive begging alone, so how can they all die when there are so many of them? Let's not talk about this. As long as we are alive, we still have to look forward. No matter what, we still have to live our lives.

"Besides, even if I say something unpleasant, if all your family members are really gone, then aren't you the only male left in the family? You have to stay alive and carry on the Zhu family's lineage."

Zhu Chongba nodded, and immediately reacted. He bowed deeply to Lu Jin and said, "Thank you, Marshal, for caring about my family."

Lu Jin waved his hand, not caring. "Sit down and have a chat. Have the soldiers from Haozhou been allocated land? Have you got the land deeds? You need the land deeds to make a living in the future."

Speaking of land, Zhu Chongba grinned and said, "Yes, we have been allocated 50 mu of land, which is located in the northwest of the city. I heard that it used to be the Luzhou horse farm set up by the Yuan court. Now the horse farm is abandoned, so the land was distributed to our soldiers."

(End of this chapter)