[Chapter 194] Musket Team, side van

(0194)

【Today's sixth update is delivered!】

The weather in June is indeed a huge test for the training of the musket team. June in Ningxia Town is still relatively hot, especially during the day. Xu Xingxia estimated that the maximum temperature must be above 30 degrees. When the training queue, the soldiers of the white-clothed army would stand in the sun, and in a moment, their military uniforms would be soaked with sweat.

Xu Xingxia basically trained the white-clothed army according to the training methods of later generations, standing in military posture, walking in a regular manner, and other content. Obviously, in this hot weather, these trainings are the most deadly. In the hot summer weather, there is no need for any movement, just sweat, let alone intense movement training. At the beginning, people were exhausted from heatstroke almost every day. If it weren’t for the fact that Doctor Dong brought herbs to relieve heat and were waiting at any time, it might have caused death.

However, Xu Xingxia insisted on such training. What he valued was not military posture, pedal, or rank. What he valued was the endurance of the troops. Training under the sun was a desperate struggle. If he couldn't even endure this little hardship and went to the battlefield, what could he expect them to do? The main reason why the Ming army's troops were defeated repeatedly and could not endure hardships. A group of loose sand troops had absolutely no combat power.

Every day, the soldiers of the Xiongqujun Musket Team practiced like wood. They had to repeat each simple movement thousands of times every day. The only test of monotonous repetition was their conditioned reflex. Due to the high intensity of training, most soldiers would involuntarily make loading gestures when they were sleeping.

However, Xu Xingxia felt that it was not enough. He felt that when the explosives were around him, the musketeer's body would not react at all, and it was probably almost the same. Of course, this was just a saying. After all, people are not mechanical and always respond. Most of the time, they need to be tested in practice.

The growth of any unit cannot be separated from the test of blood and fire. The White-clothed Army grew up in battle. A considerable number of White-clothed Army soldiers have killed the Tartars with their own hands. This is very important. In the training ground, the most elite troops will never be able to train. Practical combat is the best way to train.

"Sir, Minghao is looking for you." On that day, Xu Xingxia was supervising the Xiong Qujun's musketeers to conduct queue training, and suddenly someone came to report.

"Oh? Please come in." Xu Xingxia nodded. He estimated that Minghao should have come to find him in the past or two days.

Soon, Minghao appeared in front of Xu Xingxia. He stayed in the White-Clothing Army's camp for several days and analyzed all the interests of seeking the White-Clothing Army, and finally strengthened his determination to seek refuge in the White-Clothing Army. Now, he finally mustered up the courage to come to Xu Xingxia to express his feelings directly.

Xu Xingxia asked knowingly: "Mingbaihu, please."

Minghao said a little crampedly: "Xu Baihu, I have some things. Can I talk to you alone? I just need to waste your time..."

Xu Xingxia said calmly: "Of course, come here."

After saying that, he walked to the next to the training ground. There was a room for rest here, with only four pillars, supporting the roof. The surroundings were empty. The breeze blew in, taking away a lot of heat and it was quite cool. Doctor Dong was here to sit in and treat soldiers who had exhausted heat stroke at any time. There was also enough herbal tea here. When you were thirsty, just drink it with a scoop of water.

After two hours of sunshine, Xu Xingxia was sweating all over, and her military uniform had been wet. There was sweat dripping down his crotch. At this time, of course, no one was too stupid to wear armor. Otherwise, armor alone could suffocate people to death. He picked up the water scoop, guru and took a few mouthfuls of herbal tea, then breathed a long sigh, turned his head to say to Minghao, "What's the matter? Tell me!"

Minghao's face turned a little red and said, "Xu Baihu, I want to join the White Army."

Xu Xingxia looked at him with a smile and said meaningfully: "Why? Because the White Army has a good meal? Are you reluctant to leave?"

Minghao said honestly: "This is indeed a reason. However, the most important thing is that there is hope for joining the White Army. Xu Baihu, don't get me wrong. I, Minghao, is actually not a coward. I also want to kill the Tartars. But I don't have that ability. I can guarantee that after joining the White Army, I will definitely not be a coward."

Xu Xingxia smiled and said, "I am not very popular with my superiors. If you join the White Army, the superiors may not even like you. Your family is in Ningxia City. If you want to join the White Army, it is best to move your family to Weizhen Fort."

Minghao said bitterly: "I was not very popular with my superiors, otherwise I wouldn't have been sent to the Fenghuodun of Kalong Mountain. You also know that it is indeed not a place for people to stay. As for my family, it would be fine if I moved to Weizhen Fort. I only have five people in my family, and I can just find a place to settle down."

Xu Xingxia laughed. He knew about Minghao's situation. The people sent to the Fenghuodun of Kalong Mountain are indeed not welcomed by the superiors. Minghao, like himself, is dissatisfied with the status quo and dissatisfied with the superiors. This is the basic guarantee of loyalty. He is also welcomed by Minghao's initiative to join. To develop and grow, it is certainly not possible to rely solely on such a few people from Weizhen Fort. He must find a way to expand the source of troops. He nodded and said calmly: "If you join the Baiyi Army, what are your requirements?"

Minghao mustered up the courage and said, "Xu Baihu, if you trust me, I am willing to serve as the captain of the scout. When I was young, I traveled to many places in Ningxia Town and were very familiar with the surrounding situation. I am also proficient in the Tatar language."

Xu Xingxia said readily: "Okay! That's it! You will be the captain of the scout!"

Ming Hao was suddenly overjoyed. Unexpectedly, Xu Xingxia agreed to his request so quickly. He was sincerely happy to be a member of the White Army. This was a completely different group. In this group, he could feel strong ambition, strong combat power, and strong cohesion. This is the group he hopes to join.

He immediately remembered another thing and said with a little embarrassment: "My subordinates... they also want to join the White Army. I know that the adults have a bad impression of them. In fact, those people are not completely useless. The key is that before, everyone was desperate... If the adults can give them some hope, I believe they are not cowards either..."

Xu Xingxia thought for a moment and said calmly: "Let's do this. In three days, I will preside over the assessment and see their basic situation. As long as they have physical fitness and can meet the requirements, they can participate in the White Army. However, if they cannot pass the assessment, I'm sorry. The White Army must fight the Tartars. We cannot accept those with too poor conditions. For the specific assessment standards, you can find Yu Lijun to pay attention to."

Minghao was overjoyed and hurriedly left. Soon, his subordinates learned about the assessment. Some were optimistic and felt that they should not be bad, and that there was little problem of passing the assessment. Some were pessimistic and felt that they were unlikely to pass the assessment. However, no matter who they were, they began to spontaneously come to the training ground to participate in basic physical training. They must work hard to become a member of the White Army.

"Sir!" Minghao had just left, and Xu Xingxia heard someone calling him again. He looked back and found that Liu Guangliang was coming in a hurry. Liu Guangliang is the person in charge of the craftsman workshop. He often has craftsmanship problems and wants to come to Xu Xingxia to discuss and solve them. The distance between the craftsman workshop and the military camp is not far, so it is convenient for him to come from the craftsman workshop.

Xu Xingxia asked with a smile: "Uncle, are you worried about me?"

(Liu Guangliang's wife and the protagonist's mother are sisters, and the protagonist should call Liu Guangliang an uncle. I was crazy before and wrote it as an uncle. When I discovered it, there were already a lot of chapters and it was difficult to correct it. Let's start to correct it from now on.)

Liu Guangliang said excitedly: "It's something."

Xu Xingxia smiled and said, "Uncle, just tell me if you have something to do! Is it a business or a private matter?"

Liu Guangliang hurriedly said, "Of course it's official business, it's official business. How could I find the military camp in private matters? I wonder, have you ever heard of side vans?"

Xu Xingxia nodded and said casually: "I know a little."

The so-called side van usually refers to a large wheeler with four wheels and one side is equipped with a very high and thick baffle. When necessary, it can be used to block the enemy's bow and arrow shooting. Several side vans are connected to each other and can form a relatively strong barrier. Ordinary bows and arrows are definitely impossible to penetrate. There are shooting holes on the wooden baffle. Musketeers standing behind the baffle can shoot from the outside.

Another narrow-size side van is very tall, with three floors, which looks like a small mobile fortress. There are more than a dozen wheels of various sizes underneath. Each floor is equipped with cannons and muskets, and the firepower is very fierce. Such side van cannons can garrison fifty soldiers. This side van is later called the tank of the Ming Dynasty. This kind of tank is said to be invented by Qi Jiguang himself when the Qi family army was stationed in Jizhen.

In a narrow sense, the cost of side vans is too high and the requirements for craftsmanship are also high. Only when Zhang Juzheng was still in power and strongly supported Qi Jiguang, Qi Jiguang could build human, material and financial resources. If it were others, there was no such possibility. In fact, after Zhang Juzheng's death, Qi Jiguang was also dismissed, and this tank-like side van was abandoned.

The side van mentioned by Liu Guangliang is actually a modification of an ordinary large car. It is low in cost, low in price, and relatively simple in production. Most carpenters know the entire process of making side vans. In fact, the technical key points of side vans are on the wheels. As long as the wheels are well-organized, there will be no problem with other parts of side vans.

In plains like Ningxia Town, the application range of side vans is quite broad. The northern wilderness of the Ming Empire was drought and rainy, and the soil was relatively hard, which was just right for the driving of a large cart. The side van only needed animal power to pull, both war horses and cattle, and even mules or donkeys. If you don’t even have animal power, human power can also be pulled.

The most important thing is that side vans really have the function of a car, which can pull a large amount of supplies. A common side van transports 500 kilograms of supplies is completely free. One hundred such side vans can transport 500 kilograms of supplies. A side van that can transport and fight wars is a bit like an armored personnel carrier in later generations in terms of function.

However, except for Qi Jiguang, other Ming troops used relatively few side vans. The main reason is not because the cost of side vans is high, but in some aspects, there are certain defects. Among them, the main defect is that the range of the smoothbore gun is too close to effectively prevent the enemy cavalry from destroying the side vans.

If the enemy's cavalry rushes hard, they can directly rush to the side van. The high-speed horse has a strong impact force. Ordinary side vans will definitely not withstand such impact. Even if the body structure is not damaged, the baffle will definitely be gone. If there are a large number of enemy cavalry rushing over and insisting on dying with the side van, the side van will be powerless.

However, if the defenders use Sun and Moon guns, it will be very different. The range of Sun and Moon guns can be fired at two hundred meters away. In this way, it will not be so easy for the enemy cavalry to rush to the front of the side van. A distance of two hundred meters is enough to make many enemy cavalry fall down. If the cooperation of cannons, it will be difficult for the enemy cavalry to get close to the side van, no matter how many enemy cavalry is.

Of course, there are many restrictions on using side vans. The speed of side vans is too slow and it is definitely not possible to be used as a mobile unit. Its biggest advantage is that it is used as a mobile battle fortress. When you arrive at a place where there is no danger, as long as you surround the side vans with each other, it will be a simple castle.

Liu Guangliang finally said: "I don't know if the construction of Heishan Camp can be used if the side vans are built? If it can be used, I don't know how many quantities are needed?"

This sentence just came to the point. There is no barrier in the current Heishan Camp. If the White-Clothed Army entered the Heishan Camp, there would be no danger to defend. If the Tatar cavalry attacked in large numbers, the White-Clothed Army would be in a dangerous situation. The craftsmen who built the Heishan Camp were also dangerous. However, as long as hundreds of side vans were connected to each other, forming a simple fortress equipped with enough Sun and Moon guns. It would be almost impossible for the Tatars to rush up. Similarly, it can also be used when restoring Zhenyuan Pass in the future.

From this, it was promoted that in the future, as long as the large army marched, as long as it was in a flat area, the side vans would have heroes to use. This combination of the fortress formed by the side vans and the rifled rifle is simply the natural enemy of the nomadic cavalry. In the face of the firepower of the Sun and Moon gun, no matter who it is, it is quite difficult to attack the fortress formed by the side vans.

"Okay! Make fifty cars first!" Xu Xingxia said readily.

He thought that there should be almost enough for fifty side vans. One car has five shooting holes, and fifty side vans, which are 250 shooting holes, which can accommodate 250 musketeers, and the firepower is quite good.
Chapter completed!