Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Suzhou is located on the bank of the Bian River. It is a traffic hub and a battleground for military strategists.The artillery that Xu Wen snatched back was transported here.

Wanyanchang was originally stationed in Suqian, the southernmost site on Shandong Road.During the war, he walked to Surabaya, captured Chuzhou, and entered the canal.With the canal, go to Yangzhou and face the Yangtze River.If you capture Lanzhou, continue down the canal and attack Lin'an Mansion.It is the most convenient way to attack the Song Dynasty from the north of the Yangtze River, and it goes straight to the point.

But artillery is a powerful weapon in land warfare, and it cannot be used on waterways in this era.However, the Huaidong water network is densely covered, and the horse-drawn cannons are inconvenient to maneuver, which will affect the attack speed of the entire army.Wan Yanchang came from the east of Suqian and settled in Suzhou.During the war, they attacked Luzhou through Haozhou and went south by land.

In the school grounds, a soldier peeled a pear and handed it to Wan Yanchang.

Wan Yanchang took the pear, took a bite, it was crispy and juicy.Can't help but praise: "It is said that Dangshan is a good pear, and it really deserves its reputation! This pear is often eaten, and it is also a pleasure in the world! Hebei also produces pears, but they are not so juicy."

The soldier said: "Now is the season to eat pears, and Dangshan County has sent a few loads."

Wan Yanchang said: "The magistrate there is really good at doing things."

At this time, Dangshan County belonged to Shanzhou, under the rule of Shandong Road, and it was the fundamental place of Wanyanchang.

The division of states and counties in this area is very awkward for later generations, and it is very different from the later prefectures and cities.The most typical example is Xuzhou, which belonged to Henan Road in the Tang Dynasty, Jingdong Road in the Song Dynasty, Shandong Road in the Puppet Qi Dynasty, and Shandong Road in the Jin Dynasty.It was not until the Yuan Dynasty that it was changed to Jiangbei Province in Henan, and it belonged to Nanzhili in the Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, Jiangnan Province was divided into two provinces, Jiangsu and Anhui, which belonged to Jiangsu Province.When the People's Republic of China was first founded, Xuzhou was under the administration of Shandong Province for several years, and then under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.It is wrong for people in Xuzhou to say that Xuzhou was originally the territory of Jiangsu. Not to mention that Jiangsu Province appeared late, for a long time in history, the division of Xuzhou changed along with Shandong Province.

When it comes to the division of China's administrative divisions, apart from population and economic factors, there are two other factors that must be mentioned, namely, the shape of mountains and rivers and the criss-crossing of teeth.It must be explained that the Han Dynasty before the Yuan Dynasty was mainly based on the convenience of mountains and rivers.For example, the Jiangnan area is divided into Huainan Road, Jiangnan Road, and Liangzhe Road. Hanzhong belongs to one of the four roads in Sichuan, and is basically divided according to geography.The Mongols entered the Central Plains, and in order to prevent the Han people from becoming self-reliant, they used the canines on a large scale.Hanzhong was assigned to Shaanxi. When Jiangnan was divided into two provinces in the Qing Dynasty, it was deliberately separated from east to west, not from north to south.The famous Thirteen Taibaos in Jiangsu were caused by the Qing Dynasty's deliberate division, rather than the fact that the Chinese regime has always been like this.

After everything was ready, Xu Wen and He Ning reported to Wan Yanchang.

Wan Yanchang squinted at He Ning, and said: "Xu Wenbojin went to Huangzhou and easily brought the cannon, craftsmen, and patterns together. But you are useless, killing all the craftsmen on the way. If it weren't for this, today Why bother!"

He Ning just crossed her hands, not daring to speak.

What can I say?Xu Wen was in a hurry, and the army was on the verge of collapse.It was better to die than die, and I handed it over to myself. This army slaughtered the village, and even killed the craftsmen.At that time, don’t say that you were not there, so what if you were there?Wan Yanchang is old in the army, would he not know about this situation?It's just that Xu Wen was sent by Wan Yanchang, and now he wants to take the credit for He Ning, so He Ning has a hard time saying it out. …

Xu Wendao: "Your Majesty, although the craftsmen have all been killed, fortunately there are still a few gunners from the Song Army who can guide us to use cannons. It is said that the artillery is powerful. Let's try to shoot a cannon today to see how it goes. Most of the cannons are made of wooden dolls. We didn’t have time, so we found some big wood instead.”

Wan Yanchang said: "Some people say that artillery can destroy miles in one shot, but I don't believe it! Let's see today, how powerful is it?"

Xu Wen nodded, took out a whistle, and raised a small flag.He said to Wan Yanchang: "Wang Xiao's hunting army is different from other armies. In addition to the golden drum flag, this kind of flag and whistle are also widely used. My place is far away from the artillery, but just by waving the small flag, the gunner knows that it is time to light the fire." .”

Wan Yanchang said: "A cannon is a new thing, so there will naturally be a new banner. You wave the flag and let the cannon go."

Xu Wen said well.He picked up the small flag and put it above his head, shaking it a few times.

When the artilleryman saw it, he also took up a small flag and waved it three times.

Seeing this, Xu Wen waved down the small flag in his hand.The artillery flag was placed on the chest, seemingly saluting Xu Wen.

The gunner on one side picked up the red-hot tinder and approached the fuse.Seeing the fuze smoke, it quickly burned forward.

With the earth-shattering sound, gunpowder smoke rose, and an iron bullet flew forward.It doesn't look fast, but it's in front of you quickly.

Although Wan Yanchang was old in the army, it was the first time he heard such a loud voice, and he couldn't help being dumbfounded.Just watched the iron bullet fly to the wood one mile away, breaking five or six big logs before hitting the ground.

Staring blankly at the front, after a while, Wan Yanchang said: "This cannon has passed, it hits accurately, and the army formation of dozens of people will be destroyed! On the battlefield, with such a magic weapon, how can the enemy form an formation?" ? It really is an artifact!"

Xu Wendao: "To tell you the truth, sir, we were in a hurry this way, and it was the first time we saw a cannon fired. I didn't expect it to be so powerful!"

Wan Yanchang got up, walked quickly to the side of the big tree, and carefully inspected the broken big tree.After reading it again, he said: "Army formations on the battlefield usually have three or five rows, and at most ten rows. This cannon shot just pierced one of the formations. Zhiniang, when you encounter such a murderer on the battlefield A sharp weapon, pull it out and die quickly!"

In history, it took hundreds of years from the appearance of practical artillery to the development of artillery to what it is now in the Wang Xiao hunting army.Attackers and defenders adapted to each other for hundreds of years, and still caused huge vibrations by the time of Napoleon.Now if the geographical conditions are right, the army that encounters Wang Xiaolie basically has no way to survive.It's just that China has a large territory and complex geography, and the artillery will often not be able to keep up with the mobile speed of the army, which limits the use of artillery.

However, the use of this kind of artillery also places high demands on the army.The gunner can not only load the gunpowder, but also can ignite the fire, and can also aim, so that he can shoot very accurately.The aiming of artillery requires a certain amount of mathematical knowledge.

The command of the army is more delicate, and the previous golden drum is far from enough.Just like flags, in fact, there are special semaphores for artillery in the Wang Xiao hunting army.From the commander on the battlefield, it takes only a short time to transmit to the position of the gunner, and there is no need for a messenger to pass orders. …

In three or four years, Wang Xiaolie's reform of the army has been basically completed, and the army has been completely reborn.The biggest change is the command below the battalion.The handsome flag is no longer simply a command to attack, stop, and retreat, but has a semaphore.The horn is no longer just a signal to attack, it has been changed to a bugle, and there are more changes.There are also more whistles in the army, which are used for command at night.

As a command, you can accurately command every city on the battlefield, and most of the time there is no need for orderlies to pass orders.Basically, having the Commander on hand to make each one work.The actual effect is equivalent to two or three times the number of people.

Wang Xiaolie has carefully studied the battle cases of the Song Army.In addition to frequent crashes, there is also a common problem. On the battlefield, most people often do not participate in the battle, but just watch from the side.The fighting army failed, and they fled afterward.Only when the troops participating in the battle win, will they rush forward.

In addition to the weak determination of the middle and lower-level generals in combat, there is another important reason, that is, the command methods are backward.

The Song Dynasty has repeatedly emphasized that it will be monopolized.Whether to defend or fight, there must be an order from the military commander.But on the real battlefield, if the command means cannot be achieved, it will become a battle to the death led by the general, and most of the troops will be on the sidelines.The main general had an accident, either died or fled, and the whole army fled.

From the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, China often organized wars involving tens of thousands of people.Such a battle requires delicate command, which is much more complicated than the army after the Song Dynasty.Since the late Tang Dynasty, this ability has gradually disappeared.

In the late Qing Dynasty, the great powers attacked and began to train a new type of army. All systems and command methods were learned from the West.And China's thousands of years of tradition, and the experience and lessons that have been summed up from it, are all discarded.It's not that the tradition has no value, but because the Qing army abandoned it before.

Military affairs are science, and scientific methods must be used.Scientifically mobilize, train scientifically, manage scientifically, command scientifically, and use scientific methods to handle military affairs.Instead of using one sentence to control military force, I thought I knew the secret of the Song Dynasty's military failure.It's an insult to people's intelligence.