late Qing Dynasty arrest

Li Guolou stood up and said with great pain: "Master Fu Xiang just said the crux of the Qing army's ills, and that is to tell the truth, an army of the fake Dakong is a paper tiger, which can be broken as soon as you poke it. I No matter how other armies train their troops, in Xinwutang everything is based on actual combat, and it is necessary to master the necessary knowledge of a modern army. Like the high-quality products of the industrial assembly line, batch after batch of graduates from Xinwutang. Those who are unqualified, get out, and you don’t look at the cuteness here, regardless of your family status or nationality. As long as you are a good family, you are willing to pay, use your brain, and be willing to learn. Endure hardships, be loyal to the emperor and love the country, and you will have a good future, please work hard."

"Yes!" The school officer and the students stood up straight and replied loudly. Even Liu Mingchuan and Li Hongzhang's adjutant Goshha were infected by Li Guolou, and they stood up and saluted Li Guolou together.

A student with a shaved head, a young and ignorant face, and a handsome and tall student named Su Yuanchun asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Li, why did our Qing army become like this?"

"Student Su, since you asked me, I'll tell you the truth. Nowadays, military officers in the Qing Dynasty are corrupt, lazy, hardworking, businessmen are prevalent, and smuggling and drug trafficking are common problems in our Qing army today." Li Guolou said bluntly. Therefore, since educating students to tell the truth, they must lead by example.I don't even look at Li Hongzhang's face, it's a big deal to do business, and I won't get involved in military power anymore.

Su Yuanchun said loudly: "Mr. Li, how can we change it?"

Li Guolou still didn't listen to Li Hongzhang's coughing, and said loudly: "Start with me, and be clean and self-disciplined, so that I can be worthy of being a student of Mr. Fu Xiang. The officer should also kill the killer, remove the black sheep from the army, and appease the traitors." The bad results will rot to the root. At worst, build a new army and wipe out all the soldiers and ruffians who have long-standing habits.”

This sentence was addressed to Li Hongzhang. He is the governor of Zhili, the founder of the Beiyang Navy, and one of the five ministers of the machine department. He has a say in the restructuring of the army.

The Military Aircraft Department was the central power organ in the middle and late Qing Dynasty.In the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, the army was deployed to the northwest, and the cabinet was located outside the Taihe Gate, fearing that secrets would be leaked. It began with the establishment of a military computer room in the Longzong Gate, and the secretaries in the cabinet were selected to write on the value, thinking that it was used to handle emergency military affairs and assist the emperor in handling them. government affairs.In the [-]th year of Yongzheng, it was renamed "Department of Handling Military Aircraft", or "Department of Military Aircraft" for short.

The establishment of the Military Aircraft Department was a major change in the central organization of the Qing Dynasty, marking the peak of the monarchy's centralization in the Qing Dynasty.The Military Aircraft Department was originally set up to handle military affairs, but because it is convenient for the monarch to exercise the dictatorship, once it appeared, it was arrested by the emperor and it was not only permanent, but also its powers were expanding more and more.The officers in the Military Aircraft Department include Minister of Military Aircraft, commonly known as "Big Military Aircraft", and Military Aircraft Zhang Jing, commonly known as "Small Military Aircraft".Ministers of military aircraft were selected by the emperor from among officials such as Manchu, Han University scholars, ministers, and ministers, and some were also promoted by military aircraft Zhang Jing.The appointment of the Minister of Military Aircraft is titled "Walking in the Military Aircraft Department".There is no quota for the Minister of Military Aircraft. The Military Aircraft Department was initially set up with three people, and later increased to four or five to eight or nine, and up to 11 people.At the beginning of the military aircraft Zhangjing, there was no quota. In the early years of Jiaqing, there were 16 people in each of Manchu and Hanzhangjing, a total of 32 people. Manchu and Hanzhangjing were divided into two shifts, each with eight people.The appointment of the military aircraft Zhang Jing is called "Military Air Zhang Jing Walking".

It was the first time that Li Hongzhang saw Li Guolou, who had a "straight spine", exuding a heroic spirit that should not be underestimated. Looking at the outspoken and domineering Li Guolou, Li Hongzhang regarded him as a qualified school official for the first time in his life.

"Guard Li, you don't have a knife yet. Don't talk so loudly. You are the biggest corrupt official in the world." Li Hongzhang suddenly exposed Li Guolou's true colors, making the tense and serious atmosphere weird. Everyone wanted to laugh but dared not Laughing, staring blankly at Li Guolou.

Li Guolou said solemnly: "Master Fu Xiang, Li Guolou is not a corrupt official, but a capable official. With the courage that ordinary people don't have, he has amassed a wealth of the country, proposed to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and was appointed by the emperor as a new scout."

"Oh! A clean and self-conscious person wants to be the Minister of Military Affairs, do you have the ability?" Li Hongzhang snorted, with a contemptuous expression.

"Yes! Seize the day and night, and follow Mr. Fu Xiang's example!" Li Guolou said without hesitation, holding his head high.

Li Hongzhang said: "Li Guolou, anyone can say big things, I don't want to listen. Let me analyze the shortcomings of the Qing army and how to reform them based on the battle of Baliqiao just now."

"Yes!" Li Guolou collected his thoughts and said, "School officer Cai Caicheng just said very well, so I'll add it.

Seng Gelinqin, Prince Horqin, the commander of the Baliqiao Battle, was a national hero of the Qing Dynasty and an excellent commander. There is no doubt about this, so I won’t talk about his achievements here.Since the commander is a good general, the weapons and equipment of the enemy and us are not much more advanced than ours. We have no fewer cannons than the enemy, and we have long-range attack capabilities, but they are a bit cumbersome.The guns in the hands of soldiers have almost the same shooting distance, but the firing rate is a little slower than that of the enemy.We have an absolute advantage in the number of troops, and in local operations, soldiers, supplies, and geography are superior in everything. The main combat arms on land are not comparable to British and French infantry. What is even more absurd is that 2 cavalry fight 6000 infantry. Losing 3000 people and fleeing in defeat, this is definitely a big joke in the eyes of Europeans.

Cavalry has always been equal to ten against infantry, whether in the East or the West. Eastern cavalry archers are theoretically superior to European musketeer cavalry, and should have achieved greater results, but why did they lose so badly?There are three main points to sum up: the weapons are not good, the tactics are wrong, and the commander is incompetent.The above three points are all, but not the main ones. How should I put it?Even if the above three points are true, if 20000 cavalry fight 6000 infantry with primitive muskets, even if bows, arrows and muskets are not used, each person has a saber, and even a man and a horse rush over, and they can all be trampled to death.

As for the cavalry, even if the first row is stabbed to death, the second row will still hit the previous row and continue to attack, but the spears behind your infantry are not easy to use.Therefore, the infantry phalanx formed by long spears at that time was only the best defensive formation among infantry against cavalry, but it was not a victorious offensive formation.For example, heavy cavalry can break through it regardless of the cost, but the problem is that cavalry is so expensive, and the cavalry commander doesn't bother to use such tactics.

Why did you lose?It was because the 90 royal troops of the Qing army at that time lost the ability to fight in close combat. This is the truth of history.The standard combat method of the cavalry of the Qing army is basically to use bows and arrows from a distance, and draw a saber to kill the enemy nearby. However, most of the Qing troops in the Battle of Baliqiao only used bows and arrows when they rushed to the end, and they seldom drew them. What they lose is courage when they use their sabers to fight in close combat. Even if they draw their bows, the arrows will not shoot well.Of the nearly 40 coalition troops shot by arrows, only more than 90 died.If it was changed to the period of Taizu Taizong, how can there be no reason why people can't die if they are hit by an arrow?Even if you wear armor, you have to die. A full bow with a pulling force of nearly 75 pounds can kill armored soldiers in 50 steps, and an armor-piercing arrow can shoot through uniform iron armor within [-] steps.

The bows and arrows of the Qing army were at their peak. They were thrown 45 meters at a 400-degree angle and 150 meters flat. Normal shooters were accurate within 50 meters, and the rate of fire was 10 to 12 rounds per minute.The maximum range of a musket is no more than 400 meters, and it was only one-third of 70 meters accurate during the Patriotic War. What do you mean?Let’s talk about flintlock guns, if you fire three shots within 70 meters, the chance of hitting is only one shot, which is quite normal.Therefore, at that time, bows and arrows faced muskets, and the advantage in battle was obvious.It's just that it takes 3 years for an archer to barely become a talent, and the bow and arrow manufacturing cycle is one year. The compound bow of the Qing Dynasty is expensive.It only takes a month for musketeers to gather or go into battle, and it takes less than half a month to manufacture muskets and ammunition in batches. The cost is low, and the difference between elites and grassroots is nothing more than that.

The cavalry of the Qing army consisted only of the Gun Battalion affiliated to the Xiaoqi Battalion of the Eight Banners Han Army, the Firearms Battalion of the Manchurian and Mongolian Army, half of the Vanguard Battalion of the Imperial Guard Army, the Shotgun Guard Army of the Guard Army Battalion, the Shang San Banners Qin Battalion, and the Tiger Gun Battalion. Some of the cavalry, as well as a small number of cavalry knights of the green battalion officers, were equipped with muskets, and most of the rest of the cavalry were equipped with bows and arrows according to regulations.In the infantry, the infantry, which is mainly used as the supervisor of the battle team, is less equipped, and it also needs to account for 3% according to the standard. However, drawing a bow is really hard work. It is difficult to pull a standard military bow of 80 catties without a super strong physique. , not as easy as firing a shotgun.

Soldiers, regardless of the Eight Banners or the Green Battalion, like to use muskets. Regardless of infantry and cavalry, the proportion of muskets in the Qing army is getting higher and higher, and the proportion of bows and arrows is decreasing.It also tells us a truth that being passively beaten on the battlefield and being restrained everywhere, no matter how brave the general is, he can't stand it.

hey-hey!Let me tell you another secret, Mr. Fu Xiang, you have never heard of it.The French army lost less than 10 people in this battle. After returning home, the French general Montauban was named the "Earl of Baliqiao" by the French Emperor Napoleon III, but he was rejected by most of the councilors when he continued to reward him with 5 gold francs. be opposed to.The Battle of Baliqiao was a very relaxed and even a little laughable battle. We only lost a few people. This one-sided battle did not reflect the general's command ability and military ability at all. It can only be said that the opponent Too weak to deserve such a high reward. "

Liu Mingchuan yelled deliberately: "It seems that Li Xuezheng is suitable to be a spy, where is the undercover hiding?"

Li Guolou rolled his eyes and said: "Only when you recognize yourself can you be sensible. A person who is arrogant is a frog at the bottom of a well. Seng Gelinqin failed like this. It is not enough to be proud of defeating Changmaozi."

"Am I proud? Am I arrogant? I'm telling the truth. I'm telling the truth in the classroom. Li Xuezheng is suitable for being a spy." Liu Mingchuan is always reasonable, with a loud voice, and speaks dignifiedly.

Li Guolou ignored Liu Mingchuan, and continued: "The combat methods and effects of the cavalry of the Qing army these few times show that the cavalry of the Qing army is extremely backward in combat thinking and still stays in the 17th century. The Ming army with poor arquebus guns, and even the Mongolian cavalry tactics in the 13th century. So these few battles were more manifested as one-sided killings. Seng Gelinqin's military capabilities are limited, and he will not change his tactics when the enemy changes and we change. Because he has already suffered a loss in the past, and has tasted the power of the three-stage musket of the British and French allied forces, but Seng Gelinqin still adopted the three-stage musket in the Battle of Baliqiao. With the same tactics, [-] heroes of the Mongolian cavalry died heroically. The old-fashioned thinking is a cancer in the development of the army.

The Battle of Baliqiao changed many preferences of our Qing army. The warriors used to be most superstitious about cavalry, bow and arrow, and bravery.Now the army is superstitious about guns, despising cavalry, despising bows and arrows, and despising bravery.I think it is enough to have good guns and good ships.This is going from one misunderstanding to another.The soul of the army is the key to the longevity of an army. An army without a sense of honor is useless with a hundred cannons.Timid and afraid of death, leaving their backs to the enemy, not daring to fight hard or to the death, defeat is engraved on the face of this kind of army.Therefore, our Xinwutang Tichang is vigorously developing military technology, improving weapons and equipment, mastering the essentials of modern weapons, and still vigorously developing cavalry and brave spirit.The soul of the army is here!There is hope for an army, and you represent the soul of a new generation of Qing soldiers.The spirit of Xinwutang is to fight endlessly, to defend the integrity of the Qing territory to the death, and to wipe out the invaders. "

"The spirit of Xinwutang is to fight endlessly, to defend to the death the integrity of the territorial sovereignty of the Qing Dynasty, and to wipe out the invaders." The school officer and the students shouted at the top of their lungs, and the students listening outside the door also burst into shouts.

Li Hongzhang stood tall and looked up to Li Guolou, but he looked like a general.Looking around at the school officials and students, they showed approval.The tactical class in Xinwutang shocked him and gave him a sense of crisis.

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