GBP Chapter 736 Grenadiers and Independent Artillery
Chapter 736 Grenadiers and Independent Artillery
Liu Ye knew a little about the armor. Before going to Shandong to fight the Tartars, Liang Xiaoming had tested shrapnel and primitive hand grenades, and also showed off a kind of armor similar to bronze armor - the style was relatively simple, except for a round-brimmed helmet, shoulder guards and breastplates, etc., used to cover vital parts.
"Will the armor be deployed on a large scale? Can production capacity keep up?"
Liang Xiaoming shook his head in denial: "I've discussed this with you. This kind of armor only covers vital points, preventing one from being killed instantly by a heavy arrow from the Tartars, and can also deflect light arrows, so the design is simple and the manufacturing process is not too complicated. But even so, it's not something that can be done overnight to meet the needs of tens of thousands of people with the current production capacity. In addition, it's not light, which will affect the frequency and accuracy of firing, and it will also consume more physical strength. I personally think that it is not necessary to equip the troops on a large scale. It is only necessary to give it to a small number of light and strong soldiers—and these people can also serve as grenadiers."
"Grenadiers?" Liu Ye had heard of this term before. It was once very popular during the Napoleonic era, but later gradually faded from the historical stage. He asked suspiciously, "Do we really need to use such an outdated thing? The current military structure is very simple: line infantry, artillery, cavalry, and special branches that use rifled guns, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses. If we add a new branch that has limited effectiveness, it seems unnecessary, and it might even put extra pressure on command and logistics."
"Whether something is outdated must be considered in the context of our current time and space, and each situation must be analyzed specifically," Liang Xiaoming explained. "Historically, the decline of grenadiers was due to the rapid development of howitzers and rifled guns. Our current opponents basically don't have any decent cannons, let alone grenades or rifled guns. The most threatening force is still the Tartars' bows and arrows, which have a range similar to smoothbore guns and are still within the grenadiers' attack range. Although the distance at which grenadiers throw these small grenades is slightly shorter than that of smoothbore guns and elite archers, the damage caused by the explosion is area damage, which is much wider than the linear damage of volley fire. It can easily disrupt the opponent's formation and even cause them to collapse. In addition, the Tartars also have primitive armored vehicles like shield wagons, which are difficult to defeat with straight-line fire. Throwing grenades is a very good countermeasure, and this point cannot be ignored."
"As for the inconvenience of command and logistical support, there's no need to worry at all," Liang Xiaoming said. "My idea is not to have dedicated grenadiers. Instead, we will select tall and strong soldiers from companies and above to serve as grenadiers. They will only serve as grenadiers in special circumstances and can be converted into regular line infantry at any time. What you're worried about doesn't exist. After all, the main force of the army is still line infantry using smoothbore muskets. Relatively cheap, easily expended, and easily scaled-up line infantry is the way to go. Neither grenadiers nor rifled muskets can replace the former under current technological conditions."
Liu Ye understood. Liang Xiaoming meant not to create new troop types, but simply to select some strong and tall soldiers to serve as grenadiers in certain situations, which would solve the problem. He nodded. "In principle, armor should only be used to equip part-time grenadiers. This suggestion sounds good and can be implemented in the army. Also, what do you mean by the reorganization of artillery?"
At the mention of this topic, Liang Xiaoming, a seasoned military enthusiast, became visibly excited. He gestured as he explained, "The current system equips each battalion with a mountain artillery company and each regiment with a field artillery battalion. This model has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that each regiment, or even each battalion, can be deployed as an independent combat unit with decent firepower, offering a clear advantage against smaller enemies. The disadvantage is that against larger, stronger opponents, the firepower density of a single artillery battalion is insufficient, let alone for siege warfare. Concentrating the artillery of several regiments at the last minute is incredibly inefficient and poses a challenge to command and coordination between regiments. Therefore, I suggest retaining the battalion-level mountain artillery companies, abolishing regimental artillery battalions, and concentrating all field artillery, along with mortars, to form an independent artillery regiment."
"An independent artillery regiment?" Liu Ye was intrigued.
"Yes. Napoleon liked to concentrate artillery for use, the so-called 'gunnery tactic,' which involved concentrating a large number of cannons to bombard a main target in order to compensate for the lack of accuracy of smoothbore cannons. This tactic contributed to his great achievements to some extent."
"That sounds pretty good." Liu Ye's eyes lit up.
"Our future adversaries will be bandits and the Qing army. Small-scale battles will become less frequent, while large-scale campaigns will become more common. Under such conditions, it is better to ensure the power of artillery than to pursue mobility. Therefore, the formation of independent artillery regiments is an inevitable trend."
"What you said makes a lot of sense, but what about the army's organization? Should the artillery battalions that are canceled be replaced with regular infantry battalions?"
"That's worth considering. Also, the regiment is no longer the largest unit in the army. We already have tens of thousands of troops that can be deployed to the battlefield immediately, so let's use the army unit directly. Shi Ying, Xu Yifan, and Su Hongtu will each lead 10,000 to 20,000 troops, and we'll call them the First Army, the Second Army, and the Third Army, respectively. Of course, this is not the same concept as the traditional regiment, brigade, division, and army of later generations. Our army is directly under the regiment. In the era before telegraphs, we don't need overly complex command structures, so the command system should be as flat as possible."
"Okay, I'll do as you say." Liu Ye adopted Liang Xiaoming's suggestion in its entirety.
While Lingao was preparing for war, Tainan and Shandong also felt the atmosphere of war.
Letters ordering the troop reorganization in Lingao were delivered to Xu Yifan and Su Hongtu, along with the ships used to transport the troops. The two immediately began making arrangements according to the instructions in the letters.
The expanded Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment, along with their well-trained reserve troops (tunding), boarded the ships one after another. Due to the large number of people involved, totaling tens of thousands, the boarding process took a full one or two days.
To ensure efficiency, Xu Yifan and Su Hongtu sent the first batch of officers with good ideological qualities and those recommended for junior officer positions back to Lingao. They began training at the military academy, systematically learning infantry drills and command techniques. After further study, they would be awarded military ranks. Although the Qionghai Navy's northward march was imminent, the time left for these prospective officers to train was limited. However, even last-minute preparation is better than nothing. After all, professional officers, line infantry tactics, absolute discipline, and independent artillery are considered hallmarks of modern armies, and one of the biggest differences between the Qionghai Navy and ancient cold-weapon armies like bandits and Tartars.