Chapter 1355
The Role of the Cavalry Battalion
Chapter 1355 The Role of the Cavalry Battalion
Among the high-ranking generals of the Haihan military in the early days of crossing, Harugong was one of the few who showed his true colors.This is mainly because the arms under his command are too special, and the speed and scale of forming an army are subject to many restrictions. In addition, the special environment in which Shanghai Han is located and the development route is based on the navy. There is room for the cavalry to play, so there are relatively few opportunities for him to lead his troops to the battlefield to participate in combat. Naturally, his combat achievements are far inferior to other generals who have led troops to fight on the front line for a long time.
Of course, Harukon also wanted to train thousands of cavalry troops, and then move across the mainland to show off his skills, but Hainan Island did not have good pasture conditions, and the cost of domesticating a large number of war horses was extremely high. In the area controlled by Han, the combat missions that the cavalry could perform were extremely limited.A considerable part of the cavalry trained by Harukon was eventually dismantled and assigned to various army units to act as cavalry delivering military orders, or as travel guards for dignitaries and high-ranking officials. Only maintained at more than 200 rides.
With such a scale of cavalry, even if every soldier is armed to the teeth, it is only a small group of elite soldiers, and its role in a relatively large battlefield environment will be very limited.Therefore, Harukon cherishes every opportunity for the cavalry to dispatch, hoping to gain more military exploits from it, and apply for more resources from the Ministry of National Defense to develop the cavalry.
In the south, there is very little opportunity for the organized cavalry to enter the mainland for activities, and it was only after arriving in Dengzhou that the cavalry began to be dispatched frequently.The terrain along the northern coast of Dengzhou is flat, and it is more convenient for cavalry to move around.It's just that it's autumn and winter, and it's hard to get food and grass supplies for horses in nature. It is necessary to let the transport ship follow the coastline, which also limits the range of activities of the cavalry to a certain extent.
Harugong told everyone at the meeting that the plan was for the cavalry to come out and act as a feint to intimidate the Dengzhou Ming army.However, his real idea was to take this opportunity to implement it as an actual combat operation without a plan.If he really encountered the Ming army, he would not hesitate to resort to force to teach the Ming army a lesson.All in all, Harukon didn't intend to just go for a bluff and finish the job, but wanted to take this opportunity to exercise the actual combat ability of his cavalry.
After leaving Jijia Town, Harugong didn't plan to march along the coastline anymore, because such a marching route was too easy for the Ming army to guess based on the supply problem, so he sent someone to the beach to inform the supply fleet, and agreed to meet next time After the location, he led his troops to insert obliquely southwestward into the inland area.He and the supply fleet both carry radio stations and exchange information twice a day to keep in touch, so there is no need to worry about losing contact completely after going deep into the inland.
The cavalry battalion only carried a small amount of fodder, which could be consumed by the horses for one to two days. Although it would be risky to do so, Harukon believed that he could find supplements locally before the forage ran out.More importantly, this will make it impossible for the Ming army to predict the movements of the Haihan cavalry, and it will have a greater deterrent and containment effect on them.
From Jijia Town to the southwest, there are large fields, and forty miles away is another town, Xindian Town.In the past, these places were all farmland connected by rice paddies, but after the Denglai Rebellion, the local people fled in large numbers, and the fields in these places were also abandoned, and there were not many people left.Although the Haihan cavalry passed by in broad daylight, they did not attract any attention at all.The scattered cavalry did not find any traces of Ming army activities.
In fact, just as Harugong predicted, when the generals of the Ming army predicted the marching route of the Haihan cavalry, they considered the supply problem that the Haihan cavalry would face when they drove straight into the Ming-controlled area, and also realized that Haihan might take measures. Therefore, all the reconnaissance cavalry were deployed in the coastal area west of Jijia Town, waiting for the Haihan cavalry to enter this monitoring area.
However, during the confrontation between calculation and anti-calculation, it was Harugong who took the initiative. He marched inland to avoid the main reconnaissance direction of the Ming army, and led the team into the Ming army without making a sound. The military did not deploy monitoring areas.What can a large group of cavalry do in an undefended countryside? Soon Harukon commanded the cavalry under his command to give the answer.
The distance between Xindian Town, Jijia Town and Dengzhou City is about forty miles, but because it is relatively inland, the official road from Dengzhou to Fushan County does not pass through this place.Therefore, regarding the various changes that have taken place in the outside world, the news that can be received here will be a little late.The range of defense and early warning deployed by Liao Qian in Dengzhou City did not include Xindian Town.
When the Haihan cavalry appeared outside Xindian Town, the people here inevitably fell into chaos. Most people didn’t know whether it was the Ming army, Haihan people or bandits outside the town. But for them, There doesn't seem to be much difference between the three either.As the saying goes, bandits are like a comb, soldiers are like a grate, and officials are like a shave. As long as there are troops passing through the border, nothing good will happen.
Many people fled back home immediately, closed the door and closed the house, first hid valuables in a secret place, and then the family sat at home like sifting chaff, waiting for the unknown ending.Those who have young girls at home have to use earthen mud and stove ashes to destroy their image at the moment, so as not to be taken advantage of by the rebel army.
Harugong divided some troops to guard the passages at the east and west ends of the town, and then led the team into the town.As for which goals to control first after entering a town, he has already explained in his daily training, and he has also practiced in Guxian Town before.
Due to the current defense situation in Dengzhou, the army is stationed in almost all the cities and guards, so Xindian Town, like other towns in Dengzhou, has no troops stationed, and even the inspection department is gone.The Haihan cavalry entered the town, just like in Guxian Town, without encountering any resistance.
The cavalry first took control of the town's two main roads, then looked at the fronts of buildings along the street, and blocked the doors of several big houses in the town.This is not intended to rob these rich and squires, but to prevent them from doing wrong things due to impulse.Sending people to block the door means that Haihan has noticed their existence, so don't try to use sneaky means to drive away Haihan's cavalry.
Then the cavalry quickly found the only mule and horse store in the town, and then made a request to the owner of the mule and horse store—requisitioning all the fodder in his store to feed nearly [-] war horses in the cavalry battalion .
There are no more than 20 mules and horses in this small town, but there is a lot of forage for wintering, barely enough to provide a meal for the horses of the cavalry battalion.It's just that after these forages were forcibly confiscated by Haihan soldiers, the boss's face was also very ugly. It is not only a matter of spending money, but also a lot of energy and time to buy so much fodder when the winter is about to enter. It may not be done properly.If these animals don't have enough fodder, the next winter should be very difficult.
But the boss also recognized these people as Haihan soldiers. Since the officers and soldiers couldn't do anything about them, how could he, a commoner, dare to disobey the Haihan people's demands.As long as the other party does not kill people, set fires, or plunder property, then he is Amitabha.
Harugong has been leading troops for many years, so he is naturally not the kind of person who is full of sympathy. He will not consider the profits and losses of these ordinary people.However, he still pointed out a way to the owner of the mules and horses. If there is no way to continue in winter, all the mules and horses can be driven to the Fushan Copper Mine in the east for the winter. The fodder is also relatively sufficient, enough to ensure that the mules and horses in his shop can survive the winter normally.
Of course, the directions were not for nothing, so Harukon also inquired about other families in the town who raised a large number of livestock and had fodder.Seeing that Haihan soldiers don't rob property, but just food and grass, the boss felt relieved a lot, so he lowered his voice and said, "Master Jun, about ten miles to the west of Xindian town is a horse farm. Not only fodder, but also horses!"
After hearing this, Harugong asked noncommittally: "I never heard of any military horse farm over there before? Is your news reliable?"
The boss replied: "Master Jun, this racecourse was only built at the beginning of the year, and only one or two hundred horses are raised. It's normal that you haven't heard the news."
Harugong still had some doubts about the authenticity of the news: "Since you are a citizen of Ming Dynasty, why did you tell me this news?"
The boss said with resentment on his face: "Mr. Jun didn't know. When this racecourse was first established, the masters of Dengzhou City came to the people to requisition stallions. But they didn't care whether they were suitable for military horses or not. , All the horses were taken away, and seven or eight horses were confiscated from the villain's shop, and they didn't say or buy them, and they disappeared from then on."
Harugong understood now, it was obvious that this was another incident of soldiers bullying the people.The Dengzhou military probably wanted to reorganize the cavalry force, and setting up a horse farm was also a necessary measure, but the people working below probably directly requisitioned horses from the people for free in order to swallow the military expenses.At that time, as long as there is enough money to meet the business, the large amount of expenses for running the racecourse will be divided among the people who work below.As in the case of the mules and horses in Xindian Town, it is clear that they want to take advantage.
Haru Gong said: "Then you didn't ask them for it?"
"Go!" The boss said angrily: "I went three times, and beat and scolded the villain all the time. The last time, I was beaten like a dog by the sergeant at the horse farm. I came back and lay down on the bed for more than half an hour. Yue recuperates!" After that, he turned around and lifted up the hem of his clothes, allowing Haru Gong to see the dense welts on his back, it seemed that he was seriously injured at that time.
Harugong pondered for a moment and said: "Since this is the case, then you should pack up as soon as possible and move to Fushan County."
The boss was puzzled and said, "This...why?"
"An accident happened at the racecourse, and we must go back and trace the source. When you are found, do you and your family still want to live well?" Harukon still had no expression on his face, but his tone was already more relaxed than before. Many: "After you go to Fushan County, tell our people what happened, and you won't have to worry about being retaliated by the Dengzhou Ming army in the future."
Only then did the boss understand the deep meaning of Harugong's request for him to move, but he didn't agree at the moment. Thinking about leaving his hometown and moving his family, it was really difficult for him to make up his mind.Seeing this, Harugong didn't persuade him much, and even turned around and left.He didn't have much time to care about the fate of these little people. He was lucky if he listened to advice, but fate if he didn't listen.
As for the horse farm that the boss mentioned, of course Harugong wanted to go and see what happened.If such a place really existed, then Harukon would not mind taking all the local horses for himself.
The cavalry battalion stopped in Xindian Town to rest for about three hours before going on the road again.However, Harukon had changed his original northward direction, instead turned westward and went straight to the location of the horse farm.
For the cavalry, a distance of more than ten miles is short-lived. When there are still a few miles away from the target area, Harukon has noticed that there is indeed a large area of grass under the foothills ahead, but it is late autumn, and most of the ground The grass has begun to wither.According to the information Haihan has, these places used to be farmland, and they were basically abandoned during the Denglai Rebellion.Last year, Dengzhou General Guo Xingning led his troops to harass the Fushan Copper Mine, and was driven back to Dengzhou City by the Haihan Army. Both armies passed by here.
Harugong signaled the troops to stop, then found a small hill and rode up, observing the situation ahead with binoculars.Just as the owner of the mule and horse shop said, there is indeed a horse farm in front of it, and the wooden stables are lined up at the foot of the mountain, which is a mile long.There are several warehouses behind the stables, which presumably are places for storing winter fodder.Dozens of horses can be seen walking slowly in several outdoor stables. Harukon has never heard of a private horse farm of this scale in Dengzhou, and it seems that it is indeed a military horse farm.
"There are loopholes in the intelligence work of the Ministry of Security!" Harugong couldn't help but clicked his tongue repeatedly: "Dengzhou hides such a good place, but there is no news at all. It seems that I have to talk to Hao Wanqing when I go back."
If he hadn't temporarily changed his action plan and came to Xindian Town, of course he would not have been able to learn about this racecourse. If it hadn't been for such a coincidence, the existence of this racecourse would not have been discovered by Haihan until the right time.But now that Harugong has figured out the details, he will naturally not let it continue to develop.
The next thing is to judge the strength of the opponent and come up with a feasible battle plan as soon as possible.Harugong continued to observe on the hill for a while, then rode back to the team and began to explain the battle plan to his officers.
(End of this chapter)
Among the high-ranking generals of the Haihan military in the early days of crossing, Harugong was one of the few who showed his true colors.This is mainly because the arms under his command are too special, and the speed and scale of forming an army are subject to many restrictions. In addition, the special environment in which Shanghai Han is located and the development route is based on the navy. There is room for the cavalry to play, so there are relatively few opportunities for him to lead his troops to the battlefield to participate in combat. Naturally, his combat achievements are far inferior to other generals who have led troops to fight on the front line for a long time.
Of course, Harukon also wanted to train thousands of cavalry troops, and then move across the mainland to show off his skills, but Hainan Island did not have good pasture conditions, and the cost of domesticating a large number of war horses was extremely high. In the area controlled by Han, the combat missions that the cavalry could perform were extremely limited.A considerable part of the cavalry trained by Harukon was eventually dismantled and assigned to various army units to act as cavalry delivering military orders, or as travel guards for dignitaries and high-ranking officials. Only maintained at more than 200 rides.
With such a scale of cavalry, even if every soldier is armed to the teeth, it is only a small group of elite soldiers, and its role in a relatively large battlefield environment will be very limited.Therefore, Harukon cherishes every opportunity for the cavalry to dispatch, hoping to gain more military exploits from it, and apply for more resources from the Ministry of National Defense to develop the cavalry.
In the south, there is very little opportunity for the organized cavalry to enter the mainland for activities, and it was only after arriving in Dengzhou that the cavalry began to be dispatched frequently.The terrain along the northern coast of Dengzhou is flat, and it is more convenient for cavalry to move around.It's just that it's autumn and winter, and it's hard to get food and grass supplies for horses in nature. It is necessary to let the transport ship follow the coastline, which also limits the range of activities of the cavalry to a certain extent.
Harugong told everyone at the meeting that the plan was for the cavalry to come out and act as a feint to intimidate the Dengzhou Ming army.However, his real idea was to take this opportunity to implement it as an actual combat operation without a plan.If he really encountered the Ming army, he would not hesitate to resort to force to teach the Ming army a lesson.All in all, Harukon didn't intend to just go for a bluff and finish the job, but wanted to take this opportunity to exercise the actual combat ability of his cavalry.
After leaving Jijia Town, Harugong didn't plan to march along the coastline anymore, because such a marching route was too easy for the Ming army to guess based on the supply problem, so he sent someone to the beach to inform the supply fleet, and agreed to meet next time After the location, he led his troops to insert obliquely southwestward into the inland area.He and the supply fleet both carry radio stations and exchange information twice a day to keep in touch, so there is no need to worry about losing contact completely after going deep into the inland.
The cavalry battalion only carried a small amount of fodder, which could be consumed by the horses for one to two days. Although it would be risky to do so, Harukon believed that he could find supplements locally before the forage ran out.More importantly, this will make it impossible for the Ming army to predict the movements of the Haihan cavalry, and it will have a greater deterrent and containment effect on them.
From Jijia Town to the southwest, there are large fields, and forty miles away is another town, Xindian Town.In the past, these places were all farmland connected by rice paddies, but after the Denglai Rebellion, the local people fled in large numbers, and the fields in these places were also abandoned, and there were not many people left.Although the Haihan cavalry passed by in broad daylight, they did not attract any attention at all.The scattered cavalry did not find any traces of Ming army activities.
In fact, just as Harugong predicted, when the generals of the Ming army predicted the marching route of the Haihan cavalry, they considered the supply problem that the Haihan cavalry would face when they drove straight into the Ming-controlled area, and also realized that Haihan might take measures. Therefore, all the reconnaissance cavalry were deployed in the coastal area west of Jijia Town, waiting for the Haihan cavalry to enter this monitoring area.
However, during the confrontation between calculation and anti-calculation, it was Harugong who took the initiative. He marched inland to avoid the main reconnaissance direction of the Ming army, and led the team into the Ming army without making a sound. The military did not deploy monitoring areas.What can a large group of cavalry do in an undefended countryside? Soon Harukon commanded the cavalry under his command to give the answer.
The distance between Xindian Town, Jijia Town and Dengzhou City is about forty miles, but because it is relatively inland, the official road from Dengzhou to Fushan County does not pass through this place.Therefore, regarding the various changes that have taken place in the outside world, the news that can be received here will be a little late.The range of defense and early warning deployed by Liao Qian in Dengzhou City did not include Xindian Town.
When the Haihan cavalry appeared outside Xindian Town, the people here inevitably fell into chaos. Most people didn’t know whether it was the Ming army, Haihan people or bandits outside the town. But for them, There doesn't seem to be much difference between the three either.As the saying goes, bandits are like a comb, soldiers are like a grate, and officials are like a shave. As long as there are troops passing through the border, nothing good will happen.
Many people fled back home immediately, closed the door and closed the house, first hid valuables in a secret place, and then the family sat at home like sifting chaff, waiting for the unknown ending.Those who have young girls at home have to use earthen mud and stove ashes to destroy their image at the moment, so as not to be taken advantage of by the rebel army.
Harugong divided some troops to guard the passages at the east and west ends of the town, and then led the team into the town.As for which goals to control first after entering a town, he has already explained in his daily training, and he has also practiced in Guxian Town before.
Due to the current defense situation in Dengzhou, the army is stationed in almost all the cities and guards, so Xindian Town, like other towns in Dengzhou, has no troops stationed, and even the inspection department is gone.The Haihan cavalry entered the town, just like in Guxian Town, without encountering any resistance.
The cavalry first took control of the town's two main roads, then looked at the fronts of buildings along the street, and blocked the doors of several big houses in the town.This is not intended to rob these rich and squires, but to prevent them from doing wrong things due to impulse.Sending people to block the door means that Haihan has noticed their existence, so don't try to use sneaky means to drive away Haihan's cavalry.
Then the cavalry quickly found the only mule and horse store in the town, and then made a request to the owner of the mule and horse store—requisitioning all the fodder in his store to feed nearly [-] war horses in the cavalry battalion .
There are no more than 20 mules and horses in this small town, but there is a lot of forage for wintering, barely enough to provide a meal for the horses of the cavalry battalion.It's just that after these forages were forcibly confiscated by Haihan soldiers, the boss's face was also very ugly. It is not only a matter of spending money, but also a lot of energy and time to buy so much fodder when the winter is about to enter. It may not be done properly.If these animals don't have enough fodder, the next winter should be very difficult.
But the boss also recognized these people as Haihan soldiers. Since the officers and soldiers couldn't do anything about them, how could he, a commoner, dare to disobey the Haihan people's demands.As long as the other party does not kill people, set fires, or plunder property, then he is Amitabha.
Harugong has been leading troops for many years, so he is naturally not the kind of person who is full of sympathy. He will not consider the profits and losses of these ordinary people.However, he still pointed out a way to the owner of the mules and horses. If there is no way to continue in winter, all the mules and horses can be driven to the Fushan Copper Mine in the east for the winter. The fodder is also relatively sufficient, enough to ensure that the mules and horses in his shop can survive the winter normally.
Of course, the directions were not for nothing, so Harukon also inquired about other families in the town who raised a large number of livestock and had fodder.Seeing that Haihan soldiers don't rob property, but just food and grass, the boss felt relieved a lot, so he lowered his voice and said, "Master Jun, about ten miles to the west of Xindian town is a horse farm. Not only fodder, but also horses!"
After hearing this, Harugong asked noncommittally: "I never heard of any military horse farm over there before? Is your news reliable?"
The boss replied: "Master Jun, this racecourse was only built at the beginning of the year, and only one or two hundred horses are raised. It's normal that you haven't heard the news."
Harugong still had some doubts about the authenticity of the news: "Since you are a citizen of Ming Dynasty, why did you tell me this news?"
The boss said with resentment on his face: "Mr. Jun didn't know. When this racecourse was first established, the masters of Dengzhou City came to the people to requisition stallions. But they didn't care whether they were suitable for military horses or not. , All the horses were taken away, and seven or eight horses were confiscated from the villain's shop, and they didn't say or buy them, and they disappeared from then on."
Harugong understood now, it was obvious that this was another incident of soldiers bullying the people.The Dengzhou military probably wanted to reorganize the cavalry force, and setting up a horse farm was also a necessary measure, but the people working below probably directly requisitioned horses from the people for free in order to swallow the military expenses.At that time, as long as there is enough money to meet the business, the large amount of expenses for running the racecourse will be divided among the people who work below.As in the case of the mules and horses in Xindian Town, it is clear that they want to take advantage.
Haru Gong said: "Then you didn't ask them for it?"
"Go!" The boss said angrily: "I went three times, and beat and scolded the villain all the time. The last time, I was beaten like a dog by the sergeant at the horse farm. I came back and lay down on the bed for more than half an hour. Yue recuperates!" After that, he turned around and lifted up the hem of his clothes, allowing Haru Gong to see the dense welts on his back, it seemed that he was seriously injured at that time.
Harugong pondered for a moment and said: "Since this is the case, then you should pack up as soon as possible and move to Fushan County."
The boss was puzzled and said, "This...why?"
"An accident happened at the racecourse, and we must go back and trace the source. When you are found, do you and your family still want to live well?" Harukon still had no expression on his face, but his tone was already more relaxed than before. Many: "After you go to Fushan County, tell our people what happened, and you won't have to worry about being retaliated by the Dengzhou Ming army in the future."
Only then did the boss understand the deep meaning of Harugong's request for him to move, but he didn't agree at the moment. Thinking about leaving his hometown and moving his family, it was really difficult for him to make up his mind.Seeing this, Harugong didn't persuade him much, and even turned around and left.He didn't have much time to care about the fate of these little people. He was lucky if he listened to advice, but fate if he didn't listen.
As for the horse farm that the boss mentioned, of course Harugong wanted to go and see what happened.If such a place really existed, then Harukon would not mind taking all the local horses for himself.
The cavalry battalion stopped in Xindian Town to rest for about three hours before going on the road again.However, Harukon had changed his original northward direction, instead turned westward and went straight to the location of the horse farm.
For the cavalry, a distance of more than ten miles is short-lived. When there are still a few miles away from the target area, Harukon has noticed that there is indeed a large area of grass under the foothills ahead, but it is late autumn, and most of the ground The grass has begun to wither.According to the information Haihan has, these places used to be farmland, and they were basically abandoned during the Denglai Rebellion.Last year, Dengzhou General Guo Xingning led his troops to harass the Fushan Copper Mine, and was driven back to Dengzhou City by the Haihan Army. Both armies passed by here.
Harugong signaled the troops to stop, then found a small hill and rode up, observing the situation ahead with binoculars.Just as the owner of the mule and horse shop said, there is indeed a horse farm in front of it, and the wooden stables are lined up at the foot of the mountain, which is a mile long.There are several warehouses behind the stables, which presumably are places for storing winter fodder.Dozens of horses can be seen walking slowly in several outdoor stables. Harukon has never heard of a private horse farm of this scale in Dengzhou, and it seems that it is indeed a military horse farm.
"There are loopholes in the intelligence work of the Ministry of Security!" Harugong couldn't help but clicked his tongue repeatedly: "Dengzhou hides such a good place, but there is no news at all. It seems that I have to talk to Hao Wanqing when I go back."
If he hadn't temporarily changed his action plan and came to Xindian Town, of course he would not have been able to learn about this racecourse. If it hadn't been for such a coincidence, the existence of this racecourse would not have been discovered by Haihan until the right time.But now that Harugong has figured out the details, he will naturally not let it continue to develop.
The next thing is to judge the strength of the opponent and come up with a feasible battle plan as soon as possible.Harugong continued to observe on the hill for a while, then rode back to the team and began to explain the battle plan to his officers.
(End of this chapter)