Little victorious war?
87. Little victorious war?
Qing banner armies
“Muskets and cannons. The soldier's gun is cast from the iron; in length with the bed contains 6 1/10 feet; it is loaded with three «золотник» [1] of gunpowder spools and a bullet with one «золотник». The rifle lodge in the Manchurian and Mongolian divisions is yellow, in the Chinese divisions it is black, and the troops of the green banner are red. Supports are iron, high in a foot. lashing. Gunpowder is placed on the shelf and is lit with a wick. Cannons are of a different caliber and mostly bronze, cast by Catholic missionaries. The weight of the charge gunpowder and the cannon ball is determined by the caliber of the gun; for example, the gun, called the golden dragon, weights up to 370 jins, [2] up to 6 feet long. Gunpowder goes to charge for her up to 8 lan [3] ; the cannonball is up to 16 lan.
Training. Troops [located in the capital] are trained in military art in their free time. Four banners located in the eastern half of Beijing are trained on the 4th, 8th, 14, 18th, 24th and 28, and four banners located in the western half are trained on the 2nd, 7, 12th, 17th, 22nd and 27th. The exercises begin on the 20th of the first month and lasts up to half past four months. In the summer heat, the exercise stops, and again begins on the 16th of the 7th month and lasts until the 20th of the 12th month {In 1835, the 16th of the 4th month was or the 2nd, and the 16th of the month was August 27.}. Soldiers with the firearms are trained from 8 months, until the new year, only five months, Training is performed three times a month. 200 muskets are taken to the training every time. The Artillery Corps is annually exercised on the Lu-geu-guyao Bridge in the 9th month from the 1st to the 5th. Nine guns are brought from each division, which will amount to 216 guns. Three shots are made of each gun a day.
In autumn, a review of troops is carried out, accompanied by maneuvers representing the form of battle. Privates in armor and helmets are arranged in five lines. Officers of the back and lines are arranged in rows by class. From the first line, the company chiefs - each against his company, in the second colonels - each against his regiment, all on horseback; further in the same way become their divisional chiefs and their assistants - all on horseback riding.
Maneuvers are opened by trumpeting into the shells - a signal to the upcoming battle. After this, there are three shots from the signal guns - a signal to the opening of the battle, the command is not made by officers, but signals at the first blow to the litavra give a sign with red banners and the troops make a volley of muskets and guns. Thus, nine volleys are produced, marching 50 feet forward after each volley. On the tenth attack, they shoot by readiness from the muskets and guns. After three blows into the metal drum, the fire stops. After this the cavalry, with a general blowing of the shells and a loud shouting, is launched forward in a wedge formation and on this maneuvers end.” [4]
The provincial banner troops, except for the regular review, had even less training, except on with the bow: the government relied upon their qualities as the “born horsemen”. However, in this specific area they were quite good, partially due to the severe punishments for those who in an attack dared to get ahead or behind of the formation for more than horse’s head. The heavy cavalry, especially the Mongolian units, had the same 3-4 meters long spears as the Dzungars and similar type of an armor.
The basis of the battle formation were infantry units with hand firearms, covered on the front by spearmen and swordsmen (large shields may have been used) and the cavalry was located in the second line and dealt a decisive blow to the enemy weakened by rifle fire. Manchurian, Mongolian and Chinese "banner" heavy cavalry detachments fought in the tight combat formations and had unified defensive and offensive weapons. Solones and Shivets [5] were a type of light cavalry adapted to act on foot on rough terrain, and Tibetan units were mainly used to maintain order within the country and carry out security service.
On paper total strength of the banner armies was up to 260,000 but a part of that number was used as a garrison of Beijing or for some other purposes and, taking into an account that the whole system was more or less hereditary, the real military force in a birder area was well under 100,000.
The opponents
In theory, Galdan Tseren could raise up to 80,000 out of a total population of 600-800,000. In practice, the number was much lower. Seemingly, the Dzungar cavalry was of a slightly higher quality than their Qing opponents but its equipment and tactics were pretty much the same except for an absence of the artillery.
Munnich had on paper up to 40,000 regular troops and 10-15,000 irregulars (Siberian Cossacks). In a reality, 5-6,000 regulars had been forming the garrisons pf the border fortresses so there were 10 more battalions and 3 dragoon regiments marching to his support from the Western Siberia as well as 5,000 Kalmyks and 5,000 Cossacks riding from Volga and Yaik.
Specifics of the force in his disposal was that it was formed from the numerous battalion-strength units sent to the area at various times or even raised locally. As a result, they were not a part of the standard army structure which was used in the European wars. On one hand this produced certain administrative disadvantage but OTOH it presented an opportunity to build an ad hoc alternative structure more suitable for the specific occasion.
By reshuffling what was available Munnich formed 8 brigades, each containing 6 full strength battalions (800 each) and 400 Cossacks. With the main stress being upon a firepower, each battalion was given 2 20-pounder unicorns and brigade had a battery of 8 guns (4 20-pounder unicorns and 4 6 pounder cannons). There was a strong reserve of the regular and irregular cavalry, field artillery reserve of 40 guns and a siege park of 16 heavy guns.
Fighting starts.
1730. The hostilities started when the Qing contingent, 15,000 strong, marched out of the Barkul fortress into the Dzungar territory toward the Barkul Lake.
Near the lake it was intercepted by 20,000 Dzungars and defeated in a multi-hour battle.
The remaining Qing troops retreated toward the fortress. Altogether, there were more than 25,000 troops in a fortress, which was quite safe against pretty much any Dzungar attack so the Qing commande, senior general Yue Zhongqi, felt himself quite secure and confident looking at the Dzungar cavalry encircling the city and their infantry shooting at the fortress: without the guns they could do nothing and either would go away or will hung there until the Qing reinforcements arrive and crush them.
However, his relaxed attitude evaporated couple days later when the strangely dressed troops appeared near the fortress. It was not as much their appearance as a number and size of the cannons they had been carrying with them. It took them a day to build the earthworks blocking all four fortress gates and place their batteries. Then the Hell broke loose. Not just the clay fortress walls had been crumbling, the not seen before explosive shells had been flying over the walls destroying everything around and causing the fires. The small cannons installed on the city walls had been helpless and soon enough most of them were silenced.
A very short intermission: If Napoleon’s question “is he lucky?” was asked about Munnich, the answer would be “too much so”. It can be argued both ways if he was or was not a great field commander but the luck always was with him. It could be practically guaranteed that a lousily prepared assault would be in most critical moment helped by a timely explosion of an ammunition magazine or that something else of the kind would happen providing him with a spectacular victory . This is not going to change IITL.
On a second day of a bombardment one of the gate towers crumbled and soon afterwards a bomb hit the Qing gunpowder storage causing numerous casualties and spreading the panic. The Dzungars rushed into the city through the broken gates and soon afterwards the defenders surrendered. After being forced to destroy the walls, all of them had been massacred.
The first episode of the war was over and everybody, except for the dead Qing, was happy. A field victory over the Qing was a good start of the campaign and a seemingly effortless destruction of a powerful fortress was a very impressive demonstration. If a wisdom of getting under the Russian “protection” could be doubted, these doubts now disappeared. The main base for the Qing’s advance into Dzungar territory was destroyed handicapping their future operations and Munnich’s reputation was firmly established.
Now Galdan Tseren could keep mobilizing his forces and wait for the Russian reinforcements: it will take a while before the Qing raise a new invasion army.
In a meantime (as a reciprocation for the good time in Moscow) Munnich (who never pretended to be a monk) also should be shown a very good time. 😂
__________
[1] 1 золотник = 4.2grams
[2] 1 jin = 604.79 grams
[3] 1 lan = 50 gram; which means that a cannonball of that cannon weighted approximately 800 grams (aka, the caliber is less than 2 pounds). During the reign of Kangxi Emperor the total of 905 cannons had been cast but out of them only 201 weighted more than 250 kg. There were, some pieces of the caliber 17-20 pounds, seemingly placed in China proper. http://www.battle-of-qurman.com.cn/literature/Stary-Verbiest-1994.pdf
[4] Nikita Bichurin “Army of China”, 1840
[5] Tungusic tribes of Inner Mongolia
“There are no small wars for a great nation”
Wellington
“They never lie as much as during the war, after hunting and before the elections.”
Bismarck
“The war consists of unforeseen events”
Napoleon
Wellington
“They never lie as much as during the war, after hunting and before the elections.”
Bismarck
“The war consists of unforeseen events”
Napoleon
Qing banner armies
“Muskets and cannons. The soldier's gun is cast from the iron; in length with the bed contains 6 1/10 feet; it is loaded with three «золотник» [1] of gunpowder spools and a bullet with one «золотник». The rifle lodge in the Manchurian and Mongolian divisions is yellow, in the Chinese divisions it is black, and the troops of the green banner are red. Supports are iron, high in a foot. lashing. Gunpowder is placed on the shelf and is lit with a wick. Cannons are of a different caliber and mostly bronze, cast by Catholic missionaries. The weight of the charge gunpowder and the cannon ball is determined by the caliber of the gun; for example, the gun, called the golden dragon, weights up to 370 jins, [2] up to 6 feet long. Gunpowder goes to charge for her up to 8 lan [3] ; the cannonball is up to 16 lan.
Training. Troops [located in the capital] are trained in military art in their free time. Four banners located in the eastern half of Beijing are trained on the 4th, 8th, 14, 18th, 24th and 28, and four banners located in the western half are trained on the 2nd, 7, 12th, 17th, 22nd and 27th. The exercises begin on the 20th of the first month and lasts up to half past four months. In the summer heat, the exercise stops, and again begins on the 16th of the 7th month and lasts until the 20th of the 12th month {In 1835, the 16th of the 4th month was or the 2nd, and the 16th of the month was August 27.}. Soldiers with the firearms are trained from 8 months, until the new year, only five months, Training is performed three times a month. 200 muskets are taken to the training every time. The Artillery Corps is annually exercised on the Lu-geu-guyao Bridge in the 9th month from the 1st to the 5th. Nine guns are brought from each division, which will amount to 216 guns. Three shots are made of each gun a day.
In autumn, a review of troops is carried out, accompanied by maneuvers representing the form of battle. Privates in armor and helmets are arranged in five lines. Officers of the back and lines are arranged in rows by class. From the first line, the company chiefs - each against his company, in the second colonels - each against his regiment, all on horseback; further in the same way become their divisional chiefs and their assistants - all on horseback riding.
Maneuvers are opened by trumpeting into the shells - a signal to the upcoming battle. After this, there are three shots from the signal guns - a signal to the opening of the battle, the command is not made by officers, but signals at the first blow to the litavra give a sign with red banners and the troops make a volley of muskets and guns. Thus, nine volleys are produced, marching 50 feet forward after each volley. On the tenth attack, they shoot by readiness from the muskets and guns. After three blows into the metal drum, the fire stops. After this the cavalry, with a general blowing of the shells and a loud shouting, is launched forward in a wedge formation and on this maneuvers end.” [4]
The provincial banner troops, except for the regular review, had even less training, except on with the bow: the government relied upon their qualities as the “born horsemen”. However, in this specific area they were quite good, partially due to the severe punishments for those who in an attack dared to get ahead or behind of the formation for more than horse’s head. The heavy cavalry, especially the Mongolian units, had the same 3-4 meters long spears as the Dzungars and similar type of an armor.
The basis of the battle formation were infantry units with hand firearms, covered on the front by spearmen and swordsmen (large shields may have been used) and the cavalry was located in the second line and dealt a decisive blow to the enemy weakened by rifle fire. Manchurian, Mongolian and Chinese "banner" heavy cavalry detachments fought in the tight combat formations and had unified defensive and offensive weapons. Solones and Shivets [5] were a type of light cavalry adapted to act on foot on rough terrain, and Tibetan units were mainly used to maintain order within the country and carry out security service.
On paper total strength of the banner armies was up to 260,000 but a part of that number was used as a garrison of Beijing or for some other purposes and, taking into an account that the whole system was more or less hereditary, the real military force in a birder area was well under 100,000.
The opponents
In theory, Galdan Tseren could raise up to 80,000 out of a total population of 600-800,000. In practice, the number was much lower. Seemingly, the Dzungar cavalry was of a slightly higher quality than their Qing opponents but its equipment and tactics were pretty much the same except for an absence of the artillery.
Munnich had on paper up to 40,000 regular troops and 10-15,000 irregulars (Siberian Cossacks). In a reality, 5-6,000 regulars had been forming the garrisons pf the border fortresses so there were 10 more battalions and 3 dragoon regiments marching to his support from the Western Siberia as well as 5,000 Kalmyks and 5,000 Cossacks riding from Volga and Yaik.
Specifics of the force in his disposal was that it was formed from the numerous battalion-strength units sent to the area at various times or even raised locally. As a result, they were not a part of the standard army structure which was used in the European wars. On one hand this produced certain administrative disadvantage but OTOH it presented an opportunity to build an ad hoc alternative structure more suitable for the specific occasion.
By reshuffling what was available Munnich formed 8 brigades, each containing 6 full strength battalions (800 each) and 400 Cossacks. With the main stress being upon a firepower, each battalion was given 2 20-pounder unicorns and brigade had a battery of 8 guns (4 20-pounder unicorns and 4 6 pounder cannons). There was a strong reserve of the regular and irregular cavalry, field artillery reserve of 40 guns and a siege park of 16 heavy guns.
Fighting starts.
1730. The hostilities started when the Qing contingent, 15,000 strong, marched out of the Barkul fortress into the Dzungar territory toward the Barkul Lake.
Near the lake it was intercepted by 20,000 Dzungars and defeated in a multi-hour battle.
The remaining Qing troops retreated toward the fortress. Altogether, there were more than 25,000 troops in a fortress, which was quite safe against pretty much any Dzungar attack so the Qing commande, senior general Yue Zhongqi, felt himself quite secure and confident looking at the Dzungar cavalry encircling the city and their infantry shooting at the fortress: without the guns they could do nothing and either would go away or will hung there until the Qing reinforcements arrive and crush them.
However, his relaxed attitude evaporated couple days later when the strangely dressed troops appeared near the fortress. It was not as much their appearance as a number and size of the cannons they had been carrying with them. It took them a day to build the earthworks blocking all four fortress gates and place their batteries. Then the Hell broke loose. Not just the clay fortress walls had been crumbling, the not seen before explosive shells had been flying over the walls destroying everything around and causing the fires. The small cannons installed on the city walls had been helpless and soon enough most of them were silenced.
A very short intermission: If Napoleon’s question “is he lucky?” was asked about Munnich, the answer would be “too much so”. It can be argued both ways if he was or was not a great field commander but the luck always was with him. It could be practically guaranteed that a lousily prepared assault would be in most critical moment helped by a timely explosion of an ammunition magazine or that something else of the kind would happen providing him with a spectacular victory . This is not going to change IITL.
On a second day of a bombardment one of the gate towers crumbled and soon afterwards a bomb hit the Qing gunpowder storage causing numerous casualties and spreading the panic. The Dzungars rushed into the city through the broken gates and soon afterwards the defenders surrendered. After being forced to destroy the walls, all of them had been massacred.
The first episode of the war was over and everybody, except for the dead Qing, was happy. A field victory over the Qing was a good start of the campaign and a seemingly effortless destruction of a powerful fortress was a very impressive demonstration. If a wisdom of getting under the Russian “protection” could be doubted, these doubts now disappeared. The main base for the Qing’s advance into Dzungar territory was destroyed handicapping their future operations and Munnich’s reputation was firmly established.
Now Galdan Tseren could keep mobilizing his forces and wait for the Russian reinforcements: it will take a while before the Qing raise a new invasion army.
In a meantime (as a reciprocation for the good time in Moscow) Munnich (who never pretended to be a monk) also should be shown a very good time. 😂
__________
[1] 1 золотник = 4.2grams
[2] 1 jin = 604.79 grams
[3] 1 lan = 50 gram; which means that a cannonball of that cannon weighted approximately 800 grams (aka, the caliber is less than 2 pounds). During the reign of Kangxi Emperor the total of 905 cannons had been cast but out of them only 201 weighted more than 250 kg. There were, some pieces of the caliber 17-20 pounds, seemingly placed in China proper. http://www.battle-of-qurman.com.cn/literature/Stary-Verbiest-1994.pdf
[4] Nikita Bichurin “Army of China”, 1840
[5] Tungusic tribes of Inner Mongolia
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