The Rise of the Empire

Increasing the number of artillery means increasing the logistical pressure while increasing the firepower. Germany currently has an army of about 46,000 people and needs about 14,000 horses. Excluding the transport units belonging to the army, a division needs at least 5,500 to 6,000 horses. There are also more than 1,200 carts for transportation. Therefore, in order to ensure the horses and vehicles needed for logistics, Caliput suggested that the Boers re-select and replace the horse breeds, and ensure that the specifications of the carts are consistent.

It is true that the Boers have many horses. But Ma Duo does not mean that there is Ma Zheng! With the same 1,000 horses, the horses of warlords in the Beiyang era are obviously different from the horses of European powers! The former is just making up numbers, while the latter is obtained through scientific horse politics. The people in Boer also have the same problem. Although the base is large, the number of horses that are really useful is limited. Most of the horses are pulled from various farms. What else do you want?

Generally speaking, it takes more than ten years for Ma Zheng to see the effect, and it can only be cultivated and optimized slowly. It is obvious that the Boers do not have this time. Therefore, the plan proposed by Caliput is to introduce and select local varieties together. The introduction is naturally to be bought from Bavaria, a good friend of the Boers. As for the local selection, it is natural to choose the best horses from various places first, and then use them as reserve horses. As for the cart? This is much easier to get than horses, just pay a part of the money directly from the state, and then unify the specifications?

The Boers have historically used cavalry for guerrilla warfare and raid warfare, with very good results. Ruprecht knew this very well, so before Caliput came to Africa, His Royal Highness specifically told Caliput about his understanding of cavalry. Generally speaking, it's nothing. To put it bluntly, let's cut down on cold weapons, and use them all as high-mobility infantry on horseback. And this is still light infantry, don't even think about cannons with a barrel above 75MM.

"In future battles, it is unrealistic to simply use cavalry to attack the opponent's infantry with relatively complete firepower. The cavalry's fence and saber cannot stop the firepower of artillery and machine guns. Therefore, the future cavalry will mainly be used as a reconnaissance and anti-reconnaissance force. and raiding forces in the enemy's rear."

"As a reconnaissance force. On the one hand, the cavalry can use its mobility to search for the opponent. At the same time, it can also form a cavalry screen to block the opponent's reconnaissance. And when necessary, with the cooperation of other arms, it can attack the opponent's command post or artillery positions and other key points. unit."

"Your idea of ​​using a large number of cavalry behind enemy lines for guerrilla warfare can still be used in South Africa. After all, South Africa has a vast area, but if you draw thousands of cavalry, it will be a bit stressful for your country. It is better to hand them over to another country. A Boer country is in charge. Your cavalry should fight in regiments with the main force."

"A cavalry regiment should consist of 600 to 700 cavalry. They should be equipped with 4 machine guns and 6 mortars. The main combat division should be equipped with about 2 cavalry regiments, one of which is responsible for reconnaissance and the other is used as a mobile force .And the total number of cavalry regiments in your country should be about 5, of which 2 accompany the main division and the other 2 are responsible for other tasks. The last cavalry regiment is used as a reserve." Said so in the cavalry plan.

"The five cavalry regiments and one main combat division already have about 23,000 troops, and the total number of troops we can mobilize is only about 40,000. How do you plan to arrange the remaining 17,000 troops?" After the establishment of the main division and cavalry regiment, Kruger once asked.

In fact, another meaning of his is,

The 23,000 hardcover soldiers have almost exhausted all the elite in the Transvaal. If this continues, the reserve force will definitely be insufficient. After all, the Boers recruit men from the age of 16 to 60. There must be a lot of sand behind the seemingly high conscription ratio!

"From it, another 6,000 people were drawn to form six independent militia-like reserve and garrison units. The remaining personnel can be used as engineers and logistics transportation units. But generally speaking, I still think that the strength of the Boer Republic is really limited. If you can If so, we can recruit black people as transportation and auxiliary forces." Caliput finally gave a rather vague answer.

The elite troops are all young and middle-aged. The garrison can use middle-aged and teenagers. The remaining unfit personnel will be used as a support unit, but even then, the Boer army is limited by its population base. In fact, the military strength is still tense. Once there is a large gap in front-line troops after successive battles, some heavy equipment must be discarded in order to maintain mobility. In modern times, the sign of many troops losing combat effectiveness is not the loss of personnel but the equipment. loss rate,

Therefore, Caliput is not only worried about the loss of combatants, but also worried about the lack of logistics and strong labor. So after realizing the lack of human resources of the Boers. Caliput strongly demanded a good relationship with the blacks. This is a national war that requires all forces to be concentrated. Even if part of the territory is given up, it will be given to the blacks after all. It can be taken back after the war.... And once you lose to the British, you have no chance at all!

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you give some of your outdated equipment to the Zulus in exchange for their goodwill. The old weapons in your hands lack parts and ammunition, and they are very old. They are useless except for hunting. They will not treat them at all. The Boer army armed with German-style weapons poses a threat. If we can exchange guns and money for black support and labor, then our manpower shortage will be alleviated a lot.” Caliput has told Kruger more than once Make such a suggestion.

"We have been improving the relationship between blacks. Although the effect is not very good, many black tribes have taken a neutral attitude. Although the Zulus have hatred with us, they have more conflicts with the British, especially the Zulus. This is especially true for chiefs and nobles. I will consider your suggestion." Kruger said after some consideration.

The wheel of history is rolling forward. Just as Caliput was doing his best to advise the Boers, Prince Ruprecht, who had just finished his work a while ago and hadn't had time to take a rest, stepped on the road again. Train to Berlin. This invitation issued in the name of the Prussian central government and the Ministry of the Navy made Ruprecht realize a very important thing, that is, the real construction of the German Navy is about to begin!

Sorry, today the author is in a daze, and accidentally posted the same thing. However, all subscribed readers will not be affected. I'm so sorry.

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