The emperor did not hide his preference for military generals.

Most of them were rough and tumble men, and if they were rude, he would never blame them. After being summoned, they were often rewarded. Anyway, the emperor had a large supply of swords, armor, and pistols.

However, none of the generals dared to act rashly, and they all tried their best to maintain the etiquette between the emperor and his subjects, even though this made the emperor a little unhappy.

"My dear ministers," Zhu Youxiao said with a gentle smile on his face, "you may speak freely about the organization of the cavalry battalion. What I have said is merely theoretical, and there must be something wrong."

You know it's wrong, yet you still say it? Don't you know you're the emperor? It'll be hard to deal with if you say it!

Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, Cao Wenzhao and others looked at each other with hesitation on their faces.

The organization the emperor described was a bit of a hodgepodge. The 3,000-strong cavalry battalion included 2,000 flying cavalry, 600 to 700 lancers, and 300 to 400 mounted artillerymen, capable of both slashing on horseback and firing cannons and muskets.

Sounds great, all-around! Whether it's a cavalry charge or disrupting the enemy's formation with artillery and gunfire, it's great!

The emperor also wanted to equip two thousand flying cavalry with flintlock pistols. They would shoot the enemy twice left and right from a distance of ten or twenty meters, and then draw their swords to chop them hard. Isn't that awesome?

But the generals had their own considerations. Some felt that such an organization would not have much impact and it was okay to do so to give face to the emperor.

Others felt that the emperor should not be allowed to dwell on matters of life and death on the battlefield. Although this sounded good, it might not necessarily translate well in actual combat.

Sun Yingyuan smiled bitterly. He was the highest-ranking official in the Beijing camp and was supposed to stay to defend the capital and protect the emperor. If he continued to flatter and exploit the emperor's trust, he would be considered unfaithful.

Of course, Sun Yingyuan didn't think the emperor's suggestion was unreasonable. However, the Flying Cavalry training had already been completed, and adding new tactics would likely waste time. Moreover, its success would require repeated verification.

"Your Majesty," Sun Yingyuan bowed and stepped out of the group. "The training of the flying cavalry is very effective, but carrying heavy loads is crucial. If it weren't for the need to protect against arrows, I would strip the cavalry of their armor and have them wear only leather armor, or even cloth."

Zhu Youxiao blinked his eyes, and suddenly felt that Sun Yingyuan's words seemed to have been verified in history. It seemed that the French cavalry charged in only military uniforms.

Okay, I understand. Equipping the Flying Cavalry with flintlock pistols and ammunition increased their load. The Ming army's warhorses weren't as tall as those in Europe, so they were more sensitive to weight.

Zhu Youxiao felt somewhat helpless, and also realized that he was a bit presumptuous and was far less practical than these generals who had personally undergone long-term training and gained experience.

The ones holding flintlock muskets are cuirassiers, right? Zhu Youxiao thought about it and didn't want to play this high-end military type.

"You agree with General Sun, don't you?" Zhu Youxiao looked around at the generals and saw that they all bowed their heads. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Then there's no need to equip the flying cavalry with muskets."

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the emperor spoke again, "But a mixed formation of flying cavalry and dragon cavalry is a must. I think a 3,000-strong cavalry battalion consisting of 2,000 flying cavalry and 1,000 dragon cavalry is more appropriate."

After saying this, the emperor turned his gaze to Zhou Yuji and asked, "Mr. Zhou, please tell me when the Flying Cavalry is least effective and most likely to suffer a crushing defeat."

This question is not difficult. Martial arts has studied it and given an answer.

Zhou Yuji bowed and replied, "It takes time for cavalry to organize a wall charge. Therefore, if there is no time to organize an encounter, not only will they be unable to exert their power, but because our cavalry is not very skilled, they may even suffer a disastrous defeat."

A wall charge relies on collective strength, organization, discipline, and training. In terms of riding skills, the cavalry is certainly not as good as the Jiannu, let alone the Mongols.

Therefore, in a sudden encounter or surprise attack, the flying cavalry, without time to organize themselves, would have to fight the enemy alone and would definitely be at a disadvantage.

"How to avoid it?" the emperor asked briefly.

"Strengthen reconnaissance, avoid encounters, and make it difficult for the enemy to launch a surprise attack." Zhou Yuji replied.

The emperor nodded and said, "Then we'll add the dragoons for cover. The cavalry battalion can not only fight the enemy cavalry on the battlefield, but also project long-range firepower and have the ability to defend or block against strongholds."

After a pause, the emperor finally swallowed his words about sending in the cavalry artillery. An all-around capable army isn't bad, but if it's too diverse, it becomes a hodgepodge and difficult to command.

In fact, Zhu Youxiao believed that infantry with flintlock rifles and bayonets, or with infantry line tactics, were able to resist or defeat cavalry on the battlefield.

But if you use cavalry to defeat cavalry, and the cavalry has the speed to pursue, the damage to the enemy will be greater.

"We obey your order." The generals bowed and accepted the compromise proposed by the emperor.

Zhu Youxiao had his reasons for making such an arrangement. Originally, the Beijing camp was planned to dispatch more than 10,000 flying cavalry, which was almost two-thirds of all the flying cavalry.

Taking the twelve thousand flying cavalry, combined with the dragoons, they could form six cavalry battalions. Three cavalry battalions, organized as cavalry corps, would form two major cavalry groups.

With the addition of Man Gui's naturalized cavalry and Fan Hualong's dragoon cavalry, there were three iron cavalry in Liaodong, which were just right to be divided into Liaoxi, Liaonan and Liaodong.

Moreover, six cavalry battalions could be assigned six generals, and Zhu Youxiao had already chosen them: Huang Degong, Liu Xingzuo, Jin Riguan, Yang Guozhu, Cao Bianjiao, and Hou Shilu. The two cavalry corps would have Zhou Yuji and Cao Wenzhao as their chief generals.

All of them were elite soldiers and generals. The most famous ones in history were Cao Cao, Cao Daxiao and Zhou Yuji who defended Ningwu Pass to the death.

Besides Zhu Youxiao, who else could have arranged such a luxurious lineup? This does not include Big Mouth Bear and Captain Mao, as well as the many powerful generals under their command.

Not only did they have people, but they also had money. If they couldn't defeat the Jiannu again, Zhu Youxiao felt that it would be hell.

The list of those summoned to the court was personally drawn up by the emperor, and those who were to go to Liaodong were naturally included. In addition, Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Tingchen and others were sent to the Beijing Camp to make up for the officers who were withdrawn from the Beijing Camp.

The post of Superintendent of the Nine Gates was finally replaced by an eunuch, and Zhu Youxiao promoted Fang Zhenghua, the newly promoted eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, to the position.

Even if he drew elite cavalry from the Beijing camp, there were still tens of thousands of troops. With the Imperial Guards as his eyes and ears, Zhu Youxiao was not too worried about the safety of the capital and the palace.

You must know that Cao Bianjiao, Huang Degong and others who were sent were all capable fighters. Those who were not capable fighters but were loyal, or those who were not experienced enough, were left in the Beijing camp, so that the emperor could continue to firmly control military power.

As for leading the army in person, Zhu Youxiao had thought about it, but he was afraid of death, and even more afraid of becoming a burden to the generals in commanding the battle, which would lead to failure in the fight against the slaves.

Zhu Youxiao thought it was unlikely that he would be killed by the enemy on the battlefield, but he was always on guard against assassinations from within the Ming Dynasty and did not dare to relax.

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