In Xiong Tingbi's view, dragoons were not a new creation. They were just musketeers on horseback, or mobile infantry.

Riding on horseback to travel and dismounting to fight, this is the main characteristic of dragoons.

Of course, if their riding skills were better, they could wear sabers and chase down the defeated enemy. But in a head-on cavalry-to-head battle, dragoons were clearly no match, at least not now.

But there are also horse riding and archery. Xiong Tingbi stroked his beard and smiled as he watched generals such as Man Gui leading the Mongolian cavalry to charge and kill with arrows raining down.

Although this cavalry unit called the Flying Cavalry Battalion was composed of naturalized Mongolians and was skilled in riding and shooting, it was still very different from the troops of various Mongolian tribes.

The most important thing is armor. The Mongolian tribes were very poor, especially lacking iron tools. How could they afford to equip their cavalry with a lot of armor? In fact, this was also a disadvantage when they fought against the Later Jin army.

The Flying Cavalry Battalion made up for this shortcoming. With excellent bows and sharp sabers supplied by the Ming Dynasty, its combat effectiveness was greatly improved, and it was able to fight against the Later Jin Army on the plains.

Of course, neither the Emperor nor Xiong Tingbi planned to use the Flying Cavalry Battalion in this manner anytime soon. Harassment attacks and pursuit of victories were currently envisioned as the Flying Cavalry Battalion's two main combat strategies.

As for the Mongolian mercenaries, Xiong Tingbi also recognized them and began to send people to contact the Mongolian tribes south of the desert.

Zhu Youxiao instructed the generals of border towns such as Zhangjiakou and Datong to prepare to hire Mongolian herdsmen to expand the Flying Cavalry Camp and launch larger-scale harassment against the Later Jin.

Apart from anything else, it’s very economical!

Zhu Youxiao calculated that if the troops of the Mongolian tribes south of the desert were transferred here for a few months and not too many, it would only cost a few thousand taels of silver according to the market price at the time.

Moreover, this is not just a matter of saving money. It also has positive significance for strengthening ties with the Mongolian tribes and preventing them from being wooed by the Later Jin.

Xiong Tingbi could roughly guess the emperor's long-term plan. Once the military strength of the border towns became strong, he would introduce a policy to naturalize the Mongols.

At that time, it was no longer hiring, but recruitment, and it became the army of the Ming Dynasty.

Just as Xiong Tingbi was feeling relieved and lost in thought, Yang Guozhu, the Lieutenant General of the Dragon Cavalry Battalion, arrived in front of the platform, dismounted, and ascended the platform. He bowed and said, "This humble general greets His Excellency."

Xiong Tingbi raised his hand, motioning Yang Guozhu to stand up, and asked, "The Dragon Cavalry Battalion has been well trained. It will be a powerful cavalry unit in the future."

Yang Guozhu stood up, grinned, and said, "Sir, I am more proficient in riding and shooting."

Xiong Tingbi was stunned for a moment, looked at Yang Guozhu and thought about it, then roughly understood what he meant.

It was still the conservative mentality that was at work. He had no confidence in the dragoons and felt that it would be difficult for them to gain military merit in the future and that they would definitely not be as popular as the Flying Cavalry Battalion.

Xiong Tingbi shook his head and said, "You think riding and archery are more promising in the future. I really don't know how you learned martial arts?"

Yang Guozhu's face was a little hot, and he lowered his head without saying a word.

Although Xiong Tingbi was not very sure, the power of firearms still made a great impression on him.

He also agreed with the emperor's view that the training period for muskets was short and the requirements were low. With the Ming Dynasty's manpower advantage, it would become an invincible force.

"Train the Dragon Cavalry Battalion well, and you'll have more opportunities to achieve great things in the future." Xiong Tingbi didn't elaborate further. He pointed to the Flying Cavalry Battalion training in the distance and said, "Your Majesty established the Flying Cavalry Battalion. The deep meaning behind this is not something you need to know."

Yang Guozhu bowed and replied, "Yes, I will obey your order."

"In addition to riding skills, the skills that musketeers should have should also not be neglected." Xiong Tingbi reminded seriously, and after Yang Guozhu responded, he waved his hand to signal him that he could leave.

In the distance, the training of the Flying Cavalry Battalion had just ended.

Man Gui and two guerrillas were riding on their horses, talking and laughing loudly, and galloping towards the platform.

The two guerrillas were genuine Mongolians who came from outside the Great Wall to surrender. The governor of Yansui named them "Meng Ru Hu" and "Hu Dawei" because of their excellent riding and martial arts skills.

When Zhu Youxiao recruited naturalized Mongolians from various border towns, these two, who were already junior officers, joined the newly formed Flying Cavalry Battalion and studied in the cavalry department of military studies.

Others did not know why the emperor promoted them above the highest rank, but Zhu Youxiao knew that these two people not only had powerful names, but were also heroes and martyrs who fought for the Ming army and died heroically in history.

Two genuine Mongolian compatriots, and a Man Gui whose authenticity was unclear, came together. Their generous personalities and superb riding and archery skills quickly fostered a bond among the three, who became close friends.

"The Jiannu are definitely not good at archery on horseback, but they are very good at shooting on foot. Their longbows and heavy arrows are quite lethal." Man Gui shook the horn bow in his hand. "Of course we can't win with this."

This is an analysis from the military cavalry textbook, mixed with later experiences and theories summarized by Zhu Youxiao.

Why were the Mongols, who were good at horse riding and shooting, and had a large number of people, unable to defeat the Jiannu, who were also famous for their horse riding and shooting?

Excluding factors such as the lack of unity among the Mongolian tribes and the quality of their generals, weapons and equipment and tactics were also important reasons.

In fact, the horse riding and archery that the Jiannu boasted about were only relative to the Ming army. There was a gap compared to the Mongols.

To be precise, the Jiannu were good at shooting on foot, using a longbow-like longbow. The range and lethality were similar to those of a bird gun, and far superior to the horn bow used by the Mongols.

The Mongol cavalry lacked armor and were mainly light cavalry, so their large bows and heavy arrows posed a great threat. On the other hand, the Jiannu were well protected by armor, and the Mongol light arrows often had limited damage.

If it was just a competition of horseback archery, the Mongolian cavalry could still hold up; but if it came to a tough battle, the strong and fierce Jiannu were no match for the Mongolians.

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