Just like firearms, Qi Jiguang pointed out the fact that bird guns were superior to three-barreled and quick-firing guns, but they were more commonly used by southern soldiers, while northern soldiers did not accept them much.
Besides the court's financial problems and the quality of the muskets, the complicated loading and firing process was also a major factor. The saying "Northern soldiers are fed up with it" simply means that they lacked the patience.
Is victory more important, or is patience more important?
The two armies clashed, suffering heavy casualties. It was truly bizarre that they abandoned advanced weapons and willingly accepted defeat simply because of impatience, resulting in even more casualties.
Whether they are soldiers from the north or the south, they are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Their temperaments and personalities may be different, but they are not unchangeable.
How can we build a strong and victorious army without harsh and inhumane laws, iron-clad discipline, and chilling strictness?
Based on this concept, Zhu Youxiao had already selected a group of correctional officers. As soon as the prisoner offering ceremony was over, the officers and soldiers of each town fell into hell before they could even recover from their excitement.
In the early morning, just as the sky was turning pale, the urging drums sounded.
From officers to soldiers, they had to dress neatly and gather for drill in the shortest possible time. Half an hour later, they finished their drill, washed up, and went to the mess hall for lunch.
After a short rest after the meal, they would practice spear stabbing and musket firing in turns; lunch, rest, sword and shield practice, musket firing; dinner, rest, drill manual study, tactical discussions, and sleep.
The day was packed, and if they slacked off even a little during training, the correctional officers would swing their sticks, causing these officers and soldiers to suffer greatly.
But one thing was certain: they ate well and had enough to eat. They could have meat every two days, even the most ordinary vegetable soup would have oily spots floating in it, and there was plenty of flatbread and rice.
Besides, enduring hardship and suffering will not cost you your life, but running away will result in immediate beheading.
After a few days, the soldiers adapted to the training, were beaten less often, and no longer complained.
We train for six days and rest for one day, so tomorrow is the day off.
As soon as the afternoon training ended, each person was given three taels of silver. They all happily took a shower and changed clothes, preparing to go to the capital to eat, drink, and stroll around, and experience the prosperity under the feet of the emperor.
After taking a shower and changing into a clean uniform, Kong Youde happily returned to the dormitory. Officers were treated differently; he and Zhang Pan shared a room, rather than sharing a bunk like the privates.
Zhang Pan was still wearing dirty clothes and was sitting at a small table writing something.
"Brother Zhang, what are you writing?" Kong Youde lay down on the bed and asked with his head tilted. "Hurry up and wash up, get a good sleep, and tomorrow we'll go visit the capital. I'll treat you to a drink."
Zhang Pan smiled and said without looking up, "No rush. I'll write down my thoughts on the training over the past few days. I'll submit any suggestions for improvement to the Ministry of War."
Kong Youde was born into a miner family and was illiterate. He smiled and said, "It's better to be able to read and write. I can understand some of the drill manuals now, but I can't read a single word."
Zhang Pan looked up at Kong Youde and said with a smile, "It's not easy to learn to read. I'll teach you! In the future, you'll need to read some military books before you can lead troops in battle."
Kong Youde put away his smile, thought for a moment, and said, "You have a point. These past few days, I've also been thinking about the methods His Majesty has used to train the new army, as well as the drill manual, and I've figured out a few things."
Zhang Pan nodded with encouragement.
"Although the Wansheng gun has a slow firing rate, its armor-piercing power is terrifying." Kong Youde was encouraged and continued, "In my opinion, relying on strong defense is the most appropriate. In a field battle, it depends on whether the spearmen and sword and shield soldiers can withstand the enemy cavalry's charge. Yes, we must be most vigilant against the Eastern Tartars' hand-to-hand combat and stop them."
"Where is the Yingyang gun?" Zhang Pan raised his eyebrows.
Kong Youde grinned and said, "That thing is too powerful. It's very dangerous if you get caught with it. It's just a bit heavy and not as flexible as the Wansheng gun. Well, that's why there are so few of them!"
Zhang Pan pondered for a moment, then said, "Brother Kong's view is not much different from mine. I also believe that if they cannot defeat the Jiannu in close combat, then firearms will also be difficult to restrain. If they rely on the city for defense, the Jiannu will probably suffer heavy casualties under the gunfire."
"And armor." Kong Youde turned over and sat up, saying, "Spearmen must have heavy armor to resist the Jiannu arrows."
Zhang Pan chuckled and said, "Then I'll write down Brother Mao's suggestions and sign both of our names."
"This..." Kong Youde scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "Isn't this a bit embarrassing?"
"Why not?" Zhang Pan said with a smile, "This is indeed Brother Kong's suggestion. I am just recording it truthfully."
Kong Youde knew that Zhang Pan was helping him, because at the beginning of the training, the Minister of War, Lord Sun, had personally given them a lecture, and also explained that the training of the new army was in its infancy and had many shortcomings. If they had any suggestions, they could write to the Ministry of War.
Being able to submit a letter to the Ministry of War to make suggestions is equivalent to getting a reputation with Lord Sun, and maybe it will also be mentioned to the emperor. Naturally, the future prospects will be much brighter.
Zhang Pan quickly wrote down his proposal, tidied himself up, and stood up, saying, "I'll go wash up too, so I can relax tomorrow."
When he reached the door, Zhang Pan stopped again and turned around to say, "Should we also tell those colleagues that it's not important whether we're traveling together or not?"
Kong Youde blinked his eyes, jumped off the bed, and said, "Many gifts are appreciated. I will go and invite you. You can go and do your own thing."
………………
Near the recruit training camps in Liaozhen, Jinzhen, Dengzhen and Dongjiangzhen, there are several large camps that train more than 10,000 troops from the Tengxiang Four Guards established during the Zhengde period, which were later renamed the Warrior Camp and the Four Guards Camp.
The Four Guards of Tengxiang were "the young and strong officers and soldiers of the guards across the country and the men who escaped from the captives." Initially, there were only a few thousand people, but later it gradually expanded to four guards, and the number of people and horses gradually increased.
Later, during the Jiajing period, the imperial army was reorganized into the Warrior Battalion and the Four Guards Battalion, and the management agency was the Imperial Horse Administration.
It can be seen from the management organization that the Warrior Battalion and the Four Guards Battalion are the imperial guards commanded by the inner court and are directly under the emperor.
Therefore, after Zhu Youxiao was possessed and reborn, he began to reorganize this once brave direct force.
If we follow the selection criteria of the Tengxiang Four Guards and gather the best officers and soldiers from all over the world, there will definitely be no problem with their physical fitness.
However, from its establishment to the time when Zhu Youxiao took over, under the erosion of time, the Tengxiang Four Guards began to corrupt and their combat effectiveness declined significantly.
Historically, it was not until Chongzhi ascended the throne that he began to vigorously reorganize the army, finally restoring its strength and making it a powerful army in the late Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Youxiao naturally would not just let it go. This was a unit under his direct leadership and command, so he must not be careless.
So he used Cao Huachun, the famous eunuch who took the blame in history.
He was the "god-man" who was originally living in Tianjin for retirement, but was able to teleport to the capital and open the city gate to welcome Li Zicheng when he attacked Beijing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
