The essence of a cavalry wall charge lies in organization, discipline, and training, with horsemanship taking a back seat. Its weakness lies in the time required to organize before going into battle, just as infantry cannot form a battle formation and are vulnerable to attack.
The strength of the cavalry of nomadic or fishing and hunting peoples lies in their superb riding skills. Whether fighting alone or outnumbered, they can also gain a great advantage with their riding skills and martial arts.
In fact, this principle is similar to that of infantry formations. A mob fighting in a chaotic manner will most likely be defeated.
To avoid a hasty battle, Sun Yingyuan's advice on strengthening reconnaissance and preparing in advance was certainly correct. Telescopes, coupled with capable scouts, could indeed greatly compensate for any shortcomings.
The emperor's suggestion of adding lancers to use the long-range projection of muskets to provide cover and buy time also makes sense.
Dragoons, or Lancers, were not only mobile, but also capable of long-range fire and dismounted formations for close combat. This versatile type of soldier was what Zhu Youxiao had been striving to develop and had already put into practice.
It only takes ten days, half a month, or at most a month for infantrymen to learn how to ride horses. That's right, they only ride for a short distance, not for charging into battle, so the training time is very short.
As long as there are enough war horses and enough food and fodder, tens of thousands of cavalry can be quickly equipped in Liaodong alone. The firepower and mobility are enough to compete with the Jiannu.
The reason this hasn't been achieved yet is due to limited supplies. It's not a lack of money or inability to buy them, but rather a bottleneck in transportation. Land routes consume too much, and sea routes can't handle the same volume.
Is there a solution? Of course there is. As long as the Liaodong Recovery Area is stabilized and the resettled Liao people cultivate and produce locally, a considerable supplement can be made.
But the conditions are obviously not in place now. First, the recovered area is not large. Second, it is a problem for the resettled Liao people to be self-sufficient. How can there be any net output if they have to rely on the court to transport food?
At present, the increased war horses and cavalry in western Liaoning, southern Liaoning and eastern Liaoning are used to transport supplies by sea and to purchase forage from the Mongolian tribes.
This is why the number of cavalry sent to Liaodong was limited to around 12,000 to 13,000. They had to wait until autumn, and only after Liaodong's supplies had reached a certain level, could they be deployed.
There was food and supplies, but the speed and quantity of transportation were insufficient, which was an inevitable difficulty under the ancient transportation conditions.
The Sui Dynasty's conquest of Goguryeo and the Tang Dynasty's conquest of Goguryeo were both hindered by logistical problems. It took decades for both dynasties to finally conquer Goguryeo, consuming countless manpower and materials.
The saying "of grain transported a thousand miles, only one in ten survives" illustrates the enormous costs of transportation in ancient times. While this may be an exaggeration, it does demonstrate the difficulties of logistical support.
Zhu Youxiao did not want to mobilize a large number of people to transport food and supplies like Emperor Yang of Sui did. He could only adopt the strategy of Emperor Taizong of Tang's conquest of Goguryeo, limiting the number of troops deployed in Liaodong and compensating by strengthening the military.
Zhu Youxiao could only do his best to ensure that he had elite soldiers, good equipment, and sufficient food and wages. Of course, in his view, if he could achieve these three points, he could expect victory in the Ping Liao Campaign next year.
In order to meet this expectation, Zhu Youxiao divided the situation into three categories: completely annihilate the Jiannu and end the war between Ping Liao and Liao; achieve a decisive victory and reduce the Jiannu to bandits and flee everywhere; achieve a great victory and lose more than half of the Jiannu and only be able to survive.
The joy these three standards brought to Zhu Youxiao was naturally different, and could be divided into ecstasy, great joy, and slight happiness.
But no matter which one was achieved, Zhu Youxiao believed that he could breathe a sigh of relief and shift his attention to dealing with the impending major disaster.
Even if next year's major counter-offensive has not yet produced any results, Zhu Youxiao has a plan to alleviate the people's suffering, and it will be implemented this year.
Last year, taxes were reduced or exempted in Shaanxi, this year it will be Henan or Shanxi, and next year it will be Shandong or Hebei's turn.
You know, at the peak of the Little Ice Age, these northern provinces were the most affected.
Zhu Youxiao reduced or exempted taxes according to the "grain-based" standard. He did not reduce or exempt taxes for landlords and gentry, but exempted the common people for one year to allow them to save some grain.
The landlords and gentry were wealthy and had enough food even without tax reductions; but the common people were different, as they lived a hard life, and one year's tax reductions were enough to give them a break.
Zhu Youxiao was actually quite cautious and considered carefully before promulgating and implementing each policy.
He knew too well the moral conduct of the civil servants and gentry of the late Ming Dynasty. If he did not supervise and punish them, his policies designed to benefit the people would turn into actions that harmed and harmed the people.
Therefore, he has not leaked any information until now, so as to prevent those bastards from preparing in advance, snatching away the benefits that the people deserve, and passing the burden on.
When the weather is clear and crisp in autumn or when a cold wind blows, another wave of corrupt officials will be beheaded and the homes of officials, landlords and gentry will be raided.
Zhu Youxiao basically arranged the Liaodong campaign and then focused his energy on killing people and confiscating their property. There was no other way, there were always those who didn't fear the law and were greedy for money and life, and you would feel embarrassed if you didn't help them.
Thinking of the house confiscation, Zhu Youxiao narrowed his eyes. Luo Sigong should have gone to Shanxi, right?
The eight great families, each of them has at least one or two million silver coins, plus houses, land, and shops, they have more than 20 million silver coins, which is enough to spend for the next one or two years.
Now, Zhu Youxiao did not feel much guilt.
If it weren't for his efforts, and the situation of the Ming-Jin War was different, the Eight Great Families would still have betrayed their country, the court, and their nation for dirty money. Countless compatriots died because of their greed.
It's not that they didn't want to do it, but they didn't find the opportunity. That's it, their death is not a pity, and they even deserve it.
Zhu Youxiao was lost in thought, leaning back in the large imperial chair. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he felt a little sleepy.
Fan Xiaohui fanned him leisurely, watching the weary-looking Emperor with his head tilted to one side and eyes closed, as if resting, or perhaps already asleep. She hesitated, unsure whether to stop fanning or...
The emperor seemed to feel a little cold and shrank into a tight circle.
Fan Xiaohui stopped fanning herself, quietly took a thin blanket, walked to the emperor, and slowly covered him with it.
Zhu Youxiao's eyelids moved, and in the dim light, a beautiful figure appeared before him. He reached out and hugged Wen Xiang's body in his arms, murmuring, "Xiao Hui?"
Fan Xiaohui paused for a moment before shyly answering in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it's you, the servant."
"Hmm!" the emperor snorted in response, hugged the maid tightly, and said nothing more, closing his eyes as if he was about to fall asleep again.
After a long while, Fan Xiaohui quietly and gently adjusted her posture to make the emperor more comfortable. Listening to the faint breathing so close, the maid reached out her hand, perhaps wanting to touch the emperor's face, but ultimately stopped mid-air.
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