Historically, although the Dongjiang Army was poorly equipped and short of food and pay, it was one of the very few units in the Ming army that dared to fight the Jiannu in the field.
There are no specific records of casualties, but it is certainly higher than that of the Jiannu. However, the main issue is not victory or defeat, but the fighting spirit and will.
Zhu Youxiao's historical analysis was correct. As long as the Liaodong Ming army, composed mainly of Liao people, had sufficient food and money and was well-equipped, it would have been sufficient to destroy the slaves and pacify the Liao.
Moreover, since they were all Ming citizens, Zhu Youxiao was reluctant to differentiate them based on region. The stereotypes of Liao people, southerners, and northerners should have been changed long ago.
The war in Liaodong was going on, and the emperor in the capital was not idle either. He was paying attention to the news coming in and supervising the transportation and supply of food, ammunition and supplies.
The decline of the Jiannu was inevitable and became increasingly obvious; it was also a gradually becoming clear that the Ming army grew stronger and more numerous as the battles went on.
As an emperor, Zhu Youxiao believed that it was enough to do a good job in logistics.
The strategy has been determined, and the specific tactics are chosen by the generals, giving them enough room for flexible use, which is more suitable for the communication speed in ancient times.
Even if all the communication towers were built, the effect would be satisfactory. However, the situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and only the generals commanding the battle can see it more clearly and accurately, and respond appropriately.
Of course, Zhu Youxiao also knew his own limitations. He was a master in strategy but a dwarf in tactics. He was not capable of personally commanding the battle on the battlefield.
Even though he claimed to be a strategic master, Zhu Youxiao took advantage of being a time traveler and knew the direction of history.
Of course, advantages also come with burdens and responsibilities.
Because Zhu Youxiao knew more, he had a stronger sense of crisis, was more eager to destroy the Nu and pacify the Liao, and was more prepared to deal with the major disaster at the peak of the Little Ice Age.
His efforts and dedication had finally paid off. The battle in Liaodong was showing signs of progress, and if nothing unexpected happened, there would be a result within a year.
Even if an accident occurred and tens of thousands of officers and soldiers were lost, the Jiannu would not be able to reverse the passive situation. It was just that they could linger for a longer time.
That’s right, the victory or defeat of one or two battles can no longer change the strength comparison between the Ming and Jin sides.
The size of both sides is there. The population, financial resources, etc. of the Ming Empire are ten or a hundred times greater than those of the Jiannu, and are gradually being mobilized more and more fully by Zhu Youxiao.
To put it bluntly, the Ming Dynasty could still hold on after ten major defeats, but the Jiannu would be seriously injured and would find it difficult to recover if they suffered just one major defeat.
To put it bluntly, just based on the numerical advantage, even if the Ming army had to replace one for every ten, the Jiannu would not be able to withstand it.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao was still concerned about the war, but he had a clearer mind and was not as restless and uneasy as before.
When it comes to money and wealth, I am not really afraid of the Jianzhou barbarians. My fingers are thicker than their waists.
Moreover, I understand science and can climb trees; the Jiannu are mostly illiterate and uncultured barbarians!
Although the emperor felt that he was already far ahead of the Jiannu in technology and weapons and equipment, there was no need to continue to improve.
But what he had instructed or pointed out before was still being studied by some people and successfully developed.
"Hurry! After continuous testing and improvement, the rocket is now practical." Sun Yuanhua could not hide the excitement on his face. He raised his hands and presented the document to the emperor for his review.
Zhu Youxiao took the document from the palace maid, opened it and read it, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
According to historical records, the Ming Dynasty had a wide variety of military rockets, leading the world in both quantity and quality, and were the most advanced in the world.
However, after reading the information, carefully asking questions and analyzing them, Zhu Youxiao felt that most of these awesome things were flashy and had little practical significance.
Things like the divine fire flying crow, the fire dragon emerging from the water, winged rockets, and multi-stage rockets all sound like they can launch satellites into space.
In reality, if used on the battlefield, these various types of rockets are almost all inaccurate, have a short range, and their power and lethality are really hard to praise.
In the development of rockets and artillery, Zhu Youxiao focused on artillery, but also gave guidance on rockets.
Paper or bamboo tubes were replaced with iron tubes, stabilizing devices were added, and rapid-burning gunpowder was developed to propel rockets, with explosive or incendiary warheads used to injure the enemy, rather than using tail flames to incinerate them...
Obviously, Zhu Youxiao's advice did not contain much high-tech content, but was more of a change of thinking.
With the introduction of artillery and the improvement of casting standards, rockets became less important, and Zhu Youxiao did not pay too much attention to them.
But an unexpected surprise came just when the emperor had forgotten about it and hit him on the head.
There are three types of weapons, weighing from 20 to 30 kilograms, with a range of 800 to 2,600 meters. Warheads are either explosive or incendiary, equipped with stabilizing fins, and their flight direction is controlled by an iron pipe on a simple launcher.
It can be said that the rocket developed by Sun Yuanhua and others almost completely possessed the performance of the "Congreve" rocket that Zhu Youxiao knew. How could he not feel gratified and surprised?
Before the emergence of new breech-loading artillery, the "Congreve" rocket was very popular on the battlefield with its advantages such as fast rate of fire, long range, and maneuverability, and was called "the soul of artillery without a gun body."
Although there was no need to deploy new weapons on the Liaodong battlefield as the Jiannu were already able to be crushed; and although if rockets were to be mass-produced, it would certainly affect the production of the urgently needed ammunition.
Zhu Youxiao reached out and tapped the documents on the table. He made a decision and said to Sun Yuanhua with a smile, "Sun Qing, recruit additional craftsmen to produce rockets and supporting equipment. I will select students from the martial arts school to learn how to use them, and then send them to Liaodong to participate in the war!"
While rockets aren't the key to changing the course of a war, finding a real-world testing ground for them is essential. While their accuracy may be lacking, their range and rate of fire are significant. If the launcher is built with multiple tubes, it becomes a rocket launcher.
"Your Majesty, I obey your command." Sun Yuanhua bowed and replied, "This rocket has no name yet. Your Majesty, please give it a name."
This flattery was a good one, and Zhu Youxiao felt quite comfortable. He also enjoyed naming new weapons and equipment.
It must be domineering, majestic, loud, and...
The emperor pondered, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrests of the dragon throne. Names such as Chang Zheng, Feng Yun, and Chang'e flashed through his mind, but he rejected them one by one.
"Let's call it Qitian No. 1!"
The emperor finally decided on the name, which even he himself thought was quite vulgar, but it had a very profound meaning.
Qi Tian is Tianqi read backwards, which implies the emperor’s narcissism; opening the sky also means the beginning of some kind of exploration.
The emperor even thought of Wan Hu, the man in the Ming Dynasty who tied a rocket to his seat and launched into space. He was the first person to think of using rockets to fly into space and was later called "the world's first astronaut."
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