In fact, Cao Wenzhao was still a little dissatisfied in his heart. The reason was simple: the Flying Cavalry was divided into two major towns, located in southern Liaoning and western Liaoning, commanded by him and Zhou Yuji.
The two major garrisons each had 2,000 men divided into three battalions, and Liu Xingzuo was transferred to Liaodong, leaving Cao Wenzhao with only 4,000 flying cavalry under his command. Even with the addition of additional lancers, it was still far from the devastating force Cao Wenzhao had imagined.
But Cao Wenzhao knew that he had to carry out the order.
Of course, what he didn't know was that Liu Xingzuo's Flying Cavalry Battalion, which had been transferred to Liaodong, had expanded to 5,000 troops and would soon go into battle and launch a lightning attack on Jianzhou.
With two thousand flying cavalry and three thousand spear cavalry, we can win even if we face a single banner of the Jianlu!
Liu Xingzuo supervised the troops and finished their training. He rode back to the camp on horseback and was still thinking.
Three thousand spear cavalry constituted nearly half of Dongjiang Town's rapid-movement forces, and were also highly elite. Mao Wenlong's deployment and allocation of these troops demonstrated his emphasis on the flying cavalry and this operation.
The first battle of the Beijing Flying Cavalry in Liaodong might have been against a certain army. Liu Xingzuo pursed his lips, revealing a hint of pride.
Several Ming army officers and soldiers came galloping over, but slowed down from a long distance. One of the generals waved his hand and greeted them in a loud voice.
"General Kong, nice to meet you." Liu Xingzuo is the most low-key and peaceful among the cavalry generals of the Beijing Camp. Because of his background, he cannot get rid of it for the time being.
"General Liu," Kong Youde bowed and said with a smile, "I have also selected several hundred cavalrymen and trained them in wall charges, but I'm having trouble grasping the technique. I wonder if it would be convenient. Could General Liu please give me some advice?"
Ever since he watched the Flying Cavalry Battalion's training and knew their fighting style, Kong Youde felt that this was his favorite and most suitable fighting style for him.
He charged on horseback, hacked and chopped his way through everything. When Kong Youde thought about this, he felt that it was even more satisfying to deal with his temper.
Although the cavalry wall may seem simple, it takes time to master. The Flying Cavalry of the Beijing Camp practiced for a long time before they figured out the tricks and patterns.
Kong Youde only saw it and figured it out on his own, but he didn't know the key points of a cavalry wall charge.
Seeing Kong Youde's friendly attitude and his willingness to learn, Liu Xingzuo also said modestly, "General Kong, you are too polite. I didn't invent the Flying Cavalry Tactics. How dare I hide my knowledge?"
Although Kong Youde was eager to learn, he also had his own guesses. He felt that this training method might be kept secret and would not be told to him easily.
But after hearing what Liu Xingzuo said, he was surprised for a moment, then delighted. He asked, "Is there no limit? Can all units train like this? Aren't you afraid of leaks and the enemy learning?"
Liu Xingzuo smiled, gestured with his hand, and said, "General Kong, let's talk while we walk."
The cavalry wall tactic was an effective means for agricultural peoples to combat nomadic peoples. Its core concept was to defeat the enemy's highly skilled cavalry by leveraging their superior manpower, collective strength, discipline, and bravery.
Therefore, what Kong Youde said about leaking secrets made Liu Xingzuo laugh. Of course, he did not smile in such a meaningful way.
If the nomadic people also learned the cavalry wall tactics and confronted the cavalry of the farming people head-on, the result of one for one, person for person, would be exactly what the farming people wanted.
Take the Jianlu as an example. How many troops did they have? If they were to engage in a one-on-one or even a one-on-two attrition battle with the Ming army, they would have been wiped out long ago.
Of course, this was a rather pessimistic estimate of casualties, and it was the result of a collision between two armies both using a cavalry wall charge.
The Flying Cavalry Battalion, which was armed to the teeth and had undergone long and arduous training, did not think that they came to Liaodong to exchange their lives.
As Liu Xingzuo continued his explanation, Kong Youde suddenly realized that he had misunderstood from the beginning. The primary selection criteria for the Flying Cavalry was not riding skills.
"Actually..." Liu Xingzuo bowed to the west and said, "Your Majesty has high hopes for the Lancers as well. They are equipped with light artillery and the power of muskets. Even the Flying Cavalry wouldn't dare to charge into such a battle formation lightly."
Kong Youde nodded, but then immediately shook his head and said, "If the Lancers dismount and form a defensive formation, they will indeed be as difficult to attack as the enemy cavalry. But they can't shoot from a horse, so they can't chase down the enemy cavalry easily."
After a pause, Kong Youde chuckled and said, "I just like to have fun. When I see the flying cavalry, I feel itchy and envious."
Liu Xingzuo smiled and nodded. He understood that this was related to personal character and temperament.
"I also know that it takes time to master the art of flying cavalry. Leading the Lancers to fight with General Liu is a good opportunity to observe and learn more." Kong Youde shook his whip and said, "In a few days, we will have a major operation."
Liu Xingzuo glanced over and asked, "General Kong, do you know the battle plan?"
Kong Youde laughed heartily and said, "That's not my idea. However, I've followed Marshal Mao for so many years, so I naturally know more than you do. My guess should be pretty close."
So that's how it is. Liu Xingzuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought Mao Wenlong was biased and didn't tell him the battle plan yet!
……………………
Western Liaoning, Guangning.
After retaking Guangning, the Ming army built trenches, breastworks and other fortifications based on the city's original foundation, supplemented by a large number of artillery, forming a formidable defense network.
The entire Liaodong battlefield was arranged in this way, and no longer had to rebuild the damaged or destroyed city walls and towers. That would be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly.
A dozen miles west of Guangning, across the open plains, war horses galloped, clouds of dust billowed. Another group of flying cavalry was training in the field.
Like Kong Youde and others, it was the hundreds of officers in the nine important border towns who felt the invincible oppression brought by the wall-like charge of the Flying Cavalry's tactics.
This was the emperor's intention. The Ministry of War issued a document, ordering the dispatch of 100 middle and lower-level officers from each of Jizhou Town, Xuanfu Town, Datong Town, Shanxi Town, Yansui Town, Ningxia Town, Guyuan Town, and Gansu Town, in addition to Liaodong Town, to form a battlefield observation group.
In fact, the emperor did not want the officers to observe the group only to learn the tactics of the flying cavalry. Instead, he hoped that they would gain more practical experience in the Liaodong Campaign, thereby improving the combat effectiveness of the Eight Garrison Army.
Although the weapons and equipment of the Eight Towns were somewhat inferior to those of the Liaodong troops, the officers had basically received training in martial arts, and there was not much difference in the use of muskets and artillery, as well as in tactical fighting methods.
Only the flying cavalry was something these officers had never seen before and could give them a great shock.
Zhou Yuji stood on the earthen hill with a serious face, watching the cavalry galloping back and forth, shouting and charging, without much change in expression.
Leading such a powerful army, who could not feel heroic and confident in conquering Liao and destroying the slaves, and living up to the earnest expectations of the emperor?
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