The effect of the change was very good. Gustav's barbaric cavalry defeated the civilized musketeer cavalry in Central and Western Europe.
As a result, everyone regressed, gave up the high-end muskets, picked up knives, and started fighting on horseback and with swords.
Isn't it just playing barbarism? Zhu Youxiao felt that it suited his temper. If you can't teach the Jiannu people civilization, then use barbarism to beat you to tears.
Of course, he knew he was only a theoretical expert, but there were still people who could put it into practice! As for the emperor, no one dared to disregard his imperial edict.
Near the horse ranch in the suburbs of Beijing, the empty fields are not lonely at all. Instead, they are filled with the shouts of people and the neighing of horses, making a deafening noise.
War horses were neighing and hooves were thundering. Rows of knights were galloping back and forth in close formation. Dust filled the air, blurring the vision.
Jin Riguan, the new lieutenant general of the Dragon Cavalry Battalion of the Beijing Camp, stood on a high watchtower, raising a telescope from time to time to observe the training situation of each team, and kept narrating, which was recorded by the clerk next to him.
"The first team's speed was too fast, but their formation wasn't tight enough; the second team was okay, but the third team's formation—damn... it's such a mess..."
Jin Riguan came down from the watchtower only after the training was over. His throat was so dry that it was smoking. He prepared to drink some water before going to train the officers again.
"Sir Cao, when did you come?" Just as he was about to reach out to pick up the hanging kettle, he looked up and saw General Cao Wenzhao. Jin Riguan hurriedly bowed and saluted.
Cao Wenzhao smiled, motioned him to drink some water first, and said slowly: "After watching for a while, there is still great progress."
Jin Riguan tilted his head back and gulped down several large gulps without even wiping the water from the corners of his mouth. He then said, "From twenty horses to forty now, it's much better than the beginning, but it's still far from what Wansui said!"
"Long live your life is just a metaphor, not a requirement." Cao Wenzhao shook his head slightly and said, "Knee to knee is too difficult. In my opinion, the speed can be reduced a bit."
In fact, if the cavalry in a wall charge wants to maintain its formation, its speed must be lower than that of traditional cavalry.
But this was not a problem, because they were not used to attack infantry phalanxes or pursue enemy cavalry.
According to Zhu Youxiao's idea and suggestion, the cavalry formation marching like a wall was mainly used to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy cavalry, while the traditional cavalry formation was relatively loose, which was its weakness.
So, even if you were a skilled rider, you still had to face multiple weapons simultaneously. To put it bluntly, it was a group fight.
The essence of the cavalry wall tactics lies in this: through organization, discipline and training, the second-rate cavalry can form the advantage of collective combat, turning them into a war machine and strangling the enemy who can perform acrobatics on horseback.
What if the enemy also uses the cavalry wall tactics? Military experts laughed, and Zhu Youxiao was also amused.
It's simple, two walls collide, neither can recover, it's a war of attrition. If I lose a hundred, you must also fall eighty.
And the competition of consumption between nomadic, fishing and hunting peoples and civilized agricultural countries seems to be no different from suicide, right?
Obviously, Cao Wenzhao's understanding of cavalry wall tactics was much deeper than Jin Riguan's. Because the emperor trusted him and gave him the power to report directly, the two of them communicated very harmoniously.
Zhu Youxiao had a long-term vision and extensive knowledge, but his knowledge was rough and not detailed.
But this is not a big problem. He just needs to put forward suggestions and ideas, and then arrange people to put them into practice and fill in the gaps, and they can still be implemented.
Facing Jin Riguan's somewhat puzzled look, Cao Wenzhao smiled, sat down casually on the grass, and stretched out his hand to signal him to sit down as well.
Using the handle of his whip, he drew a line on the grass and poked many small holes. Cao Wenzhao then explained, "Pushing the cavalry wall forward, we'll face the enemy's loose cavalry. It'll be difficult to escape except by turning and running."
"The result of a clash would probably be a one-for-one exchange, or even no damage at all. No matter how skilled the enemy is in riding or martial arts, they won't be able to display their abilities..."
"I'll add one or two flag bearers to each team. They'll hold their spears and flags high and march forward, acting as a reference for the cavalry. This will ensure the formation remains relatively orderly and the advance speed is maintained. They can also serve as a rallying point for the scattered cavalry..."
"Because it's a cavalry fight, the enemy's shortbows on horseback can do limited damage. Cavalry can wear light armor to reduce the load on their horses and increase their speed..."
"The essence of cavalry wall tactics is collective combat, using numbers to defeat numbers when a narrow encounter occurs. Therefore, riding skills and equipment are secondary; the most important things are discipline, organization, and training. Once you understand this..."
Jin Riguan nodded repeatedly. Cao Wenzhao's in-depth and easy-to-understand explanation was like an eye-opener, making him fully understand the essentials of the cavalry wall tactics.
To put it bluntly, it was a group fight. Without a dense formation, a few cavalrymen could attack one enemy. However, that wasn't a simultaneous attack, and it would always give the enemy the opportunity to defend themselves individually and display their riding and martial arts skills.
Now, no matter how good your riding skills are, how powerful your martial arts skills are, or even if you can perform acrobatics on horseback, you cannot squeeze through the small gap in the dense queue!
If you don't run away, then just fight. If two or three knives come at you at the same time, or two or three gun tips come at you, everyone would be afraid, right?
Moreover, since victory is not achieved by impact force, a slightly slower speed will not have much impact.
The key is coordination and unity. Dozens or even hundreds of riders act as a whole, pushing forward and crushing the enemy.
"Now..." Jin Riguan asked uncertainly, "Does our army's riding skills basically meet the requirements?"
Cao Wenzhao laughed heartily and said, "If you can keep steady on horseback and swing your sword, then of course you can!"
Jin Riguan let out a long sigh and laughed. "Then let's focus on practicing galloping in unison. Also, I think the flag bearer guidance you mentioned is a good idea."
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