Zhu Xiong Ying, dressed in full armor, arrived at the military camp surrounded by Xu Yun Gong and others. Zhu Xiong Ying still had many things to do.
Seeing the mighty and imposing appearance of the Ming army, Zhu Xiong Ying smiled quite happily. A powerful army is not only reflected in its combat strength, but also in external factors such as morale and fighting spirit, which are also quite important.
Zhu Xiong Ying was quite happy, as the original Yan Prince's Three Guards seemed to be quite outstanding. After Xu Yun Gong took over, the Yan Prince's Three Guards maintained their good fighting spirit and combat effectiveness, which made Zhu Xiong Ying quite pleased.
Looking at these soldiers, Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and asked, "Truly worthy of being the invincible army of our Ming Dynasty! With such a mighty army, our Ming Dynasty will surely be victorious in every battle and punish the disobedient!"
Xu Yungong and the others naturally shared this view. The Ming army's fighting strength was not something to boast about; it had proven itself time and again in battles. This was the source of everyone's confidence, and this was the key to their fighting power!
Remembering something, Zhu Xiong Ying asked, "Although the remnants of the Yuan dynasty have suffered heavy losses, throughout history, these nomadic peoples have always been the source of border troubles. If we were to fight a decisive battle on the grasslands, do you have any good strategies?"
Xu Yungong immediately replied, "Your Highness, the remnant Yuan has many cavalry. Although our Ming Dynasty has been diligently training its cavalry, there is still a difference between us and the remnant Yuan. However, the remnant Yuan cavalry is quite powerful, and our Ming soldiers have found a way to defeat them."
The people of the horse-riding world—this is no joke. Cavalry, often called the kings of land warfare, were undoubtedly the most powerful military force in ancient times, a fact that is universally acknowledged and needs no further refutation.
Whether it was the Xiongnu, Jurchen, or the Mongols of the past, they were mostly cavalry-based. The Central Plains dynasties, on the other hand, generally relied on infantry. This might seem like a disadvantageous position, but it was all an illusion.
It is not surprising that the infantry of the Central Plains had many strategies to defeat cavalry.
The greatest strength of cavalry lies in their mobility. With bows and scimitars, they can kite and kill even heavily armed infantry. Infantry cannot defeat cavalry, but they cannot outrun cavalry. Moreover, cavalry has a strong charge.
Cavalry charges are overwhelming and imposing, especially the heavily armored cavalry, who are practically ancient armored forces. Once heavy cavalry charges into infantry formations, the infantry simply cannot stop them. Moreover, cavalry excels at long-distance raids, is less dependent on logistical support, and can fight continuously, covering thousands of miles with only a small amount of supplies.
Examples of infantry defeating cavalry include the "Needle and Scaffold" formation, with victories by Wei Qing and Li Ling. Liu Yu's Crescent Moon Formation and the Triple Stack Formation of the Southern Song Dynasty were also effective formations against cavalry, achieving considerable success.
Remembering something, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "When Marquis Xiping attacked Si Lunfa, he set up three rows of cannons and crossbows to ensure that our Ming Dynasty's firearms could fire continuously. Do you think this formation would be effective against cavalry?"
Xu Yungong immediately said, "I have already heard about it, and I hope Your Highness will enlighten me."
Mu Ying did indeed employ the 'layered formation' when suppressing Si Lunfa's rebellion.
He divided his troops into three ranks and fired his weapons. When the first rank finished firing, they would turn around and retreat to the third rank to reload their ammunition and prepare to fire again. At the same time, the second rank would immediately advance to the original firing position of the first rank and continue firing.
This is similar to the "three-stage attack" technique, which can solve the problem of firearms not being able to fire continuously.
After listening, Xu Yungong said, "The Marquis of Xiping's strategy of setting up military formations is extraordinary, but the rebels are mostly like elephants and wild beasts, which are not as fast as warhorses. Alternating loading and firing can indeed save time, but it will be quite difficult to deal with cavalry."
That's true. Normally, it takes about a minute from loading to firing. But modern shotguns only have a range of about 100 meters, so they can't be used not only in the rain, but also mostly in strong winds.
Zhu Xiong Ying nodded and then said, "It's true that cavalry is too fast. If three volleys aren't enough, then six or nine. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Firearms will definitely be very effective, and they are more suitable for training troops than bows and crossbows."
A skilled archer requires considerable time to train. While one cannot immediately master firearms and other weapons, training an archer is still much more time-efficient and labor-saving, and aligns with the interests of the Ming Dynasty.
Remembering something, Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "By the way, these muskets and cannons seem to frequently explode. Is it a problem with the manufacture of the weapons, or is it because our Ming Dynasty's weapons have been used for too long?"
Incidents of barrel explosions do occur, which makes many firearms soldiers hesitant to use these weapons for fear of accidentally injuring themselves.
Xu Yungong spoke up, saying, "It's not just a problem of arms manufacturing, but also that the border troops' firearms haven't been replaced in a long time."
This is also true. In this day and age, the replacement of firearms is relatively slow. Basically, they are replaced when they are damaged or burst. There are very few cases of actively replacing the barrel, after all, the manufacturing cost of firearms is not low.
This can be considered a limitation of the times. On the one hand, it was due to manufacturing costs, and on the other hand, many people simply wouldn't think about factors such as barrel fatigue.
Zhu Xiong Ying nodded slightly and then said, "These things need to be considered. Qin Shi was quite good; those craftsmen could ensure the quality of military equipment. It seems that our Great Ming should also consider these things."
Xu Yungong subtly reminded him, "Your Highness, firearms manufacturing..."
Zhu Xiong Ying naturally understood Xu Yun Gong's meaning. Although firearms had considerable limitations, everyone had also seen their power. Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, the manufacture of firearms was firmly controlled by the imperial family, especially by Emperor Zhu himself.
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