Chapter 726: Sun Chuanting Returns to Office

"Of course, to let all the people of the future Three Jin live as well as those in Xuanzhen is our goal; to let all the people of the Great Ming live as well as those in Shanxi is also our goal. And finally, we'll let the foreigners around us supply us with raw materials. After all, under Heaven, no land is not the king's land; to the shores of the seas, no man is not the king's subject."

A faint smile lingered on Wang Dou's face. This was the first time he had revealed his grand vision to his subordinates. The officers paused; the northern wind beyond the frontier blew, seeming to carry a bone-chilling cold, yet each of them felt their blood surge hot. They prostrated themselves and shouted at the top of their lungs, "To follow the Grand General is our honor!"

Beneath the great Great Qing Mountains, on the vast grasslands, Wang Dou turned to look at his subordinates. A smile on his face, he declared loudly, "To have you all as my companions is likewise my honor!"

He turned to gaze out over the rivers and mountains. "We shall see this through from beginning to end!"

After that day, they continued their journey, and in everyone's heart now dwelled a grand vision and a goal. With a goal, there is motivation, is there not?

……

Most of the Jingbian Army's officers were gathered around him. Along the way, what Wang Dou discussed most with them was still military and administrative matters.

Han Chao, after this western campaign, was deeply moved. He had specifically submitted a report, and now he brought the matter up again.

"...From this battle, one can see that the future battles for the feathered cavalry warriors in each army will undergo a great change. This officer believes that in the future, the feathered cavalry will have only two main tactics: one is to dismount and fight in formation; the other, if they encounter enemy cavalry, is to charge in dense formation using the cavalry wall tactic. They will no longer need to use hand cannons, so as not to disrupt the cavalry battle formation. This is also the principle that a hundred miscellaneous skills are not as good as one refined skill!"

Han Chao's suggestion was that the feathered cavalry warriors in each army no longer need to be equipped with hand cannons, but should specialize in dismounted formation fighting and cavalry formation charges, thus avoiding the dispersion of their energy and making them more professional.

Of course, the officers had differing views, and this met especially strong opposition from Gao Shiyin. In his heart, the more weapons his own troops were equipped with, the better.

He retorted, "Old Han's words here are mistaken. The cavalry wall has its advantages, but hand cannons are still necessary. Take the Tartars' crow soldier scattered-star formation—in that battle, didn't you use hand-cannon cavalry to protect both flanks and ultimately succeed in charging the formation? If the army had no hand cannons then, I fear the outcome of that battle would have been entirely different?"

The greater his achievements, the calmer Han Chao's temperament became, yet he also possessed the commanding presence of a great general, imposing without anger. He merely replied calmly, "How could I not have considered what Brother Gao has said?"

He continued, "At present, the battles of our Jingbian Army, as the Grand General has said, increasingly rely on coordination between different arms. It is not necessary for every soldier, every arm, to master all eighteen martial skills and be proficient in everything!"

He said, "Firing a gun while galloping on horseback demands far too high a level of riding skill from each soldier! Moreover, using a hand cannon on horseback kills very few enemy or barbarian riders in total, yet it disrupts the orderliness of our cavalry formation when we charge..."

"Of course, hand-cannon cavalry are still needed. To address this, this officer proposes selecting soldiers skilled in hand cannons from each army. Each army could establish a unit of hand-cannon cavalry, called the Elite Cavalry. They would specialize in using sabers and hand cannons, protecting the flanks of the feathered cavalry, and also taking on some functions of the night scouts!"

Han Chao also said, "Each army could also establish a unit of Hunter Cavalry, all drawn from the army's sharpshooters. Mounted, they would specialize in shooting down enemy generals and elite soldiers, then immediately withdraw—fast, flexible, appearing and vanishing unpredictably. However, although they now use the Thunderbolt Gun and no longer need match cords, they still cannot fire from horseback. The hand cannon's range is too short; the military workshop must develop a carbine specifically for use on horseback!"

The Thunderbolt Gun he spoke of was the flintlock developed by Lai Yuanlong, full name Lai's Thunderbolt Gun Type A, abbreviated as Lai's Firearm, or sometimes called the flint gun.

The matchlock developed by Li Maosen was fully named Li's Thunderclap Gun, its model having long evolved from Type A to Type B. However, all these firearms shared one characteristic: the gunpowder explosion was fierce, and the recoil was extremely strong. The moment one fired, it would often throw the shooter off the horse. Therefore, aside from hand cannons, these long guns could not be used on horseback.

Han Chao's suggestion was to develop a short-barreled carbine that could be used on horseback.

The officers were all deep in thought. Hearing that the hand-cannon cavalry would not be lost and that the various arms would not be reduced but increased, Gao Shiyin fell silent, merely frowning as he pondered.

Wang Dou was also musing. Indeed, the direction of history was that the tactic of firing while galloping on horseback would gradually be phased out in later ages.

The Prussians even forbade cavalry from firing guns, allowing only swords or sabers during formation charges. European cavalry using pistols also often could not defeat those cold-weapon knights who charged resolutely while maintaining dense formations.

His subordinates had indeed been tempered. From just one western campaign, Han Chao had keenly perceived a future trend—truly remarkable.

He said thoughtfully, "Brother Han, continue."

Greatly encouraged, Han Chao cupped his fist and said, "Yes, Grand General."

He said, "Nowadays, the firearms of our Jingbian Army are formidable. In fact, for the First-Class Army, many pikemen have become superfluous..."

Gao Shiyin nearly jumped up. "Canceling the pikemen again..."

"No."

Han Chao's words abruptly forced Gao Shiyin's following words back down his throat. His face flushed red, and he was so stifled it was painful to watch, causing the others to chuckle inwardly.

Han Chao said, "This officer's proposal, in fact, is that within the First-Class Army, each battalion no longer mixes pikes and firearms. Instead, within each regiment, all pikemen are organized into a single battalion. Furthermore, one battalion of pikemen is withdrawn to the commander's central army. This unit could be called the Formation-Breaking Battalion. They can also train with shields, heavy axes, heavy hammers, and other weapons to break the enemy's great formations!"

"These warriors are all also skilled pikemen and will serve as excellent instructors for the pikemen of future battalions, for it will still be a long time before the Thunderbolt Gun and bayonet are universal in the Second-Class Battalions."

Everyone listened with great interest. Gao Shiyin nearly blurted out that he should lead the central army's Formation-Breaking Battalion, but the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back down.

Wen Fangliang said thoughtfully, "The organization within our Jingbian Army's battalions is five squads to a company, four companies to a battalion, with pike companies and firearm companies each making up half. Then four battalions to a regiment, four regiments to a brigade... Overall, a regiment has two battalions of pikemen. Withdraw one battalion of firearm soldiers, and one battalion remains..."

Han Chao explained, "This battalion of pikemen can also be called a Formation-Breaking Company. When needed, the brigade or army headquarters can likewise concentrate them for use, enhancing the main army's formation-breaking power! Just as the Elite Cavalry and Hunter Cavalry are concentrated for use."

The officers were all thinking: with the First-Class Army's brigades possessing formidable firearms and bayonets, the role of pikemen was indeed diminishing. Often, when the firearm soldiers ahead were fighting, the pikemen just stood behind idly watching the show. Han Chao's proposal, on the other hand, was also a way to strengthen the pikemen's role.

Then Gao Shiyin muttered, "That doesn't add up."

He exclaimed, "Originally, a regiment in our army had four battalions. If one battalion is withdrawn, wouldn't only three battalions remain?"

Han Chao said, "Of course. That battalion of pikemen must be replenished with firearm soldiers. Thus, a regiment with three battalions of firearm soldiers and one battalion of pikemen can better leverage the advantage of firearms."

Gao Shiyin grunted, "That's barely passable."

Wang Dou pondered carefully. Han Chao's proposal increased the army's degree of specialization. After some integration and training, it would indeed further enhance combat power. This was also an inevitability following a high degree of firearm adoption.

However, this would make each army's headquarters rather large, with the addition of a regiment of Elite Cavalry and a regiment of Hunter Cavalry.

Advisor Qin Yi had a differing opinion. He asked, "May I ask Captain Han, if each brigade were to operate independently, what then?"

Currently, the Jingbian Army's organization was: one battalion had two hundred combat soldiers, but the battalion commander's headquarters had an additional thirty men, including one battalion commander, one headquarters officer, one advisor, one morale officer, one provost officer, one medical officer, and one clerk, plus one squad of guards, two provost soldiers, one flag-bearer, one drummer, one armor squad for logistics, and one squad of medics.

The regimental commander's headquarters had one hundred men, including one regimental commander, one headquarters officer, one morale officer, one provost officer, one secretary, and one medical officer, plus two advisors, two flag-bearers, two gong and drummers, one squad of guards, one squad of medics, one squad of provost soldiers, one company of logistics troops, plus attendants, general helpers, and orderlies, totaling 1,020 men in a regiment.

Finally, the brigade headquarters consisted of the Mobile Corps Commander, one headquarters officer, one secretary, one advisor officer, one provost officer, one medical officer, and one morale officer, along with attendant clerks, plus one squad of advisors, one squad each of flag-bearers and gong and drummers, one company of guards, two squads of medics (including one squad of veterinarians), two squads of provost soldiers, and one squad of mounted orderlies.

There was also a logistics battalion of two hundred men and 170 sharpshooters. Including the brigade headquarters, one brigade of the Jingbian Army had roughly over four thousand men, of which 3,200 were combat soldiers.

By now, both officers and men were thoroughly familiar with this organization. Not to mention anything else, the sharpshooters of each brigade played a huge role in every battle. If they were to be withdrawn to the army headquarters, it might cause complaints among the troops.

Han Chao explained, "Just like the Formation-Breaking Companies of each regiment—normally they remain within the regiment, but when needed, they can be concentrated at the brigade or army level. The same applies to the Hunter Cavalry and the like. When a brigade needs to operate independently, it can request the army or brigade headquarters to dispatch them in coordination. Isn't that how the artillery companies and logistics companies currently operate?"

He said, "Originally, this officer believed that both the brigade headquarters and the army headquarters each needed a company or a battalion of night scouts. But as things stand now, with the Hunter Cavalry and Elite Cavalry, battlefield reconnaissance is sufficient."

Wang Dou was deep in thought. Originally, the army headquarters already had one battalion of guards, one regiment of logistics troops, one company of medics, one company of provost soldiers, one company of mounted orderlies, and one squad of advisors. Whether to add an artillery company and a night scout company had always been a matter of debate.

In later ages, an army group generally had a reconnaissance battalion, and at the division or regiment level, there was usually a company-level reconnaissance unit. He was similarly hesitating about whether to equip each army and each brigade with a company or battalion-level night scout unit.

But as things stood now, with the Hunter Cavalry and Elite Cavalry present in the army, they were indeed sufficient as skirmishers and reconnaissance forces.

After all, with telescopes and the like now widely used in the army, when drawing up for battle facing the enemy, the opponent's formation arrangements generally could not escape one's own eyes. There was no need for excessively formidable night scouts on the battlefield.

The central army headquarters' Vanguard Scout Battalion was the ultimate long-range reconnaissance force, with its operational range often measured in hundreds of li. In later ages, they would be at the regiment scale—truly massive.

There was also the Intelligence Division, which could transmit back a good deal of enemy intelligence.

This matter was to be discussed further later, as they still needed to return and gather reactions from all sides within the army.

Sun Sanjie suggested that the logistics battalion establish a dedicated bridging unit for erecting bridges, setting up crossing sites, removing obstacles, opening pathways, and so on. He had noticed that as military operations became more detailed, the logistics battalion seemed to be responsible for more and more tasks, giving each soldier a sense of overload.

Even before and after every battle, if the soldiers' blades, swords, spears, or guns were damaged, they were all brought to the logistics battalion for repair—it seemed they had to do everything.

Wang Dou thought of the engineers and ordnance troops of later ages. Indeed, the logistics battalion needed to be further specialized.

This matter will also be set aside for now and discussed further after we return. Let Sun Sanjie first put forward a proposal for all parties to debate.

When the great army passed through Yuanyang Stockade, Wang Dou also received intelligence from the Central Plains: hot on the heels of the great defeat at Zhuxianzhen, the Shaanxi government troops had likewise suffered a crushing defeat, and Wang Qiaonian had furthermore died in battle for his country.

The roving bandits used elite cavalry to raid Henan Prefecture. The Three-Border Viceroy Wang Qiaonian was then residing within Yongning City. He Renlong and other Regional Commanders were all around the vicinity exterminating remnant bandits. Tens of thousands of bandit cavalry surged forward. He Renlong was the first to flee, abandoning Wang Qiaonian and dashing straight back to Shaanxi. The others — Zheng Jiadong, Niu Chenghu, Zhang Guoqin, and the rest — unwilling to be outdone, chased after He Renlong and likewise fled back to Shaanxi.

In an instant, only one Regional Commander, Zhang Yinggui, remained at Viceroy Wang Qiaonian's side, and many of his own troops had scattered and fled. Of tens of thousands of officers and soldiers, only three thousand horse and foot remained. The roving bandits encircled Yongning City layer upon layer. Liu Fangliang and his men on the mountain also led their troops down and, together with the raiding elite cavalry, attacked in a surging onslaught. In the end, both Wang Qiaonian and Zhang Yinggui died in battle.

There was also word that the main force of the Chuang bandits was heading for Runing Prefecture. With a million roving bandits besieging it, I fear the prefectural city will ultimately be hard to hold.

Gazing at this intelligence report, Wang Dou remained silent for a long while.

Among the many pieces of intelligence, there was one more that Wang Dou was concerned about: Xu Yue'e, over in Zanhuang, Zhending Prefecture, had been caught in a violent internal power struggle…

Wang Dou exhaled deeply. There were only two days until the Start of Winter. The bone-piercing, bitingly cold wind swept past him from time to time, emitting a sobbing howl like the cry of wolves. He shouted, "Speed up the march — we must reach Xinghe Battalion today!"

The entire army roared as one. Countless iron cavalry with red tassels surged like a long river pouring forth, churning and galloping through the wind.

……

In the tenth month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, on the day of the Start of Winter, at the Imperial Capital, within the Forbidden City, at the Hall of Establishing Supremacy, before the Cloud Terrace Gate.

"Your subject, Sun Chuanting, kowtows in audience before my Emperor. Long live, long live, long live ten thousand years!"

A bleak chill, a stifling stillness. After a long while, from above came the infinitely weary voice of the Chongzhen Emperor: "To crush the roving bandits, how many troops and horses do you need?"

Sun Chuanting abruptly raised his head. He had already resumed his attire of the great red official robe, and his three-strand beard was as thick as ever. But now, in his eyes, that formerly unconcealable, overbearing sharpness seemed deeply withdrawn and hidden, making his bearing appear all the more profound.

He declared in a loud voice: "To crush the roving bandits, nothing less than twenty thousand crack troops and a million in provisions and pay will suffice!" (To be continued...)