Chapter 19: Forming the Qi Family Army, after decades of fighting, wiping out the pirate threat!

Han Dynasty plane, Weiyang Palace.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, sat up abruptly from his couch, his eyes shining with appreciation.

"Good! A good 'My intention is not to be ennobled'! Qubing, listen to this, doesn't it sound like what you said back then, 'How can I have a home when the Xiongnu are not yet destroyed'? To think that later generations would have such a spirited young man!"

Huo Qubing, extremely appreciative: "Your Majesty! This child is to my liking! He doesn't seek empty fame, only to kill the enemy. If he were here, I would definitely take him on a thousand-mile raid to strike directly at the Dragon City!"

General-in-Chief Wei Qing said steadily: "Qubing, don't be impatient. His father taught him 'loyalty to the emperor and patriotism,' which is the foundation of being a general."

"But naval warfare is different from cavalry warfare; the rocking of the boats is not a one-day skill. If this child can train a 'maritime cavalry,' that would be true skill."

Empress Wei Zifu said gently: "Your Majesty, this child was born into a military family but has no arrogance, which is rare. It's just that 'a cry piercing the sky' probably foreshadows a life of fighting and little peace, which is heartbreaking."

Tang Dynasty plane, Taiji Hall.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, stroked his beard and sighed, his eyes complex.

"Xuanling, look at this 'Sky Screen.' Although our Great Tang now has the Reign of Zhenguan, border troubles have not been eliminated. This Qi Jiguang was born 1,500 years later, and China still has the trouble of 'uncalm seas'? Could it be that the descendants... cannot hold onto this empire?"

Wei Zheng, the remonstrating official.

"Your Majesty! This child's ambition lies in 'calming the seas,' not in 'expanding territory.' This shows that later Huaxia has shifted from offense to defense. This is a sign of national decline! Your Majesty should take history as a mirror and be prepared for danger in times of peace!"

Cheng Yaojin, the troublemaker, chimed in from the side,

"Old Fang, you're just trying to scare people! I think this kid is alright! He had strange signs at birth; he'll definitely be loud in the future and must be great at cursing the enemy on the battlefield!"

Ming Dynasty, Hongwu plane.

"Bullshit!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat angry, "How many years has our Great Ming been founded? And this Sky Screen says there was still 'uncalm seas' in 1528? That means our descendants didn't kill all the Japanese pirates!"

"Also, Lubiao Town is in Shandong, not far from Beiping, and this kid's surname is Qi... Send an imperial decree to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, investigate! Is there a Qi military family in Shandong? If there is, we must promote them."

Yongle plane.

"Father! Do you see? This is destiny!"

Zhu Di excitedly pointed at the Sky Screen and said to Yao Guangxiao,

"After the Jingnan Campaign, we need such good generals! 'My intention is not to be ennobled,' this temper is exactly the same as mine back then!"

"Master Yao, quickly send Zheng He south along the Grand Canal to Jining, Shandong, to find the ancestors of this Qi Jingtong!"

"Tell him, if Qi Jiguang is born in the future, I will definitely order my descendants to leave a position for him."

【In the twenty-third year of Jiajing (1544), his father passed away, and the 16-year-old Qi Jiguang inherited his ancestor's position, serving as the Assistant Commander of the Dengzhou Guard, officially entering the military.】

【In his youth, he was stationed in Shandong, reorganizing border defenses and training soldiers, showing his talent for military governance, but he also witnessed the tragedy of the Japanese pirates burning, killing, and looting along the southeast coast, and the people being displaced, making his determination to wipe out the pirates even firmer.】

【In the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing (1555), the 27-year-old Qi Jiguang was transferred to the anti-pirate front in Zhejiang, and the most glorious chapter of his life in resisting the Japanese pirates in the southeast officially began.】

【At that time, the Zhejiang garrison troops were corrupt and collapsed at the first touch. Qi Jiguang resolutely submitted a petition to recruit soldiers himself. He went deep into Yiwu, recruited three thousand simple and brave miners and farmers, trained them strictly, and enforced discipline, creating a Qi Family Army that obeyed orders and had superior combat power.】

【To counter the Japanese pirates' swords and tactics, Qi Jiguang combined terrain and soldier characteristics to create the Mandarin Duck Formation, using small groups as units, coordinating long and short weapons, both offensive and defensive, which could be called the natural nemesis of the Japanese pirates.】

【In the following years, the Qi Family Army roamed Zhejiang and Fujian, winning the Great Victory at Taizhou, the Battle of Hengyu, the Great Victory at Pinghai Guard... winning battle after battle, invincible. After more than ten years, in the forty-fourth year of Jiajing (1565), they finally completely wiped out the Japanese pirate threat that had plagued the southeast coast for decades. Because of his great military achievements, Qi Jiguang was successively promoted to Assistant General, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and Commander-in-Chief, eventually reaching the rank of Commander-in-Chief of Fujian, becoming the guardian god of the Great Ming's southeast waters.】

The emperors and military generals of various dynasties, seeing Qi Jiguang's achievements in resisting the Japanese pirates, appreciated him even more.

Qin Dynasty, Xianyang Palace.

Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng, his eyes burning, pointed heavily at "Zhejiang" on the map.

"Three thousand miners, wiping out the pirate threat? Li Si, Meng Tian, do you see? This person is a true military talent!"

"Recruiting new soldiers, abandoning old ones, not following old systems, he has the spirit of Shang Yang's reforms! That (Mandarin Duck Formation)... Meng Tian, immediately copy the formation shown on the Sky Screen for me and give it to the Ministry of Works to study! Combining long and short, fighting in small groups, this method might be very useful in mountain warfare or street fighting."

Meng Tian, on the lower right, went from questioning to being convinced:

"Your Majesty, I retract my previous words. This child is not just training soldiers, but machines! The four words 'obeying orders and prohibitions' seem simple, but are actually the hardest. He actually used miners and farmers to achieve it; his method of training soldiers is miraculous! I am willing to use his method to train the Great Wall garrison."

Li Si went from disdain to deep thought: "Your Majesty, this person's actions show a deep understanding of law, strategy, and power. Recruiting soldiers in Yiwu is 'strategy'; enforcing military discipline is 'law'; using the momentum of resisting pirates to build achievements is 'power.' What's even rarer is 'submitting a petition to recruit,' actively taking power and responsibility, and being able to start and end well; he is truly an extraordinary official. His ending... I hope he can end well."

Old General Wang Jian sighed sincerely: "Inherited the position at sixteen, only got a heavy responsibility at twenty-seven, and took more than ten years to pacify the thieves."

"Able to endure, able to be pragmatic, not greedy for merit or advancing rashly, good at using terrain and equipment to restrain the enemy's strengths... The younger generation is to be feared! If he were born in Qin, he would definitely be a general capable of destroying nations."

Han Dynasty, Weiyang Palace.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, tapped his hand and sighed, saying to Wei Qing and Huo Qubing:

"Look! This is the duty of a general! Not sticking to one pattern, adapting to local conditions. The Japanese pirates are as elusive as the Xiongnu, so he trained the Qi Family Army as a sharp blade!"

"'Mandarin Duck Formation'... Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Using infantry small groups to restrain the enemy's elite, this kind of ingenuity is no less than your long-distance raids, Qubing!"

"He has created a set of tactics for later Huaxia to guard the rivers and seas! Order that the 'Mandarin Duck Formation' diagrams be hung in the Northern Army camp and order the generals to study them!"

Huo Qubing was excited: "Your Majesty! His fighting style is satisfying! Recruiting fierce soldiers, training them personally, striking directly at the thief's nest, it's exactly the same as our 'striking directly at the royal court'!"

"I only regret being born a thousand years late and not being able to ride alongside him, one in the north and one in the south, to wipe out all the barbarians!"

Wei Qing analyzed steadily, with a long-term vision,

"Qubing, he is harder than you. Your subordinates are the imperial elite cavalry, while his were initially miners and farmers. Being able to train scattered people into an invincible army, his ability to govern an army is probably above ours."

"And after he pacified the pirates, he could guard one side and protect the people; this is a steady general, a great fortune for the country."

Wei Zifu also sighed with relief: "From the ambition of 'but wish for the seas to be calm' to truly clearing the seas. This child's life can be said to have lived up to his original intention."

"It's just... after years of fighting, I'm afraid he has many injuries and illnesses. Later historians should write about him with heavy ink." ===== CHAPTER 20 =====