Chapter 403: with translation of chapter title

He looked around and saw that the military formation had been set up properly, every detail revealing rigor and ingenuity.

The system's thoroughness not only eliminated all of Su Ye's worries, but also carefully prepared everything needed for this Dao Soldier unit.

Not only did it free him from his worries, it also saved him a great deal of time, energy, and resources.

This thoughtful consideration and attentive arrangement made Su Ye praise the system's service without end.

Ding! While using the second special troop summon card, the system will randomly give out three special troops and randomly select one for the host to summon; please wait.

Ding! First special troop: Three Kingdoms Ji Province — Halberdiers!

Huh?

Are Yuan Shao's Halberdiers from Hebei also from the Three Kingdoms?

Looks like we're locked in a showdown with the Three Kingdoms today, right?

Su Ye looked at this first appearing special troop, his eyebrow twitching.

Halberdiers were an elite special troop under Yuan Shao of Hebei during the Three Kingdoms period.

This unit originated during Yuan Shao's control of Ji Province, and as his power rose, it gained fame.

With its unique fighting style and strong combat power, it occupied an important position.

Symbolizing bravery and indomitability, it was a backbone force in Yuan Shao's army.

The leader of the Halberdiers was the fierce general Zhang He under Yuan Shao.

Zhang He, courtesy name Junyi, was brave and skilled in battle, praised as one of the 'Four Pillars of Hebei'.

He was versed in military tactics, adept at using terrain and numerical advantages, and once led the Halberdiers to glorious victories in many campaigns.

During the tripartite standoff of the Three Kingdoms, Yuan Shao, as the hegemon of the north, had military strength known throughout the land.

And the Halberdiers were a trump card in his hand.

They wielded long halberds, were well-trained, and had strict discipline.

Belonging to heavy infantry, each soldier was equipped with a halberd and heavy armor, and each Halberdier was a pick of the best from a hundred miles.

Not only did they boost Yuan Shao's army's combat power, they also had a profound impact on the historical course of the Three Kingdoms.

They once faced Cao Cao's elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry head-on at the Battle of Guandu; although Yuan Shao ultimately lost, the Halberdiers' bravery and tenacity left a deep impression on Cao's forces.

Ding! Second special troop: Late Ming period — White Rod Soldiers!

White Rod Soldiers, a special troop trained by the late Ming female general Qin Liangyu, excelled at mountain warfare.

Their white rod spears were uniquely designed, usable for slashing, pulling, and also as a hammer weapon.

Under Qin Liangyu's leadership, they participated in many campaigns and achieved notable results.

Ah, finally a special troop outside the Three Kingdoms has appeared.

Su Ye slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

Otherwise he would have thought that both summons would be dominated by the Three Kingdoms.

Although it wouldn't be impossible, after all, the Three Kingdoms era was a time of many warlords rising together.

Each of these special troops, actually, is not too bad.

Once strengthened on the Tianwu Continent, they would definitely be elite.

But we need to see some different scenery; within the Three Kingdoms, there really aren't many that qualify as a 'Dao Soldier configuration'.

The more eras we add, the more choices we have.

If we could summon the Wei Wu Zu of the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, that would definitely be a Dao Soldier tier.

Although historical records refer to Wei Wu Zu as a general term, the actual number could be tens of thousands.

If they were truly Dao Soldiers, their numbers would certainly not be that high.

At most, a few thousand of the elite Wei Wu Zu could be the initial Dao Soldier force.

But the other tens of thousands of Wei Wu Zu are absolutely not something ordinary elite troops could withstand!

They would definitely be a trump card on the level of the Silver Feather Flying Cavalry.

Ding! Third special troop: Tang period — Divine Strategy Army!

Huh?

The Divine Strategy Army, from guarding the imperial authority to undermining it, finally followed the Tang dynasty's decline into the ninth century.

The year after Emperor Daizong ascended the throne, the last major culprit of the An-Shi rebels, Shi Chaoyi, was executed; the eight-year-long An-Shi Rebellion was quelled, and all under heaven rejoiced, but at that moment the Tibetans came to stir trouble, captured Chang'an, and Emperor Daizong fled in panic. At that time, a troop came to his side, guarding him in the crisis, and it had a resounding name — the Divine Strategy Army.

From then on, its fate was tightly bound with the Tang dynasty.

During the Tianbao years, the Hexi military governor Geshu Han, who 'destroyed the Tibetan cities of Hongji and Damomen, etc., and secured the nine bends of the Yellow River,' then established the Gaohé and Táoyáng prefectures there, garrisoning eight armies: Ningbian, Weisheng, Jintian, Wuning, Yaowu, Tiancheng, Zhenwei, and the Divine Strategy Army.

After the An-Shi Rebellion broke out, Emperor Xuanzong urgently dispatched northwestern troops to loyalist service.

The Divine Strategy Army, under the leadership of Weibo Yu, went together to face the national crisis.

In the Battle of Xiangzhou, due to command mismanagement, the Tang suffered a crushing defeat; the Divine Strategy Army retreated with the main force to Guanzhong, only to find that its stationed area, Mo Huanchuan, had already been occupied by the Tibetans, leaving no choice but to temporarily rest in Shanzhou.

Rebel Shi Siming, taking advantage of victory, attacked Shanzhou, but was repelled by the combined forces of the Divine Strategy Army and the Shanzhou military governor; this pleased Emperor Suzong greatly, who then summoned the army's commander Weibo Yu to court, placed the Divine Strategy Army under the command of Guo Yingyi, the military governor of Shanzhou; later Guo Yingyi was also summoned to court, and the Shanzhou troops came under the oversight of the Inspector of Military Affairs, Yu Chao'en.

Yu Chao'en was a trusted eunuch of Emperor Suzong; at the Battle of Xiangzhou he served as the Commissioner for Military Affairs Pacification, i. e., the supervisor, and due to his disordered command causing defeat, Yu Chao'en fled back to Shanzhou in disarray.

After taking over the Shanzhou troops, he merged the Divine Strategy Army with the governor's forces, making the Divine Strategy Army a strong force of over ten thousand.

In the second year of Emperor Daizong's reign, the Tibetans invaded, Chang'an fell again, Daizong fled, and Yu Chao'en led the Divine Strategy Army in loyalist service; Daizong was greatly pleased, and history records this as 'the emperor's visit to their camp.'

After Guo Ziyi retook Chang'an, 'Chao'en then led the army back to the imperial guards, personally commanding it, yet it had not yet been on par with the northern army.'

Soon after, the Divine Strategy Army became the mainstay guarding Chang'an, its prestige eclipsing that of the northern garrison, which was merely an empty shell; thus Emperor Daizong ordered it to be incorporated as the imperial guard.

Thus, the Divine Strategy Army transformed from a frontier force of over a thousand into an imperial guard of over ten thousand, taking on the heavy duty of protecting the Tang dynasty.

During Emperor Dezong's reign, the Divine Strategy Army undertook a large-scale expansion, absorbing mainly the Guo State Guard Luo Yuan Guang unit, the Shuofang Guard Li Chao Cai unit, the Hedong Guard Fu Lin unit, and the Guannei Fengxiang Guard, Yinxia Guard, etc., regional troops; its numbers grew to 150,000, many being battle-hardened veterans of the An-Shi Rebellion, with formidable combat strength.

Moreover, unlike previous imperial guards, the Divine Strategy Army's duties were not only to defend the capital but also to garrison localities and undertake punitive expeditions upon orders.

In short, in the eyes of the Tang emperor, the Divine Strategy Army was not merely an imperial guard, but also a field army!

With 5,000 troops, they defeated the Tibetan army of 20,000 and almost captured its commander alive.

During Xianzong's reign, the Heavenly Strategy Army reached its peak, with total forces exceeding 180,000.

Xianzong was overconfident and single-mindedly wanted to eradicate the plague of regional warlords; the Divine Strategy Army was the Son of Heaven's sword in his hand.

The records of the Japanese monk Ennin clearly state that since the establishment of the Divine Strategy Army, "no one dared to seize the imperial treasures," demonstrating imperial authority to an extreme degree.

(End of chapter)