Chapter 566: Reorganize

Slap.

A mosquito on Pang Yu's neck became a smear, leaving behind a mosquito shape with clearly defined legs. Pang Yu's finger flicked, and the mosquito smear flew off his fingertip, drifting lazily down onto the wooden planks of the Martial Academy review platform.

Around him stood several General Officers — Xie Zhaofa and Wang Zenglu, just back from Huguang; Tu Dianli and Chen Rulie; and Wu Dacai, the Academy Director of the Shipai Martial Academy.

Wu Dacai said cautiously, "Sir, this command platform is close to the river; the mosquitoes are rather numerous. Shall we move a bit to the south side?"

Pang Yu waved his hand. "It's been years since I cast aside the brush for the army. A few mosquitoes are nothing. I'm not afraid of bites."

Wu Dacai said respectfully, "Sir is mighty and awe-inspiring."

So saying, he raised his head. Ahead lay the drill ground of the Shipai Martial Academy. A small Squad of English Barbarian Mercenaries was marching in formation. Roughly half were Long Spearmen, with Firearm Hands arrayed on both flanks, five ranks deep. Their numbers were so few they looked rather thin.

On the right flank of the formation was an officer, beside whom stood a Flag Bearer and a Drummer. The Drummer carried a small drum slung diagonally at the waist, its sound relatively crisp and clear. The Ming Army mostly used Big Drums; this type of Step Drum was rare. The English Barbarians had the Drummer carry it on his person, advancing with the troops.

To the sound of the drum, this Mercenary unit advanced southward. Officers and soldiers of the Anqing Battalion from the Martial Academy stood in formation on the west side of the drill ground, watching.

Pang Yu pointed at the formation on the west side and asked Wu Dacai, "Why are there so many bald heads in the ranks of the Infantry Firearms Battalion? Have you been recruiting Monks?"

"In reply to Your Excellency, they are not all Monks. For one, the weather in Anqing is sweltering. For another, the Infantry Firearms Battalion has recently been rigorously inspecting for lice. Officers and men alike are all being checked. Many Banner Teams can no longer find any lice, and the soldiers feel more comfortable themselves — they all praise it. It's just that some soldiers find the daily inspections troublesome, so they cut their hair and beards shorter and shorter. Some have even shaved it all off entirely. That way the lice can't get a foothold, and it really does reduce the trouble. It just looks somewhat unsightly. If Your Excellency deems it inappropriate, we can still have them keep some."

Pang Yu waved his hand. He himself didn't keep a beard. As for his hair, he had no choice — going out with it too short would be far too conspicuous. But wearing it coiled up was something he never got used to, and washing it every time was a hassle.

In the Ming Dynasty, it was said that one's body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents and must not be cut as in modern times. But stray hairs still had to be trimmed — the forehead and sideburns, for instance. The parts that were cut short were mainly the hair tips. There were also shavers in the city. If the lice got too bad, there were fine-tooth-comb masters who could help. Because overall demand was low, not many people worked in this trade. For ordinary commoners, it was more a matter of being unwilling to spend the money than of being absolutely forbidden to cut any hair.

Anqing lay beside the Yangtze River, and the summers were especially muggy. Most of the people at Wharf did manual labor and were generally not particular; the length of their hair varied. Some, truly suffering from the heat, cut it very short. Given this context, Pang Yu also kept his hair not very long, wrapping it on his head with a Net Cap. Generally, no one paid it any mind.

After joining the military unit, Pang Yu, as a General Officer, could not afford to be so fastidious. Sometimes, utterly exhausted from marching, he would lie down for a while on someone else's blanket and had caught lice several times, all of which he relied on Pang Ding to pick off. They weren't just in the hair — pillows, bedding, sheets, all had them. Miss one, and they'd come roaring back. Cleaning them out thoroughly was a tremendous undertaking.

Every time the lice bites drove him frantic, Pang Yu wanted to shave his head bald. But thinking that he still had to deal with civil officials, or that later he might need to launch ethical attacks against the Eastern Invaders for shaving heads, he could only endure it. Now, seeing others with shaved heads, Pang Yu actually felt a twinge of envy in his heart.

"This lice matter was an inspection ordered by the Military Medic hospital. Those who can get themselves clean may keep their hair longer; it's no hindrance. Those who can't get clean should keep it short. Let the soldiers decide for themselves."

"Your subordinate has noted it."

Pang Yu turned his head and said to Wu Dacai, "The Englishmen have been here these past few days. Have you gained a clear Understanding?"

Wu Dacai drew a little closer and said, "Your subordinate has spent all day, every day, watching on the drill ground, and also questioned the interpreter. I've gained some clues. It seems that in Europe, small states stand in great numbers, with constant, unending warfare. Unlike chasing and striking at Roving Bandits, they all deploy large formations against major foes. Even small states must use large armies. After many years of fighting back and forth, they've honed this sort of formation. As long as Rations and Pay are sufficient, they can pull together tens of thousands of men in a few months. Later, a barbarian people also arose in the north of Europe, called Sweden. Their leading emperor's surname was Gu. His infantry used this type of formation, mixing Long Spears and Fire Lances, along with a kind of leather-wrapped Small Cannon that could be carried by Mules. These were attached to the various Companies. When joining battle, they all first engaged with Cannon and Fire Lance. Once the enemy formation wavered, the infantry formation advanced to fight with Long Spears, while cavalry covered the flanks, seeking opportunities to strike the enemy's weak points."

The several General Officers behind him were all observing that Squad of Mercenaries. Wu Dacai's account made them sound somewhat similar to the Anqing Battalion — only the Anqing Battalion had Cannons but no Fire Lances. Its long-range strike relied on Artillery and Arrows. This seemed sufficient against Roving Bandits, but when encountering the Eastern Invaders, the advantage in long-range attack was not obvious.

Wang Zenglu said to Wu Dacai, "Academy Director Wu, may I ask what the ratio of Fire Lances to Spear Soldiers is?"

Wu Dacai turned slightly and glanced at Wang Zenglu. In the past, Wang Zenglu had been his superior; later, given the rank of Assistant Regional Commander, he was a Thousand-Leader within the Anqing Battalion. But this time he had not gone to rally to the king, and Zhang Xianzhong had also fled. At most, he had preserved the cities near Xiangyang. Neither at court nor within the Anqing Battalion had he been promoted. Wu Dacai held Commoner Status at court, but within the Anqing Battalion, as Shipai Academy Director, his rank was now equal to Wang Zenglu's.

So Wu Dacai did not salute. With a Cold Expression, he said bluntly, "Assistant Regional Commander Wang, in the various armies of Europe, roughly one Firearm Hand is paired with one Long Spearman. The Swedish army uses four Firearm Hands to three Long Spearmen. But what they use are Bird Guns — that is, Fire Lances using Fire Rope. Those Fire Lances they're holding in their hands use Bullets heavier than the Bird Gun's."

Wang Zenglu made no particular reaction. Xie Zhaofa, behind him, said, "This Squad has only a few dozen men. When the Europeans deploy a large formation, I fear their formation is not like this."

"The leader, Rogers, stated that the troops of the various European states are roughly comparable. A Company's formation is thirty to fifty men across, five to eight ranks deep. That Sweden uses two hundred and sixteen Long Spearmen — thirty-six across the front, six ranks deep — with ninety-six Firearm Hands on each flank, also six ranks deep. When they finish loading and fire a volley, the two ranks merge into one. These four-hundred-odd men form one Regiment, equipped with one Regimental Cannon. The solid shot is the same as in our battalion; they have thirty Canister Shot rounds, fewer than ours. One battalion is also around three thousand men, divided into six such Companies. They can deploy in a single-line formation or in two lines, front and rear."

At that moment, the formation on the drill ground halted. A volley of Fire Lances roared, and white smoke billowed up before the formation. The six ranks of Firearm Hands on both flanks began firing volleys in rotation.

The surrounding General Officers began a Low Murmur of discussion. Pang Yu said to Wu Dacai, "How does Europe use its cavalry?"

"The Swedish cavalry also uses Fire Lances, both long and short. Previously, European cavalry were accustomed to using Fire Lances to skirmish. That King Gu demanded that the cavalry charge directly and not skirmish with the enemy."

Pang Yu grunted in acknowledgment. On this northern expedition to rally to the king, he had seen all along the way the perfunctory efforts of the Border Army and the Eastern Invaders' Skirmishers. Usually, they loosed Arrows wildly from a distance, chasing each other back and forth in a lively-looking spectacle. After a full day of fighting, the headcount was in the single digits, and most of those were unlucky fellows who'd accidentally fallen off their horses.

The Anqing Cavalry had also learned this same set of methods, only their Skirmishers had a stronger offensive desire and more tactical variety. The style of the regular cavalry, however, was growing more and more like the Border Army's.

Pang Yu had previously known almost nothing about military history. He could not be certain whether Europe was militarily ahead at this time, but he could be certain that the Firearm was the clear Direction of development. The Ming Dynasty's Border Army possessed large quantities of Firearms, but most were unusable, let alone supported by any tactics.

After many years of a military career, Pang Yu himself was now a military expert of this era. From his recent observation of the Mercenaries' drills, Europe already had mature applications. Unit organization was adapted to tactics; the composition of troop types was simple yet complete, and their mutual coordination could achieve rich tactical combinations.

"Deputy Chief Clerk Wu, do you think this kind of warfare is useful?"

"This subordinate feels it is useful. In the past, in face-to-face combat, when you hacked at someone, someone else hacked at you. There were never many willing to risk their lives to break a formation. A good number of people were just hacking at others right there, clashing blades back and forth to avoid personal Danger. This Firearm Soldier has an advantage: he can kill from far away. If you Fear Death and fall half a step behind, you can still fire your gun and kill. When the Firearm Hands fire a volley, it's as if every man has struck a blow with all his might in the front rank."

Pang Yu smiled and said, "That is the truth of it. If we adopt this method of warfare, how should our organization be improved?"

Wu Dacai thought for a moment and said, "If we use this method of warfare, then within a Company, there should be a single troop type, suitable for deploying large formations. Secondly, if we adopt six ranks, the length of a Thousand-Leader Headquarters will be longer than before. If divided into Three Companies, it would be inconvenient to deploy in two lines, front and rear. This humble man still proposes that one battalion have four Companies subordinate to it."

Pang Yu turned to look at the others, then looked at Wu Dacai. "I have determined that the Infantry Firearms Battalion should use Firearms as its primary strike. Sweden's organization is roughly one to one. We will use two to one: two Companies of Firearm Hands, one Company of Long Spearmen, with one attached Banner Team of Skirmishers, one Banner Team of cavalry, and Two Cannons. First, organize and train one Company according to this. You need to test the hit count of volley firepower. Test engagement against Arrows — at what distance to open fire, what exchange ratio is most advantageous. Test how many ranks of Firearm volley fire are most appropriate. Formulate tactics based on the test Results. Within two months, I want to see them, starting from assembly, march via Road Passage, then transition into battle formation, deliver a firepower strike, and then assault the enemy formation — completing one full offensive drill."

The several officers nearby stopped their discussion. The conclusion Pang Yu stated sounded very simple, but one Company comprised Several Hundred men, nearly all raw recruits. At present, their weapons were not even fully issued. All organization and tactics had to be explored from scratch, and they still had to train this bunch of low-cost recruits. To complete such a task in two months — none of them felt confident. Wu Dacai swallowed a mouthful of saliva, momentarily at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Pang Yu said calmly, "Dacai, what else do you need?"

"Sir, at present we lack Fire Lances. The workshop's output cannot keep up. Secondly, should the Long Spearmen be armored?"

Pang Yu thought for a moment and said, "I will think of a way regarding the Fire Lances. As for the second point — since it is a mixed organization, the marching capability of each troop type must be uniform. Go test the different marching speeds of several types of armor, then determine whether to wear armor."

Wu Dacai opened his Mouth. He had raised a request for help, and as a Result, had gained yet another testing task.

Pang Yu turned his head to look at the General Officers on the General Command Platform. His gaze swept past, and all of them stood respectfully erect. Pang Yu nodded and said, "Most of the General Officers here have been soldiers since the Tongcheng days. We've fought many battles. Look at the opponents we've engaged — especially the Eastern Invaders, whose equipment is similar. When fighting the enemy face-to-face, the difference in casualties is not great. The time we kill the most enemies is after they Rout. The key to defeating the enemy is to shatter their Organization Degree — that is, to break their military morale. Relying on Fire Lances and Cannons is more effective. Infantry, artillery, and cavalry must coordinate with each other. The Stone Tablet Military Conference is over. All Camps and every Thousand-Leader Headquarters are to Reorganize. The old units will not be changed into the Infantry Firearms Battalion, but they must also strengthen their Firearms."

The several men nodded in succession. Pang Yu looked toward Wang Zenglu and Xie Zhaofa. "Zhaofa and Zenglu have toiled hard suppressing bandits in Huguang. Having not gone to rally to the king in between, you are unfamiliar with the Eastern Invaders' tactics. They are vastly different from the Roving Bandits. Our military units must change to adapt to the new enemy. If you two have leisure in the coming days, come often to the Martial Academy to observe Firearm drills."

The two men hurriedly bowed in acknowledgment. Both had rotated back to Anqing from Huguang, leaving Yao Dongshan to garrison Gucheng. Having been away from Anqing for two years, Pang Yu also felt a bit of psychological distance. He had originally prepared to say a few more words when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw He County Yamen step onto the General Command Platform.

He County Yamen came over hurriedly. Pang Yu knew there was something, so he took a step directly to the side. Wu Dacai immediately yielded his spot and, leaning on his cane, withdrew to the other side.

He County Yamen reached his side and said in a low voice, "Sir, Ren Dalang has arrived at Shipai. He seeks an audience with you at the Martial Academy's Public House."

Pang Yu grunted in acknowledgment.