Chapter 76: Firearms or Bows?

On the parade ground of the Valiant Guard Camp, banners stirred faintly in the morning breeze, and the drilling shouts of several thousand soldiers merged into a deep, muffled hum.

Dressed in close-fitting clothes suited for movement, Zhu Youjian sat upright on the reviewing platform, his gaze sweeping calmly over the square formations drilling below.

To be frank, even after issuing that reward-and-punishment regulation, compared to the last inspection, there still seemed to be no great change.

The ranks of each squad remained uneven; only under their officers' barked orders did they show a bit more effort and spirit than in days past.

Only the companies commanded by Sun Yingyuan were, as always, uniformly precise, standing out like a crane among chickens amid the mass of troops.

Zhu Youjian was not surprised by this.

No reform is accomplished overnight; the seeds he had sown would still need a few more days before he could see them break ground and sprout.

He would come back to observe when the rewards and extra meals were distributed, to confirm how well these modern methods of reward and punishment were compatible with the Ming dynasty.

He sat quietly on the platform a while longer. Seeing that every company was drilling in earnest, he did not linger, rising and stepping down from the high platform.

Gao Shiming and Xu Yingyuan, one on his left and one on his right, followed closely at his heels.

Not far away, right beside Shichahai, lay a small, separately enclosed parade ground — a place prepared especially for his personal martial training.

The early morning wind, carrying the moisture from the river's surface, brushed against his face; the water sparkled, lifting his spirits and refreshing his mind.

All manner of weapons were arrayed here, and the most conspicuous among them was a row of bows of different specifications.

Zhu Youjian walked to the weapon rack and took down a twelve-li Kaiyuan bow.

He recalled the memory in his mind, settled into a firm horse stance, held the bow with his left hand, gathered strength in his right arm, drew a deep breath, and slowly pulled the bow open.

The bow body gave a faint creak under his strength, and he held the posture steadily until the bowstring was drawn into a full moon, his arm showing not the slightest tremor.

Only after a moment did he slowly ease the bowstring back.

Throughout the entire process, his breath was steady and his movements fluid — clearly the mark of considerable training.

By the Ming dynasty's standard, one li equals nine jin and six liang; twelve li, converted, is a draw weight of nearly one hundred and ten jin.

But how many pounds that would equal in later ages, he — a modern man who had never shot a bow in that later age — had no way of knowing.

Zhu Youjian repeated this again and again, drawing the bow open several times, until he felt every limb and joint loosen and stretch, and a faint sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. Only then did he let out a long breath of stale air and return the powerful bow to its place.

Yes, this twelve-li strong bow was merely a tool he used to build strength and limber up his muscles and bones — not something for actual combat.

In conventional warfare, a bow under four li cannot pierce armor; a five-li bow is already considered adequate, even quite good, and a six-li bow can mark one as a minor warrior.

— As for twelve li, no fool would use a bow of that grade in real combat. The weight of the bow itself would cancel out the kinetic energy it provides; the loss outweighs the gain.

Seeing this, Xu Yingyuan, standing to the side, hastily put on a face full of smiles and handed over a five-li bow.

This was the bow Zhu Youjian truly intended to use today.

Zhu Youjian took the bow, drew a feathered arrow from the quiver, and nocked it on the string.

He gazed at the target standing eighty paces away, narrowed his eyes, aimed for a moment, and suddenly released his grip!

"Thwip—"

The feathered arrow shot through the air, but with a slightly bizarre arc, and finally struck a tree several paces from the bullseye with a thunk.

Expressionless, Zhu Youjian drew another arrow and opened the bow again.

The second arrow missed the target as well.

He furrowed his brows slightly but showed no irritation.

"Xu Yingyuan, seventy paces."

"At your command!"

The target was quickly moved to seventy paces away. Zhu Youjian tried again, and the result was still far from ideal.

"Sixty paces."

This time, the feathered arrow finally struck the target with a thud. Though it barely clung to the edge, it had hit at last.

Only then did a faint, mild smile appear on Zhu Youjian's face.

He did not seek instant results, but simply settled his mind and loosed one arrow, then another.

He shot with great seriousness and concentration, as if the entire world had narrowed to the bow in his hand, the target before his eyes, and the arrow flying through the air.

Thanks to the muscle memory left in this body, he picked it up extremely quickly.

Over the first dozen or so arrows, his accuracy gradually stabilized at seven or eight hits out of ten.

But after twenty arrows, his stamina began to flag; waves of soreness and numbness spread through his arm, and his accuracy plummeted accordingly — he even began to draw the bow unsteadily.

When the last arrow in the quiver was loosed, Zhu Youjian finally stopped. He slowly stretched his limbs where he stood and sank into deep thought.

Every modern person knows that firearms will eventually replace bows and arrows, and that machine guns and barbed wire even ended the age of cavalry.

Yet the fact now is that the Later Jin, wielding bows and arrows, defeated a Ming army equipped with large numbers of firearms and cannons.

Was it a problem of armament quality? Or a problem of the soldiers' training and morale?

Or was it the combined result of a complex series of factors — the force ratios of both sides, battlefield mobility, logistics and supply, and more?

Should he strengthen archery practice to match his opponent's strong suit? Or should he head straight for the answer and continuously reinforce a tactical system built around firearms?

Countless questions swirled in his mind, yet none had an answer.

Idle speculation was useless; he had to consult the experts of this era.

"Gao Shiming," Zhu Youjian suddenly spoke.

"This subject is here." Gao Shiming, who had been standing quietly in attendance to the side, immediately bowed and responded.

"A few days ago, I gave the order for each border garrison to select elite Platoon Officers and send them to the capital. Roughly when will they arrive?"

Gao Shiming pondered for a moment, then replied, "In reply to Your Majesty, the distances from each region vary. Those far away, such as the garrisons in Shaanxi and Liaodong, even though the orders were sent by fast horse, will need at least a month or more. Those nearby, such as the Ji Garrison, Xuanfu, and Miyun, by my reckoning should reach the capital within the next day or two."

Zhu Youjian nodded, his gaze crossing the sparkling river surface to the faintly visible residences on the opposite bank.

"The Duke of Ying's mansion — is it on the opposite bank?"

Gao Shiming followed his gaze and answered respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Mm." Zhu Youjian withdrew his gaze and instructed in a flat tone, "Once the chosen champions and Platoon Officers from each garrison enter the capital, assign them all to the Valiant Guard Camp."

"At that time, first test their martial skills, then based on their ability, appoint them respectively to the posts of Platoon Officer and File Leader. For the paperwork, personnel quotas, and pay and rations involved in this matter, go yourself to the Five Chief Military Commissions and seek out the Duke of Ying, Zhang Weixian, to discuss and arrange it."

"In addition, have him also draw some fierce and valiant men from various parts of the Capital Camps to fill the ranks under these newly appointed officers."

Zhu Youjian turned his head to look at Xu Yingyuan. "When the time comes, you will inspect the troops transferred in. They must meet the standards of the Valiant Guard Camp. Better to have none than to make do with inferior men."

"This slave obeys the decree." Gao Shiming and Xu Yingyuan responded in unison.

Zhu Youjian had his own calculations in mind.

Inserting these officers from the border garrisons, men who had truly seen blood, into the Capital Camps was like releasing a pack of wolves into a sheepfold.

On one hand, he could use their experience to conduct a summary and consolidation of the current battlefields on the two fronts of Liaodong and the Mongols.

On the other hand, it would also bring a sense of crisis to these "locals" of the Capital Camps.

As for the Duke of Ying, Zhang Weixian…

Since you fear that We might learn from the Wanli Emperor, then what of yourself?

Can you truly serve as Our waist and gall?

Even if you can…

Then among this court full of ennobled merit families, after nearly a hundred years of peace, how many can truly still be of use?