Chapter 97

Jing Sheng Di, seeing the three speak thus, wore a hint of delight on his face, smiled and nodded, saying:

"This military song is simple and easy to understand! It sounds even more vigorous than the ceremonial music performed by the Ministry of Rites, truly something my Da Han soldiers could learn from!"

After the few finished discussing the matter, the infantry soldiers on the drill ground were already marching in formation.

Tens of thousands of infantry, under Zhu Que's command flag, formed one tidy square formation after another.

Each of them wore iron armor, fully armed, standing in place and stepping in perfect order without a hint of disorder.

After a roll of drums,

These tens of thousands were divided into thirty square formations: a shield‑bearer formation, a spear formation, a fire‑arm formation, and so on.

Each tidy formation, as if measured by a ruler, had every soldier standing straight with spear or shield, not a single one moving.

This solemn military presence filled the air with a murderous aura; even Jing Sheng Di and Niu Jizong, who had seen grand scenes before, felt an intangible pressure.

Wang Ziteng's eyes widened even more, and he exclaimed in a lost voice, "How can this be possible!"

He had personally observed the elite troops of the Nine‑border Han Army, and even the more capable border units, yet had never seen soldiers as orderly as those in Bashang Daying.

"Now that's what elite means! Lao Niu today finally understands why Lord Jia wins battle after battle—such strict discipline and unified command; who in the world can oppose them! This training skill is truly unmatched; I feel inferior!"

Niu Jizong's face showed astonishment, and he sighed repeatedly.

Jing Sheng Di's expression also shifted slightly; he had not expected Jia Jing to train the soldiers of Bashang Daying into such elite troops in just over two months.

This was a completely different sight from the soldiers he had just seen at Jingying.

Even without other factors, this uniform momentum alone would stand out uniquely on the battlefield.

At that moment, Zhu Que waved the command flag again, and a loud shout rang out:

"Mark time!"

"Pa—pa—!"

"Pa!"

"……"

The sounds of footsteps striking the ground echoed across the drill ground.

A few people could not produce such noise, but with tens of thousands marching together, the sound resonated throughout the surroundings!

As the troops marched in step, the uniform footfalls seemed to strike a chord in the hearts of Jing Sheng Di and his companions.

One formation after another passed before their eyes and receded into the distance, all equally orderly, as if measured with a ruler, without any chaos.

"The Art of War says: swift as wind, steady as forest, aggressive as fire, immovable as mountain. I see these troops already embody that! Minister Jia does not disappoint my expectations!"

Jing Sheng Di stroked his short beard and praised.

Jia Jing composed himself, clasped his hands, and said:

"Your Majesty's praise is unwarranted! I am honored by your trust and shall exert all my effort to repay you!"

Jing Sheng Di smiled faintly, his gaze deep, and said:

"With a talent like Minister Jia by my side, how could the world be unsettled?"

After a while they observed the cavalry drills, then finally arrived at the firearms training area.

This troop numbered nearly ten thousand, with 9,000 fire‑arm soldiers and another 1,000 artillerymen, primarily training shooting speed and accuracy.

Under Ma Guocheng's command, the nine thousand fire‑arm soldiers were divided into nine rows to conduct three rounds of simultaneous fire at targets seventy steps away.

The Han Dynasty's firearms were mainly handguns and bird‑beak guns; handguns had a range of about fifty to one hundred steps, low accuracy, slow rate, weak power, and could not pierce ordinary armor.

Bird‑beak guns had an effective range of sixty to one hundred steps, equipped with a sight, high accuracy, similarly low rate of fire, but stronger power.

Artillery consisted mainly of the Florang machine cannon and the Hongyi heavy cannon; the Florang had pre‑loaded sub‑guns for rapid fire, while the Hongyi cannon had long range and great power, mainly for siege.

At this time the Han Army's firearms had very obvious shortcomings.

For example, the slow rate of fire meant that against fast‑moving cavalry, the long reloading time was a fatal flaw.

Moreover, accuracy was poor, effective lethality insufficient, reliability low, and performance dependent on weather.

Before obvious equipment upgrades, firearms troops were mainly used for defending cities, camps, preset ambushes, and similar specific conditions, relying on fortifications to offset mobility and rate‑of‑fire disadvantages.

Jia Jing received no improvement methods for firearms from the system, and he himself had no research in this area, so the firearms troops remained a supplemental unit under Ma Guocheng's supervision.

On the training ground, gunfire roared, especially during simultaneous volleys; the clustered fire‑arm blasts were deafening, smoke filled the air, creating a striking scene.

The fire‑arms of Bashang Daying were carefully selected by Jia Jing, of fine quality, with very little risk of bursting.

Each fire‑arm soldier took a measured amount of pre‑packed gunpowder and lead shot from his pouch, then skillfully poured and tamped them into the barrel.

He then held the fire‑arm before him, aimed at the nearby target, and fired one by one.

"The fire‑arm soldiers reload so quickly! But what are those wailing, noisy auxiliaries beside them doing?"

Niu Jizong pointed at the hundreds of wailing auxiliaries beside the fire‑arm troops and asked.

"They are there to distract the fire‑arm soldiers, mainly to simulate a real battlefield, so the warriors won't tremble when faced with the sounds of slaughter and screams on actual combat."

Jia Jing explained.

"Simulated training, this method is indeed novel. Yet I see your fire‑arm soldiers are not affected at all; clearly they have become quite elite!"

Niu Jizong said thoughtfully.

Jing Sheng Di glanced at Jia Jing, cast a gentle gaze, and said with a smile:

"Perhaps this is the steadfastness of a mountain that does not change even as it collapses before you; my treatise 'Heart Technique' was written excellently, and I have read it repeatedly."

"I have circulated it among several Grand Academicians, all saying its prose is first‑rate. Not only is the writing superb, the meaning is even better!"

"The way of a commander begins with mastering the mind; a mountain may collapse before you yet your expression remains unchanged, a stag may spring to the left yet your gaze does not flicker—then you can control advantage and danger, and confront the enemy. This speaks not only of command but also of personal cultivation; any undertaking requires this steadfastness!"

"Your Majesty, you flatter me!" Jia Jing lifted his eyes, glanced at Xia Shouzhong, and replied gravely.

He was not surprised that Jing Sheng Di knew of the articles and poems he had composed at his residence.

It would be strange if none of the senior officials' residences in Shenjing had a few Imperial City Office scouts.

Jing Sheng Di speaking these words to his face showed he did not treat him as an outsider.

However, the manor also ought to be straightened out a bit; it's fortunate that there are agents from the Imperial City Office.

But if other court political rivals or the Retired Emperor's side could also easily obtain news from the manor, that would not be good!

Now, after more than two months, the manor's information has long been known in full detail; it's time to find an opportunity to return and purge the termites and traitors.

The martial merit household still ought to be governed by military law; that is the proper way.

Over these years, the manor's servants have been indulged and leniently treated by Jia Mu to an outrageous extent; it's time to apply a harsh hand to sweep away corruption and purge the turbid, promote the clear.