Chapter 371: Bayonet Tactics

"What about the power and range?"

The midday sun shone on Chang Wei's silver Armor, reflecting tiny bright spots.

Yan Wang's casual remark instantly stirred his heart.

The fact that the Northern Di possessed Artillery did not make him afraid.

But in his view, even if they only wore Armor and carried steel sabers, the well-trained Wangfu Army could still fight the Northern Di.

But in that case, the Wangfu Army would suffer greater casualties.

His thinking was the same as Yan Wang's.

Win the battle, but minimize casualties as much as possible.

At the same time, do not rely absolutely on firearms; rely on arduous training so that they could win a battle even in hand-to-hand combat.

Therefore, if their Artillery could be improved, surpassing the Northern Di's Artillery would undoubtedly be the icing on the cake.

After all, the life of every soldier in the Prince's Personal Army was precious.

If one can use an advantage to defeat the enemy, there is no need to be dragged down to the same level to fight.

"In a few days, you will be able to see the improved Artillery. During this time, coordinate with Wang Ying to transport the Artillery from the army to the Armory for improvements," Zhao Xu instructed.

"Yes, Your Highness," Chang Wei replied.

Zhao Xu pondered the current movements of the Northern Di for a moment, then first said to Yang He, "Withdraw the people from the merchant firm. I will immediately send an order to Mo Yu to have him close the gates of Yanguan City."

After Mo Kuan went to Yanguan, the two brothers met.

The next day, Mo Kuan led seventy thousand Imperial Guard soldiers from Yanguan to Tongguan.

Zhao Xu then ordered the Wangfu Army in Jinzhou to withdraw.

He also dispatched eighty thousand Wangfu Army soldiers to garrison Yanguan.

Because Mo Yu was familiar with Yanguan and had been deeply instructed by his father, being skilled in city defense, Zhao Xu let him continue to garrison it.

"As for the Northern Di soldiers who invade from Yanshan and try to cross the Fortress, kill them all without exception. Even if the Northern Di want to fight, I will accompany them in battle," Zhao Xu said to Chang Wei.

Chang Wei nodded.

He had come this time specifically to get an attitude from Yan Wang.

After all, matters concerning the Northern Di were never small matters for Da Song.

He dared not act rashly, but since Yan Wang had said to kill without mercy,

the commanders could use all means to strike hard.

"I will strictly follow Your Highness's orders," Chang Wei replied, then laughed, "Your Highness is truly far-sighted. If it weren't for these five Lengbao blocking the mountain passes, I fear Yanzhou would have been ravaged by Northern Di Cavalry again. But now, they won't be able to cross the Lengbao even a single step."

Hearing this, Yang He felt a weight lift from his heart.

The movements of the Northern Di had originally made him very nervous.

After all, having lived in Yanzhou since childhood, the Northern Di were like a nightmare that followed him like a shadow.

But now that there were Lengbao at Yanguan, and Artillery placed upon the Lengbao, he did not worry that the Northern Di could come and go as they pleased like before.

Thinking that the work at Yanguan was nearing its end, like thorns pointing toward the Northern Di, he said, "It's not just the Lengbao at Yanguan; what Your Highness ordered to be built at Yanguan seems equally extraordinary."

"Hahaha, that is only natural." Chang Wei knew Yang He was talking about the reconstruction of Yanguan.

That had started construction basically at the same time as the Lengbao.

It was to make the outer walls of Yanguan more like a Lengbao, possessing more defensive surface area.

Zhao Xu smiled; Zou Rong reported the progress of each project to him every month.

He was also aware of the outer walls being expanded at Yanguan.

At present, it was estimated that it would take another two or three months to be completed.

It was just that now, he was gradually getting tired of only being on the receiving end of attacks.

Previously, the Prince's Personal Army was very weak, and relying mainly on defense was the best strategy for resisting the enemy.

But now, the Wangfu Army was stepping toward strength.

He believed it was time to move toward a stage that combined defense with offense.

Let offense also become a part of defense.

Once they were further strengthened, they would turn completely to offense, making the Northern Di fear their arrival.

Thinking of this, he said, "Defensive works are naturally important, but in my view, appropriate offense is also necessary. Since the Northern Di are restless again this time, we shall clash with them and see who is truly stronger. Remember, if the invaders can go there, so can we!"

"If the invaders can go there, so can we!" Chang Wei muttered to himself, as if struck by a heavy blow.

Once upon a time, beyond Yanguan was like a forbidden zone for the soldiers of Da Song.

But that was Ningjin Dusi, the territory of Da Song.

Nowadays, the Northern Di could go there, but Da Song could not.

Now, this sentence from Yan Wang instantly ignited the heroic spirit in his heart.

That's right, why shouldn't his soldiers be able to go where the enemy can?

"This subordinate understands." Chang Wei cupped his fists heavily.

Zhao Xu nodded and asked about the situation in the army, "How is the recruitment of new soldiers going?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, the recruitment of thirty thousand Infantry is underway, and it is estimated to be finished in another month. As for the Navy, this subordinate does not dare to make the decision to recruit," Chang Wei said.

He was clear that he fought battles on land.

Matters of the Navy were not under his jurisdiction.

Zhao Xu nodded; in fact, Mi Wen was already recruiting soldiers for the Navy.

It was just that they hadn't been given an official title before; now, just giving them an official title would suffice.

This did not need to be questioned by Chang Wei.

Then he said, "How many Bayonets have you received?"

"There are thirty thousand," Chang Wei said. In this recent war, he had likewise seen that musketeers without bayonets were very fragile and required specialized soldiers to protect them.

Therefore, after returning, he had urged the Weaponry Bureau to provide them with bayonets.

"I have already instructed Wang Ying; they will continue to be delivered to you. You must now take the generals and hurry to master the Bayonet Technique and promote it throughout the entire army," Zhao Xu reminded Chang Wei.

This Bayonet Technique was included in the textbooks he had provided to the Military Academy.

The main content was Three Defenses and One Thrust; this Three Defenses and One Thrust was the standard bayonet technique of my army in the modern era.

Although this Three Defenses and One Thrust was only four characters, it contained many movements.

For example, for thrusting, there were upward thrusts, downward thrusts, left thrusts, right thrusts, feinting right to thrust left, feinting left to thrust right, and so on.

As for defense, it lay in parrying the enemy's Weapon.

Once familiar with this set of movements, soldiers equipped with Flintlocks and bayonets would be able to easily deal with enemies at close quarters on the battlefield in the future.

Upon hearing this, Chang Wei chuckled twice and pointed to a bruise on his neck, "This subordinate is practicing hard; this was poked by that blockhead Lv Chang with a stick."

These movements looked very simple in the textbook.

But after sparring, he realized that these movements were true killing arts.

Stripped of all flashy, unnecessary things, they seemed to have been summarized from countless battles, striking directly at vital points.

"That lad is certainly ruthless," Zhao Xu shook his head helplessly, "In a few days, I will go to the army to take a look at how you are training."

"Yes, Your Highness," Chang Wei scratched his head.

Suddenly remembering something else, he said to Zhao Xu, "Your Highness, there is one more thing. When Zhong Li led the Cavalry to fight against the Northern Di Cavalry, he found that they were always at a disadvantage against the Northern Di's bows and arrows. He then thought of the Crossbows in the army. He tried it, and the effect was truly good. He has taken all the Crossbows from the army's warehouse for the Cavalry."

Zhao Xu nodded repeatedly, "Not bad. One must think during battle; this is a good idea."

In the contemporary ancient era, there were also crossbow cavalry.

Paintings from various dynasties featured cavalry holding Crossbows.

However, they could not be specifically called crossbow cavalry.

Because besides Crossbows, they also carried bows and arrows, Long Spears, and other Weapons.

The Crossbow was only loaded with a bolt to fire one shot during battle.

After all, it was very difficult to draw a crossbow on horseback.

However, the Pulley Crossbows in the army now seemed to have solved this problem.

Zhong Li likely saw exactly this point and decided to equip his Cavalry with Pulley Crossbows to offset the advantage of the Northern Di's horse archery.