Chapter 125: Section Nine: Tactics

Li Yunrui gritted his teeth, pointed at one route, and said, "This one, because…"

"I don't want to hear reasons. So, it's this one." Huang Shi immediately cut him off. "Li Yunrui, go to the training unit and pick six sharp-minded men. From now on, they will follow you in analyzing military intelligence. In the future, I don't want to see a mess of numbers — I just want to hear one definitive judgment from you. Understood?"

"Your subordinate understands."

"You are dismissed."

"Your subordinate obeys. Your subordinate takes his leave."

Everyone has a tendency to distrust others and trust only their own judgment, but Huang Shi did not consider himself a once-in-a-century genius, nor did he necessarily possess an infallible battlefield instinct. He believed that since Li Yunrui had been continuously exposed to and collecting intelligence, his judgment of that intelligence ought to be more accurate. If he assigned him several officers with a basic understanding of logistics and supply, then their daily, single-minded analysis would always be more reliable than a commander's momentary intuition.

"Garrison Commander Zhao, you also pick ten men. Once you've chosen them, immediately search for a suitable ambush site along this route. Prepare for the other routes as well."

Cultivating independent thought and analysis was one thing; being prepared for any eventuality was another.

"Your subordinate obeys."

"What I want to hear is also a concrete plan. The plans for each route must explain their respective advantages and disadvantages. Do you understand?"

"Your subordinate understands. My lord, rest assured."

Beyond intelligence officers, Huang Shi also intended to begin training staff officers. These officers could all grow through practical work, becoming more and more familiar with staff and intelligence analysis duties.

"Yes. Company Commander Li is temporarily placed under your command. His work reports directly to you, but you must remember: he is only responsible for scouting military intelligence and drawing maps and the like, while you are responsible for considering follow-up measures. Your work must not be mixed together."

"My lord, rest assured. Your subordinate will not let him know what he should not know."

"Mm, very good." Huang Shi did not want the authority of the intelligence apparatus and the staff apparatus to be unclear, but there was no harm in Zhao Manxiong understanding it this way.

"My lord, what is the ambush plan? How many usable soldiers does our army have?"

"Find a suitable location. Use four hundred infantry to block and rout the fleeing Jianzhou troops, then Garrison Commander He will lead one hundred cavalry in pursuit, striving to annihilate the enemy."

Huang Shi then briefly outlined his thinking. It was still necessary to guide the staff officers' train of thought at this stage: "The ambush point should ideally be some distance from Jinzhou. I want to see a group of exhausted Jianzhou soldiers and horses. Then set up some roadblocks along the way to force them to dismount and fight. I will personally command the infantry unit to rout them and force them to retreat the way they came. Finally, commit Garrison Commander He's cavalry unit for a merciless pursuit."

"Is my lord certain the Jianzhou troops will definitely flee?" Yang Zhiyuan raised a fundamental question.

"I am certain."

"Even so, my lord intends to use four hundred infantry to rout six or seven hundred cavalry?" Yang Zhiyuan cautiously offered his opinion. "Even if we can force them to dismount, it will be very difficult to achieve. Retreating the way they came means heading back toward Jinzhou. The Jianzhou troops will surely fight to the death to escape this perilous situation."

These words reminded Huang Shi of the journey to Lüshun, when he and Kong Youde's four hundred infantry had been chased by two hundred cavalry with no way to flee to heaven and no door to enter the earth, and then had fled to Lüshun like two stray dogs.

He had to admit that Yang Zhiyuan's concern was very reasonable. However, having anticipated the enemy's moves to this extent, strategically it could already be called flawless. Huang Shi knew that what remained were all tactical issues: "Correct. We will use four hundred infantry to rout six to seven hundred enemy troops. Garrison Commander He, these are the troops you trained. Do you have confidence?"

He Baodao answered with a resounding, forceful voice: "Your subordinate has confidence."

"Good." Huang Shi stood up with a laugh. "You three, follow me. Let's all go and see the battle formation Garrison Commander He has been drilling."

The five men walked to the parade ground. Below, the five hundred soldiers of the training unit quickly and neatly formed their ranks. "Garrison Commander He, have your cavalry unit step out. Today's drill will keep only the infantry unit."

"As ordered."

The four hundred infantry were divided into two groups according to the command. One group all picked up the training spears, the front tips wrapped in thick cotton cloth. Deng Ken led one unit with an air of swaggering pride.

Yang Zhiyuan looked and began to mutter: "All long spears. With no short weapons, how will they fight in close quarters?"

"The Jianzhou troops are all cavalry. I estimate most of them are equipped with round shields and long sabers." Huang Shi knew what Yang Zhiyuan was worried about. Although the spearmen could deliver a fierce, lethal blow to the opponent, many would always manage to close in. Without sword-and-axe men prepared in the rear ranks, they would be at a great disadvantage in melee. "Mr. Deng Ken has little experience leading troops. Garrison Commander Yang, you may go down and command the other unit. Use the practice wooden swords and wooden shields."

Yang Zhiyuan, his face full of defiance, went down to prepare. The composed Huang Shi and He Baodao exchanged a smile, both appearing very relaxed. Jin Qiude observed for a while and could not help but ask: "My lord, will Mr. Deng Ken's unit not use the great drum and the military banner?"

"In the future, units of a few hundred men will not need to rely on banners and great drums. Instead, they will rely on the officers' verbal commands for direction." Huang Shi felt that the meanings conveyed by war drums and numerous military banners were too ambiguous. He intended for military banners to be used only for communication between battalion and unit commanders in the future. However, they would still need to equip some small drums later, to train the soldiers to march in step to the drumbeat.

Yang Zhiyuan personally beat the great drum. His unit still followed the usual tradition, the soldiers shouting battle cries as they charged forward…

After the two exercises ended, Jin Qiude's face had turned pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Yang Zhiyuan walked back, his face also deathly pale. Still shaken, he said: "My lord, your subordinate also believes there is no problem. We will certainly be able to rout the Jianzhou troops."

"In the end, this is still just a drill." Huang Shi had already watched the exercises many times. This kind of one-sided drill had also greatly boosted the soldiers' confidence, making them trust orders more and obey discipline more firmly. "As for how it will actually turn out, we will soon know."

Yang Zhiyuan took a deep breath and cupped his hands toward He Baodao: "Congratulations, Brother He, for assisting our lord in forging this mighty army."

As he spoke, he cast a complex glance at Deng Ken: "Is this method from Taixi? I have never seen anything like it."

"No," Deng Ken also gave an embarrassed smile. "We in Taixi do indeed emphasize the long spear and discipline, but the verbal commands and tactics were all devised by the General. As for the soldiers' skills, those were all taught by Garrison Commander He."

Huang Shi smiled but said nothing. This army drew on the experience of the next several hundred years; it was no longer a product of this era.

He Baodao, however, appeared somewhat dejected. Jin Qiude asked curiously: "Is Brother He worried about something? This spear formation looks very impressive."

"It is indeed very impressive. I am not worried about our lord's spear formation. I believe the results in actual combat will certainly be very good." He Baodao's smile looked deeply sorrowful. He shook his head several times before letting out a long sigh. "Once this army is fully formed, there will be no more Guan-Zhang generals in this world!"

On the night of the fifteenth day of the ninth month of the third year of the Tianqi reign, the entire Fire Rescue Battalion on Zhangsheng Island was mobilized.