Chapter 42: Soaring Dragon Night Scouts

Along the frontier passes of the Great Ming there operated a scout unit whose profession resembled that of later-era reconnaissance soldiers, undertaking special operations missions. They were called "Night Scouts," meaning those who "could penetrate deep into enemy camps to scout out the truth."

They were elite reconnaissance soldiers who had received professional training and could go deep into enemy territory or enemy camps to probe their strengths and weaknesses, specializing in special operations.

East of the Yongwei Camp's main camp outside the city, at a spot backed by a mountain and facing water, was the finest training ground in the entire Yongwei Camp.

The training ground contained only ten tents, enclosed by tall walls, with large numbers of Yongwei Camp soldiers guarding the outside, forbidding anyone from approaching.

At the beginning of the Yin hour (three in the morning), when the sky was still pitch black, a shrill whistle suddenly pierced the air over the training ground.

Everyone in the tents was startled awake from their dreams, followed by a clatter of chaotic footsteps and the clanging sounds of armor colliding.

After about five minutes or so, the soldiers from the ten tents finally assembled in the center of the training ground. Illuminated by numerous torches, the formation was drawn up quite neatly. Still, some soldiers were running toward the training ground while putting on their armor, looking rather disheveled.

When everyone had finished assembling and stared seriously at their instructor, they realized that the Crown Prince had actually appeared here as well. Everyone immediately stood straighter, chests out, brimming with renewed vigor.

Zhu Cilang looked at those few soldiers who had straggled into formation late, and asked with a cold face: "How long have you all been training now? How can the Night Scout Battalion still have soldiers like this?"

Zhu Cilang had selected soldiers with strong horsemanship and individual combat skills from the Yongwei Camp to form the Night Scout Battalion, and provided their daily training using the Yongwei Camp's best training facilities.

Xu Sheng had followed Zhu Cilang for over two years and was the first to actually train according to the "Special Training Outline" that he had compiled, so he was appointed by Zhu Cilang as commander of the Night Scout Battalion.

Before returning to the palace after concluding the pacification of the people, Zhu Cilang made a special trip to conduct a surprise inspection, precisely to test the training results of the Night Scout Battalion — however, he was somewhat disappointed.

Xu Sheng's expression was equally grim as he lowered his head and said: "Your Highness, this is your subordinate's incompetence."

Zhu Cilang continued with a cold face: "How many are left now?"

Xu Sheng replied: "Reporting to Your Highness, after half a month of eliminations, the Night Scout Battalion still has two hundred and thirty-five men."

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly. He had selected one in ten from the Yongwei Camp, choosing five hundred soldiers for special training, led by several Eastern Palace personal guards who had already undergone special training. Eliminations were held every day — eliminating half in half a month was still within normal bounds.

"Strictly eliminate according to regulations — the Night Scout Battalion wants only elites!"

Zhu Cilang's majestic gaze slowly swept across the faces of the assembled Night Scouts as he said sternly: "As the most elite branch of the Great Ming military, your mission is to go deep near enemy forces to scout out enemy situations. Whether by day or by night, even in the midst of sleep you must remain vigilant, ready to fight at any moment! Night emergency assembly trains your rapid-response capability and alertness at night. This Prince hopes you can overcome all difficulties, train hard, and become the most elite warriors of the Great Ming!"

Having finished the morale-boosting words a leader gives to rally the team, Zhu Cilang decided to say something more concrete. He continued: "All those who pass this one-month practical training selection and officially become members of the Night Scout Battalion will each be promoted one rank. After five years of service, they will be promoted another rank unconditionally. Any military merits earned during that period will be counted separately.

"Additionally, each person will receive one hundred mu of good farmland, be exempted from all taxes for life, and all enemy materials captured during intelligence operations may be freely distributed among yourselves!"

Such excellent treatment made everyone's eyes light up. They thought to themselves that this Crown Prince was truly generous — really quite something! Especially that last clause — that was truly practical!

Many of the team members had fought the Jianzhou barbarians in Liaodong, and some had been Night Scouts themselves. They knew well that the Jianzhou barbarians had a habit of hoarding silver on their persons. Every time the Tartars came through the passes they plundered no small amount of wealth — capture one and you'd come into a tidy windfall.

The more than two hundred prospective Night Scout members all felt their hearts surging, wanting to officially become members of the unit and make their mark!

Generous as the treatment was, the Night Scout Battalion's training was also extremely grueling.

First, every day at five in the morning they had to get up for an armed cross-country run carrying forty jin of weight, covering a distance of ten li, required to be completed within two quarters of an hour.

After finishing, they had their meal, and had to finish eating within a set time without making a sound. The reasoning was: when fighting, if you eat at the same time as the enemy, being able to fill your stomach in the shortest time means winning time and gaining more opportunities than the enemy.

After the meal there was half a shichen of rest. When rest ended, they did one hundred push-ups within one minute, lifted a thirty-jin stone lock one hundred and fifty times, then a one-kilometer obstacle run, armed swimming, and so on. For armed swimming they wore only leather armor, not plate armor — that would be pure suicide.

At noon they held matchlock muskets level, with a bright brick suspended by rope from the muzzle, standing exposed under the blazing sun for one shichen without moving.

Then came lunch, and after the meal they continued with another armed cross-country run of ten li carrying fifty jin of weight.

In the afternoon they trained at target shooting for half a shichen, then conducted horsemanship and reconnaissance training, and so on.

Once every seven days there was a fifty-li armed march training carrying sixty jin of weight, during which they conducted breakout, counter-breakout, enemy reconnaissance, cliff climbing, and other drills — equivalent to a comprehensive mini-assessment.

To become a true Night Scout, one also had to undergo the most professional training. The Yongwei Camp Night Scout Battalion's final requirements were:

One: Unarmed combat skill of the highest order. Every Night Scout had to adapt to field warfare, street fighting, and night combat, and master the techniques of search and capture, escape and survival, and wilderness survival.

Two: Skilled horsemanship, and proficiency in using all kinds of cold weapons and firearms, including various muskets, cannons, and so on — every piece of military equipment had to be mastered one by one.

Three: Long-distance cross-country marching, reading maps, reconnoitering and drawing terrain maps, and marking enemy positions and movement routes.

Four: Mastering concealment, camouflage, infiltration, prisoner capture, prisoner interrogation, and other means of obtaining intelligence, as well as communication methods using special codes.

Zhu Cilang understood clearly that no matter how formidably an army was trained, without an outstanding reconnaissance system it was like a strong and sturdy blind man — though full of strength, with nowhere to apply it.

His goal was to establish an independent intelligence department within the military that would complement Li Tingbiao's Embroidered Uniform Guard intelligence. With two intelligence sources for reference, the accuracy of information would be far greater.

Compared to later eras, the soldiers of this age could endure hardship far better than those of later times. Apart from inadequate nutrition, their capacity for endurance and hard work was truly frightening.

Aside from the first two days when they complained of fatigue from being unaccustomed to it, remarkably few complaints were heard afterward. The Night Scout team members had gradually adapted to this relatively high-intensity training regimen.

After leaving the Night Scout training camp, Zhu Cilang ordered the Yongwei Camp to return first to their garrison in the imperial city. He himself toured the new city for a while before returning to the palace to report on his mission.

In the Ming dynasty, the Five Chief Military Commissions had command authority over troops but no authority to dispatch them, while the Ministry of War had authority to dispatch troops but no authority to command them. The Five Chief Military Commissions and the Ministry of War checked each other and were not subordinate to one another.

The Five Chief Military Commissions only administered the garrison troops stationed at various guard stations across the land. Although the Ministry of War theoretically had the authority to mobilize the Capital Camps, it still required the Emperor's approval — especially for the deployment of troops within and around the capital. The Yongwei Camp's movements naturally also required the palace's consent.

Time flew by quickly. After the Night Scout Battalion conducted a month of practical training selection, one hundred and twenty men ultimately officially became Night Scouts of the Yongwei Camp.

On the day the unit was formed, Zhu Cilang appeared in person and bestowed upon it the unit name "Soaring Dragon Night Scouts."

The Soaring Dragon Night Scouts were divided into four squadrons, each with thirty men, with each squadron commander holding the rank of Battalion Commander. Each squadron was subdivided into three squads of ten men each, with each squad leader holding the rank of Company Commander. All members were one rank higher than ordinary soldiers.

All squad leaders and squadron commanders of the Soaring Dragon Night Scouts were outstanding Night Scouts selected through the assessment process — everything was determined by ability.

Just as Zhu Cilang was preparing to meet with the Night Scouts' Company Commanders and squad leaders one by one, he suddenly received a summons from the palace. The Chongzhen Emperor ordered him to return to the palace immediately to discuss affairs at Huangji Hall.

Zhu Cilang's heart skipped a beat. Deliberations at Huangji Hall — something major must have happened!

I finished writing this afternoon and saved it to the draft box. I thought it was scheduled to post at 7:30, but when I came back from my evening run I found it hadn't been posted yet.