Chapter 802: On Warfare

Once the design was complete, the battered and hole-riddled armor was to be returned to the furnace. The squad leaders in charge of the apprentice soldiers put away the newly made fire lances and bird guns, presumably to be stored in the armory just like last time.

"No need. The bird guns go into storage, but the fire lances are to be issued directly to the men. Practice loading and firing every day, and conduct live-fire drills once every three days. For ammunition requisitions, go see Mr. Cao," Zhao Jin announced loudly.

At his words, the squad leaders of the apprentice corps did not immediately obey. Instead, they jogged over to ask exactly who these fire lances should be issued to.

"Only the best-performing apprentices will receive a fire lance. Those who do become household soldiers. They will form a separate company—the Fire Lance Company. Xiao Meng, you'll be the acting company commander in charge." What began as a simple arrangement unexpectedly gave rise to a new company's establishment.

Meng Zhiqi, singled out by name, looked utterly incredulous. He had been a personal guard following Zhao Jin around—how had he suddenly become an acting company commander? Many veterans in the Zhao Camp had yet to reach such a position. It wasn't just Meng Zhiqi who was stunned; the several squad leaders who had come to inquire were equally astonished.

"How many in this apprentice corps are unwilling to learn the fire lance, believing it offers no future prospects, insisting that mastering real blades and spears is what truly matters? This firearms company is meant to show them that mastering the fire lance offers a future just the same. Xiao Meng's firearms skills are the best, aren't they!" Zhao Jin said with a smile.

The squad leaders of the apprentice corps were left speechless. Although Zhao Jin required the apprentices to learn firearms operation, the squad leaders, all household soldiers by origin, believed the long spear to be invincible and the fire lance a lesser weapon. This sentiment inevitably colored their instruction. Throughout the apprentice corps, heroes were judged by the long halberd, and rank was determined by skill with it.

Meng Zhiqi was very clever, but he was also earnest and single-minded in his work. Since it was a task assigned by Zhao Jin, he was determined to learn it well, without overthinking matters of future prospects. As a result, his fire lance skills were the most outstanding.

As for those selected today to demonstrate the firing of the fire lances, they were naturally the best-trained group. The squad leaders hadn't taught with much dedication, but those put forward for display were certainly the finest.

The squad leaders' expressions were rather grim, yet tinged with a measure of awe and apprehension. When Zhao Jin had personally overseen the apprentices, naturally no one dared play tricks. Now that Zhao Jin could not spare much attention for the apprentice corps, he remained perfectly aware of every major and minor affair within it.

However, once Zhao Jin's order was given, the apprentices themselves grew excited. The apprentice corps was said to be a reserve force for the household soldiers, but it was not easy for an apprentice to become one; more often, men were transferred in from the militia.

Zhao Jin's words today showed them a path forward. From now on, should they put more effort into the fire lance, they might just become household soldiers.

The quicker-witted among them realized something else: this so-called firearms company had just over thirty men in total. Squad leaders and deputies would likely be promoted from within those thirty-odd men. If the unit expanded, even the company commander might be chosen from among them. It seemed they had better work harder—this path offered far easier promotion than the household soldier units that used long spears.

Many had things to say about Zhao Jin's move, but he led everyone into the council hall. The foreigner, his master and servant, along with the interpreter, followed them inside.

In the council hall stood a square table draped with a white cloth. On its surface lay several wooden blocks of varying sizes—a setup never seen before. Everyone craned their necks curiously for a look.

Zhao Jin did not explain what was on the table. He simply said, "Issue orders tomorrow: every regiment and every battalion is to select one-tenth of its manpower for training as firearm household soldiers. We can't produce enough firearms for now, so issue two fire lances to each unit temporarily. Use wooden sticks for routine training."

Chen Sheng and Ji Xiang both showed a change of expression. To select one-tenth of the men from every regiment and battalion at once for firearms training—this was a truly heavy investment.

"If we do that, there'll be gaps in the pike square." To the regiment commanders and battalion commanders of the Zhao Camp, the pike square had reached a level of near-superstition. Their first thought was not the significance of selecting firearm household soldiers, but that pulling out one-tenth of the men would leave gaps in the pike square.

Zhao Jin laughed in exasperation and said, somewhat annoyed, "The missing men will be replenished for you from the militia and the apprentice corps."

Chen Sheng, his expression grave, offered his counsel: "Zhao Jin, those firearms just now were indeed quite powerful, but is it really necessary to have so many men training with them? The strength of our Zhao Camp lies in our blood-spirited valor. Don't let training with these fire lances cause everything else to fall into neglect."

"When it comes to archers who draw bows and loose arrows, why does no one ever call them cowards? Firing a fire lance, watching the enemy close in step by step—you must keep your whole body steady and not fire prematurely. After the first report, the enemy has rushed even closer. Steady yourself and fire again. When the enemy is truly upon you, swing the fire lance like a club, draw your sword or blade, and fight. Do you think a man without blood-spirited courage, without steadiness, could do such a thing?" Zhao Jin laid out the possible scenarios a firearm household soldier would face when engaging the enemy.

After he finished this exposition, the room fell silent. The men who led troops into battle turned Zhao Jin's words over in their minds. To accomplish what he described, without blood-spirited valor, it truly could not be done.

"I've said it several times: if the enemy meets our pike square blade-to-blade, we do not fear. Even if they send cavalry charging at us, we still do not fear. But what if the enemy strikes with bows and firearms? We all know the speed of our pike square. If they fire and flee, can you catch them? And what of cannons bombarding us from hundreds of paces, even several li away? What do you do then? Grit your teeth and charge forward?"

He posed several questions in succession. The room was utterly silent. What Zhao Jin could think of, others might well have thought of too, but they were often unwilling to dwell on it.

"With fire lances, we will no longer fear the enemy's bows and firearms. I also intend to cast cannons—but not the kind fixed immovably atop city walls. I want cannons that can move with us!" Zhao Jin stated very clearly.

After saying this, Zhao Jin turned to Louis, the foreigner standing in the corner, and said, "Do you know how to cast cannons? The kind used on the battlefields of your country, that can advance with the infantry, towed by horses. If you do not, admit it now and I will forgive you. If you still insist that you do, and you produce a usable cannon, you will receive even greater rewards. If you fail to produce one, you will regret being alive."

Zhao Jin's tone was utterly indifferent, yet the interpreter's voice trembled as he translated these words. Anyone could hear the dense, murderous chill lurking within them.

Hearing this, Louis fell silent for a moment. He had experienced too much in life and possessed sufficient composure to keep his expression unchanged. After weighing the gains and losses, Louis spoke: "I have only seen cannons cast, and seen cannons themselves, and I roughly know how to fire them. Beyond that, I truly do not understand. However, I can find people for you, my lord, who do understand and know how to do these things."

When the interpreter translated this back, his body was trembling slightly. He thought to himself: this man lied with boasts and deceived Master Jin, and I never discovered it—will I be implicated when the time comes? Moreover, the interpreter had already seen the anger on the faces of the young men around Zhao Jin.

Yet to his surprise, Zhao Jin merely shook his head and smiled, saying, "Do the tasks I've given you well. Observe more, travel more, think more. See what you and your servant are capable of. Whether you earn great rewards does not lie in what you claim to know, but in what you yourself can actually do."

After saying this, ignoring Louis and his servant, who were bowing deeply, Zhao Jin turned to his comrades and confidants and said self-deprecatingly, "Heaven is not so kind-hearted as to arrange for an omniscient and omnipotent foreigner to come our way."

Everyone assumed Zhao Jin was joking and laughed along with him. Zhao Jin gestured for them to approach the square table and, pointing at the wooden blocks on it, said, "Look, this is our pike square."

A square wooden block was placed in the center, with four smaller blocks of equal size around it. Zhao Jin pointed again and said, "These are the firearm household soldiers. According to the practice of those Franks, a regiment's fighting strength should be sixteen hundred men: one thousand pikemen, six hundred arquebusiers, and it must also bring three cannons."

As he spoke, Zhao Jin pointed to another small block placed off to the side. Chen Sheng and Ji Xiang stared intently at these simplified diagrams; they could grasp their significance.

"... The fire lances shield the pikes, and the pikes screen the fire lances. When it truly comes to closing with the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, the arquebusiers act as skirmishers harassing the foe, or as shock troops charging into the enemy formation..."

"... We must also have cannons, to prevent the enemy cavalry from forming up, to prevent the enemy infantry from lining up to charge. These cannons must also counter the enemy's cannons..."

"... We must also have cavalry, to use cavalry to eliminate the enemy's cannons and harass their rear..."

Using these abstract square blocks as visual aids, Zhao Jin moved them about incessantly as he explained. Chen Sheng and Ji Xiang listened with rapt attention, fearful of missing a single word.

By the time Zhao Jin had roughly finished, the two men's eyes could be said to be gleaming. Zhao Jin said with a smile, "Don't look at me. We brought back these two foreigners. This Louis knows quite a bit, but that old servant of his is a veteran, having served many years in a Frankish infantry regiment with rich experience. Much of this came from that old servant."

"Big Brother, can we truly achieve all this..." Ji Xiang was so agitated he could barely speak coherently. If they reached the level Zhao Jin had just described, what heights would a regiment attain? It was almost beyond imagination.

Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head. He lifted the white tablecloth, took out a small booklet, and tossed it onto the table. Smiling, he said, "Everything now is just empty talk. First, train the firearms troops. Follow the movements in this illustrated manual one by one. As long as you are not the least bit sloppy, you will master it."

Chen Sheng picked up the small booklet and flipped it open. He found it contained individual movements, from loading powder to firing, with an illustration for every step. The style of drawing was not what they were used to seeing; it was likely the handiwork of that foreigner.

"This booklet contains the standard movements. Engraving and printing will begin tomorrow, and sufficient copies will be distributed to each of you. But one point must be noted: not a single copy is to be lost. These methods must not be allowed to be learned by outsiders."

Thanks to the three old friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen," "I Love 962," and "User Cold Night" for their tips. Thank you all for your double monthly tickets and subscriptions to Great Ming Wufu. Thank you all.