In ancient times, the first key point to observe whether an army was elite was to observe the Qi. If the formation was uniform and solemn, it was an elite army.
At that time, Qi Jiguang was transferred to Ji Town. Seeing the lack of discipline among the officers and soldiers in Ji Town, he hurriedly mobilized his 3,000 Zhejiang troops to reach Ji Town. It rained heavily, and 3,000 Qi's troops lined up in the suburbs. From morning to night, they stood still in the heavy rain. The officers and soldiers of Jizhen were horrified and understood what a strong army looked like.
The orderly formation means that an army has undergone rigorous training for a long time. Lu Xiangsheng, who has been in the army for a long time, certainly understands this. Looking at the more than one hundred and sixty-strong Lingshan Guard new army below, all of them were tall and burly, with the pride of fighting for the rest of their lives in bloody battles on their faces. They were obviously soldiers who had experienced the Battle of Julu. .
This kind of bravery and pride makes people's eyes light up. Lu Xiangsheng has seen too many insensitive soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, most of whom are old and weak. Although many of them have much better equipment than the Lingshan Guard soldiers, their real combat power is far different.
At this time, Lu Xiangsheng understood that there was no need to issue any military performance orders, and he knew that the new Lingshan Guard troops in front of him were all top-notch elites.
"Liu Yan, I heard that you have more than 9,000 New Army soldiers under your command. How many armored soldiers are there among them?"
Liu Yan chuckled and said: "I would like to inform the governor that although my subordinates have expanded the new army, their military equipment is still insufficient, especially the army's armor and war horses. Based on the current situation, our subordinates' army is in short supply. Only less than a thousand soldiers in the army are equipped with armor."
Liu Zeqing on the side breathed a sigh of relief, which was more or less the same, and the generals of Jimo Camp also relaxed a little. Only Li Jiwen and Hu Zongming looked at each other. They understood something, but they did not speak.
Of course Yan Jizu knew that Liu Yanjue had more than this strength, but when he looked at Lu Xiangsheng, he saw that Lu Xiangsheng was also a little surprised, so he smiled slightly and said nothing.
Lu Xiangsheng asked: "I remember when we were in Julu, we captured no less than two thousand pairs of armors from slave thieves. You Lingshan Guards can also make some yourself. Why are there only a thousand soldiers equipped with armors?"
Liu Yan sighed and said: "For the record, I'm just an ethics officer. I don't have much money and food to supply more than 9,000 new troops. Even if I have some industries to supplement some, it's just a drop in the bucket. So I make my own decisions. , most of the captured armors were dismantled, smelted, and made into various iron tools for sale in exchange for money and grain to support the troops."
"oh?"
Lu Xiangsheng looked at Liu Yan and said noncommittally: "This is really embarrassing for you."
Liu Yan understood that Lu Xiangsheng definitely didn't believe it, but it didn't matter. If he didn't want to say anything, Lu Xiangsheng wouldn't get to the bottom of it. In today's world, Shangguan usually won't ask carefully about any general who doesn't have his own way of making money.
"Liu Yan, where are the rest of the new troops under your command now?"
Liu Yan replied: "I would like to inform the governor that except for the Lingshan Guards who are stationed in some positions, the rest of the soldiers will be stationed at the Qianhu Station and the Baihu Station."
"I'll see if you recruit another army of soldiers."
"yes."
Liu Yan gave Miao Shao a few instructions, and Miao Shao rode forward to mobilize his troops.
Not long after, Miao Shao led another sentry of more than 160 soldiers into the school grounds. They were all working in the fields outside Lingshan Acropolis. They were seconded by Zhang Lei, the garrison officer, to catch up with the farming season. They gathered quickly after receiving the order. The Lingshan Guards' usual rigorous training worked. Although the assembly order was rushed, the soldiers on this post quickly assembled their team and came running.
None of the soldiers on this post were wearing armor, and they only held spears in their hands. Some of the Jimo camp generals even thought they were a gang of beggars. The mandarin duck war jackets on this sentry soldiers were all in tatters, and they were hard to find. I saw it was a military uniform.
Lu Xiangsheng and others on the stage saw these beggars-like soldiers running in. What surprised them was that although these soldiers were dressed in tatters, wearing various clothes, and carrying crude weapons, their military appearance was not at all neat. Lost to the original more than 160 armored elites.
After the soldiers from this sentry ran into the school grounds, they quickly joined the soldiers from the previous sentry and stopped in front of the stage. The queue was not chaotic at all, and was as neatly arranged as those armored warriors.
Lu Xiangsheng took a closer look at the newly arrived soldiers, and saw that many of them still had mud on their hands and bodies. They had just returned from working in the fields. In such a short time, such an intense gathering order could be completed quickly, which showed that It is usually well-trained. Look at the heroic faces of these people, none of them are old or weak. If they put on armor, another hundred or dozens of elite armored soldiers will be born.
Lu Xiangsheng asked in disbelief: "Liu Yan, how on earth did you train these elites?"
Liu Yan said: "Reporting to the governor, my subordinates just drilled strictly every day, and tried to give the soldiers as much meat as possible, and then restrained them with strict military disciplines. This way they became elites."
Lu Xiangsheng nodded. Although Liu Yan said it was simple, it was very difficult to actually do it. If nothing else, just following the orders and prohibitions was something that not all generals could do.
At this time, Lu Xiangsheng looked at the Lingshan Guard soldiers in the audience and said heartbrokenly: "All of your Lingshan Guard new army soldiers are good soldiers, but their equipment supply is too poor."
Everyone behind Lu Xiangsheng was also whispering to each other. Zhang Youxun, the general of the Jimo camp, even widened his eyes. The equipment of his servants was many times better than that of the new soldiers of the Lingshan Guards in the audience. However, in terms of the strictness of the array and the strictness of military discipline, they were far behind. Not as good as those Lingshan Guards in the audience, this is too unimaginable.
Liu Yan said: "Reporting to the governor, our Lingshan Guard is just a guard city. In order to keep these new army soldiers well-fed and fully paid, my subordinates have tried their best, even the captured armors. They were all dismantled, smelted, and sold as scrap metal for money, so..."
Liu Zeqing, the chief military officer of Shandong Town, couldn't help coughing after hearing this, and then stepped forward. He first smiled at Lu Xiangsheng and nodded, then said to Liu Yan in a reproachful tone: "Liu Yan, this is your fault. Okay, Lingshan Guard is in trouble, why didn't you tell me earlier? The new army officers and soldiers of Lingshan Guard are all subordinates of this town. No matter how difficult it is for this town, we must protect them from hunger and cold. From now on, if you need it, send people to This town explains that whether it is money, food or military equipment, this town will do its best to help."
Liu Yan looked at Liu Zeqing who was talking casually and sneered in his heart. This person's appearance was much better than his actual ability.
However, Liu Yan still hurriedly clasped his fists and said: "It is absolutely necessary. I know that the army is also in difficulty now. Although I and the soldiers are poorly equipped, they deeply feel the country's gratitude and no one has any complaints."
Liu Zeqing smiled and said a few more words, then stepped back with a bright face, turned to Lu Xiangsheng and said: "Don't worry, Ming Gong, although the government's allocation of food and salary is insufficient, the Lingshan Guards have contributed to the country. As long as these new army officers and men Commander Liu has compiled a military register of more than 9,000 soldiers, and our Shandong General Military Office will also distribute money, food and equipment on a monthly basis."
Lu Xiangsheng nodded slowly, with a satisfied look on his face. Liu Yan was also overjoyed and thanked him quickly. Even if Liu Zeqing was just pretending, he could at least allocate some money, food, and military equipment. These things were regarded as windfalls, and he was not pretending to be in vain. poverty.
Lu Xiangsheng looked at the audience again. After such a long time, the officers and soldiers of the new army in the audience were still looking straight at each other, standing upright, and there was no trace of confusion in the team. This kind of military appearance and discipline were not suitable for a good soldier like him. For people, it is really emotional.
Lu Xiangsheng then thought for a while and said to Liu Yan: "Liu Yan, although you have said it, the governor is still curious, how did you train these new army soldiers?"
Liu Yan said: "Reporting to the governor, my subordinates strictly supervise the drills of the officers and soldiers of each department on weekdays. I have found several military books, and they only practice according to the military books on weekdays."
Lu Xiangsheng was noncommittal. He had seen the officers and soldiers in the Acropolis and various camps. Except for some of the generals' servants who were slightly capable of fighting, the rest were old and weak soldiers who had neglected to train on weekdays. They were all typical rabble. . Not only that, even the Jimo battalion generals and the battalion troops under the guerrillas were not much better.
As for military books, which military general doesn’t have a few books in his study for decoration? However, there are really very few people who actually practice it strictly or practice it successfully. Military training involves a series of complex issues, and it cannot be achieved just by wanting to practice.
So Lu Xiangsheng said: "Liu Yan, let me see how you train your soldiers on a daily basis."
Liu Yan bowed deeply to Lu Xiangsheng, then walked to the stage and shouted: "All officers and men listen to the order: stand at attention!"
With a sound of "Wow!", all the officers and soldiers of the new Lingshan Guard Army in the school grounds stood upright. They all stood upright. They knew that a big shot was coming to inspect today, so in order not to embarrass Liu Yan, they used all their energy.
Liu Yan shouted loudly: "Spears and firecrackers are on your shoulders."
There was another "Wow!", and a neat cold light flashed through. All the new Lingshan Guard troops in the school field moved together, leaning their spears and firecrackers on their shoulders. The school field was full of spears and firecrackers. A murderous aura spread.
Lu Xiangsheng shouted secretly: "Okay!"
A few simple movements by the hundreds of soldiers of the Lingshan Guard New Army can be seen that it is not simple. This kind of neat movements can make thousands of people uniform. Without long-term and rigorous training behind them, it will definitely not be possible. Zhang Youxun and Liu Zeqing were also surprised. They saw the new army officers and soldiers in the audience moving as uniformly as those armored soldiers. In their impression, the regular officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were all unorganized. The appearance of the newly trained soldiers of the Lingshan Guards Such a purge far exceeded the regular officers and soldiers under their command.
Liu Yan continued to give orders and said loudly: "All the troops, move forward in formation!"
Neat footsteps sounded, and the two sentry soldiers formed two neat square formations, marching forward one after another. Looking from the stage, they were densely packed with firecrackers and spears. Each square formation was separated by more than ten steps, all in unison. All that was heard was the sound of footsteps.
Everyone on the stage was fascinated. The formation drill of the new Lingshan Guard Army was full of power and beauty, which shocked them greatly.
At this time, Lu Xiangsheng was also deep in thought. He had led troops for many years, so how could he still not understand the power of the new Lingshan Guard army under the stage? Lu Xiangsheng looked at Liu Yan differently now, thinking about whether to transfer Liu Yan to Jinan Fucheng to train troops specifically for him.
The two phalanxes strode forward. When passing in front of the martial arts stage, every soldier looked towards the stage. They held their heads high and their faces full of pride. Liu Yan also pulled out his Yanling sword, Pointing forward diagonally, neat phalanxes passed under his sword proudly.
Lu Xiangsheng shook his head when he saw this. Although Liu Yan was just an ethics officer and the commander of the guard station, he had more than 9,000 elite new troops under his command. Although Liu Yan was very humble today and said he was embarrassed, for Lu Xiangsheng, he was already mature. Suddenly transferring Liu Yan to another place would definitely make Liu Yan dissatisfied and cause any trouble, which would be more than worth the loss.
Just as Lu Xiangsheng was thinking secretly, the two New Army formations had already walked twice around the school grounds, and finally stopped in front of the martial arts stage. They stood solemnly still, and the formations were still extremely orderly.
Liu Yan looked at his army, and his heart was full of pride. He walked to the stage and shouted: "We are the new army of Lingshan Guards!"
"mighty!"
"We are the new army of Lingshan Guards!"
"mighty!"
For a time, the sound shook the world!
There was a quiet sound on the stage. After a long time, Lu Xiangsheng asked: "Liu Yan, how much food will you spend on these soldiers?"
Liu Yan thought for a moment, and then said: "Reporting to the governor, my subordinates need a lot of food and salary to train the soldiers. The soldiers don't have enough to eat, and they can't even form the most basic formation, let alone the subsequent training. My subordinates tried their best and invested all the grain collected from the military garrison at Lingshan Guards, the money and grain distributed by the imperial court, and the income from their own industries, but it was still not enough to consume the nine thousand new troops."
"My father-in-law has to come forward from time to time to help me and the merchants in Lingshan Guard collect donations. In this way, my subordinates have to sell iron and steel to maintain the training and operation of the new army."
"Well, after all, there is still a lack of food and salary."
Lu Xiangsheng sighed, and then Lu Xiangsheng did not let Liu Yan continue to practice various military formation changes. Guanlingshan Guards' new army had a neat military appearance. These were no longer necessary, but the curiosity in his heart became more and more intense.
He said: "Liu Yan, when you led your troops to fight against Julu with this governor, the sharp bird cannons of your new army impressed this governor deeply. When you get here today, you will practice it and let your superior officers Let’s observe and learn. If you, Lingshan Guard, encounter any difficulties in the future, let these superior officers help you.”
Liu Yan understood Lu Xiangsheng's good intentions and immediately accepted the order with clasped fists.
Some people died, but not completely...
