It was not far from Ningyuan County to Lanzhou, and Liu Yiyong came back soon.
At first Liu Chengzong thought Liu Yiyong's analysis was just the nonsense of a young man who had never been on the battlefield, but when Liu Yiyong told him the details, Liu Chengzong couldn't help but re-evaluate Zhang Yichuan's combat effectiveness.
It was difficult for Liu Yiyong to directly explain Zhang Yichuan's combat effectiveness to Liu Chengzong, so he performed a knife dance at the Marshal's Mansion on the spot.
The sword technique was very short, and Liu Yiyong was afraid that he would not be able to see clearly and remember it, so he danced it three times in the main hall of the Marshal's Mansion. Liu Chengzong frowned while watching, and finally waved his hand and said: "Stop, I understand."
Not only did he understand, Yu Linqi danced twice more... There was no need to dance twice more, he felt that he had already learned this set of knives by now.
Because this set of knives is too plain and simple, it can even be said to be crude.
Attack means head splitting, left sweeping, right sweeping, and stabbing; defense means knocking, up, down, left, and right, basically all movements are for offense.
"Sure enough, the commander-in-chief can understand it at a glance." Liu Yiyong smiled: "The low-level officials also remembered it after reading it a few times. They know this."
Liu Chengzong was very confused. He stood up and made a stance with his bare hands, and asked: "Why do you change the move into a stab when you chop? I think it becomes smoother. What does it mean to sweep back? And with this set of footwork, you keep walking forward." ?”
Liu Yiyong smiled very simply: "They said they had helmets or were blocked by weapons, so they stabbed in; the same happened when they knocked. The footwork commander was right. In fact, they didn't have much footwork. They just moved forward and couldn't stop. "
"The same goes for sweeping backwards. Go forward first. If it's a long spear or a spear, just knock it out. If it's a long sword, go in and slash it as easily as you can. If it's a short soldier, use a slash to the head. No matter how long or short it is, you can knock it away or block it. That’s fine, just forget about it, go over and swipe your knife backwards, and keep moving forward.”
Liu Chengzong nodded thoughtfully: "There is no counterattack, I probably understand."
The feeling this set of knives brought to him was similar to the feeling Zhang Yichuan brought to Liu Yiyong, confusion.
Liu Chengzong systematically learned many weapons, such as bows and arrows, meteor hammers, spears, etc., but he was most familiar with the sword, but he never systematically learned any sword skills except the decapitation knife.
In fact, the fact that he has never systematically learned swordsmanship does not mean that he is better at fighting than the martial arts masters who look after the home, because he is strong, has experienced hundreds of battles, and has more practical experience than those who create martial arts. The most important thing is that he It's the right thing to do.
Accuracy is very important. The frontier troops in Yuhe Fort practice martial arts by themselves when there is no camp drill, and what they practice is accuracy.
For recruits who have not been trained, let alone holding a knife, they will not be able to hit the point they want to hit with their punches. They will miss the target by an inch or two. When using a knife, it is the difference between cutting into the flesh and cutting into the armor.
But few of them practice swordsmanship. The camp-level drills are about battle formations, and the brigade-level drills are about archery, horse riding, spears and musketry. They fight behind the formations. How can any serious officer lead his troops to practice short swords?
Only in small-scale encounters or in the melee stage, when the spears are broken, and the arrows are exhausted, will they take out their secondary weapons and fight hard... No one focuses on practicing swordsmanship. Just like wrestling, most people put this Think of it as a relaxing game in your spare time.
But this does not delay Liu Shizi's ability to see the skills of this set of knives.
There is almost no defense, especially not paying attention to leg defense. It pays great attention to body skills. It keeps moving forward without stopping. The action of turning back and sweeping the knife can be used by infantry and cavalry.
This is definitely not a folk sword, because the characteristics of folk martial arts are very obvious: there are limited weapons to choose from, and they are more careful about the damage caused by the rules. They are specialized in the same weapon, and the application scenarios are mostly one-to-one or one-to-many. , will consider more ornamental and controllable moves that cause injury and disability.
For example, attack the hands and feet, and use weapons to defend the hands and feet accordingly. Pick a weapon you like, and strive to perfect a martial art. Practice it for a lifetime, so that you can adapt to various situations. You even need to cultivate your character and pay attention to martial arts, so as not to fall into a trap. He would beat someone to death and be sued for it.
The army doesn't have to pay so much attention. It's enough to learn how to use the camp weapons, and you don't have to worry about dealing with various situations alone. The sword master on the opposite side is thinking about stealing a hand, and the crossbowman behind you has already shot him into a hedgehog. Well, even if the sword master is in front of him, he can't stop the Fran machine cannon.
But this is where Liu Chengzong feels conflicted about this sword technique. This sword technique is not popular among the people, and the military does not need to spend energy to master this sword technique.
In a battle formation, this sword is useless. The advantage of a short weapon is that it is portable and can be used as a deputy. However, the iron law on the battlefield has never changed from ancient times to the present, which is to let the enemy die on the road of attack, so long weapons are the only option. He is the master who dominates the battlefield.
Spears, crossbows, muskets, cannons, the longer the better.
Therefore, Liu Chengzong did not understand the logic of the existence of this set of knives. It was full of flaws in civilian use scenarios. On the battlefield, according to the existing tricks, the only way it could be used was that the enemy troops did not form formations and dispersed.
Only under such conditions, if a group of soldiers are in the form of skirmishers and charge with knives at the enemy troops that have not yet formed a formation and are scattered, will they be able to kill one enemy and not kill the next one, and keep moving forward without looking back until they are killed. Pass through the enemy formation.
The soldier who was trapped inside and died when he stopped was the one who used this set of sword skills.
In this situation, this set of knives has no flaws. Well... it may be a little troublesome, but overall, there are almost no flaws.
So this knife is very unreasonable. How can there be enemies who are not forming formations and spreading out, waiting for you to kill them? What's more, if there is such an opportunity, the cavalry will simply run over it.
With such doubts, Liu Chengzong walked slowly in the hall, thinking about this set of sword techniques that seemed simple but very practical in certain situations. After he sat back, he raised his eyes and asked: " What’s the name of this set of knives?”
"Breaking in."
Liu Yiyong said seriously: "It's called Chuang. They all call this Chuang Dao."
break.
Liu Chengzong nodded, as if he thought of something, and smiled silently: "It's a very appropriate name."
He probably knew who created this sword technique. Zhang Yichuan first joined Gao Yingxiang's sect, and then allied with Li Zicheng, and had dealt with King Chuang and General Chuang. However, it was Li Zicheng who had a higher chance of putting this sword technique into actual combat. a little.
"How many of Zhang Yichuan's nine thousand soldiers know how to use this set of knives?"
As soon as he finished asking, Liu Chengzong regretted asking such a simple question. This sword technique was too simple. He could use it after seeing it twice. Anyone who could practice it for three days could use it and clearly grasp it. The logic of law:
Charge forward, those who have the ability to break into the enemy's formation, those who have no ability to break into the life-and-death formation, in short, attack the person in front of you--chopping in the head, stabbing with a different move, sweeping back with the wrong body, an opponent, whether life or death, only has three attacks. With a knife, if you can pass it, pass it; if you can't pass it, you will die.
"Everyone."
After Liu Yiyong finished speaking, he explained: "Zhang Yichuan recruits all comers, men, women, old and young, strong and weak. Anyone who can run will be given a sword. After learning this set of swords, he will run away when he encounters the officers and soldiers, and let the officers and soldiers chase him until he can no longer run away." Just rush back, as long as the officers and soldiers disperse, and more people rush back, they can break up the formation of the officers and soldiers."
"He said that when he fought together with the Fifth Battalion of the Chuang Army, Li Zicheng's cavalry would defeat the official army as long as they broke through the enemy's formation."
Liu Chengzong frowned and thought: This is too idealistic.
He asked: "Based on the hungry people alone, even if the swords are fired and the officers and soldiers disperse in two steps, even if the officers and soldiers disperse and there are not enough people rushing back, it will not work."
"The commander is right, this is also a doubt about a humble position, but according to Zhang Yichuan, their people have learned this set of knives and will pay attention to follow the brigade when running in order to find a way to survive." Liu Yiyong thought for a while and replied : "My humble opinion is that just as the cavalry training code of the Marshal's Mansion Academy teaches, when the cavalry is hedging, regardless of whether it is the enemy or ourselves, there are only three heroes in a centurion."
The orphans of Yu Linqi have all taken classes in various military departments of the academy, and they are very familiar with the training codes.
Liu Chengzong had also heard about the cavalry theory of these three heroes. It was created by Yang Yao, the cavalry leader of the Lion Camp. Specifically, it means that when a centurion cavalry has no choice but to confront each other with spears between their arms, among a hundred people There were only three heroes who dared to risk their lives to take the enemy's head, and the other seven were followers who only tried to save their lives and block during the charge.
The remaining ninety are just fools with neither courage nor brains. They just follow the crowd and rely on the bravery of others to decide their own life or death.
If others rush to kill bravely, they will follow suit and stab the corpse with two knives, showing no honor; if others flee cowardly, they will not be able to escape and will be crushed into a pulp, with their livers and brains smeared on the ground.
Regarding this theory, Liu Chengzong, who is the forward selector of the Cavaliers, feels that, well... it is a psychological suggestion that instills faith and courage. It may not be correct, rigorous, or reasonable, but it is useful.
The enemy does not necessarily have only three heroes, but if there are ten cavalry commanders at the front of our cavalry who firmly believe in this theory, the entire brigade will not turn their horses when charging, and the cavalry will only have a very small chance of hedging. If they really collide, then the enemy's turning at the last moment proves that the enemy has ninety idiots who follow the crowd.
On the other hand, if everyone has the courage to hedge, both sides will definitely suffer losses. Our cavalry, which firmly believes that the enemy has only three heroes, will have a higher fighting spirit in the battle. If ten cavalrymen from the opposite side are killed in the first wave, they may think that they are sure of victory and start a second collision. The enemy certainly did not have such courage.
The same is true for this set of breaking knives. Faced with the peasant army recruits who have no power to fight back, if they believe that they have mastered a sword technique that can cut down the officers and soldiers by gathering their strength, they will take the initiative to run in one direction when they flee. Stimulated by the head-level skill, the army dispersed in pursuit. When those who could not run or were unlucky were killed, the peasant army who still had the remaining strength to counterattack and disperse with knives had a chance to break away from the official army.
With the help of elite troops, it doesn't need to be that elite. As long as there are a few cavalry brigades composed of regular troops, it is possible to turn defeat into victory.
Obviously, this is a tactic devised by the peasant army who moved to Shanxi and the Central Plains under duress. The central idea is asymmetric warfare.
Liu Shizi understood this set of sword skills, and he knew the combat effectiveness of Zhang Yichuan's department. Liu Yiyong's evaluation of his department was true. He sighed and said: "The whole army practices this sword technique. I'm afraid it will take more training." longer.”
This time he was hasty, taking it for granted that the peasant army would not be weak if it lasted until this point... It was indeed not weak, but they were not on the same path as him, and they did not follow the conventional route from peasants to soldiers to elites at all. They are taking the upgrade line of rogue thieves, swordsmen, and Kansai horse bandits.
From the beginning to the end, this route seems not to have considered transforming into a regular army and carrying out the tactics of stragglers to the end.
This tactic was not clever in Liu Chengzong's opinion, but he could understand the choice of the peasant army, especially Zhang Yichuan, a leader with limited strength. Limited strength meant that there was no choice, and everything was a life-saving straw.
And their opponent, the Ming Empire, was too strong.
In fact, the Ming Dynasty is at its weakest now, but due to the legacy of its ancestors, even its weakest state is still too strong for its enemies.
The virtues left by our ancestors are the righteousness of the country.
If the country is not righteous, in other words, the existence of the country itself is unreasonable, then even if there are no internal or external problems, rebellion will get more responses.
Only when the country is upright can we turn our family into a country, turn our country into a world, and create the most powerful amulet.
If the family cannot be transformed into a country, officials and ministers who are not loyal to the emperor will have the possibility of successful rebellion; if the country cannot be transformed into the world, the people's rebellion will also have a higher chance of success.
This country was supposed to have perished after the defeat of Tumubao, Lord Jiajing's cultivation of immortality, and Lord Wanli's neglect of government. However, it ended up mastering the art of corpse fraud, and it is now thriving and vigorous. .
This kind of power is reflected in Ming's ability to fight.
The Hundred Years War was also sandwiched by several decades of armistice periods, and the Ming Dynasty fought almost continuously for a hundred years in Liuheyu. After fighting in the north, they fought in the east, after fighting in the east, they fought in the west, and after finishing fighting in the outside, they continued to fight. .
Being able to fight does not mean that you will definitely win, but resilience can bring a terrible sense of oppression and despair to the enemy. The ebb and flow of one can help the final victory.
Until now, those opponents who have fought against the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years have fallen down one after another, and only a few are still standing. Even Hou Jin, who performed best, just tried every means to maintain an appearance that it was better to die than live.
At this time, even Huang Taiji did not believe that the Ming Dynasty would soon perish. Choros did not even try to destroy the Ming Dynasty, so he was nowhere to be found.
Only those who side with Ming Dynasty will believe that they can suppress the rebellion and annihilate Hou Jin.
This belief has led to the fact that even now, when droughts, floods, wars, famines, and plagues are rampant, the people on this land have made forced choices and divided into two groups in one place.
There was not enough food to eat, and the land could not support so many people. People made natural choices. One group of people became bandits who responded to the peasant army, and another group of people became local villagers who responded to the government.
Therefore, Liu Chengzong could understand Zhang Yichuan's despair. At this time, no peasant army really believed that they could eventually overthrow the Ming Dynasty. At most, they were just like Hou Jin, trying every means to maintain their survival.
It's just that their desperate choice brought great trouble to the reorganization of the Marshal's Mansion.
"I originally thought that recruiting Zhang Yichuan would save me some trouble, but I didn't expect that I would find myself in even bigger trouble."
Liu Chengzong smiled bitterly and shook his head. All the equipment that could arm a battalion had been transported.
According to Zhang Yichuan's old tactics, if the reorganized five battalions are sent to the front line, they may be able to win by chance in the first or even second battle, but once the officers and soldiers figure out the way, they will inevitably be defeated. , then the equipment of this battalion will be used to support the enemy.
"The Henan Fifth Battalion can't learn battle formations in a short time. It doesn't take that long, so you can learn as much as you can."
Liu Chengzong gave Liu Yiyong a few words of advice, then sent him back to Ningyuan County to train troops, and then issued an order to the entire marshal's office: "Inform the generals from Gansu, Xining, and Lintao to Lanzhou to discuss matters and prepare for the Eastern Expedition."
good afternoon!
(End of chapter)
