One day for land exercises and two days for water exercises.
They are sailors on the water and infantry on the land. Their officers are in charge of the sailors in the water, and they are in charge of the chariots and soldiers on the land. Their drills are carried out up and down the rivers. Their troops are equipped with firearms, and they can use both boats and chariots.
This is the training routine of the Navy Department of Jinling Jiangwu Hall.
Drinking, fighting, and making noise are not allowed, otherwise they will be dealt with according to military law.
Gunpowder should be exposed to the sun once every five days on a sunny day, and stored in a dry place away from fire. Swords, guns, and iron tools are sharpened in half a month to protect them from the wind and rain. If one piece of polishing fails, the salary will be deducted and the commander will be seated. Each ship has a number of ax stones and large hammer stones, 80% of which are placed on the bottom of the ship and 20% on the surface of the ship. They are repaired immediately after use. Those who do not repair will have their salary deducted.
Outside the Jinling Naval Station, on the river, a 600-ton warship was practicing. Seeing that the target ship was about to enter the shooting range, the naval instructor shouted.
"Turn the helm!"
The instructor gave the order, and the warship turned the rudder, and the entire side of the ship faced the target ship laterally.
"Reload!"
The instructor personally performed the demonstration and loaded ammunition with several surrounding gunners. Soon the three short-barreled artillery were ready and aimed at the target ship at a flat angle.
"Get ready! Fire!"
The instructor stood up, the flag officer waved the red flag, and the gunners lit the wire together.
"Peng! Peng! Peng!"
Loud noises continued, and smoke filled the warship. The earth bags on the target ship were riddled with holes, earth and rocks flew, and two masts collapsed and fell into the river.
On the warship, the students exclaimed one after another, and even the instructors were secretly frightened.
The short-barreled artillery fires flatly, and the distance of 200 steps is enough. With just three cannons, everything on the surface of the target ship was swept away. If there were several ships, a dozen ships, and dozens or hundreds of artillery pieces, that would be a big deal!
"Zhao Tai, Du Xian, your teams A and B did well! Hu Deping, your team C still needs to work hard."
The instructor nodded and expressed satisfaction with the performance of several students.
Group A and Group B accurately hit the target ship, while Group C missed the target ship. But the lethality of this short-barreled artillery is really scary.
I heard that the Ordnance Institute and the Jiangnan Ordnance Manufacturing Department are building short-bore guns with 60-pound shells, which are twice as big as those on the ship now. He was looking forward to it very much. He didn't know how effective this kind of killer weapon would be.
"Next subject, water rescue!"
The green flag waved on the warship, and a vehicle and ship drove from a distance. When they reached the training river, the students on the vehicle and ship dived into the water one after another and swam towards the warship.
A small boat was launched from the warship, and some students climbed out of the boat and drove the small boat toward the swimming students.
Swimming is a common training subject for sailors, and no one is an exception.
"Xian Du, are you okay?"
Seeing Du Xian's face turn blue, the instructor asked with concern.
"Return to the instructor, it's nothing, just a little seasick."
Du Xian told the truth and stood up straight to make himself look more energetic.
"If you get seasick like this, I guess you won't be able to go to the Navy. There are more storms and waves on the sea than on rivers."
The instructor shook his head regretfully and told the truth.
This guy is a good prospect, and the Coastal Planning Department is the emperor's favorite. It's a pity that this guy can't go to the navy.
"Next training subject, get ready!"
The instructor shouted loudly.
After the water rescue training is over, the next close-ship combat training begins again, over and over again, tirelessly.
Free sailor training, the people watching on the shore cheered one after another, enjoying it endlessly.
The Guards Ma Junsi of the Song Dynasty, together with the Palace Front Division and the Infantry Guards Division, were collectively known as the "Three Yamen" of the Forbidden Army of the Song Dynasty. Unlike the Palace Front Division and the Infantry Guard Division, which are located in Lin'an City, the Majun Division of the Guards is stationed in Jinling City, facing the front lines of Jiangbei and Huaidong.
The weather is getting hotter and hotter. Early in the morning, the cavalry training ground of Guard Ma Junsi is crowded with people. Following the instructions of the instructors of Jinling Lecture Hall, the students of the cavalry department ride horses, climb hills and cross ditches. Riding training is in progress.
Beside the teaching field, there are some "wooden horses" that are the same height as horses, but they are of no use. It is said that this "Trojan horse" was originally created by the emperor and was used by students who were not familiar with equestrian skills.
However, among the 200 students who have come all the way to apply for the cavalry department of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall, even those with the worst riding skills do not need the most basic training aid like a "Trojan Horse". On the contrary, some newly recruited sergeants under the guard Ma Jun were dancing and moving on it, having a great time practicing.
Think about it, without a few brushes, who dares to apply for the cavalry department of Jinling Lecture Hall? That was selected from thousands of people.
The cavalry was a stubborn problem in the Song Dynasty. From the Northern Song Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty, it was never solved until the end of the Song Dynasty.
Especially since the Southern Song Dynasty, the shortage of war horses is not due to the poor performance of the Southern Song cavalry in the war, but because they have very little chance to perform. Because there were few horses, many cavalry were just infantry on horseback. To deal with the cavalry in the north, the Southern Song Dynasty could only use heavy infantry. Although the performance of heavy infantry was not bad, because the infantry lacked mobility, it was difficult to change the battlefield situation, which was better than nothing.
It was not until the establishment of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall and the establishment of the cavalry department that the cavalry of the Song Dynasty could be reshaped.
Through rigorous training, students first master individual riding skills, then practice group combat, and finally go to the army to train cavalry and form a large cavalry regiment on the battlefield.
Sweat more during normal times and bleed less during war. It was even more cruel for the cadets of the Cavalry Division, and bloodshed occurred one after another. They must learn to hit the target in the trot and canter row, which is individual training. Then several people marched side by side, and everyone hit the target. Finally, a battalion of cavalry attacked together, and everyone hit the target.
The important point is that for the cavalry, training troops is training horses, which requires long-term training. As for the students of the Cavalry Department of Jiangwu Hall, they are lucky. Everyone has a war horse, and the quality is good.
"stop!"
A row of knights rode forward side by side, and soon approached a deep ditch two meters deep and one meter wide. The instructor in the first row shouted, and all the horses stopped immediately, just like soldiers hearing a military order.
"Jump!"
The officer shouted again, and all the horses moved forward and jumped over the ditch almost at the same time.
Many of the cavalry instructors at the Jinling Lecture Hall are from the Guard Ma Junsi. Like other instructors, they have also been trained in Yujin Garden, and those who are qualified serve as instructors.
"Students, everyone remembers that horses understand human nature. On the battlefield, horses are your brothers of life and death. Similarly, cavalry and infantry are also about formation battles, charging into formations to defeat the opponent. Therefore, cavalry battles are In cavalry battles, one cannot be an individual hero."
The instructor took the trouble to explain to the students. He probably also understood that these people are the emperor's treasures and must be well trained so that they can lead troops in the future.
"Gao Hu, your riding skills are good, but your riding skills are not good. You must pay attention to the cooperation with the war horse, fall together, and follow the trend."
"Remember, instructor!"
Gao Hu's face turned red and he started practicing riding and shooting again, which was the basics of cavalry.
The instructor nodded slightly.
The strengths and weaknesses of these students are very prominent, but fortunately, the students are young, enthusiastic, and making rapid progress, which also makes him happy.
Seeing that several students with good riding skills were training carelessly and seemed a little complacent, the instructor's dark face turned serious again.
"Don't be complacent! Now we just ask you to use running in the last 50 steps of the impact. Next month will be the last 150 steps of running. When you graduate, it will be the last 300 steps. Moreover, at the last 30 steps, you must completely relax the reins and let go. Running on a war horse, ready to fight with the opponent at any time. Which of you can do this?"
He pointed at Meng Ying and the others.
"Meng Ying, can you? Wang Zhishou, can you? Since you can't, just give me a good training! There are many masters in the border army. Don't go to the army and lose the face of the martial arts hall!"
Meng Ying and others did not dare to neglect and started training carefully.
On the teaching field, the students practiced jogging, running fast, as well as chopping and riding. Wei Liaoweng, who was watching the training from the sidelines, was also excited.
This vibrant training scene made him, a traditional scholar, feel full of hope.
Especially the cavalry, they always feel lack of confidence. The emperor's training of cavalry is really meaningful.
"Yang Shuai, after graduation, a group of students from the Cavalry Department of the Martial Arts Hall will be sent to the Guard Ma Army Division. What do you think?"
Wei Liaoweng asked Yang Du, the commander of the bodyguard Ma Junsi.
If there were tens of thousands of guards and horsemen, if they were all well-trained, they would be a great supplement to the Song Dynasty which lacked cavalry.
"Wei Gong, of course that is what you want. With the addition of these disciples of the emperor, the bodyguard Ma Junsi will be even more powerful."
Yang Du was smiling all over his face. In fact, he didn't understand why the emperor wanted to reorganize his military equipment when the Guanhe River was peaceful. Isn't this just looking for trouble and resorting to militarism?
"Yang Shuai, call me Vice Principal Wei."
Wei Liaoweng subconsciously reminded Yang Du and changed the topic.
"Shuai Yang, I heard that many officials in the Horse Guards Division do not know how to ride a horse. Is there such a thing?"
"Indeed! Many officials are civil servants, so they are not good at riding horses. Please also invite Mr. Wei...Vice Principal Wei Haihan."
Yang Du's eyes flickered, obviously feeling guilty.
"Is he a civilian official?"
Wei Liaoweng smiled slightly and continued:
"Yang Shuai, the Anti-Corruption Department is investigating corruption, especially corruption in the military. If there is something fishy, including free money..."
Wei Liaoweng's words made Yang Du sweat profusely without realizing it.
"Vice-Principal Wei, I really don't know. However, corruption in the military has been around for a long time. I will have to go down and conduct a detailed investigation to find out the truth."
Yang Du kept wiping his sweat, Wei Liaoweng glanced at him, turned his head, and looked at the training ground.
"Shuai Yang, what do you think of the combat effectiveness of our Song Dynasty cavalry? Can it compete with the cavalry of the nomadic people in the north?"
Wei Liaoweng's question made Yang Du stunned for a moment, and then he said cautiously:
"Vice-Principal Wei, we have ships in the south and horses in the north. The barbarians in the north grew up on horseback and are good at riding and shooting. Not to mention that our cavalry in the Song Dynasty is inferior in riding and shooting, the number is too small. When the time comes for the two armies to face each other, they will always be innately deficient. It’s my innermost concern.”
Yang Du's meaning couldn't be more obvious. Compared with the Northern Cavalry, the Great Song Dynasty's cavalry was too weak and had no chance of defeating them.
"Yang Shuai, it's because you haven't seen the power of firearms! Speaking of which, you and I are just sitting in a well and looking at the sky. If you had seen the power of firearms, you wouldn't say such things."
Wei Liaoweng said coldly, a bit arrogant.
If the emperor wants to initiate border affairs, the cavalry guarding Ma Junsi will probably have to be dispatched. Civil servants like Yang Du seemed to be embarrassed by their heavy responsibilities.
"Vice-Principal Wei, although the firearms are sharp, I am afraid that if a martial artist becomes powerful, he will be a serious nuisance for me, the Great Song Dynasty!"
Yang Du's words made Wei Liaoweng subconsciously stunned, and then he shook his head.
"Yang Shuai, you are worrying too much."
Wei Liaoweng shook his head and said quietly.
"Yang Shuai went to the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall and listened to His Majesty's history class, and he realized that his worries were unfounded. His Majesty established the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall, and he served as the principal. He and the students not only had a relationship between monarch and minister, but also a teacher-student relationship. Once a teacher, always a father, is there any son who rebels against his father? Even if he does, he will be suppressed by the other sons."
After Wei Liaowen finished speaking, his eyes turned to the training ground again.
Training officers and soldiers, guard Ma Junsi, the most elite cavalry in the Song Dynasty, may soon be taken over by the emperor's henchmen.
