The rising sun in winter slowly emerged from the eastern sky, and the sunlight dyed the campus red and filled the campus. At this time, the school field was already overcrowded, and the sound of the sergeants' training resounded throughout the Jialing River.
Guo Zhengsun, the pacifier of Lizhou West Road who is over fifty years old, wearing a black gauze on his head and a red official robe, is watching the training on the school field with frowning eyebrows.
The pacifier is in charge of civil affairs, and he is in charge of military affairs. The two do not interfere with each other. He must also provide money and food with all his heart, without restraint.
There was no official imperial edict from the imperial court, but it was an oral edict that the emperor asked Cui Yu, the Sichuan envoy to set up, to bring to him and Chen Li, the pacification envoy of Lizhou East Road.
Even if he tried hard, he couldn't figure it out. The Song Dynasty used Confucianism to govern the country. Civil servants had always led the army, and the court was particularly suspicious of generals. Why did he change his ways when he came to the new emperor and become a general to lead the army?
Moreover, there is not even a supervisor in the army. The generals can do whatever they want, and all military and political decisions are made by themselves.
However, in view of the dilapidated entrance to Shu, the ineffectiveness of all the checkpoints, and the emperor's decree, he did not have any constraints, but chose to accept it all.
Although not so calmly.
Jinling Martial Arts Hall, a disciple of the Emperor, probably would not betray his teacher.
On the cavalry training ground, the moving rectangular formations were moving and changing direction according to the commands of the young instructors at the Jinling Lecture Hall. They were soldiers conducting formation training.
Those young instructors, some of whom still have immature faces, are walking around with the soldiers. Will this be useful?
Fighting on the battlefield, life and death, if you don't practice your skills properly, but practice walking, it will be useless.
On several wooden stands with unique shapes and the same height as the horses, some soldiers were training, mounting and dismounting, loading and unloading saddles, turning and climbing in circles. Some were practicing weapons on the wooden stands, and they were in full swing.
I heard that this wooden frame is called the "Trojan Horse" and is an original creation of the emperor. Like the horizontal and parallel bars and other training facilities, they were all brought from the Jinling Martial Arts Hall.
It seems that the emperor is still a skilled craftsman. I just don’t know, am I not doing my job properly?
"Guo Si, tell me, is it useful for the cavalry to practice like this?"
Guo Zhengsun frowned and asked the attendant beside him.
"Ms. sir, these are all new recruits. After a period of practice, they will get on the horse and train. The veteran will lead the new recruits. This way the drill will be slower, but there will be fewer deaths and injuries. After the cavalry has mastered their riding skills, they will then train in the formation. There is no one It will be difficult to train cavalry in one or two years.”
Guo Si used to be a frontier cavalryman, so he naturally had some insights into cavalry training.
"So that's it."
Guo Zhengsun nodded, somewhat impressed.
It seems that the emperor is not doing his job properly, but is a knowledgeable and wise man.
"My lord, the emperor wants to expand his army, but with the money and food from the three passes and five states, I am afraid it will be unsustainable. My lord, I still have to think of a way."
"What can I do? Why don't you suggest that the imperial court establish farming in Hanzhong and solve the problem of grain and grass first? Transporting grain from Sichuan is too laborious for the people and money."
Guo Zhengsun shook his head and said helplessly.
The emperor went on a military rampage, but the people were not required to pay taxes. Even if it’s not from Lizhou West Road, it’s from Sichuan Road.
"Ms. sir, doesn't the official document from the imperial court say that the taxes of the people of Lizhou and Lizhou will be deducted for three years?"
"In a place as big as Lizhou Road, there are only a few hundred thousand households, and Lizhou West Road has a maximum of 60,000 or 70,000 households. The people are exempt from taxes for three years, but the court wants to intensify border affairs. Let me ask, the refugees who fled back to Shu Do you dare to return to your hometown?"
Guo Zhengsun's words left Guo Si speechless for a moment.
It is understandable that the frontier fortress is an important place and the imperial court is actively involved in border affairs. Do we have to wait until the other party calls in?
It is better to be free of tax for three years than not free at all.
"stop!"
When they arrived at the trench, Wang Shixin, who was in the middle of the first row of cavalry, shouted, and all the horses in the first row stopped.
"stop!"
"stop!"
The cavalry commanders in the second, third and rear rows shouted, and all the horses in the fifth row stopped.
"Jump!"
Wang Shixin shouted again, and all the horses in the first row moved forward together and jumped over the trench.
The commanders of the platoons behind shouted the same, and rows of cavalry jumped over the trenches one after another.
"Listen up, the cavalry's war horses are not horses, but the life and death brothers of the cavalry. Horses understand human nature, and when they shout "stop" and "jump" during training, they are telling the war horses. In this way, on the battlefield, let the war horses develop The instinct to obey orders!"
Wang Shixin patiently explained to the cavalry, with a scary face.
"Remember, don't think that your riding skills are so high that if your arrows hit the target, it's all bullshit! The importance of cavalry lies in the impact of the cavalry formation during a battle, causing the opponent to collapse. No matter how powerful you are in a single fight, you can only Become a scout! However, before practicing your riding formation, you should first practice your riding and shooting!"
Wang Shixin faced the cavalry and wanted to teach them all his skills.
"Remember, Commander!"
The cavalry began to train, trotting, running, slashing, and maintaining formation to charge.
Following his example, Guo Zhengsun on the side also nodded slightly.
This Wang Shixin has a too straightforward and tough temper. Even though he is a strong general, he doesn't like it either. Zheng Sun defeated Wang Shixin to the end, but he did not expect that the emperor would reuse him and entrust him with important tasks.
Seeing Wang Shixin's high-spirited look, as if he has regained his vitality, it really makes people sigh at the wonderful opportunities in life.
The emperor knew people well and hoped that Wang Shixin and these young officers of the Jiangwu Hall would live up to expectations.
"Let's go watch the infantry drill!"
Guo Zhengsun and Wang Shixin exchanged glances, nodded slightly, and walked away.
On the sidelines, seeing the good and bad cavalry in front of him, Cao Youwen couldn't help but marvel from the bottom of his heart.
"Is this my cavalry from the Song Dynasty?"
The horse is thin and has long hair, and its saddle, stirrups, and bridle are old. It is estimated that only 20 to 30 percent of the horses are truly good. The cavalrymen range in age from old to young, but some are still young and strong.
If it weren't for the 1,500 cavalry added by the bodyguard Ma Junsi, the scene would have been even more ugly.
On Lizhou West Road, there are only about three thousand cavalry of poor quality, maybe not even three thousand. Compared with the Mongolian cavalry, which has thousands of elite cavalry at every turn, it is really worrying.
"When riding and shooting, you should pay attention to the timing of the horse's rising and falling. Watch out!"
Wang Shixin shouted loudly as he galloped his horse forward, bowed and nocked an arrow, and the arrows flew from a hundred steps away, and the arrows were all bull's-eyes.
When Wang Shixin came back from riding his horse, he was in high spirits and shouted loudly.
"Who can demonstrate it and see if it can be like me? Ma Zhong, forget it!"
The cavalrymen burst into laughter, and Ma Zhong was embarrassed to laugh.
Wang Shixin's doing this gave him enough face.
He is a famous archer in the army. He is extremely powerful and is as good as Wang Shixin in riding and shooting. However, Wang Shixin had a good way of training cavalry, and he was willing to be defeated.
"I come!"
Amid the cheers of the cavalry, a young officer mounted his horse. With superb riding skills, his arrows hit the target with ease.
"good!"
Wang Shixin also cheered, looked at the officer, and said with satisfaction:
"You are Zhang Zhongxia from Jinling Martial Arts Hall, that's right!"
"Commander Wang, most of the cavalry in our Song Dynasty's border army are good, but this war horse..."
Zhang Zhongxia shook his head.
"Not only is there a shortage of war horses, good and bad, but also the harnesses, fodder, beans, wheat, etc. needed by the cavalry and horses."
After Wang Shixin finished speaking, he shouted loudly to the cavalry.
"Mount your horse! Shoot on horseback!"
Wang Shixin gave an order, and all the cavalrymen mounted their horses one after another, moving forward in waves, and shooting their arrows at the target.
"Commander Wang, how are you doing?"
After the cavalry inspected it, Cao Youwen felt slightly sad when he saw that their armor was in shabby condition.
From Wang Shixin's riding skills and riding shooting, he felt that the quality of the Shukou cavalry was good.
"General, the cavalry is quite satisfactory. Some of them are just infantry on horseback. Their mounted shooting is not good and they need to be trained well. There are 3,000 cavalrymen, and there is a shortfall of 500. The war horses can only be used by one person and one rider."
Wang Shixin did not hide it at all and told the truth.
Seeing Cao Youwen frowning, Wang Shixin said loudly:
"General, don't worry. In less than a year, I will train them to become a powerful army. Besides, now that our Song Dynasty border army has firearms, it will be invincible. In the future It will get better and better!”
After being reactivated, Wang Shixin felt much happier.
He had observed firearms training, and it really made his hair stand on end. Subconsciously, I felt that firearms might change the dynamics of future wars.
"Without large-scale cavalry, victory cannot expand the results, and defeat will lead to a collapse. The cavalry has always been the weakness of our Song Dynasty!"
Cao Youwen said softly, but he became much more cheerful.
As Wang Shixin said, with firearms, the Song Dynasty border army was in an invincible position. Facing the cavalry of the northern nomads, they no longer seemed so vulnerable.
"Commander Wang, the training of the cavalry will be left to you. Just like the infantry, the old, weak, sick and disabled must be eliminated, and the cavalry must be replenished from the new recruits. The cavalry must receive the same formation and physical training as the infantry. Then there is the riding skill practise."
Wang Shixin knew what Cao Youwen meant and quickly accepted the order.
Riding training in the army must be exactly the same as the training method at Jinling Martial Arts Hall. He heard that the new recruits had to train riding skills on wooden horses beforehand. It was the emperor's idea, and he thought it was a good idea.
Those recruits who directly mount horses for training are killed and disabled every year, which is really speechless.
"Commander Wang, just rest assured and train. It doesn't matter if you kill dozens of soldiers. The army will not punish you for this. As long as you can train qualified cavalry, no matter what you do or what you want, I will try my best to satisfy you. "
Cao Youwen warned Wang Shixin carefully.
What he told Wang Shixin was exactly the same as the teachings learned at the Jinling Martial Arts Hall.
He couldn't wait to have an elite cavalry team. At this point, he believed the emperor was more desperate than he was.
"General Cao, I'm polite."
They met by chance and saw that it was Cao Youwen. Guo Zhengsun smiled and stepped forward to greet him.
A year ago, Cao Youwen was just a scholar without fame, and he had to kneel down when he saw him.
In less than a year, Cao Youwen was already an important minister of the imperial court, equal to himself, and even more bizarre than Wang Shixin's situation.
"Ms. Guo, you are also here at the military camp."
Cao Youwen clasped his fists and saluted Guo Zhengsun.
Although this Guo Zhengsun has a big air as a scholar-bureaucrat, he is an honest and honest official, which makes people respect him.
"General Cao, New Year's Day is just around the corner and you are still training your troops so hard. I really admire you!"
Guo Zhengsun also admired the dedication of Cao Youwen and other generals.
"The emperor has great trust, the country is important, and the general will not dare to slack off!"
Cao You heard that he was serious about this, and he cupped his fists and saluted southeast from a distance.
"General Cao, Song and Jin are making peace. Is there still war in the border fortress?"
Guo Zhengsun couldn't help but blurted out.
"The emperor has great talents and plans, and plans for a rainy day. In the end, something big will happen in the frontier fortress."
Cao Youwen made no secret of his trust in the emperor.
"General Cao, are these firearms useful? Is training like this useful?"
Guo Zhengsun was curious and asked again.
"Xiangong Guo, the Mongolian cavalry attacked the city and was indestructible. Our Song Dynasty cavalry could not compete with it. Firearms were originally created by the emperor, and the martial arts hall was built by the emperor himself. The emperor wrote "Tatar Policy" and gave instructions to the lieutenant generals of the army. , just to cope with future wars. As for whether the firearms are useful, we will know on the battlefield in the future."
Cao Youwen looked at Guo Zhengsun, cupped his fists and smiled.
"Ms. Guo, after the New Year's Day, let's work hard again."
After returning from the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall, he never returned home. New Year's Day is coming, and it's time to return home.
