Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 135 Qi Xiang's Cavalry Tactics

Lu Jin waited in Heyang for only one day. On the afternoon of the second day of the New Year, Zheng Yong's Second Cavalry Regiment arrived. They were originally near Quanjiao and were all cavalry, so they moved very quickly.

Before leaving, Zhang Wen and Liao Yongan came to see them off, and Lu Jin gave them instructions.

"You don't have many troops at the moment, and you have to defend Heyang, Wujiang, and Hezhou Port. I know you are under a lot of pressure. When I get to Quanjiao and Chuzhou, I will ask them to expand a regiment as soon as possible, and then let Yang Jing bring back four regiments.

"Brother Yongjian, during this period of time, your navy should focus on patrolling the river surface and try to keep the enemy in the water instead of letting them attack the shore. Hold on during this period of time and wait for friendly forces to come to support you."

"Yes."

"Don't worry, Marshal. As long as my navy still has one ship, we will never let the Jiangdong soldiers land on our bank of the river." Liao Yongjian immediately promised.

"Okay, I feel relieved with you two here. I'll leave first. Don't forget to train the troops well." Lu Jin patted the two men's shoulders, then mounted his horse and left with the troops.

"Take care, Marshal!"

"Let's go back."

Lu Jin waved his hand, whipped his horsewhip, and then headed north. Behind him was the infantry battalion that had been following him as a guard, as well as the three cavalry battalions of Zheng Yong's Second Cavalry Regiment.

Currently, the chief officer of the Second Cavalry Regiment is Zheng Yong, and the battalion commanders are Zhang Huzi and Qi Xiang. There are only three battalions, and it is still not fully staffed. The work of recruiting soldiers has to continue. This time when we go to Quanjiao and Chuzhou, we can do this by the way. After plundering the two counties, we don't know how many cavalrymen we can get.

This was the first time that Qi Xiang met Lu Jin, the commander of the Shengwu Army. He was envious of Lu Jin, who was tall and strong, wearing iron armor and using a Fang Tian Ji as a weapon. The warhorse he rode was extremely majestic, more than five feet tall.

This guy took the initiative to come forward to greet, and clasped his fists towards Lu Jin while riding on his horse.

"General Qi Xiang, I pay my respects to the Marshal!"

Lu Jin also looked at this ancestor of Qi Jiguang with great curiosity. Judging from his appearance alone, he was not very outstanding. He was probably less than 1.8 meters tall and looked to be in his twenties. He looked relatively young, but he was quite ruthless.

"You are Qi Xiang? I know you. Zheng Yong thinks highly of you and wants to recruit you as the commander of the cavalry regiment. I have already requested your appointment. I received news a few days ago that it has been approved. Once your name is on the roster and it is included in the Military and Political Department of the Martial Academy, you will be officially appointed."

"Thank you for your appreciation, Marshal!" Qi Xiang was quite excited. First, he was able to serve as a battalion commander of a thousand households in the Shengwu Army as soon as he arrived. Moreover, the Shengwu Army had just won a victory and captured two cities in one go. Following such an army, his future would be limitless.

Now that I have caught the Marshal's eye, maybe I will be given important positions in the future.

"Zheng Yong is a person I trust very much. I will not object to the people he recommends. In the letter Zheng Yong wrote to me, he praised you a lot, saying that you are good at riding and shooting, and good at using a horse lance, and you have some understanding of cavalry tactics. How about I test you today?" Lu Jin asked him with a smile.

"How dare I disobey your order? What does the Marshal want to test you on, horseback archery or horse lance?" Qi Xiang seemed very excited as it was a rare opportunity to show his talents in front of the Marshal.

Lu Jin waved his hand and said, "There's no need to talk about martial arts. Since Zheng Yong recommended you as a commander of a thousand households, he must have tested you. Let me ask you what you think of cavalry tactics."

After hearing this, Qi Xiang pondered for a moment and immediately spoke.

"General, please allow me to report. After I joined the army, Commander Zheng told me that our Shengwu Army currently lacks cavalry and is mainly responsible for guarding the infantry formation. However, if we encounter enemy cavalry, we will still go up.

"At present, our Shengwu Army cavalry mainly practices the Tatar cavalry tactics, which are divided into diffuse shooting, chiseling formation, and Manggudai. One regiment focuses on chiseling formation and sawing, and the second regiment is good at cavalry shooting. But I personally think that this is to use one's own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths. However, if we meet them on the battlefield, we have to fight back. Therefore, I personally think that if we want to win against the enemy, we should still use surprise attacks."

Lu Jin nodded. It was an objective fact that the Shengwu Army's cavalry was not strong at present. They could only play a supporting role to the infantry and did not have the ability to fight alone. But if the enemy really attacked, they would have no choice but to fight back. This situation existed objectively. If they could not recognize their own shortcomings, how could they make progress?

As for the fact that the first regiment is good at digging formations and the second regiment is good at riding and shooting, this is purely because the characteristics of the two troops' chief officers are different. Ye Sheng was originally a lancer and was good at using a horse lance, while Zheng Yong was good at riding and shooting. Naturally, the soldiers led by these two people will be more like the main generals, and there is nothing wrong with this.

"What unexpected tricks do you have for winning by surprise? Tell me about them." Lu Jin was quite supportive of tactical innovation. After all, he was not a conservative person.

Qi Xiang then continued.

“Replying to the commander, I have also read some military books. The former Song Dynasty had a cavalry warfare method. I think it should be useful if it is slightly improved. The predecessors did leave us a lot of good things. There is no need to practice only the Tartar’s riding skills.

"The commander-in-chief should know the techniques of cavalry splitting mane and wiping autumn."

Lu Jin nodded. This was taught to him by Zheng Yong and Ye Sheng. He really didn't understand cavalry tactics before.

Qi Xiang added, "I have thought of a tactic, which is to divide our cavalry into three or four groups, and take turns to fight the enemy. We will not fight to the death, but to feign defeat to lure the enemy, so as to delay the enemy cavalry and tire them out, so that the front and rear teams will be disconnected.

"In this way, we wait for the first group to come back, and then the second group will move forward to feign defeat to lure the enemy, and finally the third group will move forward to engage in battle. At this time, the first two groups of soldiers who pretended to be defeated will turn around and fight back, forming a horn with the third group, encircling the enemy's vanguard that has left the main group. In this way, we can use the majority to fight the minority and use the advantage in military strength to create a local advantage.

"By repeating this cycle, we can eat up the enemy forces one by one, concentrate our superior forces, and attack them piecemeal, accumulating little by little to make a large force!"

After Qi Xiang finished speaking, he looked at Lu Jin with anticipation in his eyes, hoping to get Lu Jin's comments.

Lu Jin's eyes lit up indeed. In fact, this tactic sounded familiar to him. If he remembered correctly, this should be a cavalry tactic that matured in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. It was probably recorded in the Wujing Zongyao or some other military book.

Lu Jin didn't remember it clearly, but he knew that this tactic did exist and had achieved many results.

In the armor restoration circle of later generations, there are two treasured maps that are regarded as the golden rule, namely, "The Victory in the Suppression of the Rebellion" and "The Procession of the Imperial Guard". These two military paintings of the Ming Dynasty have become the physical basis for restoring Ming Dynasty armor.

However, few people know the creation background of the "Ping Fan De Sheng Tu". This picture was to commemorate the victory over Mongolia achieved by the tactics mentioned by Qi Xiang and to demonstrate the military achievements.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty cavalry used this tactic to win many battles. They would first send a small number of troops forward in waves, feign defeat to lure the enemy, and then pull the enemy's front and back out of touch. Then the three friendly forces would turn around and fight back, using the time difference to outnumber the enemy, and it would be easy to capture or kill the enemy generals alive. Because in cavalry battles, the generals usually charge to the front.
Moreover, this tactic was not achieved overnight. It was a tactic native to China and gradually improved. It was passed down from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty and fully matured in the Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, cavalry was no longer the dominant force.

With the rise of muskets, there was a worldwide revival of infantry, and then the wall charge in Europe brought another revival of cavalry, and then it completely declined.

Lu Jin was very interested in this tactic, and quickly looked at Zheng Yong and asked, "How is it, have you practiced this tactic? How is the effect?"

As the chief officer of the cavalry regiment, Zheng Yong had of course heard Qi Xiang say this, and he commented immediately.

"Marshal, we have practiced the method that Officer Qi mentioned before, and it is very feasible. However, there are still two problems for our army at present. One is the lack of armor and equipment, and the other is the lack of training for the soldiers.

"It is indeed a good idea to feign defeat to lure the enemy, delay the enemy's formation, and then turn around and fight back. However, if the armor rate is not enough, it will not be able to withstand the enemy's pursuit and fierce attack. It is very likely that the feigned defeat will turn into a rout, and then you will end up losing more than you gain.

"Secondly, if we want this tactic to be effective, we need to practice more. We currently have too many new recruits and they are not well trained. I dare not rashly use this method against the enemy. For now, we should be cautious and focus on preserving the main force of the cavalry."

Lu Jin nodded. Zheng Yong was relatively steady and his comments were very on point. However, it was too frustrating that his team couldn't use such a good tactic.

So he said immediately.

"Okay, okay, I see. You're urging me to replenish your armor as soon as possible, right?!"

"Hehe, if the Marshal can really provide our cavalry regiment with enough armor, I promise to use this method next time to catch the enemy off guard. Our cavalry regiment can also take on the main attack mission and will not have to serve as an auxiliary for the infantry." Zheng Yong said with a smile.

Lu Jin then rolled his eyes at him, it turned out that these two people were waiting for him here.

"Don't worry, now that Lujiang has been taken, the southern line is stable. Now we have our own iron mines, and Luzhou is building an iron factory. Soon we will no longer be short of armor."

"That's great! The Marshal must first re-equip our cavalry regiment. Currently, Xuzhou's grain transport is cut off, and the Yuan court will never let it go. If the Yuan court sends a large army, given the nature of the Tartars, there must be a lot of cavalry, and then our northern cavalry regiment will be under great pressure." Zheng Yong immediately expressed his concerns.

Lu Jin looked at him in surprise. This analysis was correct. If we look at it from a historical perspective, it was indeed true.

Because Lu Jin knew for sure that according to the original history, in the twelfth year of Zhizheng, at the beginning of 1352, a group of Yuan cavalry came to suppress the rebellion. The main general was named Chelibuhua, and he had cavalry under his command.

Why did Lu Jin remember this person? Because this person had a huge impact on the history of the late Yuan Dynasty. It was Chelibuhua, a coward, who did not dare to attack the Red Turban Army in Haozhou City. He only dared to plunder everywhere outside the city, killing innocent people for credit, chopping off the heads of ordinary people every day to seek credit, and even burned down the Huangjue Temple. This forced Zhu Yuanzhang to join the Haozhou Righteous Army. How could this not have a big impact?
"Just be prepared. Don't worry. When I go back this time, I will definitely give priority to refitting your Second Cavalry Regiment. You can go to Chuzhou with me this time, and we can recruit some new soldiers in these two counties on the way to fill the combat troops of your four battalions as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Marshal!" Zheng Yong was overjoyed when he heard that.

Seeing him like that, Lu Jin said again, "Don't be too happy too soon. I can give you priority to change your clothes, but if you can't achieve good results, I won't forgive you."

"Don't worry, Marshal. Once I have the armor, I will charge to the front in every battle and will never hold the entire army back." Zheng Yong assured hurriedly.

"Well, that's about right. You guys came up with a new tactic this time. I actually have a new idea too. I'll let you practice more and see how to use it."

"What tactics?" Qi Xiang asked curiously.

Lu Jin then said, "Aren't most cavalrymen right-handed? Few can shoot to the right, or use both hands? I've been making a musket recently, and I want to make one that can be used with one hand. When the time comes, I'll give each of your cavalrymen one, so that everyone can shoot to the right.

"But this kind of musket can't shoot very far, only about twenty steps, and can only fire one shot in a short period of time. Do you think this kind of musket is useful? If it's not very useful, there's no need to bother making it."

Zheng Yong and Qi Xiang were both stunned. If every cavalryman could shoot to the right, even just once, it would be a huge improvement in combat power. Who knows, at the critical moment, they could kill the enemy with just one shot? !
"Can everyone really learn how to use it?" Zheng Yong still asked with some disbelief.

Lu Jin thought about it and said, "It shouldn't be a problem. This is a one-handed short gun, like a small crossbow. Just pull the trigger to fire the projectile. You don't need to use your left hand to pull the bow. You only need to hold the musket with one hand. Isn't this easy?"

If it's just about holding a musket, that's certainly not difficult. They are all young and strong soldiers, and they are capable of holding two bricks in their hands.

Qi Xiang also said at this time.

"When you are confronting the enemy, or when the enemy is chasing you from the right rear, it is worth it even if you can fire one bullet, as this bullet may save your life.

"Besides, the distance between mounted and archery combat is not very far, probably only 20 to 30 steps. This range is enough. I just don't know if this kind of musket can hit the target accurately. I heard that muskets are very difficult to hit the target accurately, not to mention on a bumpy horse's back." Qi Xiang also expressed his concerns.

"Don't worry, your accuracy should be pretty good. Just practice more when the time comes." Lu Jin assured immediately.

In fact, contrary to many people's stereotypes, the hit rate of smoothbore guns is actually not low. Even when rifled guns first came out, many armies were reluctant to use them and hoped to continue using smoothbore guns.

Why is this happening? In fact, many people overlook a feature of smoothbore rifles, which is "Who told you that there is only one bullet in my gun?"
A smoothbore rifle is a shotgun that can fire shotshells. No one stipulates that you can only load one bullet in a gun. If you load more than one, you can still hit one of them, right?

Take the American Civil War as an example. Both the Northern and Southern armies used smoothbore muskets extensively. The Northern Army also used a kind of shotgun shell in large quantities. It was loaded with a large bullet of the same caliber and three small bullets with a diameter of 7.62. There were one large and three small bullets in a paper-wrapped bullet, a total of four bullets. You could just throw them at the face and they would hit the target.

Especially when people are lined up for execution, with that density of the queue and using shotgun shells of this size, a hundred people can fire four hundred bullets in an instant. Maybe you were aiming at person A, but ended up hitting person C. But what's the difference? Just tell me whether you hit the person or not?
Each person fires four bullets at a time, and any hit will be enough to kill the opponent. More bullets can increase the hit rate!

As for how effective this shotgun shell was, the 600,000 Confederate soldiers who died in the American Civil War were very angry. Hundreds of thousands of people died from this shotgun shell and flintlock rifle.

Of course, the one-handed musket used by cavalry cannot be too long, but when using shotgun shells, even if it can't hit the person, it might be able to hit the enemy's horse. Even if it is just to interfere with the opponent, in this unfavorable situation where the enemy appears on the right, delaying the enemy for one second can give our side a chance to turn around and counterattack.

"If there really is such a magical weapon, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. The cavalry regiment of my Shengwu Army will probably become famous all over the world!" Zheng Yong said excitedly.

(End of this chapter)