Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 237 Tactics
As the rebel army in the Lu-Tai region began to accelerate its offensive, new battlefield intelligence was also sent to Yuncheng, where the Baoyi Army, based in Yuncheng, was conducting its final pre-battle training.

Along with the Baoyi Army, the Xuanwu Army was also being trained. However, compared to the former, they carried baskets and provided drinks, creating a chaotic scene, like a spring outing or camping trip.

The Baoyi Army ignored these people and meticulously carried out tactical maneuvers according to the manual and flag and drum instructions. While there were magistrates in the stands, most of these veteran soldiers understood that this training was not for others, but for themselves.

New recruits who haven't been to the battlefield are always full of resentment during training, but what they don't know is that the army that trains them for battle is already a proper army.

And what about the enemy's army? They have training? The battlefield is the best training!

These new recruits, once they've walked a few laps around the battlefield and haven't died yet, are considered mature and understand who the training is for.
Having fought their way through the battlefield of Xichuan, the Baoyi Army deeply understood the words of the magistrate: "Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime."

Therefore, under the orders of their respective officers, these men thrust their spears with incredible skill, not daring to slacken their efforts in the slightest.

At this time, the nine divisions of the Baoyi Army set up tents in the open field and conducted their own training. Each division commander personally went to the front line to train his men, both to assess their tactical skills and to make targeted tactical improvements.

Huo Yanwei was personally demonstrating a thrusting motion in front of a squad of Wudang soldiers, holding a rifle.

He was holding a standard Tang army infantry spear, eighteen feet long and half an inch in circumference, specifically designed for Tang heavy infantry.

The tip of this type of spear is double-edged, and its length is as long as an adult's forearm, almost equivalent to a short sword, hence it is also called "spear sword".

Because this spear was made of fine steel, it was powerful enough to pierce most of the enemy's armor when thrust by heavy infantry, making it arguably the primary weapon for heavy infantry to hold the line.

In addition, the infantry lance should be three feet shorter than the horse lance, so that the infantry can hold the middle part and use the thrust at the rear to block the ground and stop the cavalry charge.

Therefore, as a weapon that the Tang army used for heavy infantry for more than a hundred years, the infantry spear was able to withstand the test of most battlefield environments.

At that moment, Huo Yanwei took the eighteen-foot spear and personally demonstrated it.

He gripped the handle with both hands, pushing forward with his left hand and pulling back with his right, thrusting the spear tip straight into the air in front of him. The force of the thrust originated from his waist and reached the spear tip.

After repeating this three times, Huo Yanwei addressed the infantrymen before him:
"The thrusting technique looks simple, but it requires the most skill. Don't be fooled by the fact that you just need to thrust out. If you want it to be powerful, you have to thrust like an arrow leaving a bowstring, and keep the spear from trembling. That's what real skill is."

Then he demonstrated it to these people again, this time making them look specifically at their right leg, hip, and arm.

After the demonstration, Huo Yanwei went straight to the real stuff:

"You just saw that, right? You saw my waist and hips swinging out, and then you thought you should use your waist to exert force? But the real force comes from your right foot."

As he spoke, Huo Yanwei raised his spear, assumed a stance with his left foot forward and his right foot back, his right toes touching the ground, his waist and hips centered, and then thrust it out with a sudden burst of energy, the spear in his hand piercing out like lightning.

This time, not only people, but even metal felt like it was about to be pierced through.

The riflemen cheered loudly.

Huo Yanwei, however, kept a straight face and shouted:

"Stop yelling! Train hard! It's only because you're in the military that you're doing this. If you were outside, wouldn't you be serving ten years as a cadre? Would they teach you? If you have that kind of luck, then train hard!"

After finishing speaking, Huo Yanwei continued his explanation:
"You need to pay attention here. The force you use is the force of your feet pushing off the ground, the force of your waist and hips rotating, and finally the force of your arms thrusting out. You need to push this force step by step, not all at once. Otherwise, the other forces will be neutralized, and the spear in your hand will not be very powerful."

After explaining the movement in detail, Huo Yanwei said to the group:

"This is just one thrusting technique with the spear. There are also parrying, deflecting, blocking, and sweeping, each of which requires hard work. Take me for example, I've practiced just one thrusting technique for ten years. So how can your thrusting be the same as mine? Even if the enemy is armored, can they withstand my ten years of hard work?"

"And if you were like me, you would practice three hundred spear thrusts every day and carry your spear for twenty miles. If you did this for five or six years, you would be able to sit in my position!"

The crowd roared with excitement and began practicing under Huo Yanwei's guidance.

Huo Yanwei's situation is just one example of what happens on the training field; there are countless others like this.

The reason why the warriors of each family did not keep their secrets was that the Baoyi Army's performance evaluation for officers above the rank of captain was no longer limited to the number of heads taken, but rather included multiple dimensions such as overall battle achievements and army discipline.

For people like Huo Yanwei, their opportunities to make great contributions are basically based on the achievements of the entire team. The more elite soldiers and generals under his command, the more merits he can continuously gain.

The reason why He Weidao's previous recruitment of warriors from the army into the Black-Clad Society aroused the resentment of these military officers was precisely because of this.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Li Jiyong of Jindaodu personally oversaw the training of his squads.

The infantry of the Baoyi Army were basically composed of a 10 soldiers as their basic combat unit, with the 3-3 system being the standard team tactic in chaotic battles.

In a major battle, formation is of utmost importance, but formation can only be maintained in the early stages of the battle. As the lines of both sides become intertwined, they will enter a chaotic melee mode where each side is intertwined with the other.

At this point, whoever can concentrate the most troops and deploy the most concentrated attacks within a small area will gain the upper hand in the chaotic battle.

The current three-on-three melee combat model of the Baoyi Army is the most proven team tactic.

Each group of ten men was divided into three teams of three men each. Two squad leaders stood at the front as shield bearers, followed by two infantrymen and archers on the left and right.

Finally, the shi jiang personally led a complete three-person team, with the shi jiang carrying a flag and spear, positioned in the center, followed by infantry with spears, swords and shields, and bows and crossbows.

In each melee, two three-man squads would advance deep into the enemy lines, while the rank of commander would lead a three-man squad as a reserve. If the enemy showed signs of weakness or had any openings, the commander would personally lead the reserve squad to charge in.

In summary, a 10-man squad can complete three alternating tiered attacks, using shields to clear the way, flank spear attacks, and archery to kill the enemy, and then the second echelon advances, forming a system of combat with mutual alternating cover and advance.

Meanwhile, on the outermost edge of the wilderness curtain area, smoke and dust rose, and the cavalry of the three commanderies of the Baoyi Army were conducting tactical training.

Unlike infantry, which emphasizes combat and formation training, cavalry tactics largely revolve around two strategies: flanking and encirclement, and infiltration and division.

Although cavalry are known for their ability to break through enemy lines, it is generally not recommended to directly charge armored infantry in formation, as the cost would be too high.

Most of the cavalry tactics involved encirclement and attack, constantly splitting their forces to flank from both sides, forming a semi-encirclement and compressing the enemy's space to maneuver.

They also need to train in coordination with infantry formations. Often at the very beginning of the battle, when the infantry formations begin to deploy their spears, they will first flank the enemy from both sides, and then defeat the enemy's front through a spear barrage from the front.

In addition, some elite cavalry were actually used to break through enemy lines, and these men were often called "death knights" or "battle riders".

These men's tactics involved using three to five horsemen as spearheads to penetrate the gaps in the enemy's formation, then continuously charging to cut the enemy's formation into small pieces, which were then annihilated one by one by the infantry coming from the rear.

In other words, apart from the cavalry being able to inflict large-scale casualties during pursuit, the task of annihilating the enemy was mainly handled by the heavy infantry in the ranks.

Thus, along the outer line stretching over ten miles, the Baoyi Army's cavalry, numbering around a thousand, swept across the land with sweeping, powerful maneuvers, raising clouds of dust several feet high, their might as fierce as a tiger swallowing the land.

However, in the eastern corner, there is a peculiar tactical training site.

There were a dozen or so sections of makeshift earthen walls there, and a group of foot soldiers were training the garrison troops in siege drills.

After the Baoyi Army entered the Central Plains, several battles revolved around the attack and defense of fortified cities. Therefore, Zhao Huai'an realized that there would be more and more such siege battles in the future.

During this period of combat training, the tactical division of labor within the Baoyi Army became increasingly clear.

In the echelon construction of the field army, three types of personnel have been formed: field warriors, siege auxiliary troops, and pack carriers. Through the allocation of manpower, the maximum combat effectiveness is maximized.

One particularly significant change was made by Zhao Huai'an after listening to Zhang Ao, the commander of the Red Heart Capital, summarize the battle.

Zhang Ao mentioned the work of transporting the wounded during the battle. He said that in this battle, when a warrior of Chixindu was wounded and fell to the ground, three to four people would carry him back to the battlefield.

In other words, if one person is injured, the team can lose the fighting capacity of almost three people.

Therefore, Zhang Ao suggested that a group of men be organized to specifically transport the wounded officials and soldiers.

Zhang Ao's suggestion immediately reminded Zhao Huai'an of a group: stretcher bearers.

So Zhao Huai'an selected a group of brave men from among his followers and formed a stretcher team of two hundred men to try it out for a period of time to see if it could improve the combat effectiveness of the troops.

If this proves effective, then once the troops are in formation, regardless of whether friendly forces are wounded, they are only allowed to call for stretcher teams to carry the wounded; they are not allowed to withdraw from the battlefield on their own.

In this way, the number of officers and soldiers in the front row will not decrease due to non-combat situations.

The Baoyi Army was like that. It didn't have much fighting power at the beginning, but its founder, Zhao Huai'an, was a person with an exceptionally strong learning ability.

In every battle, he would organize the participating generals to share their battle experiences. This served two purposes: firstly, to provide a case study for other generals who did not participate, and secondly, to help them identify and improve through discussion.

The soul of an army is the soul of its founder. When Zhao Huai'an institutionalized this self-learning style, the Baoyi Army grew faster and faster.

Even some good experiences and tactics would be documented and circulated among outstanding reserve officers in the military for study.

It can be said that the biggest difference between the Baoyi Army and other armies of the time was its learning ability and its ability to transform personal experience into a system.

At this moment, on the training ground that stretches for more than ten miles, the officers and soldiers of the Baoyi Army are like dragons, leaping like monkeys and striking like falcons.

This uplifting scene left the Xuanwu Army next door speechless and made Yang Fuguang, watching from the stands, feel both hopeful and anxious.

After receiving Zhao Huai'an's letter and the document issued by the Yizhou camp regarding the mobilization of the Baoyi and Xuanwu armies into the Yanzhou battlefield, he could no longer contain his anxiety and anger and led his guards from Caozhou straight to Yuncheng.

He wanted to get an explanation from Zhao Da.

……

Standing in the stands, Zhao Huai'an couldn't help but sneeze, then looked at Yang Fuguang next to him with a normal expression.

He knew, of course, how angry Yang Fuguang was, but Zhao Huai'an was confident he could persuade him, because it would be a win-win situation for both of them.

However, instead of replying directly to Yang Fuguang, he took him to the training ground outside the city and let Yang Fuguang see the Baoyi Army in person.

At this moment, Yang Fuguang stared for a long time, his expression not very good, and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark:
"Second brother, are you trying to tell me that your Baoyi Army is incredibly strong now? You think you can manage without me, Yang Fuguang, right?"

Zhao Huai'an shook his head and smiled:

“Brother, I knew you would misunderstand, which is why I brought you here. I don’t mean to say anything about my Baoyi Army and then try to renege on it. Rather, I want you to understand that the Baoyi Army’s success is no longer something I can control alone.”

"Yes, I created this army and I have great prestige within it. But even someone like me has to consider the morale of the army. And what is the common goal of the entire Baoyi Army? It is military merit and spoils of war."

"They followed me from afar to the Central Plains. Besides reporting to the state and the nation, their most important goal was to win battles and obtain rewards and spoils. However, these could not all be provided by the court, nor would the court be willing to provide them. Therefore, in the end, they still had to fight against bandits and obtain spoils of war."

"And now? The bandit armies of Cao, Yun, and Pu provinces have fought all the battles they could, and they've captured almost all the spoils of war. So if we want to feed my brothers, we need to keep fighting! And right now, the largest number of bandit armies are in Yan province. Only there can we achieve greater military merits and capture more spoils."

Seeing that Yang Fuguang remained silent, Zhao Huai'an spoke frankly:
“Brother, we are both in positions of power, and our circumstances are often quite similar. We may seem to have some authority, as if we can say whatever we want and expect others to do the same. But in reality, how can we be so willful? We simply do what our brothers want, because power always comes from below!”

Yang Fuguang loosened his grip slightly, then groaned:
"Zhao Da, I've known for a long time that you're good with words, but that won't work. I just want to ask you, does our previous cooperation still count?"

Zhao Huai'an knew that Yang Fuguang's words were a threat, but he didn't care and continued:
"Brother, we have always believed that cooperation benefits both of us and separation harms both of us. Our cooperation should not end just because we are not together, but rather it will deepen because of this separation."

Yang Fuguang frowned and asked Zhao Huai'an to explain in more detail.

Then Zhao Huai'an said:

"The battle of Yizhou is imminent; this is the decisive battle that will determine the outcome of the campaign to suppress the bandits in the Central Plains. If our army wins this battle, those bandit troops will be no threat. But if our army loses, allowing them to advance unimpeded into Huaidong and wreak havoc in Huaiyang, it would be a matter that shakes the very foundation of the nation. You and I share the same fate as the court; if the court is not here, who will we be, our military supervisors or our governors of Guang Prefecture?"

"So this is the big picture: we must continue to work together to win this battle in Yizhou. This is the big picture, the table. If this table is overturned, what's the point of talking about dividing the spoils?"

Yang Fuguang understood what Zhao Huai'an meant by dividing the pork, and he was somewhat convinced.

In fact, what he valued in Zhao Huai'an was precisely this sense of public duty.

When everyone is preoccupied with their own personal interests, it is a blessing for the court that Zhao Huai'an can consider the overall situation of the imperial court.

Since the matter hadn't directly affected Yang Fuguang, and it had only impacted other people's private affairs, he remained quite indifferent.

Now that the matter has fallen on his own head, in the conflict between the court's interests and his own personal interests, Yang Fuguang has inevitably become one of the rats he used to despise.

Zhao Huai'an's words were not just that; his real trump card was the following sentence.

"Brother, our brotherhood has stood the test of time. What's mine is yours. No matter how much merit I accumulate, I'll send a copy to you first, and then you can report it to your superiors. How it's written will be entirely up to you, brother."

Yang Fuguang paused for a moment, then confirmed it with delight:
"You mean, after you enter Yanzhou, you will still be under my command, instead of being under Song Wei's control?"

Zhao Huai'an said matter-of-factly:
“Of course, I am your soldier, elder brother. We're not going to Yizhou; it's crowded with military generals from various vassal states. Why should I go there to compete for military merit?”

"Brother, you know me. I, Zhao Da, never want to be a lowly horse; I'm a thoroughbred with the ambition to travel a thousand miles. I will earn this military merit myself!"

At this point, Yang Fuguang finally beamed with joy and patted his chest to make a promise;

"Second brother, rest assured, with me in Caozhou managing the grain supplies, you will never have to worry about food shortages, and you will have no worries about your rear in Yanzhou. In this way, if we brothers work together, we can achieve great feats!"

Zhao Huai'an wanted to hear Yang Fuguang's words. His logistics and supplies were mainly supported by Bianzhou. Without Yang Fuguang, it would be impossible for him to enter Yanzhou.

Now that Yang Fuguang had been persuaded, Zhao Huai'an felt much more at ease. Then He Weidao rushed over and handed Zhao Huai'an a note.

This time, Zhao Huai'an didn't show Yang Fuguang the note. Instead, after reading it, he crumpled it up and said to Yang Fuguang:

"Brother, my army will be setting off in three days. You must come to see me off!"

Yang Fuguang laughed heartily, his meaning understood without words.

　My tire blew out today, so I went to get it repaired and was a little late.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)