My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 362 The Creators of the New-Style Army

In October, in the barracks of the Beijing Garrison's new army.

The first cohort of students from the Military Academy finished their studies on campus at the end of September and were assigned to the new Beijing garrison as junior officers.

The imperial court put a lot of effort into this training of the Beijing garrison, and the officers were all elites drawn from across the country, so the students of the Military Academy could only serve as deputies.

Li Rusong became the deputy commander of a cavalry banner in the Kerulen Army, and the commander was Zhao Lun, a general under Qi Jiguang who had personally captured him during the last rebellion of the Beijing garrison.

Soldiers all admire the strong. Last time, when Li Rusong was training his troops in the Beijing garrison, he thought his soldiers were already elite. They charged into the Northwest Border Army led by Zhao Lun, only to suffer a crushing defeat. Li Rusong realized that what he had learned at the Military Academy was ultimately just theoretical knowledge, and he could not compare to soldiers like Zhao Lun who had followed Qi Jiguang in his campaigns across the country and had been tempered in countless battles.

Therefore, after Li Rusong became Zhao Lun's deputy, he respected Zhao Lun very much and learned military training techniques from him.

Zhao Lun and Li Rusong's instructor were good friends. Zhao Lun had heard a lot about Li Rusong's deeds. Seeing how humble and eager to learn he was, Zhao Lun treated Li Rusong like his own nephew or junior, and taught him many principles that could only be learned on the battlefield without reservation.

Officers like Li Rusong, who are formally trained, are well-suited for positions such as training, discipline, and logistics. Zhao Lun discovered that Li Rusong not only knew the cavalry manual by heart but also had a knack for managing soldiers, so he felt more at ease entrusting daily training to Li Rusong.

With one willing to learn and the other willing to teach, Li Rusong felt that he was making rapid progress.

When he was studying, Li Rusong did not understand many of the rules in the "Cadre Manual".

After talking with Zhao Lun, Li Rusong learned that these seemingly unreasonable rules had been learned through bloody lessons on the battlefield.

It can be said that this manual was built up with the blood and tears of our predecessors.

Li Rusong held even greater admiration for Qi Jiguang and Su Ze, who collaborated on compiling the manual.

Qi Jiguang goes without saying; he was Li Rusong's idol and the first person to be granted a title for military merit after Wang Yangming.

But how could Su Ze, a scholar who had never led troops, discuss military strategy with Qi Jiguang and even collaborate with him to compile the "Military Manual"?

Moreover, as Li Rusong's understanding of military strategy deepened, he discovered even more how terrifying Su Ze was!
The construction of the military system and the creation of the military supervision system—almost all of the new military system of the Ming Dynasty today—were the work of Su Ze.

Su Ze may not have personally commanded battles, but it is no exaggeration to say that he was the creator of the Ming Dynasty's new army.

Early this morning, Li Rusong was summoned to the camp by Zhao Lun.

"Take this application to the battalion headquarters."

Li Rusong took the application and understood Zhao Lun's intention.

Zhao Lun wasn't simply asking him to run errands; these kinds of errands to the battalion headquarters were something young officers were eager to do.

Running errands like this will make you stand out among the upper echelons of the Beijing military garrison, making it easier for them to think of you when it comes to future promotions.

However, Li Rusong didn't seem very happy, and Zhao Lun couldn't help but say:

"If you keep staying in the military camp all day like this, what will you do when you graduate from the military academy and get your official rank? Don't think that just because you're a lowly squad leader, you'll get a good position in the future!"

Hearing Zhao Lun scold him, Li Rusong knew that the other party meant well, so he quickly smiled apologetically and said:
"Send it, Commander, I'll send it, okay?"

Zhao Lun was also doing this for Li Rusong's own good, and he couldn't help but say:
"I suffered the same fate back then, and didn't get promoted for many years."

Li Rusong couldn't help but ask:

"And then? Did the commander-in-chief start moving up the ranks?"

Zhao Lun said:

"Later, when Commander Qi came to the army, he promoted us, and that's how we got to where we are today."

Li Rusong:
"..."

Zhao Lun couldn't help but kick him again: "I'm so lucky to have met Commander Qi! Do you think you're so lucky? Get back to the camp!"

Li Rusong quickly said:
"This subordinate will go immediately!"

"Put away that arrogant face and smile at people instead!"

After Li Rusong left, Zhao Lun finally smiled. He really liked this deputy so much that he considered him in everything.

"These little brats are lucky to be born in such a good era. Back when I was in the army, there were no military police here!"

Zhao Lun showed an envious expression.

Although Li Rusong lacked battlefield experience and his experience in leading troops was not as good as mine.

But experience is the least valuable thing.

After so many years of fighting in the north and south, I'm sick of fighting!
Zhao Lun discovered that these students from the Martial Arts Academy were quick to learn anything and had a set of methods for doing everything.

This is the most important.

Zhao Lun had actually received personal guidance from Qi Jiguang, but his comprehension was too poor, so he stopped at the level of captain and could not take on any higher responsibilities.

In reality, this is the limit for most ordinary people.

Managing a squadron leader, which consists of fifty people, is the most basic command position. Most of the time, a squadron leader only needs to follow the orders of his superiors.

However, managing fifty people is not an easy task in itself.

To advance further, you'll need talent.

Zhao Lun believed that Li Rusong was just that kind of talented person, or rather, that he was an officer trained by the military supervision system who was destined for advancement.

Throughout history, Zhao Lun had never heard of generals and commanders being mass-produced.

We can't even mass-produce mid-level officers, let alone generals.

But it seems that the Military Supervisors can actually do it.

Even if it can't produce a few famous generals, it would still be a terrifying thing if it could mass-produce qualified mid-level officers.

Zhao Lun, who had been on the front lines, knew all too well how desperately the Ming Dynasty needed mid-level military officers.

As long as Li Rusong survives on the battlefield, his future prospects will far surpass mine.

And someone like Li Rusong can train 300 people in two years at the Martial Arts Academy!
This Su Hanlin is truly terrifying!
-
The headquarters of the new army of the Beijing Garrison were located within the Beijing Garrison.

In order to learn from the experience of the old Beijing Garrison, the headquarters of the new Beijing Garrison Army was also located in the army, instead of being located in the capital city like the old Beijing Garrison's yamen.

All high-ranking officers of the Beijing Garrison must abide by the garrison's regulations, living and eating within the garrison, and only allowed to leave for rest days to return to the city.

This military order had an unexpected consequence: some high-ranking military officers who originally wanted to gain experience in the new Beijing garrison all gave up their plans.

Ultimately, the command of the Beijing garrison fell to Chen Lin, a subordinate of Qi Jiguang.

Li Rusong had also heard of the deeds of this Commander Chen.

This general, who was not born into a military household, volunteered to join the army to fight against the Japanese pirates during the war against them. He was promoted to battalion commander for his meritorious service in the war to annihilate Wang Zhi.

He had already been promoted to the garrison commander of Guangdong, but when the imperial court dispatched Qi Jiguang to the north, Chen Lin resolutely followed and became Qi Jiguang's deputy general.

Chen Lin personally defended a fortress during the Battle of Dongshengwei, earning merit and being commended by the imperial court once again.

During this selection of generals for the Beijing Garrison, he was recommended by Qi Jiguang and was eventually appointed by the emperor as the commander of the new Beijing Garrison Army, leading the entire new army.

Li Rusong arrived at the camp headquarters and delivered the application that Zhao Lun had asked him to submit. He soon encountered several classmates.

Everyone gathered together to share their recent experiences in the military camp.

Running errands is undoubtedly a desirable job in the military. Although the battalion headquarters is located outside Beijing, it is still the headquarters of the new army in the capital, and the environment is quite good.

In order to build the battalion headquarters as soon as possible, the engineering department used the technology of the new-style earthen building, and the entire battalion headquarters was a clean and tidy three-story building.

All the major departments of the new camp in the capital were located in these small buildings. Li Rusong listened to his classmates' discussions about who had been temporarily transferred to the camp headquarters.

Although everyone started as a deputy regimental commander, the Beijing Battalion had just been established, and the battalion headquarters itself had a lot of work to do.

Therefore, the various confidential departments of the battalion headquarters would also borrow officers from below to do their work.

Military officers, being literate and capable of calculation, were naturally the best candidates. Moreover, compared to the grassroots troops, the office and living conditions at the battalion headquarters were far superior.

Moreover, as Zhao Lun said, it was easier to get promoted by hanging around the leaders, and the officers tried every means to be transferred to the battalion headquarters.

Hearing his classmates envying who had been seconded to the battalion headquarters, Li Rusong felt out of place.

However, Li Rusong also knew that this was the prevailing trend, and that competition also existed in the military, so such things were normal.

Just when he was feeling annoyed, he suddenly saw an acquaintance.

"Zhu Banzheng?"

Zhu Shikun looked at Li Rusong, quickly greeted him, and then said:

"Please wait a moment, Li Banzheng. I'm going to deliver a document to Commander Chen. I'll be right down."

Li Rusong knew Zhu Shikun's identity; someone of his status could naturally choose where to go, so it wasn't surprising that he stayed at the camp.

A moment later, Zhu Shikun came down from the battalion headquarters building and said to Li Rusong:
"I need to rush back to the garrison immediately. Is Li Banzheng at the battalion headquarters right now?"

"No, I came to the battalion headquarters to deliver a message, but Zhu Banzheng isn't here either?"

Zhu Shikun smiled and said:
Should I be at the battalion headquarters?

"Isn't everyone thinking that it's better to stay at the battalion headquarters?"

Zhu Shikun smiled and said:
"If I'm going to pick a good spot, wouldn't it be better to just go to the Imperial Guard?"

Li Rusong then remembered that the Imperial Guards existed.

The Imperial Guards, who guarded the palace, were nominally subordinate to the newly established capital camp, but in reality, they were independent.

Many sons of meritorious officials went to the Imperial Guard. Back then, Zhu Shikun also asked Li Rusong about his future plans, struggling with whether or not to join the Imperial Guard.

Li Rusong's face lit up with joy as he said:

"I need to get back to the garrison immediately. Where is Zhu Banzheng now?"

Zhu Shikun said:
"Annam Army, Cavalry Guard, Third Banner."

The Ministry of War streamlined the military system.

The main camp of the new army in the capital was divided into four armies: the Kelu Army, the Zhenbei Army, the Annam Army, and the Imperial Guard.

In addition to the Imperial Guard, each army was divided into three guards.

The guards were divided according to their military branches, namely cavalry, infantry, and artillery guards. There was also a special general affairs guard responsible for logistics, military discipline, and military medicine.

Each guard is directly assigned a captain, who is responsible for daily training.

Li Rusong also gave his unit number;

"The 15th Banner of the Kerulen Cavalry Guard!"

Both of them worked at the grassroots level, but Li Rusong felt that he had more in common with Zhu Shikun and felt much closer to him.

The two arrived at a secluded place, and Li Rusong asked:

Why did Brother Zhu go to the Annamite army?

Zhu Shikun honestly replied:

"I asked my elder brother to ask Su Hanlin. Su Hanlin said that if war were to break out in recent years, the only army that could be mobilized would be the Annam army."

"What!?"

Li Rusong was shocked.

But upon closer reflection, it seems that Su Hanlin's prediction was not wrong.

The Mongols had their spines broken by Qi Jiguang, and now the Mongol Khans are most interested in doing business with the Ming Dynasty.

Zhao Lun came from Datong. According to him, if he stayed in the Datong army, he wouldn't be able to fight for the next ten years.

Her father was in Liaodong. With the completion of the Tongliao Fortress, the connection between Liaodong and the grasslands was severed. In addition, with the introduction of new firearms by the imperial court, the influence of the Liaodong Jurchens diminished.

According to my father, Liaodong would later be in a state of "constant small battles, but no major battles".

The wars in Liaodong were mostly pacification campaigns and bandit suppression campaigns.

The only place that might be unsettled is the southwest.

The scandal involving the Duke of Qian's mansion in Yunnan reflects the court's declining control over the southwest, with local chieftains constantly rebelling in recent years.

Perhaps, as Su Hanlin predicted, if the Ming Dynasty were to have another major war in the next few years, it would only be in the southwest.

Li Rusong was somewhat envious, and he asked again:

"Does the Annamite army also have cavalry?"

Zhu Shikun said:
“The Annamite army also has cavalry, but the way cavalry is used is different from what we learned at the Military Academy. We have to learn it from scratch.”

"What is the difference?"

"The south is mountainous, making large-scale cavalry warfare virtually impossible, so cavalry mainly served as scouts."

"But the terrain in the southwest is complex, and the role of scouts is very important. Without the intelligence of scouts, it is difficult for infantry to carry out combat."

"Therefore, scouts were the most important in the Annam army, and many generals came from scout backgrounds."

"The Annamite army places great importance on cavalry. They have to learn a lot about reconnaissance, ambush, and field marching. In a few days, we will also go to the Taihang Mountains for training."

The two chatted for a while longer, when suddenly someone shouted:
"Brother Zhu!"

Zhu Shikun turned around and saw Mu Changyou.

Mu Changyou is the younger brother of the current Duke of Qian. He was originally going to enroll in the Martial Arts Academy.

However, no one knows what method the Duke of Qian's mansion used to directly place him into the Imperial Guard.

Zhu Shikun found this behavior of joining the Imperial Guard without ever having studied martial arts for a single day extremely distasteful.

Zhu Shikun simply greeted Mu Changyou and then took Li Rusong away, saying there was something to do at the military camp.

"Brother Zhu, is that the uniform of the Imperial Guard? How imposing!"

The Imperial Guards were the imperial guards who protected the emperor, and they wore custom-made military uniforms on a daily basis.

For junior officers like Zhu and Li, ordinary military uniforms were worn for training purposes. Even though they were issued dress uniforms, they were not as glamorous as Mu Changyou's.

Zhu Shikun introduced Mu Changyou and told him about his affairs, while Li Rusong showed a disdainful expression.

Zhu Shikun said, "Brother Li, don't you think Mu Changyou looks a lot like an animal from Yunnan?"

"what?"

"Peacock."

"Hahaha."

The two of them burst out laughing almost simultaneously.

The two eventually parted ways, agreeing to leave the camp together on their day off.

After leaving, Li Rusong murmured:

“Some people are determined to come to the capital from Yunnan, while others want to go to Yunnan from the capital. This world is really strange.”

(End of this chapter)