Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 210 Insufficient Firepower and Palpitation [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Older men often have a tendency to be know-it-alls.

Although Zeng Xian was only in his forties, he couldn't help but fall into the trap of conventionality when facing Yan Maoqing, who was about the same age as his son, had a humble attitude, and spoke in a very pleasant manner.

However, Yan Maoqing was, after all, a superior, and he remembered to be mindful of his manner of speaking, saying rather subtly:
"The heroic battalion trained by Minister Yan has impressed me greatly."

"However, if it were me training troops, I would probably pay more attention to the combination of weapons and firearms, and the pairing of long weapons and short weapons, so that we can attack from a distance and defend up close, thus ensuring our invincibility."

Yan Maoqing immediately realized that Zeng Xian had indeed visited the Jixia Academy and seen the Heroes' Camp, and was now clearly reminding him of the unreasonable troop composition.

He meant well, at least he was offering advice based on his experience in leading troops.

Unlike some people with ulterior motives who, despite knowing there are problems with his hero's camp, only offer flattering words while secretly harboring the intention of watching from the sidelines.

However, Yan Maoqing had previously conducted a careful analysis and believed that the Hero Battalion was now close to the complete form of the "Lobster Soldiers" in terms of both weaponry and the ratio of military branches.

Moreover, with the departure date approaching, it is unlikely that the training plan can be changed in the short term.

Otherwise, it may not only bring no benefits, but may also shake the morale of the officers and soldiers of the Hero Battalion, and have a negative impact on their morale.

So Yan Maoqing smiled, sat down, and asked:
"If both sides have two thousand soldiers, I wonder what their chances of winning would be if Imperial Censor Zeng's personally trained troops were to fight my Heroic Battalion head-on?"

"This……"

Zeng Xian was taken aback when he heard this; he hadn't really thought about this question carefully.

He hadn't even seen the tactics and strategies of the Heroes' Battalion. Just now, after hearing Shen Kun and Gao Gong talk about the troop composition of the Heroes' Battalion, he judged from experience that such an army had great flaws and immediately rejected it entirely.

Now that Yan Maoqing had suddenly asked this question, especially about his chances of winning, he was at a loss for words.

"Now that the entire Heroes' Battalion is equipped with new-style muskets, which can easily pierce a 100-pound wooden shield from thirty paces away, how could Imperial Censor Zeng lead his troops to charge to the front of the Heroes' Battalion and engage them in close combat?"

Yan Maoqing then asked another question.

"If we replace it with a cavalry charge, then perhaps..."

Zeng Xian pondered Yan Maoqing's question.

"The Hero Battalion employs a three-stage rotation firing tactic, capable of firing a dense barrage of at least four hundred bullets in a single volley, and ensuring rotation firing every three breaths."

Yan Maoqing then added,

"The terrain is suitable for cavalry charges, and the Heroes' Camp can also rearrange and spread out their formation."

"At most, it can guarantee a dense barrage of 800 bullets in one volley, and can also ensure a rotation of fire every three breaths. If we do not consider the issue of continuous fire, it can ensure that two volleys of pre-loaded bullets are unleashed before the cavalry get close, at an even faster speed."

"The new arquebus can easily pierce a 100-pound wooden shield from thirty paces away, and even the iron armor of cavalry cannot withstand it."

"After two rounds of bombardment, what do you think of your cavalry's casualties? Are they still able to maintain their formation, morale, and courage to advance?"

"..."

After hearing these words, Zeng Xian was speechless for a moment.

In the past, cavalry had the advantage over musketeers because musketeers' firepower was not dense enough, their reloading speed was slow, and their firing was unsustainable.

But if the musketeers had a firing rate of once every three breaths.

If cavalry cannot deceive musketeers into firing by harassing and luring them into a tedious and slow reloading process, then the cavalry's advantage will indeed be greatly reduced.

Most importantly, even in a head-on assault, the casualty rate issue mentioned by Yan Maoqing should not be underestimated.

Based on his past experience in leading troops, even for elite forces, once the casualty rate reaches 20% or 30%, the morale of the army will be reduced by more than half, making it difficult to continue fighting.

Once the casualty rate exceeds 30%, the morale of the army is close to collapse.

At this point, even the most experienced general would likely be unable to control the situation, and his troops would inevitably suffer a large-scale rout, making the outcome of the battle clear.

In other words, if the number of soldiers is also two thousand.

A musketeer army like Yan Maoqing's, capable of striking first after being caught off guard, could very well launch an attack that would shatter the enemy's morale and render them powerless to retaliate.

but……

"If there were chariots to reinforce the lines..."

Sweat began to trickle down Zeng Xian's temples, but he still spoke with resentment.

"Therefore, I have prepared six replicas of the Franco cannons. The Franco cannons can also be used to attack cities. I wonder if the wooden chariots, which are only covered with a thin layer of iron and still require animal or human power to pull, can withstand the artillery fire?"

Yan Maoqing then asked,

"How could Imperial Censor Zeng's troops, relying on chariots, approach our army?"

"..."

At this moment, Zeng Xian finally realized that the young man in front of him was not as naive as he looked.

Although this heroic battalion looked "unconventional," it was not as useless as he imagined; at least it was a firearms army that intended to maximize firepower.

So, Yan Maoqing wanted to forge the sharpest spear in the world?

So, setting aside those scattered and unruly soldiers, could the Ming army find a suitable shield to match them?
Having witnessed the widespread corruption and decadence of the Ming army's border posts and capital camps, Zeng Xian suddenly felt somewhat insecure. Unless there was a talented general like Yan Maoqing who could recruit and train soldiers from scratch in a targeted manner, he couldn't think of any existing Ming army that could guarantee a fight against such an army.

the most important is.

He had previously thought that Yan Maoqing had not considered these issues at all, and had simply put his mind to it and trained such a "neither fish nor fowl" army.

But now it seems that Yan Maoqing has clearly conducted a series of simulations, taking into account almost every aspect, and has done his utmost to perfect the army's tactics and strategies. However…

"Did your ancestors ever lead troops? Are you a member of the military?"

Zeng Xian asked subconsciously.

Seeing that Zeng Xian was no longer discussing military matters, Yan Maoqing did not mention the triangular bayonet mounted on the self-propelled musket for close combat. He simply smiled and shook his head, saying:

“My ancestors were not in the military, and none of them had ever led troops.”

"Therefore, Yan Butang's ideas have not yet been tested in actual combat. At present, apart from training troops, they are still in the stage of Yan Butang's imagination."

Zeng Xian finally found a breakthrough and suddenly felt a little more confident.

"..."

Yan Maoqing could tell from the sound that Zeng Xian still had some reservations.

However, he could never tell Zeng Xian that this battle tactic had been tested in actual combat for hundreds of years in later generations.

At the same time, he also realized that Zeng Xian at this time did not have much experience in leading troops in actual combat, especially in his understanding of firearms in the army.

Otherwise, he should be asking why the "new-style musket" mentioned by Yan Maoqing could fire in rotation every three breaths, rather than these questions.

Anyone familiar with the firearms currently in service with the military would have serious doubts about the rate of fire mentioned by Yan Maoqing.

However, this is understandable.

After all, during this period, Zeng Xian only participated in the suppression of rebellions in Liaoyang and Guangning, and had not yet served as the commander of Yanmen Pass or the governor of Shanxi.

Strictly speaking, Zeng Xian should also be considered a civil official with military status.

This is the same as Shen Kun and Gao Gong. They only had the opportunity to rise in the world after passing the imperial examination. Their military skills also came from the influence of their ancestors.

Then Yan Maoqing laughed:

“What Imperial Censor Zeng said is correct. I am now just talking on paper.”

"Minister Yan, that was not my intention..."

Zeng Xian finally realized that what he had just said seemed a bit inappropriate. This damned competitive spirit might cause his relationship with Yan Maoqing to deteriorate. So he looked embarrassed and tried to make excuses.

"However, Censor Zeng is unaware of the fact that I am actually ill."

Yan Maoqing interrupted him, then laughed and said,
"This disease is called 'fright syndrome due to insufficient fire energy.' Xu ​​Shen, the director of the Imperial Medical Academy, personally diagnosed me and asserted that I was terminally ill."

"To alleviate my symptoms, I must be constantly accompanied by firearms."

"The more firearms around me, the denser the bullets fired, and the stronger the smell of gunpowder, the more at ease I can feel. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll die of fear before I'm thirty."

"That's why I took the opportunity to train such an army to alleviate such a terminal illness."

Zeng Xian was taken aback upon hearing this, and his eyes widened in surprise:

"Is there really such a rare and incurable disease in the world?"

He strongly suspected that Yan Maoqing was talking nonsense to him, but he couldn't find any evidence for the time being.

After all, Xu Shen, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, was not a fictional character. After returning to the capital, he had already heard of Xu Shen's reputation as a divine doctor. He was an unparalleled doctor who could even cure tuberculosis!

That said, the tuberculosis that Xu Shen cured seems to be the same tuberculosis that Yan Maoqing suffered from...

“Censor Zeng should know that gunpowder was originally made by alchemists, hence the word ‘medicine’ in it. Since it is ‘medicine’, it naturally has corresponding symptoms, but these symptoms are not common.”

But then Yan Maoqing, with a solemn expression, rose and bowed respectfully.

"This matter is not something to be told to outsiders. Today, I met Imperial Censor Zeng and we hit it off immediately, so I opened my heart and told him the truth. Please keep this a secret for me, Imperial Censor Zeng."

"Therefore, if the Heroes' Battalion is not up to the task after this expedition."

"I would be most grateful if Censor Zeng would go out of his way to provide assistance. You can ask me for any credit you may offer."

Yan Maoqing was not a blindly confident or stubborn person.

The Hero Battalion, after all, was somewhat experimental. As an experiment, it inevitably had some oversights and minor flaws that needed to be gradually improved through actual combat.

Therefore, he certainly wouldn't mind having an extra layer of insurance for himself and the Heroes' Camp at this moment, and hoping to retire and return to his hometown to live a peaceful life in the future.

Even after learning that Zeng Xian was the one who transported military supplies and provisions for him this time, he had carefully considered how to get Zeng Xian more credit, thereby stopping Zhu Houcong from promoting him further. If he could achieve his goal of retiring and returning to his hometown in one fell swoop, that would be even better...

"Minister Yan, you flatter me. It is my duty, how could I not do my best?"

Zeng Xian quickly stood up to return the greeting.

It turns out that even Yan Maoqing understands that I am the commander without a talisman for this trip. Now I not only feel relieved, but I also feel a little heartened.
The Emperor has shown me such favor; I will certainly not fail in my mission!

However, speaking of which, Yan Butang's life has really been full of twists and turns.

He contracted tuberculosis at a young age, but luckily he met a miraculous doctor like Xu Shen who cured him of tuberculosis, which was considered incurable.

As a result, he contracted this strange and incurable disease, and if he did not live to the age of thirty, he would not survive.

It's true what they say: misfortune always seems to strike at its weakest point, and bad luck always seems to target the unfortunate...

This disease shouldn't be contagious, right?
(End of this chapter)