With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

In the era before roads and cars, horses were the fastest means of transportation for humans on land.

In war, the importance of cavalry is self-evident; a few thousand cavalrymen can determine the victory of a battle, or even the fate of a country.

It takes at least 2-3 years to train a qualified cavalryman to perfectly perform important tasks such as mounted archery, formation fighting, night combat, and long-distance raids.

Not only do people need to be trained, but warhorses also need to be trained. This requires not only money, but also time.

Li Tian has no shortage of money, but no time.

However, if horses are only used as a means of transportation for getting around, then it is much easier.

Upon arriving at the spacious western camp, a thousand cavalrymen demonstrated galloping and mounted archery on the training ground.

"Commander, what do you think of our cavalry? The horses are all warhorses captured from the Qing army. Many of the prisoners were originally cavalrymen. With the addition of some brothers in the army who can ride horses, the cavalry battalion is being built very smoothly."

"We have no problem with mounted archery and raids; at least we can be deployed to the battlefield immediately."

Yan Naichao spoke with pride as he introduced the cavalry battalion.

The formation of a unit involves personnel transfers and team integration, which he accomplished in a single day.

The soldiers currently training and demonstrating on the parade ground are all selected; the others have no intention of getting on horseback.

Li Tian glanced at it and frowned.

These cavalrymen were still the same as before, wearing armor, holding long spears, and carrying bows and arrows.

Long-range mounted archery, close-range spear use.

"This cavalry battalion is no good."

Li Tian spoke frankly, and Yan Naichao's smile immediately froze upon hearing this.

He selected only the elite, how could they not be good enough?

Many of the prisoners were skilled in riding and archery, but they were all demoted to low-ranking soldiers, and important positions were filled by their own people. Why was that?

"Commander, this cavalry force is built according to the current standards of the Qing army. It may not be as good as the Qing army's regular cavalry, but it is still an army that can be deployed to the battlefield." Yan Naichao was somewhat unwilling. He did not want the results of his hard work to be denied by a casual remark.

Li Tian glanced at Yan Naichao beside him; the feeling of having his efforts dismissed with a single sentence was not pleasant.

Loyal, but also emotional.

"I was a bit blunt, but you don't need to take it too seriously."

"You're focusing your efforts in the wrong direction. You've built this cavalry battalion perfectly, but I want to ask, what can this cavalry battalion do in tomorrow's operation?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Naichao immediately replied: "Cavalry is highly mobile and can pursue the enemy, conduct reconnaissance patrols, outflank and encircle them, cut off their supply lines, and protect their flanks on the main battlefield to prevent them from being outflanked by the enemy."

"What you said is very proper, but don't forget who we are. Don't be trapped by the limitations of the times. The Qing army has more cavalry than us, and their mobility and maneuverability are much better."

"Moreover, the enemy's cavalry is better coordinated, and I dare say that the Qing army's cavalry can crush this cavalry battalion."

Li Tian paused and continued, "So what we need is not traditional cavalry, but a modern cavalry. We have guns, advanced Hanyang rifles."

"If we treat horses as vehicles and use them as transport for artillery fire, our advantage will be even greater."

Li Tian made his point clear: he wanted to change this cavalry battalion.

By removing the heavy armor and spears and making them all lightly armed, the soldiers can be more mobile. They don't need to learn how to thrust or shoot from horseback; they only need to know how to stop, dismount, and fire a few shots from a distance with a Hanyang rifle. If the situation turns bad, they can escape immediately.

Isn't this much more powerful than traditional cavalry?

Yan Naichao's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and he instantly understood Li Tian's idea.

"The commander is brilliant!"

"But Commander, you previously gave orders that the Hanyang rifle is a secret and cannot be issued to anyone other than us."

The "we" in this context naturally refers to the 100,000 elite soldiers under Li Tian's command.

An unlimited supply of Hanyang rifles and bullets means that Li Tian possesses an unlimited supply of high-strength materials.

The metal parts of the Hanyang-made guns, such as the barrel, trigger, and receiver, were made of high-quality carbon steel, the bullet casings were made of metals such as copper and nickel, and the wood was black walnut, which is hard and has a clear grain.

There is also smokeless gunpowder made from nitrocellulose combined with chemical materials such as ethanol, ether, and diphenylamine.

All of the above materials are infinite.

From the moment the engineering department was established, Li Tian arranged for its staff to disassemble guns and ammunition every day to obtain these basic materials.

These materials are then reassembled to form a new weapon.

The engineering department has already used 50 steel and high-quality carbon steel to make mortar barrels, copper-nickel alloys to make mortar shells, and has stockpiled a large amount of smokeless powder for use in future equipment or other purposes.

As long as Li Tian gains a foothold in Jianning Prefecture, he is confident that he can completely crush everything.

The next challenge was how to govern the land of China.

"Then let our men replace the cavalry battalion. The main task of this cavalry battalion from now on will be fire support. They don't need to fight the enemy head-on. They just need to be fast."

"Yes, Commander."

Yan Naichao immediately followed Li Tian's orders and reorganized the cavalry battalion.

Of course, such a practice will provoke dissatisfaction among some people.

"Sir! I disagree! I'm a cavalryman, I've been riding horses since I was a child. I might not be the best archer, but there are definitely no more than five people in this battalion who can beat me. Why are you replacing me!"

"That's right, we all grew up on horseback. Asking us to fight on foot is a waste of our talents."

"We need to talk to the commander."

Although these people spoke loudly, they were still restrained and did not swear.

This could have happened during a mutiny by the Qing army.

But this was a new army, with strict discipline and clear rewards and punishments, and with its particularly advanced muskets, no one dared to do anything particularly offensive.

Yan Naichao frowned; "Are you trying to disobey military orders?"

The dark-faced man who was leading the group turned pale with fright and quickly waved his hands. "Commander Yan, we didn't mean that. We just want to know a reason."

"There is no other explanation; the commander's orders are the explanation!"

"Wang Xin!"

"Here!" Cavalry Battalion Commander Wang Xin immediately came out, his head bowed, not daring to look at Yan Naichao.

If the soldiers you lead contradict their superiors, you're bound to get a scolding.

Yan Naichao's cold gaze fixed on Wang Xin, making the latter feel immense pressure.

"Go to other armies to select people who can ride horses. The requirements are not high; as long as they can ride, that's fine. We need to select one thousand people, and it must be completed before tonight."

"Yes, Commander! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"

After the cavalry battalion was reorganized for a while, Li Tian went to visit the Shenji Battalion, the Vanguard Battalion, and the Rearguard Battalion.

The cannons in the Shenji Battalion were all captured, enough to equip a thousand men. In particular, there were thirty cannons of various types captured from the Ming army, including seventeen of the best-used breech-loading cannons.

The vanguard battalion consisted entirely of prisoners and new recruits, all equipped with exceptionally fine gear, each wearing triple armor.

The new army captured a lot of armor, but these were useless to them, so they were all given to the Longxiang First Army.

"Commander, what should we do with the cavalry that were replaced?" After assigning tasks to the cavalry battalion, Yan Naichao immediately followed Li Tian.

"Send them all to the vanguard battalion; those with excellent horsemanship can be transferred to the scouts."

"Yes, Commander."

After inspecting the military camp, Li Tian returned to the operations command room and immediately began to formulate the operational plan for the day after tomorrow.