Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

Warhorses neighed, wounded soldiers howled, and the barren, dry grass of the northern desert absorbed the nutrients brought by the blood.

Human blood contains salt, which most species lack. This is why wild animals should not be allowed to eat human flesh, otherwise they will become addicted to the sensation.

Picking up a severed limb, Li Yuanheng could still see the dark blue cuff, the sleeve patch of a low-ranking Qing officer. The man had only been dead for a short time; his arm was still warm.

"Brother, we killed quite a few Qing dogs this time, a full six hundred dog heads, piled up into a mound of skulls, truly magnificent!!"

"It just means we'll have to work a bit harder."

Hu Wu chewed on his dry rations. The storable naan bread had become the best military ration for the entire army. Only a few generals, such as Li Yuanheng, could eat naan bread like Hu Wu's, which was coated with sesame oil and filled with dried meat.

"If we could capture Datong City, that would be truly magnificent!!"

He took the broken piece of naan bread from Hu Wu and took a big bite:

"How's the regrouping of the routed soldiers going?"

"We only caught about half of them. We probably can't catch the rest. In the vast northern desert, there's no way we can catch them no matter what we do."

Hu Wu shook his head. This is the drawback of fighting on the grasslands. It is almost impossible to fight like the Central Plains by relying on a large number of surrendered troops. After all, if you can't win, can't you just run away?

"How much is half?"

"We have about seven or eight hundred people. If we recruit some more herders from the surrounding area, we can easily expand to a thousand or more."

Considering the three or four hundred men lost just now, the Eagle Wolf Army has not only not decreased but has expanded to about three thousand five or six thousand. If the later herdsmen are also included, it is probably close to five thousand men.

This can be considered a perk of fighting on the grasslands. If you fight fast and win, you can naturally attract more men and horses. Conversely, if you lose, those small tribes of herders who voluntarily surrender will be the first to run away.

"All captured weapons and arrows should be stored away. They should not be fully issued until a major battle. Even newly recruited soldiers should first be mixed in with the veterans. Do not be careless."

"Don't worry, brother, I have experience with this kind of thing, why wouldn't I do it?"

"Better safe than sorry."

"Yes, sir!!"

Watching Hu Wu's grinning figure as he left, Li Yuanheng wiped the crumbs from the corner of his mouth before plunging into the newly built military tent.

The military tent was not large, and could only accommodate five or six people at most. In the center was a small table with several ledgers on it. The one on top was the "Soldier Record", which recorded the names of everyone from "camp generals" like Hu Wu to centurions and even lowly soldiers and cooks.

As for the title of "Bingjiang" (营将), it was actually the previous name. Just a few days ago, Li Yuanheng couldn't sleep at night and kept thinking that the army would inevitably expand in the future, and this simple military system would not be enough sooner or later, so he made a complete reform.

The newly introduced military system is based on the number of personnel. Ten men form a squad, headed by a squad leader. One hundred men form a team, headed by a team leader. In fact, the position of team leader existed before, but the so-called teams one through four were temporary or deemed inappropriate and were later abolished. Now that they have been reinstated, the importance of the team as the basic unit has been fully established.

The fourth to sixth teams formed a battalion, headed by a battalion commander, also known as the "Wolf Commandant," because the flag was made with a wolf's head. Later, Li Yuanheng changed the wolf to "Lang" for the sake of elegance, so the full name became Lang Commandant, taking the meaning of the ancient Zhonglang General.

The Eagle Division Battalion that was brought in earlier had mostly been converted into musketeers, and there was even an extra artillery unit with eight cannons. So, except for the artillery unit, the rest of the battalion was simply broken up and reorganized into four large battalions according to the current 3,000-man organization, each with six teams under it. Each team had a musketeer team of 100 men. Four of the other five teams were cavalry, and only one team was converted into swordsmen and shieldmen. Strong and physically qualified men were selected to carry large swords and heavy shields to protect the musketeers on the flanks.

Of course, they would ride horses normally, except when fighting, they were basically always on horseback, ready to serve as cavalry at any time.

Besides these four main battalions, the remaining six hundred men were designated as reserve troops. They participated in battles during peacetime, but their main role was to herd horses and ensure the supply of materials. However, in the event of a major battle, their purpose was to replenish the other four battalions with manpower and serve as reserve auxiliary troops.

Now, with another batch of people to be added, if they are all crammed into the Fourth Battalion in a short period of time, it will not only cause organizational chaos due to the uncontrolled expansion, but also lead to command chaos.

Therefore, as soon as he sat down, Li Yuanheng picked up his pen and wrote on the decree:

"The three armies—front, middle, and rear—are reorganized. Any additions to the army in the future are prohibited without imperial decree, or if any of the four battalions are short-staffed. Anyone who disobeys this order will be executed!!"

After finishing writing, he shouted outside, and immediately a personal guard delivered the order with a wolf-hair brush to each of the four officers.

Hu Wu, the most senior officer and even Li Yuanheng's deputy, casually shouted to the guards:

"After you've finished reading it, remember to give me the token. I have a bad memory, so I have to keep it on my person so that my eldest brother can remind me at any time."

Although it was a joke, it revealed the relationship between the two to the newly promoted old subordinates. Despite Hu Wu’s vulgar appearance and fierce demeanor in the eyes of outsiders, Li Yuanheng sometimes had no way to deal with him.

The saying "rough on the outside but meticulous on the inside" perfectly describes a ruthless killer like Hu Wu.

"Young General, a messenger has arrived by hawk."

The so-called eagle message is actually a tradition of the grasslands. On the grasslands, there are neither post stations nor government offices. Communication between people relies on horses or itinerant merchants, and the fastest means of communication is the eagle.

The falconers on the grasslands will train the falcons to be familiar with their surroundings and teach them to navigate, enabling them to travel for dozens of miles around.

As for why it's not a hundred miles, that's almost impossible, because eagles are known for their rebellious nature. They might reflexively deliver the message within a few dozen miles, but if they fly longer, getting them to return basically depends on their relationship with their owner.

Upon receiving the letter, the wolf's head on the postmark immediately revealed its origin: a large force from the rear had arrived.

The signature was written in Mongolian. My predecessor had learned Mongolian as a child, so he could understand what it was. There was only one line at the top:

"Nyaz Ubaidulanayan".

[That Yan signifies a military and political leader.]

-------

Inside the huge military tent, bonfires blazed, and accompanied by singing and dancing, everyone present praised each other in a joyful atmosphere.

The leader, Niyaz, raised aloft a wine cup inlaid with a human skull and sang a call to action:

"Bless the great Khan for winning our first victory!"

"May the Great Khan stay young forever."

May the Great Khan forever be wise!

"May the Great Khan always be healthy and have ten more children."

"Ha ha----"

As an untimely voice rang out, all those bearing noble titles, including Niyaz, burst into laughter. The laughter had barely subsided when a voice outside began to speak:

"Bater, the future Zaisang, Burke's eldest son, Altay Yulduz Timur, General Li has arrived!!"

If the previous titles and names were acceptable, then the title "General Li" was a blatant declaration of his Han Chinese identity, instantly silencing the whispers of mixed Turkic and Han people that had been circulating during the registration process.

Niyaz, seated at the head of the table, grasped the skull cup, hesitated for a moment, and then extended his right hand:

"Please invite Batel into the tent for a feast and to join us in our merriment."

The word "Bater" acknowledged Li Yuanheng's bravery and dispelled the unease that General Li had just caused. This made Bileg and Zhuo Ismail, who had been observing, nod in approval.

The tent flap was lifted, and the first thing that caught the eye was a black riding boot. As the boot turned to the side, the figure became clear: dragon-like eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes, with a perfectly trimmed mustache and a dark black round-necked military robe. The combination of the robe and the wolf-fur hat made him the center of attention as soon as he entered the tent.

Niyaz, the leader, praised Li Yuanheng even before Li Yuanheng had paid his respects:

"What a handsome silver wolf who descended from the Gold Mountain! If I had a daughter, I would definitely marry her to you!!"

"Please take a seat, no need for formalities."

Li Yuanheng gave a short bow before taking his seat. As soon as he sat down, a servant brought him mutton, fresh fruit, and a pot of hot wine.

"Bater, you've worked hard. You just defeated the Jurchen dogs this morning and arrived this afternoon. We have truly neglected you!!"

"To be honest, we are only able to enjoy this banquet because of your victory, Batel. Otherwise, how could we possibly have the face to eat here?"

Before he could even settle in, Niyaz was already praising Li Yuanheng.

Feeling the scrutiny and jealousy surrounding him, Li Yuanheng, already accustomed to such occasions, raised his glass and said:

"It is all thanks to the blessing of the Eternal Heaven and the wisdom of the Great Khan. You will all be like this in the future, and you will probably all win big."

Niyaz didn't understand what "win ma" meant, but he sensed from the phrase that it meant someone was not to be trifled with. He then smiled and introduced each person present to Li Yuanheng:

"This is Bileghe Zhuo Ismail, a famous sage in the northern frontier."

"This is Shabolu Wumai'erjiang----"

"this----"

After introducing seven or eight people, it would be impossible for Li Yuanheng to remember all their names, but he remembered the two Burkes introduced at the very beginning very clearly.

After all, if I'm not mistaken, these two people, along with Niyaz, are the core of the entire 10,000-strong team.

"We've been here so long, and we still don't know what Bart's plans are."

Following the sound, one could see a middle-aged man with a white beard but a relatively youthful complexion; this man was none other than Bileg and Jo Ismail.

Their eyes met, and after seven or eight seconds of silence, Li Yuanheng finally spoke:

"We should gather the surrounding Mongol tribes, expand our forces, and quickly attack Yulin, which borders Shaanxi."

"Once we deal with the border troops in Shaanxi, we can enter Datong or raid along the route."

"A swift attack on Yulin? Yulin is an important border town in the north of the Qing Dynasty. There are still cities and heavy troops around it, as well as hundreds of thousands of civilians. How can we attack it so quickly? Has Batel been blinded by victory? ----"

This wasn't said by Bileg Khoja, but by Shabolue Wumaijiang, who immediately launched into a lecture in the tone of someone with experience:

"You're still young. Don't think you understand everything just because you've won a few times. Things in this world are difficult!!"

Seeing that "learning from Lao Tzu" attitude, Li Yuanheng didn't get angry but laughed instead:

"Are all the people in the Northern Frontier like yourself, old and incompetent?"

"You brat, how dare you!!"

Sha Bo was so angry that he stood up and threw his wine cup at Li Yuanheng. However, he missed and Li Yuanheng retaliated by throwing his own wine cup at him, hitting Sha Bo on the calf. Sha Bo cried out and fell to the ground, drawing frequent glances from the onlookers.

Niyaz and Bileghe exchanged a glance and then stepped in to smooth things over. One said they were all on the same side and not to get angry, while the other pretended to be angry and said they should all be punished.

Li Yuanheng saw this scene and kept it in mind. Considering the current composition of the team, it was not surprising.

After all, the Khan's faction, led by Niyaz, now holds the main force, with Bileg and Jo being second. These two are in cahoots, and the weakest, Shaboluo, naturally becomes their target for suppression. After all, when it comes to food, there will naturally be a question of who eats more and who eats less.

The weaker party is certainly unwilling to take less, while the stronger party is also unwilling to give up something to balance people's hearts, so naturally they will try to sow discord.

This external force of one's own makes one the perfect target. It not only creates hatred and suppresses the weaker party, but also allows one to become dependent on both of them due to the conflict. It's a win-win situation, so why not?

His deliberate outburst of anger just now actually pleased those two old foxes.

Thinking of this, Li Yuanheng took the initiative to speak:

"If we attack Yulin, I'm willing to be the vanguard, but on the condition that I get half of the spoils."