Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

Although Wang Changjian was a veteran of many battles, he had never been able to lead an army on his own. He knew nothing about the bandits of Dahushan and was unfamiliar with the environment around Fenglingtou Town. He didn't know how to start.

Many hands make light work. Wang Changjian couldn't figure anything out by himself, so he gathered the other agricultural administration team members together to discuss how to wipe out the bandits.

Agricultural officials had differing opinions:

"The bandits of Tiger Mountain are extremely ruthless; it's said they even dare to rob government escorts!"

"That's for sure. They're looking to take advantage of those wealthy people; who would dare not pay to ensure their safety?"

"They rarely robbed landlords and wealthy families; they mostly robbed merchants and caravans."

"Many ordinary people have been harmed, and how many innocent families has Tao Sanyong ruined?"

"The magistrate of the neighboring county offered a reward of one thousand taels of silver for Tao Sanyong's head... By the way, Tao Sanyong is already dead."

"You just remembered? Tao Sanyong was beheaded by General Liang a long time ago. I wonder if General Liang has gone to collect the reward money."

"If General Liang were to collect it, would the magistrate of the neighboring county dare to refuse?"

"Stop talking, I heard the magistrate of the neighboring county is preparing to surrender to the Restoration Army..."

Seeing the people below discussing amongst themselves but unable to offer any useful advice, Wang Changjian was so angry that his teeth ached, yet he was helpless.

If you can't come up with a good solution yourself, you can't blame others just because they can't think of one either, right?

At this moment, Liu Dazhu stepped forward and said, "Captain Wang, I've heard about that gang of thieves. After their leader, Tao Sanyong, died, the gang split into three factions. The faction that fled to the next town has about thirty people..."

At this point, an agricultural enforcement officer interrupted, saying, "We already know all of this. We can easily find out by asking around, but what's the use?"

"Yes, do you know how to deal with those thieves?"

Liu Dazhu shook his head and said, "I don't know how to deal with them, but if we encounter that group of thieves head-on, can we win?"

Everyone fell silent. Although they had been undergoing military training for half a month, apart from formations and ranks, they had only learned a few simple slashing and thrusting movements over and over again. No one knew how effective they would be in actual combat.

Even Wang Changjian was unaware that the military formations taught and trained every day came from Li Chengming, who modified Qi Jiguang's "Mandarin Duck Formation" into a simplified version.

Ten men formed a squad, and a squad was a combat unit. Four men carried spears, three carried pistols, and three carried long knives and shields.

This simplified version of the Mandarin Duck Formation is particularly suitable for small-scale group battles. The formation is flexible, easy to maneuver, and combines both long and short ranges, as well as offense and defense. It is suitable for combat in hilly areas and water towns in the south.

The key is that it can form combat power in a very short time, it is practically made for dealing with landlords' henchmen, bandits and mountain thieves.

Wang Changjian had been in the Xingfu Army for a long time and was familiar with many different military formations. He could naturally see the advantages and disadvantages of this small military formation: it was slightly insufficient to deal with regular troops, but it could be very effective against roving soldiers and scattered troops.

Wang Changjian had enough confidence in the agricultural administration team he had trained, so he said to Liu Dazhu, "If the numbers are roughly equal, we will definitely win! Even if the opponent has twice our numbers, we still have a better chance of winning!"

Wang Changjian was confident that every victory of the Restoration Army was won despite being outnumbered.

Even when the enemy outnumbered the Restoration Army by five or six times, they were still able to defeat them. That is the strength of the Restoration Army!

The agricultural administration team was also a branch of the restoration army. In Liang Zicheng's words, it was equivalent to a second-line force, which could be deployed to fight in critical moments.

Many agricultural officers did not believe what Wang Changjian said, and some even thought that the formations they practiced every day were too simple to kill the enemy.

Wang Changjian saw everyone's reactions but did not intend to explain. Initially, he, like everyone else, had questioned the training methods of the Xingfu Army, but in the end he understood the deeper meaning behind it.

It's normal for agricultural officers to have doubts; once they've experienced the battles, they'll understand the meaning of their daily hard training.

Liu Dazhu did not question what Wang Changjian said, or rather, he genuinely admired the Xingfu Army and never considered questioning it. Wang Changjian represented the Xingfu Army, so what he said must have made sense.

Liu Dazhu said, "Captain Wang, what other plan do we need to come up with? Once we find out where those thieves are, can't we just split up and attack them from several directions?"

No sooner had Liu Dazhu finished speaking than someone questioned, "Liu Dazhu, you're making it sound so simple. We can all figure it out. The problem is, we can hardly win even if we split our forces into one group, let alone split them into several groups."

Another person said, "Those are vicious bandits from Tiger Mountain. We are just honest farmers. How could we possibly defeat them so easily?"

"Exactly, although we don't want to admit it, at least half of us would be terrified if we saw blood."

Hearing this, Wang Changjian's face turned ugly, and he shouted, "Enough! I asked you all for ideas, and none of you said a word. I thought you were all pig-brains who couldn't come up with a solution."

Who knew you guys were such pigs in the head? You were all afraid of a bunch of thieves and thought we couldn't win. If word got out, you'd ruin my reputation!

We are the Restoration Army. When have we not won with fewer troops? When have we not been able to fight off ten enemies at once?

"They're just a bunch of petty thieves. If it weren't for minimizing casualties, I could have just led everyone in and stormed in; I could have won. Why would I need to call you all in for a discussion?"

Wang Changjian was really angry this time. After half a month of training, he thought the agricultural administration team had initially developed a certain combat capability, but who knew that these people were still cowards at heart!

Apart from Liu Dazhu.

After venting his anger, Wang Changjian calmed down and began to reflect on his own problems, and then he truly discovered them:

For the past two weeks, I've only been responsible for military training and teaching reading and writing, and I haven't learned much about the thoughts of the agricultural policy team members, nor have I had much private communication with them.

In short, the ideological work was not done well enough.

If Commander Liang finds out, the first person he'll scold is Wang Changjian himself!

Next, Wang Changjian recalled what Commander-in-Chief Li had said and repeated those words to the agricultural administration team members.

Wang Changjian spoke until his throat was dry, and the agricultural policy team members below were confused, just like Wang Changjian had reacted initially.

Wang Changjian also knew that talking without doing was not enough. The agricultural administration team needed to go through a real battle to remove everyone's lack of confidence and then transform them into true warriors.

"Everyone, gather all the information you've heard!" Wang Changjian instructed. "There are five classes in total. Each class leader should take one person and go to the next town tomorrow to inquire about the gang of thieves. Report the information you find to me by tomorrow night."

Wang Changjian had long served in the Xingfu Army and knew the importance of intelligence gathering.

It wasn't difficult to find out information about a group of bandits. By the next evening, everyone who had gone to the neighboring town to inquire about the situation had returned.

Wang Changjian compiled the information he had gathered and guessed that the number of bandits was approximately thirty to fifty, but probably no more than fifty.

The reason this gang of bandits occupied the neighboring town was because there was a mountain stronghold in the neighboring town. The stronghold was high and densely forested, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The bandits who originally occupied the stronghold were driven away by the Restoration Army. After learning that the Restoration Army had left, the bandits of Dahu Mountain took the opportunity to occupy the stronghold and used it as a base.

The reason the Restoration Army let the bandits of that mountain stronghold escape was because there was a little-known path leading directly down the mountain.

The hidden path was only discovered by the Restoration Army after they occupied the mountain stronghold.

Now that this alleyway has been exposed, Wang Changjian believes that with his prior arrangements, there is a high chance that he can completely wipe out this gang of bandits.

He then sent people out several more times to inquire about the mountain stronghold, and Wang Changjian even went to scout out the terrain around the stronghold himself, recording everything in detail.

Five days later...

Wang Changjian believed the time was ripe to take action, so he summoned the agricultural administration team for a final mobilization meeting.

After the mobilization meeting, the agricultural administration team members were divided into two groups. One group of 25 people, led by Wang Changjian, was responsible for a frontal assault. The other group of 25 people would ambush at the exit of the trail at the foot of the mountain.

Some agricultural administration team members were still afraid and timid, but Wang Changjian said that those who did not want to participate could choose to withdraw from the operation and leave the agricultural administration team!

Although many people complained privately about the bandit suppression campaign, not a single one of them actually withdrew from the agricultural administration team when asked to do so.

Although they possessed the shrewdness and timidity typical of small farmers, when faced with a greater cause, they valued face more than life itself. If they lost their lives, so be it; their families would be taken care of by the Restoration Army. But if they were branded as deserters, neither they nor their families could ever hold their heads high again.

All the agricultural administration team members were recruited by Liang Zicheng. It must be said that Liang Zicheng really knows how to select people.

Although Wang Changjian is not very good at ideological work, his ability to take action is no less than that of others.

After the mobilization meeting, he led his men directly to the bandit stronghold of Dahushan.

Following the old rules of the Restoration Army, they set off at dawn and launched their attack at daybreak.

So when the agricultural administration team launched an attack on the mountain stronghold, the lookouts were still completely bewildered: when did these villagers become so fierce?

The agricultural officers were not wearing the uniforms of the Restoration Army, so the thieves mistook them for villagers.

Although the bandits mainly robbed wealthy households, they also stole a lot of livestock from the villagers, including many of their oxen. Oxen were the most important resource for the poor, without exception. The surrounding people dared not speak out against this until someone went to the Xingfu Army to complain, and Liangzicheng learned about it.

Therefore, the decision to send the agricultural administration team to wipe out this gang of bandits was also due to considerable public resentment.

Once the agricultural administration team was assembled, they found that dealing with the thieves was as easy as cutting melons and vegetables, far exceeding their expectations.

The agricultural administration team members went from being afraid and uneasy at the beginning, even thinking of their last words, to being excited, thrilled, and even murderous in the end, all in just a few minutes.

At first, the bandits didn't take the villagers seriously when they discovered they were villagers. The lookout bandits gave a warning, and soon more than a dozen people rushed out of the mountain stronghold. These bandits carried large knives and looked at the agricultural administration team members as if they were a flock of sheep. The bandits firmly believed that as long as there was blood, the villagers who had finally gathered together would automatically scatter and run away.

The bandits had seen too many ordinary villagers trying to resist them. Unless they were completely enraged and there was no blood feud, these villagers could not truly unite.

Therefore, the bandits of Dahu Mountain acted with great restraint. They would rob and plunder, but they would try their best not to hurt or kill anyone.

If you're going to kill someone, then kill their whole family if you can.

Either don't do it at all, or do it thoroughly!

The bandits thought that the worst things they had done since arriving in this place were robbing a wealthy family of their money and slaughtering a few oxen. Compared to killing people, it wasn't too outrageous, so the villagers didn't dare to fight back.

The reality before their eyes was far beyond the bandits' expectations. These were no ordinary villagers. Several of them quickly gathered together, holding spears. Before they even got close, they were stabbed with bloody holes. If they managed to dodge the spears, they were met with short guns. If they managed to dodge the short guns, they would face a knife to the head!

After several bandits fell, no one dared to approach the "villagers" again.

The agricultural officers, far from being afraid of the blood, were instead roused by it. Seeing that the bandits dared not approach, they roared and charged into the mountain stronghold.

On the battlefield, every inch counts. Although this band of bandits was not weak, they often preferred to use broadswords and long knives in order to better intimidate unarmed civilians, and were naturally at a disadvantage when facing spears.

The bandits also had spears, but one or two spears couldn't make a difference. Because of their initial underestimation of the enemy, they failed to keep the agricultural administration team outside the village gate. When the agricultural administration team rushed in, they hacked and slashed wildly, and no one could stop them.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining bandits quickly packed up their valuables and slipped away through a side path. Before leaving, in order to prevent the agricultural administration team from pursuing them, they set fire to the village in an attempt to burn it down. Seeing this, the agricultural administration team had no choice but to give up the pursuit and organize firefighting first, leaving the rest to another team lying in ambush down the mountain.

On the other side, twenty-five agricultural administration team members, led by Liu Dazhu, lay in ambush on both sides of the road. Everyone stared nervously ahead, not daring to breathe too hard!

Liu Dazhu was not originally the squad leader. When he heard that they were going to suppress bandits, the original squad leader was worried and afraid and did not have the confidence to lead the battle, so he voluntarily gave up the position. Wang Changjian then appointed Liu Dazhu as the squad leader.

Liu Dazhu was never afraid from beginning to end. If the Restoration Army hadn't arrived, he might have starved to death one day. So he had a strange confidence in the Restoration Army.

Liu Dazhu believed that everything about the Restoration Army was good, that the Restoration Army's training methods were effective, and that such training could create a strong army.

Having joined the Restoration Army for about twenty days, Liu Dazhu was still tall and thin, but his thinness was now lean and wiry. His complexion was also much better than before, and he had gained a more resolute look, losing the weak and feeble demeanor he had at the beginning.

Wang Changjian recognized Liu Dazhu's confidence in the agricultural administration team and put him in charge of this blocking mission.

Liu Dazhu's eyes were bright and alert as he stared intently ahead, not daring to relax for a moment. He was waiting for the enemy to escape from here so he could deliver a fatal blow!

Just as everyone was getting impatient, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar.

The bandits have finally arrived!

Everyone held their breath, watching as the panicked bandits arrived. Liu Dazhu, holding a spear, was the first to jump out, followed by the other agricultural administration team members.

The bandits who had just escaped down the mountain were in such a hurry that before the agricultural administration team had even finished forming their ranks, one of them ran into the tip of a spear!

By the time the bandits realized what was happening, the agricultural officers had already formed a battle formation. Their tight organization, honed over more than half a month of training, ensured that no matter what they were thinking, they would immediately execute orders when they were given!

"kill!"

Liu Dazhu roared and thrust his spear forward!

Killing the enemy was easier than expected. After several charges, the agricultural officers found themselves no match for them, and the bandits fell one after another in the agricultural officers' attacks.

This group of bandits, who were eager to escape, were even easier to deal with than they had been in the mountain stronghold. When they saw the agricultural officers forming that strange military formation again, they were all terrified and lost all will to resist.

After a round of attacks by agricultural officers, more than a dozen bandits fell, as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

The remaining bandits then attempted to scatter and escape, but the terrain on both sides of the path was treacherous, and soon all the escaped bandits were captured and brought back, and more than a dozen of them were tied up together.

In the face of an organized army, bandits are nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs, nothing to be afraid of.