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Chapter 681: The Decline of the Cavalry

"The army has been established for many years, but it is still so disorganized when faced with a major war. The students are guilty!" Ding Shun gritted his teeth, mustered up his courage again, leaned his head closer, and repeated what he had just said.

"...When did you learn to retreat in order to advance? This is not a good habit. If you want to take credit, just say it directly. Why do you have to beat around the bush?"

This time Hong Tao heard it clearly and turned to look at the battlefield. Just five or six rounds of shooting had completely curbed the Mongolian cavalry's charge. Without relying on artillery, using only rifles to achieve this level, it should be given a passing grade.

"...What I mean is..." The answer was irrelevant to the question, which made Ding Shun a little hesitant. He didn't know whether he should take the initiative to admit his mistake for the third time.

"I know what you are talking about. This is a battle. At the very least, it concerns life. At the most, it concerns the fate of the country. Don't let superficial things sway you. In the end, fighting is a competition of efficiency in killing the enemy. It requires strict discipline and uniformity. In the end, it is also about improving efficiency, not looking good."

Originally, Hong Tao didn't want to talk more about this issue, mainly because the environment was too noisy and he would have to shout to speak, which was not in the manner of a scholar. But judging from Ding Shun's intention, he must be worried if he didn't explain it clearly, so he decided to say a few more words.

"But the Army Drill Manual has clear regulations on shooting rhythm and uniformity."

If it was Du Wenhuan, he would have stopped talking after hearing the emperor's personal promise that he was innocent. It didn't matter whether he was right or wrong. It was perfect if he could be right under the premise that the emperor was not wrong.

But Ding Shun did not shut up, and continued to dwell on the details, even bringing up the Army Drill Manual. This was written by the emperor himself, and now the situation is very complicated. If there is nothing wrong with the drill manual, then the emperor must have made a mistake, and someone must be wrong.

"...Yes...well...that's easy. I'll revise it after I go back. It's my fault for neglecting to revise it in time. Come on, sit down and think about it carefully. If there are any practical problems that are inconsistent with the manual, please raise them together. Wang Chengen, prepare to record them!"

This really stumped Hong Tao. He pinched his chin and thought carefully, and had to admit that he was wrong. The Army Drill Manual was modified from the Marine Guard Drill Manual, and the Marine Guard Drill Manual was written before he became the crown prince.

When writing, there was no plan to play with rifled guns right away, but to first make a batch of muzzle-loading smoothbore guns, which could both train soldiers and cultivate craftsmen.

The problem is that plans cannot keep up with changes. Rifled rifles came out ahead of time, as did Minié bullets with fixed charges, but the shooting requirements for soldiers in the drill manual were still at the stage of muzzle-loading smoothbore rifles.

A rifle that can fire five or six times a minute with a standard requirement of two or three times a minute will definitely cause confusion and bewilderment to the soldiers.

"Your Majesty, let's wait until after the war for the students to report in detail!" It was not unusual for Ding Shun to see the emperor admit his mistakes in person. He had seen this many times in the Haihu Division and was used to it. It was precisely because of this that he knew the emperor would not punish him, so he dared to ask in person.

But it's one thing to respond casually, and another to sit down and discuss it carefully. This is a battlefield, and there are several times more enemy troops attacking around, so you should be able to tell which is more important.

"Tsk, you look so ignorant. You call this a battlefield? In my eyes, this is a massacre, a group of well-trained butchers killing a group of unarmed herdsmen. If you are required to command this, then the officers below the rank of thousand households can be dismissed. What's the use of them?" Faced with the reminder from his subordinates, Hong Tao did not restrain himself at all. He sat on the roof of the van with a pout, his eyebrows uneven, the flesh on his face squeezed into a ball, and every wrinkle was filled with contempt.

At this time, the first wave of the Mongolian cavalry's attack had died down. The huge casualties frightened the brave herdsmen, and they turned their horses around and ran back without waiting for the commander to give the order to retreat. They came quickly and left quickly, leaving behind only thousands of corpses of people and horses. Some of them might not be dead yet, but they couldn't hold out for too long.

The retreat lasted for more than half an hour without any movement. It was estimated that the Mongolian generals were also stunned. They didn't know what weapons the Ming army used that could accurately injure people from more than a hundred steps away, and were particularly vicious. Once hit, a bloody hole would be left, and no armor would be of any use.

But it was not in their interest and character to withdraw just like that, so they had to charge twice more, no matter how likely they were to win. So they began to gather the cavalry and adjust the formation.

"Your Majesty, there are two large black-tasseled flags to the west and east, and the people under them are wearing neat armor. They should be Mongolian lieutenant generals. If we can use artillery to concentrate fire, it may be effective!"

Hong Tao and Ding Shun were whispering while sitting on the roof of the car, which had attracted Du Wenhuan's attention. As soon as the Mongols withdrew, he hurried over to listen to what they were saying.

But he couldn't just leave his post and get close to the emperor without a reason, so he had to find a reasonable excuse. Actually, it couldn't be called an excuse. When the Mongols just charged, he noticed the situation a mile away. After a period of observation, he came up with an idea after confirming that it was correct.

"No, they will flee in all directions and I won't be able to catch up. Don't fire a single shot unless it's absolutely necessary, just use your muskets to fire slowly. Go and inform the centurions to control the firing rate according to the enemy situation. Don't leave them any chances, let the enemy get closer, even past the first line of defense.

Remember, this battle is to destroy as many enemy forces as possible, and it is best to drag them here. You can discuss the specifics on the side. Find a Jingyang Five Styles, I want to practice my spear skills!"

This is called being clever. Since the emperor was able to command the army to attack Nurhaci's elite Jurchens from the front and back, and there was a large telescope standing next to him, there was no reason why he could not see the banner a mile away, and he did not need anyone to remind him.

Hong Tao would not pursue why Du Wenhuan came here to show off his cleverness, but the death order must be clearly issued. I have traveled thousands of miles to be bait, and you are satisfied with a little catch. You lift the float up to check as soon as it moves, and scare the big fish away. That would be a waste of work.

Near noon, the Mongolian cavalry finally made their second attempt. Although they had not read many books, they were no less stupid than the well-read scholars. With the lesson learned from the last time, they quickly found a simple and effective solution.

The charge formation of several horizontal rows was changed into more than a dozen vertical rows, which greatly reduced the personnel density and impact area without affecting the attack speed and intensity.

However, although it was effective, it could not completely eliminate the generation gap in weapons. When the army discovered this change, the new order was quickly passed on to the centurions level through flag signals.

Then the soldiers' shooting speed increased significantly, but the density decreased. The original two-stage shooting was changed to four stages, and the damage to the column was also strengthened. Every moment, there were bullets flying towards the people and horses at the front of the queue.

(End of this chapter)