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Chapter 1 Not to be afraid of

Zhao Bing can be said to have brought fear of cavalry since his previous life. At that time, when it comes to ancient wars, cavalry was simply the king on the battlefield. Moreover, the powerful dynasties in all dynasties all had an iron cavalry, and the cavalry of the nomadic peoples has always been an unforgettable dream haze for the farming dynasties in the Central Plains, especially the Mongolian cavalry is a legend on the Eurasian continent, so in his impression, ancient war cavalry was difficult to defeat.

However, Zhao Bing encountered the pursuit of cavalry the day before he traveled. Seeing those volunteers defeated the Mongolian cavalry, the little yellow sects who protected him were like paper under the impact of war horses, and he almost died under the iron hoofs of war horses. This deepened his impression, but in order to survive, he racked his brains. The crossbows, artillery, muskets, etc. were all tinkered with this fear. There was no reason for moving to Qiongzhou. After all, war horses could not swim across the sea.

When Zhao Bing was training, he always aimed at defeating the Mongolian cavalry, and he also thought hard about the strategy to defeat the enemy. As a modern person, he had advanced insights and meticulous thinking of science students. He combined ancient and modern battle examples and personally took command, trying to find a strategy to defeat the enemy from the strategic and tactical aspects, and even every small detail.

After years of hard work, Zhao Bing really had some experience. When he was learning to ride and shoot, he discovered an interesting phenomenon. In ancient times, cavalry usually inserted arrows into a bag and shot one branch, but many people didn't like this method, so they took two arrows in their left hand and held the bow handle, pulled the arrow full and shot from their right hand, and then took the arrow from their left hand and shot again. There are three main types of shooting methods they practice, namely, the mane shooting method, the thrust shooting method and the thrust shooting method. In addition, some elites can also practice shooting left and right.

The mane split shooting method is used to attack the enemy in front during charge or setting. The cavalry approaches the body to the right side of the horse's hair, and then holds the bow with his left hand and pulls the string with his right hand to lead the shooting, so it is called the mane split shooting method. The method of wiping the bead is different from the previous type. The bead means a belt tied behind the buttocks of the livestock. As the name suggests, this is the shooting method of attacking the pursuers behind him when moving. The cavalry approaches the body to the left side of the horse, and then sets a bow and arrow and turns to shoot.

The method of shooting at the enemy's infantry is an attack method when surrounding the formation and surrounding them. It is also the method of riding at the general public. Since it is surrounded by formation rather than charging in front, the cavalry can only shoot arrows on the side. The cavalry will draw their bodies close to the left side of the horse, bow down to the stirrup on the left, and then pull the bow with the arrow in the right hand, aim and fire, so it is called the method of shooting at the opposite end.

Everyone knows that the two hands of a person are divided into the main and deputy, and most people have right-handed hands. After all, there are a few people who can shoot left and right. Therefore, when cavalry shoot archers, they hold the bow in their left hand and pull the string in their right hand to shoot. Therefore, when shooting from the side, most people can only aim at the left. The horse ring formation cavalry is also a common tactic used by the Mongolian army. When they arrive in front of the formation, they will turn to counterclockwise to shoot arrows around the formation, and then they will shoot again, and then repeat until the opponent collapses.

The Song army's musketeers used linear tactics. If they fired after the enemy entered the range, it would not only waste firepower, but also difficult to effectively kill the enemy. Therefore, Zhao Bing designed a tactic for the characteristics of the Mongolian army to shoot when he turned around and was about to draw the bow. In this way, the enemy soldiers would be like queuing to hit the muzzle, and the killing effect would naturally be much better.

"If as the rumors say: the barbarians use troops, and every bow and cavalry gathers violently, attacks the formation, and fails to defend it, there is a risk of rushing. Although Your Majesty has a decision, you must also deal with it carefully!" Wang Yinglin saw the enemy cavalry attacking, and the arrows were like locusts, but in order to break through the barrage of the musket firing and exert the power of the bow and arrow, he was still intimidated by his momentum, and raised his sleeves to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead.

"Governor Wang is calm. This is just a look at the market before the banquet. If our army is afraid before this little battle, and the peace talks will be held back!" Zhao Bing smiled. He knew that the questions he raised were very low-level, but he still explained patiently, because he knew very well that the war between Song and Meng was not something that could be determined by a single battle, but would last for several years, or even more than ten years. It would be beneficial for these civil officials, especially the priests in the decision-making circle, to understand the facts on the battlefield more, which would be beneficial to the future.

"Governor Wang, from history, the cavalry and shooting can last and develop for thousands of years, and the nomadic Rongdi from the north once in a row to conquer the Central Plains again and again was actually related to the lack of effective attack methods for the dynasty dominated by infantry. Because when the infantry uses swords, guns and bows and crossbows as the main combat weapons, it is difficult for infantry to take into account both hand-to-hand combat and long-range attack tasks when fighting, but the cavalry and shooting masters in front of them can easily achieve the transformation of long-range shooting and impact battle formations, and use the help of war horses to achieve the victory of more."

"Is this also the reason why Your Majesty is trying hard to develop firearms?" Wang Yinglin seemed to have some insight after hearing this. He just saw that the guards were not moved by the fierce battle on the battlefield at all, and he did not even frown. He couldn't help but feel ashamed of his panic.

"Well, this is one of the important reasons." Zhao Bing nodded, "Governor Wang, please see, the range of our infantry single-armored muskets is far greater than that of crossbows, and its power and lethality are better than that of ordinary armor. Therefore, it can replace crossbow soldiers to kill the enemy at a long range. When the musket is equipped with bayonets, it is not inferior to the short spears fighting in front of the infantry, so that it can be used for both one and one soldiers. In addition, the invincible artillery is used as aid, and the advantage of the cavalry has been greatly reduced. Therefore, in the dignified formation, although cavalry will cause a headache for the opponent, it is not uncontrollable, nor can it be invincible. It is no longer enough to pose a fatal threat to us during attack!"

"Oh, the role of the cavalry is fading, why does Your Majesty still vigorously develop cavalry?" Wang Yinglin said inexplicably.

"This is not the case. The real terrible thing about cavalry is the reconnaissance, harassment, blocking and other outpost battles outside regular combat and the raids on the logistics line. This type of small-scale combat is often full of suddenness and extremely cruel, and it is also the place for excellent cavalry and archers to use it. Moreover, in the plains and combat areas with vast terrain and desert grasslands, if infantry is without danger and cover by cavalry, they will still encounter the dilemma of "a hundred cavalry surrounding it and can wrap up the crowd." Zhao Bing waved his hand and said, "At present, we are fighting in the camp, forming a large formation, with dangers to be under control, and we have become a siege, with only tens of miles deep, and tens of thousands of people are fighting in such a narrow area. The tactics that the Mongols are good at are curbed and their advantages are difficult to exert. Therefore, it is almost impossible to break through our defense line. A strong attack that is not aware of the current affairs will only increase casualties."

"Your Majesty's analysis is that I am talking nonsense." Wang Yinglin nodded repeatedly when he heard it. The current situation was just as the little emperor said. The enemy cavalry who rushed to the formation and tentatively suffered heavy casualties under the gathering of muskets. When they gathered again, they were bombarded by mortar teams of various battalions, which made them flee in scattered and difficult to reorganize their formation. And he thought of what His Majesty said just now, "Your Majesty said muskets can restrain enemy cavalry, but it is one of the reasons. I would like to ask your Majesty for another advice!"

"Speaking of this reason is helpless, it is also to consider the consumption and economic reasons on the battlefield!" Zhao Bing couldn't help but smile bitterly after hearing this.

"I would like to hear it carefully!" Wang Yinglin was surprised when he heard this and said politely.

"Governor Wang knows how long it takes for the Mongols to train a qualified riding archer?" Zhao Bing thought for a while and asked first.

"I don't know, but I know that the barbarians in the north rode sheep and shot birds and rats when they were young, foxes and rabbits when they were young, and when they were adults, everyone could ride horses and bend their bows, all of which were armored horses. They can be said to be born as cavalry." Wang Yinglin replied.

"Well, it's not bad." Zhao Bing nodded, "Mongolia is located in the northwest. With its advantages of environment and animal husbandry that are different from the Central Plains, it has never lacked horses. Since the age of five or six, boys have been able to learn horse riding. The saddles used for practice are made of wood, and there are five or six inches high guardrails in front, back and left and right. In this way, even five or six-year-olds sit in the middle without worrying about falling down. When they are older, when they are thirteen years old, their equestrian skills have basically achieved some success, so they start to learn riding and shooting and shooting."

"Arrowing can be said to be the master skills of the Mongols. They all have to practice archery since childhood. These are basic personal martial arts. After all, field hunting training must be carried out. Field hunting can be said to be a form of military training that has existed in ancient times. The Mongols practice tactics such as surrounding, luring the enemy, blocking, breaking through, rushing, encircling, annihilation, and tracking in field hunting, and skillfully applied them in war. It can be said that they must have more than ten years of study and training to become a qualified riding archer, but do you know how much time it takes for us to train a qualified musketeer?"

"Well... As far as I know, it takes three months of training to recruit a new recruit before being organized into the army and then conduct training. As for how long it will take to pass, I don't know." Wang Yinglin replied after pondering for a moment.

"What Governor Wang said is probably right. After three months of new training, a new recruit can basically be called a soldier. After three months of basic tactical training and running-in, he can go to battle. But this is only normal. If the situation is urgent, an ordinary farmer can learn to use muskets in only three or four days, and can basically use them skillfully in one month, and then go to battle and kill enemies. Of course, the combat effectiveness and organizationality are far different." Zhao Bing said.

"I understand that there is no one who can't die in war. But we can train a musketeer in a short time, while the Mongolians cannot train a cavalry archer in a short time. They cannot replenish them in time after suffering major casualties, but we can afford to fight for personnel consumption." Wang Yinglin said.
Chapter completed!
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