A large number of cavalry teams continued to gather from nine sides.
The cavalry is a unit that normally does not march very fast, which seems a little different from what you imagined.
In fact, in addition to special attacks, the cavalry will also be followed by a large number of auxiliary troops.
The infantry naturally walked, and they also had to pull a lot of baggage, food and fodder.
It is very rare for someone to travel hundreds of miles on horseback.
No matter how powerful the horses are, they still need to rest. They cannot run all the time, and they are rarely even said to be able to march long distances. This will cause great damage to the war horses.
Only when they arrive near the combat target will the cavalry separate from the infantry and act alone.
The Mongolian cavalry's rapid march was to carry seven or eight days of dry food, one person and two riders, and then take turns to guide the horse group in front, while the cavalry took turns to rest on the horseback.
The Mongolian army usually does not lose horsepower like this.
The twenty thousand cavalry on the nine sides did not roar together, but were divided into twenty thousand cavalry.
Each thousand-cavalry team will be equipped with two thousand auxiliary soldiers.
In addition to pulling food and grass, these auxiliary soldiers can also serve as infantry.
The biggest difference between auxiliaries and infantry is not only their combat power, but also their armor.
Auxiliary soldiers usually do not have armor.
Before the Nine Sides Cavalry arrived at Uszandusi City, the news had already been sent through the inn.
After the cavalry team arrived, they followed the arranged personnel to make arrangements.
The restaurant in Dusi City was immediately occupied by a large number of thousands of households.
"Cao Tai, you are too slow. We arrived two days ago, but we haven't seen you yet. Maybe you got lost in the sand on the road."
The young man who spoke was Puyu, the son of Puying, the founding hero of the Republic of Lelang.
The Cao Tai he was talking about was the son of Cao Liangchen, the founding hero of the Republic of Anguo.
After Puyu finished speaking, there was a burst of laughter from around him.
Cao Tai blushed and shouted: "Whoever got lost, I was affected by the scenery along the way. You rough guys are just rushing on the road without seeing the beautiful scenery around you. You are really illiterate."
Listening to Cao Tai's words, everyone laughed again.
Over there, He Rong, the son of Dongguan Bo He Zhen, couldn't help but said: "I know, I know, you, Cao Tai, are the only one who has studied the most. We are all illiterate. We don't know who was scolded by the instructor for failing to pass the exam last year, and was lowered to the lower limit of our class."
It’s all brought down.”
Everyone joked without restraint and became very familiar with each other.
There are a total of twenty thousand households here. In addition to being young, they also have prominent family backgrounds.
Even in the lowest household of a thousand, the fathers of the family are all Ming Dynasty nobles.
Of course, most of the fathers here have basically passed away.
And they can be said to be the real second generation of nobles in the capital.
At the beginning, Zhu Ying threw these second generations into the Ming Military Academy for training.
The cavalry is the most expensive unit of the Ming Dynasty, and there is also a great need to build powerful cavalry belonging to the Ming Dynasty.
Even in the Ming Dynasty, where industrialization continued to progress, the power of the cavalry could not be ignored at all. At least for hundreds of years, the power of the cavalry would not be replaced.
Unless the industry is updated and replaced again, cars and motorcycles are created.
Such a big leap, at least Zhu Ying would not be able to see it while he was alive.
Therefore, the importance of cavalry is self-evident.
For the cavalry team trained at the grassland military base, Zhu Ying left these after training at the Ming Dynasty Capital Military Academy.
Obviously, these second generations, who have been exposed to the military since childhood and were influenced by their parents, perform better than ordinary people.
Poor at studying literature, rich at practicing martial arts.
Their foundation needs to be more solid.
Many of them also inherited their father's title.
It can be said that this is the most prestigious group of young people in the Ming Dynasty at present. They are all nobles and they are also the strongest military unit in the Ming Dynasty.
The armor they wore was made of the latest thousand-forged steel produced by the Ming Dynasty Scientific Research Department, and was also textured.
It is thinner and stronger than ordinary armor.
At least the current fire cannon cannot penetrate it, and it only leaves a shallow dent at close range.
"Okay, don't talk about this. It is said that Taisun has arranged a batch of secret weapons for us, which are the latest output of the Scientific Research Department."
"It is to be used by us to block Timur's cavalry this time."
Sun Ke, the son of Sun Xingzu, the Marquis of Yanshan, spoke.
He is the oldest, already in his thirties. Compared with those in their twenties, he is considered to be at the eldest brother level.
Basically, most of our parents were posthumously granted titles. Of course, their hereditary titles were not that high. Some of them were second sons or youngest sons, and there was not much emphasis on status.
In fact, the person they want to thank the most is Zhu Ying. If it weren't for Zhu Ying who made the Lan Yu case not happen, all of these people would have been implicated and killed in history.
"Brother Sun knows what this secret weapon is." Cao Tai asked.
Sun Ke shook his head, then looked at Batu and asked, "Do you know."
Batu was once the subordinate of Qunying Chamber of Commerce in Mongolia, and his full name is Boljijin Batu, and he is a descendant of Zengtian Khan.
Of course, in fact, by Batu's generation, there was only one surname left.
And he was rescued by the Qunying Chamber of Commerce and had already joined Zhu Ying's team.
After the Qunying Chamber of Commerce withdrew, Batu was placed at the border. Then the Grassland Military Academy was established, and Batu was naturally included.
Now Batu is also one of these twenty Qianqi Zhengqianhu.
Among the 20,000 cavalrymen themselves, a considerable number were non-Han.
Among them, there are thousands of Jurchens.
It's just that now, they all have Ming Dynasty household registrations and are real Ming people.
What the Ming Dynasty advocates now is the integration of ethnic groups. No matter what ethnic group they are, as long as they have a Ming household registration, they will have the same identity.
Batu smiled bitterly and said: "This is the secret of the capital. How could it be spread to the border?"
Batu now also holds the position of Border Intelligence Department, so Sun Ke asked this question.
"Batu doesn't even know, so we can only wait, and there's no need to worry. The transport team from the capital has entered the city today, and we should know about it tomorrow at most."
After saying that, Sun Ke stood up and picked up the wine glass: "Everyone, as the ancients said, you can raise an army for a thousand days and use it for a while."
"We have been training hard day and night, practicing martial arts and riding skills. Today is what we are waiting for."
"Our fathers once followed Your Majesty, expelled the Tartars, restored China, and established the Ming Dynasty. That's how we are today."
"Inheriting the glory of our fathers, we have the Nine Riders today. How can we let the world look down upon us."
"What they were able to do back then, we can also do."
"Don't say there has ever been a time when there was an army as well prepared as ours."
"The right way is to get fame only from horses. We want to prove to the world that we are not just playboys, but also heroic husbands who can serve the court."
"After drinking this glass of wine, we will make a name for ourselves on the battlefield."
After saying that, Sun Ke drank it all in one gulp, then slammed the bowl on the ground and shouted: "It's great!"
Many of the thousands of households looked good and threw their bowls after drinking.
The crackling sound is endless.
He really has the courage to conquer the clouds.
The shopkeeper downstairs was listening with a smile.
I made a lot of money today.
The next day.
On the battlefield.
Twenty thousand cavalry formed a neat formation.
In front of the cavalry is the commander-in-chief of the cavalry, the Duke of Ying, Fu Youde.
Only he can suppress these noble second generations.
In front of Fu Youde, the identities of these second generations were not worth mentioning. Their parents might have been soldiers in Fu Youde's tent.
According to the requirements, the 20,000 cavalrymen must undergo a special assessment here.
The first part of the assessment is to fire immediately.
In the process of charging on horseback, use a matchlock gun to shoot at the targets along the way, at a distance of fifty meters.
The effective range of the matchlock gun is about 80 meters. This requirement is relatively high. After all, it is still in the process of moving.
Only when you hit two of the three targets during the charge can you pass the test.
Just for this one item, almost half of the 20,000 cavalry would have to be eliminated.
This is not a question of accuracy.
After all, they are all the elite cavalry of the Ming Dynasty.
Mainly during the galloping process, the matchlock gun must be loaded.
Slowing down is not allowed during this period. Once the reloading speed is too slow, it is equivalent to missing the target.
"I didn't expect that this time my grandson would ask the envoy of Song Town to personally escort him."
The cavalry was conducting an assessment, and Fu Youde smiled and said to Song Zhong.
Song Zhong raised his hands in the direction of Nanjing and said, "I dare not betray my grandson's trust. These breech-loaded flintlock guns are extremely expensive. If there is any mistake on the way, it will be a huge sin."
"Now that the Ming Dynasty has developed a train, it has shocked all countries. Many people are willing to be others' lackeys for some money. Even in the imperial court, there are many spies who are deeply hidden."
"The Post Office Division is located all over the Ming Dynasty and is far away from the capital. It is most vulnerable to being deceived by others. Therefore, Taisun specially sent me to escort them."
There was a bit of pride in Song Zhong's words.
Taisun's trust is the greatest power for Jin Yiwei.
Even when facing Duke Fu Youde, Song Zhong was not afraid at all.
After saying that, Song Zhong waved to the side, and the Jin Yiwei behind him immediately handed over a wooden box.
Song Zhong opened the wooden box and found a shiny breech-loaded flintlock gun lying inside.
"This object is called a flintlock gun. It is the latest technology of the Scientific Research Department. It is made of thousands-forged steel."
"I'm here to demonstrate it for the Duke." Song Zhong introduced.
Looking at Cheng Guang's bright flintlock gun, Fu Youde was a little curious, nodded and said: "Please ask Song Zhenfu."
Song Zhong shouted: "Come here, set a target."
Immediately, a Jin Yiwei carried a target and set it down in the distance, about thirty meters away.
Song Zhong scolded: "Do you look down on me? Go back fifty steps immediately."
Those who can enter the Jinyi Guard are all good soldiers in the military and have strong martial arts skills.
As far as personal martial arts are concerned, Song Zhong thinks he has few opponents.
Bows and arrows have always been the standard of judgment in the military.
Of course it's not possible to cross the Yangtze River with a hundred steps, but it's still okay at fifty steps.
In Fu Youde's sight.
Song Zhong picked up the flintlock gun, then turned the small rocker beside the gun, and a hole was immediately exposed in the gun body.
The fixed bullet is put into the hole, then the lock is rocked in the opposite direction, the bolt is pulled, and Song Zhong lifts the gun to fire.
There was a bang and a faint smoke came out.
Looking at the target again, it has been directly penetrated near the center area.
When Fu Youde, who was sitting, saw this scene, he stood up and exclaimed: "There are such blazing guns in the world."
Fu Youde, who has been leading troops in wars all year round, was really frightened.
Such a fire weapon was beyond his imagination.
Immediately, Fu Youde smiled brightly: "These flintlock guns are used on the cavalry, and they are simply irresistible."
"Why are there only five thousand? The Scientific Research Department is too stingy. Can't they give more?"
As he spoke, Fu Youde took action and snatched the flintlock gun from Song Zhong to his own.
At this moment, he didn't care about Song Zhong's identity as the Imperial Guard's envoy.
Stroking the flintlock gun, it is like a peerless sword.
"What a fire gun, what a fire gun, hurry up, bring the fire bombs, let me feel it too."
Song Zhong nodded slightly to the Jin Yiwei next to him.
Jin Yiwei immediately sent a fixed load of ammunition.
Fu Youde followed Song Zhong's example and put in the fixed ammunition, pulled up the impact bolt, aimed at the target, and pressed the trigger.
With a bang, the target in the distance was pierced again.
Feeling the vibration on his hand, Fu Youde couldn't help but said: "It's so powerful, I'm afraid it doesn't have a hundred-step range."
Then he laughed and said: "With such sharp weapons, my Ming cavalry is invincible."
Song Zhong immediately poured cold water on him: "Don't be too happy. Each of these flintlock guns is equipped with twenty rounds of special ammunition. After firing these twenty rounds, the flintlock gun is considered useless and must be returned to scientific research."
The company must repair it before it can be used again, otherwise it will explode."
"And based on the cost of making this flintlock gun, it requires at least twenty taels of gold. Being able to make these five thousand is already the limit."
Fu Youde stroked the gun body and exclaimed again: "Twenty taels of gold, this is too expensive."
Song Zhongdao: "That's why we need to select the most elite cavalry to be qualified to use this flintlock gun. At that time, every soldier who receives a flintlock gun must be registered."
"Each flintlock gun has a specially made mark. Where the gun is, the man is alive, but the man is dead with the gun."
Fu Youde looked at the side of the flintlock gun, and sure enough there was the word '0001' engraved on it.
Arabic numerals were introduced to the Central Plains at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, but were not used on a large scale.
In carrying out educational reforms, Zhu Ying has begun to stipulate the use of Arabic numerals to make calculations more convenient.
"Twenty rounds is a bit too little. Maybe it won't even be used in two battles." Fu Youde sighed.
Song Zhongdao: "That's why the soldiers must also be equipped with matchlock guns."
Fu Youde nodded and never stopped stroking the flintlock gun in his hand.
The cold gun body made his heart become hot.
"These five thousand flintlock guns should make those enemies who attack our Ming Dynasty feel despair."
"I want to see how they resist."
Fu Youde was so excited that he wished he could directly fight Tamerlane's cavalry with a flintlock rifle at this moment.
At this time, the selection of cavalry was also gradually coming to an end.
A large number of cavalry were eliminated, leaving only the real elite.
Five thousand flintlock muskets means five thousand cavalry.
At that time, these five thousand knights will be like five sharp knives, inserted directly into the heart of the enemy.
It is unimaginable how desperate the enemy will be when faced with such a war artifact.
Roughly similar to the Ferguson revolving flintlock, now it has the function of illustration. Unfortunately, I did not find a suitable illustration.