Chapter 195 – The Unorthodox Troops

The azure sky resembled lustrous glass, and the stirring sound of bugles echoed. On one side of the drill field stood ten massive leather drums, with stalwart soldiers wielding giant hammers and striking the drumheads forcefully to produce an urgent and rousing rhythm.

Xu Chun stepped forward with dignity, bowing to Xie Yi, “Your Majesty, the Jinhai Coastal Army has formed up. We humbly invite His Majesty to inspect our formation!”

Xie Yi rose to his feet. Xu Chun took the reins of Xie Yi’s imperial steed from the guards, stood at attention beneath the martial platform and waited for Xie Yi to descend. He personally assisted Xie Yi in mounting the horse. Fang Zixing led a squadron of Longxiang Guards, dressed in ceremonial armor to serve as the vanguard cavalry before the emperor.

Xu Chun rode his horse behind Xie Yi’s, and maintained a distance equivalent to the length of a horse head.

Following closely was Wu Yinggong, who led the accompanying military officials who had also mounted their horses. They followed Xie Yi closely, and lastly came the Longxiang Guards, who formed a protective wing around them.

Xie Yi subtly turned his head to glance at Xu Chun. Today, the spring breeze was gentle, the sunlight bright and clear. The imperial yellow canopy above them shielded them from the sun, and the eight-bauble ornaments swayed slightly in the wind, and produced a tinkling sound of clashing jade.

Xu Chun, in his resplendent armor, looked particularly dashing today. The vermilion tassel on his helmet fluttered gently in the breeze, like a dancing flame. In the spring light, his eyes shone like translucent glass. Upon noticing Xie Yi turning his head, he immediately locked his gaze onto him, as if afraid of missing any command.

Xie Yi gave him a faint smile, and watched as the cat-like eyes revealed surprise and bewilderment before turning his horse forward with ease.

Fang Zixing, who held aloft a large flag adorned with a golden dragon, led the way on his horse. The flag fluttered vigorously in the wind, and the feathers attached to it flapped wildly. The dragon depicted on the flag was vividly rendered, with bared fangs and claws. The inspection of the troops began.

All the battalions had lined up in front of their tents, their clothing and banners flapped in the wind with a whooshing sound. Everyone stood tall and motionless, the military atmosphere solemn and the formations dignified.

Xie Yi, accompanied by Xu Chun, proceeded forward to inspect the vanguard battalion at the far left of the formation, and moved southward to review the vanguard battalion, the guard battalion, the elite battalion, the artillery battalion, the cavalry battalion, the cannon battalion, the supply battalion, and so on. He rode slowly, while Xu Chun urged his horse to follow closely behind. As he observed Jiu Ge in his splendid armor, with his cloak billowing in the wind and his bearing regal, Xu Chun was completely captivated.

Even amidst thousands of soldiers, his eyes seemed to focus solely on that one person, and merely followed him on horseback. He thought to himself, after striving for so many years, I have finally earned the qualifications to stand beside Jiu Ge.

A round of inspection took no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before they returned to the martial platform. The officials continued to stand respectfully, and awaited Xie Yi’s reascension to the throne. After the inspection, it was time for the maneuvers.

The bugle sounded once again. Xu Chun waved his hand downward, and upon seeing the signal, the orderlies immediately swung the yellow flag. The maneuvers began.

Traditionally, during grand inspections, archery was showcased first. Everyone assumed they would see targets and archers. However, they heard the officers shout, “Four Symbols Formation!”

Four Symbols Formation? The crowd wondered what kind of battalion this was. Was it cavalry or infantry?

As they heard the synchronized footsteps, the officials could only see a group of infantrymen form a large square formation and swiftly advance into the center of the field. Each side of the square consisted of fifteen men, with a total of two hundred and twenty-five infantrymen within the entire square. However, the uniforms of the infantrymen were divided into two colors.

Those wearing ochre-yellow armor and wielding long spears were the spear troops. They carried swords and crossbows at their waists, each of them tall and valiant. They alternated positions with the armored shield troops clad in sapphire blue armor and held large shields and long swords to protect the spear troops beside them. They were positioned at the very center of the square, while the outermost rows, both horizontally and vertically, consisted of ten men, totaling one hundred.

Surrounding the ochre-yellow square were five rows of infantrymen wearing vermilion uniforms. They carried curved breech-loading rifles on their backs and similarly wielded swords and crossbows at their waists. Moreover, at the four corners of the large square in yellow, red, and blue, there were four smaller squares. Each square consisted of four men, sixteen riflemen wearing vermilion armor and armed with curved breech-loading rifles.

The infantrymen executed maneuvers under the command of the flags. One could see soldiers holding shields and long spears who advanced in concert with those who carried curved breech-loading rifles. As one side raised their shields, the spear-wielding soldiers and sword-wielding soldiers moved forward to perform stabbing and slashing motions. The riflemen alternated with the adjacent soldiers, and mimicked the act of aiming and firing their rifles.

Behind the riflemen, several black-armored soldiers pushed four three-wheeled flatbed carts, on which sat four small cannons. The soldiers skillfully demonstrated the action of loading the cannonballs.

Was this a mixed battalion of infantry, riflemen, and artillery? At this moment, the accompanying officials began whispering among themselves. During regular grand inspections, archery was usually showcased first, followed by guns, cavalry, and artillery. This was the first time they had seen such a mixed battalion in action. However, it was evident that the maneuvers had been practiced for a long time. The soldiers coordinated well and executed their drills with proficiency, and marched in unison to the sound of the bugle.

Xie Yi glanced at Wu Yinggong and Lei Ming, who were whispering to each other, and asked, “What are Wu Yinggong and Minister Lei discussing?”

Fang Zixing hastily bowed and said, “I was discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the mixed formation with Secretary Lei.”

Xie Yi remarked, “Oh? I was also curious. Why don’t you, Wu Yinggong, share your thoughts. What are the pros and cons?”

Fang Zixing explained, “In the past, when facing an enemy, the infantry battalion, riflemen battalion, and artillery battalion operated independently. The time difference between the combined fire of artillery and archers made it easy for the enemy’s heavy cavalry to break through our formation in a single charge.”

“Linhai Marquis has reduced the number of troops in each battalion, and focused on elite soldiers. This is an improvement on the mandarin duck formation. By integrating infantry, riflemen battalion, and artillery battalion soldiers, each battalion has been reduced from a thousand to three to four hundred men. This mixed formation excels in both offensive and defensive capabilities. It can be said that in a confrontation between armies, it can withstand the impact of the enemy’s cavalry. Secondly, with the cover of riflemen and artillery, the enemy cavalry would be defeated by gunfire and cannon fire before reaching the formation. Thirdly, it can maximize the preservation of all the soldiers’ lives.”

“However, it places higher demands on the battalion commanders. As the saying goes, it’s easy to find a thousand soldiers but hard to find a good commander. Such a formation requires battalion commanders to proficiently master the formations and skillfully command the soldiers in advancing, retreating, attacking, and defending. They must precisely control the timing of firing artillery and launching cannon strikes. Therefore, this battalion formation cannot yet be widely promoted to the garrisons across the country.”

Xie Yi smiled and said, “Isn’t this exactly the purpose of Linhai Marquis founding schools?”

The military officials were all somewhat excited. After all, when young commanders, proficient in commanding three types of troops, literate, and valiant, began to lead such formidable battalions, how much of an advantage would they have on the battlefield!

After the Four Symbols Formation demonstration, the soldiers quickly ran off the field to one side.

The horn sounded again, and the officers shouted, “Vanguard Cavalry Battalion!”

This time, accompanied by the faint sound of hooves, the ground trembled as the cavalry charged forward. Their formation was neat and imposing, and filled with a sense of intimidation. The entire battalion galloped past, the riders and horses alike clad in glossy black heavy armor. They carried long lances in their hands and carried rifles on their backs. They followed orders to charge and cut down enemies, and took down the rifles on their backs to shoot at targets on straw bales in the distance. The drumbeats were intense and continuous, and indicated successful hits on the targets.

The heavy cavalry stretched out continuously, vast and imposing, and caused distant civilians to cheer. After practicing maneuvers such as charging, dividing to encircle, and breaking through encirclement, the cavalry withdrew from the field.

Next, according to tradition, should come the archery competition, gun skills, and artillery techniques. Soldiers were selected from each battalion to demonstrate their skills before the emperor.

However, the officials still heard the rumbling of wheels rolling. As they turned their heads to search for the source, they saw two large crossbow carriages moving forward. In the past, the crossbow cars were usually drawn by oxen or horses, but now there was a steam engine which emitted white smoke, while soldiers occasionally added water and coal to it.

The officer shouted, “The Supply and Siege Battalion demonstrates for His Majesty!”

A squad of infantry surrounded the crossbow cars and moved to the central square in front. Under the command of the squad leader on the car who waved a flag, the crossbow cars fired a round of crossbow bolts. Then the soldiers operated the crossbow frames on the cars, and flipped them down to reveal sharp rows of steel blades. As they rolled forward, they effortlessly dug a deep trench in front of them!

The officials were astounded. Some couldn’t help but look towards Xie Yi and say, “Your Majesty.” Never before had such earthworks been conducted in front of the emperor during a grand inspection. To put it bluntly, this was a breach of etiquette before the sovereign.

Xie Yi extended his arm, and made a gesture to calm everyone down.

He was too composed. The officials turned their heads and saw Wu Yinggong with his sleeves folded and chatted leisurely with Lei Ming. “This is great. Digging trenches has become much easier, saving a lot of civilian labor.”

“Not only does it save civilian labor, but it also saves food and fodder for the animals. All we need to transport is coal.”

“It must cost a considerable amount of silver to build this.”

“But we don’t need to make too many of them.”

Because Xie Yi didn’t intervene, the officials’ discussions grew louder.

Soon, the excavated soil was piled into a short wall. Then, the rear logistics supply soldiers, who held long ladders, rushed forward deftly. In no time, they erected eight high ladder towers, four in front and four in back.

Just as everyone was puzzled about the meaning behind this, they heard the order officer shout, “The Agile Battalion demonstrates for His Majesty!”

Everyone was invigorated. After all, the Agile Battalion was undoubtedly comprised of elite soldiers, each capable of holding their own against ten ordinary soldiers.

They saw the soldiers of the black-armored, blue-trimmed Agile Battalion rapidly running over. Indeed, their pace was much quicker than the average person. Dressed in armor and fully equipped with weapons, they moved with the agility of flying birds and the speed of rabbits. Upon arriving at the base of the ladder tower, they quickly climbed up. Within moments, hundreds of Agile Battalion soldiers had already reached the top of the ladders.

Xie Yi caught sight of the figure of the general who held the flag at the forefront, none other than Huo Shiduo, the fierce general Xu Chun had met in Jinhai Coastal Defense. Indeed, his martial prowess was astonishing.

They saw the soldiers of the Agile Battalion, who climbed to the highest point of the towering ladder, suddenly leap fearlessly from the top!

So high, wouldn’t they be crushed to death! The officials who were watching the demonstration were all startled and exclaimed in alarm.

However, they saw that several soldiers suddenly unfurled a large umbrella in mid-air, similar to paper kites, drifting and floating forward for a while. Calmly, they drew out crossbows in mid-air and shot iron hooks attached to chains, and hung them on the next ladder. Then, using the wind force and chain, they swung to the opposite ladder, climbed to the bottom of the ladder, and reformed into a team.

At that moment, even the normally reserved civil officials couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, “True heroes!”

“Heavenly troops, nothing more!” “If they carry firearms and thunder bombs and throw them into the enemy camp from the sky, which foe could resist?”

“Truly an unexpected attack from an unexpected direction!”

The scholars of the Hanlin Academy chatted amongst themselves while some were already composing poems and reciting lines like “The imperial flag illuminates the might of the six armies,” exchanging ideas and refining their verses with their fellow scholars.

Meanwhile, the few court painters who had come from the Imperial Painting Academy were quickly painting this wondrous scene on the long table on the other side.

From his seat at the top, Xie Yi saw Xu Chun, who rode his horse below the martial platform, turn his head to look at him from afar. Although he couldn’t clearly see Xu Chun’s face, he knew that the passionate gaze directed at him was undoubtedly filled with pride and self-satisfaction.

Xie Yi couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to himself on the imperial seat.

So outstanding, what should I reward him with tonight? This is quite a dilemma for me.