If you fight against Jiannu again, you will definitely fight better and achieve greater results when the time comes.

He Kegang gently rubbed the silver "Loyalty and Bravery" medal and thought about it intently. It took him a long time before he put it in the box and put it away.

This was the reward for his participation in the joint operation of Fort Arthur for leading his army, which was a great victory, and the number of beheadings even exceeded the battle of Quang Ninh.

Of course, the reason for the big win is also very simple, and there is more than one.

First of all, Jiannu did not adapt to the new tactics of the Ming army, and on the basis of underestimating the enemy, he was killed and wounded by the Ming army relying on positional defense;

The second is the comparison of troops, Liaozhen, Dengzhen, Jinzhen, plus the Dongjiang Army Left Association, the total strength is almost the same as that of Jiannu. But in terms of weapon superiority, it surpassed Jiannu;

After He Kegang came back, he made a detailed report to Xiong Tingbi on the experience of the battle, as well as his experience and evaluation in this battle.

Moreover, the middle and high-ranking officers of Liaozhen also gathered in Ningyuan, listened to the reports of him and the officers participating in the battle, and conducted serious discussions and summing-ups.

This procedure was specially requested by the emperor and notified to the military towns, and martial arts was also particularly emphasized.

After each battle, regardless of victory or defeat, it is necessary to conduct a review and discussion, sum up experience and shortcomings, and form a written document and submit it to the military headquarters.

Despite the big victory, including He Kegang, many loopholes and flaws were found in the conclusions of the review. In short, it's just not perfect.

Studying war in the midst of war, Zhu Youxiao believes that it is not just lip service. And this post-war summary was copied and borrowed by him.

The history he knows has proven that with this magic weapon and if he makes good use of it, Tu Baozi can also become a famous general.

He Kegang was already deeply touched by this, and he was very impressed with Long Live it. At the same time, he is also full of confidence in the next battle with Jiannu.

When He Kegang walked out of the door, he found that Zu Dashou and Jin Guofeng, a guerrilla newly transferred to Liaozhen, were waiting for him

"Lao He has collected the medal." Zu Dashou glanced at it, then smiled and quipped: "What, if you are going to leave it to your children and grandchildren as heirlooms, then you have to hurry up and marry a wife." ”

Jin Guofeng just smiled and arched his hand towards He Kegang.

He Kegang smiled, didn't answer Zu Dashou's joke, and asked directly: "Why are the two of you here?" Is it a special family? ”

Jin Guofeng smiled: "Exactly." General He returned to the division with Kai, and he and General Zu prepared wine and food, wanting to congratulate the general. ”

Zu Dashou nodded and said, "Don't you still want to go back to Juehua to garrison, let's have a drink while you haven't left." ”

"Then the two of you will break the bank." He Kegang thanked him.

Zu Dashou pursed his lips and said, "Brother He, you are not authentic. Medals and silver rewards, no one is more beautiful than you. This wine money should be paid by you! ”

He Kegang was happy in his heart, how could he care about this, and laughed: "It's a certain stinginess, don't blame it." Let's go, let's go and drink. ”

Although there are no people living in Ningyuan City, there are taverns and shops, which are operated by the dependents of the army who have this skill, mainly for the convenience of the officers and soldiers stationed there.

In addition, the Ningyuan garrison also raised pigs and sheep, and planted vegetables outside the city to improve food while minimizing the burden on the imperial court.

There is no land outside the city to grow grain for the time being, but a lot of alfalfa is planted, which can be eaten by people, and the main thing is to feed the horses and use it as forage.

The three of them laughed and came to a tavern, ordered food and wine, and talked while eating.

For He Kegang's award, Zu Dashou and Jin Guofeng are envious. The two were surprised by the rout of Jiannu.

This had never happened before, and they were both surprised and wanted to know more.

It is just this opportunity to eat and drink, not only to enhance the relationship, but also to obtain more information, the best of both worlds.

He Kegang also guessed the thoughts of the two, and after two glasses of wine, he took the initiative to open the conversation, "During the battle of Guangning, I saw the weakness of Jiannu's attack, even if there is no city, the fortifications built are the same effect." ”

Seeing the attention of the two of them, they were all listening intently, He Kegang continued: "If you want to talk about defense, our army is not afraid of Jiannu; But in melee hand-to-hand combat, there are still some gaps. ”

Jin Guofeng nodded and said: "Our army still lacks combat experience, but Jiannu is mostly experienced in battles. Whether it is martial arts or bravery, it is not surprising that it is stronger than our army. ”

"If that's the case-" Zu Dashou touched his chin and said, "In the medium and long-range shooting, our army will not suffer?" ”

He Kegang pondered for a moment and said: "I have already talked about this issue at the summary meeting, muskets are more lethal than bows and arrows. As long as the armor is good, at least it is a one-to-one exchange. ”

"And my suggestion, equip the soldiers with iron masks to protect their faces." He Kegang frowned, and said in a deep voice: "Some Jiannu's archery skills are still very accurate and poisonous, and they can shoot their heads and faces at a close distance. ”

In the "rain of bullets and arrows" on the battlefield, the face is indeed an easily attacked part. Moreover, once injured, it is often a serious injury.

Therefore, in history, wearing an iron mask for protection is a very early occurrence.

For example, in the Tang Dynasty, the Tibetan army used armor of "clothing around the body, and two eyes"; During the Song and Song dynasties, the helmets worn by the "Tiefutu" of the Jin Kingdom "stopped showing their eyes" to protect the safety of the riders.

It's just limited to all conditions, and those who can wear iron masks are often more elite troops or senior generals.

For example, Hu Zaixing, a famous general in the Southern Song Dynasty, "recruited dead soldiers to wear iron masks and blankets", as the striker who rushed to the front; When the Jin army was fighting, it also "picked up strong soldiers and wore thick armor, felt shirts, and iron masks to move forward".

By the Ming Dynasty, wearing iron masks was also common. In the Ming Dynasty military book "Essentials of Armed Preparation", it is recorded that the iron mask used to protect the face, and a throat guard to protect the throat is also added under the mask.

Later, not only did the armor and weapons get worse and worse, but the iron mask was no longer the standard equipment of the soldiers, and almost completely disappeared from the Ming army.

Regarding He Kegang's statement, Jin Guofeng smiled and said: "General He's suggestion is extremely correct, but I'm afraid it can't be realized in a short time. ”

As he spoke, he raised his fingers and calculated, "Our army's iron armor should be fully equipped, but there are still officers and soldiers in Dongjiang Town, Dengzhen, Jinzhen, and other military towns, right?" ”

"Coupled with the cost of building muskets, cannons, ships and ordnance, supporting military rations and salaries, and quelling the rebellion in the southwest, Banzai has almost spent all of this year's gold and silver."

"Long live also exempted Shaanxi, Henan, Shanxi and other places from paying grain, and also paid the tariff money to the local governments to strengthen coastal defense. Just building a sea ship and buying a Hongyi cannon is a big expense, and it will take several years to see results. ”

Jin Guofeng let out a long breath and said with a wry smile: "You calculate, can the imperial court still take out silver to build an iron mask this year?" ”

He Kegang was silent for a long time, sighed softly, and said: "I don't know that firewood and rice are expensive, I really don't know that the court spends so much, and I don't know that Banzai took out all the gold and silver." ”

"Brother Jin has just been transferred from Beijing, and the news is better than ours." Zu Dashou said: "It doesn't matter if you don't have an iron mask, I didn't fight Jiannu before." ”

Jin Guofeng raised his glass and saluted, took a big sip, gently shrugged out the wine, and said slowly: "The suggestions that should be made still have to be made, let Banzai know that there is such a thing, and sooner or later there will be arrangements." ”

With a somewhat intriguing smile, Jin Guofeng said: "As for the financial constraints of the imperial court, I don't have to worry too much. Long live the wisdom and wisdom, there must be a way to solve it. ”

He Kegang and Zu Dashou glanced at each other, and looked at Jin Guofeng suspiciously, not knowing where he got his confidence.

"Holy Decree!" Jin Guofeng said with a smile: "Think about it carefully, what the Holy Decree of Long Live says. ”

He Kegang lowered his eyes, Zu Dashou frowned and touched his chin, and they all thought about it seriously.

After a while, Zu Dashou's eyes lit up, slapped his thigh, and said: "Long live did not urge the battle, but warned us not to underestimate the enemy because of a victory." ”

He Kegang also pondered and understood, and said with a smile: "Long live is not in a hurry, it means that there is a way to ease the finances and continue to spend money with Jiannu." ”

Jin Guofeng laughed and said, "That's exactly the truth. When a certain and many officers were transferred out of Beijing from Wuxuefeng, Banzai still summoned them for a banquet according to the custom. Before the banquet, it was said that winning with stability is an unswerving strategy. ”

Stretching out a finger, Jin Guofeng looked like a traitor, and asked with a smile: "Do you know what Banzai still calls this strategy of strategic contraction and consumption of slaves?" ”

"Defend as offense."

"Blockade attrition."

Jin Guofeng shook his head again and again for Zu Dashou and He Kegang's answers, and finally hooked his outstretched finger twice, and said with a smile: "Long live said: Strategic contraction is to tell Jiannu that if you have the ability, you will come over!" ”

Come here, bring enough food and grass supplies, cross the river, walk through nearly 100 miles of desolate areas, and come to beat me!

This is really an image! Zu Dashou and He Kegang glanced at each other and couldn't help laughing.

Jiannu is definitely coming!

At this time, Xiong Tingbi, the Liaodong Jingluo, was outside the city, watching the training of the newly built cavalry.

The sharpness of the firearms and the solidity of the city or fortifications will definitely cause heavy losses to the Jiannu who came to attack.

But to truly defeat Jiannu, it is definitely not possible to defend alone.

And to win in the field, at least to have the strength to resist, first of all, it is necessary not to be easily defeated in hand-to-hand combat, and secondly, it is necessary to have a relatively strong cavalry.

Zhu Youxiao has long explained this to Xiong Tingbi, and has tentatively set a three-year period.

Of course, Zhu Youxiao is also sober. I know that no matter how much I train in personal horsemanship, it is estimated that I can't catch up with the Manchu people who have been riding horses and hunting since childhood, let alone the ethnic Mongols on horseback.

But riding is only one aspect, there are other factors that determine the strength of victory or defeat, and it is completely possible to find another way!

Therefore, Xiong Tingbi trained the cavalry according to his own ideas and plans, and on the other hand, according to the emperor's wishes, he formed another army called the dragoons.