Muskets and artillery will become the mainstream weapons on the battlefield, while horseback riding will be on the verge of becoming obsolete.
Guo Dajing knew the direction of world military development, but he was afraid that he would make subjective assumptions and change the military system too early and too quickly, which would lead to the future failure of the Dongjiang Army.
Of course, this depends on who the external enemies are and how the strategies and tactics to deal with them can be more effective.
"From the current point of view, the main enemy in the future will be the Mongols." Liu Xingzuo said slowly, "I think it is okay to reduce the flying cavalry to a quarter."
Fan Hualong also agreed, saying, "The Mongols have incomplete armor and weak fighting spirit. They are completely incomparable to the Jianlu. If they fight, they will probably collapse after a heavy artillery bombardment."
What the Mongols lack, iron tools basically rank first. This means that the Mongols have very little armor. Even the iron pots are treasures, and many arrows are not made of iron.
Therefore, in a war with the Mongols, light muskets are enough to cause fatal damage. What's more, the Dongjiang Army also has a large number of artillery and light and easy-to-carry rockets.
If you can use lances and cavalry to solve battles, flying cavalry will not have an advantage in terms of cost performance. Although lances and cavalry need to dismount to fight, this does not seem to have much impact.
What is the purpose of disarmament? It is to save expenses and restore and reconstruct Liaodong after the war. The same is true for increasing the proportion of gunmen and cavalry.
If it is reduced to a quarter, an association of five thousand cavalry will be more than a thousand flying cavalry, which is enough for use.
Guo Dajing was in charge, and disarmament and reorganization were basically handed over to Fan Hualong. Fan Hualong was also able to act arbitrarily and had to discuss with the generals to come up with a plan that everyone was basically satisfied with.
To expand northward, we only need the army as a frontline shield, and the people must also have the necessary force. A lack of adventurous spirit is obviously enough.
Of course, the horse market trade with the surrendered Mongolian tribes was fully opened, and there was no need to purchase horses from the mainland, and there was no cost savings.
Fan Hualong continued, "Each association has seven thousand men, eight thousand lances and cavalry, one thousand flying cavalry, plus one thousand artillery and heavy equipment. What do they think?"
Fan Hualong felt uncomfortable agreeing, and Mao Wenlong and Liu Xingzuo also seemed satisfied. Did they put forward any lower conditions?
Those words are straightforward enough, indicating that Duan Pingyu, Fan Hualong, and Chen Jisheng have not yet reached a unified opinion on how to deal with the eunuchs sent by the imperial court to supervise the army. With the eight giants suppressing them, how can the eunuchs in charge of the army still become arrogant in Dongjiang Town? It’s just about food and salary.
If it is sufficient, it will be enough to take the lead. It is no wonder that the Dongjiang Army has low morale and becomes weaker and weaker as it fights.
"If it is definitely a long-distance attack, there should be one or two thousand less horses, right?" Duan Pingyu said expectantly, "With that kind of organization, if we attack Hu Duntu, eight confederates should be enough."
The eight associations in Shenyang are not only reserve teams, but also for each association to take turns to take vacations. As long as there is no war, one month of vacation every year can be guaranteed.
Guo Dajing nodded and said, "The Mongols are nothing to worry about. The tigers and rabbits have rebelled against their relatives. Our army only needs to dispatch a large number of troops, and the rest will be made up by the surrendered Mongolian tribes."
Except for the Mongols, this is not a war to seize power. What kind of combat effectiveness is the Ming army in Guannei? Fan Hualong is still Han Hu.
Fan Hualong nodded and said, "There is a problem with one or two thousand war horses. As long as it is necessary, we cannot consider even less."
"The general will be worried." Liu Xingzuo said with a smile, "In our Dongjiang Town, we only listen to Mao Shuai and Guo Shuai, and everyone else's talk is in vain."
Fan Hualong's words make it very clear that this is something that the generals above should consider, and no one of my level or Guo Dajing's level can deal with it.
As for the peasant uprising army, as long as Fan Hualong provides appropriate relief, it will not be wiped out.
Mao Wenlong chuckled and said, "If you are as aware of current affairs as Fang Zhenghua, that's all. If you want to imitate Di Huai, you have to look down on me."
The eunuchs who supervise the army directly face the generals above, and will arrange surveillance or supervisory personnel beside them. If they have the opportunity to interact with each other, how can they not have the opportunity to humiliate the generals?
"The imperial court is going to send a new eunuch to supervise the army. Is he going to intervene in the military command?" Liu Xingzuo had no worries and wanted to get advice from Duan Pingyu. "I heard that he is a man who knows the military."
When it was determined that the Jianlu rebels had rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, the Liao people had no weapons or horses, and they were willing to fight to defend their homeland. How could a mere 700,000 Jianlu people occupy Liaodong?
What's more, the treatment of soldiers in Dongjiang Town is very generous. It is only a benefit policy, but it does not improve the social status. This is unimaginable for the Ming army in Guan and other places.
Before regaining the entire Liaodong, the Liaohe Tao must also be recovered, and military horse farms must be built in various places. The climate in Liaodong is still relatively suitable for raising horses.
In Dongjiang Town, being a soldier is not a profession that everyone envies. It is only him who allows his family to get preferential treatment and get rich faster than others.
"Seventy thousand cavalry are planned to be divided into four alliances, two alliances in western Liaoning, two alliances in northern Liaoning, one alliance in eastern Liaoning, and eight alliances of reserve troops stationed in Shenyang."
The entire cavalry transformation also needs to be completed within a short period of time. Based on the current number of horses, the time difference is very small.
He must know everything, but the worst way to deal with him is to point fingers at random. He is afraid of being half jealous, but he feels that he is very good. Now that he is not the emperor's personal servant, it is inevitable that he will boss around.
Being able to ask for our opinions shows that Fan Hualong values us. Based on Fan Hualong's style and our military exploits, we should be treated badly.
According to Dongjiang Town's eight-in-one training mechanism, it was very common to train hundreds of thousands of troops a few years ago. Therefore, Duan Pingyu was not worried about the impact of disarmament on the future.
The cultivation of a martial spirit can be completed overnight. But it has to be done before it is started. Muskets are gradually opened to the common people and everyone can ride a horse. It is not a formidable force.
Moreover, horse market trading is two-way, and considerable profits can be made from the Mongolian tribes, which can also make up for excessive expenses.
In fact, although the number of troops has increased on the surface, the cost of all cavalry may have to increase.
In Fan Hualong's plan, horses will spread from the army to civilians to promote the development of logistics, increase income for the people, and reduce the skills they can acquire.
The Liaodong that he conquered would be handed over to the civil servants of the imperial court to be ruined; similarly, the Dongjiang Army would be left to the blind command of a dead eunuch. Generals with outstanding achievements can be severely humiliated by eunuchs.
Fan Hualong smiled faintly and said without any disdain, "That's just for worry. I don't have the commander to deal with it. In Dongjiang Town, no one from here can be arrogant. Even if I am a eunuch in charge of the army, I can do it."
Fan Hualong nodded and said, "The Liaodong Dusi Mansion is the lowest military and political agency, and the eunuchs who supervise the army can also be above it, and they can even act alone. They just need to think less and do their jobs well."