After Yujia's expedition to the southwest was approved by the three bachelors of the cabinet, Zhu Youxiao immediately started to make preparations.
No one knows the terrain and situation of the southwest better than Shizhu chieftain generals such as Ma Xianglin and Qin Bangping, so they must be the main generals in this campaign.
All the original Shizhu soldiers had to be sent south. Since the defeat of Saarhu in the 46th year of Wanli, Zhu Youxiao's grandfather issued an imperial edict to them to go north to aid Liao. It has been nearly three years since then.
It's homesickness.
Moreover, the white-pole soldiers have extremely strong field combat capabilities in jungles and mountainous areas. Traveling through mountains and rivers is a great advantage of this ace army.
The white-pole soldiers were hard-working and most of the sergeants were heavy-armor soldiers of the Taishan Battalion, and Zhu Youxiao intended to use heavy-armor soldiers as the main force in this battle to conquer these chieftains.
Without cannons and superior firearms, it would be extremely difficult for a chieftain to break through a centimeter of fine iron armor of a heavy armored soldier with his sword and bow, let alone the chainmail armor worn inside.
Finally, after the generals and ministers analyzed and discussed the southwest area, Zhu Youxiao decided to use infantry and firearms to encircle and suppress the battle.
The brave cavalry regiment of the Yulin Army will not participate in this southern expedition, which makes Li Wensheng and other brave cavalry generals extremely depressed.
The two fierce tiger generals, Mengruhu and Hudawei, also showed disappointment. Since they were ordered to come to Beijing, they were first appointed as Qian generals, and soon they were promoted to guerrilla generals. The Mongolians with more than 10,000 people
They control most of the cavalry corps.
The two generals were very grateful for the emperor's kindness. They thought they could make military exploits in this battle to repay the emperor's trust.
For Zhu Youxiao, the first task of the cavalry is to train well. Although he has more than 30,000 cavalry, excluding the more than 10,000 Mongolian cavalry, the first batch of cavalry can really fight on the front line.
The rest are all young men who were recruited more than a month ago. I'm afraid they haven't even practiced equestrian skills yet. Going into battle like this isn't a typical example of giving away their lives.
In particular, those sergeants who have been selected as musketry cavalry must become proficient in manipulating divine weapons on horseback as quickly as possible. They will be the big killer weapons of the opponent Jiannu and Mongolia.
Among Zhu Youxiao's 20,000 Southern Expedition Corps, in addition to 4,000 original white pole soldiers, 10,000 firearms soldiers from the Shenji Battalion and 5,000 troops from the Huben Battalion were deployed, as well as 1,000 cavalry for support and protection.
Nearly half of the sergeants in this army are new recruits. Among them, the Shenji Battalion has the largest number of recruits, with as many as 7,000 recruits, while the Huben Battalion only has 3,000 recruits.
In this era, the quality and other hard conditions of soldiers do not need to be too high. They have already undergone basic training.
Firearms soldiers basically only require you to be proficient in muskets and artillery, and there is no need to practice physical fitness.
The infantry have also learned about various aspects such as weapons and bugles. It is no longer a problem to simply form a formation to respond to the enemy. It is time to go out and practice.
And these chieftains, who are neither strong nor weak in combat ability, are perfect candidates for military training.
A hundred days of hard training may not make progress as fast as the last actual battle.
The 20,000 Southern Expedition Corps will be led by two generals, Qin Bangping and Chen Guang, in ten days' time. They will set off secretly in two batches in the middle of the night, and will be assembled at Xi'an Mansion to be on standby.
Five days later, the auxiliary military battalion was responsible for escorting the army rations and supplies to Xi'an in the name of going to Shaanxi for disaster relief to serve as a support base for the logistics camp of the Southern Expeditionary Army.
Ma Xianglin, Qin Bangping and others were extremely happy. After nearly three years, they finally fulfilled their sacred mission of aiding Liao and Qin Liangyu's entrustment. They won a great victory in the grassland and could finally return home in triumph.
When Cao Bianjiao, who had been sitting on the steps listening to the lecture, saw that the important matter was discussed, he immediately shouted that he should go too, as if he was afraid that he would not be able to go, which made the emperor, ministers and generals laugh.
But it was a laugh. There were so many civil servants and generals present, but no one said anything wrong.
The military generals did not have so many twists and turns, and they were very happy for this little Cao. During those days in the military camp, Cao Bianjiao and them laid a deep and solid emotional foundation.
The three ministers are also very discerning. His Majesty's love and expectation for this son are visible to the naked eye. They even mentioned the old affairs of Emperor Xiaowu of Han Dynasty and Huo Qubing in front of everyone several times without covering up at all. This is not true at all.
You don't need to think twice to know what His Majesty is referring to.
And Cao Bianjiao did not disappoint everyone. His military ability and talent were indeed very strong, and he could basically learn it once he learned it. Especially the marksmanship taught to him by Ma Xianglin, he was so good at it that he was like a tiger or a tiger.
Wang Xiangqian even gave him several lessons, personally taught him the art of war and strategies, and even told him all his experience in using troops and running the army while guarding border towns for decades.
"Linlong, you are still too young. When you grow up, you can practice martial arts with your master to become more sophisticated. After reading more about the art of war and the military records of famous generals in the past, I will naturally let you go into battle to kill the enemy!"
The young Cao Bianjiao was not convinced, so he walked up the steps and said to the emperor:
"Your Majesty, these ministers you mentioned have been trained for a long time. Just send them. I will definitely not disappoint your Majesty and the masters."
Zhu Youxiao paused and immediately asked:
"Oh, how much progress have you made? Can you ride a horse now?"
This question made Cao Bianjiao feel discouraged on the spot, and he weakly replied:
"I'm not good at riding yet, but I'm already practicing!"
"Then I can't do it? Then I ask you again, how many of your famous generals have I read? Have you completed the study of Yue Wumu's wars with the Jin soldiers in more than ten years?"
"Have you seen the Northern Expedition to Mongolia and Yuan Dynasty between General Xu Da and General Chang Yuchun? Have you learned anything about Lan Yu's prairie cavalry field combat skills?"
The Directory of Famous Generals was compiled by Zhu Youxiao himself, who compiled all the famous generals from past dynasties, and ordered the eunuchs to search for information to compile it. He also included some major battles and classic battles in it. He had already read almost everything, and now it was time to
Cao Bianjiao looked at it.
Cao Bianjiao was immediately silenced by the question. Only then did he see Cao Zhang's Northern Campaign against Wuhuan, and he had no time to see the rest.
Zhu Youxiao looked at his pitiful look and said with a smile:
"Don't be impatient. You still have a lot of time. Now I only have one task for you, and that is to study hard."
"Take a good look at how the famous generals of the previous dynasty defeated their opponents. You should also study more about their military management and military strategies. When you have thoroughly studied it, you can submit your experience to me. If I think it is qualified, I will give you permission immediately.
join the army!"
A glimmer of light flashed in Cao Bianjiao's eyes, and it was obvious that the fire of struggle in his heart was burning more intensely.
"Your Majesty, you can't lie to your ministers with your golden words!"
"I am the emperor, so what I say will naturally count. As long as you do it, I will reward you!"
The ministers and generals below have been watching this scene quietly. Alas, this man is really annoying compared to other people.