Chapter 38: The Vision for the Soaring Iron Cavalry

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“First, you have surely seen the power of firearms. Not only does our Great Ming possess them; the Jurchens are developing them as well. How will the Tengxiang Four Guards you intend to establish withstand firearms?”

Fang Zhenghua seemed to have considered this question long ago. He immediately replied, “Your Majesty, I admit that firearms are powerful. However, judging from the firearms currently available, they can be divided into muskets and cannons. Both suffer from fatal shortcomings: slow reloading, a high risk of bursting, and poor accuracy.

“With muskets, at a distance of twenty paces, I am confident I could evade the shot and avoid being hit—much less cavalry.

“Cannons excel at siege warfare but are ill-suited to open battle. They are slow to move, and reloading a single shot takes half a tea interval, roughly two minutes. In that time, cavalry can cover three miles. By then, they will have long since crossed the buffer zone between the two armies.”

“Your Majesty, the cavalry of the Tengxiang Four Guards that I am establishing is primarily intended to counter the Jurchen cavalry. I have two ideas for the cavalry.

“First, heavily armored cavalry, fully equipped to confront the enemy cavalry and halt their charges.

“Second, light cavalry armed with muskets and sabers. They will rely on their speed to withdraw from the battlefield, reload, then circle back and cut down the enemy.”

Chongzhen did not immediately comment on Fang Zhenghua’s proposal. In his previous life, he had paid little attention to military affairs and was not particularly knowledgeable about such specialized matters.

Specialized matters should be left to specialists.

For instance, the commanders of the nine frontier armies had spent years fighting foreign enemies. They naturally understood how best to deal with enemy cavalry and firearms.

“Your proposal is something I cannot answer at present. I will find people to assess it.

“Now I will ask you a second question.

“Where will you recruit the cavalry?”

Recruitment was what concerned Chongzhen most.

In an agrarian society, cavalry was the branch of the military most closely watched by every dynasty. Unlike infantry, which almost anyone could join, cavalry required a considerable amount of training.

“Your Majesty, in the short term, there are three possible sources.

“First, we can recruit from the Six Commanderies of Hexi. The young men of those regions have been influenced by the nomadic peoples’ traditions of horsemanship and archery since childhood, and most possess highly refined riding skills.

“Second, we can recruit from Liaodong. I recall that the Yiding Tūqi, the Kuan-Ning Iron Cavalry, currently stationed in Liaodong were recruited locally. We can do the same.

“Third, we can conduct a nationwide levy. Our Great Ming has nearly two hundred million people, and there are still many who know how to ride.

“In the long term, however, it would be best for us to recruit and train the men ourselves. That would be more reliable, but it would likely take at least one or two years.”

After finishing, Fang Zhenghua added, “As for the cavalry’s horses, we can raise them at our own pastures on the one hand, and purchase them from the nomadic peoples through the horse markets on the other.”

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Clearly, Fang Zhenghua had already developed a comprehensive plan for these matters. This showed that he had truly given them serious thought.

After pondering for a moment, Chongzhen praised him. “Fang Zhenghua, I am gratified by your ideas, but your vision is not broad enough.”

“First, the Tengxiang Four Guards need not remain in the capital. Establish another battalion of between three and five thousand men, to be called the Warriors’ Camp. Together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, that will be sufficient to protect my safety.”

The nine frontier armies guarded the outer regions, while the capital and its surroundings were defended by twenty-one guard garrisons and the Metropolitan Army. If those forces could not secure the capital, then stationing any number of men in the palace would be useless.

“Second, expand the Tengxiang Four Guards from their current establishment of five thousand and six men to ten thousand. I will first allocate one million taels of silver from the imperial treasury for you to establish the Tengxiang Four Guards.

“Although their numbers are increasing, what I want is an absolutely elite force—every man among them must be someone who dares to fight and kill. As for their future pay and expenses, you will have to find a way to handle those yourself.”

Was one million taels of silver a lot? That depended on what it was compared with. But when it came to cavalry, it truly was not much.

The Yiding Tūqi received a monthly salary of one tael and six mace, plus one dan of rice, amounting to roughly thirty taels a year.

The purchase and upkeep of horses, fodder, and battle losses cost approximately another thirty taels per year.

Armor, weapons, and other equipment consumed around fifteen taels per cavalryman annually. In addition, training, transfers, patrols, postwar compensation, and other expenses required roughly eight taels per man each year.

Taken together, one cavalryman consumed eighty-three taels of silver annually. Since the Tengxiang Four Guards were the emperor’s personal army, raising that figure somewhat would hardly be excessive. Let us call it one hundred taels.

One million taels of silver would therefore cover only one year of expenses for ten thousand cavalrymen. That was why people said, “Providing one horse in a frontier city is equivalent to supporting three to five infantrymen.”

How could the Jurchens, with their tiny territory, afford to maintain so much cavalry? The reason was that they did not pay their soldiers at all. Their warriors seized wealth and people as their own; apart from the portion handed over to their leaders, the rest of the spoils belonged to the men themselves.

That was an extremely tempting arrangement.

Once the cavalry had been formed, however, Chongzhen could employ the strategy of sustaining war through war. The Jurchen cavalry could not be attacked just yet, but there were still plenty of weaker targets around Great Ming that could be bullied.

As long as they moved swiftly and eliminated their targets before the enemy and the outside world had time to react, all would be well.

Fang Zhenghua was utterly incredulous, and his voice trembled slightly. “Your Majesty... Your Majesty, does this mean you approve of my proposal?”

“Why would I not?”

Chongzhen stepped forward and pulled Fang Zhenghua to his feet. “I approve of establishing cavalry within the Tengxiang Four Guards. However, the types of cavalry and the methods of training them must be decided after I consult the commanders of the frontier armies. I hope you can understand.”

“I understand! I prostrate myself in gratitude for Your Majesty’s boundless grace!”

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Fang Zhenghua had only just risen when he fell to his knees again. His voice was choked with emotion, and his eyes had reddened.

The Tengxiang Four Guards were the emperor’s personal army. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would remain near the capital. Although Fang Zhenghua held the seal of the Imperial Stud Directorate, he had never enjoyed the exhilaration of personally commanding an army into battle against the enemy.

“Qin Liangyu will arrive in the capital in half a month. You have half a month to prepare. Once the imperial edict is issued, I hope you will be able to take control of the Imperial Stud Directorate swiftly and forge a capable force in a short time.

“After the reorganization is complete, establish the Warriors’ Camp first. Once spring arrives, begin forming the cavalry.”

“I shall never fail Your Majesty’s trust. I will devote myself to the cause until my dying breath!”

With that, the matters concerning the Imperial Stud Directorate and the Tengxiang Four Guards were finally settled. From that moment onward, an iron cavalry destined to sweep across the entire continent of Eurasia was born.

Wang Cheng’en looked somewhat envious, but he knew his own limitations. Even if the responsibility had been given to him, he would not have been able to manage it.

After quite some time, Fang Zhenghua finally calmed down.

Chongzhen continued, “As for the candidates to serve as the new commanders of the Tengxiang Four Guards and the Warriors’ Camp, do you have anyone suitable in mind?”

Fang Zhenghua first nodded, then shook his head. The sight left Chongzhen somewhat puzzled.

“Your Majesty, at present I have only one candidate.”

“Who?”

“Some time ago, I received a letter from my old home. It said that an interesting incident had occurred in Daming Prefecture. A band of roughly thirty to fifty bandits had been robbing merchants and travelers on the roads outside the prefecture.

“When the prefecture sent government troops against them, the bandits fled whenever the force was large, while a smaller force was not enough to defeat them. After this happened more than a dozen times, the bandits became increasingly brazen. In the end, they angered the prefect of Daming.

“That prefect took seven or eight retainers, disguised them all as merchants, and lay in wait. When the bandits attacked, they suddenly struck back. The prefect himself killed more than twenty of them, and the rest surrendered.

“I conducted an investigation and discovered that this prefect had passed the metropolitan examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign. He had first served as a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, then been promoted to assistant director, and later appointed prefect of Daming.

“He had loved reading military treatises and practicing horsemanship and archery since he was young. Though a scholar, he possessed extraordinary martial skill. He was truly an anomaly among men of letters.”

When Fang Zhenghua mentioned Daming Prefecture, Chongzhen’s heart stirred violently. A certain man appeared in his mind.

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