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The seven Rouran horse slaves, each with some physical defects, were all good at riding horses. Once they were on their war horses, they were like fish in water and birds in the forest. The weapons in their hands were all made of wood.

The Imperial Guards also sent out seven people, also armed with wooden weapons and riding war horses, to fight against the seven Rouran horse slaves.

Liu Hengchang, Qin Zhan, and Meng Dashan were watching the battle from the sidelines, each with a frown on their face. Song Yuan was also standing by, looking equally unhappy.

Jiang Shaohua took a quick look and knew what was going on.

The seven Rouran horse slaves, who were not strong and had their own defects, quickly adapted to the horses under their crotches and charged back and forth, holding their wooden spears or wooden swords high. The Royal Guard Battalion sent out the most elite and brave Royal Guards, but under the opponent's swift attack, they quickly retreated.

"My lord, the Rouran cavalry is indeed powerful." Song Yuan whispered to Jiang Shaohua, "I have watched them for a few days and have figured out some tricks. These horse slaves grew up riding horses, and riding them is like running with their own legs. The guards in our personal guard camp have also been practicing riding skills, but there is still a gap."

"There are only seven of us, but we can already see the obvious gap." Qin Zhan sighed: "If the enemy had tens of thousands and charged at us with such momentum, we would have found it difficult to resist."

Meng Dashan looked solemn and whispered, "They are good at controlling horses, and their skills are not weak either. Look at the one who is blind in one eye, he uses the wooden sword very skillfully. If they use bows and arrows, I'm afraid they will be even more powerful."

Only Liu Hengchang remained silent.

Jiang Shaohua glanced at Liu Hengchang and asked: "Commander Liu, what do you think after watching for a few days?"

Liu Hengchang calmed down and replied in a low voice: "There are dozens of nomadic tribes outside the Great Wall. The Rouran cavalry can dominate the grasslands, so they must have something special. They were born on horseback, and they can ride and shoot arrows before they can walk. They are very good at riding horses. This is all within my expectations."

"The cavalry charge comes and goes like the wind. If they fail to break the enemy's formation, they will immediately organize a cavalry formation and charge again. When facing them, you must withstand the previous charge and wear down their spirit."

"However, they also have weaknesses. I am thinking that we can use caltrops to form a barricade, train spearmen, and even train a saber unit to chop off the horses' legs to deal with cavalry."

Jiang Shaohua was cheered up after hearing this: "Commander Liu, tell me in detail."

Liu Hengchang smiled and said, "I have only thought of a general idea. I have not yet figured out how to train the troops. Please wait patiently for a few days, and I will write a detailed proposal to you. Whether it will work or not depends on the training situation in the future."

This was also Liu Hengchang's habit. He never spoke carelessly about things he was not sure of. Even if he was sure of something, he would be extra cautious when speaking.

Jiang Shaohua's eyes flashed with a smile, and his tone was full of praise: "Okay, this princess will wait for Commander Liu's training plan."

As he said that, he turned to Qin Zhan and Meng Dashan and said, "Commander Qin, Commander Meng, you should listen to Commander Liu regarding the training of the troops."

Qin Zhan readily agreed: "Of course. When the time comes, we will train the troops the same way as Commander Liu does."

"We have the most sharpshooters in the Second Battalion." Meng Dashan smiled and continued, "Just now Commander Liu said that he wanted to train spearmen and sabermen. I was wondering if the Second Battalion could make use of its strengths and train archers. Otherwise, when the cavalry fights, if they send a wave of arrows, we have to be able to fight back."

Liu Hengchang's eyes lit up: "Commander Meng is right."

Qin Zhan immediately started thinking: "We have the most brave and powerful soldiers in our battalion, so we can train a group of spearmen." Spearmen are people who carry several sharp spears on their backs and throw them out at the same time when they are about to fight. Compared with bows and arrows, spears have stronger attack power and are more labor-intensive.

Song Yuan was so excited that he couldn't help but join the discussion: "The caltrops that Commander Liu just mentioned are a good way to defend a city. To use them in a battle, you have to observe the terrain and plan the battlefield. The caltrops can be pierced through the middle and connected with ropes. You can release them to injure the enemy's horses and you can also take them back."

Everyone was talking at once, and the more they talked, the more excited they became.

Jiang Shaohua nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "All these military training matters will be handed over to you. List out all the weapons and equipment you will need. This princess will arrange them personally when the time comes."

Military training has always been a very expensive thing. For the types of troops mentioned above, the men are ready-made, but the weapons that are consumed must be specially made and prepared.

Song Yuan thought for a moment and whispered, "Princess, regarding the military training, shouldn't we inform the Nanyang Army and ask them to train with us?"

The Royal Guard Battalion is different from the Nanyang Army. One is the direct line of the royal palace and has no upper limit on the spending of money and food, while the other is nominally the imperial court garrison, and the court will symbolically pay some military pay every year... Of course, the treasury is empty and the court is in trouble in recent years, and the Nanyang Army has not seen military pay from the court for a long time. It is the Nanyang Palace that is maintaining the troops.

This is also the tacit understanding between Jiang Shaohua and Taihe Emperor's cousin. Since the Nanyang Army was given to the Nanyang Palace, shouldn't it be maintained by the Nanyang Palace?

Jiang Shaohua thought for a moment and said, "I will write a letter to Yu Chong now and ask him to come to the Royal Guard Camp."

……

Nowadays, Nanyang County uses goshawks to deliver messages at a very fast speed. In just half a day, the princess's handwritten letter arrived in Yu Chong's hands.

Yu Chong immediately summoned his confidants and told them the contents of the letter: "...The princess has summoned me to discuss military training. I will stay in the Royal Guards Camp for a month or two before returning."

"Li Tie, I'll leave all the matters in the barracks to you. You must not stop the daily training. It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but only a moment to use it. The princess is using sufficient military pay to support us, so perhaps we will be put to use soon."

Yu Chong was able to become the commander of the Nanyang Army, which was a great feat. His vision alone was far superior to that of ordinary generals.

The Princess' personal guard camp has been expanding, and the troops are getting stronger. The Nanyang Army is garrisoned by the imperial court, so it is not convenient to expand the army at will. However, the war horses and weapons have been updated, and the training has never stopped. The combat power will at least double or triple.

The military strength of Nanyang County is already enough to influence the situation in the north. But the county lord is still not satisfied and wants to train more soldiers. What exactly does he want to do?
Li Tie's heart moved, he glanced at Yu Chong, and whispered: "Could it be that the princess intends to fight Rouran and recapture Pengcheng?"

"I don't know what the princess wants to do." Yu Chong said calmly: "I only know that when the princess gives an order, I, Yu Chong, will lead the Nanyang army to charge into battle."

The other generals echoed: "That's right. We will fight whoever the princess tells us to fight."

"Wait, the princess isn't planning to attack the capital, is she... Uh, I'm just saying this, why are you staring at me?" (End of this chapter)