Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 891 One-off Armies and Industrialized Armies

What is a major battle?

"A major battle is a struggle between the main forces of both sides."

"It is not an insignificant struggle undertaken for a secondary objective."

"It's not a pure attempt that gives up as soon as it realizes that the goal is difficult to achieve."

"It is not a struggle for true victory, but a fight to the death."

Inside the Wuying Hall, Zhu Youjian's cold voice rang out, while Chief of Staff Yang Sichang and others were writing furiously.

This has been going on ever since the start of the state of war.

Lacking experience in warfare, Zhu Youjian did not intervene in specific battles. Instead, based on his own insights, he collaborated with senior members of the Privy Council to write a book titled "On War."

Following Clausewitz's masterpiece, Zhu Youjian stated clearly at the outset:

War is a tool of politics, a continuation of politics by other means, and an extreme measure of politics and diplomacy.

Every war should have a purpose and a plan, rather than being a war for the sake of war.

This view was very popular among civil officials, as it aligned with their belief that "weapons are instruments of misfortune, and sages use them only as a last resort." These people enthusiastically supported the emperor's "On War."

Especially for civilian military officers, this work, *On War*, jointly written by the emperor and high-ranking officials of the Privy Council, can be considered a work that solidified their status.

Civilian officers in charge of military and political affairs are no longer subordinates in war, but rather leaders of war.

Today, Zhu Youjian wrote the chapter on the main battle of the Liaodong campaign, based on the progress of the war.

As the chief of staff, Yang Sichang personally compiled and recorded the information.

Upon hearing that the emperor had mentioned a major battle rather than the usual decisive battle, Yang Sichang inquired:
"Your Majesty, is there a difference between a major battle and a decisive battle?"

"Can we view this in the same way?"

Zhu Youjian smiled upon hearing this and said to his Chief of the General Staff:

"That's a good question. Right now, there's no difference."

"But the difference will be big in the future: a decisive battle between the main forces will definitely be a major battle between the main forces, but a major battle between the main forces can not necessarily be called a decisive battle."

"The armies of most countries nowadays are basically disposable. Once they are all wiped out, it is very difficult to replenish them, and even if they are managed to be replenished, their combat strength will be far inferior."

"Therefore, a single major battle can determine the outcome of a war, and can be called a decisive battle of the main force."

"For example, after the victory of the Battle of Poyang Lake, Emperor Taizu decided the demise of the Chen Han dynasty."

"This battle can be called the decisive battle of the main forces."

Yang Sichang pondered historical battles and then considered the current situation in Liaodong, saying thoughtfully:
"The upcoming Battle of Haizhou can be called a decisive battle between the main forces."

"Whether the Ming Dynasty or the Jurchens will prevail depends on this battle?"

Zhu Youjian chuckled and said:

"This is true for the Jurchens, but not for the Ming Dynasty."

"If the Jurchens are defeated, they will have nothing left, and there will be no chance of turning the tide."

"But for the Ming Dynasty, as long as the defense line is solid, it will only take a few more years to prepare."

"In particular, the Ming Dynasty's new army has been fully equipped with firearms, and its training is much faster than before."

"The three newly established guerrilla battalions in Liaonan Town trained 20,000 new soldiers in just three months."

"They were fearless and dared to fight the Jurchens to the death."

This was also a pleasant surprise for the Privy Council, because before this, they had never imagined that new recruits who had been trained for three months would dare to confront the Jurchens.

For the Ming army, being able to flee without seeing the enemy was already considered an elite force, let alone the new recruits of Liaonan Garrison who took the initiative to attack.

If it weren't for their heroic actions, the Ming Dynasty wouldn't have been able to gather 100,000 troops on the front lines and launch a decisive battle.

Yang Sichang pondered this matter and said thoughtfully:
"So His Majesty dispatched them to battle to test the fighting strength of this army?"

"If they can win, they can use the same method to train even more troops?"

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval and said to Yang Sichang:

"exactly!"

"As long as they do not collapse in the face of the Jurchens and can inflict casualties on them, the Ming Dynasty can train more new troops and send them up in a continuous stream."

"Therefore, the Battle of Haizhou can be called a decisive battle for the Jurchens, but for the Ming Dynasty it was just a major battle."

"If we win, we can seize the opportunity to annihilate the Jurchens; if we lose, we will simply need to recuperate for a while." Having explained the nature of the Battle of Haizhou, Zhu Youjian then addressed the listening officials around him:

"Warfare in the age of firearms will be fundamentally different from that of the past."

"A farmer who knows how to shoot can kill a soldier who has trained for decades."

"The replenishment of soldiers will be continuous, like factory production, rather than a one-off army as before."

"Those three guerrilla battalions in southern Liaoning were selected from qualified soldiers who were trained by capturing prey and using officers and sergeants as the backbone."

"Those who are not yet qualified are still being trained in the rear to become qualified soldiers."

"As long as the core of Liaonan Town remains intact, the soldiers needed can be replenished at any time to continue the fight."

This explanation gave the court officials a fresh perspective, and they also gained a clearer understanding of some of the emperor's actions.

Some people still don't understand why the emperor previously established hereditary military ranks.

In retrospect, this was not only about recruiting people to join the army, but also about training them to become the backbone of the military.

As long as these key personnel are healthy, the Ming army's combat strength can be maintained, and it can continue to fight with support from the rear.

At the same time, the rear and the front lines will become equally important.

This is why the emperor dared to propose that war is a continuation of politics and subordinate to politics.

Future wars will become a contest of national strength. Whoever governs their country better, can mobilize more soldiers, and can produce more weapons will be the one to win the war.

From this perspective, the Ming Dynasty's victory over the Jurchens was only natural. The Jurchens, numbering no more than 100,000, simply did not have the strength to fight the Ming Dynasty to the death.

This was a strategic victory, and Yang Sichang and his ministers once again realized the importance of strategic planning.
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After explaining these points, Zhu Youjian asked his ministers:
"The main force's campaign has a purpose. What do you think is the purpose of this battle?"

The ministers offered various suggestions, some saying "recapture Haizhou," others "defeat the Jurchens." After thinking for a moment, Yang Sichang replied:

"Destroy the Tartars!"

"Eliminate as many of the true Jurchens as possible!"

Zhu Youjian laughed heartily, looking at Yang Sichang with satisfaction, and said:

"Yang Qing's ability to recognize this already makes him a qualified Chief of the General Staff."

"The purpose of this battle is to kill the Tartars."

"As long as the casualty ratio between the new army and the Jurchens reaches one to one, or even two to one, it can be called a victory for the Ming Dynasty."

"The biggest weakness of the Jurchens was the lack of genuine Tartars, while the Ming Dynasty had a thousand times more manpower."

"As long as we can inflict casualties on the Jurchens, we will achieve victory sooner or later."

"Other objectives, such as the recapture of Haizhou and the stabilization of southern Liaoning, are minor details and not the purpose of this main battle."

"Remember, the main force must fight with all its might to achieve this goal and must not give up easily."

Yang Sichang was ordered to compile these words and send them to the Liaodong front for the members of the Front Committee to read.
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In Niuzhuang, Sun Chengzong, who was preparing for a decisive battle with the Jurchens, saw all this and it was as if he had been struck by lightning. He understood why the emperor was willing to risk a mutiny to reorganize the Guan Ning Army into a new army.

From an old perspective, the Guan-Ning Army was undoubtedly an elite force. Previously, the only force capable of resisting the Jurchens in the Ming Dynasty was the Guan-Ning Army.

However, for the imperial court, the Guan Ning Army was already outdated. This army, which was difficult to replenish once it was defeated, was undoubtedly what the emperor called a disposable army.

With the new army demonstrating its combat capabilities, spending five or six million taels of silver annually to maintain a disposable army is undoubtedly a foolish act.

Therefore, after the Guan Ning Army refused to be reorganized, the imperial court quickly approved his proposal for the Liaodong Campaign.

They would rather the Guan Ning Army be wiped out on the battlefield than continue to support them.

Now, after several months of small-scale battles, the Guan Ning Army's combat strength has reached its limit.

Continuing to fight like this will not improve our performance; on the contrary, it will consume a huge amount of resources.

Perhaps Sun Chengzong could delay the attack and allow the Guan Ning Army to maintain a visible presence on the front lines. However, that would only make the court suspect that he was hoarding military power and question his loyalty.

Once the Liaonan Garrison Army wins, the imperial court will be more determined to disband the Guan Ning Army.

Perhaps he could sit idly by and watch the Liaonan Garrison be defeated, forcing the imperial court to continue relying on the Guan Ning Army in Liaodong.

But that would only sow the seeds of trouble for the Sun family, and they would face the same reckoning as Li Chengliang and Yang Hao in the future.

There was really only one path facing Sun Chengzong: to use his troops to carve out a ladder to heaven.

This would not only fulfill his own ambitions but also make the imperial court realize the importance of the Guan Ning Army, leading to their complete reorganization into a new army.

The Guan Ning Army, which he painstakingly trained, was not merely a one-off force, but a main force meant for continuous combat and to quell the Jurchen invasion.

(End of this chapter)