Chapter 63 Ceremony of Forming the Army-Hanming(Toda a história se tornou cinzas.)

"Second Brother, we've equipped plenty of firelocks, but they're rarely useful in battle. In the end, it still comes down to mounted archery and martial prowess. If firelocks have any use at all, it's at best just to scare people!" said Yue Polu.

"Hahaha, you foolish boy, that's only because your firelocks are too poor!" Li Jibo suddenly interrupted, the old man smiling as he said, "The finest firelocks of our Great Ming can shoot beyond one hundred and fifty paces, and a superior matchlock can exceed one hundred paces. At around fifty paces, they can pierce two layers of armor, making them far fiercer than most bows and arrows. Back in the day, Qi Jiguang passionately advocated for firearms, and when he served as the Regional Commander of Jizhen, border defense firearms increased rapidly. By the time of the Three Great Campaigns of the Wanli Era, our dynasty's firearms had already surpassed those of the Japanese. Strategist Wang once strongly advocated relying on firelocks to counter the iron cavalry of the Later Jin. Alas, it is truly a pity that corrupt officials lined their pockets and made a mockery of the sharp weapons meant to protect the home and country, leading to today's plight. It is truly lamentable and sorrowful!"

Li Xu also chimed in, "My father is right. Back then, I personally selected some fine firelocks for testing. At a distance of fifty paces, a fat pig wrapped in two layers of iron armor took a shot; although the armor remained intact, the tendons, bones, and even internal organs inside were completely shattered. If a person were to take such a hit, it would be certain death without a doubt. This firelock looks even more refined than the ones I used for testing back then, and I reckon shooting a hundred and fifty paces won't be a problem, far exceeding the range of a bow and arrow."

Zhou Yingjie smiled and said, "When my uncle trained his troops, he actually held firearms in high regard, but our firelocks were simply too inferior. Back during the Battle of Yangliuqing, when the Tartar soldiers charged at us, we couldn't hit them at fifty paces at all. We had to wait until the Tartars came within thirty paces before opening fire, and then the Tartars fell in rows, just like wheat being harvested."

Sun Cheng frowned and couldn't help asking, "Ninth Brother, at thirty paces, wouldn't the Tartar soldiers' bows and arrows be able to reach you?"

Zhou Yingjie smiled bitterly and nodded, "We just had to endure it! When your equipment doesn't match the enemy's, do you still hesitate to risk your life?"

As he spoke, Zhou Yingjie revealed a fierce sense of pride. Having achieved victory against the Later Jin with inferior numbers, they indeed had every right to be proud.

Listening to their discussion, Gu Zhenghua was filled with deep emotion. In truth, those who had long lived on the frontier were not fools. Looking further back, there were the Founding Emperor and the Yongle Emperor; looking closer in time, there were Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang. Everyone knew very well how they fought their battles. It was simply that the Ming dynasty's officialdom and finances had collapsed, making it impossible to recruit good soldiers or manufacture superior weapons. Coupled with a group of civil officials and eunuchs issuing blind commands, fine men had been sent to their graves in vain!

"My brothers, this batch of firelocks was brought all the way from the capital. Their craftsmanship is quite decent; let us test their power right now!" Gu Zhenghua said with a smile.

Everyone nodded in agreement. They selected five carriages, placed them side by side at a distance of about a hundred paces, and added an extra layer of cargo box onto each carriage to serve as targets.

Zhou Yingjie pulled fifteen men from his subordinates, armed with firelocks, to fire together. Gu Zhenghua and the others watched closely from behind as smoke billowed and deafening roars erupted.

They fired three consecutive rounds. Before the smoke had even cleared, Yue Polu broke into a run, rushing straight to the front of the carriages. His eyes instantly widened.

"Good heavens, the carriage boxes have been completely shattered!"

Yue Polu picked up a piece of hard wooden board and saw a lead bullet embedded right in it, with cracks covering the entire plank. Had this hit a flesh-and-blood body, it would have been absolute death with no hope of survival.

Yue Polu could practically envision countless Tartar cavalry charging forward, only to be blasted into pieces by firelocks and drop dead to the ground.

In an instant, Yue Polu's perspective on firelocks underwent a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. He immediately smiled and said, "Seventh Brother, Ninth Brother, you must give this younger brother a larger share of the firelocks!"

Gu Zhenghua had brought three thousand firelocks out of the capital, and Zhou Yingjie's men couldn't possibly use all of them anyway, so he happened to distribute fifteen hundred of them to the Ningyuan Army.

The Ningyuan Army was thoroughly trained and no strangers to firelocks. To boost everyone's confidence, they took turns arranging tests to witness the terrifying power of the firearms firsthand.

After the tests, every single person gripped their firelocks tightly, reluctant to let go—treating them like absolute treasures!

Through Gu Zhenghua's personal coordination, the two forces shared their strengths to make up for their weaknesses: the infantry gained horses and armor, while the cavalry acquired formidable firearms. Both sides took what they needed, and their combat effectiveness multiplied exponentially, leaving everyone exceptionally satisfied.

The supplies brought out from the capital and Shanhaiguan were now perfectly combined. Looking at the five-thousand-strong army before him, armed almost to the teeth, Gu Zhenghua felt immensely proud.

This was already a formidable force. As long as they were properly trained and used these men as the backbone, they could undoubtedly whip up a powerful army in no time, and Gu Zhenghua's confidence swelled further.

However, there was still one problem that needed to be resolved right away: uniting the hearts of the army!

"My brothers, you have gathered here from the four corners of the land. Some of you are from the Ningyuan Army, some from the Shanxi forces, and others from the Capital Garrison. You come from diverse origins and different backgrounds. But since we have all gathered here, we are now one single army, forged into a single iron fist, with no distinctions between us anymore."

"Well said," Li Xu said with a smile. "That arch-traitor Wu Sangui surrendered to the Later Jin, and the reputation of the Ningyuan Army has been ruined. It's just the right time for us to wash away the past and become new men!"

Guo Long and Yue Polu also nodded repeatedly. Since those of Ningyuan Army origin had spoken first, Sun Cheng, Lu Yong, Zhou Yingjie, and the others had no objections whatsoever.

Gu Zhenghua lowered his head in contemplation for a moment, then smiled and said, "Soldiers need to serve the country, and the common people need peace. Shall we call ourselves the Pacification Army?"

"Brilliant!" Li Jibo said with a smile. "A single word for peace—the yearning of countless common folk. We can only hope that you will truly bring peace and stability to the realm and save the common people."

With the matter settled, the troops were immediately reorganized. Gu Zhenghua appointed himself the Commander of the Pacification Army, and the entire force was divided into ten battalions of five hundred men each. The ten sworn brothers each took charge of one battalion. In this way, the original command structures were completely broken down, and Gu Zhenghua's control over the troops was vastly strengthened.

When the five thousand men stood before Gu Zhenghua—a massive sea of soldiers dropping to one knee to swear allegiance—Gu Zhenghua's blood boiled instantly.

To command thousands upon thousands of troops and conquer the battlefield was perhaps the inherent dream deep within every man's bones. Since fate had given him this chance, he would carve his own chapter into history!

"Long live the Pacification Army!"

"Long live the Pacification Army! Long live the Earl of Loyalty and Bravery!"

The uniform, thunderous shouts shook the surrounding wilderness. The overwhelming aura made even heaven and earth shift colors, and the Pacification Army—destined to strike terror into the hearts of many—officially stepped onto the stage of history.

From meeting and taking oaths of brotherhood to exchanging horses and equipment, and finally reorganizing the army, they had been busy for well over an entire afternoon, finishing only around midnight. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the soldiers had a sound sleep to recover their fatigued bodies.

However, Gu Zhenghua had no time to rest. They were still not far from Shanhaiguan, and the Later Jin army could pursue them at any moment. The most urgent task was to head south as quickly as possible.

Just as Gu Zhenghua was planning the next step of seizing Tianjin, Hou Sanhuai suddenly came running over in a flurry.

"My Lord, it's terrible! Scouts have just reported that a cavalry force has pursued us from Shanhaiguan, and their target appears to be us!"

Hearing this, Gu Zhenghua instantly knitted his brows. The Pacification Army had just been newly founded and was still extremely fragile; encountering an attack right now would be exceedingly dangerous.

"Pass down my order: the entire army will immediately head south. In addition, dispatch more scouting teams to find out the exact details of the pursuers!"

"Yes!" Hou Sanhuai immediately went off to convey the order.

Wu Sangui hated Gu Zhenghua to the marrow of his bones. After receiving Dorgon's orders, he immediately led two thousand Ningyuan troops and two thousand Eight Banners soldiers in relentless pursuit.

In truth, the distance between them and Gu Zhenghua was less than a day's march, but along the way, they encountered numerous defeated soldiers of the Dashun army as well as fleeing refugees, which delayed their progress.

It was precisely this delay that had bought Gu Zhenghua precious time to reorganize his army, transforming them into a completely new force with an entirely different stance.

Of course, Wu Sangui knew nothing of this. Still grinding his teeth in hatred, he pursued them frantically day and night.

"Prince, we've found an encampment up ahead! It's likely Gu Zhenghua and those traitors!"

Hearing this, Wu Sangui instantly surged with spirit and spurred his horse forward. After inspecting the site closely, he gnashed his teeth and said, "That's right! There are numerous cart ruts on the ground and plenty of horse dung. It's definitely that bastard Gu Zhenghua!"

These supplies had all been plundered from Shanhaiguan—they were literal pieces of flesh scraped right off Wu Sangui's own body. The arch-traitor burned with fury and immediately ordered a relentless chase, driving his four thousand cavalry forward without a moment's rest.

Wu Sangui pursued for over a day. Just as he was chewing on some dry rations, a subordinate hurried over to report.

"Prince, ten li ahead, a force has formed a battle array and is waiting for us. It's precisely the bunch led by Gu Zhenghua."

Upon hearing this, Wu Sangui leaped up from the ground, abandoning his rations, and shouted loudly to his subordinates, "The traitors have nowhere to run! Follow me and slaughter them all!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Wu Sangui led his men charging forward. In his mind, Gu Zhenghua, who had only a little over two thousand men, could never possibly be a match for him in a field battle. A single engagement would be enough to wipe this bunch out!

"Brothers, this time Wu Sangui has brought half Ningyuan troops and half Tartars, totaling four thousand men. They are slightly fewer than us, but their combat effectiveness cannot be underestimated. Their cavalry charge, in particular, is terrifyingly powerful. However, we cannot avoid this fight. If we leave a wolf trailing behind us, we will eventually be devoured by it. Only by bravely striking them down can we head south in peace."

When he first heard about the pursuers, Gu Zhenghua had been startled, but upon learning there were only about four thousand of them, he began calculating. The arch-traitor most likely did not know that he had acquired another two thousand soldiers, many of whom were elites who had already fought the Tartars. Relying on this, coupled with their sharp firearms, would be more than enough to give Wu Sangui a devastating blow.

"For this battle, Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, and I will lead three battalions as the main force to form a frontal battle array against Wu Sangui. Second Brother and Fifth Brother, each of you will lead a battalion of cavalry on the two flanks to prevent any breakthrough from the sides. Eldest Brother, you will lead the remaining troops as reinforcements."

Gu Zhenghua said with absolute confidence, "Let this battle serve as the coming-of-age ceremony for the Pacification Army. We will use the blood of the traitor to consecrate our flags!"