The hooves of the horses roared in the field of the Tiger Guards. A feather fluttered in the dust, like a reed swaying in the wind. Guo Shao rode a black horse in the front, looking very agile, and a large group of horseback soldiers followed closely behind him.
Hundreds of people were wearing brand new armor, newly made by the armor workshop, and the helmets could obviously be inserted with feathers. The newly delivered batch of armor was equipped with feathers as a celebration. Guo Shao felt that it was much more comfortable than the previous armor, and the connection parts of the shoulders and limbs were more convenient for movement; the weight was also lighter than before, because it was not two layers of armor, but chain mail inlaid with rivets on the plate armor.
In front of him was a slaughtered sheep hanging on a wooden rack with a breastplate on the outside. Guo Shao rode his horse forward, and when he was more than 20 steps away, he took out a three-foot-long javelin and threw it fiercely. With a clang, the javelin hit the plate armor. The speed of the warhorse and the speed of the javelin, the javelin weighing three or four pounds directly pierced through the armor and pierced into the mutton.
Ha Guoshao shouted happily, turned his horse in a different direction and passed in front of the target. The knights who rushed from behind threw their spears one after another, most of which missed the target. However, they were still unskilled, so they only threw two or three times.
A group of horsemen followed Guo Shao and gradually stopped, dismounted and rested. Dong Zunhui and another tall and burly man came up, and the big man said: "Guo Du Dianjian is a martial arts master, and his spear throwing is more accurate than anyone else."
The big man who was speaking was called Zhang Jiankui. He was very strong and good at using a big axe. During the war against Shu, he attacked the military camp on the cliff of Wushan Gorge with great courage. Guo Shao was at the foot of the mountain at that time, so he remembered him.
Guo Shao smiled and patted the big man on the shoulder, and found that this guy was taller than him, and said: "No need to flatter me, you need me, and I need you too. The Great Zhou Army needs a fierce general like Commander Zhang."
Everyone burst into laughter after hearing this. Zhang Jiankui hurriedly said: "I was promoted from a general to a commander of 500 men, all thanks to the training of the inspector Guo."
Guo Shaodao: Those of you who didn't hit the target, don't worry about it. Practice diligently and you will definitely learn it within a month. This thing is simple, a hundred times easier than archery. I have tried it myself. I didn't know how to throw a spear before.
Dong Zunhui laughed and said: I was wondering why my uncle started to practice throwing spears in the military camp. My uncle is an expert archer and is the best among all the soldiers. Why did he give up the bow and learn to throw spears
Haha, I have no use for archery and javelin. Do I have to go into battle and kill Guo Shaodao myself? I just want to try it out to see if this thing is useful. The iron spear that Shi Yanchao used is not usable by ordinary people. This newly made one has a thick cork head and a thin foot, and is of moderate length and weight, so it is easier to use.
Guo Shao recalled Dong Zun's words and said: The Third Army is a mounted infantry. How did you fight when you entered the battlefield on horseback
Dong Zun said: If there are less than 100 people, they should ride horses and approach the enemy army about 100 steps, then dismount and quickly form a line to fight. But if there are tens of thousands of people, they can only abandon their horses in advance, set up the battle formation first, and then walk into the battlefield; otherwise, it will be too troublesome to deploy a large formation, and they may be ambushed by the enemy before they are formed.
Guo Shao nodded and said, "That's right. The horse-riding infantry is not good at horsemanship or archery. They are all infantrymen. No wonder it is difficult for the soldiers to become cavalrymen in a short period of time. However, equipping war horses increases the logistical pressure, which does not improve long-distance strategic mobility. Horses will lose weight if they carry a heavy load for too long, and then they will be damaged; short-distance tactical mobility is also very limited, and it is not worthwhile to eat so much food for this effect.
Therefore, we must have a certain ability to fight on horseback, and be able to quickly join the battle formation on horseback when rushing or chasing. This kind of javelin can replace horse archery at short distances, and its lethality is even stronger; most importantly, it does not take too long to practice before it can be used.
After hearing this, Zhang Jianxiong patted his chest and said: "Don't worry, Inspector Guo. I will lead the second-in-command to practice diligently, and everyone will learn how to throw spears in a month."
Very good. Guo Shaodao, the former commander of the Second Command of the Third Army, attacked the Shu Army at Qumen on the towpath. The commander and all the soldiers below him were killed in the battle. This is a brave and loyal army. I hope that Commander Zhang will not disappoint us after he succeeds.
Everyone was excited to hear the commander of the imperial guards praising them in person.
Guo Shaodao: We are mounted infantry, and our martial arts are not as good as those of cavalry, but our combat power is not necessarily inferior. After learning to throw the spear, we also need to practice the lance cavalry charge. Relying on the speed of the warhorse, charging with a long spear does not require any martial arts, but only courageous determination; the third thing is to use the saber to chop sideways, which only requires one move. Learning these three moves, sometimes you can barely be used as a cavalry, so as to seize the opportunity of battle.
Guo Shao was so excited that he wanted to perform a side-slashing move. At the urging of the soldiers, he mounted his horse again, took a saber, and galloped towards the straw dummy on the parade ground. He controlled his horse to pass by the straw dummy, then leaned over and chopped it down with his saber, knocking the dummy to the ground.
No martial arts skills were needed. Guo Shao himself was not good at horse fighting, but his movements just now were neat and his posture was very good. A shout came from behind: Good job!
When Guo Shao rode back, he heard a soldier say: "Guo Du Dianjian is a martial arts expert. Even if he doesn't become a general anymore, he can still live a good life."
The soldiers, who were originally very excited, suddenly became silent. Zhang Jianxiong immediately cursed: "Damn it, Yao Erniu, if you can't speak, just keep silent!"
Guo Shao turned around and saw a young strong man standing there with a sad face. He didn't dare to talk back. He thought that the guy might have wanted to flatter him, but he hit the horse's leg. Of course, he would not argue with him for such a small matter, so he pretended not to hear it.
The man named Yao Erniu was right. Even if Guo Shao lost power, theoretically he could still live a good life. After all, he was young, strong and literate. With the population quality of this era, he was very competitive. The problem was, how could he lose power when he was in power? Who would replace him and would let him go after being replaced? Guo Shao felt that if it really came to that, that person would dig deep into the ground to find him at all costs, otherwise there would be endless troubles.
But Guo Shao did not think he would lose power. He had analyzed the sources of threats and had to do two things: first, to prevent the majority of the people from rising up and completely overthrowing his authority and the authority of the current large group of people in power; second, to be on guard against powerful and ambitious people within the country, such as Li Yun, a military governor with military power in Hedong.
Now Guo Shao feels that he is in very good condition. As long as he does not do anything wrong, these two types of people will not have a chance.
Therefore, Guo Shao was not affected by other people's words at all. He smiled and said: Yao Erniu is right. Why did Commander Zhang scold him? I am not bragging. My blacksmithing skills are still good. I can make a living anywhere.
When everyone saw his smiling face, the atmosphere relaxed and became noisy again.
Guo Shao couldn't help but feel happy. He suddenly thought that he was only a little over 23 years old, healthy and strong, and he already held great power. His future life was really worth looking forward to. He felt very happy at the moment.
Just then, Lu Chengyong rode over on horseback and said to Guo Shao: My lord, Gao Yanchou has arrived at the barracks.
Guo Shao slapped his forehead and said, "I almost forgot that this matter would happen today. Dong Zunhui, you should arrange the Third Army's cavalry infantry training."
Uncle, rest assured. Dong Zunhui clasped his fists and said. He waited for Guo Shao to get on his horse and walk for a while, then rode up to catch up and said: My mother asked uncle to come and visit more often when he is free. She was really happy on my last birthday.
Guo Shao said nothing and glanced at Dong Zunhui, who was not much older than him. Although the incident was done secretly, he still felt a little embarrassed.
Dong Zunhui said: My mother has suffered a lot. Now as long as she is happy, I will try my best to be filial to her.
I will definitely visit my sister more often when I have time. Guo Shao said, and then he rode away from the training ground.
Guo Shao rode to the barracks lobby, dismounted, threw the reins to Lu Chengyong, and stepped through the threshold alone. He saw a tall middle-aged man and a short, rough, dark-skinned man sitting on chairs and talking. They noticed someone coming in, turned around, stood up immediately, and bowed to Guo Shao. The tall man was Gao Yanchou, and the short man was Hou Mao.
The two said different things. Hou Mao said, “Greetings to Marshal Guo.” Gao Yanchou said, “I am here to see Inspector Guo.”
They all wore linen clothes and futou on their heads. At that time, it was more popular for men to wear hats. People with a certain status often wore that kind of futou, and it was the same in the north and south. However, the general looked a little shabby in this outfit.
Guo Shaodao: No need to be polite, just sit down.
He also sat down, and the two of them followed suit. Guo Shao spoke more straightforwardly, saying: I want to meet you here today for two things. First, the guards at General Gao's residence have been withdrawn, and you are free. Second, there are more than 100,000 surrendered soldiers in Shu, and the Imperial Guards have selected more than 20,000 strong men to form the Jiannan Army, which is affiliated with the Imperial Guards Cavalry and Infantry Division and is also the forbidden army of the Zhou Army. I would like to ask General Gao if you are willing to serve as the commander of the left and right wings of the Jiannan Army.
Gao Yanchou was stunned: I was originally a general of Shu State, and the inspector Guo Du asked me to be the commander of the Shu army.
Guo Shaodao: Yes, and Hou Mao will be your deputy general, and you will decide the position. After the Jiannan Army is formed, the Imperial Guard will appoint some generals, and the rest will be selected by General Gao and submit a list of generals.
"Since Inspector Guo trusts me so much, how dare I not serve you?" Gao Yanchou responded immediately.
Guo Shao stretched out his hand and said: Welcome General Gao to join our Great Zhou army.
Gao Yanchou took a look, thought for a moment, and then reached out to hold Guo Shao's hand. Guo Shao looked at his face with a sharp gaze: "I have considered the battle records of General Gao and General Hou, and I believe that you are wise generals who can judge the situation."
Gao Yanchou's face lit up: We, the defeated generals of General Guo, actually deserve such respect and praise from you.
Guo Shao smiled and said: The main reason for victory or defeat is the different capital in hand. No matter how skilled a person is in martial arts, how can he beat a man with bare hands and a man in armor with a bow and arrow
Gao Yanchou also raised his head for a moment.
Guo Shao said seriously: From now on, we are all fighting for the unification of the world, ending the war, protecting the country and the people, and fighting for the people of the world.