Chapter 2: Military Strategist Legacy
The sounding of the horn signals assembly, the beating of drums signals advance, the movement of flags directs the army to turn, and the whistling arrow is a death order, requiring the troops to lock onto the target and fight to the death.
In the Military Strategists of the Da Yao Dynasty, for a commander, being able to lead troops in a charge is a bonus. The most basic quality is to master the series of signaling systems including “drums and horns, banners, whistling arrows.”
Xuan Chong, quick on the uptake, immediately thought of the command system of armies in the information age from his previous life.
From top to bottom, how the generals’ information chain is transmitted to the lowest level rank-and-file soldiers has always been a technical position since ancient times! The rank-and-file coordination system that he now obtained in Da Yao is the embryonic form of later military command studies in the classical era. Currently in Da Yao, this is called “Military Strategist.”
Currently, the inheritances of “Military Strategists” in various places in Da Yao are all different.
For example, the laborer spear troops in the Southern Border eat Gao Ba, not Guo Kui from the North. Due to different food and grass characteristics, marching and combat forms also differ slightly, and due to differences in height and weapon types, their staffing quota formations differ.
Da Yao’s territory is vast, with different external threats at each border, so there are military families stationed to guard them. These military families have had their own military codes over the past few hundred years, and the parts of the military codes involving rank-and-file signaling are all “core technology,” passed to sons not daughters, to legitimate heirs not those born to a concubine.
Currently, the army Wu Fei is in is called the “Wu Family Army.” This set of Military Strategist inheritance is internal technology of the Wu Family People. As long as the Da Yao Imperial Court has a need to “guard the border” in the southern territory, the Wu Family is basically tied to the fate of the nation. Oh, that is, the martial men: We of the XX generation serve the Imperial Court.
…Under the blowing of a great wind, banners from all directions rustled, at this time the 1,500 people in the drill had determined their positions…
On the Commander’s Platform, as a series of edicts were conveyed, a team of flags below began to move.
Each queue has a flag bearer. The number of left and right swings of the flag corresponds to the way the central army conveys orders, and everyone in the queue maintains the attack by watching the flag’s direction. For example, a queue of laborer spear troops with a full 120 men, most of whom are conscripted old farmers, only gather by watching the flag and know to charge and form up following the majority of the team.
Under the military law’s system of joint liability, there is also a set of interpersonal martial world among these grassroots soldiers, which the military family commanders cannot always grasp, and can only constrain the rank-and-file through appointing squad leaders to hold the flags.
Therefore, every flag team is the lowest level of the wartime command chain, equivalent to a company. This is the lowest level personnel that the general can directly control. If any conspiring happens below that, it depends on whether the general’s personal charisma can hold up.
Xuan Chong summarized knowledge from his previous life: After military modernization, brigade-scale units can reach seven or eight thousand, with command chains reaching the grassroots “platoon.” After informationization, combat groups reach division level, with command chains down to the “squad.” In the intelligent era, command is precise to every soldier, and command scale spans collaboration of tens of thousands across an entire theater system.
Xuan Chong summarized: On the historical coordinate axis, the development trend of armies is larger scale and more precise command.
The current Da Yao Wu Family Army, a full-strength army is only 2,500 men, and the commander’s control chain end is the centurion. This is kindergarten level. — But this kindergarten level is not that easy to learn.
After all, in this era, Wu Fei can only rely on himself to direct and command troops. If he goes through a military academy to train a batch of professional staff officers and establish a command post, um, that would be transgression, harboring retainers, plotting disloyalty, and Legalist disciples would come knocking, using edicts to punish.
……
At this time on the point soldier platform, under the grand banner, Xuan Chong began conveying orders for the drill. As one edict after another turned into talisman birds made of bamboo, flying to each queue, the armored soldiers in each queue, led by the squad leader, changed in a chain reaction like dominoes.
The infantry queues quickly changed formation, forming horse barriers to protect the central army, while cavalry on both wings began to maneuver and rotate, seeking impact opportunities.
Just as a sword immortal uses a sword, striking the enemy’s weak point with one sword at the most exquisite moment, cavalry is the sword tip of the army, and exactly when to fully unleash it also depends on the general’s timing in releasing the whistling arrow.
In the queue evolution, Xuan Chong cleverly moved axe and blade handlers into the spear soldier queues that were entangled in combat, creating queue chaos, giving the cavalry a chance to charge formation. This drill ended here.
Each queue, amid flying dust, carried their flags home. Today when opening the pots to cook, add two extra portions of pickles. Meanwhile, Wu Fei, fully armored, returned to the military tent to accept his uncle’s assessment and critique.
In the central army military tent, captains of each team sat respectively on both sides, with a bronze tripod placed in the middle. Each leader, according to their order, shared different parts of the mutton stewed in the tripod. The position of the piece of meat on each desk was determined by the leader’s merit and seniority.
As sweet wine was poured into the cups, the banquet began.
As the saying goes, the emperor does not stint on hungry soldiers, let alone a general. After everyone busied for a day, they must treat each camp leader (centurion) to a meal.
Of course, Wu Fei’s seat was right next to the general. This banquet was undoubtedly Wu Hanluan’s way of introducing the Wu Family’s young general to his subordinates.
……
In the Wu Family Army, allocation of all combat tasks and personnel team arrangements are often decided at this banquet, so at this banquet, most people, besides eating meat, also kept a mind on it.
Earlier when Wu Hanluan had summoned Wu Fei alone, he had scolded him with a stern face, completely different from now. He smiled and introduced the officers and soldiers under his command to Wu Fei. Then he seemed to force, um, invite these camp teams and gate supervisors to toast Wu Fei one by one.
As the gong for the impending curfew sounded in the military tent, this banquet ended. Each squad leader returned to camp, leaving only Wu Fei.
The rice wine in the army is not high in alcohol content, and after diluting with water it’s even thinner than rice soup, but being toasted in rotation by over twenty squad leaders still made Wu Fei feel a bit overwhelmed. — Obviously, these officers had suffered “alcohol withdrawal” pain these days, harboring resentment in their hearts, but not daring to vent at Wu Hanluan, so they took this opportunity to pour on Xuan Chong.
Xuan Chong, looking at his drunken self in the reflection of the army weapons, sighed: What a ordeal!
……
Wu Hanluan saw Wu Fei enduring the alcohol yet still cautious in speech, raising his evaluation of Wu Fei a bit higher. Of course, Wu Fei’s previous single-minded appearance had made the initial score too low, and now the contrast brought by the performance added much color.
In that scene just now, to withstand everyone’s flattery without completely letting go and getting carried away, though slightly tipsy but not mentally clouded, given time, he can become a general talent.
The Wu Family has guarded the Southern Border of Da Yao for four hundred years. The real reason for standing unshaken is not Daoist Sect support, nor generations of imperial favor, but the military power in the Southern Border. If the Wu Family’s Military Strategist family tradition has no successor, the Daoist Sect won’t value “aptitude” to recruit disciples, and the Imperial Family won’t grant generational favor.
The Son of Heaven of Da Yao uses the Chou Jin Tax to strip marquis ranks. Those families in the Central Plains who once rose through imperial relatives, with a single family having ten marquises in glory! But after the Son of Heaven changes, their ranks are quickly stripped, whereas the Wu Family guarding the Southern Border can substitute beheading barbarian tribe leaders for the Chou Jin Tax. Even if beheading too many, the Imperial Family instead grants gold cakes. The gold cakes granted by the Imperial Family naturally have no issue of insufficient purity, so marquises in the Central Plains buy them at high prices.
Everyone in the Wu Family Army knows that Wu Hanluan was quite helpless about his nephew clamoring to learn Daoist Magic.
Military Strategists cultivate killing intent, Immortal Families nurture spirit!
In the city, civilians don’t fight officials; in the martial world, officials don’t suppress heroes. On the rolling mortal world Human Realm path, spirit does not contend with killing intent, but in remote uninhabited places, killing intent dissipates too quickly, and only Immortal Arts can split mountains and sever rivers.
Wu Hanluan once kindly told ten-year-old Wu Fei: Your birth chart is too hard; you should walk this human world! Why cultivate immortality? Immortal cultivation requires vegetarianism and precepts, bitter training for countless years on the mountain—can you endure that purity? — You’re just listening to storytellers’ tales of “cultivators’ freedom.”
Where does freedom come from in the world? In these thousand years, no fewer than fifty sects have been exterminated by armies for angering the Son of Heaven.
…Wu Hanluan is determined to have Wu Fei inherit his mantle and told Wu Fei about the various unbearable aspects of immortal cultivation. But Wu Hengyu, that is, this uncle’s son, Wu Fei’s cousin, described another scenery in the sect.
Three years ago after Wu Hengyu returned home, first he showed off his Daoist Magic supernatural power, making Wu Fei very envious. Then he boasted about his experiences in the sect.
Taking the Southern Qinghua Sect as example, it is divided into “three generations” according to cultivation level: Golden Core Cultivators are first generation, Foundation Establishment second generation disciples, Qi Refining third generation disciples.
That year this cousin told him about their freedom on the mountain riding clouds and driving thunder, making Wu Fei’s heart itch. Thus, full of resentment, he questioned why the family elders assigned like this.
Then the clan elders gave quite a lecture, describing the difficulties of immortal sects.
For example, even the highest cultivation Golden Core Cultivators might split great mountains and crack great stones, but facing an army’s condensed killing intent, not a shred of Daoist Arts can be used. And ten years ago, Qinghua Sect, because the tribute “spirit tea” failed to meet the Imperial Family’s promised amount, had to send over a dozen second generation disciples into the palace to perform Dan Ding Art for the Son of Heaven.
As for the now widely talked about matter of the so-called Fairy Mu riding a spirit sword to block Marquis Yue’s three thousand armored soldiers’ pursuit, this was actually backed by a city, with military and civilians united to suppress the earth vein. Of course that fairy merely blocked them; facing the subsequent “beacon fire pagoda” monster heavy cavalry mobilized by the Southeast military family, that fairy and the whole city’s people had no choice but to flee into the mountain ridge.
Nowadays, for all sects to endure long-term, in peaceful times they need to cooperate with the Imperial Court, in chaotic times with noble families and clans.
The Immortal Path has always been a minor path. Among those entering immortal sects with spiritual roots, not one in ten can Qi Refine to Foundation Establishment; Golden Core Cultivators number no more than a handful worldwide.
The mortal world path is the great path. The authorities in the mortal world path besides the emperor, then Confucian, Legalist, Military Strategist—the entrants into sagehood of any of these three great houses far exceed Golden Core Cultivators by a hundredfold.
Immortal Path cultivators claim to avoid the world, but actually cannot avoid it, because spiritual mountains and great rivers can only continue prospering under the Son of Heaven and prefects’ mountains and rivers orders.
Of course, young Wu Fei couldn’t listen to it.
…Xuan Chong wondered: Exactly when did I replace Wu Fei? This transmigration time point is very fuzzy…
Now when Xuan Chong reads classics in “Hundred Schools of Thought miscellaneous arts,” he can already maintain an objective mindset, with the following cognitive summary:
First, the “Human Realm” is part of the Way of Heaven, the foremost of all paths. That is, cultivators’ spiritual veins are influenced by mortal dynasties, and even magic only takes effect under edict permission.
Therefore, cultivators avoid the world yet must enter it, unable to escape the mortal world, so they need kings and marquises to endorse their sects—very contradictory.
As for the army, there are accompanying Daoist priests, holding the military lord’s avert evil orders, walking in the military camp. For them, one year of training in the battlefield equals ten years of other mortal world tempering, and for the army, these accompanying Daoist elders are indispensable masters.
For example, the Daoist Art “sound of gentle wind” can make wind and cloud qi wrap around a team’s soldiers’ feet (cavalry’s hooves), increasing charge force.
……
In the military tent, Xuan Chong in the changing area splashed cold water on his face to sober up quickly, then rushed to Wu Hanluan’s command tent.
Wu Hanluan was already waiting quietly in the large tent, handing the lamp to Xuan Chong to hold. He opened that roll of silk cloth map from daytime.
This roll of silk cloth map depicted mountains and rivers, and had markers for ships and horses shuttling between cities. In Wu Fei’s vision, those horse marker positions were slowly moving, and ships too. And if looking at the cities on the silk map, he could even immediately hear the bustling voices in the cities.
Xuan Chong: “Not bad, this map counts as a ‘magic item.’ I remember seeing it in some movie, Harry Potter which one was it?”
“Yin Yao Yang Yao” binary deduction is not just used by the Daoist Sect; Military Strategists, Confucians, Legalists all have corresponding “Yi books” to assist their achievements.
Before Xuan Chong could immerse in the feeling of everything under control from the feng shui map, Wu Hanluan’s finger poked on the map. Xuan Chong extracted his mind from the myriad information of mountains and rivers operation on this map, following the general’s finger, the view locked on mountains and rivers. Immediately his five senses filled with grass and wood scent, bird songs and flower fragrances, even snake scales rubbing sounds.
Xuan Chong stepped back two steps, five senses normal, then looked at where the general’s finger pointed on the mountains and rivers, on that simple mountain map line, written “Chilian Mountain Range.”
Wu Hanluan had Xuan Chong bring the lamp closer: “Snake People have been causing chaos in the Southern Border for five years. Though our army strictly guards the checkpoints and can protect one side’s peace, it has always been hard to eradicate this scourge.”
Xuan Chong looked at the feng shui map and found several new lines opened. The general nodded upon seeing: “These are the grain routes my army prepared for advancing into Crimson Serpent Mountain, and the matter to be entrusted to you is also related to this.”
At this point, Wu Hanluan’s gaze lingered on the map for a moment, already determining Wu Fei’s mission point.
Wu Fei ‘s expression stiffened, asking: “Do I have to sign a military order?”
Wu Hanluan stroked his beard and nodded.
Wu Fei further asked: “Delayed deadline means beheading?”
Wu Hanluan coldly rebuked: You are already atoning for crimes with merits.
Just as Xuan Chong was calculating whether to feign something like wind-cold to temporarily avoid, his system that had been playing dead for a long time popped up.
System: Please take control of this army, reward is three academic credits. Note: Accumulate fifteen academic credits to return.
Xuan Chong disgustedly swiped away this system popup.
However, the system immediately popped a warning: “If you fail the assessment, you will face bloodshed.”
Xuan Chong roared in his mind: “Fuck, you’re threatening me.”
System: “Not a threat, a classroom warning. Do it or not is up to you! Feel free to try.”
Xuan Chong suddenly deflated, muttering in his mind: “Didn’t say I won’t accept the task.”
…Mind words and scene contrast dividing line…
At this time, Wu Fei holding the lamp faced his uncle, straightened his expression, showing utter willingness.
This stunned Wu Hanluan; this nephew who had always “twisted against” in the army seemed to suddenly change character.
Xuan Chong looked at the map again, this time controlling his spirit carefully, preventing getting trapped, and asked this uncle: “Uncle, is our family’s current advance south the Imperial Court’s intention?”
Xuan Chong’s logic: Since beheading heads can substitute for Chou Jin Tax, the Wu Family Army can completely raise bandits to fatten themselves, treating Snake People as leeks to harvest periodically. But now suddenly actively advancing. Really quite abnormal.
Wu Hanluan paused slightly, sighed: “Yuan Chang, just lead the troops well. Court matters, Yuan Lu (another disciple born to a concubine but with strong aptitude in the clan) will pay attention there.”
Xuan Chong looked at his uncle, understanding that something had changed at the Imperial Court.
Legendary general at initial state.
