Chapter Five: Departure for War

  After a stirring speech on campus, South Korea's relief army is making its final preparations for departure in an orderly manner.

  According to Korean law, soldiers had to bring their own food and clothing, and there was no military pay. To boost morale, Crown Prince Yeong specifically applied to King of Korea for this expedition to be fully funded by the national treasury.

  Those who have made contributions will be heavily rewarded. If civilians who responded to the recruitment made achievements, they could be rewarded with land and wealth, and even exempted from corvée labor and military service. If regular soldiers made achievements, they would be promoted, given wealth and land. The treatment of those who died in battle was also generous, and their families could be exempted from three years of corvée labor, and there was a considerable amount of consolation money. Such treatment has never been seen since the founding of Korea, so naturally everyone's enthusiasm is high, and the 40,000 recruits are in short supply.

  The crown prince was naturally very concerned about the selection of soldiers, and repeatedly instructed Bao Ying to select only 10,000 strong soldiers from the remaining 30,000, and not to recruit any old, weak, sick or disabled people. In order to comfort those who were not selected, the crown prince even promised that those who guarded the city would be heavily rewarded.

  Then, Crown Prince Yeon went to the armory with Sima Han-wei and Minister of Works Han Wen to retrieve military equipment. Although Crown Prince Yeon was a noble prince, he had never been to the armory before. According to later accounts, the Korean hwacha was renowned throughout the land, said to have a range of up to 800 meters.

  While on the road, Prince Ze asked about the range of the powerful crossbow. The eunuch Han Wen was a somewhat sly and stout man, but he was very familiar with his work. He replied that the large crossbow required five people to operate together and had a range of over 600 paces. Prince Ze calculated in his mind that during the Warring States period, one chi was equal to 23 centimeters, six chi made up one pace, so 600 paces would be around 800 meters, or two miles. It's just a pity that such technology has been lost.

  Hanwen saw the eager expression of Prince Taizi and feared that his private deduction of the cost of making crossbows would be exposed, so he hastily explained: "The prince doesn't know, this kind of crossbow has a large body, complex operation, it's okay to use for defending cities. But for field battles, it's not convenient to carry, and loading is complicated, not very practical."

  "Oh? Which crossbows in the armory are suitable for field battles?" The prince couldn't help but dispel his earlier imagination of a crossbow with a range of 800 meters firing multiple arrows at once, and asked with great interest.

  Hanwen secretly wiped a cold sweat and replied, "Reporting to the young master, there are two types of crossbows used in field battles. One is the cavalry crossbow, which is small and lightweight, with an effective killing range of 100 steps; the other is the infantry crossbow, with an effective killing range of 200 steps."

  "This range is enough." The prince thought in his heart.

  Thinking of the joint forces of Zhao and Wei having 15 million cavalry, it's not a problem to respond with the Macedonian phalanx formation. However, the Macedonian phalanx is not flexible enough, and once the flanks are broken through, the long spearmen can only be slaughtered by the cavalry. But using it for a night raid can increase its power, after all, whoever sees rows of shining long spears charging towards them will definitely panic.

  The crown prince suddenly spoke up and asked: "Hàn Shǎofǔ, how many long spears and long halberds are there in the armory?"

  Now, the halberd, spear and bronze sword are the main weapons for battle. The long spear has just risen and needs a process. For the Macedonian phalanx formation, although the long halberd is not as good as the long spear, its length is enough, with a length of six or seven meters, like a large porcupine, making it impossible for the enemy to do anything. After all, one inch longer and one inch stronger is an eternal truth.

  "There are a hundred thousand long spears, but no more than ten thousand long lances." Han Wen replied.

  "Enough, enough! Bring me 10,000 long spears and 20,000 long halberds. Also, bring me 10,000 suits of heavy armor, 3,000 suits of cavalry armor, 40,000 suits of infantry armor, 30,000 swords, and 20,000 shields." The crown prince said.

  If time permits, the cavalry equipped with stirrups should also be equipped with a cavalry shield, plus a 3-meter-long lance and a short sword, which is the standard equipment for heavy cavalry in their own minds.

  "Sir, apart from the heavy armor, other armories can be taken out." Han Wen replied with a bitter face.

  "Hmm?" The crown prince's face was full of discontent. Without heavy armor, his own heavy cavalry would be useless.

  "There really isn't." Han Wen explained with a stiff face, "Young Master, you also know that Korea's national strength is weak. Although the weapons are sharp, the financial resources can't support too much consumption. Especially since the founding of the country, there have been constant wars, and now the armory can only provide three thousand sets of heavy armor for the young master, which is also the bottom line of the armory."

  After all, heavy armor is equipped with heavy infantry, and this type of soldier consumes a lot of resources. With South Korea's national strength, it can't afford to have many.

  "Three thousand is just three thousand! Give me another 300,000 crossbow arrows, that's not a problem, is it, Lord Han?" The days without money are hard to pass, so I'll just have to make do. Prince Yan sighed in his heart.

  "No problem, no problem." Han Wen hastily replied. As for Prince Ran, Han Wen did not dare to offend him. Otherwise, when Prince Ran ascended the throne, there would be no good fruit for himself to eat.

  After receiving the military equipment, it was already sunset. Looking at the slowly setting sun, the prince's heart couldn't help but wish for the day to slow down even more. The time left for himself and Korea was really limited, if he could have a few more days, even three or four days would be good, his preparations would be more sufficient.

  Now can only hastily respond to the war, although in the palace oneself speaks fluently, but who knows that oneself is just a desperate struggle. After all, according to historical records, this battle is Korea's best chance to win with fewer troops and weaker strength. The combined forces of Zhao and Wei seem powerful, but in fact they are vulnerable to defeat, otherwise they would not have collapsed as soon as they encountered the enemy, as recorded in history. As long as one is careful, the probability of success is extremely high. One battle will determine several years of peace, and only then will there be an opportunity to reform the system and strengthen the country.

  Upon arrival at the Western City Garrison, Prince Ran discovered that General Pu had been waiting for a long time with several other generals. Since this expedition only had 40,000 people, General Pu summoned all personnel above the rank of Jun Hou (in charge of 5,000 people, also known as Du Wei) to gather here. This was both for mutual familiarity and convenience in future cooperation, as well as to listen to Prince Ran's teachings together.

  After all, Bao You was only a nominal commander-in-chief, and the actual command was still in charge of Taizi Ran. To say that Bao You was just an ordinary person, marching troops followed the military book, such a rule-abiding person could become the highest "general" position is indeed Korea's most famous general, as the saying goes "Shu has no great general, Liao Hua should be the vanguard".

  The crown prince knew their intention at a glance and couldn't help but smile. After the courtesy, they sat down according to their identity and status. Bao Yan insisted that the crown prince sit in the east-facing seat, as he should occupy the most honorable position as the heir apparent.

  Why, the prince insisted that there were no royal nobles in the army, and as the commander-in-chief, he should sit facing east, while he himself sat facing south. A few words, but it made a thousand people secretly admire him. Originally thought that Prince Yan was just boasting and good at stirring up people's hearts. Unexpectedly, he was humble and courteous, without any arrogance of royal nobles, and won the favor of many colonels and military marquises.

  "Your Highness, the 40,000-strong army has assembled. 10,000 elite soldiers and 30,000 robust troops. What time do you plan to set out tomorrow?" Baolüan, as the commander-in-chief, at least in name, was the first to speak up.

  "I have already consulted with the king and the diviner, tomorrow at si time we will offer sacrifices to our ancestors and the gods of the land, and then set out on the expedition immediately." The crown prince replied with a gentle smile.

  "While everyone is here, I'll explain the arrangement for this expedition. There are 10,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry. Among them, 3,000 cavalry will be equipped with leather armor, precious swords, and mounted crossbows; 7,000 charioteers will be equipped with leather armor, foot crossbows, and long spears. The infantry includes 3,000 heavy infantry, 5,000 archers, and 12,000 light infantry."

  "After announcing the formation of the great army, the crown prince continued to say: 'This time, rescuing Huayang is not like usual. I declare military discipline here: If you hear the drum and do not advance, kill! If you hear the bell and do not stop, kill! If the flag is raised but does not rise, if the flag is pressed down but does not fall, kill! If your name is called and you do not respond, if you are late for roll call, if you violate the deadline, if you alter military law, kill! If there is a night watch and you are lazy and do not report it, if you are slow to prepare, if your voice is unclear, kill! If you speak many complaints, if you do not listen to orders, if you are difficult to control, kill! If you shout loudly or laugh, if you despise the rules, if you rush into the military gate, kill!'"

  Several consecutive killing words made the atmosphere tense, and many generals including the commander Bai Yue also realized that the prince was serious this time. At this point, he also responded with a "yes".

  "My lord, shouldn't we bring more crossbows, especially the large ones?" a lieutenant suggested upon hearing that there would be no large crossbows on this campaign. After all, in Korea's past wars, they had always carried a large number of crossbows and relied on their long range to keep the enemy at bay. Once the enemy closed in, they often fled without a fight.

  "General Ba," the crown prince paused, "Everyone, this battle will not use too many large crossbows. Three thousand cavalry crossbowmen and four thousand infantry crossbowmen are enough. The training of the long spear soldiers will be explained by me tomorrow when we set out. I hope everyone cooperates!"

  "I am willing to die for you, young master!"

  The next day, in the presence of Grand Minister Zhang Ping and other high-ranking officials such as Chen Chen, after a solemn sacrifice to the gods of land and grain and a ritual to appease the ancestral temple, Crown Prince Yan stood on a high platform and made his final rallying cry.

  "Generals, I won't say anything else. Zhao and Wei states have already reached our doorstep, what should we do?"

  "Fight! Fight! Fight!" was the reply of the Crown Prince, accompanied by a burst of angry roars.

  "What should we do if Zhao and Wei countries want to occupy our land and bully our relatives?"

  "Kill! Kill! Kill!" The reply to the prince was a chorus of shouts.

  "So tell me, are you confident of winning? Is South Korea a must-win?"

  "We must win! We must win! We must win!"

  "Good! Warriors, let's go!" The crown prince shouted with great enthusiasm and momentum.

  One after another, the soldiers turned around and formed a neat formation, rushing from the school field to the battlefield. Looking at the Crown Prince who was galloping away, Zhang Ping, the Prime Minister, had mixed feelings in his heart. What kind of person is this? Sometimes he is elegant and refined, chatting with the ministers; sometimes he has no noble demeanor, but can stir up the soldiers' morale.

  As the last soldier stepped out of Xinzheng, the city gate of Xinzheng slowly closed. A city gate, separated the inside and outside of Xinzheng. All the feelings of farewell came to an abrupt end with the closure of the city gate.

  May the troops return safely. This is what everyone is thinking at this moment, from royalty and nobles to ordinary people seeing them off on the streets.