Chapter 63: The Ceremony of Establishing the Army

  "Second brother, we've also equipped ourselves with quite a few firearms, but they're not very useful in battles. In the end, it still comes down to horsemanship and martial arts. If you ask me what use firearms are, at most they can only be used to intimidate people!" Yue Po Xu said.

  "Haha, you foolish kid, that's because your firearms are too poor!" Li Jibei suddenly interjected, and the old man laughed and said: "The best firearms in our great Ming dynasty can shoot over 150 steps away. Fine bird guns can also exceed 100 steps. At around 50 steps, they can penetrate two layers of armor, much sharper than most bows and arrows. In those years, Qi Jiguang strongly advocated for firearms. When he was the commander-in-chief of the Ji Town Garrison, the military's firearms increased rapidly. By the time of the Wanli Three Great Campaigns, our dynasty's firearms had surpassed those of the Japanese pirates. Wang Jinglue also strongly advocated relying on firearms to counter the Manchu iron cavalry. Alas, it's just a pity that corrupt officials and traitors played with the instruments of national defense for personal gain, leading to today's outcome, which is truly lamentable!"

  Li Xu also said: "My father is right, I used to select some fine firearms for testing, fifty steps away, a fat pig wrapped in two layers of iron armor was shot, the armor was not damaged, but the tendons and internal organs inside were shattered. If a person is hit, there will be no survival. This firearm looks more exquisite than the one I tested before, it's estimated that shooting 150 steps is no problem, far exceeding the range of bows and arrows."

  Zhou Yingjie smiled and said, "When Uncle was training troops, he actually also advocated for firearms, but our firelocks were too poor. In the Battle of Yangliuqing that year, the Tartar cavalry charged at us, but they couldn't hit us from fifty paces away, so we could only wait until they approached within thirty paces before opening fire and shooting, and the Tartars fell down like wheat, in batches."

  Sun Cheng furrowed his brow and couldn't help but ask, "Ninth Brother, thirty steps, I'm afraid the Hu cavalry's bows and arrows can reach you, right?"

  Zhou Yingjie smiled wryly and nodded: "Just bear with it, our equipment can't compare to theirs, what's the point of working hard if we're still afraid of them?"

  As they spoke, Zhou Yingjie showed strong pride, able to win with fewer men and defeat the Qing dynasty, they indeed had this pride.

  Listening to the discussions of several people, Gu Zhenhua was also deeply moved. In fact, those who have been in the border areas for a long time are not confused. If you go further back, there were Taizu and Chengzu; if you go closer, there were Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang. How they fought wars is clear to everyone. It's just that the Ming dynasty's governance collapsed, its finances collapsed, it couldn't recruit good soldiers, and it couldn't produce good weapons. On top of that, a group of civil officials and eunuchs gave blind orders, causing the loss of many good men!

  "Gentlemen, these firearms were all brought from the capital city, and their craftsmanship is quite fine. Let's test their power!" Gu Zhenhua said with a smile.

  Everyone nodded in unison, they chose five horse-drawn carriages and lined them up about a hundred steps apart. On each carriage, an additional compartment was added to serve as a target.

  Zhou Yingjie took out fifteen people from his subordinates, holding fire guns and shooting together. Gu Zhenhua and others watched personally in the back, only to see smoke rising and loud noises.

  They fired three rounds in a row, and before the smoke had cleared, Yue Po Xu rushed over, arriving at the front of several horse-drawn carriages. His eyes widened instantly.

  "Oh no, the carriage is all smashed up!"

  Yue Po Xu picked up a piece of hardwood, and saw that there was still a lead bullet embedded in it. The board was covered in cracks. If this had hit human flesh, it would have been fatal.

  Yue Po's eyes seemed to see countless Tatar cavalry charging over, then being shot by firearms and falling to the ground in pieces.

  In an instant, Yue Poou's view of the fire gun changed by 180 degrees. He suddenly smiled and said: "Seventh brother, ninth brother, can you give me a little more of the divided fire gun?"

  Gu Zhenhua brought out 3,000 fire spears from the capital city. Zhou Yingjie and his men couldn't use them anyway, so they conveniently took out 1,500 to give to the Guanning Army.

  The Guanning Army was well-trained and no stranger to firearms. To boost everyone's confidence, they took turns arranging for them to test the power of firearms.

  After the test results came out, everyone held onto their guns tightly and didn't want to let go, they were like precious treasures!

  After Gu Zhenhua's personal coordination, the two troops communicated with each other and made up for their shortcomings. The infantry acquired war horses and armor, while the cavalry obtained sharp firearms. Both sides got what they needed, and their combat effectiveness increased exponentially, leaving everyone extremely satisfied.

  Just the right combination of things from Beijing and Shanhai Pass, perfectly combined together. Looking at the nearly armed-to-the-teeth 5,000 troops in front of him, Gu Zhenhua was also extremely pleased.

  This has already become a strong force, and with good training, taking these people as the backbone, it will be possible to build a powerful team very quickly. Gu Zhenhua's confidence is also growing more and more.

  However, there is still one problem to be solved, which is to unite the military's mind!

  "Gentlemen, brothers from all over the country have gathered together, some are from the Guanning Army, some are from Shanxi troops, and there is also the Imperial Guard. Although we come from different backgrounds and have different origins, since we are now gathered together, we form one team, clenched into a fist, no longer distinguishing ourselves."

  "Good." Li Xu smiled and said: "Wu Sangui, the great Han traitor, surrendered to the Qing dynasty, and the reputation of the Guanning Army has been ruined. It's just right for us to change our appearance and start anew!"

  Guo Yunlong and Yue Po Xu also nodded frequently, the people from Guanning Army spoke first, Sun Cheng, Lu Yong, Zhou Yingjie and others did not have any objections.

  Gu Zhenhua bowed his head in thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Soldiers need to report to the country, civilians need peace, so let's call it the An Country Army?"

  "Wonderful!" Li Jibai said with a smile: "A word of peace, the expectation of so many common people, just hoping that you can really bring peace and stability to the country, and save the dawn."

  After several people agreed, the team immediately conducted a reorganization. Gu Zhenhua took charge of the An Guo army commander, and the entire army was divided into ten battalions, each with 500 people. They happened to be the ten people who had just sworn an oath together, with one person in charge of each battalion. As a result, the original structure was completely dispersed, and Gu Zhenhua's control power was greatly enhanced.

  When five thousand people stood in front of Gu Zhenhua, a vast and dense crowd, all kneeling on one knee, swearing allegiance, Gu Zhenhua's blood also boiled up in an instant.

  Commanding thousands of troops and horses, fighting on the battlefield, this may be the dream in every man's bones. Heaven gave oneself an opportunity, then one must leave their own chapter in history!

  "Long live the National Salvation Army!"

  "Long live the National Salvation Army!"

  "Long live the An Kuo Army! Long live General Chung Yung!"

  ……

  Uniform shouts shook the fields, a strong momentum that changed the color of heaven and earth, and made countless people tremble with fear. The Anguo Army officially appeared on the historical stage.

  From the encounter to the exchange of war horses and equipment, and then reorganizing the troops, they were busy for a whole afternoon and more, until midnight, before everything was settled. The soldiers took advantage of this opportunity to get a good night's sleep and recover from their fatigue.

  However, Gu Zhenhua didn't have time to rest. They were still not far from Shanhai Pass and the Qing army might catch up with them at any moment. The top priority was to hurry south as soon as possible.

  Just as Gu Zhenhua was planning his next move to seize Tianjin, Hou Sanwai suddenly rushed over in a hurry.

  "Master, something's gone terribly wrong! The scout just reported that a cavalry unit has been chased out from Shanhai Pass and their target seems to be us!"

  Gu Zhenhua's brow furrowed as soon as he heard this, An Guojun had just been established and the troops were still very fragile, encountering an attack at this time was absolutely extremely dangerous.

  "Pass on my orders, the whole army will march south immediately. Also, send out many scouting parties to get a clear picture of the pursuing troops!"

  "Ah!" Hou Sanhuai immediately went to give orders.

  ……

  Wu Sangui hated Gu Zhenhua, but what he really hated was the itch in his teeth. After receiving Dorgon's order, he immediately led 2,000 troops from the Ganning Army and 2,000 from the Eight Banners to chase after him.

  In fact, they and Gu Zhenhua were less than a day apart, but along the way, they encountered many defeated soldiers of the Great Righteous Army and refugees fleeing in all directions, which delayed their journey.

  It was also this delay that gave Gu Zhenhua precious time to reorganize his troops, and the team had undergone a complete transformation, with a brand new look.

  Wu Sangui did not know these things, he still gritted his teeth and chased after them crazily all the way.

  "Your Highness, we've discovered a campsite up ahead, probably belonging to Gu Zhenhua and those traitors!"

  Wu Sangui's spirits lifted at once, and he hastily urged his horse forward. He took a closer look, then gritted his teeth and said, "That's right! There are many wheel tracks on the ground, and a large amount of horse dung. It must be that scoundrel Gu Zhenhua!"

  These things were all looted from Shanhai Pass, all scraped off Wu Sangui's body. The great traitor was burning with anger. He immediately ordered a relentless pursuit, 4,000 cavalrymen chasing non-stop, madly attacking.

  Wu Sangui had been chasing for more than a day when his subordinates came to report while he was eating dry rations.

  "Your Highness, ten miles ahead, there is a troop forming an array and waiting for us. It's the group led by Gu Zhenhua."

  Wu Sangui, upon hearing this, immediately jumped up from the ground and stopped eating his dry rations. He loudly shouted to his subordinates: "The rebels have no way out! Follow me to kill them!"

  Wu Sangui pursued with his troops without hesitation, and in his impression, there were only more than 2,000 people under Gu Zhenhua, who was absolutely not his opponent in a field battle. With just one walk and one pass, he could finish off this group of people!

  ……

  "Brothers, Wu Sangui has brought half of the troops from the Guanning Army and half are Tartars, totaling four thousand men, slightly fewer than us. However, their combat strength is not to be underestimated. Especially the iron cavalry charge, which is incredibly powerful. But this battle we cannot avoid fighting, if we let a wolf follow behind us, sooner or later we will all be eaten by the wolf. Only by bravely defeating them can we march south at ease."

  When he heard the pursuing troops, Gu Zhenhua was startled, but when he learned that there were only about 4,000 people, Gu Zhenhua began to make small calculations. Many Han traitors did not know that he had obtained another 2,000 soldiers, and many of these 2,000 soldiers were elite who had fought against the Qing dynasty. With this, plus the sharp firearms, it was enough to give Wu Sangui a severe blow.

  "This battle was led by me and the eighth brother, ninth brother, with three battalions as the main force, forming a frontal array to confront Wu Sangui. The second brother and fifth brother each brought a battalion of cavalry, divided into two wings, preventing a side breakthrough. Big brother, you lead the remaining troops as reserve forces."

  Gu Zhenhua said confidently: "Let this battle be the founding ceremony of the An Guo Army, we will let the traitors' blood sacrifice the flag!"