Chapter 326: Drill Training!
"Siling is right, we should quickly pick our platoons first."
Bai Siling's words immediately brought everyone's attention back from Wang Chong and onto sixty mighty cavalrymen before them.
The trio drove their steeds forward excitedly and swiftly chose their own platoons.
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Traversing a humble hill, Wang Chong had the twenty cavalrymen arrange themselves in a specific formation and began his drill training.
The first thing one had to do after gaining command over a unit was to conduct drill training to understand the unique traits of the troops.
Only then could one assign the soldiers specific roles and missions based on their strengths. This was a norm in the military.
A true military commander would have the characteristics of every single one of his soldiers in his grasp. Only through this would he be able to bring out the greatest potential of his troops in an operation.
And that was exactly what Wang Chong was doing now.
Understanding the rationale behind his actions, the twenty soldiers felt even more respectful toward him.
"Who are the five-man squad leaders and ten-man squad leaders?" Wang Chong asked with a resounding voice while standing in front of the troops.
A slight wave rippled through the formation for an instant, and three cavalrymen swiftly stepped out.
"Reporting to the commander, I am a five-man squad leader!"
"Reporting to the commander, I am a ten-man squad leader!"
"Reporting to the commander, I am a ten-man squad leader!"
The three men raised their arms and declared their positions.
"There's only one five-man squad leader in this platoon?" Wang Chong frowned. Going by the norms, there should be four five-man squad leaders and two ten-man squad leaders in a twenty man platoon. The figures didn't tally.
"Reporting to the commander, we were only deployed into this platoon from our previous positions a few days ago," one of the ten-man squad leaders reported.
Those words left Wang Chong astonished. Judging from how synchronized their movements were, he thought that they had originated from the same team.
"Then where were you all from before? Report your previous positions one by one," Wang Chong commanded.
What followed left Wang Chong even more surprised. The twenty men had actually come from ten different platoons from five different armies.
Some of them had come from Beiting Protectorate Manor, some from Eastern Protectorate Manor, some from Western Protectorate Manor, as well as the garrison armies from other regions.
It seemed to be a last-minute decision that they were taken out from their previous positions to form this temporary team.
Are the armies of Great Tang so well-trained?, Wang Chong was astonished by the discovery.
He could still remember how awfully trained the armies of Great Tang were when he first came into contact with them in his previous life.
But from the looks of it, it seemed that even though an air of complacency was drifting both in the royal court and across the entire Great Tang, the strict military regime passed down over several centuries was still being enforced perfectly.
At the very least, probably before the catastrophe struck, Great Tang's military still seemed to uphold a high level of discipline.
The discovery of this fact relieved Wang Chong a little. It was fortunate that he had reincarnated into this timeline. If he could use these soldiers well, there would be a greater hope for Great Tang's survival.
"Split into four groups of five and start the routine drill practice!" Wang Chong ordered.
In order to allow for greater maneuverability, Wang Chong decided to divide the platoon into four smaller sections.
The groupings would be determined by the individual strengths of the cavalrymen. This would allow Wang Chong to assign specific tasks requiring different strengths to each of the sections, thus maximizing the battle potential of the platoon.
Di da da!
Dust swiftly clouded the area as the four groups charged across the field. Through this routine drill practice, Wang Chong was able to clearly discern the unique traits of each individual.
Some of them specialized in speed, outstripping the others easily. The ideal way to mobilize such soldiers was to have them bait the enemy. Their superior speed would allow them to remain out of reach of their enemies, and if required, they could also reverse their steeds and go on the offensive as well. Alternatively, they could also act as scouts to deliver timely military intelligence.
Wang Chong decided to place them in the first section.
On the other hand, some of them commanded immense strength. They were skillful in harnessing their might on the war steed, thus making them a fearsome existence in a charge. These individuals could be the vanguard leading the platoon to engage the enemy, or they could also serve as reinforcements to unexpected circumstances.
Wang Chong organized them into the second section.
Naturally, there were those who had a fair balance of speed and strength as well, allowing them to perform both baiting and offensive roles as well. They formed the backbone of the troop, ready to take over the place of members in the first and second section should any casualties emerge.
Wang Chong assigned them to the third section.
Those remaining were placed in the fourth section.
These were the ones who lacked decisive capabilities, but nevertheless, they were still sufficiently proficient to carry out missions. Wang Chong decided to lead this section personally.
"The two of you, move to that side!"
"You, and you as well, take these positions!"...
Wang Chong observed their movements very closely, and after several rounds of drill practice, he finally finished organizing them into four different sections.
Following which, he chose three more cavalrymen among the sections and assigned them the role of a five-man squad leader.
With this, he was finally done organizing his platoon.
Twenty men they still were, but a very different sight they had become in Wang Chong's eyes. This was a platoon that was prepared for battle, a platoon ready to carry out his orders whenever required.
Now, for the final step!, Wang Chong thought.
War was the best catalyst to training armies. Regardless of the dynasties or eras, the strongest armies were always those who had undergone many intense battlefields, tempered by the sparks of blades and rain of blood.
In that era of catastrophe back then, as weakened as Great Tang had become, its armies unsurprisingly became stronger than ever.
Under Wang Chong's leadership, the structure of the military underwent a huge overhaul. With his knowledge from another world, he came up with a set of flag semaphores to boost the military's unity and cooperation, further enhancing its offensive might.
What Wang Chong would teach them now was a simplified version of the flag semaphore, adapted to suit the needs of a twenty-man platoon.
Four specialized sections with different responsibilities, and a simplified and efficient flag semaphore for communication—these would allow this twenty-man platoon to display a fighting prowess far beyond that of before.
After imparting the simplified flag semaphore to the two ten-man squad leaders and four five-man squad leaders, the eyes of soldiers as they gazed at the young man before them became completely different from before.
Initially, when Wang Chong first arrived, they had only respected him due to his knowledge of military affairs, unlike the other young masters and young mistresses from the training camps.
However, by the time they finished learning the flag semaphore, their eyes were already glowing with amazement. At this moment, they began wondering who the brilliant young man before them was.
"Lord, may I ask for your name?" a ten-man squad leader suddenly stepped forward and asked respectfully. As a veteran of the military, how could he not understand the significance of the flag semaphore?
On the battlefield, opportunities appeared and disappeared in moments. As such, it was commonly said that timing was the key to a battle. The slightest lag could spell a major difference in the outcome.
The command structure of the military was gradually developed and perfected over generations, so improving it was no easy feat. However, Wang Chong's flag semaphore was both a simple and efficient mode of communication, and there was little doubt that it would work wonders on the battlefield.
"My name is Wang Chong. I am the son of General Wang Yan." Knowing what the soldiers were thinking of, Wang Chong replied to them honestly.
"You're... Wang gongzi?" The ten-man squad leader who had asked the question widened his eyes in shock. At the same moment, shocked mutterings echoed among the platoon.
As men who had dedicated his life to the battlefield, they had little understanding of the politics in the royal court. But nevertheless, the huge affair regarding the regional commanders incident still reached their ears. On top of that, the Wang Clan also had intricate links with the military, be it the deeply respected Duke Jiu or General Wang Yan...
"It's enough that you know, there's no need to spread it around," Wang Chong said with a smile. He keenly discerned the changes in the soldiers' gazes when he revealed his identity. It seemed the Wang Clan still wielded immense prestige within the military.
"Understood! Lord, you need not worry. We know what we must do."
Since Wang Chong had come from such an illustrious military clan, it was no wonder why he would have such an effective set of flag semaphore. Instinctively, the soldiers credited the development of the flag semaphore to the Wang Clan.
"Are the others still unaware of lord's identity?" The ten-man squad leader asked as he suddenly thought of something. Subconsciously, his eyes turned to Xu Gan and the others, who were at the other end of the mountain. Judging from the previous situation, it seemed like the relationship between Wang Chong and the others wasn't too good.
"It's just a small misunderstanding, it's nothing of concern." Wang Chong shook his head.
"Understood." Despite Wang Chong's words, hostility still surfaced in the eyes of the soldiers as they glanced in the direction of Xu Gan and the others.
The Wang Clan was deeply respected within the army. Furthermore, considering the honest and incorruptible reputation that the Wang Clan had built up over numerous decades under Duke Jiu's leadership, they had little doubt that this "misunderstanding" was a mistake on the part of the others.
"Alright, we'll practice a little longer before heading back. Focus your efforts on coordinating with one another," Wang Chong instructed.
"Yes, lord."
Soon, the soldiers returned to their training once more. It must be said that these veterans were indeed very well trained. With just a few practices, they had already grasped Wang Chong's flag semaphore.
As for their strength...
Looking at the nearly tangible halos beneath the hooves of the steeds during their charge, Wang Chong suddenly realized that he would be taking a back seat in the battles, serving as a purely commanding role in this platoon.